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10 libraries, schools, and learning environments we liked this week

2024-04-13T08:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Fariborz Maseeh Hall at Portland State University in Portland, OR, by Hacker Architects; Photo: Pete Eckert

↑ Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in New York, NY, by Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners; Photo: Max Touhey

↑ The Wizard of Oz | KINCANG Modern Pre-School in Shaoxing, China, by LYCS Architecture

↑ Flathead Valley Community College, Wachholz College Center in Kalispell, MT, by Cushing Terrell; Photo: Longview Studios

↑ Greenwich Village School Green Roof—PS41 in New York, NY, by MBB Architects; Photo: Charles de Vaivre

↑ Pinghe Bibliotheater in Shanghai, China, by OPEN Architecture

↑ Hi...

Paul Revere Williams-designed Blind Children's Center is getting remodeled for a new century of service in Los Angeles

2024-02-06T15:02:00-05:00

A renovation of the historic Paul Revere Williams-designed Blind Children’s Center (BCC) is underway in Los Angeles. The 80-year-old structure that preceded Williams’s seminal St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and other hospital designs in Southern California by twenty years is now being remodeled and modernized to match the expanded needs of the BCC community for a new century.

Williams had been living in his now landmarked first residence in Jefferson Park at the time of his commissioning for the project. His design gave the nonprofit its first permanent home during a period of rampant discrimination, thus serving as a built testament to inclusivity.

The facility in July 2022. Image courtesy of the Blind Children's Center (BCC)

Now, with support from the Ahmanson, W. M. Keck and Rose Hills Foundations, the BCC’s b...

A flexible Japanese nursery school that functions like a village

2023-06-07T15:12:00-04:00

Takeru Shoji Architects has designed a nursery school in Niigata, Japan, that forms a seamless connection between its rooms, the building, and the surrounding area. Called The Center for Early Childhood Education and Care, the school is dedicated to the principles of engaging “naturally with nature.”

Image © Koji Fujii (toreal)

The single-story wooden building was designed to establish a mutual relationship between it and the surrounding village, in which the village is involved in the children’s learning and play, and the nursery functions to revitalize the village.

Image © Koji Fujii (toreal)

A series of workshops, including childcare researchers and workers, parents, and local residents, was conducted to discuss the potential of hosting a school that would serve an area with an aging population and declining birthrate. The participants decided on a vision to create the nursery school to work like a village and for the village to function like a nursery ...

New Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance building is completed behind a playful stone facade

2023-06-01T11:43:00-04:00

Construction has been completed on the new Ari Kushner Building at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Designed by Tel Aviv-based HQ Architects and New York's HWKN Architecture, the scheme is housed in what the team calls an “elegant, playful, stone facade” to bring a “sense of unity and a contemporary, welcoming identity” to the academy’s campus.

Image credit: Dor Kedmi

The 27,000-square-foot cultural building houses new choreography, jazz studios, vocal and opera studios as well as a 115-seat music recital hall, equipping the campus with a central performance venue that it previously lacked. Externally, the development is defined by a “curiosity-generating” facade that extends in front of both the existing building and the new addition, constructed of unfinished Jerusalem stone blocks turned 45 degrees on their side.

Image credit: Dor Kedmi

“It balances the geometric order, natural materiality, and intentional imperfection all in a...

A duo of school designs helps Berliner Architects stand out at the 2021 WUF Design Awards

2021-07-16T08:30:00-04:00

Two Los Angeles-area school projects by Berliner Architects have been recognized by the Westside Urban Forum’s annual Design Awards.

The Culver City-based studio was honored for its designs of an after-school community center and a new charter school campus in the city’s Crenshaw neighborhood.

Schools and related community organizations have been looking to architects more and more for community-centered designs that have taken on a newfound importance during the pandemic era.

Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Arts and Recreation Center by Berliner Architects. Photo: Tom Bonner.

Berliner’s Merit Award-winning design for a non-profit called the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Arts and Recreation Center arranged 46 prefabricated shipping containers into a hangar-style pavilion space that will eventually house an LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra program. The project was noted for its ability to integrate the 31,000-square-foot complex of classrooms, offices, and ensemble areas into the adjace...

