CONTEMPORIST
A House That Rises From The Ground Forming A Three-Level Garden
Architecture firm AtelierM, has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Pilar, Buenos...
13 hours ago
Architecture firm AtelierM, has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Pilar, Buenos Aires, whose design is inspired by the terrain and surrounding area. The house is conceived as a living element in the landscape, with gentle curves and fluid lines that adapt to the...
Common Edge
To Fund Housing, New York State Should Reinstate the Stock Transfer Tax
Doing so would raise $14 billion annually for the city.
17 hours ago
Doing so would raise $14 billion annually for the city.
Construction Physics
How Good Are American Roads?
We’re in an era where US infrastructure is getting a lot of attention.
17 hours ago
We’re in an era where US infrastructure is getting a lot of attention.
Old Structures...
Three Generations With Little Resemblence
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a page from 1918 showing the Hotel Marguery on the west...
18 hours ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a page from 1918 showing the Hotel Marguery on the west side of Park Avenue, between 47th and 49th Streets. The building’s address was 270 Park Avenue. That odd two-wing configuration is what happens when you plan a building around a...
99% Invisible
Roman, Elliott, and Robert Caro: Live in Conversation
For 50 years, The Power Broker has remained a landmark biography, transforming how people see former...
2 days ago
For 50 years, The Power Broker has remained a landmark biography, transforming how people see former New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. If you’ve been listening to 99% Invisible’sPower Broker Breakdown, you’re familiar with the story. The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The...
Archinect - Features
Meet NYIT School of Architecture & Design's New Faculty Members
The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), with campuses in...
2 days ago
The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), with campuses in New York City and Old Westbury, Long Island, delivers a technology-driven, design-focused education across its Architecture, Interior Design, and Digital Art & Design programs.
As...
Contemporist...
Green Metal Siding Allows This Small Cottage To Blend In With Its Surroundings
Daymark Design Incorporated has shared photos of a cabin they completed in Robert’s Island Honey...
2 days ago
Daymark Design Incorporated has shared photos of a cabin they completed in Robert’s Island Honey Harbour in Ontario, Canada, that's clad in sage green standing seam metal siding.
Common Edge
In Marseille’s Cours Julien, Street Art Creates Dynamic Context
Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
2 days ago
Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
Old Structures...
The Main Attraction Hasn’t Changed
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street...
2 days ago
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street in 1920: The focal point of such a view is, of course, Grand Central Terminal. The big vacant lot, protected only by an easily-hopped fence, was the former site of the 1860s Grand...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Pools and Populations in the SF Bay Area
For many people, swimming in a pool on a hot July day with kids splashing and lifeguards hollering...
3 days ago
For many people, swimming in a pool on a hot July day with kids splashing and lifeguards hollering is the quintessential summer experience. Not only do pools provide a place for people to recreate and cool off in the summer heat, but access to pools is essential to making basic...
The Modern House
The Green Series #1: an insiders' guide to insulation
The first instalment of our mini Green Series is all about insulation. Insulation is a key feature...
3 days ago
The first instalment of our mini Green Series is all about insulation. Insulation is a key feature of passivhaus design as it reduces the amount of heat lost through the building fabric to a very low level, reducing the heat requirement of the building. Kate Jacobs […]
CONTEMPORIST
A House Extension With A Curved Window Makes Room For A New Kitchen At This Home In London
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they...
3 days ago
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they completed for a terrace house in Stoke Newington, London. With an emphasis on natural materials and a unique approach to design, this renovation turns the once disconnected ground...
Common Edge
What I Learned From Six Recessions in Architecture
Life is imperfect, and architects understand this better than most.
3 days ago
Life is imperfect, and architects understand this better than most.
Old Structures...
Small Trusses
For the last nine years, the high point, for me, of the annual APTI conference has been the student...
3 days ago
For the last nine years, the high point, for me, of the annual APTI conference has been the student competition run by the Preservation Engineering Technical Committee. This year, In Montreal, was no exception. This year, I had no role in the competition, which frees me to say...
SOCKS
From Videogame Landscapes to Embrodery Canvas: La Sentinelle by Marine Beaufils (2022-24)
Marine Beaufils is a French embroidery artist whose meticulous work draws on the analogy between...
4 days ago
Marine Beaufils is a French embroidery artist whose meticulous work draws on the analogy between pixels and needlepoints, as she translates scenes from her favorite video games, movies, or scientific imagery from screen to embroidery canvas. This process freezes a fragment of a...
Old Structures...
Fuzzy
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts,...
5 days ago
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts, pipes, lights, and electrical conduits do not.
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
6 days ago
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan, a comedian and host with Dropout TV, where he’s...
Archinect - Features
Get To Know Tulane School of Architecture’s Newest Faculty Cohort
With the new 2024/25 academic year in full swing, we are taking a moment to introduce fifteen newly...
6 days ago
With the new 2024/25 academic year in full swing, we are taking a moment to introduce fifteen newly appointed permanent faculty members at the Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners.
The new tenure and tenure-track faculty bring expertise...
Construction Physics
The Influence of Bell Labs
We’ve talked previously about Bell Labs’ long, storied history as an innovation engine and a...
6 days ago
We’ve talked previously about Bell Labs’ long, storied history as an innovation engine and a generator of new technology.
The Modern House
The Green Series: how to re-create the five principles of Passivhaus design on a budget
If The Modern House had a Word of the Year, then Passivhaus would probably be it. Passivhaus emerged...
6 days ago
If The Modern House had a Word of the Year, then Passivhaus would probably be it. Passivhaus emerged as a set of design principles in the 1980s and has come to represent the world-leading standard in energy-efficient homes. It guarantees a happy balance of sustainability […]
Old Structures...
Split Personality
Live, from Montreal, the Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde et Saint Jacques: Putting aside the...
6 days ago
Live, from Montreal, the Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde et Saint Jacques: Putting aside the building’s architectural merit – and there is a great deal – I find this kind of church interesting structurally. We have at least three very different types of structure here. There’s...
Archinect - Features
When Should Architecture Firms Start Hiring? Five Factors To Consider
With the U.S. Federal Reserve embarking on rounds of target interest rate cuts in late 2024, AEC...
a week ago
With the U.S. Federal Reserve embarking on rounds of target interest rate cuts in late 2024, AEC industry commentators are forecasting that architectural business conditions may improve in the coming months. Architecture firms experiencing an increased workload may, therefore,...
Contemporist...
A Warehouse-Inspired Home With A Spanish Twist
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired...
a week ago
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired townhouse with a Spanish twist inside.
Old Structures...
A Rabbit Hole I Did Not See Coming
As a structural engineer, I do not examine old boilers, but I do see them quite often. The older...
a week ago
As a structural engineer, I do not examine old boilers, but I do see them quite often. The older ones tend to be abandoned in place because (a) they are huge and heavy, and will have to be cut into many small pieces to be removed form the cellars and sidewalk vaults where they...
Common Edge
Wonder and Awe in a James Turrell Skyspace
The artist’s latest work, in Manhattan, is both an engineering and a visual marvel that moves the...
a week ago
The artist’s latest work, in Manhattan, is both an engineering and a visual marvel that moves the spirit.
Archinect - Features
Beaux-Arts to Bauhaus: How Two Schools Shaped Architectural Visualization
Architecture schools have long held a significant role in shaping the field of architectural...
a week ago
Architecture schools have long held a significant role in shaping the field of architectural visualization. Through fostering particular artistic philosophies, drawing techniques, and design ideologies, such institutions shape not only the architects themselves but also the way...
Old Structures...
The Aftertaste of Technological Change
I slept through the Daylight Savings change last week. More accurately, I didn’t realize it was...
a week ago
I slept through the Daylight Savings change last week. More accurately, I didn’t realize it was occurring – I thought it was yesterday, not the Sunday a week ago – and I generally sleep late on the weekends anyway, so I got an extra hour of sleep without realizing, until...
The Modern House
Nigel Slater: the food writer opens the door to his fascinating home life
At the (surprising) age of “almost 70”, Nigel Slater is “off-the-scale happy.” As our co-founder...
a week ago
At the (surprising) age of “almost 70”, Nigel Slater is “off-the-scale happy.” As our co-founder Matt Gibberd discovers in our latest Homing In podcast, his late Georgian house in north London plays no small part in that contentment. Over the course of their conversation, the […]
99% Invisible
The Memory Palace…Book!
Back in 2008, Nate DiMeo started a podcast called The Memory Palace. Each episode of the show...
a week ago
Back in 2008, Nate DiMeo started a podcast called The Memory Palace. Each episode of the show wrapped a little known piece of history inside one of Nate’s poetic essays. His stories have a remarkable way of combining facts with insight to call to mind forgotten moments from the...
Contemporist...
A Circular Off-Grid Home In Costa Rica
Studio Saxe has shared photos of a secluded circular home they designed that's located deep within...
a week ago
Studio Saxe has shared photos of a secluded circular home they designed that's located deep within Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula.
Common Edge
Should NYC’s Housing Authority Demolish Public Housing in Manhattan?
Plans for a phased demolition and rebuilding of the Fulton and Chelsea-Elliott Houses should be...
a week ago
Plans for a phased demolition and rebuilding of the Fulton and Chelsea-Elliott Houses should be viewed with skepticism.
