Today’s News - Tuesday, April 24, 2012
• Fisher considers the 21st century "the invisible century of design" that will "determine the health and prosperity of buildings, landscapes and cities...we just need to develop the x-ray eyes to see it."
• Doig looks at the interesting debate re: who should be in control of the many technologies cities now use: "Which of these futures should smart cities shoot for - the bottom-up model or the top-down version?"
• White finds commonalities, differences, and lessons to be learned in both Glitter Gulch and Cowtown (a.k.a. Las Vegas and Calgary).
• Berger offers up his Mossback Manifesto on urban density: NIMBYs "are sometimes right. Not all density is good (or bad)."
• Kaplan and Chaban parse the NYU 2031 plan from two different angles: "NYU will make a mess of the supersized block. But, hey, that's New York" + NYU faculty give expansion plans an F-minus.
• Brussat reports on the latest SOS Paris effort to stem the tide of Modernist skyscrapers in the City of Light.
• Lackmeyer cheers the upcoming Better Block OKC to transform part of Midtown Oklahoma City into "a vibrant commercial corridor...to show residents how they can transform their neighborhoods" (dog park included).
• Dvir cheers the facelift in store for the 1933 British High Commissioner's HQ in Jerusalem, now serving as U.N. HQ: it is "one of the most elegant and monumental buildings in Israel" (great slide show).
• A most amusing visit to "arch minimalist" Pawson's office proves he is "nowhere near as austere as his buildings" with a "highly developed sense of the absurd, especially when it comes to the gap between his high ideals and scruffy reality."
• AIA/AIAS call for parity in loan relief opportunities for architecture school grads - who carry a higher loan debt than average.
• Eyefuls of the 2012 Good Design is Good Business Award winners + The Top 7 in the Porsche Next Design Challenge.
• If you're suffering a bit of wanderlust, take a gander at some "spectacular hotels designed by famous architects" + Pedersen surveys some globe-trotting architects to "create the ultimate hospitality experience - a kind of mythical hotel."
• Call for entries: BD's Carbuncle Cup 2012 (snark alert!) + Arch Record's 3rd Annual Cocktail Napkin Sketch Contest 2012.
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Design’s Invisible Century: The 21st century is poised to become the invisible century of design, with designers playing ever more influential roles in the "seemingly invisible" sphere of "organizations and operations, policies and procedures, systems and infrastructures" — all of whichultimately determine the health and prosperity of buildings, landscapes and cities. By Thomas Fisher- Places Journal |
Your next mayor: A computer: Technology is helping cities control everything from traffic to disease. But who should control the technology? Which of these futures should smart cities shoot for — the bottom-up model or the top-down version? By Will Doig -- Greg Lindsay; Anthony Townsend/Institute for the Future- Salon |
Glitter Gulch and Cowtown? Calgary and Las Vegas have more in common than you might think...Both cities, too, have been chastised by urban development critics for their massive urban footprint...I couldn’t help but wonder when watching the Fremont Experience why we don’t have some sort of Stephen Avenue Walk Experience. By Richard White [slide show]- Calgary Herald (Canada) |
The Mossback Manifesto on urban density: How to think about preserving culture while the city swells. Some principles: Pay attention to NIMBYs, who are sometimes right. Not all density is good (or bad). And we can't have too much sense of place and history...The ghosts of Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses in their eternal struggle. By Knute Berger- Crosscut (Seattle) |
In Greenwich Village: a Case for a Planning Landmark, or, Simply, a Dash of Nostalgia: I suspect the Village will continue on to another pricey pinnacle, and no doubt when it scores its entitlements NYU will make a mess of the supersized block. But, hey, that’s New York. You have to love its chutzpah, and constant change. By Sam Hall Kaplan- PLANetizen |
