Today’s News - Thursday, June 11, 2020
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tomorrow and Monday will be no-newsletter days. We'll be back Tuesday, June 16. 'Til then: Stay well. Stay safe. Stay in! In the meantime, it's an interesting news day - beginning with Christopher Alexander's Ideas on Architectural Education (an ANN feature!), followed by sad, inspiring, and depressing news - followed by Page-turners.
● ANN feature: Christopher Alexander: Lesson Plan #9: Ideas on Architectural Education: Schools of architecture have not found ways of teaching the art of building that is effective. We want, collectively, to make architectural teaching better, and through that, to make architecture better.
● UT Sydney's Martin Loosemore minces no words re: Australian universities needing "to take building education more seriously. Declining entrance standards into many construction courses, industry complaints about the quality" of graduates are some concerns - the lack of ethics in construction education is another problem."
● Steven Heller pens a touching tribute to Ralph Caplan, 95, "the most droll, erudite, witty and insightful design commentator and editor I knew" with a "wry sense of humor that not only emerged from the page but from every pore on his diminutive body and huge soul" + Debbie Millman's Design Matters episode + "15 bonus bon mots from the master."
● Core77 pays homage to Ralph Caplan, "a design luminary and his seminal book 'By Design'" by republishing the 2004 double-issue. "Please enjoy this, dear readers, and think fondly of this extraordinary man as you do."
● On brighter notes: Melbourne is getting a new park on the banks of the Yarra River: "The proposed design by landscape architects Oculus is in response to an initial community engagement survey where the local community shared their needs and aspirations."
● King cheers the newest stretch of San Francisco's Bay Trail: "two miles might not sound like much. But it's probably the most elaborate stretch of the 360 or so miles completed to date - it's worth pausing to check out the deceptively straightforward path."
● ASLA minces no words re: its opposition to Trump suspending the National Environmental Policy Act: "For 50 years, NEPA has guarded the environment from harm during the planning and construction of projects - using a global pandemic as both cover and an excuse is an attempt to bypass the regulatory process to remove long-standing environmental safeguards."
● AIA California announces the professional and student winners of its international, annual Architecture at Zero competition to design a zero net energy public library in Central California.
Of protests, racism, and urban issues - the industry responds:
● Scholar and activist educator Sharon E. Sutton reflects on "the opportunities that exist for architects to effect change," especially considering the housing crisis stemming "from commodifying a human necessity" that "existed long before the pandemic" by "not waiting for developers to call the shots. Let's work toward designing a vision of coexistence."
● Hip-Hop Architect Michael Ford resigns from SmithGroup "to spend more time on his nonprofit Urban Arts Collective and "consulting with firms around the country to turn statements and plans to diversify leadership into action."
● A very powerful statement from Ben Flatman: "Much of Britain's wealth and heritage is a monument to black lives not mattering - we are surrounded by the built manifestations of an economy rooted in slavery and colonialism. It is a matter of pride [and] profound sadness that one of the black Britons whose name is most closely associated with architecture is Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect murdered because of the color of his skin. This needs to change."
● Also from the U.K.: Block parses AJ's second race diversity survey that found 27% of "architects from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are experiencing more racism at work than in 2018. Black, African and Caribbean respondents reported even worse levels, with 43% reporting racism was 'widely prevalent' in architecture - but only 17% of white respondents recognized it as 'widespread.'"
● Hosken highlights 10 Black architects who "fought racial inequality in architecture and shaped the skylines we know today."
COVID-19 news continues:
● AIA releases retail store and office 3D models for reducing risk of COVID-19, as part of its "Reopening America: Strategies for Safer Buildings" initiative (guidelines for re-opening schools and senior living facilities coming soon!).
● USGBC affiliate Arc "launches a new set of tools and analytics to assist companies with safe, confident workplace re-entry" - post-COVID-19.
