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Today’s News - Tuesday, September 15, 2020

● Moore pays tribute to Terence Conran, 88, the designer and entrepreneur who "helped transform the drab, post-war culture - with the help of enlightened modern design." The founder of London's Design Museum "also supported younger designers" (he gave Heatherwick his first break).

● McFadden traces the amazing history of Conran, the "entrepreneur of mercurial moods and missionary zeal" - the "London designer and retailing magnate eased the gloom of postwar British austerity with stylish home furnishings affordable on a teacher's salary."

● Russell talks to a great mix of architects and landscape architects re: "building public places for a Covid world": They're "focusing on modest, tactical solutions - dreaming outside the 6-foot bubble - trying to invent new kinds of architecture that work around a broken policing and justice system."

● Kamin x 2: "Six months into the pandemic, downtown Chicago is a humbled giant - the stakes are enormous - historians emphasize that such reversals have been predicted before, only to see downtown Chicago reinvent itself leading to spectacular bursts of growth" (some "developers are taking a bullish view").

● He responds to responses that filled his inbox, claiming "the story spent too much time on the pandemic and too little on the looting. The pandemic, not the looting, is the fundamental cause of downtown's woes - but don't count it out. Resilient cities can take a hit and still thrive."

● Lange looks into how we might "make the most of Covid winter - it's still possible to plan for pandemic-safe outdoor fun. Edmonton, Canada's WinterCity website includes actionable toolkits at multiple scales."

● GBBN's Anne Chen: "Architects are past due on creating work that speaks to inclusive values rather than reinforcing prejudicial systems that center on a white, patriarchal, privileged ideology - out-of-the-box thinking can help disrupt a system that continues to celebrate sameness. So how do we disrupt convention?"

● Brussat takes issue with Chen's take: "Disrupt architecture now! Huh? I thought that's what architects have been doing for the last century - 'white, patriarchal, privileged' architecture could as easily mean modernism. What better than modernism perpetuates a homogeneity of style that values visual sameness over the richness of diversity?" (Chen responds!)

● Metropolis's great presentation of its Game Changers 2020 - the "fresh thinkers and innovative solutions for urgent issues ranging from climate change to the housing crisis."

Winners all:

● Nate Berg parses Project Room's winning design in the competition to reimagine L.A.'s streetlights - "'Superbloom' can morph into thousands of different heights and configurations" and "be augmented with benches, electric vehicle charging stations, umbrellas, and solar panels - future-looking without imposing some aggressive idea of what that future should be."

● Eric Owen Moss Architects' Conjunctive Points - The New City in Culver City, California, takes home the AIA's 2020 Twenty-Five Year Award - it "transformed a blighted, formerly industrial stretch into a sprawling office campus that still attracts big-name tenants and now holds 15,000 workers," reversing "decades of blight in the surrounding areas."

● AIA 2020 Housing Awards recognize "7 exceptional residential designs," from single- and multifamily to specialized housing projects (link to great presentations!).

● The Chicago Athenaeum & the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies announce winners of the 2020 International Architecture Awards: 125+ projects from 41 nations - now on view in "The City and the World" at Contemporary Space Athens, Greece, thru October 11.

● "Open Source Communities" water-harvesting project by Kenya-based BellTower wins the 2020 Lexus Design Award - it "captured the jury's hearts for being innovative, well-structured, extremely detailed, and having a widespread impact" + 5 (very cool!) finalists.

● Dezeen Awards 2020 names finalists for Architect of the Year; Interior Design Studio of the Year; Design Studio of the Year + the emerging talents in each category.

● Eyefuls of the Dezeen Awards 2020 architecture shortlist that includes 64 projects in 12 categories (vote for your favorite!).

● Great presentation of the ASLA 2020 Professional & Student Award winners.

● Jared Green parses Pilot Projects Design Collective's "Brooklyn Bridge Forest," winner of the Van Alen Institute's Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge Competition that proposes a "new model for sourcing sustainable hardwoods." The Young Adult category winner, "Do Look Down" glass promenade, "offers 'thrills galore' looking down."

