A "library park" in a Colombian barrio serves functions beyond those of either a library or a park. State-funded programs operated through the institution provide an underprivileged community with educational and other services, making the Parque Biblioteca España a symbol of hope for the city of Medellín.

Giancarlo Mazzanti’s Parque Biblioteca España is located in the city of Medellín, home to more than 3.3 million residents and capital of the coffee-producing province of Antioquia. The city is situated in the Aburrá Valley of the Andes Mountains, in the geographically diverse country of Colombia. Medellín runs the length of the Aburrá Valley, extending fingers and palms up steep slopes to the ridges that contain and proclaim its identity as a highland haven and, per the prevailing weather conditions, the City of Eternal Spring. Its unique geographic qualities allow the entire span of Medellín to be seen from the surrounding mountain ridges; conversely, these ridges can be seen from any point along the river bisecting Medellín’s core, the Rio Medellín. Along Medellín’s western slope in the Santo Domingo Savio barrio sits the Parque Biblioteca España, articulating through its rough-hewn envelope the city’s mountainous boundaries – a distinct point of pride for its inhabitants.

Sometimes, large-scale urban changes need to be made one step at a time. The concept of incremental urbanism is gaining traction in some communities.

Although economics and planning are considered sciences, it seems that "quality of place" is best captured when revitalization is approached as an art. Science is filled with models, many of which are all too familiar. However, it seems that many of the models employed in our economic revitalization efforts are just not working. As some groups try to identify a magic bullet that will turn around struggling (read: surviving) communities, others look to a more organic, connected solution that is better suited to our economic, political, and social culture. We talked with architect Alan Pullman of Studio One Eleven about the use of the incremental urbanism approach and its potential for revitalization.

As Madrid’s population continues to expand, its suburban areas are becoming more and more popular with those looking for affordable housing outside the city limits. However, these neighborhoods, while more economically practical, have long been plagued with the cookie cutter design all too often seen these days. Full of generic residential developments and chain restaurants, these areas have very little character and no touristic value; as such, they have been dealt a short hand in the design game.

What are some of the challenges – and pathways to success – when it comes to designing commercial architecture?

Stuart Silk Architects, based in Seattle, Washington, has more than 25 years of experience producing residential and commercial architecture. We spoke with John Adams, AIA, Principal of Stuart Silk Architects, to learn more about the latest challenges associated with commercial design. Although commercial design certainly has its nuances, his firm has successfully bridged residential and commercial design with a simple and unified insight: the client is always passionately and personally invested.

The Aqua Tower in Chicago brings the fresh perspective of a young architect, Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, to bear upon century-old skyscraper design challenges.

The Aqua Tower, looming over 1.9 million square feet, is an 82-story mixed-use high-rise complex that includes 55,000 square feet with a hotel, apartments, condominiums, offices, and parking. This aesthetically pleasing Chicago skyscraper is the tallest building designed by a woman-owned architectural firm and the first skyscraper from Jeanne Gang, principal and founder of Studio Gang Architects (SGA), which is based in Chicago.

SubCat Studios by Fiedler Marciano Architecture

The addition of an independent recording studio was an ideal fit for Syracuse, New York’s burgeoning local arts scene, but who would consider building a recording studio on a site surrounded by noise?

Although it is situated between downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square district and the Near Westside, two artsy neighborhoods on the rise, the Redhouse Arts Center is physically isolated. The 89-seat theater occupies a "private island" of sorts, severed from the urban fabric by highly trafficked roads and a freight rail overpass. Now it is no longer alone. When the adjacent three-story masonry structure known as 219 West became available, a benefactor of the Redhouse Arts Center, who is also an associate of the owner of SubCat Studios, saw a mutually beneficial opportunity to cement this little island’s status as a cultural destination.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is slated to become the home of the world’s tallest building.

Jeddah, a city of three million in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will soon be known for having the world’s tallest building. The Kingdom Tower, as it will be called, is a design conceived by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), a Chicago-based firm. Smith, while at SOM, partnered on the design of the current tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The first skyscraper in the United States to achieve LEED Platinum also utilized the principles of biophilia in its design, helping to bring the feeling of nature into the heart of New York City.

When One Bryant Park – also known as the Bank of America Tower – was completed in 2009, it became the second tallest structure in New York City (after the Empire State Building). It was also the first skyscraper in the United States to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The list of its energy-efficient and environmentally friendly features is impressive and has been much discussed.

The Bacardi Building provides a striking example of Miami Modern (MiMo) hybridized with the International Style in Miami, Florida.

Some combinations are just irresistible: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Lennon and McCartney, Simon and Garfunkel, Bacardi and Coke. That such a relationship exists between two buildings may seem to be a little of a metaphorical stretch – that is, until you encounter the two superbly crafted buildings that make up the Bacardi building complex here in Miami. One building stands tall and proud, the other spans wide and colorful. If the Bacardi buildings were a song, they might be that famous Lennon and McCartney recording, "A Day in the Life" from the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lennon's more caustic lyrics rise in tone, defining the plaza of their music, and McCartney's optimistic retort playfully provides a backdrop. Bacardi's tower, designed by Enrique Guitierrez in 1964, rises cool and architecturally fecund from its concrete roots, and Bacardi's cube, designed by Ignacio Carrera-Justiz in 1973, dances atop a hopeful plinth behind the scenes. It’s a very graceful juxtaposition. To extend the metaphor, it is like the juxtaposition afforded by Lennon and McCartney in "A Day in the Life," in which the contrast is emphasized by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing backward. In the Bacardi complex, the work of Guitierrez and Carrera-Justiz is divided by Bacardi's corporate logo, the Bat. Stroll through the plaza and find yourself transported into a world of modernist sophistication, spatial clarity, and a cool urban rhythm that Vitruvius would have delighted in.

At the heart of any city is its marketplace. Madrid remakes some of its classic markets while adding modern twists.

Never one to be outdone by its neighbor Barcelona, Madrid is seeing its own market makeover craze. Two newly refurbished markets have risen from the brink of ruin to become the latest gourmet hot spots – the San Miguel Market and the San Antón Market.

Columbus, Indiana is an architectural destination that continues to reinvent itself. A major infusion of modernist structures in the mid-20th Century established a precedent for place building that continues today.

Most people who know and love Columbus, Indiana have moved beyond its story of unlikeliness. Still, a great deal of what’s written about Columbus plays up the improbability angle: how does a city like this, with more than 70 modernist masterpieces designed by internationally-acclaimed architects and artists, spring out of soybean fields? Unlike the obvious architectural hubs in the United States, such as Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., Columbus has a ‘have-to-see-it-to-believe-it’ quality. But it has earned its stripes: the American Institute of Architects rated it sixth in the U.S. for architectural innovation and design— next in line after the aforementioned cities.

In May of 2011, a domestic modernist masterpiece opened its doors to the public at last, after spending 50 quiet years situated amid the architectural treasures of Columbus, Indiana.

J. Irwin Miller and Xenia Simmons Miller were like a lot of their contemporaries: raising children in a home they cherished on a quiet street in a friendly Midwestern town. Their children chased each other, roller-skated on the patio, had slumber parties with their friends, and scattered their toys on the floor. The only difference is that this family was living in one of the most spectacular modernist houses in the country, designed by Eero Saarinen, one of the most important modernist architects of the day. The home’s interiors were brought to life by designer Alexander Girard, and the landscape was designed by Dan Kiley.