ION Architecture - NEWS

Blackstone Group is cashing in on its bet on the suburban rental class. The private-equity firm late Tuesday sold more than $1 billion of shares of Invitation Homes Inc., the giant single-family home landlord it launched following the financial crisis in a wager that many Americans would be willing to rent the suburban lifestyle they could no longer afford to own. In the two years since private-equity firm Blackstone Group launched its suburban home management service, Invitation Homes, the company's stock has gone up by over 26%.  During that same time, homeownership has fallen to its lowest levels since the mid-1990s, rents have edged upward in the nation's biggest metro areas, and an increasing number of Americans have become long-term tenants of Wall Street -based investment firms.  Simply put: Owning rental housing is a booming business that, increasingly, is seeing profits flow into fewer and fewer hands. The phenomenon is due in large part to Obama-era p...

The developers of the New York Wheel killed plans to build a 630-foot observation wheel on Staten Island in October, amid skyrocketing costs and lengthy delays in getting the project completed. But, NY1 learned Tuesday that plans are in the works to bring the project back to life. Archinect has been covering the tumultuous history of what was once promoted as "the tallest observation wheel in the Western Hemisphere" with spectacular views from Staten Island's North Shore. View this post on Instagram At 630 ft and the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, here's how we stack up against all the rest #onebigwheel #statenisland #NYC #lasvegas #singapore #london #china A post shared by New York Wheel (@nywheel) on May 17, 2016 at 12:46pm PDT This 2016 Instagram post proudly announces the original target size. The new, revived wheel could be considerably smaller. As NY1 reports now, the proposed revival of the less-than fortunate wheel "would be closer to th...

Shortly before the start of Pride Month, onePULSE Foundation announced the six interdisciplinary teams shortlisted for the final stage of the Pulse Nightclub Memorial design competition . The two-stage competition was launched to seek ideas for a memorial, museum, and associated communal space that will honor the 49 victims killed in the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando in 2016, as well as support the survivors, families, and first responders in the aftermath of the tragedy.  The first phase attracted an overwhelming response with submissions from 68 teams representing 19 countries; a total of 168 firms and 47 individual artists participated in the 68 submitting teams. In phase one, teams had to provide their credentials, showcase their relevant experience, and state how they believe architecture might embody onePULSE’s mandate, “We will not let hate win.” The jury then selected six top-notch teams to advance to the second and final stage. They are: Coldefy & Associés w...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday let stand a lower court’s ruling that said transgender students in an eastern Pennsylvania school district can use locker rooms and restrooms that match their gender identity. Antonio Pacheco via Archinect - News http://bit.ly/2JP4SqW

We get it. It can get a little overwhelming keeping up with the dozens of new  architecture competitions  launching worldwide on any given week — let alone having to stay on top of the multiple deadlines for each and every one. That's why  Bustler  is here to help! At the end of every week, we'll share a quick selection of our newest design  competition submissions  that we think are worth a look, as well as some ongoing ones you might have missed the first time. Check out our latest competition recommendations below. Bustler Editors via Archinect - News http://bit.ly/2JSNQIG

A joint venture led by global architecture and infrastructure firm AECOM has been awarded a $107.4 million contract by the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) for the development of four new correctional facilities set to replace the existing Rikers Island jail complex. AECOM will lead the project as part of a joint venture with Philadelphia-based construction management firm Hill International . The new correctional facilities will be located on sites scattered across the city, with Manhattan , Brooklyn , Queens , and the Bronx each set to receive a new jail. In a press release announcing their selection, AECOM writes, "new, state-of-the-art, borough-based facilities will enable New York City to make considerable improvements for people in detention, their visiting families and NYC Department of Correction employees. Each new facility will integrate health, educational and re-entry programs, as well as community space." The team selection fol...

