NBWW BLOG…

Fungi can be used to break down waste plastic and create sustainable building materials, according to scientists from Kew Gardens in London. Rima Sabina Aouf The State of the World’s Fungi 2018 report – the first of its kind – highlights the aspergillus tubingensis fungus, found in a Pakistani rubbish tip and first documented in 2017. It claims this substance can break down plastic in weeks rather than years.Researchers say it could be used to deal with the global plastic-waste crisis, which has caused concern in the design industry and beyond. Aspergillus tubingensis can grow on the surface of plastics, where it secretes enzymes that break the chemical bonds between plastic molecules. “This ability thus has potential to be developed into one of the tools desperately...

Turnberry Associates and Marriott International announced that Turnberry Isle Miami, formerly part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, will reopen as part of the JW Marriott portfolio in Winter 2018. The property will be renamed the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa and will include a new 16-story Orchid Tower with 325 guestrooms. Designed by Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW), the tower nearly doubles JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa’s overall capacity to 685 rooms and suites, with interiors led by design studio Champalimaud. “The hotel’s design exemplifies the vibrant culture of Miami and allows each of our guests to enjoy both elevated and sophisticated experiences from the moment that they check in,” said Mitzi Gaskins, vice president and...

Broker says 32-story, 462-unit luxury building could trade for “well over” $200M By Katherine Kallergis Zom is looking to sell a luxury apartment tower in downtown Miami that could fetch “well over $200 million,” according to CBRE listing broker Still Hunter. The apartment developer completed Monarc at Met, a 462-unit, 32-story building at 201 Southeast Second Avenue, in November 2016. Zom purchased the air rights to develop the rental portion from MDM Development Group, the master developer of the Metropolitan Miami project. The apartment component sits above a Whole Foods Market and parking garage. It was designed by Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW). … Overall, the Met Miami development also includes Met 1, a mixed-use condo tower; Met 2, the JW Marriott...

As the fall semester begins, how can architects and students work towards advancing a more equitable profession for the women, PoC, and disabled who have been marginalized or left behind by the system? By Jonathan Massey For those of us in schools of architecture, September is an exciting time animated by the return of students and the arrival of those beginning their journey. Architecture school is a powerful framework for cultivating capacities—a place of exploratory, creative, integrative, and rigorous learning and making. The design studio at the heart of our curriculum powerfully enhances student development as peers work together through face-to-face interaction in a shared space. However, those of us involved in accredited U.S. architecture programs will convene a population of...

THREE SESSIONS — NINE SPEAKERS Join Us in Miami The program includes three sessions covering issues unique to the region, including innovative building skins, high performance facades, and the Miami’s newest projects. These well-rounded, expert dialogues will inform and inspire. The Facades+ conference series is a robust dialogue encompassing all things building skin—bridging the profession, industry, academia, operations, and ownership. We’ve distilled the best of the Facades+ 2-day event into a quick-take morning forum with a strong local flair. Facades+AM is returning to Miami on October 4, 2018. Attendees Include: AIA Members Architects Architecture Students and Faculty Building Envelope Specialists Construction Professionals Developers Engineers Manufacturers Materials...

Overall, billings nationwide remained strong, as did billings in all sectors and most regions. The only weak spot was in signed design contracts which slipped below 50 for the first time in two years. By Ayda Ayoubi, Hanley Wood Data Studio The AIA’s monthly Architecture Billings Index (ABI) came in at a score of 54.2 in August, marking the 11th consecutive month of gains. The ABI is a leading economic indicator of construction activity in the U.S., and reflects a nine- to 12-month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending nationally, regionally, and by project type. A score above 50, as seen in August, represents an increase in billings from the previous month, while a score below 50 represents a contraction. August’s score is 3.5 points higher...

The property is slated to open this winter and will unveil a new 325 room Orchid Tower. By Mia Taylor Turnberry Isle Miami, a property that was formerly part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, is being rebranded as a JW Marriott. Slated to reopen this winter, the reborn property will be the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort & Spa, complete with a new 16-story Orchid Tower that includes 325 guest rooms. Designed by Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW), the new tower nearly doubles JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa’s capacity to 685 rooms and suites. “We are delighted to introduce JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa as the latest addition to our expanding luxury portfolio,” Mitzi Gaskins, vice president & global brand leader, JW Marriott, said in a...

Drawing inspiration from iconic architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, many fans of the popular life-simulation game are using it to design virtual worlds. by Sanam Yar Nearly every morning, Jason Sterling starts his day by designing houses. He takes his time carefully fine-tuning the layout, choosing the color of the walls, and executing his aesthetic vision for the project. Some days, the structure is a countryside cottage, and on other days, it’s a sleek midcentury Modern estate. But Sterling isn’t an architect, and the house’s walls, along with everything else about it, are virtual — he’s building them in The Sims, one of the best-selling video game series of all time. The Sims, a franchise of life-simulation video games published by Electronic Arts (EA), has sold more than 100...

As the academic year begins anew, AN took a look at the experimental projects going on at MIT; all straddle the line between art, research, and practical applications. By Jonathan Hilburg Academia has always been a hotbed for innovation, and as part of a new series on under-the-radar projects on university campuses, AN will be taking a look at the smaller projects shaking things up at MIT. Modernized applications of ancient techniques, robotically milled artifacts, and boundary-pushing fabrication methods are producing new materials and structures worth publicizing. Cyclopean Cannibalism For the research and design studio Matter Design, contemporary reinterpretations of ancient construction and crafting techniques are valuable sources of new architectural insight. The studio, a 2013...

ahead of the today’s imminent reveal of the mystery passenger who will fly around the moon in spaceX‘s forthcoming big falcon rocket, elon musk has tweeted two new renders of the spacecraft. announced for the first time last year and nicknamed ‘big f***ing rocket’ by musk, the 348 feet tall (106 meters) ship will contain up to 40 cabins and have enough space for 100 people. BFR’s booster will be lifted off the ground by 31 Raptor engines capable of producing 5,400 tons of thrust whilst according to one of the most recently released renders, the ship itself will house 7 raptor engines. in another tweet, musk responded to a twitter user, confirming a forward-moving wing near the nose that can retract or expand when required. Read the full story HERE >>>> Source: designboom...

From New Haven to Senegal and Shanghai, female architects — many running their own firms — are invigorating the design of buildings and cities. By Reed Kroloff Architecture was long called a “gentleman’s profession,” which may have been true if by that you meant one that systematically excluded women for most of its existence. Before World War II, you could count the number of noted female architects on one hand. As late as the 1990s, the percentage of architecture firms owned by women in the United States was still in the single digits. Today, less than a third of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) membership is female, and a survey of the world’s 100 largest architecture firms by the online design magazine Dezeen found that women occupied just 10 percent of the...

by Nicolás Valencia – Translated by Maggie Johnson If a work can be photographed, drawn, or expressed in words, it can also be the star of a film. This can be seen in Arquitectura en Corto, a Spanish cycle of short films about innovation and trends in contemporary architecture. “The eruption and widespread availability of social media/mobile videos coupled with the need to illustrate and present innovative projects drives the union between architecture and these mediums,” explains Roca Gallery and Technal, the organizers behind Arquitectura en Corto. Motivated by the next edition set to come out in October, we have chosen 7 short films from the cycle’s first two editions that show everything from the transformation of Europe into a tourism hub to a house...