Architecture

The population of Naoshima has fallen to 3,000. But this year, its art will attract 800,000 tourists from around the world. "The level of our sophistication has gone up considerably," says a resident.

With its spires, rotunda and colorful facade, the Arts and Industries Building is a festive relief compared with its neighbors. But restoring the Smithsonian's first museum hasn't been easy.

Two dozen American artists were asked to create their vision of a "dream room," in miniature form. They stuffed a lot into these small boxes: hopes, fears and some really tiny unicorns.

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Homs-based architect Marwa al-Sabouni, about her new book The Battle for Home, which traces Syria's past, present and possible future through the lens of architecture.

Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag. Each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

The Obama Foundation named Tod Williams and Billie Tsien as the architects of the presidential museum and library. Scott Simon talks to Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin.

The stripped-down look of exposed brick, poured cement floors and Edison light bulbs is popular in restaurants across America. One reporter dares to ask, "Seriously, why?"

Researchers using satellite images and drones discovered a structure the size of an Olympic-size pool near the center of the ancient city in Jordan. But what exactly it was used for remains a mystery.

Love them or hate them, modernist buildings of the 1960s and '70s are beginning to need renovation, and the U.S. General Services Administration is trying something unusual — putting a 32-story office tower under glass. The double wall exterior will not only save energy but protect the inhabitants from a bomb blast. NPR explores whether the repairs are worth the $120 million and if the outer wall will ruin the original architecture design.

Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag. Each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

Architect Marc Kushner explains why architecture tends to swing drastically between traditional and experimental styles — and why the future of building design is going to be different.

This week is the 100th birthday of Jane Jacobs, who resisted gentrification in New York and became a respected thinker on urban planning. Author Roberta Brandes Gratz talks about Jacobs' legacy.