Archinect - News

Studio Libeskind unveils preliminary design for Tree of Life synagogue shooting memorial in Pittsburgh

2023-12-08T15:16:00-05:00

Preliminary designs for Studio Libeskind’s long-awaited 10/27 Memorial at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh have officially been announced following a sensitive design consultation with families of the victims of the tragic 2018 mass shooting that left eleven worshipers dead and six more injured.

“The journey to unveiling the preliminary memorial designs has been a long and emotional one, but I am grateful for a process that prioritized our hopes that our loved ones are remembered for how they lived, not solely for how they were murdered,” said Diane Rosenthal, a member of the Memorialization Working Group who lost two siblings in the attack, which stands as the deadliest antisemitic hate incident in American history.

A March 2022 rendering of the Tree of Life project depicting the expanded building. Image: Studio Libeskind

The group, which represents all three congregations included within the 70-year-old synagogue, was also able to visit the memorial to passengers of Flight ...

Pittsburgh's Institute for Contemporary Art reveals ZGF-designed expansion at Carnegie Mellon University

2023-11-13T14:13:00-05:00

ZGF Architects has announced plans for an expansion of the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

As part of the design, the soon-to-be-renamed Institute for Contemporary Art Pittsburgh will increase in size by three times its current operating capacity. Located near other important cultural institutions inside of the new Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences at the edge of Carnegie Mellon’s campus on Forbes Avenue, the 29,000-square-foot space serves as an interdisciplinary “advocate for new ideas and an aggregator of communities” in dialogue with the neighboring Carnegie Museum of Art and a growing audience of scholars, students, and faculty.

Image: Atchain, courtesy Carnegie Mellon University

The program calls for a 338,000-square-foot complex of buildings to be divided into two components: a looping wing that contains the ICA and other university spaces, and a set-back tower that will be the new home of the CMU Mellon College of Science ...

Fallingwater gets an offsetting new upgrade

2022-05-27T16:22:00-04:00

Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic 87-year-old Fallingwater historic site is getting a very necessary modern upgrade according to a press release issued last month by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the organization responsible for its stewardship.

In order to supplement sustainability goals tied to the home’s current preservation needs, Fallingwater and the surrounding Bear Run Nature Reserve will now offset a full 100% of the structure’s energy use via a network of 540 individual 5 x 3-foot bifacial solar panels said to produce 254,880 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year. The Conservancy says their installation will offset the overall usage of the broader site by 25% annually.

Image courtesy Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC).

“In designing Fallingwater, Wright sought to create a harmonious relationship between architecture and nature. He was inspired by the natural features of the woodland landscape for the house’s colors, materials and design motifs, and oriented the buildi...

Busy Pittsburgh bridge collapses hours ahead of Biden's speech on infrastructure in the Steel City

2022-01-28T13:56:00-05:00

Ten people were injured Friday morning when a bridge that carries Forbes Avenue over Frick Park in Pittsburgh collapsed, officials said, with six vehicles including a Port Authority bus left stranded in the twisted mess of a bridge that had been listed in poor condition for the past decade.

President Biden is visiting the city today in a pre-planned visit to Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research hub, where, ironically, he is expected to deliver a speech on the dire need for infrastructure investment in Pittsburgh and the rest of the country. The Biden Administration recently added another $27 billion in federal funding earmarked especially for bridges to the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Multiple investigations between 2011 and 2017 revealed the bridge to be in poor condition, according to the Pittburgh Post-Gazette.

“One man told me that the bridge he traveled on every day is a tragedy waiting to happen,” Biden said only a week ago while announcing the additional funding. “One woman wrote that a bridge near the center of her town had to be closed and now drivers and tourists bypass downtown, conjointly devastating local businesses. And one person wrote to me to say, quote, ‘This is your chance to show the people in my area that they matter to you.’ End of q...

Pittsburgh is the latest city to join the dark-sky movement

2021-12-29T19:59:00-05:00

The Pennsylvania city announced in August it will become a dark sky city starting in 2022, meaning that it will switch to lower wattage LED bulbs and add shades along bridges, roads and other public areas. It’s the first city in the eastern part of the U.S. to adopt such policies but it joins other cities, including Tucson, Sedona and Flagstaff in Arizona, and Fulda in Germany, in their efforts to reduce light pollution and increase energy efficiency.

