Signals: What We're Tracking
For the first time, NOAA is using AI to create hurricane prediction models, and the forecast this season is below normal, with estimates of eight to 14 named storms and three to six hurricanes, of which one to three are expected to be major (category 3 or higher). The agency says AI is supplementing, not replacing, human forcasting.
The NYT editorial board endorsed a campaign called Legalize Starter Homes, which is working to get a measure on the Massachusetts ballot that would prevent towns from setting large minimum lot sizes. Many communities there require lots of at least 20,000 square feet, which is larger than a Trader Joe's. The board says that standard effectively blocks middle-class housing construction.
Heard!
“The attempt to impose a single architectural language worldwide is not so much extraordinarily difficult, as it is extraordinarily arrogant and frightening.”
So say the newly appointed curators for the next Venice Biennale, which has historically been architecture's global idea stage. Their goal this cycle is to pull the industry back toward materials, labor, community, and craft, and away from what they describe as a monoculture of the built environment.
Meanwhile, in the Palisades: more than 30 architects and designers have documented the defining characteristics of seven Southern California styles, including Spanish Revival, Craftsman, Storybook, and others, publishing it as a free guidebook for builders and designers rebuilding after the fires. [Download the New California Classics guide →]
The dining room is back, but different. After years of open-plan living, dedicated dining spaces are reportedly on the rise. But, this time, they're meant for everyday living. See how that plays out.
