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The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations chose 11 very different firms from among 88 applicants to design new embassies, consulates, and diplomatic buildings. Nine others were chosen for renovation and rehabilitation projects. Image © Alan Silverman, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill The street entry of the U.S. consolate in Guangzhou, China, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It is scheduled to open in May. The U.S. Department of State has named the architects selected to compete for commissions in its new Design Excellence program. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), under the direction of Lydia Muniz, chose 11 very different

A small number of large projects drive historical trends in the sports-construction market. Source: McGraw-Hill Dodge Analytics Click the image above to view a full presentation of these stats [PDF].

Photo courtesy SCAD A student in the Savannah College of Art and Design's Interactive Design and Game Development department. Students from the game department are collaborating with architecture students to design an video game that will simulate working in an architecture firm. Let’s face it: Architect: The Video Game doesn’t sound quite as sexy as Grand Theft Auto or Mass Effect. But faculty members at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) are hoping that an interactive approach to teaching professional practice will engage architecture students in a subject that is often met with little enthusiasm. They’ve just won

Photo © Alan Weintraub/arcaidimages.com Niemeyer's design for the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Oscar Niemeyer died in Rio de Janeiro on December 5th, just ten days shy of his 105th birthday. One of the last living links to the founding generation of Modernist architects, Niemeyer indelibly shaped Brazil’s architectural identity, immortalized in the monumental government buildings he created for the new capital, Brasília. He became a household name there, if not a national hero. Fittingly, Niemeyer’s casket lay in state at the presidential palace, which he designed, before a funeral worthy of a political leader. Photo

While the crowds at Design Miami sipped oceans of champagne, there was talk of other bubbles, including the real estate mania that has condo developers learning Portuguese. The Design District, itself frothy with Prada and Louis Vuitton, was also home to the Inflatable Villa, an iconic (and possibly Ionic) installation by designer Luis Pons. The blow-up villa made its debut at the 2005 fair, as a symbol of exuberance. This time it appeared on a Design District construction site, seemingly impaled on rusty rebar, where it was deflated and reinflated daily—Pons' commentary on real estate booms and busts. "It's the

An egg-shaped beach bar pavilion by Los Carpinteros may have been the most popular art intervention at this year's the Art Basel Miami Beach. A wood-slat egg-shaped pavilion on the beach just steps from the Atlantic may be the most popular art intervention of the Art Basel Miami fair, which closes this Sunday. Commissioned for the fair by Absolut Vodka's "Art Bureau," the lantern-like pavilion comes with an orchestra that plays specially-commissioned music by Joan Valent outside until 11 P.M. Inside is a vodka bar, where bartenders wave martini shakers to the beat of the music. The open-air structure literally

The renowned Brazilian architect passed away 10 days shy of his 105th birthday. Click the image below to revisit some of his best known work. National Congress of Brazil. Brasilia, Brazil

The death of starchitecture has been greatly exaggerated, if events in Miami this week are any indication. As Art Basel Miami Beach, Design Miami, and a dozen other art fairs open, Herzog & de Meuron's Perez Art Museum Miami (the recently renamed Miami Art Museum) is nearing completion—Jacques Herzog will be in town to give tours—and sites are being readied for a parking garage by Zaha Hadid and an OMA-designed hotel tower on Collins Avenue. OMA principal Rem Koolhaas is compared, improbably, to Baron Haussmann, the Emperor Hadrian, and Carmen Miranda on billboards promoting the project. Photo by Fred A.

Photo courtesy Architecture for Dogs Shigeru Ban's papillion perch. Click here to view more images: Bow-Wow Haus With Design Miami now held in Miami Beach, Craig Robins, the founder of the annual design fair, has had to work harder to keep crowds coming to the Design District across the water in Miami. Largely owned by Robins’ company, the District is preparing to welcome dozens of fashion retailers, some to new buildings—including at least one being designed by Leong Leong. But during Basel week, the attractions include installations by designer Luis Pons, a mural by the graffiti artist Retna on the