a tiny yet comfortable cabin in hungary

bres architects has teamed up with builder attila hideg to complete a tiny elevated cabin within a forested area in koszeg, hungary. the angular 40 sqm structure sits on stilts in order to protect and preserve the hundred-year-old roots and trees of the site. designed to be easily constructed by just one person, the secluded hideaway generates a tiny yet comfortable environment.

all images courtesy of tams bujnovszky

this was the driving force behind the foundation idea that bres architects (find more here) and attila hideg figured out to protect the roots of the gigantic trees of the site. at the same time, this concept made it possible to sketch up an elevated cabin that can be built by one person. our task was to create a little hideaway space of about 40 m2 without any compromise regarding living comfort, at the same time we respected the natural values of the site at extraordinary levels, says architect attila bres.

the untouched forested location inspired the architects to create a building that floats above the terrain. thin stilts are carefully located so that the roots of the surrounding trees could be protected. in this way, there was no need for excavation or filling with machines that would otherwise ruin the natural context.

the structural system of the cabin is designed to facilitate its construction, while its cross-section two right angles facing each other creates possibilities for taller windows that capture unobstructed views towards the surrounding forested landscape. since both the volumetry and the materiality of the building are very simple, the arrangement and appearance of the windows plays an important role in its exterior appearance. the positioning of the windows seeks to create a playful motif, a unique and recognizable look.

upon entering the cabin, one can observe that there is a sharp contrast between the inside and outside. the warm and cozy interior is wrapped in a rough surface that allows the forest to create colors and patterns after its own taste as the architects mention. all interior spaces are designed to focus on the natural surroundings, turning their back to the few neighboring buildings and the end of the dead-end street.

according to the architects, one of the projects design cornerstones was the effort of staying small. the cabin generates a compact living environment including a combined kitchen and living space, a bathroom, and a bedroom. no unnecessary spaces or leftovers were involved while constructing the tiny shelter.

meanwhile, heating and hot water supply are solved 100% electrically. the consumption is extremely low because of the mindful design of the insulation system. as a result of this careful design and the exceptional microclimate of the location, there is no need for air conditioning or forced ventilation in the building. all cables and pipes remain invisible even on the underside of the building.

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bres architects perches tiny cabin on thin stilts to protect vegetation in hungarian forest - Designboom

Joe Blackstock of Williams Blackstock Architects receiving Presidents Award. Photo via AIA Alabamas Facebook

Get ready to applaud, Birmingham, because Williams Blackstock Architects received high honors from The State of Alabama American Institute of Architects (AIA). Read on to find out what they won.

Williams Blackstock Architects is a large Birmingham-based architecture firm. Founded in 1990, the company has completed many notable projects. Some include:

The AIA Presidents Award signifies the top achievement given by AIA Alabama for distinguished service to the profession or accomplishments in a given year, or over multiple years.

Joel has been a strong and leading presence among the design community in Birmingham and throughout the state. He has also given much time to the Alabama Center For Architecture in their efforts to escalate the recognition of good design in all of our communities.

This Young Architect Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers.

Congrats to the Williams Blackstock Architects team and all the other winners recognized by The State of Alabama American Institute of Architects (AIA).

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Williams Blackstock Architects leads the way in Birmingham - Bham Now

The new Site C apartments in Fort St. John have earned international recognition from the Passive House Institute.

The new Site C apartments in Fort St. John have earned international recognition from the Passive House Institute.

Low Hammond Rowe Architecture of Victoria designed the building,and the firmrecentlyreceived a special SIGA award for its work at the Institute's 2021 conference in Wuppertal, Germany. Fourteen projects around the world were recognized, including new housing builds and retrofits, schools, and office buildings.

"Buildings constructed to the Passive House standard require much less energy and significantly lower emissions are produced over their life-cycle. This exactly is vital for effective climate protection, said Jan Steiger, one of the managing directors of the Passive House Institute. All winners are a perfect example of how an extremely sustainable building standard can be implemented with a high architectural quality and in completely diverse ways.

Construction on the six-storey, 50-unit building began next to the Fort St. John fire hall in 2017, and is part of the citys agreement with BC Hydro on the Site C dam. At the time of its opening in 2019, BC Hydro said it was the largest passive house-certified building in B.C.

