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Today's News - Friday, May 2, 2008

Saffron takes heart in three little words that should yank Philadelphia's city planners "out of their 16-year-long politically induced coma." -- Morrone sounds a morose note re: Cooper Union developments. -- Rosenbaum sounds a bit roiled re: Whitney wonks and Ouroussoff coverage. -- But the Community Board seems impressed. -- 2 Columbus Circle then and now: links to great visuals (and a mysterious "HE" emerges). -- Beijing Airport - and much of China - going all out for the games, though not all are pleased (great pix). -- Meanwhile, a Manhattan gallery to open Beijing branch in a former munitions factory (great pix here, too). -- London's first new concert hall in 26 years almost ready for its close-up. -- Resignation of NYC's building commissioner rankles and raises question of whether requirement to be an architect or engineer should be rescinded. -- Princeton names new university architect. -- 2008 Metropolis Next Generation Design Prize announced. -- Call for entries: Rafael Viñoly Architects 2008-09 Grants for Research in Architecture. -- Hume issues call to vote for Toronto's Pug Awards. -- Lots of weekend diversions: Jane's Walks in 8 Canadian cities this weekend. -- An "authoritative and lively history of the modernists" (but it misses a beat). -- Q&A with Raili Pietilä re: Museum of Finnish Architecture's presentation of the Pietilä legacy. -- Lots from London: Glancey gives an intriguing look at "Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain." -- Dyckhoff wishes "Skin + Bones" had a bit more flesh. -- Heathcote finds "small rays of hope" for the future of housing in "Des Res." -- Campbell on photographer Cervin Robinson's "superb exhibit" at MIT. -- In Houston, metalwork by architects "is not your grandmother's silver." -- In New Jersey, a photographer offers "A Glimmer of Gehry." -- We couldn't resist: provocative newspaper ad has British ConstructionSkills saying it's sorry (whatever were they thinking?!!?).

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Three little words hint of a heartening change: Who would have thought that yanking Philadelphia's city planners out of their 16-year-long politically induced coma would have been so easy? But it took just three choice words to set them on the road to recovery: "plan of development." By Inga Saffron -- H2L2 [images]- Philadelphia Inquirer

As Buildings Rise, Cooper Union Falls Short: The Morphosis building...one of the most violent building designs I've ever seen. By Francis Morrone -- Mayne/Morphosis/Gruzen Samton; Smith-Miller + Hawkinson; Fumihiko Maki/Adamson Associates Architects- New York Sun

Westside Whitney: Fortress Mentality? What I find most astonishing about...approach to this project is that, according to Ouroussoff, museum officials have "yet to define the relationship between the two buildings"...You would think that the Whitney wonks would have already sorted these issues out. Maybe they actually have, but aren't ready to tell us yet. By Lee Rosenbaum -- Renzo Piano; Cooper, Robertson & Partners- ArtsJournal

Whitney Unveils New Satellite at the High Line: Community Board 2 seems impressed with Renzo Piano’s museum proposal...Nobody protested the plan, called it “out of scale” or demanded the architect plead his case...design uses the friendly context to deliver a crowd-pleaser.- The Architect's Newspaper (NYC)

A New Face at Columbus Circle, but the Lollipops Remain: The 1964 Gallery of Modern Art at 2 Columbus Circle is being transformed into a new space for the Museum of Arts and Design. Almost everything about the building has changed, but the original “lollipop” columns persist. -- Edward Durell Stone; Brad Cloepfil/Allied Works Architecture [interactive links]- New York Times

Beijing Air Terminal Goes All Out for the Games: With China rapidly urbanizing, there are now dozens of other big cities developing master plans and commissioning new skyscrapers, expressways and whole shopping districts...Not everyone, however, is pleased with the development... -- Foster & Partners; Rem koolhaas; Zaha Dadid [slide show, video]- New York Times

Amid Asian Art Boom, Manhattan Gallery to Open Branch in Beijing: ...PaceWildenstein, which this summer will open Pace Beijing, a 22,000-square-foot space in a former munitions factory. -- Richard Gluckman/Gluckman Mayner [slide show]- New York Times

Stage is set for capital's first new concert hall in 26 years: The first concert hall to open in London since the Barbican in 1982 will be launched in October...part of Kings Place, the next stage of the transformation of King's Cross after the reopening of St Pancras station. -- Dixon Jones [images]- Evening Standard (UK)

