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Today's News - March 29, 2007

A Virginia county gets serious about design. -- A blue-ribbon day for Richard Rogers (we sifted through countless reports and found several by some of our faves that are more than repeats of press release). -- A London debate about the future of cities was "silly and thought-provoking by turns." -- Though it's too late for some Manhattan neighborhoods, new zoning will see fewer "Godzilla condos" on the skyline. -- Future is not bright for Breuer tower in Cleveland. -- Herzog & de Meuron gets go-ahead for Tate expansion (lots of pix!), and set to break symphonic ground in Hamburg. -- Mid-century Modernism moves mainstream (but we're still losing some gems). -- For Hume, proposals for Toronto street furniture are over-designed: "Let the thing be what it wants to be." -- An American architect's "pioneering design studio" blossoms in Bangkok.

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INSIGHT: Searching for Architectural Excellence and Ready to be Bold: Arlington County, Virginia, launches community discussions on the elements of great design. By Roberto Moranchel- ArchNewsNow

Richard Rogers of the UK Becomes the 2007 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate [images]- The Hyatt Foundation

Richard Rogers Wins Pritzker: Architect of Lloyd's, Pompidou...best buildings, such as his iconic headquarters for Lloyd's of London, pulse with excitement because he showcases what is usually hidden... By James S. Russell- Bloomberg News

Pritzker Winner Designs to Serve the Public: Richard Rogers' most famous buildings are much like the transparent models of the human body that display the arteries, nerves and "plumbing." By Edward Lifson- National Public Radio (NPR)

Rogers Gets Pritzker: In the past he may have been overlooked for the award because he has produced fewer buildings than past Pritzker winners, but the quantity of his production is more than made up for by its remarkable quality. By William Menking- The Architect's Newspaper (NYC)

Top Prize for Richard Rogers, Iconoclastic Architect: In a telephone interview from London, Mr. Rogers, 73, said he did not see the award as overdue. -- Team 4; Piano & Rogers; Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners [slide show]- New York Times

Architecture prize has a touch of green to it: British designer Richard Rogers of late has campaigned against sprawl and has maintained that the fate of cities and of the planet are linked. By Inga Saffron- Philadelphia Inquirer

Interview with Pritzker winner: Richard Rogers talks about his life and architecture. By Blair Kamin- Chicago Tribune

Castles in the air: Planning future cities requires not science fiction, writes Lynsey Hanley, but a firm grasp of practicalities...A debate held at the Hayward Gallery in London, silly and thought-provoking by turns, suggested that there are such things as mental, moral and aesthetic slums...Bad urban design and plain bad architecture, are the enemies of cities the world over. -- Koolhaas; Mike Davis; Bill Dunster; Anne Power/John Houghton- New Statesman (UK)

As Godzilla Condos Loom Over West Side, Zoning Arrives Too Late...Now that the tall-building horse has left the barn, citizen watchdogs have persuaded the city's planning department to reduce permitted heights...and will prohibit the air-rights gimmickry. By James S. Russell -- Cetra/Ruddy; Cook + Fox- Bloomberg News

Commissioners set to demolish downtown tower: Cuyahoga County commission is ready to sign a death warrant for an important piece of 20th-century architecture... By Steven Litt -- Marcel Breuer (1971); Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)/Robert P. Madison International; George B. Post (1908); Davis Brody Bond- Cleveland Plain Dealer

Pyramid-shaped plans for Tate Modern are approved -- Herzog & de Meuron [slide show]- Guardian (UK)

Hamburg Concert Hall, at $321 Million, Breaks Ground in April: 1.3-million-square-foot project...will become the centerpiece of HafenCity, a 380-acre redevelopment of an industrial zone into a business, residential and recreational area. -- Herzog & de Meuron- Bloomberg News

Modern rising: Despite some significant losses, the midcentury style is a hot ticket once again...But consciousness still needs to be raised about this rich architectural heritage. By Randy Gragg -- Belluschi; Eames; Rudolph; Bunshaft; Eleanor Raymond; Neutra; Van Evera Bailey; Yeon; Eichler [images, links]- The Oregonian

Keep it simple, spare us frills: Too much design can be just as bad as too little. The three proposed schemes for Toronto's street furniture program...would give the city more than it physically needs but less than it psychologically wants. By Christopher Hume -- Kramer Design; Elements; Zeidler Partnership- Toronto Star

Architect finds his blueprint in 'alive' Bangkok: American David Mayer has turned a money-losing karaoke lounge in Siam Square into a pioneering design studio that may be a step ahead of the crowd back home - and he's loving every minute- The Nation (Thailand)

NEA Director of Design Jeff Speck to Resign in May: City planner heading back to planning cities.- ArchNewsNow

-- Polshek Partnership Architects: Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
-- Platt Byard Dovell White: Green-Wood Columbarium, Brooklyn, NY
-- Book: Architecture of the Air: The Sound and Light Environments of Christopher Janney

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