On Monday, November 16, Stephen Kieran and Bjarke Ingels, head of the architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), will discuss the differences and similarities in the energy-saving measures used by architects in the United States and Denmark in a panel discussion at Scandinavia House in New York City. The American and Danish architects will analyze the benefits, compromises, and challenges in creating and designing sustainable buildings and communities. Since the two countries vary greatly in size, climatic conditions, and commonly-used building materials and energy-saving features, the discussion will examine how each country can learn from the other. The moderator of the discussion is Suzanne Stephens, deputy editor of Architectural Record. The public event is co-presented with Architectural Record and the Consulate General of Denmark, New York.

See the Scandinavia House website for more information on attending.

Photo: Christine Cotter/Los Angeles Times

The first residential installation of the home we designed for LivingHomes®, a premier developer of modern, sustainable, prefabricated homes, took place Nov 5th in Newport Beach, California. Footage of the installation is available online.

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Brockman Hall is composed of two bars nestled between existing buildings

In the spring of 2008, we began design for Brockman Hall for Physics at Rice University in Houston, Texas. This 110,000 SF facility will house research, teaching, and office space for the Departments of Physics & Astronomy and Electrical & Computer Engineering. Nestled between existing buildings in the dense Science Quad, the building envelope respects the scale of the historic masonry vocabulary of the campus while extending it into a 21st century model for architecture and research at Rice. In this manner, lightness and transparency become the foil to weight and opacity. Further, as is common among other buildings on campus, subtle references to the building's program will be made with iconography incorporated into elements of the building skin.

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PennDesign Fall 2009 Lecture Series Poster

Stephen Kieran discussed recent work in a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design on September 21. The lecture is now available for free download on iTunes U. A full schedule of upcoming lectures is available on the PennDesign website.

Cellophane House is featured on the award-winning original documentary series from the Sundance Channel, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, Episode 5, airing Tuesday evenings this fall. The series focuses on environmental topics with interviews with forward-thinking designers and features on green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. Visit the series website for show times, or go to iTunes to download the full episode.