Weekend edition: Shigeru Ban and Heatherwick Studio under construction, and more

Missed some of this week’s architecture news, or our tweets and Facebook posts from the last few days? Don’t sweat it—we’ve gathered the week’s must-read stories right here. Enjoy!

Photo of Transbay Transit Center under construciton — A plan has been put in place to repair a pair of damaged structural beams at the Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco. (Wikimedia/David Brossard)

Repair plan for shuttered Transbay Transit Center is in the works

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved a repair plan for the Transbay Transit Center that the Transbay Joint Powers Authority will consider.

Rendering of the Swatch buildings — The Swatch buildings compose the world’s largest timber project. (Courtesy Shigeru Ban Architects)

Shigeru Ban Architects burnishes its status as a leader in mass timber

Known for experimenting with paper tubes and bamboo, Shigeru Ban Architects is burnishing its reputation in tall and mass timber.

Photo of the Vessel and Hudson Yards — The nearly completed *Vessel* against the towers of Hudson Yards (Jonathan Hilburg)

Preview Heatherwick Studio’s upcoming New York City projects

Heatherwick Studio has three projects under construction within a 19-block span of Manhattan’s West Side, and AN took the opportunity to check in.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Traffic Tony Webster via Flickr — Seattle’s elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct will close on Friday, January 11, and soon be demolished to make way for a street-level boulevard along Ellio Bay. (Courtesy Tony Webster/Flickr, 2015)

Seattle set to finally close Alaskan Way Viaduct and open new tunnel

The two-mile Alaskan Way Viaduct, long been considered a major hazard to the city and its drivers, will close this Friday, January 11.

Photo of the Hebron Tomb of the Patriarchs — UNESCO’s recognition of the Hebron Tomb of the Patriarchs in 2017 pushed the U.S. to abandon the organization. (Wikimedia/Djampa)

United States withdraws from UNESCO (again)

The United States has withdrawn from UNESCO in protest of the organization’s recognition of cultural sites in the West Bank.

That’s all—see you next week!