Today’s News - Wednesday, January 30, 2019

●  Kamin considers how "cold is the great equalizer - it's 23 below zero" outside his home office: "I wonder about the homeless people. Did they seek shelter or did they freeze to death? On a day like this, all the elements of style cease to matter. All that matters is function. And those of us who are inside are lucky" (Chicago's cold is heading our way - gulp!).

●  Allies and Morrison's Woodall offers 4 ways architects can reframe climate change as a "local problem of global proportion" when it's "easy to feel helpless against this scale" - this is how architects can "feel empowered to become part of collective action."

●  Gray talks to sustainability experts who weigh in on the pros and cons of "an array of ever-evolving 'green' certifications" - and "how does a firm decide which ones to pursue" (if any)?

●  Giacobbe explains why Peru "has the rest of the world taking note": "Despite its explosive development, careful design measures ensure it remains in 'the sustainability sweet spot' - taking careful measures to make sure it's done with integrity."

●  Karakusevic cheers London's "ambition for quality public housing design not seen since the 1970s - entering a confident new era" by "reinventing public housing and embracing new architectural approaches" that "provide valuable lessons for cities across the world."

●  Bull & Rothschild consider whether "NIMBYism and conservation culture is stifling our cities" by applying Glaesar's argument "for the traditional and emerging high-density vertical city" found in "The Triumph of the City" to the Australian context, "but will the idea of the ambitious developer as city hero catch on?"

●  Livesey cheers the "delightful geometries" of Calgary's new Central Library by Snøhetta and DIALOG that "required significant encapsulation and structural ingenuity" - resulting in a building that "is like a vessel floating over infrastructure."

●  Wainwright visits a tiny Swiss hamlet to explore the "geological marvel" that is Schmidlin and Voellmy's "magical" Muzeum Susch, an "art cave" with "grottos, stalactites and walls blasted from rock - like a Bond villain's secret lair" that "unfolds as a Tardis-like warren of rooms."

●  MacLeod cheers Ando's "unassuming" (until you step inside) Wrightwood 659 gallery in Chicago: "In true Ando fashion, the building's details are what make it a sublime architectural experience."

●  "Be more positive and less paranoid" about technology, says Patrik Schumacher - it "could be the future of customizing prefabricated modular housing if we are less wary of technology," and "would eventually make it cheaper."

●  Pune, India-based architect Sheth couldn't agree more, as parametric design is changing the "face of architecture in the modern world. Bio-mimicry or replicating nature's design in our lives would have been almost impossible if not for the emergence of parametric tools in computer-aided designs."

●  Schwab reports that London's Royal College of Art "is expanding its curriculum to include more science and technology," and "add nontraditional programs like Environmental Architecture that focuses on the city from a sustainability perspective" (in a new building designed by H&deM).

●  A sad day for architectural criticism: Mary Louise Schumacher "exits" the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after more than 18 years "her position has been eliminated" ("Another art critic out of a job," she tweeted).

●  Moore has a most interesting conversation with Liz Diller (of "park, shed, skyscraper, linear opera" fame): She "is calm, personable, assured and assuring, articulate and grey-suited, all of which will certainly be helpful in persuading people of power and wealth to back DS+R's bold ideas. She wants 'to expand the agency of architects to do more and more, not just be at the receiving end.'"

●  Morris shares his amazing, 39-year friendship with his mentor, "the late organic visionary American Architect Rebel Bruce Goff" (a fab read + "rare footage of Goff at his Shin'en Kan masterpiece, filmed in 1981"). - Makovsky, in honor of Knolls recent passing, reprises his 2017 column, "How to be Florence Knoll in 10 Easy Steps" (#4. Rethink every detail).

●  One we couldn't resist: Schwab introduces us to a new series of incense sticks that "aim to give your decidedly not-famous home the essence" of famous architects, like Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles & Ray Eames, and Carlo Scarpa (we'll take a pass on this - or maybe not).

●  ICYMI: ANN feature: rise in the city 2018 Update: Student designs for affordable housing in Maseru, Lesotho, Southern Africa, are in and - hot-off-the-press - winning designs will be prototyped! (A few prized blocks needing sponsors remain.)

