AEC News You Can Use Blog

The American Institute of Architects New York gave out its annual design awards Monday night. The awards are granted for “outstanding architectural design” in New York City, or by NYC-based architects.

Many winners are the type you’d expect to receive an architecture award — this year’s top honors included glitzy, high-profile projects like the new Perelman Performing Arts Center in Lower Manhattan

Others are less obvious. The top honor in the “projects” category, for example, went to a series of new benches, just past security, at Newark Airport’s Terminal C.

“Design excellence is the purpose of this program,” said Jesse Lazar, the executive director of AIANY, who was not on the independent jury that chose the awards.

“Design is of course about making something beautiful, but it’s also about solving problems," Lazar said.

Founded in New York in 1857, the American Institute of Architects organized into local chapters 10 years later — AIA New York remains the oldest and largest in the country.

The jury described the Terminal C benches, by the Missouri-based firm HNTB, as solving a problem that anyone who flies will understand — getting past security with your shoes off, things strewn about, and finding nowhere to sit and get it all together.

“It’s not a huge social problem,” Lazar said. “But it’s a problem people experience in space, and the jury felt this project addressed it in a way that was sensitive, beautiful, attentive to detail, and effective. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.”

The jury also appreciated the design of the bench base, which rhymes visually with the columns of the new terminal itself.

“What comes across as simplistic unpacks a lot of richness to it,” the jury said.

Other honorees at this year’s event reflect how the field’s focus is widening beyond big-budget “starchitecture.”

Bedford Green House I, an affordable housing project in the Northwest Bronx by the Manhattan firm ESKW/Architects, won a “merit” award in the..Read More Here

After three years of intense growth, costs for some construction materials have begun to normalize — but other materials and equipment are becoming more expensive.

Machinery Partner used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to identify which construction materials underwent the steepest price increases over the past year. The analysis considered 30 products from the BLS Producer Price Index.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a 39.6% spike in overall input construction costs since February 2020, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of BLS PPI data. Work stoppages, raw materials shortages, and transportation issues at the height of the pandemic caused supply chain collapses that drove up prices for builders.

As some supply issues have improved, prices have cooled. Nonresidential construction input prices fell 1.1% over the past year, according to an ABC analysis. However, many individual commodities are increasing in price, particularly heavy materials that are more expensive to transport, according to construction cost data provider Gordian

High construction prices, higher mortgage interest rates, and higher labor costs have led to a 17% drop in the construction of new single-family homes despite consistent demand.

Construction projects centered on infrastructure are better positioned as government money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act comes online. However, the law's "Build America, Buy America" clause requires builders to use American-made iron, steel, and other construction materials for these infrastructure projects. Certain experts and contractor groups fear these infrastructure rules may cause prices to increase even more. The transition to greener buildings also creates more demand — and therefore increases prices — for materials used in more energy-efficient construction.

Inflation has contributed to increased prices for many construction materials, including clay products, per LBM Journal. More megaprojects, including two manufacturing plants in Georgia totaling $6.7 billion, also create more demand, causing price increases.

Higher transportation costs aren't the only element plaguing concrete prices. Its production is a big culprit in..Read More Here

Two New York City construction bosses accused of recklessly using a crane that toppled over in a near-fatal accident at a Manhattan job site were acquitted by a Manhattan Supreme Court judge Thursday.

Timothy Braico, 46, and Terrence Edwards, 44, dodged second-degree assault and reckless endangerment charges in the eight-month long trial for the June 25, 2018 crane collapse at a luxury residential building in Harlem.

The case was argued at a non-jury trial before Judge Maxwell Wiley after nearly five years of pretrial litigation that followed the pair’s November 2018 indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

“We are grateful that justice was done and wish that Mr. Braico didn’t have to wait five years to be vindicated,” Dan Horwitz, Braico’s defense attorney, said in a statement.

Prosecutors argued that Braico, a senior branch manager, rented a Jekko mini crane without ensuring that it was properly set up, while having untrained workers use the equipment.

