Archinect - News

Curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara discuss the 2018 Venice Biennale's theme, Freespace

2018-06-12T13:23:00-04:00

The 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale is well underway, having opened its doors officially to the public on May 26th. Curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects under the title of Freespace, this year's biennale has put a slew of projects on display that are generous and open, asking visitors to enjoy the temporary environments they find themselves in.

In the following video, PLANE—SITE speaks with the Irish architects about the choice for this edition’s theme. The duo has stated their mission is to move beyond architecture as an object, instead imagining Freespace as an invitation to think about architecture as a space of opportunities. Literally and metaphorically, Freespace presents environments of freedom and celebrates the rich civic experience that they create.

How to engage the past in architectural dialogue according to Toshiko Mori, featured in new Time-Space-Existence video

2018-05-10T15:28:00-04:00

Acclaimed Japanese-American architect and former chair of architecture at Harvard University GSD, Toshiko Mori has built a career on technical research, experimental design, and pedagogical practice. In the ninth video from the Time-Space-Existence series, produced by PLANE—SITE, Mori discusses the topics of time, space, and existence as they relate to her work.

Thread Arists' Residency. Photo by Iwan Baan.

Born in Japan in 1951, Mori emigrated to the United States as a teenager and went on to graduate from the Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1976, where she became a protégé of the school's dean John Hejduk. Afterwards, Mori began her career working with modernist architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, designer of the IBM Building at 57th Street and Madison Avenue.

Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. Photo by Iwan Baan.

Toshiko Mori's portfolio includes an impressive roster of projects such as a visitor center adjacent to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House in Buffalo ...

"Things should be for their own time" says American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner

2018-05-02T12:55:00-04:00

American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner is known for his language-based sculpture and work exploring the relationship between art, artist, and viewer. Born in the Bronx in 1942, he is considered one of the foremost conceptual artists of the 60s.

Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Mural, Boston 2015. Photo by Geoff Hargadon.

Kunsthaus Bregenz. Photo by Udo Mittelberger.

Recognized by its striking typography outlined in black, Weiner's work applied art-as-language to the built environment, from walls to the ground underfoot. In this new short film from the Time-Space-Existence series, Weiner discusses making art accessible to the public, the relationship between people and material objects, and language as a gesture. Beyond, Weiner goes on to talk about why he doesn’t believe in art transcending time, and why creative work should spill beyond the confines of the gallery space.

Produced by PLANE—SITE, the video has been commissioned by the GAA Foundation and funded by the ECC in the run-up to...

Daniel Libeskind tower to be unveiled during Venice Architecture Biennale

2018-04-10T14:21:00-04:00

As part of ECC's Time-Space-Existence exhibition during the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, Daniel Libeskind will be unveiling a new architectural sculpture that explores the connections between climate, time, space and existence. Facing Gaia, as it is called, is inspired by ancient forms and will feature a convex mirrored center, bound to its steel structure with pioneering GRIP Metal™ technology.

Facing Gaia. Sketch by Daniel Libeskind.

“The Biennale is an important opportunity to explore meaning and metaphor in architectural space and form,” said the seminal architect. “This moment in time, the very idea of human existence is in question. What is the future of technology? Nature? Humanity? Facing Gaia focuses on the tension of these relationships while inviting open-ended questions and interaction,” he added.

Jewish Museum Berlin © Hufton+Crow

Military History Museum, Dresden © Hufton+Crow

Born in Lód’z, Poland, in 1946, Libeskind immigrated to the United States as a teenager. St...

‘More Than 50 Percent Of My Work Is Unbuilt’ says Moshe Safdie in new Time-Space-Existence video

2018-03-13T16:13:00-04:00

After half a century working in architecture, Moshe Safdie remains one of the world’s most influential modernists. Winner of the prestigious AIA Gold Medal, Safdie is known for his environmentally-ambitious projects and bold forms. In this new short video from the Time-Space-Existence series, produced by PLANE—SITE, Safdie ponders on his own legacy and that of his Habitat 67, the designs that will never be built, and what he believes has made his work so timeless.

