Design and Architecture

<p>Smithsonian's newest museum is a striking homage to African-American history and culture. We get the inside scoop from the architects and reviews from critics on the building and its artifacts. And move over NIMBYs: the pro-development, YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement is heating up across the country, and here in Los Angeles.</p>

<p>Utopian thinking is back, as Silicon Valley envisions smart cities. Is there anything to learn from an older social and architectural experiment in the Arizona desert? We visit Arcosanti. And, when you see artwork in museums and galleries, does all the credit belong to the artist? A new show at LACMA puts the spotlight on LA's printmakers behind the fine art.</p>

<p>The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative is measure on the March 2017 ballot that would restrict development in Los Angeles. Folks behind NII are supporting another slow-growth ballot measure - this one in Santa Monica. <em>DnA</em> on <em>ATC</em> looks at LUVE, or Measure LV and asks what it means for downtown Santa Monica, and the region.</p>

<p>Uber is launching a fleet of semi-autonomous cars on the streets of Pittsburgh. What does this mean for the design of the city and for Uber drivers? And what will it feel like to be a passenger in a driverless car of the future? Plus, an artist draws plans of the imaginary homes of his favorite TV sitcoms.</p>

<p>From Santa Monica to Boyle Heights, residents are fighting development. Are their concerns connected? And is slowing growth the answer to maintaining affordable housing across the region? <em>DnA</em> reports from the most and the least affluent communities in the Southland.</p>

<p>The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is moving forward with a plan to replace four buildings on its campus with a new building designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Critics say the building is dark, monolithic, and would disrupt the flow of Wilshire Boulevard. Others describe it as "restrained" and "calm" and a good fit for an institution like LACMA.</p>

<p>Los Angeles architect William Pereira is getting renewed interest, as two of his prominent works are set to be torn down. And Tracy Tynan, a costume designer in LA, talks about she found meaning in clothing during a chaotic childhood.</p>

<p>Simone Manuel's Olympic win has put a spotlight on the history and politics of access to aquatics. Swimming in America has a history of racial exclusion. <em>DnA</em> visited the newly-rebuilt Central Recreation Center Pool in South LA to learn what the City of Los Angeles is doing to create "access and opportunity" for all.</p>

<p>Simone Manuel's Olympic win highlights the politics of access to public swimming pools. We visit a gorgeous, newly-restored pool in South LA and ask if the color barrier to swimming has been lifted. And private murals and public installations are turning the outdoors into a gallery. What's behind the explosion of public art?</p>

<p>If you have visitors in town and you want to show them some art, do you take them to a museum or gallery, or do you head outdoors? Right now the streets are alive with public art, some of it commissioned by the City and Department of Cultural Affairs or by Metro, some of it appearing overnight on walls around town.</p>

<p>A tour of Tesla's new gigafactory, under construction in the Nevada desert and how that intersects with CEO Elon Musk's latest master plan. We compare two Whole Foods stores and a look at the seductive power of supermarket design. And, ceramicist Ben Medansky, talks about the support that followed a fire that destroyed his downtown LA studio.</p>

<p>You've heard the horror stories about this year's Brazil Olympics - from blocked toilets and unfinished infrastructure to toxic water and a political coup. But that's not the full picture. LA-based architecture and engineering company AECOM created the master plan for the Rio Olympics and promises that Brazilians are going to put on a terrific games.</p>

<p>Corruption, toxic waters, building delays… will Brazil's Olympic "nomadic architecture" deliver after a difficult construction process? If running, jumping and swimming are not your thing, you can tune into Rio's eGames. But do gamers really need athletic wear? And Brazilian modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi gets her moment in the sun.</p>

<p>How much is a political convention about the message or the messaging? Simon Doonan explains. Fashion lover Lun*na Menoh makes music with sewing machines. And a tour through projects by Skid Row Housing Trust explores how much good design can alleviate the trauma of homelessness.</p>

<p>Gone are the days of your grandparents' political conventions. Now, these events are carefully designed to dazzle the audience, especially the television audience. And with a reality TV star at the top of the Republican ticket, Donald Trump is sure to produce a spectacle.</p>

<p>Augmented reality, virtual reality and the future of the city: Cleveland's historic Public Square is remade, just in time for speakers not invited to the Republican National Convention. To revamp an old coaster, just add VR goggles. What does the success of Pokémon GO tell us about future cities created by techies? </p>

