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In the rapidly renewing Porta Nuova district of Milan, two brand new residential towers­one 250 feet and another 360 feet-stand well above the terracotta roofs of their ancient neighbors. Their stark white balconies jut out from what can be seen of the buildings'...

When it comes to contemporary sustainable design, no maxim is more apt than “what’s old is new again.” We’ve reached a period of reassessment, asking fundamental questions about the cities we live in, the buildings we inhabit, the materials we use, and the...

When it comes to sustainable design, our thoughts often turn to the marvels of technology. Ultra-efficient LED lighting, cutting-edge photovoltaic solar panel systems, and wind turbines have all transformed the design landscape­ and feel pulled directly from the pages...

In 2009, construction was completed on the Stadthaus, a nine-story, 29-apartment building in the rapidly gentrifying Shoreditch neighborhood of London. From a distance, the structure would have seemed to be a rather unremarkable postmodern addition to the...

After the Second World War, one major trend seemed consistent and assured in the United States: suburbanization. In droves, Americans left cities for less-dense communities across the country for the promise of more room to raise their families. And in many cases,...

This past fall Apple went bigger than ever, expanding their iPhone 6 offerings in size to satisfy a market hungry for screen space and digital content. But it’s not just their devices that are growing. In Cupertino, CA, a gargantuan new headquarters—called, naturally,...

We’ve all heard the stories from the Bay Area. From the lavish, ego-driven spending of the young techies to the stark income rifts developing in San Francisco real estate, no Gold Rush comparison feels unwarranted. And so in 2012, when the poster child for the current...

There are buildings that quietly serve their function utilitarian and sometimes even elegant. There are buildings that push the envelope with their design striking onlookers with their unique perspective or form. And then there are buildings that cement a legacy....

Ultra-tall skyscrapers continue to redefine the skylines of Shanghai and Dubai. One World Trade Center is now reaching completion in New York City, having recently topped out as the tallest building in the U.S. There can be no doubt that we are in the midst of another...

In the late 19th century, a rapidly growing Chicago, flush with railroad and manufacturing capital, gave birth to an architectural icon that would change the face of the modern skyline. The discovery and implementation of steel-frame construction, first successfully...