Archinect

Searching for the Holy Grail

2012-05-24T23:48:00-04:00

While there are a lot of parallels to draw between Indiana Jones' search for the Holy Grail and your job search, I thought I'd focus on the actual selection of the job / holy grail. This of course assumes that you've accurately deciphered all the clues and codes, made it past the Nazis who are trying to use your knowledge for their gain and / or kill you (unpaid internships anyone?), and you've made it to the final test. Here the metaphor breaks down a little; it would be better if you had a plethora of offers to choose from, and in reality this is probably not going to happen at this point, but bear with me.

Indiana finds himself in front of a really old guy who dresses funny (yet he comments on how funny Indy is dressed as well, sounds a lot like the interviews I've had). The last of the holy knights explains that he has been vanquished and that Indiana (and Donovan too since he came in and submitted his resume for the job) must choose. In reality, this usually comes up aro...

A Lot of People Get Grahams (that yummy grant)

2012-05-24T20:20:00-04:00

Each year we are privileged to see the diverse range of work being under taken by individuals around the world,

Alfred Neumann, Zvi Hecker, architects, Synagogue at Officers School Training Base I, 1968–69, Mitzpeh Ramon, Israel. From 2012 Individual Graham Foundation Project Grant: Space Packed Architecture: Alfred Neumann’s Alternative Modernism by Rafi Segal.

Founded in 1956, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts makes project based grants to individuals and organizations and produces public programs to foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.

Orhan Ayyüce: L.A. Love At First Sight

2012-05-24T17:01:00-04:00

I met this gray-haired woman. I lit her cigarette and she asked me what I was doing there? I said I just wanted to meet some architects and learn where I could go to school. "She said, okay, 'If you have a car, tomorrow go to this place in Santa Monica called SciArc, it's a new school. Ask for Ray Kappe and tell them that Esther McCoy sent you.'

KCET just sat down with Archinect senior editor Orhan Ayyüce for an interview about his Turkish roots, the arrival in Los Angeles, and his unlikely introduction to the world of architecture.

KEVIN KENNON CREATES NEW BIO-DIVERSE TOWER

2012-05-24T16:01:00-04:00

Kevin Kennon, International Architect (www.kkarchitect.com) has designed a new 90,000 square meter mixed-use commercial building for Eco-City, Tianjin, China, a joint development between China and Singapore. This 200 meter tall office tower and luxury shopping center, developed by Tianjin Real Estate Development & Management Group, LTD with Beijing Victory Star Executive Architects, utilizes advanced Biophilic design technologies and strategies to reconnect people with nature. The design of Tian Fang tower incorporates algorithms that mimic the form and growth of bamboo forests.

Tian Fang generates an estimated 20% of its clean energy on site—through a combination of hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels, and wind turbines while simultaneously conserving nearly 20% of the energy used. Tian Fang's dependence on the grid is approximately 60% that of a similar fully occupied mixed-use tower. Once completed in early 2013, Tian Fang will be one of the most advanced sustainable commerci...

RODIN MUSEUM, SAMSUNG PLAZA by Kevin Kennon Architect

2012-05-24T15:36:00-04:00

Located in the heart of downtown Seoul, South Korea, the Rodin Museum is situated adjacent to the South Gate, the ceremonial entrance into the old city which occupies a sacred place in Korean cultural memory.

Given its location, the project creates a contrast between the primary rectilinear buildings on the site and the new intervention. The museum’s fragmented curves reinforce the distinct character of its form: the elusive nature of the curves fold space in such a way as to make it difficult to distinguish inside from outside. Utilizing these installations as both interior and exterior conditions, this ambiguity plays with the observer’s perceptions of the urban condition. The elusive feeling of being outside even when one is enclosed and separated from the street was a primary design criterion. The project was primarily designed around two of Auguste Rodin's sculptural masterpieces - 'The Burghers of Calais' and 'The Gates of Hell'. This 25,000 square-foot museum contains...

Wang Shu blasts demolition culture in China

2012-05-24T14:19:00-04:00

The Chinese winner of architecture’s most prestigious award has criticised the wanton demolition that has left many of the nation’s cities fragmented and almost unrecognisable to their citizens. The comments from Wang Shu, who will on Friday receive the 2012 Pritzker prize in a ceremony in Beijing, highlight widespread complaints in China about urban planning amid a process of urbanisation that saw more than 20m rural dwellers move to cities last year alone.

