Today’s News - Thursday, May 3, 2012
• Welton cheers (and so do we!) the three winning teams in the National Mall competition whose "designs bring a vibrant, 21st-century attitude to the Mall. They're nothing if not ambitious, but they're sensitive to their sites and surroundings too."
• A stellar line-up of winners in the Cooper-Hewitt 2012 National Design Awards.
• Dvir reports that four out of 81 firms made it through the first stage of Israel's still-contentious National Library competition.
• Helsinki rejects Guggenheim Museum plan despite the mayor's efforts (if you speak Finnish, you can link to the memorandum, though it doesn't provide a reason for the rejection).
• A poet ponders whether the venues built for the London Olympics will leave an artistic legacy (a fascinating read).
• Rochon takes a hard-hat tour of the UN HQ that's never really gotten the "attention that it deserves as a masterwork of modernism," but the good news: the "original 1950s aesthetic will thankfully be honored."
• Bernstein tackles the growing trend of cities building or expanding their convention centers despite a shrinking market (it's good news for architects, at least).
• KPF snags Goldman Sachs' London HQ project.
• Meier is set to bring "his taut and planar aesthetic" to Rio - and got to visit Niemeyer, "one of his role models" (though he found Brasilia a bit "overwhelming").
• Lange and Berg offer their takes on "Kickstarter urbanism": the approach is "ill-suited" for the timelines for urban projects - "maybe you should go offline and to your community board meeting" vs. there are a few "effective examples" that make the approach "a real possibility."
• Q+A with Ando re: winning this year's Neutra Award and the role he believes that architects should play in society.
• Raja on the "not-so-newbie" Kimmelman: his "interest in social issues and public space-making are emblematic of the contemporary trend."
• Brussat likes his brother's idea for an "American Idol"-style TV show ("Architecture Idol" - what else?) "to help people select better architecture for cities and towns" instead of leaving it up to "experts of the design elite."
• A good reason to start making plans to head to Madrid in July: IE/TUG Summer School will "explore the consequences and opportunities that derive from the gross overbuilding of the past decade."
• One we couldn't resist (and nothing to do with architecture): for £300, you can have your dog and eat it to - a "sugar and cute fix all in one bite" (maybe for some).
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Mall design contest winners named to redo D.C. sites: The votes are in. The Trust for the National Mall has named the winning teams in its competition to redesign three long-neglected landscapes...winning designs bring a vibrant, 21st-century attitude to the Mall. They’re nothing if not ambitious, but they’re sensitive to their sites and surroundings too. By J. Michael Welton -- Rogers Marvel Architects/Peter Walker and Partners; OLIN & Weiss/Manfredi; Gustafson Guthrie Nichol/Davis Brody Bond [slide show]- Washington Post |
Cooper-Hewitt Announces Winners of the 2012 National Design Awards -- Richard Saul Wurman/TED; Janine Benyus/Biomimicry Guild; Design that Matters; Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects; Clive Wilkinson Architects; Stoss Landscape Urbanism- Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum |
Despite architects' rage, competition to design Israel's new National Library moves forward: Competition organizers angered architects by allowing eight firms to bypass first round, while forcing others to pass through initial cull...four architecture firms were chosen to proceed to the second stage... By Noam Dvir -- Gil Even-Tsur Architecture Workshop; Daniel Assayag; Zarchi Architects; Rafi Segal- Ha`aretz (Israel) |
Helsinki Board Rejects Guggenheim Museum Plan Pushed by Mayor: The city board voted eight to seven to block...proposal to build the museum, according to a memorandum posted on the Finnish capital’s website. The memorandum didn’t provide a reason for the rejection. By Kati Pohjanpalo- Bloomberg News |
The Tower and the Glory: The venues built for the London Olympics may be controversial, but do they make an artistic statement? And what will their legacy be? By N.S. Thompson -- Populous; Zaha Hadid; Hopkins Architects; Anish Kapoor- The American Scholar |
