Today’s News - Monday, April 12, 2010
• ArcSpace brings us Chipperfield x 2 in Berlin.
• An Eastern German project offers hope for shrinking cities: "We are deliberately setting out not to make beacons or architectural exclamation points - even if that means there will be fewer photographs and it doesn't seem quite as sexy."
• A revitalization project is proof that "there's still stuff being built in Detroit, as hard as it is."
• Litt x 2: thumbs-up for approval of Cleveland's Uptown project architecture, but the developer "would have been wise to spend less money on public relations and more on what really counts" (landscape and urban design); re: the architecture: Saitowitz's design "bodes well" for the project.
• Hume hammers Toronto's heavy-handed civic apparatus for driving Greenberg to withdraw from the sports complex project in the Lower Don Lands, where it doesn't belong.
• Dyckhoff ponders what the Tories will do for British architecture: "At least the Labour Party has done something for our cityscapes...whoever wins on May 6 won't be building much."
• NYC takes over Governors Island, "moving a prime 172-acre piece of waterfront real estate into the hands of a land-starved city and closer to an ambitious redevelopment."
• Santa Monica and University of South Carolina take knocks for the way design teams were selected for major projects (no quibbles with the teams - just how they got the jobs).
• Lewis looks at Gehry's Eisenhower memorial and finds "less would be more - pursuing bigness and boldness can lead to bloat...it looks overdesigned."
• Is the planned Orbit tower really "appropriate as a lasting monument to the 'world's first sustainable Olympics'?"
• Kamin cheers Ronan's new high school in an impoverished Chicago neighborhood: it's "a reminder that the social promise of architecture still matters" and "can have a profound impact, especially where you least expect to find it."
• Rose cheers the U.K.'s program to put the "youth back in youth centers" (with "not a leaky loo in sight").
• The Minnesota Orchestra unveils KPMB's "dramatic makeover" for its downtown Minneapolis building.
• Heathcote hones in on Dallas which "contains, surprisingly, almost astonishingly in fact, one of the finest concentrations of modern architecture in the world."
• The redevelopment of West Palm Beach's waterfront incorporates a floating dock that's also a water-filtration device (oysters included).
• Greening ever forward: Krugman offers an in-depth analysis of how we can afford to tackle climate change: "All we need now is the political will" (should we hold our breath on that one?).
• Why "greening up" is hard to do: some of the "most inconvenient - and still largely unspoken - truths" (though there are "opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs and conscious companies").
• Makower wades through the current crop of polls and surveys of green attitudes: "Spoiler alert: It's not a pretty picture."
• Move over LEED and make way for new SEED standard to "certify the socio-economic, as well as the environmental relevance, of design projects."
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-- David Chipperfield Architects: Neues Museum, Museum Island, Berlin, Germany
-- David Chipperfield Architects: New Entrance Building, James Simon Gallery, Berlin, Germany |
When Less Is More: Eastern German Project Provides Hope for Shrinking Cities: ...a state-sponsored project suggests that "city islands," urban green zones and huge outdoor art could be part of the solution..."We are deliberately setting out not to make beacons or architectural exclamation points - even if that means there will be fewer photographs and it doesn't seem quite as sexy." -- International Building Exhibition (IBA); Lederer Architects; Springer Architects [slide show]- Der Spiegel (Germany) |
Taking Back Detroit, One Block at a Time: ...Woodward Garden Block Development involves the revitalization of one of the last derelict blocks on Woodward..."There's still stuff being built in Detroit, as hard as it is."- Time Magazine |
Euclid Corridor Design Review Committee approves Uptown architecture, but hammers developer for lack of detail...landscaping and urban design...has been lagging..."We're only seeing half a loaf here"...would have been wise to spend less money on public relations and more on what really counts: design. By Steven Litt -- Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects; ParkWorks; Chan Krieger; Cooper Carry [images]- Cleveland Plain Dealer |
New apartments designed by Stanley Saitowitz bode well for Uptown project...launched six years ago in sunnier economic times by Case Western Reserve University...new designs depict something that would be very new for Cleveland: a major urban street framed on both sides by sleek modernist buildings that might look at home in any sophisticated city anywhere in the world. By Steven Litt -- Natoma Architects; Office dA [images]- Cleveland Plain Dealer |