Old Structures...
The Downside of Going Topless
The picture above shows two photos of the same building in Chelsea, where we finished a repair...
a week ago
The picture above shows two photos of the same building in Chelsea, where we finished a repair project about a year ago. The left side is a tax photo from the 1940s; the right photo was taken after we were done with our work. The viaduct in the back is the Highline. This 1902...
Contemporist...
A Grid Of Large Windows Maximizes The Water Views At This Modern Home
Architecture firm Worrell Yeung has shared photos of a modern home they completed that's a study on...
a week ago
Architecture firm Worrell Yeung has shared photos of a modern home they completed that's a study on a 2x2x7 grid structure in three dimensions.
Common Edge
Design for Global Survival: The 2030 Palette
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
a week ago
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
Old Structures...
Roadtrip
I’m in Montreal for the annual APT so this week’s blog posts will be shallower less serious more...
a week ago
I’m in Montreal for the annual APT so this week’s blog posts will be shallower less serious more entertaining than usual. I hope to work in some touristing photos, but that may not happen until next week. It’s worth noting that my train from New York to Montreal has a scheduled...
The Modern House
Discover the Secret Garden House | A Modern Eco Home Hidden Behind a 300-Year-Old Wall
a week ago
Construction Physics
Does All Semiconductor Manufacturing Depend on Spruce Pine Quartz?
Here’s an idea you see spreading across the internet every so often: that all semiconductor and...
a week ago
Here’s an idea you see spreading across the internet every so often: that all semiconductor and solar PV manufacturing depends on extremely pure quartz from the town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
Old Structures...
Engineers at Ground Zero
Next week, there will be a showing of the documentary Engineers at Ground Zero at the Angelika...
a week ago
Next week, there will be a showing of the documentary Engineers at Ground Zero at the Angelika theater. The film was produced by the Structural Engineers Association of New York and created by Vacationland. As it happens, I will be out of town next week so I won’t see it now, but...
Common Edge
Light and Color: The Spirit-Led Work of James Turrell
The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
a week ago
The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
Old Structures...
Different Views
From 1910, stereoscopic views from an upper floor of the Singer Building looking south and north The...
a week ago
From 1910, stereoscopic views from an upper floor of the Singer Building looking south and north The view south is showing the largest concentration of tall buildings in the world at that time and, given that many of those buildings exceeded the height limit in Chicago, the...
Archinect - Features
Organizing and Reforming Architectural Education: A Conversation With Tessa Forde
In recent years, the word 'organizing' has taken on a heightened power in architectural discourse,...
2 weeks ago
In recent years, the word 'organizing' has taken on a heightened power in architectural discourse, most notably through grassroots efforts by architectural workers across the United States to organize for better workplace conditions.
For Tessa Forde, organizing centers on a vast...
99% Invisible
Meet Me at Riis
There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years,...
2 weeks ago
There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years, has been a pivotal site for queer liberation. It’s called the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park, also known, simply, as Riis. This history is deeply connected to an abandoned,...
CONTEMPORIST
Neutral Tones And Soft Curves Create A Relaxing Vibe For This Boutique Hotel
Architecture and interior design firm Onion, has shared photos of Sala Khao Yai, a collection of...
2 weeks ago
Architecture and interior design firm Onion, has shared photos of Sala Khao Yai, a collection of boutique hotel villas in Thailand. The various building designs are inspired by the silhouette of surrounding mountains, the contours of the landscape, and the site’s organic...
Archinect - Features
Interest Rates Were Cut, but Growth Takes Time: Archinect’s State of AEC October 2024
Welcome to the fifth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
2 weeks ago
Welcome to the fifth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically.
Throughout the last month,...
Old Structures...
A Year Later, Maybe
Yesterday, I was pondering the purpose of some of the strange steel framing near the top of the...
2 weeks ago
Yesterday, I was pondering the purpose of some of the strange steel framing near the top of the Singer Building. Here’s another stereoscopic view of the building, after it was completed: We’ve got two men standing on a tiny setback roof – not a terrace or official observation...
Contemporist...
Giant 'Woven' Fabric Graces The Window Of This Flagship Store
Architecture firm LAAB has shared photos the Cozey flagship retail store they designed in Toronto,...
2 weeks ago
Architecture firm LAAB has shared photos the Cozey flagship retail store they designed in Toronto, Canada, that includes an eye-catching window showcase.
Common Edge
Delays Undermine Promises of Affordable Housing in Brooklyn
How New York’s rising Area Median Income dashed hopes for the Atlantic Yards megaproject.
2 weeks ago
How New York’s rising Area Median Income dashed hopes for the Atlantic Yards megaproject.
There are two types...
DONALD TRUMP & EVIL – A Post-Halloween / Election-Eve Story
Almost forty years ago, I owned a small house in the Greenwich “backcountry” just a few miles from...
2 weeks ago
Almost forty years ago, I owned a small house in the Greenwich “backcountry” just a few miles from the Westchester County Airport. One morning, I was talking on the phone with a friend whom I would see later in the … Continue reading →
The post DONALD TRUMP & EVIL – A...
Old Structures...
Mystery Work
From 1908, a stereograph of the construction of the tower of the Singer Building: The title is...
2 weeks ago
From 1908, a stereograph of the construction of the tower of the Singer Building: The title is accurate – “Four hundred ft. above the street – iron worker on the Singer Tower, New York, U.S.A.” but it doesn’t tell us what we’re actually looking at. For example, the steel we’re...
Common Edge
The ‘City of Yes’ Will Make a Big Manhattan Mess
City council is expected to vote on the controversial proposal soon.
2 weeks ago
City council is expected to vote on the controversial proposal soon.
Construction Physics
How China Is Like the 19th Century U.S.
I spend a lot of time reading about manufacturing and its evolution, which means I end up repeatedly...
2 weeks ago
I spend a lot of time reading about manufacturing and its evolution, which means I end up repeatedly reading about the times and places where radical changes in manufacturing were taking place: Britain in the late 18th century, the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,...
Old Structures...
What’s Not Stated
This newspaper clipping in one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks has no explanation, but...
2 weeks ago
This newspaper clipping in one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks has no explanation, but I’m pretty sure I know what it’s about. The somewhat ominous caption “Park Avenue Tunnel Choked With the Debris” is probably describing the aftermath of the January 1902 crash...
Archinect - Features
At Tyler’s Urban Workshop, Architecture Students Build With, and For, Underserved...
On November 8th, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University will host the...
2 weeks ago
On November 8th, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University will host the Urban Workshop Symposium, the latest iteration of the Urban Workshop's engagements in community-based design and education. The event brings to the fore questions, conversations, and...
CONTEMPORIST
Sculptural Walls Inspired By The Intricate Detailing Of Indian Temple Architecture
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that...
2 weeks ago
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that displays Italian furniture in Kolkata, India. The striking interior seamlessly blends the finesse and elegance of Italian craftsmanship with the vibrancy of Indian design traditions....
Old Structures...
Training
I spent most of Tuesday in an online course run by the California Office of Emergency Services, for...
2 weeks ago
I spent most of Tuesday in an online course run by the California Office of Emergency Services, for their Safety Assessment Program. This is training for “second responders”: the architects, engineers, and other building professionals who assess the safety of structures after an...
Archinect - Features
10 Ghost Towns With Unique Architecture
Cities are like living bodies, each one animated by the pulse of human life. People give a city...
3 weeks ago
Cities are like living bodies, each one animated by the pulse of human life. People give a city purpose, identity, and movement. When a city is abandoned, its soul departs, leaving behind only the silent architecture, a skeletal remnant of what once was.
While such environments...
Old Structures...
Recognizing Reality
A hundred years ago, jaywalking was a made-up offense. In 1926, a study of traffic included the...
3 weeks ago
A hundred years ago, jaywalking was a made-up offense. In 1926, a study of traffic included the statement “all persons have an equal right in the highway, and that in exercising the right each shall take due care not to injure other users of the way.” Old pictures of even a...
99% Invisible
How the World Ran Out of Everything
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships...
3 weeks ago
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships anchored off the coasts of US ports, stacked high with hundreds of thousands of containers filled with goods, just sitting there in a traffic jam. At the same time, grocery store shelves...
CONTEMPORIST
A Weathered Corrugated Metal Exterior Protects This Home On A Ranch
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a home they completed on 20 acres of...
3 weeks ago
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a home they completed on 20 acres of working ranch property. The house layout consists of two roughly equivalent rectangular volumes. One accommodates a couple’s day to day life with kitchen/living/dining spaces and a...
Archinect - Features
Applying to architecture school? Don't miss these info sessions and open houses this...
Deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting...
3 weeks ago
Deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of upcoming information sessions...
Common Edge
Letter From Asheville: The Aftermath of Helene
The road to recovery will be long.
3 weeks ago
The road to recovery will be long.
Old Structures...
Faking It
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something...
3 weeks ago
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something that makes no sense. Examples abound, like weep holes in solid masonry walls. I noticed this building while on the train recently, with the star anchors that one often sees on...
Contemporist...
An Undulating Wood Ceiling Inspired By Ocean Waves And Nearby Mountains
ARRCC has shared photos of a remodel they recently completed for a home in Cape Town, South Africa,...