Pritzker prize’s double payoff: Fame for Chinese architect, possible brand boost for Hyatt

2012-05-24T14:14:00-04:00

When architect Wang Shu accepts his field’s richest prize in a ceremony Friday at the seat of China’s legislature, a symbolic second winner will be waiting in the background — Hyatt Hotels. The Pritzker Architecture Prize has special resonance for communist leaders who want to promote China as a global cultural power. Receiving it made Wang a celebrity in China. Until now, the 49-year-old had been little known outside architecture circles.

Happy 75th Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge

2012-05-24T13:58:00-04:00

For its 75th birthday on Sunday, the bridge's management is planning a celebration that includes music, art shows, lectures, a new book and a new visitor center. But one thing won't happen: Nobody gets to cross the bridge on foot on the big day.

PBS also published a very nice photo essay on the bridge's history: Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary.

Taller S-AR by stación-ARquitectura

2012-05-23T19:18:00-04:00

Taller S-AR – S-AR stación-ARquitectura

Project: Taller S-AR (S-AR workshop)
Architects: S-AR stación-ARquitectura
www.stacion-arquitectura.com / www.s-ar.mx
Location: Monterrey, Mexico
Project Team: César Augusto Guerrero Rodríguez, Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal, María Sevilla Gómez, Carlos Raúl Flores Leal
Program: Architecture Workshop
Client: S-AR
Project Area: 100 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Construction: 2010-2011
Completion Date: 2011
Photographs: Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal
Technical drawing: S-AR stación-ARquitectura
3D Drawings / Rendering: S-AR stación-ARquitectura
Model: S-AR stación-ARquitectura
Structural Engineering: Jesús González Sáenz
Construction Site Supervisors: S-AR stación-ARquitectura + Gonzalo Taméz
Building Contractor: Gonzalo Taméz + Enrique López
Materials: Concrete, Steel and Glass
Constructive System: Concrete block walls, reinforced concrete walls, structure of steel beams, slab made by metallic deck and concrete with losacero system
E...

Murphy/Jahn Designs Pentominium for Seoul’s Yongsan District

2012-05-23T17:32:00-04:00

Seoul's new Yongsan International Business District continues to dominate the news:

Now we just received images of Pentominium, the 320-meter-tall residential development designed by Chicago-based Murphy/Jahn Architects.

Project Description from the Architects:

The Yongsan International Business District will set a new standard for an integrated global city. Situated on a high-profile site in the western side of the district, plot R5 houses a signature topend residential building, 320m in height, which will attract the most exclusive clientele from both Korea as well as the rest of the world. These Pentominium units will provide unsurpassed urban living experiences, with spatial and privacy features normally associated with individual houses.

In order to maximize w...

Build It Bigger host Danny Forster takes middle school students around the world

2012-05-23T13:42:00-04:00

Most Chippewa Middle School students haven’t been to Hong Kong or South Africa, but on Tuesday they took a tour of those places and others parts of the world under the wings of architecture buff Danny Forster, who hosts Build It Bigger on the SCIENCE channel.

Back in 2006, Archinect interviewed Danny as the host of Extreme Engineering while he was still working on his MArch at Harvard's GSD.

NYIT Architecture Students Raise $15K and Counting for Costa Rica Project

2012-05-23T00:32:00-04:00

In two weeks, NYIT architecture and engineering students have raised more than the target number of $15,000 from 130 supporters on kickstarter.com to fund their trip to Nosara, Costa Rica, this summer to build a recycling and education center. Their efforts continue, with a new goal to reach $24,000 by Monday, May 21. The additional money will be used to support student travel, ground transportation, expensive specialty film equipment needed to shoot during the rainy season, and—best of all—one third of the funds raised above the initial goal will go to the local community as a cash donation to purchase construction materials for the project. Thank you to the NYIT community for its support!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/472474365/slab-costa-rica-building-a-recycling-center-for-no

Creating the Post-Hipster City

2012-05-22T22:23:00-04:00

we want to experiment in making better public spaces. Cities are built in a very formal and classist fashion, which is at odds with the good that rapid production and public participation can do for urban development.

Tidda Tippapart recently talked to Aurash Khawarzad ( founder of Change Administration + co-founder of the Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary collective DoTank) about the challenge of creating the post-Hipster city, gentrification, and what it means to (re)build New York City from the ground up.

