Today’s News - Tuesday, July 22, 2014
• ArcSpace brings us eyefuls of Amsterdam's architectural highlights by some very notable names.
• Giovannini minces no words about why he thinks Gehry should design LACMA, and why Zumthor's "portfolio inspires little confidence that he should be hired for a project of this size and cultural complexity" (it might be "more suave and curvy" than what's there, but it's "just as spatially dumb" - ouch!).
• Woodman, Dittmar, and Moore weigh in on the Stirling Prize shortlist with different takes on what should win and why - and "this year's most glaring omission" (all have to do with place-making over object-making).
• Ward makes some pointedly critical observations about Melbourne's MPavilion, and whether it really can be the city's answer to London's Serpentine Pavilion: it's "a temporary pavilion in a park, designed by an architect. That, for now though, is about where the similarity ends," but with high hopes it will be "about more than plonk-itecture" and "public architecture by fiat."
• Saitta is serious about his "Manifesto for an Intercultural Urbanism," but cautions that "the risk is the perpetuation of stereotypes about cultural difference."
• A great look at the growing number of cities re-thinking their elevated urban highways (comments are interesting, too!).
• Three Dallas architects call for a re-thinking of plans to build a tollway, "another city-splitting barrier - a poorly located, inappropriate measure from earlier times."
• Architecture theorist Dreyer offers a fascinating take on how "the vast urban planning projects of Soviet-era Russia are being reborn in modern China": "The Soviet city is dead - long live Beijing."
• Zhuang, meanwhile, delves into how Chinese urbanism is changing the face of African cities: its "practical investment diplomacy has emerged as a powerful alternative to Western development aid that is geared towards reducing poverty instead" (though it also presents a "paradox" for the locals).
• Sydney gears up for a massive urban renewal project on the Darling Harbour waterfront, and will invite "the world's best urban designers" to discuss it later this year.
• Meanwhile Wilkinson Eyre isn't concerned if it has to cut down a bit of height on its towering Barangaroo casino project: "If we go lower, we'll probably end up with something a little fatter" (doesn't that sound appealing).
• MacCash spends some quality time with Eskew+Dumez+Ripple to talk about its "year of tragedy and triumph": the unexpected death of Eskew "came as a collective gut punch," and winning the AIA Architecture Firm Award "was a bittersweet rebound."
• Holl says winning planning for his Maggie's Centre at St. Bart's Hospital is a bigger victory than winning the Praemium Imperiale: "Always architecture for me is more important as you have the chance to give something to the public."
• The AIA gets behind NIBS's National Performance-Based Design Guide, "the first broad-reaching performance-based tool for facility owners and building industry professionals to prioritize performance opportunities that stem from climate, site, program, mandates," etc.
• Call for entries: Call for Ideas to Remember: A Memorial for the Canterbury Earthquakes in New Zealand + Call for applications: 2015 Graham Foundation Grants to individuals for projects about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.
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8 Architectural Highlights in Amsterdam: ...the city has heaps more to offer its visitors architecturally than merely charm and atmosphere. -- Gerrit Rietveld; Kisho Kurokawa; Steven Holl Architects; Benthem Crouwel Architekten; MVRDV; René van Zuuk Architekten; UNStudio; 3XN; Grimshaw Architects |
A U-Turn on Wilshire: Why Frank Gehry Should Design LACMA: Peter Zumthor’s portfolio inspires little confidence that he should be hired for a project of this size and cultural complexity...a private choice for such a public project...sets a very arrogant precedent...scheme is not really an improvement...It’s just different, another kind of box. More suave, perhaps, and curvy, but just as spatially dumb. By Joseph Giovannini -- William Pereira; Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer- Los Angeles Review of Books |
An urbanist's view of the Stirling shortlist: Haworth Tompkins’ Everyman Theatre best addresses its city location and deserves to win: This year, it appears the Stirling Prize shortlist is back to rewarding cultural and institutional buildings with large budgets. With one exception...because it gives so much to the city and the street. By Hank Dittmar -- Zaha Hadid; Renzo Piano; Mecanoo; O’Donnell & Tuomey- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Why the Shard isn't a shoo-in: London's Shard is the most famous building on the 2014 Stirling Prize shortlist – but it should be beaten by LSE's Saw Swee Hock Student Centre...a building that achieves the intensity of a city in miniature...for all its exuberance, is precisely tailored to its context. By Ellis Woodman -- Renzo Piano; Mecanoo; Haworth Tompkins; Feilden Clegg Bradley; Zaha Hadid; O’Donnell + Tuomey- Telegraph (UK) |
The Stirling prize should go to...: The shortlist for the architecture award sets out to compare what can't be compared...The underlying absurdity is part of the fascination...Duggan Morris's Ortus Learning Centre for the Maudsley Charity, this year's most glaring omission...LSE student centre is this year's most resonant piece of architecture, for which reason it should win. If not this, then the Everyman theatre. By Rowan Moore -- O’Donnell + Tuomey; Renzo Piano; Zaha Hadid; Haworth Tompkins- Observer (UK) |
