Morris Adjmi gives classic New York terra-cotta cladding a modern twist

Morris Adjmi Architects has just completed its wedge-shaped 363 Lafayette mixed-use development in New York City. The project is located in the heart of the NoHo Historic District, a context known for its mid-rise store-and-loft buildings clad in detailed cast iron and stone. Facade Manufacturer Boston Valley Terracotta, Belden/Tristate Brick, Vitro Glass, Tristar Glass Architects Morris Adjmi Architects

Morphosis founder Thom Mayne on the future of facades

From October 25 to October 26, The Architect’s Newspaper is hosting its Facades+ conference in Los Angeles for the fourth year in a row. The conference features leading architects based in Los Angeles, including Heather Roberge, Principal and Founder of Murmur Architects; Tammy Jow, Associate Director of AC Martin; Thom Mayne, Founding Principal of Morphosis Architects; and Stan Su, Director

Airport parking garage animated by resilient, kinetic facade

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) has big plans for Boston’s Logan International Airport, ranging from the modernization of Terminal E to the expansion of adjacent runways. In 2016, as part of these modernization efforts, Boston-firm Arrowstreet delivered a dynamic expansion of its West Garage featuring a kinetic aluminum facade. Facade Manufacturer EXTECH Exterior Technologies, Inc. ArchitectsArrowstreet Inc. Facade Installer Ipswich

A playfully punctured aluminum skin enlivens this Danish school

On the outskirts of Aarhus, Denmark, CEBRA–a multidisciplinary practice based in Denmark and Abu Dhabi–recently designed a 100,000 square-foot primary school embedded in a forested landscape and influenced by the local architectural vernacular. For the firm, the Skovbakke School is an expression of democratic architecture that engages and opens with the surrounding landscape and creates a multitude

Facades+ Miami will examine facades in tropical environments

On October 4, The Architect’s Newspaper will be hosting Facades+ Miami for the third time. The morning event features talks and workshops by national and global leaders of the AEC industry covering a range of subjects relating to building envelopes within tropical environments and the architectural vernacular of the Miami metropolitan area. Allan Shulman, founder of Shulman + Associates, is co-chair of

SHoP Architects created an iPhone app to construct the Botswana Innovation Hub

New York’s SHoP Architects has created proprietary technology that is making it easier for them to organize materials during construction. During the construction of the Barclays Center from 2008 to 2012, the firm developed a novel iPhone interface capable of scanning facade components during fabrication, assembly, transport, and installation to keep an up-to-date digital catalog

Undulating fins create a monumental entryway at the revamped Miami Beach Convention Center

The Miami Beach Convention Center is getting redesigned into a new 1.4-million-square-foot complex that will include an exhibition hall, four new ballrooms, and a range of meeting spaces when complete. Fentress Architects collaborated with Arquitectonica on an undulating exterior envelope inspired by the curves of waves, manta rays, and coral reefs. Facade Manufacturer Harmon, Inc (unitized curtain wall), Sentech architectural systems

Instagram account juxtaposes classic facades of international landmarks

Christian Fankhauser, a recent graduate of Switzerland‘s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, spends much of his spare time drawing facades from different periods, movements, and countries, and he has made a colorful Instagram account that has become a sort of repository of architecture across history. Through sketching a broad range of architectural landmarks, Fankhauser hopes to compare their

Shulman + Associates blends the vernacular and contemporary in hybrid facade systems

On October 4, Facades+ is coming to Miami. The conference features nine speakers from a broad range of AEC firms, ranging from architectural concrete supplier Gate Precast to Paris-based Ateliers Jean Nouvel, and Miami’s own Arquitectonica. Allan Shulman, who founded Miami’s Shulman + Associates in 1996, will be co-chairing the conference. Over the last two decades, Shulman + Associates has been recognized with

SOM rethinks city hall design with a new energy-efficient skin

SOM has designed a master plan for downtown Long Beach, California, which involves new mixed-use developments across a 22-acre area. The Long Beach City Hall and Port Headquarters complex, comprising two new buildings, is the first outcome of this planning effort. The project, led by SOM in collaboration with Syska Hennessy Group, Clark Construction Group, Plenary Group, and Johnson Controls International, is part of

The Glasgow School of Art announces full restoration after second fire

Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is located on the summit of Renfrew Street, a visually prominent site within the historic core of Scotland’s largest city. The landmark suffered a tremendous fire on June 15, wiping away four years of restoration work begun after a 2014 blaze along with significant areas untouched by the initial damage. After much speculation,

This British mosque is structured with a flowering wooden lattice

In Cambridge, England, Marks Barfield Architects (MBA) is erecting a timber-structured mosque inspired by geometric design and landscaping found throughout the Islamic world. The Cambridge Mosque Project, founded by Dr. Timothy Winter in 2008, purchased the one-acre site in 2009. Allées of cypress and linden trees ring the mosque, which occupies a symmetrical 27-feet-by-27-feet grid.

