Archinect - News

Meier Partners share photos of completed Sorol Art Museum in South Korea

2024-10-23T07:57:00-04:00

Meier Partners has shared the latest images of their completed Sorol Art Museum project in Gangneung, South Korea. The update follows the February debut of the 336,500-square-foot museum, which is dedicated to Korean artists and designed to elicit the aesthetic tenets of Confucian philosophy. The firm’s first completed work since restructuring in 2021 matches the site’s topographical conditions while arranging galleries in a T-shaped circulatory route that enables a "personal journey of discovery."

Dukho Yeon, the Partner-in-Charge for the project, described at its opening as a "modest but lyrical composition incised into this spectacular landscape that would become the perfect backdrop for art and remain forever memorable to all who visit."

You can see for yourself in Roland Halbe’s photos below. Three other projects, including a new children’s museum and the Kiwoom Finance Square tower, will follow in Seoul.

Image: © Roland Halbe

Image: © R...

The most-liked Instagram posts of summer/fall 2024 on @archinect

2024-10-04T17:49:00-04:00

With the summer behind us and fall in full swing, we're taking a look at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed from the summer and the fall so far.

Whether you're already one of @archinect's 97.6k followers or not (yet) — check out the most popular posts of the past three months, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, make sure to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs account as well.

9. Gray Design Building for the University of Kentucky College of Design in Lexington, KY, by Studio Gang / @studiogang with K. Norman Berry Associates / @knbaarchitects; Photo: Tom Harris @tomharrisphotography

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8. Villa M in Mies, Switzerland, by Leopold Banchini Architects / @leopoldbanchini; Photo: Rory Gardiner @arorygardiner

...

The most-liked Instagram posts of spring/summer 2024 on @archinect

2024-07-09T19:42:00-04:00

With summer in full effect, we're taking a look at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed from the spring and summer so far.

Whether you're already one of @archinect's 96.8k followers or not (yet) — check out the most popular posts of the past three months, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, make sure to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs account as well.

9. World of Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden, by Henning Larsen / @henninglarsenarchitects; Photo: Rasmus Hjortshøj - COAST @rasmus_hjortshoj

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8. Yoma Cove Suites in Zákynthos, Greece, by Urban Soul Project / @urban.soul.project; Photo: Anima - Vision @animavision

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7. Meteorite i...

New photos depicting North Korea's 'Architecture of Control'

2024-05-20T18:41:00-04:00

Reuters has published images of the DPRK's showcase architecture in a new photo essay titled 'Architecture of control: North Korea's bizarre, post-modern cityscapes,' which shows a rare glimpse at the post-modern building activity in Pyongyang.

It comes as the state pursues a new building program meant to yield 50,000 new residences in the capital by about this time next year, an effort aided by labor from military academy cadets and meant to match its housing shortage at "Pyongyang Speed."

The architectural designers of most of these buildings remain unknown. Their likely source is the nearby Paektusan Academy of Architecture.

The most-liked Instagram posts of summer 2023 on @archinect

2023-10-07T08:00:00-04:00

As the morning air feels crisper and the smell of pumpkin spice anything becomes increasingly hard to avoid, we're taking a quick look back at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed this summer.

Whether you're already one of @archinect's 95.1k followers or not (yet) — check out the most popular posts of the past three months, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, make sure to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs account as well.

9. Logan Pavilion in Jackson, WY by CLB Architects / @clbarchitects; Photo: Kevin Scott @k7scott

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8. Blue Lake-Lakeside Teahouse Renovation in Beijing, China by YI+MU Design Office

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7. Glimmer House in Tor...

The Cultural Landscape Foundation acquires photographer Alan Ward's archive

2023-08-31T14:19:00-04:00

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) has just announced a gift of landscape photographer and architect Alan Ward’s digital archive, a donation they say provides both the public and scholars exposure to one of the profession’s most beloved practitioners.