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To subscribe to the free daily newsletter click here Blair Kamin: When it comes to architecture, cold is the great equalizer: ...it's 23 below and the wind is whipping outside the windows of my red-walled home office...I wonder about the homeless people...Did they seek shelter or did they freeze to death? On a day like this, all the elements of style - the elegance of proportions, the meticulousness of details, whether an entry is adorned with stately columns or is utterly plain - cease to matter. All that matters is function...We are all battling the cold. And those of us who are inside are lucky.- Chicago Tribune James Woodall: Reframing Climate Change as a Local Problem of Global Proportion: 4 Ways Architects can Deliver Change: It is easy to feel helpless against this scale - but it’s not a reason to give in. Why would architects feel the work they do is insignificant in a changing climate? ...designers still find it difficult to define the extent of their impact...We need to convey the impact of climate change at a more human-centric level...So how can architects feel empowered to become part of collective action? 1. Acknowledge Impact and Responsibility. 2. Reframe the Extent of Architectural Influence. 3. Centering Sustainability Issues. 4. Engaging Clients & Consultants -- Allies and Morrison- ArchDaily Audrey Gray: Weighing the Pros and Cons of Sustainable Building Standards: ...leading sustainable design firms, both large and small, talk about pursuing an array of ever-evolving “green” certifications: With enough staffing, paperwork patience, vendor buy-in, and, of course, client funding, many badges are possible. But how does a firm decide which ones to pursue? Some of the greenest buildings in the world right now have no certifications at all. -- LEED; WELL Building Standard; BREEAM; Passive House Institute U.S.; International Living Future Institute/Living Building Challenge; -- Paul Castrucci; Dan Piselli/FXCollaborative; Tanya T. Mejia/Perkins Eastman- Metropolis Magazine Alyssa Giacobbe: Why Peru May Be the World’s Most Sustainable Destination: Despite the South American country's explosive development of late, careful design measures ensure it remains in “the sustainability sweet spot”: Peru has seen a flurry of development in the last few years, but the country and those working there are taking careful measures to make sure it’s done with integrity...has the rest of the world taking note. -- José Cruz Ovalle; Barclay & Crousse; Estudio Rafael Freyre; Denise Guislain-Koechlin [images]- Architectural Digest Paul Karakusevic: London has an ambition for quality public housing design not seen since the 1970s: London is entering a confident new era of public housing...it is reinventing public housing and embracing new architectural approaches...local municipal boroughs are now demonstrating that...another housing world is possible. It provides valuable lessons for cities across the world...boroughs...are now responsible for sophisticated and highly nuanced housing programmes that are delivering some of the best new homes anywhere in the UK...The future health and vitality of [cities] depends on a fundamental long-term shift in attitudes about the role of public housing, but also the capabilities of the public sector to deliver good urbanism. -- Karakusevic Carson Architects- Dezeen Philip Bull & Dickson Rothschild: Is NIMBYism and conservation culture stifling our cities? Edward Glaesar is a strong advocate for the traditional and emerging high-density vertical city. In "The Triumph of the City"...he takes aim at the NIMBY approach to city management that is twisting and perverting the natural energy of US cities. Over the summer break, urban planner Bull took the opportunity to apply Glaesar’s argument to the Australian context: Glaeser’s ideas are well evidenced and make sense, but will the idea of the ambitious developer as city hero catch on?- The Fifth Estate (Australia) Graham Livesey: Urban Protagonist: The New Central Library in Calgary by Snøhetta [and] DIALOG, presents a captivating image with its bold form and its expressive cladding...The site constraints drove the development of the plan, as building over the light rail lines required significant encapsulation and structural ingenuity...The resulting building is like a vessel floating over infrastructure...Craig Dykers describes the careful arrangement of glazing to avoid creating a “glass ghetto"...the delightful geometries of the exterior give the library much of its character....