The fruitful partnership between Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and office developer SOHO China will soon bring another remarkable structure to the countrys design landscape. Their latest collaboration, Leeza SOHO, is set to top out at its full height of 679 feet next month. While that may seem diminutive compared with other towers under construction around the world, the Beijing property is breaking records in another way. The mixed-use building will contain the worlds largest central atrium, an expansive 623 feet high, which will be open to the public.

A look at the ongoing construction within Leeza SOHO.

Leeza SOHO is the fourth building ZHA has designed for SOHO China, and the latest images reveal that the architectural firm has created something that will rival its previous collaborations, which total 15 million square feet and include Galaxy SOHO, Sky SOHO, and Wangjing SOHO. The dizzying photos offer a look at the progress of the 1.86-million-square-foot building and a glimpse at the construction process, which is being done with an eye toward sustainability and LEED Gold certification.

Once Leeza SOHO is completed, Beijing will have yet another skyscraper designed by one of the leading firms in the world.

Set to be completed in 2018, the building is composed of two sides twisting around the atrium and connected by a series of sky bridges. The clever design allows the halves to shade the central space, while the double-insulated glazing maintains the views as well as comfortable interior temperatures. The atrium also connects with the subway station below the site, meaning that future occupants could have one of the worlds most beautiful commutes.

See more here:
Zaha Hadid Architects Reveal New Images of the World's Tallest Atrium in Beijing - Architectural Digest

Kelly Thompson has plans for downtown Sun Prairie. The owner of Kontext Architects LLC is leasing the empty space at 240 E. Main St. and renovating the upper level, which sat vacant for years.

We just gutted everything and cleared it all out, and weve got some big ideas for the entire building, Thompson said, adding that his team will relocate its offices to an updated 1,500-square-foot second-story space next March.

An additional 1,000 square feet of space on the second level remains available for lease.

Meanwhile, a new front facade is in the works that will restore the corner location, adjacent to Cannery Wine & Spirits, to its original early-1900s storefront appearance.

Inventure Realty Group will occupy the Main Street level, and Thompson envisions the basement, which still retains woodwork and fabric from a bygone era, as the perfect home for a commercial wine cellar and tasting room.

Thompson, a Sun Prairie resident who began Kontext Architects in 2008 at 425 W. Main St., relocated his firm to downtown Madison on East Dayton Street after Kontext merged with Architecture Network in 2014.

But he wanted to return to downtown Sun Prairie, where he sees a vibrant scene evolving thanks in large part to new housing developments in the area.

You have people walking all over the place, he said. And it gets more exciting at night and during the weekend. This downtown is considerably more accessible than downtown Madison, and for Kontext being in downtown Sun Prairie is all about presence and name recognition.

For now, though, Thompson and his staff are temporarily operating out of 1110 N. Bristol St., a small space formerly occupied by The Ammo Box and sharing a building with Georges Chicken & Fish and Good Spirits liquor store.

We were sort of homeless, said Thompson, whose downtown Madison lease expired in June.

He was able to sign a short-term lease while renovations take place at the East Main Street building.

Proximity to the Highway 151 corridor, which provides easy access to the Fox Valley where several Kontext clients are located as well as to and from other regions, also attracted Thompson. Its very common for us to go where our clients are, and this is a very practical move for us, he said, explaining that Sun Prairies location makes traveling to visit clients much more convenient for his team.

Kontext offers pre-design and schematic design services, creates design development and construction documents, and provides construction administration services. The firm built much of its business on designing public buildings for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, as well as multiple school districts and various municipal entities in Wisconsin and Illinois. The firm also has been involved in several design studies for Sun Prairie-based projects.

Will the move to Sun Prairie help Kontext garner more local work? It remains to be seen how much of an advantage that will be, Thompson said, but hes excited about returning to where he started his business although he doesnt regret the Architecture Network merger and the subsequent relocation to the heart of Madison.

Architecture Network was owned and operated by Arlen Kay a renowned architect whose last name rhymes with eye and who helped restore buildings that now house Quiveys Grove restaurant and the Great Dane Downtown.

He also offered Thompson, who attended the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale, his first crack at working in Wisconsins architectural design market back in 1997.

Following the 2014 merger, Architecture Network was folded into the Kontext Architects name, as Thompson eventually took charge of all operations.

