Archinect - News

Hirshhorn ‘Bubble’ risks operating at a loss, internal Smithsonian report says

2013-05-16T13:13:00-04:00

The Hirshhorn Museum’s proposed Seasonal Inflatable Structure, also known as “the Bubble,” a project announced in 2009 and intended as an architecturally and culturally transformative space on the Mall, would operate at a loss in each of three scenarios examined in an assessment done by the Smithsonian.

“We’ve said from the beginning, and the secretary [G. Wayne Clough] has said it, this is a bold project,” said Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for history, art and culture. “We’ve encouraged this, but it has to be raised by private money. In terms of doing that, we’re still trying to raise money for construction of the Inflatable Structure. We’ve been at this for some years. We hope its time has come now, but if not, we look forward to a better time.”

Isotopes v.02 Is An Audiovisual Cage

2013-05-14T20:01:00-04:00

Design studio Nonotak—Noémi Schipfer and Takami Nakamoto—have created an installation, called Isotopes v.02, which is a reaction to the Fukushima nuclear meltdown that happened back in 2011. The piece featured at Geneva's 2013 Mapping Festival and consists of projected light which entices the viewer to investigate further. But, once the unsuspecting visitor has headed towards the light like a moth to the flame, they become trapped in this beguiling maze...

Archinect talks wtih Ivan Blanco, winner of the LA Film Festival Director's Lounge Design Competition

2013-05-14T18:55:00-04:00

Each summer Downtown Los Angeles is home to one of the most creatively-energized film festivals - The Los Angeles Film Festival. This year the festival, hosted by Film Independent, will be taking place from June 13-23. Archinect had the honor to co-host a competition to design the VIP Director's Lounge for this year's event, alongside Film Independent and Designer Pages, with an esteemed jury consisting of director Alexei Tylevich (Logan & Sons/LOGAN); architect Barbara Bestor (Bestor Architecture); actor Nick Offerman; Kimberly Brooks, from Huffington Post Arts; Megan Reilly, from westedge Design Fair; and architect Shawn Gehle (Gensler).

We talked to Ivan Blanco, designer of the competition-winning entry. Ivan heads LA-based multi-disciplinary design studio Blnko Design Labs.

What is your professional background? Where did you study?

Ivan Blanco: My professional background is a bit varied. I went to Architecture school at USC. However, before, during and after that I have ...

A classroom for the 21st century: where are the best places for learning?

2013-05-14T18:21:00-04:00

... how does using a different physical space have an impact on learning? Bosch argued that changing the environment helps teachers and students to break free from old habits: "One of the things you can do is create an environment where you cannot function the same way as you used to. What happens when you go out of the school into a theatre, you have to improvise. When you improvise, you start learning and developing."

INABA Completes Red Bull Music Academy New York

2013-05-13T20:18:00-04:00

Jeffrey Inaba’s firm INABA was commissioned by Red Bull Music Academy to transform four floors of a vacant building in New York's Chelsea neighborhood into a model learning environment. INABA has used dramatic walls and lighting to create unique collaborative work areas in place of the traditional classroom.

Curving walls throughout the 38,000 square foot forum give shape to the distinct spaces. On the ground level the walls extend far into the former warehouse allowing passersby and users unrestricted views across the floor. They reveal a cross section of the types of activity taking place which include performances, private workshops, music production and broadcasting, aimed at making a statement that the space is different in its use from the shops, galleries, and cafés of the area. Below, on the cellar level, the arcing walls of the capsule-shaped lounge are interrupted only to establish long views from the recording studio located at the south end to the open-air patio ...

Flatpack homes offer Dutch first-time buyers chance to get on housing ladder

2013-05-13T18:36:00-04:00

Choosing your dream home has become as simple as picking furniture from the Ikea catalogue for residents of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, where a neighbourhood of affordable architect-designed kit houses has just been launched. Aimed at first-time buyers, the city's "I build affordable in Nijmegen" initiative has paired 20 architects with building companies to produce about 30 designs – from detached timber cabins to redbrick terraced houses – with a construction cost of as little as €115,000.

From 8A Architecten, the archtiects, "8A designed houses for first time buyers for the IbbN-program in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. ‘IbbN’ stands for ‘Ik bouw betaalbaar in Nijmegen’, translated in English as ‘I build affordable in Nijmegen’. This is a special program for first time buyers on the housing market who like to build their own house. With this program everyone with an income between € 30.000,- and € 47.000,- a year, gets a chance to build their own house."

