Archinect - News

Morphosis breaks ground on new U.S. Embassy compound in Saudi Arabia

2023-12-26T11:41:00-05:00

Morphosis has broken ground on the firm’s new U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia compound project for Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter.

Located on a 27.5-acre site away from the capital’s center near the Hanifa River, the complex will be delivered at an unknown square footage in replacement of the embassy’s current facility from 1984.

In a recent Instagram post, the firm states: “This natural setting provided a key source of inspiration for the campus: we drew from the wadi's geometries to shape the campus planning and buildings throughout the site, guiding circulation and channeling breezes between the structures. The new Embassy design embodies an innovative approach to providing safe, functional, and sustainable facilities for the US diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia.”

Image courtesy U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia

According to the project team, the design prioritizes security throughout while integrating the most state-of-the-art and modern hospitality features with sensitivit...

'Shop of horrors': Oliver Wainwright reviews Morphosis' newly-opened Orange County Museum of Art

2022-12-13T17:20:00-05:00

Nowhere is the gulf between digital promise and physical fact more spectacularly evident than at the new Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) in California [...] Almost a generation in the making, it feels like the final death rattle of a bygone age, the last gasp of an era preoccupied with novel form for form’s sake. Perhaps it is fitting that this flimsy, paper-thin architecture is held together with tape.

The Guardian critic paid a visit to the new museum building to offer a thoroughly dejecting assessment based on what he observed to be a disorienting entrance, confounding wayfinding system, atrium configuration, and defective cladding panels made necessary by a “performative shell” that has come to be an “expensive and elaborate” trope of its designers.

Morphosis partner-in-charge Brandon Welling claimed the firm was pushed into its October completion date and is still going through its punch list of small details that will complete the design, which Wainwright called a “$94 [million] hymn to the difference between render and reality.”

“I have no interest in completing projects,” says Thom Mayne - too bad for the Orange County Museum of Art https://t.co/RIvHSkUuZE pic.twitter.com/RdYTpOSVSo
— Olly Wainwright (@ollywainwright) December 13, 2022

Builders for the project pinned some of the issues on supply chain delays and said some of the hastily assembled stopgaps like tape and sof...

First photos of Morphosis' soon-to-open Orange County Museum of Art

2022-09-29T13:06:00-04:00

With a grand opening just a little over a week away, the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) has revealed the latest photos of its Morphosis-designed new South Coast home in the beachfront community of Costa Mesa.

Located on the campus of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 53,000-square-foot museum will be inaugurated with five special exhibitions and 24-hour celebrations to honor the work that went into its design and three-year-long construction.

“The OCMA design represents a new model for museums based on public, urban, communal spaces with strong connections between interior and exterior,” Morphosis principals Thom Mayne and Brandon Welling shared.

Photo: Mike Kelley

“Engaging the urban realm with a public stair and ‘storefront’ galleries, the design invites visitors through sunlit atrium spaces, open galleries and an expansive sculpture terrace. The strong relationship in the building between indoor and outdoor space will encourage visitors to immerse themselves in the cele...

Saudi Arabia adds Morphosis to project team for its NEOM smart city megaproject

2022-06-14T18:08:00-04:00

The Line, as the car-free linear city that will form the backbone of Neom is known, could cost up to $200 billion to build, the prince said last year, though that was before the plan changed to include gigantic horizontal buildings. The buildings would be “different heights as you go,” adapting to the landscape, with their final size determined by engineering considerations and the terrain, Al-Nasr said.

The OPEC nation has thus far been mum as to the new plan’s details but says it will be funded in part through an increase in surplus revenues overseen by the Public Investment Fund, which is managed by NEOM’s CEO Al-Nasr. It is yet unclear whether Bechtel, who previously signed on their servicesfor the then-estimated $500 billion venture’s light rail and utility systems, will remain on for the project’s updated version, wherein Morphosis and designer Thom Mayne will deliver two parallel 1,640-foot-tall structures said to stretch from the Red Sea into the desert ar lengths of up to half a mile.

Rendering of the proposed mega-city. Image courtesy of Neom. Previously on Archinect: Bechtel to lay groundwork for Saudi smart mega-city Neom

The mixed-use designs featured by the scheme could count as the world’s largest when all is said and done for the still highly-theoretical autonomous city, which may eventually be the same size as Massachusetts. Concerns over Al-Nasr’s toxic management s...

