The Vdara Hotel at CityCenter, designed by architect Rafael Vinoly, has an unforeseen side effect: its curving shape captures and focuses the hot Las Vegas sun, heating up visitors below like bugs under a microscope.
Geoff Manaugh explains that this isn't the first time that contemporary starchitecture has burned passerby- the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles has had the same effect.
Manaugh wonders if this power could be turned to positive uses:
"...could you deliberately design an architecture without walls, using only thermal gradients-defining areas of public use and congregation solely based on heat? Could these and other parabolic reflections of solar energy be deliberately used as a tactic of architectural intervention and urban design?"
FULL STORY: Las Vegas Death Ray
Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan Revealed
A new draft Los Angeles Master Plan, created by Frank Gehry's firm, lays out a more active, natural vision for the river, in addition to addressing concerns about displacement in communities along the river corridor.
Gehry's Latest Downtown L.A. Project Rises While Workers Stay Home
A high-profile project in the heart of the cultural and civic center of Downtown Los Angeles is rising quickly, and practically in secret, as the area's daytime population stays home during the pandemic.
First Look at the New Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The idea for the Eisenhower was approved by Congress in 1999, and though the opening date for the Frank Gehry-designed memorial was delayed from May 2020, the public will finally get a chance to see newest memorial in D.C. this September.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.
Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
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.
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Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
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