The dark-sky movement officially began in 1988, has produced events such as Earth Hour, and is currently expanding into other U.S. cities such as Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

Light pollution caused by stronger “white” LED fixtures has been shown to cause health and environmental harm along with negatively impacting the circadian rhythm of both humans and animals alike. To date, Pittsburgh has committed $16 million dollars to streetlight projects which will install about 40,000 fixtures in a period of 12–18 months. The city’s push is also beneficial to the reduction of traffic accidents and sense of pedestrian safety, according to Carnegie Mellon professor Diane Turnshek.

“It’s better for the environment, if you change to these low wattage and low color temperature lights,” she told Bloomberg. “It’s better for people’s health, better stars, and just across the board they’re better.”

Daniel Libeskind selected for renovation of Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, site of 2018 mass shooting

2021-05-04T13:25:00-04:00

Daniel Libeskind, an architect known for memorializing historical trauma, will turn the site of 11 deaths back into a home for worship as well as a place to learn about confronting hatred.

In the wake of the October 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left eleven worshipers dead and six more injured, the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation was faced with a long internal discussion about the future of its building. This week, the synagogue's leadership announced the selection of New York architect Daniel Libeskind, a son of Polish Holocaust survivors himself, to lead the renovation effort of the campus.

As the New York Times reports, the initiative will also create classrooms, a communal space, a Hall of Memories dedicated to the 2018 attack as well as spaces for exhibitions and public programs of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.

"We must return," the paper quotes Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life. "If we don’t, we give the message that evil won."

FreelandBuck creates a "three-dimensional drawing" installation for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

2019-11-13T18:54:00-05:00

A new installation created by architects FreelandBuck will be permanently installed in the Museum Lab of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

The installation, titled Overview, is inspired by Renaissance era trompe l'oeil ceilings and features geometries that correspond to those of a historic leaded glass ceiling that was once installed above the room where the "three-dimensional" drawing is currently located.

The installation changes as one moves around it. Image courtesy of Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

The original ceiling was removed as part of a 1970s-era renovation of the historic former Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny building that now houses the museum. Describing the design, Brennan Buck, partner at FreelandBuck, said, "The intricacy of the original ceiling allowed us to create a dense cloud of lines overhead while clearly evoking the ornamental style of the original building."

Corner detail of the installation. Image courtesy of Children's Museum of ...

Is architecture notorious for praising bad design without reprimanding others?

2019-09-30T12:10:00-04:00

Where is architecture missing the mark when it comes to awarding praise to "successful" designs? In a recent piece by Charles Rosenblum from the Pittsburgh City Paper, he expresses concern for the lack of outside architectural critique from organizations like the AIA. "If we don't speak up, we are on track to get more."

Other than visual aesthetics, the notable architecture critic from Pittsburgh highlights the issues with specific organizations praising projects and design proposals that poorly execute a good design. Rosenblum points out variables such as affordability, landscape, traffic, and parking are no longer in the discussion when assessing and awarding projects.

"Why are the designers proposing a kind of building that has been discredited nationally when better design approaches are available? Why does the profession praise its achievers, but not self-police its laggards, hacks, and profiteers?" explains Rosenblum. "No one goes to a restaurant run by nice people if it has b...

Harvard GSD launches digital repository highlighting the work of African American architects and designers

2019-05-31T12:41:00-04:00

The Design Nexus seeks to honor the work of African American designers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds together on a single platform to showcase their craft and the places they work.

The Harvard University Graduate School of Design has launched the African American Design Nexus (AADN), a new virtual collection that highlights African American architects and designers from various generations, practices, and backgrounds.

National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C. Image: Rex Hammock/Flickr

The collection profiles noted African American architects, including Mabel O. Wilson, founder of Studio &, and Paul Revere Williams, as well as specific projects and sites that are designed by African American architects or have played a significant role in African American history. Chronicled sites include the city of Los Angeles, as well as the National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C., which was designed in collaboration between Adjaye Associates, The Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond, SmithGroupJJR, and Perkins + Will. Perkins + Will's August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh is also highlighted in the collecti...