Morphosis designs new arts and cultural district master plan at the University of Texas at Dallas

2022-06-07T15:20:00-04:00

A team led by Morphosis is designing a new 12-acre arts and cultural district at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenæum, the project will bring a second location of the Crow Museum of Asian Art as well as a performance hall and a planned museum for the traditional arts of the Americas. According to the architects, the new athenaeum breaks from the conventional, reserved model of this building type into one that prioritizes porosity, visibility, and informal connections between its users.

The structure will be located at the southeast corner of the University’s campus, organized around a central plaza and flanked by the museums and performance hall on the west and the parking structure to the east. To the north, the plaza aligns with social and green spaces that support the Naveen Jindal School of Management and Davidson Auditorium. On the opposite end, the arts district establishes a new public-facing presence for the University at the...

Arquitectonica replaces Morphosis on the former 'Viper Room' Sunset Strip redevelopment

2022-03-04T15:10:00-05:00

A significant change has been made in the redevelopment of West Hollywood's landmark Viper Room as an originally-planned design from Morphosis has been nixed in favor of a more conservative scheme from Miami-based Arquitectonica.

The previous design team had originally anticipated breaking ground on a much-maligned twin-volume scheme this year with an end date expected for 2025. As of now, there is no word as to a cause for the change in direction from Silver Creek Development Co. available to the press.

Rendering of the previously proposed 8850 Sunset Boulevard development. Image courtesy of Morphosis/Kilograph.

Updated plans reveal a more colorful, pared-down design that is more in keeping with other commercial and residential developments located along WeHo's 8- and 9000 blocks of Sunset Boulevard. The new 12-story building features a lively rooftop space atop a mixed-used program defined by a south-facing setback and terraced facade with LED-lit mesh window coverings and a host o...

Cornell Tech celebrates Roosevelt Island Campus phase one completion

2022-02-24T14:33:00-05:00

Cornell Tech, Cornell University’s urban campus for technology research and education, has announced the completion of the first phase of its Roosevelt Island campus development in New York City. This news comes following the recent completion and opening of the Snøhetta-designed Verizon Executive Education Center and the Graduate Roosevelt Island Hotel in 2021.

The first three buildings at Cornell Tech, which opened in September 2017 include the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, designed by Morphosis Architects, the TATA Innovation Center, designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and The House, designed by Handel Architects and developed by The Hudson Companies and Related Companies.

Previously on Archinect: Snøhetta completes two new buildings for Cornell Tech campus in New York

The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center is the campus’s first academic building offering a variety of spaces designed to support different learning modes, while incorporating advanced sustainability features and comm...

Pratt Institute names Stephen Slaughter new chair of undergraduate architecture

2022-01-13T13:30:00-05:00

The Pratt Institute has named Stephen Slaughter as their new chair of undergraduate architecture. Slaughter, who is currently a visiting associate professor at Pratt’s Graduate Architecture and Urban Design Program, will assume the role on July 1st 2022.

In his new position, Slaughter will oversee a department of 700 students and 180 faculty, leading a program that has been ranked among the top ten of its kind in the United States every year since 2000 by DesignIntelligence.

“I am thrilled to step into this role at Pratt and look forward to engaging with the community to push forward critical conversations about inclusivity in the fields of architecture and design,” Slaughter said. “Architecture is for everyone and in educating the next generation of architects, I hope to instill this idea. Exuberance, joy, and beauty in design are what I care most deeply about—and that it can be for all.”

Morphosis-designed conference center along Yangtze River opens in Nanjing Jiangbei New District, China

2021-12-17T17:34:00-05:00

LA-based international architecture and design firm Morphosis has announced the completion and opening of the Yangtze River International Conference Center in Nanjing Jiangbei New District, an emerging epicenter for global business in China.

Commissioned by Jiangbei New District of Nanjing City, the conference center represents a flagship project for the new district. It hopes to embody a charter for sustainable and ecologically-sensitive development while creating a world-class meeting and event venue for the region.

Image: Morphosis Architects/Tian Fangfang

The building borders the banks of the Yangtze River, the Jiangbei District, and the historic fabric of the Nanjing Metropolitan area. It simultaneously engages with its riverside site while hosting the future urban expansion of the region. The multi-use complex features a 36,000-square-meter (387,500-square-foot) conference space and is attached to a tower with a 340-room, four-star hotel that offers scenic views of the river....

Morphosis releases new construction photos of the Orange County Museum of Art, one year ahead of its opening date

2021-10-08T13:45:00-04:00

Exactly a year before its opening, the new Morphosis-designed Orange County Museum of Art is sharing images and a construction update for the project that first broke ground in September of 2019.

