Robert A.M. Stern doesn't get much respect from the architectural avant-garde. In a time in which sleek glass and curves are all the rage, Stern goes against the grain with his use of stone and nods to history. Does that make him a lesser architect?
Justin Davidson pens a profile of architect Robert A.M. Stern, "a traditionalist with a deep understanding of the contemporary metropolis." Though many of his peers view his work with derision, his designs are sought after by clients from around the world and some of New York's most discriminating residents.
"His architecture doesn’t evoke a wow so much as an mmm," observes Davidson. "Instead of indulging in outrageous height, bendy walls, or glittering façades, Stern beguiles with details: the interplay of pale limestone and black steel, a subtle setback toward the top of a tower, a pattern of bricks fanning out above a shallow arch."
“My interest is not in being an autobiographical architect but a portraitist of places,” Stern says. “Other architects put the same building, more or less, in many different locations. And in this age of branding many people are reassured by that. But when clients come to us, they don’t know what the building is going to look like until we study the site and consult our library.”
FULL STORY: Unfashionably Fashionable
Can the Garden City of the Past Work in the Future?
Anthony Flynt explores the motivations behind Robert A.M. Stern's recent revival of the Garden City as a model for future development. Among the benefits of the model proposed by Ebenezer Howard in 1902, according to Stern: equity and comfort.
8 Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Named World Heritage Sites
Eight buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are the first works of U.S. modern architecture to be named UNESCO World heritage sites.
Portland Building, Remodeled Instead of Demolished, Might Lose Historic Status
A renovation saved the Portland Building, designed by postmodern pioneer Michael Graves, from demolition, but its likely doomed its status on the National Register of Historic Places.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.
Acceptable Deaths
What can we learn from our Covid response?
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
Fare-Free Transit Hasn’t Reduced Car Trips, Data Says
Fare-free transit isn’t the climate change benefit that many have hoped, according to recent writing by David Zipper for Bloomberg.
Redevelopment Threatens Iconic, Affordable Chicago Homes
The ‘workers’ cottages’ are being replaced with larger, more expensive homes, threatening one of the city’s original forms of affordable housing.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
