Architecture
Making Gritty Pretty
Cities around the world are finding that turning industrial ruins into green public space is far more cost effective and fun than tearing them down.
The Tension Between Form and Function
Prizewinning architect Thom Mayne says that tension inspires him, while admitting that he'd love to design more demanding, artistic buildings.
'No Credits, Just Prerequisites'
The Living Building Challenge is a new environmental rating system that focuses on required environmental design elements, diverging dramatically from the credit-based approach of the built environment's dominant rating system, LEED.
Really Quiet Neighbors
Architect Bill Bickford would like to turn Chicago's historic Three Arts Club into a columbarium, or building to house cremated remains. The former dormitory for women artists is revered by preservationists, but hasn't been in use since 2003.
Starchitecture and Sustainability: Hope, Creativity, and Futility Collide in Contemporary Architecture
Can today's contemporary architects, schooled in modernism and invention, in fact incorporate the sort of green building materials and techniques that make a real difference? And does design really matter? Josh Stephens takes a look.
How Architects Learn: The Debate
Geoff Manaugh at BLDBLG talks about the role of the architecture student. Should they be allowed create experimental designs, even when the field of practice is so narrow it is unlikely they'll ever be able to design like that again?
Gropius Buildings Slated for Demolition
The Friend Convalescent Hospital was the first of Walter Gropius' modernist buildings to be destroyed at Chicago's Michael Reese hospital. Bulldozing began on Wednesday with more still to go.
Alex MacLean: Surveying a Changed Landscape
Photographer Alex MacLean talks about his book OVER: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point.
The End of An Era for Arts Centers
The new Dallas Performing Arts Center marks the end of a boom in the development of arts centers and a moment in American architecture, says Nicolai Ouroussoff.
Will Robots Build Your Next Project?
A brick wall is being built on a traffic island in New York without human hands. The robot doing the work is a brainchild of two architects as an illustration of 'digital materiality'.
From Contrast to Continuity: A New Preservation Philosophy
With the emergence of new traditional design patterns among contemporary architects, the standards and rules that have defined historic preservation are becoming obsolete. Steven W. Semes calls on planners and designers to create a new ethic of harmonious intervention into historic settings.
Stretching Architectural Boundaries
Huffington Post highlights 11 astonishing architectural proposals from around the world [slideshow].
The Complex Legacy of Julius Shulman
With a recent documentary, Julius Shulman is back in the spotlight. But the uncritical view of Shulman's legacy leaves a lot out, says Christopher Hawthorne.
Testing Grounds
Housing development, architecture and community building have found a new learning lab in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
Toronto Street Furniture Program Blasted
The city of Toronto is rolling out a new street furniture program. Lisa Rochon calls the new additions to the city's sidewalks an "assault on civic life".
Wacky, Whimsical Buildings
This slideshow features colorful, bold buildings from around the world.
Ugliest Buildings in the World
Travel + Leisure Magazine picks their worst buildings ever, including a Michael Graves-designed office in Portland and the National Library of Belarus.
Floating Houses for Flood-Prone Areas
As the city of New Orleans rebuilds its flooded and destroyed neighborhoods, a new design from architect Thom Mayne seeks to counteract the flood-prone area by simply floating.
How to Make Housing Affordable
Avi Friedman has some ideas of how to make housing more affordable. He says that the focus is too much on the mortgage and subsidies side and not enough on lower building costs.
Vancouver Reevaluating its Skyline
In a series of open houses to debate whether its building height restrictions should be changed, former Vancouver city planner Larry Beasley debated with architect Richard Henriquez.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
