Today’s News - Friday, February 19, 2010
• Should architects try harder to please the public? Yes, says Millais: architects "live in a pseudo-intellectual ghetto"; no, says Gough: "architecture is far too important to be left to the public" (that should endear them to both sides).
• Anchorage mulls zoning code update, but some worry the pending rules will be a flop: "By imposing these standards you're going to bring everything down to mediocre level."
• Google and Mountain View (and NASA) in a debate re: the company-town model (is what's good for the goose good for the gander?).
• Saffron sings praise for Corner's "peerless plan" for a Philly pier: "a nice reminder that good design isn't so much about the size of your budget as the breadth of your imagination."
• Crosbie croons about an "opportune convergence" resulting in "an exceptional work of architecture" for Yale's Kroon Hall.
• Merrick measures in on the "King Kongs" of architecture: "So the world has 7 starchitects," SOM (and its "biggest beasts") has a "historically monstrous shadow" that covers them all.
• A primer on some "heavy hitters," but what do some other starchitects "have to do to earn the nickname of King Kong?"
• Woodman wonders whether Chipperfield "played it too safe" in Essen (his Neues Museum is "a tough act to follow").
• The Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Center launches Walks in Contemporary Budapest, an online tour-guide of selected buildings erected in the last 20 years.
• Weekend diversions:
• NYC on our mind: Hawthorne finds the "uneven results" of the Guggenheim's "Contemplating the Void" suggest there is one skill that will be most valuable in hard times: "knowing how to make nothing mean something."
• Smith calls it "a frolicking, mostly feel-good show" where it's the architects "who tend to be most Oedipal." (great slide shows)
• "Modernism At Risk" at the Center for Architecture offers case studies that "reveal the many ways the design community is working to sustain the legacy of modern architecture - one building at a time."
• "Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary" at The Drawing Center "captures and showcases his genius as an engineer, mathematician, architect, and composer: "he excelled in all four."
• At the AIA San Francisco Gallery, "Vertical Gardens" presents imaginary and real projects "that envision solutions for building greener urban environments."
• In Chicago, "Susan Giles: Buildings and Gestures" includes "an architectural gobstopper."
• Krieger and Saunders' "Urban Design" offers "a well-rounded assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the differing schools of urban design theory."
• "Talking Architecture" is a useful book "for those who know little about contemporary Indian architecture. But that is also its main weakness."
• The "poetic approach" of "Ten Walks/Two Talks" makes it no ordinary tour guide: its "exuberance is something of an art in itself - and an eye-opener for anesthetized New Yorkers."
• On film: Foster may be "keen to distance himself from Rand's superhero," Howard Roark, but "How Much Does your Building Weigh, Mr Foster?" suggests that "he has at least a little of Gary Cooper in him."
• With "Visual Acoustics: The Modernisms of Julius Shulman," viewers "cannot help but fall in love with this adorable old man."
• Seven great movies that star architecture (and lots of great links).
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Should architects try harder to please the public? Yes, because they live in a pseudo-intellectual ghetto, says Malcolm Millais; while Piers Gough/CZWG says architecture is far too important to be left to the public- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Anchorage zoning code en route to an update: Critics say requirements may create bad architecture: ...some well-respected architects worry the pending rules will be a flop..."By imposing these standards you're going to bring everything down to mediocre level." -- Kumin Associates; Gordon Thompson; RIM Architects [links to images]- Anchorage Daily News (Alaska) |
Google and Mountain View Recast Company-Town Model: A planned development has exposed fissures between Google and the City Council of Mountain View, Calif.- New York Times |
A peerless plan for a Philly pier: ...sure-handed design promises to do for Philadelphia's neglected waterfront what the High Line park did for its railroad relic: make it a destination for high-end hanging out...a nice reminder that good design isn't so much about the size of your budget as the breadth of your imagination. By Inga Saffron -- James Corner Field Operations [images]- Philadelphia Inquirer |
Yale's Green Ark: Every so often, an exceptional work of architecture emerges from an opportune convergence...Kroon Hall is one of these...new home of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies...is a landmark in sustainable design and construction. By Michael J. Crosbie -- Hopkins Architects; Centerbrook Architects; Atelier Ten [images]- ArchitectureWeek |
The architecture firm that reached for the sky: If it's a colossal construction, then Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) probably designed it...Jay Merrick gets the measure of global architecture's biggest beasts...So the world has seven "starchitects"...There's another practice whose historically monstrous shadow covers them all... -- Foster; Piano; Rogers; Hadid; Gehry; Herzog & de Meuron; Koolhaas- Independent (UK) |
“King Kongs” of Architecture? What SOM hasn’t hammered down is the je ne sais quoi of its flashier architectural contemporaries. A primer on the heavy hitters...begs the question: what do blue-chip architects like Jean Nouvel, Thom Mayne, and I.M. Pei have to do to earn the nickname of King Kong? -- Gehry; Piano; Foster; Koolhaas; Herzog & de Meuron; Hadid; Rogers [images, links]- Flavorpill |