Designed by Low Hammond Rowe and built by Western Canadian Property Group, the apartments were built to passive house standards to make it as energy efficient as possible. The building was oriented from north to south against conventional wisdom to ensure each unit gets access to direct, natural light. Each end of the building features a series of fins extensions of the walls to show just how thick they are to keep the building as airtight and insulated as possible.

During construction of the dam, 40 units are beingmade available for rent by BC Hydro for employees working on the dam, while 10 units areavailable for the community's use. The full 50 units will be turned over to the community for low- and moderate-income families when construction of the dam is complete.

Email Managing Editor Matt Preprost at editor@ahnfsj.ca

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Architects awarded for Fort St. John passive house apartments - Alaska Highway News

HENDERSON, NEV. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), a network of architecture professionals that boasts 95,000 members, has awarded two TSK architects with a 2020 Emerging Professional Award. The Western Mountain Region Design Awards program, which encompasses six states, recognized a total of 10 emerging professionals. Three of those awards were given to professionals in Nevada and two of them were awarded to Christopher Lujan and Maggie Will of TSK Architects.

I am truly proud of Chris and Maggie for being recognized as emerging professionals by AIA, said Windom Kimsey, president and CEO of TSK Architects. This recognition speaks volumes of their individual skills and talents and is a testimony of TSKs commitment to working with experts who represent the best and brightest in their field.

AIA awarded Christopher Lujan, based out of Henderson, the 2020 Young Architect Award which honors individuals who exhibit exceptional leadership and make noteworthy contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers. Lujan, who joined TSK in 2007, has a portfolio that represents a wide range of complex projects across Nevada. Maggie Will, based out of Reno, received the 2020 Nevada Emerging Professional Leadership Award which is given to one architect per year. This accolade is awarded to those who demonstrate a strong commitment to the profession and have taken on an active leadership role in their Chapter and their community. Will, who has worked with TSK since 2020, was nominated for her diverse leadership skills and active community service.

The AIA Western Mountain Region Design Awards program recognizes excellence in design, planning, and construction, as well as notable achievements and contributions. All nominations for awards are judged individually by a jury to members in the Western Mountain Region which includes Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

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The American Institute of Architects Honors Two TSK Architects With Awards as Emerging Professionals - Nevada Business Magazine

located in peniche, portugal, among powerful landscapes, shelter on the ruins by WORS architectsis a conceptual project that reimagines the historic site of the nossa-senhora-da-luz fortress as a sculptural museum. built in the 17th century, the fortress was a strategic point along the coastal defense system of the peninsula. today, the ruins of the fortress eroded by wind and water emerge from steep cliffs that break into the ocean. this powerful scenery inspired the firmsproposal that urges to emphasize and celebrate this remarkable site by providing a unique and memorable experience for each visitor.

ruins of the fortress at the junction of the ocean | all images WORS architects

WORS architects proposal aims to minimize the impact on the vestigial structure all while emphasizing its significance. as a result, the team envisioned an architecturalvolume dominated by its vertical and horizontal axises. this approach opens up the proposed design to the best views of the ocean, landscape and existing ruins. on one hand, the vertical axis compensates for the lost observation tower by acting as a landmark and a viewing point that opens up on all four sides. the horizontal axis, on the other hand, acts as a corridor that descends through the rock and offers a stunning view of the ocean.

the monolithic volume is defined by its vertical (tower) and horizontal (corridor) axises

the two directions (horizontal and vertical) are connected by an underground exhibition space defined by an ascetic design to emphasize the natural beauty of the place and the centuries-old history of the remains that were once an impressive fortress. the project is conceived as a way that runs through the ruins and connects the earth and the sea, memory and nature. simple monolithic forms open up new perspectives on the ruins and provide a direct connection with the surrounding natural landscape,conclude WORS architects.

the observation tower, opening up new views of the ruins

the corridor leads visitors to a picturesque setting by the ocean

the entrance to shelter on the ruins emphasizes its minimal aesthetics + monolithic quality

exhibition space

1/2

project info:

name:shelter on the ruinslocation:peniche, portugalproject concept:WORS architectsdesigners:alexander simonov, ekaterina voronova

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readershere.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom

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'shelter on the ruins' by WORS architects celebrate historic fortress site - Designboom

175 works from the collection of MJ Long and Colin St John Wilson: Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

View the shortlist

Some collections really are greater than the sum of their parts. From Richard HamiltonsRespective(1951) to Howard HodgkinsGrantchester Road(1975), individual works alone make the collection of 20th-century British art assembled by the architects Colin St John Sandy Wilson (19222007) and MJ Long (19392018) one of the pre-eminent holdings of its kind. Far more than patrons, though, the couple were participants in post-war art. Their collection bears traces of friendships and collaborations with many of the leading figures of the British Pop scene, including R.B. Kitaj and Eduardo Paolozzi: it is among the most instructive records of artistic networks in Britain during the period.

