Blueprints Archives
Blueprints is now out of print. The Museum's magazine featured in-depth articles exploring various issues related to exhibitions and programs at the Museum. Arranged thematically, each issue offered a deeper insight into the Museum’s mission and the built environment.
Healthy Communities, Green Communities
Howie Frumkin, a physician and epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explores the importance of planning communities that are healthy and sustainable. |
Words, Words, Words
Paul Farmer, executive director and CEO of the American Planning Association, relects on the value of various sustainable planning initiatives. |
The Lay of the Landscape
In an interview, landscape architect Len Hopper discusses his profession's inherent commitment to sustainability and growing involvement in large-scale planning efforts. |
Toward A National Academy of Environmental Design
Michael Monti, the executive director of ACSA, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, discusses the efforts of a coalition of architecture and design organizations to establish a new National Academy. |
Museum Design Apprenticeship Program Honored by Peers
Design Apprenticeship Program receives a 2008 Excellence in Programming Award from the American Association of Museums. |
Design High
Profile of two well-established architecture and design high schools and the broad lessons they may offer to other schools considering design-based curricula. |
D.C. Government Supports Education Programming
D.C. Government support pilot program to bring Museum's popular school programs into local D.C. classrooms. |
Bridge Basics Goes National
The Museum launches the Bridge Basics Program Kit in Philadelphia, PA. |
A Lens On Design
A behind-the-scenes look at the popular Investigating Where We Live program, in which teens use photography to analyze and critique their surroundings. |
Selling Modernism
Americans are famously conservative in their domestic tastes, but this interview with three real estate brokers from Chicago, Los Angeles and the San Francisco area reveals an enthusiastic subculture of homebuyers eager to go modern. |
Bachelor Modern: Mid-Century Style in American Film
A look at how Hollywood helped define popular perceptions of modern design during the post-World War II period. |
Federal Modern
The nation's biggest landlord celebrates the jewels in its portfolio while freshening up the ugly ducklings. |
Silo Point
A seemingly obsolete industrial facility finds a new career as hip urban housing. |
Renewing Urban Renewal
In Southwest Washington D.C., an icon of the "urban renewal" revolution in the 1950s and '60s is now undergoing a transformation of its own. |
The New Face of Preservation
Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and recipient of the ninth Vincent Scully Prize, reflects on the evolution of the American preservation movement. |
Eero Saarinen: Shaping Community
Saarinen may be best remembered for iconic, singular structures such as the Gateway Arch, but one of his most important legacies is his unorthodox approach to the design of educational and corporate campuses. |
Gift of the Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection
The archives of the architectural photographer Robert Lautman become part of the National Building Museum's collection. |
Community Crusader
Reverend Motley shares advice and tips with IWWL participants. |
Contemporary Architectural Practice in Africa
Mashabane Rose Associates, an innovative firm based in Johannesburg, South Africa serves as a case study of architectural practice in modern-day Africa. |
African Threads in the American Fabric
Architect and architectural historian Richard K. Dozier, Ph.D., discusses the influence of African building traditions on American architecture. |
The Art of Drawing Architecture
In an interview with guest curator Kathleen Franz, David Macaulay talks about the accidential genesis of his fabled career as an architectural illustrator and explains the process behind his popular books. |
The Tell-Tale Drawing
Architect and scholar Marco Frascari discusses the sometimes hidden meanings of drawings and what they reveal about those who drew them. |
Schools and the Language of Design
Many longstanding notions about school architecture are now as archaic as the slide rule. School design consultant (and former Museum volunteer) Christian Long discusses fresh ideas for creating effective learning environments. |
Toy Story
No matter what age you are, you will surely find something delightful among the several thousand architectural toys that the Museum recently added to its collection. An interview with collector George Wetzel reveals fascinating details from the history of such toys. |
St. Coletta School
Architect Michael Graves and his colleague Bob Miller discuss the challenge of designing a school for children and adults with mental retardation and autism. |
Architecture & Dance: Intersections & Collaboration
Architect and dance enthusiast Frances Bronet talks about her work on performance projects and teaching strategies that bring together these two disciplines. |
Lessons from the Study of Historic Theater Architecture
Why is it that some theater spaces seem to bring out the very best from relatively mundane productions, while others can deaden even the most spirited performances? Theater historian Franklin J. Hildy seeks answers from the past, with an emphasis on the Elizabethan era. |
Shakespearean Theater: It's Not What You Think
Michael Kahn, artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, explains why he had no interest in replicating the famous Globe Theatre when commissioning the new Sidney Harman Hall. |
An Actor's Perspective on Theater Design
Holly Twyford, winner of three Helen Hayes Awards as outstanding lead or supporting actress in Washington-area-plays, discusses how the design of theaters and sets influences dramatic performance. |
All That Glitters Isn't Green
Dr. Martin and Mr. Foss of PATH Partners share their insights on evolution and future of the green building movement. |
The Art of Building Lightly
In an interview, "paper architect," Shigeru Ban shares his views on green design, post-disaster construction, and the architectural culture of his native Japan. |
Lessons in Arcology
Interview with Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri renowned for his philosophy called “arcology,” which proposes that extremely compact communities offer great environmental and social advantages. |
The Pope-Leighey House
Loren Pope recounts the story of how Frank Lloyd Wright came to design his famous home in Virignia and the details of its design and construction. |
No Ordinary Clients
An in-depth look at a home situated on the Potomac River, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the highly accomplished couple, Luis and Ethel Marden. |
The Marden House
James Kimsey, a co-founder of America Online and current owner of the Marden House, shares his views on Frank Lloyd Wright, the story of how he came to acquire the well-known property, and the importance of its preservation. |