Patricia Lancaster, FAIA, Resigns as New York City building commissioner: An architect leaves the Department of Buildings post — will she be the last one? Bloomberg’s administration is beginning discussions...about removing the requirement that the buildings commissioner be an architect or an engineer...situation parallels Congress’ responsibility to nominate a new Architect of the Capitol.- AIArchitect

Ron McCoy named University architect: ...will succeed Jon Hlafter, who retired after 40 years at Princeton.- Princeton News

2008 Metropolis Next Generation® Design Prize Announced!: Architect Eric Olsen takes home the $10,000 prize...for Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin...employs a method of water pasteurization that has been approved by World Health Organization...10 runners-up...- Metropolis Magazine

Call for entries: Rafael Viñoly Architects 2008-09 Grants for Research in Architecture: ...up to five grants of $60,000 each for studies focused on transformations in the built environment within dynamically changing societies; deadline: August 1- Rafael Viñoly Architects

Cast a vote for Pug beautifuls: It's that time of the year again; the time when we cast a glance back to the good, the bad and the ugly....the people's choice awards given to the best and worst new buildings in Toronto. Though far from scientific, the Pugs do provide an indication of what's happening in contemporary architecture in this city. By Christopher Hume- Toronto Star

Jane’s Walk – a series of free neighbourhood walking tours happening in eight Canadian cities May 3 & 4...The walks celebrate the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building.- Centre for City Ecology (CCE)

Modernism and the ‘lure of heresy’: Peter Gay’s authoritative and lively history of the modernists captures their personalities and heretical approach. But it fails to place them in their profound historical context.- Spiked (UK)

Breaking the Modernist Mold: Raili Pietilä reflects on a life of design with her husband, Reima, and the new exhibition at the Museum of Finnish Architecture that examines the Pietilä legacy. By David Sokol [images, links]- Metropolis Magazine

Sufferin' satellites! We've built the future! "Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain"...an intriguing exhibition at London's Science Museum...Frank Hampson's imaginings were eagerly lapped up by some of the youngsters who would go on to create Britain's highly regarded school of hi-tech, space-age influenced architecture. By Jonathan Glancey [slide show]- Guardian (UK)

Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture at Somerset House: The show looks fantastic...But it doesn’t go far enough...There’s plenty of skin and bones here, just not enough flesh. By Tom Dyckhoff -- Zaha Hadid; Rem Koolhaas; Peter Eisenman; Herzog & de Meuron- The Times (UK)

Shapes of hope: "Des Res" at New London Architecture...looks at the big issues that face the city’s housing...schemes are smart, innovative and ingenious and begin to challenge the awful predominance of the mass-housebuilders’ off-the-shelf executive home... By Edwin Heathcote -- SUSD Architects; Make; Glen Howells; 5th Studio; Duggan Morris; Sarah Featherstone; Pitman Tozer; Flacq Architects- Financial Times (UK)

Giving his regard to Broadway: A photographer follows the street...Every photographer sees, and therefore records, a different world...Cervin Robinson "By Way of Broadway"...a superb exhibit at MIT...photographs of sites along Broadway in Manhattan...made over a period of 35 years By Robert Campbell- Boston Globe

An Architect’s Eye Reflected in Silver: "Designed by Architects: Metalwork From the Margo Grant Walsh Collection" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, have no rococo curves, animal sculptures or commemorative church inscriptions. This is not your grandmother’s silver. -- Charles Robert Ashbee; Henry van de Velde; Charles Rennie Mackintosh; Josef Hoffmann; Peter Behrens; Gio Ponti; Ettore Sottsass; William Spratling; Charles Gwathmey; Robert Siegel; Lella and Massimo Vignelli; Kazuyo Sejima/Ryue Nishizawa/Sanaa- New York Times

Mirrors and Glass: Photographer Tasha O'Neill searches the world for reflections; her latest are in the buildings of Frank O. Gehry..."A Glimmer of Gehry" on view at Gallery 14, Hopewell, NJ trhough May 18 [slide show]- Princeton Packet

ConstructionSkills says sorry for 'sexist' advert: Training body says provocative newspaper advert is ‘something we won’t be doing again’ [image]- Building (UK)

-- Broadway Malyan: Rossio Station, Lisbon, Portugal
-- Book: "Project Vitra" by Cornel Windlin & Rolf Fehlbaum

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