Much to be welcomed, then, is the allocation through the Acceptance-in-Lieu (AiL) scheme of 175 paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the estate of MJ Long to Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Like much of the collection itself, this decision feels like the fulfilment of a long friendship. In association with Wilson, Long and her architectural partner Rolfe Kentish designed the sympathetic extension to the museum that opened in 2006, the year in which the couple donated more than 400 works from their collection (these holdings are known as the Wilson Gift). While many of the newly acquired works have long been on loan to Pallant House, their formal accession guarantees the integrity of Long and Wilsons collection and creates new opportunities for digitisation, conservation and display.

Grantchester Road (1975), Howard Hodgkin. Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. Howard Hodgkin

Well represented are members of the Independent Group, not least Hamilton and Paolozzi, with whom Wilson associated in the 1950s at the ICA in London. Then comes a whos who of British Pop from the 1960s and 70s, with significant works by Patrick Caulfield, Peter Blake, Colin Self and others. As Simon Martin, director of Pallant House Gallery, points out, however, Long and Wilsons collection was far more than an almanac of artists names: in their collecting, he says, Sandy and MJ were very interested in artists processes. That is clear from their focus on prints including dozens of screenprints, etchings and lithographs by Kitaj as well as in their acquisition of preparatory drawings for paintings: CaulfieldsKellerbar(1997), for instance, is accompanied by several sketches that help us understand how the artist convened the individual components of his slick still lifes.

One reason for this fascination with process, perhaps, was Longs professional interest in the spaces in which art was made: she designed studios for a number of artists, among them Blake, Kitaj and Frank Auerbach. This reciprocity between art and architecture is best encapsulated here inThe Architects(1981), Kitajs great family portrait of Wilson, Long and their two children at the artists house in Chelsea, which Long had recently remodelled for him. But the affiliation is felt elsewhere, too: HodgkinsGrantchester Roaddepicts or perhaps evokes the interior of a house that Wilson had designed for himself in Cambridge; a plaster model of PaolozzisNewton after Blake(199394) speaks of the collaboration between artist and architect at Wilsons most important building, the British Library in London.

The Architects (1981), R.B. Kitaj. Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. Estate of R.B. Kitaj

Its biographical significance, however, is by no means the only key to this collection. As Martin points out, together with the earlier Wilson Gift, the recently accessioned works follow a figurative trail through the British art of the 20th century, beginning with Sickert and his forebears (the acquisition includes an etching by Manet), dwelling on David Bomberg and culminating with AuerbachsReclining Model in the Studio I(1963). Another significant strand is a group of drawings by the Scottish outsider artist Scottie Wilson, an acquisition that dovetails neatly with the longstanding attention of Pallant House to this field (Outside In, an organisation that supports artists who face barriers to the art world, was founded at the museum in 2006). This acquisition is more than a hearty supplement to the museums collection: it looks like a set of building blocks.

Thomas Marks is a former editor of Apollo.

The Winners |Personality of the Year|Artist of the Year|Museum Opening of the Year|Exhibition of the Year|Book of the Year|Digital Innovation of the Year|Acquisition of the Year|View the shortlists

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Acquisition of the Year Apollo Awards 2021 MJ Long and Colin St John Wilson collection - Apollo Magazine

ALFRED Award-winning architect and author Duo Dickinson is coming to Alfred State College on Wednesday to speak on Motivation and Outcome, Why? Architecture is Human.

Dickinsons talk will take place at 6 p.m. in Room 107 in the Physical & Life Sciences Building on the Alfred campus. The event is free and the public is invited.

William Dean, professor and chair of the Department of Architecture and Design at Alfred State is excited to have Dickinson on campus. Mr. Dickinson is an award-winning, nationally recognized architect and author who has become a friend of the program. We are fortunate to have him return to Alfred State to share his expertise with our students as part of our Civic Engagement lecture series.

Graduating from Cornell in 1977, Dickinson opened his own architectural practice in 1987. His work has received more than 40 awards, including the Architectural Record House Award, Architect Newspaper Best of Design, IFRA International Award, and Connecticut and New York AIA design awards.

