Today’s News - Monday, June 20, 2011
• ArcSpace brings us an eyeful of Kuma's V&A at Dundee, and some thoughtful quotes (and great pix!) from "Architect for Art: Max Gordon."
• Farrelly calls for Canberra to "cast off the plump country town aura and realize its prize-winning vision": its "privateness is...unforgivable in a capital city...although Burley Griffin may not have intended this quality, it was always inherent in his geometries" (and don't bet on the Capithetical competition to solve anything, either).
• In Israel, kibbutzim are expanding and building new neighborhoods, "but do buyers get a rural community and great schools, or just a garden and a longer commute?"
• Schulman cheers signs that plans for Chicago's Bloomingdale Trail are moving ahead - just don't expect it to mirror of the High Line: it "is not a gallery; it's a functional corridor."
• Meanwhile, Chicago's new transportation commissioner could be Sadik-Khan and Gehl's "new rival for the title of progressive transportation star."
• Gang wows them in Lexington, KY, with her fresh plans for a fresh start for the (until now) controversial CentrePointe; even a leading opponent concedes: "If we continue down this road, with this firm, with this openness, I think we can end up with an iconic piece of architecture."
• Rosenbaum on the possibility of Safdie's Crystal Bridges museum creating a "Bentonville Effect": hard to tell without knowing what's actually going to be on view. "No amount of grandiose architecture and daring feats of engineering can trump the as-yet-unknown depth, breadth and quality of the collection."
• LAVA sets its sights on Sydney's glowering UTS tower and the "grim 1961 edifice" of a parking garage, "another example of brutalist architecture that regularly features in lists of Sydney's ugliest buildings."
• Moore spends more time with Zumthor: "He is what he is and the price of his perfection is a certain removal from the world."
• von Gerkan responds to criticism of his prestige projects for the Beijing regime and speaks about Ai Weiwei's arrest.
• Rose fills in for Glancey in reviewing the week in architecture, including Foster's Apple HQ, the revised Chelsea Barracks plan, and "an eye-catching east London folly."
• Last week we ran news of the impressive shortlist for the Scotland-England border crossing project - now there are pix.
• And yet another impressive international shortlist for the Brisbane Airport design competition (alas, again no pix).
• We can't say we're sorry to hear U2's The Edge lost his bid to build mega-McMansions in Malibu (though don't count him out yet - lawsuits could ensue).
• A new white paper, "the first of its kind in 20 years, contains a raft of measures aimed at enhancing the environment for the benefit of communities in England."
• NYC is the latest metropolis to launch a solar mapping tool for building owners + An NYC company wants to build and lease hydroponic farms on supermarket rooftops that could be "a win-win model" for investors, the stores, and communities "(unless Wal-Mart beat them to it)."
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-- Kengo Kuma & Associates: V&A at Dundee, Scotland, UK
-- Book: "Architect for Art: Max Gordon" by David Gordon, Nicholas Serota, Kenneth Frampton and Jonathan Marvel |
A hole in the heart: With its centenary approaching, Canberra must cast off the plump country town aura and realise its prize-winning vision: ...it's hard not to feel that [it] is under-designed, under-formed and under-occupied...designed for private knowledge, private access and private transport...This privateness is unforgivable in any city...but it is especially unforgivable in a capital city...although Burley Griffin may not have intended this quality, it was always inherent in his geometries...What's to be done, and who's going to do it? Not the Capithetical competition, for a start. By Elizabeth Farrelly -- Walter Burley Griffin; Marion Mahony Griffin; Romaldo Giurgola- Sydney Morning Herald |
Suburban socialism: Kibbutzim are expanding and building new neighborhoods on their outskirts; but do buyers get a rural community and great schools, or just a garden and a longer commute? ...names given to these new burbs are a wonder of marketing pretension - "Van Gogh Neighborhood"..."Hill of Dreams"... -- Yuval Yaski; Galia Bar-Or; Efrat Meiri; Michael Chyutin/Bracha Chyutin- Ha`aretz (Israel) |
The High Line Brought Down to Earth: Chicago's Bloomingdale Trail: ...design work on the long-proposed Bloomingdale Trail is moving ahead...while the two projects share similar characteristics...its function will differ significantly from the High Line...as envisioned [it] is not a gallery; it's a functional corridor. By Ben Schulman [links]- Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) |
New Chicago DOT Commissioner Could Rival Sadik-Kahn: Progressive transportation commissioners have become heroes in planning circles. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Chicago Mayor Emanuel’s appointment of Gabe Klein...Janette Sadik-Kahn in New York and Jan Gehl of Denmark may have a new rival for the title of progressive transportation star.- The Architect's Newspaper |
