Today’s News - Thursday, July 25, 2019

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tomorrow and Monday will be no-newsletter days. We'll be back Tuesday, July 30.

●  ANN feature: Duo Dickinson: Lesson Plan #2: A Time of Change: The coming technological changes in architecture will impose a full deconstruction of the way we educate architects, the second in our series on architectural education curated by Salingaros.

●  Crosbie pens an eloquent tribute to Pelli, "a nurturing gardener-practitioner - my sustaining memories are of his deep humility and humanity. His architecture was an expression of his kindness."

●  Haar talks to Clarke re: "their decades together on the first workday at the firm after Pelli's death - a picture emerges not of international glitz, but rather, of an unassuming giant, a consummate collaborator who neither shunned nor sought the limelight."

●  RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance: "Boris Johnson has a mammoth task on his hands as soon as he enters No.10. Brexit, climate change and ensuring the U.K. has a safer, high-quality built environment must be priorities."

●  Gallagher reflects on Detroit Planning Director Cox's impact on Motor City as he gets ready to head to a similar role in Chicago: "Detroit is losing its most consequential planning director for decades past" who "promoted a vision of walkable neighborhoods. But not everyone was a fan."

●  Kamin: "How can architects change their image as self-indulgent aesthetes?" Chicago's Disruptive Design Competition for affordable housing "offers an answer" - the winning design is a "useful addition to the urban planner's tool box, and of far greater social utility than the soulless flash of Hudson Yards or the silly schemes for rebuilding Notre Dame" ("self-inflicted wounds" and architects as "ambulance chasers" - ouch!).

●  King cheers San Francisco's newest tower by OMA & Fougeron: "What's clear is that the Avery doesn't want to be just another glass box - and that's a very good thing" - it's "nuanced urbanism - modern in looks but with an old-school desire to make passersby feel at home."

●  Firshein has a fine time exploring the new TWA Hotel at JFK: "Aviation and design geeks and preservation advocacy groups have been waiting for decades to see Saarinen's winged creature take flight again" - it "offers an excerpted version of history - fresh-and-cool this, fresh-and-cool that."

●  Keh reports that a preservation easement has secured the future of Eliot Noyes' 1954 family home in New Canaan, Connecticut, a town "considered a hotbed of design" that "stems back to the arrival of the so-called Harvard Five."

●  Anticipating Australia's National Tree Day on Sunday, Aliento explains "why some people hate trees and 5 ways to love them - many Australians simply don't like them. Ignorance is one reason."

●  One we couldn't resist: Kolson Hurley parses how an NRA ad and an Infowars video use avant-garde buildings as "potent symbols of liberal decadence - both bear the same message about modern architecture: It is the province of the liberal urban elite, and that it stands for oppression."

Weekend diversions:

●  Russell sees a glimpse of "our post-consumption future" at the "Nature: Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial" - a "sweeping exhibition" that "celebrates ambitious collaborations by teams of designers and scientists - we can't afford to think of nature as the implacable foe that must be civilized."

●  Pownall cheers the Tate Modern's "Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life" that presents 30 years of his work and "prompts visitors to think about their impact on the planet."

●  Sayer sees the Eliasson retrospective as "a bonanza of flashy environmental art - he is best at creating stuff that's fun, as squeals of delight from around the corner forewarn us of" - not everything "dazzles," but "for the moments of genuine playfulness and engagement, the show is well worth it."

●  Keh brings us eyefuls of Rockwell Lab's "Lawn" at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., "a sprawling and sloping green space, right in the heart of the museum's iconic atrium."

●  Summer shows at The Shed at Hudson Yards "take an eclectic look at the built environment."

Page-turners:

●  A Q&A excerpted from Tenenbaum's "Your Guide to Downtown Denise Scott Brown": "I have been a circus horse rider between architecture and urbanism most of my life. But reining together animals that have been tugging apart over five decades has made for a bumpy ride."

●  Gardner's Q&A with Maughan re: "Infinite Detail," the "dystopian novel that explains what's wrong with real smart cities. He finds an ingenious and plausible way to bring the world as we know it to an end: Someone breaks the internet."

●  Moore's Q&A with Meuser re: "Zoo Buildings: Construction and Design Manual," and "what zoo design reveals about human attitudes to nature" and "the balance between science and slick branding."

●  Stathaki cheers "Claude Parent: Visionary Architect": The "new, carefully edited tome celebrates his life and contribution - his vision is nowhere clearer than in his beautiful and thought provoking drawings" (also features contributions by the likes of Gehry, Nouvel, Decq, etc.).

●  Edelson, Medina, Rogers & Sgambati round up "a fresh batch of 19 exciting texts on architecture and design, past and present - a testament to the design world's expansive purview and deep history - there's truly something for everyone here."