Dickinson is also a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects. Overall, 20 to 30 percent of the ongoing work in his office is dedicated to pro bono or at-cost work for not-for-profits, totaling over 75 projects for over 30 organizations over the last 30 years.

Published in more than 70 publications, his design work has been featured in The New York Times, Architectural Record, Fine Home Building, and House Beautiful. He is the architecture writer for the Connecticut Hearst Media Corp. and is a staff feature writer for Arch Daily, The Common Edge Collaborative and Mockingbird Ministries.

Dickinson has written eight books, including The Small House and Expressive Details for McGraw Hill, and The House You Build, published by The Taunton Press. His latest book, A Home Called New England, published by Pequot Globe, was nominated for a 2018 CT Book Award.

Additionally, he hosts the radio series Home Page on WPKN Radio. He has appeared on a variety of national broadcast programs including CNNs Open House, NPRs NEXT New England, Studio 360, and Weekend Marketplace, and has exhibited at Art Space Gallery, 116 Crown, and the USIA.

The co-founder of The Congress of Residential Architecture (CORA), Dickinson has taught at Yale College and Roger Williams University. He is now on the faculty of The University of Hartford and the Building Beauty program at the SantAnna Institute (Sorrento, Italy) as well as co-chair of the schools American Advisor Board. He has served on numerous academic, institutional, and AIA design juries, and has lectured at numerous universities.

, associations, and groups.

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Architect and author Dickinson to speak at Alfred State - Olean Times Herald

British architect Gavin Brodins trademark is designing luxury with ease, where he connects lifestyle with architecture and interiorsall with an insane amount of attention to detail, and a clever use of natural materials.

Mr. Brodin is the founder of Brodin Design Build, a luxury residential and commercial property developer based in Los Angeles. Most recently, he and his team have completed the penthouses at the Four Seasons Private Residences Nashville, which are glass units on the top floors of the new development. (The top, 40th-floor residence breaks a Nashville record, on the market for $25 million.)

Some of his most notable works include private yachts, jets, urban apartments, and designing for celebrity clientele that include Rod Stewart, Sylvester Stallone and Kate Beckinsale.

More: There Are Merits to Collaborative Rather Than Ego-Driven Architecture, Industry Veteran Says

Among his most ambitious portfolio projects are the $15 million Spelling Manor in Beverly Hills and the historic Palace Green mansion with 55 rooms on Kensington Palace Gardens in London, which he calls one of my most memorable projects to date.

Mansion Global caught up with Brodin, 50, about the power of lighting designers and the dangers of Pinterest.

Mansion Global: What was your approach for thepenthouses at the Four Seasons in Nashville?

Gavin Brodin: As a designer, Im always looking for projects that inspire and challenge me. This project allowed my team and I to tap into the traditional aesthetic of the Four Seasons, but with a modern, sleek design that would fit with the glass-encased penthouses they have on the Nashville skyline.

More: The Future of Furniture is Curvy, Says Furnishings and Home Staging CEO

MG: Where do you feel luxury design is headed?

BG: We feel things are going toward lighter tones, simple designs, and natural materials that would stand the test of time, to keep it classic without overdoing the design. The Four Seasons is classic, but its more of an open, modern penthouse feel. People are not going for modern drywall boxes. A lot of people are asking for a similar design aesthetic, which is classic with modern elements. They bring in the color with the artwork, pillows, throws and flowers, but they keep the bones of the home very clean and transitional in its tones and style.

MG: What has been the biggest change in luxury design, in your eyes?

GB: Design has changed over the past few years. Before, we would meet a client and show the boards and samples. Now, everyone has a Pinterest board, its unbelievable how involved clients get showing you what they want. Ive done this for almost 30 years, Ive never seen anything like it.

MG: Is it overwhelming? You must add your own personal design trademark?

GB: Yes. They say: Id like this for the dining room, but this for the bedroom, completely different styles, but we add a flow throughout the house. We give it our vibe throughout the house, and they love the outcome.

More: Buyers Flocked to Florida for a New Lifestyle Amid Pandemic, Says Brokerage Owner

MG: Are people changing their design plans/layouts because of the pandemic?

