Today’s News - Thursday, February 1, 2018
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tomorrow and Monday will be no-newsletter days - we'll be back Tuesday, February 6. On a not-exactly-newsworthy (but fun!) note: tomorrow is Groundhog Day. It's expected that Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, will probably not see his shadow - indicating an early Spring! (Yay!) In the meantime, today is another rare posting of two ANN features...enjoy!
● ANN feature: Weinstein takes on Dickinson and Bernstein's takes on architectural education: They "look in opposite directions when assessing architecture school quality - but the next architecture school transformation may emerge from where no one is looking."
● ANN feature: Brown, curator of "Five Artists + Architecture" at CCNY's Spitzer School of Architecture, on how the variety of work by the fine artists/teachers "illustrates the breadth of opportunity available to students to integrate a range of visual arts studies into their studio design education and design research work."
● Booth parses the AJ's LGBT+ survey that "uncovers the pain of LGBT+ professionals - it does not make for comfortable reading - what isn't said is almost as interesting as what is" + link to Waite's parsing of the numbers that "suggest the battle for equality is far from won."
● The Noguchi Foundation's Dakin Hart is none too pleased that the owners of Bunshaft's 140 Broadway and the plaza with Noguchi's "Red Cube" did not consult the foundation re: proposed changes to the plaza, now on TCLF's list of At-Risk sites.
● Saffron, on a brighter note (and in honor of Super Bowl Sunday) salutes HKS's stadium in Minneapolis where the Eagles and Patriots will face off in an "otherworldly crystal palace" and "a riveting architectural form" (the downside: it's a bird-killer).
● Florida's Q&A with Katz and Nowak re: "their optimistic take on the future of cities" and their new book "The New Localism."
● The rise of "citizen-initiated pedestrian plazas": author and activist Geeting tackles tactical urbanism by photographing snow-bound "sneckdowns" (curb extensions) in Philly, "highlighting areas that could be converted from vehicular to pedestrian use. Remarkably, his documentation has actually helped to reshape intersections."
● Miller says, "It's not bonkers to be fond of a folly. By their 18th-century heyday these buildings had become barometers of witty erudition and social prestige" - and cheers for the Folly Fellowship, celebrating "30 years of protecting, preserving and promoting these buildings" (some real charmers!).
● Speaking of follies, the Serpentine Pavilion initiative is heading to China with the Serpentine Pavilion Beijing, designed by Sichuan-based JIAKUN Architects and opening in May (looks pretty cool).
● Architecture goes to the dogs: eyefuls of entries in the BowWow Haus London kennel competition, exhibition, and auction to raise funds for the refurbishment of a "rehoming center" (a.k.a. animal shelter) for the animal charity Blue Cross (we'd live in one!).
Weekend diversions:
● "Inscriptions: Architecture Before Speech" at Harvard GSD "proposes theories to organize a seemingly fragmented field," and "reveals the non-verbal but human agreements that have shaped architecture's contemporary moment" (lots of pix!).
● "Aldo Rossi: The Architecture and Art of the Analogous City," presented by Princeton University School of Architecture, "offers a new assessment of his multifaceted achievements as architect, designer, and theorist of architecture and the city - revealing new dimensions of mediation between art and architecture."
● Bernstein cheers two shows at NYC's Friedman Benda Gallery that show off "masterful furniture designs" by a number of masters, "along with conceptual pieces by a new crop of designers."
● Times Square is all heart with Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho's "Window to the Heart" that features the world's largest Fresnel lens "optically bending light - and attention - to the heart-shaped window at its center."
● Sisson cheers "Felix Candela's Concrete Shells: An Engineered Architecture for Mexico and Chicago," in Chicago, that "explores the engineer, architect, and contractor who turned everyday material into spectacular shapes. During a period where Brutalism arose and gave concrete a bold, brash reputation, Candela's otherworldly curves offered a graceful alternative" (great images!).
● SFMOMA's "Designed in California" features more than 100 items that "focus on the role of technological advancements in design since the start of the digital revolution."
● Dannatt is quite taken by "Leandro Erlich: Seeing and Believing," a "jam-packed mega-hit" of his "uncanny work" at Tokyo's Mori Art Museum, a "lavish exhibition" offering "one surprise after the other, a quite literal buzz of disbelief and delight at each mind-boggling encounter" (deserving "an essay by Anthony Vidler, that fellow wizard of the uncanny").
● At the Zampelas Art Museum in Nicosia, "Unseen Views" showcases photographs by architect Charis Solomou that "allow concealed characteristics and particularities of the urban experience to become apparent through the photographic lens."
