Today’s News - Wednesday, July 27, 2011
• A look at how Alabama communities are looking at ways to rebuild following April's devastating tornadoes (some are further along than others).
• King looks at San Francisco's Downtown Plan 25 years later: in the long run, it's "proved its worth...The task ahead is to update it and to make it flexible enough to respond to a future we can't possibly predict."
• It's not all that easy being green in Europe.
• Safdie tapped for two green condo towers in Singapore.
• Glancey is utterly aglow about Edinburgh's revamped National Museum of Scotland: "Step inside, and you enter one of Scotland's finest and most unexpected new public spaces" (from his description - we want to!).
• London's 2012 Olympics opens a year from now - let the pundits begin: Long x 2: the park will "be in the idiom of our century, a slightly Tellytubby-ish landscape that is organic rather than romantic but never escaping the appearance of something utterly man-made" + the Aquatics Centre won't look its best until after the Games (perhaps that's why there's no image showing temporary wings on Hadid's website?).
• A "wizard from Oz" (a.k.a. Brisbane) talks about his Olympic-sized tasks (and just what are those triangular spikes running around the top of the stadium for?).
• Viñoly takes on operatic airs for Bard SummerScape's "Die Liebe der Danae"; when some starchitects have played set designer, the results have been "iffy," though his previous efforts have "largely been praised."
• The NYC building crowd is wowed by prototype of the winning design in the urbanSHED competition for a different kind of construction scaffolding.
• We couldn't resist (not in this heat, anyway): an eyeful of a football field-long floating, portable Tropical Island Paradise ('er, yacht).
• Call for entries/RFIQ/RFP: Los Angeles seeks master planner for 40-acre Union Station district.
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Alabama tornadoes: Cities turn toward ways to rebuild: It's a path of destruction now...But someday, it could be a valuable asset -- a greenway...that connects Tuscaloosa communities, provides a corridor for pedestrians and bicyclists...Tuscaloosa's evolving plan is further along than most cities. But...communities large and small across the state are at least beginning to plot a path forward. -- Bruce Herrington; American Institute of Architects/AIA Design Assistance Team; Auburn University Urban Studio- The Birmingham News (Alabama) |
S.F. Downtown Plan at 25: foresight and futility: ...a 1985 effort that drew national attention...here's the punch line: Long-range planning can shape the buildings and spaces around us, but it can't tell us how to live....In terms of bricks-and-mortar basics, though, the plan proved its worth...The task ahead is to update it...and to make it flexible enough to respond to a future we can't possibly predict. By John King- San Francisco Chronicle |
It Isn't Easy Being Green in Europe: Many of the new sustainable buildings popping up...contain technology to make use of solar power and rainwater...While new buildings generally have adopted green designs, the economic argument hasn't been strong enough to persuade most owners of existing properties to upgrade.- Wall Street Journal |
Moshe Safdie to design Bishan Central Condo: ...has introduced a distinctive stepping form that allows for private garden spaces for a large number of the units. There will be two 38-storey towers linked by three bridging "sky gardens" to offer shared garden and leisure spaces. [image]- Asia One (Singapore) |
National Museum of Scotland [Edinburgh]: suspend your disbelief: Newly renovated, the National Museum of Scotland at last gives a collection of Victorian curiosities the extraordinary showcase they deserve...Step inside, and you enter one of Scotland's finest and most unexpected new public spaces...The architects' touch has been strong yet sensitive. By Jonathan Glancey -- Robert Matheson/Francis Fowke (1866); Benson & Forsyth (1998); Gareth Hoskins Architects; Ralph Appelbaum Associates [images]- Guardian (UK) |
The Olympic Park: Will we love it? ...a world of hills and waterways, with the big dinosaurs of the Olympic venues scattered around it in an informal, almost haphazard manner...it'll be in the idiom of our century, a slightly Tellytubby-ish landscape that is organic rather than romantic but never escaping the appearance of something utterly man-made. By Kieran Long [images]- Evening Standard (UK) |
The Aquatics Centre: At the heart of the stingray: Concessions made to give spectators a seat will prevent it looking its best until after the Games...Is [it] destined to be a flop during the Games? Not at all. While the external views of the buildings are marred by the wings, the interior should be spectacular. By Kieran Long -- Zaha Hadid- Evening Standard (UK) |
The Aussie who has overseen the Olympic buildings: There are triangular spikes running around the top of London's new Olympic Stadium - ever wondered what they are for? Not decoration alone...The first insight into the most closely guarded secret of the 2012 Games...comes from architect Rod Sheard. -- Populous- Evening Standard (UK) |
From Arias to Architecture: Rafael Viñoly designed the sets for Bard SummerScape's "Die Liebe der Danae"...architects who spend their off-hours doing opera...has gotten rather hip...when architects play set designer, the results can be iffy...Viñoly, though, has largely been praised. -- Frank Gehry; Daniel Libeskind; Zaha Hadid; Herzog & de Meuron; Santiago Calatrava- New York Observer |
Winning Scaffold Design Provides Lift Above, Movement Below: ..."Urban Umbrella"...chosen through the Department of Buildings and the American Institute of Architects' [AIANY] UrbanSHED International Design Competition...While the new scaffolding will not be mandated, city officials are hoping it will set a new standard in the real estate and construction industry. -- Young-Hwan Choi; Agencie Group [video]- NY1 News |
Your very own, portable, Tropical Island Paradise: Yacht Island Design creates tailored environment like no other. Following on its "Streets of Monaco" design is the "Tropical Island Paradise", a 90 metre island with a top speed of 15 knots. [images]- Gizmag (Australia) |
Call for entries: Request for Information and Qualifications (RFIQ)/Request for Proposals (RFP) for Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan; deadline: September 6- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority/METRO |
"Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum": Bravura Example of an Architectural Documentary - Wright's Guggenheim Done Right: A look at great architecture as the product of the dance of the designer's intellect in an architectural film that doesn't miss a beat. By Norman Weinstein- ArchNewsNow |
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Coelacanth K&H Architects: Kanazawa Umimirai Library, Kanazawa City, Japan |
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