If you thought the war of the woods was over, think again. Paper is the new front in the ongoing battle between the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The advocacy group ForestEthics recently announced that seven major companies would stop using the SFI label on their paper products. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Seven major companies, including Allstate Insurance Company (above) and Office Depot, recently announced that they will stop using the SFI label on their paper products. Related Links: Not Enough Votes for LEED-Certified Wood Benchmark GreenSource Magazine According to a ForestEthics press release, the following
Work is well under way on the 320-bed facility being constructed by Partners in Health, a Boston-based nonprofit group. Constructing any major hospital is a challenge, but building a 320-bed state-of-the-art teaching hospital for $16 million in the highlands of Haiti is fraught with difficulties. Haitian workers are learning U.S.-style construction, tempered by budget and supply-chain realities. The design, donated by Nicholas Clark Architects, uses natural ventilation and solar power to counter spotty electrical service. HVAC is used sparingly because of power limitations and a lack of HVAC maintenance services in Mirebalais. Yet the aid group Partners in Health (PIH)
When Serie Architects was selected in March 2010 along with Grimshaw's London office and Berlin-based Pysall Ruge Architekten to transform a group of disused steel factory buildings in Hangzhou, into a new mixed-use complex, the firm faced a big challenge.
Images courtesy Given Institute Built in 1972, the 12,000-square-foot Given Institute is owned by the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Related Links Demolition Looms for Modernist Building by Weese Expansion for Weese’s Arena Stage Upgrade to Harry Weese’s Marcus Center Demolition appears imminent for the Given Institute, a 1972 concrete-block building in Aspen, Colorado, designed by the late Chicago architect Harry Weese. Despite rescue efforts by city officials and preservationists, the Given’s owner, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, plans to bulldoze the building on April 15 and sell the 2.25-acre property to a next-door neighbor for $13.8
Drawing courtesy of Plasma Studio The Theme Pavilion, which is faced in solid bronze sheets, offers views of an adjacent lake through windows in its finger-like wings. Drawing courtesy of Plasma Studio London-based Plasma Studio is completing its competition-winning project for the Xi’an International Horticultural Exposition 2011, which opens on April 28 and expects to host 12 million guests. Called “Flowing Gardens,” the project is a series of buildings and landscapes set along an axis to create a centerpiece to the 418-hectare site. The Expo lies outside the ancient capital of Xi’an in the newly formed Chan-Ba Ecological District where
After 40 years of building libraries, museums and government buildings around the world, Moshe Safdie may still be best known for Habitat 67, his experimental “town” of stacked housing units in Montreal.
Decades ago, Steve Jobs purchased the historic Jackling mansion in Silicon Valley. In February, he finally succeeded in tearing the house down. Photo courtesy Town of Woodside History Committee The white-stucco house had an unusual and superbly insulating double-wall system, evoking the heft of adobe. The massing drew inspiration from Andalusian villages. Culminating years of legal battle with preservationists, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs finally demolished the historic Jackling House on his property in Woodside, California, in February. This affluent Silicon Valley enclave, some 30 miles from San Francisco, issued the demolition permit, and, within days, the 1926 mansion—by architect
A slow, painstaking recovery effort continues in the Tohoku region of Japan, which was ravaged on March 11 by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a 30-foot tsunami. Many architects are eager to help, whether that means raising money, lending design services, or mobilizing damage assessment teams. Photo courtesy John Pawson London-based architect John Pawson has created a white ribbon marked with a red circle, akin to Japan’s flag. Virtual versions of the ribbon are available on Pawson’s website for a suggested donation of £1. Related Links: Special Report: Rebuilding Japan Humanitarian Design Coverage On March 30, architect Hisaya Sugiyama, head of
Photo courtesy Tony Illia Despite being 70 percent complete, construction of the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas was halted in mid-2009 due to financial woes. Today, the abandoned project sits collecting dust, with completion nowhere in sight. Nationwide, the economy might be on the upswing, leading to more construction work. Las Vegas, however, has yet to bounce back. High unemployment, less discretionary spending, and fewer visitors have stalled several local building projects, including Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Despite being 70 percent complete, construction of the $2.9 billion tower was halted in mid-2009 because the owners were unable to scrape together the
Image courtesy Richard Meier & Partners The 180-room W Retreat Kanai will be located near Cancun. Marking his first foray into Central America in a five-decade career, Richard Meier has unveiled plans for a pair of W hotel projects in Mexico. One will be part of a mixed-use complex in Mexico City, while the other will be a resort near Cancun. Image courtesy Richard Meier & Partners The Liberty Plaza project in Mexico City calls for three 15-story towers. One will contain a W Hotel; the other two will have offices. Related Links: Gagosian Gallery by Meier Interview: Richard Meier
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