Two of my very favorite books on architecture come from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

 

Master Builders - A Guide To Famous American Architects and What Style Is It? A Guide To American Architecture are both easy-to-read, informative guides on American architects and architecture, with excellent photos, illustrations and diagrams. Both are terrific resources for those who have studied or are studying architecture and design. Individuals with interest in architecture, but with no formal training, will likely also find the books to be very enjoyable and informative.

 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1949, and is dedicated to "saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities".

 

The organization's website offers some excellent resources, including e-newsletters and blogs, a calendar of events, volunteer and advocacy opportunities, green / sustainable information, and info about historic destinations and tours.

One can also sign up to receive the "Preservation" print magazine when joining as a member. Definitely an organization worth our time and attention..

 

What is Interior Architecture, and how does it differ from Interior Design?

 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Interior Architecture education is a program that "prepares individuals to apply architectural principles in the design of structural interiors for living, recreational, and business purposes and to function as professional interior architects." It includes instruction in architecture, structural systems design, heating and cooling systems, occupational and safety standards, interior design, specific end-use applications, and professional responsibilities and standards.

 

NCES defines Interior Design education as "a program in the applied visual arts that prepares individuals to apply artistic principles and techniques to the professional planning, designing, equipping, and furnishing of residential and commercial interior spaces." Interior design education includes instruction in computer applications drafting and graphic techniques; principles of interior lighting, acoustics, systems integration, and color coordination; furniture and furnishings; textiles and their finishing; the history of interior design and period styles; basic structural design; building codes and inspection regulations; and applications to office, hotel, factory, restaurant and housing design."

 

The Princeton Review offers a more lighthearted look at each:

Interior Architecture

I recently read a book entitled "Green Building Through Integrated Design" by Jerry Yudelson. Author of several books about green and sustainable design, Yudelson is a professional engineer who has chaired Greenbuild for six years running and who has trained 3,500 people in the LEED green building rating system since its inception.

 

While the author's writing style is a little stilted, I found the content to be quite informative. The book takes a look at where things are today and where they're headed relative to Green Building and the integrated design process.

 

Yudelson examines the business cases and costs associated with environmentally friendly and sustainable building design, architecture and construction, and then walks the reader through predesign, conceptual and schematic design considerations, as well as the development and documentation phases.

 

The author not only looks at the design process from an environmental and public health perspective, but also from a cost/benefit perspective. He gives information about critical success factors such as delivering projects on-time and within budget while managing domestic and/or international certification processes, and does so by studying over 30 LEED Platinum projects.

 

To learn more about the book or to purchase it, click here.

Don't miss it! Through April 4, 2010, the Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum is presenting "Design USA: Contemporary Innovation", featuring and celebrating the winners of the past ten years' National Design Awards.

 

Design USA highlights excellence in American architecture, landscape design, interior design, product design, communication design, corporate design, interaction design, and fashion. The exhibit "focuses on innovation through the lens of technology, material, method, craft and transformation."

 

This is a great opportunity to see the design achievements of the past decade showcased in one exhibit.

 

Every October, Cooper Hewitt announces the National Design Award winners. For more information, click here.

 

I recently read an interesting article in the New York Times entitled "Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label". The author, Mireya Navarro, describes how builders greatly covet green certifications, but many of the buildings that receive certification don't actually save as much energy as their designs originally predicted or advertised.

 

I encourage you to check out the article here.

Take a look at the new construction taking place on college campuses around the country. You'll see a combination of great design, engineering ingenuity, and environmentally sustainable practices.

 

For example, check out Kroon Hall at Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (across the street from Eero Saarinen's hockey rink), Cornell University's new Life Sciences building (Weill Hall), the Rice University Childrens' Campus, and Oberlin College's Adam Joseph Lewis Center for examples of excellence in green architecture.

 

For example, all of the materials used and grown within Oberlin's Adam Joseph Lewis Center are recycled, reused, or sustainably grown and harvested. And the air conditioning, heating, and lighting are passive and energy efficient in as far as it is possible.

 

The center's interior and exterior landscaping incorporates a mixture of native northern Ohio ecosystems that provide responsible storm water management and capture/storage in addition to the food that's produced.

 

Oberlin proudly promotes the center's "Living Machine" which it describes as an "ecologically engineered system that combines elements of conventional wastewater technology with the purification processes of wetland ecosystems to treat and recycle the building's wastewater". Water that has been cleaned by the Living Machine is ultimately reused in the building's toilets and for landscape irrigation.

 

Success will surely be measured in the long term, but the beauty and innovation of these buildings is extremely exciting.

 

You've probably already heard about the small town of Greensburg, Kansas?

 

Greensburg was hit by a devastating EF-5 tornado in early May, 2007. The twister leveled 95% of the town's homes and buildings. In the aftermath, Greensburg city officials committed to using 100 percent renewable energy and mandated that every city building be built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Platinum standards.

 

GreenTown is a community-based organization which has worked alongside Greensburg and Kiowa county officials, business owners, and local residents to help make Greensburg a model of sustainable living for the rest of the country. According to the GreenTown website, the organization serves as "an educational resource for the community, a conduit through which donations can be distributed, and a representative to those outside the community who are interested in the Green Initiative".

 

I found both the website and the town's story quite compelling. The site offers a comprehensive database of each of the green homes and buildings that has been built as part of the reconstruction, as well as a walk through the town in the form of a "Green Tour" PDF. As an example, the site describes the materials and techniques used to build the town's new City Hall (pictured below).

 

Greensburg's GreenTown City Hall

 

The town is still a work-in-progress, but what an amazing story!

 

The International Code Council (ICC), American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM-International co-introduced the ICC's International Green Construction Code (IGCC) "Safe and Sustainable By the Book" initiative yesterday. The program's goal will be to reduce the carbon footprint of commercial buildings by developing and maintaining a model code focused upon new and existing commercial building construction.

 

According to the ICC, buildings consume roughly 40 percent of energy used and contribute about the same percentage of carbon emissions in the United States.

 

We believe the time has come for us to develop a code that will stand as a useful and credible regulatory framework for creating a greener commercial building stock,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Weiland. “We applaud and plan to utilize the good work of those who have developed systems, guidelines and standards to address green buildings.”

Have you seen Architectural Digest's recent feature on great ceilings? Beautiful! I especially like the second and eleventh ones. Check them all out here..

 

Architectural Digest's Great Ceilings Slideshow

 

Have you heard about the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City? It's still under construction, but I heard about it as the result of a newsletter I receive.

 

When completed, the center will house a 1,600-seat concert hall and an 1,800-seat proscenium theater in the 280,000+ square foot, state-of-the-art facility. According to the Kaufmann Center website, the future home of the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Ballet is certain to become "the singular architectural icon for Kansas City, and be counted among the finest performing arts centers in the world".

 

The internationally recognized design team includes Moshe Safdie & Associates, Theatre Projects Consultants, and Nagata Acoustics. The designers are claiming that both performance halls will boast virtually perfect acoustics and optimal sightlines.

 

You can check out more about the Kauffman Center, its design team and the late Muriel McBrien Kauffman and her Foundation after which the center is named here.

 

 

Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts - Kansas City, MO