Archinect - News

Archinect入驻微信，小红书平台 / Archinect launches on WeChat and RED in China

2024-11-27T19:35:00-05:00

Archinect is thrilled to announce our official debut on two of China’s leading social media platforms—WeChat and RED (Xiaohongshu). This milestone marks an important step in Archinect’s 27-year mission of connecting the global architecture community. With an official presence on these platforms, we aim to establish closer connections with Chinese-speaking architects and design enthusiasts.

Since its founding in 1997, Archinect has been dedicated to fostering meaningful connections among architects worldwide. By launching on WeChat and RED, we’re excited to bring Archinect’s distinctive voice to China’s thriving architecture and design scene while introducing exclusive content tailored for our growing audience.

Follow Archinect on WeChat

WeChat is China’s premier all-in-one platform for messaging, digital publishing, and social media, with over 1 billion active users. Through our official WeChat account, we’ll deliver the latest architectural news, interviews, and updates, tailored t...

‘Staggering’ discrimination and sexual misconduct levels in the UK architecture profession, ARB study finds

2024-11-20T19:01:00-05:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has published research finding widespread discrimination and sexual misconduct within the UK architecture profession. The study, resulting from a survey of almost 900 individuals, reveals that architecture professionals experience higher rates of discrimination and sexual misconduct compared to other sectors such as academia and healthcare.

According to the research, over a third of all professionals working in architecture have experienced insults, stereotypes, or jokes relating to protected characteristics. One in four female professionals has experienced unwelcome sexual advances, while a third of professionals would not feel confident raising concerns if they experienced or observed misconduct.

On the specific topic of misconduct in the profession, 41% of respondents have experienced bullying while 33% have experienced discrimination. 10% have experienced sexual misconduct. In addition, 38% have experienced insults, stereotypes, or ...

Inside the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s new $75 million expansion

2024-11-18T07:20:00-05:00

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) has opened its $75 million NHM Commons expansion to the public. Designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners, with landscape architecture by Studio-MLA and exhibition spaces by Studio Joseph, the NHM Commons comprises approximately 75,000 square feet of renovated and newly constructed space.

Image credit: Benny Chan

The centerpiece of the design is a transparent glass façade, creating a visual connection between the museum and Exposition Park. Inside, the Commons Theater and various multipurpose spaces have been built to accommodate an expanded slate of community-centered programming. The new spaces facilitate engagement with science, culture, and nature, including areas for those visiting without a ticket.

Image credit: Benny Chan

Outside, Studio-MLA has developed a community plaza in collaboration with Native American advisors, featuring sustainable planting, Tongva-inspired mortar i...

USC Architecture begins search for a new Art Director

2024-10-23T07:36:00-04:00

Following our previous look at an opening for a Capital Projects Manager at the DC Public Library, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for an Art Director at the University of Southern California.

The role, based in Los Angeles, calls for an individual to “lead the direction of all materials and visual media produced by the school.” Among the responsibilities for the role will be overseeing the school’s visual brand identity across media and publications, as well as leading creative design projects according to the school’s brand. The school hopes to attract applicants from those with a “thorough understanding of digital media and evolving online platforms” as well as expertise in photography, typography, and printing.

USC studio environment. Image courtesy of USC School of Architecture

Why the role interests us

The open role at USC comes only weeks after Archinect interviewed the new Dean of the institution’s schoo...

Your next role could be leading DC Public Library’s new architecture projects

2024-10-16T11:35:00-04:00

Following our previous look at an opening for an Assistant Professor of Architectural Design, Structures, and Mass Timber at the University of Oregon, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Capital Projects Manager at the DC Public Library.

The role, based in DC with remote opportunities available, calls for an individual to “shepherd the delivery of the assigned new construction and renovation projects” across the library’s extensive portfolio. Among the requirements for the role is a minimum five years of experience in the AEC industry, and a track record of successfully managing concurrent new construction and complex renovation projects.

Related on Archinect: New photos of Mecanoo's refurbished Mies-designed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in D.C. Image credit: Trent Bell

Why the role interests us

The open role at the DC Public Library offers us the opportunity to take a closer look at the architectur...

Curtis J. Moody, FAIA, NOMA, founder of Moody Nolan, passes away at 73

2024-10-14T19:45:00-04:00

Curtis J. Moody, a trailblazing architect and founder of Moody Nolan, passed away peacefully yesterday, on October 13th, 2024. He was 73. Moody leaves behind a remarkable legacy as the leader of the largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the United States. His contributions to the field of architecture extended far beyond design, serving as a beacon for future generations of Black architects. His firm, Moody Nolan, shared the news in a statement on Facebook, noting that arrangements will be announced later this week.

