I hope you’re doing well, amidst another week that tests our abilities to make sense of the world today.

Onerous permitting and design review processes can be a costly drag on construction. But, oh, how we miss them when they are cast aside to expedite shockers like the East Wing Ballroom (40-foot ceilings! View of White House from Capitol Building blocked!). This Thursday, reports the NYT, the National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to take a final vote on approving this ballroom, whose design was "publicly unveiled in detail only in January.”

Of course, this is not the only building project being rushed along by kingly fiat. Another is the Kennedy Center, above, which President Trump says he may take “down to the steel” following the center’s closure starting July 4th. Even though the 1971 building, designed by Edward Durell Stone, is "admittedly not a masterpiece,” says architecture critic Paul Goldberger, it became respected and loved over time.

Rendering of White House Ballroom. 

So, eager to get out in front before this landmark becomes another victim in an architectural slasher movie, eight cultural heritage and architectural organizations (including the AIA; ASLA; Docomomo US; the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Society of Architectural Historians) have jointly filed suit in federal district court in Washington, DC, “to require the Trump administration to comply with historic preservation laws and secure Congressional authorization before implementing… further alterations.”

Then there’s the 250-foot-tall arch that even arch-supporters think is out of scale.

All of this may seem like small potatoes when lives are at stake overseas, but the symbolic and the political overlap, evidenced in the effort to stop the arch by the advocacy group Public Citizen. Per PBS News Hour, its clients include three Vietnam War veterans, who object to "their fallen comrades," interred in Arlington National Cemetery, lying in the shadow of “a vainglorious arch, a personal vanity project.”

As for this Thursday's meeting about the East Wing Ballroom, whose current iteration was designed by Shalom Baranes, some 97 percent of 35,000 public comments sent to the National Capital Planning Commission were opposed to it. We'll find out soon if growing public outrage about the president’s runaway plans to remake the capital has any effect at all.

Design Things To Do

Top Pick: Visit a Prefab Factory

So, a growing number of people in construction are making the case for prefabricated structures on the grounds that once one factory-made house has been approved by the city, hundreds more can move quickly through the system.

Kitchen and living area in a "SuperBungalow" in Silver Lake

One person who is promoting manufactured housing is Aaron van Schaik. I interviewed him for FORT:LA's “The Good Developer” at his first built example in LA: “SuperBungalows," nine apartments on Marathon Avenue in Silver Lake. He is using a panelized system, made of CLT (cross-laminated timber) and durable, attractive materials that give cookie-cutter homes a custom, even artisanal feel.

Then, this past Friday, I went to the opening of Berkeley Station, a cluster of 13 one-bedroom apartments for low-income families and youth transitioning out of foster care. It was designed by Brooks Scarpa Huber, in collaboration with Plant Prefab, for Community Corporation of Santa Monica nonprofit housing developer. This project was a test case for the architects' NEST Toolkit, a prefabricated modular system, and garnered a $1 million grant in the 2018 LA County Housing Innovation Challenge.

Berkeley Station opens, showing NEST modular system. Photo courtesy Plant Prefab 

But what does prefab mean? What are the differences between modular, or 3D, and panelized, or 2D, construction? And does the process deliver cheaper homes than custom, stick-built, once you factor in costs like land, permits, and site work?

You can find out next Tuesday, April 7th, by attending an Open House at Plant Prefab's factory in Arvin, California, hosted by the company owner Steve Glenn (who lives in his own Ray Kappe-designed modular home). It's a 90-minute drive in good traffic, but could be well worth the trip to see the future of housing production. If interested, RSVP here.

Quick Picks

In view of what’s being added to the cityscape in Washington, DC, there can be no show more current than MOCA’s MONUMENTS, marking the historic wave of Confederacy monument removals (some of which POTUS wants to reinstall). This "First Friday," April 3rd, enjoy all-day free admission along with DJ sets and food trucks brought to you by BERG (Black Employee Resources Group) Collective.

Or, head to Woodbury University's School of Architecture to hear from Chris Cornelius, citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, professor, and founding principal of studio:indigenous. He will talk about his firm's work (below) that presents "a distinct vision of contemporary Indigenous culture." The talk and reception are this Friday, April 3rd, starting 6:00 PM, in the architecture school's Ahmanson Main Space.

Not My HUD House, by Chris Cornelius. Courtesy studio.indigenous

Viennese architect Alfred Preis escaped from the Nazis and wound up becoming one of Hawaii’s leading modern architects in the 1950s and 1960s, best known for his USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor (below). This coming Saturday morning, April 4th, starting at 11:00 AM, tour the exhibition of his buildings at the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design, with Axel Schmitzberger, author of the book Alfred Preis DISPLACED. Hosted by the Society of Architectural Historians.

To anyone who suspects LA is anti-intellectual, head over this Saturday, April 4th (2:00–10:30 PM), to the Wende Museum for the French Villa Albertine’s marvelous annual Night of Ideas. The treats in store at this FREE, public event include “an original musical creation by composer Victor Le Masne, followed by thinkers and doers from the realms of art, science, literature, journalism, technology, and performance. RSVP here.

USS Arizona Memorial

After losing its Main Street home due to rising rents, the plucky little Venice History Museum (VHM) has reopened in a senior center by the dog park in Venice. Show your support by visiting its current shows — Vanished Venice: Ship Cafe and The Annual Venice Canal Festivals – and consider attending this magic-filled fundraiser at a private home in Venice this Saturday evening.

Here is a twofer on architectural visions for reconstruction post-fires. Helms Design Center and Cal Poly LA Metro Program host LA REBUILDS, an Exhibition (opening April 9th) and Symposium (April 12th) showcasing drawings and models of “some of the best architectural projects permitted and being constructed in the city and county.”

CSA #14, Fitzgerald Jones House, Bestor Architecture

Some of the architects in the stellar line-up at Helms — including Bestor Architecture (above) — will also showcase designs in the display of Case Study: Adapt (CSA) models at the new Santa Monica City Gallery at Bergamot Station, opening Friday, April 10th, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Info and RSVP, here.

What I'm Digging

Watching... Sentimental Value, the multi-Oscar-winning film directed by Joachim Trier, about a troubled father trying to heal his relationship with his daughters through making a film inspired by their own story. Central to the drama is a building — the family's Dragestil, or Dragon Style, house in Oslo. The role of home as silent witness and participant in human relations is powerfully conveyed.

Cheering... the debut of the Superbloom-inspired look for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic games, despite the slightly "mysterious" type choices. Lovely idea by head designers Ric Edwards and Geoff Engelhardt to celebrate Southern California‘s legendary spring carpets of flowers, while giving a nod to Deborah Sussman's unforgettable color palette for the 1984 games.

Reading... this fascinating NYT report about a Wisconsin dairy farmer who now finds himself at odds with his party over ICE raids and its failure to recognize that "America’s food supply depends on immigrants." Especially timely this "Farmworkers Day."  

LA28 reveals its graphic language, inspired by the spring superblooms.

What I'm NOT Digging

Nanny-cars

Actually, I'm divided on this one. Hubby and I recently traded in our ancient car for a freshly minted hybrid, meaning we've joined the tribe of drivers being persistently badgered by alarms if you go too close to an object, texts if you've left your shopping on the back seat, and a non-stop ding-dong if you don't buckle up. On one hand, this is all very protective; on the other, I feel like I've been through the shredder after every drive.

Well, that's it for this week's newsletter. Write me with design news, questions, and comments at francesanderton@gmail.com. Get back issues here. And remind your friends to sign up for the newsletter here.

Yours with very best wishes,

Frances