Today’s News - Wednesday, February 7, 2018

●  Robert Kahn minces no words re: the brouhaha about Johnson's AT&T Building: "The building is neither interesting, intelligent nor beautiful - a bad one-liner," and "its defenders conflate slapstick with satire and histrionics with history - neither time nor the special designation will transform it into something deserving respect."

●  D'Aprile is concerned that "architecture culture is increasingly not talking about architecture. The desire to want to get rid of this dusty catalog of Buildings You Should Know Because Some Dead Guy Said So, is well-founded," but "if we want people to care about our field, we have to give them a reason to."

●  Hall Kaplan reports on a UCLA Suprastudio symposium exploring "how artists and architects can transform urban space" that "turned out to be a very mixed affair, if anything demonstrating the need for more user perspectives and advocacy, and less CAD design."

●  Long introduces Josef Frank's 1958 humanist manifesto "Accidentism" - "a kind of whimsical send-up" and "bracing critique of modern architecture, all the more notable for having been written by a prominent modernist."

●  O'Sullivan reports on protests over a "tone-deaf redevelopment" that includes a former Gestapo HQ in Hamburg that "should be a developer's dream come true - it looks like a now apologetic developer will expand the memorial space once more, before its public image is entirely in tatters."

●  A round-up of buildings that "were reduced to rubble in 2017" - and why.

●  More on the finger-pointing for fault re: Calatrava's (still closed) Margaret McDermott Bridge in Dallas: "the city saved $30,000 by scratching a planned fatigue test called for by the architect. The problem there is that the bridge, as built, is not the bridge as Calatrava designed and engineered it" (and fingers crossed that dampers will do the trick).

●  After 16 contentious years and millions of dollars, the cheerleaders win out over the naysayers: Fort Lauderdale "votes to reaffirm support for The Wave streetcar system," but it "remains in jeopardy" (it "doesn't go very far, travels in traffic, and it's not expected to reduce traffic congestion").

●  A round-up of AN readers' reactions to the AIA denouncing "the decision of some states to remove licensure requirements for architects, a move that left some readers feeling rather verklempt."

●  Saffron brings us around to brighter news: She cheers two pedestrian-friendly developments in Philly that could turn the tide on the Delaware waterfront's otherwise "depressing situation" by offering "clever workarounds."

●  The Dallas Center for Architecture will soon have "a new high-profile presence" on the ground-floor of the landmark Republic Center complex.

●  An interesting conversation with Mamou-Mani, the architect behind 2018 Burning Man's twisting temple, "Galaxia": Why do you take your students at Westminster University to Burning Man? "It's like an architecture boot camp."

●  Ingenhoven's Marina One in Singapore joins Safdie's Marina Bay Sands towers and the Gardens by the Bay with its own lushly-landscaped development.

●  Zimmermann parses "how 3D printing is disrupting the architecture and design industry - some consider it the beginning of the third industrial revolution, though RMIT's Jane Burry says: "I would put my money on solid timber construction as the next big trend."

●  Bernstein continues his Immigrant Stories series with a profile of Amale Andraos and "how the Lebanese-born architect made U.S. history as a woman, immigrant, and the first female dean of Columbia University's architecture school."

●  A great Q&A with Sheela Maini Søgaard - she's a big deal at BIG - she "broke ground as a woman CEO in architecture. Her initial impact on the company was simple: She got them paid."

●  Adjaye to mentor Mariam Kamara in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative: "At a time when gender inequality is still rampant in the global architecture community, it's heartening to see him select a woman - and a woman of color, no less."

●  Siza's archive is now free to browse online, thanks to two Portuguese arts institutions and the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

●  Call for entries: Bay Book House (BaBH) San Francisco: propose a space for cultural exchange that will activate one or several of the city's unused piers; open to students and young architects.

