Madonna University – Franciscan Center for Science and Media / SmithGroupJJR

Courtesy of

Architects: SmithGroupJJR
Location: , MI, USA
Area: 6,038 sqm
Year: 2009
Photographs: Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR

Book Presentation and Signing of Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References

Courtesy of

The Graham Foundation of will host a book presentation and signing of Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References, a new book edited by Robert McCarter and designed by Irma Boom exploring the notion of ‘A Wonderful World’. The event will take place Friday, February 1st at 6:00pmCST. The evening will begin with a discussion and debate between Arets and McCarter, introducing the book’s origins as well as the work of Wiel Arets Architects, after which signed copies of the publication will be available for purchase. More information after the break.

Marina Lofts / BIG

Courtesy of

Architects: BIG
Location: , FL, USA
Partners In Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen

Project Leader: Daniel Kidd

Contributors: Chris Falla, Suemin Jeon, Andreia Teixeira, Jenny Shen, Marcella Martinez, Michael Zhang
Area: 80,000 sqm
Year: 2013
Photographs: Courtesy of BIG

2013 Design for Biodiversity Symposium: Architectural Approaches to Urban Ecology

Courtesy of Cornell University, Department of Architecture

Taking place February 1-2 at Abby and Howard Milstein Auditorium, Milstein Hall at Cornell University, the Design for Biodiversity Symposium will focus on the extended threshold between building and environment. Since its emergence in the 1970s, the field of Urban Ecology has investigated relations between living organisms and their urban environments, and has primarily addressed the city at the scale of urban planning. Within this framework, architecture, at the building scale, has thus far not been extensively tackled. How might architecture actively support multi-species habitats? Can these habitats help us replace existing, fossil fuel dependent, mechanistic systems with low impact, ecologically integrated systems that leverage natural sources? How does reimagining the city in this way change how we think about urban form and phenomenology? And finally, what are the appropriate models to study? These questions will be answered at the event and more. For more information, please visit here.

Smart-Stell Residence / Tonic Design + Tonic Construction

Courtesy of

Architects: Tonic Design
Location: Durham, , United States
Builder: Tonic Construction
Area: 2,400 sq ft
Photographs: Courtesy of Tonic Design

Henry Ford Health System / SmithGroupJJR

Courtesy of

Architects: SmithGroupJJR
Location: , USA
Area: 840 sqm
Year: 2011
Photographs: Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR

Sound House / Roger Ferris + Partners

© Woodruff/Brown

Architects: Roger Ferris + Partners
Location: Fairfield, Connecticut,
Design Team: Roger Ferris, Robert Marx, Myron Mirgorodsky, Tiziano Fabrizio
General Contractor: The SBE Company
Structural Engineer: The DiSalvo Ericson Group, Ridgefield, CT
Area: 1,500 sqft
Year: 2009
Photographs: Woodruff/Brown

SixtyNine-Seventy, The Spaces Between: An Urban Ideas Competition

Courtesy of

Organized by AIA Utah Young Architects Forum and the Downtown Alliance, in collaboration with Utah Heritage Foundation, Sixty-Nine Seventy invites design teams from around the world to re-envision the circulation areas and passages of two blocks in ’s downtown. The entrants will prepare comprehensive ideas for these in-between spaces, developing them into the connective tissue linking the area’s cultural amenities. SixtyNine-Seventy, The Spaces Between: An Urban Ideas Competition launches on January 10, 2013 with a party at 7:00 PM at Squatters Pub. The competition and launch party are open to everyone. For those not able to attend the opening night presentations will be posted on the web immediately following the event. For more information, please visit here.

Central Michigan University Events Center / SmithGroupJJR

Courtesy of

Architects: SmithGroupJJR
Location: , USA
Area: 6,741 sqm
Year: 2011
Photographs: Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR

North Brother Island School for Autistic Children / Ian M. Ellis & Frances Peterson

Courtesy of & Frances Peterson

Designed by architecture students, Ian M. Ellis and Frances Peterson, their proposal for the North Brother Island School for Autistic Children in City aims to provide a necessary resource for the Bronx, which is heavily underserved in terms of school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The project is also designed with the intention that it will dissolve the negative stigma of the island, stabilize its naturalized growth as habitat for the birds, and introduce research and education programs to provide a cutting edge learning environment for the public, parents, and children. More images and architects’ description after the break.