SHoP’s American Copper Buildings wear a skin designed to age gracefully

  The aptly named American Copper Buildings, two copper-clad towers designed by SHoP Architects on Manhattan’s First Avenue between East 35th and 36th Streets, rise to 48 and 41 stories respectively. The two towers, “bent” in the middle, are linked by the first new sky bridge in New York City in more than 80 years. Facade Manufacturer Jangho, ELICC Group ArchitectsSHoP Architects Facade

Facades+ Los Angeles will scale the heights of Southern California design

From October 25 to 26, Facades+ will bring local and national leaders of the architecture, engineering, and construction industry to Los Angeles for the fourth year in a row. The first day of the conference features keynotes by Thom Mayne, founding principal of Morphosis Architects; and Heather Roberge, principal of Murmur. Founded in 1972, Morphosis has spread its distinctive presence internationally. In recent

In Buffalo, fired-clay terra-cotta facade systems take a leap forward

For the third year in a row, manufacturer Boston Valley Terra Cotta (BVTC) and the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning (UB/a+p) in upstate New York hosted the Architectural Ceramics Assemblies Workshop (ACAW). The weeklong event is a gathering of architects, engineers, and artists and offers a fast-paced opportunity for attendees to get their hands dirty physically

SOM uses interdisciplinary collaboration to design innovative facade systems

On September 21, Facades+ is coming to Chicago for the first time in three years. The conference features moderators and speakers of leading firms from across the country. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill–the architecture and engineering firm that has called Chicago home for over 80 years–will have a particularly strong presence at the upcoming conference. To

This concrete screen wall was inspired by the proportions of camera lenses

The Fort Worth Camera building, a new photography studio and retail space, is surrounded by notable concrete neighbors, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth by Tadao Ando and the Kimball Art Museum by Louis Kahn. Ibanez Shaw Architecture responded with its own concrete novelty inspired by the building’s program. Facade Manufacturer Tim Pulliam Concrete (concrete sub-contractor/installer) Fort

SAM, the bricklaying robot, is hard at work in Nevada

Across the country, contractors are facing the challenge of incredible construction tapered by a dearth of skilled workers to carry out projects. According to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders, approximately two-thirds of bricklaying contractors are having trouble finding workers. The AEC industry, in response to this mismatch between expectations and reality, is turning towards

Morphosis Architects’s Kolon One & Only propels a knotted cloud-like facade

Architects Morphosis Facade Contractors/Suppliers POSCO (Steel Curtain Wall), ALU EnC (Aluminum Curtain Wall), Korea Carbon (GFRP), Korea Tech-Wall (GFRC), Han Glass (Glass), Steel Life (Interior Liner) Facade Consultants Arup, FACO LocationSeoul, South Korea Date of Completion2018 SystemBrise-soleil system on the main, west-facing facade ProductsFiber reinforced polymer (FRP) using one of Kolon’s own high-tech fabrics, Aramid

Facades+ Chicago will explore structural and facade systems at dizzying heights

On September 21, Facades+ is coming to Chicago for the first time since 2015. At the conference, speakers from leading architecture, engineering, and facade consultant firms will discuss their bodies of work and lead in-depth workshops. Workshops will cover modular facade design, the challenges and triumphs of large-scale work in Chicago, and how to control the quality, quantity, and

SHoP Architects brings aluminum luster to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Facade Manufacturer Alucobond; Sobotec Ltd. ArchitectsSHoP, Gensler Facade Installer  Crown Corr; Hunt Construction Group (general contractor) Facade Consultants SHoP Architects LocationUniondale, NY Date of Completion2017 SystemAluminum screen ProductsAlucobond® PLUS naturAL Brushed Originally opened in 1972, the old Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on New York’s Long Island was given a facelift and interior renovation by SHoP and Gensler respectively in

Pelli Clarke Pelli designs a snaking business complex for Tulane University

Facade ManufacturerViracon, YKK AP America. Inc, DeGeorge Glass Company, Performance Architectural Inc. Architects Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects Facade Installer Broadmoor LC Facade ConsultantsPelli Clarke Pelli Architects LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana Date of Completion2018 SystemGlass curtain wall with thermal sunshades and light shelves ProductsYKK thermal sunshades, Viracon glass hybrid Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (PCPA) connected two preexisting buildings

How Amazon achieved crystal clarity in its glass domes

NBBJ designed a trio of connected glass orbs with living walls at the new Seattle headquarters for online retail giant Amazon. According to an announcement on Amazon’s blog, the spherical design—a project seven years in the making—was “chosen due to its natural occurrence in nature and as a nod to historic conservatories, like Kew Gardens.” This atypical meeting place away

This mental health facility creates calm with a perforated green facade

San Miniato is a small Italian hill town just outside Florence. In medieval times, the town connected northern Europe and Rome, and today its hilltop landscape is dotted with luxury tourist lodgings scattered between landmarked palaces, seminaries, and homes. Arising from this historical context is the town’s newest building, Casa Verde, a mental health facility for