GB: Somewhat, yes. They are trying to have multipurpose rooms. They want to maximize rooms, declutter and use every inch of every drawer, well-thought out. If youre in a room, you can conceal power and USB cables in the leg supports of tables for work from home desks. People want good design, but everything seamlessly hides away. Thats what were seeing now. People want everything away from their kids, they dont want cords on the tabletops. Organization is a massive priority.

MG: Whats your personal definition of luxury?

GB: For me, luxury goes far beyond high-quality craftsmanship. Its really focused on the high level of detail of how the function of the home is tailored to the client. The amount of detail that goes into every area is part of luxury design. Its a thought process, a use of the house. True luxury is considering how they live and move within a home, with flow and ease. That is true luxury for our clientele.

MG: Have you seen people asking for larger homes since the pandemic?

GB: No, its smaller homes with bigger outside space. People have gone less. We used to have clients coming in asking for 30,000 square feet and above, now theyre asking for 15,000 square feet. That was surprising. They were looking for smaller homes, bigger outdoor living, especially in California.

MG: Are you working in areas you havent worked before as luxury buyers moved over the past year and a half?

GB: We have an ongoing clientele. We do their homes every time they move. A lot of people moved to Nashville and Austin [in Texas] when the pandemic hit, which was super random.

MG: Who has been influential in shaping your design philosophy?

GB: The Canadian designer Ferris Rafauli, who is really into detail. Ive done a lot of lofts, we dont have a typical design aesthetic, we go from traditional to super raw.

More: Off-Plan Condo Buyers Are Demanding a More Bespoke Experience, Designer Says

MG: Whats luxurious about your own home?

GB: I just bought 5 acres of land on Mulholland Drive during the pandemic; I wanted this amazing piece of land. Im going through my own designs right now of what I want. Its going to be the no separation of indoor and outdoor. I like that natural raw look, a home right by a natural rock by the hillside. There are tons of bobcats and deer in the area. Im donating half my land back to Santa Monica Conservancy so the animals can walk around freely.

MG: Whats the secret finishing touch of designing a fantastic home?

GB: Working with a good lighting designer is so beyond key, I cant even tell you. Most people dont understand the importance of a lighting designer. Its the way they cast shadows. Most lighting designers get hired after the house has been built. It doesnt make sense. They need to know every finish, every wall, where every coffee table is going to go, where mirrors and reflections are. Lighting design is built around that. It makes a huge difference.

Click to Read More Luxury Real Estate Professionals Share Their Insights

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Good Lighting Design Makes All the Difference, Says L.A.-Based Architect - Mansion Global

For historic architecture in Los Angeles, death can come in one of various ways: fire, earthquake or slow decay ... followed by redevelopment schemes that involve bland luxury condos. But none is quite as ignoble as being razed to make way for a parking lot.

That was once the proposed fate for Julia Morgans dashingly flamboyant Herald Examiner building in downtown Los Angeles. Completed in 1914, the block-long, Mission Revival structure, with its ornate-to-the-point-of-baroque lobby, represents one of only a handful of L.A. buildings designed by the pioneering architect the first woman to be licensed to practice architecture in California.

The freshly refurbished Herald Examiner building at the corner of Broadway and 11th street in downtown Los Angeles.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

It was the site of other important California history too. Throughout much of the 20th century, the building represented a key part of William Randolph Hearsts media empire, housing the Herald-Express, an afternoon newspaper, and the morning Los Angeles Examiner, which merged in 1962 and became the Herald-Examiner.

Five years later came an acrimonious strike that lasted several years and led to mounting losses. Despite an editorial revival sparked by the hiring of editor Jim Bellows, the general decline in finances and readership, spelled the end of the paper. By 1989, the Herald Examiner had shut down. For several years, the building sat empty. Three years later, a representative for the Hearst Corp. approached the city about tearing the place down.

The proposal generated an outcry. Morgans industrially scaled Mission Revival structure whose facade and gracious lobby feature an ebullient mix of Moorish, Spanish and Italian flourishes had at that point already occupied a slot on the citys Historic-Cultural Monuments list for almost 15 years. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Conservancy described the plan as a tragedy and disgrace.

Tiled cupolas adorn the roof of the historic Herald Examiner Building located at Broadway and 11th Street in Los Angeles.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Thankfully, good sense or, more realistically, economic inertia won out. The Herald Examiner building remained standing, albeit in a somnolent state. For more than two decades, it was employed primarily as a filming location. Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Usual Suspects were among the projects filmed at the site.

