From the AIA Hompage:

‘The AIA is pleased to announce the 19 recipients of its 2008 Housing Awards. The Housing Awards program, now in its eighth year, recognizes the best in housing design and promotes the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit, and a valuable national resource. The categories are:

* One- and Two-Family Custom Residences
* One- and Two-Family Production Homes
* Multifamily Housing
* Special Housing.‘

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‘TMA is constructing a new 66,000-square-foot facility in downtown Tampa. The museum will become a nationally recognized major art destination and premier venue for residents and visitors. Designed by San Francisco architect Stanley Saitowitz, the building will feature a shimmering pierced aluminum exterior, and state-of-the-art gallery spaces with innovative translucent ceilings and polished stone floors. Five expansive interior galleries, one exterior sculpture gallery, and an educational classroom equipped with the latest technology will offer visitors a wide variety of visual art experiences.’

Source: www.tampamuseum.com

David Cogswell, Principal of Cogswell Design Inc. (formerly Creative Director of Premier Displays) has been recognized for his creative work on the Spyder Active Sports exhibits in “Frame Magazines – “Grand Stand II – Best of International Design 2008.

A slatted beacon for partygoers and buyers alike, the 2400 square feet exhibit that David Cogswell designed for Spyder Active’s presentation at the SnowSports show (SIA 2007) was a vehicle for launching Spyder Venom ski apparel.

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Jacque Fresco is an industrial designer, author, lecturer, futurist, inventor, and a pioneer in the field of human factors engineering, based in Venus, Florida, USA. Fresco has worked as both designer and inventor in a wide range of fields spanning from biomedical innovations to totally integrated social systems. His optimistic view and desire to create solutions that maximally benefit the greatest number of people stem from his formative years during the Great Depression. In the mid-1970s, he started The Venus Project and the non-profit organization Future by Design together with Roxanne Meadows, that reflects the culmination of Fresco’s life work. To this day he writes and lectures extensively on subjects ranging from the holistic design of sustainable cities, energy efficiency, natural resource management and advanced automation, focusing on the benefits it will bring to society.

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In just fifty days since its opening, Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre, an exciting new development designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, welcomed its one millionth visitor to the state of the art shopping and entertainment facility.  After far exceeding the expected 15,000 visitors on opening day by bringing in over 67,000 people, Westside again showed its ability to bring in record numbers by exceeding one million visitors in less than two months.  Westside’s appeal comes from its great variety, offering not only 55 shops, 10 restaurants and bars, a hotel and senior residency, but also an enormous water park, fitness center and multiplex cinema.  Westside’s array of attractions includes the “BernAqua Adventure Pool,” now the largest water park in Switzerland.  The location doesn’t hurt either – situated right above the A1 highway and directly connected to the tram and the BERNMOBIL transport network – Westside is truly becoming the gathering place for the whole greater region of Bern.

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‘Each unit is a room divider and a functional piece of furniture. The interior is easy to move and usable in any space.

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Various Architects, authors of the innovative Mobile Performance Venue,  just designed a new inflatable project, currently running up for the Yorkshire Renaissance Pavilion competition.

From a total of 87 submissions, the jury selected 5 projects and then narrowed down to 3 finalists. Final results are not announced yet.

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Sheppard Robson, known as the designers of the first zero carbon house in the UK, has received planning permission for the £29m Waingels College in Woodley, Wokingham – incorporating a cross laminated timber structural system that will reduce its carbon emissions by 60%.

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