Edwards, a site supervisor, had allegedly instructed an untrained worker to use the crane — causing it to topple over, sending a heavy glass panel crashing to the ground on the day of the incident, prosecutors have said.

Dramatic video of the crash showed the boom strike two ironworkers on the third floor of the construction site on East 126th Street.

One of the workers suffered severe head trauma and the other’s mobility was impaired due to his injuries.

Defense attorneys had accused the DA’s Office of withholding evidence that involved disgraced former Assistant District Attorney Diana Florence, who testified in the case.

Florence, a former head of the office’s Construction Fraud Task Force, resigned amid allegations that she withheld evidence in several other major cases in 2020.

The one-time Manhattan DA hopeful was accused of devising a “scheme” to have a summons dismissed against crane operator Steven Lewis, whom the defense accused of..Read More Here

Canon Inc. (Canon-CNA.com) ranked fifth for the number of U.S. patents awarded in 2022, becoming the only company in the world to have ranked in the top five for 37 years running, according to the latest ranking of preliminary patent results issued by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. What’s more, Canon ranked first among Japanese companies for 18 consecutive years.

Canon actively promotes the globalization of its business and places great value on obtaining patents overseas, carefully adhering to a patent-filing strategy that pursues patents in essential countries and regions while taking into consideration the business strategies and technology and product trends unique to each location. Among these, the United States, with its many high-tech companies and large market scale, represents a particularly important region in terms of business expansion and technology alliances.

Canon U.S. patent rankings 2013–2022（Previous 10 years）

Canon aims to create new technologies in its four business groups of printing, imaging, medical and industrial equipment. In addition to strengthening the competitiveness of each of its businesses, in recent years, the company has been focusing on development of fundamental technologies, such as video analysis, cutting-edge image sensors, volumetric video and healthcare AI, that can be applied and utilized for various purposes, as well as the acquisition of patent rights for such technologies. In keeping with the times, in order to encourage the core competency technologies that support its business, Canon promotes the acquisition and utilization of intellectual property rights which it uses to maintain a robust patent portfolio that ensures the competitiveness and freedom of its businesses.

Going forward, Canon will continue its intellectual property initiatives with the goal of supporting its businesses, providing products and services with added value, and contributing to a better society

A/E Graphics of Brookfield, Wisconsin was recognized as a Canon 2023 Large Format Top Performing Dealer in North America.. Read More Here

A Polish architect has been awarded the title of world’s best architect for his James Bond-style mountain-top ski centre in Silesia’s Beskid mountains.

Przemek Gawęda clinched the title of Architect of the Year 2023 at the prestigious international Architecture Community awards for his multifunctional Biathlon Stadium in Kubalonka, which once  completed  will provide Poland with the opportunity to host World Cup and even Winter Olympic events.

According to the international jury, the Biathlon Stadium represents a harmonious blend of modern architecture and functionality.

The plans aim not only to create an excellent venue for athletes but also an appealing facility for fans and architecture enthusiasts.

The state-of-the-art ski center in Istebna, near Wisła, is poised to become a hub for comprehensive training in cross-country skiing and biathlon, offering athletes unparalleled comfort and cutting-edge amenities.

To conceptualize the design, Gawęda and his team of architects embarked on several international trips, studying similar facilities and conducting a thorough analysis of the infrastructure needs.

Gawęda explained that the design includes "a built-in hotel function with approximately 100 beds, a large underground car park with approximately 240 parking spaces, regeneration and wellness facilities, gyms, training rooms, social and conference facilities, along with facilities for organizing sports events such as the World Cup or the World Championships and Olympic Games in the future."

Simultaneously, Gawęda received the "Sports and Leisure Facility of the Year 2023" award for his cutting-edge design of a shielded tunnel on the inrun of the Wielka Krokiew ski jump in Zakopane, addressing the problem of icy and snow-covered tracks for jumpers.

The delighted architect who is the owner, and chief architect of the Archigeum studio in Zielonka said: “This award is a nice distinction not only for me, but above all for the entire design team that we form. [...]

