WHO IS PETER ZUMTHOR? In April, about two weeks before his 66th birthday, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor was named the 2009 laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Zumthor is not a household name, as many other Pritzker winners have been — architects such as Gehry, Meier, and Pei. Even many architects haven't heard of him. — Published 2009.0826
	PICTOU LANDING HEALTH CENTER The new medical clinic and community center in the Pictou Landing First Nation in Nova Scotia recalls a longhouse, the traditional winter lodge of the Mi'kmaq. Sustainably harvested spruce poles, six to eight inches (15 to 20 centimeters) in diameter, are bent and lashed together at the tops. Like a giant wooden model of a whale's ribcage, clad with rows of oversized spruce shingles, the peaked frame is an adaptation of traditional Native bent-wood construction. — Published 2009.0114
	GLENN MURCUTT GOLD MEDAL In locations from the far reaches of the Northern Territory to suburban New South Wales, Australian architect Glenn Murcutt has created modernist houses remarkable for their supreme sensitivity to climate, surroundings, and environment. A true sole practitioner, Murcutt chooses mostly to design single-family dwellings, and only in Australia. The resulting structures attest to the depth of attention he affords each project. — Published 2009.0114
	APPALACHIAN SUNCATCHER Nestled into a hillside near Asheville, North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center is projected to use 75 percent less energy than a comparable conventionally designed facility. Trombe walls, a planted roof, bioswales, daylighting, a high-efficiency mechanical energy-recovery system, and other "green" features add up to make this National Park Service facility a contender for LEED Gold certification. — Published 2008.0521
	TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE Just about a year ago, Al Gore rocked the national AIA Convention in San Antonio with a climactic final keynote address, and received a prolonged standing ovation from thousands of architects who had lined up for hours to get in. Gore expressed the compelling case on global climate change, anchoring the powerful presentation with this silver spur to action for design professionals: — Published 2008.0423
	RENZO PIANO GOLD MEDAL Renzo Piano first captured the attention of the architecture world as co-designer of the Centre Pompidou in Paris with Richard Rogers, an epochal building that dramatically established the still-reigning high-tech modern style of architecture. Piano's subsequent projects, including several gorgeous museums and other beautiful buildings around the world, have steadily reinforced his reputation as a profound designer, sensitive practitioner, and master craftsman of building. — Published 2008.0123
	L-HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE In the 19th century, the great majority of the houses of western Minnesota were cheap, plain, awkward, and unlovely. Harmony and unity emerged from the mundane clutter, however, in the form of the classic L-house, which became representative of much of the farming way of life in the Midwest. — Published 2007.1114
	ALDO LEOPOLD LEGACY CENTER "That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics." — Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949 — Published 2007.1003
	EXTRAORDINARY INTERPRETER At a time when the stylistic vogue in Europe was moving from Arts and Crafts into what became known as Modernism, out in the far West of America a talented and remarkable architect was expressing a special regional style that also continues to resonate strongly. And her name was not Frank. — Published 2007.0711
	HOUSE OF SERT Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert (1902-1983) is perhaps best known for his buildings and urban-scale projects. As a member of GATEPAC ("Group of Spanish Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture"), he was concerned with the role of architects in city planning. And yet he was also a master of small-scale interior and furniture design. Some of his favorite forms were inspired by vernacular houses. — Editor — Published 2005.1214

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