This fall, however, the Herald Examiner building came back from the brink. The building has reopened in a new guise: as a learning center for Arizona State University.

Sunlight streams through the arched windows of the Herald Examiner building. Since the 60s, these windows had been barricaded with block walls.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The developers at Georgetown Co. and a team of architects at Gensler have lovingly revived this gracious structure. This has included tending to decades of deferred maintenance and removing unsympathetic additions. Among them: taking out a mezzanine level that cut through some of the more majestic double-height spaces and removing paint from the sawtooth skylights on the third floor that had been painted over during World War II and never unpainted. Also removed were the block walls that had, for decades, obstructed the graceful arched windows at street level. These were installed in the 1960s after the windows were smashed by bricks and Molotov cocktails during the strike.

Its kind of miraculous that the building was saved, says Melanie McArtor, a senior associate at Gensler who served as project manager on the buildings revamp. It would have been such a lost moment.

Now the Herald Examiner practically gleams, with a tenant that is in keeping with the buildings unusual history. In the place where newspapers were once printed and movies shot, ASU students can complete coursework in journalism and filmmaking.

Since the buildings historic lobby didnt meet modern accessibility standards, the architects designed a separate, more functional entry space for ASU. The historic lobby is now employed for events.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The Herald Examiner building is one of two interesting reuse projects in this piece of downtown Los Angeles.

Travel three blocks north on Broadway and youll land at the old Tower Theatre, which is now a shiny new Apple store thanks to Foster + Partners, the namesake firm of British designer Norman Foster. The Pritzker Prize-winning architects team has designed numerous other retail and corporate spaces for Apple, including the companys headquarters in Cupertino.

Designed by S. Charles Lee and opened in 1927, the 900-seat venue was the first film palace in Los Angeles to be wired for sound. Al Jolsons The Jazz Singer the first motion picture to feature synchronized singing and soundtracks premiered at the Tower in 1928 and remained on the screen for weeks. An ad that appeared in the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record at the time described letters from people who have seen this picture, 3, 4 and 10 times.

An ebullient collision of Spanish, Romanesque and Moorish elements, the building features an Art Deco clock tower, decorative terra cotta facades and a lobby inspired by the Paris Opera (albeit on a far smaller scale). From the lobby, a grand staircase flanked by marble columns ascends to the mezzanine area. A stained-glass window bears a fleur-de-lis pattern and a celluloid film strip.

Like the Herald Examiner, the Tower Theatre had slipped into a grungy state after closing in 1988. By and large, the theater bided its time as a filming location it makes an appearance in David Lynchs Mulholland Drive and on occasion as a music venue.

Now the Delijani family, which owns the building, along with Apple, have found a new use for a type of architecture that isnt always sympathetic to reinvention. And it looks bright and elegant in an Apple kind of way (since no movie palace in its right mind would paint so many surfaces white).

Facades have been cleaned and the exterior neon has been repaired. The plaster and bronze details around the proscenium, which bear a delicate floral motif, have been scrubbed of accumulated layers of nicotine and grime and now sport fresh coats of paint.

Naturally, there have been changes. The oval ceiling mural, which once contained some buoyant cherubs, has been simplified into a view of a golden California sky. The ground-floor seating area has been leveled out and the seats replaced with blond wood tables bearing Apple merch. The repair shop must we call it a Genius Bar? has been placed in the balcony, where much of the seating has been retained, though in a modern guise. (Think elegant Minimalist pews wrapped in Italian leather.)

This will undoubtedly be the best location in L.A. to contend with a computer crash.

The view from the balcony inside the Tower Theatre on Broadway now an Apple store courtesy of a renovation by Foster + Partners.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Linda Dishman, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, is delighted to see the Tower make its comeback. For theater geeks, its incredible, she says. What Apple did is that they came to the Tower very respectfully and really took a very careful approach.

The building retains its theatricality. And Dishman notes that though the building doesnt currently contain its original seats, those have been preserved in the event someone wanted to reinstall them at a future date. Its thinking about how you balance what you need today and what it might one day be, she says.

For anyone who may roll their eyes over an Apple store occupying a historic theater, may I recommend a visit to the old Golden Gate Theatre in East Los Angeles, where one can acquire tampons and Alka-Seltzer in what is now a well-trafficked CVS, or the old Federal Bank Building in Lincoln Heights, a 1910 neoclassical bank on the citys list of Historic-Cultural Monuments that has been occupied by an El Pollo Loco since 1993.