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To subscribe to the free daily newsletter click here Robert Kahn: Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building Is Influential - But Is It Good? ...latest flap is just one more distraction from a much larger question: Is the original architecture...even worth saving? Its proponents defend the indefensible - Johnson’s shallow and disingenuous reduction of history to quotation marks...The building is neither interesting, intelligent nor beautiful...a bad one-liner...its defenders conflate slapstick with satire and histrionics with history. Rather than being cheeky, it’s banal...neither time nor the special designation will transform it into something deserving respect. -- Snøhetta- Architectural Record Marianela D'Aprile: What We Talk About When We Don’t Talk About Buildings: Architecture culture is increasingly not talking about architecture: ...the architectural canon - that annoying set of buildings picked out by a bunch of white/European men...The desire to want to get rid of this dusty catalog of Buildings You Should Know Because Some Dead Guy Said So, is well-founded...would be much better off if their references were less Paul Rudolph, more Lina Bo Bardi...If we...want people to care about our field, we have to give them a reason to, a reason better than “architecture is related to this other thing you already care about.”- Common Edge Sam Hall Kaplan: UCLA IDEAS Campus Visit: ...the relatively new home of a post professional program labeled the Suprastudio...where “students engage in real–world issues"...a symposium exploring, “how artists and architects can transform urban space"...the event unfortunately turned out to be a very mixed affair, if anything demonstrating the need for more user perspectives and advocacy, and less CAD design...there were several engaging presentations. -- Patricia Ruel/Cirque du Soleil/Moment Factory; Elizabth Timme/LA. Mas; Paloma Strelits/Assemble- City Observed Future Archive: Apostle and Apostate: Josef Frank’s Modernist Vision: More than an architect and designer, Frank was an “intellectual, who built ideas.” His humanist manifesto “Accidentism” (1958) denounced the banality of orthodox modernism and called for a new pluralism in design: ...a kind of whimsical send-up of early modernist manifestos. Introduction by Chistopher Long/University of Texas, Austin [images]- Places Journal Feargus O'Sullivan: A Former Gestapo Headquarters [in Hamburg] Gets a Tone-Deaf Redevelopment: ...memories of what went on there are far from gone - nor should they be: ...the Stadthöfe (“City Courtyards”) complex should be a developer’s dream come true...a mix of luxury boutiques, high-end offices, and lavish apartments...Relatives of Gestapo victims say that the complex and its presentation is an outrage...because the developer has proposed an offensively minimal commemoration of the building’s extremely dark history...it looks like a now apologetic developer will expand the memorial space once more, before its public image is entirely in tatters.- CityLab (formerly The Atlantic Cities) Why these buildings were reduced to rubble in 2017: India's Hall of Nations...built to celebrate the country's 25 years of independence, was demolished to make way for a new convention center. In Belgium, a fairytale castle was demolished after it became too expensive to keep, while an iconic mosque fell victim to being located in a conflict zone. -- Raj Rewal; Alison and Peter Smithson; Yoshinobu Ashihara; etc. [images]- CNN Style After New Dallas Santiago Calatrava Bridge Flunks Test, the Finger-Pointing Begins: Two cable-stayed structures across the Trinity River...Margaret McDermott Bridge, remain closed...No one is willing to certify the structures intended for use by hikers and bicyclists are safe for human beings...Calatrava offered to lend the city the money to get it done...the city saved $30,000 by scratching a planned fatigue test called for by the architect. Now what all of the parties want is a way out...The problem there is that the bridge, as built, is not the bridge as Calatrava designed and engineered it.- Dallas Observer Fort Lauderdale votes 3-2 to reaffirm support for The Wave: ...streetcar system won approval...Despite the vote, the project’s future is murky. After at least 16 years of planning, millions spent on consultants and design...the rail system remains in jeopardy...acknowledged that [it] doesn’t go very far, it runs on overhead wires, it requires embedded rails, travels in traffic and stops at red lights, and it’s not expected to reduce traffic congestion. But many said it’s a critical first piece of an eventual rail network...