Private money, public folly: Will the MPavilion leave Melbourne with a lasting architectural legacy?...described by its organisers as a Melbourne take on London’s popular Serpentine Pavilion...a temporary pavilion in a park, designed by an architect. That, for now though, is about where the similarity ends...more a case of...public architecture by fiat...has the opportunity to leave a public legacy that is about more than plonk-itecture or the ephemera of events. By Maitiú Ward -- Naomi Milgrom Foundation; Sean Godsell; Fugitive Structures/AR-MA- ArchitectureAU (Australia) |
Manifesto for an Intercultural Urbanism: What are the philosophical and practical commitments in an approach to urban planning that respects cultural differences in ways of being and building? The risk associated with Intercultural Urbanism is the perpetuation of stereotypes about cultural difference. By Dean Saitta- PLANetizen |
Why Would You Have a Highway Run Through a City? That’s what a growing number of cities are asking themselves - Syracuse being the latest that may tear down its elevated urban expressway...“The logic behind building freeways in urban areas is collapsing,” argues John Norquist...engineers are using much more nuanced models for the roads they create. Changes in society are at work too.- Governing Magazine |
Trinity Tollway is a mess that won’t go away quickly: Why would we now consider building the tollway, another city-splitting barrier...a poorly located, inappropriate measure from earlier times...Dallas is presented with a rare opportunity — the chance to step back and consider how our mobility needs may best be addressed, not one roadway at a time but with a unified, comprehensive approach... By Betsy del Monte, Tip Housewright, and Bryce Weigand- Dallas Morning News |
Maximum city: the vast urban planning projects of Soviet-era Russia are being reborn in modern China: The Stalinist-Maoist model, which instrumentalises the relationship between people and their environment in order to generate industrial wealth, even at tremendous cost to those people and environments, is alive today and expanding fast. The Soviet city is dead - long live Beijing. By Jacob Dreyer- The Calvert Journal (UK) |
How Chinese Urbanism Is Transforming African Cities: China’s practical investment diplomacy - offering buildings, roads, railways, power plants and other infrastructure - has emerged as a powerful alternative to Western development aid that is geared towards reducing poverty instead...Chinese urban model presents a paradox for [local] people. By Justin Zhuang -- Go West Project [images]- Metropolis Magazine |
Sydney proposes massive urban renewal project, calls for world’s best designers: What would be Sydney’s biggest urban renewal program since the Olympics has been announced, with the world’s best urban designers set to be invited for a summit later this year...more than five kilometres of waterfront land on Darling Harbour up for development.- Architecture & Design (Australia) |
Architects of James Packer's planned Barangaroo casino project say height doesn't matter: ...say they would not be overly concerned if NSW authorities require a reduction in height of the tower to below 270 metres..."If we go lower, we’ll probably end up with something a little fatter"... -- Wilkinson Eyre [image]- Sydney Morning Herald |
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple: A year of tragedy and triumph for the New Orleans architects: The unexpected death of senior partner and public face Allen Eskew in December came as a collective gut punch. Winning the beyond-prestigious American Institute of Architects' annual Architecture Firm Award in June was a bittersweet rebound. By Doug MacCash- The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) |
Maggie's Centre victory better than Praemium Imperiale, says Steven Holl: “Always architecture for me is more important as you have the chance to give something to the public"...fiercely opposed by the Friends of the Great Hall...warned they were considering launching a judicial review.- BD/Building Design (UK) |
American Institute of Architects (AIA) to Help Promote National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Performance-Based Guide: The National Performance-Based Design Guide (NPBDG) is the first broad-reaching performance-based tool for...facility owners and building industry professionals...to prioritize performance opportunities that stem from climate, site, program, mandates and other conditions.- EDC Magazine |
Call for entries: Call for Ideas to Remember: A Memorial for the Canterbury Earthquakes (international); deadline: August 22- Christchurch Central Development Unit (New Zealand) |
Call for entries/Call for applications: 2015 Grants to Individuals for projects that foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society; deadline September 15- Graham Foundation |
ANN Feature: The Great Compilation: 14th International Exhibition of Architecture di la Biennale di Venezia: Rem Koolhaas has irrevocably changed the Venice Biennale's focus away from starchitects to architecture itself. Indeed, I left impressed and invigorated, but curious as to what might follow. By Johannes M.P. Knoops [images]- ArchNewsNow.com |
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