After a slowdown caused by the bursting of the housing bubble and the financial crisis of 2008, architecture and urban design activity should be picking up, if only slightly, in 2012. Here are stories to watch for:

The Old Town School of Folk Music will open its new home, designed by Chicago architects VOA, in the 4500 block of North Lincoln Avenue on Jan. 9. Here Tribune rock critic Greg Kot preview of the new building.

Rush University Medical Center will open its new hospital, designed by Chicago architect Ralph Johnson of Perkins+Will, on Jan. 9. Here my first take on the building, posted earlier this Graham Foundation opens the Chicago showing of the Stanley Tigerman retrospective, "Ceci n pas une reverie" ("This is not a dream") on Jan. 26. The show runs through May 19. Pier officials will exhibit five designs for remaking the pier's public spaces on Feb. 2 and select a winning team (or teams) in midFebruary. Here my take on the five finalist teams participating in the competition.

A Lake Forest house by Chicago architect Frederick Phillips is among the winners of the American Institute of Architects annual housing awards. AIA says: "Built in the historic district of Lake Forest, Illinois, and subject to strict municipal review, this house mediates between the common and the unexpected. In a community where large traditional houses prevail, this house seeks a return to simple agrarian forms, colors, and textures typical blackfridayuggbootsus.com to the region, but lost long ago."

The news release follows:

When I caught up with this year's Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, Peter Zumthor, last Thursday, I could hear the wind whipping in background. wasn't in his office, which can be found the village of Haldenstein in central Switzerland. He was outdoors, with clients for two houses in a little village near Vals, the site of his bestknown project, the Thermal Baths.

He was talking on his cell phone and he quickly made a Midwestern flatlander, jealous with his description of

I'm out here on the mountainside high in the Swiss Alps. High up. I'm looking at a beautiful chain of mountains. Blue sky. You should be here. Tell me about your office.

This office is in the Swiss Alps and we are 20 people from six or seven nations. It's a limited number of peoplenot more than 20 because we're working in a familiar kind of situation, like in a farmsted in a village. We have a couple of buildings devoted to me and that is where we are working. Life and working are closely connected.

Compared to many of today's "starchitects," you've taken an unconventional career path. Do you feel vindicated by this award?

Oh yes, it's great that you can sort of pursue your thing. Do your thing. It gets recognized. I'm not so keen on publishing. I'm not a networker. It's great that if you do good work, it gets recognized.

Architecture's top prize often goes to a buzzgenerating star designer like Rem Koolhaas or Zaha Hadid. But on Monday, a Swiss architect who quietly goes about his business in a remote village in the Alps will be named this year's winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

While little known to the public, 65yearold Peter Zumthor (left) is a legend within the profession, renowned for his reclusive, monklike image and for buildings, mostly small in scale, that are filled with spiritual overtones even if they aren't overtly religious.

Among them: an art museum in Cologne, Germany that gracefully incorporates the ruins of a Gothic church destroyed by Allied bombs during World War II (below, left), a tiny field chapel in the Black Friday UGG Boots German countryside and a popular thermal bath house in Zumthor's home Swiss canton of Graubnden.

"In paring down architecture to its barest yet most sumptuous essentials, he has reaffirmed architecture's indispensable place in a fragile world," reads the citation of the eightmember Pritzker Prize jury, which includes 1998 winner Renzo Piano.

The prize, bestowed annually by Chicago's billionaire Pritzker family for "significant contributions to humanity," comes with a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion.

Zumthor is the second Swiss recipient, following design partners Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, who shared the award 2013 Black Friday UGG boots sale with big discount and best customer service in 2001. European architects have dominated the Pritzker in recent years, winning seven of the last 10 times.

A lot of traditionminded architects will be in Chicago today for ceremonies involving the Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture. Besides the bestowing of the award on Egyptian architect ElWakil, they will have something else to celebrate: The state of Virginia is targeting the culdesac.