More information about the project can be seen here, at it's dedicated website: www.ikbouwbetaalbaarmet8a.nl

Gold Coast/Northern Rivers Regional Architecture Awards Winners

2013-05-13T17:06:00-04:00

A joint venture between PDT, STH and HASSELL, and a separate project by dm2architecture, have taken top honours in the 30th Australian Institute of Architects’ 2013 Gold Coast/Northern Rivers Regional Architecture Awards.

The Dubai Frame is becoming a reality, to be complete end of 2014

2013-05-13T14:47:00-04:00

Lootah said the project is a complete glass, transparent structure resembling a huge window frame intended to highlight the attractions of the city so visitors can view the skyscrapers on Shaikh Zayed Road from one side — symbolising modern Dubai — while the other side of the frame will show the old Dubai landmarks of Deira, Umm Hurair and Karama. “The electrical panoramic elevators will help visitors move through its facilities as if they are moving in the sky inside the glass frame,”

As some of you may remember, when the winner of the ThyssenKrupp Elevator Award was announced 3 years ago, there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding the selected winner. The winning entry, "Dubai Frame" by Fernando Donis of the Netherlands, was a 150m tall structure designed as a literal frame of the city of Dubai.

Well, it appears construction on the monument has begun, with a completion date estimated for the end of next year.

Click here to read the 3-year old news article announcing the winner, with the flood of reader comments.

MoMA pulls back from original plan to destroy award-winning American Folk Art Museum building

2013-05-11T22:08:00-04:00

Thursday, MoMA director Glenn D. Lowry sent a memo to MoMA's trustees and staff announcing the museum had retained Diller Scofidio + Renfro to "work with us to design a plan that will integrate the Museum's current building with the property of the American Folk Art Museum. . . . We readily agreed to consider a range of options, and look forward to seeing their results."

A statement from Diller Scofidio + Renfro said the design firm would explore all possibilities, "which include, but are not limited to, integrating the former American Folk Art Museum building, designed by our friends and admired colleagues, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien."

"My sense is they will try to save at least some of it. I can't imagine good designers destroying a great building for no good reason," said Quilian Riano, acting professor of design at Parsons The New School.

Riano helped lead a digital battle to offer MoMA "alternative visions" to destroying the 12-year-old building that swept world arch...

Recap: The New Museum’s Ideas City Festival By William Hanley

2013-05-10T03:02:00-04:00

At the Ideas City street fair: An installation made from discarded styrofoam by Terreform ONE rises in front of Raumlabor's Spacebuster, a mobile inflatable pavilion comissioned by the Storefront for Art and Architecture.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Announces 2013 National Design Awards Winners

2013-05-09T17:08:00-04:00

Winners of the 2013 National Design Awards, selected from a variety of disciplines, were unveiled today by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City.

Gaetano Pesce retrospective opens in NYC

2013-05-09T11:28:00-04:00

Pesce hasn’t had a comprehensive solo show in his adopted hometown since a 1999 exhibit tucked away at Columbia University’s School of Architecture. “He’s a legend and a New Yorker, so that tragedy needed to be corrected,” said Steven Learner, the creative director of the new Collective.1 Design Fair, where Pesce’s retrospective opened today.

For more information on the Collective .1 Design Fair, click here.

Libeskind's design selected for Columbus Holocaust memorial

2013-05-08T17:58:00-04:00

The specially appointed Holocaust Memorial Artist Selection Committee overwhelmingly favored Daniel Libeskind’s design for an 18-foot tall brushed stainless-steel memorial accompanied by a 40-foot walkway and memorial words etched in limestone.

After a daylong meeting in which the panel heard extensive presentations from all three artists, Richard H. Finan, chairman of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, which will make the final decision on the design, strongly opposed Libeskind’s proposal. He said a memorial with a Jewish religious symbol would immediately open the state to legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations because of the separation of church and state.

Parabola Chair Wins 2013 ICFF Studio Award

2013-05-08T15:27:00-04:00

Los Angeles-based architect and product designer Carlo Aiello has shared with us his Parabola Chair design which recently won him the prestigious International Contemporary Furniture Fair Studio Award. The chair will be exhibited during the upcoming ICFF, May 18-21 in New York, and is currently on display at Bergdorf Goodman windows.

