StructureHub

A while back, I linked to a New York Times article about Flint, Michigan’s nascent foray into calculated “un-development” - which involves tearing down abandoned homes, removing the remains of public infrastructure, and returning the newly-emptied neighborhoods to nature.
Alone, un-development would do wonders for Flint; fewer abandoned/isolated homes would mean fewer “hotbeds” of crime, fewer [...]

Just the other day, Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark made headlines with his amusing bike ride through Central Park.  I doubt he realized it at the time (he was in NYC for the UN’s climate change summit), but the ride was quite apropos.  Earlier today (and a few subway stops away), a fellow [...]

Although I can personally attest to being inflicted with an architectural punch in the eye upon witnessing more than a couple of his buildings (above), Madison architect Kenton Peters should be emulated - if not for his eclectic brand of modernism, certainly for his habit of crafting (unrequested and often, unwanted) alternative designs for local [...]

Upon hearing that in October, the Center for Architecture, the San Antonio chapter of the American Institute of Architects is hosting a screening of architecture-themed films, I was predictably excited (even though I don’t even live in San Antonio, let alone Texas), knowing that there are plenty of films in which architecture is more than [...]

You are forgiven if you assumed the landscape architecture profession already had a formal ratings system in place for gaging the environmental impact of landscaping projects.  As energy-intensive as buildings are, the environmental damage wrought by big parking lots, nutrient-sapping and water-slurping landscaping, and the like is also huge and plainly evident.
Up to now, in [...]

Perhaps Pepperdine University designed its campus “look” so its students might appreciate the Malibu location even more (i.e., “Well, at least we’re in Malibu…”).
Related post:  America’s ten “most beautiful” college campuses
Image courtesy of GermanParra

Our fellow “structurists” over at Infrastructurist recently harnessed the supreme power of the all-seeing eye to subjectively rank the world’s 10 greatest urban parks.  This provocative little inquiry could be replicated and re-oriented in many ways - even at eye level - and inspired me to compile the following ranking of the ten most beautiful college/university campuses (in [...]

Speaking of design competitions, the Boston Globe recently invited designers to come up with temporary improvements/uses for commercial sites across Boston that, thanks to the recession, have yet to be re-developed.  San Francisco is also in on the game, (seemingly) doing more than designing temporary parks, buildings, et al, as a fun intellectual exercise, but [...]

Design competitions are great; they generate press, encourage public involvement, and foster high-quality design.  If you’re Philip Thalis, member of the winning team of a recently-completed design competition held in Sydney, Australia, such competitions are a mixed blessing.
Thalis, et al, submitted the winning proposal for re-developing a massive former container-shipping terminal on Sydney’s waterfront (pictured [...]

A Santa Monica architect known for his high-rise designs is working on what may be the ultimate “spec” building — a 224-story skyscraper with green ambitions that would be the tallest structure in the world.
Two hundred and twenty-four story towers situated on man-made islands in desert regions are not “environmentally conscious.”  Tacking next-generation solar panels, [...]