Our most recent post on Debating the Value of Mid-Century Modern discussed the architect as multi-party advocate and mediator. It was the last in a series that explored the interactions among the stakeholders of these buildings and how original design…
Design me a structure that is open to the sky, partially enclosed, all natural materials, fragile, permeable, no heat, no electricity, no plumbing...and only lasting 7 days. What? Simple structures, complex and rich with meaning can still be irresistible to…
Bats are awesome. How could you not love something that uses echolocation, lives in caves, and is the only truly flying mammal? They also are really important to humanity. Bats fill a unique and important niche in our ecosystem, “one…
For decades the popular image of the typical nursing home has been one of confinement—a sort of hybrid hospital/prison. It features zonked-out old people tied to wheelchairs nodding off in long, featureless corridors or crying out for help from steel-framed…
Long Island at the mid-twentieth-century, you might have heard, was a place of explosive growth. Most of this was not very interesting. Sprawl. Tract housing. Billy Joel. They came with the island’s rapid suburban development. For a brighter look at…
Architecture has undergone something of a cleansing in recent years. With a few notable exceptions.
Designing hospitals in the global marketplace requires the ability to blend state-of-the-art solutions with a sensitivity to local customs, rituals, and religions.
We spend more than $20 billion a year on the design and construction of new health-care facilities in the United States. And yet, from a design perspective, the vast majority of these projects are banal, at best. Why is the bar set so low for hospital design?
Boston University School of Law Sert complex as seen from the Charles River upon its completion. In our previous post, the Owner/Occupant Perspective, we identified the push-pull issues between these two factions in renovating mid-twentieth century modern buildings. Here, we…
All photos by Paul Clemence Last weekend I went to check out the new World Trade Center; I’ve been following its rise from my window in Brooklyn. I was prepared to deal with hoards of sightseers and extra-tight security, this…
Image courtesy of Michael Rotondi, Roto Architecture. Michael Rotondi, principal of RoTo Architecture, is well known for his architectural work and intellectual rigor. One area of his expertise is the design of sacred spaces. Curious about his thoughts on designing spaces…
Renovated gallery, All Images Curtesy of Toulouse-Lautrec Museum For 10 years, the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi, France has been under intense renovation. Based within a 13th century fortress, Palais de la Berbie, the museum expanded its exhibition spaces to better…
Close your eyes and imagine a villa. You know, one with carefully proportioned walls, perhaps balanced along a systematic floorplan. Maybe the elevation can fold onto the floor - or superimpose the walls and roof plans to the exterior facade…
An addition encased in a nautical material reorients the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Ilse Crawford’s brand of immersive empathy results in rooms of uncommon warmth, tactility, and grace.
When designers favor only one sense, they fail to serve the full human experience.
A new book on Japanese houses traces the conceptual connections between three generations of designers.
It seems nary a week (or two) goes by without news of yet another “strategic partnership” or acquisition involving Perkins + Will (P+W). Last week brought news that Envision Design—the Washington, D.C.-based architecture firm founded by Ken Wilson and Diana…
Shimmering water stretches out before you. In the backdrop the city glitters and the stones whisper to the waves. A warm breeze blows through the trees while you, from your perch on a slab of granite, cool your heels in…
This fall season’s shows and programs promise to bring important educational opportunities for anyone interested in the built environment. The most intense learning opportunities in New York City are coming to the Center for Architecture, home to the local chapter…
