Casino: The Latest Architecture and News

The 2024 Obel Award has been granted to Colectivo C733 for their unique achievement in completing 36 public projects across Mexico over a span of just 36 months. These projects have begun as part of a nationwide initiative led by Mexico's Secretariat for Agrarian, Land, and Urban Development (SEDATU). Collectively named the 36x36 projects, the varied interventions have successfully revitalized a wide range of vulnerable urban and rural areas through a collaborative and community-focused approach. This aligns with the Obel Award's 6th cycle overarching theme, "Architectures with," highlighting initiatives that positively impact both people and the planet.

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Following two years of legal disputes, 2020 AIA Gold Medalist Marlon Blackwell and HBG Design have reached a settlement to their infamous Saracen Casino case. The award-winning firm claimed that it was responsible for the design of the Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, however, HBG Design, a Memphis design firm who Blackwell brought into the project as architect-of-record was taking credit for it instead. After performing extensive design work from 2017 to March 2019 then being abruptly fired from the project, MBA sued HBG for "copyright infringement, attribution, tortious interference, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment".

Although the case was settled, the battle is yet another incident in the ongoing debate of intellectual property in architecture, and the legal implications between design architects and architects of record. 

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In every casino, there’s much more than meets the eye. Although guests are typically only aware of what’s happening on a surface level, a casino’s ability to create a false sense of reality extends beyond the programming of slot machines and betting against the odds at the tables. It reaches far into every corner of the room and is designed in such a way, that their intentionality behind every flashing light, “cha-ching!” jackpot noise, smokey bar, and endless maze of slot machines all come together to place a bet against human psychology. They say there’s a reason why the house always wins, but what is it about the design of these spaces and the allure of the gambling table that makes visitors always come back for more?

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