In the context of the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019, Craig Schwitter, engineer and partner at BuroHappold Engineering, told with ArchDaily about the structural challenge behind Safdie Architects' latest Jewel Changi Airport and other technology-related topics around architecture:
Jewel is a project along the way of a whole series of grid cells that our firm have done and have been increasingly about experience and space underneath these massive roofs, and I think Jewel has really moved into the next level. These structures are not structures really, they are filters. They are balancing an exterior climate and interior climate; they are trying to make a space, you know, habitable, enjoyable. [...] But we couldn't have done that 10 years ago, because the technology that makes that possible is a culmination of the advances in computer-aided manufacturing.
https://www.archdaily.com/920974/craig-schwitter-of-burohappold-on-jewel-changi-airport-and-technologyAD Editorial Team
During the recent AIA Conference in Las Vegas, ArchDaily had the opportunity to interview Tom Kundig, Principal at Olson Kundig who has been designing and building for the firm for the last 30 years.
Having been raised in a mountain context, Tom relates strongly with the landscape and its natural elements, acknowledging the weathering of materials as something valuable and poetic. In this conversation, Tom explains the importance of context in each project, particularly the contrast and dispersion of buildings as a meaningful response to the landscape. He also addresses the importance of technology and communication as part of a new design process that we must all start to integrate, as well as open source initiatives.
Keep reading to see the video and complete interview.
This year, the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019 is announcing "Blueprint for Better" as the theme of the event. Held in Las Vegas on 6-8 June, the occasion encourages local components to "reflect upon those areas in their own communities" and use the opportunity to solve problems and improve communities themselves.
The organizers explain the "Blueprint for Better" theme as the recognition and response to the issue of the lack of affordable housing and the growing problem of homelessness. Participants are encouraged to explore these topics and create proposals for solutions on how to help the homeless and build a better and progressive community in the 21st century.
https://www.archdaily.com/917437/must-visit-booths-at-the-aia-2019-architecture-expoAD Editorial Team
The purpose of this competition is to challenge Architects and Students to design a replacement for the Townsite Homes in Henderson, NV, which have outlived their intended use and have mostly fallen into disrepair, creating neighborhood blight. The project should fully embody the principles of sustainable design and livable communities. It is the responsibility of the entrants to determine the number of new dwellings on the site, or re-purpose the existing home. The only city requirement is to provide a single parking space per dwelling. Please visit the competition website for information on Henderson, the Townsite, and how to enter.
Selected works from six of the nine new honorary AIA Fellows.
More than 100 American architects and nine international practitioners have been elevated to the American Institute of ArchitectsCollege of Fellows. Fellowship in the AIA is a prestigious honor conferred upon those who have lasting contributions to the profession. While primarily a national award, the AIA also awards fellowship to a number of international designers each year.
https://www.archdaily.com/912052/aia-elevates-new-members-and-nine-international-honorary-members-to-the-college-of-fellowsKatherine Allen
The American Institute of Architects has selected nine projects for its 2019 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture. The award program celebrates the best contemporary architecture and highlights the many ways buildings and spaces can improve lives. AIA’s five-member jury selects submissions that demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place and purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability and history.
The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has presented 27 projects with 2019 Design Awards. AIANY announced the results after two days of deliberations by a a jury of independent architects, educators, critics, and planners. For each of the five categories, winning projects were granted either an “Honor” or “Merit” award, and were chosen for their design quality, innovation and technique.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected Venturi Scott Brown's Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery of London as the recipient of the 2019 AIA Twenty-five Year Award. Designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in an international competition, AIA commended the project for its ability to “...make its context better than it found it” - a citation borrowed from Venturi himself.
The award is presented annually to a project that has "stood the test of time by embodying architectural excellence for 25 to 35 years."
https://www.archdaily.com/909184/venturi-scott-browns-sainsbury-wing-national-gallery-london-receives-aia-25-year-awardKatherine Allen
Mundo Verde at Cook Campus / Studio Twenty Seven Architecture
A misconception often surfaces in design circles that architectural beauty and evidence-based environmental performance are mutually exclusive. To address this, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) is releasing a new tool that can assist architecture firms in designing high-performance energy-efficient buildings.
Despite the federal stance on paramount environmental issues, the AIA upholds and advocates for the responsibility of architects to mitigate against the effects of climate change. Aware that the construction industry consumes nearly 40% of the energy supply nationwide, the AIA COTE® Top Ten Toolkit presents a series of strategies to promote sustainability without compromising the design.
Honoring “an individual or pair of architects whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture,” the AIA Gold Medal is often considered the highest honor awarded in the United States for architecture.
Santiago, Chile. Image via Flickr User: alobos Life. Used under CC BY 2.0
The American Institute of Architects Committee on Design is holding its first South American conference this week in Santiago and Valparaíso, Chile. Starting on October 20 and running through the 27th, the conference is organized by the Copperbridge Foundation in collaboration with Chilean Constructo and Massantiago. The CoD conference will include a focus on each city's contemporary architecture and urban fabric, as well as tours, presentations and exhibitions with Chilean institutions.
Travel Map. Courtesy of 2017 LeBrun recipient, Mark Zlotsky.
Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant Award: $20,000
Deadline: Thursday November 1st 5:00 pm (EST)
New York City’s Center for Architecture is currently looking for applications for the Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant, a $20,000 award. The grant seeks early to mid-level architects who wish to further their personal and professional development through travel. The travel scholarship was originally based on the idea of the Grand Tour, in which recent architectural graduates would travel through Europe experiencing art, architecture, and culture first-hand. The scholarship focus is less on academic projects than on self-directed education.
Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a professional
The American Institute of Architects have released the winning films for the 2018 Film Challenge. As part of the institute's larger Blueprint for Better campaign, the film challenge asked participants to produce, shoot, and edit 3 to 5 minute documentary-style short films. The AIA invited architects and filmmakers to collaborate in telling stories of architects, civic leaders and communities working together toward positive community impact.
Le Corbusier stated in his seminal text, Towards a New Architecture, that “...man looks at the creation of architecture with his eyes, which are 5 feet 6 inches from the ground.” Logical and rational codes such as this form the standard for much of architectural production - but of course, these "norms" are as constructed as architecture itself. This particular standard is especially irrelevant when designing for children, for whom the adult-centric assumptions of architecture do not and should not apply.
Following up on the AIA's recent update of guidelines regarding school safety, architect Jay Brotman, designer of the new Sandy Hook Elementary School, testified in front of the US Department of Education this week to urge the government to adopt safer standards for design. While not unheard of, it is not typical for architects to stand in front of Congress.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued a statement outlining its new initiatives in response to the rising tide of school shootings in the United States. The statement, titled “Where we stand: School design and student safety,” outlines four paths of action the Institute intends to take to support architects and school communities.
While not containing a detailed policy to tackle the ongoing crisis, the AIA statement commits to updating school design guidelines, supporting education to achieve safe school design, making safe school design eligible for federal grants, and establishing a federal clearinghouse on school design.
https://www.archdaily.com/900188/aia-outlines-initiatives-in-response-to-rise-in-school-shootingsNiall Patrick Walsh
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_John_Donat_RIBA_Library_Photographs_Collection.jpg?1535707315 "© John Donat RIBA Library Photographs Collection")
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