Archinect - News

Roto Architects offers virtual collaborative tool in light of coronavirus

2020-03-16T11:38:00-04:00

In a recent post on instagram, Roto Architects offered a remote working tool it's been developing for virtual collaboration. Called Second Studio, the tool is open source and available for download on github.

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Photo of the Week: Michael Rotondi and Thom Mayne

2014-11-04T16:29:00-05:00

As two old friends and comrades Michael Rotondi and Thom Mayne give each other the warmest hug ever as photographed by Cal Poly Pomona student Jacklin Lee after the Neutra Award was presented to Michael Rotondi on Monday night November 3 rd.

SCI-Arc co-founder Michael Rotondi to receive Richard J. Neutra Medal at Cal Poly Pomona

2014-11-03T20:14:00-05:00

Architect Michael Rotondi will receive the Richard J. Neutra Medal tonight from the College of Environmental Design at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The Richard J. Neutra Medal for Professional Excellence was established to recognize the contributions that Neutra made to the practice of architecture in research and design. The Medal awards individuals for their dedication to the research and development of new environments in everyday life.

Rotondi, who is currently principal of RoTo Architects in Los Angeles, distinguished himself in architectural education when he co-founded SCI-Arc in 1972 and then later succeeded Ray Kappe as the school's director. Rotondi also previously worked in Morphosis with Thom Mayne in 1975.

Learn more about Rotondi on Bustler.

Get Lectured: Cal Poly, Pomona

2014-10-11T22:14:21-04:00

Michael Rotondi on the design of sacred spaces

2012-09-05T01:06:00-04:00

The practical problem to solve in meditation space is making it as quiet as possible, making the architecture as quiet as possible. The architecture has to come to rest if you want the mind to come to rest. And the architecture has to be, doesn’t have to be, but it’s best if it’s holding you to the ground as opposed to ascension.

Metropolis conducts a Q&A with Michael Rotondi on the design of sacred spaces. What he says is a beautiful way to look at architecture, meditative space and ourselves.

Editor's Picks #267

2012-06-04T23:21:00-04:00

Orhan Ayyüce penned Review: Carlson-Reges House, RoTo Architects. In it Orhan described how Carlson-Reges House has grown out of logistics and a "story within a story". Steven Ward waxed nostalgic about the fact that he had an "opportunity to visit this house with mr rotondi in 2003. stunning - and completely unique. there really could never be anything else like it. and the brewery is a magic little 'neighborhood'."

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Orhan Ayyüce penned Review: Carlson-Reges House, RoTo Architects. In it Orhan described how Carlson-Reges House has grown out of logistics and a "story within a story". Steven Ward waxed nostalgic about the fact that he had an "opportunity to visit this house with mr rotondi in 2003. stunning - and completely unique. there really could never be anything else like it. and the brewery is a magic little 'neighborhood'."

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, officially opened to the public on, June 1. Since Chinese officials had put Ai Weiwei on 'city arrest' in his hometown Beijing, he was not able to attend the ceremony together with his design collaborators Jaques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Fred Scharmen’s first thought was "They really did make it out of cork!”
and bothands posts “Agreed about the lighting - pinholes through the water could've been cool..." However, Michael Jantzen thoug...

Review: Carlson-Reges House, RoTo Architects

2012-06-01T06:19:00-04:00

Built 1992-onward in Los Angeles by RoTo Architects, Carlson-Reges House is an inimitable masterpiece.

Its architect Michael Rotondi describes the building as if various parts piled on top each other like children construct their building piece by piece, one component supporting the other one, until the whole structure holds together. He also adds, in that building process, the form of the piece is the end result of more important goal, the idea of having the structure stand up.
In the case of Carlson-Reges House, the resultant form is quite poetic. The architect, in my reading, while choreographing the construction, holds onto ever changing concept of spatial relativities. Sometimes thought out before hand sometimes spontaneous, these are series of intellectual and material strategies.

My first inclination to call the building is “story within a story.” A good way to describe the new components inserted within an old concrete shell. However, this is not a nesting concept, as the story...