Venturi Scott Brown and Associates Becomes VSBA, LLC

The design firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. has become VSBA, LLC and is now under the leadership of president and principal Daniel K. McCoubrey. McCoubrey, together with fellow principal Nancy Rogo Trainer, will build on architectural and planning principles instituted by founders Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.

Dan McCoubrey was principal-in-charge for the Curtis Institute of Music’s new Lenfest Hall and for additions and renovations at the Allentown Art Museum. He recently directed a series of projects for Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., including a new research library. He has led projects for Penn, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, the Barnes Foundation, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, among others. A graduate of Penn’s School of Architecture, he has taught at Drexel since 1986, lectures widely, and is a member of the Philadelphia Historical Commission Architectural Review Committee.

Nancy Rogo Trainer was recently principal-in-charge for renovation of historic Fay House at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard, where she directed renovation of Schlesinger Library and campus planning. She led campus plans for Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford and designed projects at Harvard Divinity School and Bryn Mawr, among others. A graduate of Penn’s School of Architecture, Nancy teaches at Drexel, lectures extensively, and is a member of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.

After over fifty years as one of the world’s most renowned architects, Bob Venturi has retired from practice, while Denise Scott Brown continues to publish and present her work. +

An interesting experiment is taking place in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, where, for the last year or so, its 430,000 residents have been able to ride the city’s transit lines practically for free. City officials hope to pump up ridership by 20%, cut carbon emissions, and give low-income Tallinnites greater access to job opportunities. But is it working?

| Mar 26, 2014

Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies

Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.

Hadid calls the plaza a "green oasis" in the midst of the urban Dongdaemun distr

| Mar 26, 2014

Zaha Hadid's glimmering 'cultural hub of Seoul' opens with fashion, flair [slideshow]

The new space, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, is a blend of park and cultural spaces meant for the public to enjoy.

| Mar 26, 2014

First look: Lockheed Martin opens Advanced Materials and Thermal Sciences Center in Palo Alto

The facility will host advanced R&D in emerging technology areas like 3D printing, energetics, thermal sciences, and nanotechnology.

Sydney's new Goods Line will be built in two stages, the first of which is set t

| Mar 25, 2014

Sydney breaks ground on its version of the High Line elevated park [slideshow]

The 500-meter-long park will feature bike paths, study pods, and outdoor workspaces.

Johns Hopkins chooses SLENDERWALL for a critical medical facility reconstruction

After decades of wear, the hand-laid brick envelope of the Johns Hopkins nine-story Nelson/Harvey inpatient facility began failing. SLENDERWALL met the requirements for renovation.

| Mar 25, 2014

World's tallest towers: Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill discuss designing Burj Khalifa, Kingdom Tower

The design duo discusses the founding of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects and the design of the next world's tallest, Kingdom Tower, which will top the Burj Khalifa by as much as a kilometer.

Shigeru Ban. Photo by Shigeru Ban Architects

| Mar 24, 2014

Shigeru Ban receives 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize

Shigeru Ban, a Tokyo-born, 56-year-old architect with offices in Tokyo, Paris, and New York, is rare in the field of architecture. He designs elegant, innovative work for private clients, and uses the same inventive and resourceful design approach for his extensive humanitarian efforts.