Basically every nation has basic housing problems that need to be addressed. Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena won this year’s Pritzker Architecture Prize because of his work on community housing. It wasn’t just the buildings that got him the prize, it’s the fact that he and his team worked with locals to bring change to the community in a new […]
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Continue readingFor architect Ole Scheeren, the people who live and work inside a building are as much a part of that building as concrete, steel and glass. He asks: Can architecture be about collaboration and storytelling instead of the isolation and hierarchy of a typical skyscraper? Visit five of Scheeren’s buildings — from a twisted tower […]
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Continue readingTaken from a window on the fifth floor at City Hall.
Continue readingTaken from a window on the fifth floor at City Hall.
Continue readingA new field of research, that doesn’t even have a proper name yet, is looking into ways we can incorporate biology into our built environment. It turns out the bacteria and germs found in our indoor worlds are vastly different than those found in natural environments. It makes me wonder
Continue readingOn receiving her Master of Architecture degree from the University of British Columbia, Leila Araghian won the UBC Architecture Alumni Henry Elder Prize. Ms. Araghian has since continued in her prize-winning ways. Her Pol-e-Tabiat, or Nature Bridge, in Tehran has won three awards in Iran as well as a Popular
Continue readingTook a walk down Victor Lane the other day. It runs behind the north side of Wellington from Strathmore down to Hickson. There are three lanes in Verdun that have names. Can you name the other two? Fire Escapes on the back of the old Palace Theater building.
Continue readingNothing like ’98 but still there are people without power, treacherous walking and driving conditions. Nature at it’s finest, cold, brutal, beautiful. The nets on the balconies to prevent pigeons from roosting take a beating in an ice storm
Continue readingAnderson Anderson Architecture has built a classroom in Hawaii that generates more energy than it consumes, making what they call a “energy positive” building. The term “energy positive” is being encouraged to replace “net zero” as the benchmark for environmental consciousness in architecture. The classroom does use roof solar panels
Continue readingAl Jazeera has a series on rebel architects who are improving the world around them. In the documentary they released today they look at award-winning architect Vo Trong Nghia’s work in reshaping Vietnamese buildings to contain more green space. This film follows Nghia as he tries to find support for
Continue readingCourtesy of JR, this classic film shows the artist’s Women Are Heroes project in the Morro da Providencia flavela in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in 2008. JR’s intention in Women Are Heroes is to highlight the dignity of women who occupy crucial roles in societies, and find themselves victims of
Continue readingCourtesy of JR, this classic film shows the artist’s Women Are Heroes project in the Morro da Providencia flavela in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in 2008. JR’s intention in Women Are Heroes is to highlight the dignity of women who occupy crucial roles in societies, and find themselves victims of
Continue readingApril 10, 2014 7:45am
Continue readingApril 10, 2014 7:45am
Continue readingUrban design is not an easy activity because of the multitude of variables that impact the overall urban experience. There are buildings, traffic (foot and vehicular), landmarks, natural occurrences like rivers, and abstracted economic forces. Space Syntax is a company has set out to make better urban design by using
Continue readingThe Hanging Gardens of Ancient Babylon was known for it’s amazing vertical garden and to this day it’s not clear how the gardens functioned (or how it was built). That hasn’t stopped enterprising architects in Singapore from creating a modern version of the hanging gardens in skyscraper form! Designed by WOHA,
Continue readingThe two great French cities of the world, well, Montreal used to be worthy, are having some development conundrums. Paris has decided to add a dozen highrise buildings but away from the city centre – the Eiffel Tower must always be the dominant structure there. So Paris does have limits,
Continue readingRest Stops : Vanishing Relics of the American RoadsideLiterally, before our eyes, rest stops are vanishing from the landscapes of America. All over the country, rest areas are losing the fight to commercial alternatives: drive-thrus at every exit and mega-sized travel centers offering car washes, wi-fi, grilled paninis and bladder-busting
Continue readingAlgae can be used for all sorts of wonderful things from cleaning up oil to producing energy. Architects in Hamburg have built a building that uses algae to power the complex and it opens this week. The building is meant to be a demonstration of cutting-edge sustainable architecture. “Using bio-chemical
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