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A new project chronicles the life and work of Paul Revere Williams, who in 1923 became the AIA’s first African-American member.

After decades of practicing architecture in New York, François returned to his native Haiti to set up a design and construction firm in Port-au-Prince. Here, he speaks candidly about his experience working in the troubled island country. Yves François is a firm owner who defies convention. The 45-year-old designer was born in Haiti but spent most of his childhood in Brooklyn. In 1986, he earned an architecture degree from the New York Institute of Technology and went on to work for 10 years at Pepsi as a facility manager and architectural consultant. He later held similar positions at Philip Morris

More than four months after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, Congress is stepping up efforts to provide funds for disaster relief and start rebuilding the country. Lawmakers also are insisting on specific goals and timetables for achieving those reconstruction targets. Photo © fadedyouthblog.com Actor-activist Penn, shown here in Haiti, urged the U.S. to “stay the course.” Related Links: Special Section: Rebuilding Haiti Seismic Seminar Aimed at Haitian Engineers Interview with Yves Fran'ois, a Haitian Designer Haiti funding hasn’t been enacted yet; congressional action on that front has been at the committee level so far. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on

Photos © UB-MCEER Seminar tents housed 100 participants each day (top). The introductory seismic program included field evaluation training (above) Related Links: Special Section: Rebuilding Haiti Congress Moving on Aid for Haiti, But Little Rebuilding in Country Interview with Yves Fran'ois, a Haitian Designer Some 200 Haitian engineers and engineering students gathered in Port-au-Prince on May 20-22 under a tent in plus-90°F heat to learn about seismic-resistant design and construction. The four introductory courses—which covered topics such as the seismology and seismicity of Haiti, earthquake-resistant design principles and rapid building assessment methodology—were held thanks to an agreement between the University

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The 19 finalists for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture are to be announced this afternoon during an event at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Past decades have dealt several windfalls to historic preservation. Thanks to the broadening of the movement to include places with social historical relevance, as opposed to a focus on mansions and political-history sites, “We’re seeing more diverse faces,” says Valecia Crisafulli, acting vice president of programs at the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), “and certainly the Modernist thread is bringing in younger people.” More recently, the Great Recession has provided another jumpstart, as frugal Americans are visiting nearby historic state parks and other sites more frequently. Yet the economic downturn has put those very travel destinations in jeopardy. Budget

Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA On May 18, President Obama named Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, to head the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). He is the first architect to lead the agency since its creation in 1966. The 23-member organization advocates for historical structures threatened by federal construction projects. It can raise a red flag if, say, 19th-century row houses are threatened by the path of a new highway. Donaldson’s four-year term, which doesn’t require Congressional approval, officially begins this week, when he replaces John L. Nau III, a beer distributor and preservation advocate appointed by President Bush in 2001

Last year the Blue Valley School District of Overland Park, Kansas, had a problem: Its new Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) building wouldn’t be finished for a year and a half. While the district, high school students, and teachers didn’t want to delay the launch of the new program, they didn’t have the money required to lease, remodel, and equip a temporary space. “So, we came up with the idea of companies gifting us the funds we needed to rent,” says CAPS executive director Donna Deeds. Photos © Alistair Tutton DLR Group transformed one of its conference rooms into