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Five months after a severe earthquake devastated parts of Haiti, a Senate report, released June 22, says there are troubling indications that the process of reconstructing the country has "stalled." The report, by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic staff, gives a blunt analysis of the situation, saying that "Haiti is at a significant crossroads." It lists "critical issues" to be addressed in 10 key areas, including developing "a feasible, comprehensive rebuilding strategy" and getting the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission fully operational. The committee staff analysis also calls on Haitian President Rene Preval to "take a more visible and active

As Haiti rebuilds after its cataclysmic earthquake, the government there has launched a first-of-its-kind design competition to help replace the country’s decimated housing stock. Photo © Google Maps Click on the slide show icon to see additional photos. Related Links: Special Report: Rebuilding Haiti Design Experts Convene for Symposium Rural Haiti Project On June 17, the Republic of Haiti unveiled “Building Back Better Communities,” which invites architects and non-architects alike from around the globe to create homes for a 12-acre former sugar plantation on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Because the site was not affected by the quake and is city

Licensed U.S. architects working globally, a group that is growing, need support from the American Institute of Architects in several ways, including promoting and endorsing a strategic plan that enables U.S. architects to gain professional practice licenses in foreign jurisdictions. AIA also should endorse the International Union of Architects’ (UIA) professional advisory standards, international education standards and international accreditation/validation standards. “The AIA should be advocating practices that enable its members to diversify their geographic, civic and cultural involvements,” said Thomas Vonier, an architect based in Paris and AIA’s international director. These recommendations and others relating to working globally were issued

Image courtesy Lutron Click on the slide show icon to see additional photos. A significant contribution to modern building design and science was celebrated on April 29 in the daylit halls of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History [recently renovated by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill] in Washington, D.C. Joel Spira, inventor and developer of the solid-state electronic dimming device, as well as chairman and founder of Lutron Electronics (1961), donated a range of his company’s most innovative and historic materials to the museum’s Electricity Collection—home of Thomas Edison’s earliest light bulbs. “The tools of everyday life, like light switches,

Photo courtesy NTHP Stephanie Meeks Yesterday the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) named a replacement for longtime president Richard Moe, who announced his pending retirement in late 2009 and left earlier this month. Scheduled to start work on July 6, Stephanie Meeks will be the eighth president of the 61-year-old organization, which was created by legislation signed by President Harry Truman. Currently Meeks is president and CEO of Counterpart International, a nonprofit organization that offers economic-stimulus aid and governance assistance to impoverished communities. Prior to assuming that role in November 2008, Meeks held various positions over 18 years at

The American Institute of Architects has released an Excel-based tool that generates a report on predicted energy use and project modeling. The tool, called the 2030 Commitment Annual Progress Reporting Tool, is part of the group's push to get its members to design carbon-neutral buildings and practice architecture in a more sustainable way. Although the tool was designed for architecture firms only, it is being tweaked for use by structural engineers. AIA released the tool at its 2010 convention in Miami. To date 105 architects have signed on to the AIA's voluntary 2030 commitment program, said Kelly Pickard, AIA's project

The recipients of the annual AIA/HUD Secretary Awards have been announced. The program is administered by the Housing and Custom Residential AIA Knowledge Community, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Awards are bestowed in four categories: excellence in affordable housing design; community connection; community-informed design; and housing accessibility. For more information, visit the AIA’s Web site. Photo © Jeffrey Peters/Vantage Point Photography Paseo Center at Coyote Creek is one of the four winners. Excellence in Affordable Housing Design Paseo Center at Coyote Creek San Jose, California David Baker + Partners, Architects Creating Community Connection

The Old City of Damascus, in Syria, might be a UNESCO World Heritage site, but in recent years money has poured in for new hotels and restaurants.

A plan by Rafael Viñoly to transform New York’s former Domino sugar refinery into homes, offices, and shops has cleared a major regulatory hurdle, even if a few tweaks are required. Bitter Debate Brews Over Domino Sugar Plant On Monday, June 7, the city’s planning commission voted 13-0 to approve the $1.5 billion New Domino proposal, which calls for adding 2,200 apartments to a five-block esplanade in Brooklyn, near the Williamsburg Bridge. About a third of the apartments, or 660, would be affordable. While most of the old buildings now standing on the 11.2-acre site would be razed, Viñoly’s plan