Today’s News - Wednesday, September 4, 2019
● Grabar delves into "how architects are transforming schools for the era of mass shootings. Jay Brotman argues that a school designed to resist a massacre need not look that way - it's not clear his ideas are carrying the day" - though he does find "a small victory in a war we have lost" (sigh).
● Chandran parses Indonesia's plans to move its capital from polluted - and sinking - Jakarta to Borneo island, "known for its forests, orangutans and sun bears," and where "thousands of indigenous people may be uprooted" to make way for a new, 445,000-acre city (sigh).
● Minority Rights Group International's Castellino sees Indonesia's plan for "a purpose-built new city" on Borneo to be "a new form of 'urban slash and burn.' If countries abandon their unregulated urban messes to go after virgin land to build megacities, the environmental pressure will increase exponentially" (sigh).
● NPR and the University of Maryland team up on a study analyzing 97 U.S. cities and finds that, as the planet warms, "the poor often feel it most - not only will more people get sick from rising temperatures in the future, we found they likely already are" (we've run out of sighs).
● Kamin x 2: He cheers three "bright, optimistic and city-enhancing" library-public housing combos in Chicago, by Ronan, P+W, and SOM. "Yet in light of how few apartments the developments actually provide, I'm compelled to ask: Are these models worth replicating or three beautiful drops in the bucket?"
● He tours Gang's 101-story, curvilinear Vista Tower and "reveals the engineering secrets that hold up Chicago's latest skyline standout. Sometimes skyscrapers are as fascinating in this in-between construction stage as when they're finished."
● King x2: He finds the "park-topped Transbay transit center pays architectural dividends, past troubles aside - as a work of civic architecture, it is a spirit-lifting success - what 21st century urban infrastructure should be; for every misstep, there are layers of unexpected delight" (and "downright welcoming" - great pix!).
● He has high hopes for SOM's plans for the now-defunct Concord Naval Weapons Station: "With the right mix of perseverance and imagination," it "could stand out as home to our region's most nuanced yet ambitious experiment at fitting a sustainable model of 21st century growth into a traditional suburban frame" (with 13,000 housing units!).
● U.K.-based WKK Architects awaits approval for a 60-story building in Vancouver that would be world's tallest Passive House tower - "a building of this scale will drive innovation in "low-carbon, healthy, comfortable buildings'" (RAMSA has an approved two-tower Passive House project, too).
● The tallest tower in Japan will be one of three Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed towers as part of "the regeneration of Central Tokyo" amidst the public realm overseen by Heatherwick and retail space by Sou Fujimoto (word is it's seeking WELL Building Standard certification, too).
● ULI's Greenprint Center "tracked the performance of 8,916 properties across 32 countries" to detail the commercial real estate industry's progress in reducing its carbon footprint "on three fronts: economic reform, climate legislation, and environmentally responsible investing - on track to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030."
● Another study finds that, "despite dire warnings of brick-and-mortar's demise, innovation among operators and retailers is resulting in surprisingly strong fundamentals" (bring on "food, fun and fitness"!).
● Call for entries: 2019 Tile of Spain Awards of Architecture and Interior Design.
● The shortlist was announced in June - now we have images of Dorte Mandrup, DS+R, and WEISS/MANFREDI's "holistic visions" for the La Brea Tar Pits revamp.
● Winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture are in Senegal, Bangladesh, Palestine, Russia, Bahrain, and the UAE.
● ICYMI: ANN feature: Nicholas Boys Smith & Roger Scruton: Lesson Plan #3: Beauty and Sustainability in Architectural Education: We were greatly heartened to see architecture students call for a curriculum change to address social, political, and ecological challenges, and we want to say something about how their proposals intersect with the work of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.
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Henry Grabar: The Mad Rush to Bulletproof American Schools: Aggression sensors. Classroom barricades. How architects are transforming schools for the era of mass shootings: ...whimsical, undulating façade of the new Sandy Hook Elementary School, fronted with a rain garden... may be the most scrutinized school design in the U.S...Jay Brotman...argues that a school designed to resist a massacre need not look that way...for the post–Sandy Hook, post-Parkland era, it’s not clear his ideas are carrying the day...Many forward-thinking architects see themselves as responding not just to the infinitesimal threat of a shooting but the far more common incidence of bullying. -- Svigals + Partners; TowerPinkster; Jenine Kotob/Hord Coplan Macht; Karina Ruiz/BRIC Architecture- Slate |
Rina Chandran: Indigenous people under threat from Indonesia's plan to move capital: Thousands...may be uprooted from their ancestral lands on Borneo island as large areas of forests are cleared...The current capital Jakarta is a crowded and polluted city on the island of Java that is slowly sinking, while Borneo is known for its forests, orangutans and sun bears...Indigenous people in East Kalimantan have not been consulted, and stand to lose their lands and livelihoods...Officials...have set aside 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of government land...for the new capital.- Place / Thomson Reuters Foundation |
Joshua Castellino/Minority Rights Group International: Avoiding an urban 'slash and burn': The perils of moving Indonesia's capital: If countries abandon their unregulated urban messes to go after virgin land to build megacities, the environmental pressure will increase exponentially: ...the question is whether moving the...capital from Jakarta to a purpose-built new city...on the island of Borneo is a new form of “urban slash and burn”...the indigenous community in conjunction with...support of the authorities, managed to safeguard the region, inspiring hope in Indonesia’s leadership in Asian environmental protection...The scale and magnitude of this move highlights the necessity of wider consultation...- Place / Thomson Reuters Foundation |