David Chipperfield’s Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany: Following the triumph of the Neues Museum, his latest building had a tough act to follow. And while it is accomplished, has the architect played it too safe? By Ellis Woodman [images]- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Center launches Walks in Contemporary Budapest: an online tour-guide presenting the whereabouts and the background information of selected buildings erected in the last 20 years in Hungarian and in English.- Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Center (KÉK) |
The void as muse: "Contemplating the Void"...uneven results suggest there is one skill that will be more important for architects than any other as credit remains tight and cranes idle...the ability to make something out of nothing. But it is actually a slight twist on that idea that will be most valuable - knowing how to make nothing mean something... By Christopher Hawthorne -- Anish Kapoor; Zaha Hadid; Richard Meier; Toyo Ito; Rachel Whiteread; West 8; Sou Fujimoto; MAD Architects; Neil Denari; Tod Willams Billie Tsien; Kengo Kuma; Luzinterruptus; WORKac; Michael Maltzan [links]- Los Angeles Times |
Take This Museum and Shape It: Guggenheim Museum rotunda is the inspiration for a frolicking, mostly feel-good show called “Contemplating the Void”...the kind of low- budget, few-frills exhibition that major museums need to try more often... By Roberta Smith -- Saunders Architecture; Sou Fujimoto Architects; Anish Kapoor; Julien De Smedt; Toshiko Mori; MVRDV; Vito Acconci; Daniel Libeskind; LOT-EK; Takuyahosokai; Torafu Architects; Pipilotti Rist; Urbanus Architecture; WORKac/Amale Andraos/Dan Wood; Zaha Hadid [slide show]- New York Times |
“Modernism At Risk: Modern Solutions For Saving Modern Landmarks” at the Center for Architecture...organized by the World Monuments Fund (WMF)...case studies reveal the many ways the design community is working to sustain the legacy of modern architecture - one building at a time. -- Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer; Edward Durell Stone; Paul Rudolph; Marcel Breuer; Warren Platner; Walter Gropius; Eero Saarinen- ArtDaily.org |
Tune In: "Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary" at The Drawing Center...captures and showcases his genius. He was a world-class engineer, mathematician, architect, and composer - and excelled in all four. The installation intelligently shows us the effect of all this cross-pollination. By Victoria Meyers/hanrahanMeyers Architects [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
"Vertical Gardens" features over two dozen projects, both imaginary and real...that envision solutions for building greener urban environments....at AIA San Francisco Gallery. -- Rael San Fratello Architects; Min Day; Boor Bridges Architecture; GLS Landscape | Architecture; Lisa Lee Benjamin; Abruzzo Bodziak Architects; ATOPIA/The Harrison Studio; Bob Bingham and Claire Hoch; Patrick Blanc; Bohn & Viljoen Architects; Dickson Despommier/Eric Ellingsen/SOA Architects/Blake Kurasek; Evo Design/Mica Gross/Rogers Design Group; Todd Haiman; Haus-Rucker-Inc.; Mundo Verde Ortega; Claude Boullevraye de Passillé; Oda Projesi; Naomi Reis; Roomservices; SITE- AIA San Francisco / Center for Architecture + Design |
Building Traveling Thinking: "Susan Giles: Buildings and Gestures" at Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago...includes four small sculptures fusing together iconic building models into an architectural gobstopper...video’s subjects are describing a piece of architecture in layman’s voice, complete with curly-q descriptions and accompanying hand gestures.- The Architect's Newspaper |
Urban Design: A Frame of Mind? "Urban Design" by Alex Krieger and William S. Saunders...a critical analysis of competing theories and predicts future challenges posed by growing urban populations...a well-rounded assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the differing schools of urban design theory.- The Dirt/American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) |
Dissecting Indian architecture: "Talking Architecture: Raj Rewal in conversation with Ramin Jahanbegloo"...Rewal’s personal voice does come through clearly, and we get useful glimpses into his thoughts about cities, architecture, sustainability, and culture...a useful reference especially for those who know little about contemporary Indian architecture. But that is also its main weakness.- Business Standard (India) |
The Art of Taking a Walk: ...Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch’s new book "Ten Walks/Two Talks," a series of 60-minute, 60-sentence walks around Manhattan...No ordinary tour guide...poetic approach makes for an intriguing look at the urban landscape...their exuberance is something of an art in itself - and an eye-opener for anesthetized New Yorkers.- The Architect's Newspaper |
A reputation built to last: A film about Norman Foster has made its debut in Berlin. The architect makes for a gripping subject "How Much Does your Building Weigh, Mr Foster?"...is keen to distance himself from Rand's superhero..."The architect really has no power."...new documentary suggests that he has at least a little of Gary Cooper in him. -- Foster + Partners; Deyan Sudjic- Independent (UK) |
Julius Shulman: The Architect's Photographer: "Visual Acoustics" is a film for artists and art lovers alike...The audience cannot help but fall in love with this adorable old man with such a humbling passion for his work as a photographer and the architecture that captured his heart.- Cornell Daily Sun |
Seven great movies that star architecture: ...have productively grappled with architecture, both real and imaginary. [images, links]- Independent Film Channel (IFC) |
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Exhibition: Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: "Gravity is a Force to be Reckoned With," MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA...a half-scale, inverted version of Mies van der Rohe's uncompleted 50x50 House (1951) |
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