Anyone following the architectural profession at the turn of the millennium might be forgiven for thinking that it was all about splashy icons: Frank Gehry's undulating titanium sails in Bilbao and Los Angeles, Norman Foster's naughty-lookingGherkin in London, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's super-tall Burj Khalifa,known for being ... super-tall.

But as some were rushing to plant icons all over the planet, a generation of architects and planners in Latin America were focused on other issues: affordable housing, transportation infrastructure, zoning issues, the creation of public amenities, cross-border relations issues that don't necessarily make for sexy buildings, but that are key to creating cities that function well.

British architecture writer Justin McGuirk tracks the phenomenon in his new book, "Radical Cities: Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture"(Verso; $29.95), which he will present at the MAK Center for Art & Architecturein West Hollywood Friday evening.

Why Latin America?

"The continent has a history of testing radical ideas about architecture," McGuirk says. "We keep hearing that the world is more than 50% urban and that there is this huge shift of human civilization to cities. But Latin America experienced a massive explosion in its urban population long before China, India and Africa. ... Many countries in Latin America are 80% urban. They've been throughthis process. Therefore, there must be lessons."

"Radical Cities" looks for these lessons all over the continent, from the slums of Rio de Janeiro to a small canyon along the U.S.-Mexico border, tracking publicly minded architectural and planning projects from the 1960s to the present.

This includes the PREVI project in Lima short for Proyecto Experimental de Vivienda which brought together some of the world's leading architects to create housing solutions flexible enough to be expanded over time (making for some pretty terrific vernacular architecture). But it also includes a case study of the city of Medellin in Colombia, which shows the ways in which architects can collaborate with broader coalitions of politicians and community organizations to help bring together a deeply divided city with strategically placed parks and well-designed libraries.

McGuirk's highly conversational book, blessedly free of architecture-speak, also reflects on the way in which some of today's architects have found ways of working within the informal sector slums, some would say for projects that can bring renewal without requiring the razing of entire communities. This might include surgical additions to a community: a gondola system to get residents up a Caracas hillside or a small block of housing in the Chilean city of Iquique, which provides a basic structure that residents complete on their own.

"One of the lessons of the book is that housing is often not the problem," explains McGuirk. "People can build themselves houses, but they can't build a transport network or a sewage system. This is where I see architects playing a key role. They become the strategic planners that connect the bottom-up impulses of communities with the public resources and strategic planning that sits in the hands of the government."

These "activist architects," as McGuirk calls them figures such as Alejandro Aravena in Chile, the firm Urban-Think Tank of Venezuela and Teddy Cruz in San Diego operate quite differently from designers who go from commission to commission.

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'Radical Cities': 3 lessons from Latin America's activist architects

Basalt, Colorado (PRWEB) October 15, 2014

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), with its architects, ZGF Architects LLP, and its general contractor, JE Dunn Construction, breaks ground today for RMIs new flagship building its Innovation Center in the Roaring Fork Valley. Encompassing RMIs 32 years of innovation, the new 15,610 square-foot facility will exhibit the principles of integrative design and energy and resource efficiency as the organization seeks to continue its outstanding strategic collaboration in global energy.

"RMI has huge ambitionsnothing short of changing the way the world produces and consumes energy," said RMI Managing Director and General Counsel Marty Pickett. "RMI's Innovation Center in Basalt, Colorado, not far from where RMI was founded 32 years ago, will provide offices for 50 staff and offer a convening venue for collaboration with the community, industry stakeholders and global leaders."

RMIs Innovation Center will embrace the following unique features:

As part of RMIs ongoing commitment to increase impact and share best practices for energy efficiency, RMI will publish updates about the successes and challenges of the project for others to learn from throughout the projects design and completion. Approximately 90 percent of buildings in this country are similar in size to RMIs new building (under 25,000 SF) and commercial is the largest use type. The results of RMIs design, contracting, construction and operations process and the buildings aggressive performance are applicable to owners, occupants and investors across the U.S.

From reinventing the design process to creating a new definition of occupant comfort, the building team has continually explored the edge of what is possible. If every commercial building in the U.S. increased its energy efficiency to this level, enough energy could be saved in one month to power New York City for an entire year, said Kathy Berg, partner at ZGF Architects LLP.

The partnership among JE Dunn, RMI, and ZGF Architects is a perfect blend of expertise in energy, construction, technology and design,"said Mike Tilbury, project executive for JE Dunn Construction."JE Dunn has built numerous projects throughout the U.S. that have the highest energy efficient standards. This project takes that excellence to the next level and will showcase JE Dunn's use of the latest technologies in energy efficient construction.

Construction of RMIs Innovation Center is estimated to take between 12-14 months and will cost $7.5 million for the buildings core and shell plus tenant finishes. This is comparable to other recently built, small, class A office spaces in the Colorado mountain region. Having raised significant funds for the building in a quiet phase, RMI will launch a public capital campaign to complete funding.

RMI has a rich history of collaboration and innovation in the Roaring Fork Valley, said Basalt Mayor Jacque Whitsitt. The Town of Basalt has been an enthusiastic partner in this development project since day one. RMIs innovation center will anchor the long-term plan to enhancethe town economically and culturally.

For more information on the Innovation Center, please visit http://www.rmi.org/rmi_innovation_center.

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Rocky Mountain Institute, ZGF Architects and JE Dunn Construction Break Ground on New RMI Innovation Center

The trial over the American International Group Inc. (AIG) bailout shifts this week from the architects of the 2008 rescue, who spent days testifying as to why they imposed the terms they did on the ailing insurer, to the executives who accepted their demands.

