June 2021: Windows & Walls

The highway—that symbol of American expanse and individual freedom, but also of urban rupture and plight—is under attack. In cities across the country, community and activist organizations, alongside business coalitions, have mounted steely campaigns to demolish over- and underpasses in cities. Increasingly, high-ranking politicians are signaling their support too. Jack Murphy’s feature story takes an aerial perspective of a highway battle in Houston; the piece is complemented by Iwan Baan’s excellent helicopter shots of the Bayou City’s concrete flyovers and roads. Zooming out from Texas, Ed Gunts looks at the chances for highway dismantlement in places across the country.

Operable window and wall products are the stars of this month’s special section. Opening up facades, large or small, these solutions solidify aesthetic visions and help create healthier environments. Case studies such as Heatherwick Studio’s new Lantern residential complex in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and a Miami art compound illustrate the latest window innovations.

Also included:

• On the ground at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale
• The Bitcoin boom promises to transform the Lone Star State’s cities
• A project in a Texan postindustrial landscape welcomes migratory birds—and their onlookers
• At Tuskegee University, an architecture professor leverages historic preservation goals to meet community ones
• Studio Visit: Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
• Review: Houston Visions 2020
• Review: Kiel Moe’s Unless: The Seagram Building Construction Ecology
• Comment: How TV made architecture into both a rarefied art and key to the good life
• “In Case You Missed It,” the monthly news roundup