<p>Ridership on the Expo Line rose by nearly 60 percent in the month of June compared to April, but average weekday trips continue to decline. Why, and can the trend be reversed by building close to the train stations?</p>

<p>The LA Memorial Sports Arena is nearing demolition, and fans can bid to take a piece of it home. Historian Howard Hugh dishes on architects Philip Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright’s “frenemy” relationship. Ayahuasca inspires Aaron Axelrod’s installation at Barnsdall Art Park. And an exiled Italian prince is making a splash in LA’s food truck scene.</p>

<p>At nearly a century old, the historic John Anson Ford Theatres complex was in desperate need of repair. After nearly two years for renovations, the amphitheater will reopen on Friday, July 8 with a new stage, lighting, sound insulation, catering and other amenities.</p>

<p>President Obama and the First Lady have chosen Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects to design the presidential library in Chicago. Residents of Silver Lake want their beloved reservoir refilled, the Ford Theatre gets a major facelift, and bike share comes to downtown. And Tesla’s recent auto-pilot crash could mean speed bumps for an LA-based shuttle service that uses self-driving Tesla cars.</p>

<p>The Los Angeles City Council is weighing two separate measures to fund solutions to homelessness. One likely applicant for those funds will be the nonprofit developer Skid Row Housing Trust, which has built supportive housing by some of LA's leading architects. Can good architecture and planning help re-integrate the formerly homeless back into society?</p>

<p>Interventions in the urban fabric: the new Skyslide brings fun to downtown’s financial district. Will it attract more tenants? In Echo Park, a public mini-golf course gives new meaning to an empty site. And British design collective Assemble recently checked out the Coachella Valley. Why?</p>

<p>On June 23, the Metro Board is expected to approve a ballot initiative that's being called Measure R2, for a half-cent sales tax to be placed on the November ballot.</p>

<p>Will designers and manufacturers trading with Europe be affected by Brexit? As Metro Board prepares a new transportation sales tax measure, we’ll debate how the money should be spent. And The Smell, a much-loved all-ages music venue, has been threatened with closure, sparking anxiety that not all of the changes in downtown LA are for the better.</p>

<p>Recent shootings in Orlando and before that Paris, San Bernardino and Colorado have added to growing jitters about random attacks in regular gathering places. On the other hand, designers and architects are very optimistic about the growth of public space, from transit to parks. Will the fear of violence win out over our desire for openness?</p>

<p>Gay bars and nightclubs have long served as sanctuaries for LGBT people. But many of these venues are disappearing. Mia Lehrer + Associates has been picked to design FAB Park in downtown. Why was the latest redesign for LACMA unveiled at the Venice Architecture Biennale? And a tiny "ecocapsule" made in Slovakia is catnip to Californians.</p>

<p>The Looff Hippodrome, home to the iconic carousel on the Santa Monica Pier, will commemorate its centennial this Sunday, June 12. Meanwhile, across Ocean Avenue, the Colorado Esplanade was recently developed to connect the Downtown Expo Light Rail station, the new Tongva Park and the Santa Monica Pier.</p>

<p>Voters heading to the polls on June 7 may find their ballots very confusing, especially with 34 US Senate candidates to choose from. Can better design improve election results? Plus, we visit the home of the carousel at the Santa Monica Pier that turns 100 this week. And the new <em>In Case of Emergency</em> asks if we are ready for the Big One. </p>

<p>Developers and city leaders billed the more than $2 billion Grand Avenue project as a perfect complement to a changing downtown Los Angeles when it was first proposed in 2004. But since its inception, it’s been wrought with delays and financial shortfalls.</p>

<p>What becomes of the relics of a broken romance? Facebook's compassion research team is designing tools to relieve its users' break-up pain. Then, LA's new Museum of Broken Relationships features totems of heartbreak. And a writer talks about loneliness in the big city – and whether designers can alleviate solitude.</p>

<p>The LA Memorial Sports Arena in Exposition Park will soon be torn down to make room for a new 22,000-seat soccer stadium. We remember the arena's history and architecture as we say farewell.</p>

<p>The City of West Hollywood wants to make the Sunset Strip the spectacle it was back in its heyday. So it's hosting a design competition for an innovative billboard. Also, <em>DnA</em> boards a mega-ship at the Port of Long Beach, the largest container ship to ever dock in the US, and learns about the impact of global transportation on our infrastructure and environment.</p>

<p>Do you hate digital billboards? A lot of people do, and so the City of West Hollywood, in a bid to create a lovable digital billboard on a site it owns on the Sunset Strip, has created a design competition for ideas.</p>

