Day by day digest: The roof is blown off the Millennium Dome, why a superb flooring lamp is difficult to seek out, and extra

Good afternoon and welcome back to the last daily digest roundup before the long Presidents’ Day weekend. The AN offices will be closed on Monday, but until we return on Tuesday, here are some stories to tide you over:

Storm Eunice blew the roof off Richard Rogers’ Millennium Dome in London

Storm Eunice tore through the United Kingdom earlier this morning, shuttering cultural institutions and killing six people as winds as fast as 122 miles per hour buffeted the islands and northern Europe. Nowhere was the strength of the storm more apparent than at O2 Arena in London, originally the Millennium Dome before being converted into a proper stadium by Populous, as the wind ripped away large swathes of the polytetrafluoroethylene panels away from their frame, shredding the roof.

Completed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in 1990, the roof of the high-tech-style entertainment venue resembles a tent and is supported by the 12 yellow pylons—with the fabric torn, the arena’s innards were exposed to the elements.

Why is it so hard to find a good floor lamp at a reasonable price?

Writer Amanda Mull went searching for a stylish floor lamp that wouldn’t break the bank, and was disappointed in what she found, as so many of us likely have been. So why is it so hard to strike a balance? The issue often boils down to the form of the floor lamp itself; tall, slender, and requiring the ability to support itself without tipping over.

H/t to The Atlantic

A garage door shortage is holding up new American homes

It’s no secret that construction starts have fallen across America as materials become snarled in tangled supply chains and labor shortages drive up prices. But one missing key component is apparently preventing a swatch of single-family homes from hitting the market: garage doors. Rocketing prices and months-long lead times are holding up new construction as zoning across the country often requires new buildings to be complete before passing final inspections, and the problem is being exacerbated as more and more people flee to the suburbs during the pandemic.

H/t to the New York Times

Applications are now open for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale

The State Department has opened applications for the 18th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023, and interested firms, institutions, nonprofits, and curatorial organizations can now apply. The selected team will receive $375,000. The upcoming edition is being curated by Ghanaian-Scottish architect and academic Lesley Lokko. At the time, Lokko told AN:

“A new world order is emerging, with new centres of knowledge production and control. New audiences are also emerging, hungry for different narratives, different tools and different languages of space, form, and place. After two of the most difficult and divisive years in living memory, architects have a unique opportunity to show the world what we do best: put forward ambitious and creative ideas that help us imagine a more equitable and optimistic future in common.”

H/t to Architectural Record

NFTs come to the Venice Biennale

Meanwhile, at the art-focused, non-architectural Venice Biennale this year, NFTs will make their debut for the first time courtesy of the inaugural national pavilion from Cameroon. At the second of two locations, at the Palazzo Ca’ Bernardo, the Global Crypto Art DAO will host The Times of the Chimera and compare and contrast art from Africa and abroad with a focus on technology. None of the work on display will be sold during the biennale but will likely become available afterward.

H/t to Artnet News

An entire cabin was stolen in Michigan

Michigan police are on the hunt for a cabin in Coldsprings Township after the building’s owner reported it missing. The 12-foot-by-28-foot structure was likely loaded onto a truck sometime between November and December of last year.

H/t to USA Today

Nevada sets aside $300 million for new affordable housing

Nevada is beefing up its commitment to affordable housing, as the state’s Housing Division announced it had approved $300 million in new bonds on February 16. Those tax-exempt bods will go towards incentivizing new affordable housing construction for at least 30 years.

H/t to Planetizen