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The U.K.'s professional architecture association, the Royal Institute of British Architects, has named Sheila ODonnell and John Tuomey of the Dublin-based firm O'Donnell + Tuomey as the recipients of the 2015 Royal Gold Medal, the organization's prestigious lifetime achievement award. This year's recipients are notable on a couple fronts. Just two other husband-and-wife duos have received the prize previously. Born in 1953 and 1954, respectively, O'Donnell and Tuorney are also some of the youngest recipients ever. (Last year's prize went to 87-year-old architecture critic Joseph Rykwert.) No woman has yet won the Royal Gold Medal without an accompanying male partner.

In a citation explaining RIBA's choice, Rykwert and architect Nall McLaughlin herald the couple's commitment to teaching and writing as well as their desire to create a new identity for Irish architecture through their built work. "Their work is evolving and open to experiment, with the best individual projects coming as quieter reflections on their noisier ideas," McLaughlin writes.

O'Donnell and Tuomey founded their architectural practice in 1988, and since then, five of their projects have been shortlisted for RIBA's Stirling Prize, an award given for the greatest single contribution to the evolution of architecture in the U.K. or the European Union by a RIBA-accredited architect in a given year. Their style, McLaughlin observes, has moved throughout the lifetime of their practice from Neoclassical to "a boisterous Constructivism." Many of their recent projects, including the gorgeous Lyric Theater in Belfast and a grandly geometric student center at the London School of Economics, make graceful use of red brick and timber.

The Royal Gold Medal is a prize given to a person or group of people whose work has had significant influence either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture," according to RIBA. The award is predominantly given to architects, but past recipients have also included engineers, architecture critics, and once, a city (Barcelona). The recipients are personally approved by the Queen herself, because, you know, such are the joys of monarchy.

The field of architecture has been notoriously reticent to recognize the achievements of its many women practitioners. While O'Donnell's recognition demonstrates a worthy step forward, she's only the third woman to receive the Royal Gold Medal, and no woman has yet won without an accompanying male partner. RIBA's state-side equivalent, the American Institute of Architects, has an even worse record: only one woman has ever received the AIA Gold Medal (she had been dead for five decades by the time they got around to it). And controversially, only two women have received the Pritzker Prize, one of whom shared the honor with her male partner.

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Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey Awarded Britain's Highest Architecture Prize

Wednesday, September 24 10:42:33

Irish architects Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey have been named today as the 2015 recipients of the Royal Gold Medal, the world's most prestigious architecture award.

Given in recognition of a lifetime's work, the Royal Gold Medal is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence "either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture".

Awarded since 1848, previous Royal Gold Medallists include Frank Gehry (2000), Sir Norman Foster (1983), Frank Lloyd Wright (1941) and Sir George Gilbert Scott (1859).

A tour de force in contemporary Irish and British architecture, Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey co-founded their practice O'Donnell and Tuomey in Dublin during 1988, having previously worked together for internationally renowned architects Stirling Wilford Associates and Colquhoun and Miller in London. Their new practice coupled Sheila's quiet, studied 'rationalism' alongside John's fluent, rhetorical 'constructivism' and through their buildings, publications, exhibitions and teaching they have forged a confident new identity for Irish architecture.

In the early 1990s, O'Donnell and Tuomey were part of the 'Group 91 Architects' group whose collective skill in masterplanning spearheaded the regeneration of Dublin's neglected Temple Bar. It was the pair's first permanent building, the Irish Film Institute (1991) that brought them profile and acclaim for its dynamic contribution to the revitalised Dublin quarter.

Their early work, from a private home in Navan to schools, public housing and community buildings, provided the canvas for them to experiment and evolve their unconventional creative approach and celebrated style. More recent projects include the modest but brilliant Photographers' Gallery in Soho and the exceptional 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize-shortlisted Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at the London School of Economics.

Speaking today, Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey said: "We're delighted to have been chosen for this unexpected honour. We're humbled to find ourselves in such a company of heroes, architects whose work we have studied and from whose example we continue to learn. We believe in the social value and the poetic purpose of architecture and the gold medal encourages us to prevail in this most privileged and complicated career."

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Irish architects win top world award

Art and Design

Low-rise: Buildings such as the Queensland Art Gallery, designed by Robin Gibson, typify brutalist architecture. Photo: Glenn Hunt

A few key examples notwithstanding, Australia's attitude towards brutalist architecture has been one of quiet disdain. Perhaps our most successful, enduring and popularly embraced example, however, is that of Brisbane's riverside Cultural Precinct, which comprises the Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Museum and Queensland Performing Arts Centre among other institutions.