10 libraries and reading spaces we liked this week

2021-03-26T14:41:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ The Church in Sag Harbor, NY by SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership

↑ The Grolier Club in New York, NY by Ann Beha Architects; Photo: Michael Moran

↑ Cruzen-Murray Academic Library, College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID by Richärd Kennedy Architects; Associate Architect: McKibben + Cooper; Photo: Gabe Border Photography

↑ NLL Children's Library in Riga, Latvia by GAISS; Illustrations: Rūta Briede; Photo: Ansis Starks

↑ Earl G. Graves School of Business & Management in Baltimore, MD by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF); Architect of Record: Ayers Saint Gross; Photo: Tim Griffith

↑ <OOZOORO 1216> : Tween Section...

Herzog & de Meuron's shopping center development in Basel will be topped with a middle school

2020-10-08T15:38:00-04:00

After winning the competition for a massive urban redevelopment project in their hometown of Basel in 2017, Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron now released updated material that shows a more refined and detailed concept.

The Dreispitz Nord scheme seeks to transform a former customs depot into a mixed-use urban district, expanding the reach of downtown Basel.

Image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron.

"The urban proposal for Dreispitz Nord is based on what would seem to be the paradoxical aim of developing and increasing density, while simultaneously creating large, public green spaces," explains a statement put out by the architects.

"Density is achieved by three high-rise towers and an open perimeter block of individual, tightly spaced mid-rise buildings. This block frames a publicly accessible park in contrast to the perimeter blocks in Gundeldingen with their primarily private inner courtyards."

Image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron.

One of the key features to achieve useful densifica...

10 libraries, schools, and learning environments for your Friday inspiration

2020-04-17T15:18:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

↑ Royal College of Pathologists in London, UK by Bennetts Associates; Photo: Gareth Gardner (Bennetts Associates was also recently featured in Archinect's Studio Visits series)

↑ Bavilion in Punjab, India by Studio Ardete; Photo: Ar. Purnesh Dev Nikhanj

↑ Brooklyn Law School in Brooklyn, NY by BKSK Architects, LLP in partnership with SmithGroup; Photo: Raimund Koch

↑ Edible Schoolyard PS216 in Gravesend, NY by WORKac; Photo: Iwan Baan

↑ The Children's Library at Concourse House in Bronx, NY by MKCA // Michael K Chen Architecture

↑ Swawou Girls' School in Kenema, Sierra Leone by Orkidstudio

↑ Bishop’s University Learn...

10 academic architecture projects in Boston we liked this month by architects based in Boston

2020-03-24T18:53:00-04:00

Hardly any other American city is as closely associated with higher education as Boston, with some of its universities making frequent appearances in Archinect's academia-related news coverage.

As part of our month-long editorial Spotlight on Boston, why not take a look at ten standout architecture projects for institutions of higher learning and K12 schools in the greater Boston area? All selections were picked from projects uploaded to Firm profiles of practices based in the city.

Searching for architectural jobs in the region? Check out these firms that are currently hiring in the city and catch up also with our latest curated job picks specifically for Boston.

If you missed our recent regional project roundups, head over to Miami, Austin, Los Angeles, and, most recently, residential projects in Boston.

↑ New England Conservatory Student Life and Performance Center in Boston by Ann Beha Architects (Design Architect) with Gensler (Associate Architect); Photo: Peter Vanderwarker

...

The Heights: BIG and Leo A Daly complete terraced school building for creative learning in Arlington

2019-10-30T14:20:00-04:00

Stacked onto a compact site along Arlington's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Virginia, The Heights by BIG and executive architect LEO A DALY is a new 180,000 square-foot academic building that brings two existing secondary schools under one roof. The Heights is BIG's first U.S. public school — and their fourth school project to be completed within the last academic year.

The Danish firm worked with Arlington Public Schools (APS), WRAP (West Rosslyn Area Plan), and the local Arlington community on the building's design, which supports H-B Woodlawn Program's visual and performing arts-focused programs as well as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program's resources for students aged 11 to 22 with specialized educational needs.

Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu.

Designed to accommodate up to 775 students, the cascading, glazed-brick building comprises five rectangular classroom "bars" that fan out from a central axis point. Above each floor is a green ter...

Henning Larsen builds a colorfully sustainable school in urban Hong Kong

2018-10-22T16:28:00-04:00

“With its wide array of sustainable measures, ranging from the choice of materials, to the many passive designs to economize energy and ensure great daylight, to the way the school is able to share spaces with the surrounding community, the new campus of FIS offers lessons in sustainable architecture for pupils and local builders. - Claude Godefroy, Design Director and partner at Henning Larson Hong Kong

Hong Kong's seven million residents and bustling urban city is filled with looming concrete buildings and dense streets. However, the new campus of the French International School shines amongst the congested cityscape.

