North Vancouver firm mcfarlane green biggar architecture + design (mgb) has been honoured with two of this year’s six International Interior Design Association awards. Out of nearly 300 projects nominated from around the world, the design for the Rennie Gallery + Offices at Wing Sang, and the inventive interiors for Lynn Steven boutique were both chosen as winning entries for the 37th Annual Interior Design Competition.

Hord Coplan Macht, Inc. (HCM) announced yesterday that one of its projects entitled Friends Community School, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, has achieved LEED-New Construction Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

As described by the architects, the 26,900-square-foot, high-performance building accommodates 200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade with a staff of 30. Planned to help teach the school’s core science and environmental curriculum – and built of a rapidly renewable material – its straw bale construction is ideal for its acoustical and thermal insulation qualities.

Singapore based architect, Wallflower Architecture + Design has created innovative architectural spaces amidst urban density for a homeowner in Singapore East Coast area.

The owners wanted a spacious, contemporary house that would be as open as possible but without compromising security and privacy at the same time.

Surrounded by neighbours on four sides, the solution was a fully fenced compound with a spatial programme that internalised spaces such as pools and gardens, which are normally regarded as external to the envelope of the house. By zoning spaces such as the bedrooms and servants’ quarters on alternative levels, i.e. 2nd storey and basement levels, the ground plane was freed from walls that would have been required if public and private programmes were interlaced on the same plane.

Photographer: Albert Lim

Homeowner preferences lean to energy efficiency and simplicity in design

The AIA Home Design Trends Survey issued its monthly report evaluating the US housing market. Without the rapid appreciation in home values seen between 1995 and 2005, design of kitchens and bathrooms has recently been somewhat more modest. Functionality is now preferred to more and larger kitchens and bathrooms within U.S. homes. Households are placing a premium on products and features that promote energy efficiency, and adaptability in the use of space for seniors and those with accessibility concerns.

Residential architects continue to report declining business conditions, indicating that the housing market is not yet entering a full recovery phase. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, which focused specifically on kitchen and bathrooms.

For more than 125 years, the University of California, Davis has maintained active research and education programs in viticulture, enology, and food science,. In 2001, Robert Mondavi, renowned California wine producer, made a personal gift of $25 million to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science within the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Davis, opening a new era of opportunity for UC Davis in its widely acclaimed wine and food programs.

The Robert Mondavi Institute allowed the University campus to move two departments, Viticulture & Enology and Food Science & Technology, under one roof. Moreover, in the new facility these two departments, recognized as the best in the world in their respective areas of scholarship, have been linked with other disciplines investigating the role of healthy and safe foods in the quality of life.

After years of accommodation in temporary premises, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has revealed its design for new permanent headquarters by schmidt hammer lassen architects (SHL). The Danish office was selected in an architectural design competition with a twenty strong international shortlist including David Chipperfield, Mecanoo Architecten, OMA/Search, Ingenhoven, Wiel Arets, and Kengo Kuma & Associates.