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JUNE 2025
DEPARTMENTS
20 EDITOR’S LETTER BUILDING TYPE STUDY 1,076 PRACTICE MATTERS
43 HOUSE OF THE MONTH: CS2 House, INDUSTRY
143 Architectural Competitions
Denver NEMESTUDIO By David Hill 87 Introduction By Sarah Amelar
48 RECORD REVEALS: AIA’s Conference 88 Terminal Warehouse, New York 146 Planning in Uncertain Times
on Architecture & Design in Boston COOKFOX ARCHITECTS By Ian Volner By Vernon Mays
By Matt Hickman
94 Trumpf Education Center, 148 Mergers and Acquisitions
49 IN FOCUS: South Station Concourse, Ditzingen, Germany By Leopoldo Villardi
Boston PELLI CLARKE & PARTNERS BARKOW LEIBINGER By Matthew Allen
By Matthew Marani 150 AI and Design By Dante A. Ciampaglia
100 IW 63 Training Center, Broadview, 151 Game Engines for Visualization
54 CLOSE UP: Sainsbury Wing Renovation,
Illinois GENSLER By Matthew Marani
National Gallery, London By Matthew Marani
SELLDORF ARCHITECTS By Chris Foges
63 BUILDING TECHNOLOGY:
Fire Station #3, Boulder, Colorado REVIEWS
DAVIS PARTNERSHIP By Katharine Logan DESIGN VANGUARD
109 Introduction 23 The 19th Venice Architecture Biennale
68 PRODUCTS: Glass & Glazing
By Ian Volner
71 FORUM: Buyer’s Market By Aaron Smithson 110 Fondamenta By Gabriele Neri
31 The 2025 World Expo in Osaka
75 GUESS THE ARCHITECT 114 Leopold Banchini By Andrew Ayers By Clifford A. Pearson
77 BOOK ROUNDUP: Editors’ Picks 118 Ben Pennell By Dante A. Ciampaglia 38 Duck Duck Shed in Las Vegas
80 BOOK EXCERPT: Tips from the Top, 120 HCCH Studio By Clifford A. Pearson By Izzy Kornblatt
edited by Clifford A. Pearson, Ken 122 Felipe Alarcón By Michael Snyder
Yeang, and Raghda Alhayali
126 T+E+A+M By Izzy Kornblatt
THIS PAGE: ZOĪ VENDOME, PARIS, BY SALA HARS. PHOTO © 11H45.
128 Sala Hars By Chris Foges
188 Dates & Events Expanded coverage at architecturalrecord.com.
132 Current Interests By Pansy Schulman
192 SNAPSHOT: Neuhoff, Nashville
S9 ARCHITECTURE By Joann Gonchar, FAIA 134 Ozaeta-Fidalgo By David Cohn
COVER: TRUMPF EDUCATION CENTER, DITZINGEN,
136 Almost Studio By Leopoldo Villardi GERMANY, BY BARKOW LEIBINGER. PHOTO © SIMON
MENGES & NINO TUGUSHI.

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Earn your continuing education credits free online at ce.architecturalrecord.com*
CONTINUING EDUCATION

IN THIS ISSUE

Photo courtesy of Armstrong World Industries

Photo courtesy of Rieder USA/Ditz Fejer

p156 p165 p169

Photo courtesy of Geberit

Reconsidering Sustainability New Needs for Existing Buildings Concept to Carbon Neutral
Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, New Millennium, A Steel Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, Geberit, and National Terrazzo Sponsored by Armstrong World Industries
Dynamics Company, and Rieder USA and Mosaic Association (NTMA) CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; 0.1 ICC CEU
1 WELL AP; 1 SITES AP; 1 LEED; 1 PDH
Photo courtesy of The Propane Education & Research Council

Photo by Seamus Payne: courtesy of Becker + Becker

Photo courtesy of ESI Total Fuel Management

Photo courtesy of Saltz-Michelson Architects

p170 p172 p174 p176 p178
Photo courtesy of Autodesk

Power Resiliency – Don’t Be Sustainability and Carbon Designing the Structural Steel in Passive Liquid Gold: Harnessing
Fuelish! Reduction Resilient Home House Construction Rainwater for a
Sponsored by ESI Total Fuel Sponsored by Autodesk Provided by The Propane Education & Sponsored by The Steel Institute of Sustainable Future
Management CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC Research Council (PERC) New York Sponsored by Watts Water Technologies, Inc.
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; 0.1 CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE
CEU/HSW; 0.1 ICC CEU ICC CEU CE HOUR; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; 0.1 HOUR; 0.1 ICC CEU; 1 PDH
HOUR; 0.1 ASPE CEU; 0.1 ICC CEU
ICC CEU
Photo © Jeff Miskis; courtesy of Cascade Architectural

Photo courtesy of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum

p180 p182 p183 p184 p185

Edward Caruso Photography
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Sustainable Retrofitting Making Sustainability Goals Twisted Not Kinky Securing Spaces with Benefits of Rigid Cover
Photo courtesy GAF.

Sponsored by Inpro Achievable with Your Roof Sponsored by Cascade Architectural Metal Ceilings Boards in Commercial
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To receive credit, you are required to read the entire article and pass the quiz. Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com for complete text and to take the quiz for free.

*All Architectural Record articles and presentations count toward the annual AIA continuing education requirement. All sponsored exams are available at no charge and are instantly processed, unless otherwise noted.

14 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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*All Architectural Record articles and presentations count toward the annual AIA continuing education requirement. All sponsored exams are available at no charge and are instantly processed, unless otherwise noted.

18 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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DESIGNING From the EDITOR

BY THE BOOK
Practice Matters
LAST MONTH saw a
flurry of events around archi­
tecture, starting with the
Pritzker Prize ceremony on
May 5, when 2025 laureate
Liu Jiakun was awarded his
medal at the Jean Nouvel–
designed Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Many of the guests in atten­
dance then quickly jetted off
to Venice for the vernissage of
the 19th International Arch­
itecture Ex hibition. And,
believe it or not, a number of
the visitors to Venice’s Bien­
nale immediately headed to
Milan, for the opening of that
city’s 24th International Exhibition at the Triennale. Online or in
print, record covered it all, not to mention Expo 2025 in Osaka,
Japan, which opened in April.
While these events, and the festivities around them, are opportuni­
ties to think about architecture beyond the day­to­day activities of the
job itself, and to connect with peers in the profession, often they seem
completely irrelevant to practice. This sentiment is not helped by the
air of doom and gloom that today inevitably surrounds any examina­
tion of the future of the built environment, or, frankly, of the world
itself. “The notion of gathering 158 nations to exchange visions of
peace and progress feels naive,” writes Cliff Pearson of the Osaka
Expo (page 31). “Instead of looking to the future, this Expo seems
stuck in the past.” And of the Venice Biennale (page 23) and its at­
tempt to document the “possibilities, pitfalls, and space­faring AI­
assisted freak­outs confronting global civilization in the 21st century,”
Ian Volner writes, “I have seen the future. And it’s a headache.”
Is there inspiration to be found?
With this issue of record, which coincides with the annual AIA
Conference on Architecture (held in Boston from June 4–7)—and
which we expect to be more relevant to American architects—we take a
closer look at the current state of practice (page 143). At the moment, it
seems to linger somewhere between uncertain and disastrous. At press
time, the most recent Architecture Billings Index showed continued

PHOTOGRAPHY: © JILLIAN NELSON

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In Venice, an Architecture Biennale with a Dystopian Flair

PHOTOGRAPHY: © ANDREA AVEZZÙ, COURTESY LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

BY IAN VOLNER

I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE. And it’s a some 750 contributors as sources of what he This is not, to some extent, the fault of
headache. terms “intelligens,” vital practical clues for Ratti, still less of the individual exhibitors,
Carlo Ratti’s international exhibition at the responding to pressing social and ecological many of whom turn up with outstanding
19th Venice Architecture Biennale is intend- crises. But the extraordinary density of the work. For his part, the show’s MIT-based
ed to be a searching, no-bad-ideas rap session presentation fogs up any conceptual clarity his curator was kneecapped by the temporary
on the human prospect—the possibilities, section might otherwise have possessed. closure of the Central Pavilion, the secondary
pitfalls, and space-faring AI-assisted freak- Filled to the brim with drum-playing robots, facility that typically plays host to a substan-
outs confronting global civilization in the 21st oversize LED screens, and the occasional live tial chunk of the Biennale. Had the space
century. At least by the standards of recent Bhutanese wood-carver, the atmosphere in been available, it might have afforded a bit
biennials, the show’s premise is remarkably Venice’s chasmic Arsenale complex is that of a more breathing room for some of the Arse-
concise: riffing on (though not perhaps ad- shadow-realm Coney Island, sans hot dogs nale’s most intriguing material: Chicago’s
equately crediting) the field of information and sans beach, where the only prize is the Studio Gang brought a set of porcelain archi-
theory, Ratti proffers 300 installations from grim certainty that the end is nigh. tectonic elements for aiding urban wildlife,

23
 Record REVIEWS

An overview of the Arsenale (above). Studio

Gang’s colorful contributions aid urban wildlife,
including bats, birds, and bees (left).

among such bats, a favorite of principal Jeanne

Gang for their “weirdly human” behavior; from
the Sydney office of Grimshaw Architects, a
project to turn data centers into “urban mixed-
use opportunities,” in the words of the firm’s
Erik Escalante; and, from New York urban-
experimental studio Terreform One, a “DNA
archive,” as founder Mitchell Joachim de-
scribes it, with living kelp acting as genetic
hosts for architectural data. At times, the
profusion of stuff—the succession of off-grid
building prototypes (e.g., Deserta Ecofolie,
from Chilean duo Pedro Ignacio Alonso and
Pamela Prado) and speculative mobility sys-
tems (Norman Foster’s experimental water
bikes, available for test drive at the Arsenale’s
dock) and Rube Goldberg machines for turn-
ing Venetian canal water into coffee (from
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, winner of this year’s

24 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

PHOTOGRAPHY: © ANDREA AVEZZÙ (OPPOSITE, TOP AND TOP, RIGHT); MARCO ZORZANELLO (TOP, LEFT); LUCA CAPUANO (BOTTOM);

Canal Café by DS+R (above) and the Bahrain

Pavilion (above, right) were both winners of a
Golden Lion. The Belgian Pavilion (right)
centered around plants.

Golden Lion, despite its not in fact being

fully operational as yet)—almost achieves a
kind of accidental sublimity. Such moments,
however, are fleeting, the exhibition’s myriad
parts inevitably getting in the way of the
whole.
The national delegations are often excel-
lent when taken individually, with or without
Ratti’s framework in view. Among the stron-
gest are a gaggle of teams from the Middle
COURTESY LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA; TOM HARRIS (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM)

East: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi

Arabia, and Bahrain all came to town with
revealing exposés of (respectively) regional
housing types, agricultural strategies, historic
preservation, and climate-change mitigation,
the lattermost taking Golden Lion honors
among the 66 countries that presented this definitely the snarkiest installation in the and-chart dork in us all, Fondazione Prada
year. In a Biennale so overstuffed and fre- Giardini, Lares and Penates, which skewered unveiled Diagrams: assembled by Rem Kool-
netic, some of the best ideas are the ones that the well-intentioned futility of signage, fire haas’s AMO/OMA, upward of 300 archival
slow things down and space things out—in extinguishers, and other domestic minutiae and exhibition-copy documents provide an
the Danish Pavilion, for example, a display of that try and very often fail to help us. “It’s not overview of schematic visual representation
dug-up odds and ends from the structure’s so much architectural as anthropological,” through the ages, from medieval religious
recent renovation, or the Serbian Pavilion, says pavilion curator Aleksandra Kędziorek. tracts to late-1970s magazine infographics on
featuring large woven works suspended from Good things can be found as well off-site, inflation. (“Many of the original historical
the ceiling. A few steps away, Poland has where assorted Venetian institutions new and materials have to be regularly rotated,” noted
come through with perhaps the subtlest, and old debuted design-themed fare. For the map- OMA’s Giulio Margheri, “to ensure the paper

25
 Record REVIEWS

PHOTOGRAPHY: © MARCO ZORZANELLO (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM LEFT AND RIGHT), COURTESY LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA;
Inside a 17th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal
(left), the Fondazione Prada opened Diagrams: A
Project by AMO/OMA (above). In contrast to the
Baroque elegance of that exhibition, the U.S.
Pavilion (opposite, all) had a down-home feel.

is properly exposed and protected.”) A couple

of vaporetto stops to the south, the newly
launched Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation
staged its first-ever show—a site-specific work
from artist-designer Tolia Astakhishvili, who

MARCO CAPPELLETTI (THIS PAGE); ROLAND HALBE (OPPOSITE, TOP)

lived in and among the detritus of the build-
ing’s deconstructed interior while making do
and making objects from the mess. Curated by
ubiquitous cultural dynamo Hans Ulrich
Obrist, the show was a perfect fit for the
structure, which was selected by its arts-
patron leader for its relative flexibility. “The
outside is listed [for protection],” said Fiorucci.
“With the inside, we can do anything.”
Other, less effective offerings could not be
laid at Ratti’s feet. The basic ingredients of this
year’s U.S. Pavilion sound promising enough:
project studies from established practices like
Weiss/Manfredi sit cheek by jowl with more
research-focused work like Friends of

26 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

27
 Record REVIEWS

The Serbian Pavilion’s billowy installation is Foundation, “I never imagined I’d be in a place by luxury outfits like Porsche, Cartier, and
called Unravelling: New Spaces. like this hearing the word ‘Arkansas’ so much.” Milanese fashion brand La DoubleJ, more
Playing in the background of these assorted often the stuff of big commercial fairs—
Residential Treasures’s examination of Los disappointments and confusions is a cultural though behind it all there lurked a palpable
Angeles porch culture. Under the direction of and political climate of increasingly gloomy sense of unease, one that only seemed exacer-
the Fay Jones School of Architecture and aspect. The Biennale as an institution faces an bated by the hectic psycho-visual environment
Design at the University of Arkansas, Porch, as uncertain future: the director of next year’s art at the Arsenale. Ratti reportedly accepted
the exhibition is called, does loving homage to show, Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, died three quarters of the open-call applicants for

PHOTOGRAPHY: © LUCA CAPUANO, COURTESY LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

the titular fixture of American residential suddenly during this year’s opening, at the age participation in the main show; it was almost
architecture, and even features a shaded fore- of 57; at the same time, the 2026 American as though he were afraid to miss out on some-
court of its own—an impressive Marlon Pavilion (and by extension any subsequent thing, desperate to hop on any bandwagon that
Blackwell–designed wooden armature project- American Pavilion) is in jeopardy, as the State appeared bound for Tomorrowland. The most
ing from the two wings of the U-shaped Department was late in soliciting proposals worrisome thought is that perhaps this was
historic pavilion. Yet there’s a peculiar the- and has now attached bizarre ideological terms somehow correct: that in fact the combined
matic cleavage between the literal porch that to the brief. The basic relevance of this Archi- intelligens of nature, culture, and technology
greets visitors on arrival, and the only meta- tecture Biennale in particular received a sur- are pointing us in a direction of complete social
phorically porch-y, welcoming-ish displays prising challenge, with the near-simultaneous and intellectual incoherence. The future, as it
within, the sheer number of which nearly opening of a new Triennale exhibition in appeared around the Grand Canal, might be
rivals the Arsenale for mass-per-volume. It is Milan highlighting many of the same nation- an interesting place to visit. But it is not clear
unfortunate, especially given the ingenuous- alities and figures—Qatar and Saudi Arabia why anyone would want to live there. n
ness of the participants, many of whom were and Foster and even Ratti himself—served up
excited simply to be there. As one young in more digestible portions. Ian Volner has contributed articles on architecture,
Southern-born designer put it, during the There were signs of life, even glamour, design, and urbanism to The New York Times,
pavilion party at the Peggy Guggenheim around Venice during the vernissage—events The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker.

28 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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Record REVIEWS

Osaka’s World Expo Arrives, Out of Step with Its Moment

BY CLIFFORD A. PEARSON

IT HAS BEEN nearly a century since an either side of a generous courtyard and a trans- diversity—in terms of its people and skills—
international exposition opened at a moment lucent cube hovering in between. The wings that now seem ironic, at best. One room
as fraught as today. Like the 1939 World’s serve as giant LED screens presenting iconic surrounds visitors with projections of a space
Fair in New York, the 2025 World Expo in images of America: the Statue of Liberty, launch, placing them first under a giant
Osaka, Japan, is shadowed by a breakdown in Grand Canyon, the Hollywood Hills, amber rocket as it blasts off and then taking them
global relations, war in Europe, and extreme waves of grain, purple mountain majesties. into the wild blue yonder with astronauts and
rhetoric everywhere. The notion of gathering Designed by Trahan Architects with BRC all the marvelous technology that makes such
158 nations to exchange visions of peace and Imagination Arts in charge of the interior travel possible. It’s a fun five minutes, a re-
progress feels naïve right now. Instead of exhibition program, the pavilion smartly lever- minder of the kind of know-how and can-do
looking to the future, this Expo seems stuck ages its key location to welcome attendees with spirit that has made America a magnet for the
in the past—a time capsule of possibilities a pair of open architectural arms and draws world’s best minds and hardest workers. It
imagined a year or two ago, when participants them to the enigmatic cube at its center. The ends with the message, “Join Us!,” which flies
planned and designed their venues. pictures of America dancing on the screens are in the face of current events.

PHOTOGRAPHY: © IWAN BAAN

Nowhere is this truer than at the USA clichéd, but it’s hard to deny their allure. Behind the floating cube, the pavilion’s
Pavilion, blessed with the best piece of real Inside, visitors walk along a single-direc- triangular wings almost touch, leaving a sliver
estate at the fairgrounds, just inside the east tional pathway adorned with information on of space for daylight to slide into a simple
gate and closest to the new subway station on Fulbright Scholars and advances in American garden. A sculpture made of hinoki cypress
Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay. agriculture and science—the very programs and designed by 2019 Design Vanguard
The pavilion greets crowds streaming out of the Trump administration is furiously dis- Spiegel Aihara Workshop and Tamotsu
the subway with a pair of triangular wings on mantling. Videos present images of American Teshima Architect stands at one end of the

Sou Fujimoto’s dazzling 1.2-mile Grand Ring

encircles the fair and helps orient visitors, who
can walk on and under it.

31
 Record REVIEWS

garden and alludes to fire-lookout towers in Trahan Architects’s

the U.S. and Japan. USA Pavilion
When groundbreaking for the pavilion (opposite, top) gets
prime position in the
occurred a year ago, everyone understood the
Expo plan (below),
strong bond Japan has had with America which also includes
since the end of World War II. No one was SANAA’s Better
surprised that the U.S. got prime positioning Co-Being Pavilion
to show off its cultural and scientific achieve- (left), Lina Ghotmeh’s
ments, placement which now feels misguided, Bahrain Pavilion
(opposite, bottom
with America’s reputation, in the world and
right), and Shigeru
among longtime allies, on shaky ground. Ban’s Blue Ocean
The Expo opened April 13 and runs until Dome (opposite,
October 13. Its theme—Designing Future bottom left).
Society for Our Lives—offers a conceptual
umbrella large enough for countries, interna-
tional organizations, and private companies to
do pretty much whatever they want with their
pavilions while incorporating three official
subthemes: Saving Lives, Empowering Lives,
and Connecting Lives. Set on 960 acres of
landfill in Osaka Bay, the Expo cost $1.65
billion and drove the expansion of the city’s
metro system to Yumeshima Island. In 1970,
when Osaka hosted the first World Expo in
Asia and showcased a resurgent Japan, trans-
formed after WWII, the event galvanized the
nation and drew 64 million people. Organi-
zers hope the investment in the 2025 fair
attracts 28 million visitors to the Expo,
though early ticket sales have been disap-
pointing, part of a longer-term trend of de-
clining interest in such fairs.

PHOTOGRAPHY: © ROLAND HALBE EXCEPT AS NOTED; JAPAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE 2025 WORLD EXPOSITION (BOTTOM);
The best expos deliver at least one struc-
ture that leaves an indelible mark in the
minds of attendees. Osaka 2025 has such a
star: Sou Fujimoto’s Grand Ring, the world’s
largest wood structure at 1.2 miles in circum-
ference and ranging in height from 40 to 66
feet. Made of Japanese cedar and cypress, as
well as Scots pine, using traditional interlock-
ing joints and steel reinforcing, the ring en-
circles all the national pavilions and gives the
fair an instantly recognizable icon. It works as

HUFTON+CROW (OPPOSITE, TOP); TAKUMI OTA (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM LEFT)

a unifying visual element that helps orient
visitors and as a dazzling work of architecture
that rewards scrutiny up close and from afar.
You can walk under it for protection from the
elements or on top to get spectacular views of
the Expo and Osaka Bay. It’s a worthy succes-
sor to Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace at
London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, Eiffel’s
tower at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in
Paris, and Buckminster Fuller’s Biosphere at
Montreal’s Expo 67.
A standout pavilion is the Blue Ocean
Dome, designed by Shigeru Ban for ZERI
Japan, a nonprofit dedicated to zero-emissions
research. It’s actually three domes, each made
of a different material—laminated bamboo,

32 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

33
 Record REVIEWS

A bright, colorful playground and lounge designed

by o+a (this image). Foster + Partners’ Saudi
Arabia National Pavilion is canyon-like (below,
right). Visitors exit the Blue Ocean Dome (below)
and stroll under the Grand Ring (opposite).

PHOTOGRAPHY: © TAKUMI OTA (TOP)

34 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic tubes, and
Ban’s signature cardboard tubes—wrapped in
a polycarbonate skin. Visitors proceed from
one soap-bubble-like enclosure to another,
learning about the role oceans play in our
planet’s environment and about pollution’s
impact on them. Designer Kenya Hara, Muji’s
longtime art director, created the hauntingly
beautiful images that animate the interiors of
two of the domes and wordlessly convey what’s
happening to the planet’s bodies of water.
Oceans and environmental dangers are a
recurring theme, unsurprisingly for an Expo
built on a bay and happening at a time of
rapid climate change. The Bahrain Pavilion,
designed by Lebanese architect Lina Ghot-
meh, alludes to the Kingdom’s seafaring
heritage and the construction of dhows,
traditional trading ships. Made of 3,000
pieces of nonengineered wood, it’s a light-
weight structure that requires minimal foun-
dations and can be disassembled, so its pieces
can be reused. The building employs passive-
cooling strategies and seems to float elegantly
above the ground.
Some of the most interesting structures
aren’t buildings at all. At the center of the
Grand Ring, SANAA’s Better Co-Being
Pavilion is a diaphanous canopy of three-
dimensional metal grids resting on slender
steel columns. It sits within the Expo’s Forest
of Tranquility, hovering above trees and
initiating a dialogue between artifice and
nature, the orthogonal and the organic.
Another covering that’s not an enclosure is a
wonderful playground/outdoor lounge by
onishimaki+hyakudayuki (o+a), a young
husband-and-wife team based in Tokyo and
Kyoto, who used unsold “deadstock” fabric to
create a colorful yurt-like folly that grabs
attention while protecting the kids under-
neath from sun and rain.
The Osaka Expo is an earnest effort to
rally the world around critical issues such as
climate change and the building of a brighter
future. It brings together some talented
architects and designers. It’s a showcase for
national pride and technological innovation.
Nothing wrong with any of that. But such
earnestness feels out of step with the mo-
ment, when the world is burning with con-
flict and transnational recrimination. And
what happens to the goodwill when the event
ends? After the Expo, plans call for most
buildings to be torn down and replaced by a
55-story mixed-use tower, varied develop-
ment, and the country’s first casino—perhaps
an apt metaphor for a future in which every-
thing seems to be a gamble. n

35
 As the longest-running and most-authoritative resource for
architects and related professionals, Architectural Record has
celebrated excellence in its pages for 134 years. This fall,
the editors will inaugurate an annual award program that will
recognize the year’s best built and unbuilt projects as well as
honor leading voices in the field.

Winners will be selected by a jury and featured in November.

Submission Deadline: July 15, 2025

Project Categories Individual Categories

Building of the Year Architect of RECORD
recognizing a lifetime of achievement
Best of Architecture Award
across ten different building types Innovator of the Year

Unbuilt Architecture Award Rising Professional Award

for firms, students, and recent graduates

For submission details, visit architecturalrecord.com/call4entries

E-mail any questions to ARCallForEntries@bnpmedia.com. Include “Record Awards” in the subject line.
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 Record REVIEWS

What Happens in Vegas: Three Days at Duck Duck Shed

BY IZZY KORNBLATT

THERE ARE a few ways a writer for an

architecture magazine can approach going to
Las Vegas. One is the Learning from Las Vegas
way, the dispassionate mode of travel-as-study
made famous by Denise Scott Brown and
Robert Venturi, whose 1968 Yale studio
measured parking lots, diagrammed neon
signs, mapped the strip, and then promptly
returned to New Haven to report its findings.
This is still more or less the usual architec-
tural way of going to Vegas. Then there is
the degenerate way, the embrace of sin exem-
plified by Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas (1971), in which a mag-
azine assignment becomes an opportunity to
acquire a serious narcotics collection and then
embark on an absolutely disgusting city-span-
ning bender that more than earns the book’s
subtitle: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the
American Dream.
architectural record is not a publica-
tion that tolerates degeneracy, so I stayed away
from drugs over the course of my three-day
stay in Vegas. In any case, I was there to cover I listened to a talk on Learning from Las Vegas, lessons along the way. One such effort is a
the third edition of Duck Duck Shed, an but in true Vegas style it was given by the new self-guided architecture and design tour
annual conference of sorts organized by the criminal defense lawyer turned true-crime- of the museum’s collection of neon signs,
Neon Museum that takes its inspiration and commentator Dayvid Figler, and was consid- put together by curator Mariana Gonzalez.
name from Scott Brown and Venturi, specifi- erably more enjoyable than most architecture Another is Duck Duck Shed.
cally from the distinction they introduce events I attend. I learned that casino carpeting is woven in
between “ducks” (buildings whose very form I had some very good food, and met some sheets up to 36 feet wide, and must consist of
communicates symbolically) and “decorated very interesting people. Duck Duck Shed is 80 percent real wool to prevent cigarette
sheds” (generic buildings adorned with com- not a big or famous event, but it has a loyal burns. I learned that stadium seating can
municative elements) in regard to the Las following—particularly, it seemed to me, reach a maximum, vertigo-inducing pitch of
Vegas Strip. Thankfully, the organizers saw to among locals interested in their city’s history 36 degrees. I learned that it costs an eye-
it that there was nonetheless fun to be had. I and architecture (the verdict from one couple: popping $120—not including the mandatory
witnessed an elaborate talk by Steve Crupi, the “the best year yet”). In spite of its name, Duck fee of $12 for storing a bag—to visit the
Implosion Guy, a former TV reporter who, Duck Shed succeeds because it resists de- Sphere, and I can now attest that it is just as
true to the promise of his moniker, is so enam- scending into the usual architecture-in-Las- enormous and immersive as advertised. I
ored of his subject matter that he has dedi- Vegas disagreements about the relevance or made my way on foot up the Strip, crisscross-
cated a second career to presenting footage of lack thereof of good taste, or whether it is ing Las Vegas Boulevard on pedestrian bridg-
the “most magnificent” implosions in Vegas acceptable to construct a faux Eiffel Tower in es filled with boisterous crowds of tourists,
history, some replete with fireworks and the Nevada desert. Instead it offers space to moving from the Bellagio through Caesars
plumes of burning jet fuel, set to melodramatic learn and think about the city in all its com- to the Venetian to the Wynn, only then find-
orchestral music and played in epic slow mo- plexity. Aaron Berger, the Neon Museum’s ing myself deposited outside by a service road
tion. (When an audience member asked if disarmingly down-to-earth director— where I caught a glimpse of Paul Revere Wil-
he’d like to see any still-existing buildings throughout the conference, he could be found liams’s polychrome Guardian Angel Cathe-
imploded, Steve unhesitatingly replied, “the running around the room offering a mic to dral—built in 1955 to provide space for
Trump hotel,” to resounding applause.) I audience members with questions—describes Catholic hospitality workers to worship.
attended a movie premiere held at a swim club his goal as offering “intellectual meat on the According to Figler, it is one of only five
on the roof of a casino, where—contrary to bone” in a city where rarefied museum culture buildings on the Strip that have remained
expectations—I had a great time drinking is decidedly alien. And this doesn’t mean largely untouched since the 1960s.
palomas and watching the wildly entertaining, being boring; it means figuring out ways for Much less interesting was the Fontaine-
decidedly B-list Action! Action! as friends of the museum to meet its audiences on their bleau Las Vegas, the $3.7 billion, 3,500-room
the cast erupted into periodic cheers. And, yes, own turf while sneaking in some valuable monolith that is the newest resort on the

38 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 The Neon Museum,
which organizes
Duck Duck Shed,
collects and
preserves discarded
Las Vegas signs
(above). Speakers
included Dayvid
Figler (left) and Steve
Crupi (opposite).
PHOTOGRAPHY: © NEON MUSEUM

39
 Record REVIEWS
Made in the USA

Strip, and which, as I learned at a presentation given by four of its

designers, pays homage to Morris Lapidus, architect of the Fontaine­
bleau Miami. I don’t think I fully understood why most Vegas casino
floors are labyrinthine spaces of discovery rendered in warm fabrics
until I visited the sterile, convention­center­like Fontainebleau, which
makes you feel small and all too exposed under its bright LED light­
206.788.4210 www.modulararts. com

ing, snapping you out of any seductive fantasies that the rest of the city
may have conjured.
On a tip from Rick Hooker, a former cultural officer for the famed
former mayor Oscar Goodman, who led Duck Duck Shed’s downtown
walking tour, I visited the men’s room at the Main Street Station
casino, where a large chunk of the Berlin Wall is ensconced directly
behind a row of urinals. For some reason, this felt like my cue to try out
gambling for the first time, which resulted in an immediate loss of $40
(plus ATM fee) and the discovery that modern slot machines are not
nearly as straightforward as the ones you see in movies. I had more fun
afterward, wandering in and out of the crowded souvenir shops and
greta™ past the street vendors that line the Fremont Street Experience, the
enormous barrel­vaulted LED screen that transforms the core of
downtown into an enormous party replete with zip­liners zooming by
overhead and musical performers of varying levels of talent. Under this
soaring roof, as in many places along the Strip, you encounter an ex­
traordinary variety of people—from Las Vegas, from around the coun­
try and world—who are mostly if not universally having a good time,
seamless gypsum

and mostly if not universally finding ways to get along as their exis­
añejo™ tences overlap in a momentary blur of money, alcohol, music, and neon.
Far too much has been written about Las Vegas’s artificiality, as if
the veneer of artifice makes this place any less real for those who live in
or choose to visit it. There is nothing unreal about the “cosmopolitan
canopy” of Fremont Street, to adopt an apt term coined by the sociolo­
gist Elijah Anderson, or about any of the multitude of characters—his­
torical or very much alive—that I encountered over the course of my
three days at Duck Duck Shed. Indeed, Las Vegas as a whole is a city
premised on the chaos and possibility of people coming and going, of
free movement—one where over 150,000 hotel rooms play host to tens
of millions of visitors from around the globe every year, and where, in
recent decades, hundreds of thousands of people—mostly from Latin
America—have moved in search of stability and opportunity. For all of
its long­standing inequities, its haphazard planning, its environmental
spoilage—for all of its sins—Las Vegas presents a profoundly welcom­
ing vision of what a place can be. And this vision is worth fighting for
at a moment when it is increasingly under threat. Thousands of un­
documented workers and their families now live in fear of impending
immigration raids. Visitor numbers have fallen as foreign citizens think
twice about entering the United States. Nevada’s unemployment rate is
the highest in the country, and, according to Berger, attendance at the
shayle™ Neon Museum has fallen 10 percent since January 20.
I left Las Vegas with the image of the city as miniature world: half
asleep in the backseat of a 5 a.m. Uber to the airport, I opened my eyes
and saw, outlined against the jagged profile of distant mountains, over­
size palazzos and Roman temples, the great Luxor pyramid, the Empire
State Building and Eiffel Tower, the glimmering orange slab of Man­
dalay Bay rising over lush blue­green pools, tens of thousands of dark­
photo credit: Density Architecture

ened windows reflecting back the peaceful glow of an enormous digital

moon—the Sphere, not yet awakened, awaiting the impending sunrise. n

record contributing editor Izzy Kornblatt is the editor of Encounters:

Denise Scott Brown Photographs, which will be released by Lars Müller
Publishers this fall.
crush™ ansel™

40 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 HOUSE of the Month
USING SIMPLE GEOMETRY, NEMESTUDIO REIMAGINES THE TRADITIONAL SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSE, IN SUBURBAN DENVER. BY DAVID HILL

THE HOUSES in Denver’s East Colfax neighborhood. And, while it employs conven- explores the use of hempcrete, an eco-friendly,
neighborhood are mostly simple single-family tional, even banal design elements—the shed plant-based building material, and will soon
boxes constructed after World War II. On roof, for example—CS2 House is unquestion- break ground in Southern California.)
one block, CS2 House both breaks this mold ably eccentric. When CS2 House was being built, a neigh-
and fits right in. Designed by Berkeley, Cali- “We’re interested in subversion, but from a bor who lives across the street introduced
fornia–based Nemestudio, the dwelling rei- kind of grounded place,” says coprincipal himself to the architects. “What’s interesting
magines the traditional single-family home Neyran Turan, who founded Nemestudio, a about this house is that it’s so different but at
by placing an oversize shed roof, which 2024 Design Vanguard, with her husband, the same time very familiar,” he said, as Turan
forms the upper floor, on top of a cylindrical Mete Sönmez, a decade ago. The firm’s work recounts. “That’s why I like it.”
ground-floor pedestal. The two levels appear has largely been research-focused, with forays That comment gave the architects goose-
as distinct volumes, as if two unrelated struc- into exhibition design. CS2 House, which bumps. “That was our goal—not only in this
tures have somehow connected. Turan and Sönmez designed for themselves, house but in our approach to architecture in
At 1,850 square feet, it is relatively modest, represents a shift toward built projects. general,” she adds.
in keeping with the other houses in the (Another residence, Hempo Longhouse, The concept for the house goes back to
PHOTOGRAPHY: © CÉSAR BÉJAR

43
 HOUSE of the Month

2019, when Turan and Sönmez designed CS original 1948 house on the property had pale green and bright yellow. The circular
House, a similar single-family dwelling. (The burned down.) ground level is open and flexible, with a
C stands for circle, S for square.) Originally, Working on a tight budget, the architects kitchen, a bathroom, and a double-height
the couple hoped to build the house in the Bay and their local contractor, Joe Dooling, used living area. A central, partially caged-in
Area, where Turan teaches, but land and mostly low-cost materials such as concrete stairwell leads to the upper floor, which
construction costs proved prohibitive. Instead, block for the first floor’s curved walls and accommodates two bedrooms and a shared
they looked to Denver, where, for $225,000, IKEA kitchen cabinetry. Inside, the aesthetic bathroom. Thanks to that oversize shed roof,
they were able to buy an empty lot—a blank is minimalist, with unpainted concrete floors the angled upstairs ceiling extends to 15 feet
slate for their self-financed experiment. (The and bare white walls, accented in places with at its peak. Large, square-shaped windows

6
6
6
4
3
5 1
7

3 2

8 6

0 10 FT.
FIRST-FLOOR PLAN SECOND-FLOOR PLAN SECTION A - A
3 M.

1 ENTRY 3 KITCHEN 5 PATIO 7 TERRACE

2 LIVING 4 DINING 6 BEDROOM 8 FLEX ROOM

44 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

The house’s simple
forms echo elements
of suburban Denver
(opposite). Pops of
color brighten the
interiors (above and
right). Living spaces
on the ground level
are encircled by the
cylindrical pedestal
(above, right).

45
 HOUSE of the Month

The sloped upper level crests at 15 feet and

features a large, square window.

throughout the house allow for plenty of

daylight. A simple basement contains a sitting
room, a guest bedroom, a bathroom, and
storage closets.
The intentional misalignment between the
rectangular and circular footprints creates
several shaded outdoor patio areas, as well as a
small balcony off one of the upstairs bed-
rooms. “These design features allow for mul-
tiple readings of the house from different
viewpoints,” Turan says.
Although Turan and Sönmez have spent
several weeks living in CS2 House, their
short-term plan is to rent it out and then, at
some point in the future, perhaps sell it. They
don’t see themselves as developers. Yet, says
Turan, it was a valuable experience—a chance
“to get our hands dirty” while pursuing high-
level architectural and design objectives under
real-world budgetary constraints.
Another aim, she says, smiling, “was to
build it, document it, and introduce it to the
world without going bankrupt.”
Having accomplished that, Turan and
Sönmez see CS2 House as a model for low-
cost, design-focused residences, single-family
or otherwise. “Not that we want to repeat it
exactly,” Turan says, “but I do think the sensi-
bility can be replicated in future projects.” n

David Hill writes about architecture, design, and

planning from Denver.

