Design

When architect Charles W. Moore received the Gold Medal last week from the American Institute of Architects -- an award considered by many to be architecture's highest honor -- the developers of a new residential community in Maryland had good reason to be glad.The 3,000-unit Russett community will go on the market starting this spring as the latest of three large developments in western Anne Arundel County, and one of the features that sets it apart from its competitors is that the community center has been designed by Mr. Moore, a longtime friend of co-developer Curtis F. Peterson.

New York. -- Must we always let ''them'' -- architects, shopping-center moguls, parking-lot operators, local politicos, city planners -- decide what the world around us will look like?Or could all of us, as ordinary citizens, be given a voice in the design of the streets and freeways, the buildings, neighborhood centers and parks and commercial centers that make up our daily environment?An emerging form of technology says the days of ''them'' calling the shots could be numbered.The technology, a few years old and now gaining fast in sophistication and accessibility, is called ''computer visual simulation'' or ''image processing.

Need a rug? We have it covered We just redesigned our home and we need help finding a rug that fits our new living room space, but we don't know what size or orientation would work best. What are your suggestions? Finding that perfectly sized rug can sometimes be a challenge. My first thought would be a custom rug that would allow you to control the size, shape, and pattern/design of the rug. However, this is not always cost-effective. So I would suggest an Oriental rug or a reproduction.

DETROIT -- What if an engineer could design a car on a computer screen, then don a pair of magic glasses and walk around the image of the car he designed? What if he could get in, close the door, adjust the mirrors and play with the controls of this imaginary car?Phil Little says it isn't a matter of "what if." It is a matter of "when." The technology is called virtual reality. And he intends to be ready for it.Mr. Little is director of computer graphics for the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, a school that has turned out many prominent auto designers in the past four decades, as well as product designers and commercial artists.

A "hardhat tour" of an old brewery that's coming back to life, art exhibits, talks on preservation and waterfront design, and a costume ball in a former department store are among the highlights of Baltimore Architecture Week, which starts Thursday. The Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects sponsors the event each year to call attention to the built environment and what architects are doing to improve it. This year's event spans 11 days, making it Architecture Week and a Half.

One might never guess that the federal office complex planned near the New Carrollton train station is the largest single government construction project under way in the Baltimore/Washington corridor.Little about its height, shape or appearance hints that this will be the home of 4,400 federal employees.That was largely the point behind the design of the Internal Revenue Service's national headquarters, a $176 million complex that will rise on the west side of the New Carrollton Metro/Amtrak station in Prince George's County.

Instead of suffering in the cold and rain, homeless people might someday sleep in a "Compactable Chalet," a "Port-a-Home 2000" or "Project POSH."Three teams of students at the University of Maryland Baltimore County came up with those names -- and the structures to match -- when they took on an assignment to design and build an original, portable, low-cost shelter to keep a homeless person warm and dry.The freshmen in honors engineering put up $20 each,...

The high point standings for the One-Design Division became available late last week.Under the auspices of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association, annual high point standings reflect a sailor's performance on a season-long basis.The One-Design Division has a unique manner of determining high point standings, though, like the scoring systems for the Cruising One-Design and Handicap divisions, it is based on the ratio between actual performance and ideal performance.There are six geographic One-Design areas in the Chesapeake Bay area, and a competitor's score is multiplied by a bonus factor of 1.25 if he competes in more than one area during the season.

As a child, Dawn Patrick-Wout would rearrange pieces of furniture in her family's U.S. Virgin Islands home so often that her relatives looked forward to coming home to new settings. It would take decades - including 13 years as a therapist, mental-health advocate and director of mental-health programs - before she turned to her childhood passion to start a business. Yet she hasn't left the mental-health world completely behind. In fact, Patrick-Wout founded two Beltsville-based design companies to help people of all backgrounds feel better about themselves by beautifying their personal spaces.

Freewing Aircraft, a Westminster experimental aircraft manufacturer, is one of three recipients of $5,000 "Excellence in Design" awards from a national engineering magazine.Hugh Schmittle, Freewing's president, was honored by Design News for the company's "freewing" concept, a wing that flexes with turbulent air to allow a smoother and safer flight. Traditional aircraft use fixed wings, which must be adjusted by the pilot and which force planes to move up and down in turbulence.Mr. Schmittle and his partner, Odile Legeay, are using the concept on small, two-seater aircraft and unmanned drones suitable for military reconnaissance.