3 weeks ago
ARRCC has shared photos of a remodel they recently completed for a home in Cape Town, South Africa, that retained the original footprint, and received a contemporary update with a new undulating cast in-place concrete roof lined with wood on the inside.
The Modern House
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
3 weeks ago
Old Structures...
Obvious, Expensive, and Worth Doing
A lot of different trends combined to create the decline of the Bronx between 1950 and 2000, and one...
3 weeks ago
A lot of different trends combined to create the decline of the Bronx between 1950 and 2000, and one of them is firmly within the realm of the built environment: the construction of highways. Any road entering New York City from the north has to pass through the Bronx, and...
CONTEMPORIST
An Old Brick Home Received A Modern Wood-Clad Extension
ID Architecture has shared photos of a house extension they designed that has been thoughtfully...
3 weeks ago
ID Architecture has shared photos of a house extension they designed that has been thoughtfully integrated into the existing property in the small village of South Kelsey, England. Originally built in the early 19th century, the property named ‘The Old Rectory’ has undergone...
Common Edge
Worshiping the Old Isn’t Historic Preservation
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
3 weeks ago
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
The Modern House
Designer and creative director Walé Adeyemi MBE on the London locations that have shaped his life,...
3 weeks ago
Old Structures...
Clogging Up Traffic
Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York...
3 weeks ago
Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York Liberty are getting a ticker-tape parade for their WNBA championship. First, congrats to the Liberty and happy days to their fans. Second, there is something very New York about...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Overhanging The Water’s Edge In Alaska
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in...
4 weeks ago
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in Alaska, that overlooks inlet waters and is balanced on the edge of a rock wall. The home’s geometry is defined by two tall shed roof structures with a connector between them. Along the...
Archinect - Features
Architectural Visualization Was Rather Flat: Then We Invented Perspective
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant...
4 weeks ago
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant challenges in visualizing and communicating architectural space. Without a systematic way to represent depth and spatial relationships, architectural drawings were often symbolic,...
The Modern House
Cabin Fever: the transformation of a damp, dark apartment into a rich, atmospheric hideaway
4 weeks ago
Construction Physics
Will the China Cycle Come for Airbus and Boeing?
Noah Smith, author of the economics Substack Noahpinion, often refers to a common trajectory in...
4 weeks ago
Noah Smith, author of the economics Substack Noahpinion, often refers to a common trajectory in Chinese manufacturing as the “China Cycle”:
Old Structures...
A Different Definition of Speed
I’ve mentioned the “Speedway” a few times in passing. It was a pleasure drive along the Harlem...
4 weeks ago
I’ve mentioned the “Speedway” a few times in passing. It was a pleasure drive along the Harlem River, meant to provide a place for people with horses and horse carriages – i.e., the upper middle class and the wealthy – to have fun. There was nothing inherently terrible about...
99% Invisible
Spirit Halloween [EPISODE]
Each fall, across the United States and Canada, around 1500 empty storefronts are taken up by the...
4 weeks ago
Each fall, across the United States and Canada, around 1500 empty storefronts are taken up by the signature yellow, orange and black signage of Spirit Halloween. The seasonal retailer sells Halloween masks, Halloween costumes, Halloween costumes for dogs, Halloween decorations,...
Common Edge
How the Global Business Class Has Transformed the Home
They’re bringing the aesthetics and lifestyle expectations of the hospitality industry into their...
4 weeks ago
They’re bringing the aesthetics and lifestyle expectations of the hospitality industry into their domiciles.
Old Structures...
Wrong But Impressive
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s...
4 weeks ago
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s on, the cleaning probably will; the content generally ranges from idiotic (here’s my name – isn’t it impressive?) to puerile (pictures of genitalia being the most common); and it’s...
Contemporist...
This Wood Watchtower Is Also A Home For Bats
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also...
a month ago
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also doubles as a shelter for bats.
Old Structures...
He Is, After All, A Boy From Queens
a month ago
Archinect - Features
10 Tips for Architects To Survive Downturns by Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy
“I spent 50 years at HOK, working my way up from junior designer to CEO,” Patrick MacLeamy wrote in...
a month ago
“I spent 50 years at HOK, working my way up from junior designer to CEO,” Patrick MacLeamy wrote in his 2020 book Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK. “Where else can you do that?”
During his time as HOK CEO and Chairman from...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery [EPISODE]
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
a month ago
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones and the Center for...
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 4
After old teams, old Brooklyn ballparks, and old Manhattan ballparks, it’s time for ballparks in...
a month ago
After old teams, old Brooklyn ballparks, and old Manhattan ballparks, it’s time for ballparks in Queens. Despite the modern use of a numbered street system, Queens has street naming that drives outsiders mad, so it is fitting that three of the four old ballparks in the borough...
The Modern House
House Music: pianist Simeon Walker performs at Domus – a modernist masterpiece, currently for sale
a month ago
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 3
After Tuesday’s description of teams, and yesterday’s discussion of some of the ball fields in...
a month ago
After Tuesday’s description of teams, and yesterday’s discussion of some of the ball fields in Brooklyn, it’s time for stadiums in Manhattan. Like yesterday, this is not an exhaustive list, just some of the interesting highlights…excluding the more famous major league fields. All...
99% Invisible
Trompe L’oeil [EPISODE]
Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats....
a month ago
Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats. Highways designed to fool your brain into going way faster than it should want to. And impeccably made fake signs meant to guide you to the right freeway. Three classic, favorite...
CONTEMPORIST
Bamboo And Traditional Craftsmanship Weave Nature Into The Design Of This Retail And Exhibition...
Design firm llLab., has shared photos of a sculptural bamboo installation they recently completed as...
a month ago
Design firm llLab., has shared photos of a sculptural bamboo installation they recently completed as part of the Element pop-up store at HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai, China. Aligned with Element’s sustainable branding philosophy, this project embraces bamboo to explore a spatial...
A Weekly Dose of...
A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books is on Substack
I'm breaking my blogging silence to do two things:
Alert readers to the fact I am still writing...
a month ago
I'm breaking my blogging silence to do two things:
Alert readers to the fact I am still writing reviews of architecture books under the title A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books, but over at Substack, not Blogger.
Put a new post at the top of this blog so I don't have to look...
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 1
With both the Mets and Yankees playing league championship games yesterday, this seems like a good...
a month ago
With both the Mets and Yankees playing league championship games yesterday, this seems like a good time to discuss some of the oddities of New York’s relationship to the game of baseball. And the best place to start is just how many professional teams there have been here. Most...
CONTEMPORIST
A 1970s Four Bedroom Home Renovated For A Couple That Loves To Entertain
Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin,...
a month ago
Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin, Texas, for their clients that wanted a home for entertaining. The transformation involved converting a four-bedroom floor plan into a spacious, open, one bedroom home. A long...
Common Edge
Technology’s Siren Song
How to lure an architect onto the rocks.
a month ago
How to lure an architect onto the rocks.
Archinect - Features
Let’s Talk About Architectural Visualization
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the...
a month ago
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the process of visualizing architectural work and what challenges and opportunities the field presents for the architectural design process. Our journey will include not only tips and...
Old Structures...
Mannahatta
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still...
a month ago
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still had a lot of hills. A few links to help explain:
Archinect - Features
'Starting a Successful Woman-Owned Business in a Heavily Male-Dominated Industry Is No Joke':...
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding...
a month ago
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding Principal of multi-disciplinary design practice Open Studio Collective, based in Bozeman, Montana, and Ojai, California.
Trained in both graphic design and architecture, Bryan talks...
99% Invisible
Brilliantly Boring [EPISODE]
If you’ve been paying attention to our Power Broker series, then you know that bad infrastructure...
a month ago
If you’ve been paying attention to our Power Broker series, then you know that bad infrastructure can cause harm. That makes it all the more important to recognize the thought and care that goes into the objects we use and see everyday. Nothing embodies that spirit of recognition...
Old Structures...
Minor Errors
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, an 1880 view of Union Square. The title on the web page...
a month ago
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, an 1880 view of Union Square. The title on the web page says “South side Union Square B’way” except that this is definitely (see below) the north side of the Square, AKA East 17th Street. Is the first word written in pencil “South”? If I...
The Modern House
Green note: six energy-efficient homes with impressive EPC ratings
Until a few years ago, casting your eye over a home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) was...
a month ago
Until a few years ago, casting your eye over a home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) was little more than a slightly boring formality. But, with the mounting energy crisis, these somewhat obtuse, multi-coloured charts have started to come into their own. (In fact, we have...
Old Structures...
New And Improved Graphics!
Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan...
a month ago
Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan approach of the Brooklyn Bridge. The short version is that it’s an 1880s steel truss reinforced in the mid-1900s with a steel arch below. The long discussion is: here and here and...
The Modern House
All things nice: designer Tom Bartlett's converted spice factory is a lesson in decorating with...
a month ago
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Panels Create Hiding Places For Laundry Baskets Inside This Home
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and laundry renovation they completed...
a month ago
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and laundry renovation they completed for a home in Sydney, that includes hidden storage elements. In the laundry, wood paneling covers the lower section of the walls and hides a collection of laundry baskets from...
Archinect - Features
‘We Have To Get Much Better at Speaking To Wider and Wider Audiences:’ A Conversation With...