Previously published on Archinect: A Conversation with Curtis Moody, FAIA on What It Means to Help Shape a Future for Black Architects

In a 2020 interview with Archinect, Moody shared insights about his early challenges, career, and vision. Reflecting on his journey, Moody described how his upbringing in a low-income neighborhood near Columbus, Ohio, and exposure to architecture through a family friend inspired him to pursue the profession. Despite facing di...

Your next role could be managing the Eames Institute’s design projects

2024-10-02T13:05:00-04:00

Following our previous look at an opening for a Director of Architectural Design at Palisociety, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Design & Construction Manager at the Eames Institute.

The role, based in Richmond, CA, calls for an individual to “ensure success across various planning, construction, landscape, and infrastructure projects.” The successful candidate will be responsible first and foremost for the design and construction management of the institute’s Richmond location, including a workspace, warehouse for the Eames Archives, and several spaces for public programming.

Eames Institute headquarters. Image credit: Nicholas Calcott, courtesy of Eames Institute

Why the role interests us

The open role at the Eames Institute offers us the opportunity to profile an organization dedicated to awareness of two of the most well-known historical figures in architecture and design: Ray and Charles Eames. A nonpr...

Studio Gang's Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center breaks ground in the Hudson Valley

2024-09-27T11:01:00-04:00

Work on the first-ever LEED Platinum theater in the United States has commenced in New York’s Hudson River Valley. By summer 2026, the new 14,850-square-foot permanent home for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare company from Studio Gang, the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center, will welcome guests to open air performances on its donated 98-acre campus in Garrison. Nelson Byrd Woltz is included for the landscape program of the surrounding site, which had been previously been used as a golf course.

Jeanne Gang says: "The architecture weaves in elements of the natural environment to create a unique indoor-outdoor setting for the company’s open-air productions and to offer an unparalleled theater experience."

Image courtesy of Studio Gang

Also in the Hudson Valley, HWKN is designing a new expansion of the CCS Bard Library and Archives and ARO is planning a mass timber visitor center at the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape at the Olana State Historic Site with Nelson Byrd Woltz. Stu...

Kengo Kuma completes Lisbon art center with sweeping canopy

2024-09-25T07:30:00-04:00

Kengo Kuma and Associates has completed an overhaul of the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian (CAM) in Lisbon, marking the acclaimed architect’s first completed project in Portugal. Delivered in collaboration with OODA (Oporto Office for Design and Architecture), the scheme draws inspiration from the Engawa, a sheltered walkway typical of Japanese dwellings.

Image credit: Fernando Guerra, Canon Ambassador

The original CAM center was designed by British architect Sir Leslie Martin and opened in 1983, housing one of the world’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese art. The center sits within the wider grounds of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation, a multi-disciplinary campus of 1960’s buildings in an 18-acre woodland.

Image credit: Fernando Guerra, Canon Ambassador

Kuma’s new iteration of the center is defined by a 330-foot-long sweeping timber canopy. The canopy was in...

Zaha Hadid Architects create Fornite experience for London with Epic Games

2024-09-24T08:55:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects and Epic Games have collaborated on an in-game experience for the popular Fortnite video game. Titled ‘Re:Imagine London’, the experience sees an island created within Fortnite that players can use to explore and interact with London’s built environment.

Image credit: Epic Games

Using Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), Re:Imagine London seeks to explore the use of the UEFN for practical applications in architecture and “pool creator talent across industries including architecture, landscape, and interiors.” To build the experience, the team used content provided by Zaha Hadid Architects, AccuCities, and Beyond Creative.

Image credit: Epic Games

“Situated around London’s waterfronts, the project investigates urban intensification and community participation in the creation of walkable, mixed-use, sustainable development, the team says. “The experience facilitates rapid optioneering through an engaging and...

Arup completes triangular ‘chamber of music’ for Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana

2024-09-23T08:32:00-04:00

Arup has completed a new performance venue for the Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana. Named Geode, the design of the open-air acoustical structure draws inspiration from a photograph taken by Robert Doisneau of the cellist Maurice Baquet performing with just a chair and music stand on a mountaintop in Chamonix, France.

