A design for a memorial to President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the National Mall has become the subject of controversy.  The New York Times reports that descendants of Eisenhower complain that Frank Gehry's design, which represents the president as a young farm boy, belittles his legacy of ...

Last week, the New York Times called the new CCTV Headquarters in Beijing the “greatest work of architecture built in this century.” Designed by Rem Koolhaas, the building looks like a giant Mobius strip, with its glassy, twisting arch. Kurt...

Slideshow: Architecture of the Absurd

Last week, Apple’s Steve Jobs made a design presentation — not to masses of swooning tech journalists, but to the Cupertino, California city council. What Jobs unveiled this time was Apple’s future corporate headquarters. The design, by celebrated architect Norman Foster, is shaped like a giant ...

Be careful what you wish for. New York's MoMA thought it had commissioned a group of artists and architects to create a farm in the courtyard of it's Queens outpost, P.S.1.  And on opening day they didn't disappoint.

Last fall, Dallas unveiled a world-class performing arts campus to rival New York's Lincoln Center. At the same time, a new Dallas Cowboys stadium opened up that that showcases giant sculptures by some of the world's greatest artists. We sent Michael May to check ...

What is essentially Japanese in design? One designer compares it to tofu. Architects Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Shigeru Ban, designer Reiko Sudo, and poet Shuntaro Tanikawa show Kurt how Japan brings tradition and innovation together. His search takes him through the streets of ...

A look at the most famous little house in America: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, still hanging off a cliff after nearly seventy years.

Kurt's Vanity Fair article on the new era of Beijing architecture, 'From Mao to Wow,' just won a Deadline Club Award for best Arts Reporting.  Lucky for us, he did a radio version of the piece, too.  Listen here.

What is essentially Japanese in design? One designer compares it to tofu. Architects Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Shigeru Ban, designer Reiko Sudo, and poet Shuntaro Tanikawa show Kurt how Japan brings tradition and innovation together. His search takes him through the streets of ...

This afternoon, Leital and I were hitting up some souvenir shops when we spotted this building across the river.  We were just as surprised when we found out what company it represents.

Any guesses?

===============

THE ANSWER:

Indeed, it is ...

Kyoto may be the 1200-year-old home of Japanese classical arts, but you wouldn't know it when you first get here.

Built in 1997 by Hiroshi Hara, Kyoto Station is a stunning living monument to modern Japan.  A hub for multiple regional and local train lines, it's also home to great ...