In February 2024, Brett Steele took up the position of Dean of the University of Southern California...
a month ago
In February 2024, Brett Steele took up the position of Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture. Since then, Steele has been busy capitalizing on the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leading a Los Angeles design school in a city known...
Common Edge
Aesthetics Alone Do Not Give Sacred Space Its Meaning
The key to finding a new relevance for “the holy” lies in architectural humility.
a month ago
The key to finding a new relevance for “the holy” lies in architectural humility.
Old Structures...
What’s In A Name?
Apartment houses everywhere often have names seemingly disconnected from their surroundings. I grew...
a month ago
Apartment houses everywhere often have names seemingly disconnected from their surroundings. I grew up in a building that was for no apparent reason called the Westgate, although at least the building immediately to its east was called the Eastgate. (There was no gate between...
The Modern House
A Japanese-inspired solution unlocks light and space in this shape-shifting micro-flat
a month ago
99% Invisible
Christiania [EPISODE]
In the year 1623, Christian IV, king of Denmark and Norway, built a long series of moats and...
a month ago
In the year 1623, Christian IV, king of Denmark and Norway, built a long series of moats and ramparts just across from central Copenhagen, on the eastern edge of the city’s harbor, to protect the city from Swedish invasion. In the early 19th century, the Danish government added...
Contemporist...
These Home Owners Wanted An Office And A Yoga Studio Behind Their Existing Home
Office of Ordinary Architecture has shared photos of two backyard getaways they designed for a home...
a month ago
Office of Ordinary Architecture has shared photos of two backyard getaways they designed for a home in Seattle, Washington, that created space for a yoga studio and an office.
The Modern House
Carefully composed: the bright reimagining of a Victorian garden apartment
a month ago
Archinect - Features
The Industry Reacts to Interest Rate Cuts: Archinect’s State of AEC September 2024
Welcome to the fourth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
a month ago
Welcome to the fourth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically.
Since our last edition, the...
Construction Physics
Do U.S. Ports Need More Automation?
On October 1st, 47,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), primarily...
a month ago
On October 1st, 47,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), primarily dockworkers on East and Gulf Coast ports, went on strike after failing to agree contract terms with USMX, an alliance of port operators and employers.
Old Structures...
A Survivor
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, “Small apartment buildings”, dated 1915: The address is...
a month ago
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, “Small apartment buildings”, dated 1915: The address is given as 1763-1769 Townsend Avenue, in the Bronx, which is good because it’s not like I could ever have identified this just from the photo. The site is less isolated than the photo...
CONTEMPORIST
An Apartment Designed With Cats In Mind
AODA Interior Design Co. has shared photos of an apartment interior in Taiwan they recently...
a month ago
AODA Interior Design Co. has shared photos of an apartment interior in Taiwan they recently completed, that includes a variety of design elements specifically for the home owners cats. The clients are a couple with four cats and two medium-to-large dogs. Previously, they lived in...
Common Edge
Brutalism in the Nation’s Capital
A National Building Museum exhibition surveys notable concrete architecture in D.C. and presents...
a month ago
A National Building Museum exhibition surveys notable concrete architecture in D.C. and presents possible future uses.
Old Structures...
Small Details
In “How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly”, Jennifer Ouellette gives a good summary of a...
a month ago
In “How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly”, Jennifer Ouellette gives a good summary of a recent paper “Thread form at the Crystal Palace” by John Gardner and Ken Kiss. My even shorter summary: the 1851 Crystal Palace in London was made possible, in part, through the...
Archinect - Features
10 Controversial Buildings That Became Iconic Landmarks
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always...
a month ago
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always welcomed with open arms. Throughout history, some of our most acclaimed structures have in fact provoked heated debates, divided public opinion, sparked fierce controversy, and in one...
Contemporist...
An Elevated Room Surrounded By Trees In The Jungle
Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura has shared photos of a room they designed and built in the jungle in...
a month ago
Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura has shared photos of a room they designed and built in the jungle in Ecuador, that features a sleeping area and bathroom.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: But Unfamiliar
The Black Widow thinks deep thoughts while standing on a rooftop: To be clear about what we’re...
a month ago
The Black Widow thinks deep thoughts while standing on a rooftop: To be clear about what we’re seeing, A is the Empire State Building, B is the Chrysler Building, C is Silver Towers at Lafayette Place and Bleecker Street, and D is the Widow: So we’re looking north from SoHo. The...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sheet Metal Skin Of Oiled Steel Was Selected For The Siding Of This Mountain Home
James Merrell Architects together with interior design firm Ellen Hanson Designs, completed a modern...
a month ago
James Merrell Architects together with interior design firm Ellen Hanson Designs, completed a modern mountain home in Sun Valley, Idaho, that features an exterior of oiled steel, concrete, and glass. The sheet metal skin of oiled steel was selected for the siding to bring in the...
Common Edge
The Brilliant, Unhinged Spectacle of Megalopolis
A rare film that celebrates design and urban planning, Coppola’s latest epic is a mishmash of...
a month ago
A rare film that celebrates design and urban planning, Coppola’s latest epic is a mishmash of architectural, cinematic, and literary history.
Old Structures...
Loans
I’m not sure why “Is a Library-centric Economy the Answer to Sustainable Living” by Philip Vachon...
a month ago
I’m not sure why “Is a Library-centric Economy the Answer to Sustainable Living” by Philip Vachon surprised me, but it did. The basic argument is that the ideas that govern good libraries – making as many books available to as many readers as possible, fairly and efficiently, and...
99% Invisible
The Infernal Machine [EPISODE]
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in...
a month ago
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in one place and set it on fire. But then in the 1800s one scientist named Alfred Nobel dedicated himself to taming the incredibly volatile substance that was nitroglycerine. After...
Contemporist...
Dyed Cement Shingles Cover The Counter Inside This Bakery
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes...
a month ago
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes handcrafted pieces of dyed cement in its design.
Old Structures...
Got Very Big, Very Fast
Yesterday, I mentioned two department stores in New York, the 1846 A. T. Stewart Store at Broadway...
a month ago
Yesterday, I mentioned two department stores in New York, the 1846 A. T. Stewart Store at Broadway and Chambers Street that was the first real department store in the US, and the 1896 Siegel-Cooper Store at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street that was for a time the largest store in the...
Archinect - Features
Some of the World’s Most Beautiful Coffee Shops
Happy International Coffee Day! To celebrate this culturally significant October 1st holiday, we...
a month ago
Happy International Coffee Day! To celebrate this culturally significant October 1st holiday, we have picked a few of our favorite examples of coffee and architecture existing in blissful harmony.
So pour yourself another cup of your favorite roast (how about Archinect's very...
Old Structures...
A Modern and Maybe Over Building Type
“Death of the Department Store” by Rosemary Hill is a short review of an exhibition at the Musée des...
a month ago
“Death of the Department Store” by Rosemary Hill is a short review of an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. As best as I can tell, having not seen the exhibit, it is not so much about the state of department stores today as it is about their entire history from...
Archinect - Features
The Fed Just Cut Interest Rates. What Does It Mean for Architects?
In September 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the target range of interest rates for the first...
a month ago
In September 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the target range of interest rates for the first time in four years. The move was long anticipated by AEC commentators, who hoped that the lower cost of borrowing would begin to pull the sector out of a two-year stagnation in...
Old Structures...
Steel And Hemp
From the 1880s, a view of South Street and the East River with the brand-new Brooklyn Bridge in the...
a month ago
From the 1880s, a view of South Street and the East River with the brand-new Brooklyn Bridge in the background. The bridge was the first suspension bridge with steel wires in its main cables. Steel rope had been used in ships for some time, but these sailing ships were mostly...
Construction Physics
Why the U.S. Can’t Build Icebreaking Ships
I want to say thank you to all the people who sent condolences following last week’s post,...
a month ago
I want to say thank you to all the people who sent condolences following last week’s post, especially those who shared their own stories of loss.
Old Structures...
Two Anachronisms
I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It...
a month ago
I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It implies a drama that may never have existed. In this case, the west block-front of Trinity Place between Edgar and Rector Streets provides a nice contrast of building ages. From...
Contemporist...
A Home Designed To Walk Up And Around The Green Roof
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina,...
a month ago
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina, whose design was inspired by geometry and its surroundings.
The Modern House
An architect's dream: four architect-owned homes for sale
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an...
a month ago
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an architect would find bringing their work home – in the most literal of senses – a bit of a drag. But as this collection of architect-owned homes […]
Common Edge
NCARB’s Michael Armstrong on Pathways to Architectural Practice
“If we are really serious in promoting inclusion and opportunities to practice, we need to take a...
a month ago
“If we are really serious in promoting inclusion and opportunities to practice, we need to take a fresh look at everything.”
Old Structures...
Adaptability
The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily...
a month ago
The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily adaptable. Rowhouses have been turned into apartment houses, churches, schools, museums, and offices; tenements have been upgraded to better apartments again and again and again. If...
CONTEMPORIST
A Green Roof Covers This Unique Vehicle Charging Station
Architecture firm ADEPT has shared photos of Norlys Charging Park Drejebaenken, a contemporary...
a month ago
Architecture firm ADEPT has shared photos of Norlys Charging Park Drejebaenken, a contemporary charging station in Odense, Denmark. The charging park design consists of easily recognizable details and elements that can be adapted to different geographical locations and sizes. The...