The Sasaki Associates principal’s bequest includes 2,500 photographs. Each will be made accessible through the Alan Ward Portfolios of Designed Landscapes section of TCLF’s website and is part of the “Related Content” holdings, which currently includes over 13,000 images depicting more than 2,600 sites across the world.

Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, Kent, U.K., 1999. Photo © Alan Ward, courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation

France’s iconic garden at Vaux-le-Vicomte is one recent documentary subject included in the trove, which features work from the United States and twelve other countries taken over a 50-year span. A total of 20 of 110 separate portfolios will be unveiled first as part of the launch. The TCLF says they are useful...

The most-liked Instagram posts of winter 2023 on @archinect

2023-04-03T18:24:00-04:00

As winter is increasingly loosening its grip on the Nothern Hemisphere, join us as we take a look back at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed this past quarter.

Whether you're already one of @archinect's 93k followers or not (yet) — check out the most popular posts of the past three months, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, make sure to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs account as well.

9. ANNA Stay by Cabin ANNA @cabin_anna / Caspar Schols @casparschols; Photo: Jorrit ‘t Hoen @jorritphoto

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8. Camera House in Pemberton, Canada by Leckie Studio Architecture + Design / @leckiestudio; Photo: Ema Peter @emaphotographi

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7. M ...

The most-liked Instagram posts of summer 2022 on @archinect

2022-10-07T09:00:00-04:00

As we're entering the homestretch of 2022, it's a good moment to take a quick glance back at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed this past quarter.

Perhaps you're already one of @archinect's nearly 90k followers or not (yet) — check out the most popular posts of the past three months, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, don't forget to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs 'gram as well.

9. ROOVICE Office in Yokohama, Japan by Roovice / @roovice; Photo: Akira Nakamura @nakamamej

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8. Sixth Street Viaduct in Los Angeles, CA by Michael Maltzan Architecture / @michaelmaltzanarchitecture; Architect & Engineer of Record: HNTB / @hntbcorp; Landscape Architect: Hargreaves Jones Landscape Architecture, D.P.C. / @hargre...

Take a look at new Iwan Baan photos of LA's Sixth Street Viaduct ahead of its grand opening

2022-07-08T15:27:00-04:00

Concluding a multi-year construction effort that began with the demolition of the original 1930s Sixth Street Bridge in 2016 and saw the new structure begin to rise one year later, the City of Los Angeles is set to celebrate the opening of the largest bridge project in its history with a slew of public events this weekend, July 9th and 10th.

Spanning 3,500 feet in length, the new $588 million Michael Maltzan-designed Sixth Street Viaduct reestablishes a vital connection between Downtown LA, the Arts District, and the historic Boyle Heights neighborhood by expanding the focus of transportation from merely car traffic to also prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, offering wide sidewalks as well as 10-foot-wide Class IV protected bike lanes along each side of the viaduct. The opening of the ambitious PARC project (Park, Arts, River, and Connectivity), overseen by landscape architects Hargreaves Jones, is anticipated for 2024-25.

Photo by Iwan Baan, courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture...

Two Midwesterners on the quest to document the untapped potential of America's rural architecture

2022-06-22T13:34:00-04:00

It's fascinating to document how architectural and cultural trends are deployed across the country, but we've seen that widespread disinvestment — as well as patterns of renovation and repurposing — add to an already palpable sense of impermanence.

Chicagoans Zach Huelsing and Jon Lehman’s Rural Indexing Project was first launched during the Obama administration and has grown to an archive of more than 1,200 locations spread across 25 different states. Huelsing and Lehman both studied architecture and urban planning respectively, and their backgrounds have been useful in guiding their realization that the built environment in many cases, offers more than suburbanites and city dwellers are exposed to in the easily repeatable, clickbait-laden news cycle.

“So many of the images that are propagated from rural parts of the country focus on decay or on destruction or abandonment, and we're very interested in the ways that buildings, in particular, continue to serve and continue to be adapted in ways that meet the needs of communities," he said. "I think we can actually learn some lessons ... the stories that our photographs tell are stories of adaptive reuse."