Credits
ARCHITECT: Nemestudio — Neyran Turan, Mete
Sönmez, principals in charge; Alicia Moreira,
Douglas Lee, Charlotte Chan, project team
ENGINEER: IMEG Engineering (structural)
CONSULTANTS: KC Hamilton Engineering
(geotechnical); Enser Consulting (mechanical);
Yama Electric (electrical); TOGI (plumbing)
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Dooling Design-Build
CLIENT: Neyran Turan and Mete Sönmez
SIZE: 1,850 square feet
COST: withheld
COMPLETION DATE: November 2024

Sources
STRUCTURE: United Construction (concrete);
Metro Foundation Supply (steel); E&S
Construction, Denver Lumber (framing)
CLADDING: Bear Masonry (masonry);
Maximum Quality Plastering (stucco)
WINDOWS & DOORS: Kolbe
ROOFING: Standing Seam Roofing, Craft
Copper

46 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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HELLO, BOSTON! It’s been a while. happy­hour gathering in the early evening on
From June 4 through 7, the American Insti­ June 5.
tute of Architects’ annual Conference on Outside the convention center, record has
Architecture & Design returns to New attendees covered with our “Architect’s Guide

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England’s largest city for the first time since to Boston.” For the AIA25 edition of our
2008. Held at the Rafael Viñoly Architects– insider’s tip sheet to the conference host city,
designed Boston Convention and Exhibition the editors turned to local architects, land­
Center in the Seaport district, AIA25 offers scape architects, designers, and academics to
a packed agenda of seminars and symposia, share their recommended must­visit destina­
tours and open studios, and daily keynotes, tions—many of them off the beaten path—in
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AIA Awards Gala, honoring, among others, neighborhood watering holes—and, of course,
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and Firm of the Year awardee LPA Design der—our guide offers recommendations from
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a presence on the AIA25 Expo floor. Visit Beantown home. n
us throughout the run of the Expo at booth The John Hancock Tower (1976) and Trinity
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 IN FOCUS

Vaulting Ambition
PHOTOGRAPHY: © JASON O’REAR, EXCEPT AS NOTED

Pelli Clarke & Partners completes a monumentally scaled concourse at Boston’s South Station.
BY MATTHEW MARANI

ATTENDEES of the AIA’s national con- Partners (PCP), the gateway is the first com- from the Boston Planning & Development
ference who plan to arrive in Boston via train pleted piece of a multiphase transformation of Agency (BPDA) and Massachusetts Bay
or bus at the South Station Transportation the intermodal hub that rationalizes its mish- Transit Authority (MBTA), allowing devel-
Center will be pleasantly surprised by its new mash of transit infrastructure. oper Hines to move forward with plans for an
eye-catching vaulted concourse. Designed by The improvements were funded with pri- expansive overbuild above the station. The
the New Haven studio of Pelli Clarke & vate investment and the purchase of air rights first phase includes the concourse, a 70,000-

49
 IN FOCUS

square-foot expansion of its bus terminal, and

the insertion of the South Station Tower, a
glassy and curved 51-story mixed-use sky-
scraper. The latter two are scheduled for com-
pletion by the end of the year.
“We worked diligently to integrate a con-
temporary design for the tower, which, in its
curved form, pays homage to the frontage of
the landmarked station,” says PCP partner
Graham Banks. “At the concourse, with its
scale and arches, we had civic ambitions.”
Boston’s Classical Revival South Station
opened in 1899 and was designed by Boston-
based practice Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge
(its successor firm, Shepley Bulfinch, is alive
and well). The station consolidated numerous
lines within the city, and, at the time of
construction, had the largest train shed in
the world. But, like other American train
depots, midcentury trends, including subur-
banization and air travel, wrought its un-
timely demise. BPDA purchased the station
from New York & New Haven Rail road in
1965, a few years after the company went
bankrupt, and shuttered the terminal.
Significant portions of the building were
then demolished to make way for an office
tower and a United States Postal Ser vice
annex.
The remains of South Station were ulti-
mately sold to the MBTA in 1978 (though
the BPDA retained a share of the air rights),

10

1 LOCAL TRANSIT 6 BUS TERMINAL

2 HEADHOUSE 7 PARKING

3 CONCOURSE 8 LOBBY

4 RAIL PLATFORMS 9 COMMERCIAL TENANTS

5 BUS TERMINAL EXPANSION 10 RESIDENTIAL TENANTS

9

PHOTOGRAPHY: © ANTONIO MEDINA (LEFT)

8
7

5 6
2 3
4
1

SECTION

50 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

which marshaled funding for its renovation
and reopening. That project, completed in
1989, included the pouring of footings along
the length of the tracks for a potential over-
build. A bus terminal, designed by The
Architects Collaborative, was added in 1995.
To the annoyance of commuters, the terminal
was located a block south of the station’s
headhouse; original plans to link the two
were scrapped due to lack of demand for
additional gates.
Today’s megadevelopment was first ap-
proved in 2006 and was scheduled to break
ground in 2008, until the Great Recession
scuttled those plans for nearly a decade.
Hines and PCP went back to the drawing
board in 2016, and construction of the cur-
rent iteration began in 2020. The developer
began work on the bus terminal’s multistory
steel superstructure while simultaneously
conducting work that would enable the tow-
er’s foundations. The terminal’s expansion,
when complete, will increase capacity by 50
percent and, importantly for commuters, will
provide additional access points to, and com-
pletely cover, the formerly exposed rail plat-
forms below.
The South Station Tower base rests on steel
trusses that reach down to its narrow founda-
tion through eight reinforced-concrete mega-
columns. In less capable hands, that herculean
structural move could be lost in such a wildly
complex project but, instead, PCP took ad-
vantage of the monumental proportions to
insert the station’s new concourse, nearly 60
feet tall.
The tessellated, precast-concrete parabolic
arches follow the contours of the branching
beams above them and meet the eight colossal
columns at the ground. For the vaults, the
design team studied several different material
options, including metal panels, but ultimately
chose a lime-based plaster for its acoustic and
weather-resistant properties.
The tower will comprise approximately
680,000 square feet of Class A commercial
office space and 166 high-end apartments.
The next two phases of the development,
located above the bus terminal, are dependent
on its completion and market conditions.
They could include up to 1 million square feet
of office, residential, hotel, or laboratory
space. PCP expects to begin design for both
phases in 2026.
Until then, The Great Space, as the con-
course has been dubbed, is a welcome addition
to South Station, and, with its invocation of
an earlier era, is a more fitting entry point into The nearly 700-foot-tall South Station Tower is slated for completion this summer (opposite). The
one of America’s great cities. n arches are clad with precast-concrete panels while lime-based plaster was used for the vaults (above).

51
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 CLOSE UP

Quiet Operator
A controversial revamp of the Sainsbury Wing of London’s National Gallery aims to fly under the public radar.
BY CHRIS FOGES

ANNABELLE Selldorf will be happy if no ates (VSBA), whose alteration caused con- and restaurant on two lower floors, it is rich
one remembers the changes that her three- sternation among enthusiasts. in witty historical references. Contemporary
year renovation has brought to the Sainsbury Controversy is nothing new on this site, critics were excoriating, but in 2018 the wing
Wing of London’s National Gallery. That will adjoining the museum’s Neoclassical Wilkins was listed as protected heritage, as an exem-
show that the museum has achieved its main Building on the northwest corner of Trafalgar plar of the style.
goal—to bring millions of visitors through its Square. In 1984, a high-tech extension was The overhaul of its lower floors is the
new front door in an easy, intuitive way. It abandoned after Prince Charles dubbed it a principal component in a $113 million pro-
will also mean that she’s been able to recom- “monstrous carbuncle.” VSBA’s 1991 Post- gram marking the museum’s bicentenary, and
pose the building while retaining the essence modern addition mollified traditionalists. was won in competition by New York–based
of its design by Venturi Scott Brown Associ- Comprising beautiful galleries above a foyer Selldorf Architects with London-based heri-

PHOTOGRAPHY: © NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON, BY EDMUND SUMNER

54 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

tage specialist Purcell. Much of the work a single entity. It also gives the Sainsbury The second floor has been opened up to the
responds to circumstances that have changed Wing greater visibility, drawing attention to level below and now reads as a mezzanine, with
a sinuous glazed guardrail (above and opposite).
over the building’s short life. With growing the entrance. And, by softening the distinc-
focus on accessibility, the street-level wing tion between public space and the museum, it
had become the de facto main entrance. The should help to nudge uncertain visitors over architecture provides the place for that to
need for tighter security had been dealt with the threshold. appear.”
in clumsy, ad-hoc fashion. Expectations of Other modest adjustments had the same From here visitors enter the foyer—for-
museums had also evolved—particularly ambition. In the recessed entrance loggia, merly a migrainous mess. Too many facilities
following the success of Tate Modern, whose heavy steel gates were lightened in color and were crammed into its tight footprint, com-
interior is treated as a natural extension of the rehung to fold fully out of the way. Orig- pounding the suffocating effect of its design.
public realm—but the National Gallery inally, the building’s chunky curtain wall was A low ceiling, limited daylight, and a dense
lacked informal gathering space. fitted with dark glass, giving it the inscru- profusion of fat columns were intended to
That is first addressed as you approach on table look of a person in shades. Clear glazing heighten visitors’ senses, through contrast
the bustling, pedestrianized North Terrace. At now allows views of gallerygoers ascending with the lofty, toplit galleries and Renaissance
the end, where a narrow passage separates the VSBA’s grand staircase. “People like to see paintings within them.
two buildings, the architects have filled a Wil- people,” says Purcell partner Alasdair Recasting the Stygian crypt did not begin
kins Building lightwell and leveled a raised Travers. with a program, says Selldorf, but an “atti-
patch of lawn to conjure a small forecourt lined One section of the loggia is enclosed with tude”: visitors should have the greatest free-
with stone benches—a new square within glass to make an unobtrusive vestibule. dom to do as they please—to linger in com-
Trafalgar Square. “People will soon forget Discreet metal detectors avoid the need for fort, or move through swiftly to reach a
what we’ve done,” says Selldorf, “because it bag searches. Particular care was taken over favorite Titian. That called for better visibility
feels as if it was always meant to be.” this point of transition: the architects worked and lightness—in every sense—to relieve the
This pocket piazza has outsize effects. It with Arup to model flows, and also polled the oppressive confinement.
reveals continuity in the architecture of the public on what makes a welcoming building. Her most significant intervention was to
buildings, so that they appear more clearly as “It’s seeing a friendly face,” says Selldorf. “But remove two sections of the second floor to

55
 CLOSE UP

make double-height spaces. On the west side,

a bookshop that occupied half of the first
floor has gone, along with meeting rooms
above; the airy volume lit by two rows of
windows is now a relaxed place to hang out.
On the east side, the floor pulls away from
the curtain wall in a graceful, serpentine
curve. This void is flooded with sunlight,
and more fully reveals the grand stair.
In between, the second floor now reads as
a mezzanine spanning from south to north.
Under it, a 35-foot-wide digital screen shows
works from the collection. It makes a natural
meeting point, but museum director Gabriele
Finaldi is most excited about curatorial pos-
sibilities: its 8K resolution gives unprecedent-
ed ability to explore every brushstroke.
Visitors enter below the low-slung mez-
zanine, so the journey still entails compres-
sion and release, albeit not as originally
choreographed. Such changes were not taken
lightly. The project began with intense study
of VSBA’s work. The team visited various
archives, read minutes of design meetings,
and debated where historic value lies in
modern buildings: in the fabric, like the
stones of a medieval cathedral, or in the
8 design language, or the overall experience?
“It’s a bit of each,” says Purcell’s Travers, “and
all those aspects are preserved, at different
strengths in different areas.”
One example is the treatment of the nu-
10 merous classical columns crowding the foyer.
Selldorf thinned the forest to give better lines
A
of sight to stairs descending to a refurbished
lecture theater and a new subterranean pas-
A 3 1
4 sage to the Wilkins Building. Some super-
size pillars were slimmed down, with materi-
9 als reused; others have been shuffled to more
7
convenient spots, and two false columns were
2
removed. Demolition revealed a letter hidden
within by the building’s patron, John Sains-
bury, expressing misgivings about this fea-
ture: “a mistake of the architect.”
“Finding that was very touching,” says
Selldorf, “because it happened after some
strong criticism of our interventions.” While
she welcomed discussion about the compet-
ing demands of preservation and utility, she
0 50 FT. took offense at suggestions that moves to
MEZZANINE PLAN
15 M. relax the spaces, together with a low-key
architectural language, would see richness
erased by the banality of “art world good
1 BOOKSHOP 5 CAFÉ 9 SEMINAR ROOM* taste” or of an airport lounge.
2 RESTAURANT 6 LINK STAIR 10 READING ROOM* In truth, criticism would be made of any
3 KITCHEN 7 STUDIO* alternative approach—whether emulation of
4 EVENT SPACE 8 OFFICE* *PHASE TWO VSBA’s work or additions in a new idiom
that was equally full-flavored. And the pal-
ette that Selldorf evolved over the course of

56 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

A small plaza has been inserted next to the
wing’s glazed wall (opposite), offering the public
views of the main staircase (this image).

the project is subtle, but not simply neutral.

Materials are used with specific purpose,
while ceding attention to the wing’s heavy
rustication, giant-scaled cove moldings and
polychromatic Egyptian capitals.
Invisible repairs are made with the same
French limestone. Portuguese stone flooring
resembles London’s sidewalks, implying a
connection. Where excisions reveal dissimilar
5
columns on two floors, they have been reclad
to illustrate structural continuity, in the gray
Pietra Serena sandstone used by VSBA. Stone
is honed, flamed, or polished to vary its tex-
ture. In place of the original coffered ceiling, 0 30 FT.
SECTION A - A
scores of recessed light fixtures have hand- 10 M.
made shades of Murano glass that add a hint
of warmth.

57
 CLOSE UP

Visitors can use the main staircase (above) to access a double-

height bar and restaurant (left).

On the mezzanine Selldorf has allowed a little more color, in a

newly expansive space. Where the restaurant was once hidden
away, there is now a direct connection from the main stair, and
diners on the “bridge” have views over the scene below. A book-
store at the entrance is fitted out in dark fumed oak, while, at the
far end, a copper-topped bar is clad in bright yellow volcanic
Pyrolave. It has long been among Selldorf ’s favorite products, but
Credits CLIENT: National Gallery
when her clients assumed a reference to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers—
SIZE: 48,440 square feet (phase I)
one of the museum’s star attractions—she happily accepted the
ARCHITECT: Selldorf Architects —
Annabelle Selldorf, principal; Julie “post-justification.”
COST: $113.7 million
Hausch-Fen, partner in charge Visitors drawn to this once-remote corner will enjoy views
COMPLETION DATE: May 2025
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT: Purcell that VSBA set up over Trafalgar Square and into the loggia.
— Alasdair Travers, design partner; Sources Throughout the wing, Selldorf ’s new sight lines and enhanced
Kate Sanders, partner
CURTAIN WALL: Wicona transparency add to the sense that one is, as Finaldi puts it,
ENGINEER: Arup (various)
GLAZING: Guardian, Granada “a spectator in the city.” Internally, too, the overlap of activities
CONSULTANTS: Purcell (heritage);
DOORS: Stafford Bridge, Longden and juxtaposition of varied spaces introduces a new complexity
Vogt Landscape (landscape);
L’Observatoire International HARDWARE: John Planck, Dorma to a building famed for it. Something is undoubtedly lost
(lighting); Planning Lab (planning) INTERIOR FINISHES: Ecophon, when any unique work of architecture is altered, but Selldorf ’s
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: UK Acoustics (acoustical ceilings); changes amply compensate—whether or not today’s visitors
Gardiner & Theobald Corian (solid surfacing) notice. n

58 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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 BUILDING Technology

Davis Partnership Uses Salvaged Steel on a New Firehouse

BY KATHARINE LOGAN

A BIT LIKE firefighters themselves, the multi-day shifts, this block’s second floor days a year into about 65 percent of the all-
City of Boulder’s new Fire Station #3 resolves provides living quarters, with common areas electric building’s energy needs.
a complex assignment with eminent practical- that open on a 6,000-square-foot green roof. Prioritizing embodied as well as operating
ity and a touch of pizazz. Located clear of a Above all this, over a band of clerestory glaz- energy, perhaps the most innovative aspect of
100-year floodplain and within range of the ing or open air, angled glulam columns sup- the building is its reuse of over 25 tons of
growing Colorado district it serves (distinct port the deep overhangs of the main roof. salvaged structural steel. During the sche-
advantages over the station it replaces), the In addition to uniting the programmatic matic-design phase, the client alerted the
building, by Denver-based Davis Partnership blocks, the supersize roof accommodates a project team to the possibility of reusing
Architects, combines clear spatial order and photovoltaic system. “That’s the genesis of the framing from the deconstruction of a hospi-
expressive tectonics with exemplary environ- design,” says Joe Lear, a principal at Davis. tal, which the city also owned. That may
mental performance—including the innova- “But unless you have multiple sources of sound like a straightforward proposition, but
tive use of salvaged structural steel. renewables, a net zero energy fire station is it wasn’t simply a matter of unbolting the
Designed to be replicated, should the city very difficult to achieve.” The project did not hospital framing and delivering it to its new
need more stations in the future, the 28,300- meet that target, but the photovoltaics, in jobsite. During design development, there
square-foot facility has a simple parti: an combination with a low energy use intensity was some uncertainty as to whether the two
oversize roof plane unifying disparate pro- (EUI), mean that the station is well on its way projects’ schedules would align. To hold open
grammatic blocks. A strong play of solid and to achieving net zero carbon, if the client the possibility of reuse, the structural draw-
void in the massing of the blocks makes for a decides to purchase emissions-free electricity. ings provided specifications for both new and
legible composition. To the north, a run of The building’s EUI, estimated at 56.2, is salvaged members. “It’s a little bit of a change
brick pilasters defines the apparatus bay—the less than half of what’s typical for public- in thought process to say, ‘Well, here’s what I
higher-order garage where fire trucks stand safety facilities. It was achieved through a have available to me, and how is that struc-
ready to roll out through glass overhead doors. combination of highly insulated walls and turally equivalent to what I would choose
To the south, a red metal-tile-clad volume roof, LED lighting, occupancy sensors, and a from scratch,’ ” says Chris Kendall, a principal
PHOTOGRAPHY: © PAUL BROKERING

houses department-wide administrative variable air volume (VAV) rooftop unit with a at KL&A, structural consultant for both the
offices. (For future stations, this volume heat pump. The roof ’s sheltering overhangs, hospital deconstruction and the new fire
would be optional.) Behind and between, an combined with a municipal commitment to station. Organizing the various framing
L-shaped ancillary block, clad in dark gray plowing, made it possible to dispense with members to form an orderly composition—
ironspot brick, includes a community room, a electric snow-melting cable in the station’s without, for example, mismatched depths in
fitness facility, and spaces for testing, main- apron paving. As a result of these conserva- the exposed beams—also took some doing,
taining, and storing the accoutrements of tion measures, the 207-kilowatt PV system is says project architect Josh Perrin. “We re-
fighting fires. With crews typically serving expected to turn Boulder’s 300 or so sunny arranged things to maximize the steel usage

63
 BUILDING Technology

Some of the 89 steel members in the station

that were salvaged from a deconstructed
hospital are visible in the apparatus bay.

while trying to create visual consistency

within a structural bay,” he says.
KL&A also specified and managed a
careful process of deconstructing, catalogu-
ing, stockpiling, and testing the material. Fire
retardant and other coatings were removed.
Each piece was given its own cut sheet, in-
cluding a picture, dimensions, and additional
detail. Shop drawings were generated, and the
framing members fabricated—cut to length,
with leftover bits and pieces from their previ-
ous service selectively removed, and bolt holes
drilled—for their new application. Ultimately,
the design was able to reuse 89 salvaged pieces
(32 percent of the original stockpile) for an
embodied-carbon savings of 25,000 kilo-
FRAMING DIAGRAM
grams. (The city is offering the remaining
steel, in any quantity, for $1.)
The additional labor associated with sal-
Credits GENERAL CONTRACTOR: vaging the steel meant that cost savings on
Mark Young Construction
ARCHITECT: Davis Partnership Architects — the material were insignificant, coming in at
Joe Lear, principal in charge; William Bussard, CLIENT: City of Boulder
about $6,000, according to Kendall. The real
PHOTOGRAPHY: © THOMAS ELLIS

project manager; Josh Perrin, project architect; SIZE: 28,000 square feet
Animish Kudalkar, job captain; Paul Garland, value lay in reducing the project’s embodied
landscape architect; Jennifer Henry, interior COST: $23 million carbon, advancing the city’s ecological man-
design project manager; Gabrielle Bohlmann, COMPLETION DATE: September 2024 date, allocating the steel budget to local jobs,
interior designer; Rhiannon Roberson, furniture
specialist and putting a resource to good use. “We’re
Sources using 80-year-old material for a new hun-
ENGINEERS: KL&A (structural); ME Engineers
(m/e/p); Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers STEEL STRUCTURE: Full Metal Iron dred-year building,” says Lear. “We’ve more
(civil) GLULAM STRUCTURE: RLD than doubled its life.” n

64 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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Buyer’s Market
obligated to follow Passive House sustainability guidelines
and pay prevailing wages for construction labor—realities
that have made affordable housing costlier to build than
Aaron Smithson explores why public housing
market-rate housing in many cities.
agencies have increasingly sought to acquire
For the CHA, acquisition is not a new strategy. The
market-rate buildings.
agency has purchased upward of 300 existing units since
the late 1980s, though Cambridge’s astronomical property
SEEN FROM the brick-paved sidewalk across the street, values have made good opportunities increasingly hard to
the small buildings at 16 and 18 Wendell Street in come by. “Despite being in the market, we get very few
Cambridge, Massachusetts, won’t raise any eyebrows. workable options at a price point and in a condition that
Their two frontal volumes—fraternal twins mirrored would allow us to acquire an existing building,” says
across a 5-foot gap—bear many of the architectural fix- Margaret Moran, the CHA’s deputy director. But, when
ings of New England charm: projecting porches, ornate the right building does come along, the upsides are unmis-
eave brackets, mansard roofs, and decorative shutters. takable. The Wendell properties cost the CHA less than
These crisply maintained details attune the buildings to $400,000 per unit to bring online, far below the
the aesthetics of their leafy neighborhood, which is home $600,000+ per-unit development costs that are typical for
to Harvard Law School, affluent professors, and Senator affordable housing in the area. And, because Lesley had
Elizabeth Warren. recently refurbished the properties, CHA was able to
What makes 16-18 Wendell different, and worth pon- move residents into their new homes within about four The Cambridge
dering, is on the inside. months of the purchase, outpacing typical development Housing Authority
In July 2024, the Cambridge Housing Authority timelines by years. bought the
(CHA) purchased 16-18 Wendell Street from its previous Another advantage, particularly in urban centers, is buildings at 16-18
Wendell Street
owner, nearby Lesley University, and converted the scale. Patrick Bonck, an assistant vice president at the New
and converted
buildings from student dormitories into permanent sup- York–based nonprofit developer Breaking Ground, told them into
portive housing for individuals transitioning from home- record that buying existing buildings is often the only supportive
lessness. After a light remodeling, including the addition way to bring a substantial number of affordable units to housing.
of offices for on-site case workers,
residents moved into 22 new single-
room occupancy units last fall.
Bedrooms are private, while bath-
rooms, kitchens, and lounge spaces
are shared—an efficient spatial ar-
rangement that enabled the CHA to
provide more people with stable
homes and avoid costly renovations.
Of the 22 units, 16 are sized for cou-
ples—a rare accommodation in this
type of housing.
As soaring land and construction
costs, compounded by exclusionary
zoning ordinances, restrictive building
codes, and drawn-out permitting
processes, continue to hinder afford-
able-housing development across the
United States, the acquisition of exist-
ing buildings has emerged as an in-
creasingly important tactic for housing
agencies and nonprofits. Though
purchase prices vary from city to city,
buying existing units often costs non-
profit developers 30 to 50 percent less
PHOTOGRAPHY: © AARON SMITHSON

than they might ordinarily spend on

new construction, in part because
accepting public subsidy for ground-up
affordable-housing projects entails
adhering to a slew of strict code and
labor standards that require immense
up-front investment. Affordable hous-
ing developers, for instance, are often

71
 FORUM
high-cost neighborhoods. “To get 450–600 units in neigh- selling to PHA—enabling the authority to buy the units at
borhoods that generally have the highest property values is a competitive price. In the apartment buildings it acquires,
a win for New York City and equitable distribution of PHA does not evict any residents, electing instead to incre-
supportive and affordable housing,” he says. Breaking mentally convert roughly 60 percent of units into voucher-
Ground recently acquired a 19-story dormitory and subsidized affordable housing through normal attrition.
skilled-nursing facility at the edge of East Harlem, aiming The other 40 percent of units remain market rate, creating
to convert it into 434 units of low-income and permanent what PHA president and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah calls “bal-
supportive housing by 2026. anced communities.”
While acquisition represents a long-standing approach Because Philadelphia generally has more inventory and
for some entities, it marks a shift for others. In early 2025, lower land costs than cities like Cambridge, the financial
the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) part- benefits of acquisition are even starker. Jeremiah notes
nered with local nonprofits to purchase a 384-unit multi- that, while ground-up development can cost $550,000 or
family complex on the north side of the Texas capital— more per unit, the per-unit price of existing ones averages
AHFC’s largest acquisition to date and its eighth in under out to about $225,000, even in the relatively new or re-
three years. The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) cently renovated properties PHA usually seeks out. “For
has turned even more aggressively toward acquisition to every one unit we can build,” he emphasizes, “we can
help meet an ambitious goal of creating or preserving buy two!”
30,000 affordable units citywide. Since last year, PHA has Jeremiah highlights several factors as motivation for the
purchased an aging residential center for seniors, two shift toward acquisition, among them the power of com-
recently built student housing complexes in University munity pushback to kill new-construction affordable
City, and numerous other apartment buildings in high- housing, particularly in wealthier areas. Buildings that are
opportunity neighborhoods. already part of a neighborhood’s fabric, like PHA’s portfo-
In some of these properties, existing owners had seen lio of recent acquisitions or 16-18 Wendell, are less likely
dwindling demand and increased vacancy for years before to face opposition than the imposition of something new.

72 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

‘The embrace of acquisition nonprofit developers should continue to push for new devel-
opment on vacant or underused parcels in well-resourced
affords low-income residents communities—an approach that would be eased consider-
ably by bold regulatory reform and investment in cost-cut-
access to safe, walkable, and ting innovations like off-site construction. Under ideal

amenity-rich neighborhoods
conditions, such efforts can produce high-quality and well-
designed units, increase the total housing supply, enhance
that would otherwise be neighborhood diversity and vitality, and improve health and
social outcomes for residents.
prohibitively expensive.’ In the many cities where the scale of the affordability
crisis far outpaces the capacity of nonprofit developers to cut
through red tape and build, acquisition presents an essential
Jeremiah notes that many Philadelphians’ misgivings about alternative to new construction—one that lowers costs for
living near affordable housing reflect dated misconceptions developers and housing agencies, reduces construction-
about public housing. Citing the availability of gyms, bike related disruption for neighbors, and gives low-income
storage, on-site parking, and recreation areas in many newly residents a place to live within months rather than years.
acquired buildings, Jeremiah argues that these are “high- For Jeremiah, weighing the prospect of an 18-month
quality properties, developments where anyone—regardless permitting process followed by another 18 months of
of their income—would want to live.” Perhaps most critically, ground-up construction makes the stakes clear: “Families
the PHA’s embrace of acquisition affords low-income resi- who have urgent housing needs frankly cannot wait for
dents access to safe, walkable, and amenity-rich neighbor- three years.” n
hoods that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
As with any response to the ongoing housing crisis, Aaron Smithson is a designer, planner, writer, and Housing
acquisition is no panacea. States, housing agencies, and Design fellow at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

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75
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BOOKS

The Editors Round Up the Season’s Top Monographs

David Chipperfield Architects 1985–
2024, edited by Rik Nys, designed by John
Morgan Studio. Verlag der Buchhandlung
Walther König, 664 pages, $100.

This two-volume set examines the 2023

Pritzker laureate’s practice over the past four
decades, showcasing more than 100 built
projects plus unrealized proposals. The com-
pendium encompasses a broad range of
typologies, from retail interiors to private
houses to urban master plans, as well as the
work he is perhaps best known for—high-
profile and historically sensitive cultural com-
missions. Essays by notable contributors such
as Kenneth Frampton, Joseph Rykwert, and
Barry Bergdoll help place Chipperfield’s
career within a wider social context.
Joann Gonchar, FAIA

The Craft of Place: Mork-Ulnes

Architects, by Casper Mork-Ulnes. Park
Books, 256 pages, $60.

Unlike so many hefty hardcovers, Mork-

Ulnes Architects’ first monograph conveys a
kind of cozy softness with a textured viscose
jacket, moody photography, and pliant bind-
ing. Even the creamy paper stock, made from former students—including Robert A.M. Event-Cities 5: Poetics, by Bernard
raw materials without brighteners, emits a Stern, Phyllis Lambert, and Joan Ockman— Tschumi. MIT Press, 640 pages, $40.
faint, woody aroma. The Craft of Place high- who engage with Eisenman’s methods of
lights the same attention to detail present in analysis and urban explorations and his The fifth and final installment of Bernard
the built work of the Oslo- and San Fran- profound influence over the last half-century, Tschumi’s influential series, which began in
cisco–based firm and 2015 Design Vanguard, celebrating his vision of architecture as “a 1994, marks a new evolution in the architect’s
as well as its thoughtful approach to establish- way of knowing the world.” Pansy Schulman thinking. Moving beyond the predominantly
ing a dialogue with the natural landscape. conceptual focus of his previous books,
And, more practically, architects will revel in Frei Otto: Building with Nature, 1925– Tschumi embraces what he calls a “poetics” of
the book’s abundance of exquisite drawings. 2015, edited by Joaquín Medina Warmburg architecture, a delicate balance between ratio-
Leopoldo Villardi and Anna-Maria Meister, with Mechthild Ebert nal methodology and intuitive creation. With
and Martin Kunz. Prestel, 256 pages, $65. 500 color illustrations showcasing nearly 30
Notes on Peter Eisenman: The Gradual projects from the past 15 years, the book
Vanishing of Architecture, edited by M. This monograph on Frei Otto, published interrogates the very foundations of architec-
Surry Schlabs. Yale University Press, 176 on the centennial of his birth, sheds new tural practice and is a fitting capstone to a
pages, $50. light on the contributions of the German series that has documented the rigors of a
architect-engineer known for his innova- unique theoretical mind. PS
A layered tribute to architectural theorist tions in lightweight construction, particu-
Peter Eisenman, this collection of essays larly tensile and membrane structures. Buildings for Plants and People by
emerged from a November 2022 symposium Illustrated with studies, sketches, and WORKac, by Amale Andraos and Dan Wood,
celebrating his retirement from Yale. What archival photos of his buildings, the com- with Miles Hardingwood. Park Books, 260
began as a standard academic conference pendium of project profiles and essays pages, $45.
quickly evolved into a spirited flurry of debate makes the case that, for Otto, who started
that perfectly captured Eisenman’s provoca- his career in the wake of World War II, a Abounding in swaths of greenery, bursts of
tive pedagogical approach, one that embraced “lightweight” approach not only conserved bright color, brimming library stacks, and no
contradiction and dialogue. The volume resources and was in sync with nature—it less than two play-area slides, this survey of
gathers voices of 18 colleagues, friends, and was also a social imperative. JG 10 recent projects by WORKac showcases the

77
 BOOKS

library projects, in locales tion of detailed drawings and plans. It took

ranging from Brooklyn to nearly 30 years to get this beautiful volume. It
Boulder, that reign su- was worth the wait. Dante A. Ciampaglia
preme. Matt Hickman
Home on Earth: Recipes for Healthy
Tadao Ando: Light and Houses, by Jack Becker and Andrew Linn.
Space, by Tadao Ando Principal photography by Ty Cole. Oro
and Richard Pare. Intro­ Editions, 338 pages, $50.
duction by Dominique
Perrault. Phaidon, 280 When was the last time you read an architec-
pages, $150. tural cookbook? This “epicurean treatise,” the
first monograph by 2023 Design Vanguard
This follow-up to The BLDUS, presents the firm’s projects, scat-
Colours of Light, published tered among the hills, valleys, and back alleys
in 1996, features explora- of Washington, D.C., as a series of illustrated
tions of 28 projects Tadao recipes. One chapter even explores ingredi-
New York–based practice’s skill at balanc- Ando completed between 2000 and 2021, ents—compositions of such materials as
ing social and environmental concern with including the Langen Foundation (2004), in resawn white cedar, purple slate, hemp insula-
an all-embracing lightheartedness. From a Hombroich, Germany; the Roberto Garza tion, cork cladding, copper tacks, and tulip
hot-pink parking structure in Miami to a Sada Center (2012), in Monterrey, Mexico; poplar bark, all tastefully arranged, depict the
sleek, ultra-faceted oceanfront manse in and the Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest studio’s edgy yet raw palette. Home on Earth
cofounder Amale Andraos’s native Leb- (2019), in Osaka, Japan. The book opens with may not have the same countercultural under-
anon, the monograph also showcases the a series of four original Ando sketches, print- pinning as, say, Ant Farm’s famous Inflato­
firm’s versatility—although it is public ed on tissue paper, and closes with a collec- cookbook (1971), but its aim is clear: healthy,

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“farm-to-shelter” houses are easily within monographs: the life and
reach. LV people that occupy the
spaces. DAC
Lacaton & Vassal: Free Space,
Transformation, Habiter, by Enrique Walker, Alvisi Kirimoto.
Anne Lacaton, and Jean-Philppe Vassal. Edited Selected Architecture
by Moisés Puente. Verlag der Buchhandlung 2012–2025, edited by
Walther König, 208 pages, $45. Maurizio Carones and
Valerio Paolo Mosco.
Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, Forma Edizioni, 168
winners of the 2021 Pritzker Prize, pack a lot pages, $26.
into a relatively slim book. The architects
survey their four decades of social-justice- and Rome-based architecture
sustainability-focused design by guiding and urban planning firm
readers through housing, cultural, and civic Alvisi Kirimoto is re-
projects representing their three core con- nowned for its refined
cepts. Free Space (“achieving generosity of symbiosis of Italian and
scale”) is heavy on plans and drawings. Trans- Japanese minimalist design sensibilities. It frame, and are highlighted through a blend of
formation (“never demolish, always add, should come as little surprise, then, that their photography, floor plans and sections, and
transform, extend”) features site photography new monograph, bound in a glossy coral-red text. Matthew Marani
and renderings. And Habiter (“making a space cover, succinctly surveys more than a decade
one’s own”) is a series of film frames that take of the firm’s work in just 168 pages. Thirteen For other notable books, peruse our book reviews
us inside buildings from previous sections to of its projects, across myriad scales, are in- on architecturalrecord.com or in previous issues of
experience what’s often missing in such cluded in the book’s compact 6-by-9-inch the magazine.

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 BOOKS

Tips from the Top: Architects Share Their Be a visionary. The and collaborate generously.
Advice for Success, edited by Clifford Pearson, mind creates a visual If challenged, be confident
Ken Yeang, and Raghda Alhayali. Princeton catalogue of collected in your ability to figure
Architectural Press, 144 pages, $17. “high note” impressions things out.
and remembrances that Be engaged with the way
As architecture students graduate into their can be brought forward things are. Recognize the
professional lives, they’ll look for guidance from to create new project reality of every situation; be
those who have found success. This small volume, visions. Build consensus humble as you address
coedited by record contributing editor Clifford for your vision with your complexity. Seek a mentor
A. Pearson, is a good place to start. Below is a colleagues; they need to who is truly great, who can
selection of the advice and tips gathered from more share in it. A compelling teach, who builds confi­
than 60 practitioners from around the world— vision will always beckon dence—someone who
valuable wisdom for anyone in the profession. audiences, so bring them makes you feel as if you can
into your vision as well. also be great.
Roger Duffy, partner emeritus, Skidmore, Your collective under­ Be yourself.
Owings & Merrill (SOM): Be someone who standing will bring
sees and feels in imaginative ways. Be open to success. Dong Gong, founder and design princi-
the many forms of creativity. Seek outside the Be prepared to embrace new opportuni­ pal, Vector Architects: I have always been
field of architecture for breathtaking works ties as they arrive. Talent isn’t enough; rec­ intrigued by the beauty of a tree. Its roots
that make the hair stand up on the back of ognizing a good opportunity and embracing grasp the soil deep in the earth, striving
your neck. Keep your antennae alert; tune in it moves talent to a higher level. hard for the strength to grow, while its
these elevated, inventive revelations. Fully Be present. Offer a strong work ethic and canopy extends to the sky, swaying in the
immerse yourself in the high notes of culture be someone who solves problems. Commu­ wind at ease. Such a state of tension is es­
and nature. nicate your thoughts as effectively as you can sential for an architect’s efforts nowadays.