The partnership has helped Thompson expand Kontexts capabilities to include more design work in the private sector, especially with multifamily residential projects.

Kay, despite being of retirement age, remains a part-time Kontext employee and brings in new work for the firm.

Today, three years on from the merger and only months away from beginning a new chapter in the firms history, Thompson claims Kontexts greatest strength is its ability to connect with clients.

We want to build sustained, trusting relationships, he says. We want to know about their kids or if theyre in a bowling league. We sincerely are interested in them as people. That definitely fosters trust, and we are very intentional about it.

KONTEXT ARCHITECTS LLC

1110 N. Bristol St.

Phone: 608-825-0094

Web:

http://www.kontextarchitects.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kontextarchitects

Hours: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

See more here:
Kontext Architects planning move to downtown Sun Prairie - hngnews.com

located along the popular sigmund freud path in the alpine woods of bolzano, messnerarchitectschurch in stella is an appreciated spiritual spacefor people from far and wide. the conversion and renovation of the building, dating back to the fifties, is aimed at reevaluating the existing structure and making it more appealing to visitors.the fleeting glimpse inside the chapel encouragesvisitors to enter the place of worship.

the prevailing genius loci, latin for the spirit of the place, is strikingly expressed through the catchphrasechurch in the woodsall images davide perbellini

the largerectangular opening behind the presbytery bathes the interior in light and underlines the pursuit of linking the interiorto the exterior. the prevailing genius loci, latin for the spirit of the place, is strikingly expressed throughmessnerarchitectscatchphrase church in the woods. the framed view is characterized by a continuously changing landscape throughoutthe year. inside the church, the previously existing height difference between presbytery and nave is reduced and replaced by a ramp with an incised canyon. the configuration as a ramp dissolves the separation of the space, and creates the impression of a shaped landscape. the dark incisions in the wooden ceiling reflect the joints in the floor.

meditation room

afreestanding panel of translucent glass opposite to the front door works as a protective and informative shield.the stained-glass windows originate from artist peter fellin. the figurative arched windows with the pictures of saint stephen and saint notburga were moved from the east to the west faade where they brighten the entrance. since its renovation, the abstract and precious stained-glass windows receive more attention and appreciation. the altar is located on the central axis of the presbytery, while the ambo and the priests chair are situated in front of the main liturgical object. solid monoliths of a local variety of gneissic rock rest on the translucent glass bases. the light breaks through the fragile bases and makes the heavy masses hover above ground.

the view onto presbytery

the weightlessness of the structurestrongly expresses the aspiration for the divine and the closeness to heaven.the new staircase starts with a loop, hovers above the registry and leads to the attic floor along the east faade. the previously unused attic floor was restructured and recovered as a place for meditation, silence and retreat. the attic consists ofan entrance area with a cloakroom, a restroom, a storage room and a spacious event room. the entire timber-framed supporting structure was demolished and substituted by a three-hinged arch. the subsequently unsupported tent-like space was improved in its physical properties by insulating the wood-shingled roof.

view towardsthe rear end of the chapel

the brickwork of the western gable was demolished to further provide the meditation space with daylight.astair shielded by a wall element leads down to the meditation space wrapped in its lower part in carpet like a nest and dissolving in its upper part in wooden boarding. the entire surface of the gable wall is closed by a glass faade which opens up the view to the piazza. astepped terrace enlarges the meditation space with an attractive openspace, connecting the innerto the outer space both visually and mentally.ultimately, only two architectural interventions determine the conversion of the church in the wood: on one hand, it is the breakthrough of the sacred space to the landscape, on the other hand it is the opening of the gable to the piazza.

attic floor details

the registry

altar base detail

stairway to attic floor

west faade at dawn

east faade at dawn

details of the eastern faade

outer view into the presbytery

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 readers here.

edited by: lynn chaya | designboom

See the original post here:
messner architects situates its newly renovated saint joseph chapel in the alpine woods - Designboom

Pompidou Center to Open Gallery in Shanghai, Designed by David Chipperfield Architects

David Chipperfield Architects has revealed the design of the newest homeof the Centre Pompidou, the West Bund Art Museum in Shanghai. The Parisian institution revealed the details with the announcement of a 5-year deal with the West Bund Group to stage exhibitions in the museum beginning in 2019. Approximately 20 exhibitions including a focus on contemporary Chinese art will be included in the deal, described by the Centre Pompidou as "the most important long-term cultural exchange project between France and China.