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To subscribe to the free daily newsletter click here ANN feature: Duo Dickinson: Lesson Plan #2: A Time of Change: The coming technological changes in architecture will impose a full deconstruction of the way we educate architects.- ArchNewsNow.com Michael J. Crosbie: Cesar Pelli: The Architect as Gardener: A tribute to the architect, educator and collaborative visionary: I have written about Pelli and his work for 25-plus years, and my sustaining memories are of his deep humility and humanity...[His] architecture was an expression of his kindness...acute awareness of the places for which he designed is best understood as that of an architect who operated more as a gardener...generosity of spirit is no doubt part of the reason that many of the architects at Pelli Clarke Pelli have tenures of 25 years or more...the product of Pelli’s years as a nurturing gardener-practitioner. -- Eero Saarinen; Gruen Associates- Common Edge Dan Haar: Pelli’s 50-year collaborator recalls a humble giant: ...refined and defined a modernist urban explosion around the world...Fred W. Clarke recalled their decades together on the first workday at the firm after Pelli’s death, a picture emerges not of international glitz and a builder’s Robert Moses-like power and influence, but rather, of an unassuming giant, a consummate collaborator who neither shunned nor sought the limelight...Only when I asked about his own role, did Clarke say, “Will I be more the César of the office? I’ve never wanted to be that, it’s never been my goal..." -- Cesar Pelli & Associates; Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects- The Middletown Press (New Haven, Connecticut) RIBA reacts to new Prime Minister: RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance: "Boris Johnson has a mammoth task on his hands as soon as he enters No.10. Brexit, climate change and ensuring the UK has a safer, high-quality built environment must be priorities."- Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) John Gallagher: Maurice Cox...resigning as of September: With Detroit Planning Director...leaving the Motor City soon for a similar role in Chicago, Detroit is losing its most consequential planning director for decades past....[he] boosted the city's planning staff from six to 36 and churned out plans and projects...He could be controversial...Neighborhood activists sometimes said Cox and his team moved too fast for the comfort of residents...promoted a vision of walkable neighborhoods...produced an impressive body of work. But not everyone was a fan...whether his departure interrupts the flow of planning work in the city remains to be seen.- Detroit Free Press Blair Kamin: How can architects change their image as self-indulgent aesthetes? A Chicago affordable housing design contest offers an answer: It’s been a bad year for architects, a year of self-inflicted wounds...Against this backdrop of excess and self-indulgence, it was refreshing to see a Chicago design competition...that put a premium on the old virtues of modesty and economy...will build two examples of the winning entry...It’s going to be fascinating - or frustrating - to see if the concept survives...the design is promising because it follows architectural convention rather than straining to make an individual statement...well-suited to the changing circumstances of modern life...useful addition to the urban planner’s tool box, and of far greater social utility than the soulless flash of Hudson Yards or the silly schemes for rebuilding Notre Dame.-- Greg Tamborino/Perkins+Will; Joel Huffman- Chicago Tribune John King: Chiseled glass tower offers window into SF’s contradictions: ...the Avery embodies the grand, often clashing ambitions of today’s San Francisco...As for the architecture and its icy sheen, you can’t help but wonder whether the high-rise was designed to fit a marketing niche or an actual location. What’s clear is that it doesn’t want to be just another glass box - and that’s a very good thing...nuanced urbanism - modern in looks but with an old-school desire to make passersby feel at home. -- OMA/Office for Metropolitan Architecture; Fougeron Architecture- San Francisco Chronicle Sarah Firshein: Preserving an icon: Rarely does a hotel launch drum up so much fanfare, but then again, the TWA Hotel isn’t any old project: ...Eero Saarinen’s soaring Jet Age terminal at JFK Airport...Aviation and design geeks and preservation advocacy groups...have been waiting for decades to see Saarinen’s winged creature...take flight again...there was talk of demolishing TWA Flight Center, but Port Authority was eventually dissuaded of that rather unpopular idea...offers an excerpted version of history - fresh-and-cool this, fresh-and-cool that. -- Adam Rolston/INC Architecture & Design; Richard Southwick/Beyer Blinder Belle; Anne Marie Lubrano/Lea Ciavarra/Lubrano Ciavarra Architects; Sara Duffy/Stonehill Taylor- Curbed New York Pei-Ru Keh: Preservation easement secures the future of Eliot Noyes’ 1954 family home: ...New Canaan, Connecticut, is considered a hotbed of design...This reputation stems back to the arrival of the so-called Harvard Five...who settled there together in the mid-1940s...the Noyes’ family (who still own the house) has ensured that the legacy and original design intent of the home will be loyally protected and preserved through future ownerships.- Wallpaper* Willow Aliento: Why some people hate trees and 5 ways to love them: It’s National Tree Day on Sunday, 28 July. This will probably cause some people a degree of annoyance because, despite the proven benefits of trees for cooling shade, biodiversity, amenity and human wellbeing, many Australians simply don’t like them. Ignorance is one reason.