● Wainwright cheers Ken Garland, "the moral conscience of graphic design for decades" (of peace symbol fame), winning the lifetime achievement medal from the London Design Festival for his "ruthlessly brilliant designs. He talks about why so much modern design is 'utterly mindless.'"

● Great presentation of winners of the HERE+NOW: A House for the 21st Century International Student Design Competition, sponsored by the ACSA and AIA CRAN.

● Madlener cheers the winners of the Material Lab Prize, honoring Pratt students who "convert everyday waste into viable products and materials - the design community can learn much from their inventiveness."

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Obituary by Rowan Moore: Woks, duvets, chicken bricks: how Terence Conran restyled Britain: During his long career, the designer and entrepreneur helped transform the drab, post-war culture: ...it was the idea that postwar Britain could, with the help of enlightened modern design, both enhance the quality of everyday life and rediscover its ability to make things...shops and restaurants really did change the visual and gastronomic culture of the country...Ultimately his work was about pleasure, about making a sort of tasteful hedonism widespread...he never ceased in his ambition to restore British manufacturing greatness through the power of design...He also supported younger designers, for example giving Thomas Heatherwick his first break...- Observer (UK)

Robert D. McFadden: Terence Conran, Designer and Retail Magnate, 88: London designer and retailing magnate who eased the gloom of postwar British austerity with stylish home furnishings affordable on a teacher’s salary, and then suffered financial reverses before reinventing himself as an international restaurateur and doyen of modern design...an entrepreneur of mercurial moods and missionary zeal...founded the Design Museum...At 19, he worked briefly for an architect who helped design the 1951 Festival of Britain...gave him a frank look at a people weary of shortages, and a glimpse of the future of commercial design.- New York Times

James S. Russell: Building Public Places for a Covid World: What are architects and urban planners foreseeing as people cautiously gather? Streets “curated” for various uses and dynamic cityscapes that both advance wellness and knit communities together: ...focusing on modest, tactical solutions...several architects and landscape architects tell us what they are brainstorming with their colleagues, and how they are dreaming outside the 6-foot bubble...trying to invent new kinds of architecture that work around a broken policing and justice system. -- Kate Orff/SCAPE; Claire Weisz/WXY; Gensler; PBDW; SITU; Deanna Van Buren/Designing Justice/Designing Spaces; Walter Hood/Hood Design Studio; Michael Murphy/MASS Design Group; Karen Fairbanks/Marble Fairbanks- New York Times

Blair Kamin, Ryan Ori & Lauren Zumbach: Six months into the pandemic, downtown Chicago is a humbled giant. Can it get back on its feet? As tumultuous as the last six months have been, what happens in the next six...could do even more to determine whether downtown reaffirms its role as the undisputed hub of a region...the stakes are enormous...pandemic’s impact is rippling through, and beyond, downtown...Not all the news is bad. Construction has continued...historians emphasize that such reversals have been predicted before, only to see downtown Chicago reinvent itself...leading not just to a rebound but to spectacular bursts of growth.- Chicago Tribune

Blair Kamin: Downtown Chicago is down, but don’t count it out: ...my inbox filled with emails reacting to a news story I’d written...The story spent too much time on the pandemic and too little on the looting...This view...sees Chicago going the way of Detroit. I don’t buy it...The pandemic, not the looting, is the fundamental cause of downtown’s woes...To be sure, more hard times are probably ahead, especially as winter puts a crimp on outdoor dining and other outdoor activities. But in the long haul...downtown’s prospects are still bright...Think of how downtown Chicago transformed itself after 9/11...And think of what we’ve learned since the pandemic began...Resilient cities can take a hit and still thrive.- Chicago Tribune