NYU’s F-Minus: Many Faculty Do Not Like University’s Greenwich Village Expansion Plans: Even more damning, a good many of them believe that the plan will not achieve its primary goal....NYU claims to be listening, though it also seems unlikely that it will actually change its plans to accommodate the concerns... By Matt Chaban- New York Observer |
More on efforts to save Paris from its 'leaders': Word from SOS Paris is that it has announced that it will petition UNESCO to consider removing Paris from its list of cities with World Heritage status...does not, of course, actually want Paris to be delisted; it wants the leaders...to recognize that delisting could be the result if current plans for modernist skyscrapers move forward. By David Brussat -- Renzo Piano- Providence Journal (Rhode Island) |
MidTown Oklahoma City street set to become a 'better block': Better Block OKC, set for May 18 and 19, will transform part of MidTown into a vibrant commercial corridor with shops, sidewalk amenities, outdoor dining and a dog park...inspired by similar efforts in Dallas...a chance to show residents how they can transform their neighborhoods. By Steve Lackmeyer- The Oklahoman |
A colonial room with a view of Jerusalem: The British High Commissioner's headquarters was one of the most elegant and monumental buildings in Israel. A $7 million facelift is intended to restore the site to its former splendor...precise modern architecture with a local air, a building that looked both to the past and the future. By Noam Dvir -- Austen St. Barbe Harrison (1933); Jaime de Oliveira [images]- Ha`aretz (Israel) |
John Pawson: lost in space: Comfy sofas and clutter are the stuff of [his] nightmares. But the arch minimalist is nowhere near as austere as his buildings....“Sorry,” he guffaws. “I’m just amused by the ridiculousness of myself"...Most unexpected is his highly developed sense of the absurd, especially when it comes to the gap between his high ideals and scruffy reality...a fallible perfectionist. By Julia Llewellyn Smith- Telegraph (UK) |
Architects Support Students’ Call for Pro Bono Work in Exchange for Loan Relief: Architect School Graduates Deserve Same Opportunities as Other Professions: AIAS survey...showing that graduating architecture students carry a much higher amount of undergraduate student debt - $40,000 on average – than the national student loan debt average of $25,000.- American Institute of Architects (AIA) |
2012 Good Design is Good Business Award Winners -- EYP Architecture & Engineering; Fuse Architects + Builders; Helix Architecture + Design; KAA Design; Sheehan Partners; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM); Kengo Kuma & Associates; STUDIOS Architecture [slide show]- Architectural Record |
The Top 7 In Our Porsche Next Design Challenge: Among the 428 entries we received, here’s the very best of the best...impressed our judging panel with their imagination, beauty, and refinement. By Cliff Kuang [images]- Fast Company |
Spectacular Hotels Designed by Famous Architects -- Le Corbusier; Frank Gehry; John Lautner; Renzo Piano; Gio Ponti; Jean Nouvel; Frank Lloyd Wright; I.M. Pei; Antoni Gaudí; Michael Graves [images]- Flavorwire |
The Dream Hotel: A prominent group of globe-trotting architects and designers helps us create the ultimate hospitality experience...a kind of mythical hotel... By Martin C. Pedersen -- Jun Aizaki/Crème Design; Karim Rashid; David Rockwell//Rockwell Group; Amy Lau; Bjarke Ingels Group/BIG; Interboro Partners; etc. [images]- Metropolis Magazine |
Call for entries/Nominations: Carbuncle Cup 2012: Any building with a known designer that completed in the last 12 months or is due for completion before the 2012 Olympics is eligible.- BD/Building Design (UK) |
Call for entries: Cocktail Napkin Sketch Contest 2012 (U.S.); deadline: June 22- Architectural Record |
Rudolph Redux: The UMass Dartmouth Library Renovation/Addition by designLAB architects: A current project slated for completion this fall offers food for thought for the future of Paul Rudolph's Orange County Government Center. Press conference at OCGC today!- ArchNewsNow |
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-- Gehry Partners, LLP: Opus Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
-- BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group: Beach and Howe St., Vancouver, Canada |
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