Why architects should use their ears more – June 2012 TED talk by sound expert Julian Treasure on the physiological, social, psychological, and behavioral effects of sound. In this short talk, Treasure demonstrates how statistics reflect the sound qualities of space. The louder the spaces, such as hospitals, …
For an all-around design magazine, Wallpaper is among the best. To see their Design Awards 2013 you’ll have to find a February print issue, but visit the website and look around. Two sections to start with are Architecture and Travel where you’ll find a lot on hotels.
This is another shout-out for the website Designers & Books. Every Tuesday on their blog they post a list from a selected designer of books that have played a significant role in that designer’s thinking (see my previous post about this aspect of the site). It gets better. Take …
A Timeless View From the Cloisters Faces a Modern Intrusion – the view across the Hudson from the Cloisters a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that makes you feel you’re in medieval Europe, is being threatened by a 143 foot tall headquarters building for LG Electronics that’s being …
Learn more about Bjarke Ingels (B.I.G) – Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, of Bjarke Ingels Gruppe, talks about his work in this collection of 8 videos. A couple of TED talks, one on sustainability, on the design process, the Escher Tower. They’ve got a nice website, too.
The magazine, ArchiAfrica, has been redesigned and is now based in Accra (used to be Amsterdam). Take a look around both the digital edition of the magazine and the website for a glimpse into a world that’s little-covered in the Western architectural press. Our mission is to broaden the …
GIZMODO – The Tiny Transforming Apartment That Packs Eight Rooms into 350 Square Feet – 5 and a half minute video of Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger.com, showing us through his very small New York apartment (he’s the one who says it’s 420 sq ft). It’s beautifully outfitted with hidden …
The Power of a Hot Body – catchy title, and a good idea. Why waste the heat generated by hundreds of people waiting in a subway station and the friction of trains on tracks? This NYTimes opinion piece cites examples from Paris, Minnesota, and Sweden. Idly mingling, a human …
Saw this great Venetian library renovation in Lotus 151 (p 42) by Michele De Lucchi, the Biblioteca di Storia dell’Arte in a wing of the Fondazione Cini, a former dormitory for Benedictine monks. If you have a few minutes, treat yourself to a visit to De Lucchi’s website, aMDL …
China’s Wang Shu: From builder to Pritzker-winning architect – the first Chinese architect to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize talks about traditional Chinese architecture, the importance of nature, and applying those traditional principles and methods in his own projects. … if you look at Chinese traditional buildings, you …
10 Projects We’re Following in 2013 – Azure lists ten innovative projects from around the world that will be completed or near completion in 2013.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2012 is filled with statistics and observations on tall buildings, from 2012, trends from 1960-2014, by location, material, and function, and by global region. Although the pace of completions slowed in 2012, there is no indication of a …
AIArchitect article explains why Renzo Piano’s first U.S. project has won this award for a building that exhibits consistent excellence in function and design over time. The Menil Collection, in Houston, was selected for the 2013 AIA Twenty-five Year Award. As Renzo Piano’s, Hon. FAIA, first …
The ABC Of Architects: An Animated List of Famous Designers And Their Buildings – one and a half minutes of fun, famous buildings by famous architects animated by Andrea Stinga and Federico Gonzalez of Ombu Architecture. Their tumblr site has more famous architects condensed to a wonderful graphic essence. It’s worth browsing through …
A Writing Life Built on the Power and Joy of Architecture – an appreciation of Ada Louise Huxtable in The New York Times; she died yesterday at the age of 91. The NYTimes is where she started as the “first full-time critic writing on architecture for an American newspaper” in 1963. …
Check out the series of articles in Healthcare Design – “Research in Practice” – written by healthcare design researchers at HOK, Nick Watkins and Erin Peavey. It offers practical advice for anyone in a position to make decisions regarding the design of a hospital or healthcare facility. Research in Practice: …
Study: School Design Can Significantly Affect Children’s Grades – UK study of primary schools finds that the design of the physical learning environment can influence children up to 25%. The results, published in Building and the Environment, revealed that the architecture and design of classrooms has a significant role …
Here’s a start on collections of ‘the best’ of 2012. Check back for more, suggest your favorites – this a live list. PSFK’s Top 20 of 2012 – with source of image Best of the best of 2012 science and tech articles – from the BBC; thanks to Oleg Kravtsov …