Architecture

Witold Rybczynski visits Thom Mayne's new Federal Building in downtown San Francisco. He finds a number of energy conservation innovations at play, but concludes that precious little else is playful or human about the architecture.

As Beijing undergoes rapid redevelopment, many historic buildings have been lost in the scramble. Now the few that remain are inspiring a flood of gentrification.

Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has designed a floating city with the noble goal of housing displaced peoples who's homelands have been destroyed.

Prefab housing is experiencing a revival of interest among architects and design magazines. But as one realtor puts it, “I just think the whole thing is a false promise."

According to a recent survey of architects in Ireland, 80% think that local planning decisions do not support good design and are essentially a waste of time.

A new documentary film looks at the achievements of Michael Reynolds, who for 20 years has been building eco-friendly, off-grid "earth ship" houses built out of natural materials and car tires.

As the number of sustainable buildings increase rapidly, ecologically friendly designs are shedding an ugly past for a sleeker and more striking future.

If buildings are responsible for almost half of the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, then our energy and building codes are incredibly important tools attaining energy and climate sanity.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë has proposed abandoning the city's long-held building height restriction of 37 meters, citing the city's need to grow.

Americans have been storing a staggering amount of personal belongings in self-storage units. But along with the foreclosure crisis, storage companies are now seeing people foreclose on their lockers.

Satirist Stephen Colbert demands an explanation why the U.S. no longer has the world's tallest skyscrapers while construction is booming overseas.

A short video profile shows renewed interest in Arcosanti, the utopian community founded by architect Paolo Soleri. Could Soleri's 40 yr. old utopia be the wave of the sustainable future?

Older districts are often marked by high property values and traditional architecture, but it's not just aesthetics and history that define them. Some historic neighborhoods have gone through vast changes, while others don't appear "historic" at all.

Business Week looks at a recent list of the best cities for design in America.

Architect John Field believes that signature buildings by celebrity architects are destroying the urban fabric and our sense of community.