But the ones that are, well, they’re pretty darn amazing.

Here are our top five favourite architecture museums – and why you should love them, too.

The Skyscraper Museum

Located in New York City, New York, the Skyscraper Museum is the world’s first and foremost vertical metropolis. It celebrates NYC’s rich architectural heritage, as well as highlights those who are a part of the process. They’ve dedicated their work to the study of high-rise buildings, past, present, and future, and regular features exhibitions, publications, educational programs, and a comprehensive website.

Their current visiting exhibition runs until January 2012. Called Supertall!, it is an international survey of superlative towers featuring projects built since 2001, or to be built by 2016.  It highlights their innovative approach, large size, and creative output.

www.skyscraper.org

National Building Museum

The National Building Museum is dedicated to the history and impact of the built environment. They provide the stories of architecture, engineering, and design, all nestled in a magnificent building with a soaring Great Hall, colossal 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns, and a 1,200-foot terra cotta frieze.

Their current visiting exhibitions include:

Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meière: Running until January 2nd, exhibition features sketches, painted studies, and scale models that bring Meière’s creative process to life.

LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition: Running until September 3rd, 2012, this exhibition showcases fifteen buildings from around the world made  from LEGO® bricks, all by Adam Reed Tucker.

www.nbm.org

The Chicago Athenaeum

The Chicago Athenaeum is an International Museum of Architecture and Design, based in Chicago. Since 1988, it has been dedicated to the Art of Design in: architecture, industrial, and product design, graphics, and urban planning. Their mission is the advancement of public education about the value of Good Design – from the “spoon to the city” – and how design can positively impact the human environment.

www.chi-athenaeum.org

The Architectural League, New York

The Architectural League aims to advance the art of architecture by promoting excellence and innovation. They also develop community and discussion for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines. They highlight architects and designers to New York, national and international audiences, through lectures, exhibitions, publications, and the Internet.

Their current visiting exhibition is The Unfinished Grid: Design Speculations for Manhattan. This exhibition features eight innovative proposals for the future of Manhattan’s street grid. On view until April 15th, 2012, it celebrates the 200th anniversary of the 1811 Commissioners’ Plan for New York, which created Manhattan’s famous street grid.

archleague.org

Architecture and Design Museum, Los Angeles

The mission of the Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles is to promote and bring forth celebration of progressive and innovative architecture and design in every day life. They do this through a variety of exhibits, educational programming, and public outreach.

The museum serves as a showcase for the work of all regional, national and international designers, while providing a forum for contemporary issues in architecture, urbanism, and design that help shape and develop the city.

Their current visiting exhibition is Eames Words. Going on until January 16th, 2012, this exhibition aims to inspire viewers to appreciate the world by honoring “the uncommon beauty of common things.” The simple pleasures of daily life are illustrated with objects and materials that may seem basic, but have more meaning.

www.aplusd.org

Also this year, Barbie is unveiling the I Can Be … Architect, encouraging girls to pursue a career in architecture.

This resulted in the Architect Barbie Dream House Design Competition.

And winners have been chosen.

The American Institute of Architects partnered with Mattel to announce the competition. Basically, it was an opportunity for architects to design a home with specific Barbie guidelines, which include an office, open living and dining areas and plenty of room for her five pets, including her giraffe.

There weren’t too many other rules; any AIA member could compete.

Two New York architecture students, Ting Li and Maja Paklar, are the winners of the dream home.

Their pink and frilly (but chic) design trumped over 8,000 other entries.

The winning design includes many environmental features and sits over a bluff on the Malibu coast. Four hundred fifty square metres in size, the house’s four levels are connected by a central core of spiraling staircases, which rise around a hollow centre that doubles as Barbie’s tower wardrobe.

Even better, the wardrobe is computer controls so clothes are delivered to her bedroom with the push a button.

Other features include nearly 150 square meters of entertaining space, a large chef’s open kitchen and an office, described as “Steven Jobs-approved”.

The top two floors include her bedroom, “inspiration space”, and, on the roof, a garden.

Li and Paklar, gradutes of Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s March program, worked hard and it paid off. “We appreciate the versatility of our profession which allows us to express ourselves in myriad ways – from entirely built city environments to a Barbie Dream House. We hope to encourage more young female architects to flex their design muscles and just to have fun with architecture,” they explained.

