The American Institute of Architects has elevated 112 association members to its College of Fellows, a honor that recognizes architects who have made a significant contribution to the profession and to society. Architects who have been AIA members for at least 10 years are eligible. Fewer than 2,765 of the association’s 86,000 members are fellows. Candidates are nominated within one of the five following categories: Promoting the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession. Advancing the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education, training, and practice. Coordinating the building industry and the
Like thousands of architects today, Merritt Palminteri is out of work, a victim of the severe economic downturn. “Every single job we had last year was put on hold,” says Palminteri of her former firm, New York’s Anik Pearson Architect. Even though she saw the writing on the wall, it was no use: her headhunter was laid off, too. “It was kind of ridiculous,” says Palminteri. Photo ' Paul Warchol/courtesy Architecture Research Office The Princeton School of Architecture (pictured above) has seen a 50 percent increase in applications this year. Now, like many of her colleagues, the 29-year-old is applying
The White House on February 26 unveiled a $3.55-trillion budget outline for fiscal year 2010 that would boost funding for water infrastructure and transportation programs while aiming to cut the federal deficit in half by 2013. White House officials say the outline provides a broad framework for fiscal policy over the next 10 years. A more detailed budget proposal will be released in April. But the proposal is only the first step in a long legislative process. Months of hearings by appropriations and tax-writing committees will take place, followed by committee and floor votes. Final numbers for 2010 spending won’t
Although longtime New Yorkers will bemoan the transformation of once-scrappy neighborhoods like Williamsburg or the East Village, gentrification does have its holdouts. PS 122, a former public school building located on the corner of First Avenue and 11th Street, is one such fortress of bohemian activity. As if ripped from the book of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, a group of artist squatters took over the Beaux Arts–inspired, five-story structure in 1978 after local officials, cowing to the city’s perilous financial crisis, closed the primary school. Photo ' David Shankbone/courtesy Wikipedia The NYC Department of Design + Construction has tapped Deborah Berke
Like thousands of architects today, Merritt Palminteri is out of work, a victim of the severe economic downturn. 'Every single job we had last year was put on hold,' says Palminteri of her former firm, New York's Anik Pearson Architect. Even though she saw the writing on the wall, it was no use: her headhunter was laid off, too. 'It was kind of ridiculous,' says Palminteri. Photo ' Paul Warchol/courtesy Architecture Research Office The Princeton School of Architecture (pictured above) has seen a 50 percent increase in applications this year. Now, like many of her colleagues, the 29-year-old is applying
Cranes are still busy over Boston’s medical districts. But the city’s healthcare construction boom, which in the past five years has seen over a million square feet of new projects completed and more than 2 million square feet approved or under construction, is subsiding. Image courtesy HKS There is still demand for healthcare facilities in the Middle East. Dallas-based HKS recently won a contract to design a 160-bed hospital in Abu Dhabi. “We’re seeing institutions taking a step back,” says Sonal Gandhi, senior manager for institutional development at the Boston Redevelopment Authority. “They’re looking at how they can optimize the
Like thousands of architects today, Merritt Palminteri is out of work, a victim of the severe economic downturn. 'Every single job we had last year was put on hold,' says Palminteri of her former firm, New York's Anik Pearson Architect. Even though she saw the writing on the wall, it was no use: her headhunter was laid off, too. 'It was kind of ridiculous,' says Palminteri. Photo ' Paul Warchol/courtesy Architecture Research Office The Princeton School of Architecture (pictured above) has seen a 50 percent increase in applications this year. Now, like many of her colleagues, the 29-year-old is applying
Architect Jan Kaplicky. Jan Kaplicky, the dour but visionary Czech architect, died January 14 in Prague of a heart attack, within hours of the birth of his daughter. He was 71 and had been dividing his time between London and the Czech Republic, where he had several major commissions. After emigrating to England in 1968, Kaplicky worked with some of Europe’s best architects, including Denys Lasdun, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, and Renzo Piano, the last two on the breakthrough Centre Pompidou in the mid-70s. He spent several years in Foster’s office before founding his own firm, Future Systems, in 1979.
In January, the Architectural Billings Index (ABI) sunk to 33.3, the lowest level in its 13-year history. The score has fallen below 50 for 12 straight months; a score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, and below 50, a decrease. One of the profession’s leading economic indicators, the index is compiled by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and is based on surveys sent largely to commercial firms. It reflects a nine- to 12-month lag time between architectural billings and construction spending. The inquiries score for January was 43.5. In terms of project sectors, the score for multi-family residential