Image © Philippe Ruault

Finding green space is difficult in such an urban environment like Hong Kong. Danish architecture firm Henning Larsen has taken the 215,278 square foot space and creates a visually captivating school which is designed to foster a rich academic environment while featuring cost-effective sustainable designs.

Image © Philippe Ruault

The entrancingly designed facade functions both as a charming and inviting exterior while allowing for the building to adapt to natural daylight. The clever use of sunlight was another feature designers of the building spent much time on. Classrooms were positioned facing north or south allowing for sunlight to enter in a generous and balanced way. The specific orientation of windows helped avoid...

10 inspiring examples of schools, libraries, and other learning environments

2018-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

↑ Stapleton Library in Stapleton, NY by Andrew Berman Architect; Photo: Naho Kubota

↑ Queen Mary, University of London: Graduate Centre in London, UK by WilkinsonEyre; Photo: Jack Hobhouse

↑ Alfriston School in Buckinghamshire, UK by Morris+Company

↑ Mississippi Library Commission Headquarters in Jackson, MS by Duvall Decker Architects

↑ New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ by Marvel Architects

↑ Rutgers Business School in Piscataway, NJ by TEN arquitectos; Photo: Peter Aaron/ESTO

↑ Abercrombie Building, Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, UK by Design Engine Architects

↑ Counter Culture Coffee Trainin...

First building awarded the Stirling Prize now slated for a primary school

2018-08-31T18:06:00-04:00

The first building to win the RIBA Stirling Prize – Hodder Associates’ Centenary Building for the University of Salford – could be converted into a new primary school. The plans for the currently empty 23-year-old building form part of 5plus Architects’ emerging 99ha development framework for the university’s existing campus and surrounding area.

Hodder + Partners's Centenary Building for the University of Salford was the first to be awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize back in 1996. Originally designed to be the School of Electrical Engineering, during construction plans changed for the building to house the Faculty of Art and Design Technology. Now, according to a consultation document, the structure is slated for reuse as an entry primary school.

Zaha Hadid Architects: a robot will help build the vaults of Lushan Primary School

2018-04-19T16:07:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects just revealed a design proposal for Lushan Primary School, a new learning center for 120 children from 12 local villages in a remote rural area of Jiangxi Province, China. The campus is designed as a network of intersecting barrel and parabolic vaults that accommodate various school, housing, and utility spaces.

Image courtesy of ZHA.

From the project description: "The school’s curriculum is a synthesis of Chinese and international academic systems; combining an education in the creative arts with a comprehensive syllabus of STEM subjects that also includes advanced internet-based learning technologies. Visiting teachers and artists will make the school a focus for the community it serves."

Rendering by VA. Image courtesy of ZHA.

"Surrounded by mountains as well as the rivers and lakes fed by the Zhelin Reservoir, the school is within an agricultural region that also has a rich tradition in the production of ceramics. [...] The campus includes the school, dormito...

Knowledge spaces: 10 school, library, and museum designs that make learning fun

2017-10-20T12:52:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

↑ Learning Hub for St Andrew’s Anglican College in Sunshine Coast, Australia by Wilson Architects; Photo: Christopher Frederick Jones

↑ SUNY: Morrisville State College: Center for Design and Technology in Morrisville, NY by Perkins Eastman; Photo: David Revette

↑ Stanford University, GSB Highland Hall in Stanford, CA by Steinberg and Legorreta

↑ Burntwood School in London, UK by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)

↑ The French International School of Beijing (LFIP) in Beijing, China by Jacques Ferrier Architecture; Photo: Luc Boegly

↑ Toi Ohomai Health Sciences Building in Rotorua, New Zealand by MOAA Architects in...

WW+P-Designed School Opens in Cambodia

2017-06-02T01:03:00-04:00

A new school in rural Cambodia, designed and built pro-bono by Weston Williamson + Partners officially opens on June 1, International Children’s Day.

WW+P worked with Engenuiti, Integration and Building Trust International to design a building which was flexible and adaptable to meet current and future needs. It comprises three additional classrooms, a library and a covered external classroom with a sunken play area, which doubles as a small amphitheatre.

