Today’s News - Wednesday, February 25, 2009
• Heathcote on the unending quest for height on the skylines of eastern Europe (by British architects for the most part): "you really do have to wonder whether the recession is not doing these cities' long-suffering citizens a bit of a favor."
• Studies and reports appear to show that green building could be the bright spot in our dreary economy.
• King accesses some of San Francisco's affordable housing: "What's been accomplished is heroic," and more often than not, "the best thing around."
• Are we truly downsizing from McMansions, or is it "up to designers to recalibrate the American dream so that 'small' is a term of architectural endearment"?
• Lifestyle changes and new technologies are redefining how we relate to landscape and heritage.
• Heathcote says Alice Tully Hall make-over deserves applause (but still finds "something niggling about it").
• Pearman has nothing but high praise for the High Line: "This is industrial archaeology in the service of the people. Originally prosaic, it has acquired touches of the sublime."
• Another win for 3XN in Denmark.
• Dundee, Scotland, has designs on becoming the next outpost for the V&A.
• Fare-free transit should become the rule rather than the exception: it's "a planner's and politician's tool like no other."
• Blum takes off with an incredibly in-depth look at air space congestion and what's being done to redraw the map of "the roadways in the sky."
• Q&A with Mexican landscape architect Mario Schjetnan about his work on the Chapultepec Park and environmental justice in Mexico City.
• Parsons students take on a Bronx rooftop, turning it into a garden and outdoor kitchen for young adults transitioning out of foster care.
• Call for entries: Green Roof Awards of Excellence in Design, Research, and Policy Development.
• A touching tribute to Marvin Rand by Lawrence Scarpa.
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No end in sight in quest for height: Amazingly, despite the collapse of credit, the skyscraper continues its march across the world as a symbol of modernity and commerce...on the skylines of eastern Europe, you really do have to wonder whether the recession is not doing these cities' long-suffering citizens a bit of a favour. By Edwin Heathcote -- RMJM; Foster & Partners; Zaha Hadid- Financial Times (UK) |
Green Building is the Economy’s Bright Spot: By 2013, the overall green building market (both residential and non-residential) is likely to more than double from today’s $36-49 billion to $96-140 billion.- McMorrow Report |
Assessing affordable housing in the Bay Area: "Existential" isn't a word associated with apartments and condominiums, but the ongoing efforts to build affordable housing in California are downright you-know-what...What's been accomplished is heroic...I value the work of Bridge and other nonprofit developers: More often than not, their projects are the best thing around. By John King- San Francisco Chronicle |
Downsizing the American Dream Home: ...is the downsizing merely a pause in the inevitable pursuit of more bulked-out McMansions, or a cultural shift that will lead Americans to value efficiency...it may be up to designers to recalibrate the American dream so that "small" is a term of architectural endearment. By Michael Cannell -- Sarah Susanka- Fast Company |
Heritage is not what it used to be: Lifestyle changes and new technologies have helped redefine how people relate to landscape and heritage. It is important to keep pace with these changes, for they will bring opportunities to both better understand the past and heighten its social relevance.- New Scientist |
Diller Scofidio + Renfro's refit of Alice Tully Hall at New York's Lincoln Center: The way it has segued the old structure into the new glazed extension is slick and as close to seamless as you could get. But there’s something niggling about it still – too much glass, too many easy gestures and one-liners. By Edwin Heathcote -- Pietro Belluschi (1969); FXFOWLE [images]- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Manhattan's High Line: I think it's going to be OK: ...you would never invent such a promenade from scratch for this purpose....This is industrial archaeology in the service of the people. Originally prosaic, it has acquired touches of the sublime. By Hugh Pearman -- Field Operations;s Diller Scofidio + Renfro [images]- HughPearman.com (UK) |
3XN wins competition for Randers Museum of Art in Denmark, beating a shortlist that included Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au [image]- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Dundee has designs on V&A museum: ...project could showcase the city's design heritage including computer gaming and comics.- BBC News |
Why Is Fare-Free Transit The Exception Rather Than The Rule? Transit agencies spend a lot of money to make money. In many cases, the amount spent equals or even surpasses the amount they bring in from fares. So why charge them at all? ...what's holding it back, and how to make it a reality...a planner's and politician's tool like no other. By Dave Olsen- PLANetizen |
Key to Eliminating U.S. Flight Delays? Redesign the Sky Over New York City...three-quarters of all holdups nationwide can be traced back to that tangled swath of East Coast sky...Think of it as a redrawn map of the roadways in the sky. By Andrew Blum [images, links]- Wired |
Q&A with Mario Schjetnan Garduño, FASLA, Mexico’s Renowned Landscape Architect: ...about his work on the Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, his own garden in Malinalco, and environmental justice in Mexico City. -- Grupo de Diseño Urbano/GDU [links, images]- The Dirt/American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) |
Parsons Students Transform a Rooftop in the Bronx: ...bronXscape, an urban rooftop garden and outdoor kitchen for young adults transitioning out of foster care. -- Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis [slide show]- Architectural Record |
Call for entries: Green Roof Awards of Excellence in Design, Research, and Policy Development; deadline: March 1- Green Roofs for Healthy Cities |
Tribute: Marvin Rand, 1924-2009: His approach was not simply about images. He advocated on behalf of excellence in our field, and was a champion of great work. By Lawrence Scarpa/Pugh + Scarpa [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
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UNStudio: MUMUTH Music Theatre, Graz, Austria |
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