Cheap labour is good, but free labour is even better. With the emergence of ever evolving social media platforms, many of the world’s industries are formulating creatively inexpensive strategies for optimal gain. However, when it comes to the tourism industry, the utilisation of platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are either non existent or tepidly innovative. [...]
It is well known that urban planning has historically been a complicated affair. The process is often convoluted, requiring the coordination and cooperation of multiple public-private actors and stakeholders to approve new projects. In light of these facts and current economic trends, is it sensible for cities to continue major investments into this area? Milan [...]
With the economy in its current slump, development has staggered its progress in the past decade. But not all new development has been stopped. Buena Vista, Colorado has, of course, been affected by the economic downturn, but South Main continues to progress into the neighborhood its founders dreamed in the past decade. As one of [...]
If Phoenix is loops and lollipops, then what is Seattle? After recently moving from Phoenix to Seattle, it is more apparent to me how sprawl has defined Phoenix’s landscape, with its vast amounts of highways interchanges (loops) and cul-de-sacs (lollipops). Disenchantment with the post-industrial city has consequently spawned debates about what constitutes “good” urban design. [...]
In July of 2012, Target opened a brand new location in downtown Chicago, in architect Louis Sullivan’s famed Carson Pirie Scott building. Critics were left to wonder if the landmark building’s character could be preserved with such a corporate tenant, yet the remarkable cast-iron façade remains intact, and the exterior corporate branding is less obtrusive [...]
Xintiandi was once a quiet residential neighbourhood located in a rapidly developing inner city district in Shanghai, China. Between 1999 and 2001, however, the area underwent a massive redevelopment project. It involved the displacement of 25,000 households and 800 work units, including 3,800 households and 156 workplaces in just 43 days. This was done in [...]
When a city is selected to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, it undertakes a great responsibility to accommodate athletes and their teams, as well as thousands of people at appropriate infrastructures. Athens, Greece hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2004. It was an event undoubtedly well-organized and appreciated globally. The total cost of [...]
In “Writing About Architecture,” Alexander Lange treats the reader to a process as well as a list of critiques that we can employ to deem the importance and worth of a building. Chapter 3 entitled ‘Whats Worth Preserving’ promotes famous art historian’s Alois Riegl’s five values that help the critic utilize a framework, which he can [...]
Six months ago, I was interviewed online in order to join the Environmental Design blogging team of The Grid. A brand new experience was waiting for me and I jumped at the opportunity. It combined a rich blend of sustainability in local architecture and urbanism, peppered with the responsibility to transmit accurate details about inspiring [...]
“In the elevators of the Empire State Building, you’d hear the elevators of the Eiffel Tower. The sounds of the Paris Metró are replaced with the sounds of the Bejing subway…If you don’t like Rome, you can make it sound like Dubai.” –Geoff Manaugh, The BldgBlog Book In this passage, author Geoff Manaugh introduces his [...]
Wow, how fast time does fly! It seems like only yesterday that I was signing my first set of paperwork to do my internship with Global Site Plans. Initially, I must admit that I was a little nervous about doing an internship with Global Site Plans because I feared that I could not produce quality [...]
The BLDGBLOG Book by Geoff Manaugh introduces us to speculation about future architecture and how the present built environment will eventually change. From the first page of the book, the reader gets an idea of what he is about to read as he is presented an illustration of London in A.D. 2109. London seems like [...]
Geoff Manaugh’s BLDGBLOG book attempts to frame the world as consisting of architecture, resultant of design choices, as legible texts similar to a work of literary fiction, and perhaps most importantly, open to the possibility of rebuilding. With his personal interests at the fore (including a penchant for novelistic allegory and acoustic quality of space), [...]
The BLDGBLOG Book offers readers an exciting and unpredictable exploration of architecture in the broadest of contexts. Uninhibited by constraints, author Geoff Manaugh follows his line of interests wherever they may lead him, unlocking the possibilities of the future of architecture through his collection of narratives, interviews, images, and more. Ultimately, he challenges readers to join him in [...]
Museums have recently become a hallmark topic in the teaching of architecture, as many architecture schools tend to include several museum projects in their design studio curricula, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone since we live in an age of the museum as a paradigmatic architectural and cultural enterprise. With the increasing popularity of critical writing, [...]
River enjoyment is something that can both bring excitement to a community as well as create great economic opportunities. That is why Richmond, Virginia recently adopted the Richmond Riverfront Plan. The contemporary plan involves revitalizing the James River by adding new access points, creating open public spaces where people can gather and commune, and by [...]
There are a few questions to ask yourself before you run out and start a twitter chat of your own. After establishing your unique why, previously covered, you should consider what kind of commitment you are willing to make and how to implement it. Remember, part of establishing a successful twitter chat is creating a [...]
The explosion of online education in the past decade is rapidly changing the face of education. In 2006, 3.5 million students were listed as enrolled in an “online learning institution of higher education.” In 2009, it was asserted that 44% of USA post-secondary students were taking either some or all of their courses online. This [...]
In today’s technological society, Twitter has become a great way for professionals in architecture, landscape design, and urban planning to frequently communicate. As a result, more and more professionals today are using the online platform to discuss topics relating to community, environment, infrastructure, and more. Thus, twitter has become one of the best ways to [...]
One of the most iconic viewsheds in Minneapolis – hated by some, loved by others – are any that include the Riverside Plaza apartments. From many places in the city you can see the Brutalist concrete buildings, with their primary-color panels and blockish tower-structure, towering above their surroundings. In 2010, Riverside Plaza was included in [...]
