Over the last few years, the way Americans move around has changed remarkably, especially among young people. Previously the automobile was people’s preferred, if not the only, option. Now they are choosing to walk, bike, or use public transport according to recent studies.
This difference in preferred transportation methods has generated many benefits not only for residents but also for cities, in both economic and social terms.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected this year's winners for the TAP/CCA Innovation Award, which highlights new practices and technologies that advance project delivery and life-cycle management of buildings. Categories for the awards, conferred by the AIA's Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Knowledge Community and the Construction Contract Administration (CCA) Knowledge Community), include Stellar Design, Project Delivery & Construction Administration Excellence, Academic Program/Curriculum Development, and Exemplary Use in a Small Firm. Voting is open from now until November 18th for favorite projects among the winners.
In Hidden Dimension, Boston-based Russian photographer Anna Yeroshenko converts a series of architecture photographs into three-dimensional structures. The work is intended to transform the viewer’s perspective of forgettable utilitarian buildings and encourage a closer look at the physical and social impacts of the built environment on our everyday lives.
Boston-area architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and students attending schools of architecture, engineering, and design participate in this annual charity event in which teams compete to display colossal sculptures made out of canned goods. Founded in 1992, Canstruction’s mission is to highlight the issue of hunger across communities, collect food for distribution to thousands and to showcase the creativity of the design industry.
Image: Steve Oles’ prospective drawing of the Grand Louvre for I.M. Pei
Considered one of the world’s premier architectural illustrators, Paul Stevenson Oles FAIA has worked as independent architect, professor, author, and illustrator in the Boston area for over 40 years. This fall, BSA Space hosts a comprehensive exhibition featuring selections from the best drawings of Oles’s 50-year career, highlighting the legacy and value of hand drawing in a digital age.
Image: Courtesy of Historic New England, photography by Justin Goodstein.
Haymarket, The Soul of the City presents images by photographer Justin H. Goodstein, as well videos featuring the sights, sounds, and voices of Haymarket that reflect the stories of long-time vendors and more recent immigrants who have created a diverse cross-section of cultures at the site. Interviews conducted by Historic New England’s Ken Turino document the market’s history, special holiday foods, and specific challenges facing the market today.
Image: Courtesy of Historic New England, photography by Justin Goodstein
In association with Haymarket, The Soul of the City on view at BSA Space this fall, this engaging presentation looks at how Boston’s Market District evolved from a small central location for peddlers at Town Dock to today’s busy market of halal butchers, artisanal cheese mongers, and Cambodian fruit sellers.
Image: Steve Oles’ prospective drawing of the Grand Louvre for I.M. Pei
Considered one of the world’s premier architectural illustrators, Paul Stevenson Oles FAIA worked as independent architect, professor, author and illustrator in the Boston area for over 40 years. Join Oles for a special presentation as he explores his work featured in the exhibition Truth in Architecture at BSA Space, and provides a brief but intimate history of his remarkable career.
Image: Courtesy of Historic New England, photography by Justin Goodstein.
Don't miss the opening reception for Haymarket: The Soul of the City. This special event is the first opportunity to view the exhibition while enjoying complimentary drinks.
Haymarket: The Soul of the City presents images by photographer Justin H. Goodstein, as well videos featuring the sights, sounds, and voices of Haymarket that reflect the stories of long-time vendors and more recent immigrants who have created a diverse cross-section of cultures at the site. Interviews conducted by Historic New England’s Ken Turino document the market’s history, special holiday foods, and specific challenges facing the market today.
Arquitectonica has released the plans for Pierce Boston—its first building in Boston—a luxury residential condominium in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. With the recent large-scale real estate boom, the Fenway area is undergoing a massive transformation, with Pierce Boston to become the first building of its caliber in the neighborhood.
In an effort to balance new luxury with the existing iconic fabric of the area, the building is designed in simplicity with contemporary materials, so as to modernize the building against its context. Glass and metal will panel the façade, with the metal paneling patterned down to the scale and texture of a more traditional masonry brownstone. “As the building comes to grade and its opacity increases, it more closely reflects the history of the neighborhoods within which it rises” explained the architect in a press release.
Boston City Centre, Boston City Bridge, credit: Phil Songa, Flickr, modified. Used under Creative Commons
Boston has repeatedly reinvented its urban fabric to accommodate a growing population, the needs of business and industry, and the development of public and private transportation. From the first subway through the Big Dig, Boston has led the nation in transforming its cityscape. Join the BSA Foundation and Boston By Foot on this guided walking tour to uncover some of Boston’s many layers and explore its physical evolution, from the first American subway to the rise and fall of interstate highways to the recovery of Boston harbor.
Image: Detail from 1844 map showing the Bulfinch Triangle in Boston, George W. Boynton, credit: NewtonCourt, Creative Commons License, modified.
Known as America’s first architect, Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) defined the Federal style of architecture and the physical fabric of Boston, capturing the vision and spirit of the young Republic. As an architect, town planner, and selectman, Bulfinch designed some of the city’s most enduring buildings, including iconic Beacon Hill mansions and the area now known as the Bulfinch Triangle near the Boston’s TD Garden. Join the BSA Foundation and Boston By Foot for an exploration of some of his greatest works, including the Massachusetts State House, the sites of Boston’s first theater and first Catholic cathedral, and the Tontine Crescent—his architectural masterpiece and ultimately his financial ruin.
Image: Imagination Playground, New York, the Rockwell Group. Photo credit: Chris Amaral.
Kick start your playful summer with a panel discussion about the impact of design on childhood development! Inspired by BSA Space’s new exhibition, Extraordinary Playscapes, an array of unique panelists will consider ways to prevent barriers of play in urban areas. The conversation will delve into how play is related to design, psychology, parenting, architecture, and development while highlighting the role of designers in a more playful future. After the talk, participants will enjoy light refreshments and exclusive access to the exhibition.
Join Michael Laris and Missy Benson ASLA of Playworld as they explore the design processes of two very different urban play solutions: PlayCubes (originally designed by Richard Dattner FAIA in 1969) and PlayForm7, both featured as part of Extraordinary Playscapes, currently on view at BSA Space.
This workshop invites both children and parents to participate in building unique playscapes with natural materials on The Greenway. Led by local artist and craftsman, Mitch Ryerson, each session will focus on the importance of nature play, group building, teamwork, imagination, and learning to build with new materials. This event is part of a series of family and children’s workshops hosted by Design Museum Boston and the BSA Foundation, focusing on design and play throughout the summer.
Would you like to get outside this summer? Have you wanted to meet others with an interest in art and architecture? Why not do both together at City Sketch? Sketch-artist extraordinaire Andrew Guild will be your guide at this hands-on outdoor sketching session as you explore architectural sketching processes and techniques. Try your hand at sketching building facades and gain a better understanding of the basics of perspective drawing. Together you’ll venture out into the city to capture your own views of Boston’s landmarks.
Scary Shadow, James Vaughan, credit: yeowatzup, Creative Commons License, modified.
Join the BSA Foundation and Boston By Foot for an exploration of the darker side of Boston! Based on historic events, this guided walk proves that fact is often stranger than fiction. Topics include the scourges of smallpox and the Great Influenza, the dangers of Richmond Street, the vandalization of the Royal Governor's House, the Molasses Flood, body snatchers, and the infamous Brink's Robbery, all against the backdrop of the varied architecture in one of Boston's oldest neighborhoods.