+29

Description provided by the architects.

The new West Bund Art Museum is a prominent building of the masterplan for the West Bund of Shanghai. The aim of the design is to create a special place at the riverside where visitors can visit a museum and also enjoy the riverside and the views to downtown Shanghai. Due to its situation as a solitaire at the north most point where the road and the river diverge to form a generous green park, the museum will be the prime cultural entity that visitors encounter when coming to the Xuhui Riverside District via the Shanghai Corniche. The building will have a strong relationship to its surroundings.

Three exhibition gallery volumes approximately 18m tall define the building massing on the North, West and South sides of the site. The exhibition galleries are stacked and the heights are configured to provide clerestory lighting to the lower level galleries, while the upper level galleries are mainly top lit. In addition, each upper level gallery contains an expansive view window providing views to downtown Shanghai, the local Huangpu river bank, and the park to the south.

The museum is positioned on the outer edges of the site on these three sides to create a unique space at the riverside. This central area of the building contains 3 main space defining elements; a three storey lobby with a central triple-height atrium, a single storey long caf pavilion located along the rivers edge with a rooftop viewing terrace connecting the upper lobby with the riverside, and a landscaped sunken courtyard connecting the underground museum level with the riverside terrace and promenade.

Project start: 2013Completion due: 2019Gross floor area: 24000 m2Client:Shanghai West Bund Development Group Co., Ltd.Architect:David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, ShanghaiPartners:Alexander Schwarz, Mark Randel, Martin Reichert, Libin ChenProject Architects:Diana Schaffrannek, Chuxiao Li, Haishan LiContact architect:Shanghai Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd.Landscape architect:Levin Monsigny Gesellschaft von LandschaftsarchitektenStructure consultant:ArupStructure engineer:Shanghai Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd.Facade consultant:Drees & Sommer Engineering Consulating (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.Services consultant:WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering ServicesServices engineer:Shanghai Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd.

News via David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, Shanghai

See the article here:
Pompidou Center to Open Gallery in Shanghai, Designed by David Chipperfield Architects - ArchDaily

Archi5, Paris office. In present location since: 2006. Staff: 4 partners, 30 employees. Former use of building: Printer of vinyl record sleeves. Size: 900 m. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Mathieu Fiol.

For many architecture practices, the office is their second home a reflection of who they collectively are as a firm. Depicting the atmosphere of a firm's office space is an ideal subject for architectural photographer Marc Goodwin of Archmospheres, who previously shared his work approach with Archinect. Since acquiring a Ph.D. in architectural photography, Goodwin has embarked on a global tour to capture the assortment of architecture studio offices that are out there, including those of MAD Architects, Foster +Partners, Snhetta, and Renzo Piano.

Frozen in time through Goodwin's camera lens and with his keen attention to the lighting of the space, snapshots of these everyday office scenes become atmospheric, personalized portraits of each firm that are fascinating to peruse. Mundane details become a significant part in telling the story, whether it's a sign written in the local language, shelves of architectural models, potted plants, snow-covered streets outside a window in Scandinavia, or the brick details in a London office.

Peering through shelves or from the opposite side of the building, Goodwin's photos take on an observant and sometimes almost voyeuristic perspective. Employees appear unaware of the photographer's presence as they hunch over their desks and stare into computer screens, share a meal with their colleagues, or are in the middle of a meeting in a closed conference room. This sense of intimate observation is present even in large, established offices that accommodate hundreds of employees, such as an empty windowed room in Foster + Partners' Riverside office, which has approximately 1,200 employees.

It's also a treat to know the previous lives of the firms' offices, and how much they have grown into the space since moving in. The firms work in former schools and breweries, a printer of vinyl record sleeves, or in a space tucked inside a building that used to house diplomats.

Altogether, Goodwin's photos showcase the diversity of each firm's workspace just as they are in that point in time. As Goodwin continues to travel around the world, have a look at some of his office photos of architecture practices inLondon, Scandinavia,Beijing,Paris, and Seoul.