Send us a drawing, tell us a story, win $2,500! Call for entries begins June 10th. Register for the One Drawing Challenge today. In many of today’s architecture studios, one would be forgiven for thinking that pencils and paper have become extinct. With BIM software and rendering packages becoming increasingly powerful and efficient, time spent at the drawing board has considerably diminished, and much has been written about hand drawing as a lost art of the profession. One architect’s sketchbook that flies in the face of such talk is that of Tom Kundig, principal at Olson Kundig Architects — the Seattle-based firm renowned for its raw industrial style, expressive materiality, and stunning detailing. Tom Kundig’s monograph — simply entitled Works — recounts some of the studio’s most-loved built projects using personal anecdotes and photography and includes a large number of sketches that lay bare the thought process behind these masterpieces. These sketches are just the kind of...

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. When you think about it, the kitchen has more potential for waste than any other area in the home. It’s where the majority of your appliances run. It’s where you cook and generate food waste. And it’s where you run water almost constantly, between the faucet, the dishwasher and any icemakers. So if you want to have a more eco-friendly home, the place to start is in making a sustainable kitchen. As far as costs go, you could be looking at hundreds to thousands of dollars if it’s time to get more sustainable appliances. Or simple measures like labeling food by date so it doesn’t go bad can be basically free. Planning and implementing more sustainable measures in your kitchen can also take as little as a weekend. So whether you’re ready for a complete appliance overhaul or looking for easier ways to be less wasteful, below are some tips for a sustainabl...

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. One hallmark of traditional zen spaces is that they tend to be dominated by neutral and earthy colors, especially beiges and browns. More contemporary zen styles may veer towards white and black color schemes. Since zen is all about relaxation, the soothing tones of neutral colors typically dominate. Zen also makes use of natural textures like rock gardens, stonework and natural bamboo, which all feature soothing neutral colors. But what if you like a relaxing zen sensibility and bold color? It turns out the two can fit together just fine. Take a look below to check out how to work with the colorful zen trend. Natural textures can have some bold colorings, as you can see in the Bartram Coral Sculpture . Image courtesy of Wayfair . Colorful natural textures As mentioned above, zen is all about natural textures , meaning the color scheme will ten...

Launched in 2013, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's International Prize honors socially transformative architecture and is open to architects based anywhere in the world. After evaluating submissions from 12 countries in six continents for its third edition, the six-member jury whittled down the competition pool to just three high-caliber projects designed by Toshiko Mori Architect, Hariri Pontarini Architects, and Barclay & Crousse. “The jury was struck by the diversity of these designs, from the inverted traditional Senegalese roof that serves as a water collector, to the unique glass-and-marble winged roof that fills the temple with light,” said Jury Chair Diarmuid Nash in a statement. “These architects have come up with unique and innovative strategies by listening to the needs of their communities.” The winning project will be announced during a gala in Toronto on October 25. The winning designer will receive a cash prize of CAD$100,000 and a sculpture...

He said the substitution of concrete and steel with wood and the long-term carbon storage in mass timber buildings make up about 75 percent of the total benefit, and the forestry end, if executed sustainably, about 25 percent. Jim Robbins talks to the experts about embodied carbon, life-cycle assessments and worries about monocultures of "industrial-type forestry". Nam Henderson via Archinect - News http://bit.ly/2XgzBQP

Architects: Showcase your work and find the perfect materials for your next project through Architizer .  M anufacturers: To connect with the world’s largest architecture firms,  sign up now. Whether in the urban city or rural landscape, the severity of shifting weather patterns has required a greater level of resilience from our buildings, while simultaneously minimizing energy consumption. Passive cooling, teflon fabric, and perforated panels are all components of a semi-permeable and sustainable system that is being increasingly employed to meet the needs of a changing world. Spread across diverse typologies, the deployment of ventilated façades in the following A+Award-winning projects showcases a low-fi approach to combating high external temperatures. Treating ventilation as both an aesthetic and technical challenge, architects are developing systems that are interwoven with a building’s energy strategy across its lifespan. These examples of architectural technology ...