Alexandra Lange: How to Make the Most of Covid Winter: Don’t write off the darkest season just yet. ...it’s still possible to plan for pandemic-safe outdoor fun: What if we spent Covid winter outside ... and enjoyed it? If Summer 2020 made best-sellers out of such backyard pleasures as potting soil, inflatable pools, and sidewalk chalk, Winter 2020 should see a run on long underwear, fire pits, and faux fur cushions...Edmonton, Canada’s WinterCity website includes actionable toolkits at multiple scales...cities need to catch up to ski areas, which long ago figured out how to make après ski activities...as much of an attraction as the slopes. -- Maura Rockcastle/TEN x TEN; David Simor/8 80 Cities/Wintermission- Bloomberg CityLab

Anne Chen/GBBN: Let's Change the Language of Buildings for the Future: Architects are past due on creating work that speaks to inclusive values rather than reinforcing prejudicial systems that center on a white, patriarchal, privileged ideology: The nostalgic recreation of past styles...perpetuates a homogeneity that encourages communities to value visual sameness over the richness of diversity...out-of-the-box thinking can help disrupt a system that continues to celebrate sameness...So how do we disrupt convention? ...diversifying the profession...reconsider the architectural curriculum...listen to traditionally marginalized voices...When cities cling to past architectural styles, they deny showcasing the imagination, creativity, and joy of today’s diverse cultural lifeblood.- Architect Magazine

David Brussat: Disrupt architecture now! So proclaims Pittsburgh architect Anne Chen...Huh? I thought that’s what architects have been doing for the last century...Should we leap to the conclusion that the old, prejudicial systems she refers to are the architectural traditions of the past?...“white, patriarchal, privileged” architecture could as easily mean the modernism that’s dominated the past hundred years...What better than modernism perpetuates a homogeneity of style that values visual sameness over the richness of diversity? She wants a revolution in architecture that she is unable to describe.- Architecture Here and There

Game Changers 2020: The Practices and People Changing Design: fresh thinkers and innovative solutions for urgent issues ranging from climate change to the housing crisis: Itai Palti & Liam Young on the Role of Tech in Creating Responsive Cities; Diana Anderson and General Architecture Collaborative on Wellness and Community; Claire Weisz/WXY Studio & David Seiter/Future Green on Collaborative Urbanism; Kevin Kimwelle & ICON on Social Equity in Building: South African architect and Texas construction company share the goal- Metropolis Magazine

Nate Berg: Los Angeles unveils the sun-blocking, EV-charging streetlight of the future: The streetlight is part of Los Angeles’s larger push to revamp the public realm, as the city prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics: ...L.A. Lights the Way, an open design competition to reimagine how those streetlights could better represent the city...winning design is "Superbloom"...Able to be augmented with...benches, electric vehicle charging stations, umbrellas, and solar panels...can morph into thousands of different heights and configurations...future-looking without imposing some aggressive idea of what that future should be...competition is one of [chief design officer] Christopher Hawthorne’s first major initiatives... -- Joakim Dahlqvist/Sandy Yum/Project Room; Guy Nordenson- Fast Company / Co.Design

Eric Owen Moss Architects takes home the AIA’s 2020 Twenty-Five Year Award: Conjunctive Points - The New City in Culver City, California...In 1986, Moss was tapped to transform a blighted, formerly industrial stretch...into an adaptive reuse campus for developers Frederick and Laurie Samitaur Smith...sprawling office campus that still attracts big-name tenants and now holds 15,000 workers...the successful transformation helped reverse decades of blight in the surrounding areas and raised property values.- The Architect's Newspaper

Best new homes honored with AIA 2020 Housing Awards: ...recognizes single family, production, multifamily and specialized housing projects...seven exceptional residential designs... -- Johnsen Schmaling Architects; mwworks (2); SkB Architects; Magnusson Architecture and Planning; ISA; DIGSAU- American Institute of Architects (AIA)

