Today’s News - Wednesday, November 30, 2016
• Another grumpy news day, much of it from across the Big Pond (starting with the Schumacher brouhaha - what else?):
• Woodman winces: "Architecture needs a spokesperson; don't let it be Schumacher" (but "hats off to Patrik; he pulled off a media coup of quite epic proportions").
• Ritchie is riled: Schumacher "appears not to apologize for what he said - he puts the onus on others for not having understood what he was trying to say."
• Giovannini parses ZHA's retort: though not a "rebellion within the ranks against Schumacher's leadership," it was "a reaction to opposition within the 400-person company itself and in response to hostile pushback from the public."
• Q&A with Noero re: "self-help housing, neoliberalism, and what Patrik Schumacher doesn't understand" ("and, yes, Donald Trump").
• Peter Cook did his own stirring up of things at WAF by blasting the "conspiracy of boring" in contemporary architecture - but he is "optimistic the world will get bored of being boring."
• Bennetts, meanwhile, brings us a recap of WAF 2016: he doesn't agree with Schumacher, but "enjoyed the provocation," being in Berlin while Obama was there as the U.S. "prepares to anoint a lousy developer as his successor," and more.
• Krier minces no words about what he thinks of Perrault being tapped "to lead the regeneration" of Paris's Ile de la Cité: his "experience with traditional urban fabric and architecture is non-existent."
• Ijeh takes issue with London's 1 Undershaft: don't "be fooled by [Parry's] velvety unction of architectural snake oil" - it is a "terrible piece of architecture - his worst building to date by far" and "will inflict inestimable harm on his previously well-earned stature and reputation" (ouch!).
• SOM's Brian Lee gives a preview of what will be discussed at the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong (getting underway today): it's "time to take the ego out of skyscrapers."
• Baillieu makes the case for why architects and developers "need to think about what happens in a place, not simply what it looks like, if they want to attract the younger generation" (most of the time, they fail "dismally").
• Finnish architect Pallasmaa calls for a "Guggenheim Helsinki rethink," and blasts the plan as a "ruthless business presented as a cultural project."
• Moore x 2: he's not at all convinced that lighting up London's bridges is necessary "to make the Thames 'world-class' - it looks absolutely stonkingly wonderful - and not greatly in need of improvement."
• He cheers the "uncompromising beauty" of Salter's Walmer Yard: "Britain has not seen houses like this for decades - so bespoke that they will require very particular people to inhabit them" (or "world's most exotic Airbnb").
• A look at how "Raymond Jungles saved BIG's Grove at Grand Bay from becoming yet another vaguely generic luxury high rise in Miami."
• Soonian Glenn parses Santa Monica's "ambitious" Zero Net Energy requirements: developers elsewhere "aren't uniformly prepared for the code change," but local "practitioners are used to being held to tough standards."
• Mumbai picks the team to master plan 500 hectares on the city's eastern waterfront.
• Green pens an eloquent tribute to Balmori, "equal parts incredibly inventive and generous" ("gigantic bright-red glasses, a tutu, and punk-rock sneakers" included).
• Stirling's No 1 Poultry, a "post-modern masterpiece," is now England's youngest listed building.
• Call for entries (deadline reminder): AR MIPIM Future Projects Awards.
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Ellis Woodman: Architecture needs a spokesperson; don’t let it be Patrik Schumacher: Zaha Hadid Architects’ director may be able to grab headlines, but looney-tunes ideas would make him a problematic champion for the profession: ...front page of Friday’s Evening Standard following [his] click-bait speech in Berlin...hats off to Patrik; he pulled off a media coup of quite epic proportions...It is time for more of his contemporaries to claim their place on the stage.- The Architects' Journal (UK) |
Ian Ritchie: Patrik Schumacher’s vision is one in which the rich use the rest of the world as their playground: [His] WAF speech revealed him as an apologist for the politics of disposability, with no respect for the registers of care, compassion, and democratic vision: In his subsequent apology...he appears not to apologise for what he said, but that it caused his friends and colleagues embarrassment...he puts the onus on others for not having understood what he was trying to say.- The Architects' Journal (UK) |
Joseph Giovannini: Zaha Hadid’s Firm Distances Itself From Patrik Schumacher’s Words: The letter came as a reaction to opposition within the 400-person company itself and in response to hostile pushback from the public. It was issued with the knowledge of the board, which includes Schumacher...[It] did not represent rebellion within the ranks of the office against Schumacher’s leadership...- New York Times |
Joe Noero on Self-Help Housing, Neoliberalism, & What Patrik Schumacher Doesn't Understand: South African architect discusses the importance of dweller control in housing: Elvia Wilk met with Noero to discuss whether the temporary can really become permanent, Rem Koolhaas’ “diabolical” influence on the profession of architecture, and, yes, Donald Trump.- Metropolis Magazine |
Sir Peter Cook blasts 'boring' contemporary architecture: British architect and academic has blasted the “conspiracy of boring” he believes is preventing the creation of interesting and risk-taking contemporary buildings: In a passionate address at the World Architecture Festival...[he] bemoaned the “lack of imagination” stifling the industry...[but] he is “optimistic the world will get bored of being boring.” -- Archigram- CLAD (Community of Leisure Architects & Designers) |
WAF 2016 recap: a return to Europe: Australian architecture, the outgoing U.S. President and Zaha Hadid’s ‘Potato’ - Peter Bennetts reflects on the 9th World Architecture Festival in Berlin: While it’s impossible to agree with most of what Schumacher said, I certainly enjoyed the provocation...WAF was a great excuse to visit Berlin and memorable in its timing as the USA ushers out Obama and prepares to anoint a lousy developer as his successor. We can only hope that Trump makes a better president than casino operator but I doubt it.- Australian Design Review |
Leon Krier: C'est une stitch-up, Monsieur le President: [He] takes issue with the choice of Dominique Perrault to lead the regeneration of the historic island at the heart of Paris: If François Hollande’s will were to...return the Ile de la Cité to a mixed-scale, mixed-use, mixed-activity, mixed-income, mixed-architecture affair, this choice of architect assures the exact opposite result...Perrault's experience with traditional urban fabric and architecture is non-existent. [images]- BD/Building Design (UK) |
[ will inflict inestimable harm on his previously well-earned stature and reputation. The biggest threat to the City of London today is not Brexit. It is architecture.]