M. In present location for: 6 years. Staff: 40. Former use of building/studio: School. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Foster + Partners. In present location since: 1990. Number of employees: 1,200 at Riverside, 1,450 globally. Use: Designed by the firm as a mixed-use. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Erect Architecture. In present location since: 2010. Staff: 6. Former use of building / studio: workshops. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

IMAGINATION. In present location since: 1989. Staff: 360. Former use of building: school. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Zaha Hadid Architects. Staff: 400 globally. In present location since: 2013. Former use of building/studio: Zaha Hadid Design Gallery was previously home to a pop-up hair salon designed by Hadid. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Grimshaw. In present location since: January 2007. Staff: 130 (in office), 180 total in London (co-located teams). Former use of building: Headquarters of The Big Issue. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

BDP (Building Design Partnership). In present location since: 2003. Staff: London: approx. 300 / total approx. 903. Former use of building / studio: Brewery. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Henning Larsen Architects. In present location since: 2001. Staff: 170 in Copenhagen. Former use of building: Department store completed in 1939 by H. Ortmann and V. Berner Nielsen. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Studio Puisto. In current location since: 2014. Staff: 6. Former use of building: Fabric store, supermarket. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Jgneflt Milton. Staff: 7. Former use of building/studio: Stables. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Snhetta. Staff: 119. Former use of building: Storage area for harbor deliveries. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Elding Oscarson Arkitekter. In present location since: 2014. Staff: 8. Former use of building: Brewery. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

C.F. Mller Architects. In present location since: 1981. Staff: 80 in Copenhagen. Building's former use: Part of the School of Architecture. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

3xn. In present location since: 2014. Staff: 85. Former use of building: Boat houses from 1813 used to store naval ships. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

MAD Architects. Staff: 105. In present location for: 9 years. Previous use of building: printing works. Size of office: 660m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

Crossboundaries. Staff: 20-25. In present location for: 2 years. Former use of building: auditorium, bar, showroom. Size of office: 350 m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

anySCALE (Beijing) Architecture Design Consultants Co., Ltd. Staff: 25. Time spent in current space: 3 years. Previous use of building: Apartments for diplomats. Size of office: 250. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

LISPACE Design Limited. Staff: 10 people. Time spent in current space: 3.7 years. Previous use of building: boiler room in factory. Size: showroom downstairs 100m2, office upstairs 80m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

WAY Studio and PU Architects. Staff: 8 each. In present location since: 2015. Previous use of building: Arsenal, RenMin University student dormitories, Library & reading room. Size: 220 m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

ZAO/standardarchitecture. Staff: 25-30. Time spent in current space: less than 2 years. Previous use of building: warehouse. Size: 580. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres.

LAN. Staff: 27. In present location since: 2009. Former use of building: Clothing workshop. Size: 150 m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Mathieu Fiol.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Staff: 95. In present location since: 1992. Former use of building: art gallery. Size: 1,500m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Mathieu Fiol.

Architecture-Studio. In present location since: 1973. Staff: 150. Former use of building: Herbalist. Size: 2650 m. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Mathieu Fiol.

Martinez Barat Lafore architectes. In present location since: 2014. Staff: 2. Former use of building: private dwelling. Size: 100m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Mathieu Fiol.

Philippe Rizzotti Architecte. Staff: 6. In present location since: April 2016. Former use: CIAT (Centre International des Arts de la Table) Showroom. Size: 110 m2. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Mathieu Fiol.

OFFICE ARCHITEKTON. In present location since: 2012. Staff: 6. Building's former use: Industrial Wire Mesh Store. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

IROJE architects & planners. In present location since: March 2002. Staff: 29. Building's use: Designed by and built for the firm's own use. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

KYWC Architects. In present location since: June 2014. Staff: 8. Building's use: Designed by the firm for their own use. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

Moonbalsso. In present location since: 2011. Staff: 5. Building's former use: Commercial Facility. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

UnSangDong Architects. In present location since: 2014. Staff: 15. Building's former use: Private residence. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

WGNB. In present location since: 2014. Staff: 12. Building's former use: Private residence. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

studio_GAON. In present location since: 2009. Staff: 8. Building's former use: Trading company. Photo credit: Marc Goodwin/Archmospheres + Felix Nybergh.

Excerpt from:
Office Still Life: From Renzo Piano to MAD Architects, Marc Goodwin captures the inner worlds of architecture firms - Archinect

PUP Architects has installed a "subversive" duct-shapedpavilionon the roof of a canal-side warehouse in east London, to provoke local planning authorities to reconsider the area's development.

