8.28.05 | NY Times | WHEN a federal judge ruled this month that a lawsuit brought by Thomas Shine, formerly a student at the Yale School of Architecture, against David M. Childs, a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, could proceed, the architecture world was caught off guard. It wasn't the accusation - that Mr. Childs appropriated one of Mr. Shine's student projects in a 2003 design for the Freedom Tower at ground zero - that seemed puzzling. The surprise was that Skidmore's motion for dismissal had been unsuccessful. For once, an accusation of architectural plagiarism had taken on a life beyond cocktail party chatter and snippy blogs.

8.27.05 | NY NewsDay | Even as 7 World Trade Center nears completion, it has only one committed tenant to date -- Silverstein Properties. And critics have viewed the new Freedom Tower design more as a bunker than an accessible office building. ut when it comes to actually building the new office towers on the 16-acre site, private developer Larry Silverstein, 74, is perhaps the single most prominent force moving the construction forward. In an interview with NY Newsday, Silverstein said many of the problems that once mired progress are over now that Pataki named his chief of staff, John Cahill, to serve as the governor's point person for downtown redevelopment.

7.29.05. Detroit Free Press | Gensler unveiled preliminary designs creating a bright, airy look that will replace the dimly lit hallways and low ceilings of the Smith Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport. The design for the half-mile-long terminal, a $443-million project, appears similar to the McNamara Terminal's. The intent is to allow natural light into the terminal, said Bill Hartman, Gensler's design principal and principal in charge of the project. "People ... are at ease when they have natural daylight," Hartman said. A light glaze on the glass means that even on overcast days, the terminal will be flush with light, he said.

7.21.05 | BusinessEurope.com | Businesses can greatly improve their staff productivity with better office design, a new report suggests. Research from consultancy firm Gensler shows that improving work environments can boost staff morale and drive up productivity by nearly a fifth, adding up to £135 billion to firms' bottom lines. The study of service sector businesses reveals a fifth of workers claim they would be embarrassed to show their office to a customer. Another 58% say it has not been designed to support their firm's business objectives, let alone their job function. Only half rate their working environment as above average. Business owners are failing to realise, said Gensler's Gary Wheeler, that a comfortable working environment indirectly leads to more money in their coffers. Proof office design, he said, is a false economy.