“Planetary Scar (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)” by Emanuel Admassu (2020). Silk, wool, and other threads; 7 foot by 7 foot. Now on exhibit through May 31, 2021, as part of Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
As part of its ongoing Contemporary Architecture series, The Museum of Modern Art, in New York, last month opened Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, which examines how violence and racism have shaped the U.S. built environment. Th exhibition, which runs through May 31, was organized by Sean Anderson, MoMA’s associate curator for architecture and design; Mabel O. Wilson, professor in African American and African diasporic studies and the associate director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University; and Arièle Dionne-Krosnick, MoMA’s associate curator for architecture and design. It features newly commissioned work from a group of 10 artists and designers: Emanuel Admassu, Germane Barnes, Sekou Cooke, J. Yolande Daniels, Felecia Davis, Mario Gooden, Walter Hood, Olalekan Jeyifous, V. Mitch McEwen, and Amanda Williams.
“Social Services,” a digital rendering by Walter Hood (2020)
Reconstructions is MoMA’s first exhibition devoted to African Americans in the profession of architecture, according to The New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman. In addition to creating the commissioned projects and installations by pooling together their resources and “insufficient stipends,” the artists formed the nonprofit Black Reconstruction Collective. BRC aims to provide “funding, design, and intellectual support to the ongoing and incomplete project of emancipation for the African Diaspora,” according to the collective’s website. [The New York Times]
The United States earned a C- from the American Society of Civil Engineers on its 2021 infrastructure report card. ASCE, which releases report cards for the U.S. and each individual state every four years, evaluated a number of factors, including road conditions (which earned a D as 43% of this country’s roads are in “poor or mediocre condition”); schools (D+); transit (D-); solid waste (C+); hazardous waste (D+); and bridges (C). Rail received the highest grade in this country with a B. The U.S.’s overall grade did, however, improve from 2017, when it received a D+. [Infrastructure Report Card]
Hoping to investigate the concept of post-pandemic “home,” The New York Times T Magazine’s Michael Snyder commissioned, so to speak, tiny paper houses from Vincent Van Duysen, founder of his eponymous firm in Antwerp, Belgium; Massimiliano Locatelli, founder of Locatelli Partners in Milan; and Toshiko Mori, FAIA, founder of Toshiko Mori Architect in New York. If you have extra time, the three miniature residences—which including an elegant curvilinear home, a circular 3D-printed–based scheme, and a passive-house barn—are available for any reader to recreate with access to a printer, scissors, and glue. In a different T feature, Snyder covered the effort to rebuild Jojutla, Mexico, a town devastated by a 2017 earthquake. Over the past three years, the Mexican nonprofit Fundación Hogares has enlisted architects around the world to create a new model for the town and to reimagine rural architecture. [T Magazine]
The world’s first non-fungible token (NFT) digital house has sold for more than $500,000, according to CNN. Created by Toronto-based digital artist Krista Kim, the virtual residence was purchased by a private buyer for 288 Ether (a cryptocurrency) and in exchange for 3D files of the Mars House, which the buyer can upload to a “Metaverse,” according to the project description. The virtual house, which contains a collection of reflective furniture, utilizes simple lines, transparent walls, and a palette of glowing colors. A soundtrack by The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder accompanies the NFT. [CNN]
Floating windows in AutoCAD 2022
This week Autodesk launched AutoCAD 2022, the latest version of its popular drafting and drawing tool. In addition to improvements aimed at streamlining digital workflow, the 2022 version includes several new features as well as one capability commonly requested by users. [ARCHITECT]
UrbanForm, a tool created to calculate “all the zoning regulations across a jurisdiction,” is now available for beta testing, according to an announcement by co-founder Quang Truong, AIA, on LinkedIn. Truong co-founded UrbanForm and AEC technology company Polytechnica with economist Anna Shakotko to make “building regulations accessible,” according to UrbanForm’s website. [UrbanForm]
Black Girls Code lab, in New York, designed by Kurani
Emerging professionals might be wondering whether they can find financial success while working on projects that benefit greater society. But it doesn’t have to be either-or, says ARCHITECT contributor Michael Caton, AIA. In his latest column, he speaks with architectural designer and urban planner Danish Kurani, about his eponymous firm. [ARCHITECT]
This year is the make-or-break year for Earth, declares Architecture 2030 founder and CEO Edward Mazria, FAIA, in his latest CarbonPositive column for ARCHITECT. In order to keep global warming limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the world must reach a 65% reduction of CO₂ emissions by 2030 and zero emissions by 2040. “To date, only the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Denmark have committed to significant 2030 emissions reductions …,” Mazria writes. “Much, much more is needed to reach the critical goals.” [ARCHITECT]
The Washington, D.C., studio of the global firm Perkins&Will announced its commitment to go net-zero in every commercial interiors space it designs by 2030. “We’re setting this ambitious benchmark as a necessary response to the global climate crisis,” said senior project manager, sustainability leader, and senior associate Jon Penndorf, FAIA, in a firm press release. “We believe the District of Columbia and surrounding communities can lead the way for the rest of the country.” [ARCHITECT]
The National Institute of Building Sciences has joined the newly launched Global BIM Network along with upwards of 2,000 public sector representatives from 100 countries. The Global BIM Network “will build on its members’ transformation journeys to transition toward a digital built environment that delivers socio-economic benefits for people and places,” according to a NIBS press release. [ARCHITECT]
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