- Sun Sentinel (Florida) Readers react to AIA’s statement on removing licensing requirements: The AIA has publicly denounced the decision of some states to remove licensure requirements for architects, a move that left some of our readers feeling rather verklempt...here’s a well-rounded takeaway of what has been been said thus far:- The Architect's Newspaper Inga Saffron: The Tide Turns on Delaware Waterfront with Two Projects that Welcome Pedestrians: For decades, Philadelphia has dreamed of lining its two rivers with urbane apartment houses...Developers keep telling us the threat of flooding makes it impossible...to build the kind of pedestrian-friendly projects that would help the waterfronts evolve into real neighborhoods. And so we end up with horrors...Two recent proposals...offer clever workarounds to this depressing situation. -- DIGSAU; Groundswell; Atrium Design Group [images]- Philadelphia Inquirer New architecture center headed for landmark downtown Dallas tower: The Dallas Center for Architecture has rented a ground-floor space in the landmark Republic Center complex...will be across the street from downtown's next planned public park. -- AIA Dallas; Omniplan; lauckgroup; Aurora; Better Block; RSM Design; Studio Outside; LUM Lighting Design; Telios- Dallas Morning News Galactic inspiration: The architect behind 2018 Burning Man's twisting temple: "Galaxia" - a space-age construction of 20 timber trusses that spiral towards one point in the sky - is the creation of French architect, Arthur Mamou-Mani. Digitally designed and to be built using 3D printers and laser cutters, the temple demonstrates the power of robotic tools, in keeping with this year's "I, Robot" theme...Why do you take your students at Westminster University to Burning Man? "...it's like an architecture boot camp..." [images]- CNN Style Terraced gardens echoing paddy fields fill centre of Singapore's Marina One: ...a plant-covered "mountain", comprising four high-rise blocks arranged around a central garden...reclaimed land on the waterfront..."Green Heart"...over 350 types of trees and plants spread over a total area of 37,000 square metres. -- Ingenhoven Architects; architects61/a61; Gustafson Porter + Bowman [images]- Dezeen Eva Zimmermann: How 3D printing is disrupting the architecture and design industry: Some consider it the beginning of the third industrial revolution, while others point out the constraints...we look at the phenomenon of 3D printing...in China...Italy and buildings that "think" in Germany...the size of the projects remains an obstacle..."I would put my money on solid timber construction as the next big trend"...Cross-laminated timber [CLT] is like plywood on steroids... -- Jane Burry/RMIT; Xu Feng; Yu Lei; DUS Architects; Bund Deutscher Architekten (Association of German Architects); Foster + Partners; Joris Laarman; WASP (World's Advanced Saving Project) [images]- New Atlas (formerly Gizmag) Fred A. Bernstein: Immigrant Stories: How Lebanese-Born Architect Amale Andraos Made U.S. History: As a woman, immigrant, and the first female dean of Columbia University's architecture school, [she] is breaking down barriers: "I never thought of myself as an immigrant, just someone who lived in and loved many different places - all interesting to try to understand.” -- Dan Wood/WORKac- Architectural Digest She's a Big Deal: Architecture's biggest CEO gets her business advice from the Joker: BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group is one of the world’s fastest-growing and best-known architecture firms - but you wouldn’t have believed that 10 years ago. One woman is credited with turning it around: Sheela Maini Søgaard...She broke ground as a woman CEO in architecture, a male-dominated industry...fostering equity remains a top priority...Her initial impact on the company was simple: She got them paid...Q&A re: the importance of recognizing one’s value, embracing conflict, and the unbeatable power of tenacity.- Quartz This On-the-Rise Architect Will Be Mentored by David Adjaye: Mariam Kamara is Adjaye's protégé as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative: At a time when gender inequality is still rampant in the global architecture community, it's heartening to see Adjaye select a woman - and a woman of color, no less - to receive valuable training and connections from him.- Architectural Digest Álvaro Siza’s archive is now free to browse online: Two Portuguese arts institutions, the Serralves Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, as well as Montreal’s Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), announced that Siza’s oeuvre - drawings, models, sketchbooks, photographs, and letters - will be available on the CCA’s website beginning in February.- The Architect's Newspaper Call for entries: Bay Book House (BaBH) San Francisco: propose a space for cultural exchange that will activate one or several of the unused piers of the historic Port of San Francisco; open to students and young architects; cash prizes; earlybird registration deadline (save money!): March 9; regular registration deadline: April 13 (submissions due April 27)- Arquideas (Spain) ANN feature: Simon Perkowitz, AIA: INSIGHT: Thinking Outside the Big Box: Gone are the days when the question was: What retailer can take this large space? The question now is: How can the box be reinvented to create experience and community?- ArchNewsNow.com ANN feature: Norman Weinstein: Architectural Education at the Crossroads? Educators Duo Dickinson and Phil Bernstein look in opposite directions when assessing architecture school quality - but the next architecture school transformation may emerge from where no one is looking.- ArchNewsNow.com ANN feature: Lance Jay Brown: "Five Artists + Architecture" at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York: The variety of works by the five fine artists/teachers illustrates the breadth of opportunity available to students to integrate a range of visual arts studies into their studio design education and design research work.- ArchNewsNow.com

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