The brief on Parkman Triangle will be part of series that explores various Los Angeles neighborhoods, with the goal to show locals and visitors spots in LA that merit a visit—going beyond the standards like Universal Studios, Hollywood and the Grove. Stay tuned in October!
The LA Unified School District may have laid off 3000 teachers, struggle to pay the ones they have on payroll properly, face a huge dropout rate, and face a $640 million shortfall, but the Robert Kennedy Learning Center is on target to open next month. After years of litigation and cost overruns, the $578 million project is finished.
On March 20th the City of Santa Monica Green Building Program showcased six houses that were certified as LEED Platinum. I was able to visit four of them, all of which were impressive. What I appreciated the most was the effort put into these homes to make sure that the materials cooling and warming the [...]
As much as I love visiting large cities and national capitals, having limited time abroad often denies you the opportunity to view the true soul of a country. To me, Chicago presents visitors a near-perfect American city in architecture, culture, and spirit; Lyon reveals France’s charm and cuisine; and Daejon allows you to glimpse everyday [...]
Yerevan.
Yes, that’s right. The New York times just covered the opening of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. This US$40 million art center sits on top of the Cascade, an ostentatious yet delightful structure that sums up Armenia. As true with any nationality, being part Armenian, I had to [...]
As Ottawa’s population grows, districts once in decline are making a huge comeback. Wellington Village, on Ottawa’s west end, was considered gritty and lacked shops and services earlier this decade. Now, this neighborhood, where I’ve been staying the past week, is thriving. Shops and restaurants have moved in, homeowners have purchased homes and beautifully refurbished [...]
Recently a friend and I attended a day-long LEED workshop in Santa Monica. The instructor was enthusiastic and knowledgeable (in fact, he stayed an extra hour to cover the material with us); the class small, providing a great opportunity to cram in more information; and the venue was a LEED-certified silver showroom, giving us live [...]
I just watched the IOC announcement giving the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro. For South America, it’s about time the continent hosted such an event. Rio is an incredible city, and Brazilian culture is infectious. I’m sure the Cariocas (the local term for Rio residents) will put on quite a party.
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Modular homes.
That thought leaves most of us shuddering, then snickering about that dream double-wide trailer—hey, live large and maybe you could have a triple wide! Years ago, a dear friend of mine was struggling to buy a home in her beloved, but unaffordable, Santa Cruz County. She dealt with a real estate agent who [...]
Detroit has become the butt of countless jokes and to many in Michigan and beyond, it’s a national embarrassment. The automobile industry has collapsed, crime is rampant, and hard numerical evidence is demonstrated by the fact that San Jose recently passed Detroit as the tenth largest US city. Finally, the Motor City is one big [...]
I just returned from a quick trip to the Bay Area, and on Friday morning, as my mother was driving me down I-280 from the CA-85 interchange, a gateway to Cupertino, I suddenly saw a stunning white cable bridge spanning the highway. It reminded me of similar bridges I’ve seen around the world, from Buenos [...]
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