Geode measures 18 feet tall at its highest point and is comprised of four triangular structures described as “harmonic polygons.” The polygons are designed to contain sound and reflect it in all directions, while also creating an “intimate and enveloping sonic environment” to protect musicians and the audience from the elements.

“The Geode’s sound-reflecting surfaces are large and close to the ground, creating directed sound reflectio...

Herman Miller introduces Bay Work Pod in response to hybrid work trends

2024-09-19T16:13:00-04:00

As workplaces adapt to the rise of remote and hybrid work, Herman Miller has released the Bay Work Pod, designed to offer workers a quiet space for focused work and video conferencing in open office environments. The pod features noise-reducing materials and lighting optimized for video calls, addressing common issues with office distractions.

Bay Work Pod by Herman Miller

The Bay Work Pod also accommodates ergonomic seating and includes an ADA-compliant version for accessibility. These design elements reflect ongoing changes in office culture, where privacy and comfort are becoming more valued in hybrid work settings.

Previously: The Pandemic Is History, but for Architects, Its Impact on Office Design Remains

The product is available to contract customers in North America.

Modular design revolution behind Crystal Palace construction revealed

2024-09-19T14:43:00-04:00

The Crystal Palace was not only a marvel of Victorian ingenuity but also a symbol of Britain’s embrace of industrial progress and modernity, reflecting the nation’s aspirations on the world stage

The Guardian reports that the mystery of how the Crystal Palace was built in just 190 days has been solved, crediting the success to a highly innovative building process. Joseph Paxton, the architect, employed a modular design using prefabricated iron and glass components, which were mass-produced in factories. The building's structure relied on standardized parts, such as cast-iron columns and girders, which were quickly assembled on-site. This efficient, industrial approach reduced construction time significantly. Additionally, the design’s use of lightweight materials and the repetition of simple units allowed for fast and precise assembly, revolutionizing construction techniques and setting a precedent for future large-scale architectural projects.

Leading landscape architecture firms pledge zero emissions by 2040

2024-09-19T14:28:00-04:00

Twenty-six CEOs from some of the world’s most influential landscape architecture firms have publicly committed to making their profession zero emissions by 2040, aligning with the goals set out in the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA Climate Action Plan).

Collectively generating over $350 million in annual revenue, these firms contribute to projects exceeding $1 billion in construction value each year and influence millions of acres across more than 50 countries. Their commitment underscores the crucial role landscape architects play in addressing climate change through nature-based solutions.

“These are people who have the skills and imagination to make it happen,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen. “They’re already designing resilient waterfronts, parks that soak up stormwater, and urban forests that take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and cool our cities.”

The CEOs’ public letter also calls on governments, clients, and allied professionals to strengthen cli...

PAO and Liu Kecheng revitalize old porcelain factory in China with new ‘plugin’ architecture

2024-09-19T12:29:00-04:00

A team led by Liu Kecheng Design Studio and the People’s Architecture Office (PAO) has completed a regeneration and redesign of an old porcelain factory in the Imperial Kiln Historic District of Jingdezhen, China. Using what PAO calls a ‘Plugin Architecture’ approach, the project saw the placing of architectural insertions within and adjacent to existing building, giving new use to the site while respecting historic elements.

Image credit: PAO

Image credit: Zhuyumeng

The porcelain factory speaks to the wider history of Jingdezhen, whose porcelain production stretches back over 1000 years and earned it the title of China’s ‘Porcelain Capital.’ To reactivate the factory, PAO and Liu Kecheng designed a modern structure to form a focal point of the site. Topped by a double-pitched roof, the three-story glass building houses exhibition spaces and a cafe.

Image credit: Zhuyumeng

Image credit: PAO

“The transparency of the glass enclosure introduces a sense of openness, contrasting with the sol...

In the face of post-pandemic habits, U.S. cities turn to vernacular design traditions for answers

2024-09-12T07:00:00-04:00

Gone are the days when the easiest way to make an architectural splash was with a shimmering and photogenic stand-alone building, fancy forms torquing this way and that. Along with exploring new takes on regional or vernacular design traditions, the field’s top talents are taking on projects that reimagine existing institutions or public spaces — or forge new links among them.

In a new piece for The New York Times, Yale School of Architecture senior critic Christopher Hawthorne explores how architects are striving to rejuvenate downtown areas across the U.S., where hybrid work schedules and negative perceptions have led to reduced vibrancy.

