Today’s News - Tuesday, April 12, 2011
• ArcSpace brings us eyefuls of Viñoly's Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building in San Francisco.
• Chipperfield and Harrap snag 2011 Mies van der Rohe Award for the Neues Museum in Berlin.
• Some cranky critics on both sides of the Big Pond: Scruton "mauls" starchitects for talking "pretentious gobbledegook" and for "building monuments to themselves."
• Jones takes on London's Shard: "Why don't we rise up against this monstrosity? Someone has to speak up for the London skyline."
• Kuitenbrouwer says Ryerson University's new Student Learning Centre will bring a "glass atrocity to Yonge Street" that "may act as a giant buzz-kill for the street."
• Hume, on the other hand, considers Ryerson's "glass vision a dazzler...the most exciting building to appear in this neighborhood in decades."
• Glancey cheers Margate's new Turner Contemporary as "a quiet triumph for all of those involved"; Chipperfield hopes it proves that "you don't have to design a building that looks like a big toy to make a success of a new public art gallery."
• Kentucky gets into architecture: the Speed Art Museum in Louisville unveils its $79 million transformation by wHY Architecture and Reed Hilderbrand, and Lexington calls on Jeanne Gang to help figure out what to do with a mega-block (fingers crossed the big bucks come through for both).
• Rochon has a lively conversation with Safdie, who says Toronto should be more like Singapore and dream big; is he proud of his Toronto waterfront condo tower? "If I wasn't proud, I wouldn't build it."
• In the meantime, Singapore is getting an Ivy League "hybrid" for the Yale-NUS campus (Kamin would like to "see some dirt and some pizza joints...A little funkiness could be in order here").
• A new grammar school in a Melbourne suburb, "complete with mystical spaces and retreats," is "testimony to a new approach to literally building the education revolution" (alas, no images).
• Bruder's design for a new library in Billings, Montana, "might look austere, but so do most books before they're opened."
• An amusing Q&A with Gehry, "the artist of architecture" re: Manhattan's 8 Spruce Street, why he hasn't been sketching much, what he does to relax, and more: "I can't retire. I'm 82. It's too young."
• A serious Q&A with Amanda Levete re: "her 'spectacular failures' and also her many thrilling triumphs" - and why architecture should be (but often isn't) respected.
• Urbach ends his nearly five-year tenure as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Curator of Architecture and Design: "this chapter has come to a timely and graceful close."
• In Flint, MI, a concept to re-use Genesee Towers wins a competition in hopes "to inspire people that restoration is possible" (judging from the comments, most folks are cheering for the wrecking ball).
• It's National Architecture Week in the U.S., with lots going on across the country.
• Call for entries: Passive House for New Orleans (deadline looms!).
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Rafael Viñoly Architects: The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building, UCSF, San Francisco |
Berlin Neues Museum by wins 2011 EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award: The 'Emerging Architect Special Mention' award goes to the Collage House in Girona, Spain. -- David Chipperfield/Julian Harrap; Ramon Bosch/Bet Capdeferro/bosch.capdeferro arquitectures [links to video, info, etc.]- Mies van der Rohe Foundation |
Philosopher mauls 'starchitects': Roger Scruton has accused star architects of talking “pretentious gobbledegook”...named Daniel Libeskind, Frank Gehry, Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman and Rem Koolhaus, criticising them for building monuments to themselves...more public buildings should be built by classical architects such as Robert Adam and Quinlan Terry who he hailed as “public spirited”- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Shard attack: why don't we rise up against this monstrosity? The skyscraper has ruined London's skyline and our lack of complaint suggests we've become blind to architectural ugliness...It is so British...we cannot tell the difference between a beautiful modern building that adds to the visual interest of London, and an aggressive, bombastic distortion of the skyline. By Jonathan Jones -- Renzo Piano- Guardian (UK) |
Ryerson bringing glass atrocity to Yonge: Ryerson University’s new $112-million Student Learning Centre...is a 10-storey glass box that turns its flank to Toronto’s most storied retail and entertainment strip, and may act as a giant buzz-kill for the street. By Peter Kuitenbrouwer -- Snohetta; Zeidler Partnership- National Post (Canada) |