Designed by late architect Robin Gibson and built between 1975 and the mid-1980s, the development is one of the few examples of tropical brutalism in Australia and the precinct is widely regarded as one of the country's most attractive and well-realised civic spaces.

Acting in response to April's draft master plan for the precinct, which could potentially allow 30-storey towers to shadow the area, the Queensland chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has lodged an application to the Queensland Heritage Council citing that the plan contradicts Gibson's original low-profile design.

The Heritage Council is anticipated to offer a decision by mid-2015. architecture.com.au

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Architects oppose tall towers in draft master plan for Brisbane's Cultural Precinct

Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 11:33 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 11:33 p.m.

WAHNETA | A project that will increase retail space in Wahneta can have wide-ranging impact on this unincorporated area south of Winter Haven that is home to many Latino families.

The owners of Plaza Mexico, a grocery and taco stand on Rifle Range Road, plan to increase the size of the grocery, add retail outlets, and build apartments and other multi-use spaces for people wanting to start their own businesses.

Remigio Gamez, 39, who owns Plaza Mexico with his brother, Carlos, 53, said construction of the first phase should begin in December. Plaza Mexico sits on a little more than 15 acres owned by the brothers, who immigrated from Mexico and became U.S. citizens.

Carlos Gamez opened the store 13 years ago with his brother-in-law while Remigio Gamez was studying accounting at USF. In 2004, the brothers took over the business and decided to open a taco shop outside.

Plans call for the construction of a new grocery and retail store more than triple the current 12,000 square feet. The 400-square-foot taco stand and picnic area located in front of the current store would move to the front of the new grocery location and a laundry facility would be added.

The first phase of construction is expected to be complete in February 2016.

"It is exciting to see us moving closer to the future," said Gamez. "It's a long process, but it will bring a lot of needed services to the area."

Ana Martinez-Hubert, a planner for the county, said the project will have an impact on local residents.

"The owners of the property want to create a living and working space that is accessible to the community of Wahneta," she said. "By increasing the size of the market, they will be able to carry more goods and offer more services. They will have a place to eat. They are planning to add a gas station, apartments and multi-use space for people who want to start a small business and need to have a place to do it. It's a very comprehensive project that will come in phases."

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Expanding in Wahneta: Plaza Mexico Plans Expansion Project

Berlin, Europes fastest-growing tourist destination, is taking a page from Dubais play book by expanding retail offerings for the hordes of visitors.

The Mall of Berlin, a 270-store complex that opened today in the city center, gives the growing numbers of tourists who visit the German capital a new place to spend their money. Within a year, its set to become the countrys largest shopping center as 30 percent more space is added.

Its not really a mall, but a whole new city quarter, said Andreas Kogge, head of Berlin retail leasing at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL) The malls on the edge of the city will certainly suffer.

Berlin is expanding its retail offering after building dozens of hotels to keep pace with the influx of visitors. Like Dubai, the Persian Gulf sheikhdom that has the worlds biggest mall, Berlins growing reputation as a shopping destination is bolstering its economy.

The Mall of Berlin, located on the site of the former Wertheim department store a 5-minute walk from Potsdamer Platz, has about 100,000 square meters (1 million square feet) of shops in low-rise stone and glass townhouses that evoke the areas prewar architecture.

The developer, Harald Huth, plans to expand the mall by another 30,000 square meters next year and the complex will include 270 rental apartments centered around a running track and garden. The homes will be among Berlins most expensive, with rents as high as 25 euros a square meter.

This will be the most successful mall in Germany because we built something special at an extraordinary location, Huth said by phone. Tenants include Guess, Karl Lagerfeld and Lacoste.

Retail sales in the German capital climbed 4.7 percent in June from a year earlier, adjusted for inflation, according to the citys statistics office. That compared with a gain of 0.4 percent in the country as a whole.

Berlins economy expanded the most of all German states last year, after lagging behind the national average for more than a decade after reunification, helped by tourism, as overnight stays climbed 8.2 percent to 27 million. Visitors accounted for about a quarter of all retail spending, according to Berlins Retail Federation.