Winners of the 2020 International Architecture Awards: 125+ New Buildings and Urban Planning Projects from 41 Nations in this Year’s 15th Edition. "The City and the World" exhibition of the winners at Contemporary Space Athens, Greece thru October 11. -- Morphosis Architects; Mecanoo; Aedas/Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; Omrania/Henning Larsen Architects; Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF); ASPECT Studios/Kengo Kuma;y Frank Gehry; Herzog & de Meuron; SOM; WilkinsonEyre; MVRDV; NADAAA/Christ.Christ. associated architects; Pininfarina; J. MAYER H. und Partner; Trahan Architects (3); 3XN Architects; Ross Barney Architects; etc.- Chicago Athenaeum/European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies / Metropolitan Arts Press

"Open Source Communities" water-harvesting project by Kenya-based BellTower wins the 2020 Lexus Design Award: ...captured the jury’s hearts for being innovative, well-structured, extremely detailed, and having a widespread impact by providing low-income communities with clean water...a sustainably built, community-owned structure...made entirely from locally available materials...entirely pre-fabricated, allowing for quick on-site assembly.- Yanko Design

Dezeen Awards 2020 finalists Architect of the Year; Emerging Architect of the Year; Interior Design Studio of the Year; Emerging Interior Design Studio of the Year; Design Studio of the Year; Emerging Design Studio of the Year -- Alison Brooks Architects; Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect; Thomas Robinson/Lever Architecture; Ma Yanson/MAD Architects; Nader Tehrani/NADAAA; Studio Gang; etc.- Dezeen

Dezeen Awards 2020 architecture shortlist reveals world's best buildings: 64 architecture projects in 12 different project categories...readers can choose their favourite projects...- Dezeen

ASLA Announces 2020 Professional & Student Award Winners: 31 Professional Awards; 35 Student Awards -- Walker Macy; Michael Vergason Landscape Architects; TURENSCAPE; HOK: Oehme, van Sweden | OvS; Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects; Beijing Forestry University / Atelier DYJG; James Corner Field Operations; Reed Hilderbrand; OLIN; MASS Design Group; PEG office of landscape + architecture; Design Workshop, Inc.; shelter_expanse - sack and reicher; CMG Landscape Architecture; Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; etc.- American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

Jared Green: Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge Competition: New Model for Sourcing Sustainable Hardwoods: ...imagine if instead of just placing a hardwood order and hoping the wood was actually sustainably harvested, designers partnered with conservationists and scientists to preserve the forest from which the wood is harvested. Brooklyn Bridge Forest, the winner of [the Van Alen Institute competition]...proposes sourcing Manchiche hardwood...multi-discplinary team...Pilot Projects Design Collective includes landscape architect Christine Facella; the Wildlife Conservation Society, Cities4Forests, The Nature Conservancy, Grimshaw Architects, and Silman- The Dirt/American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

Oliver Wainwright: From CND to Hollywood: the ruthlessly brilliant designs of Ken Garland: The graphic designer who decried consumerism with a call-to-arms manifesto has won a lifetime achievement award. He talks about his career highs - and why so much modern design is "utterly mindless": ...the moral conscience of graphic design for decades...Next week...will be awarded the lifetime achievement medal from the London Design Festival [LDF]...for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament...he redrew the famous peace symbol into the clean-lined graphic familiar around the world today.- Guardian (UK)

Winners of the HERE+NOW: A House for the 21st Century International Student Design Competition for the 2019-2020 academic year. Administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored by AIA CRAN (AIA Custom Residential Architects Network)... -- Pratt Institute, University of Louisiana-Lafayette; Syracuse University; University of Houston; Kansas State University- Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) / AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN)

Adrian Madlener: Pratt Students Convert Everyday Waste into Viable Products and Materials: The new Material Lab Prize recognizes emerging talents who create designs and composites out of reclaimed waste: With superficial greenwashing still rampant in many sectors of the design industry, the challenge of transitioning to a fully sustainable circular economy is as daunting as ever...Not yet subject to the constraints of the “real world,” students can learn, adopt, and experiment...the design community can learn much from their inventiveness. -- Jay Lemire- Metropolis Magazine

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