The London studio run by Theo Molloy, Chloe Leen and Steve Wilkinsondrew up the design for the Architecture Foundation's new Antepavilion programme, an annual commission sponsored by the property developerShiva.

The structure joins a collectionof other pavilions commissioned by Shiva in recent years for the roof of its Columbia Wharf studios.

These buildings have all been designed asprototypes for alternative ways to live in the city. They aim to challenge decisionsby the local planning department to allowa spate of luxuryhousing blocks to be built along Regent's Canal while other types of projects are very difficult to win approval for.

For instance, Shiva was denied planning permission to builda simple"beach house" on the roofback in 2016 although it went ahead and built it anyway.

PUP Architects decided to model the pavilion on a duct after finding a loop-hole in local planning laws that allowed for a two-storey service structure to be affixed to the top of the roof.

"We wanted to provoke a conversation aboutwhy, if you can build this type of strange plant equipment on the rooftop, why can we not use it in a more positive way, to inhabit and liberate all these hundreds of thousands of square metres of rooftop space?" the architectsexplainedduring a press preview of the pavilion.

"It's a sort of hypocrisythat rooftop plants or things which support buildings that end up on or around them are not subject to the same stringent scrutiny of design even if it's a huge ugly thing, it's seen as a practical thing, you can just put it there, no one cares," they continued. "But to say, I'd love to build a little fun summer house on my roof, you're not allowed to do that."

"The project is meant to provoke conversation around these issues. For that reason it will be interesting if Hackney [council] come back to us and try to challenge the idea because, what is it? Is it inhabitable, is it servicing the building?"

"Hackney [council] don't really take the planning process too seriously,"added the trio.

"[Shiva]is quite provocative, they're opposite a building the 19th-century Haggerston Baths which is now out of use and has fallen into disrepair, and I think their mindset is that perhaps council attention could be better used on that than challenging these prototype buildings on the rooftop."

The timber-framed pavilion is covered in a skin of silvery shingles made from recycledTetra Pak,a material more typicallyused for drinks cartons.

Molloy discovered the laminated paper, metal and plastic materialcould be used as arainscreen while leading a student building project at a Latvian brewery.

Pieces of the Tetra Pak material are folded into squares to conceal raw edges and overlapped like scales to coverthe outer walls.

The lower corner of each shingle is left loose, allowing the breeze and natural light into the pavilion. The inner walls may later be insulated and a kitchenette installed to make the space habitable for longer periods of time.

A hung staircase leads up a second-floor artist's studio through a snaking corridor to a viewpoint at the top of the pavilion, where "jumbo proportioned" louvres open to allow visitors to take in views of the canal and theapartment blocks that are replacing smaller houses and pubs along its banks.

"Although it was a practical aspect to enter from below, it really added to our concept of the structure being something a little bit subverting what a roof duct is, and this idea of covertness and secrecy," said the architects.

"It means that you can use it without ever going on the roof, which is obviously not made to be accessible."

"It's provoking local authorities in general about how open-minded they are to good ideas," the Architecture Foundations'sdeputy director Phineas Harper told Dezeen.

"It's a legal project, but it's pointing out all these problems with the planning system in a hopefully quite a fun and friendly way. But you can't get away from those problems."

"We thought if you're going to build a pavilion you might as well give it a political slant. Hopefully another impact of the Antepavilion project will be that other pavilion projects will start to take on a bit of a platitude," he added.

"The Serpentine Pavilion programme has been an amazing programme for a long time but it does feel like it's run its course or run out of a steam a little bit, and people are looking for something a bit more vigorous in its political outlook."

Antepavilion is open to the public at 55 Hoxton Docks on 6-7 August and again on 16-17 September during Open House London.

London-based think-tankThe Architecture Foundationand Shiva plan to continue theAntepavilion Commissionannually, to give emerging architects, artists and designers the chance to create further experimental rooftop structures.

Photography is byJim Stephenson. Drone footage is byTapio Snellman.

Continue reading here:
PUP Architects builds rooftop pavilion disguised as warehouse air duct - Dezeen

A state commission has made a fitting choice in naming architect Thomas Rogers Kimball (1862-1934) as the next addition to the Nebraska Hall of Fame. Its a fitting choice, in that Kimball contributed to Nebraskas progress in major ways over the course of his career.

Consider Kimballs first significant architectural commission, in the early 1890s the original Omaha public library building at 1823 Harney St.

