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Photo © Jay Elliot Malcolm Wells Malcolm Wells, a green design pioneer best known for his underground, or “earth-sheltered,” buildings, passed away on November 27 in Brewster, Massachusetts. He was 83. Wells grew up in New Jersey and joined the Marines shortly after high school. Though he never received a college degree, he studied engineering at both Georgia Teach and Drexel Institute of Technology, now Drexel University. He went on to work as a draftsman for the electronics company RCA and apprenticed at a small architectural firm in New Jersey. Achieving a perfect score on the state examination, Wells became

Though experts may dispute the role of human activity in climate change, evidence is mounting that temperatures and sea levels are rising. With 10 of the world’s largest 15 cities located on the coast, metropolitan areas could be greatly affected. In fact, according to a January 5 editorial in The New York Times, New York City “will face a tidal rise of 2 feet or more by 2080” if global warming continues at its current rate.  Image courtesy Guy Nordenson and Associates, Catherine Seavitt Studio, Architecture Research Office The 'Rising Currents' project was inspired by a study conducted by the

Moshe Safdie and Associates, based in Somerville, Massachusetts, designed the base of the five-story building, which is clad in precast panels to blend with its neoclassical neighbors and features a sweeping white glass roof intended to make a strong statement of the institute’s mission.

In a case that could have larger implications for the architecture profession, an Ohio firm has sued a client after being fired, with the hope of being put back on the job. Image courtesy Wikipedia The medical center would feature 480 beds and a cancer center. Karlsberger, a mid-sized firm based in Columbus, claims that nearby Ohio State University acted in bad faith this fall when it terminated a contract for a $1 billion, 1-million-square-foot expansion of its medical center. The glassy, soaring addition, which is to feature 480 beds and a cancer center, is the largest construction project on

Photos © Mamoru Ishiguro Hoberman recently completed his first building with an adaptive skin. Polycarbonate operable shutters shield the interior of the 15-story tower in Tokyo. Related Links: Chuck Hoberman Wants Buildings to Change ArchRecord Interview: Chuck Hoberman Planners, Designers Mull Implications of Digital Surfaces “Transformable design” is the term that Chuck Hoberman uses to describe the focus of his multidisciplinary practice, Hoberman Associates. The 19-year-old New York City-based firm fuses sculpture, engineering, and product design to create objects with the ability to change size and shape. It is perhaps best known for the Hoberman Sphere, which relies on a

How do you guide museum visitors through the unseen world of sound? That was the dilemma faced by the designers and builders of the new $125-million Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, scheduled to open this spring. Images courtesy Musical Instrument Museum The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix contains 190,000 square feet of exhibition and performance space. Featuring both historic and contemporary instruments from around the globe, the museum aims to help visitors better understand musical expression in different cultures and in various aspects of life. Bob Ulrich, former CEO of the Target Corp., is the museum’s founder and chairman; the

Dubai has made headlines in recent weeks for its financial woes, and many are saying this once-booming desert metropolis has gone bust. But the emirate does have something to celebrate: The Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, is due to officially open on January 4. Photo courtesy SOM The Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, is due to officially open on January 4. Related Links: World's Tallest Buildings Reconsidered Burj Dubai Breaks Record, and Keeps Going Dazzling Skyscrapers In a Desert City, a Skyline Grows Ever Higher As Economy Sank, Skyscrapers Soared Precisely how many feet this superlative tower rises

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has changed the way it measures building height. Announced on November 17, the Chicago-based organization now includes below-grade, open-air pedestrian entrances in its calculations; previously, measurements were made from the sidewalk outside the main entrance. CTBUH also eliminated a “height to roof” category due to increased use of spires, parapets, and other features. Graph courtesy CTBUH Related Links: Now Introducing the Burj Dubai At Least 50 Tall Buildings Now on Hold As Economy Sank, Skyscrapers Soared Higher The modifications have prompted a slight change in the ranking of the world’s 10

Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden discusses her ambitious blueprint for America’s largest city. Photo © NYC Department of City Planning Amanda Burden Now that New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg is remaining in office for a third term, presumably the agenda set out by Amanda Burden, director of the Department of City Planning and chair of the planning commission, will stay its course. Appointed head of city planning in 2002, and a planning commissioner since 1990, Burden approaches the future from a position of perceptible strength. In October she was named the 2009 laureate for the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries