According to a recent press release, New York–based practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro has been selected to update and renovate MIT’s Metropolitan Storage Warehouse, built in the early 20th century, into the future home of the Cambridge, Mass., institution’s School of Architecture and Planning. Per the proposed plans, the architects will preserve the structure’s distinctive brick exterior; create 200,000 square feet of classrooms, studios, workshops, and an auditorium; and develop a scheme for the university’s largest campus maker space. Leers Weinzapfel Associates, in Boston, will serve as the local partner for the project. [MIT]
The Boring Company Loop system pic.twitter.com/xVpDHzZKXB
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) December 19, 2018
Earlier this week, Elon Musk hosted a group of VIPs and journalists for the first public demonstration of The Boring Company’s Los Angeles test tunnel for subterranean transportation. As seen in the promotional video, cars are lowered into the tunnel via a vehicular elevator and outfitted with “retractable wheel gear that turns a car into a rail-guided train & back again,” according to one of Musk’s tweets. [Twitter]
In Pennsylvania, officials have approved Uber’s request to resume autonomous vehicle testing. This news comes nine months after the death of a woman struck by one of Uber’s self-driving cars in Tempe, Ariz. According to the ride-sharing giant, future test vehicles will have two employees in the front seat rather than one, and the automatic braking system enabled at all times. [Reuters]
On Wednesday, the International Code Council revealed unofficial voting results that affirmed the introduction of three new types of timber construction in the 2021 International Building Code. Type IV-A structures with gypsum wallboard on mass timber elements will be allowed to reach 18 stories; Type IV-B structures with limited-area exposed mass timber walls and ceilings will be allowed to reach 12 stories; and Type IV-C structures with all exposed timber elements with two-hour fire resistance will be allowed to reach nine stories. [ICC]
Courtesy HANNAH
When completed, the duo’s Corbel-Bacon vacation cabin will occupy approximately 9 square meters and sit atop 3D-printed legs that will “adjust to the terrain.”
The Corbel-Bacon Cabin by Next Progressives firm Hannah Design Studio features 3D printed concrete legs that adjust to the terrain. When complete, the vacation residence will feature a lightweight wood skin. [ARCHITECT]
