Something’s in the air. Call it community-based design. Call it architecture for people. In any understanding, socially conscious architecture seems to be blossoming again.

You are in store for a visual treat. In this issue, we celebrate 50 years of Record Houses by including a collection of 10 private residences from around the world, most in stunning natural settings—flung out into the desert, perched by the water, clipped to hillsides.

Now what do we do? With the turn of a new year, Ed Feiner, boots and all, has left the General Services Administration.

Nature continues to confound us. The undersea earthquake of December 26, 2004, shook the globe at force 9, triggering waves that slapped the civilized world into submission.

The turning of the year brings a flurry of awards cascading through the media.

Not all buildings need to shout. If you are a typical reader of Architectural Record, you might conclude that most contemporary architecture speaks assertively, even independently of its surroundings.

On campuses across the United States, fall brings homecomings, which tend toward beer-laced nostalgia amid the swirling autumnal leaves.

In an architectural world freaked out on speed and hype, Fay Jones stood apart.

When the last crowds have dispersed from the Plaka in Athens and the television ratings have been scrutinized high in midtown Manhattan, the real hero of the 2004 Olympics will emerge.

Lying on the beach, the office fades. But as certain as the waves tumbling in, fall approaches on the heels of summer’s ozone-laden days.