Iwan Baan takes us inside the new National Museum of Norway

2022-06-10T14:07:00-04:00

Ahead of June 11th's anticipated debut of the new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, architectural photographer Iwan Baan has traveled to Norway to preview one of the year's most important cultural projects.

His photos reveal the slate grey 587,700-square-foot vision of architect Klaus Schuwerk, whose creation is the largest of its kind in the entire Nordic region. Said to be a scale so large it is considered hard to comprehend the structure until viewed from above.

Image © Iwan Baan.

The process of consolidating disparate collections of art under one roof took time. Beginning in 2010, the new institution's hybrid collection was taken from its former home in a historic 1882 structure and reimagined inside a new 86 gallery upgrade. The new structure is joined by two preexisting 19th-century buildings that were former train stations. The addition of a rectangular, translucent volume called the Light Hall, can be found on top of the new museum structure which will...

The Most Liked Instagram Posts of Winter 2022 on @archinect

2022-04-19T19:00:00-04:00

As the architectural news cycle has seemingly barreled through the first few months of the year, let's take a quick peek back at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed this past quarter.

Maybe you're already one of @archinect's 87k followers or not (yet) — here's a small collection of the most popular posts of the past three months, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, don't forget to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs IG account as well.

9. Eastman Restaurant in Kyiv, Ukraine by JK Lab Architects / @jklab_architects @jannakiseleva and First Line Group; Photo: Margo Didichenko @didichenko

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8. Serpentine Pavilion in London, UK by 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Diébédo Francis Kéré / @kerearchitecture; P...

James Florio receives 2022 Julius Shulman Excellence in Photography Award

2022-03-28T17:59:00-04:00

Woodbury University's Julius Shulman Institute (JSI) has acted as an important bridge that connects the general public with the disciplines of architecture and photography. For this year's 2022 edition, the JSI presents James Florio with the prestigious Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award.

Florio's photographic works capture the intimate details of the built environment in nature and within cityscapes. Many of his past works and projects document how time, nature, and climate impact architecture and landscapes. While the photographs shown here primarily highlight his latest work with Ensamble Studio, other projects such as the Cervantes Theatre, Exeter Library, and Gio Ponti Denver Art Museum exhibit Florio's eye for investigating structure, materials, texture, and shadow from a macro to micro-scale.

Beartooth Portal in the snow. Image © James Florio/Courtesy of The Julius Shulman Institute.

Close-up of concrete fold from a project by Ensamble Studio. Image © Pho...

See Iwan Baan's new photos of the forthcoming National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo

2021-12-14T13:14:00-05:00

Noted architectural photographer Iwan Baan has shared an update about the Klaus Schuwerk-designed National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, which officially opens to the public in June of next year.

Photo: Iwan Baan. Images courtesy of the National Museum of Norway.

The museum began offering public tours of the new facilities over the summer, which constitutes a significant upgrade to the institution’s former home in a historic 19th-century building.

Photo: Iwan Baan. Images courtesy of the National Museum of Norway.

Baan’s photos showcase the Vestbanen harborfront site and new two-story structure, which will house some 5,000 pieces from the museum’s growing collection across 90 different individual rooms complete with an art library, cafe, and open-air terrace space, which offers views of the adjacent Akershus Fortress.

Photo: Iwan Baa...

Architectural Photography Awards: 24 photographers selected for this year's shortlist

2021-11-23T17:34:00-05:00

In collaboration with the World Architecture Festival since 2012, the Architectural Photography Awards (APA) has been celebrating the work of professional and amateur photographers with a passion for capturing the beauty of architecture and the built environment.

According to APA organizers: "Images of the built world are ubiquitous, used beyond the world of architecture and design, you will see buildings in advertisements for finance, cars, travel and more. Despite the visibility of these images, their creators are invisible. The APA crosses sectors and continents to raise awareness of the skill of these photographers; their ability to translate the sophistication of the built world..."

