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Today's News - Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Except for glowing press releases, early reviews re: London's $1.04 billion(!) 2012 Olympic stadium seem to be a bit underwhelming - (even HOK Sports' Rod Sheard describes as a "simple, but clever bowl... very tight, very compelling bowl" - there's sure to be more ink on this). -- New Vancouver Convention Center proves it's time to "put architects back in control." -- Gloriously restored St. Pancras station may be ready for its close-up, but "not the dawn of a new heyday for British train travel." -- Gehl takes on the streets of Manhattan. -- The future of campus architecture: less artsy, more social mantras of using technology, maintaining sustainability and fostering globalism. -- Red tape could spell doom Katrina-wrecked Wright-Sullivan cottages in Mississippi. -- Plans for new Salvation Army center in Chicago would "combine old-fashioned ministry with ultra-sleek modernism." -- A call for LEED ratings to address regional environmental differences. -- Design and sustainability can "elevate the promise of brands and companies." -- An artful wind tower combines stained glass with solar technology. -- A conversation with Nouvel about going global. -- History Channel's "City of the Future" competition extends deadline.

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London 2012 stadium revealed: Budget for development has nearly doubled since organisers' bid in 2004..."This is not a stadium that's going to be screaming from the rooftops that it's bigger and more spectacular," admitted its chief architect, Rod Sheard. "This is just a cleverer building. -- HOK Sport [images]- Guardian (UK)

Comment: bland as a bowl of blancmange: ...my first reaction as the latest designs for the 2012 Olympic Stadium...the motive force behind the whole design is fear, fear of adventure, fear of overspend and fear of leaving behind a white elephant. At the presentation the word legacy featured far more than the word sport. By Marcus Binney -- HOK Sport; Buro Happold [images, links]- The Times (UK)

HOK's 2012 Olympic stadium design revealed: HOK Sport and Peter Cook’s long-awaited designs...a clear emphasis on functionality and flexibility rather than iconic architecture...design was greeted less than enthusiastically by...Ellis Woodman. [images, slideshows]- BD/Building Design (UK)

City's megaproject a triumph of engineering, not architecture: Don't expect to see the new convention centre on postcards any time soon...esthetically underwhelming...a lesson to be learned here...Put architects back in control of how our major buildings, both public and private, will look. -- Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership; Downs/Archambault & Partners; LMN Architects; PWL Partnership Landscape Architects- Vancouver Sun

London Station Reawakens in Victorian Splendor: St. Pancras station...to become the new home for high-speed trains to continental Europe. Is this the dawn of a new heyday for British train travel after decades of decline? Not quite. [slide show]- Der Spiegel (Germany)

Walk this way: Planner points city, groups toward an unclogged New York: Jan Gehl...working with the Dept. of Transportation to design streets that are safer, easier and more enjoyable for pedestrians and cyclists.- Metro New York

An Educated Guess about the future of campus architecture: When you return to campus 20 years from now, what will you see? ...less artsy, more social mantras of using technology, maintaining sustainability and fostering globalism have become the guiding forces in most new construction. -- Venturi, Scott Brown (VSBA); Renzo Piano- The Michigan Daily (University of Michigan)

Red Tape Stalls Repair of Katrina-Wrecked Wright-Sullivan Landmark Cottages: ...Charnley Bungalow and its neighboring Guesthouse...The owners have agreed to take on stewardship responsibilities for this small piece of cultural history. The state needs to hold up its end before it's too late. -- Cooper Norman slide show]- Bloomberg News

Salvation Army plans big center on South Side: ...would combine old-fashioned ministry with ultra-sleek modernism...If the plan is approved...would mark the latest instance of high-profile Chicago architects designing facilities for those in need. By Blair Kamin and Mary Owen -- Helmut Jahn; Stanley Tigerman [video link]- Chicago Tribune

Op-Ed: Designing the next sustainable buildings: It’s time for LEED to address the next challenge...rating system doesn’t adequately account for regional environmental differences...Some drawbacks will certainly be addressed when USGBC releases version 3.0 of the rating system in late 2007. By Chris Flint Chatto/Zimmer Gunsul Frasca (ZGF)- Sustainable Industries Journal

Op-Ed: Sustaining an Advantage: Design has the ability to connect the emotional underpinning of sustainability issues to any business or product and create 'Unique Selling Propositions' that elevate the promise of brands and companies. By Mark Dziersk- Fast Company

Art installation provides a window on energy conservation: The first photovoltaic art glass – which combines the ancient art of stained glass with the latest solar technology...central element of a wind tower in the new $10-million theology library at Regent College. -- Sarah Hall; Clive Grout; Walter Frankl Architects [image, link]- Anglican Church of Canada

A French Architect Goes Global: Like a character out of Jules Verne, Jean Nouvel says that he creates a small world in each building that he designs..."I don't believe in architecture that repeats itself in an automatic way." By David D'Arcy- Wall Street Journal

Deadline extened to November 16: City of the Future: A Design & Engineering Challenge: imagine the cities of Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Atlanta 100 years from now- The History Channel

Gehry Partners: Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago

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