Page-turners:
● Betsky has a blast parsing the Why Factory's "Copy Paste: The Badass Architectural Copy Guide," a "wonderful and useful compendium" that "gives us justifications for stealing and a how-to manual on intelligent plagiarism."
● Wainwright cheers "Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures" by Roma Agrawal, a "chatty unraveling of surprising stories behind our built environment by the engineer and campaigner for women in engineering" - this "timely and impassioned book will hopefully help to change" her male-dominated profession.
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ANN feature: Norman Weinstein: Architectural Education at the Crossroads? Educators Duo Dickinson and Phil Bernstein look in opposite directions when assessing architecture school quality - but the next architecture school transformation may emerge from where no one is looking.- ArchNewsNow.com |
ANN feature: Lance Jay Brown: "Five Artists + Architecture" at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York: The variety of works by the five fine artists/teachers illustrates the breadth of opportunity available to students to integrate a range of visual arts studies into their studio design education and design research work.- ArchNewsNow |
Emily Booth: Our survey uncovers the pain of LGBT+ professionals: It is the emotion, pain, anger and frustration of our survey respondents that brings the story behind these statistics alive: [It] does not make for comfortable reading, with a 7-point fall in LGBT+ respondents who are ‘out’ in their practice, down to 73% from 80% in 2016...what isn’t said is almost as interesting as what is + link to Richard Waite's parsing of the numbers that "suggest the battle for equality is far from won."- The Architects' Journal (UK) |
Proposed 140 Broadway Plan Threatens Noguchi’s “Red Cube”: The Noguchi Foundation was not consulted on the proposal and says it undermines Isamu Noguchi’s vision of the public space around his iconic sculpture...“The current condition of the plaza is unfortunate, but the proposed changes only make it more officially, more permanently worse." -- The Cultural Landscape Foundation/TCLF; Gordon Bunshaft/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM); Dakin Hart/Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum [images]- Hyperallergic |
Inga Saffron: Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl venue is an otherworldly crystal palace: There is no shortage of metaphors to describe Minneapolis’ new, otherworldly U.S. Bank Stadium...Architecture buffs see echoes of California’s Crystal Cathedral embedded in its shimmering, faceted, glass walls...an architectural bauble, a brandable object that aspires to more than football...the colossus...is a riveting architectural form...The billion-dollar home of the Minnesota Vikings is so design-conscious and so extravagantly outfitted...It’s not the only one, either. -- HKS Architects [images]- Philadelphia Inquirer |
Richard Florida: Can a 'New Localism' Help Cities Transcend Gridlock? Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak talk about the model of collaborative urban leadership in their book "The New Localism": ... describes the shift from outmoded hierarchical models of national governance to more flexible, networked, multi-stakeholder models of local and metropolitan governance. Q&A re: the book and their optimistic take on the future of cities.- CityLab (formerly The Atlantic Cities) |
Undriven Snow: Activists Trace Winter Car Routes to Reshape City Streets: Author and activist Jon Geeting has been photographing ‘sneckdowns‘ (...curb extensions) in Philadelphia for years, highlighting areas that could be converted from vehicular to pedestrian use. Remarkably, his documentation...has actually helped to reshape intersections...[he] sees advantages to more guerrilla approaches as well, like those documented by Mike Lydon [in] "Tactical Urbanism: Short-Term Action for Long-Term Change"... [images]- 99% Invisible |
Norman Miller: It’s not bonkers to be fond of a folly: These structures may be viewed as a bit of fun, but in the past they played a more serious role: By their 18th-century heyday these buildings had become barometers of witty erudition and social prestige...Folly Fellowship (follies.org.uk)...celebrates 30 years of protecting, preserving and promoting these buildings. -- Gwyn Headley/Folly Fellowship; Thomas Tresham; Nicholas Hawksmoor; Robert and John Adam; Maxwell Ayrton; Clough Williams-Ellis [images]- The Times (UK) |
Serpentine Pavilion goes global as plans for Chinese debut revealed: Modelled on the annual London showcase, the Serpentine Pavilion Beijing will be designed by Sichuan-based JIAKUN Architects. It will launch in May at the opening of the WF Central development in Beijing’s Dongcheng district and will be on display for six months. [images]- The Architects' Journal (UK) |
Architects reveal kennel concepts in charity fundraising contest: ...an unusual competition to design a bespoke dog house to be auctioned off for charity: About a third of the 70 teams participating in the BowWow Haus London contest have now unveiled their proposals...Backed by animal charity Blue Cross and the Florida-based Outdoor Arts Foundation...will be exhibited inside St Pancras International...and at other venues from 19 March to 26 April before being sold to the highest bidders at a gala event... [images]- The Architects' Journal (UK) |