Where's the Lower Don Lands innovation? ...Toronto can be its own worst enemy...the civic apparatus at its heavy-handed best has driven one of the country’s most respected planners to withdraw from a project that flies in the face of a decade’s work...along came the city with its collective mind set on putting up a regional sports complex in the Lower Don Lands, where it doesn’t belong. By Christopher Hume -- Ken Greenberg- Toronto Star |
What will the Tories do for architecture? At least the Labour Party has done something for our cityscapes. The next government, of whatever colour, probably won’t...nothing but cuts ahead of us, whoever wins on May 6 won’t be building much. But at least something was done. Faint praise, perhaps; but still praise. By Tom Dyckhoff- The Times (UK) |
New York City Takes Over Governors Island: ...unveiled a new plan to continue to redevelop the island as a public park, committing $41.5 million to the project...moving a prime 172-acre piece of waterfront real estate into the hands of a land-starved city and closer to an ambitious redevelopment.- New York Times |
Op-Ed: City Hall's bid process not a walk in the park: Why in a city where even the paint scheme on the police cars gets a thorough public review...here was no local involvement in the selection of the design/architect/landscape team whose imprint will set the style and tone for this very large and important project? -- James Corner Field Operations- Santa Monica Daily Press |
University of South Carolina nixes bids; donor chooses architect: 'Unprecedented' move comes in late stage of bidding process...canceled all bids to hire an architect for its new $90 million Moore School of Business so a donor could pick a design firm of her own choosing. -- Raphael Vinoly Architects- The State (South Carolina) |
For Frank Gehry's Eisenhower memorial, less would be more: ...does achieve the bigness and boldness that are hallmarks of his work. But pursuing bigness and boldness can lead to bloat, which regrettably appears to be the hallmark of the memorial design...it looks overdesigned. By Roger K. Lewis- Washington Post |
ArcelorMittal's emissions make a monumental joke of Olympic park tower [Orbit]: Is a tower sponsored by a steel empire with emissions matching that of the Czech Republic appropriate as a lasting monument to the 'world's first sustainable Olympics'? -- Anish Kapoor; Balmond/Arup- Guardian (UK) |
A school full of lessons about architecture: In an impoverished urban neighborhood, John Ronan's Christ the King does a lot with a little...Here is a reminder, after years in which designers were obsessed with flashy museums and concert halls, that the social promise of architecture still matters. By Blair Kamin [images]- Chicago Tribune |
Myplace: Putting the youth back in youth centre: Myspace, a new scheme in which young people help architects design youth centres, is changing the face of youth venues...Not a leaky loo in sight. By Steve Rose -- Adam Khan Architects; Feilden Clegg Bradley; Ellis Williams; Hudson Architects- Guardian (UK) |
A new look for Orchestra Hall: The Minnesota Orchestra revealed plans on Friday for a dramatic makeover of its downtown Minneapolis building. -- Hugh Hardy (1974); Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) [images]- Minneapolis Star Tribune |
Cutting-edge architecture in Dallas: ...contains, surprisingly, almost astonishingly in fact, one of the finest concentrations of modern architecture in the world. By Edwin Heathcote -- Philip Johnson; Foster & Partners; Koolhaas/OMA; Joshua Prince Ramus/REX; Edward Larrabee Barnes; I.M. Pei- Financial Times (UK) |
Hope Floats: The redevelopment of the West Palm Beach, Florida, waterfront includes a floating dock that’s also a water-filtration device. -- Michael Singer Studio; Sanchez & Maddux Landscape Architecture; Steve Boruff Architects; HLB Lighting [slide show]- GreenSource Magazine |
Building a Green Economy: The truth is that there is no credible research suggesting that taking strong action on climate change is beyond the economy’s capacity...We can afford to do something about climate change....All we need now is the political will. By Paul Krugman- New York Times Magazine |
7 Reasons Why Greening Up is Hard to Do: Despite the discouraging nature of these findings, they do present opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs and conscious companies...Here are some observations that represent the most inconvenient - and still largely unspoken - truths standing in the way of a sustainable America.- GreenBiz |
Earth Day and the Polling of America, 2010: Me First, Planet Later: ...wade through the current crop of pre-Earth Day polls and surveys of Americans' green attitudes. Spoiler alert: It's not a pretty picture. By Joel Makower- GreenBiz |
New SEED Standard Introduced: A group of architects, designers, activists, and community leaders recently unveiled a new building standard called SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design) to certify the socio-economic, as well as the environmental relevance, of design projects.- Residential Architect |
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