Freeland Buck's alluring ceiling installation draws the public to look up

2019-04-26T14:44:00-04:00

Los Angeles and New York City-based architectural office FreelandBuck expand on their exploration of three-dimensional drawing with their new site-specific installation, Over View. On display at Museum Lab adjacent to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, the ceiling installation is a three-dimensional drawing depicting the site's central lobby of the former Carnegie Library. The 34-foot x 38-foot suspended installation is made of printed textile cut and hung over an aluminum frame. The piece recreates the site's ornamental building accents and former glass ceiling before its renovation in the 1970s. FreelandBuck's design approach for the project was influenced by Renaissance-era trompe l’oeil ceilings.

Brennan Buck, partner at FreelandBuck shares, "The intricacy of the original ceiling, allowed us to create a dense cloud of lines overhead while clearly evoking the ornamental style of the original building." Through the power of depth perspectives Over View creates an illusionary vi...

Preservation groups urge to save Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown-designed postmodern Abrams House from demolition

2018-09-07T15:36:00-04:00

With more and more buildings of the postmodern school regaining media attention—either by entering the realm of heritage protection or by getting contemporary makeovers (essentially taking the Po out of PoMo)—we've now learned about another threatened structure, designed in the late 1970s by Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown (DSB was awarded the 2018 Soane Medal earlier this week).

The Society of Architectural Historians and Docomomo US have issued a joint statement calling for the protection of the Abrams House in Pittsburgh, calling it a "landmark of American architecture" and a "significant example" of American postmodern architecture on a par with the AT&T Building and the Portland Municipal Services Building.

Image: realtor.com, via docomomo-us.org.

Here's an excerpt of the statement:

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and Docomomo US express strong opposition to the demolition of the Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown-designed Abrams House, 118A Woodland Road, Pittsburgh...

Pittsburgh disappointed with Uber's self-driving car experiment

2017-05-23T11:58:00-04:00

When Uber picked this former Rust Belt town as the inaugural city for its driverless car experiment, Pittsburgh played the consummate host. [...] Nine months later, Pittsburgh residents and officials say Uber has not lived up to its end of the bargain. [...] The deteriorating relationship between Pittsburgh and Uber offers a cautionary tale, especially as other cities consider rolling out driverless car trials from Uber, Alphabet’s Waymo and others.

"Starting later this month," wrote Bloomberg less than one year ago, "Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved." Since then, Pittsburgh appears to have fallen out of love with the ride-sharing giant's promises for the city.

Get Lectured: Carnegie Mellon University, Spring '17

2017-01-24T13:33:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter & Spring 2017

Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session for Winter and Spring 2017. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss. Mark those calendars!

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Don't miss out on this all-female lineup in the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture's Spring '17 lecture series! Listed below are upcoming events only.

Jan 23
Odile Decq / Studio Odile Decq
6:30 p.m. at Kresge Theater

Jan 24
Sandi Hilal
DAAR Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency
5:00 p.m. at Kresge Theater

Feb 13
Yvonne Farrell / Grafton Architects
6:30 p.m. at Carnegie Museum of Art Theater

Also: Listen to Archinect's One-to-One episode with Yvonne Farrell

Feb 20
Vanessa Keith / Studioteka D...

The view from inside a self-driving Uber: "the technology is not quite ready"

2016-09-15T13:06:00-04:00

During my ride, along a few miles of road near Uber’s testing facility in an old industrial neighborhood, the car performed admirably in many difficult situations...and I mostly felt pretty safe. However, several times the person behind the wheel needed to take control [...] it will take time for Uber and others to perfect fully automated driving. In fact, it remains unclear what needs to be done before it can be considered safe to remove humans from the driver’s seat.

A look at some cities revitalizing their blighted rivers

2016-08-24T13:52:00-04:00

Los Angeles wants to rethink its river. [...] And LA isn’t the only metropolis looking to reclaim its once-mocked waterway. Cities around the world are realizing that water can be a cultural and recreational asset, not something to hide or pillage, and it seems no waterway will be wasted for long.

Uber lets you hail its self-driving cars in Pittsburgh later this month

2016-08-19T14:54:00-04:00

Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved. Google, widely regarded as the leader in the field, has been testing its fleet for several years, and Tesla Motors offers Autopilot [...] But none of these companies has yet brought a self-driving car-sharing service to market.

