Can fixing energy-wasting buildings stave off global instability? Former president Bill Clinton thinks so. In the biggest project his foundation has taken on since securing a supply of cheap generic AIDS drugs for third world countries, Clinton has brokered a $5 billion effort to finance the retrofit of old buildings in 16 cities around the world. The project, which Clinton announced at a climate conference in Manhattan yesterday, creates a financing and labor pool to replace energy-hogging light fixtures, as well as install better building insulation and more efficient HVAC systems. ABN Amro, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS
What is the future of our cities and what role will architects and urban designers play in it? The 2007 International Architectural Biennale of Rotterdam (IABR), which runs from May 24 to September 2, seeks to answer these questions through a series of exhibitions that explore the theme of “Power: Producing the Contemporary City.” This year’s IABR, the third such event, is being curated by the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, a renowned post-doctoral program for architects and city planners. Vedran Mimica, who heads the Berlage curatorial team, explains that his group wants the IABR to serve “the new generation of
Globalization, militarization, and surveillance—these themes are much in evidence within political and academic circles at the moment, but how do they impact the built environment? “Evasions of Power,” a symposium held at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this spring, addressed the many manifestations of political and economic power affecting architecture and urbanism. Topics ranged from free trade zones to Hurricane Katrina, but Penn architecture chair Detlef Mertens cited their common interest as “architecture understood in a political register.” The conference should perhaps have been named “Evasions by Power,” since most presenters agreed that the most powerful entities in the built
Eco-Conscious Shopping Center Goes for Platinum Matt O’Reilly and his sister, Lindsey, are setting out to prove that green design is possible and profitable when it comes to retail development—even in what many observers perceive as the unlikeliest of locations. Images conrtesy Hufft Projects Images Conrtesy Hufft Projects In their hometown of Springfield, Missouri, the eco-minded, twenty-something sibling duo are building the Green Circle Shopping Center. They aim to earn LEED Platinum certification for it: an example of sustainability for this city of 350,000 people in America’s heartland. “Springfield is urban sprawl at its best, with one pre-manufactured strip mall
Center Honors Charlotte’s African-American History If they have permanent homes at all, African-American art museums typically don’t occupy prominent spots in city skylines. But that’s slowly changing, courtesy of The Freelon Group. Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, this minority-owned firm designed the recently opened Museum of the African Diaspora, in San Francisco, and the Reginald F. Lewis African American History and Culture, in Baltimore. Image by studioamnd, courtesy The Freelon Group Among Freelon’s latest efforts is the Afro-American Cultural Center, planned for downtown Charlotte. The four-story, $18.5-million building will feature 45,000 square feet of gallery, classroom, and administrative
After four years of preparation by more than 400 representatives from the construction industry, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has unveiled a comprehensive redesign of its 49-year-old building code. It adapts to national and international standards for the first time, encourages greater safety, and simplifies processing for contractors. It will also introduce time saving benefits such as digital filing online. The new code will be flexible and revised every three years. To start, it adopts five out of the eight code standards prescribed by the International Code Council: fuel and gas, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and building. It
Barkow Leibinger Architects, a Berlin-based firm headed by the husband and wife team of Frank Barkow and Regine Leibinger, has been selected as the winner of the second annual Marcus Corporation Foundation Prize. Awarded by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, the prize recognizes “emerging talent in architecture.” Courtesy Barkow Leibinger Architects In making their selection, the jury noted that firm’s architecture can be defined as the constant interplay between practice, research, and teaching. Barkow Leibinger is known for its use of industrial materials and innovative glass technologies. Its Trutec office building in Korea, for instance,
Remaking the mouth of a river while carving a new neighborhood and parkland out of a post-industrial landscape is challenging enough. But the winners of the Lower Don Lands design competition in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, are also taking on a job with real symbolic weight: rejuvenating a 2,400-acre swath of polluted lakefront land that was thought to be beyond repair. Courtesy The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation announced last week that a team led by Michael van Valkenburgh Associates won the competition. The team also includes Behnisch Architects, Greenberg Consultants, and Great Eastern Ecology. They
The Cincinnati Art Museum announced today the four architecture firms short-listed to redesign and reconfigure its existing campus. On the list are: Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Neutelings Riedijk; Smith-Miller & Hawkinson; and UNStudio. Over its 126-year history, the museum has grown into an assemblage of seven, variously interconnected individual structures. It lacks planned spatial logic as well as a consistent style. The latest addition, completed in 2003, was by KZF. The museum’s next architect—to be selected from the four finalists later this summer—will work with it to develop a new design that will integrate the individual structures into a cohesive
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