99% Invisible
Cue the Sun! [EPISODE]
Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming...
a month ago
Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming 24-hour feeds of the first season of Big Brother in the U.S. Big Brother is a reality television show that debuted in the US in the year 2000. If you’ve never seen it, the show is...
Common Edge
I’m A New Yorker, Not a NIMBY
Most New Yorkers care deeply about their great city and believe development shouldn’t be top-down...
a month ago
Most New Yorkers care deeply about their great city and believe development shouldn’t be top-down and hidden from public scrutiny.
Old Structures...
Advertising Art
From 1922, preserved in a scrapbook at the New York Public Library, a romantic view of the Bankers...
a month ago
From 1922, preserved in a scrapbook at the New York Public Library, a romantic view of the Bankers Trust Building at Wall and Nassau Streets. (The angle is a little funny – see below.) I cropped the image – at the lower right there was a little extension: This could be a...
Archinect - Features
Climate, Justice, and Collaboration in Academia: A Conversation with Tyler School of Art and...
At Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Kate Wingert-Playdon is building an...
a month ago
At Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Kate Wingert-Playdon is building an academic culture grounded in collaboration. As Senior Associate Dean and Director of Architecture, Wingert-Playdon is engaged in a mission of encouraging cross-disciplinary...
Common Edge
What Makes a City Resilient?
A talk with Sam Carter, a founding principal at the Resilient Cities Catalyst.
a month ago
A talk with Sam Carter, a founding principal at the Resilient Cities Catalyst.
Old Structures...
Differences Real and Metaphorical
There’s a nice piece in the Times about the Long Path, a very long hiking trail through New Jersey...
a month ago
There’s a nice piece in the Times about the Long Path, a very long hiking trail through New Jersey and New York running roughly parallel to the Hudson River: “Walking From Manhattan to the Catskills on the ‘Long Path’.” As it happens, I’ve walked a small piece of the path, from...
Archinect - Features
How Architectural Licensure Helps and Hurts the Profession
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series concludes with a look back on a four-month journey through...
2 months ago
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series concludes with a look back on a four-month journey through the U.S. architectural licensure system. Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in the current system highlighted by readers and commentators, we offer final thoughts on...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Fancy Digs
Hawkeye chases some bad guys in New York: Looking north up Central Park West from a bit below 71st...
2 months ago
Hawkeye chases some bad guys in New York: Looking north up Central Park West from a bit below 71st Street: The relatively-low brown building two blocks up is the Dakota Apartments, but the drawing in the comic isn’t accurate enough to recognize it. The building at the first...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter [EPISODE]
This is the ninth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 months ago
This is the ninth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and real estate developer from...
CONTEMPORIST
A Curvy Concrete Cube With Cut Outs For Windows Is The Form Of This New Home
Cadence Architects has sent us photos of a new modern home they completed in Krishnagiri, India,...
2 months ago
Cadence Architects has sent us photos of a new modern home they completed in Krishnagiri, India, that features a cube design with cut-outs. The K-Home, located in a busy residential neighborhood, has strategically scooped-out segments that create dynamic openings that frame the...
The Modern House
Grand Designs at 25: six Modern House homes that started life on the much-loved homebuilding TV show
Grand Designs first aired in 1999 when television schedules were awash with dubious interiors...
2 months ago
Grand Designs first aired in 1999 when television schedules were awash with dubious interiors programming. From the start, it was distinctly different. With just one project per episode, it allowed the viewer to become fully involved, immersed and invested. Thought-provoking and...
Old Structures...
Originality Is Not Easy, Part 3
The first two parts of this series looked at patents that involved odd details that were not really...
2 months ago
The first two parts of this series looked at patents that involved odd details that were not really part of the metal-frame revolution that was taking place in the 1890s but rather adjacent to it. Neither of those patents reflected actual structure that I’ve ever seen in an old...
Common Edge
“What Would Jane Jacobs Do?” Is the Wrong Question
Proponents of City of Yes are misapplying her ideas (again).
2 months ago
Proponents of City of Yes are misapplying her ideas (again).
Old Structures...
Originality Is Not Easy, Part 1
A piece of a patent – Number 574,434 to Herbert Keithley, applied for June 29, 1896 and awarded...
2 months ago
A piece of a patent – Number 574,434 to Herbert Keithley, applied for June 29, 1896 and awarded January 5, 1897 – titled “Building Construction”: The important context for US construction: the first skeleton-frame buildings, where the exterior walls were supported on a metal...
99% Invisible
Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages [EPISODE]
Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her...
2 months ago
Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was up for foreclosure. What followed was a surreal discovery of “zombie...
Common Edge
The Enduring Legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright
Why we still care, almost seven decades after his death.
2 months ago
Why we still care, almost seven decades after his death.
Construction Physics
Born Sleeping
A personal post about the loss of our son
2 months ago
A personal post about the loss of our son
Old Structures...
Yet Another Blue-Sky Proposal
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building),...
2 months ago
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building), via a scrapbook at the New York Public Library: a very involved railroad and boulevard system that I doubt anyone wanted and had zero chance of being built: This proposal is along...
CONTEMPORIST
This Japanese Restaurant Uses Washi-Inspired Acrylic Panels To Create A Cozy Atmosphere
odd design has shared photos of a Japanese restaurant they recently completed in Beijing, China,...
2 months ago
odd design has shared photos of a Japanese restaurant they recently completed in Beijing, China, that uses textural materials to create a quiet, relaxing, and cozy atmosphere. The open entrance consists of a light box and two sets of low-wall partitions, allowing the space to be...
Common Edge
What L.A. 2028 Can Learn From the Paris Olympics
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to...
2 months ago
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to take a cue from the City of Lights’ embrace of the local.
Old Structures...
Detailing Reveled By Details
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught...
2 months ago
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught almost nothing about the topic in school – I barely heard the word in school – and I’ve taught it to a lot of younger engineers who did not learn it in school. Detailing is the...
There are two types...
My Comments at the Midtown South Social Equity and Music Festival
Fifty-one years ago, the Pennsylvania Railroad tragically tore down Pennsylvania Station. Not only...
2 months ago
Fifty-one years ago, the Pennsylvania Railroad tragically tore down Pennsylvania Station. Not only is it the best building ever torn down in New York, but in the combined Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, we got the worst building in … Continue reading →
The post My...
Contemporist...
Brick Is The Material Of Choice For This New Home
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in...
2 months ago
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in Phuket, Thailand, that blends design and traditional artisanal craftsmanship.
Old Structures...
New Ringing The Old
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle...
2 months ago
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle effect to the buildings in much of lower Manhattan that you can see clearly here, that the buildings on the waterfront are new and bigger than the ones behind them. It’s a simple...
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Call for Submissions
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
2 months ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing thousands of award winners from 114 different design disciplines. Red House...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Iconic
There are all sorts of tricks – visual shorthand – for saying “you’re in New York” in movies, TV,...
2 months ago
There are all sorts of tricks – visual shorthand – for saying “you’re in New York” in movies, TV, and photos. One of them is to include some roof-top water tanks. Comics, too: The purpose of the tanks is very simple. They store water pumped up form the municipal main, and water...
The Modern House
Tangled up in blue: a diminutive urban cottage designed by fardaa
2 months ago
Archinect - Features
Your Architecture Work Sample Isn’t Your Portfolio. 10 Creative Tips To Keep in Mind When Job...
In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer...
2 months ago
In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer when applying for a new architectural position. What you include in your sample, as well as how you structure and present it, is therefore important for creating a good first...
Common Edge
20 Life Lessons in Architecture (and Beyond)
Some suggestions on living a life in design with meaning and purpose.
2 months ago
Some suggestions on living a life in design with meaning and purpose.
Construction Physics
The Long Road to Fiber Optics
Over the past six decades, advances in computers and microprocessors have completely reshaped our...
2 months ago
Over the past six decades, advances in computers and microprocessors have completely reshaped our world.
Old Structures...
Helping
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence...
2 months ago
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence in Historic Preservation Award” – from the Preservation League of NYS: here. It’s an interesting award in that the Foundation, which ordinarily funds projects and provides...
The Modern House
Book Preview: celebrating the architectural wonderland of London's suburbia
I ❤️ Suburbia is the first book by Simon Pollock, based on his successful Instagram account,...
2 months ago
I ❤️ Suburbia is the first book by Simon Pollock, based on his successful Instagram account, @londonsuburbia. The book celebrates the lives of people living on the outskirts of London and explores some of the often-overlooked architectural treasures of the ‘burbs, from houses to...
CONTEMPORIST
A White Concrete Exterior Protects This Seaside Mediterranean House
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small...
2 months ago
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small seaside town in Valencia, Spain. The house has a white concrete envelope that generates a large protective shell for a harmonious and delicate interior. Large overhangs and a system...
Archinect - Features
How to Effectively Introduce Your Architecture Firm in Under 2 Minutes
Recently, we explained how to create an elevator pitch for your architecture portfolio when...
2 months ago
Recently, we explained how to create an elevator pitch for your architecture portfolio when searching for your next role as a job seeker. As we noted, the ability to capture a body of work as rich, complex, and varied as an architecture portfolio in a timely, clear, and succinct...
Old Structures...
This Time, The Famous One
Seven years ago, I wrote a blog post called “No, Not The Famous One.” Guess what? On a site visit to...