As Dishman notes: A building that is in use is not usually threatened.

The restored marble staircase in the lobby of the Apple Tower Theatre is seen upon the stores opening in June.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The renovation of some of this long-moribund Los Angeles architecture is significant for a couple of reasons.

For one, it finds new uses for existing architecture, thereby cutting down on the need for new construction (and its attendant environmental costs). But preserving these buildings also helps preserve some key historical episodes.

In the case of the Herald Examiner, that means preserving the work of a pioneering, early 20th century female architect whose profile has grown as of late. In 2014, Morgan was posthumously awarded the gold medal by the American Institute of Architects. More recently, she has been the subject of a belated obituary in the New York Times and a podcast by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, which highlights the contributions of women in building and design.

Morgan designed hundreds of buildings, including Hearst Castle in San Simeon, but she built relatively few in the Los Angeles area. Among them is the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, completed in 1926 another commission from Hearst, for his lover, Marion Davies. She also designed a YWCA in Pasadena, a handsome Mission Revival structure whose fate is uncertain, since the city of Pasadena and an investor are battling each other in court for control of the structure.

Chronicling Morgans legacy has been a complicated endeavor. Before her death in 1957, she destroyed most of her papers which leaves her buildings as the decisive record of her work. For scholars and architects who are just beginning to understand her design legacy, tearing down the Herald Examiner would have been a spectacular loss.

There are a lot of women who worked on this project, says McArtor, and we felt so honored to work on this.

A detail of the marble staircases in the lobby of the Herald Examiner building. The structure was Julia Morgans first commission from William Randolph Hearst.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Finding a new use for the Herald Examiner building wasnt easy. Old newspaper buildings are peculiar: generally, a combination of a few fancy offices befitting of an institution that plays a role in civic life attached to what is essential a factory (the printing presses). Youre trying to put infrastructure that meets the expectations of the current market into a building that has that many idiosyncrasies, says McArtor. That is really challenging.

But the architects at Gensler did a thoughtful job of restoring and preserving the buildings iconic portions: the arched facade, the bright, tiled domes that cap the building, the ornate lobby, with the private elevator that once delivered Hearst to his suite. Other areas were revamped to suit contemporary needs.

A new lobby was added immediately to the south of the old one since Morgans design, with its high counters and marble steps, didnt meet contemporary accessibility standards. The original lobby remains as a dramatic gathering space. (The public is welcome to tour the space by scheduling an appointment with ASUs visitor manager, Jasmin Mejia at jasmin.mejia@asu.edu).

The ground floor, which once contained the printing presses, has been reimagined as an event space. (On the day I walked through, university leadership had gathered for a board meeting with remote video hookups.) The newsroom floors above have been reconfigured into classrooms, study areas and meeting spaces, as well as a television studio and editing bays for film and media students.

The spaces are generally plain, designed for flexibility and the wear and tear of student life. But the practical design gives Morgans architecture room to breathe especially on the third floor, where the restored sawtooth skylights make for a workspace that feels airy and bright.

Working on the building, says McArtor, gave her a real appreciation for the ways in which Morgan deployed daylight. Its not typical of the time.

The third-floor work spaces in the Herald Examiner building are bathed in light.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The building, likewise, preserves some of L.A.'s more interesting media history.

Hearst founded the paper so that he might have a Southern California bastion in the event he ran for office. It was from this site that he pummeled Depression-era political narratives to adhere to his conservative vision. It was also where news of the Black Dahlia killing was first reported and where Louella Parsons gossip columns emerged. By the time the 60s rolled around, the company was in the hands of Hearsts grandson, George R. Hearst Jr. It was his attempts to break the unions that spelled the beginning of the end.

The whole ordeal began in 1967 as a contractual dispute over pay with NewsGuild employees and ended up snowballing into a strike that included workers from other divisions. One street rally devolved into violence. In addition to smashing windows, the protesters took baseball bats to the curving brass banister of an interior stairwell.

The banister remains as do its dents. The architects left that history in place.

That patina, says Dishman, is really important to continuing the story.

A brass banister that was pummeled by unionists during a 60s labor dispute remains in situ at the Herald Examiner building.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

And continuing the story is something that both of these renovations do admirably well: The Apple Tower Theatre maintains a site that was critical to the film industry, while the Herald Examiner bears within its walls stories about architecture, labor and the press.