Columbus Center (unbuilt). Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

National Library of Israel (unbuilt). Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Born in 1938 in Haifa, Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian architect, urban planner, and educator. After graduating in Architecture from McGill University in Montreal, Safdie was an apprentice to Louis Kahn. Safdie is most well-known for his iconic, cellular and prefabricated units for living, Habitat 67, designed early in his career in 1967. Shortly afterward, in 1970, he established a Jerusalem off...

Fumihiko Maki featured in PLANE—SITE's next Time-Space-Existence video

2018-02-14T12:36:00-05:00

One of the world’s foremost living modernists, AIA Gold Medalist and Pritzker laureate Fumihiko Maki's celebrated career stretches over 60 years. Steering clear of “unnecessary forms or textures” (as he puts it), his designs are understated integrations of metal, glass and concrete. Like other Japanese architects of his generation, Maki has spent a lifetime unafraid to embrace new technologies while insisting on their humanity.

Four World Trade Center © Tectonic

Aga Khan Museum © Shinkenchiku-sha

Fumihiko Maki was trained under Kenzo Tange at the University of Tokyo, going on to graduate from Harvard GSD and work at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Sert Jackson and Associates. He later returned to Tokyo and started his own firm, Maki and Associates.

In this new video for the Time-Space-Existence series, Maki discusses the importance in acknowledging human behavior in architecture, the strange shapes of today’s skyscrapers, and the influence of his mentor, ...

PLANE—SITE visits Kengo Kuma's Tokyo offices in new Time-Space-Existence video

2017-12-12T13:44:00-05:00

Kengo Kuma is one of Japan’s most significant living architects, thanks to his sophisticated integrations of traditional architecture with up-to-the-minute technologies. Unusually sensitive to materiality and technique, Kuma’s designs are irresistibly tactile, often resembling hand-woven fabrics or an ornate beehive. As part of our partnership with PLANE—SITE (a Berlin-based creative agency working at the interface of urban form, cultural space and social life), we are sharing another video from their Time-Space-Existence series featuring the prominent Japanese architect discussing his work.

In this new short video, PLANE—SITE travels to the Tokyo offices of Kengo Kuma & Associates to discuss the topics of time, space, and existence as they relate to his work. Widely regarded as one of Japan’s most eminent architects, Kuma's most significant buildings include Stone Museum in Nasu, which repurposed stone from old rice stores, the Nagasaki Prefectural Museum and...

Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao featured in new Time-Space-Existence video series

2017-11-21T13:53:00-05:00

Eschewing any fixed style or dogma, acclaimed Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao has instead built a body of work that is both visually daring and socially meaningful. As part of our partnership with PLANE—SITE (a Berlin-based creative agency working at the interface of urban form, cultural space and social life), we are sharing the second video from their Time-Space-Existence series which features the prominent architect discussing her work.

In this new short video, Bilbao (b. 1972) suggests that the architect has a moral responsibility to foreground people over profit. In her words, architecture is the act of “making places and spaces, by people, for people”. Produced by PLANE—SITE, the video has been commissioned by the GAA Foundation and funded by the ECC in the run-up to the Time-Space-Existence exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia Architettura (opening May 2018).

Bilbao has shot to international prominence in...

‘Time-Space-Existence’ video series launches with a focus on Arata Isozaki

2017-10-30T17:41:00-04:00

Archinect is excited to announce a new partnership with PLANE—SITE, a Berlin-based creative agency working at the interface of urban form, cultural space and social life. Every three weeks, starting today, we will be sharing a video from the Time-Space-Existence project, a series of videos created by PLANE—SITE, commissioned by the Global Arts Affairs Foundation in conjunction with their exhibition at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Each video, typically running 3-5 minutes in length, will feature a prominent architect discussing his/her work within the context of the project's theme.

Time, space and existence. These three concepts sketch out the contours of the world around us — a fact especially true within architecture. Taking these words as its starting point, the GAA Foundation is set to curate its fourth collateral exhibition in the context of La Biennale di Venezia Architettura, entitled Time-Space-Existence and opening in May 2018. Featuring over 100 established and em...