Taking place August 31-September 14, the 3rd annual AA Visiting School Tehran will be examining the quality of our urban spaces, we will be looking at infill sites, leftover spaces which have been generated as a result inefficient use of public roads to examine the potential for the generation of usable public space, or in other words the third place (the first being the home, the second the workplace). Using the theme 'The Third Place-Urban Machines,' they will be using our experiences from past years in regards to prototyping and simplex manufacturing to inform proposals for urban machines and interventions. These Proposals will attempt to specifically address site concerns and conditions. Our ambition is to produce and implement these proposals on site across the city. Applications are due no later than August 17. For more information, please visit here.

nycobaNOMA (New York Coalition of Black Architects and New York Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects) is inviting all to come out and join professionals in the design, architecture, development, real estate, and construction fields for an evening of networking at the Urban Office Showroom in New York City. Taking place Tuesday, August 20th, from 6:30-8:30 EST, participants can expect not just networking, but good spirits at the beautiful midtown showroom. Fore more information, please visit here.

Taking place at the Hartell Galley at Cornell University, 'Vers un climat: Building (with) the Unstable' is an exhibition by AWP Architects focusing on the nocturnal face of architecture - how buildings contribute to the urban nightscape. From August 26 - September 16, the exhibit features both realized and proposed projects by AWP while revealing the practice’s in depth research on the many ways in which the intangible dimensions of architecture – such as atmosphere, climate, and light - materialize in buildings. Part of AWP ’s ongoing challengeis to translate recurrent themes of impermanence, evolution, and the uncontrollable into design. More architects' description after the break.

Developed for the architectural competition organized by real estate company, STI Immobilienmanagement, HENN's design for the Glazed Software Factory was just announced as the winning proposal. The company's new office building, located in Karlsruhe, consists of open, transparent spatial structures allowing for a varying range of office types. This strategy combines areas of communication and concentration with one another to provide a bright and diverse working environment for customers and staff. More images and architects' description after the break.

The results of RIBA Journal's recent drawing competition, Eye Line, are in. Top of the pile was Tom Noonan's drawing "Reforestation of the Thames Estuary," part of his Master's Thesis project at the Bartlett School of Architecture; however, the range of styles and content mean that there's something for everyone in the top ten. Read the full article and see all the drawings here.

Despite a rise in female architecture students, the amount of women in architecture continues drop in the UK. Though this is not the case in many parts of the world - as female architects reportedly outnumber the men in South America - the UK has yet to find a solution to equalize the numbers for professional women in architecture. Jane Duncan, founder of Jane Duncan Architects and RIBA equality and diversity champion, weighs in the issue by asking “Why are so many women leaving architecture, and how can we buck the trend?” here The Guardian.

Mateusz Mastalski + Ole Robin Storjohann shared with us their 'Live Between Buildings!' proposal for the New Vision of Loft 2 Competition organized by Fakro, which aims to create a new way of living in the city. Infills between existing buildings that consist almost entirely of Fakro window technology enable a life hyper-close to nature and city life, while on the same time exploiting the qualities of the already existing blind walls of the city. With minimal footprint and facade surface, but a maximum of living quality, the Live Between Buildings! project contributes to a denser, more sustainable city of the future.

Currently on display until August 22, AIA Chicago is honoring its Small Project Awards winners at 23 E. Madison in downtown Chicago as part of the Chicago Loop Alliance’s Pop-Up Art Loop initiative. Designed in collaboration with Chicago-based branding firm a5, the exhibit offers yet another opportunity for AIA Chicago and its Small Practitioners Group to showcase the smaller-scale innovations that architects work on in their day-to-day practice. The third annual Small Firm/Small Project Award program recognizes high quality work from small Chicago architectural firms and exceptional small local projects. More images information after the break.

A video game in which you can design your own high-security prison (execution chambers and all) prompts CC Sullivan, in a thoughtful post on Smart Planet, to discuss the implications of architects designing prisons. You can read the full article here, and read ArchDaily's previous coverage on this issue, "The Architecture of Incarceration," here.