At the United Nations, updating a modernist icon: Strangely, the UN Headquarters in New York has never managed to attract the kind of attention that it deserves as a masterwork of modernism...original 1950s aesthetic will thankfully be honoured...There’s already plenty of evidence that the planners and design consultants are on the right track. By Lisa Rochon -- Ernest Cormier; Oscar Niemeyer; Le Corbusier; Wallace K. Harrison; Einhorn Yaffee Prescott/EYP- Globe and Mail (Canada) |
Straying from Convention: Despite declining attendance and revenue, many cities are expanding convention centers or building new ones...The good news for architects: The money is being spent not just on bigger centers, but also better ones. By Fred A. Bernstein -- FXFOWLE; Pei Cobb Freed; Fentress Architects; Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback (TVS); Arquitectonica; Arthur Erickson [slide show]- Architectural Record |
KPF scoops Goldman Sachs HQ in City of London; ...beaten rivals Foster & Partner’s and New York practice Pei Cobb Freed for the deal to turn a derelict BT telephone exchange building...into the bank’s European head office. -- Kohn Pedersen Fox; Adamson Architects- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Meier Tapped for Office Project in Trendy Rio Neighborhood: Continuing a recent push into Latin America, Richard Meier has brought his taut and planar aesthetic to Brazil, where the New York architect has been hired to design a seven-story office in Rio de Janeiro. -- RAF Arquitetura [slide show]- Architectural Record |
Against Kickstarter Urbanism: A suitable funding platform for a watch is not a suitable funding platform for a city...under the Design tab...there is now a subset of urban interventions...The timeline for urban projects...ill-suited for the Kickstarter approach. All the format can handle is a little, gizmo-like piece of the puzzle...maybe you should go offline and to your community board meeting. By Alexandra Lange- Design Observer |
The Limits of 'Kickstarter Urbanism': ...there are a few examples of similar websites that aim to be effective examples of how to fund and jumpstart city- or community-focused projects...they each offer unique approaches that make the idea of a "Kickstarter urbanism" a real possibility. By Nate Berg -- ioby; Spacehive; Brickstarter- The Atlantic Cities |
Q+A> Tadao Ando: This year's Neutra Award winner discusses architecture as a delicate balancing act...as well as the role he believes that architects should play in society...lessons learned from Richard Neutra...- The Architect's Newspaper |
Michael Kimmelman: Not-so-newbie: ...this is not the first time that a non-architect has taken on the task of writing about the built environment...Increasingly, critiques of political and economic systems have become part of architecture...[his] interest in social issues and public space-making are emblematic of the contemporary trend...[he] has the potential to shape architecture from both within and without its walls. By Amrita Raja- Metropolis Magazine |
Who will jumpstart 'Architecture Idol': ...young achitects are taught to suppress their own natural aesthetic sensibilities, and to take pride in the public's dislike of their work. While the power of modern architecture...might enable the design elite to "capture"..."Architecture Idol" show, perhaps the power of the voters in a democracy might be able to thwart them. It's worth a try. By David Brussat [images]- Providence Journal (Rhode Island) |
"Emptiness: The Potentials of Vacancy": The Technical University of Graz, Faculty of Architecture and IE School of Architecture & Design, Madrid/Segovia will conduct the IE/TUG Summer School in Madrid, July 6-13...explore the consequences and opportunities that derive from the gross overbuilding of the past decade.- IE School of Architecture (Madrid) |
Have Your Dog And Eat It: ‘Cake Dogs' The Latest Confectionery Trend: Cake Doggy Dog...Dog lovers can now get their sugar and cute fix all in one bite. Prices start from £300...Weird or genius - you decide... [slide show]- Huffington Post UK |
Book Review: "Social Media in Action: Comprehensive Guide for Architecture, Engineering, Planning, and Environmental Consulting Firms" by Amanda Walter & Holly Berkley: This practical handbook is invaluable for practitioners who realize that social media is not a passing phenomenon and can play a part in their business. By George Calys- ArchNewsNow |
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-- Exhibition: "Massimo Scolari: The Representation of Architecture, 1967-2012"; Architecture Gallery, Yale School of Architecture, New Haven, Connecticut
-- Zellnerplus: Matthew Marks Gallery, Los Angeles, California |
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