A $1,000 donation will be made in their names to a charter high school in Philadelphia that focuses on design and architecture.

The Dream House will become the home to Architect Barbie. Mattel and Barbie designers ensured that her needs were met, consulting with two members of the AIA: Despina Stratigakos, Professor of Architectural History at the University at Buffalo and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, Associate Director of the Capital Planning Group at the University at Buffalo and the 2011 President Elect for AIA New York State.

”For more than a century, women have chosen to become architects to express and give form to new ways of living. Yet some still consider architecture an unusual profession for a woman. Architect Barbie salutes the many generations of women architects and encourages young girls to imagine a better world they can design and build,” Stratigakos explained in a statement.

Mattel has also dubbed Architect Barbie the brand’s ‘career of the year,’ and will be available August 2011.

Read more about the winners here and see more of the winning design: AIA.

And so, together, the Center for Architecture in New York and the Amsterdam Centre for Architecture are looking into the future of these cities.

Both cities have strong business ethics, a long tradition of cultural diversity, and extensive waterfronts; and both cities want to focus on creating livable, sustainable urban environments in which we are to thrive.

A new exhibit,  Glimpses of New York and Amsterdam in 2040 delivers an exchange program between the Center for Architecture in New York and the Amsterdam Centre for Architecture (ARCAM).

Together, they have commissioned architects and landscape architects in both cities to think about the “future of the future,” emphasizing the five basic necessities for living: breathing, eating, making, moving and dwelling.

These futures will be a look into the daily life in both New York and Amsterdam, providing powerful insight into addressing long-term issues.

These issues include the relationship between recreational and working waterfronts; the ecology, remediation and preservation of natural habitat; the control of rising water levels; the preservation and reuse of industrial infrastructure; and the role of transportation in better connecting cities.

The exhibit runs from June 8th – September 10th, 2011 at the Center for Architecture in New York City. Work from local firms include dlandstudio, Interboro Partners, Fabrications, and van Bergen Kolpa among others.

Also, check out their Opening Party details on their Facebook page.

Try saying that ten times fast.

Read on for our favourites.

Architecture: A World History

With gorgeous illustrations, this comprehensive, but condensed book is dedicated to significant architectural movements, exploring its evolution through biographies of great architects and analysis of their masterpieces. Organized chronologically, it covers prehistory to the present, highlighting noteworthy examples of important architectural styles, and showcasing works of significant architects. (Get it here)

Great Cathedrals

All wrapped into one impressive volume, the finest Gothic cathedrals of France, England, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Coming together in a gorgeous book, readers and academics will enjoy massive, detailed photographs of these landmarks, focusing on their beauty, innovation, and amazing formation. (Get it here)

Venice: an Architectural Guide

Venice is a mecca to beautiful architecture, and this brief, but detailed, book provides an accessible guide to the city. Written by architect and critic Richard Goy, it lays out the city’s piazzas, palazzos, basilicas, and other architectural points of interest, as well as  historical details regarding Venice’s environment. The book also sets out planned walking tours, maps, features, key terms, and other references materials… a must for travellers! (Get it here)

Five Hundred Buildings of London

The name says it all, laying out five hundred photographs showcasing the best architectural examples in London, England. Photographic tours like the pages of the volume, with rich, fine resolution duotone detail. Information including the building’s name, address and location, and year of completion or renovation is included underneath each image, along with a brief description. Gill Davies authors and edits, while London-based photographer John Reynolds brings it altogether. (Get it here)

Five Hundred Buildings of Paris

Like it’s London counterpart, this volume highlights the buildings of Paris in the same way. Kathy Borrus writes and edits this version, and Jorg Brockmann and James Driscoll provides the eye candy. (Get it here)

Five Hundred Buildings of New York

It wouldn’t be complete without bringing New York City into the mix, all written in the same layout. (Get it here)

Fifty Architects You Should Know

Broaden your knowledge by knowing more about your favourite architects. Starting with the Renaissance, this book outlines fifty visionary architects over the past six centuries. It contains double-page spreads with full-color illustrations, informative sidebars, and a timeline that extends throughout the book. (Get it here)

Young Architect Kit

Kids will have hours of fun with this kit designed by the folks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They’ll be able to create their own blueprints and building reusable 3D architectural models with this kit designed for ages 10 and over. The kit includes 9 room templates, 6 large pieces of tracing paper, 3 furniture guides, walls and blocks, peel-and-stick doors and windows, an acrylic work mat, and 4 colored pencils. (Get it here).

