As I re-read The Great Gatsby, I've been taking a new look at the opulent architecture of America's Gilded Age. Also this week: monumental mistakes and a very funny house.

New and Updated Pages:

• Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina
• Great American Mansions
• Palm Springs Architecture
• Words on Monuments: Mistakes on Memorials & Statues
• The Pod House in New York State

New From Our Readers:

• What's the best American city for exploring architecture?
• What qualities make a great architect?

^{Facebook | Twitter}

G'day! In Australia, January 26 is Australia Day, a national holiday celebrating Captain Arthur Phillip's landing at Sydney Cove. Over the next 200 years, Australia's first European settlement became the site of some of the world's most innovative buildings, like the Sydney Opera House and eco-friendly homes by architect Glenn Murcutt.

Join us for a closeup look at Architecture in Australia...

^{Sydney Opera House photo by David Messent, courtesy of Jørn Utzon/Utzon Architects and the Pritzker Prize Committee}

^{Facebook | Twitter}

Does energy consumption influence architectural style? Should energy-efficient buildings look different? These are questions being asked—and hopefully being answered—at an architecture and energy symposium on January 27, 2012 in Philadelphia.

The "Architecture and Energy" workshop is part of a program funded by US Department of Energy (DOE) grants—part of the money you hear Congress reauthorizing occasionally.

Is this a good way for the federal government to be spending taxpayer dollars? Leave a comment and let us know.

The Friday symposium is sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy-Efficient Buildings, a DOE "Energy Innovation Hub," in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. The GPIC focus is on the energy efficiency of average-sized commercial and multi- family residential buildings. Read more about these Hubs:

• Energy Innovation Hubs
• Fuels from Sunlight Hub
• Nuclear Energy Modeling Hub

Also see:

• Building to save energy

^{Photo of Philadelphia ©copyright Jumper/Getty images.}

^{Facebook | Twitter}

Happy (Chinese) New Year! January 23, 2012 marks the beginning of 4710, the year of the dragon. The name is apt, since dragons play an important role in Chinese legends, festivals, and architecture. Here's a look at China's most memorable architectural wonders, ancient and modern: Architecture in China

_{Photo: Temple of Heaven, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, in Beijing, China © Peter Gridley / Getty Images}

^{Facebook | Twitter}