“The design topics that we implement result from our interests, which is an advantage, but also a value in itself. Architecture, that we create is not the result of plebiscites or surveys - it is an.. Read More Here

On 11/25/23 at approximately 6:45pm, officers responded to Forsythe Middle School (1564 Newport Road) for a report of a juvenile attempting to steal a construction vehicle. At 6:48pm officers located the stolen vehicle being driven southbound on Brooks Street near Pearl Street without any lights on. Multiple officers initiated a pursuit of the vehicle at speeds of 15 to 20mph with emergency lights and sirens on. During the pursuit, the driver of the stolen vehicle traveled through the Georgetown Boulevard neighborhood, striking approximately ten parked vehicles. 

At approximately 7:18pm officers terminated the pursuit when the vehicle traveling northbound on Nixon Road went across the M-14 bridge. At that time deputies with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office picked up the pursuit and followed the vehicle until the driver stopped at approximately 7:53pm in the area of M-14 and Gotfredson. The driver was identified as a 12-year-old boy from Ann Arbor and was taken into custody and later lodged at the juvenile detention center. No one was injured in the pursuit.

Preliminary investigation revealed the juvenile gained access to the construction vehicle at Forsyth Middle School. The vehicle was unlocked with the keys hidden inside the cab. The vehicle is a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler, equipped with a forklift. This type of vehicle can weigh up to 35,000 pounds. 

This was a very dangerous situation that could’ve easily ended with serious injuries. The incident remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation.

Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban studies, has announced that Miami-based architect and urban planner Chad Oppenheim has been selected as the 2023 Laureate of The American Prize for Architecture^®, the prestigious award that is regarded internationally as the highest honor for architecture in the United States.

Oppenheim’s built works, spanning over two decades, are expansive in typology and geography, including works ranging from cultural and hospitality buildings to residences and urban master planning throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America.

“Subtle, powerful, elegant, and deeply romantic” states Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, architecture critic and Museum President/CEO of The Chicago Athenaeum, “he is a prolific American architect who is radical in his restraint, demonstrating his reverence for history and culture, as well as time and space, while honoring the preexisting built and natural environments, as he reimagines a more beautiful and poetic world with modern, meaningful buildings that relate to their context and reinvigorates the landscape and places in which his designs exits.”

“His monumental, immutable architecture enhances the lives of its occupants, realizes a site’s full potential, and protects and celebrates the natural environment.”

“From the serene Jordanian desert to the lush Bahamas, he shapes buildings and places to achieve the optimal balance between creativity and pragmatism, function and experience, construction and aesthetics.”

“He treats his buildings and projects with sanctity as he unlocks the mystical and metaphysical essence of the power of architecture.”

“Oppenheim’s buildings engage and harness their surrounding land and seascapes and showcase the designer’s dedication to sustainable practices and materials.”

“He believes that buildings and their environment should be deeply symbiotic, where projects ‘belong’ to their site and form follows feeling. Guided by three philosophical pillars—spirit of place, silent monumentality, and the essential—he has spent decades creating landmark architecture that is highly sensitive and responsive to its context and climate.” Read more here

The legendary Frank Lloyd Wright was a prolific architect but leaned on engineers to ensure his designs’ sound structure.

One of those pros was Mendel Glickman, who built this nearly 3,000-square-foot home in Fox Point, WI. The place is listed for $849,900.

Commissioned by John and Sophia Dulka, this one-level, wooded retreat has been untouched since its 1956 completion.

Added to the property in 2016 is a detached 1,000-square-foot art studio designed by Ramsey Jones Architects. The sellers bought the home in 2015 and are its third owners.

Fox Point is a small community along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, 10 miles north of downtown Milwaukee.

That add-on studio is a selling point, notes listing agent Suzanne Powers, of Suzanne Powers Realty Group, because the community no longer approves these for new construction.

“Fox Point doesn’t allow for outbuildings today,” she says. “You could always turn the art studio into a guest suite.”

Other attractive amenities include the .87-acre lot and the two-block proximity to Lake Michigan.

