Today’s News - Wednesday, October 1, 2008
• We lose an Indian master who was ahead of the ecologically responsible design curve a long time ago.
• South Asia "lacks a common commitment to urban civilization" where "residents are expected to be the nuts and bolts of functioning machines, rather than the living organs of throbbing cultures."
• In trying to be distinctive, are many U.K. cities actually copying each other?
• A novel constitutional law in Ecuador changes "the status of ecosystems from being regarded as property under the law to being recognized as rights-bearing entities" (what a concept!).
• California gets an anti-sprawl bill that will push communities to consider climate change impacts of development.
• Forget the seismic activity on Wall Street - is it time for New York to prepare for the real Big One - as in earthquake?
• Foster and Libeskind/Isozaki vie to build Monaco's answer to Dubai (Gehry/Koolhaas plan sidelined for being..."too grandiose and a little utopian").
• King basks in the light of Oakland's new cathedral: its "glory in its modesty" (great pix, too).
• LACMA gets the moolah to proceed with Piano's second act.
• Q&A with Calatrava about the criticism of his bridge in Israel, and why New York City needs to build "grandiose infrastructure."
• An in-depth look at the Bronx Zoo's oh-so-green "Madagascar!" (and lots of pix).
• Zagreb Airport picks its team.
• Pro bono work is becoming an integral part of many firms' strategy.
• Call for entries: 2008 Earth Awards.
• Winners all: 2008 ARIDO Awards of Excellence honor Ontario's best. - An eyeful of the international roster of finalists in NYC's CityRacks Design Competition. - Fiat's Smiles Per Hour competition: some wild ways to get from here to there in a carbon-lite world (flat-to-high-heeled shoes, anyone?).
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Obituary: Aditya Prakash, 85, a Prominent Indian Architect: ...closely affiliated with Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh project...championed ecologically responsible design; some of his proposals, such as mixing agricultural uses into cities, are still ahead of the curve. [slide show, links]- Architectural Record |
Southasian urban suspicion: The constructs of Edwin Lutyens may have begun to crumble and make way for high-rises and underground parking, but pretentiousness remains the very soul of the Indian capital...But New Delhi lacks continuity...The story is similar almost everywhere...Southasia lacks a common commitment to urban civilisation...residents are expected to be the nuts and bolts of functioning machines, rather than the living organs of throbbing cultures.- Himal Southasian (Nepal) |
Spark of inspiration: Many cities are trying to be distinctive, but too many are trying to do so by copying each other. Beyond the boutiques and public art, is there any fresh thinking? ...the ambitions of most English cities will in future have to be more modest and realistic.- Guardian (UK) |
Ecuador Constitution Grants Rights to Nature: ...a novel set of articles that appear to be the first in any Constitution granting inalienable rights to nature..."that change the status of ecosystems from being regarded as property under the law to being recognized as rights-bearing entities." [links]- New York Times |
Governor signs anti-sprawl bill: Schwarzenegger signed a landmark bill Tuesday to discourage sprawl in future decades...will push California communities to consider climate change impacts of development in regional planning, with an emphasis on reducing car travel...a "first in the nation" effort to link land-use planning and greenhouse-gas reductions.- Sacramento Bee (California) |
Preparing for the Great New York Earthquake: A recent report by leading seismologists associated with Columbia University...concludes a serious quake is likely to hit the area...The type of earthquake most likely to occur here would mean that even a fairly small event could have a big impact. [links]- Gotham Gazette (NYC) |
Design Giants battle to build Monaco's answer to Dubai: Norman Foster and Daniel Libeskind/Arata Isozaki are leading the race...a joint proposal by Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas, sidelined for being..."too grandiose and a little utopian," or just out of sync with local scenery.- AFP |
Oakland cathedral's glory in its modesty: The most revolutionary thing about the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Light may be that it looks so subdued...has a modest goal despite its grand dimensions and high-profile site. It wants to offer shelter and quiet, balm, a personal retreat...That's no easy task. The fact it succeeds so well is a reason to give thanks. John King -- Craig Hartman/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) [images]- San Francisco Chronicle |
Piano's Second Term: Los Angeles County Museum of Art/LACMA unveils plans and funding for...Resnick Pavilion...a single-story, glass-and-stone structure sited just north of Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) -- Renzo Piano [image]- The Architect's Newspaper |
Calatrava Strikes a Chord: ...discusses his bridge in Israel...the criticism of the bridge, and why New York City needs to build "grandiose infrastructure"..."not only rebuilding but building something of high dignity." [images]- Metropolis Magazine |
From Lions to Lemurs: FXFowle Architects works with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to transform the Bronx Zoo's historic Lion House - a long-empty Beaux-Arts treasure designed by Heins and LaFarge - to a state-of-the-art exhibit hall showcasing the wildlife of Madagascar [slide show]- Architect Magazine |
IGH, Kincl and Neidhardt Win Zagreb Airport Tender: 17 architectural designs from all over the world were submitted...the solution was by a nuance better from other designs in the transport, symbolic and architectural sense.- Javno.com (Croatia) |
Professionalizing pro bono practice: The notion that architecture firms have an ethical obligation to provide services pro bono is gaining wide-spread acceptance. Here’s how some firms are making the most of the experience. By Casius Pealer -- Victoria Beach; Public Architecture/The 1%; McCall Design Group; Perkins+Will- Architectural Record |
Call for entries: 2008 Earth Awards: a global search for future-crucial design solutions that will improve our collective social, cultural, economic and ecological quality of life; categories: product design, architecture, alternative energy, and more; cash prizes; deadline: October 31- Earth Award Organization |
2008 ARIDO Awards of Excellence honor Ontario's best interior design -- Connie Braemer; Reich+Petch Design; Cecconi Simone; Martens Group; Kasian Architecture; Norr; Parkin Architects; Chapman Design Group; Yabu Pushelberg; II by IV Design; GHA Design Studios; figure3; etc. [link to images]- Canadian Architect |
10 Finalists Picked in CityRacks Design Competition to create new, better-looking bicycle parking racks. -- Next Phase Studios; Andrew Lang/Henry Dobbs; Federico Otero; Stephen Jaklitsch Architects; Jeff Miller/Andrea Ruggiero; Baroni & Valeriani Architects; Ian Mahaffy/Maarten De Greeve; Ignacio Cocchini; Francis Anthony Bitonti/FADarch; Open Thread Design [images, links]- New York Times |
Is this the transport of the future? In a carbon-lite world will transport mean skateboards and roller blades? The Smiles Per Hour competition, sponsored by Fiat...asked designers to come up with a way of getting from A to B... [links, video]- Guardian (UK) |
Book Review: You've Got to Draw the Line Somewhere: A review of "Drafting Culture: a Social History of Architectural Graphic Standards" by George Barnett Johnston. By Norman Weinstein- ArchNewsNow |
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-- querkraft architekten: Museum Liaunig, Neuhaus/Suha, Carinthia, Austria
-- Book: MAD Dinner by Ma Yansong |
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