Design
Imagining a City of Treelike Buildings
Amid growing concerns that skyscrapers were blocking sunlight for people on the ground, a British architect proposed a novel solution.
February 17, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
How Much the Hope Diamond is Worth and Other Questions From Our Readers
From American art, history and culture, air and space technology, contemporary art, Asian art and any of the sciences from astronomy to zoology, we'll find an answer
February 07, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
Q and A With Architect David Adjaye
The designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture talks about his vision for the new building
February 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Curators, Scientific Adventurers and Book Worms to Watch in 2012
Our top ten picks from the Smithsonian Twitterati and blogrolls.
January 20, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
In The Future, All Women Will Be Amazons
A 1950 news report predicted that women in the year 2000 would be "more than six feet tall, wear a size 11 shoe, have shoulders like a wrestler and muscles like a truck driver."
January 20, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The Sistine Chapel of the Andes
Just miles from Peru’s Incan ruins lie artifacts from another era—beautiful Baroque churches that married Spanish design with indigenous culture
January 12, 2012 |
By Rebecca Dalzell
Building a Better World With Green Cement
With an eye on climate change, a British startup creates a new form of the ancient building material
December 2011 |
By Michael Rosenwald
The Monuments That Were Never Built
In a new exhibit at the National Building Museum, imagine Washington D.C. as it could have been
November 23, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
A Whole Town Under One Roof
We're moving on up—visions of a self-contained community within a 1,000-foot tall skyscraper
November 18, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
The Secrets of Ancient Rome’s Buildings
What is it about Roman concrete that keeps the Pantheon and the Colosseum still standing?
November 16, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Q and A With Diosa Costello
The first Latina on Broadway dishes on her career and how she got her breakout role in South Pacific
November 2011 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Shanghai Gets Supersized
Boasting 200 skyscrapers, China's financial capital has grown like no other city on earth – and shows few signs of stopping
November 2011 |
By David Devoss with additional reporting by Lauren Hilgers
The List: Smithsonian-Inspired Halloween Costumes
For all you last-minute costume shoppers, here's this year's list of Smithsonian DIY ideas
October 27, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Learning Urban Design From Developing Countries
A design exhibition brings innovative solutions to urban communities around the world
October 26, 2011 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Thomas Edison’s Brief Stint As A Homemaker
The famous inventor envisioned a future of inexpensive, prefabricated concrete homes.
October 21, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
Building Expectations
How do people decide what does or doesn't look futuristic?
October 18, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
Today at War, Tomorrow in Stores
Advertisers in the 1940s promised American consumers that they would be rewarded for their wartime sacrifices on the homefront
October 12, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
A Tribute to a Great Artist: Steve Jobs
Through mastering calligraphy in college, Jobs learned to think like an artist
October 06, 2011 |
By Henry Adams
The Boston Globe of 1900 Imagines the Year 2000
A utopian vision of Boston promises no slums, no traffic jams, no late mail deliveries and, best of all, night baseball games
October 04, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
Vote Now for the People’s Design Award
Polls are open. The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum wants you to weigh in
September 30, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
