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Waves of canvas shade new aquatic center in Kansas
March 1st, 2008
Rank after rank of wave-like strips of colorful canvas greet visitors to Splash Cove in Shawnee, Kansas, near Kansas City. These undulating canopies are meant to express the overall theme of the new municipal aquatic center, “under the sea.” “We take the theme to a new level with the Shawnee center,” says Johnathan Ruder, with […]
Emanuel Milstein: Architect as sculptor
March 1st, 2008
By Mason Riddle Not every sculptor receives a personal endorsement from the likes of I. M. Pei. But that was the case with Emanuel Milstein, architect-cum-sculptor, who worked as a young architect in Pei’s office in 1958–59. In a letter dated December 3, 1959, Pei addresses Milstein’s work with exposed concrete as the designer for […]
Sustainable prefab debuts at West Coast Green
January 1st, 2008
By Shelby Gonzalez The modular, prefabricated, zero-energy mkLotus Showhouse debuted to rave reviews at the recent West Coast Green Residential Building Conference & Expo 2007. West Coast Green, the largest green residential building conference in the country, took place in San Francisco from September 20–22. It featured over 270 vendors and 250 presentations, including several […]
Sports fans under fabric
January 1st, 2008
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has released HOK Sport’s design of London’s 2012 stadium. The bowl-shaped stadium will hold 25,000 permanent and 55,000 temporary seats, allowing for the stadium to be used as a local venue after the Games. The stadium covers two thirds of the spectators with a cable supported roof and is wrapped […]
ASLA releases green roof report
January 1st, 2008
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has released the first performance report since the society’s green roof was installed in July 2006. ASLA’s green roof retained 27,500 gallons of storm water between July 2006 and May 2007, reduced building energy costs by hundreds of dollars a month and significantly lowered outdoor air temperature according […]
Fabric structure to be largest of its type in the world
January 1st, 2008
American Spaceframe Fabricators International has been contracted to build a fabric structure in Puerto Rico that, when complete, will be the largest of its type in the world. The company is moving its operations to Ocala, Florida. For more information, visit www.asfi.net.
Hightex gets high sign
January 1st, 2008
The polymer membrane tensile structure producer Hightex Group PLC has won a 7 million euro contract to provide a membrane roof that will be part of the upgrading of the First National Bank Stadium in Johannesburg for the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup. For more information, visit www.hightexworld.com.
New rating system for sustainable landscape design
January 1st, 2008
ASLA, the University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden have announced the development of a new rating system for sustainable landscape design called the Sustainable Sites Initiative. The new rating system was created to encourage sustainable landscape design. The Sites Initiative will measure the sustainability of […]
Exhibit explores use of sensitive textile skins on buildings
January 1st, 2008
A recent design probe from Philips called Off the grid: Sustainable Habitat 2020 is exploring the possibility of using sensitive textile skins on buildings to create energy independent structures. The probe explores the integration of electronics and bio chemical functionalities into the inert material of the built environment. This future habitat shifts from the current […]
Conference explores developments in flexible fabric formworks
January 1st, 2008
The first international conference exploring recent developments in flexible fabric formworks for concrete structures, called “Fabric Formwork for Architectural Structures,” will focus on new architectural forms, hear invited speakers from numerous countries and hold workshop demonstrations from May 16-18 in Winnipeg, Canada. For more information, visit www.umanitoba.ca/architecture/ffc.