The culdesac, in case you didn know, has long been anathema to neotraditionalist urban planners, who argued (rightly, in my view) that it bred both traffic congestion and social isolation. And now they have a friend where it counts: In the Virginia governor mansion.

As the Washington Post reported last Sunday: The state has decided that all new subdivisions must have through streets linking them with neighborhood subdivisions, schools and shopping areas. State officials say the new regulations will improve safety and accessibility and save money: No more single entrances and exits onto clogged secondary roads. Quicker responses by emergency vehicles. Lower road maintenance costs for governments."

Could that also happen in Illinois? Don bet on it. Unlike most other states, Virginia maintains almost all roads within its borders. That gave it the political and financial muscle to take aim at the culdesac. Read the Post story here.

Chicago architects Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge continue to rack up awards for their bigboned border crossing station in Raymond, Mont. General Services Administration Design Awards. It was the only project by Chicago architects to be honored.

Located in the rolling prairie of Montana upper plains, border crossing station contrasts vividly with its natural setting and suggests a gateway with its monumental canopy. parts cut down on construction time during the short building season.

The jury commented: "A very clean, straightforward design that was carried out impeccably well. The remoteness of the site was brilliantly considered in both the design parti the fabrication and construction scenario. The large frame is a clear visual icon on this flat expansive landscape, and the insertion of two cubesone solid and one transparent for the condtioned administration and support spaceis extremely clean and crisp."

The American Institute of Architects has just announced that 112 of its members, including eight from Chicago, been named to the College of Fellows. The honor is to members who have made conributions to the profession," the AIA in a news release.

Here are eight, in alphabetical order, followed by category which they are being recognized: Steven Burns, alternative career; Walter Eckenhoff, service to society; George Efstathio, practice; Fischel, led the Jeanne Gang, design; Louis Garapolo, service to society; Joseph Gonazlez, design (left); and Patrick Loughran, research.

Knox County loses its own convention to Cyber Monday UGG boots discount sale online competitor

From APB reports. KNOXVILLE Knox County has lost its own iconic convention, knoXcon, to Pigeon Forge, but Knox County officials today defended the move as "spreading Knox County's regional appeal."

knoXcon, Knox County's annual culture and collectibles event, which has previously headquartered in the failed convention center in downtown Knoxville, is underway this weekend at the Pigeon Forge Convention Center. Many Knox Countians are upset by the venue change. But Knox County officials insist holding its convention elsewhere makes economic sense.

"Holding it at our own convention center was costprohibitive," said Dwight Van de Vate, spokesperson for Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, at a press conference opening the convention. "But Knox Countians have to buy gas to get to Pigeon Forge, and most of the stuff they buy there will be Knoxcentric, so that money will flow back to us. And this will introduce Knox County culture to the population of Pigeon Forge and entice them to come spend more money with us."

When an audience member pointed out that Knox County was still losing the tax recapture from refreshment sales and hotel stays, Van de Vate replied. "Look, convention business is a Darwinian competition, a real nature, red in tooth and claw, survivalofthefittest kind of thing, and Pigeon Forge was more fit for our political survival. Now beat it, ya buncha poliscifi geeks."

Van de Vate, of course, is one of the many Knox County officials who will be affectionately spoofed at the convention. Fans often attend dressed as their favorite county politicians.

Some will attend in giant Styrofoam mouth guards, depicting Van de Vate's alter ego, the Colossal Mouthpiece. Fans of Commissioner Colonel Doctor Richard M. were garbed as scarecrows this year, a nod to Briggs's reputation as the champion of the "reasonable strawman" argument. It was rumored that those dressing as former Sheriff Tim Hutchison may portray "Lumpy's General" as roadkill this year.

After the press conference, some fans expressed anger that Knox County had allowed the 2013 UGG Boots Clearance Sale Black Friday convention to relocate to Pigeon Forge.

"It's a ripoff the quintessential Knox County event held in another county?" said attendee Clark Kent. "What were they thinking? They're incompetent. Knox County officials are just bad, bad, bad."

But others saw a method in their badness.

