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Four projects designed by top-notch architecture firms won big in the 2019 Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design, which distinguish the best in urban design, regional and city planning, and community development. The five-member competition jury evaluated all the submissions based on criteria like the ability to collect and distribute resident renewable resources while enhancing quality of life and promoting social equity.  In case you missed them, here are the 2019 Institute Honor Award winners in Architecture and Interior Architecture . Read on for a glimpse of the winning projects. Detroit East Riverfront Framework Plan, Detroit | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP Justine Testado via Archinect - News http://bit.ly/2Uy5MK0

Quiet appliances can make your home a more restful, relaxing place. Hero Images /Getty Images The noise generated by the appliances in your home can add up quickly and make quite a racket. With washers, dryers, dishwashers, heating and cooling units, vacuums and more in modern homes, the sound can easily overwhelm you. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to decibels (dB) when choosing quiet appliances for your home. Some brands offer appliances designed to run silently or, at least, much quieter than older models. The last thing you want is for a load of laundry or your home’s heating system to drown out a conversation or your favorite TV show. Okay, so you know you want quieter appliances. What should you look for when shopping? Here are important tips for finding quiet appliances for your home. How to find quiet appliances The important number to remember is 60 dB, the level of an average conversation between two people. You don’t want to buy any appliances that run l

We hope you like the products we recommend. Just so you are aware, Freshome may collect a share of sales from the links on this page.  Our homes are getting smarter . Not only is this saving us from menial tasks and little issues, like struggling to remember if we have enough milk, but it’s also saving us money. The smart thermostat is the shining example of smart home technology. The best smart thermostats help us live more comfortably in our homes, conserve energy and keep more money in our own pockets. It’s a win-win-win. But there are a lot of thermostats on the market today and all of them seem pretty smart. How do you choose the right one for your home? Which bells and whistles do you need? Is it worth paying more for the top-of-the-line option? We had these same questions, too, and now can help you narrow the field. We’ve listed six of the best smart thermostats worth checking out plus the features that really wowed us about them. Ready to get smart about this smart home tec

The American Institute of Architects has revealed the winners of the 2019 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture , which recognizes the best contemporary architecture completed by architects licensed in the USA. The winners list this year includes a diverse range of projects, from BIG's converted WWII bunker to an affordable housing complex in New Orleans by OJT. The five person jury noted that the commended projects all demonstrated "a sense of place and purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability and history." In total, nine buildings have been recognized, seven of which are in the US. Below, take a look at the recipients.  Project:  Arlington Elementary School Architect: Mahlum Architects Location: Tacoma, Washington Mackenzie Goldberg via Archinect - News http://bit.ly/2HGlmS8

Named in honor of the late Neave Brown , RIBA has launched a prize celebrating the best new housing projects across the UK. All 2019 RIBA Regional Award-winning housing projects that meet published criteria will be considered for the inaugural award.  Brown, who passed away last year , was a celebrated architect known for his pioneering social housing schemes; his Alexandra Road Estates is widely considered to be some of the finest housing built in the UK in the last 50 years, helping him to earn the country's top honor for architecture, the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture . In celebration of his legacy, eligible projects for consideration must contain 10 or more homes, at least one-third of which must be affordable. Further, projects should demonstrate evidence of meeting the challenge of housing affordability more broadly.  RIBA President Ben Derbyshire says he has "high hopes that this new award will play a role in raising the bar and recognizing good-quality, susta

Every year, new trends hit the interior design landscape and 2019 is no different. In particular, this year there is an emphasis on  living room trends. We’ve decided to take a closer look at them today. Read on to learn about these new living room trends and tips on how to make these looks work in your home. Believe us when we say that you’ll fall in love with these popular design statements. The bolder, the better when it comes to furniture colors this year. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock Colorful seating If there’s one trend this year that’s totally eye-catching, it’s the colorful seating trend. These days, sofas, accent chairs and barstools all come in an array of bold shades that we haven’t seen in a while. In particular, jewel tones – such as ruby red, emerald green and sapphire blue – are the hues that are turning heads. If you’re going to embrace the colorful seating trend, there is one thing that you need to keep in mind. Whichever item of furniture you choose to

Author William Hall explores architecture’s most beloved material in a stunning hardback book Brick , published by Phaidon. You can buy it here . In most places around the world, bricks have been an architectural staple for centuries, in some cases, millennia. It is probable that bricks are the world’s earliest manmade building material. Yet, the material is rarely celebrated as important, influential, or exciting; no books have been published on the subject for a decade: brick buildings are utterly ubiquitous and yet utterly invisible. Perhaps that’s because bricks come in such a humble, unassuming, manageable form — they’re sized to be gripped in one hand while the other applies mortar — and that they’re basically just made of earth. Detail of the South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre Brick doesn’t have the grandeur of stone or the modernity of concrete or steel. But they do have a remarkable series of properties: they’re economical, weather resistant, and fireproof.