Together, they help flesh out the character of Los Angeles as a city in the early 20th century: unorthodox in style and, in places, comically overstated. They are buildings that say, Check us out. We have arrived.

Thankfully, they remain here. And now we can revel in them.

Architectural details preserved in the historic lobby of the Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles erected by publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1914.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The original tile floor preserved in the historic lobby of the Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Details of the original fire alarm system preserved in the historic Herald Examiner building located at Broadway and 11th Street in Los Angeles erected by publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1914.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Is an Apple store any way to revive an L.A. theater? Maybe - Los Angeles Times

Cities designed with expansive greenspace encourage residents to live a more healthy lifestyle.Destination Toronto

Reimagining urban centres as healthier places to live is essential to reducing the billions of dollars spent every year treating chronic illnesses, according to a panel on the future of cities.

A group of experts who gathered virtually this week for a Future Cities, Future Care event agreed that creating healthy cities requires collaboration between urban designers, builders, civic leaders and health care providers. The event was presented by The Globe and Mail and moderated by Globe reporters Andrea Woo, Andr Picard and Adrian Lee.

With eight out of 10 Canadians living in urban areas, according to a 2019 Statista survey, leaders and policy makers need to come together to listen to their communities, the panelists all agreed.

That starts with understanding barriers that people face, says Dr. Jane Thornton, assistant professor and Canada research chair in injury prevention and physical activity for health at the University of Western Ontario in London.

Good health depends on more than just an individuals medical situation, she explains. For example, having access to green space and looking at different ways people can get around in the city are important factors.

We have to think in a more circular, inclusive way about cities and health.

Understanding that some people feel ignored or discriminated against is also essential to encouraging healthier lifestyles for people living in cities, says Dr. Angela Mashford-Pringle, assistant professor and Indigenous health lead at the University of Torontos Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

When I think about cities right now, I dont see myself, she continues. Even products at grocery stores where Indigenous people shop are not familiar to their culture or customary to their diets, Dr. Mashford-Pringle explains.

There isnt even a word for banana in Cree its called the yellow curvy thing. Even the BMI [body mass index] doesnt take Indigenous peoples bodies into account. We have to think in a more circular, inclusive way about cities and health.

Dr. Sean Wharton, head of the Wharton Medical Clinic and adjunct professor at McMaster and York universities agrees, saying marginalized and racialized people need their voices heard as part of a continuing conversation among decision makers about making cities healthy.

Some of the ways are simple sitting less and walking more, for example. But you also need to involve lower-income people in how policies are made, he says.

Dr. Jane Thornton, assistant professor and Canada research chair in injury prevention and physical activity for health at the University of Western Ontario in London, said good health depends on more than just an individuals medical situation.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

Gil Penalosa, founder and chair of 8 80 Cities, a not-for-profit group that advocates for easier mobility and public space, says the political system needs an overhaul. Ranked balloting in elections would bring new people into the system, with better decisions, he says.

The current system of first-past-the-post tends to elect the same people with stale ideas; a more proportional system would bring about new voices and better ideas, he explains.

For example, we should not be spending $6-billion to turn green space into highways, as Ontario Premier Doug Ford has proposed, he says.

Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie raised the issue of how environment and infrastructure factor into the health of a city.

Mississauga grew into a community that was dependent on the car, she says, [But] we are becoming healthier; were building new waterfront communities and a completely urban downtown.

The experts agree that cutting down on the use of cars which results in cleaner air and making services such as shopping, doctors offices and gyms easier to walk to, are immediate ways to contribute to the robust health of intensified areas.

New facilities, such as the recently announced $40-million Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations at U of T Mississauga, are taking a leading role in public-health research in the global fight against diabetes and other chronic diseases, the mayor added.

Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and staff physician in endocrinology at Womens College Hospital, says architects and designers are incorporating accommodation into their work more as they realize the value of collaboration.

Better health trickles down to the way cities are designed, she says, adding that fixing cities to be healthier requires extensive retrofitting.

Layla Guse Salah, co-ordinator of public and patient engagement for the Canadian Medical Association, and a person with a disability, says even a small measure of forethought can improve the quality of life for marginalized communities.

The building I live in is quite new, but the unit I live in was not designed for accessibility. I can manage fine, but given that it was built so recently, theres no reason that the design couldnt [have been] more accessible.

We can all do better at building healthier cities if we work together.

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From civic leaders to architects, improving the health of a city takes a village - The Globe and Mail