Among 2000 entries this year, 24 photographers were chosen across the categories Exterior, Interior, Sense of Place, Building in Use, Mobile and Portfolio. Below is a selection of shortlisted photographs from each category.

EXTERIOR CATEGORY

APA 2021 Exterior shortlist: Bully Hill House in New York...

New photos of Mecanoo's refurbished Mies-designed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in D.C.

2021-11-19T17:47:00-05:00

Mecanoo has shared updated imagery of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. the firm revamped together with OTJ Architects.

Photographers Robert Benson and Trent Bell have provided new photos detailing the modernization of the landmark building that was completed in 1972 as Mies van der Rohe’s only library design and final act as an architect.

Following a three-year transformation, the library opened to the public on September 25th but has gone largely undocumented thanks to restrictions over the coronavirus, which shut out much of the renovated areas from public view since its official reopening in October 2020.

Scroll down to have a look at a selection of the latest photos and learn more about the project here.

Image © Trent Bell

Image © Robert Benson

Image © Trent Bell

Image © Robert Benson

...

The Most Liked Instagram Posts of Summer 2021 on @archinect

2021-10-18T14:25:00-04:00

As the Northern Hemisphere has entered the fall season, we're taking a quick glance back at the highlights on Archinect's Instagram feed this summer.

No matter if you're already one of @archinect's 83k (and counting) followers or not (yet), we have collected the most popular posts of the past quarter, showcasing stand-out projects from various firm profiles on Archinect as well as from here, our news and features editorial sections.

Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest architecture firms hiring right now, don't forget to follow our dedicated @archinectjobs account as well.

9. Hamilton Court Amenities Building in Philadelphia, PA by Coscia Moos Architecture / @coscia.moos.architecture; Photo: Halkin Mason

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8. Jiangnan Zan in Linhai, China by LYCS Architecture / @lycsarchitecture; Photo: Wu Qingshan @wuqingshan.archphotographer

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An Instagram account with an eye on Soviet-era modernism is cropping up in Ukraine

2021-10-14T11:55:00-04:00

An IT specialist in his 30s, he says that his interest in his hometown’s Soviet-era architectural history began gradually, starting with an appreciation of 19th-century neoclassical architecture. From there, he became interested in constructivism, and finally, modernism. “I began to understand that these [Soviet-era buildings] were not just ‘boring, Soviet panels’, as most people thought of them, but perhaps masterpieces of world architecture.”

The Ukrainian port city of Odesa offers a unique blend of popular 19th-century styles and Soviet-era modernism. Architect Heinrich Topuz’s Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy, completed in 1981, stands as one of the city’s best examples of building in the period. Similar social media tributes to modernism remain among the more popular for design fans online.

“My Instagram account will become an architectural monument to the Odesa which we have lost,” the curator of @odessamodernism told The Calvert Journal. Currently, the account has over 6,000 followers.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by architecture | design | art (@odessamodernism)

A new map offers a unique historical exploration of Berlin's eclectic subway architecture

2021-10-05T14:47:00-04:00

Blue Crow Media’s latest update to a series of influential design maps uses 50 select sites along the U-Bahn, Berlin’s invisible lifeline, as a means of looking into the social and economic impacts of architecture in 20th-century Berlin.

Courtesy Blue Crow Media

Featuring photography from Nigel Green, architectural historian Verena Pfeiffer-Kloss’s two-sided, bilingual guide offers a lurid investigation into significant design elements of the network using examples from 1902 to 2009.

Courtesy Blue Crow Media

More than half of the current system was designed by Swedish architect Alfred Grenander before his death in 1931. His Art Noveau inspiration gave way to modernism in the years that followed.

Stations by Rainer Gerhard Rümmler served as an integral part of post-war Berlin’s unique and often eclectic mix of architecture.

The map celebrates their and other contributions while encouraging readers to observe the deta...

New photos of Thomas Heatherwick's now completed Lantern House

2021-09-20T18:35:00-04:00

Photographer Colin Miller has new images of the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Lantern House condominium building sitting along the High Line in New York’s tony Chelsea neighborhood.