80 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Despite our dazzlingly fast-changing soci- ronment that is truly uplifting—isn’t a value in multiple ideas and approaches.
ety and no matter how interactive your privilege that only some people get to enjoy. They promote and weave those concepts
design sensibility might be, never lose hold Good design is a right in our democratic into a better whole.
of the basics. Be passionate about light, air, society. Architecture isn’t ever easy. If I am
scale, materiality, atmosphere—all the Size and prestige don’t matter. A lot of completely honest, architecture has never
eternal values that make architecture rel- the projects we work on can probably be loved me as much I love architecture. What
evant to our bodies and minds. classified as noble projects, meaning that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and the
they don’t have big budgets, and they cer- joy and fulfillment of making space has
Iyad Alsaka, partner, Office for tainly were not the most publicized or wiped out any disappointment or regret.
Metropolitan Architecture: Innovation anticipated projects. But they are important Every day, every drawing, every project is
happens at intersections—the places where in their communities. a new challenge.
disciplines converge. So try to become a We do our best work for projects where
polymath, a multipotential-ite. Develop design may not be expected, projects that Calvin Tsao, founding principal, Tsao &
expertise spanning different subject areas you find at the very edges or sometimes in McKown Architects: As you enter the
and draw on complex bodies of knowledge the margins, but ones that affect the quality professional sphere, it is important to ac-
to solve complex conditions. Remember: of daily life and need innovative solutions. knowledge that, as an architect, you not
new ideas emerge where fields overlap and Design is problem-solving. If a solution is only answer to your career and ambitions
knowledge is exchanged. simple, constructible, and integrated, then it but also bear the responsibility to defend, if
is beautiful. Originality is overrated, but not foster, civic good. This is more urgent
Carol Ross Barney, founding design innovation is essential to elegant and pro- today than ever, as human existence has
principal, Ross Barney Architects: Design gressive design. been challenged by social and environmen-
always matters. Not just when it’s affordable Design is a team sport. Don’t work tal vulnerabilities.
or convenient. It matters all the time. alone and don’t take yourself too seriously. It is important to take this responsibility
Design excellence—living in an envi- The best design leaders are able to see earnestly. Architecture is the principal actor

Hörmann. For Life.

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81
 BOOKS

on and protector of the built environment. may even self-initiate projects because of High Line, my studio worked with the New
Its health, resilience, and sustainability are your own burning questions. Your best York City government and the Bloomberg
in your hands. questions will be relevant to others, as well. administration. It helps when there’s an
As architects, we should draw on not It also helps to be curious about yourself. alignment of open-minded administration
only our craft but also its theoretical con- Interrogate your own motivations for want- with your goals. If you can, take a seat at the
structs. We must be alert to the world ing to be in architecture: What drives you? table with the grown-ups.
we live in—its needs, aspirations, and After all your years of architectural educa-
challenges. tion, what is the thing you have that no one Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto,
We are gatekeepers to our physical else can teach you? Your authenticity comes founders, Reiser+Umemoto Architecture:
world, not just for our own agenda but for from cultivating that unique thing. There are a thousand reasons not to pursue
the whole of our society. architecture as an art, as a speculative cul-
That is the key to making lasting Elizabeth Diller, partner, Diller Scofidio tural practice focused on building. The
architecture. + Renfro: Never settle on simply being a chances of being successful in the cultural
problem solver. Be a maker of problems domain of architecture are equivalent to
Jeanne Gang, founding principal and worth solving. And don’t ever let the words those of making a stable living in the fine or
partner, Studio Gang: Architecture is “risk management” enter your vocabulary. performing arts. Despite these and other
about being deeply curious. When you’re Persevere to build your work and put your- challenges, there are always some people
endlessly fascinated with the project at self out there. Don’t wait for the opportu- willing to take the plunge. Three attributes
hand, many questions will arise. Identifying nity—steal or borrow a site if you have to. are essential: talent, smarts, and will.
the uncertainties and struggling with them Don’t just throw bombs from afar— Indomitable will. The ability to absorb
is, I think, far more satisfying than honing something I was certainly guilty of early on. setbacks, delays, and failure is critical. But
a groove or becoming excessively confident. Rather than staying at the periphery, place when achievements come, they are that
Design is essentially about finding a way to yourself in the center of it all, where you can much more rewarding, whether built or not.
put your questions into a given project. You actually get things done. To realize the Good luck. n

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TODAY THERE WERE
70,000 REASONS THIS
AIRPORT CHOSE OUR
FIREPROOFING.
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 COCKTAIL NAPKIN
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 BUILDING TYPE STUDY 1,076

INDUSTRY
These featured projects showcase industrial grit of a
bygone era and of today. They include the adaptive reuse
of a 19th-century brick behemoth and sleek new learning
centers for advanced manufacturing and ironworking.

88 Terminal Warehouse
New York
CookFox Architects

94 Trumpf Education Center

Ditzingen, Germany
Barkow Leibinger

100 IW 63 Training Center

Broadview, Illinois
Gensler
PHOTOGRAPHY: © ALEX FERREC

TERMINAL WAREHOUSE, NEW YORK,

BY COOKFOX ARCHITECTS

87
 INDUSTRY

TERMINAL WAREHOUSE | NEW YORK | COOKFOX ARCHITECTS

Light at the End

A historic storehouse, home to the infamous Tunnel nightclub, gets a new lease on life as an office building.
BY IAN VOLNER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX FERREC

88 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

IN A NEW YORK that still glowed amber-gold building’s next chapter as a bustling office and
after dark from sodium streetlamps, the Tunnel retail hub.
nightclub distinguished itself for a seediness that “There’s that torque to the archway,” says
appears, in retrospect, almost incredible. From Cook, gesturing at the wide, curiously slanted
1986 to 2001, the Chelsea hot spot played host to portal on the eastern facade. As first conceived,
drugged-out Club Kids (including convicted the Terminal was a wonder of industrial efficien-
murderer Michael Alig), tax evaders (most nota- cy: freight trains, running along an at-grade rail
bly its owner, Peter Gatien), and psychos both real line down Eleventh Avenue, could proceed di-
and fictional (Bret Easton Ellis’s Patrick Bateman rectly into the building, facilitated by this curved
was a regular) before finally being forcibly closed opening; when ready for shipping, the goods they
by the city. While a number of commercial ten- brought could then be pushed right out the west-
ants have occupied portions of the space in the ern side, onto waiting car floats that carried them
intervening years, much of it has remained empty, across the Hudson River to New Jersey and be-
a reminder of a colorful if somewhat disreputable yond. In the interim, merchandise could be held
era in Manhattan’s history. inside the cavernous fireproofed vaults while
But the structure that housed the Tunnel is deferring tariffs—an oddly appealing arrange-
actually linked to a far different, and rather more ment in today’s economy. “We might need to
distant, age. “Stanford White kept the stuff here bring that back,” jokes Cook.
that he imported from Europe,” says Rick Cook, The designers’ scheme began by exposing the
founding partner of New York firm CookFox remarkable through-floor arrangement, removing
Architects. Constructed in 1891, and stretching a glazed retail facade that obscured its unusual
an entire city block, from Eleventh Avenue to the train-friendly configuration as well as the “in-
West Side Highway, the Terminal Warehouse credible depth of the building skin,” as Cook puts
Central Stores Building (commonly called the it, referring to the 28-inch thickness of the lower-
Terminal Warehouse) was once a key node in an floor masonry facade. Once inside the central
infrastructural web that connected the 19th- corridor, further hints of the Terminal’s ancient
century city to the country at large. Long ob- function are visible in the floor, where the archi-
scured, the fortresslike building’s remarkable
origins are put on dramatic display in CookFox’s THE CURVED entry arch allowed trains to turn in to
just-completed renovation—an impressive seven- the warehouse (below). Visitors to the High Line can
year-long overhaul intended to usher in the appreciate the building’s full-block length (left).

89
 INDUSTRY

tects have embedded a pair of decorative

9
pseudo tracks that trace the exact trajectory of
8 7
10 7 7 7 the originals; these are followed by two small
7 7
A segments of the actual rails, restored more or
A 6
less to their former condition, and placed
1
1 5 below glazed panels underfoot. From the
rough brick walls with their rounded arch-
7 7 8 ways (their spacing, and the building’s spatial
3
4 3 7 7
module, based on boxcar lengths) to the solid
wood piers that sprout massively in the ad-
0 100 FT. joining rooms (the trees that the timbers came
GROUND-FLOOR PLAN
30 M. from have been dated back to 1512, notes
Cook), everything in the revived 700-foot-
long concourse speaks to the building’s hard-
working past.
Its future becomes apparent only as visitors
11 11 11
make their way through the complex. Just
11
beyond the halfway point, the solid enclosure
of the eponymous tunnel suddenly gives way
11 11 11 to what firm partner Darin Rey nolds calls “a
transept,” with new entrances from 27th and
28th streets to either side, as well as a broad
window looking out to a new open-air court-
FIFTH-FLOOR PLAN
0 yard. Sitting between the primary corridor
and a street-front space to the north, the
enclosed greensward is landscaped with a
gently variable topography, covered in native
plants, and surrounded by seating—most of it
11
11 13 reclaimed wood from the building itself. As
Cook observes, “Getting daylight into the
center of the plan was critical”; to do it, the
11 11 architects literally cut the leafy quad directly
out of the existing structure’s fabric, opening
13
14 it up to provide the offices above with attrac-
tive views and cross ventilation.
0 The excised square footage didn’t simply
EIGHTH-FLOOR PLAN
disappear. “In concept, the floor area is relo-
cated,” says Cook: atop its seven-story western
1 ENTRANCE 5 WINTER GARDEN 9 LOADING DOCK 13 TENANT TERRACE
2 TUNNEL GALLERY 6 COURTYARD 10 CONFERENCE AREA 14 SHARED TERRACE

3 LOBBY 7 RETAIL 11 OFFICE AREA

4 BIKE ENTRY 8 MARKET HALL 12 COURTYARD BELOW

13
13
11
13

11

11 11
11
6

1 2 5 2 1

0 50 FT.
SECTION A - A
15 M.

90 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

A LANDSCAPED courtyard was cut from the
warehouse’s volume (above). A segment of rail
line has been preserved below glass (right).

flank, the old building now sports a six-story

addition, a miniature high-rise with a com-
plementary though identifiably contemporary
exterior of red metal. The addition was no
mean feat logistically, requiring the insertion
of a discrete structural system of concrete
columns into the lower levels of the ware-
house. Coupled with another, lattice-like
frame that now girds a portion of the aging
envelope, the intervention allowed the build-
ing to maintain a grandfathered interior area
that would no longer be legally permissible on
the site.
All this was achieved with limited altera-
tions to the body of the historic warehouse.
That much was by necessity: “The building
accounts for about a quarter of the West
Chelsea Historic District,” says Reynolds. In
designing the new vertical addition, the team
was mindful of the viewshed between the top
of the High Line (two blocks away and a
couple of hundred feet below) and the roof-
line of the famous Starrett-Lehigh Building

91
 INDUSTRY

(1931) next door; they succeeded, placing the

water towers on their building exactly so as to
avoid blocking their neighbor. The former
storage spaces that now comprise the primary
office floors have been accorded similar
respect, the only substantive changes being
the removal of select floor sections to create
double-height spaces that emphasize the
amplitude of the interior. No word yet on who
the tenants are likely to be—though whoever
they are, they’d be foolish to throw up more
than a few partitions and clutter up the vast
interiors or mask the parade of arched win-
dows around the perimeter.
Of the Tunnel, nothing much remained to
preserve: during the nightclub’s reign, a gap-
ing hole in the passageway ceiling was cov-
ered in corrugated metal and acoustical mate-
rial; CookFox has removed it, allowing the
space to feel airier and more open. When the
reported $2 bil lion refurbishment opens to
the public later this year, few of its erstwhile
patrons are likely to recognize their former
after-hours haunt. Of course, their memories
may be a bit cloudy in any case. n

Credits
ARCHITECT: CookFox Architects — Richard
A. Cook, founding partner; Darin Reynolds,
partner in charge; Bethany Borel, associate
partner; Simon Willett, project manager; Zach
Goldstein, Gaurav Sardana, Sandra Berdick,
Kate Ives, Zach Grzybowski, Giacomo Vischi,
Miha Brezavšček, Daniel Palma, Arno Adkins,
Hanxing Zu, Zach Kern, Walker Smith-Williams,
Jeff Shiozaki, project team
CONSULTANTS: Derive Engineers (m/e/p);
Jensen Hughes (fp/life safety); DeSimone
Consulting Engineers
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: New Line Structures
CLIENT: L&L Holding Company, Columbia
Property Trust, Cannon Hill Capital Partners
SIZE: 1.1 million square feet
COST: withheld
COMPLETION DATE: June 2025 (projected)

Sources
MASONRY: Kansas Brick
STRUCTURAL STEEL: Nucor
COLD-FORMED FRAMING: ClarkDietrich
COMPOSITE DECK: New Millennium, Vulcraft
BUILT-UP ROOFING: Owens Corning,
Greenguard, Securock, Paradiene
METAL PANELS: Saray Aluminum
CURTAIN WALL: Fabbrica USA
ENTRANCES: Ellison, Dormakaba, YKK,
Kawneer, CRL
GLAZING: Interpane, Vitro Architectural Glass,
Prelco, Tvitec, Press Glass, Pilkington
SKYLIGHTS: Acurlite

92 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

A SIX-STORY addition
(opposite, top and
bottom) sits atop the
warehouse’s western
flank. The trees that the
original timber columns
and beams (above)
came from date back to
the 16th century. The
architects have created
several double-story
spaces within the office
areas (right).

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 INDUSTRY

TRUMPF EDUCATION CENTER | DITZINGEN, GERMANY | BARKOW LEIBINGER

Busy Bees
A honeycomb-shaped training center showcases modern
manufacturing machinery, and the people operating it.
BY MATTHEW ALLEN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON MENGES & NINO TUGUSHI

94 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

IF MACHINES built themselves a home,
would it be made of wood? Outside Stuttgart,
Germany, near the northern edge of the
fabled Black Forest, Barkow Leibinger has
built a mass-timber Education Center for the
company that makes machines—or, rather, for
the machines that create even more machines.
Trumpf is one of the world’s largest producers
of the drills, mills, and shears of contempo-
rary industrial manufacturing. They also
make lasers that cut, etch, and weld. Although
Trumpf ’s headquarters in the village of Ditz-
ingen is easy to miss while speeding down the
Autobahn, hidden as it is behind a thick row
of trees, the new Education Center has cre-
ated a focal point for the campus under a
radial timber roof.
Along with hosting workshops necessary to
onboard employees, the center serves another
important purpose: Trumpf needed something
of a showroom for a new kind of workplace. By
now, the spaces that house high-tech desk jobs
are familiar—Google’s are playful, Apple’s
austere—but what about the facilities that
make these giants’ devices? How should they
look and feel? Manufacturing is having a
moment in today’s tariff-driven geopolitical
landscape, but the sector seems to be trans-
forming so fast that it is difficult to make sense
of what we are seeing. Fully automated facto-
ries in China don’t even keep their lights on.
This problem of legibility confronted
Berlin-based Barkow Leibinger in its latest ad-
dition to the Trumpf campus. The company,
founded by Christian Trumpf in 1923, ini-
tially grew as a producer of flexible drive
shafts, but workers traded in their grease-
marked coveralls long ago. Trumpf shifted
early into the digital era following a break-
through in the development of computer-
numerical-control technology by its head of
engineering, Berthold Leibinger, who became
Trumpf ’s technical director in 1966 and sub-
sequent majority owner. Berthold’s daughter,
Regine, who cofounded Barkow Leibinger
with her husband Frank Barkow in 1993, is
now a co-owner of Trumpf with her siblings.
As the company became a global powerhouse
in the late 20th century and a leader in laser
technology in the first decades of the 21st, the
architect couple had a stake in the change and
was well positioned to update its image.
The firm has completed several buildings
on the Ditzingen campus since the mid-1990s
(record, May 2011). For Trumpf, timber was
not the first choice of material. “They resisted
it,” Barkow says, adding that “sheet metal is
what their machines work on.” And so sheet
metal was put on spectacular display in the

95
 INDUSTRY

architects’ earliest buildings for the company,

as in the pixelated folded-aluminum facade of
an addition to a laser factory, or in a produc-
tion and exhibition space in Chicago topped
by artful laser-cut steel trusses. Still, these
earlier buildings evoke a self-sufficient world
replete with heavy machinery and not the
deeply intertwined relationship between
people and their devices that has come to
represent contemporary high-tech. In more
recent projects, the architects turned to other
materials that could suggest a more human
touch. As Trumpf built production facilities
around Germany and demonstration facilities
across Europe, it experimented with various
material combinations—and timber, long ago
dismissed, began to check all the boxes. It is a
renewable resource, it performs well, and “we
can fabricate it to a high level of precision,”
Barkow says. Barkow Leibinger’s first such
building for Trumpf, a campus restaurant, was
built in 2008, next to the site where the
Education Center has sprung up, and it con-
veyed just the right big-picture message for the
moment: that “Germany is at the forefront for
sustainable engineering,” says Barkow.
The Ditzingen campus master plan clicked
into place with a large production hall com-
pleted last year, which established an axis that
culminates in the Education Center’s audito-
rium. Visitors arrive at a parking structure,
but employees are more likely to enter through
the campus tunnel network—a rhizomatic
underground infrastructure from which
buildings spring like mushrooms. The first
thing to pop up on the center’s site was a
crane, which assembled the Education Center
around its mast. “We kept the basement and
sitework to a minimum,” Barkow says, “and
EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC put it together as a kit of parts.” The biggest
components are the 96 beams that comprise

6 5 4

1
2 3

SECTION PERSPECTIVE

1 AUDITORIUM 3 MACHINE HALL 5 OPEN OFFICE

2 FOYER 4 MEETING ROOM 6 CONFERENCE ROOM

96 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

A DOUBLE-HEIGHT
machine hall houses
large manufacturing
equipment (right)
and shares a glazed
wall with the central
auditorium (above).

97
 INDUSTRY

THE HEXAGONAL Education Center (above)

features exposed mass timber (left) that is
visible through a glazed curtain wall (opposite).

the roof structure, radiating around a central

hexagonal oculus, which was enclosed after
the crane was disassembled. Made of glue-
laminated timber, they were fabricated by
Holzbau Amann, a company located at the
edge of the Black Forest to the south, which
also fabricated the roof structure of the eatery
next door.
Compared to the campus restaurant, the
Education Center reflects a change in ethos.
The earlier project’s morphing weblike ceil-
ing and flexible floor plan attest to turn-of-
the-21st-century optimism about the trans-
formations being wrought by digital tech-
nology. The new building employs more
conventional post-and-lintel tectonics, al-
PHOTOGRAPHY: © LAURIAN GHINITOIU (TOP)

though the way the beams cantilever inward,

toward the oculus, lends plenty of spatial
drama to the auditorium at the core. Sur-
rounding it are six hexagonal spaces that, on
the ground floor, accommodate an entrance
foyer, workshops, and a double-height ma-
chine hall, and, on the second, include semi-
nar rooms, lounges, and offices that overlook
the spaces below. Spruce beams and columns
are complemented by finely milled wood

98 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

panels, a concrete floor, and ceiling panels in a similar tone. The trans­ Credits Sources
lucence of the glazing on a few of the building’s chamfered corners ARCHITECT: Barkow Leibinger — STRUCTURE: Leonhardt Weiss
gives off a gauzy glow that further softens the wood. Outside, the roof Frank Barkow, Regine Leibinger, Bauunternehmung (shell); Holzbau
and exposed beams overhang these facets, and the timber tilts diago­ principals; Tobias Wenz, Robert Amann (timber)
Tzscheutschler, Frederic Lilja, CURTAIN WALL: Rossmanith, Raico
nally in a gesture to the traditional half­timbered construction of the Annette Wagner, project team
region. It also evokes the feeling of a forest thicket. CLADDING: Haller Gabele
ENGINEERS: Drees & Sommer Dachtechnik, Bauder (roofing);
All this warmth reflects onto the final major element of the interi­ (construction management, HVAC); Warema (awning)
ors—the machines, many of them the size of small cars. They haven’t Holzbau Amann (timber); Schlaich
Bergermann Partner (structural); DOORS: Rossmanith, Hörmann
gone anywhere, and they sit in the Education Center’s spacious hall
P&H Hönes (electrical); Horstmann HARDWARE: FSB, Kaba
with an enigmatic air. Because it feels as if so many vital aspects of und Berger (building physics);
contemporary life have been sublimated into the virtual realm, the INTERIOR FINISHES: Troldtekt,
Breinlinger Ingenieure (civil); Lindner (acoustical ceilings);
architects’ choice to house these instruments in a carefully crafted Kucharzak Fassaden (facade) Nuesing, Kemmlit (partitions);
wood box amounts to an attempt to tame them. Amid a reassuringly CONSULTANTS: Capattistaubach Heinrich Schmid (wallcoverings);
symmetrical canopy and under a radiating sun, Barkow Leibinger (landscape); Studio Dinnebier Swiss Krono (laminate); Corian
(lighting); Peter Stanek (fp) (solid surfacing); Agrob Buchtal
invokes a renewed humanism to remind us that we still control the
CLIENT: Trumpf Loop (tile); Noraplan (flooring)
robots, and not the other way around. n
SIZE: 40,040 square feet LIGHTING: Intra Lighting Trix,
Lux Glender, Reggiani, iGuzzini
Matthew Allen is a theorist and historian based in Toronto and a professor COST: withheld (ambient); Flos (downlights); Jung
at Washington University in St. Louis. COMPLETION DATE: January 2024 (dimming)

99
 INDUSTRY

IW 63 TRAINING CENTER | BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS | GENSLER

Curtain Raiser
A training facility prepares the next generation of Chicago’s ironworkers.
BY MATTHEW MARANI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM HARRIS

JUST OUTSIDE Chicago, in the western suburb of Broadview, the and other large, heavy materials and equipment. The union decided to
sleek new training center of Ironworkers Local 63 stands out within the ameliorate their cramped conditions by separating ironwork and curtain
industrial landscape. The Gensler-designed building, conspicuously wall tutoring into discrete facilities. Following a request for proposals,
clad in black-tinted glass and tapered at its center, resembles a well- Local 63 commissioned Gensler in 2022. The firm’s Chicago studio has
executed weld bead. “Our goal for the project was to provide a platform some experience in the typology, having designed the Plumbers Local
for the ironworkers of Local 63 to expand on Chicago’s legacy as a 130 UA Training Center (2017) in the West Loop neighborhood.
leader in steel construction and innovation,” says Scott Hurst, Gensler The primary entrance to the 13,500-square-foot facility is located
design director and principal. on the east elevation, though the building can also be accessed from
The Windy City has long been synonymous with steel construction, the south via the union’s classrooms. The obviously steel-framed struc-
having rebuilt its downtown with the material in the decades following ture is largely composed of a single open space, with a 50-foot-tall
the Great Fire of 1871 that destroyed more than three square miles. ceiling, in which a temporary multistory steel structure is utilized to
Since 1903, Local 63, replete with experts in curtain wall installation, run trials of curtain wall installs. Mezzanines to the north and south
has represented tradespeople performing construction of architectural with foot-thick concrete floors are used to store panels and other mate-
and ornamental ironwork in Chicagoland. Some 10 miles east of rials. The heavy loads are carted in through a roll-up door on the
Broadview, just over the horizon, the silhouettes of successive genera- ground floor, and a 5-ton bridge crane located just below the ceiling
tions of skyscrapers, from the Art Deco Board of Trade Building (1930) lifts those items up for storage and test installations. Local 63 is wrap-
to the International Style Willis Tower (1970), stand as monuments to ping up the fit-out of a 20-foot-tall vacuum chamber for curtain wall
the workers’ hard labor. water-testing, which should be completed by the end of summer.
Local 63’s new building adjoins its existing classrooms and decades- Gensler conceived the structure as something of a jewel box, with
old training facility, which experienced growing pains soon after open- expanses of glazing on its curved east and west sides to broadcast the
ing in 2003. It isn’t easy to make room for curtain wall panels and struc- dynamic workings within and provide ample daylight for trainees and
tural steel framing, hoses and racks for spray testing, tools for welding, instructors. However, the scheme posed challenges in terms of thermal

100 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

TINTED glass and
precast-concrete
panels clad the
training facility
(opposite). The
building tapers at its
center (this image).

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 INDUSTRY

PANES of vision glass form an arc on both the east and west elevations to
offer direct sight lines into the facility for passersby (above).

A 5 A

4 2 3 3

2
5 4

0 20 FT.
SECTION A - A
6 M.

1 ENTRANCE 4 WATER-TESTING CHAMBER

2 TRAINING FLOOR 5 CLASSROOMS (FORMER

3 MEZZANINE CORPORATE OFFICE)

0 20 FT.
FIRST-FLOOR PLAN
6 M.

102 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

A MULTISTORY steel frame is used for training
within the center (right). The building is over 10
miles from downtown Chicago. It is connected
to the union headquarters and an existing
training facility (below).

heat gain and structural design. To solve the

former, most unitized panels are tinted black
to absorb sunlight and reduce heat transfer,
while operable skylights and destratification
fans naturally ventilate the interior. The
design team also closely scrutinized how the
bridge crane interacts with the unitized glass
curtain wall. Too much vibration would cause
the panels to pop out en masse, so the crane
was outriggered up to 13 feet from the super-
structure to mitigate its effect.
Although Local 63 had initially hoped to
clad all four elevations in glass, that would
have proved costly without providing much
benefit to the overall program. Instead, the
north and south elevations are built of pre-
cast-concrete panels, with an aggregate
composed of recycled coal slag, typically
used at steel mills for sandblasting, mixed
with black pigments. Together, the contrast
between the structure’s sinuous glazing and
the monolithic, obsidian-like concrete is
eye-catching, especially to the thousands of
commuters cruising by daily from the adja-
cent expressway.
Since opening in June 2024, the training
facility has functioned as something of a
public forum for the metropolitan region.
The union has hosted numerous community

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 INDUSTRY

A BRIDGE crane lifts items, like steel beams

and curtain wall panels, for training and
storage (this image). The space can be used
for welding and other processes (below).

meetings with local politicians within the space, led several tours of
the facility with the Chicago Architecture Center, and provided
room (when available) to other Ironworkers chapters and sister trade
unions.
“You are seeing this laboratory of learning in action, with steel
beams and curtain wall panels flying,” says Gensler project architect
Sean McGuire. “It is exciting, and prospective ironworkers can experi-
ence the trade’s camaraderie firsthand, while seeing that this is a solid
career path.”
While Gensler and the union hope the facility encourages future
workers to pick up the trade, those currently using it have quickly come
to appreciate it. During my visit, Dave Murray, a third-generation
member of Local 63, stood with me atop the mezzanine. Overlooking
the trainees at work, he said, “It fills you with pride.” n

Credits Sources
ARCHITECT: Gensler — Scott Hurst, STRUCTURAL SYSTEM: Nick’s
principal in charge; Jason Pugh, Metal Fabricating (structural steel
project manager; Sean McGuire, and ornamental ironwork); Nucor
project architect; Ryan DePersia, Vulcraft (acoustical structural
technical director decking)
ENGINEERS: Nayyar & Nayyar EXTERIOR CLADDING: Lombard
International (structural); IMEG Architectural Precast Products
(m/e/p); Terra Engineering (civil and (precast panels); W.R. Meadows
landscape) (moisture barrier)
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: GLAZING: Prelco (fabricator);
Skyline Construction Pilkington (tinted glass); Guardian
CLIENT: Ironworkers Local 63 (vision glass)

SIZE: 13,600 square feet BRIDGE CRANE: Sievert

COST: withheld
COMPLETION DATE: June 2024

104 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Save the Dates
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Photo credit: Populus by Studio Gang, Photo ©️ Jason O’Rear

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 Design
Vanguard
2025
FEATURED FIRMS
Fondamenta Felipe Alarcón
Milan Linares, Chile
Leopold Banchini T+E+A+M
Geneva Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ben Pennell Sala Hars
Christiansburg, Virginia Mexico City
HCCH Studio Current Interests
Shanghai Los Angeles
Ozaeta-Fidalgo
Madrid
Almost Studio
Brooklyn, New York
PHOTOGRAPHY: © QINGYAN ZHU

ECOLOGICAL PAVILION BY THE SEA,

SHANGHAI, BY HCCH STUDIO.

109
 Design Vanguard 2025

Fondamenta
MILAN
THROUGH the five storefront windows of Moretti to Aldo Rossi,” she notes) to decon-
Fondamenta’s studio, Milanese life unfolds in structivist and folding architecture, or from
full view, each passerby a fleeting character their Swiss and Iberian mentors to trace the
against the geometric backdrop of a vast resi- roots of their designs’ distorted forms, pierced
dential development amid old-fashioned build- sections, Mediterranean sensibility, and juxta-
ings. Outside eyes return the gaze, drawn to position of rough and polished materials. But
the quiet theater of a small crew of architects, that’s just the surface. The projects’ geometric
working among long, red velvet curtains, gray complexity conceals a greater ambition: con-
carpeting, and a large travertine table. The trolling—or what they call “designing the
windows—and the rooms behind them—were process”—as a means to transcend the archi-
claimed one by one as the firm grew, thanks tect’s often ancillary role and restore a pri-
not to Milan’s recent construction boom but to mary one. Alongside a strong focus on soft-
the success that the practice found in two ware, data analysis, and AI, their pragmatic
FOUNDED: 2016 regions at opposite ends of Italy (both known, idealism has led them to view constraints—
DESIGN STAFF: 14 coincidentally, for their excellent wine). like Italy’s intricate regulatory system—as “a
PRINCIPALS: Francesca Beatrice Gagliardi, Francesca Beatrice Gagliardi and Federico source of unexpected experimentation,” while
Federico Rossi Rossi, the founding partners, first met in also empowering local expertise. In Sicily,
EDUCATION: Gagliardi: Mendrisio Switzerland at the Mendrisio Academy of thanks to construction-site training using
Academy of Architecture, M.Arch., Architecture, established by Mario Botta virtual reality and other technologies, “we
2006–12 (their professor), before parting ways and actually worked better than in Switzerland,”
Rossi: Mendrisio Academy of Architecture,
venturing across Europe. Federico, 37, who Federico adds.
M.Arch., 2006–12; KTH Stockholm, 2009–10
also studied in Stockholm, spent several years Their design philosophy is now embodied
WORK HISTORY: Gagliardi: Christian Kerez,
working with Christian Kerez in Zurich, in the ongoing Hesovisia project in Val di
2014; Ensamble Studio, 2013; Aires Mateus,
before encouraging Francesca, 38, to join the Noto, a tourist complex situated in the Sicilian
2007
Rossi: Christian Kerez, 2013–15 team following stints in Lisbon at Aires countryside. The settlement unfolds like a
Mateus and in Madrid at Ensamble Studio. continuous ribbon—rising, dipping, curving,
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Figura House,
2023; Villa RP01, 2022; Villa RP02, 2022; Their partnership took shape in 2016, follow- and twisting—to shelter dwellings while
House FO, 2022 (all in Avola, Italy); SO-LE ing an opportunity to design a winery to- acting as a “thermodynamic machine” that
Flagship Store, 2022, Milan; Winery, 2020, gether in Monforte d’Alba, Piedmont— generates more energy than it consumes. In
Monforte d’Alba, Italy famous for Barolo wine and as a UNESCO terms of form, it seems to be a turning point:
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Mixed-Use World Heritage Site. There, blending a tradi- snakelike fluid surfaces, derived from system-
Building, Orikum; Mixed-Use Building, tional pitched roof with a striking assemblage atic data analysis of topography and climate
Radhime (both in Albania); Villa; Hesovisia of slanted columns and inverted vaults, they conditions, supersede the previously jagged
(both in Sicily, Italy); Residential Building, created a work of rare complexity, featuring and angular geometries. No matter the form,
Milan themes—structure as a generative force, anti- they state, “Architecture is an organism.”
fondamenta.archi classical balance, construction as a design Next stop: Albania, where prime minister
driver, and, as Francesca puts it, “the collision Edi Rama has commissioned them to design
of many layers that we ask to coexist”— later new housing projects as part of the country’s
echoed in various villas built in Avola, Sicily, exponential economic growth. Renderings of
land of Nero wine. skewed towers with shifting loggias circulate
One might seek to spot references ranging through the studio. But for Federico and
from Italian masters (“We prefer Luigi Francesca, the real challenge lies beyond
aesthetics; it’s about rethinking the very logic
that precedes the project itself, from the
ground up, from the fondamenta—the foun-
dation. And, soon, five windows may no
longer be enough. n Gabriele Neri

Sant’Erasmo Renovation
This project, currently in design, will transform
Milan’s former Sant’Erasmo cloister, the
adjacent piazza, and parts of the Perego
Gardens into a new commercial destination
with performance and event spaces.

110 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Villa RP02
Nestled into a rocky outcropping in Avola, Sicily, this 3,700-square-foot
house appears from the road as a single-story composition of fragmented
elements, but emerges on the other side as a three-story structure formed
by a curved concrete wall, a courtyard, and an underground garage. An
enormous prestressed beam, clad in stone, runs from one side of the
house to the other, hovering above it all.
IMAGES: © MIKAEL OLSSON, EXCEPT AS NOTED; DIMA (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM)

111
 Design Vanguard 2025

SO-LE Flagship Store

Fondamenta designed a womblike space
inside a 17th-century building in Milan, wrapping
it with an elastic-fiber membrane and then
deforming it with cuts, folds, and warps. The
result is a store with flowing spaces, no sharp
corners, and an organic character that seems
to evolve over time.

Figura House
The architects stripped a nondescript house down to its concrete bones, then used them
as the structural progenitor for a 3,500-square-foot house in the rugged hills of Sicily. The
project’s concrete frame is exposed and serves as a visual and tactile foil for the metal
panels that otherwise wrap the residence.

112 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Monforte d’Alba Winery
In the Piedmont region of Italy, Fondamenta
designed a winery that respects vernacular
forms on its exterior while exploring new spatial
strategies inside. Angled steel columns support
a pitched roof floating above a glazed ground
floor while intersecting concrete shells run
throughout, their undersides visible.
PHOTOGRAPHY: © MARCO CAPPELLETTI (2)

113
 Design Vanguard 2025

Leopold Banchini
GENEVA
“ARCHITECTURE is a great tool for references historic barns and roundhouses. For
discovering the world,” says Geneva-born Horst 2025, Banchini is going more high-
Leopold Banchini. In his adult life to date, tech, working with the American DJ DVS1 to
the 43-year-old has lived, studied, and make a sort of sonic pergola—a canopy of
worked in places as diverse as Australia, speakers offering in-the-round sound.
Bahrain, Morocco, Portugal, Scotland, the In complete contrast, the Villa M (2024),
U.S., and his native Switzerland. But, unlike on the shores of Lake Geneva, couldn’t ap-
the nomads of yore, who hauled their baggage pear more permanent. “Regulations required
with them, Banchini travels to unlearn his a huge concrete basement, so I thought,
European certainties and find out how they ‘Why not go all the way?’ ” he says of this
do it elsewhere. raw, rough-cast box. Rising to the challenge
Take one of his most recent projects, Dar of an impossible site—local code, as well as
El Farina (2024), a house he built in Moroc- limiting height, restricted building width to
co’s rural Al Haouz region. “My wife had six just 12½ feet—Banchini lined up below-
months’ maternity leave, so we decided to rent grade bedrooms along an open-air sheet of
a farm out there. I couldn’t resist having a go water, to give them more light, and con-
FOUNDED: 2016 myself to test out the local building culture.” nected the ground-level living area to a
DESIGN STAFF: 1 Foundations made from local river rocks, swimming pool, which reflects the skyline of
PRINCIPAL: Leopold Banchini rammed-earth walls, sparing amounts of the distant Alps. Deliberately mute, the villa,
EDUCATION: University of Lausanne, concrete (“an expensive resource in rural which he likens to a boulder, bows to the
M.Arch., 2007; École Polytechnique Morocco”), and agricultural sheet steel com- splendor of its setting.
Fédérale de Lausanne, M.Arch., 2006; bine to form a building of austere beauty, Given his penchant for treading lightly, it’s
Glasgow School of Art, 2004 which lines up rooms and patios in a strict no surprise to learn that Banchini runs a
WORK HISTORY: BUREAU A, 2007–15; b720 and frugal enfilade. As Banchini explains of one-person office. For bigger projects, he
Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos, 2007 this close collaboration with local contractors, collaborates with other practices, as is the case
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Al Naseej “Most of the world’s structures go up without for the social-housing projects he’s currently
Textile Factory, 2021, Bani Jamrah; House architects—there are tremendous skills, designing in Switzerland. “By definition,
for Architectural Heritage, 2017, Muharrag knowledge, and ideas about how to build costs are low and quality tends to suffer be-
(both in Bahrain); Dar El Farina, 2024, Al inexpensively.” cause developers see these homes as a mere
Haouz, Morocco; Marramarra Shack, Running through everything he does, this financial product. There are a lot of rules but
2020, Berowra, Australia; Casa do Monte,
hands-on interest in materials, economy, and also, because no one really cares, a lot of
2019, Lisbon
construction can be seen in his many tempo- freedom,” he says of his attempt to build a
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Motel 69
rary structures, such as the 2021 Moon Ra better caliber of housing in timber. This blend
Subsidized Housing, Geneva; Chalet
pavilion in Vilvoorde, Belgium. Designed for of ethics and a lightness of touch has charac-
Erratic, Champery (both in Switzerland);
Flux Athens; Round About Bath, Logrono, the Horst Arts and Music Festival, it recycles terized his approach since his student days,
Spain; Dark Skies, Vilvoorde, Belgium materials from a previous pavilion, “right when he defended a thesis about New York’s
leopoldbanchini.com down to the bolts and screws.” Constructed by prisons by setting forth all the reasons not to
students attending a workshop, this vernacular build them. Ever since, his has been an alter-
shelter in dimensional lumber and plywood native way to practice. n Andrew Ayers

Moon Ra
Erected by students using materials from a
disassembled pavilion that had occupied the
site, this structure covers a dance floor and fire
pit where people attending the Horst Festival in
Vilvoorde, Belgium, can cavort. A rotating disc
at the top opens to the moon and sends out
smoke signals to the rest of the gathering.

