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• Does the Eisenhower Memorial Mark the Death of Civic Culture?

  Politics, and not art, is what stands at the center of the Eisenhower debate, Aaron Betsky says. And civic culture is the one that stands to lose the most.

• Robots Fabricate a Lobster-Inspired Pavilion

  An experimental pavilion in Germany was inspired by a lobster's shell and constructed by robots.

• Toyo Ito Was Long Overdue for the Pritzker

  Whatever the Pritzker jury's reasons for delaying the prize to go to Toyo Ito, Aaron Betsky is just grateful that Ito finally got his due.

• Bracketing, a New Japanese Aesthetic

  Sou Fujimoto's compelling proposal for the 2013 Serpentine Pavilion in London's Kensington Gardens is the latest example of an aesthetic of dematerialization unique to Japanese design.

• Architectural Drawing's Renaissance

  We might not be able to borrow, scrimp, or build ourselves out of our architectural mess, but we will be able to draw ourselves out of it, Aaron Betsky says.

• New Bacteria-Sloughing Materials from Duke University

  Perfect for ships' hulls and buildings in humid climates, a team of researchers just developed a surface that sheds organisms without chemicals.

• German Company Makes Glow-in-the-Dark Concrete

  Yes, it's true: glow-in-the-dark concrete now exists, thanks to German-based manufacturer Kann and its NightTec Leuchtsteine pavers.

• Cincinnati Art Museum Gets an Open Office Plan

  After years in shared offices, drafting floors, cubicles, and fancy offices, Aaron Betsky is enjoying an open-office space for the first time.

• Two Companies Work to Make Glass Disappear

  Don't run into this glass by Aashi Glass and Rolith—with minimal reflections, it's near invisible.

• Aaron Betsky Visits the University of Coventry's New Student Center

  Student centers are becoming places for collaborative studying in addition to amenities such as offices, cafeterias, and mail rooms. When students leave universities, they take that collaborative mindset to the office, where they adapt easily to open-plan office space.