"Inscriptions: Architecture Before Speech," curated by K. Michael Hays and Andrew Holder, proposes theories to organize a seemingly fragmented field: ...reveals the non-verbal but human agreements that have shaped architecture's contemporary moment...presents 400 images and 26 models, gathered from over 70 practices; Harvard GSD thru March 11 [images]- Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) |
"Aldo Rossi: The Architecture and Art of the Analogous City": ...Curated by Dan Sherer - the second retrospective of Rossi (1931-1997) in the United States since 1979 - offers a new assessment of his multifaceted achievements as architect, designer, and theorist of architecture and the city...Revealing new dimensions of mediation between art and architecture. Princeton University School of Architecture thru March 30- e-flux |
Fred A. Bernstein: See the Masterful Furniture Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: Their works are being shown along with conceptual pieces by a new crop of designers in "Inside the Walls: Architects Design" and "No-Thing" at NYC's Friedman Benda Gallery; thru February 17 [images]- Architectural Digest |
Times Square Heart Competition Winner Features World's Largest Fresnel Lens: The love-themed installation "Window to the Heart" will be on view for the whole month of February: ...the lens will "distort and capture the image of Times Square, optically bending light - and attention - to the heart-shaped window at its center." -- Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho with Formlabs [images]- Architect Magazine |
Patrick Sisson: Felix Candela, the architect who showcased concrete’s curves: “Felix Candela’s Concrete Shells: An Engineered Architecture for Mexico and Chicago" explores the engineer, architect, and contractor who turned everyday material into spectacular shapes: ...his work has been an inspiration to architects and structural engineers for decades. During a period where Brutalism arose and gave concrete a bold, brash reputation, Candela’s otherworldly curves offered a graceful alternative. University of Illinois at Chicago thru March 3 -- Cubiertas Ala; Raul and Fernando Fernandez Rangel [images]- Curbed |
SFMOMA's "Designed in California" Explores the State's Shifting Design Scene: Featuring more than 100 items, the new exhibition will focus on the role of technological advancements in design since the start of the digital revolution: ...also showcases contributions to the architecture industry; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art thru May 27 [images]- Architect Magazine |
Adrian Dannatt: Leandro Erlich’s uncanny work now on view at Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum: It is a wise old adage that the better the architecture, the harder it is to photograph...This is particularly true of the art of...the Argentinian master of metaphysical trompe l’oeil..."Leandro Erlich: Seeing and Believing"...as people move through Erich’s lavish exhibition, enjoying one surprise after the other, a quite literal buzz of disbelief and delight at each mind-boggling encounter...a proper American exhibition is long overdue, ideally with an essay by Anthony Vidler, that fellow wizard of the uncanny. thru April 1 [images]- The Architect's Newspaper |
The unseen can be the most beautiful: ...exhibition by architect Charis Solomou, under the name "Unseen Views"...architectural photography, striving to find alternative ways in which a city can be described. His photographs allow concealed characteristics and particularities of the urban experience to become apparent through the photographic lens. Zampelas Art Museum, Nicosia, Cyprus, thru February 28 -- Cyprus Architects Association- Cyprus Mail |
Aaron Betsky: Good Architects Steal, Bad Architects Copy Themselves: A recent book by the Why Factory in Delft shows you how and why to copy and paste architecture: "Copy Paste: The Badass Architectural Copy Guide" - ...essays on the how as well as the whether to “sample” (to put it politely) in architecture...a wonderful and useful compendium...images are at times amusing, at times revealing, and at times embarrassing when you realize how much architects copy...it gives us justifications for stealing and...a how-to manual on intelligent plagiarism. [images]- Architect Magazine |
Oliver Wainwright: "Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures" by Roma Agrawal - the secret lives of structures: A chatty unravelling of surprising stories behind our built environment by the engineer and campaigner for women in engineering: ...she weaves accessible explanations of scientific principles together with engaging historical stories and personal anecdotes...A section devoted to her idol, Emily Warren Roebling, the under-celebrated engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is particularly heartfelt. That Roebling’s profession remains so male-dominated, more than a century after her death, is something this timely and impassioned book will hopefully help to change.- Guardian (UK) |
ANN feature: Ashley Lovell: From Warehouse to Wired Green Workspace: The Alliance Center in Denver, designed by Gensler for the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, offers a model for how aging buildings can be transformed into thriving, sustainability-focused, collaborative workspaces. [images]- ArchNewsNow.com |
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