Proposed changes to ADA regulations
The rules would apply to new businesses and facilities and to alterations of existing ones. Businesses also would have to remove ‘readily achievable’ barriers — changes that don't require a lot of difficulty or expense. The proposal was published by the government last month. Final regulations could take effect next year, after a period for public comment.
“We are worried about people claiming ‘we did this, this and this, we renovated the bathroom on the second floor’ but you still can't get in the three steps at the front door,” said Kleo King, senior vice president of accessibility services at United Spinal Association. “There’s too much room for abuse here.”
New Green Building Standards
The 2009 version of LEED was crafted to increase the rating system's emphasis on a building's environmental, economic, and social impact. As Ted Smalley Bowen of the Architectural Record writes, the new version “consolidates the many LEED variants, such as the versions for new construction and commercial interiors, into a core set of requirements.” Smalley continues:
The new release comes on the heels of a study by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) of the three green building rating systems, LEED, Green Globes, and SBTool 07, which asses how the programs “resonate in various dimensions with the goals of the AIA position statements on sustainability.” The statements, part of a larger AIA goal to achieve carbon neutrality in construction by 2030, can be found here.
Modern Architectural Wonders
- Cumulus Building, Danfoss Universe (Nordborg, Denmark) – Designed by Berlin-based architect Jürgen Mayer H., this building is an exhibit hall that’s part of the Danfoss Universe science and technology museum. The unique contours of this building give it a striking silhouette.
- Burj Dubai (Dubai) – Chicago-based architect Adrian Smith designed this soon-to-be world’s tallest structure, which will measure 2,111 feet when finished. Smith made sure to incorporate regional design motifs and inspiration so that the building’s design would at least blend into the cityscape, size of the building notwithstanding.
- Wembley Stadium (London) – Pritzker-prize winning architect Sir Norman Foster was the lead architect on the redesign of London’s most famous stadium. He added about 9,000 seats and eliminated obstructed sight lines by using one massive support arch to brace the stadium’s retractable roof. All of this is in preparation for 2012 when London hosts the Olympics.
- New Museum (New York City) – Located in New York City’s Bowery district, the New Museum houses contemporary art from around the world. Designed by Japanese design team Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, the museum is seen as the standard for revitalizing this section of New York City.
- Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC) – The Smithsonian is one of DC’s most well-known buildings, and British architect Sir Norman Foster took a careful approach in redesigning this part of the Reynolds Center, which is home to the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.
- Red Ribbon, Tanghe River Park (Qinhuangdao, China) – The Beijing-based firm of Turenscape designed this park as a garden and “ecological oasis.” In particular, the Red Ribbon is a 1/3-mile red bench that snakes and curves its way through around one of the park’s trails. The bench “orients the visitor, gives a frame of reference for the garden, provides seating, and, after dark, sheds light from the fixtures embedded in the structure.”
- Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto) – American architect Daniel Libeskind designed this at times controversial entryway to the Royal Ontario Museum. Dubbed “The Crystal” by museum leaders, the structure’s exterior walls are often covered in footprints by people trying to get a better look at this unique structure.