Image © Aleksey Kondratyev/Clark Construction

The $93 million addition to Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts topped out a year ago this week and looks forward to its debut next year that is set to coincide with the return of the California Biennale 2022 curated by Elizabeth Armstrong, Essence Harden, and Gilbert Vicario.

Image © Aleksey Kondratyev/Clark Construction

Featuring twice the amount of gallery space as its former Newport Beach location, the 53,000-square-foot museum is anchored by a public plaza and accentuated by a massive roof terrace that serves as an extension of the galleries.

Image courtesy Morphosis Architects

A glass wall window on one side of the building will display temporary exhibitions across a variety of mediums, while undulating glazed terracotta panels giv...

Morphosis-designed 8850 Sunset Boulevard releases environmental study, updated project timeline

2021-09-20T12:03:00-04:00

An updated timeline for the controversial 8850 Sunset Boulevard development has been provided along with new draft environmental study detailing changes to the West Hollywood site.

According to its developers, construction of the Morphosis-designed building is now set to begin in 2022 with a completion date slated for 2025, nearly a full year off of the project’s timeline when last updated in September of 2019.

The planned 15-story hotel and apartment development features a split design, united by a skybridge that helps to separate the volumes and frame a 120-foot-wide opening adjacent to Los Angeles’ famed Viper Room nightclub.

The updated timeline still requires approval from the city of West Hollywood. Archinect will have more details once a groundbreaking date is announced.

Morphosis-designed Orange County Museum of Art expected to open in 2022

2021-06-16T14:43:00-04:00

The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) announced that its new $93 million building will open to the public on October 8, 2022 in time for the return of the California Biennial 2022 (CB22) exhibition.

The 53,000-square-foot facility was designed by Los Angeles-based, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects. Breaking ground in September 2019, the new building will sit at the open public plaza at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa and will double the size of the museum’s former location. The California Biennial 2022 will be the inaugural exhibition at OCMA’s new home.

Previously on Archinect: Morphosis-designed Orange County Museum of Art tops out

“It is no coincidence that as we open a building defined by its innovative and forward-thinking design, we are also acknowledging OCMA’s important and pioneering foundation,” says new OCMA CEO and Director Heidi Zuckerman. “California has long been a wellspring of innovation and creativity, and CB22 ...

Morphosis' Shenzhen skyscraper sets world record with detached core

2021-06-08T11:56:00-04:00

Construction has been completed on the Morphosis-designed Hanking Center, a mixed-use complex with a commercial office tower and retail center located in Shenzhen, China. The 65-story tower is defined by its pioneering steel structural system and a detached-core configuration which places the tower’s primary core on the building’s exterior. This arrangement promotes higher efficiency and adaptability of interior floor plates, as well as the creation of social and work spaces that seamlessly integrate public and private domains. At 359.8m (1180ft) tall, Hanking Center is the tallest detached-core building in the world.

Image: Zhang Chao

“As a typology, skyscrapers tend to emphasize shape as the primary differentiator,” said Pritzker Prize-winning architect and Morphosis Founding Partner Thom Mayne. “Instead, we focused on lived experience within the city. The delamination between the circulation core and the office spaces within the tower generates a threshold, an intensification of t...

Thom Mayne's unconventional carriage house for historic Brooklyn neighborhood approved

2021-04-21T20:11:00-04:00

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis appeared before the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) again Tuesday to present an updated proposal for the restoration of an 1868 townhouse in Brooklyn, and the construction of a new 2,000-square-foot carriage house at its rear. Mayne, who appeared with his collaborator, Ted Kane (who is overseeing the restoration), won the unanimous approval — and delight — of the LPC for his revised design.

Morphosis-designed Orange County Museum of Art tops out

2020-10-05T16:04:00-04:00

One year after breaking ground in Costa Mesa, the Orange County Museum of Art's new home is scheduled to top out at an official ceremony at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. OCMA, which is currently housed out of a temporary space at South Coast Plaza in Santa Ana, is slated to move into its new in 2021.

View this post on Instagram DYK: That the Orange County Museum of Art is moving to our campus?? Their new building is slated to open in 2021. Who else is excited for a new year and new art?!? #OCMA @ocmuseumofart
A post shared by Segerstrom Center for the Arts (@segerstromarts) on Sep 27, 2020 at 10:00am PDT

OCMA's new Costa Mesa home, designed by Morphosis Architects, previously on Archinect:

The virtual topping out ceremony can be followed live via the museum's Instagram on Tuesday, October 6 at 11 AM Pacific Time.