114 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Dar El Farina
The unforgiving desert setting
informed key design strategies
for this private house, designed
with Sana Nabaha, in Al Haouz,
Morocco, dictating its rammed-
earth walls and minimal
windows. Large rotating doors
can open or close individual
spaces along an impressive
enfilade of rooms and patios.
PHOTOGRAPHY: © RORY GARDINER, EXCEPT AS NOTED; MAXIME DELVAUX (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM);
COURTESY LEOPOLD BANCHINI ARCHITECTS (PORTRAIT)

115
 Design Vanguard 2025

Marramarra Shack
Banchini used timber pillars made of repurposed 200-year-old electrical
posts left by British colonialists and local spotted gum timber for ceiling and
floor beams in this small residence on Aboriginal land in New South Wales,
Australia. A large north-facing window, which can be hoisted upward
using counterweights, dominates the interior and pulls in views of the
nearby creek.

Dodged House
Located in the historic city center of Lisbon, this
1,000-square-foot project, a collaboration with
Daniel Zamarbide, fits snugly within a row of
traditional attached houses on a narrow street.
A cement-block exterior complements the
locally sourced tiles and stones used for the
furniture and interior surfaces.

116 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Villa M
Responding to the majestic
scenery of Lake Geneva and
the nearby Alps, Banchini kept
the form and facades of this
private residence in Mies,
Switzerland, as simple as
possible. The ground-floor living
spaces open on a large pool
with a small floating terrace,
while bedrooms sit one level
belowground and overlook an
enclosed patio.
PHOTOGRAPHY: © DYLAN PERRENOUD (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM)

117
 Design Vanguard 2025

Ben Pennell
CHRISTIANSBURG, VIRGINIA
BEN PENNELL is reaching for the future $150,000 duplex he designed in Modesto,
of architecture with dirt-caked hands. He has California, where he hired a general contrac-
built and financed many of his projects, either tor to construct a simple box, but then built
alone or with a ragtag group of students, its bas-relief-style ornamental facade himself
friends, and tradespeople. And whatever he using fiberglass, plywood, and resin—evok-
earned from one project he plowed into the ing Modernism, industry, Renaissance
next. There is an element of impatience at sculpture, and Star Wars all at once. In
play; Pennell, 32, isn’t predisposed to waiting Brookings, South Dakota, where he taught,
for work (or permission to build). But he also Pennell bought and then radically remodeled
believes other architects should embrace the a $165,000 house, turning a moldy, unused
FOUNDED: 2017
opportunities lurking in what he describes as 800-square-foot basement into a singular
the banalities of building. “The odds of real- space inspired by Le Corbusier’s Paris studio
DESIGN STAFF: 1–2
izing a piece of architecture through direct and anchored by an Aubrey Beardsley–
PRINCIPAL: Ben Pennell
means, like my own investment, are slightly inspired fireplace. And there’s the 2,700-
EDUCATION: Harvard Graduate School of
higher than simply waiting by the phone or, square-foot house he built in Christiansburg,
Design, M.Arch., 2019; Cal Poly, San Luis
God forbid, some competition with thousands Virginia, while serving as a visiting instruc-
Obispo, B.Arch., 2015
of entrants,” he says. tor at Virginia Tech—an elegantly cacopho-
WORK HISTORY: Weiss/Manfredi, 2015–17;
This kind of do-it-yourself architecture is nous structure that seems to erupt from the
Neil M. Denari Architects, 2014; Lloyd
Russell, AIA, 2013
Pennell’s bedrock. Raised by architect parents, earth, evoking animator Hayao Miyazaki,
he interned with Lloyd Russell in San Diego and features a pseudospheric inner dome
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: 210 Semple
Street, 2017, Modesto; Shinto Shed, 2020,
and Neil Denari in Los Angeles, and spent inspired by Rome’s Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza.
Lewiston; 5278 College Avenue, 2020, two years at Weiss/Manfredi in New York, He’s currently working on another house, in
Oakland (all in California); 300 John before starting his practice. Pennell “drank in Blacksburg, Virginia, that’s more rigorous
Lemley Lane, 2024, Christiansburg, the excitement and professional atmosphere” though no less ambitious: its point of refer-
Virginia; 1011 2nd Street, 2021, Brookings, at the latter and got a thrill making models for ence is a semicircular void found in the
South Dakota international projects he knew would one day Vatican apartments.
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: 3010 E 7th Street; be built. But it was Russell and Denari who Today’s young architects must play by
547 31st Street (both in Oakland); 508 were most consequential. In Russell, he found different rules to find a proper outlet for their
Forest Hill Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia someone who embodied the architect-contrac- creative work, Pennell insists. But he also
benpennell.com tor-developer-financier model that he would hopes to “preserve the spirit of the disci-
later embrace, while Denari’s West Coast pline.” This tension has led him to yearn for a
experimentalism influenced him stylistically. return to the architect-as-builder model, a
Also significant: Frank Gehry. “I place him deliberately provocative posture intended to
on such a pedestal. I think I’d pass out if I ever shake off decades, even centuries, of accumu-
met him in person.” lated rust. As Pennell sees it, there’s no other
Pennell’s indebtedness to this triumvirate way forward—for him, or the profession.

PHOTOGRAPHY: © BEN PENNELL, EXCEPT AS NOTED; KATE HEIBERGER (PORTRAIT)

is evident across his portfolio. There is the “My dream is to do away with the ‘architec-
tural firm’ and instead run a workshop in
exactly the same way as Rembrandt or
Bernini,” he says. “Why not just build the
thing yourself? We could include the cost of
construction in our fee structure, and elimi-
nate the insufferably long, incoherent CD
sets that, ultimately, the subs always ignore
anyhow!” n Dante A. Ciampaglia

210 Semple Street

For a duplex in Modesto, California, Pennell
spent five months—and $2,000 of his own
money to cover cost overruns—building the
bas-relief-style facade that features faux gable
ends, stubby pilasters, and stepped plinths.

118 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

300 John Lemley Lane
This spec house is a kaleidoscope of
concepts. Its steel exoskeleton is “subtly
reminiscent” of Pompidou High Tech. The
plywood and cement-board facade is
Corbusian. The roof, which includes a
hemispherical skylight, seems to float
above the building and extends outward
like the wings of a plane.

1011 2nd Street

Pennell’s renovation of this house in South Dakota
includes an attic addition, but work began in the unused
basement—a low-risk decision ensuring that, if something
went awry, the house would not be ruined. He watched
a how-to video and set about transforming this space
with laser-cut steel ornamentation and a decorative
fireplace, and dubbed it Samson’s Lair.

119
 Design Vanguard 2025

HCCH Studio
SHANGHAI
FAST, CHEAP, and smart: that’s the way Hu and Chen like to challenge the static
Shanghai-based HCCH Studio tends to nature of architecture, injecting a sense of
work when creating its spatially dynamic and motion into otherwise stable structures. For a
programmatically adaptive projects. Like site along a river in Zhejiang province, they
many emerging firms, the husband and wife designed a twisted brick shell that lures
team of Chenchen Hu and Hao Chen, both people inside with its intriguing play of
38, has excelled at working with limited time shadow and light and its curling opening to
and money to explore novel ways of using the sky. Made of 12,000 bricks of 12 differ-
materials and crafting form. Crushed bricks, ent widths inserted within a prefabricated
stacked sheets of polycarbonate, and laser-cut steel lattice and then bonded with
FOUNDED: 2018
3D-printed recycled plastic have played key concrete mortar, it adds a sense of spin to a
roles in some of the firm’s projects, which simple enclosure. Built by local farmers in
DESIGN STAFF: 6–8
tend to be small in scale and eye-catching in just 50 days, it can function as a pop-up
PRINCIPALS: Hao Chen, Chenchen Hu
intent. library or a quiet place to enjoy views of the
EDUCATION: Chen: Harvard Graduate
The couple met at Tongji University in riverside where a developer invited 30 young
School of Design, M.AUD., 2014; Tongji
Shanghai, spent a year at the Vienna Uni- designers (architects, landscape architects,
University, M.Arch., 2011; B.Arch., 2009
Hu: Harvard Graduate School of Design,
versity of Technology, and overlapped while and artists) to create a series of pavilions
M.AUD., 2013; Tongji University, B.Arch., earning master’s degrees at Harvard. Chen aimed at attracting tourists and locals.
2009 worked at MADA s.p.a.m and Standard- Beside an 11-mile-long coastal site near
WORK HISTORY: Chen: Atelier Deshaus, architecture—two Design Vanguard firms Shanghai, the architects designed a pair of
2015–18; OMA, 2014; Standardarchitecture, based in China—as well as OMA in New ecological monitoring structures—one a
2013; MADA s.p.a.m., 2008 York, while Hu interned at Yung Ho Chang’s twisting tower, the other a spiraling pavil-
Hu: Atelier Deshaus, 2016–18; Abalos- Atelier FCJZ in Beijing and SOM in ion—that wrap scientific functions in sculp-
Sentkiewicz, 2013–16; SOM, 2012; Atelier Chicago. Both spent time at Atelier Deshaus tural forms. For the same area, they also
FCJZ, 2008 in Shanghai, also a Design Vanguard, before created a trio of low-budget pavilions made of
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Westbund launching HCCH in 2018. quirky materials such as Lego-like pieces of
Dream Center, 2024; Renovation of Relay Rather than look to the work of current recycled plastic and fabric membranes—each
Factory, 2024; 5 Ecological Infrastructures Chinese architects, HCCH has found inspi- erected in just two weeks.
Along the Coast, 2023; PRISM, 2021 (all in
ration in mid-20th-century iconoclasts of the Much of the firm’s larger-scale work in-
Shanghai); Twisted Brick Shell, 2023,
United States and Japan. “We’re really fasci- volves transforming and rethinking existing
Zhejiang, China
nated by the utopian, space-age ideas of the buildings. In Shanghai, for example, HCCH
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Deer Hut,
1950s and ’60s and people like Buckminster converted a 19th-century brick factory into a
Chongqing; Riverview Pavilion, Hangzhou;
Mountainview Pavilion, Guangdong;
Fuller,” says Chen. “We love inflatable venue for shops, cafés, and cultural activities
Collective Housing Renovation, Shanghai; buildings and also the Metabolists in Japan,” by making it more porous, to its surroundings
Renovation of Machine Tool Plant, adds Hu. and to daylight. Using a strategy of subtrac-
Shanghai (all in China) tion, the architects removed part of the build-

PHOTOGRAPHY: © QINGYAN ZHU, EXCEPT AS NOTED; FANGFANG TIAN (PORTRAIT)

hcchstudio.com ing’s roof to create a long skylit central atrium
and opened an internal kiln flue to enhance
circulation. Other projects feature clever new
facades and envelopes for buildings, such as
an unfinished performance hall on the West
Bund in Shanghai, a collective housing com-
plex, and an old relay factory.
Using what they find—whether it’s an
abandoned structure or discarded bricks—Hu
and Chen have realized projects that are
ecologically responsible and intellectually
Twisting Tower by the Sea nimble. Their ability to do a lot with very
Part of a series of ecological infrastructure little—by simply applying a great deal of
projects along the coast of Shanghai, this tower
creativity—reveals a sly optimism that ties
twists so its three platforms face different
directions and monitoring equipment can
them to the boundary-breaking designers of
sample carbon in the air. Both sculptural and yesteryear that the couple so closely admire. n
practical, the lookout calls attention to the Clifford A. Pearson
need to collect data on the environment.

120 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Twisted Brick Shell
Built in just 50 days by local farmers in Zhejiang
province, this pavilion uses common materials in
inventive ways. Instead of being stacked in
courses, bricks are inserted in a laser-cut steel
lattice and then bonded with concrete. The
project serves as a retreat for tourists and local
residents and can host pop-up events.

Relay Factory Renovation

HCCH converted an old relay factory into an office and
retail complex, retaining the basic form and structural
Project Name elements of the existing buildings and wrapping them
Obist endae laborum que velluptiur? Obitius inverum voluptat odis is perio. with new facades made of inexpensive materials
Lant dolorem facepeditem haruntum volecab orrovid qui ut fugit, exero such as cement board, tile, and paint. By bending,
denimus ulparum faceped icatemo luptasp erumquia volorep erupta adis perforating, and grooving the materials, the architects
dunducipsunt landae. Ut as mo dollatum voluptatus aut quid qui tempos were able to create visual diversity with a simple palette.
et rem dellaccus, tem voluptas sundunt odigendit

PRISM Coffee & Reading Space

Set within a large aeronautics factory, this interior project stacks polycarbonate panels
to create four umbrella-like platforms at various levels. LEDs inserted between the panels
add a futuristic glow to the café, which seems appropriate for an aerospace campus.
Using humble materials and simple construction kept the project within its tight budget.

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Felipe Alarcón
LINARES, CHILE
IN FEBRUARY 2010, a magnitude-8.8 cept a more abstract form of remembrance.
earthquake struck barely 60 miles from the He replaced the original roof—repurposing
architect Felipe Alarcón’s childhood home in the terra-cotta tiles for a street-facing bound-
Linares, a small city in Chile’s fertile central ary wall—with a cuboid volume clad in oxi-
valley. Like many architecture students, dized steel set at a 15-degree angle, its upper
Alarcón, now 40, went out into the field to edge trimmed with a clerestory window
assess the damage. In the countryside near his trained on the sky. The dining room now
hometown, he recalls seeing rural typologies occupies the site of the daughter’s bedroom,
he recognized from his childhood—largely allowing the family to come together in the
undamaged by the tremor—through newly place where she used to sleep. It was a prosaic
trained eyes. “They really caught my atten- response to an abstract problem: how can
tion—houses with separate kitchens and architecture respond to grief?
smoke coming through the roofs, or men Such practicality is typical of Alarcón’s
sitting outside, having breakfast and watching approach. In the Four Seasons House, an-
FOUNDED: 2014 TV under a grapevine.” Two weeks later, he other renovation in Linares, a tall, hipped
DESIGN STAFF: 1
began his master’s thesis and, poring over roof of perforated metal, punctured by a
literature on Chilean architecture, found pine-clad dormer, seems, ostensibly, like a
PRINCIPAL: Felipe Alarcón
practically nothing that described these ver- poetic interpretation of the vernacular. But,
EDUCATION: Universidad Católica de
nacular forms, despite the fact that they were for Alarcón, it was also a tool for extending
Chile, M.Arch., 2012
“so much more rooted here than the classical the house upward in order to take in the
WORK HISTORY: SURco Studio, 2011–14
colonial house,” he says. surrounding views while respecting the scale
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Four Seasons
When he finished his thesis two years and privacy of nearby houses—a gesture as
House, 2022; Lanza House, 2022; VAIVEN
later, Alarcón moved back to his hometown to neighborly as it is lyrical. Even in larger proj-
Bar, 2021; CONIC House, 2020; Little Yellow
House, 2018; Casa Lautaro, 2015 (all in
work “outside the gravitational pull of Santi- ects, Alarcón applies that same inventive
Linares, Chile); AV Pavilion, 2019; ago.” (Roughly 40 percent of Chile’s 20 mil- modesty by using quotidian materials in
Incremental Pavilion 1, 2018 (both in lion inhabitants live in the capital, compared unexpected contexts—concrete masonry units
Santiago, Chile); Rinconada House, 2020, to Linares’s population of about 100,000.) turned on their side as a brise soleil in one, or
Chile; LBS House, 2019, Tunquén, Chile Alarcón’s first major commission, a renova- perforated steel hemicycles to form a sheer
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Parra House, tion called Casa Lautaro, emerged from the envelope in another. These houses bear little

IMAGES: © PABLO CASALS AGUIRRE (BOTTOM); CRISTOBAL PALMA (OPPOSITE, 2); FELIPE CASTILLO (PORTRAIT)
Linares; Quilvo House, Curicó; Ñuñoa same natural disaster that had sparked his resemblance to those in Alarcón’s thesis, but
Building, Santiago; DroneSpray, Puerto graduate research. A local couple needed a they share a certain intellectual austerity.
Varas (all in Chile) second-floor bedroom and living room for They are, he says, a way of “turning toward
felipealarcon.cl their small 50-year-old house—a project they the rural without so much romanticism.”
had planned to give their daughter, a peer of In his parallel career as an academic,
Alarcón’s who had also studied architecture Alarcón likes to emphasize “what Linares is,
but was killed by the tsunami that followed the size and scale, and that it’s possible to
the 2010 quake. When they felt ready to work in places like it.” This commitment to
build, four years later, the parents initially the periphery forms the core of Alarcón’s
wanted to conserve their daughter’s bedroom, work, more so, even, than his interest in
but Alarcón asked instead if they might ac- simple materials, basic resources, and the
utilitarian logic of traditional forms. “In small
cities, there is a lot to do,” he says. “But the
most important thing is forging an attitude of
curiosity—and figuring out where to get
involved.” n Michael Snyder

Lautaro House
For the parents of a woman killed by the
tsunami following a 2010 earthquake, Alarcón
renovated the family’s 1,100-square-foot home
in Linares by replacing the roof with an angled
volume lit by a clerestory window aimed at the
sky. Terra-cotta roof tiles were given a second
life as a textured, street-facing wall.

122 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

LBS House
On a remote property in Chile’s Valparaíso region, this 2,400-square-foot
house captures dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean and forms a
protected retreat from the rugged climate. Alarcón used cinder block,
which could be easily transported to the site, for walls surrounding a
triangular courtyard, and poured-in-place concrete for floor slabs and
other structural elements.

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 Design Vanguard 2025

Lanza House
Completed in 2020, this 3,400-square-foot
residence in Linares is a poetic essay in
steel construction set on a concrete
foundation. Perforated steel hemicycles
create a veiled envelope around much of
the house, casting shadows on one side
and filtering light on the other.

124 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Four Seasons House
The architect razed a simple one-story house to
make way for this three-story structure, but kept
the original building’s humble brick-and-metal
street wall. A corrugated-metal volume
culminates in a top-level perch with wrap-
around clerestory windows offering views of the
surrounding area.
PHOTOGRAPHY: © MIGUEL SALINAS, EXCEPT AS NOTED; FELIPE UGALDE (BOTTOM)

Lollapalooza Pavilion
For the Chilean edition of the popular
Lollapalooza music festival, Alarcón
designed a temporary pavilion in
Santiago’s O’Higgins Park in 2019. A
repetitive wood frame and simple
plywood panels create a structure
that snakes along the ground and
erupts in a series of towers.

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 Design Vanguard 2025

T+E+A+M
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
DOES ANY long-term good come out of the broader efforts to make a “meaningful impact
Venice Architecture Biennale? in the world.”
To this question the Ann Arbor, Mich- The group has realized this effort in an
igan–based firm T+E+A+M offers an en- intriguing variety of collective and individual
couraging answer. Its four cofounders, ways—from participation in the city planning
University of Michigan faculty Thom process in Ann Arbor (Abrons serves on the
Moran, Ellie Abrons, Adam Fure, and planning commission) or efforts to redesign
Meredith Miller, came together for a specu- construction processes (Fure, 44, and Moran,
lative project presented at the 2016 Bien- 46, are pursuing builder’s licenses) to the
nale—a proposal to transform Detroit’s development of a new cladding product made
infamous Packard Plant into a campus dedi- from foundry sand and recycled polymers (a
cated to material reuse, one where spolia project led by Miller, 45, and Moran). All
from the abandoned buildings would be four continue to teach at Michigan, which has
FOUNDED: 2016 reconstituted and used to construct formally enabled the firm to avoid relying on paying
DESIGN STAFF: 4–6 unruly interventions across the site. Since clients: much of its work is financed by grants,
that splashy debut, the principals have con- and its principals make use of space in a
PRINCIPALS: Thom Moran, Ellie Abrons,
Adam Fure, Meredith Miller tinued to teach and pursue research, many university building.
centered on material experimentation. They In a sense, T+E+A+M’s slate of commis-
EDUCATION: Moran: Yale School of
Architecture, M.Arch., 2007; University of have also endeavored to make the always- sioned projects takes it full circle back to a
Illinois Urbana-Champaign, BS in treacherous jump from theoretical to real client-driven process. Fortunately, the firm’s
Architectural Studies, 2001 territory, and are now on the cusp of com- penchant for experimentation and rethinking
Abrons: University of California, Los Angeles, pleting one of their largest projects: Building materiality is not lost in this work; if any-
M.Arch., 2006; New York University, BA in Art in a Building, a commercial hub on Detroit’s thing, built projects deepen and amplify these
History and Gender Studies, 1996 east side surgically inserted behind a half- interests by offering opportunities to test
Fure: University of California, Los Angeles, demolished century-old structure. them on the ground. “What’s exciting to us is
M.Arch., 2006; University of Michigan, BS in From the start, the principals were united the material assembly of things,” says Moran,
Architecture, 2003
in rejecting then-dominant notions of the and it is gratifying to see how the notions of
Miller: Princeton University, M.Arch., 2006;
architect as heroic form-maker. All four reconstitution and reuse introduced at the
University of Virginia, BS in Architecture, 2002
received their master’s degrees in the years Biennale have made their way into Building
WORK HISTORY: Moran: SMNG-A, 2007–09;
preceding the 2008 financial crisis, and each in a Building. There, on a narrow corner lot, a
XTEN Architecture, 2001–02
Abrons: Office dA, 2007–09; Greg Lynn Form, ended up pursuing fellowships and teaching striking hybrid is taking shape as the facade
2007; Servo, 2005–07 opportunities in the difficult years that fol- of the existing structure wraps around a
Fure: Office dA, 2008–09; Greg Lynn Form, lowed. Having been sufficiently disabused of generous public courtyard and meets the dark
2006–08 any lingering romantic myths about architec- form of the new volume rising behind it. The
Miller: Höweler + Yoon Architecture, 2006–09; ture, the group set out to find its own way of quiet restraint of the design—a shift from the
Helfand Architecture, 2004–06. working. “We’ve tried to forge a different bold forms of the Biennale proposal—show
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: The Warehouse, model of practice, not from a top-down ideo- T+E+A+M’s evolution from a polemical to a
2024, Hanover, New Hampshire; Northwood logical position, but something more emer- pragmatic position, and suggest that it has
ADU, 2021, Ann Arbor, Michigan; 4 over 4, gent,” says Abrons, 49, noting a desire to discovered a design sensibility befitting its
2020, Detroit; Living Picture, 2017, Lake Forest, balance an enduring interest in design with emergent model of practice. n Izzy Kornblatt
Illinois; Ghostbox, 2017, Chicago
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Residential
Addition; Post Rock (both in Ann Arbor,
Michigan); Building in a Building; Rehab for
America: The New Starter Home (both in
Detroit); Home for Healing Community
Center, Ypsilanti, Michigan
tpluseplusaplusm.us

Living Picture
Renderings of Howard Van Doren Shaw’s design
for a garden stage at his home, Ragdale, are
projected onto 3D shapes arranged on the
original site in Illinois. The project blends past and
present, real and fake, set and surroundings.

126 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 The Warehouse
The architects converted a commercial space
into a flexible performance venue that also serves
as a hub for teaching and creative practice in
the sonic arts at Dartmouth College. Performance
spaces can be reconfigured, allowing artists to
experiment and test new ideas. Infrastructure for
sound and lighting is exposed, giving them a
visible role in the design.

4 over 4
Designed as a prototype for
low-cost middle-density
housing, this project provides
eight apartments that rent at
below-market rates. T+E+A+M
saved money by using a
prefabricated shallow
foundation that minimized site
work, lightweight composite
IMAGES: © T+E+A+M, EXCEPT AS NOTED; BROOKE HOLM (TOP, 2); THE WHITAKER GROUP (BOTTOM); DEVIN O’NEILL (PORTRAIT)

wall and roof panels that

expedited on-site assembly,
and all-electric utilities to
eliminate need for gas lines.

Building in a Building
Asked to renovate a 100-year-
old commercial building on
Detroit’s east side, the architects
decided instead to preserve just
part of the old structure, add a
new building behind it, and
create a courtyard between the
two. The complex, scheduled to
open this year, will serve as a
neighborhood hub with
restaurants and retail spaces.

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 Design Vanguard 2025

Sala Hars
MEXICO CITY
THE FOUNDERS of Sala Hars like to joke A joint thesis project segued into the foun­
that their base in Mexico City is a natural dation of their namesake firm while still in
midpoint between their hometowns—though school. (Harsevoort’s name was truncated for
it is hardly convenient for either. Juan Sala pleasing symmetry). Seven years on, their
grew up 2,000 miles away in Colombia, while enthusiasm for the great treasure trove of
Douglas Harsevoort hails from distant Wis­ historical precedent remains palpable, even if
consin. Nevertheless, the pair found more that source material finds distinctly contem­
significant advantages in their adopted home, porary form in their designs. Explanation of
where they have worked since graduating. the studio’s work is peppered with scholarly
Low living costs gave the fledgling office time footnotes, from the Egyptian influence on
to develop its approach without compromise. classicism to the quirks of Palladian villas.
And in a city equally rich in both heritage and The architects are quick to point out, how­
youthful energy, the duo saw a reflection of ever, that their approach is coupled with an
the qualities they seek in their own work. equal concern for the way buildings are made.
A common interest in the creative potential After some lean, competition­heavy years
of history created an immediate bond when spent exploring riffs on Japanese pagodas in
FOUNDED: 2018 the partners met at the GSD, each having black concrete, German modernism in bulbous
DESIGN STAFF: 7 followed a peripatetic route to Harvard: Sala glass, and myriad recompositions of the pitch­
PRINCIPALS: Juan Sala, Douglas Harsevoort had studied in Bogotá and New York, and roofed house, success came with a string of
EDUCATION: Sala: Harvard Graduate worked for Toyo Ito in Japan, while Harse­ projects in Paris. At Zoī, a preventive medical
School of Design, M.Arch. II, 2018; Pratt voort’s path took in the Midwest, the Bauhaus center on the Place Vendôme, Sala Hars es­
Institute, B.Arch., 2015 in Germany, and the L.A. office of Johnston chewed conventional antiseptic sterility, aim­
Harsevoort: Harvard Graduate School of Marklee, where he enjoyed frequent conversa­ ing instead for the sensuous intimacy of
Design, M.Arch. I, 2018; University of tions on the use of references, informed by an Baroque interiors. This honeycomb of softly
Minnesota, BS in Architecture, 2012 “incredible” studio library. Both continued to curved cells lined in a warm wood, mosaic,
WORK HISTORY: Sala: Herzog & de Meuron, roam while at Harvard, with Harsevoort, 36, and black volcanic stone appears both archaic
2016–17; Toyo Ito & Associates, 2012 completing an exchange at ETH Zurich, and and radically novel. For a tiny sushi restaurant,
Harsevoort: Johnston Marklee, 2018–19, Sala, 34, spending a year with Herzog & de the architects looked both to French churches
2012–14 Meuron, whose ability to find unexpected and Japanese teahouses, producing a coffered
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Zoī Vendome, beauty in the everyday remains a touchstone. wooden ceiling with the sharp pleats of ori­
2024; Omasake Bar, 2023; Sushi Yoshinaga, “We were in constant dialogue from the gami. “Many references were synthesized
2023; Sushi Shunei, 2021 (all in Paris);
moment we met,” recalls Harsevoort. Drawing through a constant process of distillation,” says
Tiempos Shop, 2024, Mexico City
on the past, they agreed, offered a way to Sala. “In the end, it achieves a maximal effect
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Christen Flagship;
counter the rapid churn of stylistic fads and to with minimal means.”
A House, A Cathedral (both in Paris); Casa
Ruina, Puerto Escondido, Mexico;
root buildings in their place. Sala characterizes The portfolio is now looking healthy. In
Zoī London, UK; Vanilla Housing their ethos as a “commitment to architecture Paris, Sala Hars’s first house is under con­
Development, Madison, Wisconsin as a meditation on tradition, while creating struction, and the firm is starting work on a
salahars.com work that is indisputably of its time.” clothing store. Another medical center is
destined for London. And in a step­up in
scale, a 30­unit mass­timber housing project
with subtly ornamented brick facades, ap­
proaching completion in Wisconsin, is in­
tended to prove that better architecture is
possible within the tight constraints of the
middle­class market. For Sala Hars, it seems,
seeking continuity with the past promises a
bright future. n Chris Foges

Tiempos Shop
For a clothing store in Mexico City, Sala Hars
used elliptical portals to create an engaging
and dynamic experience. The device lures
passersby inside and provides flexibility in terms
of displaying a changing collection.

128 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Omasake Bar
Located on the ground floor of a Neoclassical office
building in Paris, this sake bar draws inspiration from the
bustle of Tokyo streets and the weight and symmetry of
Parisian blocks. The architects combined metallic
surfaces with warm fabrics and soft lighting to create
what some would call a retro-futurist interior. Repetitive
octagons pull people inside and through the space.

Sushi Yoshinaga
In the same building as Omasake Bar and designed for the same clients,
this sushi restaurant is the upscale sibling with elegant manners and refined
taste. Here the chef takes center stage behind a wood sushi bar, and the
minimalist design emphasizes every little detail—from the chopsticks holder
to the cast-metal vase holding a single flower.
PHOTOGRAPHY: © 11H45, EXCEPT AS NOTED; ARTURO ARRIETA (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM); ANA HOP (PORTRAIT)

129
 Design Vanguard 2025

Zoī Vendome
A new type of facility combining
health screening with therapeutic
bath treatments, this project near
Place Vendôme in Paris breaks free
of the stuffy medical typology.
Instead it is rendered in a modern
Baroque style, with theatrical
touches of light-and-dark contrasts,
plus an Art Deco use of materials
such as wood and black stone.

130
 Sushi Shunei
On a cobblestone street in Montmartre,
Sala Hars inserted a wood-lined jewel
box of a restaurant visible in a single
glance from the sidewalk. Wood ribs
and coffered light panels evoke both
the folded paper of origami and the
rhythm of Gothic vaults. A long wood
table runs from the front to the back of
the restaurant, bringing diners together
in one experience.

Casa Ruina
This weekend retreat, currently in
design, is organized as a series of
discrete pavilions. Each features a
central cylindrical space with
projecting bladelike walls, which are
punctuated by triangular apertures.
IMAGES: © SALA HARS (BOTTOM, 2)

131
 Design Vanguard 2025

Current Interests
LOS ANGELES
FOUNDED in 2018 by Mira Henry and rials as those intended for construction. “We
Matthew Au, Los Angeles–based Current aim for the smallest version of what you can
Interests situates its architectural practice at build without actually making the full thing,”
the intersection of materials research and says Au. The bulk of their portfolio is resi-
creative exploration. The partners—both dential work in Los Angeles, where they’ve
faculty members at the Southern California found a clientele—often artists or adjacent to
Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)—have the art world—who appreciate this craft-
cultivated an approach to design that marries centered sensibility.
tactile experimentation and meticulous Also, says Henry, their hands-on approach
craftsmanship, with an eye on the broader enables more productive conversations with
FOUNDED: 2018
social and political contexts in which build- those who help realize their vision. “It’s not
ing takes part. just about us and the client,” she says, “It’s a
DESIGN STAFF: 5
Both Henry, 46, and Au, 44, transitioned collaboration with the fabricators and crafts-
PRINCIPALS: Matthew Au, Mira Henry
to architecture in their 30s, bringing with people—there’s a broader socioeconomic and
EDUCATION: Au: Southern California
them perspectives and identities shaped cultural politics around material itself.”
Institute of Architecture, M.Arch., 2011;
outside the discipline. Before obtaining her For Terracotta House, they partnered with
University of California, San Diego, BA in
studio art & art history, 2003
master’s degree at UCLA, Henry studied art one of America’s few remaining manufactur-
Henry: University of California, Los Angeles, history and worked in small- and industrial- ers of structural terra-cotta to develop a cus-
M.Arch., 2010; University of Chicago, BA in scale ceramics. After graduating from UC tom rainscreen comprising modules made by
art history, 2000 San Diego, Au apprenticed with LA-based wire-cutting hollow blocks lengthwise after
WORK HISTORY: Au: Zago Bouwman artists, including Fritz Haeg and Laura extrusion. The resulting deep green crenel-
Architecture, 2011–15; Michael Maltzan Owens, before pursuing architecture. lated clay tiles, mounted on aluminum
Architecture, 2010–11; Fritz Haeg Studio, Though Henry and Au taught at SCI-Arc frames, create a distinctive facade that artfully
2006–07 at the same time, their complementary sensi- elevates a simple building material.
Henry: Talbot McLanahan Architecture, bilities first became apparent while the two Now, Henry and Au hope to engage
2013–16; Mónica Ponce de León Studio, were serving as guest reviewers at the broader audiences with their work. Their first
2011–13; Office dA, 2010–11
University of Michigan in 2018. “Our similar public-facing commission, Sister Dreamer, is
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Rough House, backgrounds gave us a vocabulary to talk an ambitious 10,000-square-foot sculpture
2025; Dub Platforms, 2025; Terracotta
about architecture in an expanded way, from park in South Central Los Angeles.
House, 2024; Print Ready Drawings, 2023;
more squarely disciplinary to the cultural and Comprising a plaza with native plants and
Hedge Curtain, 2022; Two Tone House,
2020 (all in Los Angeles)
political spheres,” explains Henry. “After two fruit trees, the landscape project will frame

IMAGES: © CURRENT INTERESTS, EXCEPT AS NOTED; FRANCO ZULETA (PORTRAIT AND OPPOSITE, TOP);
days of talking alongside one another, we large-scale works by artist Lauren Halsey.
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Sister Dreamer;
Block House; Hillside Studio (all in Los
thought we should do something together.” They’ve also undertaken two rebuilds in
Angeles) Two months later, Current Interests was born. Altadena following this winter’s destructive
currentinterestsla.com
The firm’s methodology centers on physi- wildfires. Au and Henry are exploring the use
cal model-making at 1:8 scale, which allows of fire-resistant terra-cotta to quickly rebuild
the duo to use (when possible) the same mate- here and in other high-risk areas. “We’re
thinking about how our material interests can
dovetail with sensitive and sensible
responses,” says Au.
With their eyes set on this next chapter,
the pair isn’t focused on growth. Instead,
Henry and Au hope to maintain their small
studio and continue fostering relationships
JOSHUA SCHAEDEL (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM LEFT)

with makers and clients. Says Henry, “It’s

not so much about becoming a large office
but a very strong one—with a strong com-
munity.” n Pansy Schulman

Sister Dreamer
This public plaza—a collaboration among
Current Interests, Summaeverythang, Los
Angeles Nomadic Division, and Christine Y.
Kim—will showcase works by Lauren Halsey.

132 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Terracotta House
For this residential project, the firm worked with an Ohio-based terra-cotta
manufacturer to develop a new method of tile fabrication by splitting a
standard three-chamber hollow block. The resulting clay tiles were coated
in a deep green masonry pigment and then fixed to the house’s lapped
aluminum frame.

Print Ready Drawings

Designed for an exhibition at
the MAK Center’s Schindler
House in West Hollywood,
these custom wood vitrines
displayed archival materials
that explored architectural Block House
print media in the mid-20th The ceramic block units that comprise the facade of this house,
century. The pigmented currently under construction, were inspired by Anni Albers’s
Danish wood-oil finishes used typewriter drawings. The firm is working with ceramists in
in this small-scale endeavor Jingdezhen, China, to develop custom cast elements that
were later implemented in create a dynamic and textured patchwork effect that plays
other projects of the firm. with light and shadow.