Richard Meier Reflects on His Last 50 Years, With Retrospective Opening in Italy

2013-05-08T12:39:00-04:00

I’m very happy to see all the works on display, and we’re busier now than we were then. We’re looking at things that we’re doing in the future. I think it’s good to be able to share so much of the work we have done that people wouldn’t otherwise come in contact with it. The exhibitions are good in that respect. We have all this stuff. Why keep it in the office? Send it out.

Thresholds - Issue 41, now available online

2013-05-07T18:02:00-04:00

What actions are prompted by revolution in the space of the city? Which publics take part in this struggle, and who are the agents that mobilize it? And after a revolution has subsided, how is it remembered, represented and memorialized? thresholds 41: REVOLUTION! turns to the history, design, and cultural production of the public realm as a site of dissensus...

Kickstart this! Archinect's Kickstarter picks for May 2013

2013-05-03T20:21:00-04:00

It's been a while since we rounded up our selections from Archinect's curated Kickstarter page... so here we go...

STEAM Carnival
by Two Bit Circus
The carnival reimagined with robots, fire, and lasers to inspire young inventors in science, technology, engineering, art, and math

Siteseekr! Experience sites through the eyes of architects.
by Linda Feinberg
An exciting new resource for tourists, enthusiasts of architecture and design, historians, students & more!

PARKING LOT PROJECT-an OLD building made into cool NEW stuff
by Architecture for Humanity-Denver
We're repurposing old building parts into a much needed Outdoor Classroom and cool rewards so you can have a piece of it too!

From Sea To Shining Sea
by Evan Mather
Feature length time-lapse video and audio collage of the USA's diverse physical landscape via the interstate highway system.

The D*Table - Dynamic Living
by The D*Haus Company Limited
The D*Table, 8 tables in 1 but infinite possibilit...

Staples announces they will be the first major U.S. retailer to sell 3D Printers

2013-05-03T13:33:00-04:00

Staples, the world’s largest office products company and second largest e-commerce company, today became the first major U.S. retailer to announce the availability of 3D printers. The Cube® 3D Printer from 3D Systems, a leading global provider of 3D content-to-print solutions, is immediately available on Staples.com for $1299.99 and will be available in a limited number of Staples stores by the end of June.

The Guggenheim online panel discussion, "The Aestheticization of Everyday Life"

2013-05-01T20:16:00-04:00

For the next round of discussion I’d like to shift the subject to the physical environment, posing the question, Is architecture rational?

The conversation, "The Aestheticization of Everyday Life", an installment of the Guggenheim Forum series, is held in conjunction with the Guggenheim's current exhibition, Gutai: Splendid Playground. The panel, moderated by critic and Metropolis contributing editor Karrie Jacobs, examines how precisely controlled design affects our living environments, the products we use, even our experiences themselves. In addition to the panel discussion, the Forum will include a one-hour live chat hosted by Karrie Jacobs with architect and critic Cristina Goberna at 2 pm tomorrow.

"swing" by JerusaLAB Architecture

2013-05-01T13:44:00-04:00

Israeli practice JerusaLAB Architecture has sent us a tiny but mighty project titled simply, swing: a seesaw penetrating the massive concrete border fence between Israel and Palestine.

"The project claims to portray the possibility for peaceful acts in the Israeli Palestinian environment where face to face relationships are absent," designers Elena Mann and Eldar Gantz explain.

"Placing a swing inside a concrete element of the separation wall is an act that requires a blind cooperation and trust. The work suggest a positive romantic view on a conflictual relationship manifested in concrete borderline disorder."

Project Credits:

Architects: Elena Mann & Eldar Gantz
JerusaLAB Architecture, Jerusalem

Elena Mann is an interdisciplinary designer based in London. Eldar Gantz is an architect/artist based in Jerusalem.

Cooper Union Students React

2013-04-30T15:23:00-04:00

Students in the School Architecture, with support of Art and Engineering students respond to Cooper Union Board of Trustees failure to uphold the mission of their school through a collaborative intervention upon the School of Architecture Lobby, a white space famously designed by John Hejduk. The students pinned two written statements upon the walls after completion(below). Until the recently announced decision Copper Union was the only school of Art, Architecture, and Engineering in the country to offer full tuition scholarships to all admitted students, admittance based solely on merit.

Statement #1

This space, the third floor lobby of Cooper Union's Foundation Building, is a sacred space, the heart of the School of Architecture. This is our citadel, our platform to address the world. This lobby is a place where we engage in a dialogue of critique, debate, and the free exchange of ideas. The spirit of this space, a work forged from the toil of many great individuals, has...

