J. Max Bond Jr. J. Max Bond, Jr., FAIA., one of the nation’s most influential African-American architects, succumbed to cancer on February 18. He was 73. The partner at New York–based Davis Brody Bond Aedas was widely regarded as a mentor, a voice of social responsibility in practice, and a magnetic presence. “In a sense we all got robbed, including Max, because he was young,” says firm partner Steven M. Davis, FAIA. “There was a lot left to do and a lot we wanted to do together—that we would have done together.” At the time of his death, Bond was
When unveiled a few months ago, the federal economic stimulus bill tantalizingly hinted at heaps of jobs for architects building schools and retrofitting federal buildings to make them more energy efficient. The $787 billion version that ultimately became law in mid-February, though, had fewer opportunities for design professionals, at least explicitly, as lawmakers had pared it along the way to garner support. Specifically, school construction-aid was removed from the final bill. Photo ' Danielle Austen/Architectural Record Ideas for how the federal government can help create work for architects have been discussed during recent forums at the Center for Architecture in
Green building activity could take a hit in this troubled economy, but there's still a bull market in green standards, ratings and certification programs. And now, Underwriters Laboratories, the 115-year-old product safety and certification organization, is joining a long list of industry players, offering services for verifying building product claims and certifying compliance with existing standards. UL Environment, the new division focused on green building products, is entering a crowded market promising to help cut through the thicket of sustainability claims with an Environmental Claims Validation (ECV) service. "There's fragmentation in the marketplace, a lack of credibility. It's often a
Over the last decade, the green building industry has risen on the tide of a culture-wide trend toward sustainability, and many in the architecture profession believe it will continue to prosper even as the U.S. falls deeper into a recession. “I think there’s a very compelling argument that the economic environment we’re going into right now will only enhance the value of doing green,” says Guy Geier, FAIA, senior partner of FXFOWLE. Image courtesy Perkins + Will Perkins + Will, a signatory of the 2030 Challenge, designed the 69,000-square-foot New Science Facility at Lehman College in the Bronx. The firm
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 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
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