While converting commercial buildings into residential spaces is a popular strategy, it's not always feasible due to structural constraints, Hawthorne argues. Architects are therefore exploring strategies to entice activity downtown by reimagining existing structures and incorporating regional aesthetics.

Related on Archinect: Foster + Partners' Three Transamerica redesign wins approval in San Francisco. Image credit: dbox, courtesy of Foster + Partners/SHVO

Throughout the New York Times piece, Hawthorne cites examples such as the Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion by LMN Architects which reconnects the city to its waterfront, the revitalized Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco by Foster + Partners aimed at attracting ...

Inside the creation and demise of the Temple of Together at Burning Man 2024

2024-09-11T07:00:00-04:00

With Burning Man 2024 concluded, organizers have shared imagery depicting the building, use, and ultimate demise of the event’s main temple. Designed by Caroline “Glitter Kitty” Ghosn, the Temple of Together was inspired by Lebanese Khaizaran chairs and the artist’s own decades-long battle with multi-generational trauma and illness.

Image credit: Rand Larson

The design of the temple seeks to portray “the light that emerges when we come together with all parts of ourselves and with the oneness we share with all living things.” The leading motif of the temple is the representation of two hands coming together in prayer, symbolizing a common gesture of unity, humility, and respect to almost all spiritual traditions.

Image credit: Rand Larson

The gesture of unity is depicted literally by the two hands creating the temple’s entrance archway, but also in a more abstract sense through neo-Gothic pointed arches repeated throughout the design, ...

USC School of Architecture hosts Olafur Eliasson in conversation with Johanna Burton ahead of PST ART on Sept. 9th

2024-09-05T14:03:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by USC School of Architecture

Next Monday, September 9th, the USC School of Architecture, in partnership with USC Visions & Voices and The Museum of Contemporary Art, will host a conversation between Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson and MOCA director Johanna Burton to mark the inception of the third Pacific Standard Time Art exhibition in Los Angeles.

Eliasson is the subject of an upcoming MOCA exhibition, Olafur Eliasson: Open, which runs through July 6th, 2025, at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA downtown space.

Olafur Eliasson and Johanna Burton. Image (Olafur Eliasson): Louise Yeowart, 2024, (Johanna Burton): Erin Leland

He and Burton will talk about the process for his work, which he does not view as completed until it engages an audience. Eliasson’s work has been exhibited this year at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Istanbul Modern, displaying the same confluence of science, art, and technology that forms the basis of this year’s PST ART: A...

Message In a Bottle In Sainsbury

2024-08-29T21:36:00-04:00

The false columns in the foyer were part of the intended spatial sequence, conceived as a procession from shadow to light, inspired by the entry to an ancient church. Visitors would enter this crypt-like lower level, proceed up a grand staircase, and arrive in the airy galleries above.

Call it a reactionary's revenge if you want, but "a message in a bottle" was found inside one of the Sainsbury Wing's pilasters during the demolishment activity. It is said to have been written as a time capsule by one of the major donors of the Museum, Lord John Sainsbury.

While the message's author goes as far as to say, “I believe that the false columns are a mistake of the architect (VSBA) and that we would live to regret our accepting this detail of his design. Let it be known that one of the donors of this building is absolutely delighted that your generation has decided to dispense with the unnecessary columns.”

The Guardian's architecture critic Oliver Wainwright has the last piercing words for the client and their architect doing away with the old design; "More than 30 years later, Sainsbury’s view is shared by the National Gallery’s current administration. Director Gabriele Finaldi has said it is the “heavy grey architecture” and “forest” of thick pillars on the ground floo...

Archtober, NYC’s Architecture and Design Festival, Launches 14th Year

2024-08-21T13:48:00-04:00

Archinect has been a proud sponsor of Archtober since 2011

Archtober, a New York City-based platform that promotes the discovery of architecture and design through experiences and content, will celebrate the next installment of its annual festival from October 1–31, 2024. In collaboration with over 100 partners and sponsors across the city, the 2024 festival will gather events, exhibitions, resources, and activities across the five boroughs to raise awareness of the importance of architecture and design in New York City.

In recent years, Archtober has continued to grow and deepen its impact with the addition of an annual festival theme, which we launched in 2023. Our first theme, Bridging Divides, reflected a profound commitment to fostering inclusivity, innovation, and a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between individuals, communities, and the spaces they inhabit. This year’s theme, Tracing the Future, delves into the evolving landscape of NYC through affordable hous...

