"If forests were meant to burn, why not the houses in them?"
Natural disasters like the recent California wildfires are not going to go away, so the only option is to rebuild with temporality in mind, argues Aaron Betsky. More about "If forests were meant to burn, why not the houses in them?"
"Calgary's New Central Library is an example of the best practices in modern monument making"
Why can't all public libraries be as warm and welcoming as Snøhetta and Dialog's New Central Library for Calgary, asks Aaron Betsky in this Opinion column. More about "Calgary's New Central Library is an example of the best practices in modern monument making"
"It makes no difference whether you draw with Rhino or a Pelikan"
An architect's tool of choice for visualising designs is not important, says Aaron Betsky, as long as the effects of time and use on the finished creations are considered during the process. More about "It makes no difference whether you draw with Rhino or a Pelikan"
"Renderers, if you can't show us where we are, show us where we might go"
Whether for client meetings or the silver screen, architectural renderings that sell fantasy need to be grounded in ambitions for improving the world, rather than sugar-coated versions of reality, says Aaron Betsky. More about "Renderers, if you can't show us where we are, show us where we might go"
"New York's new prisons will be more than just places of incarceration"
New York's plans for replacing Rikers Island jail will require input from design's brightest minds if the buildings are to integrate with their neighbourhoods, and conditions for inmates and staff are to improve, says Aaron Betsky. More about "New York's new prisons will be more than just places of incarceration"
"Jenga architecture proposes the unstable, the tentative, and that which tends to dissolution"
Aaron Betsky examines the emergence and popularity of Jenga-style towers and pixelated buildings around the world, and hopes that future examples don't tumble into mediocrity. More about "Jenga architecture proposes the unstable, the tentative, and that which tends to dissolution"
"Could architecture and design do anything to alleviate 'walmartism'?"
Walmart's textureless surfaces are intended to look as cheap as possible. But surely, mulls Aaron Betsky, even a little tactility could improve the stores and other similar spaces without breaking the bank. More about "Could architecture and design do anything to alleviate 'walmartism'?"
"Please Do Not Touch makes you realise how theatrical modernism truly was and still is"
A new book that traces the rise and fall of New York design store Moss, written by its former owners, has made Aaron Betsky nostalgic for the "theatre" of retail they created. More about "Please Do Not Touch makes you realise how theatrical modernism truly was and still is"
"Casablanca presents one of the best models of modernism"
The cohesive core of Casablanca, Morocco, is unmatched by few city centres and shows how modernism can be used to its full potential on a large scale, says recent visitor Aaron Betsky. More about "Casablanca presents one of the best models of modernism"
"No architect today is capable of buildings like Luis Barragán's"
The sensual and autobiographical qualities of the house Mexican architect Luis Barragán built for himself are rarely found in today's buildings, says Aaron Betsky. More about "No architect today is capable of buildings like Luis Barragán's"
"Revisiting Postmodernism is a careening joyride through 20th-century architecture"
Postmodernism proponents Terry Farrell and Adam Nathaniel Furman should broaden their range of influences and definition of the style to help the controversial architecture movement remain relevant, says Aaron Betsky. More about "Revisiting Postmodernism is a careening joyride through 20th-century architecture"
"Will Amazon's HQ2 actually be good for whatever city wins the race?"
North American cities are fiercely vying to secure Amazon's second headquarters, but will the retail giant really improve the culture and infrastructure of the area it finally chooses? Aaron Betsky doesn't think so. More about "Will Amazon's HQ2 actually be good for whatever city wins the race?"
"America's hinterlands now serve as playgrounds for the few wired haves"
Globalisation isn't killing the USA's backwater cities and rural areas, but rather turning them into escapes for wealthy "digirati" who are pumping money into regeneration projects, says Aaron Betsky in response to a New York Times article. More about "America's hinterlands now serve as playgrounds for the few wired haves"
"Is Phoenix doomed to fall back into the ashes?"
If sprawling desert metropolises like Phoenix, Arizona, are going to survive an increasingly scorching climate, they will require a different kind of sustainable urbanism than typical cities, says Aaron Betsky. More about "Is Phoenix doomed to fall back into the ashes?"
"The architecture of the Americas is not white"
The Pacific Standard Time exhibitions in Los Angeles show that arts and culture from south of the border have shaped an architectural identity for the region that is much more interesting than what's found in the Northeast US, says Aaron Betsky. More about "The architecture of the Americas is not white"
"Chicago Biennial shows us how we might find building blocks for a new architecture"
This year's Chicago Biennial doesn't provide a blueprint for the future of architecture, but it does offer clues for how to create one, says Aaron Betsky. More about "Chicago Biennial shows us how we might find building blocks for a new architecture"
"The more we build in areas that endanger us, the more we erect defensive systems"
Disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are inevitable when we construct cities in harm's way, says Aaron Betsky, who believes we have designed ourselves into a Catch-22 of create and protect. More about "The more we build in areas that endanger us, the more we erect defensive systems"
"We have much to learn from the 'timber constructivists'"
Architects designing for America's future suburbs should look back to the country's unsung modernists, who created site-appropriate and liveable timber homes across the USA, says Aaron Betsky in this Opinion column. More about "We have much to learn from the 'timber constructivists'"
"Rei Kawakubo is an architect of clothes"
The Met's Comme des Garçons exhibition demonstrates how forward-thinking designers like Rei Kawakubo are using new digital crafts to manipulate both the body and architectural space, says Aaron Betsky in his latest Opinion column. More about "Rei Kawakubo is an architect of clothes"
"Frank Lloyd Wright remains America's greatest architect"
Rounding off our celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th birthday, Aaron Betsky dissects the American architect's array of buildings to prove why his body of work remains unmatched in the USA. More about "Frank Lloyd Wright remains America's greatest architect"