Fresh start on CentrePointe design gets a warm public reception: Direction suggested by new architect welcomed at forum...Even leading CentrePointe opponent said, "If we continue down this road, with this firm, with this openness, I think we can end up with an iconic piece of architecture." -- Jeanne Gang/Studio Gang- Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky) |
Alice Walton’s "World-Class Museum": Does NY Times Know Something We Don’t about Crystal Bridges? The "Bentonville Effect" (assuming that architect Moshe Safdie can have the same impact in Bentonville as Frank Gehry did in Bilbao) may bring visitors to Arkansas once...But it is the quality of the art, exhibitions and programs that will keep them coming back (or not). By Lee Rosenbaum- ArtsJournal |
How to transform an ugly university: just don't call it The Condom-inium: Chris Bosse/Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) wants to transform the University of Technology Sydney tower into a ''dynamic sculptural icon'...also talking...about creating a skin to stretch around the Goulburn Street parking station...The grim 1961 edifice is another example of brutalist architecture that regularly features in lists of Sydney's ugliest buildings. [images]- Sydney Morning Herald |
Peter Zumthor: In pursuit of perfection: His work can be seen from the Arctic Circle to Qatar. Now this most demanding of architects has been commissioned to design this year's Serpentine Gallery pavilion...Simply to describe [him] as an ultra-craftsman or super-minimalist does not fully describe his fascination...He is what he is and the price of his perfection is a certain removal from the world. By Rowan Moore -- Piet Outdorf [slide show]- Observer (UK) |
Meinhard von Gerkan on Ai Weiwei Arrest: 'There's a Big Difference Between East Germany and Today's China'...the German architect who designed the world's biggest museum, the National Museum of China on Tiananmen Square, responds to criticism of his prestige projects for the Beijing regime and speaks about the arrest of artist. -- gmp Architekten- Der Spiegel (Germany) |
Constructive criticism: the week in architecture: A week of high-flying British architecture with the launch of Apple's Norman Foster-designed headquarters, the revised Chelsea Barracks plan and an eyecatching east London folly. By Steve Rose -- Foster + Partners; Wilkinson Eyre; Sauerbruch Hutton; Frank Gehry; Richard Rogers; Squire and Partners; Dixon Jones; Kim Wilkie; Assemble [images]- Guardian (UK) |
Gretna border landmark panel meets to make selection: Three international contenders have made it to the final stage of the selection process for the Scotland-England Border Crossing project...entitled the Great Unknown... -- Charles Jencks; Cecil Balmond; Chris Wilkinson/Wilkinson Eyre; ;Ned Kahn [link to images]- BBC (UK) |
Shortlist unveiled for airport design competition: Three parties will fight it out to help design Brisbane Airport’s first Property Master Plan, with the winning team announced in August. -- ARM/Arkhefield; Grimshaw/AEOCM/PWC/Tract; Shane Thompson Architects/Wilkinson Eyre/Lat27- Queensland Business Review (Australia) |
Coastal Commission rejects U2 guitarist The Edge's Malibu development plan: The plan for five mansions on a rugged ridgeline was rejected...The agency's executive director called it "one of the three worst projects that I've seen in terms of environmental devastation"...a project that carves out so much earth by definition is not eco-friendly. By Martha Groves and Tony Barboza- Los Angeles Times |
Natural Environment White Paper: Communities set role for green spaces: Green measures include local nature partnerships, nature improvment areas and developer biodiversity offsetting...white paper, the first of its kind in 20 years, contains a raft of measures aimed at enhancing the environment for the benefit of communities in England, in what it describes as "a fundamental shift in approach to conservation and land management".- HorticultureWeek (UK) |
New York City Is Latest to Launch Solar Mapping Tool for Building Owners: The 3-D maps enable any building owner to go online and find out how much sunlight hits their roofs...17 other U.S. cities and the German city of Osnabrük have published solar maps...since San Francisco's site went live...- Reuters |
Are Supermarket Rooftop Farms the Killer App for Local Food? BrightFarms says they finally found the right model – building and leasing hydroponic farms on supermarket rooftops...has created what they believe to be a win-win model that will generate gains both for the company and the supermarkets they partner with...a good chance to be the first to bring local food to the masses (unless Wal-Mart beat them to it).- Triple Pundit |
You Survived: Introduction: Your Firm Survived the Recession - Now Foster a Thriving a Practice. By Michael S. Bernard, AIA, and Nancy Kleppel, Assoc. AIA- ArchNewsNow |
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