‘7’: Installation at Alderbrook Station / Sarah Biemiller & Robert Hutchison

© Don Frank,

Alderbrook Station, located slightly east of Astoria along the Columbia River, is the site of the former Union Fisherman’s Cooperative Packaging Company, which once supported a thriving salmon fishing industry. The Netshed is a 3-story timber structure which was used by fishermen to repair and store their gill nets. Inspired by the natural and man-made qualities that pervade Alderbrook Station, such as the movement of tides, the light that reflects off the Columbia River, the memories and history contained within and around Alderbrook Station, and the structure of the Net Shed itself, Robert Hutchison and ’s shared with us their proposal for an installation inside the Net Shed developed out of numerous influences. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Maryhill Museum of Art Expansion and Renovation Project / GBD Architects

© Josh Partee

Architects: GBD Architects
Location: Goldendale, , USA
Principal In Charge: Gene Callan
Design Team: Agustin Enriquez, Dick Kirschbaum, Lucas Posada
Area: 25,500 sq ft
Year: 2011
Photographs: Josh Partee

BAE Systems – Sterling Heights Facility / SmithGroupJJR

Courtesy of

Architects: SmithGroupJJR
Location: , USA
Year: 2012
Photographs: Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR

321 Ocean / TEN Arquitectos

Courtesy of / Hartness Visions

Architects: TEN Arquitectos
Location: 321 Ocean Drive, , FL, USA
Owner: AGM Aria
Are: 78,000 sq ft
Proyect Year: 2012
Photographs: Courtesy of TEN Arquitectos / Hartness Visions

EHA Family Trust Residence / Ward+Blake Architects

© Roger Wade Studios

Architects: Ward+Blake Architects
Location: , Wyoming,
Structural Engineer: Pillar Structural Engineer
Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing Engineer: Van Boerum and Frank
Landscape Designer: Verdone Landscape Architects
General Contractor: Tom Stoner Construction
Area: 3,988 sq ft
Year: 2011
Photographs: Roger Wade Studios

West Los Angeles Office Building Proposal / GMPA Architects

Courtesy of

Located on a prominent corner in West , the proposal for an office building by GMPA Architects is an energized, swirling 4-level structure rather than a static wedding cake style. With its riveting spiral shape,, derived from the 10’ difference in elevation, the dynamic, multi-shaped levels add visual interest and reinforce a connection to the street. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Shadowboxx / Olson Kundig Architects

© Tim Bies

Architects: Olson Kundig Architects
Location: Lopez Island, , USA
Year: 2009
Photographs: Michael Burns, Tim Bies, Kevin Scott, Benjamin Benschneider

Teton County Children’s Learning Center / Ward+Blake Architects + D.W. Arthur Associates Architecture

© Roger Wade Studios

Architects: Ward+Blake Architects, withD.W. Arthur Associates Architecture, Inc.
Location: Jackson, Wyoming,
Area: 12,000 sq ft
Year: 2011
Photographs: Roger Wade Studios

Grand Central Terminal Drawing Competition Winners

Grand Central Terminal elevation drawing, Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stem c. 1910 (Courtesy of Transit Museum)

The Architectural League of New York and the New York Transit Museum recently announced the winners of a competition to select sketches by contemporary architects for a new Grand Central Terminal sketchbook produced in collaboration with Moleskine. The sketchbook features historical images from the Transit Museum’s collections, along with twenty drawings and sketches by contemporary architects and designers who were invited to “submit a sketch or drawing that captures and/or re-imagines Grand Central, representing or evoking what this iconic building means to you.” More images and information after the break.

The Union / Jonathan Segal FAIA

© Paul Body

Architects: Jonathan Segal FAIA
Location: , California, United States
Project Managers: Greg Yeatter, Luke Henderson, Guillermo Tomaszski
Year: 2007
Photographs: Paul Body

‘The Forest’ Detroit Riverfront Competition 1st Prize Winning Entry / Hyuntek Yoon, Soobum You (Team Atelier Why)

Courtesy of Hyuntek Yoon, Soobum You (Team )

Hyuntek Yoon and Soobum You of Team Atelier Why shared with us their first prize winning proposal in the Detroit Riverfront competition. Their ‘Forest’ concept, which aims at being a fairy tale between the city and the forest by ‘filling’, is the focus of the urban development. Currently, the site is filled with voids, such as trees and the knoll, but the forest creates rich stories with the city. Providing spaces that are more secure and for smaller activities, people will have the chance to experience nature. More images and architects’ description after the break.