Editor's Picks #313

2013-04-30T11:21:00-04:00

SDR complained "The Saratoga Community Center is ‘traditional’ ? Really ? Brickwork with masonry or ceramic trim is no longer a viable architectural material ? What'll be declared dead, next -- the rectangle ?...I don't defend the example above as a work of architecture. I know nothing about it. But it's a surprising contender for 'traditional'--- isn't it ?)".

News
Christopher Gray reviewed John Hill’s book A Guide to Contemporary New York City Architecture, reflected on the current revival of traditional architecture in the United States, and asked Mr. Hill if he has "a bias against the neo-traditional movement?”.

SDR complained "The Saratoga Community Center is ‘traditional’ ? Really ? Brickwork with masonry or ceramic trim is no longer a viable architectural material ? What'll be declared dead, next -- the rectangle ?...I don't defend the example above as a work of architecture. I know nothing about it. But it's a surprising contender for 'traditional'--- isn't it ?)".

observant summarized Mr. Gray’s argument "Ok, so the world is getting tired of peeling Gehry's buildings and the odd cowlicks in Morphosis's buildings, and we're headed back to another swat at post-modern, except that this one is Prairie School revival. I would not have been able to deduce that very easily. It's really watered down. And if the people in the...

Ideas and Inspiration from Ancient Rome

2013-04-30T11:12:00-04:00

In Australia, we tend to think of green building as ‘high tech’ and ‘high spec.’ However, if we take a look at ancient Roman structures, it is clear that green building was on display even then, and without all of the high tech innovations we have available to us in the 21st century.

The Avant/Garde Diaries meets Ole Sondresen for "The Architect’s Ingredients"

2013-04-26T13:52:00-04:00

His office is in the mythical 80 Wooster Street basement studio of George Maciunas – a location long abandoned after its original incarnation as a hive for Fluxus gatherings with artists like Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, and Jonas Mekas. For his first full-realized New York building, Sondersen is designing the offices of crowd-sourced fundraising website Kickstarter.

Q+A w/ Richard Meier on AD

2013-04-25T10:50:00-04:00

One of the real challenges, since we’re working in so many places—Mexico, Japan, Brazil—is understanding variations, both in terms of culture and context. It’s important to understand differences in scale and environment.

Why Is the Museum of Modern Art Dead Set on Perpetrating a Hideous Act of Architecture-cide?

2013-04-18T14:28:00-04:00

Come to think of it, however, here’s another idea for the folk-art-museum building: maybe it should be used to display a small selection of MoMA’s extraordinary collection, so that people can experience some of its great works in a small-scaled space and have a tiny hint of the intimate, enticing museum that MoMA once was.

Crusade commenced to convince MoMA not to demolish American Folk Art Museum

2013-04-18T14:26:00-04:00

Can it be saved? A grassroots crusade to persuade MoMA not to tear down the architecturally significant 12-year-old American Folk Art Museum at 45 W. 53rd St. has erupted, igniting the passion of architects, designers, preservationists and ordinary citizens.

Architects Dream up Alternatives to MoMA’s Tear Down Plan

2013-04-18T14:24:00-04:00

Architects and designers, responding to the news that the Museum of Modern Art intends to demolish a former museum, have some ideas for MoMA.Their concepts, some earnest and others tongue-in-cheek, are being compiled on a tumblr called #FolkMoMA, created to challenge MoMA’s assertion that the former American Folk Art Museum building is not compatible with its expansion plans.

Design Community Responds to Museum of Modern Art Decision on Folk Art Museum

2013-04-18T14:23:00-04:00

Almost as soon as the news broke last week that the Museum of Modern Art planned to demolish the former American Folk Art Museum, a movement emerged to save it. Members of the design community—including the architects who designed the building—are registering their discontent with the decision. More than one petition is now circulating to rescue the Folk Art building as a result.

Campaign to Crowdsource Ideas for Saving American Folk Art Museum Building

2013-04-18T14:21:00-04:00

When news broke this week that the Museum of Modern Art in New York intends on demolishing the former American Folk Art Museum building next door, a cry went up in the architectural and preservationist community. Now, a group of advocates is not only collecting protests to save the building, but also crowdsourcing design ideas for integrating the two adjacent museum structures. Using the hashtag #FolkMoMA, those concerned with the demolition can submit proposals via social media — Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, the usual suspects — with the best to go up on the effort’s Tumblr page.