Until now the school in Khyaung village, 40km north east of Phnom Penh City, has catered for 359 pupils aged 3-17 in two old buildings. The lack of accommodation has meant that children travelling from six surrounding villages to this, the area’s only school catering for children up to secondary age, had to attend in shifts, part-time.

From February to April this year, a team of designers from WW+P’s London studio led by architect Abul Mahdi, assisted the local farming community with the construction on a two-week rotation. The tea...

Which news stories defined architecture education in 2016?

2016-12-15T12:33:00-05:00

In education and academia news, 2016 had its fair share of architecture's everlasting debate over Theory v. Practice, while also making a big move towards improving students' rights. Check out our most significant News stories from the world of architecture school in 2016:

Peter Zellner to launch the Free School of Architecture, a tuition-free, experimental architecture school

The FSA is a tuition-free post-graduate school in Los Angeles, to be launched in 2017. While free, the school won't be accredited, nor based in a static location, and also be capped at 48 students by 2020 – characteristics that commentators were critical of, for concern it could turn into a pure ideas salon. Zellner aligned the school with the radical pedagogical departures taken by Ray Kappe at SCI-Arc and Peter Eisenman at the IAUS.

Following a landmark decision, graduate students will now be able to unionize

The decision overturned a 2004 precedent set by the National Labor Relations Board, that determined stud...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's NEW "Learning Spaces" Pinterest Board

2016-10-21T17:37:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the brand new board Learning Spaces.

↑ Energy Positive Relocatable Classroom in Ewa Beach, HI by Anderson Anderson Architecture; Photo: Anthony Vizzari, Anderson Anderson Architecture

↑ Khabele Elementary Expansion in Austin, TX by Derrington Building Studio; Photo: Peter Molick Photography

↑ Eemhuis in Amersfoort, the Netherlands by Neutelings Riedijk Architects; Photo: Scagliola/Brakkee © Neutelings Riedijk Architects

↑ Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, FL by Santiago Calatrava; Photo: Julian Parkinson

↑ Academy of Art & Architecture in Maastricht, the Netherlands by Wiel Arets Architects

↑ Fladängskolan in Lomma, Sweden by Link Arkitekt...

Environmentally-friendly design inspires education at Howe Dell Primary school

2016-08-02T05:06:00-04:00

Howe Dell Primary in Hatfield could well be the UK’s most eco-friendly school. It has toilets that flush using rainwater, sedum roofs made of plants and vegetation, and classroom sink-tops made from recycled yoghurt pots. But the school’s design doesn’t just help protect the environment, it also uses nature to improve children’s academic performance and behaviour.

Howe Dell Primary’s £10 million, eco-friendly design is used by teachers to promote sustainability to a new generation of pupils. Capita Architects were given free reign to push the limits of sustainable design in the project, which was funded by the council, and that was exactly what they did. The school features solar panels, a wind turbine, and a heating system that uses a series of pipes just below the surface of the school playground for passive gain that is then utilised to heat the school.

This groundbreaking design was awarded ECO Green Flag accreditation (the highest level awarded to sustainable schools in the UK) and places pupils in close proximity to nature. To this end, the design’s wetland area and sedum roofs are used to study birds and the school places sustainability at the core of the curriculum. This learning is even extended to the playground where learning stations allow pupils to examine the habitats of micro-beasts. In this way, the whole building is understood...

Chinese art institute resembles Hogwarts Castle

2014-12-15T14:06:00-05:00

The Hebei Academy of Fine Arts in China’s Hebei Province has constructed a new campus in Xinle City that, rather than resembling local architecture, adheres more to Gothic and European styles. Specifically, it bears a striking resemblance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. [...] But the new building is actually called “Cinderella’s Castle,” and was modeled on structures from medieval Europe. Unfortunately, the building has little to do with Cinderella or Hogwarts.

Previously: Chinese Colleges Are Trying to Look Like the Ivy League

Wright Architecture School Sets Fund-raising Goal for Independence

2014-12-15T13:12:00-05:00

The architecture school run by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation will try to raise $2 million before the end of 2015 to ensure its future as an independent organization, the foundation announced on Monday, having approved a possible path toward the school’s incorporation. [...] The foundation’s board had initially decided not to incorporate the school separately, for fear of losing control over its operations. But objections from school supporters prompted the board to reconsider.

