April 27, 2014
Dundee, Scotland, 2003 by Frank Gehry / Courtesy of Maggie s Centres. ImageThe third center was designed by Frank Gehry, a close friend of Maggie s. “Frank gave us so much publicity, and allowed us to raise the money,” Jencks says. Each center is self-financed through donations.
Maggie s Centres are the legacy of Margaret Keswick Jencks, a terminally ill woman who had the notion that cancer treatment environments and their results could be drastically improved through good design. Her vision was realized and continues to be realized today by numerous architects, including
Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and Snøhetta - just to name a few. Originally appearing in Metropolis Magazine as
May 2014 ABI. Image via CalculatedRiskBlog.com
The US Architecture Billings Index showed a significant improvement in May, jumping to a score of 52.6 and showing some growth after two consecutive months of contraction. As the American Institute of Architects (AIA) reports, its two new measures of growth also showed positive results: the Project Inquiries Index rose to 63.2; and the Design Contracts Index - despite dropping slightly from last month s 54.6 - still showed growth at 52.5 points. Volatility continues to be the watchword in the design and construction markets, with firms in some regions of the country, and serving some sectors of the industry, reporting strong growth, while others are indicating continued weakness, said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. However, overall, it appears that activity has recovered from the winter slump, and design professions should see more positive than negative numbers in the coming months.