"knoXcon moves to Sevier County just as much of Knox County's Old Guard is poised to depart office? Ha, ha, ha, it's perfect!' exclaimed attendee and Commissioner Paul Pinkston enthusiast Peter Parker. "It's like at the last commission meeting, when Commissioner Pinkston said one of the main reasons he would vote for the failed Midway Yada Yada Park was to get a sewer plant for the people of that community, when the community is against a sewer plant. For sale will be such items as souvenir Astroturf, symbolic of the county fief offices' continuing turf wars; the Scott Moore "Scoobie Smacks" (The Scoobie Smack is an ordinary chocolate chip cookie served with a cup of smugness, a dash of disdain, a lot of sneer, and a generous serving of smirk); square inches of fabric cut from the eight retiring commissioners' seats (commissioners were not in them when the squares were cut); and the county's comic book line.

Comics dealer Bruce Wayne said sales of the comic book, "Scoobieman: Man of Deals," which chronicles the exploits of former Knox County Commissioner Scott "Scoobie" Moore, were holding steady despite his removal from that body over a year ago.

"He's managed to keep himself in the news," said Wayne. "Given that the appeal of his ouster is still pending with the state, he may yet save the day like Underdog and win back his seat. He's gotten out of tighter jams."

"Of course, with commission having realigned and shrunk, is there a seat for him to go back to?" pointed out fellow dealer Oliver Queen. "Maybe it's a seat in limbo, like in Superman's Phantom Zone, and he'll have to battle for its release. For Scoobie to end up with the 12th seat on an 11commission seat would make a great story arc and perfectly sum up Knox County's political weirdness."

Commission's upcoming seat reduction was of concern to these dealers as well, since they also carry comics recounting commission's adventures, "The JustUs League of Knox County."

"Fans have been enjoying the commission's adventures in its current format for a long time," said Wayne. "But maybe it has been a little bit of sameness lately, and the way they just knuckled under on the budget vote and passed the buck on the Midway vote, it's sort of like they have no fight left in them."

"It sort of reminds me of when DC canceled 'The Justice League of America' comic in the '80s and resurrected it as just 'Justice League,' only much jokier, like a spoof of superhero groups," added Queen. "That was sort of like the current incarnation of the commission, and, like this commission, it was entertaining for several years. But it wore thin. So then they streamlined the team and made it more serious. But that didn't work, so they revamped it again. And then 'Justice League' got canceled in the early '90s"

"No, no, it wasn't until the mid'90s that it got canceled, because that happened after the 'DC vs. Marvel' miniseries," argued Wayne.

No, 'Justice League''s cancellation didn't have anything to do blackfridayuggbootsus.com with that miniseries," countered Queen.

"Did I say it did?" spat Wayne. "I'm just using that as a reference point. I mentioned it because I remember it was after that that it was canceled."

"No, no, no, it was before that because" began Queen.

Interrupting to ask if the discussion could refocus on county commission, the reporter was told in and obviously had no understanding of how important determining the correct chronology of the Justice League was.

"Got perspective much, man?" demanded Queen.

The reporter promptly retired, chagrined, and let fanboys be fanboys.

But with 85 percent not voting in county elections, Indifference is biggest winner

From APB reports. KNOXVILLE. State Sen. Some Differences seized the Republican nomination for Knox County mayor, lambasting his rival, former Knox County Sheriff Same Difference, 29,662 votes to 5,177, according to unofficial results.

Some commissioners call voters' selective amnesia "a survival mechanism"

From APB reports. KNOXVILLE Knox County Commission is poised on the brink of giving citizens of Knox County the ability to remember every single act of every single elected official in the county but the move comes after some commissioners argued that, "in Knox County, selective elective memory is a necessary survival mechanism."

The debate came about after groups of citizens tried to remove a school board member and the county law director from office, forgetting or regretting who elected them to office in the first place. In a move widely seen as punitive, some citizens have demanded that county officials grant Knox Countians total recall of all activity by all local politicians. Some commissioners expressed fear for what the move would mean for political careers, while others expressed concern Cyber Monday UGG boots discount sale online for the undue toll such a measure might take on voters. The ensuing debate was lively.

