Daniel A. Barber: The Latest Architecture and News

Under Carlo Ratti's curatorship, the Venice Biennale's 19th International Architecture Exhibition delves into the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," with the explicit aim of transforming the city of Venice into a "Living Laboratory." In addition to the 65 national participations and a wide range of educational and collateral events, the exhibition features independent projects that directly respond to the overarching theme. With most of the exhibits showcased in the historic Corderie building, stretching along the south side of the Arsenale, the event offers a dynamic exploration of emerging architectural ideas and urban strategies.

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It’s easy to think of Modernism as inseparable from air conditioning, simply because we are surrounded by so much of it that is. A valuable reminder that this wasn’t always the case is provided in University of Pennsylvania architecture professor Daniel A. Barber’s Modern Architecture and Climate: Design Before Air Conditioning (Princeton University Press), which outlines the story of the febrile, flexible, and often-forgotten early experiments in climate control.

Modern Architecture and Climate explores how leading architects of the twentieth century incorporated climate-mediating strategies into their designs, and shows how regional approaches to climate adaptability were essential to the development of modern architecture.