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Today's News - Tuesday, May 29, 2007

He-says-she-says: is there "a mutual cause-and-effect between the devaluation" of the architectural profession and "the increase of women practicing it"? -- Some fear next Architect of the Capitol won't be an architect. -- South Korea joins the skyscraper building boom. -- Super egos behind super skyscrapers are threat to cities' skylines. -- No sparing the superlatives today: Ouroussoff finds reaffirmation of "architecture's heroic stature" in The Netherlands. -- Kamin finds the Nelson-Atkins the most "enchanting" museum since Guggenheim Bilbao. -- Hume finds ROM Crystal to be "21st century architecture at its most brilliant"; and warns of a "wave of anger and contempt washing over Toronto" when it opens. -- Australian Parliament building's iconic grassed roof threatened by drought (and Giurgola isn't happy with the options). -- NYU picks an impressive team for 25-year plan (but preservationists still anxious).-- A new Seattle condo may not be beautiful, but offers ideas about urban living that the city should consider as it grows more dense and vertical. -- High hopes for L.A.'s historic Pershing Square. -- An amusing visit with Gehry, "the Willy Wonka of this particular chocolate factory." -- The man behind the plan to turn the Taliesin campuses into centers for sustainable design. -- The man behind the sound at London's revamped Festival Hall. -- Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine continue to try to arouse international awareness. -- Plans for a highway north of Dublin called "an act of vandalism." -- Three good reasons to head to New Orleans this week. -- Call for entries: Proposition 6707 ideas competition for an eco-lodge in Western Australia. -- "Design for the Other 90%" offers solutions to some of the world's problems.

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Shattering the glass ceiling: Some say the influx of women stems from a crisis in the field, one that has cut profits and hurt the profession's prestige..."What's for certain is that there is a mutual cause-and-effect between the devaluation of the profession and the increase of women practicing it." -- Vered Flock; Hadara Sheflan Katzav; Genia Averbuch- Ha`aretz (Israel)

On the Hill, a Heap of Trouble: Oversight Post at Capitol May Undergo Controversial Redesign: With Congress vetting names for a new Architect of the Capitol...there is growing momentum to appoint a "turn-around artist." For the first time in decades, that person may not be an architect. By Philip Kennicott- Washington Post

South Korea Joins Rush to Build Ever Taller Buildings: Incheon and Seoul are part of one of the biggest booms in tall-building construction since the skyscraper appeared more than a century ago- New York Times

Egos 'a threat to skylines': Super skyscrapers and ambitious architects could ruin our cities, warns the chief of English Heritage...warning of the 'extraordinary ambition' of individuals who want to 'create a monument to themselves'. -- Rafael Vinoly; Renzo Piano; Richard Rogers- Guardian (UK)

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, Encased in Glass: The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision...a serious critique of a world saturated in advertising, and marketing images, and reaffirmed architecture’s heroic stature... By Nicolai Ouroussoff -- Neutelings Riedijk Architects [slide show]- New York Times

A brighter idea for museum design emerges in Missouri: ...Steven Holl's quietly brilliant new addition to the...Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art...is a work of subtlety, not spectacle, though, in truth, it packs some unexpected "wow." By Blair Kamin -- BNIM [slide show]- Chicago Tribune

Museum as artifact: Libeskind's work may be about spectacle, but the [Royal Ontario Museum/ROM] Crystal is neither flashy nor crass: ...this is 21st century architecture at its most brilliant...this is Libeskind at his best. By Christopher Hume [links]- Toronto Star

Build it, and they will shun: Next Saturday, when Daniel Libeskind's addition to the Royal Ontario Museum...finally opens, a wave of anger and contempt will wash over Toronto. It has already started...This has been the reaction to new architecture since time immemorial. By Christopher Hume [links]- Toronto Star

Architect hits the roof over plan to turf grass: Federal Parliament's iconic grassed roof is in danger of being turfed out because of the drought...seems as dangerous to Romaldo Giurgola's architectural vision as terrorists.- Sydney Morning Herald

New York University picks team to devise long-range growth plan: ...long awaited by Village preservationists anxious about the impact on the neighborhood by N.Y.U. projects... -- SMWM; Grimshaw Architects; Toshiko Mori Architect; Olin Partnership- The Villager (NYC)

Lumen sheds light on urban mindset: Mercer complex highlights city vs. burbs cultural chasm...It isn't a beautiful building, but it offers a lot of engaging and thoughtful design details...proposes some ideas about urban living that Seattle should consider as it rapidly grows more dense and vertical. By Lawrence W. Cheek -- David Hewitt; Garrett Cord Werner [images]- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Make a Park for the People: Mega-Project Offers a Chance at a Usable Pershing Square...raises hopes for the restoration of the forlorn expanse that is Downtown Los Angeles's historic park. By Sam Hall Kaplan -- Project for Public Spaces (PPS); Ricardo Legorreta (1984)- LA Downtown News

Frank Gehry’s buildings seem to be from another planet: I meet Gehry at his surprisingly sane-looking office...the Willy Wonka of this particular chocolate factory, greets me shiftily in a black T-shirt and blue jeans. [slide show, video]- The Times (UK)

Allsopp may have Wright touch: How do you clean away the cobwebs from a genius architect's legacy and renew it for the 21st century? With equal parts charm, worldly experience and design savvy, Philip Allsopp may be the ideal candidate...took the helm of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation...walked into a hornet's nest... By Whitney Gould- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

What does £91 million sound like? Closed two years for a total revamp, London's Festival Hall will soon re-open....the man behind its new acoustic -- Leslie Martin/Peter Moro (1951); Larry Kirkegaard; Allies and Morrison- Telegraph (UK)

Opposing the architects of the occupation: ...British organization Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine...has been trying for a long time to arouse international awareness on the subject. By Esther Zandberg -- Charles Jencks; Jack Pringle; Saskia Sassen; Will Alsop; Zvi Hecker; Yaron Turel; Zvi Efrat; Eyal Weizman- Ha`aretz (Israel)

Erin go faster: The routing of a busy road slap bang through the Tara-Skryne Valley north of Dublin represents an act of vandalism...a remarkably high concentration of ceremonial monuments...- International Herald Tribune

May 30 - June 5: "Race, Class and Community Recovery: From the Neighborhood to the Nation and Beyond"; "The Great Gumbo: Stirring the Pot of Community Design"; ADPSR 2007 Lewis Mumford Awards - in New Orleans; sponsored by Association for Community Design, Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility, and Planners Network- Association for Community Design (ACD)

Call for entries: Proposition 6707 two-stage ideas competition for an eco-lodge in Cape Range National Park, Western Australia (6707 is postcode of the site); 4 stage-one winners awarded AUS$10,000; deadline: June 29- Architectural Review Australia

Design That Solves Problems for the World’s Poor: "Design for the Other 90%"...The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is honoring inventors dedicated to helping the billions of people living on less than $2 a day. [images]- New York Times

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