For more than a decade, Cornell University has grappled with its plan to construct a new facility for its College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP). On June 8, however, a backhoe began digging up dirt at the building’s proposed site—the north edge of the Arts Quad—perhaps marking the end of an epic drama that has involved a large cast of characters, a global financial crisis, and the looming threat of academic decertification.
This great recession is a tough time for a startup, but a group of architects and boosters in the Canadian city of Sudbury think it’s just the right moment for a new school of architecture. They’re gathering support for the planned Northern Ontario School of Architecture (NOSOA), which would be Canada’s first new architecture school in four decades. Photo courtesy NOSOA Residents of Sudbury are gathering support for the planned Northern Ontario School of Architecture, which would be Canada’s first new architecture school in four decades. Blaine Nicholls, a retired architect who chairs the school’s steering committee, argues that NOSOA—which
Nearly two decades ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art completed the 1970 master plan by Kevin Roche, FAIA, of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (KRJDA), for its building in New York City’s Central Park. Since then, the museum may not expand up or out on its site. Yet it continues to reconfigure interior spaces to accommodate changing curatorial needs and increased attendance. The latest installment in this ongoing process, the second phase of a three-part renovation of the museum’s American Wing, was unveiled on May 18 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by First Lady Michelle Obama. Photo courtesy
LY: Another problem with the former design is that people had trouble finding the galleries upstairs. When did you first notice this? MH: In 1924, when they placed the earliest galleries and period rooms on the top floor. It was always a problem for people to get to the beginning of the sequence. The principal goal of our effort was to clarify patterns of access—pathways for visitors. And the 1980 design did not solve the linkage issue between the 1924 structure and the rest of the building. At that time, they tried to integrate the wing with the main building,
Brooklyn Arts District Plods Ahead Despite delays and the cancellation of high-profile plans, the BAM Cultural District in downtown Brooklyn is slowly but surely moving forward. Envisioned as a hub of artistic activity clustered around the existing Brooklyn Academy of Music, four projects are scheduled to break ground later this year. Image courtesy Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Related Links: BAM's Next Wave BAM District Regains Momentum The district was originally organized around a master plan completed in the year 2000 by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, and included an Enrique Norten-designed glass library shaped like a
Beyer Blinder Belle to Restore Budapest’s Exchange Palace Images courtesy Beyer Blinder Bell Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners is designing a major renovation and adaptive reuse of Exchange Palace, a historic landmark occupying two city blocks in central Budapest. New York firm Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners (BBB) has announced that it will begin a major renovation and adaptive reuse of Exchange Palace, a historic landmark occupying two city blocks in central Budapest. The 1905 building was designed in the Hungarian Secessionist style by Ignacz Alpar, and according to BBB principal and project lead Jack Beyer, it “is
Several of the American Institute of Architects’ 2008 model contract documents for integrated project delivery are being challenged by a prominent lawyer who also is an architect and general counsel for a major A/E/C firm. The documents under fire are all related to the creation of a limited-liability company called a single-purpose entity (SPE). Their names are: C-195, or “Standard Form Single Purpose Entity Agreement for Integrated Project Delivery”; C-196-2008, or “Standard Form of Agreement Between Single Purpose Entity and Owner for Integrated Project Delivery”; and C-197-2008, or “Standard Form of Agreement Between Single Purpose Entity and Non-Owner Member for
Clark Manus, FAIA It could be paying heed to the current economic crisis. It could be following President Obama’s lead in tackling tough social problems. And it might feel emboldened by recent federal legislation that architects lobbied for: the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, which calls for grants to be made available to public school systems for facility upgrades, and the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which contains a range of promising construction projects. The “it” is the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and its recent election of new officers reflects a heightened commitment to
Big changes are in store for the nearly 18,000 people enrolled in the Intern Development Program, administered by the National Council for Architectural Registration Boards. Starting July 1, interns will have additional options for gaining needed training units and will have to meet much tighter deadlines. Six-Month Rule The most immediate impact will be the implementation of the new “Six-Month Rule,” which requires interns to submit training units in reporting periods of no longer than six months and within two months of completion of each reporting period. Any units beyond those periods will be lost; however, interns who start a
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