7.31.06 | Washington, DC | Thresholds Along the Frontier: Contemporary US Border Stations just opened at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) in Washington, DC, according to an article by Linda Hales (“At the Borders, Creative Crossings”) in the Washington Post. The show features 13 new designs for American border stations commissioned by the General Services Administration (GSA). (It is sponsored by the Public Buildings Service and co-sponsored by the Dept. of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection.) Featured designers include Lake/Flato Architects and Smith-Miller + Hawkinson. It runs through Oct. 15, 2006. Ms. Hales seemed to like many of the designs, but reports that, unfortunately, “[T]here are also signs that the federal design project is struggling. The program was created by Ed Feiner, who retired as chief architect in January 2005 and has not been replaced.” Ms. Hales notes that, according to Reed Construction Data, international demand for building materials, “combined with rising energy prices and post-Katrina rebuilding in the South,” have increased construction costs and hindered projects.