With its ambitious Renaissance revival style and bas-relief depictions of philosophical and literary figures, the library was hailed at its dedication as a symbol of Omahas determination to be a stronger, more ambitious city moving into the 20th century.

Kimballs subsequent architectural works included major structures that stand out for their creative vision and continue to do Nebraska proud.

Two examples are St. Cecilia Cathedral, in which Kimball pioneered the use of the Spanish Renaissance style in the United States, and the powerful design of the Hall County Courthouse in Grand Island.

The capstone for Kimballs contributions to Nebraska came in the selection process he established in the 1920s to select a designer for the Nebraska State Capitol. The double-blind competition process eliminated the possibility of favoritism and enticed nationally respected architects to submit proposals.

The winning design, by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, resulted in one of the most lauded state capitol concepts in the nation, a source of Nebraska pride to this day.

President Theodore Roosevelt named Kimball in 1909 to serve on a national commission overseeing design ideas for public monuments. Kimball was president of the American Institute of Architects during 1918-20.

Kimball whose postsecondary education included studies in Boston and Paris was an adviser for projects such as the state capitol in Missouri and a state war memorial in Indiana. His commissions included designs for 167 residential buildings and 162 nonresidential structures.

The Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission had a set of 12 impressive finalists to consider. Given his laudable contributions to the development of the state, Kimball is unquestionably a worthy addition.

Excerpt from:
Editorial: Architect Kimball a good choice Nebraska Hall of Fame - Omaha World-Herald

Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Bianco Giolitto Weston Architects and Newport Collaborative Architects merged in 2011 to create a northeast regional firm. Wells Road

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Northeast Collaborative Architects

Architect: Salary Details

The BLS reports the median annual wage for architects was$74,520 in 2014. The best-paid 10 percent in the profession made approximately $121,910, while the bottom 10 percent made about $44,940. The metropolitan areas of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; San Francisco;and Atlanta, Georgia pay their architects the best.

75th Percentile: $95,310

Median: $74,520

25th Percentile: $57,380

An architects mean salary in 2014 of $80,490 was $17,360 less than what the typical art director ($97,850) made, yet it was approximately $16,440 more than the average salary of a PR specialist ($64,050).

The highest paid in the architect profession work in the metropolitan areas of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, and Atlanta, Georgia. The Sacramento, California area also pays well, as does the city of San Diego.

Top 5 Best Paying Cities for Architects

The average salary of an architect working in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is $99,570.

The average salary of an architect working in San Francisco is $98,500.

The average salary of an architect working in Atlanta, Georgia is $96,670.

The average salary of an architect working in Sacramento, California is $96,330.

The average salary of an architect working in San Diego is $95,740.

Read more:
Architect Salary Information | US News Best Jobs

Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth) is an American non-profit[1][2] organization of architects and engineers who dispute the results of official investigations into the September 11 attacks, including the 9/11 Commission Report.[3][4]

Founded in 2006, the group demands that the United States Congress pursue "a truly independent investigation" into the September 11 attacks as they believe government agency investigations into the collapse of the World Trade Center have not addressed what it calls "massive evidence for explosive demolition."[5]

Richard Gage, a San Francisco Bay area architect,[6] founded Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth in 2006.[7] Gage, who is a member of the American Institute of Architects,[2] has worked as an architect for 20 years and was involved in the construction of numerous fireproof steel-frame buildings.[8] He became convinced of the need to create an organization that brings together architects and engineers after listening to an independent radio station interview with theologian David Ray Griffin.[7]

The organization continues to collect signatures for a petition that demands an independent investigation with subpoena power of the September 11 attacks, specifically the collapse of the World Trade Center towers and 7 WTC.[2][9] By December 2014, over 2,300 architectural and engineering professionals had signed the petition.[10] According to the organization, the identities and qualifications of all licensed architects and engineers whose names are being published on its website as well as those of other supporters who are listed separately are subjected to verification before acceptance.[11]Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth publishes The Blueprint, a periodic e-mail newsletter.[12]

