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Image courtesy Arup One of the firm’s current projects in China is Ding He Tower in Shenzhen. Despite a diminished head count at its London-based headquarters, the global engineering firm Arup has opened overseas architecture offices for the first time in its 65-year history. Related Links: U.K. Budget Cuts Could Spur Layoffs at ArupCecil Balmond Leaves Arup to Start His Own Firm Arup Developing Green City in China The three new offices, which debuted in early April, are located in China, in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Each employs about 15 architects and 12 engineers, many of them

« Return to RECORD Reveals: New Orleans Since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, a series of ambitious redevelopment plans have emerged and fizzled. These days, the government is taking a more laissez-faire approach. Even before Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters were pumped out of New Orleans, the nation’s top urban planners started weighing in on the devastated historic city’s future. Photo © Kevin R. Roberts Retaining the essence of New Orleans' charismatic vernacular architecture, as seen above, has been a component of many post-Katrina redevelopment initiatives in the city. Related Links: RECORD REVEALS: New Orleans Their motives were generous, but

Photo courtesy Taliesin Preservation, Inc. Taliesin's tour season begins on April 28. Click to view images of the famous Wisconsin estate. Image courtesy Architectural Record Click to view RECORD's coverage of Taliesin in 1913. The photos are by Henry Fuermann. Photo courtesy Architectural Record Notable Houses in 1911: We combed through back issues of RECORD to see what types of houses were appearing in 1911, the year construction of Taliesin began. Here, a few examples. Most architects are well acquainted with Taliesin, one of the most storied dwellings in America. Situated in the rolling countryside near Spring Green, Wisconsin, the

For quake and tsunami victims left homeless, simple shelters help ease discomfort. Photo courtesy Shigeru Ban Architects Emergency centers set up in gymnasiums and other large structures offer little privacy. In response, Shigeru Ban conceived a partition system made of paper tubes and canvas sheets. “I have been to disaster areas all over the world,” says Shigeru Ban. But never had the Japanese architect and veteran relief worker seen the degree of devastation that struck his homeland on March 11, 2011. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake, followed by the massive tsunami that crashed down on 311 miles of coastline, left thousands of

Photo ' Jeff Goldberg/Esto for Ennead Architects Click to view winners of the architecture awards. Click to view winners of the interiors awards. Click to view winners of the urban design awards. Click to view winners of the unbuilt work awards. A skyscraper in China, a wastewater treatment plant in New York, and an art museum in North Carolina are among the 38 winners of AIA New York’s 2011 Design Awards. Now in its 30th year, the annual awards program recognizes exemplary projects located in New York City or designed by architects practicing in New York City. Honor and merit

Photo © John Linden Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, CA The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA-COTE) has announced its Top Ten Green Projects for 2011. “The bar has been raised” since the Top Ten competition began, noted members of the jury. “Now we want to see diverse project types, projects that resolve urban issues or social issues, projects that change occupant behavior.” Related Links: Cherokee Studios LOTT Clean Water Alliance OS House NREL Model Crafted for Buildings To Achieve Net-Zero Energy Use Step Up on Fifth Vancouver Convention Center West The jurors also noted particular interest in

If you thought the war of the woods was over, think again. Paper is the new front in the ongoing battle between the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The advocacy group ForestEthics recently announced that seven major companies would stop using the SFI label on their paper products. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Seven major companies, including Allstate Insurance Company (above) and Office Depot, recently announced that they will stop using the SFI label on their paper products. Related Links: Not Enough Votes for LEED-Certified Wood Benchmark GreenSource Magazine According to a ForestEthics press release, the following

Work is well under way on the 320-bed facility being constructed by Partners in Health, a Boston-based nonprofit group. Constructing any major hospital is a challenge, but building a 320-bed state-of-the-art teaching hospital for $16 million in the highlands of Haiti is fraught with difficulties. Haitian workers are learning U.S.-style construction, tempered by budget and supply-chain realities. The design, donated by Nicholas Clark Architects, uses natural ventilation and solar power to counter spotty electrical service. HVAC is used sparingly because of power limitations and a lack of HVAC maintenance services in Mirebalais. Yet the aid group Partners in Health (PIH)

When Serie Architects was selected in March 2010 along with Grimshaw's London office and Berlin-based Pysall Ruge Architekten to transform a group of disused steel factory buildings in Hangzhou, into a new mixed-use complex, the firm faced a big challenge.

Images courtesy Given Institute Built in 1972, the 12,000-square-foot Given Institute is owned by the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Related Links Demolition Looms for Modernist Building by Weese Expansion for Weese’s Arena Stage Upgrade to Harry Weese’s Marcus Center Demolition appears imminent for the Given Institute, a 1972 concrete-block building in Aspen, Colorado, designed by the late Chicago architect Harry Weese. Despite rescue efforts by city officials and preservationists, the Given’s owner, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, plans to bulldoze the building on April 15 and sell the 2.25-acre property to a next-door neighbor for $13.8