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MAKI'S MIT MEDIA LAB
For an academic unit that produces such forward-thinking projects as electronic ink, humanoid robots, and a digital opera, one might expect an edgy, geometrically wild building by Zaha Hadid or Coop Himmelb(l)au. But for the new building for the MIT Media Lab, Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki designed a serene example of classic modernism — a glass-and-steel form wrapped in an elegant aluminum screen. Published 2010.0602
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STEADMAN ON THE BURJ
Dear Editor,
I long for the day when someone says — "Let's have no more wars!! — in Afghanistan or anywhere else!" Instead, let's set about constructing the Mile High Frank Lloyd Wright building somewhere in the centre of the United States — say — DENVER? and call it — "THE PEACE BUILDING"!! Published 2010.0526
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FOSTER'S NEW OPERA
The extroverted Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House by Norman Foster has sprung up in Dallas, Texas, across the street from the internally dynamic Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre by REX and OMA. Published 2010.0526
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GREAT NEW LANDSCAPES
Visitors to the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China, are experiencing a former industrial site reclaimed as a riverside oasis: Houtan Park. Running through this strip of green space, interlaced with walkways, a constructed wetland treats polluted river water for use at the Expo. Published 2010.0526
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WHAT GOES INTO GREEN?
The American Institute of Architects has announced its top ten green projects for 2010. Sponsored by AIA's Committee on the Environment, and published in ArchitectureWeek No. 472, the award winners are each worthy of citation for excellence in internal design, in most cases reducing their environmental impacts significantly below those of similarly located but conventional buildings while also serving as teaching exemplars. So far, so good. Published 2010.0512
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AIA HOUSING AWARDS 2010
The Safari Drive multifamily residential complex in downtown Scottsdale, Arizona, exemplifies a higher-density, pedestrian-scaled alternative to the exploding sprawl of greater Phoenix. Designed by The Miller Hull Partnership, it succeeds as design in the broadest sense: place-making that intertwines architecture, planning, and landscape. Published 2010.0512
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ENERGY STAR FOR MULTIFAMILY HIGH-RISES
The EPA's pilot program for the Energy Star for Multifamily High-Rises (MFHR) applies primarily to new construction. It was launched in 2006 with projects in New York and Oregon, and was later expanded to Colorado, Georgia, New Jersey, Texas, and Nevada in order to gather data from different climates. Published 2010.0505
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POSTCARD FROM FRANKFURT
Dear ArchitectureWeek,
The Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency isn't just for houses. This we learned in Germany recently, on a fascinating tour of green building and design there, organized by the Ecologic Institute environmental think tank with funding from the German government. Published 2010.0428
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BEHNISCH DOUBLE-WALL FACADE
The twelve-story Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, located at the University of Toronto's St. George campus, is a high-performance building that achieves impressive levels of energy efficiency and — with airy, light-filled spaces throughout — attention to occupant comfort. The building responds intelligently to its climate and orientation with an enclosure system that presents an open face to the campus and adapts to changing environmental conditions. At the same time, it strikes a balance between automated and individually controlled devices. Published 2010.0505
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AIA TOP GREEN BUILDINGS 2010
A boxy new house stands on stilts in the Katrina-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Its form may be distinctly contemporary, but the home has ties to its place: filigree railings recall the ornamental ironwork of the French Quarter, and a linear plan evokes some sense of the regional shotgun house vernacular. Published 2010.0428
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