Archinect - Features

10 Controversial Buildings That Became Iconic Landmarks

2024-10-07T06:48:00-04:00

Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always welcomed with open arms. Throughout history, some of our most acclaimed structures have in fact provoked heated debates, divided public opinion, sparked fierce controversy, and in one case, caused the late great architect Richard Rogers to be attacked by an elderly Parisian with an umbrella.

To mark World Architecture Day 2024, we take a look back through the history of some of the architectural structures most beloved by the public today, and demonstrate how their status as landmarks was hard-won.

To see how a building initially deemed a monstrosity, an eyesore, or an insult to tradition can evolve into the defining element of a city’s character is an interesting exercise in itself. Beyond the novelty, however, these stories raise apt questions for architects today. To what extent do, or should, we design in response to present tastes? Do we too quickly abandon ideas today in response t...

From Bauhaus to Wright’s House: Can Taliesin Learn From the Past?

2020-05-07T17:28:00-04:00

In 1933, with mounting pressure from the Nazi Party to end the making and teaching of “degenerate art,” the allied art institution known as the Bauhaus was forced to close. During its 14 years in operation, the Bauhaus faced constant opposition by German conservative politics of the time that accused the faculty and students of being radicals and viewed the school’s pedagogy of uniting art, craft, and industry as an attack on national cultural traditions. Yet, despite such hostility, the school managed to survive two forced relocations, the leadership of three different directors, and still set off the most important and ubiquitous artistic movement of the past century. As a kindred American institution, the School of Architecture at Taliesin (SOAT), currently faces a similar fate of closure, one must wonder what the shuttering of the Bauhaus can teach us today.

The School of Architecture at Taliesin Cannot Close: Testimonies From Recent Graduates

2020-03-12T13:46:00-04:00

Archinect has collected responses from several School of Architecture at Taliesin (SoAT) students in light of recent events at the schools. The responses highlight the self-built pavilions SoAT students are expected to complete as part of their final thesis project.

Rethinking Frank Lloyd Wright: Thoughts from a trip through the Rustbelt

2017-09-07T12:00:00-04:00

While in New York this July I visited MoMA’s retrospective of Frank Lloyd Wright, ‘Unpacking the Archive’, an extensive collection of Wright’s production to celebrate his 150 year anniversary. Despite his revered position as America’s protégé architect and seminal figure—and having studied his work in the past—a number of surprising and unexpected thoughts from the show stuck with me during my subsequent month-long journey through the American Midwest. Both a pioneer of radical experimentation and a deep-rooted member of the status quo, Wright’s projects draw from many cultural histories and are, at times, divisive. But is it time the architecture press retires from reinventing Frank Lloyd Wright, the tireless self-publicist, and instead focuses the spotlight elsewhere? I discuss my thoughts with architect, cultural historian and Wright scholar Mabel O. Wilson, who currently teaches architectural history and theory at Columbia GSAAP.

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For Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday, we interview Dan Nichols who has been living in and restoring Wright’s Sweeton House in New Jersey

2017-06-08T09:00:00-04:00

Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the few architects who needs little introduction regardless of to whom you are talking. With a career lasting over 60 years, and with over 400 homes scattered across the US, his enduring legacy and contribution to the field of architecture is unparalleled. The famed architect would have turned 150 this month.

7 famous architectural dropouts and autodidacts

2016-09-09T11:11:00-04:00

Don’t tell the architectural students with six figures of debt, but that education of theirs might not be entirely necessary—especially when one looks at the ranks of famous architectural dropouts and autodidacts. These accomplished designers either didn’t complete their formal education or simply forged their own path by virtue of teaching themselves how to design. No matter how they dodged formal education, all of these figures pursued a passionate love of their field.

Working Life: Does Taliesin’s collaborative and pedagogical domesticity suit the 21st century?

2016-08-10T12:45:00-04:00

Founded at a time when Frank Lloyd Wright was floundering financially, Taliesin’s blend of education and site-bound intimacy has created a custom domesticity. As the site for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Taliesin combines both passion and white-knuckled acumen, teaching its student inhabitants to thrive with scarce resources and a generous community.

Aaron Betsky, dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, lays out Taliesin's legacy in architecture education

2016-07-06T12:08:00-04:00

When Aaron Betsky started his deanship at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, the historic school was in a difficult spot. Under new requirements by the Higher Learning Commission, if it didn’t raise $2 million to become a separate institution from its funding organization, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, it would lose accreditation and have to shut down. By late December of 2015, less than a year into his deanship and just under the fundraising deadline, Betsky helped the school reach its goal.

When designing for money breaks the bank architecture mold

2016-03-25T13:26:00-04:00

Think bank architecture and its associated headquarters and you may find yourself stultified by visions of doric columns, artless atriums, and bland corporate highrises. However, these six structures by prominent practitioners are a survey of the unusual and intriguing. Here’s what each financial institution says about its social/historical context, as well as the role of money at that time.