USS Iowa Wanted for a Floating Museum in Port of L.A.

The idea to berth the historic World War II battleship, which has recently been decommissioned, in the Port of Los Angeles appears to be gaining widespread popular support within the community, including backing from the neighborhood councils and the area's elected lawmakers. 

But the port's approval is needed before the group proposing the nonprofit floating museum - the Pacific Battleship Center - can submit a formal application to the U.S. Navy for the ship's donation.

[via dailybreeze]

AIA|LA & LAUSD: Working Together to Build Better Communities

Make your voice heard with LAUSD and the Los Angeles Department of City Planning by becoming involved in one of two pilot programs launching right now.

AIA|LA is currently building a task-force of local architects and urban designers who will provide critical insight and feedback to public agencies through one of two pilot programs launching in August 2010. The goal of both of these programs is to give architects the opportunity to serve their community and help shape the dialogue around such issues as: contracting reform; the selection process; masterplanning initiatives; design competitions; project delivery methods; peer-review & design review sessions.

These volunteer programs are in partnership with LAUSD and the Los Angeles City Planning Commission. Participants will be asked to attend a meeting and engage in discussions aimed to achieve higher standards in city planning.

For more information click here.

World Architecture Festival 2009 Video - WAF 2010 Coming Soon

WAF 2010 ticket drawing at our FORM event tonight at Palecek showroom/LA Mart Design Center.

Michelle Kaufmann Launches New Zero Series Prefab Homes

Architect Michelle Kaufmann is launching a new series of prefabricated homes. The Zero series homes include the Ridge0™, the Vista0™ and the Contours0™. These new homes are designed to be net zero energy (where they produce as much energy as the need), healthy, comfortable, and smart. The spaces are designed to blur the boundary between the interior and exterior, “borrowing” space from the outdoors, and using the strategy of designing big rather than building big. Getting more out of less.

The Contours0™ and the Vista0™ homes have outdoor rooms as much as indoor rooms and utilize strategically placed windows, glass doors and skylights to maximize natural ventilation and sculpt in natural light.  The Ridge0™ is designed using Passivhaus principles of good insulation, southern orientation with shading, efficient windows and frames, air-tight building envelope, energy star appliances and lighting, and passive preheating of fresh air, all resulting in a low demand for space heating and cooling. In addition, the homes are designed to also incorporate alternative energy systems such as PV solar as well as water conserving systems such as rain catchment and gray water systems.

Construction on Extension of the Orange Line

Vacant buildings are coming down and a new bridge is going up along Canoga Avenue as part of the $216 million extension of the Orange Line between Canoga Park and Chatsworth. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority finished acquiring properties — including tire shops, metal supply stores and used-car dealerships — along the east side of Canoga Avenue in May and those buildings are now being demolished to make room for the four-mile-long busway.

The Orange Line extension will create a landscaped busway and parallel bike path from the terminus near Victory Boulevard and Canoga Avenue, north to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station. Stations will be located at Sherman Way, Roscoe Boulevard and Nordhoff Street. It will connect with the busway that opened in October 2005, a 14-mile route between Warner Center and the Red Line subway station in North Hollywood.

[Via Daily News]