This is an investment for the future, Mayor Klaus Wowereit said last night at a gala event ahead of todays opening. The other mall operators are eyeing this one with concern. But this isnt about taking anything from anyone but about adding to Berlins growth.

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Berlin Super-Mall Traps Cash From Rising Tourist Trade

Saks Fifth Avenue agreed to anchor the retail portion of lower Manhattans Brookfield Place and its parent company, Canadian retailer Hudsons Bay Co. (HBC), will move its U.S. headquarters into office space at the complex.

Hudsons Bay signed leases totaling 485,000 square feet (45,000 square meters) at the property, landlord Brookfield Property Partners LP (BPY) said today in a statement. The agreements will bring the occupancy level at the 8.5 million-square-foot Brookfield Place to 95 percent, its New York-based owner said.

The deals further Brookfield Propertys twin goals of filling about 3 million square feet left behind last year when leases originated by Merrill Lynch & Co. ran out, and repositioning Brookfield Places retail concourse, where $250 million of improvements have been planned. With work on the adjacent World Trade Centers first phase approaching completion, the leases help show what downtown will look like once the construction fences come down.

The agreements speak to the allure of downtown as both a retail and office destination, Dennis Friedrich, chief executive officer of Brookfields global office division, said in the statement. Its another huge step forward for the area.

A three-level Saks store will occupy 85,000 square feet at Brookfield Place. Its Toronto-based owner will have 233,000 square feet of office space at 225 Liberty St. and 166,000 square feet at 250 Vesey St. Brookfield Places name was changed from the World Financial Center in an effort to play down the complexs historic role as a home to banks and investment firms.

The Saks store at the base of 225 Liberty, to open by mid-2016, will be the second New York store for the chain, joining the longtime location on Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, near St. Patricks Cathedral, Hudsons Bay said in a separate statement.

The new store will cater to what we believe is an underserved and rapidly growing downtown luxury market, CEO Richard Baker said in the statement. Leasing space in this key center in Manhattan will strengthen our foothold as the ultimate luxury shopping destination,

Hudsons Bay also is planning a 55,000-square-foot Saks Off 5th discount store at 1 Liberty Plaza, another Brookfield building, across Church Street from the World Trade Center. That store is scheduled to open in 2017, the company said.

Earlier this year, Time Inc., publisher of Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated, signed a lease for 700,000 square feet at Brookfield Place, and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. took 350,000 square feet. Both agreements are for space at 225 Liberty, formerly known as 2 World Financial Center.

Conde Nast Publications Inc. and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the main tenants of 1 World Trade Center and 4 World Trade Center respectively, are expected to move into those new towers before the end of the year, authority officials said earlier this month. A Santiago Calatrava-designed transit hub at the trade center is set to open by the end of 2015.

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Saks to Open in Lower Manhattan as Hudsons Bay Relocates

Please join us in the Commission Chambers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2014. The meeting opens with five special presentations:

Employee recognition Certificates of Appreciation to be presented to Paola Villa, Building Department Manager, and Police Officer Tifany Stephenson.

A proclamation to be presented proclaiming September, 2014 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Sunny Isles Beach.

A presentation honoring the City of Sunny Isles Beach with the Government Finance Officers Assoc. Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for FY 2012/2013.

A special presentation to former City Commissioners Roslyn Brezin and Gerry Goodman for their dedicated services to the City of Sunny Isles Beach.

A special presentation to Vice Mayor Aelion by the Brazilian Soccer Team.

THERE WILL BE ONE ZONING HEARING:

Request of Palazzo Di Acqualina for property located at 17901 Collins Avenue for site plan approval for a 51-story residential condominium with 190 units, utilization of public TDRs for 15,797 square feel of floor area and zero dwelling units, an extension of 48 additional months to pull a building permit, from the date of expiration of the development order based upon site plan approval and request for use of graphics and murals on a temporary construction fence.

THERE ARE TWO ORDINANCES FOR SECOND READING:

Amending Chapter 156, Article I, of the Code of Ordinances entitled Fees, Miscellaneous, to create expedited, specialized permitting services for interior remodeling.

Go here to read the rest:
The City Commission Agenda

The story of the Crawford House in Belle Isle is a sad little tale that is about to come to an end, one way or another.

It will take a minor miracle to pull off a happy ending.

The clock is ticking toward December, when the city of Belle Isle plans to demolish the 105-year-old home to make way for a charter school playground.

