Today’s News - Monday, May 4, 2009
• Flight delays, jet lag...but we're finally back - and lots of catching up to do!
• ArcSpace brings us lots of news from Austria and Slovenia.
• In Poland, a call to understand the importance of architecture in branding a city and attracting investors.
• The latest Worldwide Quality of Living Survey of the world's most liveable cities is "clean, safe and a little bit dull" (with a few surprises).
• Rybczynski and Ouroussoff offer their (mostly positive) takes on Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup pick for the Museum of African-American History.
• Kamin practically coos over Piano's Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing: it's a "temple of light" that "engages our eyes and our emotions - not by hitting us over the head, but with architecture that unfolds with great skill and subtlety" (lots of pix, videos, other reports).
• Russell finds Cloepfil "has made peace in the clash between curators and architects" with his expansion of the Michigan Museum of Art.
• Chelsea Barracks developer vows to continue with Rogers' plan despite Prince's pleas (for the time being, anyway).
• Saffron holds some hope that, even with a "no-design design," it's still not too late to make Philadelphia's South Street Bridge an icon.
• Is UNESCO's World Heritage project harming the very places it seeks to protect?
• Yeang tapped for 4,000-acre Shanghai eco-city in the sea.
• Handel expands venerable Boston Conservatory, proving there can be silver linings in the dark cloud of a down economy.
• Lewis on green houses: "We need less attention on how to shape the individual house and more attention on how to shape - and reshape - communities."
• America lags behind Europe in proving the benefits of biodiversity brought about by green roofs.
• Winners all: Snøhetta snags '09 Mies prize.
• Viladas has a few quibbles with Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards; and a report with lots of pix and links.
• Call for entries/nominations: Skandalaris Awards for Entrepreneurship in Design & Visual Arts.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A big Thank You to AIA, colleagues, and friends for making our stay in San Francisco truly memorable!
| |
|
|
|
To subscribe to the free daily newsletter
click here
|
|
-- KK Letter: From Graz, Austria to Ljubljana, Slovenia
-- Design Hotel: Augartenhotel, Graz, Austria |
Urban branding: Promoting locations and drawing investors, tourists and new residents...may be a good way for communities to not only survive such difficult conditions, but to develop as well...key figures in this process are developers and architects...the importance of architecture in the process of branding a city...has a huge influence...If a city does not work to better its appearance, it simply fails to attract investors... -- EMS Architekci- Warsaw Business Journal (Poland) |
Clean, safe and a little bit dull... the world's most liveable cities: Forget Paris, New York or London, the best places to settle no longer need to be happening – as Vienna proves...Political stability, security, air pollution, schools, supermarkets, environment and transport rank highly. Cutting-edge culture, architecture and excitement count for relatively little. [slide show]- Independent (UK) |
A Museum of African-American History: Is the newest addition to the nation's lawn a pink flamingo or a garden gnome? ...winning entry...is the most conservative of the six designs...manages to appear both primal and modern...respectful of the Mall, yet standing slightly apart. By Witold Rybczynski -- Foster + Partners/Michel Desvigne; Moshe Safdie; Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Kling Stubbins; Antoine Predock/Moody-Nolan; Pei Cobb Freed/Devrouax + Purnell; Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup [slide show essay]- Slate |
Tracing the Threads That Join America and Africa: The reaction to the announcement that the team...selected to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture should be a round of applause...The design’s strong, somber exterior...could be the most important addition to the mall since I. M. Pei’s East Building at the National Gallery of Art opened three decades ago. By Nicolai Ouroussoff -- Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup [images]- New York Times |
Temple of light: New Modern Wing much more than a container for art--refined building opens to nature and the city: ... this self-confident box looks fresh...the building engages our eyes and our emotions—not by hitting us over the head, but with architecture that unfolds with great skill and subtlety...Architectural fashions come and go. Quality like this endures. By Blair Kamin -- Renzo Piano; Interactive Design [images, videos, links]- Chicago Tribune |
In Battered Michigan Art Beats Economy in $42 Million Expansion: ...Cloepfil has made peace in the clash between curators and architects...Michigan Museum of Art is the full realization of [his] quest.
By James S. Russell -- Allied Works Architecture; Arup [image]- Bloomberg News |
Chelsea Barracks developer vows to continue with Rogers' plan: Prince's plea for change of architect falls on deaf ears...media storm which shows no sign of abating... -- Rogers Stirk Harbour; Quinlan Terry- BD/Building Design (UK) |
And the winner is: A no-design design: It's still not too late to make the South Street Bridge an icon. But Philadelphia won't get a landmark if it keeps treating civic architecture as a flourish that can be slapped on after the fact. By Inga Saffron -- H2L2 Architects- Philadelphia Inquirer |
Is Unesco damaging the world's treasures? It's supposed to be the gold standard for conservation. But is Unesco's World Heritage project harming the very places it seeks to protect? [slide show]- Independent (UK) |
Ken Yeang to design 4,000-acre Shanghai eco-city in the sea: Malaysian sister firm of Llewelyn Davies Yeang picks up megaproject as China maintains green agenda- Building (UK) |
Curtain Call: Handel Architects expands venerable Boston Conservatory...downturn in the economy may have aided the school...bidding on the project came back 13 percent under budget: more proof that, for some, there is a silver lining in this cloud. [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
How a 'Green House of the Future' Can Impede Environmental Progress: No matter how green individual homes are, suburban sprawl is intrinsically anti-green...We need less attention on how to shape the individual house and more attention on how to shape -- and reshape -- communities [and] changing rules and public attitudes that make green design harder to achieve. By Roger K. Lewis- Washington Post |
Green Roof Biodiversity: Restoring High Rise Habitats: Bio-diverse green roofs reinforce sustainability benefits...There’s quite a few biodiversity studies...only all the evidence comes from Europe -- Conservation Design Forum; William McDonough; Hampton Avery Architects; Renzo Piano; Rana Creek; SWA Group; BAR Architects [images, links]- AIArchitect |
Snøhetta Wins Europe's Most Prestigious Architecture Prize: ...biannual European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award...for its work on the Oslo Opera House. [images, links]- Fast Company |
Scorecard: Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards: 10 winners represent an interesting cross-section of the design world, and this was one year in which the work of the runners-up was often just as compelling...And now for the inevitable quibbles. By Pilar Viladas -- SHoP Architects; Architecture Research Office (ARO); Michael Maltzan; Hood Design; Andrea Cochran and Rios Clementi Hale Studios; Tsao & McKown Architects- New York Times |
2009 National Design Award Winners: A Whirlwind Tour -- SHoP Architects; Hood Design; Tsao & McKown Architects [images, links]- Fast Company |
Call for entries/nominations: Skandalaris Awards for Entrepreneurship in Design & Visual Arts; two $20,000 awards; deadline: May 15- Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts |
Stylish Stacking: Shipping containers will jump off the rails to form an innovative multifamily apartment complex near a Salt Lake City commuter rail station. -- Group 41 [images]- ArchNewsNow |
|
|
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window.
External news links are not endorsed by ArchNewsNow.com.
Free registration may be required on some sites.
Some pages may expire after a few days.
© 2009 ArchNewsNow.com