Today’s News - Thursday, January 6, 2011
• A fascinating - and really in-depth - "memento mori" to phantom highways "that were never built or that were built and later demolished" offering a history to help us "understand to what extent the car and the city can ever be reconciled."
• Hawthorne gives (mostly) thumbs-up to first images of Broad museum: "Although the design lacks the flair usually associated with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the downtown L.A. project's beauty and simplicity shine through."
• A striking new entry (finally) for L.A.'s Natural History Museum (a whale of a skeleton included).
• Rybczynski on the Comcast Experience in Stern's Philly tower: video as an architectural element that is "good-natured, quirky, and just plain fun" (video proves it, too - sure beats the sports channels we saw on our visit a bit ago).
• A German university looks to "reinvent itself" and "generate buzz" with a "huge" new building by Libeskind - but not all are thrilled.
• ZGF gets serious about designing for a dry world.
• A Russian architect comes up with a solution for a very wet world: an eco-friendly "Ark" (great slide show).
• Betsky x 2: if Russia does it right, its version of a Silicon Valley could "be a model for how such instant Edge Cities might be developed around the world" + He muses about whether Maki deserves the AIA Gold Medal: "I can often not make up my mind whether his designs are boring or delicious, and it is that hovering between the two that makes them so interesting."
• Q&A with BIG's Ingels re: the challenges of designing housing in NYC: "What happens if you crossbreed the Copenhagen courtyard with the New York high-rise?" (alas, project details still under wraps).
• Eyefuls of The 10 Smartest Cities on the Planet: some obvious, some not so obvious (congrats to Dubuque, Iowa).
• Top 10 Homes for 2010 (some real wow's here, too).
• Brussat hands out his Roses and Raspberries for 2010 (he had to look outside of Providence to find the roses).
• A good reason to head to New Orleans next week: AIA Haiti/New Orleans Summit.
• Goodwin "steps back" (not down) from RMJM (tongues must be wagging).
• Call for entries: 2011 North American Copper in Architecture Awards (deadline looms!).
• We just couldn't resist: an amazing eyeful of the Harbin Ice and Snow World on display in China this month (talk about wow!).
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Unbuilt Highways: How a Road Can Change a City, Even If It Never Gets Built: ...a memento mori to these phantom highways...that were never built or that were built and later demolished. Their history helps us understand to what extent the car and the city can ever be reconciled. By Tom Vanderbilt -- Robert Moses; Jane Jacobs; Lewis Mumford; Paul Rudolph; etc. [images]- Slate |
Broad museum design pointed in the right direction: Although the design lacks the flair usually associated with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the downtown L.A. project's beauty and simplicity shine through...what comes across most strongly in the design is a sense of a restless creative imagination muted, held back and otherwise reined in. By Christopher Hawthorne [images]- Los Angeles Times |
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Going Glassy: CO Architects creates new face for revamping institution, thanks to major gift...The centerpiece of the new pavilion...will be the skeleton of a 63-foot-long fin whale, which will hang from the ceiling via steel cables. [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
The Really Big Screen: Video as an architectural element: The Comcast Experience is a kinetic version of the wall and ceiling frescoes that were common in the Renaissance...they are more like Veronese's domestic frescoes - good-natured, quirky, and just plain fun. By Witold Rybczynski -- Venturi Scott Brown; Robert A.M. Stern; Niles Creative Group [images, video, links]- Slate |
Ambitious Plans: German University to Go Ahead with Controversial Daniel Libeskind Building: Lüneburg's university wants to reinvent itself as an elite academic institution and is looking to generate buzz...Student representatives have complained that it is "not practical"...Even local environmental activists are upset... [slide show]- Der Spiegel (Germany) |
Designing for a Dry World: As climate change exacerbates droughts, architects are focusing on water efficiency...With climate change expected to increase the length and severity of droughts...proponents of water-efficient design argue it will soon move from trendy to mandatory...one of the top reasons to be interested in reducing water use is the financial bottom line. -- Zimmer Gunsul Frasca/ZGF Architects; Worrell Water Technologies; Living Machine links]- Sustainable Industries Journal |
A New Ark for Humanity: Floating Hotel Could Defy Rising Sea Levels: A new design by Russian architect Alexander Remizov challenges the tradition of land-based hotel living and would provide a refuge in the future...eco-friendly "Ark" could be constructed in just a few months anywhere in the world... -- remistudio [slide show]- Der Spiegel (Germany) |
Skolkovo Innovation Center: Planning a Russian Edge City: Russia wants a Silicon Valley and OMA...will probably design it...I personally wish that all three schemes...could be blended...If Skolkovo develops in such a manner, it might even be a model for how such instant Edge Cities might be developed around the world. By Aaron Betsky -- Office for Metropolitan Architecture; AREP; Mecanoo [images, links]- Architect Magazine |
Does Maki Deserve the AIA Gold Medal? ...he is one of the most thoughtful and insightful architects I know....I can often not make up my mind whether his designs are boring or delicious, and it is that hovering between the two that makes them so interesting. By Aaron Betsky [images]- Architect Magazine |
A Danish Architect Brings His Mountain-Making Ideas to New York: Although Bjarke Ingels wasn’t able to discuss the details of the project he is working on for the Durst Organization...he talked about the challenges of designing housing in New York and what New Yorkers can learn from the Danes..."What happens if you crossbreed the Copenhagen courtyard with the New York high-rise?" -- Bjarke Ingels Group/BIG)- New York Times |
The 10 Smartest Cities on the Planet: Songdo, South Korea; Lavasa, India; Skolkovo, Russia; Masdar, UAE; Dubuque, Iowa; etc. By Greg Lindsay [slide show]- Fast Company |
Top 10 Homes for 2010 -- A-Cero; Durbach Block Architects; Zecc Architects/Thomas Haukes; Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor; Architectural Bureau G. Natkevicius & Partners; Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC); Ramón Esteve; grupoSP; Guz Architects [images]- International Business Times |
Roses and raspberries for 2010: Dr. Downtown scans the horizon...in vain, or almost in vain, for reasons to be optimistic about the future of the beauty of Providence...forced to look outside of Providence to hand out coveted roses. By David Brussat -- Diller Scofidio + rRenfro; Studio Providence; InFORM Studio; Robert A.M. Stern; Durkee Brown Viveiros & Werenfels Architects; Centerbrook Architects [images]- Providence Journal (Rhode Island) |
American Institute of Architects To Sponsor Haiti Rebuilding Conference: AIA Haiti/New Orleans Summit, January 13-14 (no charge)- American Institute of Architects (AIA) |
Fred Goodwin steps back from role at RMJM: Practice admits it is not using his services due to “less demanding” workload..."we call on his services as required."- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Call for entries: 2011 North American Copper in Architecture Awards to recognize and promote outstanding architectural applications of copper alloys in building design in Restoration/Renovation and New Construction projects in the U.S. or Canada; deadline: January 31- Copper Development Association/Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association |
Now in its 12 year, the Harbin Ice and Snow World display is gaining world renown for the spectacular ice sculptures and lighting. [slide show]- Vancouver Sun |
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Michael Maltzan Architecture: New Carver Apartments, Los Angeles: ...explores how architecture can create new possibilities for its highly vulnerable, dramatically under-served residents... |
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