The new San Francisco Federal Building, designed by architect Thom Mayne, has a soft 'green' underbelly to its hard industrial exterior.
"Architect Thom Mayne has covered the 18-story south side of the San Francisco Federal Building with perforated metal panels. It's an armor that evokes Baghdad's Green Zone more than the California city's soft, fogged hills. Yet behind the bristling facade of this slim, $144-million slab lurks flower-power idealism. It's a building that addresses the growing concerns of global warming.
Mayne, principal of Santa Monica-based Morphosis, bracingly applies brute urban-industrial energy to his environmental agenda. The 3-foot-by-8-foot stainless-steel panels, which appear translucent, are supported in front of the all-glass building wall by a metal framework. Functionally, they shade the building from low winter sun, cutting daylight to a comfortable level for office workers.
That's just one of the ways the building cuts energy use. In total, it's designed to consume about half the power of a standard office tower -- an indication of how building design can help slash emissions of greenhouse gases.
Stylistically, Mayne has gone post-apocalyptic. The blanket of metal panels angles up over the roof and folds down at a slightly crazed angle to make a jaunty hat tipped to the city. Then it plunges down the south side, and undulates like a stock- market graph to shade a public plaza and the skylight-dotted roof of a child-care center."
FULL STORY: Mayne's Federal Building Blends Brute Energy, `Green' Design

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie