Home2Suites, a subsidiary of Hilton, is currently constructing the brand’s first modular construction hotel. On August 15, executives from Hilton, Southern Hospitality Services, and Ashlar Development began construction of the project adjacent to San Francisco’s Airport North by placing pre-fabricated elements into position. Adrian Kurre, global head of Home2 Suites, states “staying at the forefront

Chiara Vailati, a doctoral student at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Building Materials, has developed an adaptive shading system that functions without sensors or motors. The shading system is composed of multiple pairs of parallel wooden planks which open and close autonomously. The system can be installed as a type of pergola, or horizontally across a building’s

In October 2017, the Lake|Flato and Shepley Bulfinch designed Austin Central Library opened to the public. The $125 million library is clad in tan, Leuders limestone, gray metal siding, and corrugated, perforated and anodized aluminum panels manufactured by Lorin Industries, Inc. Perforated aluminum is produced by punching a hole pattern onto a specific panel or

  On August 16th, manufacturer Vitro Architectural Glass began production of its super-sized energy efficient glass panels. The production of these increasingly large panels rely on Vitro’s new $55 million magnetron sputtered deposition glass coater (MSVD) located at their Wichita Falls plant, one of their four facilities in the country. “The trend in buildings today

Laval, a town in western France town historically known for the manufacturing of fine linens, has received a new 24,000-square-foot, three-story office building featuring unique ornate screening systems. Designed by Paris-based Périphériques on a small parcel of land, the project supports a growing culture of startup companies by bringing together multiple organizations with large shared collective spaces. The relatively straightforward massing

A research team led by Jamin Dillenburger, an assistant professor at ETH Zurich, has recently produced and installed a concrete ceiling shaped by 3D-printed sand formwork. Dubbed the “Smart Slab,” the 1000 square-foot ceiling is significantly lighter and thinner than comparable concrete ceilings. The concrete slab is a component of ETH Zurich’s ongoing DFAB House project. The DFAB House is

The new home for Ballet Memphis, designed by Archimania, reveals itself in layers. It is an upgrade from their previous facility which the company had outgrown and was located outside of an urban context. The new Ballet Memphis building is designed to engage the public through movement, culture, and connection to the community. It houses rehearsal space

On August 1st, Italian-Manufacturer Permasteelisa announced an approximately $80 million contract to design, supply and install nearly 300,000 square feet of Frank Gehry’s Battersea Phase 3A located in London. Since 2013, the Battersea Power Station Development Company has been leading an expansive redevelopment of the 42-acre stretch of relatively fallow land surrounding the eponymous power

In July 2018, Collective-LOK (CLOK) unveiled their Roche/Dinkeloo Double, a temporary installation located below a cantilevered section of UMass Amherst’s Fine Arts Center. CLOK is a collaboration formed by architects Jon Lott, William O’Brien Jr., and Michael Kubo. The Fine Arts Center, designed by firm Roche-Dinkeloo in 1975, is located on the border of UMass Amherst’s campus. According to architect Jon Lott, the

Portland-based studio OFFICE 52 Architecture designed the new 109,000-square-foot interdisciplinary Nano-Bio-Energy Technologies Building at Carnegie Mellon University with a glass facade that plays with form, texture, and color. The skin that lines the north wing of the Sherman and Joyce Bowie Scott Hall features a range of vibrant materials: dichroic glass, clear and frosted glass layers, and

With an extensive archaeological collection spanning from the 7th century BC through the Middle Ages, the Musée de la Romanité, located in Nîmes, France (opening summer 2018), presents artifacts from the “romanization” of local society both before and after the city’s Roman occupation. The project, which has evolved into one of the largest contemporary architectural projects in France, is

Facade Manufacturer Timber Systems Limited Architects Zimmerman Workshop Facade Installer Timber Systems Limited, Facade ConsultantsZimmerman Workshop, Timber Systems Limited Location Brampton, Canada Date of Completion2017 System 2016 Products Fine Metal Roof Tech Copper Shingles In 2014, a two-alarm fire devastated Ontario’s St. Elias Ukrainian Church. The heavy timber church was designed by architect Robert Greenberg

In 2017, Behnisch Architekten completed its approximately 410,000 square-foot development of the Dorotheen Quartier in the Karlstrasse area. Located in Stuttgart, capital of the German state Baden-Wurttemberg, the Karlstrasse area was a long dormant neighborhood located on the eastern border of the city center. Facade Manufacturer Roschmann GmbH / Lauster Steinbau GmbH Architects Behnisch Architekten

In 2018, San Francisco-based software company Monograph launched its project-planning platform, Dashboard for Architects. The objective of the platform is to shift the myriad planning tools used by architects to a singular and cohesive application. The Dashboard for Architects allows firms to manage their practice and projects in a visually straightforward format, with an emphasis on simplicity and

Long after the golden era of corporate modernist skyscrapers (think Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building, SOM’s Lever House, and so on), many contemporary office skyscrapers are still designed with traditional glass curtain walls that have low insulation and cause overheating from unnecessary direct sunlight. Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) conjured an otherworldly alternative for Shenzhen International Energy Mansion: a

The Summit Technology Academy of the Missouri Innovation Campus, designed by Gould Evans, is a new education facility focused on bridging the gap between the workplace and the classroom. The building houses an innovative educational program developed by the University of Central Missouri, the local Lee’s Summit School District, and area industry participants. The collaborative nature of

In May 2018, Pittsburgh’s Frick Environmental Center was Living Building certified. The Living Building certification is the world’s most rigorous environmental performance standard, meaning the building is energy self-sufficient, treats its own wastewater, and filters surrounding pollution. Facade Manufacturer Black Locust Siding (sourced through Mid-West Black Locust) Architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Facade Installer PJ Dick

In 2017, the British firm Page \ Park Architects unveiled its restoration of Edinburgh’s St. Cecilia’s Hall. The approximately 15,000 square-foot project consisted of the restoration of the neglected concert hall, bringing the complex up to contemporary-building standards, and designing substantial modern additions to Scotland’s oldest purpose-built concert hall such as a four-story entrance building.

Earlier this year, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) opened the new Glassell School of Art, the nation’s only museum-affiliated art school serving pre-K through postgraduate students. The Steven Holl Architects-designed project is the first building in a 14-acre development that will reshape the museum’s campus. It joins other buildings on the campus designed by Ludwig Mies Van

On July 17th, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates’ 30 Hudson Yards topped out at just below 1,300 feet. The project broke ground in 2012 and has been steadily rising for half a decade towards its summit. A cantilevered observation deck juts 65 feet outward from the building’s mass, protruding just below the peak of the building at

In June, 3M’s Industrial Mineral Products Division launched a smog-reducing granules product that can be applied to asphalt shingles and a wide range of roofing materials. Through the incorporation of a UV-activated photocatalytic coating layer, 3M’s smog-reducing granules transform smog into water soluble molecules. The granules are fused into shingle surfaces during the design process,

For nearly 20 years, EarthCam has documented projects by many of the world’s top design firms: Zaha Hadid Architects, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Foster + Partners, Gehry Partners, LLP, The Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Shigeru Ban, Snøhetta, and Weiss/Manfredi. The company, founded in 1996, is a global leader in providing webcam content, technology, and services. An expansion

Since launching in New York City in 2012, AN Media Group’s Facades+ conferences have expanded rapidly. Hosted in nine cities, Facades+ attracted 2300 attendees in 2017 alone. This year, Facades+ is adding Denver, Minneapolis, Charlotte and Toronto to its location roster. Facades+ AM morning forums, 1 day and 2 day conferences  provides leading voices in

In June, Miami’s Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science celebrated its one year anniversary. The four-building complex was designed by London-based firm Grimshaw Architects, and led by Global Managing Partner Vincent Chang. Facade Manufacturer Gate Precast, Trenwyth (Astra-Glaze), Victor Insulators, Radius Track, Viracon, Harmon Architects Grimshaw Architects Facade Installer Gate Precast, Formrite, Kenpat w/