Design Observer has reprinted an engaging essay on Yale University’s Kroon Hall by Alexandra Lange. In keeping with her work that has been previously noted here, she places the structure within a theme (in this case sustainability) and weaves a beautiful tale contextualizing it among its local peers and individual history. Well worth reading.

Designed by Muller & Muller LTD. the new McDonalds Cycle Center in Millennium Park was commissioned by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The building houses space for the storage of 300 bicycles, a full service bike shop, shower facilities, and a cafe. One hope of the facility is to promote commuter bike transit in downtown Chicago. (via ArchDaily).

More images of the Chicago Cycle Center after the jump.

One of the most beautifully conceived mansions of the Gilded Age, the Neumours Mansion in Wilmington, DE, has reopened to the public after three years of extensive renovation. Alfred i du Pont built the house, after falling out with a few members of his clan, modeling it after Versailles. While several other du Pont family members have impressive homes in the area, nothing beats Alfred’s for vision and execution. Visit the Washington Post’s slide show for a more thorough tour.

A few more looks at Neumours after the jump.

Modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer developed at the side of Le Corbussier. During his career he shifted from the hard lines of his mentor to more sensual structures. Using reinforced concrete, Niemeyer helped to redefine the possibility in everyday buildings.

Celebrating the full scope of Niemeyer, Assouline’s new edition Oscar Niemeyer | Ultimate Collection explores the architects life and career through photographs, sketches, and contributions from many of the world’s leading architects.

Selected page views after the jump.

Arch Daily sits down with Stanley Saitowitz, design principle at San Francisco’s Natoma Architects.

Why, if inspired by American mass production, did modern architecture rise from war torn Europe and not the United States? This question has intrigued architectural historians for some time, and in his forthcoming book From Autos to Architecture sociologist David Gartman explores the topic from the standpoint of social history rather than aesthetics. In doing so he sheds new light on the connection between Europe’s key modernist architects and the influence American production and industrial architecture had on those figures.

The book is out in early October from Princeton Architectural Press.

Last month the RIBA Gallery hosted Overlappings, an exhibition of works by young Portuguese Architects. Though small, the installation covered in depth the product of six chosen young professionals. In each of the cases drawings, models, photos, and computer screens were utilized to express the achievement of the represented offices. (via ArchDaily).

More images from Overlappings follow.

Rem Koolhaas’ Central Library in Seattle blew me away when I first read about it back in February. Attempting to amalgamate media and rethink the role of the public library, the space takes on a function of great importance. Amy Murphy digs deeper into the philosophy behind the design, as well as contextualizing its purpose on a grander scale, in her recent essay The Seattle Central Library: Civic Architecture in the Age of Media. Well worth reading as it brings together several angles of argument and establishes a few new questions that are central to thinking about the role of architecture as conduit for information.

Commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Heatherwick Studio has devised a series of new newspaper kiosks to land at key locations around the London borough. These are opened by rotating the front of the kiosk around to the back of the structure, and special attention is given to making sure vendors can most easily display their wares. The exterior is built from wood with a painted brass patina and given structure by steel framing. The kiosks are dubbed “Paperhouse.” (via Dezeen).

The kiosk, open, after the jump.

0300TV offers a tour of the Pfaffenholz Sports Center. The building opened in February and was conceived by Herzog & de Meuron for Burgerspital Basel.