"Do you know what total recall of all our actions and every word we've ever spoken would do to our ability to govern?" asked Commissioner Greg "Lumpy" Lambert. "It would invite chaos, it would destabilize Knox County the way that eartquake destabilized Haiti. I mean, the next time I run for elective office, imagine if somebody actually remembered that I compared the effect of a ballot measure in Knox County with the effect of a killer earthquake in Haiti. If people actually remembered what I say, I'd never be elected again."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," yelled a wag from the audience.

"The point is," continued Lambert, "this initiative might make commissioners ineffective to govern."

"And this would be different from 2013 UGG Boots Clearance Sale Black Friday now how?" observed Commissioner Mark Harmon.

Commissioner Paul Pinkston predicted that the measure would be used to punish officials who carefully and thoughtfully vote on difficult issues solely with the good of their constituents in mind.

"This'll make it impossible for commissioners to vote when they're conscious without fear of being totally recalled," said Pinkston. "You mark my words, it'll be used against someone if they actually appear to know what they're voting for. So instead, you'll have a lot of people voting mindlessly for the path of least resistance."

"And this would be different from now how?" observed Harmon.

Commissioner Amy Broyles said she heard a great deal of discussion about what the proposed change might mean for politicians, but "I have yet to hear anybody voice any concern about the voters," Broyles said. "Making every citizen remember every act of every politician they've ever voted for is cruel and unusual."

Mike Edwards, CEO of the Development Corporation of Knox County, who was appearing before commission to inveigle for the 2,117th time for developing an amusement park on Midway Road in East Knox County, warned of the dangers of total recall.

"Just look at how we at the Development Corp. get the Metropolitan Planning Commission to keep reviving the Midway on blackfridayuggbootsus.com the Midway Amusement Park, like some bad road show version of 'Annie'" said Edwards, and then he sang, "Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I'll mug ya tomorrow, you're always a lawsuit away!'"

He then resumed his narrative: "Sorry about that, sometimes this job's so good to me, I'm moved to song. Anyway, if voters could recall how many times this evil supervillain of a project has been killed off and brought back, they might start calling us the Development Corpse, 'cause we're like some undead zombie that even a shot to the head won't stop"

"'Cause there's no brain there to kill!" yelled another commenter.

Edwards ignored the interruption "Or we're like a vampire who can't be killed with a stake to the heart"

"'Cause you're heartless!" came the call again.

Continued Edwards: "Or we're like Freddy Kruger or Michael Myers the scary one, not the one from Halloween. Can you imagine if he comes back again and brings Dana Carvey with him for Wayne's World: The 50th Birthday Movie? Brr. Or we're like"

"All right, all right, ," said Commissioner Dave Wright.

"That's my point," said Edwards. "We're the horse beaten to death that won't die. We might be a walking, trotting and cantering glue factory, but we keep coming back, and we won't ever stop. Eventually, we'll get our way. But if voters start remembering that this particular horse has been beaten deader than Dana Carvey's career seven times over, then you may have to start calling us Elmer."

"Far be it from me to suggest something that protects MPC or the knox County Development Corpse by the way, great name, Mike, congrats on developing it but I agree it's too much to expect of citizens to make them responsible for remembering the actions of those they voted for. Selective amnesia regarding the elective process is a necessary Survival mechanism in Knox County. Imagine if voters had a highlight reel of Mayor Mike ragsdale's greatest hits endlessly unwinding in their brains. 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Slush Fund,' 'Showboat!,' 'Roll Over, Rock Lobster,' and the infamous 'When I Think about You, I Clear Myself,' playing over and and over and over and over and over"

"Thath's what I'm on about," interjected Broyles. "It's too much to subject citizens to. Just think, what if citizens were given total recall, and then somebody made them watch Every. Minute. Of. Every. Meeting. We. Ever. Held. And they remembered it for the rest of their lives. Nobody would ever vote in this county again."