Design Agendas: Modern Architecture in St. Louis, 1930s–1970s

2024-08-16T16:13:00-04:00

The story of modern architecture in St. Louis is complex and often contradictory.

Beginning in the 1930s, internationally known architects such as Eric Mendelsohn, Eero Saarinen and Minoru Yamasaki — alongside important regional and national figures like Harris Armstrong, Charles Fleming, Joseph Murphy and Gyo Obata — created iconic structures that embodied new ideas about form and, in many cases, democratic social organization. Yet the period also was marked by racial segregation and by large-scale demolitions throughout the urban core.

This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present “Design Agendas: Modern Architecture in St. Louis, 1930s–1970s.” With nearly 300 architectural drawings, models, photographs, films, digital maps and artworks, “Design Agendas” is the first major exhibition to examine how interlocking civic, cultural and racial histories, as well as conflicting ideological aims, reshaped the city.

“I lived in Pruitt-Ig...

Disney previews major theme park expansions in Florida and California

2024-08-13T13:04:00-04:00

Disney’s magical footprint is about to expand through a new strategic initiative at its long-established Orlando and Anaheim theme parks.

The company’s largest-ever expansion of Walt Disney World in Florida is reportedly worth $17 billion and will unfold over a period of 15 years to cover 17,000 acres. The Orlando project will deliver Disney’s first-ever suspended roller coaster design and, among other attractions, a new section dedicated to villains.

Rendering courtesy of Walt Disney Co.

Back in California, Disneyland’s Avengers Campus will double in size, while the popular Avatar franchise will get its own dedicated destination nearby. It is unclear whether this is part of the $1.9 billion DisneylandForward expansion project announced in March.

Rendering courtesy of Walt Disney Co.

Disney Experiences Chairman D’Amato said, “Work is well underway on all of the new projects we announced, and fans will start to see them come to life in the near future.”

...

UNESCO assessing impact of skyscrapers on Tower of London

2024-08-07T19:29:00-04:00

The Tower of London’s status as a world heritage site may be at risk due to the influx of new skyscrapers in central London. UNESCO has requested that the UK government submit a State of Conservation Report that addresses the historic site’s preservation and the threat of increased high-rise buildings in the area. As reported by the BBC, a UNESCO spokesperson said the request was due to concerns about “cumulative impacts” from nearby high-rise developments and insufficient protection of the Tower’s “outstanding universal value”.

Previously on Archinect: The City of London skyline is expected to add these eleven towers by 2030

Concerns were initially raised by the English historic preservation body, Historic England, regarding City Plan 2040, the City of London Corporation’s (CLC) draft policies for new office, residential buildings, and overall development. Historic England believes these policies are likely to “severely harm” the likes of the Tower of London. On the other hand, depu...

Completed cultural sector projects valued at more than $8 billion in 2023, study shows

2024-08-05T19:38:00-04:00

The value of completed cultural projects worldwide in 2023 totaled $8.58 billion, and announced projects equaled another $5.62 billion, according to the latest Cultural Infrastructure Index from the industry group AEA Consulting. The accounting includes 192 completed projects that year, in addition to 198 announced projects through the end of December.

The most expensive among the completed projects was the $500 million REX-designed Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City. The new Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville from BIG equaled that amount in the announced project category.

The majority of cultural projects (52.6% completed and 56.6% announced) were registered in the Museum/Gallery subcategory, followed by Performing Arts Center for completed projects and Multifunction Arts Venue for announced projects.

The $465 million Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York by Studio Gang. Image: ©...

Iván Argote's viral new High Line plinth commission speaks to our impermanence as a species

2024-08-02T18:34:00-04:00

New York's High Line just debuted what promises to be a viral new public art installation from Iván Argote. From October on, the fourth High Line Plinth commission winner will present Dinosaur, a 16-foot hyperrealist pigeon sculpture made from cast aluminum. Argote says his work is a metacommentary on the impermanence of the human species.

Iván Argote, Dinosaur, Rendering courtesy of the artist

The bird itself was manufactured in Mexico and must make a pit stop in New Jersey on its migration journey before being installed on its five-foot plinth overlooking Tenth Avenue, a perch from which it will peer into the city until September of 2026. Pigeons, of course, are synonymous with New York City. One criticism might be that a dove would be more appropriate for a high-profile commission in the global media capital, given the many current conflicts ongoing across the world.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The High Line (@highlinenyc)

Pharrell calls for reintroducing arts and architecture competitions at the Olympics

2024-08-01T17:54:00-04:00

[Pharrell] Williams is aiming to reinstate arts competitions back on the world’s biggest sports stage, starting with raising awareness through his star-studded Louis Vuitton event Thursday in Paris. He passionately shared his goal to see the tradition revived by the Olympics in 2028 the night before the Games’ opening ceremony.

