POSTCARD FROM VANCOUVER Dear ArchitectureWeek, I was delighted to visit the Vancouver Public Library, in Vancouver, British Columbia, designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. On the surface, the 1995 library seems to be a postmodern homage to the Roman Colosseum. The form and facade work together to render the building a good neighbor in downtown Vancouver, aided by active public plazas on two corners. But it is the interior that really sets this building apart. — Published 2007.0711
	POSTCARD FROM PUCON Dear ArchitectureWeek, Traveling in southern Chile recently, I was delighted to discover a lovely hotel in Pucon. Situated on a steep wooded hill overlooking Lago Villarica, the Hotel Antumalal is more than a hotel; it is an architectural experience. With a backdrop of snowcapped mountains, the small intimate hotel is surrounded by acres of beautiful gardens. — Published 2007.0523
	POSTCARD FROM SHANGHAI Dear ArchitectureWeek, In the interior design of its own three-story office space in downtown Shanghai, China, completed in April 2006, MoHen Design International emphasizes decorative elements. The reception desk is a glass case lit from the inside, an island of light in a dark space. In the main office and work space, cubicles line two opposite walls. Two long faux-finished tables for collaborative work stretch lengthwise down the middle of the room, flanked by furry, bench-style seats. Task lighting drops from the ceiling. — Published 2007.0314
	POSTCARD FROM CROATIA AND MONTENEGRO Dear ArchitectureWeek, Only a few steps inside the old Croatian coastal city of Trogir is a medieval maze of narrow streets that once helped to thwart enemy attacks. People living here now somehow accommodate their lives and front porches to a newer sort of invasion — hordes of tourists tromping through, every day of every long summer. — Published 2007.0124
	POSTCARD FROM PROVIDENCE Dear ArchitectureWeek, Add to your list of great spaces to visit: the new Fleet Library of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in DownCity, Providence. The 1917 12-story former office building now houses 130,000 books and 685,000 images (slides, videos and pictures). Well designed, up-to-date conditions and equipment for feasting on this information and knowledge are lovingly inserted into this Italian high-renaissance-style banking hall. The in-house Portfolio Cafe makes daily food feasting convenient and stylish too. Above the two-story library is housing for 500 RISD students. — Published 2006.1213
	POSTCARD FROM NEW HAVEN Dear ArchitectureWeek, On December 10, 2006, the Yale University Art Gallery, designed by Louis Kahn, will reopen after a $44 million restoration/ renovation. Completed in 1953, the building is considered Kahn's first major work of architecture. Just across the street, to the south, it faces his last building, the Yale British Art Center, which he did not live to see completed. — Published 2006.1115
	POSTCARD FROM SYDNEY Dear ArchitectureWeek, I thought I was prepared to meet the Sydney Opera House. — Published 2006.1108
	POSTCARD FROM NARA Dear ArchitectureWeek, The city of Nara, Japan, brims with landmark buildings from the Nara period (710-784 A.D.), when it was the capital. A particularly striking one is Tōdai-ji, the Great East Temple, founded in the mid-eighth century to house Daibutsu, the Great Buddha statue. — Published 2006.1011
	POSTCARD FROM BRISTOL Dear ArchitectureWeek, St. Werburgh was a 6th-century princess- turned- abbess who is said to have abandoned the royal life to do good and to work to make others happy. Now her namesake church in Bristol, United Kingdom has found new life by evolving from its formal ecclesiastical function to serving Bristol's adventurous (and ascending) youth. The church's s soaring vertical nave has proved an unusual but effective space for a climbing center. — Published 2006.0920
	POSTCARD FROM LISLE, ILLINOIS Dear ArchitectureWeek, Sure, education should be fun, and fun should be educational, but what does it take to create a playground that helps kids see it that way? The answer may be found at the new Children's Garden at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Landscape architects from the Hitchcock Design Group collaborated with engineers and educators in designing a park that teaches kids about nature in a four-acre (1.6-hectare), interactive learning environment. — Published 2006.0906

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