Morphosis to design self-storage facility in Los Angeles

2020-07-14T12:21:00-04:00

According to Urbanize LA, an entity associated with Chicago-based Cardiff Mason Development has selected Morphosis to design a new self-storage facility in Westchester. The project calls for the construction of an approximately 50,000-square-foot structure consisting of three above-grade levels, three below-grade levels, and associated parking for 17 vehicles.

The building would rise about 53 feet high, Urbanize LA writes, and construction is expected to occur over roughly 23 months. The project is location west of the I-405 Freeway.

Morphosis-designed Orange County Museum of Art: construction update

2020-03-02T16:10:00-05:00

Five months after holding a ceremonial groundbreaking, the first signs of vertical construction are now visible at the new home of OCMA at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts. [...] The approximately $73-million project expands OCMA's square footage by approximately 50 percent when compared to the museum's former home.

Designed by Morphosis Architects, the Orange County Museum of Art's new home at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, Calif. appears to be making progress, according to a new construction photo published by Urbanized LA.

The new 52,000-square-foot building will nearly double OCMA's current exhibition space and provide expanded access to the institution's permanent collection of modern and contemporary art from Southern California and the Pacific Rim.

OCMA atrium. Image: Morphosis Architects.

"The overall design of the building addresses the need for museum space to be both flexible and functional as well as inviting and memorable," explains the project description from Morphosis Architects. "A spacious roof terrace, equivalent in size to 70 percent of the building’s footprint, serves as an extension of the galleries with open-air spaces that can be configured for installations, a sculpture garden, outdoor film screenings, or events."

The new OCMA destination is expected ...

Residents despise proposed Morphosis' Sunset Strip development

2019-10-14T11:30:00-04:00

The Morphosis-designed Sunset Strip development Viper Rooms recently sparked much debate among Archinectors, and now it has ignited further dispute among WeHo residents. "Residents erupted in anger when West Hollywood city staffers announced Thursday night that the aesthetics of a Morphosis-designed redevelopment of the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip would not be considered in a state-mandated environmental analysis," reports Curbed LA.

The backlash came at a public community meeting held by the city of West Hollywood "to update the residents on the project, review the environmental impact report process, and get feedback from the community." But, it's tough to get feedback when the majority of participants detest the proposed design. According to Curbed LA, only one of the thirty people in attendance approved of the design.

The majority, however, feel that the avant-garde look doesn't "belong on Sunset Boulevard," but "could be in Dubai or Vegas." Moreover, it appears that due to s...

Morphosis-designed Sunset Strip development: timeline details emerge

2019-09-23T15:30:00-04:00

According to an initial study distributed by the City of West Hollywood, construction of the proposed development - which is being called 8850 Sunset Boulevard - is anticipated to begin in May 2021. Work would conclude after approximately 32 months, with project delivery expected in February 2024.

The exuberant 15-story mixed-use development on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood first emerged as a new proposal in December 2018.

Urbanize LA has now shared more refined project details for 8850 Sunset Boulevard, including a proposed timeline with an anticipated kick-off in May 2021.

Morphosis, SOM, and Renzo Piano make short-list for new office tower slated for former L.A. police headquarters site

2019-09-04T14:30:00-04:00

The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering has announced a trio of finalist teams competing to redevelop the site of the former Parker Center police headquarters in the city's Civic Center district.

Each of the teams, according to Urbanize.la, is each made up of designers, contractors, operations providers, and community "equity" members. The project RFP calls for a 750,000-square-foot office tower, ground floor retail spaces, pedestrian passages to the surrounding neighborhood, and a requirement for including public displays highlighting the history of the former Parker Center complex. The project can rise up to 27-stories and would, according to Urbanize.la, rival City Hall in terms of height. A breakdown of the teams follows below.

DTLA Civic Partners

The DTLA Civic Partners team is headed by SOM and includes Clark Construction, Meridiam and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate as equity partners, and ENGIE Services providing operations and management services.

LAC 3 Partn...

Morphosis unveils designs for a new Korean American National Museum in Los Angeles

2019-08-08T15:41:00-04:00

Architecture firm Morphosis has unveiled its sleek and verdant designs for the new Korean American National Museum in Los Angeles.

