Today’s News - Friday, July 27, 2012
• We'll admit we're feeling a bit London/Olympic-centric today: FT, Heathcote, and others turn out a great special report on urban ingenuity offering some of "the best and most ingenious ideas to improve the lives of city dwellers across the world, both rich and poor" (o.k. - so it's not all in London).
• An in-depth look at three infrastructure buildings built for the Games, but meant to last, are "rendered in a proud, celebratory spirit and may be the most powerful architectural legacy of these games."
• A who's who in British Architecture weigh in on Piano's Shard (even the naysayers have nice things to say).
• Menking parses a study on new arts facilities: "It won't be good news for architects."
• Badger brings us a most interesting saga of George Lucas vs. NIMBYs in Marin County (10 years in the making).
• Lubell gives (mostly) two thumbs-ups to L.A.'s new Grand Park: "for once the city's public realm has aspired to greatness, not good-enoughness," with kudos to "LA's staggering amount of design talent."
• Chessum explains how many of the small details in his new Palomar Medical Center "do some sort of work, embracing the 'form follows function' ethos of modern architecture."
• The non-profit Sydney Story Factory's Martian Embassy is a "whale/rocket/time tunnel fusion...a breath of fresh air...that celebrates creativity and fun."
• Steffes digs into the fascinating history of Chicago's "virtually forgotten "Shoreline Motels (great images, too!).
• AIA 2012 Small Project Awards winners announced (alas, no images).
• Weekend diversions:
• Heller hails MoMA's "Century of the Child": "it's not just kids' stuff: There are deeper meanings here" (great slide show!).
• "A Long-Awaited Tribute: Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian House and Pavilion" at the Guggenheim highlights the first FLW buildings erected in New York City.
• "Another London" at Tate Britain captures the glamour and gritty reality of a now-vanished London.
• King finds much to enjoy tooling around London Mayor Boris Johnson's new book: "The novelty of his day job is part of what captured my eye."
• Niemeyer's iconic works presented in 3-D "casts the master's most famous building in an all-new cinematic glow."
• One we couldn't resist (and our favorite Olympic moment - so far): a 1957 Routemaster bus is doing push ups (literally!) outside the Czech Olympic HQ: "It's actually meant for all fat Americans, they could sort of exercise to get skinnier," says the artist (we kid you not).
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Urban Ingenuity: Ideas in action: The FT/Citi Ingenuity Awards: Urban Ideas in Action programme will recognise ingenious individuals or organisations that have developed solutions to urban challenges- Financial Times (UK) |
Streetwise: Look beyond the concrete jungle and you will find urban centres have always been incubators of innovation...Urban ingenuity is not always necessarily easy to see...It might not be reflected in the skyline, but rather in the activity at street level....The aim of the FT/Citi Ingenuity Awards is to try to discover the best and most ingenious ideas to improve the lives of city dwellers across the world, both rich and poor. By Edwin Heathcote- Financial Times (UK) |
Olympic Power Play: Three infrastructure buildings built for the summer games and then the neighborhood beyond...bringing a healthy dose of architectural gravitas to building types too often starved for thoughtful design...rendered in a proud, celebratory spirit...may be the most powerful architectural legacy of these games. -- NORD; John McAslan + Partners; Lyall Bills and Young Architects [images]- AIArchitect |
Opinions on Renzo Piano's Shard, London: ...a spectrum of views on London’s towering addition from key figures in British Architecture -- Charles Jencks; Amanda Levete; Owen Hatherley; Peter Buchanan; Richard Rogers; Simon Jenkins; Paul Finch; Terry Farrell; Sarah Ichioka; Christopher Woodward; Simon Allford; Patrik Schumacher [images]- Architectural Review (UK) |
Editorial> Setting the Stones Right: William Menking examines "Set in Stone," a study on new arts facilities: It won't be good news for architects to learn that many new cultural buildings built on the assumption that they would benefit their institutions, in fact, “put enormous strain” on them.- The Architect's Newspaper |
George Lucas's Lesson to NIMBYs: Careful What You Wish For: The filmmaker lost a long-running zoning battle with his California neighbors. Now they may get something they want even less than a movie studio in their back yard: low-income housing. By Emily Badger- The Atlantic Cities |
Crit> LA's Grand Park: The renovated public space, by Rios Clementi Hale, is an important step for a city shedding its old ways...an example of how for once the city’s public realm has aspired to greatness, not good-enoughness. By Sam Lubell -- Fluidity Design; Sussman Prejza [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
Design elements of new Palomar Medical Center have deeper function: ...many small details in the building's appearance do some sort of work, embracing the "form follows function" ethos of modern architecture. -- Thomas Chessum/CO Architects- North County Times (California) |
Interior Design for ‘Martian Embassy’ is Out of this World: ...the embassy for The Sydney Story Factory, a Redfern-based not-for-profit creative writing centre for young people...a whale/rocket/time tunnel fusion...a breath of fresh air and a nice change of pace to see a space that celebrates creativity and fun. -- Chris Bosse/LAVA; Will O’Rourke/The Glue Society [images]- DesignBuild Source (Australia) |
The Miami of Canada: Chicago’s Shoreline Motels: ...there were 13 identified Shoreline Motels completed between 1955 and 1965. Virtually forgotten, only three of these buildings survive... By Patrick Steffes [images]- Forgotten Chicago |
AIA selects the Recipients of the 2012 Small Project Awards -- Alchemy Architects; SPACEFLAVOR; Johnsen Schmaling Architects; Marlon Blackwell Architect; curb; Robert M. Gurney, FAIA; Min | Day; Perimeter Architects; SmithGroupJJR; Sanders Pace Architecture- American Institute of Architects (AIA) |
The 20th Century Was for Kids: "Century of the Child" at the Museum of Modern Art shows how things made for children reflected and shaped a 100 years of culture - for better and for worse...it's not just kids' stuff: There are deeper meanings here. By Steven Heller [slide show]- The Atlantic |
"A Long-Awaited Tribute: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian House and Pavilion" at the Guggenheim Museum: ...highlighting the first Wright buildings erected in New York City.- ArchDaily |
"Another London: International Photographers Capture City Life 1930-1980": ...pictures capture the glamour and gritty reality of a now-vanished London; at Tate Britain [slide show]- Telegraph (UK) |
Of London, S.F. and gold medal cities: "Johnson's Life of London: The People Who Made the City That Made the World" by Boris Johnson: The novelty of his day job is part of what captured my eye... By John King- San Francisco Chronicle |
New Portfolio Presents Oscar Niemeyer’s Iconic Works In 3D: Paddle8 and Visionaire have produced a series of 10 stereoscopic photographs, based on original prints by Vincente de Paulo, that cast the master’s most famous building in an all-new cinematic glow. [images, links]- Architizer |
Routemaster bus doing push ups stops in Islington: Czech artist David Cerny says he has brought his red double decker bus that does push ups to Islington to help celebrate the London 2012 Olympics and encourage "fat Americans" to exercise..."London Boosted" installed outside the Czech Olympic headquarters... [video]- Telegraph (UK) |
The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Marks 25 Years: New Director Anne-Marie Lubenau, AIA, reflects on the past, looks to the future.- ArchNewsNow |
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Urbanus: Nanshan Marriage Registration Center, Shenzhen, China: a new architectural idea that gives an experience for life and a permanent memory of the journey of marriage to new couples. |
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