Page-turners:
● Watlington explains why she considers Sarkis, Salgueiro Barrio & Kozlowski's "The World as an Architectural Project" to be "a history of architects mistaking design for politics" - most of the 50 projects surveyed are "ambitious in a troubling way."
● Josh Stephens brings us a (great) excerpt from his recently released "The Urban Mystique: Notes on California, Los Angeles, and Beyond": "We are all passive subjects to the decisions made by planners and developers years and generations ago. Our greatest challenge is to make sure that urban life serves everyone - all enriched by one another."
● Elsa Lam parses Persian-Canadian architect Reza Aliabadi's "The Empty Room - Fragmented Thoughts on Space": "In this pocket-sized manifesto, he explores the idea of emptiness as the essence of architecture."
● Andreea Cutieru brings us eyefuls from "Concrete Siberia. Soviet Landscapes of the Far North" by Zupagrafika that "casts a new light on this relatively unexplored chapter of architecture history - while providing an insight into a little-known landscape" - with amazing pix by Russian photographer Alexander Veryovkin.
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ANN feature: Christopher Alexander: Lesson Plan #9: Ideas on Architectural Education: Schools of architecture have not found ways of teaching the art of building that is effective. We want, collectively, to make architectural teaching better, and through that, to make architecture better.- ArchNewsNow.com |
Martin Loosemore, University of Technology Sydney: Universities need to take building education more seriously if we want to reform the industry: Declining entrance standards into many construction courses, industry complaints about the quality of students leaving some universities and the irrelevance of much university research are concerns...commentators have...criticised the university sector for lowering entry standards, casualising its workforce, pressuring academics to pass low-grade students and preventing them from speaking-out in fear of reprisal...paint a portrait of decline in Australian universities driven by an increasingly commercialised approach to education...the lack of ethics in construction education is another problem- The Fifth Estate (Australia) |
Obituary by Steven Heller: Missing Ralph Caplan, 95: ...[his] business card read “Director, Center for Peripheral Studies"...as stated in his bio, “Ralph Caplan’s work has been located consistently at the cutting center, or the misleading edge, whichever is closer.” His voice was distinctly his own...the most droll, erudite, witty and insightful design commentator and editor I knew. He was revered by colleagues as the pioneer of critical design writing...wry sense of humor that not only emerged from the page but from every pore on his diminutive body and huge soul. Ralph commanded such a respected place in and around the design worlds... + Debbie Millman’s archival Design Matters episode + 15 bonus bon mots from the master- Print magazine |
Remembering Ralph Caplan: Paying homage to a design luminary and his seminal book "By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons": ...the design world lost a giant...in trying to figure out a way to pay tribute this moment, we recalled that in 2004...we published a "double-issue"...to mark the republication of his seminal book...As we re-read through it this week, we remembered how much we loved Ralph, what he meant to the world of design...We figured that we would republish it for you here again...Please enjoy this...dear readers, and think fondly of this extraordinary man as you do.- Core77 |
Melbourne to get new park on the banks of the Yarra River: ...as part of [the city's] Open Space Strategy...to be known as Seafarers Rest, will pay homage to the site’s rich maritime history and incorporate flexible event, play and passive recreation spaces...The proposed design by landscape architects Oculus is in response to an initial community engagement survey where close to 100 respondents in the local community shared their needs and aspirations...- Architecture & Design (Australia) |
John King: New bayside trail in East Bay offers easy access - and refuge in troubled times: I’m betting that most visitors to the newest stretch of the Bay Trail won’t pause to contemplate the structural engineering...But...it’s worth pausing to check out the deceptively straightforward path...It shows the value of increasing the accessibility of public treasures...2 miles might not sound like much...But it’s probably the most elaborate stretch of the 360 [of 500] or so miles completed to date...people of all races and classes seemed relaxed in one another’s presence...These days, this sense of commonality is all too rare. Farsighted planning and investments helped make it happen...and something as basic as infrastructure played a role.- San Francisco Chronicle |
