Architecture

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.

Retired American diplomat Tess Johnston, 84, made a second career working to preserve the rich colonial architecture of Shanghai.

An architect looked at communities that serve older adults, and didn't like what he saw. By changing habits earlier in life, he says, we can create vibrant communities that will sustain us.

Architect Zaha Hadid died on Thursday at age 65. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honor.

Hadid was first famous for spectacular designs that were never built — but later proved her ideas worked in the real world, not just on paper. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker prize.

Sarah Parcak is a pioneer in space archaeology. She describes her method of using satellite images to locate lost ancient sites.

High housing costs are encouraging Londoners to build down instead of up. They're digging out basements to create underground mansions. This story originally aired on Jan. 4, 2016 on Morning Edition.

Nearly 60 years ago, William Krisel did everything he could to break the monotony of tract housing. In the process, he proved that Modernism could be both livable and affordable.