2 months ago
Seven years ago, I wrote a blog post called “No, Not The Famous One.” Guess what? On a site visit to Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, I noticed a lot of nice cast-iron storefronts in the old shopping streets. Given that iron wasn’t a major industry there in the nineteenth...
99% Invisible
Medellin, Revisited [EPISODE]
Back in the 1980s, Medellín, Colombia was in the middle of a full-blown crisis. 30 years ago, this...
2 months ago
Back in the 1980s, Medellín, Colombia was in the middle of a full-blown crisis. 30 years ago, this was the murder capital of the world. Pablo Escobar’s notorious Medellín Cartel was waging a bloody drug war right on the city’s streets. For Medellín’s residents, the threat of...
Common Edge
NYC’s ‘City of Yes’ Proposal Is a Free Pass for Big Real Estate
It won’t create affordable housing, but instead lead to continued gentrification and displacement.
2 months ago
It won’t create affordable housing, but instead lead to continued gentrification and displacement.
Old Structures...
Partial Success
I’ve been trying to decipher this item from a New York Public Library scrapbook: The title on the...
2 months ago
I’ve been trying to decipher this item from a New York Public Library scrapbook: The title on the NYPL website is “Grand base ball match for the championship, between the Exclusive and Atlantic Clubs, of Brooklyn…” and the date is given as 1900-1945. (It’s also listed as a...
Common Edge
AI, Architecture, and the Uncanny Valley
Technology can design, but it can’t understand the “why” of buildings—yet.
2 months ago
Technology can design, but it can’t understand the “why” of buildings—yet.
Archinect - Features
Six Views on the Future of Architectural Licensure
Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural...
2 months ago
Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural licensure have included a variety of views beyond our editorial team, including ten views on licensure from Archinect readers shared at the midpoint of our series.
Beyond reader...
Old Structures...
The Grenfell Report
The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel:...
2 months ago
The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel: here. The New Civil Engineer has a good short summary here: “Grenfell disaster: ‘culmination of decades of failure by government and construction industry’” In one sense there are few...
CONTEMPORIST
A Daybed Nook Is A Great Place To Read Inside This Cabin
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a secluded home they designed in Methow Valley,...
2 months ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a secluded home they designed in Methow Valley, Washington. One of the key interior elements is a built-in day bed. The open nook has various functions. There’s the day bed for relaxing, with storage drawers built in underneath. The...
Old Structures...
Wider
I’ve talked about some of the weirdness of Park Avenue before, but there’s a basic problem with the...
2 months ago
I’ve talked about some of the weirdness of Park Avenue before, but there’s a basic problem with the street’s name: there’s no park. There are planted medians, but they’re not accessible to foot traffic and narrow enough that even if you could get out onto them, you’d be...
99% Invisible
Maximum Temperature [EPISODE]
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like...
2 months ago
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and in hot places all over the world, climate change is wreaking a very different kind of havoc – on living things. In the final episode of Not Built for This, we...
Old Structures...
The Name Lost Meaning
From the great archive of her photographs that Carol Highsmith donated to the Library of Congress,...
2 months ago
From the great archive of her photographs that Carol Highsmith donated to the Library of Congress, “View of a Manhattan street from New York City’s High Line, a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail.” Except that you can’t see the High Line because she was...
The Modern House
Nature's way: Botanical stylist Yasuyo Harvey’s stunning transformation of a standard suburban semi
2 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
An Observation Tower That Looks Like Twisted Wood Rises Above The Swedish Landscape
White Arkitekter has shared photos of Observation Tower Kärven on the Swedish west coast, which they...
2 months ago
White Arkitekter has shared photos of Observation Tower Kärven on the Swedish west coast, which they completed after winning Varberg Municipality’s architectural competition. Recently opened, the tower in Getterön nature reserve north of Varberg, measures 39 feet (12m) high and...
Common Edge
Four Decades in a House of Your Own Design
Reflections on the project that launched a career.
2 months ago
Reflections on the project that launched a career.
Construction Physics
Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships?
This post is cross-posted at Noahpinion.
2 months ago
This post is cross-posted at Noahpinion.
Old Structures...
Not Saved
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but...
2 months ago
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but its remote location and the lack of anything there that really interests me mean that I don’t know it particularly well. So the headline “Time to pay last respects to the abandoned...
The Modern House
Living in a boxy, brown-brick terrace – enhanced by Danish design sensibilities
2 months ago
Archinect - Features
Architecture's Interest Rate Prayers Answered: Archinect’s State of AEC August 2024
Welcome to the third installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
2 months ago
Welcome to the third installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically.
In our previous edition of the...
Old Structures...
Visible To The Naked Eye
Here’s the side wall of a building constructed about twenty-five years ago: I used this building not...
2 months ago
Here’s the side wall of a building constructed about twenty-five years ago: I used this building not because its construction was particularly bad – it is not – but because the glazed brick veneer on this side wall does a nice job of catching the raking sunlight. The brick color...
CONTEMPORIST
Glazed Pink Tiles Cover This New Home Addition
Office S&M Architects has shared photos of a home addition they designed for a Victorian house in...
2 months ago
Office S&M Architects has shared photos of a home addition they designed for a Victorian house in North London, that includes glazed pink pillow-shaped tiles. The handmade glazed tiles in a pink shade complement the home’s warm brick tones and draw upon the clients’ love of...
Archinect - Features
Architectural Licensure Is Becoming More Diverse, but Barriers to Equality Remain
According to recent data, the demographics of candidates on the path to architectural licensure are...
2 months ago
According to recent data, the demographics of candidates on the path to architectural licensure are beginning to counter the longstanding underrepresentation of women and people of color in the profession. However, deeper studies of the licensure experience reveal ongoing...
Common Edge
“Architecture Schools Are Responsible for Educating the Whole Student”
A talk with ACSA’s executive director, Michael Monti.
2 months ago
A talk with ACSA’s executive director, Michael Monti.
99% Invisible
The Little Levee That Could [EPISODE]
Most of the stories in this series have been about places that are ill-prepared for the extreme...
2 months ago
Most of the stories in this series have been about places that are ill-prepared for the extreme weather that is coming their way. But this story is about a place that managed to get the kind of infrastructure that will actually help it survive climate change. How after more than...
Old Structures...
Location and Purpose
From 1932, “The Kips Bay Station, with a capacity of 2,450,000 pounds of steam an hour, is the...
2 months ago
From 1932, “The Kips Bay Station, with a capacity of 2,450,000 pounds of steam an hour, is the largest and most modern central station steam generating plant in the world.” The station was a steam-generating plant, located on the East River at 36th Street, decommissioned and...
CONTEMPORIST
Hempcrete Walls Are On Display Inside This Home’s New Extension
Architecture studio Cairn, has shared photos of a house renovation and extension they completed for...
2 months ago
Architecture studio Cairn, has shared photos of a house renovation and extension they completed for a home in London, England, that uses a new low-carbon concrete. The ‘House made by many hands’ is the first building structure in the UK to specify a low-carbon limestone calcined...
Old Structures...
Probably Not What The Artist Intended
75 Broad Street, diagonally across the street from our office, was built in 1928 and almost...
2 months ago
75 Broad Street, diagonally across the street from our office, was built in 1928 and almost immediately bought by the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation for use as the company headquarters. Like a lot of New York Telephone buildings of that era, the interior was a...
McMansion Hell
2007-core nostalgia extravaganza
Quick PSA: someone on Facebook is apparently impersonating me using an account called “McMansion...
2 months ago
Quick PSA: someone on Facebook is apparently impersonating me using an account called “McMansion Hell 2.0” – If you see it, please report! Thanks!
Howdy folks! I hope if you were born between 1995 and 2001 you’re ready for some indelible pre-recession vibes because I think this...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Hooded
Daredevil strikes a pose: That weird thing he’s kneeling on is part of one of the towers of the...
2 months ago
Daredevil strikes a pose: That weird thing he’s kneeling on is part of one of the towers of the Manhattan Bridge. Here’s a nice general shot of the bridge, looking toward Brooklyn, from the HAER survey: And here’s a close up of where the pedestrian walkway on the outboard edge of...
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE]
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
2 months ago
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding,...
Old Structures...
A Primer Worth Reading
For people who don’t work on facades in New York, “Here’s why NYC sidewalks are (still) covered with...
2 months ago
For people who don’t work on facades in New York, “Here’s why NYC sidewalks are (still) covered with 400 miles of scaffolding” by David Brand is worth a look. It’s a good introduction to the tangled issues around sidewalk sheds. A very short summary: the response, for decades, to...
The Modern House
The masterful resculpting of an urban cottage in Cambridge
2 months ago
Common Edge
Election 2024: Revisiting the Duck and the Decorated Shed
How the Statue of Liberty and the Hollywood Sign frame the nation’s inherent tensions.
2 months ago
How the Statue of Liberty and the Hollywood Sign frame the nation’s inherent tensions.
Archinect - Features
Many Architecture Firms Don’t Know How To Pursue International Work; We Spoke With Some That...
Over the past year, the number of U.S. architecture firms working on international projects has...
2 months ago
Over the past year, the number of U.S. architecture firms working on international projects has gently increased. However, a recent AIA survey found that many firms do not know how to pursue international work. In search of insights and advice on the topic, we spoke with three...
