Today’s News - Friday, May 22, 2015
EDITOR'S NOTE: We will be observing Memorial Day (U.S.) on Monday, and will return Tuesday, May 26. Happy (long) weekend!
• ANN feature: Bongiorno explains how DesignGroup worked with the Columbus Museum of Art on an expansion, opening in October, that will make the museum more visible, relevant, and connected to the community.
• Davidson x 2: Why the proposed Four Seasons renovation "was a test of the Landmarks Preservation Commission's willingness to stand up to an influential and relentless developer who acts as though the very fact that he's chosen to spend his money on something makes it by definition good."
• His take on newly released image of Smith + Gill's Nordstrom Tower in Manhattan: "It's really freaking huge. I have no beef with raising the skyline of midtown, but super-tall skyscrapers don't necessarily belong where developers choose to put them."
• The City of Sydney slams proposed modified plans for Barangaroo South: it "is not in the public interest and reduces the quality and quantity of public open space (by manipulating what is classed as public open space)," and appoints a review panel - with actual architects on board (what a concept!).
• Saffron minces no words about what she thinks of redevelopment plan for Philly's "exuberant, art deco" Boyd Theatre that includes a "generic, charmless, bulky stack of rentable units" wrapped in metal panels. "That isn't architecture; it's a colorful form of weatherproofing."
• King, on a brighter note, is quite taken with the new SFO control tower: "The expressive show brings a smile. But the hidden exertions deserve a nod, if only to remind us that it takes more than hitting the 'print' button to conjure up architectural moves that look so easy on a computer screen.
• BIG's next Manhattan adventure won't "aspire to touch the clouds," but it will be "nestled" between the High Line and Gehry's IAC - and condos "will start at less than $4 million" - a bargain, these days! (alas, no images yet).
• What architects and preservationists are doing to assess how to help Nepal.
• Eyefuls of BTI's Cool School: Design for an Extreme Climate Competition winner and honorable mentions (very cool, indeed!).
• Goldberger's take on critical relevance in the social media age: "One has to be nimble" (we do enjoy his often ironic/sardonic tweets!).
• The NEA releases Creative Placemaking Guidelines, which include 2016 Our Town Grant and Technical Assistance Guidelines (deadline: September 21), and Report on Performing Arts and Transforming Place.
• Gehry's just-auctioned Winton Guest House is moving 1,200 miles from its current Minnesota home to somewhere in the Hudson River Valley; the anonymous new owners "have pledged to preserve it."
• More good Gehry news: he just won the 2015 Getty Medal for leadership in visual art.
• The American Architectural Foundation honors Roche with the 2015 George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture.
• Sonja Bata receives an RAIC Lifetime Contribution Award for being "a strong advocate of design excellence and benefactor of architecture worldwide."
• Scott Marble is named new chair of Georgia Tech's School of Architecture.
• A good reason to head to California next week: Dwell on Design Los Angeles (wish we could go!).
• Weekend diversions:
• Eyefuls (and videos) of Danish artist Jeppe Hein's 1.3-mile-long installation "Please Touch the Art" in Brooklyn Bridge Park - "and man, did people take his invitation to heart!"
• Part of the AIA's three-year public awareness campaign, "Look Up" includes "An Architect's Story: Chris Downey," a short film about how the blind architect's work serves a broader audience: "I'm without sight, not without vision."
• Welton's "Drawing from Practice, Architects and the Meaning of Freehand" is proof that drawing "is still very much a part of the architectural profession today - and drafting by hand will never become a redundant skill in architecture, design, and beyond."