- The Fifth Estate (Australia) Amanda Kolson Hurley: Why Is the Alt-Right So Angry About Architecture? Conservatives have long opposed Modernism, but in the video age, avant-garde buildings can become potent symbols...: ...Infowars posted a 15-minute-long video titled “Why modern architecture SUCKS.” This foray into design criticism...comes on the heels of another video that turns well-known works of architecture into symbols of liberal decadence...NRA/National Rifle Association’s “clenched fist” ad, which critics have called “chilling” and “an open call to violence"...both bear the same message about modern architecture: It is the province of the liberal urban elite, and that it stands for oppression.- CityLab (formerly The Atlantic Cities) James S. Russell: Glimpsing Our Post-Consumption Future at the Cooper Hewitt: “Nature: Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial" envisions the possibilities for algae, yeast and other nonpolluting materials. Will they help save the planet? ...sweeping exhibition...On display...are objects you might once have expected only at a science museum...celebrates ambitious collaborations by teams of designers and scientists...positing no less than a new relationship between the human and the natural...illuminating how environmental challenges are scrambling the roles of designers, scientists...we can’t afford to think of nature as the implacable foe that must be civilized... thru January 20, 2020- New York Times Augusta Pownall: "Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life" encourages visitors to engage with climate change: Three decades of work by the Danish-Icelandic artist...including an indoor rainbow and a tunnel of fog prompt visitors to London's Tate Modern to think about their impact on the planet...brings together nearly 40 works, most of which haven't been seen in the UK before...Created environments, and our response to and impact on them, are explored... Tate Modern, London, thru January 5, 2020- Dezeen Jason Sayer: The Tate Modern's Olafur Eliasson retrospective is a bonanza of flashy environmental art: "Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life"...pulls together 38 works dating back to 1990 through to today. While none are as exhilarating as the 2003 show, however, he is still able to able to tantalize the senses...[he] is best at, creating stuff that’s fun...as squeals of delight from around the corner forewarn us of...doesn’t dazzle with every turn, but for the moments of genuine playfulness and engagement, the show is well worth it. thru January 5, 2020- The Architect's Newspaper Pei-Ru Keh: Rockwell Lab goes green for summer at National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.: ...latest Summer Block Party installation..."Lawn," a sprawling and sloping green space, right in the heart of the museum’s iconic atrium. thru September 2 [images]- Wallpaper* The summer shows at the Shed take an eclectic look at the built environment: The Shed at Hudson Yards, the new inflatable arts venue on the western edge of Manhattan, has assembled a varied group of visual art exhibitions..."Open Call: Group 2" and "Collision/Coalition"...boast new artworks centered on the built world. thru August 25- The Architect's Newspaper Denise Scott Brown & Jeremy Eric Tenenbaum: Scott Brown reflects on balancing architecture and urbanism: ,,,interview excerpted from "Your Guide to Downtown Denise Scott Brown": I have been a circus horse rider between architecture and urbanism most of my life. But reining together animals that have been tugging apart over five decades has made for a bumpy ride.- The Architect's Newspaper Lee Gardner: The Dystopian Novel That Explains What's Wrong With Real Smart Cities: In the fictional dystopia of Tim Maughan’s "Infinite Detail," our dependence on urban technology has been suddenly severed: ...[he] finds an ingenious and plausible way to bring the world as we know it to an end: Someone breaks the internet....Q&A re: the limitations of smart city thinking, graffiti culture in Bristol, U.K...."a lot of the smart-city stuff views cities as a problem that needs to be solved...The idea that a top-down solution can be dropped onto every city is really dangerous."- CityLab (formerly The Atlantic Cities) Taylor Moore: What Zoo Design Reveals About Human Attitudes to Nature: Natascha Meuser describes zoo architecture as a “masquerade” that borrows from museums, prisons, and theaters: Frustrated at the lack of unified literature on zoo design, Meuser...wrote the book she wanted to read. "Zoo Buildings: Construction and Design Manual"...chronicles the evolution of the modern zoo...Q&A re: the connection between zoo architecture and the natural environment, the balance between science and slick branding... -- Bernard Tschumi/Véronique Descharrières; Foster + Partners- CityLab (formerly The Atlantic Cities) Ellie Stathaki: The wall-free architecture of Claude Parent: A new, carefully edited tome celebrates the life and contribution of the French architect, who passed away in 2016: [His] vision is nowhere clearer than in his beautiful and thought provoking drawings..."Claude Parent: Visionary Architect"...Bringing together early sketches of later realised buildings and theoretical drawings...It also has never-seen-before visuals that further explore the architect’s philosophy and approach. -- Chloe Parent; Donatien Grau, Pascale Blin, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Odile Decq, Wolf D. Prix, Frédéric Migayrou, Azzedine Alaïa- Wallpaper* Zachary Edelson, Samuel Medina, Laurel Rogers & Joseph P. Sgambati III: 19 New Architecture and Design Books For This Summer: a fresh batch of exciting texts on architecture and design, past and present: ...our selection is a testament to the design world’s expansive purview and deep history: from Modernist tapestries and the architecture of trees to space-station design, there’s truly something for everyone here.- Metropolis Magazine

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