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MAGIC BLUE BOX
A giant blue cuboid has sprung up in Copenhagen, Denmark. This striking scaffolding box wrapped in translucent blue fabric is the new Copenhagen Concert Hall.
During the day, the building's blue skin largely conceals the faceted forms within, with peeled-back areas on the sides of the steel-framed box showing that the outside wrapping is more than just an imposing blue billboard. From the right angle, visitors can see vague outlines of the building forms beneath the translucent textile. Published 2009.0722
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THE REVOLVING VILLA
"I have decided to make the complete turn."
Euphoric over seeing his still under-construction house rotate its planned 180 degrees for the first time, the Italian civil engineer Angelo Invernizzi quickly wrote a colleague that the final version had to go all the way around. Published 2009.0715
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MICHIGAN AIA AWARDS 2009
For its new northeastern branch, the Ann Arbor District Library asked inFORM studio to design a sustainable building that would promote observation of and respect for its natural surroundings. The resulting Traverwood Branch Library traces a narrow L shape on the corner of a triangular lot, treading lightly on its wooded site while also engaging the street edge. Published 2009.0715
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MEMORIAL COLISEUM - PORTLAND, OREGON
The perimeter of Memorial Coliseum bounds the equivalent area of four city blocks in Portland, Oregon, yet the entire envelope of the building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, stands on just four columns. Published 2009.0708
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ENGINEERING A PEI CANTILEVER - DALLAS CITY HALL
Innovative architecture often requires equally innovative engineering and technologies for successful realization. An outstanding example of design and engineering interdependence can be seen in the Dallas City Hall, a landmark building completed in 1977, designed with daring vision by one of the world's leading architectural teams, I.M. Pei & Partners. Published 2009.0708
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FREE ENERGY ANALYSIS WITH IES VE-WARE
Dr. Don McLean, founder and CEO of Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), believes every architect should have the ability to understand the environmental impact of his or her building design. To realize this vision, McLean is prepared to give architects free access to some of the most basic features of his company's Virtual Environment software suite. Published 2009.0624
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DYMAXION REDUX
Visiting Fuller's house today requires a $14 ticket. In a landscape packed with planes, trains, and vehicles of all kinds, the sparkling body of the Dymaxion House makes a striking appearance. Published 2009.0617
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AIA HOUSING AWARDS 2009
To the street, the concrete-block home near Bellevue, Idaho, presents minimally incised walls. From inside, the boxy masonry of Outpost opens up to surprisingly expansive views of the rural Idaho landscape. Published 2009.0610
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PELLI'S PLATINUM VISIONAIRE
At first glance, the glossy new 35-story condominium tower slicing into the lower Manhattan skyline doesn't stand out as a beacon of sustainable design. Its sleek form — an extruded curving wedge accented with red terra cotta bands — looks more Ferrari than Prius. And the structure's granite base and travertine lobby walls are elements not usually associated with green building. Published 2009.0610
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AMERICAN LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2009
Buffalo Bayou flows through downtown Houston, Texas, under a tangle of freeways and bridges on its way to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Landscape architects SWA Group reenvisioned a neglected 1.2-mile- (1.9-kilometer-) length of bayou front, transforming it into pedestrian-friendly parkland with improved floodwater conveyance. Published 2009.0617
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