Ike Ijeh: London Shafted: ...1 Undershaft is yet another attack on London’s skyline and character: ...a startling measure of the egotism and farce...when the architect...has the temerity to voice his concerns about the number of towers springing up...Eric Parry claims that his building is “different”...Do not for one moment be fooled by this velvety unction of architectural snake oil, [it] is a truly terrible piece of architecture...his worst building to date by far...- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Time to take the ego out of skyscrapers: SOM’s Brian Lee, a speaker at the Business of Design Week, says a building’s sense of place and purpose is more important than height...building something just to be the tallest can be a case of misplaced ego...On the other hand, when properly done, “they can be magnificent"...Chicago the partner city of BODW 2016 [Nov. 30 - Dec. 3] -- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Winy Maas/MVRDV; Younjin Jeong/Urbantainer; Aric Chen/M+; Patrick Blanc; Zoë Ryan/Art Institute of Chicago- South China Morning Post |
Amanda Baillieu: Architects need to think about what happens in a place, not simply what it looks like: Developers and architects need to work out how to make their schemes more engaging and experiential if they want to attract the younger generation...Developers dabble in curating events but most of the time it fails dismally because they are viewed as a box ticking exercise...to engage the “local community” but considered irrelevant to the company’s bottom-line.- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Finnish architect demands Guggenheim Helsinki rethink: Juhani Pallasmaa has demanded that plans...be abandoned amid calls to re-run its design competition on a different site...blasted the £110 million art museum as a ‘ruthless business presented as a cultural project’ and demanded its public funding be spent more innovatively and efficiently to support Finnish artistic culture. -- Anders Adlercreutz; Jonathan Glancey; Moreau Kusunoki Architects; Malcolm Reading [images]- The Architects' Journal (UK) |
Rowan Moore: Bling! goes London: the Illuminated River project and other stories: Plans are afoot to make the Thames ‘world-class’ by lighting up its bridges...No other urban space in the country has the same power of attraction to visionaries, dreamers and self-publicists. Yet to the casual observer...the Thames looks quite all right already - to be precise, absolutely stonkingly wonderful - and not greatly in need of improvement.- Observer (UK) |
Rowan Moore: Walmer Yard – uncompromising beauty: Thirteen years in the making, four houses around a small courtyard in west London designed by Peter Salter are a triumph of exquisite detail and poetic idealism: Britain has not seen houses like this...for decades...so bespoke that they will require very particular people to inhabit them...a place that would be wonderful to inhabit temporarily, but oppressive as a permanent home...the world’s most exotic Airbnb. -- Crispin Kelly; Fenella Collingridge [images]- Observer (UK) |
How BIG Got Its Grove Back: Landscape architect Raymond Jungles saved Bjarke Ingels' Grove at Grand Bay from becoming...yet another vaguely generic luxury high rise in Miami...and elegantly “re-groves” the historic and cozy Coconut Bay. By Gretchen Von Koenig -- BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group [images]- Metropolis Magazine |
Deborah Soonian Glenn: Santa Monica to Adopt Ambitious Zero Net Energy Requirements: ...approved a sweeping ordinance requiring all newly built single-family homes...duplexes and low-rise multifamily buildings, to have ZNE consumption...housing developers aren’t uniformly prepared for the code change...But in Santa Monica itself, practitioners are used to being held to tough standards.- Architectural Record |
Architecture firm that designed Sabarmati riverfront to draw plans for eastern waterfront: ...to draw up a master plan for 500 hectares between Wadala and Ferry Wharf [in Mumbai]...incorporating marinas, promenades, public parks, cycling tracks and residential and commercial units.- Hindustan Times (India) |
Jared Green: Diana Balmori, a Creative Force: In the summer of 2012, I arranged a time to meet [her] for an interview. Looking for her in the hotel lobby, I bumped into a figure wearing gigantic bright-red glasses, a tutu, and punk-rock sneakers. There she was smiling, equal parts incredibly inventive and generous. [images]- The Dirt/American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) |
Second time lucky as Stirling's No 1 Poultry is listed: Post-modern masterpiece becomes England’s youngest listed building...awarded grade II* protection a year after it was rejected for listing...The case was championed by the Twentieth Century Society... -- Historic England; James Stirling; Michael Wilford [images]- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Call for entries (deadline reminder): AR MIPIM Future Projects Awards: for excellence in unbuilt or incomplete projects spanning 11 categories; deadline: December 9- Architectural Review (UK) |
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ZAO/standardarchitecture: Micro Hutong, Beijing, China: ...series of projects legitimizes hutong dwelling as a viable mode of contemporary small-scale, intimate accommodation, whilst also preserving the significant heritage value...hostel represents the latest iteration in this series, and evidences a materiality that is sensitive to the aged fabric of the hutong. By Jason Dibbs [images] |
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