Rethink Architecture: What a Waste? Disposable Architecture

The Museum of Modern Art in New York is expanding, which means the American Folk Art Museum will be razed. But AFAM is only 13 years old and a critically acclaimed building. Rising real estate values and MOMA’s new programmatic plan override the feasibility of renovating it. Is this wasteful? What determines value in design, and what’s the measure of architecture’s relevance?

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Rethink Architecture: A Pioneer Among Us

Architects are usually measured by the number, type and quality of design projects in their careers. What’s unique about Ming, however, is that his incredibly broad and diverse influence exceeds any usual way of measuring. Share with us some valuable things you’ve done that typical means of benchmarking wouldn’t necessarily capture.

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Rethink Architecture: How Many Architects Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?

How a store is designed is contingent on a lot of things, from the position on its site, all the way down to whether maintenance staff can reach the light bulbs. What universal tips can you share, big or small, that have helped you create better things faster in your line of work? 

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Rethink Architecture: Retail Design Is Retail Business

What’s your story? And, importantly, does your customer “get” that story as soon as they walk in? Even more importantly, do they feel that story when they walk in? These are questions every retailer asks of their stores. Yet designing a place that strategically and immediately conjures a feeling is no easy task. What’s an example of a space that triggers a feeling to tell a story? 

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Rethink Architecture: Taking Big Boxes to Net Zero

There’s a specific range for annual energy consumption—a “sweet spot”—that should be reached before you set your sights on net zero. That range is 30-to-25 ktBus/sf/year. How far are you from that range, and what building strategies sound feasible for getting there?

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Rethink Architecture: Are Architects Funny?

While architects aren’t known for being funny, MulvannyG2 Principal Patrick Kruger last month landed on CNN, Good Morning America and Today for his sense of humor. Kruger thinks humor—as an aesthetic—isn’t used enough in architecture. Beyond a literal sense of playfulness, great humor entertains—which is key to successful retail and destination design.

Think back: Where have you been that was either playful, or played to your senses so well, that it immediately made you smile?

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Rethink Architecture: Who needs architecture, anyway?

How can more citizens join the discussion about the built environment?

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