Gage has given speeches at conferences organized by supporters of the 9/11 Truth movement[13] in various locations in the United States[14] and Canada,[15][16] and has presented his multimedia talk "9/11 Blueprint for Truth The Architecture of Destruction" in 14 countries.[17] His presentations focus on the sequence of events leading to the destruction of the three World Trade Center buildings and include videos of their collapses alongside footage of controlled demolitions.[14] He went on a tour of European countries in 2008[18] and gave speeches in Australia, New Zealand and Japan in 2009.[19] In 2009, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth had a booth at the annual convention of the American Institute of Architects.[20] AE tried to get the AIA to pass a "Building 7 resolution" - "a Position Statement in support of a new investigation into the complete collapse of 7 World Trade Center on September 11, 2001." However, it failed by a vote of 3,892 to 160 - garnering just over 4% support.[21]

The controversial two-hour movie 9/11 Blueprint for Truth, popular among members of the 9/11 Truth movement, is based on a presentation given by Richard Gage in Canada.[6] Gage was also interviewed for an episode of the BBC television program The Conspiracy Files,[22][22] an episode of the ZDF's series History,[23] based on a co-production of the BBC and the ZDF,[24] as well as for a documentary produced by the Canadian television news magazine The Fifth Estate.[25][26][27]

The organization is the main constituent of the ReThink911 coalition, which ran an advertising campaign putting up signs and billboards in seven U.S. cities, as well as in Vancouver, Toronto, London, and Sydney in 2013.[28]

Members of the organization argue that the buildings of the World Trade Center could not have collapsed only because of the impact of the planes,[29][30] or as a result of the fires that had been caused by them,[31] and claim to have identified evidence pointing to an explosive demolition of the World Trade Center buildings.[32] The group does not blame any particular individuals or organizations for the September 11 attacks,[33][34] and Gage stated that avoiding speculation on the attacks on the Pentagon or on the involvement of the Bush administration was critical to the mission of the organization.[35] However, Gage also said that if the destruction of the World Trade Center was the result of a controlled demolition, this would mean that part of what happened on September 11, 2001, would have been planned by "some sort of an inside group".[36] According to Gage, an elevator modernization program that had taken place before the attacks would have provided an opportunity to get access to the core areas of the WTC towers without creating suspicion.[37]

The organization has compiled a list of criteria for a controlled demolition that it says the collapse of the World Trade Center meets: the destruction followed the path of greatest resistance, the debris was symmetrically distributed, the rapid onset of the destruction, explosions and flashes reported by witnesses, steel elements were expelled from the building at high speed, the pulverization of the concrete, expanding pyroclastic clouds, lack of pancaked stories in the debris, isolated explosions 20 to 40 stories below the wave of destruction, molten steel and thermite traces found in the debris.[8]

Investigations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have concluded that the buildings collapsed as a result of the impacts of the planes and of the fires that resulted from them.[38][39] In 2005, a report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded that the destruction of the World Trade Center towers was the result of progressive collapse initiated by the jet impacts and the resultant fires. A 2008 NIST report described a similar progressive collapse as the cause of the destruction of the third tallest building located at the World Trade Center site, the 7 WTC. Many mainstream scientists choose not to debate proponents of 9/11 conspiracy theories, saying they do not want to lend them unwarranted credibility.[40] The NIST explanation of collapse is universally accepted by the structural engineering, and structural mechanics research communities.[41]

Gage criticized NIST for not having investigated the complete sequence of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers,[42] and claims that "the official explanation of the total destruction of the World Trade Center skyscrapers has explicitly failed to address the massive evidence for explosive demolition."[43] In particular, Gage argues that the buildings of the World Trade Center could not have collapsed at the speed that has been observed without tearing apart several columns of their structures with the help of explosives.[31] To support its position, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth points to the "free fall" acceleration of 7 WTC during part of the collapse,[44] to "lateral ejection of steel," and to "mid-air pulverization of concrete."[29] Richard Gage also said that the absence of "large gradual deformations" associated with the collapse would indicate that the buildings have been destroyed by controlled demolition.[45] That the three buildings of the World Trade Center "fell through what should have been the path of greatest resistance" would, according to the organization, require "precisely timed removal of critical columns, which office fires cannot accomplish".[44] As the mass of the top of the North Tower had been blown outward during the collapse, there was "nothing left to drive this building to the ground," Gage says.[46]