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 Design Vanguard 2025

Ozaeta-Fidalgo
MADRID
ARANTZA Ozaeta and Álvaro M. Fidal­ tion, the couple divided program elements—
go, partners in life and work, belong to a closets, appliances, even bathroom fixtures
generation of Spanish architects marked by —into discrete spatial units that could be
the economic crisis that began in 2008, the pushed around the plan like the pieces of a
year both graduated from Madrid’s Polytech­ board game, allowing the client to arrange
nic School of Architecture. Like most of and rearrange the apartment, as well as
their peers, many of whom emigrated, breaking down preconceptions about conven­
they found their first commissions outside tional layouts. The design “becomes a system
Spain—in this case, in the small German of communication,” Ozaeta comments.
town of Selb, winning a prestigious Euro­ Fidalgo adds, “It’s like open­source code.”
pean competition for young practitioners The two architects often reflect on the
before they had even graduated. Also like rapid obsolescence of building programs and
FOUNDED: 2013
many of their contemporaries, the pair has how projects might be designed to accommo­
sought to break with the form­driven archi­ date new, future uses, the subject of Ozaeta’s
DESIGN STAFF: 5–7
tecture of the preceding decades of prosper­ doctoral thesis. They put these concerns to
PRINCIPALS: Arantza Ozaeta, Álvaro M.
ity, exploring instead the ways that nonhier­ the test in Selb, where the couple also de­
Fidalgo
archical, collaborative methods of decision­ signed a Youth Hostel and Social Center that
EDUCATION: Ozaeta: Polytechnic School
making might be used to open the design they later helped adapt as a temporary shelter
of Architecture of Madrid, M.Phil., 2013;
Polytechnic School of Architecture of
process to the fuller participation of clients, for Syrian refugees and then in its reversion to
Madrid, M.Arch., 2008 users, and communities, as well as accommo­ a community center. Fidalgo notes that the
Fidalgo: Polytechnic School of Architecture dating unforeseen future uses and broader narrow bays of their design facilitated this
of Madrid, M.Phil., 2013; Polytechnic School environmental and political concerns. Fi­ process, which involved, for example, insert­
of Architecture of Madrid, M.Arch., 2008; dalgo, 45, credits former teachers such as ing lightweight timber lofts as bedrooms in
TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Iñaki Ábalos and Federico Soriano for this individual family spaces.
Built Environment, 2005 methodologically experimental orientation, Although the pair maintains a small stu­
WORK HISTORY: Ozaeta: Hochschule and more generally the couple’s early expo­ dio, Fidalgo and Ozaeta team up with other
Coburg, 2014; Pasajes de Arquitectura y sure to Dutch architecture when Fidalgo colleagues to pool intellectual curiosity and

PHOTOGRAPHY: © IMAGEN SUBLIMINAL, EXCEPT AS NOTED; FEIG FOTO DESIGN (OPPOSITE, TOP RIGHT); FERNANDO ALDA
Crítica, 2006–08 apprenticed with MVRDV in Rotterdam. experience for more complex projects and,
Fidalgo: Soriano & Asociados, 2005–08;
While their designs are lively and creative more practically, to qualify for restricted
MVRDV, 2005–06
in formal terms, their explorations of process competitions. For a large house in a pine
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: ARCO, 2024;
are built into the projects’ strategies. Ozaeta, forest north of Madrid, they collaborated
Beyond-the-Family Kin, 2023; POP-UP
43, explains that for their Childcare Center in with Ignacio G. Galán, a former classmate
House, 2014 (all in Madrid); LOW(do)TECH,
2024; Stellar tents, 2020; Kinetic MOT-TO,
Selb, which is divided into vividly colored based in New York, and the landscape archi­
2019 (all in Haro, Spain); Cabinet of units like rowhouses, “we assigned a program tecture firm Ambienta, to address the poor
Curiosities, 2021 (Villarrín, Spain); to every band, and organized a specific series biodiversity there. Again, their approach is
IQ-Experimental Subsidized Housing, 2017; of conversations around each one.” Parents, horizontal, challenging larger firms with the
Jugend & Kulturzentrum, 2016; Haus der teachers, municipal managers, and technical agility inherent to the gig economy. “We’re
Tagesmütter, 2013 (all in Selb, Germany) consultants met in workshops focused on part of a network of very specialized, experi­
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Campalliances, different units to develop the design. In the enced microstudios,” Ozaeta maintains.
Ciudad Ducal; Arturo Soria Retrofit, POP­UP House, a private apartment renova­ “When we join forces, we become stronger.”
Madrid; House Z, Anguciana; Complex for This way of thinking and these bottom­up
Astronomical Tourism, Gimileo (all in tactics arose from the post­crisis social and
Spain)
political upheavals of 2011 that produced (OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT); MARC GOODWIN (PORTRAIT)
ozaeta-fidalgo.com Spain’s anti­austerity 15­M encampment in
Puerta del Sol—which attracted many young
architects—and the subsequent Occupy Wall
ARCO Street demonstrations in New York. While
For an exhibition in Madrid titled the shore, the the left­wing political parties that emerged
tide, the current: an oceanic Caribbean, Ozaeta- from this broad movement have struggled in
Fidalgo configured, with collaborator Ignacio recent years, studios like Ozaeta­Fidalgo,
G. Galán, a fluid floor plan that initiates
which have sought to reinvigorate architec­
conversations between the works of the 23
artists on display. The walls are partially clad tural practice in the face of new challenges,
with pieces of pink carpeting that are cut, may prove to be one of its lasting legacies. n
folded, and twisted. David Cohn

134 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Haus der Tagesmütter
Won in an international design
competition, this project aims to
regenerate the shrinking Bavarian
town of Selb by providing a children’s
daycare center in a set of six colorful
units joined like rowhouses. The firm
calls its approach “regeneration
acupuncture.”

Kinetic MOT-TO
A hybrid industrial-and-office
facility, this project in Haro,
Spain, provides space for a
technical inspection station
for motor vehicles as well as
for offices and training. The
architects played with the
notion of scale, sizing metal
containers as large, medium,
and small elements.

LOW(do)TECH
Ozaeta-Fidalgo converted a small block of teacher’s housing into a
children’s play center. In addition to opening up the interiors with
larger spaces, the firm designed a garden with a curving pergola in
the backyard for use as an outdoor classroom and recreation area.
The architects used color to identify various parts of the design: red
for structural members, green for infrastructure, and orange for
elements of repair and renovation.

135
 Design Vanguard 2025

Almost Studio
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
PINNED to fiberboard walls are black- points have been reframed, beyond mere
and-white photographs of such architectural collage, in terms of scale, materiality, and
curios as Frank Furness’s über-Victorian context into something wholly new. “Juxta-
Provident Life & Trust Co. building, posing things that don’t comfortably sit next
McKim, Mead & White’s fittingly low- to one another often opens up possibilities
slung Low House, and Peabody & Stearns’s beyond what one alone can,” says Booth, 35,
wickedly eccentric shingled manse Kragsyde. of their approach.
Lesser-known works by modern masters The two architects established Almost
(Mies’s Reihl and Philip Johnson’s Wiley Studio in 2018 with Jessica Angel, who left to
houses, for example) are peppered among return to her native France at the start of the
them, alongside images of Giorgio Morandi pandemic. The trio met in graduate school at
still lifes, Michael Heizer earthworks, and Yale but bonded over shared sensibilities that
Ellsworth Kelly abstractions. This is the emerged during a summer program in Rome
office of Almost Studio. and a subsequent excursion across western
FOUNDED: 2018
These visual meditations, often changing Europe. After a few years spent at offices that
DESIGN STAFF: 2–5
to reflect the present-day fixations of ran the gamut from high-end to theoretical,
PRINCIPALS: Dorian Booth, Anthony V.
Almost’s cofounders, Anthony Gagliardi and they reunited, always finding a way to enter-
Gagliardi
Dorian Booth, undergird the studio’s whimsi- tain their intellectual curiosity.
EDUCATION: Booth: Yale School of
cally and wonderfully historicist body of In its earliest days, the studio—instigated
Architecture, M.Arch., 2016; University of
work. But, missing from the walls, and what by Angel—organized salons, springing im-
Pennsylvania, B.A. in architecture, 2012
Gagliardi: Yale School of Architecture, the duo will readily offer up in conversation, promptu design exercises on guests. The
M.Arch., 2016; The Ohio State University are the very ordinary items that also influence Gowanus warehouse where their office is
Knowlton School of Architecture, B.S. in their thinking. “We appreciate the canon, of located abounds with artists and other cre-
architecture, 2013 course, but we’re not always looking at ca- ative types. Even the name that they chose to
WORK HISTORY: Booth: FreelandBuck, nonical figures,” says Gagliardi, 34. represent the studio stems, in part, from an
2016–18; Grain Surfboards, 2012–16; Joeb Take their Myrtle Avenue Loft, a renova- extracurricular reading group about architec-
Moore Partners, 2012–13 tion for a couple, as an example. Aldo Rossi’s ture at the discipline’s fringes.
Gagliardi: Eisenman Architects, 2018–19; Monument to the Resistance in Segrate, Almost is both an ambition and a conces-
Steven Harris Architects, 2016–18 Italy, offered inspiration for two hefty walls sion. With the passage of time, buildings
KEY COMPLETED PROJECTS: Mandarin that straddle a short staircase, which, in the change in use and meaning—they are always
Café and Wine Bar, 2025; Myrtle Avenue case of the apartment, are rather billowy, in an uncontrollable state of becoming some-
Loft, 2023; Sonic Sphere, 2023; Love’s rendered in a pinkish, textured microcement. thing else. Accepting this reality and tapping
h|Edge, 2023; Sandy Liang Flagship Store,
In Christo’s Wrapped Paintings, Almost saw into the vast reservoir of the past, the duo
2020 (all in New York); Clay Hill House,
overlapping silhouettes of rectilinear forms insists, has allowed them to design more
2020, Cape Neddick, Maine; Hedge
House, 2018, Cleveland tautly sheathed in tarpaulin, resulting in a freely. Admit tedly, they have yet to realize
plan of rooms, slightly askew, that seem to projects old enough to see this quality mate-
KEY CURRENT PROJECTS: Pillow Fort Arts
Center; Woodland Hills House (both in intersect themselves. And a children’s touch- rialize in their own work. But with several
Andes, New York); Deer Haven House, and-feel book prompted the idea to soften single-family houses and an artist-residency
Accord, New York; St. George Apartment, niches and other surfaces with pops of kiwi- center well underway, Booth and Gagliardi
New York; Ossining House, New York; colored carpeting. Booth and Gagliardi have are cer tainly headed in the right direction.
Ducktrap River House, Lincolnville, Maine no qualms about divulging their references— They are almost there, one might even say. ■
almost.studio architectural, artistic, or otherwise—and Leopoldo Villardi
gimlet-eyed onlookers might even be able to
discern some of them. But these jumping-off

Pillow Fort Arts Center

With a wide gable, this artist-residency
center in upstate New York will also feature
heavy masonry walls. It draws inspiration
from the now-demolished Low House and
Charles Sheeler’s paintings of rural barns.

136 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Myrtle Avenue Loft
After a couple’s newly purchased loft was
damaged in a sprinkler incident, they enlisted
Almost Studio to renovate it. The architects
divided the space into several zones, some of
varying heights, and injected an abundance of
textures. Cork appears underfoot and as
wainscoting, corrugated aluminum wraps a
structural post (mirroring the fluting of classical
columns), cabinetry uses tambour doors, and
green carpeting softens a number of spots.

Sandy Liang Flagship Store

For this clothing store in New York’s
OLYMPIA SHANNON (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM); SANDY LIANG (PORTRAIT)

Chinatown, Almost Studio designed

sinuous steel hanging rods that echo
both the kinetic clothing conveyors of
the laundromat that once occupied the
shop front as well as Frank and Lillian
Gilbreth’s Motion Studies. Diaphanous
curtains made of galvanized steel mesh
PHOTOGRAPHY: © JONATHAN HÖKKLO (3);

form archways and an enfilade of zones,

while patched walls are intentionally left
in a raw state.

137
 Design Vanguard 2025

Architecture & Design Museum

This entry to the Helsinki Architecture & Design
Museum competition proposes a building that
doubles as a forested, tiered townscape
connecting the city’s South Harbor with a
nearby park. The scheme’s roofline reimagines
the historical spires, towers, and turrets of
Helsinki, while timber-lined interior surfaces
sinuously flow, one into the other.

IMAGES: © ALMOST STUDIO (MIDDLE AND TOP); ANNA MORGOWICZ/ESTO (BOTTOM)

Mandarin Café and Wine Bar
Almost Studio designed an eatery that
borrows inspiration from abstract artists
including Ellsworth Kelly, devising a plan
featuring rooms of varying shapes,
each finished in different colors and
materials—metallic golds and silvers,
oxblood ribbed panels, an ecru
limewash, and so on.

138 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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 CEU PRACTICE MATTERS

No Contest essential ideas with just one or two boards.

The demands have grown exponentially over
be stated up front) of realizing any of the
schemes. The motivations behind calls for
Even with ballooning submission the past 15 or so years, particularly in the ideas vary, but some are held to boost public
requirements and meager stipends, U.S., with the sheer volume of deliverables— and political enthusiasm for controversial or
architects are still drawn to design drawings, models, renderings, videos, detail contested work, as was successfully accom-
competitions, writes Sarah Amelar. studies, written components, structural and plished in 2003 for New York’s future High
sustainability analyses, and more—often Line park.
“WE’VE DONE 170 competitions so far, becoming enormous. Yet, even as the require- Where architects vie for actual commis-
and won 38, about half of which have actually ments balloon, architects continue to receive sions (though realization is not guaranteed),
gotten built,” says architect Steven Holl of his relatively meager compensation for their the form of competitions varies widely. Some
participation in such efforts, dating back to efforts. As many agree, the stipend rarely are open calls, accessible to almost any archi-
the 1970s. “Getting to design the Kiasma covers more than one-fifth of the actual costs, tect; others are by invitation only, seeking
Museum in Helsinki—which we won through sometimes significantly less. (Even with a proposals from a limited number of specific
competition in 1992—is what put my practice $75,000 honorarium, such as each finalist firms. And many demand pre-qualification.
on the map. I love competitions.” While some group received in the recent Nelson-Atkins While some involve a single round of juried
world-renowned architects with successful Museum of Art-expansion competition even- review, others are multiphased, beginning
firms eventually stop doing them, Holl seems tually awarded to Weiss/Manfredi, per-team perhaps as an (anonymous or non-anony-
to thrive on them. But, as his numbers begin expenditure can easily soar into the hundreds mous) open call and then—once the pool is
to suggest, even for such a high-profile, multi- of thousands.) reduced to a short list—proceeding similarly
time winner, competitions remain extremely So, how can architects make juried compe- to an invited competition. (Usually, only
risky propositions. titions more viable and rewarding? invited or short-listed competitors receive any
And the character of major competitions There are, of course, different types of sort of honorarium to help defray the substan-
has been changing. Especially for museums competitions, with multiple variations, and tial costs of developing and presenting a
ILLUSTRATIONS: © JUNE LEE

and other cultural institutions, design con- hybrids within (or overlapping) the broader scheme.)
tests are increasingly overseen by professional categories. While some solicit schemes with While other countries have not been en-
organizers/advisors, who have, arguably, the explicit goal of building the winning tirely immune to onerous submission require-
made the process more methodical, thorough, design, others are purely “ideas competitions,” ments, much of Europe has differed histori-
and precisely choreographed. But, in many seeking novel or visionary proposals to gener- cally from the U.S. regarding the role of design
cases, it’s no longer about conveying the ate new thinking, with no intention (as should contests in everyday practice. There, a long-

143
 CEU PRACTICE MATTERS

inferior scheme) eventually completing the

project at costs as high, if not higher.
Meanwhile, some argue that excessive
competition demands can squelch innovative
thinking and nonconforming work. “The
submissions that won us competitions, say, 15
years ago, based on the strength of the ideas
but without the appearance of working out
every detail,” says Christ, “would probably not
be enough to win today.” Holl agrees, adding,
“Twenty­six years ago, we broke the competi­
tion rules and took a creative leap for our
[Bloch] building at the Nelson­Atkins, and
we won—but I doubt that could happen now.”
And it’s not just about juried competi­
tions. “The ways of getting most kinds of
architectural work have changed across the
board,” says Julie Eizenberg, a principal of
Koning Eizenberg Architecture, in Santa
Monica, California. “A lot more is expected
up front, and that’s even true of RFQs
[Requests for Qualifications] or other routes
that didn’t used to require a scheme at the
outset.” Lawrence Scarpa, a principal of
Brooks + Scarpa, based in Hawthorne,
California, agrees: “If architects are suddenly
expected—as happens more and more—to
bring to an RFQ interview 10 drawings of a
The commission for the Centre Pompidou in That’s how, in 1971, little­known architects completely worked­out proposal, you can’t
Paris was won in 1971 with a one-board Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, then in show up with any less, or you won’t even be
submission by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, their 30s, won the commission to build their in the running.”
then little known. revolutionary scheme for Paris’s Centre And, increasingly, architects have to
Pompidou—with a one­board submission for demonstrate that they’ve already done mul­
standing culture of competitions is more inte­ the overarching vision. tiple projects of the given building type to
gral and ubiquitous, with the resulting com­ But, today, there’s pressure in the U.S., and qualify to compete—a catch­22 for design­
missions, in many cases, constituting a higher increasingly abroad, for competition entries to ers trying to break into a new sector. While
percentage of a firm’s work. “Even for modest appear fully worked out, ostensibly minimiz­ such screening might appear to reduce client

IMAGES: © FINBARR FALLON/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; COURTESY NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART,

projects, like small neighborhood piazzas, ing unknowns or uncertainties for the client, risk, says Fabrizio Rossi Prodi, whose Flor­
there are competitions—they’re much more so the vastly augmented deliverables may even ence, Italy, firm has won numerous competi­
common and plentiful over there,” says include project­cost estimates and abundant tions, “it’s often someone who hasn’t worked
Maurice Cox, now an urban planning profes­ technical details. “It’s an illusion,” says one many times, or at all, with the specific
sor at Harvard, who practiced architecture for consultant who has collaborated on many top typology who brings the most innovative
a decade in Italy. “Doing them becomes a way competition teams. “These elaborate pro­ ideas and freshest approach. Maybe it should
of life for architects.” Similarly, in Switzerland, cesses—which demand a hell of a lot from be more about the scale and complexity of
says Emanuel Christ, a founding partner of architects for not a lot of money—give the past projects, rather than the particular
Christ & Gantenbein, whose competition wins client the impression of rigor. But, later, many building type.”
have included major museum projects in of those schemes fall apart because the re­ The call for prolific experience within a
Zurich, Basel, and Antwerp, “I know many search is so shallow.” given typology might be one reason why
architects, including ourselves, who built their Estimating costs at such an early stage can competition short lists often seem predictable.
MALCOLM READING ASSOCIATES (OPPOSITE)

practices right out of university through com­ also be a slippery slope. For unethical clients Yes, some clients seek marquee names. But
petitions. While we’ve seen changes, too, there holding competitions, it can be a way of has this risk­averse approach become too
are still many more opportunities here than in driving down architectural fees. And, when conservative? “Definitely,” says Scarpa.
the U.S. for emerging talent to launch, de­ outside estimators are brought in, competitors “That’s why we’ve been doing competitions
velop, and sustain their careers this way.” In don’t typically get to see the analysis, denying overseas, in parts of Asia, for example, where
countries such as France and Germany, this them a role in determining whether the third they tend to be more willing to take a
ingrained culture is also tied to the mandate party got it right. Participants also tell of chance.” As for U.S. short lists, says Reed
for open, typically anonymous competitions losing competitions, as they later learn, due to Kroloff, a cofounder of joneskroloff (now
(regulated by International Union of Arch­ their own realistic estimates—only to see the cramerkroloff), which ran many juried com­
itects guidelines) for most public commissions. low­bidding winner (sometimes with an petitions before focusing on other approaches

144 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas
City, Missouri, selected a scheme by Weiss/
Manfredi for its latest expansion from a
competition shortlist including five other firms.

to architect selection: “Often the so-called

‘usual suspects’—such as Weiss/Manfredi,
Studio Gang, and Annabelle Selldorf—hap-
pen to be outstanding talents, well qualified
to take on the project. But, at the same time,
we’ve also made a point of bringing unex-
pected players into the mix.” Another factor is
that not every practice is willing, or willing
every time, to do competitions. “Firms fre-
quently turn down invitations for any number
of reasons,” says Kroloff. “Maybe they’re too
busy, or not interested in the particular proj-
ect, or have issues with the client, or some-
thing else.” Malcolm Reading, whose
London-based company, Malcolm Reading
Consultants (MRC) has led many high-
profile international competitions, likens
putting together an invitee or short list to Thomas Phifer and Partners, has won compe-
“selecting guests for a dinner party—we try titions including the Museum of Modern Art
for diversity, and sometimes a client is keen ‘The submissions that won in Warsaw, adds, “The exhilaration is differ-
on focusing specifically on fresh or emerging ent from the feeling you get with other proj-
talent.” Even when short lists are (mostly) us competitions, say 15 ects. One could even argue that you do your
unsurprising, the best-known figures don’t best work when you’re competing.” This
always win, as in 2023, when Madrid-based
years ago, based on the process also gives architects access to projects
Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos won the MRC- strength of the ideas but they might not have otherwise. And the sheer
organized competition for the Dallas Mu- intensity of the effort can be valuable. “Com-
seum of Art. without the appearance of petitions typically have the compressed time
But there are still so many ways for compe- frame of a charette or school project,” says
titions to turn thorny, as when clients are just working out every detail, Steven Dumez, a principal of the New
trolling for low-cost publicity or ideas, with no Orleans–based firm EskewDumezRipple,
plans to build (even though the contest isn’t
would probably not be which has won multiple competitions.
billed that way); or when clients know at the enough to win today.’ “They’re rifle shots, as compared with more
outset which architect they want; or when they drawn-out project schedules, and that intense
are unlikely to ever raise adequate funds to opportunity to stretch your thinking can be
realize the project. And even with good inten- Yet another potentially complicating fac- incredibly energizing for a firm, carrying
tions, there can be curveballs. A change in tor: competitions entries are often developed through to other work.”
institutional or political leadership can sud- without much, if any, dialogue with the Certainly the creative urge to compete is
denly kill a project, or a competition can be client, unlike typical architectural processes. not always about how many other projects a
carelessly organized, with terms shifting along While some architects miss that essential practice has. “Think of Zaha [Hadid]. She
the way. “It’s tricky when the briefs are poorly give and take, many also find it liberating to had tons of work,” says Holl, “but she loved
written, making it unclear what they’re asking work virtually in a vacuum, as their own the challenge and stimulation of competitions
for,” says one architect, “and that might only client, but the process might not sufficiently and would just keep doing them. I feel the
become apparent once you’re in deep.” Or the test their chemistry with the actual client. “As same way.”
site might become unexpectedly jeopardized, a result, especially when a third party, like a Even when firms don’t win, competitions
as happened after the Portland [Maine] professional organizer, is an intermediary for can still have potential benefits. Occasion-
Museum of Art (PMA) competition was won, the client,” says one competition veteran, “it ally, a nonwinning entry becomes far more
in early 2023, by Portland, Oregon–based can end up like an arranged marriage.” influential than the actual winner, as with
Lever Architecture. As it turned out, securing Given all the taxing challenges, why are Walter Gropius’s and Adolf Loos’s 1922
the site required declassification and then architects still doing competitions? competition schemes for the Chicago
demolition of a historic building, which led to “We do them for the joy,” says Christ. Tribune Tower. Also, says Dumez, “some-
litigation that threatened the entire project. “They’re fantastic fields for collaboration and times we get to revisit, in later projects, ideas
(Finally, this April, a court ruled in PMA’s exploration—they give you freedom and we first explored in competition.” And con-
favor, putting the plans back on track—but it autonomy to try out ideas in more radical nections and collaborations established in
doesn’t always end that way.) ways.” Thomas Phifer, whose New York firm, the process, including becoming known by

145
 CEU PRACTICE MATTERS

the client, “still belong to you and can some-

times lead to future work, as can your com-
petition design,” points out architect Wendy
Lever principal Thomas Robinson puts it,
“Almost every way of getting commissions
involves investment and calculated risk. So,
High Anxiety
In unsettling times, architects are doing their
Evans Joseph, whose New York firm, Studio whether it’s through juried competition or best to predict what’s ahead and insulate
Joseph, has competed as both consultants not, we always need to weigh the costs their firms from economic fallout, writes
and lead designers. She tells of taking a against the potential gains, and research that Vernon Mays.
nonwinning competition entry, successfully thoroughly up front.”
submitting it for top awards, and then, using As for the controversial matter of compen- ENTREPRENEURIAL enterprises come
that multi-award-winning scheme to pursue sation, “our profession should stand up for with challenges. Architectural practices are
other projects. “In some instances,” says itself,” says Scarpa. “We need to band to- no exception, with adversity likely to ramp up.
Scarpa, “a strong competition scheme in our gether and not offer free or radically under- What looked like a difficult 2025 in January
portfolio has even gotten us around the paid work.” Another architect, who spoke on has been further destabilized due to uncer-
catch-22 and enabled us to break into a new condition of anonymity, raises yet another tainty in the marketplace, stemming from
sector.” But the view of competitions as consideration: “If the pie is only so big,” he tariffs, fear of recession, political turmoil,
marketing tools that architects need to invest asks, “should competition organizers be canceled contracts, and other economic fac-
in, anyway, to get work, goes only so far. As getting a more generous or satisfying slice tors. How are firms handling the pressure?
Reading cautions, “I would not advise doing than the architects—the ones doing the “For the last six years or so, there’s been
competition after competition for the sake of heaviest lifting?” increasing uncertainty in design practice,”
marketing. That’s probably not a good busi- Maybe one of the ways to begin making says Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins&Will,
ness strategy.” competitions more viable for architects is to headquartered in Chicago. “It’s just acceler-
So, how do architects pull off competi- recapture older, simpler approaches. “Com- ating now.” He says what’s different this
tions without draining their firms’ financial petitions have huge value, but there should be time are the sources of uncertainty: there are
and staff resources? One answer, suggests better alignment between compensation and so many more of them. “So, when you’re
Dumez: “We curb our appetite and only do what is required,” suggests one longtime talking about reducing government funding
one every year or two. It’s key to balance competitor. “I hope there’s a return to earlier around biomedical research from the Na-
competitions with other work in the office. models, a move away from excessive demands tional Institutes of Health, or potential
And, if you win enough, and those projects and a return to more opportunities for emerg- changes to Med icare and Medicaid, or tar-
get built, they help pay for the times you ing talent—and more weight on the potential iffs that disproportionately hit countries like
don’t win.” Perhaps the bottom line is, as of great ideas.” n Canada, it’s a multidimensional game of
chess,” Harrison adds.
With the recent increase in tariffs, anxiety
For architects interested in doing competitions, the interviewees for this article offer the has shifted away from higher interest rates
following practical advice: and declining commercial-property values,
1) Competition overseers: Know who’s coordinating and running the competition, and says AIA chief economist Kermit Baker.
evaluate their track record (through colleagues and other sources) for competence and fairness. “Now there is more concern over prices and
2) Contractual items and intellectual property: Make sure you understand up front what availability of construction materials,” he says.
services are being contracted, how the process will be run, and which parties own what— Increasingly, as contractors start searching for
drawings, designs, and other intellectual property—after the competition. new suppliers for many materials, architecture
3) Jury or other decision-makers: Assess as best you can (assuming this information is firms will need to provide alternative designs.
disclosed) who will be making the decision, whether it’s a jury of peers (or multiple juries, Baker’s analysis aligns with comments
including technical ones), a client group, a selection committee, or other entity. Are they peo- from Heath May, global-practice director of
ple likely to align with your values and talents? HKS LINE (Laboratory for INtensive
4) The client: Know who the client is, what their ethos and interests seem to be, and assess Exploration) and, starting in January 2026,
how your work might fit with that culture. the Dallas-based firm’s CEO. In addition to
5) Costs: Realistically evaluate the costs to your firm of competing (weighing the draw on tariffs, May points to markers such as infla-
financial and staff resources against possible gains) and decide in advance if it’s worth it to you. tion, shifting monetary policy, and geopoliti-
6) Reasons to compete: “Ask yourself why you’re doing a competition,” Kroloff advises, cal instability as factors contributing to uncer-
“and make sure they’re really good reasons for your firm, such as, for example, an interesting tainty. Clients are more cautious, sales cycles
project and relatively high odds of winning from a small pool of entries.” are a bit longer, and delayed decisions are
7) Your team: If you decide to proceed, suggests Reading, “figure out whom to add to your becoming more common, he adds.
team—whether it’s another architect, perhaps an emerging talent, or a consultant—that could Smaller organizations that specialize in a
give you greater creative and competitive edge.” few core building types may be the most
8) Debriefing: If you compete but don’t win, ask for debriefing afterward (unless the con- vulnerable. Robin Shambach, a partner at
tract explicitly precludes it). “It can be extremely valuable,” says Joseph. “You can learn a lot BWS Architects, a 25-person firm with
from it.” offices in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, says
9) When to walk away (and not compete): “If it doesn’t pass the sniff test,” says Kroloff, she is seeing a slowdown in public-sector
“don’t do it. There will always be another interesting project down the pike.” work. She is especially concerned about the
diminishing project load for federal agencies.
BWS has done a lot of work for the Indian

146 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Arizona. The firm is wrapping up design of
an education center for the Central Arizona
Project (CAP), a network of aqueducts,
pumping plants, and pipelines that supplies
water to the state’s population. Anticipating
rising costs, they worked hurriedly with
CAP’s board to get funding approved four
months ahead of schedule.
“We did that out of sequence, so the con-
tractor could start buying steel,” says Brian
Farling, a principal at the firm. “And we
produced some early steel packages to try to
head that off.” His advice: work with clients
and contractors to get ahead of things before
costs skyrocket.
Many firms say they are preparing for
uncertain times by relying on operational
structures they’ve already put in place, mak-
ing adjustments as needed. “We’re focusing on
agility and consistency,” says May of HKS.
“While those may sound slightly opposition-
al, what I mean is strategic agility to ensure
that we can pivot very quickly and decisively
when we sense a market condition beginning
to shift. And the consistency there is, we want
to stay alert to our long-term goals and our
long-term values.” That means HKS does a
lot of scenario planning, he adds.
Hanbury, a 165-person firm based in
Norfolk, Virginia, had an exceptional year in
2024. But CEO David Keith says his leader-
ship team anticipated a sluggish market in
Health Service through an open-end contract, HKS is being proactive by staying in close 2025, so they held back some profits from last
and typically has projects for the federal touch with clients, fabricators, and contrac- year, to expand markets and make strategic
agency in progress. That’s not the case now. tors to anticipate where cost escalation is most hires to help win work. It was all part of their
There are no active proposals, and Shambach likely to occur. normal planning process, which resets every
is uneasy, because much of the agency’s staff, Graham Wyatt, partner at Robert A.M. two years.
including her main contact, have taken early Stern Architects (RAMSA), of New York, Hanbury is well established in higher
retirement or been laid off. Similarly, ongoing agrees that everybody’s nervous about the education but wanted to boost its presence in
work for the Smithsonian Astrophysical tariffs because so many construction materi- the civic and science/technology arenas. The
Observatory, another steady client, is on als and products come from abroad. “Prices firm, with eight offices, invested some of its
pause. “Usually, they would be starting on are higher now than last year, not because the windfall in a few experienced people in
their next round of planned projects, and I’m tariffs have been implemented, but because locations and markets that would expand its
not seeing that right now,” she says. manufacturers and wholesale distributors presence in all sectors. “Even with the down
In response, BWS has held off on hiring— have to hedge against their risk,” he says. economy in mixed-use, we brought on a new
filling current needs by asking existing staff to Wyatt notes that few people seem focused leader that introduced us to new clients,”
cover more assignments. The firm hasn’t had on labor costs. “So much of the labor that says Keith.
layoffs, instead identifying potential reductions goes into building construction in the U.S. is A shaky economy has spurred other firms
in discretionary spending. “And we are accept- threatened by these immigration pressures,” to be more aggressive than usual in their
ing more smaller, ‘messier’ projects,” Shambach he says. But when contractors give a price to a marketing efforts. “We’re normally incredibly
says. “We don’t feel that we can pass on those, potential owner or developer to assess the selective about what we go after,” says Kevin
to make sure we have enough work.” viability of a project, high labor costs could Sullivan, CEO of Payette in Boston. “We
May says most HKS projects are anticipat- kill the deal. A shortage of workers could be might turn down up to 80 percent of the
ing cost pressures due to the tariffs, but it’s an even bigger issue, says AIA’s Baker, noting RFPs we get. We don’t pursue them.”
too early to quantify what the impact will be. that the typical flow of immigrants, a signifi- Now Sullivan’s mindset has changed.
They are closely monitoring material pricing cant portion of which supports the construc- Previously, he might have shied away from a
at a project level, mindful of the fact that if tion industry, is slowing down. project because the budget was low or the
and when tariffs stabilize, construction costs Looming price escalation has prompted client profile was not a good fit. “Where last
and timelines will be impacted. In addition, new approaches at Jones Studio, in Tempe, year we would have said no, this year we’re

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saying yes,” he adds, echoing the sentiment

of Shambach at BWS.
When it comes to hiring, the headlines
have Sullivan spooked. In spite of his CFO’s
optimistic projections for 2025, he’s skeptical
they’ll have a banner year. “So we artificially
ratcheted down,” he says. Instead of hiring 10
new employees, they’ve cut it to five. “I have
to maintain some optimism by hiring people
just because we have work on the books, but I
just don’t believe all those projects are really
going to happen,” Sullivan adds.
Uncertainty in the realm of immigration
enforcement has cast a cloud over many for-
eign-born employees. Just obtaining an H-1B
visa, an employer-sponsored visa for workers
with specialized expertise, is already an un-
predictable process, determined by a lottery.
“But those individuals are terrified,” says
Sullivan, noting that foreign nationals com-
prise nearly one-third of Payette’s staff.
When firm leaders became aware that the
Department of Homeland Security was tell-
ing visa holders to keep their documents
always on hand, they sent a targeted email to
everyone who was affected to let them know
what was happening. “We’re being ultra-
communicative as a way to calm things down
a little by keeping people informed, believing
that more knowledge is better than not know-
ing and wondering,” Sullivan says.
The current turmoil reminds seasoned Sealing the Deal for prospective owners that they might need to
personally sign a loan, or become liable for a
leaders of earlier economic challenges such as Mergers and acquisitions offer architects lease, can abate enthusiasm—especially when
9/11, the 2008 mortgage crisis, and Covid. one way—with many caveats—to plan for a turbulent economy compounds uncertainty.
“The pandemic was the closest thing to this the future, writes Leopoldo Villardi. For Frances Halsband, who cofounded New
because it was such a sudden and dramatic York–based Kliment Halsband Architects with
change to everything we knew of as normal,” FOR BETTER or for worse, many architects her late husband, Robert Kliment, in 1972,
says Perkins&Will’s Harrison. “But we were see the profession as a calling, not a job. “They internal transition was, for this reason, not
dealing with a single-dimensional problem.” often don’t want to think about their practices viable. “Our younger partners, in that atmo-
In this case, because there are so many differ- as businesses,” says Brian Kenet, a senior advi- sphere of fear during the pandemic, could not
ent sources of uncertainty, it’s harder to know sor specializing in mergers and acquisitions really picture taking on the risk of running a
how to respond, he says. (M&A) at consulting firm Anchin. “Arch- firm,” Halsband says. “As a founder and some-
Granted, there is a nagging sense among itects are reluctant to think about issues like body who might very well retire myself some-
some that damage is being done to American ownership, transition planning, and making day, it seemed that my principal responsibility
cultural and civic institutions—damage that money while still doing good work, until it’s was to find safe harbor and keep everybody
could be irreversible. That’s the most discon- too late.” Presenting these challenges as employed.” In 2022, she sold her 20-person
certing part, says Shambach. “We don’t know design problems, however, he says, often gets studio to Perkins Eastman (PE), where she
the impacts of, not just the tariffs, but the more engagement. So, how do you build the now practices.
structural changes at the federal level.” perfect exit strategy—one that also ensures Although transition plans might prompt an
For now, Shambach is turning that anxiety the continued success of the practice and its M&A deal, there are other benefits for sellers
into a source of inspiration. “I’m going to employees? to consider. An acquisition can bring greater
focus my energy on serving our projects, our One place to start is from within, by slowly financial security, a more robust managerial
clients, and the work we’re doing with the cultivating a younger generation of leaders infrastructure, or efficient economies of scale
staff we have,” she adds. “I’ve re-geared to while owners gradually step back. But internal for day-to-day tasks. These, in turn, can
have that perspective. That’s where I can have transitions, ideal as they may seem, are not increase a firm’s ability to land (and success-
the biggest impact right now.” n always easy, or feasible. “Most employees like fully deliver) larger projects. And, for owners
the idea of becoming an owner,” says Kenet. looking to retire alongside the transaction,
Vernon Mays is a writer and editor based in “There are rewards, of course, but there are Kenet puts it more bluntly: “Chances are that
Richmond, Virginia. also risks and responsibilities.” The realization you can get more money from a third-party