Police Arrest Artist Takeshi Miyakawa, Thinking Tribute Was Fake Bomb

2012-05-22T19:02:00-04:00

The artist intended it to be a display of his love for the city: white plastic bags stamped with the “I ♥ NY” logo lighted from within and glowing moonlike from lampposts and trees in Brooklyn and beyond. Almost immediately, the installation attracted attention, though probably not the kind the artist, Takeshi Miyakawa, expected.

"Mr. Miyakawa also worked for years as a model-maker for the architect Rafael Viñoly, Mr. Lim added."

Still Ugly After All These Years: A Close Reading of Peter Eisenman’s Wexner Center

2012-05-22T17:46:00-04:00

(Published in One: Twelve Issue 4, April 2012.)

Peter Eisenman’s Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University has been typically understood through its relationship to and manipulation of then-current postmodern trends within architectural discourse. While the discussion about the building has been host to a plethora of theoretical issues (ranging from the historicity of quotation, to new forms of monumentality, to contemporary modes of estrangement, to architecture-as-collage, etc.) it seems that today certain shifts have caused the work to move to the fringe of current debates.

A sneak peek of the new architecture-obsessed Batman graphic novel

2012-05-22T14:17:00-04:00

Gotham City is undergoing one of the most expansive construction booms in its history. The most prestigious architects from across the globe have buildings in various phases of completion all over town. As chairman of the Gotham Landmarks Commission, Bruce Wayne has been a key part of this boom, which signals a golden age of architectural ingenuity for the city. And then, the explosions begin.

Bethlehem Steel: Disposable Architecture or Iconic Landmark?

2012-05-22T14:11:00-04:00

That's the ultimate question of the Bethlehem Steel Administration building and unfortunately it looks as if the question has already been answered by the City of Lackawanna officials and the owners. Thankfully, there are still people who don't want to see this Beaux-Arts beauty sent to the landfill like so many great buildings before it.

The Architecture of the Great GoogaMooga: David Rockwell Dishes on the Food Festival's "Carny" Design

2012-05-22T14:02:00-04:00

After 26 years of designing restaurants in New York City, David Rockwell has become a go-to for gourmands. [...] This weekend, however, Rockwell showed off his set-design skills at Googa Mooga, the massive two-day outdoor food festival that debuted Saturday in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Stability Roses by John Tisza

2012-05-22T13:07:00-04:00

A cruise ship is an offshore city within itself; it contains stability lines which isolate sport, luxury, and complete interiority. Disecting the cruise ship into its constituent parts allows for multiple types of reconfigurability; different types of cruise ship configurations create specificity within an island. Three islands are created outside of Chicago, using the parameters of sport, luxury, and cruise to nowhere.

Assembly: Part I

2012-05-22T12:48:00-04:00

With the academic year in Blacksburg over, we moved into Clifton Forge last week to begin assembling the prefabricated portions we built over the past couple months. We began by transporting all the preassembled modules by truck to the site. Smitty's Welding has been operating a crane on site to erect the steel that supports the structure as well as place the roof panels and projection booth. As of now we have the roof and side wall in place and are beginning to bolt down the backstage decking with the help of Commonwealth Contracting Services Inc.

We were recently featured in an article on Virginia Tech's website, complete with photos and video.

Steven Holl Architects seeking Architect in New York, NY, US

2012-05-22T11:40:00-04:00

STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS - NEW YORK

Steven Holl Architects is seeking talented designers with 4 years experience in all phases of the design and construction process to work on new projects in our New York office. Candidates should possess strong communication skills, technical abilities and leadership qualities.

Proficiency required in AutoCad, REVIT, Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Premiere, AfterEffects, 3d Studio Max/Viz and Rhino proficient applicants will receive favorable review.

Salary commensurate with experience.

kids today

2012-05-22T09:31:00-04:00

What is it with kids today and the parametricism or other various forms of "parameter" including different suffixes or prefixes? Surely they've noticed how pretty much everyone gets their own definition of "parametric" due to the fact that it's an empty buzz word with no real meaning?

I mean realistically, according to the Oxford English Dictionary and other similar sources, every line in AutoCAD has a bunch of parameters including length, start point, end point, etc. The same is true when reviewing shop drawings for a new window. Lot's of parameters to look at there. You don't need to generate scripts or anything. It's not new. It's not fancy or anything. It's work. There is nothing philosophical about including a parameter in a thing.