The two-story building is topped by a "displaced landscape" made up of plants native to the Korean peninsula and California, including maple and pine trees and bamboo shrubs. Described in a project statement as "a piece of Korea grafted onto Los Angeles," the rooftop garden overlooks a courtyard building designed to reference traditional Korean Hanok dwellings, a type of residential architecture designed and sited in relation to its surroundings. In the cold northern regions of the peninsula, for example, Hanok houses can be square-shaped, an approach that helps to retain heat and block cold winds; The approach has been adopted for the new museum, which is arranged with a series of interconnected galleries, meeting rooms, and offices circling a central open space.

View of the museum's central courtyard. Image courtesy of Morphosis.

Renderings for the p...

Thom Mayne, co-founder of SCI-Arc, to return in a full-time faculty position

2018-12-17T19:14:00-05:00

After helping start the Southern California Institute of Architecture in the early 70's, Thom Mayne will be returning as a full-time "Distinguished Faculty", to teach and coordinate the SCI-Arc EDGE Design of Cities postgraduate program in fall 2019.

SCI-Arc has released the following statement discussing the new role and Mayne's previous accomplishments as an academic and architect/founder of Morphosis...

SCI-Arc is very pleased to announce that one of its founders, Thom Mayne, will be returning to SCI-Arc as a full-time distinguished faculty beginning fall 2019. Thom Mayne will be taking over the coordination of SCI-Arc EDGE's postgraduate program, Design of Cities. “It is wonderful to have Thom Mayne come back home. He is a major part of what SCI-Arc is, was, and will be," says Hernan Diaz Alonso, SCI-Arc Director/CEO. "Thom Mayne represents everything that we want our students to aspire to. Thom embodies the best aspirations of architecture as a historical, cultural, and politic...

Morphosis unveils wild new design for a hotel to be built on the infamous Viper Room site on Sunset Strip

2018-12-17T14:47:00-05:00

The project, which would rise at 8850-8878 Sunset Boulevard, calls for the construction of a 15-story building featuring 115 guest rooms, ground-floor commercial space, and various guest amenities. The proposed development would also incorporate 31 condominiums, 10 units of affordable housing, and parking for up to 300 vehicles.

The 15-story, 200-foot-tall design is composed of two drastically different volumes separated by a large open gap. The volume on the east side of the lot appears to be a relatively standard steel and glass orthogonal structure, while the form on the west side of the lot is a highly articulated, fluid structure that brings Zaha Hadid's forms to mind. The base of the two structures in the concept design rendering appears to provide some outdoor space, perhaps an outdoor amphitheater, above the ground floor commercial level.

Morphosis announces opening of new flagship location for Kolon Group in Seoul

2018-08-28T16:12:00-04:00

Morphosis recently announced the opening of a new flagship research and design facility for The Kolon Group, a leading manufacturing company based in South Korea. The 820,000-square-foot facility is located in Magok, an emerging tech hub in Seoul.

Kolon Group facility by Morphosis, located in Seoul. Image: Jasmine Park, courtesy of Morphosis.

The design for the new facility features flexible laboratory facilities, administrative offices, and active social spaces to encourage interaction and exchange across the company departments.

Kolon Group facility by Morphosis, located in Seoul. Image: Jasmine Park, courtesy of Morphosis.

The façade consists of interconnected sunshades made from fiber reinforced polymer using one of The Kolon Group's own high-tech fabrics, Aramid, to increase the material’...

Morphosis reveals design for new Orange County Museum of Art in California

2018-06-04T15:57:00-04:00

Morphosis recently unveiled their design for the new Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) in in Costa Mesa, CA. The design features a 52,000-square-foot building, nearly doubling the OCMA's current exhibition space and expanding access to museum's permanent collection of modern and contemporary art.

In the entrance lobby, light-filled atrium space is crossed by bridges to educational hall and mezzanine gallery spaces. Image: Morphosis Architects.

A grand outdoor public stair joins the building to Arts Plaza to the north, creating an inviting gathering space for pedestrians and visitors
to the museum and adjacent performing arts venues.

OCMA’s ground floor and mezzanine hold open, flexible galleries for permanent collection installations and temporary exhibitions. Image: Morphosis Architects.

The main floor of the new museum building will be dedicated to reconfigurable, open exhibition space supported by the mezzanine, black-box, and jewel-box galleries which will accommodate temporary a...

Thom Mayne Young Architects Program is extended for third semester

2018-02-14T18:53:00-05:00

Morphosis has announced the educational initiative led by the firm’s Pritzker Prize-winning founder, Thom Mayne Young Architects, has been extended through the remainder of the 2017-2018 academic year in partnership with Hall Elementary School in Bridgeport, CT.