101 Things I Learned in Architecture School

Architecture: Form, Space, and Order

A Visual Dictionary of Architecture

Architectural Drawing Course: Tools and Techniques for 2D and 3D Representation

Think Like an Architect

Author Hal Box believes that everyone should be involved in making architecture. This book is organized as a series of letters to friends and students about the process of creating architecture. He describes what architecture should be and do; how to look at and appreciate good buildings; and how to understand the design process, work with an architect, or become an architect. He also provides an overview of the history of architecture, with lists of books to read and buildings to see. (Get it here).

Here are our six favourites.

Chrysler Building

Date: 1928 to 1930

Style: Art Deco

Construction: 77 floors, 1048 feet high, 29961 tons of steel, 3,826,000 bricks, 500 windows

Cost: $20,000,000

Details: This skyscraper is located on the East side of Manhattan, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. It was briefly the world’s tallest building before the Empire State Building was built. Even so, it is still the world’s tallest brick building.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Date: 1851 to 1871, towers in 1888

Style: Gothic Revival

Construction: Stone

Details: St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the largest decorated Gothic-style cathedral in North America. It is also the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, as well as a parish church. The cathedral is located on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st streets in Manhattan. The design is based on French models.

Grand Central Terminal

Date: 1903 to 1913

Style: Beaux Arts

Construction: Stone facade

Details: Located at 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue, this terminal station is found in Midtown Manhatten in NYC.  Named for the New York Central Railroad in the old day American long-distance passenger trains, its number of platforms makes it the largest train station in the world. There are 44 in total, with 67 tracks along them. They are found on two levels, both below ground, with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Date: 1890 to 1990

Style: Neoclassical

Construction: Stone

Details: The work on the museum began in 1880, but many additions have been made since then. Over 10 different architects have worked on different portions of the museum, often referred to simply as “the Met”. It is one of the world’s largest  museums and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

St. John the Divine Cathedral

Date: 1882

Style: Gothic

Construction: Stone

Details: This cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025. It is claimed to be the largest cathedral and Anglican church and third largest Christian church in the world. It remains unfinished, with construction and restoration a continuing process.

Woolworth Building

Date: 1911 to 1913

Style: Art Deco and Neo-Gothic

Construction: 792 feet tall and 57 stories. Base is made of limestone and granite, tower with white terra cotta.

Details: The Woolworth Building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in NYC.  It is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States. In 1966, the building was listed as a National Historic Landmark.

Have a good guide

Make sure your guide is an architecture-savvy person. The guide should have advanced knowledge, education, and experience in architecture and/or art history.

Check the itinerary

How long will you be visiting each site? You’ll want to  be sure that you’re there long enough for your own tastes. Will there is an on-site guide? Time to look at the details? A question and answer period?

Time for yourself

Depending on your preferences, you may want to check out how many folks are alongside you on the tour. Additionally, you may want to know if your group will be combined with others at the certain sites, or if the places are open to the public or just a single group at a time. If you have many questions, you’ll want smaller groups with more  attention given to each person.

Pick those with the passion

Looking at the different tours, check out who they are geared toward. Are they for a vast age group? Are backgrounds similar? Will they also love architecture? Are they going to get antsy and want to go shopping after ten minutes? You’ll want to travel with like-minded folks.

Photos are more fun

Some rules will require no photos allowed. Others don’t mind. If you’re keen on capturing the moment, search the sites on the Web beforehand to see what you’re allowed to do.

Going behind the scenes

Sometimes tours are allowed to go where independent travellers are not allowed to venture. If this is more your style, consider finding a tour group that does just that.

Flexibility is the focus

If you’re not into the structure that a tour brings, but like that you are involved with others and have guides at hand, consider how flexible the itinerary is to do your own thing. See if you’ll have time to explore on your own.