Related stories recently in the Archinect news:

Weaving cobwebs of memory into an abandoned house

2016-05-16T18:44:00-04:00

Inside 516 Sampsonia Way, a 19th-century row house in the Mexican War Streets neighborhood, there no longer appear to be any 90-degree angles. Any corners have become cavernous and rounded from the innumerable lines of yarn of Chiharu Shiota’s Trace of Memory, creating acute and obtuse angles. And while some people try to cleanse spaces or their superstitious gateways by sageing doorways, this installation does the opposite, appealing to some kind of liminal god to crack open time

Related on Archinect:

BIG unveils 28-acre master plan for Pittsburgh's Lower Hill District

2015-11-19T14:03:00-05:00

A meandering urban flow lies at the heart of BIG's master plan for Pittsburgh, which is appropriate since the plan's primary function is to connect the Hill District to the city's downtown core. Collaborating with West 8 (landscape architecture) and Atelier Ten (sustainability), BIG's master plan includes 1.2 million square feet of residential space and 1.25 million square feet of office, retail, and hotel space.

As Bjarke Ingels explained, "The masterplan for the Lower Hill District is created by supplementing the existing street grid with a new network of parks and paths shaped to optimize the sloping hill side for human accessibility for all generations. The paths are turned and twisted to always find a gentle sloping path leading pedestrians and bicyclists comfortably up and down the hillside. The resulting urban fabric combines a green network of effortless circulation with a quirky character reminiscent of a historical downtown."

In an attempt to incorporate the aesthetics of th...

Get Lectured: Carnegie Mellon University, Spring '15

2015-02-25T13:53:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter-Spring 2015

Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session! Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

The next featured poster comes from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Listed below are upcoming events only. Free + open to the public.

Feb 27
5:30 pm
BERNARD TSCHUMI / Bernard Tschumi Architects - New York, Paris; Professor, Columbia University
‘Concept and Notation’ - Alan H Rider Distinguished Lecture
at Carnegie Lecture Hall

Mar 19
6:30 pm
EMMANUELLE MOUREAUX / Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design - Tokyo
‘Shikiri’
at Kresge Theatre
Exhibition opening precedes lecture at 5:30 in the CFA Great Hall - part of wats:ON? Festival 20...

Pittsburgh’s Place in the Placemaking Movement

2014-08-28T14:09:00-04:00

Pittsburgh has done it again! After being named “America’s Most Livable City” by Forbes in 2010 and one of the “Best All-American Vacations” earlier this year by The Travel Channel, it was recently named as the second “most livable city” in the United States by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2014 livability survey [...]. Pittsburgh is ripe for Placemaking [...], making it the perfect host city for this seminal gathering of Placemaking leaders and walking and bicycling professionals.

Where Are The Heroes To Save Pittsburgh's African-American Center?

2014-02-24T14:07:00-05:00

In 2009 a gleaming performing arts space opened to great fanfare in downtown Pittsburgh. The distinctive is as long as the block it occupies, and the corner of the building looks like the sail of a ship made in glass and stone. The August Wilson Center for African American Culture was meant to be a hub for African-American theater, art and education, named after renowned playwright and native son . Today the Center is for sale, unable to pay its bills.

Get Lectured: Carnegie Mellon University Fall '13

2013-10-03T12:55:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2013

Here on Archinect we recently launched "Get Lectured", where we'll feature a school's lecture series--along with their snazzy posters--for the current season. Check back regularly to stay up-to-date and mark your calendars for any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture is our featured lectured series for Thursday.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

All lectures begin at 6:30 pm and are free and open to the public. Note each lecture's locations.

SEPTEMBER

September 16
Maria Aiolova / Terreform ONE, New York
"Urbaneering Cities"
at Carnegie Museum of Art Theater: 4400 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh
Alan H. Rider Distinguished Lecture

September 23
Peter Rich / Peter Rich Architects, Johannesburg
"Learnt in Translation"
at Kresge Theatre: located in Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts building
Alan H. Rider ...

Maya Lin invites and challenges visitors to her website to help improve Earth's well-being

2012-04-18T19:46:00-04:00

Ms. Lin conceived "What Is Missing?" as the fifth, and last, of her memorial projects, which began with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 1982.

If you're looking for something to do on Earth Day, consider a visit to www.whatismissing.net, the site developed by noted artist and activist Maya Lin that launches its second stage Sunday.