Previously: New Plan for Architecture School at Wright Foundation

Frank Gehry at UTS: a first look inside Dr Chau Chak wing building

2014-11-12T14:05:00-05:00

Architect Frank Gehry courts curves and controversy, and the deputy vice-chancellor of UTS admits to a degree of trepidation. A first look inside reveals whether those fears were justified [...] The city’s first building by the controversial architect is part of a larger $1.1bn masterplan for the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), but is already attracting a lot of attention.

New Plan for Architecture School at Wright Foundation

2014-10-31T15:00:00-04:00

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has approved a possible path toward independent incorporation of its architecture school – providing fund-raising targets are met, Sean Malone, the foundation’s president and chief executive, said in a note sent Wednesday evening to people involved in the school.

Previously: Spiralling Tensions at Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture School

Norwegian artists plan to open art academy in North Korea

2014-08-28T13:20:00-04:00

The North Korean government has approved plans by two Norwegian artists to open an art academy in the country. Henrik Placht and Morten Traavik travelled to North Korea together for the first time in August to flesh out the proposal and to look for potential sponsors. So far they have received financial support from the Prince Claus Fund. [...] “One of the reasons for us going to North Korea is that we don’t believe in sanctions and the boycott of art,” Placht tells The Art Newspaper.

Spiralling Tensions at Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture School

2014-08-27T17:36:00-04:00

The architecture school run by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation on Wednesday criticized a decision by the foundation’s board that will result in the school losing its accreditation. Last week, the Higher Learning Commission, a Chicago-based nonprofit that accredits universities and colleges, told the school it would lose its accreditation in 2017.

Previously: Taliesin faces loss of accreditation, suspends fall enrollment

UPDATE: New Plan for Architecture School at Wright Foundation

Architecture at London’s Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2014

2014-07-11T12:41:00-04:00

Got a day to spend in London this summer? Go and immerse yourself in the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition 2014 which opened to the public last month. The annual event — held every year without interruption since 1769 — prides itself as the world’s largest open submission exhibition. The program aims to provide an international platform for emerging and established artists in various disciplines ranging from painting to printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture and film.

The Summer Exhibition 2014 will be on display until Sunday, August 17.

In Detroit, a Groundbreaking School Comes Back as Condos

2014-06-18T13:39:00-04:00

Due to plummeting enrollment and a troubled district, vacant school buildings—heck, just vacant buildings—are none too rare in Detroit. After 19 years of abandonment, the Nellie Leland School, however, is no longer vacant—it, as abandoned urban buildings are want to do, is back in session as condos. [...] Today, the school is known as Leland Lofts, a set of expansive condos in the Lafayette Park neighborhood near downtown Detroit, where a 1,465-square-foot, one-bedroom loft goes for $175K.

30 Weeks: An Experimental New Design School, Backed By Google

2014-06-10T20:30:00-04:00

Following Apple's success, many companies are finally starting to recognize the crucial role design plays in building a desirable (and profitable) product. Yet very few companies are actually founded and led by designers. Here to change that is 30 Weeks, a new program by a powerhouse team of New York design schools--Parsons, Pratt, School of Visual Arts, and The Cooper Union--in collaboration with the education company Hyper Island and Google.

The 30-week program will operate out of a coworking space in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Twenty students will be invited to participate. The only requirements are that they’re designers 18 or older and have an idea for a product.

Interested? Apply here.

Salvage starts at fire-ravaged Glasgow School of Art

2014-05-29T18:01:00-04:00

The GSA said that retrieving the archives and collections from inside the building was its “first priority”. [...] Firefighters were able to save around 70 per cent of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building’s contents during the blaze. But the famed Mackintosh library, which contained hundreds of rare periodicals and collections, was destroyed, along with countless works of art and the roof of the west wing.

Previously:

UPDATE: Glasgow School of Art fire

2014-05-23T13:23:00-04:00

Today's tragic developing story is the massive fire engulfing the historic Glasgow School of Art building, the masterpiece by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

News updates and tweets (#gsafire) are pouring in left and right, and we'll try to collect the latest developments in this post.

Tweets about "#gsafire"

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The Glasgow School of Art Media Centre tweets a link to this Statement from Muriel Gray, Chair of Board of Governors on fire at the Mack:

"Today is a really black one for the GSA, but I cannot thank the fire brigade enough for the speed with which they came and their commitment to contain and extinguish the fire.

Fortunately there have been no fatalities or injuries.

I am so proud of the sta...