The recently completed development was a bit overshadowed by Heatherwick Studio’s recent additions to the city, which includes the controversial Vessel at Hudson Yards and nearby Little Island floating park.

Now, as tenants officially begin moving into the designer’s first completed residential development, admire the sculptural form and unique modular bay window facade thanks to Miller‘s photos of the latest high-profile Heatherwick addition to the visual landscape of New York City.

Herzog & de Meuron's Feltrinelli Porta Volta photographed by Bahaa Ghoussainy

2021-07-09T13:06:00-04:00

Architectural photographer Bahaa Ghoussainy has published his documentation of Milan's Feltrinelli Porta Volta, a recent Herzog & de Meuron project aimed at providing the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli with a spacious new home. The restored Porta opened in 2016 after a historical analysis and rehabilitation of the 16th-century site by the Swiss-based firm.

Ghoussainy's photographs capture perfectly the symmetry and bifurcation of the new buildings while highlighting their ability to communicate the themes of historical reverence and consistency central to the project's vision.

You can read more about Ghoussainy in our 2018 'In Focus' interview with the photographer.

Architectural photographer Danica O. Kus captures Bernard Tschumi's nostalgic Acropolis Museum in Athens

2020-05-18T17:39:00-04:00

Designed by Bernard Tschumi, the Acropolis Museum building was completed back in 2009. Housing numerous structures from Greek antiquity, the museum is located at the foot of Acropolis of Athens, an archeological site that still contains many ancient buildings, including the Parthenon.

Architectural photographer Danica O. Kus pursued this project as a personal endeavor. "I was inspired by the buildings' design whcih permits natural light to flow into the galleries and illuminate the sculptures," she told Archinect. "My passion for photography led me to investigate buildings not only as an architectural object but also to explore the atmosphere of the inner and other space."

The building consists of three levels. The ground level holds the main entrance and presents a view down to the archeological excavations that were discovered during the building's pre-construction phase.

The second level contains the Archaic Gallery which contains the archaic and classical sculptures of the museu...

National Building Museum reopens next month with exhibition on architectural photography

2020-02-20T14:28:00-05:00

As the three-month-long renovations for the Great Hall comes to a close, the National Building Museum prepares to reopen on March 13, 2020. The reopening will kick off a yearlong 40th anniversary celebration at the museum. The celebration will begin with a new exhibition: Alan Karchmer: The Architects' Photographer, which examines the work of Karchmer and the overall practice of architectural photography. Karchmer's photos will include the work of various renowned architects and organizations, including Santiago Calatrava, Tadao Ando, Gensler, and TEN Arquitectos among many others.

Château La Coste Art Centre, Le Puy-Ste-Réparade, France, Tadao Ando Architect & Associates. © Alan Karchmer, courtesy National Building Museum.

The renovation allowed the museum to convert its second-floor classrooms into a new exhibition space that will house The Architects' Photographer exhibition. A new ground level Ticketing Gallery will also be introduced. "We used this opportunity to make some long-...

Paul Clemence's mesmerizing construction photos of David Adjaye's 130 William tower

2020-02-05T15:47:00-05:00

Construction for David Adjaye's first NYC tower, 130 William, is scheduled to be complete this year. Topping out at 800 feet last May, the luxury condominium tower will have 66 floors wrapped in a hand-cast concrete facade featuring bronze detailing and oversized arched windows. Lightstone was the project's developer, while Hill West Architects was architect of record.

Architectural photographer Paul Clemence has been capturing the construction progress of Adjaye's anticipated tower — whether it's zooming into the mesmerizing rows of arched windows or picturesque frames of the tower emerging into the cityscape of Manhattan's Financial District, with neighboring skyscrapers like One WTC and Frank Gehry's 8 Spruce Street in view. Scroll down for some photos that Clemence shared with Archinect:

Credit: Paul Clemence from ARCHI-PHOTO.

Credit: Paul Clemence from ARCHI-PHOTO...

