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
Photo courtesy Merzproject Joe Herzog, AIA, co-founded Merzproject in 2004. One of the country’s oldest architecture firms has teamed with one of its youngest, betting on expansion while other practices scale back. In early December, Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott, which was founded by H.H. Richardson in 1874, acquired Merzproject of Phoenix, Arizona, which formed in 2004. The young firm, which will remain in Phoenix with its two principals intact, will also retain its name, with a slight twist; it will now be known as “Merzproject, a studio of Shepley Bulfinch.” In 2008, Shepley Bulfinch reportedly earned $36.6 million in
A tectonic shift took place among winners at this year’s World Architecture Festival (WAF), as projects from developing countries accounted for a significantly larger percent of the honors than they had in the past.
Image courtesy Dennis Findley 'Architects in the U.S. are not looked to for leadership the way they were in the early part of the 20th century or the way they still are in European countries,' says Dennis Findley, AIA. If you follow the prevailing Washington metaphors, the United States sounds like a nation of frustrated drivers. We need a “road map” for everything from the Middle East to Afghanistan to health care. But to the McLean, Virginia, architect Dennis Findley, AIA, we’re actually more like clients with a tricky building project. Instead of a road map, he would like us