148 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

sale than from selling to your employees.” pensation, organization, employment condi- unexpected friction. “You can go from excite-
But every sale requires a buyer, and many tions, etc. Ask the tough questions up front— ment over a bigger platform to the reality of a
practices are not well positioned for an acqui- something that looks good on paper may not new way of doing time sheets and other head-
sition. According to the AIA, of the 19,000 be so in practice. “It has to work culturally,” aches,” PE’s Basler says. “I’m the product of a
firms in the U.S., about 75 percent have fewer says Shawn Basler, co-CEO at PE. “We don’t merger myself. You have to remind people why
than 10 employees. Smaller practices, like buy portfolios. We merge with people,” he they did the deal in the first place.”
Halsband’s, can stand out by “punching above stresses. Many firms, like PE and MGA, Attrition is another (at times unavoidable)
their weight class,” says Kenet. Developing a often partner with prospects to pursue work concern. Some architects join small practices
specialty, such as historic preservation, or and test chemistry. for the inherent intimacy. “They wanted to be
amassing one or more high-profile clients, are Typically, the term sheet is nonbinding, involved by going to interviews, meeting every
other ways to attract suitable buyers. For them, perhaps with a confidentiality clause, allowing client, being out on the construction site,” says
an acquisition can be an opportunity to gain a both parties to initiate due diligence. “At this Halsband, “and suddenly there were a hundred
footing in a new geographic region or build a point, somebody is brought in to opine about people around. Some left. Those who stayed,
deep bench with new subject-matter expertise. valuation and determine cost,” says Bennet including myself, are now working on new
Large firms and engineering companies can Heart, partner at Noble, Wickersham & types of projects that we never imagined we
also utilize such deals to boost their in-house Heart, a law firm in Boston, where he advises would—that’s really exciting.”
design chops or grow their brand. design firms on matters including contract M&A deals can also sour, irreparably. In
When Michael Graves died in 2015, the negotiation and ownership transition. 2007, the partners of Princeton, New Jersey–
firm that he founded in 1964 was left without based Hillier Architecture—then 350 people
a figurehead. “He was a rock star,” says Joe strong—offered the firm’s founder a buyout on
Furey, president and CEO at Michael Graves less than favorable terms. “It was insultingly
Architecture (MGA). The generation follow- ‘There’s little value in low,” J. Robert Hillier recalls, ultimately
ing that of the starchitects, he points out, has leading him to negotiate with Scotland-based
many talented designers but is lacking in only becoming bigger. The RMJM, which was then looking for a toehold
“seller-doers”—individuals who can balance in the U.S. The acquisition created one of the
billable work with business development. value, ultimately, is in largest global design firms (peaking at No. 9
When a well-known personality like Graves becoming better.’ on record’s Top 300 list). But, soon after the
merger, the parent company laid off Hillier’s
secures so much of a firm’s work, there are not
as many opportunities for others to develop marketing team, closed the Philadelphia and
those skills. For Furey, acquiring other prac- Princeton offices, dropped his name from
tices has been a way to address this, as well as There are several ways to structure firm “RMJM Hillier” (the U.S.-based entity), and
to spread Graves’s legacy and tap into new consolidations, Heart says, but the most com- cut his salary, prompting him to leave. “They
markets. He has closed seven acquisitions mon are stock-purchase agreements and asset- didn’t understand how to secure work here,” he
(with an eighth in the works), and, Furey says, purchase agreements. In the former, the buyer says, an issue compounded by the subsequent
“The value of the enterprise has grown 25 acquires the firm by buying a controlling stake financial crisis. RMJM reportedly struggled
times over the last eight years.” in its stock, thus acquiring assets and liabili- to make payroll at several of its worldwide
Leonard Castro, an executive vice president ties. In contrast, an asset-purchase agreement, offices, and employees in the U.S. sued the
for Stantec’s Buildings group, explains that which tends to be more complex in nature, parent company over unpaid retention bo-
there are five areas that the E/A company allows the buyer to identify specific assets to nuses. (The suit was settled, and RMJM still
examines when reviewing prospects: design procure, leaving the acquired entity as a shell has a presence in New York.)
culture, commitment on behalf of leaders, company. “It will probably have to change or “I’m very sorry that I sold the firm,” he says.
alignment on diversity, technical expertise, stop using its name, but it still exists and will But there was a silver lining: because Hillier
and entrepreneurial acumen. Stantec, based in typically carry professional liability insurance had instituted an employee stock-ownership
Edmonton, Alberta, recently announced plans for a number of years with a ‘tail policy,’ ” he plan (ESOP) before selling, everyone received
to acquire Page (which, in 2023, acquired explains. When determining which agreement a portion of the $33 million deal. Today, he
Davis Brody Bond). This particular acquisi- structure works best, buyers and sellers look at runs Studio Hillier, which he cofounded with
tion will be Stantec’s 149th since 1994, in- comparative costs and assess risk together. his wife Barbara in 2011, and he has candid
creasing its head count in the U.S. by 1,400 After closing, work begins on integrating advice for sellers: get cash, talk to clients early,
and bringing a stronger architecture presence the two entities, a process that can take any- and protect your employees.
to many cities where it already has engineering where from a few months to a few years. M&A is on the rise in the profession. For
offices. “But we walk away from the vast Clients may be surprised to hear of the acqui- principals planning their firm’s future—with
majority of acquisition opportunities,” he sition. Some sellers may find themselves them or without—a merger or acquisition can
notes, emphasizing the need for a “perfect fit” marginalized in decision-making. Small be a lifeline, a launchpad, or a valuable lesson.
on all fronts. “We’ve probably vetted at least redundancies between firms can lead to inter- Kenet has a simple litmus test he poses to
10 times as many firms.” nal competition. Even with the best planning, architects considering the plunge: “Will you
Whether a deal emerges organically or issues as banal as IT infrastructure, expense start winning projects that you wouldn’t on
through a matchmaker like Kenet, a term reports, and software licensing, or as sensitive your own? There’s little value in only becoming
sheet (or a memorandum of understanding) as branding (such as how much and how long bigger,” he says. “The value, ultimately, is in
sets out the contours of the agreement: com- to preserve the acquired entity’s) can create becoming better.” n

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Thought Partner
Despite slow adoption across the
profession, AI has proven adept at
augmenting—not replacing—the work of
architects, writes Dante A. Ciampaglia.

JONAH HAWK grew up surrounded by

architects but never became one himself.
Instead, his interest in technology steered him,
in the early 1990s, to learn computer-aided
drafting (CAD), which eventually led to
rendering and 3D visualizations and anima-
tions at various firms, and about 20 years ago
he was hired by ZGF Architects. In late 2007,
Grasshopper3D, an algorithmic modeling tool
for Rhino, was introduced, and Hawk dove in.
“I made a point to open Grasshopper every
single day without fail, got good at it, and
eventually dropped all the visualization work
altogether,” he says. “I was always more fasci-
nated with the technical side of the software
than the aesthetic side of it.”
It was good preparation for the arrival of
artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning
(ML), and large language models (LLMs).
Hawk, who is now associate principal and
design technology manager at ZGF, went
deep into the technology, testing and pushing
dozens of generative-AI tools, such as
ChatGPT and Midjourney, which produce
outputs like text and images based on infer- since the public release of ChatGPT in late models, and computational fluid-dynamics
ences and patterns in large data sets. He 2022, AI has appeared in a growing number of simulators from Autodesk Forma, which use
quickly discovered the potential of these existing tools, including those in the AEC ML and neural networks to process a building’s
apps’ APIs (or application program inter- industry. Its impact has also been felt in nearly floor area, height, structural system, and pri-
faces), the set of rules that allows developers every aspect of the profession, from architect- mary use to render predictive wind and acoustic
to build new software on top of other pro- client relationships to how ideas are conceptu- analysis. These applications point to a more
grams. After more experimentation, Hawk alized and modeled. The largest AI apps are practical future of augmentation—what Ellis
created, and in 2023 ZGF launched, ZGF.ai, publicly available, which means anyone who Herman, principal product manager at Auto-
which gives the firm an internal AI toolkit wants something built can come to a meeting desk, calls “AI on the shoulder.”
that does the job of numerous commercially with an AI-generated image as a starting “I think there’s huge potential to make
available products. It includes ChatZGF, point. This reality has also led to a deluge of complicated things more accessible to more
which generates notes from meeting tran- superficial illustrations that would make a people,” says Herman, who is trained in phys-
scripts, assists with coding, and checks gram- parametricist blush. While social media are ics, math, and mechanical engineering but not
mar and style; a text-to-image generator that awash with such images, the architectural architecture. “You can actually include these
mimics DALL-E; and AI-aided rendering tomorrow many of them hope to inspire—one outcomes in every project you do, because
analysis. This was soon followed by Ziggy, an where a machine disrupts the architect out of a you’re able to use these tools without needing
AI chatbot built on pyRevit that lets users job—seems a distant fantasy. so much technical training.”
check building-code documents and run The profession has been slow to embrace AI. But architects still need to understand how
diagnostics on BIM models, among other An AIA survey released in March 2025 found the technology works. The consensus view is
functions. Hawk admits the tools are a little that, while 53 percent of architects have exper- that waiting for AI to blow over is not an
clunky and unpolished, but they are now imented, only 6 percent regularly use AI. option. “It’s not going away,” says Brian M.
used by nearly 200 of ZGF’s 700 employees. Where it has been adopted, the process has Kelly, an architect and associate professor at
Hawk’s experience is just one example of been deliberate and tactical, with tools intro- the University of Nebraska. “We have to be
how AI is being integrated into the practice of duced to complete hyperspecific tasks rather engaged in the process to help make it what we
architecture. Artificial intelligence has existed than totally upend the work. This is evident in think it collectively should be.” This means
in our everyday digital experience for years: new AI-based products like Gensler’s gBlox. knowing AI’s potential and limitations. It can
think autocorrect in Microsoft Word or voice- CO2, a platform that draws on troves of data to help create organizational efficiencies and
based personal assistants like Apple’s Siri. And add carbon and emissions analysis for massing leverage proprietary data to optimize and

150 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

improve an LLM’s accuracy and quality. It’s
also trained with biased and junk inputs and Game Changer ies of source codes and images to help design-
ers create worlds ideally suited for their needs,
prone to errors and hallucinations, meaning Firms are exploiting video game engines to whether that’s completing a mythic adventure
no one—least of all those creating buildings— push the boundaries of project visualization or detailing a building. Unreal Engine and
can simply off-load responsibility to the ma- and management, writes Matthew Marani. Unity, the two largest commercially available
chine. The only way anyone can know the engines, are highly customizable, with frame-
technology’s potential is by actually using it. PROJECT VISUALIZATION is as old as works allowing users to create endlessly ma-
“I think the challenge is finding the time and the profession itself. Physical models and ren- nipulable worlds and wield Godlike control
the resources to understand what AI means derings—long made by hand or, more recently, over physics, weather, and geography, among
for the profession, to truly begin implementing computers—have brought plans and drawings countless other features. Notably, they are
it in our practices, and to leverage it in a way to life to support the design process. What is also optimized to consume large amounts of
where we are seen as leaders in this space,” new, though, is that architectural practices have heavy data and swiftly render them into
says AIA president Evelyn Lee. increasingly turned to an unlikely source for interactive models. Both have been embraced
Technologists like Hawk and Ellis say the help in simulating a project: video games. by a growing number of architects who have
best way to do that is by playing every day No, firms haven’t been turned into giant found utility in the engines’ virtual (VR) and
with applications like ChatGPT or Midjour- arcades. Rather, over the last two decades, augmented reality (AR) applications, as well
ney. Architects should learn how the tools they have increasingly harnessed the potential as their potential for novel forms of project
work, push them to their limits, and try creat- of gaming engines—the powerful computa- management.
ing some of their own using LLMs’ coding tional systems used to create virtual worlds for Seven years ago, the global architectural
capabilities. This will not only affect their platforms like Xbox and PlayStation—to and design firm Populous incorporated
work—Kelly says AI has “made my ideation generate interactive digital environments that Unreal Engine into its practice. It developed
more divergent” and “challenged me to look at more deeply engage with clients and other its own workflows to easily merge reams of
things in ways I wouldn’t have expected”—but stakeholders. building-information-model geometry with
also improve their interactions with clients. As This technology is packed with software, other proprietary data sets within the engine.
Lee notes, if architects recognize how some- support programs, and comprehensive librar- Those are then hosted on local servers, and,
one generated a building design with, say,
DALL-E, they can more easily explain the
image’s shortcomings—and what the human
can offer.
“I see AI as a really great opportunity to
switch up our business model and repackage
our services in a way that actually gets us paid
for the value we believe we are delivering to
clients,” Lee says. “It gets us to focus on the
things that we are more passionate about,
including client engagement—rather than
having our heads down in construction docu-
ments and specifications—while expediting
our ability to deliver smarter, more intelligent,
sustainable, resilient buildings.”
Naturally, there’s existential angst looming
over every conversation about AI: will it take
my job? Some professions are certainly in
danger. Architects, though, might be safe—
for now. LLMs and other models lack the
lived, real-world experience and intuition of
someone who has designed buildings for
decades, or studied with someone who has.
But AI is nonetheless a powerful tool for
augmentation.
“You won’t be replaced by AI, but you will
be replaced by the architect that’s leveraging
AI to its fullest extent,” says Lee. “Jobs may go
away, but we never consider—and I don’t
think we can honestly conceive—all the jobs
that this could create. So the question be-
comes: how do we reskill ourselves toward
those new opportunities?”
Best not to ask ChatGPT. n

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with the help of pixel streaming, may be Hamel, Payette director of design visualiza-
accessed and interacted with from any loca- tion. “For me, it was always about design, and
tion with internet access. “Projects generate we’ve embedded the technology as a tool
massive amounts of data, but much of it is ‘Projects generate massive within all of our project teams.”
quite bespoke and can be difficult to inter- In the case of Fifth Xiangya Hospital, a
pret,” says Nathan Tobeck, Populous regional
amounts of data. Engines 5.6 million-square-foot project in Changsa,
digital lead. “Engines can help to structure can help to structure China, which is still under construction,
this information and visualize it in intuitive Payette incorporated VR into decisions per-
and user-friendly ways.” this information and taining to the building enclosure. The firm
Tobeck explains that such tools proved developed five different digital facade mock-
essential to the firm’s work at the Kai Tak visualize it in intuitive and ups that the client, during design review,
Sports Park in Hong Kong, a nearly 70-acre could scroll through and interact with from
campus that finished construction in March user-friendly ways.’ inside and outside the hospital’s building
2025 and includes stadiums and an entertain- model. They could even alter weather condi-
ment district. For example, Experience tions. Occupiable windows, described as the
Studios, a Populous audiovisual- and acous- “family nest,” were also calibrated with the
tics-design agency, used the Unreal Engine porating virtual experiences into the design help of the engine, to maximize natural venti-
during the design phase to simulate acoustical process. The firm began using the Unreal lation and solar performance while providing
experiences across the project, as well as to Engine in 2002 and quickly found it created intimate space for family members and pa-
model and animate minute details, like indi- opportunities to advance storytelling and tients to gather. “These tools allow our de-
vidual LEDs. “We were able to take enor- better communicate ideas. That was particu- signs to be more versatile and malleable and
mous sets of data and complex geometries and larly useful when HKS began working with let us customize our design flow,” says Hamel.
visualize them simultaneously in high fidel- the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Gaming-engine technology continues
ity,” says Tobeck. Center for Devices and Radiological Health. developing at exponential rates. As it does—
In a similar vein, the Swiss AEC software In May 2024, the FDA contracted the firm and as tools get augmented by artificial intel-
company Revizto, founded in 2008, is using a to support the agency’s Home as a Health ligence—more advanced hardware is likely to
Unity-based platform, with 7 million unique Care Idea Lab, which seeks to reimagine the drive and expand the tools’ capacities, and
lines of code, to facilitate collaboration be- home as an extension of the larger health-care those of the architects who use them. In the
tween project stakeholders and improve ef- industry. In collaboration with a steering years ahead, a growing embrace of improving
ficiencies. “The building industry is one of committee selected by the FDA, HKS inter- technology could yield new, unimagined
the least digitized, and some 30 percent of viewed key stakeholders, including individuals modes of architectural design, and unlock a
construction budgets are wasted correcting with diabetes, their caregivers, health-care new era in the profession. n
errors originating in the design phase,” says providers, and medical-device manufacturers,
founder and CEO Arman Gukasyan. “Many to create LilyPad, a game-engine-powered
of these errors stem from a lack of communi- VR testing ground in which architects can CONTINUING EDUCATION
cation between different parties, like archi- explore the domestic spaces of those living To earn one AIA learning unit (LU), read the
tects, engineers, and contractors, who often with the chronic disease. It generated three “Practice Matters” section and complete the quiz at
work in silos.” different virtual households—including some continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com. Upon passing the
To combat this, Revizto aggregates data shared with caretaker spouses and children— test, you will receive a certificate of completion, and
across a range of 2D- and 3D-authoring appli- that were traversable using VR headsets. your credit will be automatically reported to the AIA.
cations, like Revit, ArchiCAD, and Navis- LilyPad, which is part of the larger Idea Additional information regarding credit-reporting and
works, into a single building model that in- Lab, is not simply an empathy-building tool. continuing-education requirements can be found at
cludes automated clash-detection tools. On- It also provides a window into the daily con- continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com.
site, contractors can use a computer, tablet, or siderations of those with diabetes, such as the Learning Objectives
smartphone to easily pull up non-editable space requirements for insulin storage, or, in
1 Outline factors architects should consider before
versions of the fully detailed building model, more advanced cases, dialysis machines.
deciding to participate in a design competition.
with options for viewing it in VR or AR. “These are some of the features that game
Work can then be easily logged through a real- engines provide, which typical architectural 2 Describe strategies architecture firms are taking
time issue tracker, with changes made to the software does not,” notes Nethra Mohan, to navigate an uncertain economy.
building model by those with authoring privi- HKS director of immersive experiences. “It 3 Discuss the potential pitfalls and benefits of
leges, not unlike a shared Google document. has become integral to our workflow.” architecture-firm acquisitions, for both sellers and
“We’ve rendered approximately 280 tera- The Boston-based firm Payette adopted buyers.
bytes of 3D models,” says Gukasyan. “For the Unity engine into its practice in 2016, and 4 Explain how architects are harnessing the power of
reference, the United States Library of Con- its powerful VR and AR visualization tools digital technology, such as video gaming engines
gress contains 20 terabytes of data. Game have proved critical to the team’s delivery of and artificial intelligence, to help them do their
engines are the only technology out there that complex building science and health-care jobs more effectively.
can seamlessly create such holistic views.” programs. “Back then, there was an assump-
The Dallas-based international firm HKS tion that the technology would primarily be a AIA/CES Course #K2506A

well knows the real-world benefits of incor- presentation tool for clients,” says David

152 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 ACADEMY
OF DIGITAL LEARNING
Focus On: Sustainability

Become an expert on Sustainability through

Architectural Record’s Academy of Digital Learning.

Upon successful completion of the Sustainability

Academy, you will earn 8 AIA LU/HSW + 0.8 ICC CEU +
5 GBCI CE Hour and a digital badge that demonstrates
your mastery and achievement.

Earn your digital badge and showcase your expertise!

CREDITS: 8 AIA LU/HSW + 0.8 ICC CEU + 5 GBCI CE Hour

As the fight against climate change intensifies, architects are leading

the way in sustainable design. These courses equip you with the skills to
balance performance, cost, and design while embracing circular design
principles and minimizing waste. Learn how to use ethically sourced
materials and reduce carbon footprints, empowering you to create
resilient, eco-friendly spaces and contribute to a healthier planet.

continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/architect/academies/sustainability

Brought to you by
 ACADEMY
OF DIGITAL LEARNING
Focus On: Metal Architecture

Become an expert on Metal Architecture through

Architectural Record’s Academy of Digital Learning.

Upon successful completion of the Metal Architecture

Academy, you will earn 8 AIA LU/HSW + 0.8 ICC
CEU + 8 IIBEC CEH + 6 IDCEC CEU/HSW + 3 GBCI
CE Hour and a digital badge that demonstrates your
mastery and achievement.

Earn your digital badge and showcase your expertise!

CREDITS: 8 AIA LU/HSW + 0.8 ICC CEU + 8 IIBEC CEH + 6 IDCEC CEU/HSW + 3 GBCI CE Hour

As the world faces unprecedented and ongoing challenges in terms of climate change, the
economy, and pandemic response, metal building innovations are a bright spot. In fact, in the field
of architecture, metal walls and roofing offer sustainable, flexible, maximum-performance solutions
that not only address these issues, but make the design process fresh and exciting—from color
palettes to ease of installation. Metal walls composed of metal composite material (MCM), insulated
metal panels (IMPs) and single skin metal panels offer durable and stunning architectural facades
in many shapes and finishes. When it comes to low-slope metal, steep slope metal, and IMP roofing
and components, the designs, energy savings and durability attributes are innumerable.

ce.architecturalrecord.com/academies/metal

Brought to you by
CONTINUING EDUCATION
In this section, you will find thirteen compelling courses highlighting creative solutions for tomorrow’s buildings brought to you by industry leaders.

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Read a course, and then visit our online Continuing Education Center at ce.architecturalrecord.com to take the quiz free of charge to earn credits.

Photo courtesy of Rieder USA/Ditz Fejer Photo courtesy of Geberit Photo courtesy of Armstrong World Industries Photo courtesy of ESI Total Fuel Management

p156 p165 p169 p170

Reconsidering Sustainability New Needs for Existing Buildings Concept to Carbon Neutral Power Resiliency – Don’t Be Fuelish!
Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, Sponsored by Armstrong World Industries Sponsored by ESI Total Fuel Management
New Millennium, A Steel Dynamics Company, Geberit, and National Terrazzo and Mosaic CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW;
and Rieder USA Association (NTMA) 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW 0.1 ICC CEU
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW;
1 WELL AP; 1 SITES AP; 1 LEED; 1 PDH 0.1 ICC CEU

PMD PM SU IN EM RR SU PM BE EM PM SI

Photo courtesy of Autodesk Photo courtesy of The Propane Education & Research Council Photo by Seamus Payne: courtesy of Becker + Becker Photo courtesy of Saltz-Michelson Architects

p172 p174 p176 p178

Sustainability and Designing the Resilient Home Structural Steel in Passive House Liquid Gold: Harnessing Rainwater
Carbon Reduction Sponsored by The Propane Education & Construction for a Sustainable Future
Research Council (PERC) Sponsored by The Steel Institute of New York Sponsored by Watts Water Technologies, Inc.
Sponsored by Autodesk
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR;
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; 0.1 ICC CEU
1 GBCI CE HOUR; 0.1 ICC CEU 0.1 ICC CEU; 1 PDH 0.1 ASPE CEU; 0.1 ICC CEU

PMD PM SU PM RE SU BE ST SU PM RE SU

Photo courtesy of Inpro Photo courtesy GAF. Photo © Jeff Miskis; courtesy of Cascade Architectural Edward Caruso Photography Photo courtesy of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum

p180 p182 p183 p184 p185

Sustainable Retrofitting Making Sustainability Goals Twisted Not Kinky Securing Spaces with Benefits of Rigid Cover
Sponsored by Inpro Achievable with Your Roof Sponsored by Cascade Architectural Metal Ceilings Boards in Commercial
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC Sponsored by GAF | Siplast CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE Sponsored by Gordon, Inc. Roofing Systems
CEU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE HOUR; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IDCEC Sponsored by Georgia Pacific
0.1 ICC CEU HOUR; IIBEC CEH; 0.1 ICC CEU 0.1 ICC CEU CEU/HSW; 0.1 ICC CEU Gypsum
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 IIBEC
CEH; 1 IDCEC CEU; 0.1 ICC CEU
PM SU RR BE PM SU BE IN PM PM IN LS BE PM RR

CATEGORIES
BE BUILDING ENVELOPE DESIGN PM PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS RE RESIDENTIAL
EM ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL PMD PRACTICE, MANAGEMENT, SI SITE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN
IN INTERIORS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SU SUSTAINABILITY
LS LIFE SAFETY AND CODES RR RENOVATION AND RESTORATION ST STRUCTURAL
Courses may qualify for learning hours through most Canadian provincial architectural associations.

155
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUING EDUCATION

Photo courtesy of Rieder USA/Ditz Fejer

New advances in glassfibre reinforced
concrete (GRC) elements are defeating
old conceptions of concrete.

Reconsidering Sustainability
Critically evaluating decisions in the built environment
Provided by Bison Innovative Products, New Millennium, CONTINUING EDUCATION
A Steel Dynamics Company, and Rieder USA 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR
By Amanda C Voss, MPP 1 WELL AP 1 SITES AP
1 LEED 1 PDH

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not the marketplace. “Every practitioner (and Learning Objectives
your fears.” — Nelson Mandela consumer) applies their own lens of experi- After completing this course, you should be able to:
Greenwashing. A pejorative label that no ence to these terms, which can vary widely 1. Confidently apply third-party accreditations and

design professional, specifier, or construc- in different geographic markets,” writes verifications, like EPDs, to ensure that material and
product selection is sustainable, using evaluations for
tion expert ever wants leveled at a project. Nicole DeNamur, Esq., Owner, Sustainable steel, concrete, and exterior decking as examples.
Greenwashing creates the impression of Strategies. “For example, a ‘green’ building 2. Specify a variety of products that satisfy sustainability
sustainability through false or misleading in Seattle may vary from one in Kansas and design goals while meeting strenuous certifications,
claims.1 Unfortunately, greenwashing is a City, which may vary from one in Atlanta, including LEED v4.1, SITES v2, and the WELL v2 Building
rising trend. Growing environmental aware- based on factors such as market demand, Standard.
ness and demand for sustainable products geographic limitations, availability of 3. Using concrete, steel, and exterior decking products
as a lens, address energy consumption and carbon
have incentivized the use of the label “green.” products and supply chain issues, govern-
implications of products.
While at its core it is a matter of “doing what ment incentives, and many others.”4
4. Gain technical knowledge about the innate sustainability
you say you are doing, or are going to do,” in In the face of these difficulties, the de- characteristics of products and systems and how these
practice it is far from that simple.2 sign professional can be assured that there enhance performance goals.
Managing the risk of greenwashing is are reliable tools and strategies. These tools
challenging and complex. Adding to the enable confident decision-making for the
To receive AIA credit, you are
complexity, poorly defined and expansive built environment. Across a diverse range of required to read the entire
terms such as “green” create peril in decision products and materials, using verifications article and pass the quiz. Visit
making because they can mean many and certifications, and weighing the benefits ce.architecturalrecord.com for
different things.3 Technical terms specific of the product itself, allows the professional the complete text and to take
the quiz for free.
to carbon reduction and impacts, like “net to capture true sustainability and meet AIA COURSE #K2506N
zero,” have created further confusion in project performance goals.

156 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Monolithic facade panels
made of concrete skin.

rieder.cc Eataly, Toronto, CA, Gensler Architecture & Design

 RECONSIDERING SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

Photo: Kyle J Caldwell; courtesy of Bison Innovative Products

STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING
GREENWASHING
CONTINUING EDUCATION

Assessing Materials at their Source

Outdoor decks connect residents to the
natural environment using natural materi-
als, such as wood and stone, and incorporate
vegetation and greenery into an individual’s
regular routine through the use of planter
cubes and pots. This connection brings a
host of sustainable and wellness benefits.
Regular interactions with the outdoors are
proven to lower blood pressure, reduce stress,
expedite healing, and improve a person’s
mood and focus. From utilizing unused
space in the city, upgrading a porch or back-
yard in the suburbs, or creating a luxurious
oasis by the sea, elevated deck systems can
be a solution for a variety of projects while
creating valuable outdoor space.
The modular design of surface materials
and accessories in elevated or pedestal decks
allows designers to achieve an abundance of Identifying the essential qualities of truly sustainable products becomes clearer through
different design visions without the need for understanding independent certifications.
custom or costly materials. Deck materials
can accommodate any project’s specific and forests certified by the Forest Stewardship polypropylene plastic, comprised of 20%
particular needs. Pedestal decks can be used Council® to meet high global standards post-industrial recycled content, that are
in a variety of spaces: balconies, rooftops, for forest sustainability. FSC® certification 100% recyclable. Deck supports create level
and on-grade applications. Versatile, assures that labeled wood products have rooftop decks over sloped surfaces. Pedestals
adjustable pedestal deck systems can be positive environmental attributes and are elevate and support Wood Tiles, Concrete
utilized over any structural surface—on backed by a global system of verification. Pavers, Site Furnishings, and a variety of
bare structural decks, rooftop decks, roof Additionally, wood material manufacturers other surfaces.
membranes, green roofs, terraces, compacted can commit to meeting the Lacey Act’s Leading manufacturers are not only
grade, pavement, pool surrounds, or water objectives, which prevent illegally sourced offering verifiable chain of custody on
features. Modular and versatile deck systems wood from being trafficked in the United materials, but they are also making advances
provide designers the flexibility to create States. Manufacturers can demonstrate a in waste capture. This brings more closed-
unique and beautiful rooftop environments chain of custody, with global partners who loop products to market.
and outdoor spaces. support these core values and meet or exceed
Enhancing outdoor space and the con- the standards of environmental management. Utilizing Recaptured and Recycled
nection to nature is a definitive sustainability Designated sources utilize a select method Material
win. However, how can the design profes- where only mature trees are harvested, leav- An undeniable element of true sustainabil-
sional make sure that the materials they use ing a vast majority of the forest intact. This ity is the ability to maintain viable growth
also support the design intent? also ensures that project material has not while avoiding depletion of resources.
This is where third-party verifications knowingly been transported, sold, received, Construction and demolition materials are
become paramount. Many certification or purchased from illegally taken or sourced recognized as one of the largest compo-
programs require independent verification, trees. Additional standards include meeting nents of the solid waste stream in the U.S.,
including documentation reviews, site visits, FAS One Face (F1F) Standards as allowed for according to a study at the University of
and performance testing. The third-party by the NHLA (National Hardwood Lumber Florida by the Department of Environmental
verification process enhances credibility, Association). Engineering Sciences, Engineering
ensures compliance, and helps prevent mis- Certain manufacturers are taking the School of Sustainable Infrastructure and
leading sustainability claims, often referred sustainability of outdoor deck materials one Environment.6 The construction industry
to as “greenwashing.”5 step further, engineering planks and tiles is responsible for over 30% of the extrac-
Manufacturers of wood tiles and products from remnants or shorts leftover from other tion of natural resources, as well as 25% of
can associate with governing groups such milling operations. This method demon- all solid waste generated in the world.7 This
as the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) strates that wood tiles can be crafted from consumption of materials and production of
to ensure quality standards and practices premium-grade remnants to preserve the waste from the building sector is due to a lin-
of wood acquisition and plantation farm- economic viability of rainforest hardwoods. ear economic model that takes, makes, and
ing. FSC®-certified wood, used in certain For elevated deck systems, pedestals and then disposes of materials at the end of their
outdoor decking products, comes from supports can be made with high-density life or service. The governing assumption

158 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 EXPERTS IN STEEL JOIST AND DECK SOLUTIONS

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Photo courtesy of Rieder USA/Ditz Fejer

information across different manufacturers
in the same product category. In addition to
CONTINUING EDUCATION

product-specific EPDs, companies like New

Millennium go further by having plant-
specific EPDs.
EPD reports are standardized, verified
documents that transparently present cred-
ible information about a product’s impact on
the environment. They allow the design team
to communicate, compare, and make in-
formed decisions. EPDs follow the ISO14025
standard. These published standards simplify
specification. EPDs may report a variety of
life cycle impacts, including global warming
potential, acidification, eutrophication,
ozone depletion, and smog formation.
An EPD is based upon the information
from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study.
The EPD report includes a summary of LCA
results, environmental impact data, and
other relevant information. LCA is a system-
atic and comprehensive methodology used
to evaluate and quantify the environmental
impacts of a product over its entire life cycle,
from raw material extraction and production
The assurance from verification, certification, and inherent material properties can ease the to use, end-of-life disposal, and potentially
stress surrounding decision-making for sustainable projects.
recycling or reuse. An LCA is usually made
for a specific characteristic unit, or quantity,
under a traditional, linear view is that prod- creates project-specific design options for of a product and a specific set of life cycle
ucts and materials assembled for a one-time facades. The software uses already fabri- stages.10
use don’t retain any potential for reuse. cated scrap pieces as the basis to generate a Comparative LCAs and EPDs for steel, as
However, a paradigm shift is occurring in multiplicity of potential designs. The project an example, are revelatory. Steel is the most
the construction industry at large with the transforms irregular, non-uniform stocks recycled material in the world, according
adoption of a Circular Economy (CE) mod- of concrete offcuts into new forms, finding to the World Steel Association (WSA). New
el.8 Under a CE, materials exist within a beauty and intricacy in neglected waste. technology in electric arc furnace (EAF) steel
closed loop and have a retained value. This By combining the logic of the quilt with mills uses recycled ferrous, or steel scrap, as
promotes the maximum reuse or recycling of customized shape and pattern detection, the the single-largest raw material input in the
materials, goods, and components in order software, in effect, uses big data to tackle production of new finished steel products.
to decrease waste generation to the largest big waste, creating a search engine to find In 2024, 82% of the raw materials used in an
possible extent.9 Applying the principles of a custom material solutions. EAF furnace to produce steel were recycled
CE avoids material waste, preserves natural The 13-millimeter-thick glass fiber rein- ferrous scrap and internally produced
resources, and works seamlessly to address forced concrete (GRC) elements are durable, iron. This is in contrast to traditional blast
a project’s sustainability goals. Often, using low-maintenance, and robust. This not only furnace steelmaking, where the proportion
products and materials that are recycled or conserves resources but also contributes of recycled ferrous scrap has been between
reusable also improves the health, welfare, significantly to energy efficiency. GRC also 25% and 35%. EAF steelmaking technology
and safety of occupants. Products that em- combines aesthetic, technical, and ecological generates a fraction of the carbon emissions
brace CE are available in multiple categories. benefits: non-combustible, weather-resistant, produced and energy intensity required
The construction sector has both the long-lasting, large panel sizes, 3D shapes, and by traditional blast furnace steelmaking
potential and the responsibility to drive a wide range of colors, textures, and formats. technology. This means EAF-produced steel
change in sustainability and eco-friendly Material examples, like this sustainable has a highly favorable LCA.
building practices. A zero-waste strategy, by facade solution, offer the creation of sustain- LCAs track products to end of life, asking
definition, creates true sustainability. able building elements and enable a project’s the important question about what happens
To reduce waste in the production of glass active contribution to the energy revolution. to materials at demolition. At a building’s
fiber reinforced concrete facade elements end-of-use, there is only one structural
and minimize environmental impact, an Understanding a Product’s Lifecycle material salvaged. Steel is recovered, reused,
innovative facade concept of using residual Fabricated products, like steel deck and and recycled. The US has a consistent supply
materials from concrete was developed using open-web steel joists, require Environmental chain of recycled scrap material. In addition
data analysis and computer-generated design. Product Declarations (EPDs). These are to building-related steel like structural,
Digital software tracks leftover materials and third-party verifications that compare reinforcing, and appliances, materials come

160 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Reimagine the Outdoor Experience

Private Residence, Evergreen FL | developer: E2 Homes

ROOFTOP DECKS PLAZAS GREEN ROOFS POP-UP PARKS WATER FEATURES DECK SUPPORTS WOOD TILES
CONCRETE & STONE 2CM PAVERS PAVER SUPPORT TRAYS ARTIFICIAL TURF GRATING SITE FURNISHINGS

Ugly QR code. Beautiful Decks.

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 RECONSIDERING SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

Photo courtesy of New Millennium

from automobiles and industrial containers.
The result is that less than 3% of steel goes to
CONTINUING EDUCATION

a landfill at the end.

