The five finalists for the inaugural Curry Stone Design Prize will be officially announced tomorrow at the Venice Biennale’s 11th annual Architecture Exhibition. Founded by architect Clifford Curry and his wife, H. Delight Stone, and administered by the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Design, the prize will be given each year to an individual or group for “exceptional emerging design innovations that contribute positively to living circumstances for broad sections of global humanity.” Modeling itself on the MacArthur Fellowship, the Curry Stone Prize invites an anonymous pool of 75 to 100 leading designers and global thinkers to nominate between
A federal commission is accepting entries for a competition to design a Washington, D.C. monument honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower, the United States' 34th president. For a four-acre site just south of the Mall divided by Maryland Avenue S.W., and near many Cabinet agencies that Eisenhower had a hand in creating, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission seeks proposals that emphasize open spaces with little in the way of actual buildings or statuary. Indeed, one of the only requirements is a canopy to protect against rain, plus 2,500 square feet of enclosed space for a bookshop, bathrooms, and ranger station, though
The Pentagon Memorial commemorating the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001, provides a long-awaited place for contemplation. Dedicated today and designed by Kaseman Beckman Advanced Strategies (KBAS), a Philadelphia-based architecture firm founded by Keith Kaseman and Julie Beckman, the memorial is composed of 184 cantilevered benches—one for each victim who died that day. The memorial is located on the West Lawn of the Pentagon, adjacent to where the hijacked plane hit the building. Photo courtesy Starfire Lighting (top); Columbia University (above) The Pentagon Memorial commemorates the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001. It was designed by Kaseman Beckman Advanced Strategies,
After New York City’s Twin Towers fell in September 2001, rebuilding quickly—and majestically—seemed imperative. But seven years later, there is nothing majestic about the 16-acre World Trade Center site, a construction zone informally called The Pit.
HOK Sport Venue Event, a major sports facility design firm based in Kansas City, will split from its parent, HOK Group Inc., following a company buyout by a management team. The deal, announced August 28, will be completed by early 2009 with HOK Sport acquiring a new brand name. The firm has been part of HOK Group for 25 years, although it has been a wholly owned subsidiary since 2000. The split involves HOK Sport’ 10 top managers buying the value of their firm’s stock from HOK Group. “This is a logical step that will free all of us to
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced that starting in January 2009 it will require its members to complete four hours per year of continuing education focused on sustainable design, constituting half of the eight hours required for topics in health, safety, and welfare. The requirement will remain in place until 2012, when it will be reevaluated. The organization now faces the task of vetting its existing courses to determine whether they will count toward the new requirements. According to Thomas Lowther, senior director of continuing education systems, AIA has decided on four broad thresholds by which to judge
To design the first new residential colleges at Yale University since 1963, the Ivy League school has turned within its own ranks. Class of 1965 alumni Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, who also is the current dean of the Yale School of Architecture, was selected for the job, university officials announced today. His New York-based firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, is known for its expertise in the design of buildings that honor stylistic precedent, particularly in academic settings. The two buildings Stern is designing for Yale will add 460,000 square feet of space to the New Haven, Connecticut, campus, which has
With the recent installation of limestone floors and Douglas fir walls, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is wrapping up a top-to-bottom, four-year redesign by Frank Gehry, who spent much of his childhood just streets away from the Toronto museum. It also marks yet another instance of the city using attention-grabbing architecture to lure visitors to its cultural institutions.
When Hurricane Hugo ravaged Charleston, South Carolina, in 1989, more than 4,000 historical buildings were severely damaged. Due to a dearth of traditionally trained workers in the United States, European craftsmen were brought in to restore the structures, many of which dated back to the early 1800s. Photos courtesy ACBA At the American College of Building Arts, students concentrate on one of six areas, such as stonework and masonry. Importing these types of experts may no longer be necessary. After getting licensed in 2004, the American College of Building Arts (ACBA), in Charleston, will graduate its first class next May.
In October 2006, a handful of education leaders launched the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), an initiative that aims to make all campuses climate neutral. Of the 4,300 colleges and universities in the United States, more than 550 have signed on, from community colleges to Ivy League schools. Pledges come from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. “The diversity of the schools is incredible,” says co-organizer Lee Bodner, executive director of ecoAmerica, one of three organizations helping promote the initiative. The ACUPCC encourages general measures to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, such as pursuing LEED certification for new
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