ASLA Opposes Suspension of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Urges President to Rescind Order: Fo r50 years, NEPA has guarded the environment from harm during the planning and construction of projects...Now, using a global pandemic as both cover and an excuse...This move is an attempt to bypass the regulatory process to remove long-standing environmental safeguards...This decision will only cause more damage to the environment, hurt underserved communities, and magnify the consequences of the ongoing climate crisis.- American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) |
AIA California announces winners of ninth annual Architecture at Zero 2020 design competition: ...open to entrants worldwide...invited participants to design a zero net energy public library in Central California...winners collectively received $25,000 in prize money. -- DIALOG + Byrens Kim Design Works (San Francisco/Vancouver and Oakland, California); Murphy Burnham and Buttirck Architects (New York City); Jensen Architects (San Francisco); Cankaya University, Ankara, Turkey; Wroclaw University, Poland; CEPT University; Ahmedabad, India- The Architect's Newspaper |
Sharon E. Sutton: Envisioning a Communitarian World House: The renowned scholar and activist educator reflects on the vision of Martin Luther King Jr. and the opportunities that exist for architects to effect change: The housing crisis that stemmed from commodifying a human necessity existed long before the pandemic...The pause that halted business as usual exposed its ugly secrets...we architects could seize the opportunity created by increased public consciousness of housing injustice...we could reimagine our roles...Not waiting for developers to call the shots...We could reinvent ourselves by studying innovations like New York’s Urban Homesteading Assistance Board or Boston’s Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative...Let’s work toward designing a vision of coexistence.- Architect Magazine |
'Hip-Hop Architect' Michael Ford leaves [SmithGroup], hopes to help diversify profession: ...[he] expanded on the experience...as protests took place nationally...active on social media calling for architectural firms...to make public statements and reflect on their role in systemic racism...He publicly asked designers to not join firms that have designed prisons or jails...[when] he found out SmithGroup was working on a concept of “civic buildings” for a [Wisconsin county] that included youth and adult holding facilities, he decided he had “to be a man of my word"...He wants to spend more time on his nonprofit organization, the Urban Arts Collective...consulting with firms around the country to turn statements and plans to diversify leadership into action.- Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) |
Ben Flatman: We need to address the prejudice and exploitation that underpin our national myths: Much of Britain’s wealth and heritage is a monument to black lives not mattering: ... the horror provoked by yet another incident of police brutality in the U.S. has its historical origins (and contemporary parallels) in the U.K...the birthplace of much that is so broken about American race relations...Perpetuating myths of a benign imperial project that deny how our nation’s wealth and power was built on a noxious culture of racism...helps sustain prejudice today...evident in the often-sanitised approach we take to our built heritage...we are surrounded by the built manifestations of an economy rooted in slavery and colonialism...Bringing about change in architecture requires even more searching questions for our profession...It is a matter of pride for the profession, but also profound sadness, that one of the black Britons whose name is most closely associated with architecture...is Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect murdered because of the colour of his skin. This needs to change.- BD/Building Design (UK) |
India Block: Racism increasing in UK architecture industry finds AJ survey: In its second race diversity survey, The Architects' Journal found that architects from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are experiencing more racism at work than in 2018...Of the BAME architects surveyed , 27% reported being subjected to racism in the office...up from 24% in 2018...Yet 22% of white respondents said there was "little" or no racism in the profession...Black, African and Caribbean respondents reported even worse levels of discrimination, with 43% reporting racism was "widely prevalent" in architecture. Only 30% of this group said the same in 2018...Of white respondents, 61% said there was "some" racism but in the profession, but only 17% recognised it as "widespread"- Dezeen |