Designed by PAPER | TOTEMENT, their competition proposal for the architectural and visual image of the frontage of the new building of the State Tretyakov Gallery encompasses conceptual, imaginary and compositional aspects as well as its relation with the environment (city and the existing complex of the gallery), history and designation of the building. The current space planning design decision also implied some particular limitations and framework. And of course, the main objective was to combine all these decisions in an integral image of the Modern Russian, Moscow art museum. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) recently announced the results of the first stage of the design competition to re-program and re-design Oriel College, Oxford’s social spaces. The shortlist, a fascinating cross-section of British architectural talent ranging from the contextual to the contemporary, is made-up of established practices with extensive portfolios. More than sixty teams submitted Expressions of Interest for the competition, which was launched in late June. The shortlisted teams include: AL_A, Allies and Morrison, Caruso St John Architects, Panter Hudspith Architects, and Wright & Wright Architects. More images and information after the break.

NYDaily News reports that the New York City Council has allocated $7 million to redevelop a 11,000 square foot swath of forgotten land into a beautiful, sandy beach beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Originally conceived as part of New York’s “Blueway” plan, the waterfront project will grant access to terraced seating, wading pools and fishing areas, along with a kayak launch and concession stand via tree-lined walkways. See what else the “Blueway” entails, here on ArchDaily.

With the challenge of creating a new identity for the "Alvenaria" neighborhood in Lisbon, fala atelier defined a module with variations and multiplications which allowed the dwellings to develop iteratively. As opposed to a static solution, this 2.55m cube module sets ground rules for the organization of the interiors, while providing the flexibility for several possible typologies. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by ABA (About: Blank Architecture), their proposal for the Minor Charges Court Building focuses on creating a building that is a tool to increase productivity in several levels and at the same time does not represent a burden on the budget of the Department of Justice. As part of a package of public investments in the Department of ​​Justice in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, ABA was challenged to create a building based on an innovative brief to be replicated nationwide, gathering in the same building all minor charges courts. More images and architects' description after the break.

The main idea for the Litterfall Social and Cultural Center was to create a space and atmosphere where people come together to share their ideas, talk, sing, paint, dance and create a social and cultural life to illuminate their own daily life. Designed by Ziya Imren Architects, this small scale building typology is a very important to the culture of Istanbul, since it offers a comfortable place, where people can feel themselves at home and contribute to their own artworks. More images and architects’ description after the break.

"We found images with trash in it, and took the trash out, and we noticed a 30 percent increase in perception of safety. It's surprising that something that easy had that large an effect." So Phil Salesses, one of the authors of a PLOS ONE paper studying the perception of safety, class and uniqueness in city streets tells The Atlantic Cities. By comparing images from Google Street View of Boston and New York in the US and Linz and Salzburg in Austria, and photoshopping out individual elements (such as trash or graffiti) to fine tune the results, Salesses and his collaborators have gathered quantitative evidence to answer an often subjective question: what makes citizens feel safe? Learn more about Salesses' research at The Atlantic Cities and read the paper here.

Opening October 4, The Architecture Foundation in London is delighted to present 'Futures in the Making,' a group exhibition showcasing prospective architectural futures explored in the work of recent architecture graduates. From spectacular pollution capturing facades to innovative agrarian settlements, projects will include a global range of case studies that test new ideas for architecture and infrastructure by a rising generation of architectural talent. The exhibition will be on display until November 13. For more information, please visit here.

Designed by SPEECH Architectural Office, their winning proposal for the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow supports the philosophy established by the museum: preserving the national heritage and engaging in relevant dialogue with the society. This dynamic dialogue is expressed in the architectural concept of the building’s façade, decorated by white picture frames of various sizes placed according to the pattern of the original hanging of the pictures in the City Art Gallery of P. M. Tretyakov and S. M. Tretyakov, forming the image of a wall with pictures. These are living pictures created by the visitors to the museum. More images and architects' description after the break.