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INSIGHT: A Focus on Local: Structure and Design of the Columbus Museum of Art Expansion: How DesignGroup worked with the museum to become more visible, relevant, and connected to the community as a meeting point between art, the public, and the physical city. By Michael Bongiorno, AIA, LEED AP BD+C [images]- ArchNewsNow.com |
Why Landmarks Said No to Aby Rosen’s Four Seasons Renovation: The case was a test of the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s willingness to stand up to an influential and relentless developer who acts as though the very fact that he’s chosen to spend his money on something makes it by definition good...It’s precisely because there are so many arguments in favor of abusing the past that preservation becomes so crucial. By Justin Davidson -- Philip Johnson (1958)- New York Magazine |
Pay Attention: Nordstrom Tower Has Been Revealed, and It’s Really Freaking Huge: ...the design will be refined, but the latest pictures make it clear what a behemoth looks like from the ground...I have no beef with raising the skyline of midtown, but super-tall skyscrapers don’t necessarily belong where developers choose to put them. By Justin Davidson -- Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture [image]- New York Magazine |
Architects appointed to assess modified Barangaroo South Crown Casino: The City of Sydney...slammed Modification 8 for its lack of public consideration. “MOD 8 is not in the public interest...reduces the quality and quantity of public open space (by manipulating what is classed as public open space).” -- Wilkinson Eyre Architects; Peter Poulet, NSW Government Architect; Shelley Penn; Meredith Sussex [images, links to details]- Architecture & Design (Australia) |
Boyd Theatre plan not worthy of the block: ...plans to replace the Boyd's exuberant, art deco auditorium...with a generic, 341-foot-tall apartment tower [and] a bland, three-story commercial building...design is no gem. A charmless, bulky stack of rentable units...That isn't architecture; it's a colorful form of weatherproofing...The flat, lifeless structure...isn't worthy of the richly detailed, historic facades that will bookend it. By Inga Saffron -- Hoffman & Henon (1928); Eimer Architecture [image]- Philadelphia Inquirer |
Imagination takes off in design of new SFO [San Francisco International Airport] control tower: The first impression is effortless...What we don’t see is the work behind the lyrical flourish...The expressive show brings a smile...But the hidden exertions deserve a nod, if only to remind us that it takes more than hitting the “print” button to conjure up architectural moves that look so easy on a computer screen. By John King -- HNTB; Fentress Architects; Hensel Phelps- San Francisco Chronicle |
Bjarke Ingels NYC Condos Won’t Be at Ultra-Luxury Prices: ...one of the most expensive development sites ever sold in Manhattan...won’t be building the city’s priciest condos...nestled between the High Line and 11th Avenue and beside Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActive Corp. headquarters...spend less by building towers that don’t aspire to touch the clouds. -- BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group- Bloomberg News |
From the Rubble: Architects and Preservationists Assess How to Aid Nepal: UNESCO is undertaking “an international expert mission” to assess the damage...World Monuments Fund (WMF)...confident that many buildings can be restored...humanitarian response to the crisis has also been slow...what Rohit Ranjitkar fears most is the loss of international interest... -- Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust; Shigeru Ban/Volunteer Architects’ Network (VAN); American Institute of Architects (AIA); Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)- Architectural Record |
Cool School: Design for an Extreme Climate Competition Winner: 9 Honorable Mentions from Denmark, Italy, Canada, Iran, China, Egypt and the UK...BBTI, World Vision Mongolia and local partners to deliver the winning design during Summer 2015. -- PLACE By Design [images]- Building Trust International (UK) |
Stop the presses: Paul Goldberger's take on critical relevance in the social media age: So how does [he] navigate the new frontier of architectural journalism? "One has to be nimble"...while he’s not a fan of completely unmediated discourse, he believes that our hyper-connected, every-voice-gets-a-platform age of information can ultimately be good for the larger architectural conversation. By Julia Ingalls- Archinect |
Creative Placemaking Guidelines and Report Launched: Includes 2016 Our Town Grant and Technical Assistance Guidelines [deadline: September 21], and Report on Performing Arts and Transforming Place- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) |
Next Stop for Frank Gehry’s Winton Guest House: New York’s Hudson River Valley: While the University of St. Thomas doesn’t know who bought [it], they do know roughly where it is going and that the new owners have pledged to preserve it...1,200 miles from its current location in Owatonna, Minnesota... -- Victoria Young- University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) |
Frank Gehry wins Getty Trust's annual career achievement medal: 2015 Getty Medal for leadership in visual art...the first designer or artist to win the award that the Getty launched in 2013.- Los Angeles Times |
Kevin Roche Honored with the 2015 George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture at the 26th annual Accent on Architecture Gala. -- Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (KRJDA)- American Architectural Foundation (AAF) |
Sonja Bata to receive RAIC Lifetime Contribution Award: ...a strong advocate of design excellence and benefactor of architecture worldwide...also commissioned a remarkable series of architecturally significant buildings...has championed many cultural, environmental and social causes...- Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) |
Scott Marble, new chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture, aims for next-generation collaboration: ...creative collaboration will become the hallmark of the school’s offerings...his emphasis on new technologies will address issues of sustainable practice, the increasing importance of big data and new design workflows...will maintain partnership in Marble Fairbanks Architects in New York City- Georgia Tech College of Architecture |
Dwell on Design Los Angeles, May 29-31: dynamic exhibitions, unparalleled educational opportunities, cutting-edge technologies, 90 onstage programs, 250+ speakers, and more than 2,000 innovative modern furnishings and products.- Dwell |
Will You 'Please Touch The Art' In Brooklyn Bridge Park? Danish artist Jeppe Hein unveiled his 1.3-mile-long installation...and man, did people take his invitation to "Please Touch the Art" to heart. [images]- Gothamist (NYC) |
AIA Screens “An Architect’s Story: Chris Downey”: ...how a blind architect’s work serves a broader audience...."I'm without sight, not without vision"...film is part of the AIA's three-year public awareness campaign, “Look Up"- Architect Magazine |
The Art of Freehand Architectural Drawing Is Alive and Well: "Drawing from Practice, Architects and the Meaning of Freehand" by J. Michael Welton argues that despite never-ending technological advances, freehand is still very much a part of the architectural profession today...drafting by hand will never become a redundant skill in architecture, design, and beyond. [images]- Architectural Digest |
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