TALKING WITH NORMAN FOSTER Whenever he can he likes to fly himself, be it in his private jet, or in a helicopter. Norman Foster loves flying and he must love it. He is constantly on his way to Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Beijing or to one of the many other cities in which he is planning and building his numerous projects. Born in 1935, Norman Foster has been in the business for over 40 years. He's built many records, the biggest, longest and most expensive buildings of the world, won all the important architectural prizes and awards, and even acquired a peerage – and yet his fame is still growing. He wrote architectural history with an office building in Ipswich and an airport in Stansted early on in his career. Many office buildings and airports worldwide are built according to ideas he first formulated. Foster has also chivvied ecological building along, for example with the Commerzbank Headquarters in Frankfurt and the rebuilding of the Reichstag in Berlin. But all that looks almost modest in comparison with the projects he and his firm are working on today. Gigantic high-rise buildings are in prospect, whole towns have been commissioned from him, and the Foster architectural machine seems to whirl along faster and faster. But when we finally meet in a hotel garden beside Lake Geneva, with the sky summery blue, children splashing about in the pool, all the hectic pace drops away. He looks as if he were on holiday by the sea, white trousers, white polo shirt, a pink belt and orange moccasins – even though he's just come from the office. He works a lot down here in Switzerland now. His home is here, and so is his young family. — Published 2012.0725
	HOW COOL IS UFAD? Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) is a method of air conditioning the space by supplying the air from the floor, using natural buoyancy forces to lift it to the ceiling, as opposed to the conventional systems, which supply air from the ceiling down to the occupants, working against the natural forces of buoyancy. — Published 2012.0725
	HERMAN HERTZBERGER RIBA GOLD MEDAL When Dutch architect and architectural theorist Herman Hertzberger was named the winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects' 2012 Gold Medal, he lamented the fact that architects don't garner the respect they did just a generation ago, and that their status in the construction industry has been downgraded, a reflection of the fact that they are not the master builders they once were. "We're not buried next to the king anymore," he observed. — Published 2012.0704
	THE AMAZING FLEXHOUSE The flexhouse is a live-work type that does not match the narrow range of housing types that American builders are comfortable producing. While a range of variations on the shop house, including versions of the flexhouse, have been produced by small specialized builders — typically in greenfield traditional neighborhood developments — it is by far the least common live-work type. — Published 2012.0620
	801 17TH STREET IN WASHINGTON, D.C. Developer Louis Dreyfus Property Group, now Property Group Partners (PGP), had high goals for its 801 17th Street building, strategically located a block from the White House and Lafayette Park. — Published 2012.0620
	ART WATTS In harnessing solar energy, the usual approach is to bolt an array of panels onto the roof of a building and plug it in. But recent advances such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) allow designers to incorporate solar cells seamlessly into a building's exterior. Canadian glass artist Sarah Hall is taking this idea in a novel direction by using solar technology to create a striking contemporary version of stained glass that illuminates the aesthetic potential of PV. — Published 2012.0606
	STEEL THEATRICS Next to the defunct blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania — a poignant symbol of changing times — stands a growing arts complex, with industrial heritage at center stage. — Published 2012.0606
	RENOVATING FAY JONES While the work of a master painter or sculptor might be nurtured in climate-controlled galleries for centuries, the works of master architects are often lived in, worked in, enjoyed by crowds, exposed to the weather, and vulnerable to owners' whims. Architecture lovers can hope that their favorite structures are cared for by conscientious stewards, but aside from the use of preservation easements, there are few real guarantees. — Published 2012.0523
	MUSEUM OF MEDICAL HISTORY One particular drawing speaks volumes about the task that faced the architects of the new Russell Museum of Medical History and Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital. That drawing is a simple study of the density and urban configuration of the building's Boston surroundings. — Published 2012.0523
	INTERVIEW WITH AIA CEO ROBERT IVY ArchitectureWeek spoke with AIA Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy as the Institute was in final preparations to host the AIA 2012 National Convention in Washington, D.C. Kevin Matthews: Coming from a magazine perspective, and now that you're here (at the AIA), how has your perspective on architecture magazines changed — from being steeped in that world for quite a while, to now being next to it? — Published 2012.0516

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