A photographic look at Lower Manhattan's disappearing single-story building typology

2019-12-02T07:00:00-05:00

A new exhibition currently on view at the Center for Architecture in New York City highlights the disappearing nature of single-story buildings across the East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods.

The Single Story Project highlights New York's low-slung buildings. Image courtesy of the Center for Architecture.

The exhibition features the architectural photography of Adam Friedberg, who has been personally documenting every single-story structure in the area over the last four years. According to an exhibition website, the exhibition highlights a "reflection of the rapid development and gentrification of the neighborhood. He completed the project this past fall, and over the course of the documentation many of the buildings have already disappeared or will soon be demolished."

57 4th Avenue. Image courtesy of Adam Friedberg.

724 Broadway. Image courtesy of Adam Friedberg.

According to the site, Friedberg would photograph the buildings early in the morning before cars and pedestr...

Photographers rethink the Eastern Bloc

2019-08-12T13:30:00-04:00

All were built after World War II to cheaply house the masses in a way that jived with communist ideology. Near-identical two- and three-bedroom apartments included amenities like central heat, private bathrooms, and elevators. Standardization and mass production were paramount, though idiosyncrasies—a pop of color here, a geometric motif there—inevitably crept in.

David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka, the dynamic duo that make up the independent publisher/design studio Zupagrafika have trekked the Eastern Bloc in an effort to capture its hidden treasures. Their adventure has been published in a book called Eastern Blocks.

"Eastern Blocks is a photographic journey through the cityscapes of the former Eastern Bloc, inviting readers to explore the districts and peripheries that became a playground for mass housing development after WW2, including objects like houses ‘on chicken legs’, soviet ‘flying saucers’ or hammer-shaped tower blocks," reads the publisher's website.

John Margolies elevated roadside attractions to high art with his photography, now digitized through the Library of Congress

2019-05-28T13:47:00-04:00

There are many names associated with the documentation of American fringe culture during the transformative middle of the 20th century, among them Johnny Cash, Hunter S. Thompson and even architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. But one of its principal photographers - whose images may be significantly more well known than the name behind them - is John Margolies, the man behind nearly 11,000 photos of American roadside attractions taken throughout the 1970s, as well as several books on the subject.

Star Lite Outdoor Theater, Route 81-B, Fargo, North Dakota.

Without a touch of irony or derision, Margolies found inspiration in what other critics readily dismissed as "low-brow" and "tasteless." As the New York Times once profiled him, Margolies made a career out of "scouring back roads for those vanishing emblems of midcentury enterprise, which were already imperiled by air travel, interstates and big-box sprawl."

Christie's Restaurant sign, cowboy shrimp, Houston, Texas.

The...

Photographer Janna Ireland is on the hunt to capture Paul R. Williams' built legacy in L.A.

2018-10-01T19:40:00-04:00

For nearly two years, [Janna Ireland has] searched out buildings to photograph — mansions and housing projects, churches and banks designed by the Angeleno architect who died in 1980. [...] “I’m interested in stories about black people, and I’m interested in stories about Los Angeles. There’s an intersection there,” says Ireland, who grew up in Philadelphia.

Mimi Zeiger profiles artist/photographer Janna Ireland, who has spent the last two years photographing the buildings of Paul R. Williams as a way to preserve his architectural legacy.

“It has all of this psychological depth ... [Ireland's photos] don’t simply document the architectural quality of the building but capture the thought that went into making it,” Barbara Bestor says in the article in describing Ireland's work. Last December, the Julius Shulman Institute presented Ireland's photography in the exhibition, “There is Only One Paul R Williams: A Portrait by Janna Ireland”.

Brutalist collection of vintage postcards highlight iconic Eastern Bloc architecture

2018-09-18T15:45:00-04:00

With flawless blue skies and the latest landmarks of cutting edge design, postcards from across the Soviet Union were miniature propaganda posters for the success of the communist system. Showcasing brutalist hotels, futurist TV towers, and bold concrete tower blocks, each image is a snapshot of the transformative decades between 1960 and 1990: from the endless optimism of Khrushchev's Thaw, to the closing years of the Cold War.