EPDs also reveal the culture of the
manufacturer, reporting on commitments
to providing safe and healthy working
conditions for the prevention of work-related
injuries and illness; protections for the
environment, by preventing pollution and
conserving natural resources; and contribu-
tions to the communities in which they
operate, by acting with integrity and fulfill-
ing compliance obligations. This indicates
that the manufacturer strives to incorporate
sound environmental, health, and safety
practices into their daily decisions.
Commitment to sustainability does not
spell the end of building and design. Rather,
by applying sustainable goals to the con-
struction supply chain, the focus turns on the
integration of environmental considerations, This acoustical roof deck with high-performance coating was selected by In-Situ Architecture
at the Westside Natatorium in El Paso, Texas. An EPD provides insights into potential environ-
including material flow reduction and the
mental impacts the product may have, including the global warming potential of embodied
minimization of inadvertent negative conse- carbon. Steel has always been a leading material for safe, sustainable construction.
quences of the production and consumption
processes.11

THE NEXUS OF ENERGY AND have 78% less energy usage than traditional emissions intensity target of 0.80 metric tons
SUSTAINABILITY blast furnace producers worldwide. U.S. SDI of CO₂e per metric ton of hot rolled steel
EAF mills use recycled metal to produce new produced, representing a 15% reduction,
Addressing Energy Consumption steel, facilitating lower emissions, energy, compared to 2022 as a base year. These
The sustainability of a product begins with waste, and water usage. new targets were established using GSCC’s
its materials. However, those materials Flat roll, bar, and structural shapes are Steel Climate Standard, which includes key
undertake a journey to the finished product. produced with significantly less energy. By GHG emissions through hot rolling from
The steps in that transformation can help or connecting the casting and rolling processes Scope 1, Scope 2, and upstream Scope 3
hinder sustainability goals. in flat roll mills, EAF mills roll slabs into categories. The GSCC Steel Climate Standard
The production of sustainable steel starts steel coils while the steel is still hot, requir- science-based emissions target certification
with recycled content. Reducing energy ing significantly less energy compared to is aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goals
consumption is another key to sustainability. traditional blast furnace technology, which and with the International Energy Agency’s
A major innovation for steel manufacturing typically requires reheating slabs before Net Zero by 2050.
is the evolution of Electric Arc Furnaces rolling. Innovative paths are transforming the
(EAF) from Blast Furnaces (BOF). The latter Another key metric for analyzing product sources that power steel mills to meet these
uses iron ore and coke as the primary fuel, sustainability is Global Warming Potential goals. The US is among the world leaders
emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide. (GWP), otherwise known as “Embodied in sustainable steel production. Domestic
This antiquated approach is being replaced Carbon.” It is the potential of a greenhouse steel companies may use 25% of the energy
by EAFs that use recycled scrap material and gas to trap heat in the atmosphere that needed per metric ton compared with world
electricity as their main source of energy. is increasing the natural greenhouse gas steel averages.
These facilities are smaller, cleaner, and cut effect. U.S. EAF steel mills recently an-
production time versus aging BOFs. nounced third-party verified science-based
U.S. EAF mills generate a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions targets in align-
the carbon emissions produced and energy ment with the Paris Agreement. This sets a Amanda Voss, MPP, is an author, editor, and
intensity required by blast furnace steel- 2050 emissions intensity target for steel mills policy analyst. Writing for multiple publications,
making. EAFs produce substantially fewer of 0.12 metric tons of CO₂e per metric ton she has also served as the managing editor for
emissions – 75% less carbon emissions – and of hot rolled steel produced. Interim 2030 Energy Design Update.

162 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

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Reconsidering Sustainability

CONTINUING EDUCATION
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163
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Existing buildings are being

CONTINUING EDUCATION

CONTINUING EDUCATION
repurposed across the country
to create vibrant places, 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW
addressing current design and 0.1 ICC CEU
programmatic needs.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
1. Identify and recognize the significance of renovating
existing buildings for adaptive re-use to achieve safety,
wellness, and sustainability.
2. Assess the health and wellness aspects of incorporating
usable outdoor spaces such as decks, balconies, and
Pop-Up-Parks in existing buildings.
3. Explain the importance of good bathroom / restroom
upgrades to meet current health, safety, accessibility,
and sanitation standards in renovation projects.
4. Determine ways to incorporate low maintenance, long-
lasting terrazzo flooring to address health, safety, and
welfare principles as presented.

To receive AIA credit, you are

required to read the entire
article and pass the quiz. Visit
ce.architecturalrecord.com for
the complete text and to take
the quiz for free. AIA COURSE #K2504H

website RentCafe.com, “The number of

apartments set to be converted from office
spaces has skyrocketed from 23,100 in 2022

Photo courtesy of Geberit

to a record-breaking 70,700 in 2025. Office
conversions now make up almost 42% of the
nearly 169,000 apartments in future adaptive
reuse projects.”
This is a notable surge in such conversions
that is no doubt fueled by the nationwide
shortage of apartments and a corresponding
decline in the need for centralized office

New Needs for space due to the popularity of remote work-

ing. This trend is being seen across the coun-
try from New York City and Washington,
Existing Buildings D.C., on the East Coast to Los Angeles on
the West Coast. More than just creating new
Adaptive reuse can change empty buildings housing, though, this trend also reflects a
shift toward urban living that is sustainable
into new vibrant places and community focused. Other types of
buildings are seeing similar changes either in
Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, Geberit, and terms of upgrading their use or converting
National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association (NTMA) them to a different use. In this course, strate-
gies, techniques, and examples are given of
Written by Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
ways that many existing buildings are being
creatively adapted and updated.
Architects are increasingly tasked with find- Association of Plumbing and Mechanical
ing ways to transform existing buildings to Officials (IAPMO), “The United States MODERNIZING PLUMBING
meet current needs, whether to update and faces a significant housing shortage, with Renovating or modifying an existing build-
upgrade an ongoing operation or to com- an estimated deficit of 3.8 million homes. ing, particularly an older building, means
pletely change the type of occupancy and use Adaptive reuse offers a viable solution to addressing ways to upgrade the mechanical,
of a building, such as changing underused this crisis by revitalizing urban cores and electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems to
office buildings into multifamily housing. reducing the environmental impact of new meet current standards and user expecta-
For example, according to the International construction.” According to the apartment tions. A good example of how to address

165
 NEW NEEDS FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

Rendering (left) courtesy of Noë & Associates; photos (center and right) courtesy of BKSK Architects
CONTINUING EDUCATION

PLUMBING CASE STUDY

Project: Surrey Hotel creation of a new-to-the-USA hospitality architectural designer at BKSK Architects in
Location: 20 East 76th Street, New York City brand within the envelope of a respected New York City. He commented, “Working
Architect: BKSK Architects but aging hotel. The new ownership on adaptive re-use projects comes with
expressed their dual goals of respecting interesting challenges related to the
The Project: The Surrey Hotel is an the structure’s history and establishing a existing building infrastructure. Minimizing
existing 16-story neoclassical structure, new identity. Interior alterations have been overhead piping that would otherwise
designed by Schwartz & Gross Architects carefully wrought, ranging from residential lower ceiling heights is critical. The in-wall
as a residential hotel, constructed in 1926, apartment units rather than hotel rooms toilet carrier allows us as designers to feel
and renovated by BKSK Architects in 2024. on the upper floors, to themed hotel suites less constrained when locating toilets.
The site’s location, which is less than a inspired by the bridges of Central Park, to When coordinating with the MEP engineer
block from Central Park, the building’s a sumptuous private member’s club as a and the plumber, the in-wall tank gave
architectural character, and even its use stand-alone restaurant. us much more optionality for routing
as a longer-stay dwelling option, have all The Adaptive Renovation: There are plumbing above the structural slab before
contributed to its reputation for discretion 11 condo units on the top six floors of The tying back to a riser, saving ceiling height
and understated elegance. Over its Surrey, each with several bedrooms and below.”
nearly 100-year existence, many well- bathrooms. Units range from 2 bedrooms From a finished design standpoint,
known people such as John F. Kennedy, and 2.5 bathrooms up to 4 bedrooms and Feldman also noted, “The in-wall toilet
Bette Davis, and Claudette Colbert have 4.5 bathrooms. For consistency, all toilets carrier offers a few aesthetic design
occupied suites. in The Surrey condos are wall hung and use advantages that led BKSK to specify it. Our
The Challenge: In recent decades, an in-wall tank, for a total of 46 bathrooms design called for side-by-side matching
“understated” yielded to “tattered,” and powder rooms. This specification recessed medicine cabinets, one centered
and several efforts to upgrade fell short allowed the plumber to use the side-outlet over the sink and one over the toilet.
of being transformative. Among various capability of these carries to route drains The low height of the tank gave us the
changes, it became a more typical short- within wall framing and without negatively needed space in the wall cavity to align
stay hotel, the original windows were impacting the ceiling heights on the floor these recessed cabinets. The wide range
replaced, and successive interior decorative below. This added flexibility is crucial in of finishes available for the flush plate trim
schemes explored a range from traditional a historic building with relatively limited also allowed us to match it to the plumbing
to edgy. In 2019, bankruptcy was declared. floor-to-floor heights. A lower-height toilet fixture finish for a cohesive look throughout
The Solution: In October of 2024, the carrier was selected compared to other each bathroom.”
building completed a major renovation/ carriers. This lower overall mounting height The Results: This strategy of looking
reuse. It reopened as The Surrey, a allowed for a recessed medicine cabinet to both forward and back only works if
Corinthia Hotel, to genuine fanfare, with fit above the tank and align with a medicine attention to lost details and traditional
hotel rooms on the lower floors and cabinet over the adjacent sinks. This was design principles conjures a healthy balance
apartment residences on floors 11 and key for the design and one of the important of new and old. To their credit, the new
up. It is, once again, fashionable, even factors in selecting the particular product. owners brought a commitment to doing the
sumptuous, yet restrained. This project’s The Architect’s Perspective: Ethan work needed both inside and outside to
overall scope of work involved the Feldman is the project manager and an reassert the building’s integrity and style.

166 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT NEW NEEDS FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS

Photos courtesy of National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association

CONTINUING EDUCATION
FLOORING CASE STUDY
Project: Uline Arena Historic Places. In the meantime, Douglas and color palette to harmonize the various
Location: Washington, D.C. Development acquired the property from finishes and create a single identity within
Architect: Antunovich Associates the trash disposal company. By the time the project.
Architects renovation work was set to begin, it was “We didn’t want to overpower the
being used as a parking garage. modern industrial look with a super
The Project: When the iconic Uline The Design Challenge: The design team’s dynamic floor,” Mr. Crosby explained.
Arena, also known as the Washington intent was to honor both the site’s cultural The solution was a total of 5,800 square
Coliseum, came into developers’ hands in heritage and its original assets. “It was an feet of epoxy terrazzo in the lobby and
2015, the property was in great disrepair. exciting opportunity for me as a designer,” corridors in the office spaces and extended
Originally built as an ice rink, the historic said Kevin Crosby, Associate Principal at through the icehouse to the arena area.
venue in the northeast section of the Antunovich. “Having seen this decaying The terrazzo floor is a neutral canvas for
nation’s capital hosted a 1953 inaugural industrial building with its iconic shape for the various design elements. A lighter field
ball for President Eisenhower and a many years, never realizing its full potential, with zinc divider strips is set in an ashlar
concert by the Beatles in the 1960s. In its then given the opportunity to investigate and pattern, accented by a darker border and
prime, the arena with its famous barrel- explore the buildings to revitalize them.” a subtly different pop of blue glass that
vaulted concrete roof was also home to The Design Solution: The design anchors the palette. “Terrazzo provided a
professional hockey and basketball teams. concept for the rehabilitation project for the connecting finish throughout all the spaces,
In 1973, the construction of the larger icehouse and arena is a modern aesthetic: a handsome, consistent look that did it for
Capital Center east of the city had eclipsed contemporary finishes accented by industrial us,” Mr. Crosby said.
the Uline. The site became little more elements. The design team agreed on a The Results: Today, the Uline site
than the target of vandalism. In 2003 it grand lobby to connect the arena with the houses some 150,000 square feet of office
reached its lowest point: the trash disposal icehouse. A vibrant, lush oasis inlaid on space. Where the arena had been open to
company that had purchased it as a transfer the lobby floor is a dynamic focal point. the roof, three upper stories were created
station applied for a permit to demolish it. From the roof of the arena, a series of steel with rooftop terraces to bring in daylight. A
Preservationists intervened promptly. Within pulleys that had held theatre lights were 51,000-square-foot flagship REI store, the
the year, it made the D.C. Preservation repurposed as custom lighting for the new largest on the East Coast, opened in 2016
League’s list of “Most Endangered Places.” lobby. The old basketball wood floor found on the ground floor. The renovation of the
It went on to gain spots on the D.C. Historic new life as wall and ceiling panels. site as a mixed-use facility engaged the
Preservation Review Board’s official The Flooring Solution: The next historic preservation review board and the
protection list and the National Register of imperative was to choose the right flooring community.

MEP renovation and design upgrade ADAPTING SITES is consistent with many current trends
questions is by looking at bathrooms or In existing buildings, there are often and can go a long way towards improving
restrooms in an adaptive reuse/renovated outdoor areas that are underutilized or the design character and usability of the
building. Often, the existing conditions rooftop surfaces that have been ignored. building. Often, this can be accomplished
restrict the amount of available floor space These spaces have the potential to en- without impacting the historic nature of the
to make upgrades. One solution that has liven a renovated building by providing building itself. A commonly available solu-
worked quite well is installing wall-hung outdoor community spaces or even living tion to address these design trends in build-
toilets using a wall-recessed mounting areas. Incorporating outdoor spaces into ing renovations/re-use is the incorporation
system. a building renovation or adaptive reuse of a raised modular deck system. Such

167
 NEW NEEDS FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

modular systems are versatile and give

Photo: Mike Schwartz; courtesy of Bison Innovative Products
architects and others the design flexibility
CONTINUING EDUCATION

to create unique and beautiful rooftop

environments and outdoor spaces.

FLOORING REPLACEMENT OR
RENOVATION USING TERRAZZO
One of the heaviest-used surfaces in any
building is the flooring. Therefore, in any
renovation or adaptive reuse project, it is
likely one of the first interior design ele-
ments to be addressed. The use of terrazzo
has long been regarded as an ideal choice for
a variety of adaptive reuse applications.
Perhaps most appealing to many
architects and interior designers is the
versatility of terrazzo. The custom nature
of terrazzo installations means that
designs of all types, patterns, and colors
can be incorporated into flooring, walls,
stairs, platforms, balconies, countertops,
walls, columns, or other surfaces. For SITE CASE STUDY
example, imagery such as logos, govern-
ment seals, mascots, maps, historical Project: 21c Museum Hotel
events, scientific facts, numbers, or other Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
purposeful information can be displayed Architect: Deborah Berke Partners & Hornbeek Blatt Architects
on the floor or walls of a lobby or public Original Architect: Albert Kahn
space. In large facilities, wayfinding in-
formation can become part of the terrazzo The Project: Oklahoma City was deemed one of the Best Places to Travel by the
design to help building users and visitors Today Show for 2020 destinations, primarily for its art and culture. The 21c Museum
become oriented and find specific areas of Hotel’s rich industrial heritage and experiential design helped the city earn this title.
a building. In other cases, a simple pattern The Challenge: The existing building is the former home of a Ford Motor Company
can be used to create a subtle background assembly plant. The adaptive reuse called for a new 135-room boutique hotel with
for a space or for some featured coloring spacious guest rooms, a contemporary art museum, a cultural civic center, and the home
along a corridor or other circulation space. of Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge, which occupies the former automobile showroom.
In short, the vast color, shape, pattern, and A key desired feature was to create a rooftop deck above the hotel, which would be
design options provide great freedom to accessible to multiple users.
create spaces that can meet virtually any The Solution: The design team selected adjustable pedestals and 2x2 smooth ipê
design intent. wood tiles to crown the hotel’s rooftop deck space, which includes outdoor lounging,
recreation, and green roof areas. All of this visually frames the Ford assembly plant’s
CONCLUSION original water tower, which was part of the original, somewhat iconic, industrial building
Working to improve or transform an exist- design.
ing building requires blending the existing The Results: The rooftop’s city views and easy access make the rooftop lounge
conditions with current user needs, code perfect for nighttime entertaining, gatherings, and private events.
requirements, accessibility standards, and
methods of construction. These case stud-
ies point out several key considerations. owners. Renovating flooring to meet current
Upgrading MEP systems, particularly demands and correct safety issues has been
bathrooms and toilets, is not only impor- shown to be done quite effectively using Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP is
tant, but it can also be enhanced through modern terrazzo techniques. Incorporating a nationally known architect who has authored
the use of in-wall toilet mounting systems. some of the concepts and ideas presented in nearly 300 continuing education courses focused
Outdoor spaces considered as part of any these case studies can directly benefit archi- on advancing building performance through bet-
existing building renovation provide many tects and designers in their current adaptive ter design. www.pjaarch.com www.linkedin.com/
potential benefits for users, occupants, and reuse projects. in/pjaarch

168 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 CONTINUING EDUCATION
Photo courtesy of Armstrong World Industries
Clariant Offices
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Architecture Firm: Little Diversified Architectural
Consulting, Charlotte, North Carolina

Concept to CONTINUING EDUCATION

1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR

Carbon Neutral 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
Designing with LEED v5 towards carbon reduction 1. Examine USGBC’s LEED v5 strategy to deliver ultra-low
carbon buildings through sustainable building practices
Sponsored by Armstrong World Industries and energy-efficient design.
2. Explore carbon’s environmental impacts and where

T
emissions arise in the lifecycle of building materials.
his course explores USGBC’s LEED v5 materials to the manufacturing process, and 3. Acknowledge the essential role specifiers have in
framework, highlighting credits and learn how specified products can assist in encouraging product innovations from manufacturers
strategies to deliver ultra-low carbon designing out carbon. The course will dive and the adoption of low-carbon building materials that
buildings. Participants will review the inten- into practical applications for a new LEED can contribute to LEED credits.
4. Review a case study of how phase change material
tion behind the LEED v5 system goals, tar- v5 credit, “Reduce Peak Thermal Loads,”
ceilings contribute to meeting the LEED v5 credit
geting decarbonization. We will explore the and examine how phase change material pertaining to reducing peak thermal loads.
science of carbon emissions and their critical ceilings contribute to this credit. Leave this
role in global warming, providing a founda- course with a clear understanding of how To receive AIA credit, you are
tional understanding of the chemical proper- LEED v5 prioritizes decarbonization and required to view the entire
presentation and pass the
ties of carbon and its impact on the environ- how your role as a specifier plays a key part
quiz. Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com
ment. Participants will examine the primary in carbon reduction. to view the multimedia CEU and to
sources of carbon emissions in building take the quiz for free.
products, starting from the sourcing of raw AIA COURSE #K2505U

Armstrong World Industries is a leader in the design and manufacture of innovative commercial ceiling and wall systems. At
home, at work, in health-care facilities, classrooms, stores, and restaurants, Armstrong offers interior and exterior ceiling and
wall solutions that help create healthy, sustainable spaces that protect occupants and cultivate well-being and comfort so they
can be at their best. armstrongceilings.com/commercial

169
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUING EDUCATION

Photo courtesy of ESI Total Fuel Management

Planning for power resilience
means shielding your design
from the unpredictable.

Power Resiliency—Don’t Be Fuelish!

Designing infrastructure, logistics, and maintenance
operations for critical facility backup power
Sponsored by ESI Total Fuel Management
By Amanda C Voss, MPP

T
he loss of power is unpredictable, own challenges, including distribution and
disruptive, and expensive. There are transmission outages. Distribution out- CONTINUING EDUCATION
many motivations for commercial ages are local issues specific to the utility 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW
buildings to include backup power systems. that provides power directly to customer 0.1 ICC CEU
About 75% of commercial businesses in meters. They include events such as power
Learning Objectives
the United States currently have backup line, transformer, and substation failures, After completing this course, you should be able to:
generators.1 rolling outage events, and public safety 1. Identify key challenges when designing layouts for
Weather has always been a leading cause power shutoff events. Transmission outages backup power at critical facilities.
of outages, and weather-related power are power grid issues that affect distribu- 2. Anticipate fueling logistic requirements in a design,
outages are on the rise. From 2000 to 2023, tion utilities. They include events such as including access issues, environmental concerns,
about 80% of major power outages in the U.S. transmission line failures, power plant reserve storage for emergency conditions (including
force majeure, economic or production issues, etc.) and
were due to weather events.2 The number of failures, and grid operator-directed power
regulatory requirements.
such outages in the last decade (2014-2023) curtailments.4 Rolling outages are used when
3. Create designs that accommodate required monitoring
was double that of the first decade of the a utility must disconnect electric customers and maintenance strategies for backup power.
century. Most weather-related outages were to lower overall grid loads. The utility shuts 4. Discuss applicable codes, standards, and specifications
caused by severe weather (58%), winter off specific circuits for a set amount of time, that impact projects using backup power systems.
storms (23%), and tropical cyclones, includ- then turns them back on while shutting
ing hurricanes (14%). The states with the down the next set of electric circuits. Finally, To receive AIA credit, you are
most reported weather-related power outages when the amount of power being generated required to read the entire
(2000-2023) were Texas (210), Michigan cannot meet current energy demand, power article and pass the quiz. Visit
(157), California (145), North Carolina (111), grid operators will call for Load Shedding ce.architecturalrecord.com for
the complete text and to take
and Ohio (88).3 or Power Curtailments. They direct the
the quiz for free.
Beyond the impacts of weather, the distribution utilities on their grid to lower AIA COURSE #K2506P
aging national infrastructure brings its the load on the grid; this is done mostly by

170 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT POWER RESILIENCY—DON’T BE FUELISH!

Image courtesy of ESI Total Fuel Management Designing for the Unpredictable:
Layout Considerations

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The design of backup power has evolved
significantly, shifting from underground
fuel storage and large centralized systems
to enclosure-based generators. While this
transition offers construction and cost effi-
Designing projects
ciencies, it introduces new challenges. As the
that readily incorpo-
rate backup power number of COPS and other facilities required
systems involves to supply backup power grows, considering
thinking through many logistics for these systems is paramount.
aspects of layout and
maintenance. ENDNOTES
1. Distributed Generation, National Energy
Technology Laboratory. https://netl.
doe.gov/sites/default/files/Smartgrid/
Value-of-Standby-Generation-08-29-
08-AZ--2-_APPROVED_2008_09.pdf.
Accessed March 4, 2025.
2. “Weather-related Power Outages Rising.”
increasing the cost of power, forcing power operations, or facilities designated by local, Climate Central. April 24, 2024. https://
outages, or implementing rolling outages.5 state, and federal government as “mission www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/
However, for mission-critical facilities critical.” These systems are required in facili- weather-related-power-outages-rising.
and data centers, a power outage, even for a ties that, if destroyed or incapacitated, would Accessed April 24, 2025.
fraction of a second, is a very bad thing. If lo- disrupt national security, the economy, or 3. Ibid.
cal power goes out, or “sags,” the facility must public health or safety. Government agencies 4. “FAQs.” Power Outage US. https://power-
continue operations unaffected. Data centers, or Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) can outage.us/faq. Accessed April 24, 2025.
in particular, are looking for 99.99999% designate any critical facility, such as police 5. Ibid.
uptime (seven 9s), which is much higher than stations, fire stations, emergency call centers, 6. Schweber, Bill. “AI Data Centers Need
the customary five or even six 9s of high- telecommunications carriers, data centers, Huge Power-Backup Systems.” Design
uptime reliability systems.6 Downtime is and other critical infrastructure, as a “des- Lines. EE Times. July 30, 2024. https://
costly: collaboration and messaging software ignated critical operations area” to comply www.eetimes.com/unintended-con-
company Slack surrendered $8.2 million with Article 708. There are also additional sequences-ai-data-centers-need-huge-
in revenue after its work-communications commissioning requirements for COPS. power-backup-systems/#:~:text=If%20
platform went down for about two hours over For COPS facilities, emergency and local%20power%20goes%20
a 92-day period in 2019. The multi-million- standby power systems must be maintained out,energy%20storage%20system%20
dollar sum was issued in credits to users after in accordance with NFPA 110 and NFPA (BESS). Accessed April 24, 2025.
the company achieved only 99.9% service 111, such that the system is capable of sup- 7. Mohamed, Theron. “Slack’s service went
uptime for the quarter.7 plying service within the time specified for down for about 2 hours last quarter –
the type and duration required. Inspection, and it cost $8 million in sales.” Business
BACKUP POWER IN DESIGN testing, and maintenance of emergency and Insider. September 5, 2019. https://www.
The National Electric Code (NEC) is also standby power systems for COPS must be businessinsider.com/slack-takes-8-mil-
known as “NFPA 70” or the National Fire in accordance with an approved schedule lion-revenue-hit-2-hours-service-down-
Protection Association’s Standard 70. The (1203.4.2) established upon completion time-2019-9. Accessed April 24, 2025.
NEC addresses the installation of electrical and approval of the system installation.
components; signaling and communications Additionally, records of the inspection,
systems; and optical fiber systems in com- testing, and maintenance of emergency and
mercial, residential, and industrial occupan- standby power systems are required and
cies. It also lays out requirements for backup must be maintained. Switch maintenance
power. and emergency power systems, including all Amanda Voss, MPP, is an author, editor, and
“Critical operation power systems” appurtenant components, shall be inspected policy analyst. Writing for multiple publications,
(COPS) are the newest classification of and tested under load in accordance with she has also served as the managing editor for
backup power (NEC Article 708) for systems, NFPA 110 and NFPA 111. Energy Design Update.

ESI Total Fuel Management is the trusted authority in fuel quality management for mission-critical facilities. With over
30 years in the industry, we provide engineered solutions that ensure generator uptime, regulatory compliance, and
environmental responsibility. Our expertise in fuel resiliency, equipment, fuel supply, maintenance, monitoring, and servicing
makes us an indispensable partner to the world’s largest data centers, delivering performance when it matters most.

171
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

The use of carbon analysis

software can help create
CONTINUING EDUCATION

more sustainable and creative

projects when used early in
the design process.

Photo courtesy of Autodesk

Sustainability and CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW

Carbon Reduction 1 GBCI CE HOUR

Learning Objectives
0.1 ICC CEU

After completing this course, you should be able to:

Finding a path to reducing embodied carbon 1. Define the concepts of embodied and operational

through technology carbon and explain how material specification and

system engineering can greatly impact the carbon
emissions associated with a project.
Sponsored by Autodesk 2. List forward-thinking design strategies that carbon
Written by Andrew A. Hunt calculation tools support, focusing on reducing a
building’s carbon footprint while improving indoor
environmental quality through access to natural light,

E
fresh air, and efficient water mitigation.
mbodied and operational carbon have Carbon analysis software facilitates 3. Discuss the impact of site-specific design elements such
become critical design considerations better communication and collaboration as building orientation, local wind patterns, and solar
as more commercial and residential between architects, engineers, and clients exposure on both building performance and occupant
projects seek to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) through visual representations of key health and safety.
emissions and mitigate climate change. variables affecting energy performance, 4. Identify the benefits of integrating carbon analysis
software within standard architectural workflows to
For architects, the pre-construction design water management, ventilation, and
ensure effective collaboration between architects,
and specification phase presents the best daylighting. The software enables early engineers, and clients, minimizing design challenges.
opportunity to address a building’s carbon assessments of factors like wind flow, solar
footprint. While building information model- heat gain, and can uncover passive design
To receive AIA credit, you are
ing (BIM) platforms have been widely used opportunities, helping architects improve
required to read the entire
for decades, many architects underutilize the energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and oc- article and pass the quiz. Visit
built-in carbon analysis tools available within cupant comfort. Additional benefits include ce.architecturalrecord.com for
these systems. These tools provide significant reduced traffic noise, improved views, and the complete text and to take
benefits beyond carbon calculations, enhanc- the integration of biophilic design elements. the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2504Z
ing project performance and sustainability. This article will define key terms related

172 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD M AY 2 0 2 5

EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON REDUCTION

Photo courtesy of Autodesk

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Evaluating building materials, site orientation, and local environmental factors can greatly reduce the embodied carbon footprint of a project.

to embodied and operational carbon, outline events, including heat waves, droughts, where carbon emissions originate and where
steps architects can take to reduce a build- wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. These they can be reduced in the process of creating
ing’s carbon footprint, and demonstrate climate shifts threaten ecosystems, agricul- a healthy built environment.
how incorporating carbon analysis software ture, water supplies, and coastal communities
improves design efficiency, durability, and worldwide. Biodiversity loss is accelerating, Understanding Carbon Emissions
sustainability. By prioritizing performance, with many species struggling to adapt to rapid Adapting an old adage (“you can’t manage
safety, and occupant well-being, architects environmental changes. Additionally, melting what you can’t measure”) to present-day
can address climate change through ice caps and rising sea levels pose existential climate concerns, we can now say that “we
informed design practices. threats to low-lying nations. can only change what we can measure”, and
To mitigate these effects, the IPCC urges in terms of realistically addressing the threat
EMBODIED AND OPERATIONAL immediate reductions in carbon emissions, of climate change and the need for GHG
CARBON—MEASURING THE increased investment in renewable energy, reduction, this is very true. Quantifying car-
FOOTPRINT and widespread adoption of sustainable bon emissions is the first step toward cutting
The scientific consensus is clear: hu- design practices. Decarbonizing industries, them. In the context of buildings, carbon
man activities, particularly the emissions transitioning to low-carbon buildings, and emissions are broadly classified into two
of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon protecting natural carbon sinks like forests categories: embodied and operational.
dioxide (CO2), are the primary drivers of are essential.
recent climate change. According to the Globally, buildings account for over 37%
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of annual global greenhouse gas emissions;
(IPCC), global temperatures are on track of this total, roughly 60% this from building Andrew A. Hunt is Vice President of Confluence
to rise by 1.5°C (2.7°F) between 2030 and operations (lighting, heating, cooling) and Communications and specializes in writing,
2035, driven by human-induced emissions. 40% from construction material supply design, and production of articles and multime-
Without urgent action, current policies could chains. Today, both public and private orga- dia presentations related to sustainable design in
push this increase to 3.2°C by 2100, leading nizations have responded to this threat by the built environment. In addition to instruc-
to severe consequences for both the environ- creating initiatives, programs, and incentives tional design, writing, and project management,
ment and human societies. to encourage architects, designers, builders, Andrew is an accomplished musician and voice-
Experts warn that the impact on our planet and building owners to reduce the amount over actor, providing score and narration for both
and future generations paints a grim outlook. of carbon emissions in the building industry. the entertainment and education arenas. www.
The report highlights how rising global tem- The key to reducing the risk of climate disas- confluencec.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/
peratures are fueling more extreme weather ter is to have a strong working knowledge of andrew-a-hunt-91b747/

The world’s innovators, designers, engineers, builders, and creators trust Autodesk to help them design and make a
better world for all.

173
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUING EDUCATION

Photo courtesy of The Propane Education & Research Council

This resilient home near Charleston,
S.C., is prepared for weather events
and emergencies with propane back-up
power and critical home systems.

Designing the Resilient Home

Specifying materials, construction techniques, and energy systems
Provided by The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)
Written by Kathy Price-Robinson

A
s extreme weather events and power verified billion-dollar weather and natural
outages become more frequent, disasters, encompassing hurricanes, severe CONTINUING EDUCATION
architects must design homes that storms, and wildfires, resulting in tremen- 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR
withstand and adapt to these conditions. dous financial losses.1 In 2023, insurers 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW 0.1 ICC CEU
This course equips design professionals with covered $80 billion of the $114 billion in
strategies to enhance residential resilience losses from natural catastrophes, leaving 30 Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
through smart design, durable materials, and percent of damages uninsured.2
1. Describe extreme weather events’ financial and
reliable energy systems. It covers structural As hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and emotional impacts on homeowners and how these
reinforcements, moisture- and impact-resis- temperature extremes become more challenges influence residential resilience strategies.
tant components, and energy independence frequent and intense, many homeown- 2. Define building materials and strategies that improve
solutions—such as clean fuels like propane ers struggle to rebuild their homes and the durability and longevity of homes subjected to
that support both resilience and everyday lives, often facing displacement. The climate-related stressors.
living. Real-world case studies, including psychological toll includes increased cases 3. Discuss backup energy solutions based on reliability,
availability, and performance during power grid
projects in hurricane-prone Puerto Rico, of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
disruptions.
show how to integrate reliable fuel, reduce depression, and anxiety, particularly among
4. Identify the advantages of propane as a resilient, long-
reliance on unstable grid infrastructure, and individuals who have lost their homes. term energy solution for everyday use and residential
improve occupant safety and comfort before, Financial pressures compound emotional backup power systems.
during, and after emergencies. hardship. Insurance premiums for home-
owners have surged; from 2020 to 2023,
To receive AIA credit, you are
THE EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL average premiums rose by over 30 percent. required to read the entire
TOLL OF WEATHER DISASTERS The Brookings Institution notes that article and pass the quiz. Visit
Weather related events and natural disasters insurers have exited states such as California ce.architecturalrecord.com for
across North America impose significant and Florida due to mounting climate risks, the complete text and to take
the quiz for free.
financial and emotional costs on homeown- leaving many properties uninsured and AIA COURSE #K2506Q
ers. In 2024, the United States experienced 27 exposed. These difficulties ripple beyond

174 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT DESIGNING THE RESILIENT HOME

Photo courtesy of The Propane Education & Research Council

wind pressure than gable roofs. Roof pitches
between 30 and 45 degrees deflect rather

CONTINUING EDUCATION
than resist wind forces. Overhangs should
be minimized or strengthened, as they are
vulnerable to wind uplift.3 Circular and
hexagonal structures disperse wind pressures
more effectively than rectangular forms.4
Energy Selection: Selecting the right
energy source is essential for resilience and
everyday performance. While grid electric-
ity can fail during storms and natural gas
service may be interrupted, propane offers
a consistent, on-site solution that supports
daily needs like heating, cooking, and hot
water. Its reliability during outages is an
unparalleled bonus. Propane delivers clean,
efficient energy year-round as a primary
and back-up fuel while ensuring homes stay
powered and comfortable before, during, and
after extreme weather events.
Appliance Selection: Appliances must
be specified to operate on the fuel most ad-
With back-up power generation, homes can function when the grid goes down.
vantageous to resiliency. Propane appliances
offer critical advantages for emergencies and
individual households, weakening entire STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: DESIGNING everyday performance. Because propane is
communities and leading to social disinte- FOR WEATHER RESILIENCE stored on-site in secure tanks, it supports
gration and long-term economic hardship. Architectural resilience begins with a robust essential household functions such as cook-
Natural disasters thus impact mental health, structural system. Homes must be engi- ing, water heating, space heating, and clothes
financial resilience, and overall quality of life neered to withstand a range of threats. drying without dependence on an external
long after the initial event. power supply. This decentralized energy
Designing Homes to Withstand High model ensures continuous operation even if
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESILIENT Winds and Hurricanes the electrical grid is compromised.
HOMES Architects are pivotal in designing homes Modern propane appliances deliver high
Architects must make resilience a primary that can resist high winds and hurricanes. efficiency and fast recovery times. Tankless
design objective to safeguard homes against Key considerations include structural sys- water heaters, for example, achieve thermal
extreme weather. Today’s homeowners seek tems, building aerodynamics, energy selec- efficiencies of up to 98 percent, providing
structures that can endure natural disasters tion, appliance selection, site planning, and unlimited hot water with minimal standby
and remain functional during extended material selection. losses. Propane space heating systems,
power outages. A resilient home protects Structural Systems: A reinforced frame- including direct-vent wall furnaces and
occupants and reduces both damages and work forms the basis of a hurricane-resistant hydronic boilers, offer precise temperature
recovery costs. home. Reinforced concrete and steel framing control and higher fuel efficiency than elec-
Energy independence is a fundamental are ideal due to their ability to withstand tric models, particularly in colder climates.
aspect of resilience. Given increasing grid extreme wind forces. For wood-framed
instability, architects should integrate energy structures, using hurricane straps and anchor
sources such as propane, which reliably pow- bolts that firmly attach roofs and walls to
ers essential appliances, heating systems, and the foundation is essential. A continuous
backup generators during electrical outages. load path ensures walls, floors, and roofs are Kathy Price-Robinson writes about building
Propane is also an efficient and clean energy securely interconnected to distribute wind and design. Her remodeling series “Pardon Our
source for daily living. This ideal energy pressures evenly and mitigate structural Dust” ran for 12 years in the Los Angeles Times.
solution serves as a clean, efficient primary failure. She specializes in writing about buildings that are
energy source, supporting both sustainability Aerodynamic Features: Building shape durable and resilient to climate disruptions, as
goals and long-term operational reliability in greatly influences wind resilience. Hip roofs, well as products and designs that provide shade
the home. with slopes on all sides, perform better under in hot climates. www.kathyprice.com

The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs
and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC programs benefit a variety of
markets, including residential and commercial building.

175
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

Hotel Marcel, New Haven,

Connecticut.
CONTINUING EDUCATION

Photo by Seamus Payne: courtesy of Becker + Becker

Structural Steel in CONTINUING EDUCATION

Passive House Construction

1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR
0.1 ICC CEU 1 PDH

Learning Objectives
All you really need is a break After completing this course, you should be able to:
1. Identify aspects of structural steel that create challenges
Sponsored by The Steel Institute of New York for a building’s thermal integrity (particularly thermal
bridging) as well as solutions to those challenges.
By William B. Millard, PhD 2. Demonstrate a working familiarity with the Passive
House principles and systems.