[he] is excited that members of local Indigenous communities feel that the building has a “spirit.” [images]- Canadian Architect Oliver Wainwright: Back to the art cave! Inside Switzerland's magical new gallery: With its grottos, stalactites and walls blasted from rock, the Muzeum Susch is like a Bond villain’s secret lair...step inside this geological marvel: In this beguiling new gallery in the Engadin valley, it is hard to tell where nature ends and artifice begins...the young architects Chasper Schmidlin and Lukas Voellmy have concocted a magical place where the historic fabric, contemporary art and the raw geology of the landscape collide...the place unfolds as a Tardis-like warren of rooms... [images]- Guardian (UK) Finn MacLeod: Wrightwood 659 / Tadao Ando Architect and Associates: Tucked into Chicago’s historic Lincoln Park neighbourhood...an unassuming new...gallery opened...dedicated to exhibiting architecture and socially engaged art. Originally built in 1929...renovation of the building can hardly be seen by the untrained eye, gracefully fading into the fabric of the street...Only at night is the renovation evident, when lights illuminate the building’s striking central staircase and atrium to passersby...In true Ando fashion, the building’s details are what make it a sublime architectural experience. [images]- ArcSpace "Be more positive and less paranoid" about technology says Patrik Schumacher: Digital platforms and AI could be the future of customising prefabricated modular housing if we are less wary of technology...would eventually make it cheaper...Speaking at debate on factory-made housing at the New London Architecture's (NLA) Campari Talks, he said ZHA are already researching the potential of technology to create a new kind of prefabricated living space. -- Zaha Hadid Architects- Dezeen Mithun Sheth/AMA design solutions: Parametric design: The changing face of architecture in the modern world: Many architects have adopted this style to create buildings that look amazingly complex and are a spectacle to behold...Bio-mimicry or replicating nature's design in our lives would have been almost impossible if not for the emergence of parametric tools in computer-aided designs. -- Luigi Morreti; Antoni Gaudí; Zaha Hadid; Kollision; CAVI; Wahlberg; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)- Times of India Katharine Schwab: The design school of the future is nothing like the one you went to: The Royal College of Art is expanding its curriculum to include more science and technology. Expect other schools to do the same: RCA plans to add nontraditional programs like Environmental Architecture...that focuses on the city from a sustainability perspective...campus will expand with a new building designed by...Herzog & de Meuron...MIT and Carnegie Mellon have embraced (and now excel at) design. But it’s rarer to see a traditional art and design school like RCA adopt science and technology as a core focus.- Fast Company / Co.Design Veteran Milwaukee Art Critic Mary Louise Schumacher Exits Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After more than 18 years as art and architecture critic...her position has been eliminated, and she is taking a buyout. “Another art critic out of a job,” she wrote on Twitter...is currently working on a film about art critics.- ARTnews Rowan Moore: Liz Diller: ‘I would never do anything I didn’t totally believe in’: From New York’s High Line to designs...for a new [Centre for Music in London], she is all about performance: Diller is calm, personable, assured and assuring, articulate and grey-suited, all of which will certainly be helpful in persuading people of power and wealth to back DS+R’s bold ideas...Everything...is approached in the same spirit: that they will do it on their terms... She wants “to expand the agency of architects to do more and more, not just be at the receiving end”. But in order to make an impact “you can’t just stay in your studio and throw grenades at things. You have to engage." -- Diller Scofidio + Renfro- Observer (UK) Robert Morris: The Hidden Sides of Architect Rebel Bruce Goff - a Rare Look at a Generous Genius: Goff Never Shied Away From Controversial Label, He Just Kept Turning Out Unique Masterpiece Houses: ...architect Morris writes about his mentor, the late organic visionary American architect...The conversation that began their friendship took place in Tyler, Texas, one spring weekend 39 years ago. -- Frank Lloyd Wright [images]- PaperCity (Texas) Paul Makovsky: How to be Florence Knoll in 10 Easy Steps: In light of the passing of Florence Knoll Bassett, Metropolis has republished this 2017 article: With the centennial of her birth...we pay tribute to her with some lessons that can be learned from her career and work. 1. Always collaborate with fresh talent. 4. Rethink every detail. 9. Keep your team small. 10. Always work with great clients- Metropolis Magazine Katharine Schwab: Your home can now smell like Frank Lloyd Wright’s: Or, if you prefer something more modern, famous homes by Charles & Ray Eames and Carlo Scarpa: ...a new series of incense sticks aims to bring a perfumed whiff of famous architect-designed homes to your space...Created by the Florida-based design studio Yield...incense sticks aim to give your decidedly not-famous home the essence of the architects...- Fast Company / Co.Design ANN feature: rise in the city 2018 Update: Student Designs for Affordable Housing in Lesotho Shine. A Few Prized Blocks Needing Sponsors Remain: Student designs for affordable housing in Maseru, Lesotho, Southern Africa, are in and - hot-off-the-press - winning designs will be prototyped!- ArchNewsNow.com

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