This week in architecture

Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge, Dallas, Texas
The city of Dallas is getting ready to celebrate the opening of the Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the bridge's parabolic arch stands some 400 feet high. It is Calatrava's first vehicular bridge in the U.S. and a handsome new landmark for a city that thinks big.


The National New Deal Preservation Association
I had never heard of the NNDPA until this article in the New York Times on African American artist Sargent Johnson alerted me to its mission. Johnson was a muralist for the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s. The WPA constructed hundreds of public buildings, bridges, tunnels, and highways across the country. Many of the buildings were enhanced by large-scale murals and other artwork. The most familiar examples of WPA art are, of course, the famous post-office murals. No one knows exactly how many WPA projects are still standing. Much of the research is conducted at the community level. The National New Deal Preservation Association is working to save an important part of America's architectural and social history. You can find at more at their website. If you want to learn about artists who worked for New Deal visit the National Archive's online exhibit, A New Deal for the Arts.

Imperfect Health: The Medicalization of Architecture
I recently came across this timely exhibit at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Anyone who's ever worked or lived in a building with poor ventilation or one infested with mold knows just how "unhealthy" some architecture can be. The Centre addresses these and other issues, as well as initiatives to make cities and buildings safer, healthier places. A book will be published this spring.

Photo Credit: Trinity River Bridges Project, Dallas, TX