Table of Contents June 2010
Dialogue
Features
Competition among firms has never been fiercer, so when public projects are awarded to out of state practices, local architects don't take it quietly.
How the recession undid CSD Architects, one of Baltimore's oldest design firms, and how the practice made a partial comeback.
This fast-growing, resource-rich country holds opportunities for U.S. architects beyond the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Buildings
![Foster Partners effectively designed two buildings in one, each having its own name and material properties: the glassy Fortaleza Hall and the predominantly masonry Commons. Together, they add 60,000 square feet of employee-focused space to the campus. Fortaleza Halls minimal form consists of an elliptical glazed shell and overhanging roof. The structure is supported by 10 steel columns, made from custom-designed hollow steel sections. Inside each column is a downspout, allowing rainwater that collects on the roof to run off without requiring the clutter of an exposed gutter system. And despite conventional wisdom that would dictate putting as much glass as possible between inside and out (the average January low temperature in Racine is 13 degrees), each of the 85 curved panes is single-glazed laminated glass. We were very keen to avoid distortion in the glass, which you get with toughened glass, partner-in-charge Giles Robinson says. Its regular annealed glass, but laminated to deal with any potential failure, and that system introduced onto the framing system produced what we consider the most elegant solution. Each panel is 7-1/2 feet tall and 16 feet wide. The Commons is a much more solid-looking building. Its brick massincorporating employee amenities such as eateries, a wellness center, a bank, a concierge, and a company storecurves around to envelop the east side of the glass pavilion. In contrast to Fortaleza Halls intentional transparency, the Commons is constructed with self-supporting masonry walls made out of Kasota stone from the same quarry that Frank Lloyd Wright used for the copings of his Administration Building. I think we were very conscious that we didnt want to mimic or ape the Wright building, Robinson adds, but we did introduce the bull-nose curves on the end of The Commons that have a resonance to [Wrights] architecture.](/Images/tmp1351%2Etmp_tcm20-397096.jpg)
Foster + Partners' glass pavilion and employee amenities building are the new centerpiece of the historic SC Johnson campus in Racine, Wis.
A new, innovatively clad student center reinvigorates and reconnects the Barnard College campus.
A new station on the border of the U.S. and Canada shows that a secure facility can also be well designed.
Business
Best Practices
Local Market
Other Articles
When it comes to managing firm growth, several practices across the country say that hugging the middle has its benefits, boom or bust.
Stalled city construction sites are coming back to life, thanks to interventions led by designers, developers, and public agencies.
Technology
Detail
Ecology
Products
Triangular desks in 18 trim colors can be configured into individual and collaborative workspaces.
Paul Smith-designed textile for seating upholstery.
A new line of furniture made of post-consumer content, with a myriad of upholstery options.
Ergonomic task chair made of suspension material and a four-way-stretch mesh back.
A collaboration with Treefrog Veneer, the system has three reveal options and more than 150 options.
A system of cross-shaped Varia Ecoresin pieces can be combined to create partitions or even canopies.
Other Articles
Culture
Crit
Exhibits Books Etc.
Evan Mather packs a lot of history into his 30-minute documentary about the well-known geodesic structure in Baton Rouge, La.
For the first time, architect Peter Marino's collection of 30 French and Italian bronze sculptures is on public display.
A monograph captures the spirit and substance of the pioneering architectural photographer.
Chris Chong Chan Fui's 20-minute film uses a static camera and subtle sound design to create a meditative work of art.
The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art launches a new yearly series of site-specific projects by Arizona architects.
Screen Grab
Other Articles
Past P/A
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