As we detailed three years ago during the Tokyo games, the modern Olympics were at one time also meant to showcase feats of artistic and architectural talent (although most were tinged by racist theories of the time). Pharrell’s view, which he wouldn’t elaborate, is that having them included would “raise awareness.”

Francesca Aton of ARTnews joined the musician and Louis Vuitton creative director (and avid skateboarder) in espousing: “[It’s] clear that reviving them would not only take a big effort but would also require the support of those active among the categories in each respective field. As recent studies on arts workers reveal gaps in professional continuation and low wages, support for those in the field could be a welcome change and an opportunity for impactful discovery.”

New Jersey defunds OMA's planned Centre Pompidou x Jersey City project over high costs

2024-07-31T12:18:00-04:00

The unlikely pairing of the Centre Pompidou and the state of New Jersey that would have seen OMA remake the historic Pathside Building in Jersey City into its first American satellite appears to be over after officials determined the project to be "no longer viable" financially.

"Due to the ongoing impact of COVID and multiple global conflicts on the supply chain, rising costs, an irreconcilable operating gap, and the corresponding financial burdens it will create for New Jersey’s taxpayers, the Legislature has rescinded financial support, leaving us to determine that this project is unfortunately no longer feasible," the letter from NJ Economic Development Authority chief Tim Sullivan to Centre Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon reads. Artnet has more on the unfolding funding debacle, which centers around a question about the satellite's operational costs.

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is currently undergoing a $280.5 million overhaul led by Moreau Kusunoki with associate designer F...

UK gov't cancels long-controversial highway tunnel project near Stonehenge

2024-07-30T16:59:00-04:00

The British government’s plans to construct a new two-mile underground tunnel near the Stonehenge UNESCO World Heritage site have been called off in what’s being framed as a major victory for preservationists.

The BBC has more on the late budgetary decision, which ends a yearslong legal back-and-forth between local campaigners and National Highways. The issue had, at one point, threatened its protected status. A campaigner with Stonehenge Alliance told The Art Newspaper: "This entire monstrous project, a proposal to drive a gash of concrete and tarmac through our most sacred prehistoric landscape, should never have got off the drawing board."

Olalekan Jeyifous' reconstituted 'Unmonument' comes to Brooklyn with the Black Reconstruction Collective

2024-07-30T13:01:00-04:00

Next week, Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center begins the first of a new imaginative public art installations series from the Black Reconstruction Collective. There, the industrial ‘Unmonument’ will take center stage starting August 8 as the instigator of several other small site activations surrounding it. The aim is to challenge the conventional notions of what the collective says are the most frequently perpetuated ‘myths’ about power, permanence, and the collective experience of the societies that construct them.

As a memorial to the many liberated Black diasporic communities across the country, such as Weeksville, the installation highlights an important narrative within Black history and is augmented by programming from the multidisciplinary oral tradition incubator Black Discourse.

The Crown Heights rendition, reconfigured by Olalekan Jeyifous, precedes Sekou Cooke's Syracuse contribution in September; another from Felecia Davis in Bellefonte, PA, in December; and, next ye...

A skateable testament to physics and form takes over the Centre Pompidou

2024-07-23T12:57:00-04:00

This summer, outside of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the museum’s famous forecourt area will be the site of a timely skatepark activation by local artist Raphaël Zarka.

His new Cycloïde Piazza installation is meant to connect young Parisian skate enthusiasts and forms a key part of the Cultural Olympiad preceding this year's games, as presented by Centre Pompidou curator Jean-Max Colard.

Image courtesy Raphaël Zarka

Harkening to the experimentations of Galileo and other astronomers and mathematicians as its primary reference, the centerpiece skateable "sculpture" was designed in unison with the architect Jean-Benoît Vétillard to carry several references to France's rich art history and architectural culture.

Image copyright Fred Mortagne

A polychromatic color palette quotes Le Corbusier's "Clavier de couleurs" keyboard cards from 1931. Constructivism and the works of painters such as Lyubov Popova also hold weight over the installation's presentation, helping it to serve as an "urb...