More tips? List them below!

“The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design,” presents what living and being green means to different architects.

The group takes photos and models of twenty green houses worldwide, among them the United States, Australia, the Netherlands.

Each piece is accompanied by descriptions of their eco-features, such as earth-insulation and natural environments.

The exhibition is designed to evoke thought that green architecture can also be aesthetically pleasing. Studies are showing the energy efficient buildings often fail to function as they claim; this means that green architecture can be expensive and eco-features are dropped to save money with design build Riverside County.

This group of architects, then, are focusing on the successes of the industry. Cabinets K Designs.

“The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design,” through Oct. 16 at the Yale School of Architecture, 180 York Street, New Haven; (203) 432-2288 or www.architecture.yale.edu/arch_gallery. Admission is free.

Image courtesy of  Northeast Heavy Construction Academy

Calling all architects

Deadline: rolling
Note: the committee selects projects quarterly for presentation in New York Designs. Please submit material by March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 for consideration in the following quarter.

2010 New York Designs Committee
Andrew Berman, Stella Betts, Phu Hoang, Joe MacDonald, Anne Rieselbach, Linnaea Tillett, Shawn Watts, Claire Weisz, Barbara Wilks, and Stephen Yablon

Call for Submissions
Architects, landscape architects, engineers, and other designers are invited to submit projects to the Architectural League’s New York Designs series. Projects of all types at any scale, either built (completed within one year of submission) or under construction in New York City, are welcome. Quality is the sole criterion for selection.

New York Designs recognizes accomplished built work in New York City. If your project is selected, League staff will work with you to develop an appropriate presentation, most often taking the format of an on-site tour or brief lecture. We invite designers to include project collaborators, such as consultants, contractors, engineers, clients, and others in the project presentation. Submission assumes the accessibility of the space by a group of 20-30 people and availability of the designer to take part in a New York-based program. Travel monies will not be provided.

Submission deadlines
New York Designs is an ongoing project recognition series. You may submit a project at any time.

Submission requirements
Submissions are digital. Please submit a PDF of no more than four pages that includes project images, a written statement not to exceed 250 words, and a brief project description and timeline.

Submissions should be sent to Nick Anderson at anderson@archleague.org. For more information, call 212.753.1722 x13.

League programs are made possible, in part, by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Latest Publication

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, Foresight is the eleventh in a yearly series of publications that features the work by the winners of the Architectural League’s annual competition for young architects and designers. The theme is 2010 features ways to take the present and mold it to the future.

The winners of the 2009 Young Architects competition—Bureau E.A.S.T., Frida Escobedo Lopez, Ether Ship, ex.studio, Fake Industries Architectural Agonism, and Phu Hoang Office—are represented in this publication with innovative projects featuring architecture for the years to come.

Having been inspired by the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Koch plans to remake the fountains into what he dubs as “spectacular”.

His pledge includes an effort of a minimum of ten million dollars to fix up the two fountains, exterior lighting, and an overall update.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Met confirmed this offer. That being said, they are still deciding whether to accept it or not.

Koch, a part of Met’s board, is eager to do this part. “If you go down Fifth Avenue, that plaza is so dreary,” he explained. “I want to improve the lighting, so that when you pass by at night and look over there, you’ll see a beautiful fountain, dancing away.”

The Met’s own fountains were installed about forty years ago, and because of their designated landmark status, changes must be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Read the full story at the Wall Street Journal. Northeast Heavy Construction

Cheryl Palmer, along with the crew at Club Quarters Inc., are well on their way with the World Center Hotel, located in the spot where the World Trade Center once stood.

The hotel began to take reservations last month, amidst the current construction of the rest of the hotel – it’s still in progress, but already doing well.

The hotel offers guests the latest in hotel design, built for LEED certification. With more than 200 rooms, the hotel focuses on a calming, secure atmosphere with floor-to-ceiling windows delivering a gorgeous view. It’s also located across from Manhattan’s tallest skyscraper, the 1776-foot Freedom Tower.

Alongside a public memorial and hotel rooms, it also has plans for corporate apartments. And with an estimated 7.1 million people to visit it in the first year, its prospects are looking good.

Read the full story from the Associated Press and see more at their website clubquarters.com