Students in the Thom Mayne Young Architects Program. Image: Google.

This program enables 6th grade students who participated last semester to continue developing their design skills in this 12-week course. The after-school classes are led by Pratt Institute architecture students, and task the students with creating a beautification proposal for their classroom. Each student received a new Pixelbook laptop donated by Google with state-of-the-art design software to develop their design skills.

An architecture model produced by a student in the Thom Mayne Young Architects Program. Image: Morphosis.

Students will demonstrate their grasp of architectural concepts and their mastery of design software in mid-term and final presenta...

Morphosis' new Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech campus now open

2017-09-13T19:58:00-04:00

Morphosis' Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center in Roosevelt Island, New York has officially opened its doors. Designed as Cornell Tech's “home base”, the academic building was named in honor of Emma and Georgina Bloomberg, in recognition of a $100 million gift from former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

With Thom Mayne as design director and Morphosis principal Ung-Joo Scott Lee as project principal, the 4-story, 160,000 sq.ft. educational hub provides traditional classrooms and large workspaces as well as clusters of “break-out” spaces, huddle rooms, and social areas for group study sessions. Students can also use the quiet rooms and micro-pods for working privately or as telephone booths.

Interior. Photo: Matthew Carbone for Morphosis.

Ground floor. Photo: Matthew Carbone for Morphosis.

Aiming to be New York's first net-zero university building, the non-fossil fuel Bloomberg Center is equipped with multiple sustainable features, such as a 40,000 sq.ft. solar canopy that supports 1...

Pritzker winner Thom Mayne among 17 members of President's Arts Council that resigned in protest

2017-08-21T13:46:00-04:00

All 17 members of a White House advisory panel on the arts and humanities resigned en masse Friday in response to President Trump's divisive comments on the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va. The move follows the mass exodus of major business CEOs who quit two White House panels this week to protest the president's response to last weekend's clashes between far-right groups and counter-protesters.

Last week as multiple CEO's began quitting both the American Manufacturing Council and the Strategic and Policy Forum in protest of Trump's response to Charlottesville, Trump has decided to not move forward with the Council on Infrastructure. On Friday, the entire Arts Committee resigned over the same issue. To drive home the point, the members spelled out the word "resist" with the first letter of the six paragraphs that make up the memo.

“Supremacy, discrimination, and vitriol are not American values,” the committee members wrote in a letter announcing their resignation. “Your values are not American values. We must be better than this. We are better than this. If this is not clear to you, then we call on you to resign your office, too.”

The arts commission was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, and while mostly ceremonial, it works to advise the president on cultural policy and funding initiatives.

Ten years after opening, Morphosis' San Francisco Federal Building is not a crowd pleaser

2017-07-18T13:02:00-04:00

Neighbors have complained about the plaza for years, calling it an unsafe blight. The frustration is shared by Maria Ciprazo, the federal architect who oversaw the process that in 1999 awarded the project to Mayne and his Southern California firm, Morphosis.

In this article, the San Francisco Chronicle takes issue with Morphosis' Federal Building, noting that its plaza has not become the cultural hotspot much hyped by developers at its opening in 2007:

But when we view the complex in hindsight, it didn’t transform the local architectural scene. It’s a flash of isolated drama. Look no further than the three residential slabs that have been built on the block since then, each a box with no higher aspiration than to satisfy the developer’s bottom line.

As for the social agenda — to create a neighborhood haven — the plaza and its corner cafe have come up short on all fronts.

Want to live in Thom Mayne's iconic Sixth Street House?

2017-05-10T19:38:00-04:00

Then we have good news for you, that is, if you have $7,600 a month to spare on rent. The LA-based architect's Santa Monica home has been put up for lease following his recent re-location to Cheviot Hills. Two years ago, Thom Mayne and his wife, Blythe Mayne, bought beloved science-fiction author Ray Brabury's old home and have since, spent the past two years rebuilding on the site. Now that they have made the move, their old residence is up for grabs.

Some might recognize the home from its prominent role in Michael Mann's 1995 crime movie, Heat, in which Al Pacino famously rants about the "dead-tech post-modernistic bullshit house." Quick aside: the restaurant Kate Mantilini, also designed by his firm Morphosis, makes an appearance in the film as well.

Beyond its legacy in Hollywood, the home has received plenty of acclaim in the world of architecture. It was the recipient of the 1987 AIA Los Angeles Honor Award and the architectural drawings of the home have been displayed at MOMA.

Y...