HELPING BUILDINGS Volunteers of all types dedicate themselves to improving the human condition. Some architects, for instance, donate their time pro bono to groups that could otherwise not afford the design and advocacy services needed to improve their built environments. — Published 2006.0531
	MIES ON LAKE SHORE DRIVE When German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the famous twin-tower Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago, these modern icons, also known as the "Glass Houses," took their place in line along a lakefront history exhibit of the city's residential architecture. — Editor — Published 2006.0503
	ASIAN LEGACIES Southeast Asian cities embody many contradictions. They possess, for instance, an indelible amalgam of traditional and contemporary architecture. It is not unusual in cities such as Hong Kong and Taipei to see bamboo scaffolding swaying as workers climb to what appear to be irrational and dangerous heights. — Published 2006.0405
	POSTCARD FROM ROME Dear ArchitectureWeek, In April 2006, the new Ara Pacis Museum in Rome, designed by Richard Meier & Partners, is scheduled to officially open. But as I found on my recent visit, there's still a bit of work left to be done, and much of the museum is still under wraps. — Published 2006.0329
	POSTCARD FROM BAGAN Dear ArchitectureWeek, In an expanse of land almost as arid as a desert, lies a relatively unknown architectural jewel — one that is well worth investigating further for those with a spirit of adventure. This region of 16 square miles (40 square kilometers) was once filled with over 13,000 stupas, temples, and pagodas, and some 2000 or so remain today. Bagan, in the center of Myanmar (formerly Burma), can be thought of as a sister of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, though here tourists are fewer, and the most common form of transport is the horse cart. — Published 2006.0315
	ASMUSSEN'S CULTURE HOUSE Austrian-born artist and scientist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) developed the "spiritual science" of anthroposophy — "a path of knowledge aiming to guide the spiritual element in the human being to the spiritual in the universe." He saw all natural phenomena as interconnected spiritually and dependent on the larger whole. To explore the integrative and holistic ideals of anthroposophy, Swedish architect Erik Asmussen built the Rudolf Steiner Seminary, at Järna, Sweden. Its social and cultural focus is the Culture House (completed in 1992), an expression of art, craft, spirituality, and functionality. — Editor — Published 2006.0301
	A MODERN MORE OR LESS HUMANE Since before its completion in 2002, Steven Holl's award-winning MIT dormitory, Simmons Hall, has been garnering praise from the architectural community. But assessing a building as a professional critic is different from living in and interacting with it. I wondered how the students who lived there felt about it. — Published 2006.0201
	POSTCARD FROM CORDOBA Dear ArchitectureWeek, The Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain (also known as La Mesquita) is a famous architectural and cultural collage. It is a dizzying blend of Moorish arches and Gothic spires, frequently illuminated by the flashbulbs of hoards of tourists. — Published 2006.0118
	HOUSE OF SERT Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert (1902-1983) is perhaps best known for his buildings and urban-scale projects. As a member of GATEPAC ("Group of Spanish Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture"), he was concerned with the role of architects in city planning. And yet he was also a master of small-scale interior and furniture design. Some of his favorite forms were inspired by vernacular houses. — Editor — Published 2005.1214
	AUROVILLE TODAY Since the 1960s, architects have been drawn to the intentional community of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India, attracted by policies of self-sufficiency and ideals of spiritual development. Auroville has adopted an experimental attitude toward urban planning and architectural design, unfettered by building regulations. There are 24 architects currently working in Auroville, population around 1700. — Published 2005.1116

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