Olivia Hosken: 10 Black Architects Who Shaped American Cities: They fought racial inequality in architecture and shaped the skylines we know today: ...only 2% of registered architects in the US are Black and 0.3% are Black women...the Black community is underrepresented in the design of American cities, who gets to build them, and who gets to live in them...Still, some of the country's most influential and recognizable commercial and public buildings...were conceived by Black architects. -- Julian Abele; Paul R. Williams; Moses McKissack III/McKissack & McKissack; David Adjaye; Vertner Woodson Tandy; Beverly Loraine Greene [with Marcel Breuer]; Georgia Louis Brown Harris [with Mies van der Rohe]; Norma Skalerek [with César Pelli]; J. Max Bond, Jr./Bond Ryder & Associates/Davis Brody Bond; Philip Freelon; Rodney Leon- Town & Country |
AIA releases retail store and office 3D models for reducing risk of COVID-19: Models were developed as part of AIA’s “Reopening America: Strategies for Safer Buildings” initiative: Design strategies provide a holistic approach to modifying stores and offices using a 17-point architectural, engineering and administrative framework- American Institute of Architects (AIA) |
Arc Launches New Tools and Analytics to Support Safe, Confident Workplace Re-Entry: ...affiliate of the USGBC, has launched Arc Re-Entry in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic...provides a set of tools and analytics designed to assist companies with re-entering... of buildings and places to collect data, manage and benchmark progress, measure impact and improve performance.- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) |
Emily Watlington: A History of Architects Mistaking Design for Politics: "The World as an Architectural Project" by Hashim Sarkis, Roi Salgueiro Barrio & Gabriel Kozlowski...surveys 50 projects, most of them ambitious in a troubling way...The architects they focus on see themselves, by and large, as...self-styled builders of worlds. This grandiose view... is common. It’s often taught in schools...after reading nearly 600 pages about unrealized and unrealizable structural projects...one inevitably comes to feel that building is simply not the right medium for resolving such huge issues...The most interesting projects...are the handful that express skepticism about what, exactly, buildings can do...Rather than spelling out lessons learned...[the authors] wrap up their survey with a handful of vague wishes for the future of the discipline...can architecture chart a middle ground between Le Corbusier’s modernist utopias and Archizoom’s doom and gloom? If so, it’s through projects humbler than those found [here].- Art in America |
Josh Stephens: Exploring California's Urban Mystique: ...we are all passive subjects to the decisions made by planners and developers years and generations ago. Too many Americans live in quiet desperation, unaware of the impact their environments have on them and unable to do anything about it. Therein lies the urban mystique...What makes Los Angeles frustrating and unpleasant is the very same thing that makes it fascinating: it was built imperfectly, at an imperfect time. Now, L.A. - along with the rest of California - is trying to reinvent itself. That’s a difficult process: to shoehorn a new city into the old...we do some things really well and some things really badly - sometimes at the same time...Our greatest challenge is to make sure that urban life serves everyone...all enriched by one another. [excerpt from "The Urban Mystique: Notes on California, Los Angeles, and Beyond"]- California Planning & Development Report |
Elsa Lam: "The Empty Room - Fragmented Thoughts on Space": In this pocket-sized manifesto, Persian-Canadian architect Reza Aliabadi explores the idea of emptiness as the essence of architecture...His touchstone is the idea of an empty room, formed by subjective experience and inhabited by individual and collective memories. “I believe that is what architecture is all about - how to treat the emptiness..." -- Atelier RZLBD- Canadian Architect magazine |
Andreea Cutieru: A Rare View of Siberia's Soviet Architecture: Over the past few years, a series of exhibitions and monographs have prompted a rediscovery of socialist modernism, its powerful expression and exoticism...photo book "Concrete Siberia. Soviet Landscapes of the Far North" by Zupagrafika casts a new light on this relatively unexplored chapter of architecture history by showcasing the Soviet architecture of Siberia's major cities while providing an insight into a little-known landscape...through the lens of Russian photographer Alexander Veryovkin, bringing about a new-found perspective on post-war architecture...in an extreme environment. -- Vladimir Pavlov; Vitaly Orekhov- ArchDaily |
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