Old Structures...
Four Months Later, I Finish The Thought
I wrote a blog post in April about the grotesques in the lobby of the Woolworth Building. As I...
2 months ago
I wrote a blog post in April about the grotesques in the lobby of the Woolworth Building. As I mentioned then, they are grotesques because they are purely decorative figures; gargoyles are decorative figures that are generally water spouts and are part of a roof drainage system....
CONTEMPORIST
Undulating Balconies And A Mint Green Tiled Exterior Give This New Building A Unique Look
Architecture firms Sadar+Vuga, Arhipro, and Studio Kristof have collaborated to create an...
2 months ago
Architecture firms Sadar+Vuga, Arhipro, and Studio Kristof have collaborated to create an eye-catching residential building in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with undulating balconies. The building, which houses apartments, is situated at the edge of a triangularly shaped site and is...
Old Structures...
Not What’s Expected
I’ve met a lot of people who have not been to New York who think that Central Park is like a London...
2 months ago
I’ve met a lot of people who have not been to New York who think that Central Park is like a London square, a block-sized oasis surrounded by buildings. The “surrounded by buildings” part is correct, but the size is a bit off. It’s 1.3 square miles (3.4 square kilometers for...
99% Invisible
The Price is Wrong [EPISODE]
Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about...
2 months ago
Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about anyone. And as storms get more extreme and unpredictable a lot of insurers are running the numbers on Florida and realizing that the math just isn’t working anymore. For decades,...
Common Edge
Contemporary Architecture and the Modern City
Americans don’t like modern buildings because they don’t like the modern city.
2 months ago
Americans don’t like modern buildings because they don’t like the modern city.
Old Structures...
Dry-Goods Palace
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two...
2 months ago
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two blocks down Fulton Street to a new building that was something like five times the size of its old home. That name doesn’t mean much today, but in 1893, a change in ownership...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Guerrillas in the Midst: Crowdsourcing Cartography
When I think about what Guerrilla Cartography does, I think of building and creating something new...
2 months ago
When I think about what Guerrilla Cartography does, I think of building and creating something new from many different pieces, like a puzzle that only makes sense once it’s put together. But unlike a puzzle, there is no single correct way to put the pieces together, as they can...
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off in Architecture Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
2 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
Old Structures...
One Way It Began
It’s hard to over-emphasize how rail-centric New York City was before, say, 1920. In addition to the...
2 months ago
It’s hard to over-emphasize how rail-centric New York City was before, say, 1920. In addition to the subway, there were the commuter railroads, which had many more stations within the city then than they do now, and a vast street-car network. The streetcars are entirely gone,...
devonzuegel.com
Edge Esmeralda: A recap of June's popup village
This summer, I co-organized a month-long 1,300-person "popup village" in Healdsburg, CA called Edge...
2 months ago
This summer, I co-organized a month-long 1,300-person "popup village" in Healdsburg, CA called Edge Esmeralda. This gathering was incredibly fun and rewarding, and it was also a huge accelerant to the creation of the permanent village we are building, Esmeralda.
Edge Esmeralda...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – An Apartment Transformed With A New Interior
FCstudio has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that...
2 months ago
FCstudio has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that transformed the space into a contemporary and open interior. The design plan included removing walls and creating integrated spaces, like in the living room, which was once a smaller...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Courthouses Galore
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt...
2 months ago
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt Murdoch, otherwise known as Daredevil, on the steps of a courthouse having just finished a case: Here’s a view looking north with the New York State Supreme Court and its large...
99% Invisible
The Ripple Effect [EPISODE]
In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city...
2 months ago
In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city or town. They ripple outward, cascading into the surrounding area, as the survivors are forced to go looking for new places to live. This is the story of what happened after the...
The Modern House
Dancing down the decades at Domus – a monument to mid-century modernism
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Structural Logic In An Older Form
From an 1880s building in Tribeca: the double beam supporting the front facade (sidewalk vault on...
2 months ago
From an 1880s building in Tribeca: the double beam supporting the front facade (sidewalk vault on the left, cellar on the right) where it meets the side wall at a pier. That’s a granite block directly below the beams, which can be a little hard to tell because of the paint on all...
CONTEMPORIST
Scalloped Ceilings Are The Elegance Overhead In This New York Apartment
Frederick Tang Architecture has designed the interior of an apartment on the Upper West Side of...
3 months ago
Frederick Tang Architecture has designed the interior of an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for a couple and their three children. Inspired by their Indian heritage, the family wanted to incorporate stone into their home, and they were also drawn toward color and...
Old Structures...
Why People Cared
This is remarkable, in a way: in a city full of apartment houses, the New York Sun newspaper felt...
3 months ago
This is remarkable, in a way: in a city full of apartment houses, the New York Sun newspaper felt that a complex of mid-rise buildings in Queens was worthy of note: I can think of two reasons off the top of my head, one related to housing and the other related to general...
CONTEMPORIST
Glamping Tents Designed By Architects
Architects Julio Cano and Barbara Bardin of Canobardin, have sent photos of the TipiTop Tents they...
3 months ago
Architects Julio Cano and Barbara Bardin of Canobardin, have sent photos of the TipiTop Tents they designed for the Costa del Sol Glamping Village in Spain. Each tent’s structure is made entirely of laminated pine wood, with a volume formed from three porticoes that support the...
Archinect - Features
The Pandemic Is History, but for Architects, Its Impact on Office Design Remains
Our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey highlighted concerns among architects that...
3 months ago
Our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey highlighted concerns among architects that their business health has been impacted by the ongoing adoption of remote and hybrid working patterns across the U.S. in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore in more detail...
Common Edge
Confessions of a (Mostly) Analog Architect
The fit between digital design and the hands-on world of construction.
3 months ago
The fit between digital design and the hands-on world of construction.
Construction Physics
How to Build a 50,000 Ton Forging Press
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.
3 months ago
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.
Old Structures...
Fake History For Real People
Most people don’t properly understand the built environment of their childhood until they grow up,...
3 months ago
Most people don’t properly understand the built environment of their childhood until they grow up, and even then maybe not until they’ve lived somewhere else and come home. Growing up in Queens, I didn’t question some of the styles around me that are not unique to the borough but...
Archinect - Features
The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of...
This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system...
3 months ago
This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system justification reinforce a status quo that marginalizes women and people of color. These complex and long-lived dynamics are unpacked through personal anecdotes, historical analysis,...
Contemporist...
An Exposed Structure Shows Off This House Design That Wraps Around A Pool
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo,...
3 months ago
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that was designed with a single-story layout that wraps around a swimming pool.
99% Invisible
The Bottom of the Bowl [EPISODE]
Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate...
3 months ago
Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate haven.” But last summer, he got a wake up call in the form of a devastating flood. All throughout the United States, people are watching the places they love change in unpredictable...
Old Structures...
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves...
3 months ago
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves because their covers and/or page edges contain poisonous dyes, as described in “That book is poison: Even more Victorian covers found to contain toxic dyes” by Jennifer Ouellette. The...
CONTEMPORIST
Banquette Seating Separates The Kitchen From The Living Room Inside This Apartment
Interior design firm Melling Studio, has shared photos of a one-bedroom apartment they completed in...
3 months ago
Interior design firm Melling Studio, has shared photos of a one-bedroom apartment they completed in Vancouver, Canada. The apartment has been designed as a serene, open-plan environment with a crisp, minimal finish palette, locally sourced furniture, and elevated fixtures. One...
Archinect - Features
Are Architectural Workers More Pessimistic About the Economy Than Firm Owners?
In our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey published last month, we observed a distinct...
3 months ago
In our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey published last month, we observed a distinct divergence between how firm owners and workers were feeling about the business health of their firm, industry, and the wider U.S. economy. Across the board, our survey suggests...
Common Edge
How the Much-Maligned Porch Supports Walkable, Sustainable Communities
Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
3 months ago
Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
Old Structures...
Visible Success, Invisibly
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the...
3 months ago
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the West Village. The rowhouse was constructed in 1846, is now in a landmarked district, and has an operating restaurant on the first floor and in the basement. If you look closely at...
Archinect - Features
When California Tried to Abolish Architectural Licensure
Throughout the 20th century, every state and territory across the U.S. passed laws establishing a...
3 months ago
Throughout the 20th century, every state and territory across the U.S. passed laws establishing a requirement to license architects. Since then, no jurisdiction has successfully repealed such a requirement. In the late 1970s, however, California almost became a notable...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick [EPISODE]
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
3 months ago
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised in New York City, Shiloh is a writer and...
The Modern House
How architect Alex Nikjoo lifted a lower-ground floor flat with a lightness of touch
3 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Dark Wood Exterior Complements The Forest Surrounding This Modern Home
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated, has sent us photos of a new home they completed...
3 months ago
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated, has sent us photos of a new home they completed in Calgary, Alberta, that was artfully designed around its relationship with the mature urban forest across the street Stepping inside, we see a minimalist foyer with a bench and...
Old Structures...
A Metaphor
Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main...
3 months ago
Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main cables is attached to one of the four deck-stiffening trusses below by the vertical suspender cables. The towers are separately attached to the trusses by the diagonal brace cables in...
Contemporist...
