San Francisco-based Aidlin Darling Design has received the 2013 Professional Award for residential design from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for their work on the Sonoma Spa Retreat in Northern California’s wine country. The project started with reclaiming an overgrown hillside, revitalizing it with a series of paths that preserved its natural features, and then integrating an outdoor kitchen, solar heated pool and recreational areas. For more information on the project and the award, which evaluates context, design value and sustainability, click here.

‘Colombia: Transformed/Architecture=Politics’ is an exhibition currently taking place at the Center for Architecture. In relation to the exhibition, Colombian architect Giancarlo Mazzanti will be giving a lecture on architecture for social inclusion, Friday, October 11 at 8:30am.

More information after the break.

Parramatta City Council is delighted to invite you to participate in an exciting architectural design competition, Architectural Concept Competition for Stages 5 and 6 of the Parramatta Square Precinct development, Sydney.Council is inviting architects to submit visionary ideas for two large commercial towers in the heart of Parramatta City Centre.

During the city’s most important moment for architecture and design (Archtober), the fifth annual Architecture & Design Film Festival will return to Tribeca Cinemas with its most ambitious and exciting program to date. Over the course of five days (October 16-20), the festival will screen 25 feature-length and short films from all over the world exploring various themes of art, architecture, design, urban planning, and more. In addition to the curated selection of films, ADFF will present a series of intimate discussions with architects, designers, industry leaders and filmmakers as well as three panel discussions. On Saturday afternoon, Wanted Design will curate a panel on gentrification in Brooklyn. The two Sunday panels are about historic preservation and Russian modernism.

More information after the break.

ADAPTIVE ARCHITECTURE ACADIA 2013 will present world-leading research in contemporary architectural design. ACADIA 2013 is the 36th annual conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture, presented at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Oct. 24-26 with workshops running Oct. 19-23 and 27. The event includes presentations by international researchers, a series of exhibitions, a suite of publications and specialized workshops on advanced design methods, fabrication and simulation.

Dutch duo Haas and Hahn gained fame in 2005 for painting a few houses of Rio Janeiro’s favelas in a palate of bright hues. Now they’re back again, this time with a Kickstarter Campaign to raise the funds to paint the rest of the favela in the hopes of further transforming this crime-ridden community.

But it’s not just about splashing new paint on a few drab grey walls. Job training and hiring where opportunities are often scarce is also an important element of the project. Unlike their previous campaigns, this one also includes plastering the walls –– a sustainable element to control the moisture, acoustics and temperature of the homes, all while raising the value of each property. Donated money will go to supplies and salaries for the residents. For more information, visit their Kickstarter page.

Dallas Architecture Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing challenging and on-going public discourse about architecture, design and the urban environment, is pleased to announce its 2013-14 season of lectures that will begin with award-winning Korean architect and the founder of Mass Studies, Minsuk Cho, who will speak Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at The Magnolia Theater, 3699 McKinney Ave. Other speakers for this season include Hugh Broughton, Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano, Larry Scarpa, and Gregg Jones.

The Telegraph reports that a new inflatable concert hall dubbed “Ark Nova," created by the British sculptor Anish Kapoor and Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, is to tour the region of northern Japan that was most affected by the 2011 Tsunami. The hall, which will host world-class concerts, events and workshops, has a single skin membrane that can be easily inflated or deflated as well as seating constructed from local, tsunami-damaged cedar. The opening will take place this week in the coastal town of Matsushima. Learn more about the hall here.

The AIA President, Mickey Jacob, FAIA has just released the following statement on the US government's historic shutdown: “The design and construction industry is slowly recovering from one of the worst economic crises in modern history. The last thing we need is the self-inflicted wound that can potentially further damage the economy." To find out just how the shutdown could affect you, check out the AIA's FAQ page here.

With Astley Castle winning this year's Stirling Prize last week, Olly Wainwright investigates the fortunes of other Stirling Prize winners - finding that in many cases critical acclaim and awards do not necessarily translate to long term success. His study brings into question what qualities should be awarded, and seems to imply that there should be a greater focus on post-occupancy awards, such as the 10-year award started by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) this year, and another being considered by the RIBA. You can read Wainwright's full investigation here.

In his three-part documentary series, composed of the films Helvetica, Objectified and Urbanized, Gary Hustwit explored the effect that design has on our everyday life. However, in the process of making these documentaries, he only used about 3% of the interview footage he collected. Now he has launched a kickstarter campaign to fund a book that will make his 100 hours of interview footage available in its entirety. Click here to back his project and make this book a reality.

Stanley Tigerman, an outspoken force on the Chicago architecture scene, was recently bestowed (much to his amazement) AIA Chicago's highest honour: the Lifetime Achievement Award. "I’ve done some damage to them and I’m aware of it. I’ve challenged them..." he explains to Meg Graham of Chicago Grid. "So that they then turn around in a way and turn the other cheek and give me this award does not go unnoticed by me. And I’m thrilled by it." You can find the full, wonderfully entertaining interview, in which he discusses the award, keeping up in a digital world, and getting older (without becoming "ridiculous"),here.

Clemson School of Architecture will host a symposium on "The Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization", with Alexander Tzonis, Liane Lefaivre, Marlon Blackwell, Merrill Elam, and Frank Harmon, on Friday, October 18, 2013. The symposium celebrates the school's centennial.

There is no fee but registration is required, so please register right here. Complete information on schedule and speakers after the break.

When national leaders get too caught up in political games to make real change, who steps in? Lately, cities have been setting the pace for policy change, tackling issues from climate change to immigration. This development, termed "glocalization," seems to be a growing trend, and indicates a shift of influence from the national to the local level. The Atlantic's Emma Green explains and explores the term, and lays out why mayors might be the ones to change our world. Read the full article here.

An interesting article in The Atlantic Cities reveals the ideas behind "gender mainstreaming" in Vienna, a policy that began in the early 1990s and has had a huge effect on the past two decades of city planning there. Initially intended specifically to make the city more livable for women, the principles have proven so successful that they now form a part of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme's best practices. You can read the full article here.

For this new edition of the Festival Des Architectures Vives, two calls for submissions are proposed. Using the theme 'Sensuality', the association Champ Libre sends a call for submissions in order to realize 10 interventions in the Montpellier Festival, and/or 7 interventions in the La Grande Motte Festival.

‘Pure Hardcore Icons Manifesto Exhibition’ will be on display from Sept 25 to October 7 as part of this year’s Beijing Design Week.

Each year, The Architectural League presents the work of significant international figures who powerfully influence contemporary architectural practice and shape the future of the built environment. The Architectural League’s Current Work program exemplifies its longstanding commitment to recognizing and nurturing excellence in architecture, urbanism, and design.