Maurice Hank Greenbergs Starr International Co., AIGs biggest shareholder before the bailout, accuses the U.S. of imposing illegally severe conditions in the rescue and is seeking at least $25 billion in damages.

Robert Willumstad and Edward Liddy, two of Greenbergs successors as chief executive officer at the insurance giant, are set to testify this week in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, where Judge Thomas Wheeler is hearing the case without a jury. The trial started Sept. 29.

Key regulators involved in the rescue, including Federal Reserve Bank of New York executives Sarah Dahlgren and Margaret McConnell, and Eric Dinallo, former superintendent of the State of New York Department of Insurance, also are expected to take the witness stand.

Starr alleges in its shareholder suit that the U.S. didnt have the authority to demand 80 percent of AIGs equity in consideration for a loan and didnt pay a fair price for the stock it took. It also claims the government imposed a punitive 14 percent interest rate on the initial $85 billion loan.

The leaders of the bailout, Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner and Ben Bernanke, all told the court last week that the rescue was needed because AIGs failure would have been catastrophic to the financial system.

They added little new information about how the government determined it had the authority to demand equity in setting terms for a loan.

Willumstad was forced to resign as CEO as a condition of the bailout, which began on Sept. 16, 2008. Hes expected to testify about his efforts to cobble together a private-sector rescue of the company and his discussion of the terms of the governments last-minute intervention to prevent an AIG bankruptcy. Willumstad, 69, is now chairman of Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

Liddy, his successor, was hand-picked by regulators and headed AIG until August 2009. Hes expected to discuss his interactions with government officials regarding the form of stock the U.S. ultimately took from AIG and the creation of a trust to hold it. The 68-year-old former insurance executive is now chairman at US Foodservice in Rosemont, Illinois.

McConnell, of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, wrote an October 2008 e-mail to Geithner and others describing a crazily high interest rate on the bailout loan that was forced on us (meaning FRBNY) by people that have since punted on all the hard things.

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AIG Bailout Architects Leave Questions for Executives

Helena architects laid out possible solutions for a holistic approach to solving the Helena School District facility issues at Monday mornings Facility Committee meeting.

The committee made a decision during a previous meeting to discuss options with several groups of professionals in the community, and the architects were the first group.

Ben Tintinger of Mosaic, Mike Dowling of DSA Architects and Tim Meldrum of SMA Architects were joined by community member Darryl James in the proposals to the committee.

Dowling said the group, which started discussing solutions a year ago and has been meeting steadily for the last month, focused on solving problems with the buildings. They started with the big picture and tried to envision solutions that will work far into Helenas future.

We cant afford to redo things or make bad decisions, Dowling said.

With the goal of keeping mostly walkable neighborhood schools, the group pitched ideas for the west side and east side of Helena.

On the west, they suggested expanding Broadwater to accommodate the extra students living in the Four Georgians district and turning C.R. Anderson into a larger elementary school, then finding new land for a middle school.

Their suggestion for the east side was less concrete. Much of the discussion centered on repurposing the Helena High campus to house both a middle and high school, then renovating Helena Middle School to house elementary students from Central-Linc and Bryant.

They suggested keeping the Smith and Jefferson campuses.

Part of the point the group hoped to make is this solution would solve problems with Helena High School as well.

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UPDATED: Helena architects weigh in on school facility issues

UberRaum Architects - We Design Happy People
berPictures http://www.uber-raum.com.

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UNISA Phase 2 by Michele Sandilands Architects
Commended in the AfriSam SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture COMMENDATION: Located in one of Cape Town #39;s poorer, semi industrial areas, the UNISA Parow campus aims to instil a sense...

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architects in Chennai
Never Compromise on Quality is our secret of success and we maintain high quality standards in all the work orders we do. We use only the best quality plumbing fittings and materials which...

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NewsLife: ASEAN region now welcomes engineers, architects || Oct. 9, 2014
NewsLife: ASEAN region now welcomes engineers, architects || Oct. 9, 2014 (Reported By: Ria Fernandez) *** Join PANGARAP.PH Online Video Competition Check out contest details at www ...

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NewsLife: ASEAN region now welcomes engineers, architects || Oct. 9, 2014 - Video

RESTORATION work on a Heritage at Risk church building has scooped a top preservation award for the architects.

Beech Tyldesley, from Wells, were among the winners at the William Stansell/Somerset Building Preservation Trust Awards for the project at St Michaels Church, Othery.

Local schemes receiving commendations at a ceremony in Castle House, Taunton, were the refurbishment of Priory Barn, home to Somerset Cricket Museum, in Priory Avenue, Taunton, for architects Stone and Partners, and a house restoration in Swain Street, Watchet, where the architect was Paul Upton.

Russell Lillford, chairman of the Somerset Building Preservation Trust, said: We are delighted at the growing success of these building awards which aim to highlight the positive contribution that well designed and conserved buildings make to their surroundings.

Eighteen entries were received this year, all of a very high standard. I congratulate to all those who have won awards or have been commended theirs is a considerable achievement.

The awards are named after the late William Stansell, founder and chairman of the Stansell Group, whose great love was the conservation and repair of historic buildings.

The main sponsor is Tauntfield Ltd (the Stansell family company) and the awards were presented by Chris Winter, director of Summerfield Developments (SW) Ltd.

AWARD WINNERS.

*Repair to medieval house: Court Farm, Wookey, entrant and architects Harrison Brooks.

*Tower restoration: St Michael's Church, Othery, entrant and architects Beech Tyldesley.

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Cricket museum among William Stansell/Somerset Building Preservation Trust Awards accolades

Allers Associates Architects, PC

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