Today’s News - Tuesday, April 23, 2013
• ArcSpace brings us eyefuls of Hodgetts + Fung in Pasadena, Lundgaard & Tranberg in Copenhagen, and Ando in Germany.
• We lose Downes, downed in an assault - just nearing his prime, "well-known in the hospitality design industry" and "recognized for his revitalization of neglected urban areas."
• Former MoMA curator Lepik minces no words re: the museum's decision to flatten AFAM, "a sign of a latent schizophrenic conflict that is becoming a major problem for MoMA the more it grows."
• Capps reports on the Arch League's plea to MoMA signed by a who's who of New York architects, MoMA's push-back against its critics, and "not everyone is sad to see the building go."
• Betsky is in rare agreement with Stern when it comes to East Midtown rezoning plans: "New York does not need to be taller and shinier. It needs to be better, more intense, and better served."
• On the other hand, the Midtown East rezoning kerfuffle is "much ado about nothing" when compared to the rezoning to allow Hudson Yards, "an area with far worse transit and less new investment...both sides should drop the histrionics."
• NRDC and American Rivers release "Getting Climate Smart: A Water Preparedness Guide for State Action," a new resource to develop climate preparedness plans to help keep our communities resilient.
• Webb wends his way through Ennead's Bing Concert Hall, "a building that respects its context with no attempt at mimicry," offering "a sense of discovery and delight for players and listeners" - though too bad they couldn't have put in some windows (great pix).
• Spencer offers a "quick take" of Stern's Bush Library: it "does not reflect the colorful nature of the 43rd president's personality," but "succeeds best as a sedate and sustainable piece of abstracted classical architecture" (lots of pix).
• Bey reports that Mies's Farnsworth House appears to be safe from the rising Fox River (pix don't look all that encouraging, and no one has been able to get close enough to verify yet).
• Capps takes issue with Russell's speculation that Brutalist architecture could be partly to blame for the Boston Marathon attacks: it is, "at best, deeply unflattering to UMass Dartmouth, DesignLab, and Paul Rudolph. It's hardly better for architectural criticism to seek confirmation of one's opinion in the actions of a madman."
• On a brighter note: a delightful, image-filled romp through make-do and architect-designed playgrounds: "all that really matters boils down to one simple question: do children like to play on it?"
• A good reason to head to Cambridge, MA, in early May: the Women in Design + Environmental Professions conference will "explore ways to leverage talent in a gender-neutral environment."
• AIA announced the 2013 COTE Top Ten Green Projects on Earth Day (great presentation, too).
• The 2013 Berkeley Prize Competition winners announced.
• Call for entries deadline reminder: Redesigning Detroit: A New Vision for an Iconic Site (international); registration deadline: April 30.
| |
|
|
|
To subscribe to the free daily newsletter
click here
|
|
-- Hodgetts + Fung: Sinclair Garden Pavilion, Pasadena, California,
-- Lundgaard & Tranberg: Tietgen Dormitory, Copenhagen, Denmark
-- Tadao Ando: Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany |
Obituary: Architect Graham Downes, 55, Dies After Assault: Well-known in the hospitality design industry...also was recognized for his revitalization of neglected urban areas.- Contract magazine |
MoMA: Expanding At All Costs? ...that it will completely destroy the American Folk Art Museum has raised questions about its mission for the future...the impulse to start from scratch is deeply entrenched in the idea of modernism itself...MoMA is apparently sticking with the modernist ideology of perpetual reinvention, only made possible by destruction of the original substance. By Andres Lepik -- Tod Williams Billie Tsien- Uncube magazine (Germany) |
Architectural League Calls on MoMA to Reconsider American Folk Art Museum Plans: More than 30 of New York's most prestigious architects cosigned a letter calling on MoMA to think it over...Not everyone is sad to see the building go. Jerry Saltz...describes the building as "absolutely unusable for the purpose of showing art." By Kriston Capps -- Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects [links]- Architect Magazine |
Building the Dream: Midtown Manhattan represents a dream of metropolitanism, if not a vision of architecture. By rezoning...New York risks ruining that dream...we should reuse what we have...New York does not need to be taller and shinier. It needs to be better, more intense, and better served, while remaining the New York we still dream about. By Aaron Betsky -- Robert A.M. Stern; Julie V. Iovine- Architect Magazine |
