SOLAR DECATHLON 2009 In mid-October 2009, twenty teams of engineering and architecture students erected houses on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the biennial Solar Decathlon green building contest. After spending two years designing and building cutting-edge solar houses, the teams — mostly from North America — sought the designation of "most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient" for their structures. — Published 2009.1028
	CONNECTICUT SCIENCE CENTER BY PELLI The Connecticut Science Center is a new architectural showpiece in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. The design expresses themes that have been part of Cesar Pelli's oeuvre for many years: the importance of public space and its role in the city. — Published 2009.1028
	WE CAN'T IGNORE CLIMATE CHANGE At a Clean Energy Economy Forum at the White House on October 7, 2009, J. Wayne Leonard, the chairman and CEO of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 energy company based in New Orleans, spoke about the urgency of addressing climate change. —Editor — Published 2009.1021
	HIGH TENSION OVER BIG TIMBER Late in 2007, storm-driven rains in southwestern Washington sent floodwater, mud, and tons of logging debris crashing into homes and farmland downstream of the Chehalis River. Numerous landslides destroyed wide swaths of mountain habitat, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage, and downed an estimated 140,000 truckloads of timber — much of it on land owned by the Weyerhaeuser Company, the state's largest private timberland owner. — Published 2009.1021
	MAGGIE'S CENTRE GETS 2009 STIRLING PRIZE On a difficult corner site along a busy street, Maggie's Centre in London provides an uplifting sanctuary in which cancer patients and their families and friends can receive support and information. The building's bold orange masonry wall beckons visitors into daylit spaces shielded from the street beneath a floating roof canopy. This humane health support facility designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has received the Stirling Prize for 2009. — Published 2009.1021
	SITE DESIGN WITH SKETCHUP & AUTOCAD Google SketchUp and AutoCAD can be used synergistically to generate detailed site models. The programs are highly compatible; AutoCAD lines can be transformed into SketchUp geometry. Utilizing 2D AutoCAD plans as a starting point for SketchUp geometry is arguably the fastest way to generate a detailed site plan model. — Published 2009.1014
	NAGASAKI ART MUSEUM The Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum in Nagasaki, Japan, is one of Kengo Kuma's most successful designs in an urban setting. In this project, a small canal with flanking pedestrian promenades runs between two interconnected sections of the complex, bringing a part of the nearby sea, the port area, and the public realm of the city into the domain of the museum. — Published 2009.1014
	PORTOLA VALLEY TOWN CENTER When Portola Valley, California sought an updated, seismically safer civic complex, the existing mid-20th-century wood-and-concrete-block campus was deconstructed and its parts repurposed, along with other salvaged components, to create a sustainable new facility on another portion of the site. The resulting Portola Valley Town Center is targeted for LEED Platinum certification and was named one of the Top Ten Green Projects for 2009 by the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE). — Published 2009.1007
	AIA MARYLAND DESIGN AWARDS More than 30 years ago, as an art student in Baltimore, George Holback would occasionally convince his brother, a police officer, to help him gain entry to the city's vacant American Brewery (then called the Wiessner Brewery). Once inside the unusual 1887 industrial structure, with its three dramatic pagoda-like towers, Holback would draw or take pictures; he cites it as inspiration for becoming an architect. — Published 2009.1007
	PREFAB CLAY-TILE AND CONCRETE-BLOCK FRAMING SYSTEMS Focusing on structural engineering issues involved in the repair, restoration, or adaptive reuse of older buildings for which drawings no longer exist, this article is the fourth in a series about antiquated structural systems that can be adapted or reanalyzed for safe reuse. —Editor — Published 2009.0930

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