Architecture in Boston

ArchitectureBoston, a quarterly publication of the Boston Society of Architects, explores the ways architecture influences and is influenced by our environment and our society.

A benefit of membership in the BSA, ArchitectureBoston is also distributed to AIA members throughout New England as well as to allied professionals (engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, lawyers), members of the construction industry, community and business leaders, politicians and policy makers, design schools, public libraries, media representatives, and subscribers.

Total circulation is approximately 11, 000 and the magazine (both print and online) accepts advertising.

Masthead

Contributing Photographers Steve Rosenthal, Peter Vanderwarker

Contributing Editors Matthew Bronski, Assoc. AIA, Matthew Kiefer, Andrea Leers FAIA, David Luberoff, Hubert Murray FAIA, William Rawn FAIA

Editorial board Ian Baldwin, Steven G. Cecil AIA ASLA, Justin Crane AIA, Meera Deean, Gina Ford ASLA, Cliff Gayley FAIA, David Gamble AIA, Diane Georgopulos FAIA, Charlotte Kahn, Lee Moreau, Max Page, Tamara Roy AIA, Brent Ryan, Gretchen Schneider Rabinkin AIA, Marie Sorensen AIA, Julie Michaels Spence, Gail Sullivan AIA, Jay Wickersham FAIA

Art direction, design and production Clifford Stoltze/Stoltze Design, Katherine Hughes, Pien Huang, Kyle Nelson, Courtney Collins, Thomas Urell

290 Congress Street, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02210
617-391-4000
www.architects.org

2016 Editorial Calendar

Spring: Framework
The spring 2016 ArchitectureBoston will kick off “The Year of the Plan, ” a full year of issues that examine different aspects of planning in housing, regionalism, the environment, and quality of life. We will consider “Imagine Boston 2030, ” the city’s first-ever cultural master plan, and the Municipal Harbor Plan in an age of climate change—and dig into lessons from other cities. Articles might include a history of Boston's planning efforts from Olmsted to the “high spine, ” the “hangover effect” that still haunts planning from the days of urban renewal; and the role of nonprofit institutions such as universities and hospitals in city-building.
Deadline to pitch stories to the editor is November 15, 2015
Published March 1st

Summer: Evanescent
This issue celebrates the fleeting delights—and daring—of temporary design: DIY murals, pop-up parks, food trucks, inflatable structures, the portable “tiny house.’’ Spontaneous and consciously unplanned, these urban interventions provide a lively counterpoint to the permanence—and, at times, the stodginess—of the built environment.
Deadline to pitch stories to the editor is January 15, 2016
Published June 1

Fall: The suburbs, reconsidered
There are 101 communities in the Boston metropolitan area, ranging from small cities to bucolic burgs. What are the prospects for regional collaboration with such a diverse mix? The suburbs have been recreating themselves to offer some of the amenities of cities—more walkable urban centers, transit-oriented development—and they also have experienced changing patterns of wealth, ethnicity, and race. We go local to consider some of 2016the design innovations and challenges of life inside route 495.
Deadline to pitch stories to the editor is April. 15, 2016
Published September 1

Winter: Domicile
The long-awaited housing issue. Part of Boston Mayor Walsh’s Imagine Boston 2030 plan is the creation of 53, 000 new units of housing. How are we doing on production, and will it really help push down the cost curve? Is restrictive zoning more of a hindrance to affordability than a help (see: Houston)? What are the cutting-edge trends in housing design; how do ideas of “domicility” relate to changing tastes, ethnicities, and demographics?
Deadline to pitch stories to the editor is August 1, 2016
Published: November 15

Submissions

ArchitectureBoston is a themed “ideas” magazine. Unlike many other architecture publications, we do not typically feature individual projects.

We welcome stories that connect architecture to social, cultural, political, environmental, economic, or business trends. We avoid stories that are primarily self-promotional or “advertorials.” Provocative ideas, original thinking, fresh observations, and even a touch of irreverence are our goal.

Proposals for articles, opinion pieces, and reviews (books and other media) are always welcome. Our contributors are not necessarily architects, and in the past have included politicians, social workers, ministers, engineers, lawyers, photographers, students, and academics. Some stories are specifically about Boston or the New England region, but many stories are of general interest. Story pitches from contributors in other regions are welcome.

As in pitching stories to any publication, read and analyze a few issues to understand our style, audience, and format. The best approach is to query the editor with a story idea, which allows us to help shape the story and saves you from wasting time on a speculative article that may not meet our editorial needs. If you haven't written for us, please include non-returnable writing samples and a short résumé. Letters with e-mail addresses will receive more timely responses. Query letters may be sent to: Renée Loth, Editor, ArchitectureBoston, 290 Congress Street, Suite 200, Boston, MA . E-mailed submissions are preferred.

Editorial deadlines for 2016.

Spring issue, Framework
Story pitch ideas: Nov. 15, 2015 On sale date: June 1, 2016

Fall issue, The suburbs, reconsidered
Story pitch ideas:On sale date: November 15, 2016

Writers' Guidelines (for assigned articles)

Corny but true:

The ABCs of quality journalism: Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity. Keep these in mind at all times and you can’t go far wrong.

• First, please familiarize yourself with several issues of ArchitectureBoston through our archive to get a sense of our style and content.
• Articles should have the clarity and accessibility of good general-interest publications, such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, or The Atlantic.
• Avoid all technical, theoretical, and academic jargon. No footnotes!
• Think about your article’s structure as you write (or before). Does it take too long to get going? Does it follow a logical direction, with the main argument steadily building, avoiding needless tangents? Often a successful essay has a “nut graf” – a few sentences high up (paragraph 3 or 4 latest) that distills the major point of the article and makes the reader want more. Try to write a nut graf for your article, even if you don’t use it in your final draft (but I bet you will).
• Do not use a 50-dollar word when a 5-dollar word will do. “Creativity” not ‘ideation.” “Random, ” not “stochastic.”
• Avoid clichés of speech and thought. “The iconic structure….” “What a difference a day (year, week) makes…” “It was the best of buildings, it was the worst of buildings, ” etc.
• Avoid adverbial and qualifying phrases: somewhat, really, especially, rather… etc. They make the writing weaker and less clear.
• Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!
• We encourage feistiness, passion, and appropriate displays of wit. We do not encourage self-promotion or score-settling of any kind.