Much Ado About Nothing? Midtown East Rezoning Not All That Grand: ...only 3.8 million square feet of office development is expected beyond what would be built without any zoning changes...Compare this to the rezoning of Manhattan’s far west side...where nearly 26 million square feet of new office space was allowed in Hudson Yards—an area with far worse transit and less new investment...both sides should drop the histrionics... By Stephen Jacob Smith- New York Observer |
How Can States Get Climate Smart? A New Guide Lays Out the Steps for Action: “Getting Climate Smart: A Water Preparedness Guide for State Action” a new resource to develop climate preparedness plans focused on water to help keep our communities resilient...includes: Six-step Climate Plan Process; Top 10 List of No-Regret Strategies; Strategy Toolbox; Resource Bank- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) |
Crit> Greeks and Geeks: Ennead Architects' Bing Concert Hall helps build an arts district on Stanford University's campus...a building that respects its context with no attempt at mimicry...erases physical and aural boundaries to promote a sense of discovery and delight for players and listeners. By Michael Webb [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
Quick Take: Robert A. M. Stern Architects’ George W. Bush Presidential Center: ...does not reflect the colorful nature of the 43rd president’s personality...succeeds best as a sedate and sustainable (LEED Platinum–certified) piece of abstracted classical architecture, meant to fit in with SMU’s early-20th-century Georgian Revival buildings...“This is a building about the dignity of the presidency." By Ingrid Spencer -- Michael Van Valkenburgh [slide show]- Architectural Record |
Mies-designed Farnsworth House appears safe near rising Fox River: ...was left surrounded—but, thankfully, not flooded...in the wake of last week's heavy storms..."We do not believe that the water breached the interior of the building"... By Lee Bey -- Mies van der Rohe [images]- WBEZ Chicago Public Radio |
Boston and Brutalism: One lesson that no one should take away from last week's Boston Marathon attacks: Brutalist architecture is to blame....James S. Russell's speculation is, at best, deeply unflattering to UMass Dartmouth, DesignLab, and Paul Rudolph. It's hardly better for architectural criticism to seek confirmation of one's opinion in the actions of a madman. By Kriston Capps- Architect Magazine |
The Imagination of Playgrounds: ...make-do playgrounds [and] some unique and creative playground structures, some of which are mid-century modernist designs...whether you are a landscape architect, a designer or just an inventive kid, all that really matters boils down to one simple question: do children like to play on it? By John Foster -- Paul Hogan; M. Paul Friedberg; Kuro Kaneko; Bob Cassilly [images]- Design Observer |
Women in Design + Environmental Professions: a conference focused on gender issues in the male-dominated design and environmental professions to explore ways to leverage talent in a gender-neutral environment; May 9-10, Cambridge, MA- ZweigWhite |
AIA Select the 2013 COTE Top Ten Green Projects: Projects showcase excellence in sustainable design principles and reduced energy consumption. -- KieranTimberlake; Continuum Architects + Planners; ZGF Architects; EHDD; Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects; College of Architecture & Design, UT Knoxville; Lake Flato Architects; KMD Architects/Stevens & Associates; Ross Barney Architects/SJA Architects; Brooks + Scarpa- American Institute of Architects (AIA) |
Winners of the 15th Annual International 2013 Berkeley Prize Competition announced: ...the Essay Competition; the Travel Fellowship Competition; and new this year, the Teaching Fellowship Competition- Berkeley Prize / Department of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley |
Call for entries deadline reminder: Redesigning Detroit: A New Vision for an Iconic Site (international): innovative, creative, and inspired designs for a new building on the historic Hudson’s site, one of the most beloved locations in downtown Detroit; cash prizes; registration deadline: April 30 (submission deadline: May 31)- Opportunity Detroit |
Overdrive: L.A.'s Future is Present in its Past: Simultaneously hopeful and wistful, The Getty Museum's exhibition is about the evolution of a modern city seen through its architecture, confirming the truly layered nature of Los Angeles. By Julie D. Taylor [images]- ArchNewsNow |
|
|
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window.
External news links are not endorsed by ArchNewsNow.com.
Free registration may be required on some sites.
Some pages may expire after a few days.
© 2013 ArchNewsNow.com