If we were talking about Winter Park instead of Belle Isle then I'd sit back and watch the big checks start rolling in to save the historic home.

Winter Park preservationists have swooped in to rescue two homes in the last 14 years from destruction.

The community raised more than $1 million to move and restore Casa Feliz in 2001, and last year $650,000 was collected to move and begin restoration on the Capen House.

It's far from certain that the Crawford House will get that kind of love.

Belle Isle's population of 6,500 is about a quarter of the size of Winter Park's.

That means fewer deep pockets to pay for moving and restoring the home in a new location.

The good news is that, at just 1,500 square feet, the Crawford House is dwarfed in size by the two Winter Park mansions and likely would need less money.

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Race on (again) to save Pine Castle home

WASHINGTON Attorney General Eric Holder will announce Thursday that he will resign after six years at the Justice Department helm.

The attorney general has agreed to remain in his post until the confirmation of his successor, a Justice Department official confirmed to CNN.

At a formal announcement later Thursday, Holder plans to express his personal gratitude to President Barack Obama for the opportunity to serve in his administration and to lead the Justice Department, which he will call the greatest honor of my professional life.

Obama will address Holders resignation Thursday afternoon from the White House State Room.

An Obama administration official noted some of Holders accomplishments, saying the attorney general established a historic legacy of civil rights enforcement and restored fairness to the criminal justice system.

He revitalized the Justice Departments praised Civil Rights Division, protected the rights of the LGBT community, successfully prosecuted terrorists, and fought tirelessly for voting rights, to name a few, the official said.

Holder has discussed his plans personally with the President on multiple occasions in recent months, and finalized those plans in an hour-long conversation with Obama at the White House residence over Labor Day weekend, the official said.

Holder will note in his remarks that he has loved the Justice Department since, when he was a boy, he watched how under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy the Justice Department played a leadership role in advancing the civil rights movement.

During his tenure as attorney general, Holder has had Kennedys portrait in his conference room.

The attorney general is one of only three members from Obamas original Cabinet still serving in the post.

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Attorney General Eric Holder to resign, staying until replacement confirmed

Question: I have been searching for two years for a replacement for a broken latch on the door of my enclosed back porch. The latch will not move because there is a crack inside the cylinder. I can lock the door with the deadbolt, but if I dont keep it locked, the door swings open. The latch is 2 inches long, and all the replacement latches Ive found are longer. The door, deadbolt and latch are 16 years old and have no manufacturer names. How can I find a latch that fits?

Laurel

Answer: Try going to a locksmith with a storefront business, suggests Dianna Bootz, owner of one such business, Laurels Lock Shop in Laurel (301-317-4100; http://www.laurelslockshop.com). Old-timey shops like ours save parts, she said, explaining that this practice makes storefront businesses different from home centers or mobile locksmiths. When we replace old locks, we keep them.

Another possible source is a store that carries used building materials, such as Community Forklift in Edmonston, Md. (301-985-5180; http://www.communityforklift.org) or the Habitat for Humanity ReStore centers in Gaithersburg and Silver Spring (301-947-3304; http://www.habitat.org/restores). Community Forklift carries parts for only vintage locks; for more modern ones, like yours, youd need to buy the whole assembly. But the total cost might come to just a few dollars, said Ruthie Mundell, the stores outreach coordinator.

If that doesnt work, consider installing a new latch. One designed for storm and patio doors is most likely to fit the existing holes in your door. Consult with a local locksmith, or shop via the Internet, where you can find diagrams that show the spacing of the holes. If you cant get new hardware that works with the existing holes, buy a piece of hardware known as a scar plate to cover part of the holes so the new hardware works.

Swisco (www.swisco.com), an online store, carries several styles of storm and patio door hardware and has a discussion board where users can post pictures of their pieces and get replacement advice from the companys experts. The companys model 40-058 looks almost like your hardware, but Donna Pallas, who responds to e-mails at the company, suggested their model 40-192 is more likely to fit, even though it looks more industrial. Weve seen this before, she wrote, suggesting that you look at past discussion board entries about storm door replacement handles.

Before ordering, measure the distance from the latch and deadbolt holes and make sure they match the specifications for the replacement hardware. You might need to remove the hardware to get accurate measurements.

Question: Is there is a company that will remove paint from stairway spindles and stain them afterward?

Largo

Answer: Yes. Many interior painting companies tackle jobs like this.

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How to replace a broken door latch