Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Click here to see today's news:
The RIBA/IAUA saga continues with a long letter from the Palestine Architects Society calling for a resurrection of motion to censure the Israeli association. -- Jones cheers efforts to map Detroit's blighted areas to be considered for demolition that "will set the precedent for how to proceed with other industrial cities in decline," but cautions that "historic preservation must be established as part of the process - many notable structures fall within the heap slated for demolition." -- Meanwhile, attendees of the SHAPE North America "came to Detroit thinking about cars and bankruptcy. They left with a whole new respect and admiration for the city." -- Litt cheers Cleveland's new planning director's goal to focus on social equity and better public health by putting "a greater emphasis on parks, bike trails and healthier food options in economically challenged neighborhoods." -- Miranda uncovers a 2008 SCI-Arc design spoof that "predicted New York's 'poor doors' - it's both terrifying and hilarious. It is also frighteningly prescient" (and well worth a look!). -- King x 2: he cheers new housing on Market Street, "though the architecture of the newcomers" is "trying too hard to be hip and neighborly at once," creating "an awkward tension." -- He parses results of Sasaki's "The State of the City Experience" survey: "one generational insight: Younger people are twice as likely to admire modern buildings and unusual architecture than their baby boomer predecessors - a hint that urban design-related strife could become more intense in years to come." -- Eyefuls of Wilkinson Eyre's Barangaroo casino tower: "petals twist and rise together" with "podium levels inspired by London's gothic St Paul's Cathedral" (we're still trying to see the connection). -- H&deM's 57-story cylindrical skyscraper to be the centerpiece of Canary Wharf's eastward expansion with lots of new towers and 3,000 homes planned. -- A sneak-peek at Piano's "shiny, new" Harvard Art Museums (lots of light, lots of sparkle). -- Horton spends some quality time with Lehrer to dive into why she has devoted almost two decades to transforming "a mammoth drainage canal" (a.k.a. the L.A. River) "into a true urban amenity." -- Cummins taps three hip NYC firms to compete for its new downtown Indianapolis regional HQ (there must be some local rumblings going on). -- Betsky is a bit perplexed by MoMA's pick of Stierli as chief curator of architecture and design; though he looks forward to seeing what the new curator will do, he ponders: "Why not Antonelli? ...yet another white male dedicated to architecture and planning in the traditional sense. I look forward to being proven wrong about this bias." -- Heritage Canada names its 10th annual Top Ten Most Endangered Places and Worst Losses: "the list has become a powerful tool in the fight to make landmarks, not landfill" (great presentation). -- Herman Miller continues its post-Maharam buying spree and snaps up Design Within Reach: "The move may be a canny one." -- Winners all: Eyefuls of Architect Magazine's 2014 R+D Awards that "show how craftsmanship is evolving and thriving in the computer age" (great presentations!) + Eyefuls of Morpholio Project's Pinup2014 Competition winners for 3-D printing and un-built work. -- Call for entries (deadlines loom!): Princeton Architectural Press Pamphlet Architecture 35 + LAMP 2014: "Fibre/Fiber": 2nd annual international lighting design competition.

"Fundamentals" is certainly not the typical way one would think of displaying architecture.

 
by Terri Peters

June 24, 2014