Gage maintains that the "sudden and spontaneous" collapse of the towers would have been impossible without a controlled demolition, that pools of molten iron found in the debris of the buildings were evidence of the existence of thermite,[47] and that researchers had found unignited nano-thermite in the dust produced by the collapse of the World Trade Center.[25][44][46][48] Gage argues that this material "is not made in a cave in Afghanistan".[49] Iron-rich micro-spheres, which, according to the organization, have been found in the dust of the World Trade Center buildings by independent laboratory analyses, would indicate temperatures during the collapses much higher than temperatures that would result from hydrocarbon fires.[44] "We have evidence of high tech explosives found in all of the dust, we have evidence of thermite found in the molten iron samples. This cant happen in normal office fires. They dont have half the temperature required to melt steel, so where did the molten iron come from?" Gage asks.[50] A DVD produced by the group contains eyewitness accounts of explosions and flashes seen in the buildings.[51]

In 2008, Zdenk P. Baant, professor of civil engineering and materials science at Northwestern University, published with three coauthors a paper to examine whether allegations of controlled demolition might be scientifically justifiable. They found that the available video records are not consistent with the free fall hypothesis, that the size of the concrete particles is consistent with comminution caused by impact, and that the high velocity of compressed air explains why material from the towers were ejected to a distance of several hundred meters from the tower. The authors conclude that the allegations of controlled demolition do not have any scientific merit.[52] A spokesman for NIST said that any sightings of molten metal, including metal seen pouring from the South tower, were likely molten aluminum from the airplane, an explanation disputed by Richard Gage who stated that the color of the molten metal rules out aluminum.[5] "Basically, gravity and the utter force of the upper floors forced the towers down," said NIST spokesperson Michael Newman.[46]

According to Richard Gage, 7 World Trade Center (7 WTC), a 47-story high-rise building that was part of the World Trade Center complex and collapsed in the afternoon on September 11, 2001, is the "smoking gun" of September 11,[44][53] providing the most compelling evidence that something was suspect about the building's collapse that had not been told to the public.[54][55] Gage also described 7 WTC as "the most obvious example of controlled demolition."[56] According to Richard Gage, the only way to bring a building down with free-fall acceleration would be to remove its columns, which provide resistance to the force of gravity.[57] Scott Grainger, a fire protection engineer and member of the group, told the BBC that the evidence he had seen indicated the fires in 7 WTC were scattered about on the floors and would have moved on as they would have found no more combustibles. He thus claims that the fires could not have developed enough heat to cause the collapse of the building.[56]

Gage dismisses the explanation of the collapse of 7 World Trade Center given by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), according to which uncontrolled fires and the buckling of a critical support column caused the collapse, and argues that this would not have led to the uniform way the building actually collapsed. "The rest of the columns could not have been destroyed sequentially so fast to bring this building straight down into its own footprint," he says.[25] Richard Gage argues that skyscrapers that have suffered "hotter, longer lasting and larger fires" have not collapsed.[53] "Buildings that fall in natural processes fall to the path of least resistance," says Gage, "they don't go straight down through themselves."[58] Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth also questions the computer models used by NIST, and argues that evidence pointing to the use of explosives had been omitted in its report on the collapse of 7 WTC.[59]

The community of experts in structural mechanics and structural engineering generally supports the explanation of the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings provided by the investigation conducted by NIST.[60] The appearance of a controlled demolition can be explained by an interior failure of the building, which is suggested by the sequence of the collapse of 7 WTC that shows roof elements sinking into the building while the faade remained intact.[61]

Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth has expressed concerns that evidence related to the destruction of the World Trade Center could have been distorted and covered up by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which conducted a building and fire safety investigation, one of the official investigations into the event. According to the group, and NIST themselves who considered it unnecessary, NIST did not look for physical evidence of explosives[25][44] and did not include the eyewitness accounts from first responders and from people who escaped the buildings in their investigation.[5] The organization also alleges that much of the physical evidence, apart from a few selected samples of the steel, would have been destroyed.[44] Gage criticizes that taped eyewitness interviews that were released to the New York Times in August 2005 had been "hidden by the city of New York".[5]

After the publication of the results of NIST's inquiry into the collapse of 7 WTC, Richard Gage called a news conference,[62] and leaders of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth dismissed NIST's investigation as flawed. When told of the claims, Shyam Sunder, lead investigator from NIST, responded: "I am really not a psychologist. Our job was to come up with the best science."[38] A spokesperson for NIST said the agency's computer models were highly reliable in assessing the amount of fireproofing dislodged, a factor that would not be present in other steel buildings cited by Gage.[5]

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Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth - Wikipedia