Archinect - News

An Apple town square? Stockholm says no, thank you

2018-11-01T14:31:00-04:00

Kungsträdgården is the most important park in Sweden, [...] It is the thread that pulls together the historical power of the monarchy with the commercial blocks of Hamngatan and the working-class districts of Södermalm. This is very important for democracy because it has to do with power, symbolically and spatially.

Stockholm, Sweden's beloved capitol is home to stunning landscapes that keep residence and visitors mesmerized. Its cobblestoned streets are lined with amazingly preserved buildings, beautiful open water views, and public spaces. Nestled in the heart of Stockholm is Kungsträdgården, one of the most treasured and valued parks in Sweden. Revered by its inhabitants, once word got out that Apple had plans to "transform" their beloved space by creating a "town square," the people of Stockholm made their voices heard.

Proposed store rendering. Image © Apple / Foster & Partners

We get it, Apple has already taken over our lives by transforming daily communication, productivity, etc. But, does Apple have the leverage to transform public spaces? Town squares are defined as open, public spaces located at the heart of a city. To a trillion-dollar tech company like Apple, their intention of redefining the relationship between public and private spaces is exactly what they are aiming for in build...

Crowdfunding campaign launched for Camden Highline

2017-06-26T12:27:00-04:00

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched for the latest civic development in North London; the Camden Highline. For years, the disused railway has been talked about among local residents, with many wanting to see a little bit of New York in Camden Town.

Image Courtesy of Camden Town Unlimited

Since 2016, Camden Town Unlimited have been working with Network Rail to secure the 18-metre wide disused railway line, which runs for almost a kilometre between the beloved, vibrant Camden Market and the newly developed Kings Cross area. The initial ambitions for the project include creating a space which is accessible to all and will provide a home for the arts, festivals, and live performance, as well as ecological and educational benefits.

Image Courtesy of Camden Town Unlimited

Using the famous New York High Line as a precedent, this crowd-funded project will initially work on the existing infrastructure, workshops, events, and feasibility works. The funds raised from the campaign run on ...

Where journalism neglects, public space suffers

2016-03-09T15:42:00-05:00

“Shady,” “unethical,” “secretive,” “robbed of our due process” — these were just a few of the choice terms used by angry residents this past week at a packed City Council meeting about the selling of Pine Tree Park [in Kent, outside of Seattle, WA]. Longtime Seattle land-use attorney Rick Aramburu has another term for what happened: illegal. It’s also a growing trend in the swath of cities around Seattle, places that no longer receive much scrutiny from the press. “It’s becoming a cancer"

More on recent (legal) park development:

First glimpse: SANAA wins over Snøhetta for Budapest's new National Gallery + Ludwig Museum

2015-12-01T15:21:00-05:00

SANAA ultimately won the commission to design the new National Gallery and Ludwig Museum in Budapest, currently scheduled to open in summer 2019. The redesigned museum building is part of the larger ambitious Liget Budapest Project that will revamp and expand the city's 200-year-old City Park, or 'Vársoliget'.

First announced in 2014, the project — which claims to be the largest project of its kind in Europe — will add five new museum buildings previously reported at a cost of 75 billion HUF (approx. $268.8 million).

Back in April, SANAA and Snøhetta tied for first prize out of a star-studded shortlist that would've made the commission anyone's game. It included Ateliers Jean Nouvel, David Chipperfield, Mecanoo, Renzo Piano, and Nieto Sobejano.

The competition jury then met with SANAA and Snøhetta and further evaluated each proposal based on "contractual conditions, the quality of co-operation with the Hungarian party, technical content, scheduling, costs,...and economy." The renovated...

Controversy surrounds plans to replace the golf courses of New Orlean's City Park

2015-02-25T18:43:00-05:00

You can't see it now among the overgrown cart paths and weed-choked lagoons but a championship golf course will soon rise in City Park [...] City Park's long-awaited, oft-delayed $24.5 million golf complex finally broke ground and will one day be a boon for the local golf community.

Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune gushes over the slated-development and its 7,300-yard Rees Jones-designed course. Boasting "a new clubhouse, driving range and practice facility," project-designers hope it will attract the attention of the Zurich Classic. But not everyone is happy about the plans: a Change.org petition has already attracted almost 1,200 signatories hoping to shut down the project.

The sixth-largest park in the US, City Park was unique among the country's great public parks in that it was largely self-supported. The park hosted three 18-hole golf courses in addition to an amusement park, botanical gardens, several sports stadiums and the New Orleans Museum of Art. But when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, many of the facilities were destroyed. In the wake of the storm, the park quickly became overgrown.

For some, the post-Katrina park is an improvement on its older, privatized existence. According to the petition, this "naturally reclaimed urban oasis" has "been creati...