Louisiana’s second special session of 2016 adjourned sine die Thursday, June 23rd at 11:37pm wrapping up a record-long 19 weeks of session. Gov. John Bel Edwards called the special session with demands of raising $600 million in new revenue to patch a forecasted shortfall for the 2017 Fiscal Year, which begins July 1. Much to Gov. Edwards’s chagrin legislators only raised slightly more than $260 million in new taxes in the second special session. This … Continue reading Second Special Session Report →

Congratulations to Mark Ripple, FAIA for his elevation into the AIA College of Fellows. The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. “It is an honor to join the ranks of such a prestigious group of renowned professionals; … Continue reading AIA College of Fellows 2016 Recipients →

To build better and healthier spaces, architects are heeding evidence-based lessons  By Amy Nordrum (Scientific American) Americans, on average, spend around 90 percent of their time indoors, and now the nation’s leading group of architects has found inspiration in this somewhat glum fact. The professionals who design our working and living quarters are starting to see all these confined hours as a major opportunity for them to make a meaningful impact on public health. Today, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced its latest effort along these lines—a three-year … Continue reading Architects Aim to Make Us Healthier with “Irresistible Staircases” and Open Layouts →

By Steven Bingler & Martin Pedersen | The New York Times In architecture, everyone’s a critic. One of us, Steven, was recently driving down Elliott Avenue in Charlottesville, Va., his hometown, with his 88-year-old mother. They passed a house designed and built by architecture students at the University of Virginia. To Steven, an architect, this model for affordable housing — a tough pair of stacked boxes, sheathed in corrugated metal — was a bold design statement. But to his mother’s eye, the house was a … Continue reading How to Rebuild Architecture →

Mayor Mitch Landrieu has appointed Jeff Hebert as New Orleans’ first chief resiliency officer. Hebert currently leads the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. The New Orleans Advocate reported the position of chief resiliency officer is being created in cities nationwide as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities program. The foundation describes the effort as $100 million push to help cities prepare for future stresses. Hebert will remain with NORA, which manages thousands of properties taken over by the state after Hurricane Katrina. Landrieu has designated … Continue reading NOLA’s First Chief Resiliency Officer →

Matt Shaw | Architizer Remember those days in high school of thinking that being an architect meant glamorous commissions and an uninhibited creative license? Remember how all of you relatives said, “Well, we will always need buildings!”? Well, a lot has changed since then, and now being an architect comes with the struggle to find well-paying work and avoid deliriously long hours. But maybe these employment problems aren’t as bad as we think. The Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project has created a series of interactive infographics that … Continue reading Does an Architecture Degree Pay? These Interactive Infographics Have the Answers →