So why is this a thing to discuss? I just don't get it. Are kids today so bored in school that they just want to make posts with big words on the internets? Is it an e-peen thing? Is there such a lack of intellectual stimulation in...

Four Towers Osdorp by Wiel Arets Architects

2012-05-22T07:09:00-04:00

Built at the edge of a new park and small lake in the southwest of Amsterdam, the four slab-like towers each cantilever out over the public street, allowing the street to pass under the building at the entry, and they cantilever over the lake at the other end, where they face the park. Between the four towers, the naturally-lit and ventilated parking is placed underground, with plantings on the roof so that the landscape of the housing site is joined with that of the public park, and the glazed entry lobbies are experienced as being surrounded by nature. Unlike typical low-cost housing, the plans of the 11-story towers allow a wide variety of layouts, with the apartments able to be mirrored and shifted. Each apartment has covered outdoor patio that can be opened across the width of the living room, and in some cases, the living rooms are extended vertically into a double-height space. The façades of the four towers present the subtle overlapping patterns of the domestic spaces ins...

New Chinese Musuem by Paula Banda

2012-05-21T23:17:00-04:00

Xu Weiguo Studio SCI-Arc Fall 2011

The objective of this vertical studio is to utilize
digital diagram for form-finding. Digital
diagram, the combination of diagram and
computer technology, can greatly expand the
potential of the diagram.
The studio will start from understanding the
Chinese four arts: Qin (music), Qi (game), Shu
(caligraphy), and Hua (painting). Based on the
four arts, a physical experiment follows, which
will bring about the result of a complex physical
phenomena. After analyzing and research,
the rule system will be chosen in order to be
used for computer programming. Thus, leads
to the design a Chinese art museum located in
798 Art district in Beijing, China.
798 Art District is the only sector in the Chinese
society that is so publicly integrating political
thought into their public expressions. It is
a massive artists community filled with studios,
lofts, and stores.
Buildings have gained a re-birth with new functions
evolved naturally ...

Tokyo Opens World’s Tallest Tower to About 200,000 People

2012-05-21T17:37:00-04:00

The Tokyo Skytree, twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower, and its surrounding retail and office complex opens today to an estimated 200,000 visitors. [...] Tokyo Skytree, which took four years to build, surpasses the 600-meter Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, as the world’s tallest, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Dubai’s 828-meter Burj Khalifa is the tallest building, according to the council.

To be precise, the opening ceremony for Tokyo Skytree is scheduled for Tuesday morning, May 22 at 9:15 a.m. local time.

Fiber Cement Butterflies Win Bullhorn - Cembrit Design Competition

2012-05-21T16:45:00-04:00

The proposal "Papilio" by Swedish architect duo Selime Osman and Ilyas Awadh has taken the first prize of EUR 10,000 (USD 12,770) in the Bullhorn - Cembrit Design Competition. The winning entry transmorphs fiber cement in a very poetic way into a swarm of light flying butterflies. The brief was to improve life settings in urban transit areas with the Malmi station area in Helsinki, Finland as case.

And it looks like the new Dean at IIIT maybe...

2012-05-21T14:49:00-04:00

Wiel Arets.

I don't know if he has accepted or not but he has been spotted making the rounds.

Zaha calls London Olympics organizers "rude"

2012-05-21T13:33:00-04:00

The architect who created the £269 million aquatics centre has criticised “rude” Games bosses for not inviting her to a single event. Zaha Hadid claimed she was not asked to the opening or closing ceremonies of the Games, or to any of the diving and swimming heats at her acclaimed building in the Olympic Park.

LA’s original subway

2012-05-21T13:26:00-04:00

Behold the Subway Terminal Building, hidden in plain sight in the middle of downtown LA, where at one point during the 1940′s over 65,000 riders were shuffling down into the depths of Los Angeles to board a train which traveled beneath the busy streets. And, fittingly, it’s just a block from where you might board the Red Line subway today.

Creepy-cool village where every house is a musical instrument

2012-05-21T13:23:00-04:00

The Music Box is a New Orleans art installation that makes regular artist’s colonies look like Camazotz. In this tiny shantytown, every building is also a musical instrument, and the entire town can be played in a beautiful, spooky symphony that looks and sounds like something out of Coraline.