A New Home Inspired By The Long, Horizontal Lines Of The Classic California Bungalow
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated has shared photos of a new home they completed in...
3 months ago
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated has shared photos of a new home they completed in one of Calgary’s original upscale mid-century neighborhoods.
Old Structures...
Amusing Until It’s Not
This story turns ugly rather quickly. From the New York Public Library scrapbook, The Hippotheatron...
3 months ago
This story turns ugly rather quickly. From the New York Public Library scrapbook, The Hippotheatron and New York Cirque: That’s 14th Street between Irving Place and Third Avenue, with an out-chapel of Grace Church next door. As the name suggests, that weird building was a theater...
The Modern House
Hot on the heels of modernity: how our heritage buildings are catching up with us
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late...
3 months ago
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late 90s, the listing was was the result of a successful application by the Twentieth Century Society. Its chairman Hugh Pearman suggests that it stands as a youthful reminder of where...
Archinect - Features
LEED? BREEAM? WELL? Six Major Green Building Labels Explained
When embarking on a mission to deliver a building to a high environmental and ecological standard,...
3 months ago
When embarking on a mission to deliver a building to a high environmental and ecological standard, architects are presented with a range of accreditation systems to both guide the design process and reward the results.
While some systems, such as LEED and BREEAM, emphasize...
Common Edge
Warlords in Our Midst
Why Elon Musk is worse than science fiction.
3 months ago
Why Elon Musk is worse than science fiction.
Old Structures...
Bones Beneath The Skin
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station...
3 months ago
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station was part of the Dual Contracts expansion of the subway system, and opened in 1918. I’m pretty sure the platforms were lengthened at some point after that, probably in the 1950s or...
99% Invisible
Side Projects [EPISODE]
This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got...
3 months ago
This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got a preview of a new miniseries for you called Not Built for This, created and hosted by Emmett FitzGerald. It’s a show about climate change, but not in the way you might think....
Construction Physics
Is Land-Use Regulation Holding Back Construction Productivity?
Ed Glaeser is perhaps the pre-eminent urban economist working today, and I’ve cited his work...
3 months ago
Ed Glaeser is perhaps the pre-eminent urban economist working today, and I’ve cited his work repeatedly when looking at land-use restrictions and burdens on new development.
Old Structures...
Slow, But Faster Than Original
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of...
3 months ago
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of today, we’re about up to where the Parisians were in 1200 or so. From a month ago, construction of the nave walls: and the forest of nave columns: From yesterday, the nave walls and...
CONTEMPORIST
This Coastal-Inspired Interior Is Soft And Calming
Melling Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a duplex in Vancouver, turning it...
3 months ago
Melling Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a duplex in Vancouver, turning it into a warm and effortlessly coastal home for a young, active family. The home was completed in January 2023 and truly embodies the considered yet breezy essence of Kitsilano...
Common Edge
Consuming Provence: The Gentler Footprint of French Sprawl
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
3 months ago
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
Old Structures...
Comparisons
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century....
3 months ago
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes it was just buildings, like here, sometimes steamships were stood on end to show how big they were. (Note that the biggest steamship in 1908, when the Singer Building was new,...
CONTEMPORIST
This Cat Cafe In New York Was Designed With Whimsy And Playfulness
Architect Sonya Lee has shared photos of the new location of Meow Parlour, a cat cafe in New York...
3 months ago
Architect Sonya Lee has shared photos of the new location of Meow Parlour, a cat cafe in New York that had outgrown its previous space. The storefront has a 10’ wall of white oak shelves that spell out M E O W, which also function as signage, a playspace for the cats to snuggle...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Aerial
The Red Skull – boo, hiss – contemplates life from a high tower in Manhattan. Specifically, one with...
3 months ago
The Red Skull – boo, hiss – contemplates life from a high tower in Manhattan. Specifically, one with a view of the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. If that tiny bit of the bridge tower isn’t recognizable, Murry Bergtraum High School and the adjacent Verizon Office Building surely...
The Modern House
Outside chance: six homes with spectacular gardens
“Gardening is a promise,” said Piet Oudolf in Thomas Piper’s meditative documentary about the...
3 months ago
“Gardening is a promise,” said Piet Oudolf in Thomas Piper’s meditative documentary about the pioneering Dutch garden designer. “It doesn’t have to be there. You’re looking for what will be there.” From a particularly pastoral front garden in Brixton, to a transportive Cornish...
Old Structures...
180 Years
I found myself in Greenport NY for a project and was pleasantly surprised by the presence of the old...
3 months ago
I found myself in Greenport NY for a project and was pleasantly surprised by the presence of the old train station there. It’s not the current station, which is a bare concrete platform off to the right of the picture, and it’s not the original station, but that’s okay. As you...
Archinect - Features
An Industry Pins Its Hopes on Interest Rate Cuts: Archinect’s State of AEC July 2024
Welcome to the second installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
3 months ago
Welcome to the second installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically.
As we reflect back on June and...
The Modern House
Nice Modernism: introducing the friendly face of modernist architecture
After almost a hundred years of modernist architecture, the writer and critic Alan Powers argues...
3 months ago
After almost a hundred years of modernist architecture, the writer and critic Alan Powers argues that the canon is ripe for reappraisal. Here, he makes the case for “Nice Modernism” – an altogether gentler strand of architecture that emerged in the 1930s and is typified […]
CONTEMPORIST
This Modern Home Is Suspended Over A Creek
Fougeron Architecture has shared photos of a home they remodeled that’s suspended between two...
3 months ago
Fougeron Architecture has shared photos of a home they remodeled that’s suspended between two California hills, and spans a creek, and boasts a waterfall in the backyard. The goal of the project was to reconnect this structure into the environment while best utilizing the...
Construction Physics
How California Turned Against Growth
Even before it became a state, people migrated to California in search of a better life: for jobs,...
3 months ago
Even before it became a state, people migrated to California in search of a better life: for jobs, the chance to become rich and famous, or simply the comfortable climate and beautiful landscape.
Old Structures...
Reuse, Not Really Adaptive
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest...
3 months ago
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest in steel. The roof over the rather wide platform is supported by two lines of columns. That’s a column in the lower left, with the curves of the lower flange of the built-up main...
Archinect - Features
How To Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Architecture Portfolio When Job Searching
Your architecture portfolio is one of your most powerful tools when searching for a new career...
3 months ago
Your architecture portfolio is one of your most powerful tools when searching for a new career opportunity. Whether describing your work at a networking event or presenting your previous projects in an interview setting, the ability to clearly and succinctly pitch your portfolio...
Contemporist...
An Extension To This 1933 Home Creates A New Kitchen And Outdoor Terrace
Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in...
3 months ago
Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in Seattle, Washington, that was originally designed and built in 1933 by Norwegian boat captain Ole E. Nelson.
Common Edge
Mary Landrieu on Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and a Solution for the Rising Cost of Flood...
A talk with the former senator about the plan and the crisis of insurance affordability.
3 months ago
A talk with the former senator about the plan and the crisis of insurance affordability.
Old Structures...
Not Quite What It Seems
First up, from one of those New York Public Library scrapbooks, “Looking down upon a forest of...
3 months ago
First up, from one of those New York Public Library scrapbooks, “Looking down upon a forest of skyscrapers: New York City.” It’s listed as having been issued between 1850 and 1945, and my response to that is “oh, come on.” The Park Row and St. Paul buildings, and the intersection...
99% Invisible
Top Billing [EPISODE]
There’s a rumor about the 1987 film Outrageous Fortune, a rumor that has dogged producer Jacob Reed...
3 months ago
There’s a rumor about the 1987 film Outrageous Fortune, a rumor that has dogged producer Jacob Reed since his days in film school. The comedy, starring Bette Midler and Shelley Long, is mostly forgotten. But a feud between the two stars was legendary, a fact referenced on TV by...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Extension Made Space For A New Kitchen And Dining Area
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary...
3 months ago
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary single-storey extension for a private residence. Mature trees surround the site to the north and east, and tall lush hedges to the south and west perimeter of the property that provide...
Common Edge
The Clever Trick for Living in 350 Square Feet
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
3 months ago
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
Old Structures...
The Easy Route
On Sunday, I mentioned in passing that Ridgewood and Glendale, which are in southwest Queens as much...
3 months ago
On Sunday, I mentioned in passing that Ridgewood and Glendale, which are in southwest Queens as much as there is a southwest Queens (that corner isn’t very big because most of where it might have been is Brooklyn) used to have service on the Long Island Railroad and now don’t. I...
Archinect - Features
UK Architectural Licensure Had Not Changed in 50 Years. Until Now.
Having previously examined architecture licensure systems in the United States and across mainland...
3 months ago
Having previously examined architecture licensure systems in the United States and across mainland Europe, this edition of the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series profiles changes underway in the United Kingdom's licensing system, which is currently undergoing a “fundamental...
Common Edge
The Deceptive Grandeur of City Skylines
Empty office towers are likely to remain that way for years.
3 months ago
Empty office towers are likely to remain that way for years.
Old Structures...
Not Famous Is Good
Theater fires were among the worst building-related events of the nineteenth and early-twentieth...
3 months ago
Theater fires were among the worst building-related events of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries in the US. The Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago killed over 600 people; closer to home, the Brooklyn Theater fire killed about 280. I serious do not recommend reading about...
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