I
f one asks a building envelope a version House building are measurably better than 3. Identify several recent and contemporary construction

of the question Louis Kahn famously in ordinary buildings. Natural ventilation projects that have used steel structures and met Passive
House standards, with or without official certification.
posed to a brick—“What do you want to is an option, not an obligation, Levenson
4. Explain how a carefully planned Passive House project
be?”—an energy-conscious envelope might continues: “You open the window because using structural steel can have positive long-range
answer, “I’d like to resemble a Thermos bot- you want to, not because you need to.” environmental effects while generating benefits for
tle.” A self-contained system, well-integrated Interest in Passive House has been clients and occupants.
in design and detailing, capable of purpose- expanding for decades. According to the
ful opening or enclosure, keeping salubrious International Passive House Association’s To receive AIA credit, you are
contents inside and insalubrious elements statistics on projects meeting the certification required to read the entire
out, holding entropy purposefully at bay: criteria of the Passive House Institute (PHI), article and pass the quiz. Visit
that’s the type of building the world needs over 47,400 units are certified worldwide, ce.architecturalrecord.com for
the complete text and to take
more of, and one that increasing numbers of with a sharp upward curve in the total floor the quiz for free.
architects and clients want to build. area included, totaling 4,322,000 square AIA COURSE #K2505Q
“One way to think about Passive House,” meters as of January 2025 (International
says Ken Levenson, executive director of the Passive House Association). The parallel
Passive House Network, “is, it’s a Thermos. organization serving North America, Passive roughly equivalent to a building permit,
You want to keep the coffee hot and the iced House Institute U.S. (PHIUS), reports similar indicating the design meets the requireents,
tea cold, and so you’ve got this airtightness increases in its design-certified projects, with while Final Certification, the rough
[and] thermal insulation.” Reduced energy over 3,000 projects including over 2,800,000 equivalent of a Certification of Occupancy
consumption is only one of the system’s square feet (over 260,000 square meters) of at least with respect to energy requirements,
many benefits; with well-designed shading to total interior conditioned floor area as of occurs after construction is completed
regulate heating, high-performing windows 2022 (Klingenberg). (PHIUS maintains two and the building still meets the heating/
and doors, and a systematic approach to levels of certification, reports Isaac Elnecave, cooling targets and the source energy target.
mitigating extremes in both directions, the senior policy analyst and a member of the The total of Final Certified buildings, he
thermal comfort and air quality in a Passive certification team: Design Certification is says, is 526 projects to date, including 285

176 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT STRUCTURAL STEEL IN PASSIVE HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

Photo by James Ewing / JBSA: courtesy of Architecture Research Office

single-family, 192 multifamily, and 49
non-residential.)

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Passive House is of course not confined
to houses, or to any particular scale or
typology: the standards have been met by
multifamily residential buidings, academic
buildings, offices, dormitories, hotels, retro-
fit projects, and others, soon to be joined by
New York’s largest Passive House skyscraper,
the mixed-use Alloy Block in downtown
Brooklyn, including a 700-foot all-electric
tower and two public schools (see Figure 1).
A building with any structural system
can satisfy the Passive House requirements,
and beliefs about materials’ suitability can
be grounded more in assumptions than in
evidence. Minimizing thermal bridging
is one of the core principles of the Passive
House system, and steel is highly susceptible
Figure 1. The mixed-use Alloy Block by Architecture Research Office includes New York to thermal bridging. Yet despite a common
City’s first Passive House public schools: P.S. 456, the Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold misconception that structural steel is an
Explorers, and the Khalil Gibran International Academy. The building’s design strategy unlikely choice for a Passive House project,
relates to two contrasting urban contexts: the major business and cultural thoroughfare Levenson and other practitioners find steel
of Flatbush Avenue for the high school entrance and the quiet, brownstone-lined State
buildings entirely compatible with the Passive
Street for the primary school. From mechanical dunnage posts to the tube-steel play
enclosure, all structural elements that penetrated the insulation layer were equipped House concept. “Passive House can be built
with polyurethane structural thermal breaks. Thermally broken brick shelf angles were from any construction system,” he says; “it’s
utilized to maintain insulation continuity and avoid the linear thermal bridges typically agnostic” toward steel, concrete, masonry,
found in brick-cavity wall construction. timber, or hybrid structures. “I like to say you
Photo by Pavel Bendov/Archexplorer; courtesy of Dattner Architects can build a Passive House out of radioactive
material and still get certified. You couldn’t
occupy it, but you could meet the energy
targets.” With proper attention to thermal
bridging, using strategies that are both well-
understood and continually evolving, steel
and steel-hybrid buildings have already met
the Passive House criteria and will continue
to do so. Many Passive House projects
are on a midrise scale, sometimes using
combinations of structural materials; a recent
example is Vital Brookdale, a residential and
community health center in central Brooklyn
(the first project in New York State’s Vital
Brooklyn Initiative), using both structural
steel and concrete (see Figure 2).

Bill Millard is a New York-based journalist

Figure 2. Vital Brookdale, a mixed-use Passive House building with structural steel at
the ground floor and cellar, allowing flexible floorplate designs for its non-residential
who has contributed to Architectural Record,
uses, and precast concrete planks and CMU bearing walls in the residential areas; the The Architect’s Newspaper, Oculus, Architect,
superstructures meet at the second-floor slab. The entry canopy is thermally broken Common Edge, Annals of Emergency Medicine,
structural steel, chosen to achieve the desired spans and cantilevered projection. OMA’s Content, and other publications.

The Steel Institute of New York is a not-for-profit association created to advance the interests of the steel
construction industry by helping architects, engineers, developers, and construction managers develop
engineering solutions using structural steel construction.

177
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUING EDUCATION

An integrated rainwater capture system enhances

the water and energy efficiency of The Nancy
J. Cotterman Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Photo courtesy of Saltz-Michelson Architects

Liquid Gold: Harnessing Rainwater

for a Sustainable Future
Innovative approaches to conservation, efficiency, and
climate resilience in contemporary architecture
Sponsored by Watts Water Technologies, Inc.
By G. Edward Van Giesen III, MLA, ARCSA Registered Professional and National Sales Manager for Watts RainCycle

R
ainwater harvesting has entered a ensure both safety and long-term viability.
new age. Once comprised of stand- “Previously, Architects and Engineers viewed CONTINUING EDUCATION
alone tanks, pumps, filters, and rainwater collection as a set of disparate parts 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR
pipes, rainwater systems are now integrated and pieces,” Van Giesen explains. “Now, 0.1 ASPE CEU 0.1 ICC CEU
solutions that benefit both building occu- more and more designers understand that a
Learning Objectives
pants and the wider community. This shift rainwater system is greater than the sum of After completing this course, you should be able to:
reflects a growing recognition of rainwater its parts.” With growing pressure to reduce 1. Describe the environmental, infrastructural, and sustainability
not as waste but as a valuable resource to potable water use and manage stormwater benefits of integrated rainwater harvesting systems.
be captured and used. “In North America, runoff, rainwater harvesting offers a practical, 2. Identify key components of rainwater harvesting systems
over the last 15 years, we have witnessed scalable solution. and explain how integrated design enhances water and
energy efficiency.
the birth of a brand-new industry sector:
3. Evaluate how codes, regulations, and site-specific
rainwater harvesting,” says G. Edward WATER CONSERVATION: A GROWING
conditions influence system design for residential and
Van Giesen III, MLA, and National Sales IMPERATIVE IN BUILDING DESIGN commercial applications.
Manager for Watts RainCycle. “While roof Freshwater is often seen as abundant and in- 4. Assess storage tank options and site planning strategies
drains, tanks, cisterns, pumps, and filters exhaustible in many parts of North America, to support performance, compliance, and architectural
are nothing new, integrating them into a especially areas with regular rainfall. integration.
cohesive system is.” However, there are limits to the amount of
This systems-based approach marks freshwater available for potable use. Both un- To receive AIA credit, you are
required to read the entire
a paradigm shift in understanding the derground aquifers and surface water sources
article and pass the quiz. Visit
role that rainwater plays within the built are like bank accounts; if withdrawals exceed ce.architecturalrecord.com for
environment. Modern rainwater harvesting replenishment, there will be a net loss. the complete text and to take
systems must adhere to evolving codes, the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2506R
standards, and health regulations to

Watts is a global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative water solutions for residential, commercial, and
institutional environments. Products include an extensive line of flow control, filtration, and treatment products for water
quality, and residential plumbing & heating. Founded in 1874, Watts is headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts.

178 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

Learn and Earn AIA Credits from
WATTS Water Technologies, Inc.
Water Leak Detection in
Controlling Water Use in
Commercial Buildings
Sustainable Buildings
Using the latest technology avoids
Monitoring water flow in all areas of a
significant costs and harm to people
building helps improve water efficiency
and property
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 ASPE CEU;
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 ASPE 1 GBCI CE Hour; 0.1 ICC CEU
CEU; 0.1 ICC CEU
Sponsored by WATTS Water Technologies, Inc.
Sponsored by WATTS Water Technologies, Inc.

Liquid Gold: Harnessing

Water Safety and
Rainwater for a
Backflow Prevention
Sustainable Future
Protecting drinking water, conserving
Innovative approaches to conservation, water resources, and providing
efficiency, and climate resilience in resilience to all buildings
contemporary architecture
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 ASPE CEU;
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE 0.1 ICC CEU; 1 PDH
Hour; 0.1 ASPE CEU; 0.1 ICC CEU
Sponsored by WATTS Water Technologies, Inc.
Sponsored by Watts Water Technologies, Inc.

Optimizing Snow-Melting Smarter, Safer Hot Water:

Systems Digital Thermostatic
Specifying system types, components, Mixing Stations
and controls to meet project-specific Safe, efficient water mixing
performance
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 ASPE CEU;
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 ASPE CEU; 0.1 ICC CEU; 1PDH
0.1 ICC CEU; 1 PDH
Sponsored by Powers and WATTS Water
Sponsored by WATTS Water Technologies, Inc. Technologies, Inc.

Media Assisted
Crystallization View All
A sustainable solution to hard Courses
water scale
Credit: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 ASPE CEU;
Available
0.1 ICC CEU; 1 PDH with WATTS
Sponsored by WATTS Water Technologies, Inc.

Discover WATT’s Lunch & Learns—request yours today!

View all these courses and more at:
continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/architect/sponsors/watts

WATTS is a global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative water solutions for residential, commercial and
institutional environments. Products include an extensive line of flow control, filtration and treatment products for
water quality, and residential plumbing & heating. Founded in 1874, WATTS is headquartered in North Andover, MA
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

Windows with operable

shading devices can
take advantage of
daylighting while
protecting occupants
CONTINUING EDUCATION

from unwanted glare and

heat gain.

Photo courtesy of Inpro

Sustainable Retrofitting
Upgrading existing buildings can be more sustainable than building new
Sponsored by Inpro
Written by Andrew A. Hunt

S
ustainable design starts with the DURABILITY AS AN ASPECT OF
choices architects make—everything SUSTAINABILITY CONTINUING EDUCATION
from materials to technology impacts Durability is a critical component of sus- 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW
a building’s durability, energy efficiency, tainable design. To be sustainable, a project 1 GBCI CE HOUR 0.1 ICC CEU
and overall carbon footprint. One of the must be designed and specified to withstand
best ways to build sustainably is to retrofit external stresses and shocks, as well as regu- Learning Objectives
By the end of this article, readers should be able to:
existing structures instead of starting from lar use from occupants.
1. Describe how durability is a necessary and critical
scratch. Building reuse cuts down on waste, Durability includes how the building element in sustainable design.
saves energy, and uses fewer raw materials, performs over time; it is directly tied to re- 2. Explain how to create sustainable building designs that
especially when demolition is involved. This silience, which can be defined as a building’s support the health, safety, and welfare of occupants.
article explores the overall sustainability ability to withstand and recover from regular 3. Highlight the environmental, economic, and practical
benefits of retrofitting existing projects stressors and shocks. Durability of the build- benefits of choosing retrofit projects as an alternative to
compared with building new. It also stresses ing as a whole also depends on the durability demolition and new construction.
the importance of specifying building of individual systems and materials, and how 4. Compare building materials and product types that
support a sustainable design and encourage occupant
materials that support sustainability goals they work within systems, as part of a wall or
safety and welfare.
and environmentally positive outcomes. building envelope, for instance.
Using case studies and real-world examples, Flexibility is another aspect of durabil-
this article considers the impact of specifying ity. Buildings must be flexible enough to To receive AIA credit, you are
required to read the entire
building products and materials in both new perform to today’s standards and be capable
article and pass the quiz. Visit
and retrofit projects that support durability, of upgrades in the future as technology ce.architecturalrecord.com for
ease of maintenance, and cleanability, while and performance expectations change. A the complete text and to take
promoting a healthier environment that sup- building that can be modified to accom- the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2506K
ports occupants’ safety and welfare. modate future uses or even be adapted to

180 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT SUSTAINABLE RETROFITTING

Photo courtesy of Inpro

a different use will remain in service longer
than one that cannot. Here, aesthetics are a

CONTINUING EDUCATION
consideration. Though classic, time-honored
materials and design modalities are more
likely to endure than trendy ones, architects
and designers should anticipate that prefer-
ences will change and create designs that
allow for cosmetic changes without damag-
ing the underlying structure.

Sustainable From the Outside In

Truly sustainable designs promote build-
ing durability as part of a complete design
philosophy. Durable buildings inherently
last longer, extend the lifespan of projects,
and avoid early replacement. These attributes
ultimately mean that fewer natural resources
are expended, less energy is used to manufac-
ture, less material is in the waste stream, and
a better economic return on investment for
building owners.
Site orientation that improves daylight- Carpet tiles may wear more quickly in high-traffic areas, but they can be replaced without
ing; a structure that resists seismic forces; replacing the entire flooring system.
a building envelope design that addresses
water intrusion, uncontrolled air movement, natural resources of the site—for example, a are good choices for projects in zones at high
and seismic forces—all of these are compo- passive solar design with high-performance risk for wildfires.
nents of durability that impact the health, windows and operable shading devices uses A durable envelope that’s well designed
safety, and welfare of occupants and must daylighting and heat gain to its advantage and properly installed supports sustain-
be considered through both creative design while protecting occupants from overheating ability while conferring other benefits to
elements and the specification process. and glare. Such a design accrues multiple occupants. A high-performance building
Designing for site and climate: Designing benefits—reduced energy use, along with envelope reduces energy consumption; it
for durability requires a holistic and inte- a more pleasant and comfortable interior also buffers occupants from temperature
grated approach that considers the hazards environment, for example. extremes, ensuring a safe, comfortable
and vulnerabilities—and opportunities—of a Sound structure: The structural compo- environment during these events. Such
particular site and climate. Some of the poten- nents of a building—its foundation, columns, an envelope will manage moisture so that
tial hazards include earthquakes, tornadoes, beams, walls, and floors—must support all it does not accumulate and harbor mold,
hurricanes, high-wind events, flooding, and loads for the life of the building. Commonly which can result in poor indoor air quality.
wildfires. It’s also important to understand used structural materials like steel and concrete
the climate and how weather patterns may have high embodied carbon; therefore, it’s
be changing. For instance, is the region important to ensure that structural systems
experiencing more frequent and intense heat are strong and durable and will survive shocks
waves or winter storms? Other site-specific with minimal damage, yet not over-engineered, Andrew A. Hunt is Vice President of Confluence
considerations include the terrain and how it using more materials than necessary. Communications and specializes in writing,
interacts with prevailing winds, along with A high-performance building envelope: design, and production of articles and multime-
how the building can take advantage of the The building envelope is the first line of dia presentations related to sustainable design in
solar resource and shading. Finally, site design defense against the elements, including the built environment. In addition to instruc-
should consider the connections between wind, water (liquid and vapor), air, and tional design, writing, and project management,
the building and existing communities and temperature extremes. The envelope should Andrew is an accomplished musician and voice-
infrastructure, and services. be designed with high-quality, durable over actor, providing score and narration for both
A more durable and sustainable design materials, but the building’s location will the entertainment and education arenas. www.
will seek to protect the building (and its influence specific choices; for instance, fiber confluencec.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/
occupants) from hazards while working with cement or stucco cladding and metal roofing andrew-a-hunt-91b747/

Founded in 1979, Inpro® is a global provider of high-performance, design-forward architectural products for building
professionals. Inpro’s product categories include door + wall protection, washroom systems, expansion joint systems,
cubicle curtain + privacy systems, elevator interiors, architectural signage, and commercial window treatments

181
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

The roof and its components,

including the insulation,
CONTINUING EDUCATION

play an important role in a

project’s sustainability.

Photo courtesy GAF.

Making Sustainability Goals CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR

Achievable With Your Roof 1 IIBEC CEH

Learning Objectives
0.1 ICC CEU

After completing this course, you should be able to:

Designing the right roof to meet environmental and 1. Identify the aspects of a roof assembly that can improve

performance goals a building’s energy efficiency, as well as those features

that enhance social well-being and benefit both site and
environment.
Provided by GAF | Siplast 2 Describe how the use of roof membranes can increase
Written by: Aly Perez, LEED Green Assoc., Rick Kile, the durability and resilience of an existing roof and
achieve performance goals.
and Andrea Wagner Watts, LEED Green Assoc. 3 Determine specification strategies for a roof assembly
that meet the owner’s or project’s sustainability goals
A ROOF. well as providing enhanced stormwater and target specific credits within programs like LEED,
WELL, and the Living Building Challenge.
As simply defined by Oxford, a roof is the management for the site. Through a com-
4 Differentiate between various overburden options,
structure forming the upper covering of a bination of well-selected materials, roofs including vegetative roofs, blue roofs, and blue-green
building. Roofs are put on an enclosure to can be designed with long-term durability roofs and consider how these applications promote
keep occupants warm and dry. However, they and product circularity in mind. This helps social interaction and enhance the site ecosystem.
can also play a pivotal – and often underes- reduce the impacts of waste. Partnering
timated – role in the sustainability story of a with a reputable manufacturer allows design To receive AIA credit, you are
project. professionals to provide validation of criti- required to read the entire
The right roof can support efficiency and cal attributes to use to certify their building article and pass the quiz. Visit
sustainability goals through proper insula- design to sustainability goals. ce.architecturalrecord.com for
the complete text and to take
tion, solar reflectivity, and airtightness.
the quiz for free.
Roofing materials and overburden technol- AIA COURSE #BEGAF0525
ogy can increase valuable usable space as

The Building and Roofing Science team offers regional expert building enclosure collaboration through design,
specification, and educational support for customers of GAF and Siplast, both Standard Industries companies. GAF is
North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, with more homes and businesses in the U.S. protected by a GAF roof than
any other product. Siplast, a building enclosure systems leader, offers a range of SBS-modified bitumen, PMMA liquid-
applied, PVC KEE, lightweight insulating concrete, wall air & water barrier systems, and amenity/vegetated systems.

182 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Photo © Jeff Miskis; courtesy of Cascade Architectural
In the world of
building materials,
there’s nothing quite
like coiled wire fabric.
The design-forward
possibilities for both
exterior and interior
applications are
limited only by the
imagination.

Twisted Not Kinky

Unlocking the near-limitless potential of CONTINUING EDUCATION
coiled wire fabric systems 1 AIA LU/HSW 1 GBCI CE HOUR
1 IDCEC CEU/HSW 0.1 ICC CEU
Sponsored by Cascade Architectural
Learning Objectives
By Andrew A. Hunt & Cascade Architectural After completing this course, you should be able to:
1. List the unique qualities of coiled wire fabric that

W
provide safety, function, and endless design possibilities
hat flows like fabric, hangs like dividing space with fixed, operable, or even that enhance the well-being of occupants.
drapes, defends like Iron Age motorized partitions, these systems adapt 2. Define the benefits of using coiled wire fabric systems
chainmail, and can offer a unique beautifully to a wide range of creative and in exterior applications, including parking structures,
three-dimensional look to both interiors and technical demands. facade systems, solar shading solutions, and more.
exteriors? Coiled wire fabric systems. More For projects with greater safety or 3. Discuss how coiled wire fabric can enable greater solar
management—lowering energy costs, reducing glare,
than your typical architectural mesh, contem- security requirements, these fully engineered and improving occupant comfort.
porary coiled wire fabric systems harness ad- solutions offer more than visual appeal, 4. Explain the versatility of coiled wire fabric systems in
vanced geometry to create a material that can supporting controlled access, fall and jump interior applications to enhance security, privacy, space
drape fluidly, hold taut tension, and span large protection, and even resilient defense in dividing, wayfinding, and more.
surfaces with graceful resilience, blending soft, high-wind or high-threat environments, all 5. Describe the various systems used to attach coiled wire
sculptural aesthetics with bold performance. without compromising design intent or style. fabric in both interior and exterior applications, and the
adaptability of modern attachment systems.
With options for material, gauge, weave size, Finally, this course examines how coiled
color, finish, fullness, and attachment, the wire fabric can contribute to improved in-
To receive AIA credit, you are
design possibilities are nearly limitless. door environmental quality (IEQ) by helping required to view the entire
This course explores the aesthetic and to reduce solar heat gain, support daylighting presentation and pass the quiz.
functional versatility of coiled wire fabric strategies, and enhance natural ventilation Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com
systems across new construction and retrofit within the occupied space to preserve a to view the multimedia CEU and
to take the quiz for free..
applications. Whether cladding open-air comfortable, breathable environment.
parking structures, shaping interiors with AIA COURSE #K2506M

dynamic ceiling or wall treatments, or

Cascade Architectural, a division of Cascade Coil Drapery, Inc., has nearly 40 years of experience designing,
engineering, and manufacturing coiled wire fabric systems for use in architectural applications worldwide. Fabricoil®
Coiled Wire Fabric Systems from Cascade Architectural are American-made, architectural-grade, environmentally
sustainable, and Red List Free.

183
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUING EDUCATION

Edward Caruso Photography

Metal Security Ceilings in Kingsboro
Psychiatric Center, New York City.

Securing Spaces
with Metal Ceilings CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW
Designing and specifying metal security ceilings for 0.1 ICC CEU
secure environments Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
Sponsored by Gordon, Inc. 1. Discuss the metal security ceilings market.
2. Explain how metal security ceilings enhance safety and

M
prevent unauthorized access.
etal security ceilings are com- features to support mental health, reduce 3. Explore the role of metal security ceilings in acoustics
monly specified in commercial stress, and enhance safety. Selecting the right and occupant well-being
buildings for their durability, materials for medium and high-risk settings 4. Identify durable, compliant materials for medium to
fire resistance, moisture resistance, hygienic is essential for ensuring security, regulatory high-security applications of metal security ceilings.
qualities, and minimal maintenance. Metal compliance, and durability with require- 5. Specify the right metal security ceiling for your project.

is often made from recycled materials, has a ments for tamper resistance, fire resistance,
long lifespan, and is recyclable at the end of impact resistance, and ease of maintenance.
To receive AIA credit, you are
its useful life, making it a sustainable choice. In this course, participants will learn required to view the entire
These advantages make metal preferable to design and specify secure, durable, and presentation and pass the
in secure environments where durability, cost-effective metal security ceiling systems quiz. Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com
sustainability, and hygiene are critical. for medium to high-risk environments. to view the multimedia CEU and to
take the quiz for free.
Metal security ceilings incorporate AIA COURSE #K2505R
acoustic performance and human-centered

Gordon, Inc., offers innovative ARCHITECTURAL + ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS for interior and exterior applications.
Product offerings include Security Metal Ceilings, Acoustic Metal Ceilings, Illuminated Ceilings and Walls, Accessible
Column Covers, Interior and Exterior Claddings, NOA-approved Soffit Systems, and many other Architectural Specialty
Systems. Above and beyond our standard systems, we can design and fabricate products to suit your individual project
in a wide range of materials and finishes. Please reach out to us to bring your next project to life. www.gordon-inc.com

184 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Photo courtesy of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum
Roofing system performance can
be enhanced by incorporating the
NRCA recommendation to use a
non-combustible, rigid roof board
as part of all low-slope commercial
roofing assemblies

Benefits of Rigid Cover

Boards in Commercial
Roofing Systems CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW 1 IIBEC CEH

Using a roof cover board on every project is the 1 IDCEC CEU 0.1 ICC CEU

emerging norm—and the type matters Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to:
Provided by Georgia Pacific Gypsum 1. Discuss the evolution of roofing cover boards from the
1970s to the present day, particularly in light of the use
Written by Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP of single-ply membranes.
2. Explain how the forces of nature (i.e., fire, wind uplift,

O
moisture, hail/puncture, foot traffic, and sound) affect
n most commercial, institutional, slow in adopting this best practice for all roof function and durability of different types of roof
and industrial buildings, roofing is a situations and instead only tends to specify cover boards.
big investment, whether at the time or use a roof board in specific high-risk 3. Summarize the advantages related to the construction
of first construction or when it is time for it to situations like severe weather or fire. Of late, process and cost benefits when including a cover board
in all types of commercial roof assembly design.
be replaced. That’s the primary reason dura- new technologies, new studies, and experi-
4. Identify the roof system types, specialty systems (i.e.,
bility of the roof is so important: it translates ences both with and without cover boards
photovoltaic and vegetative roofs), and attachment
directly into a lower total cost of ownership. have pointed to the fact that such roof options that can be utilized specifically with glass-mat
It can also make a difference in terms of how boards are a logical and economical choice. gypsum cover boards.
the roof performs during routine and severe Based on all of these factors, this course
weather conditions to protect the building looks at the value that rigid cover boards To receive AIA credit, you are
from the elements. Recognizing this need for deliver to a commercial roof assembly, how required to read the entire
durability, the National Roofing Contractors they perform in adverse conditions, and how article and pass the quiz. Visit
Association has recommended, for many different types of cover boards compare to ce.architecturalrecord.com for
the complete text and to take
years, the inclusion of a rigid cover board in each other.
the quiz for free.
all single-ply, commercial roofs. However, the AIA COURSE #K2506H
design and construction community has been

Georgia-Pacific Building Products is the largest producer of structural wood panels (plywood and OSB) in North
America and is a leading producer of gypsum building products, lumber, and composite panels. We support commercial
and residential architects, designers, building material dealers, contractors, and builders with tools, education, and
supporting resources that help the building community advance their knowledge, hone their craft, and make the best
product decisions for their projects.

185
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DOORS, WINDOWS DOORS, WINDOWS

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SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
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PAC-CLAD.com | 800.722.2523 | info@PAC-CLAD.com | AIA25 Booth 1655

186
 1.25 AIA LU/HSW;
Additional Credits Submitted
for AIA CES Approval

THE NEW RECEPTION HALL AT THE FRICK COLLECTION.

PHOTO © NICHOLAS VENEZIA.

You’re invited
HOST SPONSOR:

JUNE 27 | NEW YORK | 6:00 PM

The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th Street PRSENTING SPONSOR:

Following a complex, multiyear transformation, the Frick Collection, originally the Henry Clay Frick house,
reopened in mid-April to much fanfare. Led by Selldorf Architects with Beyer Blinder Belle, the renovation
includes a new reception hall, updated research and education spaces, a café and shop, an auditorium, and
restored historic galleries. For the next Record on the Road, join editor in chief Josephine Minutillo for an
evening at the Frick with Annabelle Selldorf and Richard Southwick, who will discuss the institution’s most
EVENT SPONSOR:
comprehensive upgrade since it opened in 1935. After the talk, guests can explore the historic first-floor
galleries and a new suite of exhibition spaces on the second floor.

MODERATOR: SPEAKERS:
Josephine Minutillo
Editor in Chief
Architectural Record
SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

Annabelle Selldorf, FAIA Richard W. Southwick, FAIA Carolyn W. Straub,

Principal Partner, Director of AIA
Selldorf Architects Historic Preservation Associate Director for
Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners Capital Projects
The Frick Collection

RecordontheRoad.com
 DATES & Events

Ongoing Exhibitions the pool, the lido, and natural settings—the exhibition features over
200 objects that trace the evolving cultural presence of swimming from
Maayan Elyakim: Game of Goose the 1920s to the present day, examining how the pastime has shaped
Los Angeles our relationship both with our bodies and the environment. Highlights
Through July 20, 2025 include Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch swimsuit, Zaha Hadid’s architec-
A site-specific exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Maayan Elyakim tural model for the London Aquatics Centre, and technological inno-
is on view at the Neutra VDL House, a 1932 Modernist landmark, vations like the banned LZR Racer suit. See designmuseum.org.
currently under the stewardship of the College of Environmental
Design at Cal Poly Pomona. Named after the historic board game, the Stop Drawing: Architecture Beyond Representation
exhibition transforms the building into an immersive experience that Rome
explores movement, chance, and shifting mental landscapes. Visitors Through September 21, 2025
follow a spatial journey from the ground floor to the rooftop, conceived An exhibition at MAXXI explores the rise of architectural representa-
as an intensifying gradient from cerebral to experiential. Seven ephem- tion—from traditional drawing by hand to technologically diverse
eral components—including Tool Chest, Bookmatch #2, and the contemporary practices. Works on view span the 20th and 21st centu-
spiral-shaped Infinial on the roof—engage thoughtfully with the ries, beginning with architects like Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi and
house’s history while blurring boundaries between interior and exterior continuing through contemporary practitioners, including Gordon
spaces. See neutra-vdl.org. Matta-Clark and Philippe Rahm, whose work incorporates collage,
video, performance, textiles, and digital simulations. The exhibition
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style traces how shifts in representational methods reflect broader changes
London in architectural practice, societal values, and spatial experience.
Through August 17, 2025 See maxxi.art.
The Design Museum presents a comprehensive exploration of our
relationship with swimming and its influence on design across fashion, The Modern Concrete Skyscraper
architecture, and technology. Organized around three environments— New York
Through October 18, 2025
An exhibition at the Skyscraper Museum challenges the conventional
narrative—that skyscrapers are primarily a story of steel structures—by
outlining the evolution of reinforced concrete in tall-building construc-
tion. While concrete was initially limited to foundations and secondary
elements in early 20th-century high-rises, innovations in the 1960s
4.7 inch gap enabled it to become the dominant material for tall buildings world-
wide. Models, drawings, and photographs on display explore concrete’s
global proliferation in contemporary supertalls alongside considerations
of the material’s environmental impact. See skyscraper.org.

Living Architecture: Gehry

Bilbao, Spain
Through October 19, 2025
The Guggenheim Bilbao launches its new site-specific installation
series, in situ, with an audiovisual work by artist Refik Anadol. The
large-scale installation employs a custom-built artificial intelligence
Every year, 3 million children system trained on Frank Gehry’s architectural archive to generate
evolving visual interpretations of his design language. These dynamic
get their fingers caught in a door. digital forms are accompanied by a spatial soundscape created by com-
poser Kerim Karaoglu that incorporates AI-generated audio and re-
cordings from the museum environment. See guggenheim-bilbao.eus.
Protect your precious children with WOODSAIR Safety Door.
Richard Morris Hunt: In a New Light
We are seeking global partners Newport, Rhode Island
who share WOODSAIR’s vision of a world Through November 2, 2025
where not a single child suffers An exhibition at the Preservation Society of Newport County exam-
from door-related finger injuries. ines the influence of architect Richard Morris Hunt (1827–95) on
American cultural and built landscapes during the Gilded Age.
Drawing from collections at the Library of Congress, Smithsonian
National Portrait Gallery, and regional museums, the exhibition brings
together drawings, personal sketchbooks, and family objects to contex-
tualize Hunt’s contributions within his broader mission to develop a
woodsairdoor@gmail.com distinctly American cultural identity. See newportmansions.org.
[www.woodsairdoor.com] [www.woodsair.kr] WOODSAIR catalog

188 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Barbara Kasten: Structure, Light, Land Events
New Canaan, Connecticut
Through December 15, 2025 Build Fest 2
The Glass House presents an exhibition of Bethel, New York
work by Chicago-based artist Barbara Kasten September 10–14, 2025
that responds to the site’s architecture and Returning to the historic grounds of the 1969
landscape. Influenced by Constructivism and Woodstock festival, the second edition of the
Bauhaus principles, Kasten’s photographs and event is centered around timber. Over the
installations explore the relationship between course of five days, participating students and
space, material, and form. The show distrib- young professionals will work with university
utes works across multiple buildings: the faculty, researchers, and experts to build and
Brick House displays Architectural Site 15 install on-site design solutions. Attendees can
(1987) alongside new cyanotypes; the also participate in concerts, lectures, and
Sculpture Gallery features fluorescent acrylic other pop-up events. See buildingfestival.com
I-beams; the Painting Gallery houses works
from the Collision series and sculptural Pro­ World Design Congress 2025
gressions; and Da Monsta contains Sideways London
Corner (2016/2025), a video projection acti- September 9–10
vating the building’s curved walls. For more, Themed Design for Planet, the 34th edition
see theglasshouse.org. of the World Design Conference takes place
at London’s Barbican Centre. Hosted by the
Design Council, the biannual event features a
series of talks led by designers, business own-
ers, researchers, and other industry profes-
sionals. See designcouncil.org.uk.

Photo: ©Jason O’Rear

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189
Advertisers Index
Advertiser Page Advertiser Page Advertiser Page

Acme Brick Company 76 Bradley Corporation 7 NanaWall 15, 59

Aluflam Na LLC 189 C.R. Laurence Co., INC. 47 National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association 9

Architectural Record - Cascade Architectural 183 New Millennium 159

AR Innovation Conference 141
Construction Specialties, INC. 72, 73 Nucor Corporation 19
Architectural Record -
Armstrong Academy of Digital Learning 153 DeepStream Designs, Inc. 61 Overhead Door Corp 30

Architectural Record - Design:ed Podcast 108 DoorBird 21 PABCO Gypsum 85

Architectural Record - Education Exchange 107 Petersen Aluminum 74

Doug Mockett & Co. 8

Architectural Record - Grace Farms 142 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) 86

Epic Metals Corp 65

Architectural Record - June Webinars 139 Propane Education and

ESI Total Fuel Management 170, 171 Research Council (PERC) 174, 175
Architectural Record - GAF Materials, LLC. 22, 182
Marvin Academy of Digital Learning 106 Reef Industries, Inc. 189

Geberit 164-168 Rieder 157

Architectural Record -
MCA Academy of Digital Learning 154
Georgia-Pacific Gypsum 185 Rocky Mountain Hardware 17
Architectural Record -
Record on the Road New York 187 Gordan, Inc. 184 Rulon Company 69

Architectural Record - Hanover Architectural Products 6 Salsbury Industries 48

Sketch on a Cocktail Napkin Contest 84
HNI Workplace Furnishings 42 Skyscraper Museum, The 80
Architectural Record - Sustainability in
Practice/Women in Architecture 105 Hormann Innovative Door Systems 81 Steel Dynamics INC 70

Architectural Record - ACE Mentor 190 Inpro 180, 181 Steel Institute of New York 176, 177

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. CVR2, 1, 169 Isolatek International 83 Tamlyn 4, 5

ASI Group 29 Julius Blum & Co., Inc. 20 Technical Glass Products 2, 3

ATAS International 62 Vitro Architectural Glass

Kingspan Insulated Panels 16
(Formerly known as PPG Glass ) 12, 13

Autodesk 172, 173 Koala Kare Products 37 Watts 178, 179

B+N Industries, INC. CVR3 Lumion CVR4 Woods Air Door 188

Belden Brick Company, The 67 modular Arts 40 Wooster Products 78

Bison Innovative Products 52, 161 Morin Corp 41 WR Meadows 10

Bobrick Washroom Equipment INC 66 Moz Designs 79

BOK Modern 53 Nakamoto Forestry 82

Publisher is not responsible for errors and omissions in advertiser index. R Regional Insert

191
 SNAPSHOT

When S9 Architecture was hired in 2018 to transform

the Neuhoff Packing Plant in Nashville into a mixed-use
development, the firm found the sprawling meat-processing
facility in rough shape. On a bluff above the Cumberland
River, and shuttered since 1977, the complex had caved-in
roofs, water-filled basements, and vegetation growing inside.
S9, the project’s design architect, carved out unsound parts
of the existing masonry-and-concrete structures and placed
new buildings to make a “porous” assemblage with framed
views and interconnected courtyards, explains John Clifford,
founding principal. In one such public space—leading to
the elevator lobby for offices within an adapted existing
building—columns of a demolished portion of the old plant
remain, like sculpture. Says Dryden Razook, S9 principal,
“We think of it as a stabilized ruin.” Joann Gonchar, FAIA

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER PAYNE/ESTO

192 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD JUNE 2025

 Fortina with Fortina LightStrips
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Design. Refine. Visualize.
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Join us at the AIA Conference in Boston, June 4–7, and see what your ideas can become.