Blog: As We See It

• Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial

  I'm in DC for the AIA Convention and, it turns out, just in time for a dust-up over Frank Gehry's proposed design for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial.

   

• Buy a First House or Rent?

  Here's a good give-and-take on whether it's smart for first-time buyers to make their move--or really, really not.

   

• Monstrum's Amazing Playgrounds

  Danish playground design firm Monstrum performs magic.

   

• An Inflatable Annex for the Hirshhorn Museum

  Liz Diller's TED Talk on Diller, Scofido + Renfro's inflatable addition to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.

   

• Net-zero Homes for the Aleutian Islands

  If you think designing a truly efficient building for your region is a challenge, try making one work in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

   

• Pod Houses, With and Without Wheels

  Maybe I'm just nostalgic for the days when my shelter needs were simpler, but I'm fascinated with compact, portable dwelling pods.

   

• Highlights From Georgetown House Tour

  On Saturday I took the Georgetown House Tour, an annual Washington, D.C., institution put on by St. John's Episcopal Church. Of particular interest to me were the three architects' own houses on the tour.

   

• Smart House? How About a Smart City?

  A company called Living PlanIT is building a new city in northern Portugal that will apply computer monitoring and control technology to the task of managing an entire urban environment.

   

• Can You Find the Sewage Treatment Plant in this Picture?

  Last week on vacation in Florida, my family and I visited the Green Cay Wetlands, a constructed wetland and nature preserve that also serves as the final-stage treatment facility for municipal wastewater.

   

• House & Home at Nat'l Building Museum

  Last night I attended a press preview for the National Building Museum's House & Home exhibition.