The three-bedroom, 1.5-bath home has notable architectural features that include a floor-to-ceiling, brick fireplace in the living room and striking kitchen cabinetry.

“Inside the house is a true time capsule,” Powers says. “Anybody who’s looking at this house should be interested in preservation. This isn’t the type of house that should be purchased for a renovation.”

The only major change to the interior is the updated kitchen appliances.

So, who will buy this well-preserved property?

“It’s probably going to be somebody who’s a midcentury modern enthusiast and knowledgeable about Frank Lloyd Wright,” Powers predicts.

Russia-born Glickman emigrated to the U.S. as a child and taught structural engineering to architectural fellows at Taliesin, Wright’s homestead. He later became the iconic architect’s main engineer. The duo worked together on many of Wright’s projects, including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.

• For more photos and details, check out the full listing.
• Homes for sale in Fox Point, WI
• Learn more about Fox Point, WI

Read more here

Inside every avid golfer is a golf-course architect.

Or at least a little voice that says, “I could so build a cool par-3 on that empty parcel.”

But daydreaming is not the same as doing. A new program aims to bridge the gap between the two.

Enrollment is now open for Design Boot Camp, a four-day workshop that doubles as fantasy camp for anyone with designs on getting into golf-course design — and is willing to lay out some dough to do it.

Sponsored by the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), and held at Erin Hills Golf Course, the Wisconsin host of the 2017 U.S. Open, the program will give 16 participants the chance to learn from — and collaborate with — established architects, including the trio behind Erin Hills: Mike Hurdzan, Ron Whitten and Dana Fry. Past ASGCA presidents Jeff Blume, Tom Marzolf, Steve Forrest, Damian Pascuzzo, Jason Straka, Jan Bel Jan, Bruce Charlton and Jeff Brauer also will serve as instructors.

As part of the curriculum, students will get a crash course on the theoretical and technical foundations of the field, such as design philosophy, routing, hazard placement and green design. They’ll also be asked to put those learnings into practice on a property adjacent to the championship course, where students will be split into four “foursomes.” After walking the site and taking stock of the natural features, each group will be asked to design four- to five-hole routings, under the supervision of two architect instructors, and draw up a detailed plan for them. At a “grand unveiling,” students will then stitch their routings together into a dream 18 at Erin Hills. Alas, the finished product will not come to life as an actual golf course, but each student will receive a color print of the work as a memento. Read more here

The 32-story Edison tower on downtown Milwaukee’s riverfront could begin construction next spring, adding yet another peak to the city’s skyline.

Madison-based developer The Neutral Project has filed a proposal for review by the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals, city records show. The proposal also will undergo Plan Commission and Common Council review.

The firm is planning to complete its financing package in the first quarter of 2024, and planning to break ground on the project in the second or third quarter, followed by about two and a half years of construction, according to Daniel Glaessl, a partner at the firm.

The 381-unit luxury apartment tower would be built on a vacant lot at 1005 N. Edison St. along the Milwaukee River − where the former Rojahn & Malaney Co. warehouse was demolished this spring. The residential units would range from studios to three-bedroom apartments.

Parking is planned for the second through sixth floors of the building. Plans show a seventh floor dedicated to resident amenities. Floors 28 through 31 will be penthouse levels. The first floor will house a lobby, café, and a yet-to-be-determined tenant in a 7,100-square-foot space along the Milwaukee RiverWalk. A small park next to the building will also be relandscaped for public use.

The Edison would use a construction technique known as mass timber, or cross-laminated timber, which uses layers of wood pressed together to create columns, beams and other building frame components. This approach follows The Neutral Project’s mission to construct carbon neutral buildings.

“At completion the building will be one of the tallest mass timber hybrid structures in the world, utilizing nearly 100,000 cubic feet of lumber,” Glaessl said.

The Edison would add to a flurry of recent apartment tower construction in the downtown area. Both the 44-story Couture apartment tower and 31-story 333 North Water Street apartment tower, currently under construction, are to be completed this spring. Read more here