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HISTORIC HOTELS OF EGYPT
One of the fascinating achievements of British influence in many former colonies of the British Empire is that the past has almost been frozen in time. While the British themselves were quick to shed the garments of the Victorian tradition and embrace the modern age, the former colonies, because of either financial difficulties or a sort of nostalgia, have preserved the era. — Published 2001.0905
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KIBBUTZ, THEN AND NOW
The first kibbutz, a voluntary collective community, sprang up on the shores of the Sea of Galilee almost a hundred years ago. It was formed by a group of young Jewish men and women from Eastern Europe fired by Zionist and socialist ideals. — Published 2001.0829
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POSTCARD FROM FUTURE HELSINKI
Dear ArchitectureWeek,
For a course at the Helsinki University of Technology, we imagined a day when global warming had caused the polar ice caps to melt and the sea level to rise, submerging coastlands and whole islands. — Published 2001.0822
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CHANDIGARH: VISION AND REALITY
The golden jubilee celebrations of 1999 and 2000 marked fifty years since the conception of Chandigarh, India, one of the few built examples of modernist town planning. Now, planners and architects the world over are showing renewed interest in this unusual modernist city.
In 1951, the French architect Le Corbusier conceived a master plan for the city — in only four days! Yet the image he created has become synonymous with urbanism of fifties. — Published 2001.0822
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URBAN DESIGN ESSENTIALS
"City Comforts" presents a metaphor — the urban village — as a way of describing the mix of intimacy and anonymity that I believe most people desire and which is largely missing in our large urban settlements.
It is an attempt to refocus our public policy discussion from abstract generalities, colored maps, and grandiose projects to the details that create our daily experience. It is about a way of looking at and speaking about our immediate environment. — Published 2001.0815
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FROM MAYBECK TO MEGACHURCHES
Now that we have turned the corner into the 21st century, surveying the evolution of religious architecture over the past hundred years seems fair game. Starting from 1900, what were the noticeable changes, and what were the common denominators that survived through the end of the century?
What was the impact of the modern movement in architecture on the designs for religious buildings? Can this evolution provide insight into religious architecture for the new millennium? — Published 2001.0808
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DOING UNIVERSAL DESIGN
CD-ROM Review: Universal Design Exemplars by the Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University, 2000.
A Japanese garden pond with the lily pads within anyone's reach; a rustic log cabin fully accessible to wheelchair users; a museum exhibit that tells its story through touch and sound. These are a few of the recently published examples of the principles of universal design. — Published 2001.0801
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VIRGINIA'S EXECUTIVE MANSION RESTORED
The executive mansion of the Commonwealth of Virginia is said to be the oldest continuously occupied governor's residence in the United States. The mansion is an outstanding example of Federal style architecture, and after its recent restoration, it demonstrates that an historic house can be improved by sensitive additions.
This National Historic Landmark building was completed in 1813 to the designs of Boston architect Alexander Parris. Since 1987 it has been documented in the Historic American Buildings Survey. — Published 2001.0725
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DESIGNING SCHOOLS TOGETHER
When the architecture firm of Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc. begins planning for a new school or renovation, they call on the help of hundreds. Although huge teams are not always the most efficient, the architects believe that ultimately they will yield the best result.
This collective design work is conducted in "charrettes," or intensive, interactive, public design sessions. Teams of architects, engineers, and educational facilities planners set up design stations in a central location such as a school district's headquarters. — Published 2001.0718
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MACHU PICCHU STILL ROCK-SOLID
Machu Picchu, the gem of Peru's Inca heritage, a huge sacred city nestling between two mountain peaks 8400 feet (2,550 meters) up in the Andes, has taken its knocks in recent years.
Enthusiastic Peruvian archeologists have tampered with some of the five centuries-old temples in the name of "restoration" and a 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) crane was dropped on a sacred sundial during the filming of a beer commercial, causing some damage. — Published 2001.0711
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