As Rising Heat Bakes U.S. Cities, The Poor Often Feel It Most:...low-income neighborhoods are more likely to be hotter than their wealthier counterparts, according to a joint investigation by NPR and the University of Maryland's Howard Center for Investigative Journalism...it can have dire and sometimes deadly health consequences...NPR analyzed 97 of the most populous U.S. cities...as the planet warms...not only will more people get sick from rising temperatures in the future, we found they likely already are...The way cities are designed...the urban heat island effect...strategies to cool down a city: investing in public transit, designing roofs that reflect sunlight, and planting more trees, among others.- NPR / National Public Radio |
Blair Kamin: Chicago shows how public housing and libraries can coexist and be visually stunning. Now we need more of them: The library-housing combos are modest-sized structures rather than enormous complexes built to warehouse the poor...produced by skilled developers and architects, not hacks...The buildings are bright, optimistic and city-enhancing...outcome reveals architecture’s oft-ignored potential as a social art. Yet in light of how few apartments the developments actually provide, I’m compelled to ask: Are these models worth replicating or three beautiful drops in the bucket? -- John Ronan, Ralph Johnson/Perkins+Will; Brian Lee/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)- Chicago Tribune |
Blair Kamin: Vista Tower tour reveals the engineering secrets that hold up Chicago’s latest skyline standout: Trib photographer Brian Cassella and I took a tour of the 101-story, 1,191-foot skyscraper to see firsthand the engineering features that undergird its striking curvilinear shape. Few of these elements are visible to passersby, but they’re essential to making the tower stand up...Sometimes skyscrapers are as fascinating in this in-between construction stage as when they’re finished. -- Jeanne Gang/Studio Gang; Magnusson Klemencic Associates- Chicago Tribune |
John King: Park-topped Transbay transit center pays architectural dividends, past troubles aside: ...as a work of civic architecture, the three-block-long structure is a spirit-lifting success...a visual treat that functions well...represents what 21st century urban infrastructure should be - public works that do their job while enhancing the larger public realm...For something that’s undeniably monolithic, the transit center is downright welcoming up close...5.4-acre rooftop park...a spacious green island floating above the fray...for every misstep, there are layers of unexpected delight. -- Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Peter Walker Partners Landscape Architecture (PWP)- San Francisco Chronicle |
John King: Concord weapons station has fraught history, but development concept has promise: ...with the right mix of perseverance and imagination...could stand out...as home to our region’s most nuanced yet ambitious experiment at fitting a sustainable model of 21st century growth into a traditional suburban frame. The potential canvas is the Concord Naval Weapons Station...The emerging vision would place 13,000 housing units...from multistory apartments...to single-family homes on snug village greens...it’s exciting to see a major firm focused on large-scale suburban futures... -- Craig Hartman/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM); Tom Leader/TLS Landscape Architecture- San Francisco Chronicle |
Vancouver’s proposed 60-storey building would be world’s tallest Passive House tower: Henson Developments’ rezoning application comes as [the city] pushes for more energy-efficient buildings: ...if it’s approved...a building of this scale will drive innovation in "low-carbon, healthy, comfortable buildings"...there are very few highrises in the world that meet a standard like PH. New York and Vancouver are among North American cities making headlines in this regard. -- WKK Architects; IBI Group; Robert A. M. Stern Architects [images]- Vancouver Courier (Canada) |
Pelli Clarke Pelli Design 3 Towers for the Regeneration of Central Tokyo: ...a high rise complex that holds the tallest building in the country...for the district of Toranomon-Azabudai...With the concept of “Modern Urban Village” in mind, Mori Building Co. Ltd...has begun construction...The public realm and lower-level architecture were created by...Heatherwick Studio...retail space was imagined by Sou Fujimoto Architects.- ArchDaily |
3 Trends Reducing the CRE [commercial real estate] Carbon Footprint: ULI’s Greenprint Center details the industry’s progress on three fronts: economic reform, climate legislation and environmentally responsible investing: ...tracked the performance of 8,916 properties across 32 countries...shows a 17% improvement in energy use intensity over the past decade...on track to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030... -- Urban Land Institute- Commercial Property Executive |
Retail Sector Makes Headway in Experiential Drive: Despite dire warnings of brick-and-mortar’s demise, innovation among operators and retailers is resulting in surprisingly strong fundamentals, Marcus & Millichap reports in a new update: “Location, location, location” still holds, of course, but for the retail side, the main considerations these days might be stated as “food, fun and fitness,” as retailers strive ever harder to create experiences that will bring shoppers into retail centers..looking to sign a variety of non- or less-traditional tenants.- Commercial Property Executive |
Call for entries: 2019 Tile of Spain Awards of Architecture and Interior Design: €17.000 first prize in each category: student Degree project prize: €5,000; deadline: October 24- ASCER/Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association |
Dorte Mandrup, DS+R, and WEISS/MANFREDI unveil ideas for La Brea Tar Pits revamp: ...world-famous site contains the only active urban paleontological research facility in the world but it hasn’t been updated since it opened in 1977...All three firms partnered with renowned landscape, engineering, and ecology specialists to present the following holistic visions: -- Dorte Mandrup/Martha Schwartz Partners/Kontrapunkt/Gruen Associates/Arup; WEISS/MANFREDI/Mark Dion/Carole Gee/Michael Bierut/Karin Fong/Michael Steiner/Robert Perry; Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Hood Design Studio/Nabih Yousef Associates/Rana Creek/Arup/Schwartz/Silver Architects- The Architect's Newspaper |
Winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture: ...will share US$1 million prize... -- IDOM; Saif Ul Haque Sthapati; Heneghan Peng Architects; X-Architects- Aga Khan Development Network |
ANN feature: Nicholas Boys Smith & Roger Scruton: Lesson Plan #3: Beauty and Sustainability in Architectural Education: We were greatly heartened to see architecture students call for a curriculum change to address the social, political, and ecological challenges of our time, and we want to say something about how their proposals intersect with the work of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.- ArchNewsNow.com |
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