<p>The long-awaited Expo Line extension to Santa Monica opens this weekend. What does it mean for mobility in the Southland? Meanwhile, some transit dreamers are working on a vehicle that would leave light rail in the dust: Hyperloop. In this week’s “Modern Trades” we visit a lighting factory in the City of Industry and a school in Van Nuys to find out how high schoolers are being prepared for high-tech manufacturing jobs.</p>

<p>All aboard the Expo Line! Starting May 20 you can ride all the way from downtown LA to Santa Monica for the first time in over six decades. Metro officials say this is part of a future where cars are just one of several viable modes of transportation in Los Angeles. And, the director and producer of the new dystopian film <em>High-Rise</em> talk about architecture as a storytelling device to tell a story about class and morality.</p>

<p>Here's a job that can't go overseas -- solar panel installation. We meet the laborers who are attending a "rooftop university" in Long Beach. Plus, a conversation with Wade Graham about "castles," "slabs" and the shaping of cities, as Los Angeles goes through a transformation; and Anthony Iannacci discusses "Hollywood Interiors" and what makes for uniquely Angeleno style and design.</p>

<p><span>Today four competing schemes for a renewed Pershing Square were unveiled. Tonight the design teams will present them to the public at Broadway's Palace Theater — and the crowd is expected to reach capacity. </span></p>

<p>Four finalists present schemes for redesigning Pershing Square, and their approaches will be a litmus test for competing views on what makes public space work -- lots of programming or strong design? Gigantic plastic containers leave Pershing Square on a journey of environmental education through art. And when William Wegman's Weimaraners pose on Eames and Nakashima chairs, you get a very stylish dog story.</p>

<p>On the campaign trail, presidential candidates have been talking a lot about the price of college. But does a four-year degree make sense for kids who might be better suited for a trade? </p>

<p>Painter David Hockney defined LA as a British transplant in the 1960's. Now another young artist, Ramiro Gomez, is putting a new face on it. We meet two painters with unique perspectives of Los Angeles, and the critic who brought them together. And the LA Mayor's office has vowed to revise the city's 35 community plans in the next decade. Will this diffuse the moratorium effort, and create a better planned LA that also provides much-needed housing?</p>

<p>LA is about to get its own biennial, with a focus on public art that will comment on one of LA's most important pieces of infrastructure, the LA River.</p>

<p>At the Electrical Training Institute, in the City of Commerce, 1,500 apprentices are becoming the electricians for an energy-efficient future. Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, has been criticized for his taxpayer-funded, excessive home renovations. And we hear about an infamous dictator whose interior decor was the subject of glowing spreads in glossy magazines: Adolf Hitler.</p>

<p>Here are two assumptions being challenged at LACMA: men don't care about clothes, and fashion is frivolous.</p>

<p>We pay tribute to a titan of architecture, Zaha Hadid, who died in Miami last week. Writer Geoff Manaugh argues that burglars have a lot to teach architects about buildings. And we remember a time when men wore corsets, padded stockings and used swords as fashion accessories.</p>

<p class="p1"> </p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">The LA City Council now has a comprehensive plan to repair the city’s aging sidewalks. </span></p>

<p>Jobs have left America, but there's growth in new high-tech manufacturing jobs. What are they? How are people being trained for them? First there was the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, now there's the Build Better LA initiative. Why has housing become a ballot box battle? And we visit TOM House in Echo Park, a museum and mecca for LA "leathermen" and admirers of the homoerotic illustrations of Tom of Finland.</p>

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The LA City Council’s thrown its support behind a new development project near the Hollywood Palladium.</span></p>

<p>Is artificial intelligence a threat to "human culture and history" or a pleasant addition to it? DnA meets Watson and considers the implications of assistance from 'cognitive computing' in our daily lives. Plus, a new opera dramatizes the epic battle between Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs, and Janette Sadik-Khan continues the fight over the streets of New York.</p>

<p>China's top government officials are scientists or engineers. Is there a connection between innovation and the types of politicians we elect? Plus, a new book explores American balladeer Woody Guthrie's early years in Los Angeles. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, a vast new art complex, opened this weekend in downtown LA's Arts District. And LA Fashion Week launches this week.</p>

<p>Can you create affordable housing by building luxury towers? A boom in development of large apartment towers has prompted a fight for a two-year moratorium on new projects that don't comply with the city's general plan. But planners say this moratorium will stymie efforts to create much-needed affordable housing. We visit the people at the heart of a development fight.</p>