These Soviet Union postcards have been collected as part of a book project, Brutal Bloc Postcards, featuring some of the most iconic brutalist landmarks within the Eastern Bloc. Many of these structures are now abandoned, derelict, or completely gone. Take a look at this unique glimpse into the past:

Eastern Gate of Belgrade or Rudo Buildings, late 1970s. Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia. Image: FUEL.

Memorial to the Marines, 1978. Zhdanov, Ukrainian SSR. Image: FUEL.

Recreation home of the Ministry of the Interior, 1970s. Budapest, Hungarian PR. Image: FUEL.

Residential housing, late 1970s. Chișinău, Moldavian SSR. Image: FUEL.

You can check out more of these brutalist postcards here.

Hong Kong's public housing receives widespread photographic attention

2018-08-13T15:52:00-04:00

Across Hong Kong, where almost half the population lives in government-provided housing, public housing complexes have become wildly popular Instagram destinations. Locals and tourists have flocked to estates around the city, craning their necks to get that perfect social media shot and irritating residents in the process. The estates have drawn professional interest as well, featuring prominently in marketing campaigns and even a music video by the Korean boy band Seventeen.

Hong Kong's public housing, largely built in the 1960's and 70's, has attracted widespread public attention for its aesthetic appeal. These modernist style high-rises photograph beautifully with colorful displays of clean lined symmetry. While these buildings are visually engaging, they also play an important role providing affordable housing to millions in one of the most expensive cities to live. Hong Kong's immense public sector housing program creates space for nearly half of the city's residents.

Archinect - News

Meier Partners share photos of completed Sorol Art Museum in South Korea

The most-liked Instagram posts of summer/fall 2024 on @archinect

The most-liked Instagram posts of spring/summer 2024 on @archinect

New photos depicting North Korea's 'Architecture of Control'

The most-liked Instagram posts of summer 2023 on @archinect

The Cultural Landscape Foundation acquires photographer Alan Ward's archive

The most-liked Instagram posts of winter 2023 on @archinect

The most-liked Instagram posts of summer 2022 on @archinect

Take a look at new Iwan Baan photos of LA's Sixth Street Viaduct ahead of its grand opening

Two Midwesterners on the quest to document the untapped potential of America's rural architecture

Iwan Baan takes us inside the new National Museum of Norway

The Most Liked Instagram Posts of Winter 2022 on @archinect

James Florio receives 2022 Julius Shulman Excellence in Photography Award

See Iwan Baan's new photos of the forthcoming National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo

Architectural Photography Awards: 24 photographers selected for this year's shortlist

New photos of Mecanoo's refurbished Mies-designed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in D.C.

The Most Liked Instagram Posts of Summer 2021 on @archinect

An Instagram account with an eye on Soviet-era modernism is cropping up in Ukraine

A new map offers a unique historical exploration of Berlin's eclectic subway architecture

New photos of Thomas Heatherwick's now completed Lantern House

Herzog & de Meuron's Feltrinelli Porta Volta photographed by Bahaa Ghoussainy​​

Architectural photographer Danica O. Kus captures Bernard Tschumi's nostalgic Acropolis Museum in Athens

National Building Museum reopens next month with exhibition on architectural photography

Paul Clemence's mesmerizing construction photos of David Adjaye's 130 William tower

A photographic look at Lower Manhattan's disappearing single-story building typology

Photographers rethink the Eastern Bloc

John Margolies elevated roadside attractions to high art with his photography, now digitized through the Library of Congress

Photographer Janna Ireland is on the hunt to capture Paul R. Williams' built legacy in L.A.

Brutalist collection of vintage postcards highlight iconic Eastern Bloc architecture

Hong Kong's public housing receives widespread photographic attention

Herzog & de Meuron's Feltrinelli Porta Volta photographed by Bahaa Ghoussainy