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A gift of nature and architecture
Park Van Ness has remarkable details—and opens up a view from a major thoroughfare to a major urban park.This beautiful Art Deco building is a striking addition to a major urban thoroughfare, terminating a vista at the end of a cross street with a grand, two-story archway that leads into a 5,000-square-foot public plaza overlooking an important urban park in DC. It's not often that a building like...Read more -
Great idea: The public realm
More and more people are appreciating that architecture and urban design of streets and public spaces have the power to connect, engage, and inspire all of us.In celebration of the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism , Public Square is running the series 25 Great Ideas of the New Urbanism. These ideas have been shaped by new urbanists and continue to influence cities, towns, and suburbs. The series is meant to inspire and challenge those working toward...Read more -
New urban design for an African village
The principles of neighborhood structure and buildings that relate positively to public space resonate with traditional Zulu culture and village geography.When a student at Andrews University, Wandile Mthiyane, returned to his native South Africa to design a low-cost house for a needy family, his journey sparked an eight-day public charrette and design process in eThekwini Municipality—about 25 miles from the city center of Durban. Mthiyane’s...Read more -
Community-oriented redesign for brutalist landmark
The redo of the Boston Public Library 1970s wing shows how a building can be reform and adapted to today's needs.This 156,000 square foot renovation transforms the inward-facing 1972 wing of Boston Public Library’s central location into an inviting urban building that engages the street and forms an outdoor room with community gathering spaces. The renovation honors a landmark building while adapting the...Read more