Ryerson's glass vision a dazzler for Yonge and Gould: Ryerson University Student Learning Centre...the most exciting building to appear in this neighbourhood in decades...will be an exquisite glass sculpture that addresses the city as well as the campus. By Christopher Hume -- Craig Dykers/Snohetta; Zeidler Partnership [slide show]- Toronto Star |
Turner Contemporary's boardwalk empire: Margate's brand new gallery stands where JMW Turner painted his epic seascapes. Will it attract artists back to the town?...a quiet triumph for all of those involved, sure to encourage a new generation of artists..."I hope to prove...that you don't have to design a building that looks like a big toy to make a success of a new public art gallery." By Jonathan Glancey -- Snøhetta/Stephen Spence; David Chipperfield [slide show]- Guardian (UK) |
Speed Art Museum unveils its planned $79 million transformation: ...includes a new building that will connect with the original museum building, which opened in 1928...to be the largest capital project ever undertaken by an arts and culture institution in Kentucky..."more important is improving the visitor experience and making it more engaged with the community" -- Kulapat Yantrasast/wHY Architecture; Reed Hilderbrand Associates [images]- Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) |
Chicago architect to offer ideas for CentrePointe design: ...was asked to develop two or three concepts for the block in four to six weeks...she might search for a way to engage local architects to participate in designing "pieces" for the block. -- Jeanne Gang/Studio Gang- Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky) |
Toronto should be more like Singapore, Moshe Safdie says: [his] sculpted glass and concrete Parkside condominium that will grace the new eastern flank of the Toronto waterfront...wants Toronto’s planners and politicians to explode conventional thinking and dream big like the visionaries writing the design manifestos in China and Singapore...Are you proud of the design that you’ll deliver to the waterfront? "If I wasn’t proud, I wouldn’t build it." By Lisa Rochon- Globe and Mail (Canada) |
Singapore campus takes shape: The Yale-NUS (National University of Singapore) campus design aims to integrate elements of Yale’s collegiate style and traditional Singaporean features...“It’s an interesting hybrid of Singaporean and Ivy League notions.” -- KieranTimberlake; Pfeiffer Partners; Forum Architects- Yale Daily News |
Windows into the imagination: A facade without windows has lots of front: ...Penleigh and Essendon Grammar Junior Boys School...is testimony to a new approach to literally building the education revolution...for students with vivid imaginations, entering the building would be as pleasurable as entering the world of Harry Potter, complete with mystical spaces and retreats. -- McBride Charles Ryan- Sydney Morning Herald |
Proposed Parmly Billings Library architectural drawings unveiled: ...might look austere, but so do most books before they're opened. -- Will Bruder; Foley Group; O2 Architecture [images, video]- Billings Gazette (Montana) |
20 Odd Questions for Frank Gehry: A sit-down with the artist of architecture: ...talks about his new residential tower, why he doesn't sketch much anymore and what he does to relax...and designing for Lady Gaga..."You're always excited about the building you're working on. So right now it's 8 Spruce St., but next month it will be something else...I can't retire. I'm 82. It's too young."- Wall Street Journal |
Interview: Amanda Levete made her reputation working with in the influential architectural practice, Future Systems. She talks about her 'spectacular failures', and also her many thrilling triumphs..."The point of architecture is to contribute to the culture of a city or the culture of a nation. Architecture changes the way you see yourself, the way others see you. It should be respected for that." But it often isn't. -- Anish Kapoor; Jan Kaplický- Guardian (UK) |
Henry Urbach Leaves SFMOMA: One of the country's few architecture curators departs for unknown territory..."this chapter has come to a timely and graceful close"...the search has not yet been opened for a successor.- The Architect's Newspaper |
'Flint Media Tower' concept for Genesee Towers wins architecture competition: ...to inspire people that restoration is possible. The price tag is heavy — it would take $40 million to restore the dilapidated building that's been vacant for years..."It's a significant structure for Flint. It is part of our urban fabric." -- OSI Architecture [image, links]- Flint Journal (Michigan) |
Five Ways to Take Part in National Architecture Week: Join thousands of architects nationwide April 10–16 for a week of showcasing architects’ contributions.- American Institute of Architects (AIA) |
Call for entries: Passive House for New Orleans: winner will be featured on DesignReform on the first day of the AIA National Convention in New Orleans, May 12; deadline: May 1- DesignByMany / HP |
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