Cutting Matta-Clark: The Anarchitecture Investigation Mark Wigley Lars Müller Publishers in collaboration with CCA and Columbia GSAPP, June 2018 Paperback | 6-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches | 528 pages | 813 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-3037784273 | $39.00 Publisher Description : The Anarchitecture group show at the fabled 112 Greene Street gallery – an artistic epicenter of New York’s downtown scene in the 1970s – in March 1974 has been the subject of an enduring discussion, despite a complete lack of documentation about it. Anarchitecture, a collective challenging all conventional understandings of architecture, has become a foundational myth, but one that remains to be properly understood. Cutting Matta-Clark investigates the group through extensive interviews with the protagonists and a dossier of all the available evidence. Stemming from a series of meetings, organized by Gordon Matta-Clark and reflecting his long-standing interest in architecture, the Anarchitecture exhibi

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Spring 2019 It's time for Archinect's latest  Get Lectured , an ongoing series where we feature a  school 's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss. Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to  connect@archinect.com . On February 11, the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture will kick off their #Foros2019 lecture series, which will focus on “the debate on the concept of identity in contemporary architecture, a field heavily influenced by the forces of globalization. Seven professionals and academics will discuss how globalizing dynamics put in question the territorial and local architecture discourse.” The lecture series opens with a conference by UIC Barcelona anthropology professor Manuel Delgado. The following sessions will feature: Compa

As temperatures plummet across the Midwest, things are heating up at Chicago's Navy Pier , where a massive art installation has transformed the giant venue into a plastic beach. Created by Snarkitecture , one million monochromatic, antimicrobial balls have filled the Aron Grand Ballroom alongside deck chair seating and pool toys in order to give the controlled 72-degree environment a beach day vibe. The interactive installation,  The Beach Chicago , is a reiteration of the New York-based design practice's blockbuster ball pit that took over the National Building Museum's Great Hall in 2015. A top visitor attraction, and heavily instagrammed exhibit,  the Beach  has since travelled across the world to cities such as Tampa, Paris and Bangkok. For Chicago, the modern pop up will run until February 3rd. In partnership with Expo Chicago, it is free to the public and open to guests of all ages. For more, visit the pier's official website here .  Mackenzie Goldberg via A

Chances for architectural greatness are rare. When they come around, we best grab them. Such is the opportunity Chicago has before it with one of the five plans for a new global terminal at O’Hare International Airport. Chicago Tribune architecture critic, Blair Kamin, comes out in clear support of the Norman Foster-led finalist entry to the $8.5B Chicago O’Hare 21 Terminal Expansion competition: "That plan, from a team led by London-based Foster + Partners architects, promises to be everything an airport should be: a precisely-honed machine for moving people and baggage; easy to get around intuitively; and an enthralling gateway to its city." Foster's joint venture team also includes Chicago-based architects Epstein and Moreno. The other four finalist teams, announced last November , are Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza Joint Venture Partners, Santiago Calatrava LLC, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and Studio ORD Joint Venture Partners. Previously: Questions raise

Lots of people have tried to use wallpaper in a bedroom, but only a few know how to utilize this material to its fullest potential. Wallpaper shouldn’t just be thrown up as a way to do away with blank walls. Rather, it should be a major player in the design of the room as a whole. To that end, we’ve brought you four fresh and simple ways to use wallpaper in a bedroom. Look them over to see which suggestions will work best in your bedroom’s design. With any luck, the wallpaper may just become your favorite feature of the whole room. Let your wallpaper dictate your color palette. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock Set the color palette One way to use wallpaper in your bedroom is to have it set the color palette for the entire project. For example, you can see that the picture above features a chic monochromatic palette . In it, everything from the wallpaper to the blankets, bedding and throw pillows come together to form a cohesive look. If you decide to go this route, the key

WA Country Builders  completed the coastal design and development of The Geographe Bay, a residence in Dunsborough, Australia. From afar, the facade of the residence appears strikingly modern. It features elements like weatherboard, stone and brickwork, in order to ensure a laid-back visual appeal. Step inside and you also discover a vibrant beach-inspired residence with eye-catching details. “The entry of the house is complete with high ceilings which provide a sense of openness that continues throughout the home,” the architects said. “Directly off the entry is the private master suite, that features a dressing room and en-suite.” “The large free form living area is located at the center of the home, creating easy accessibility from all sides,” they add. “It features an expansive kitchen, scullery and dining space. The media room and laundry are located alongside the free form living zone.” A generously-sized terrace also offers opportunities for outdoor family entertainment. T

Cabin in Missouri , built in about 1860 with an Adirondack shelter addition, covered in 14 inches of snow from a rare snow storm.  Contributed by John Foster via Cabin Porn http://bit.ly/2FWTsQc

Landscape Architects:  Enter the 7th Annual A+Awards  before February 15th for an early entry discount! Five years ago, news that an expansion of The Frick Collection Museum in New York would  destroy a Russell Page-designed garden  had landscape architects, Upper East Side residents and green space aficionados up in arms. Gardens at ground level are precious commodities in Manhattan, and if removed, they usually aren’t brought back — except in rare examples like the High Line, where flora became the lynchpin in a transformative reclamation project. Widespread protests over the proposed demolition proved fruitful. 70th Street Garden was ultimately saved , and new expansion plans design by Selldorf Architects — approved in April last year — actually see the green space take center stage, with new architecture oriented towards it. It’s compelling proof that landscape architecture is just as valuable as the built kind in shaping the urban environment to benefit the lives of a city’s