Archinect - News

2021 Desert X postponed due to rising COVID-19 numbers in California

2021-01-12T15:16:00-05:00

As California hits a bleak coronavirus milestone this month, with nearly 10% of the population infected, organizers of Desert X in the Coachella Valley have announced that the forthcoming edition of the outdoor sculpture exhibition will be postponed until lockdown restrictions have been lifted in the state.

Desert X would have opened for its third edition on February 6th, offering both digital and in-person experiences. "In light of the urgent health crisis and surge in cases of Covid-19, the only responsible way forward to protect our community, health care system, artists, visitors and all those who volunteer and contribute to the exhibition is to wait until we are out of the lockdown period,” said Susan Davis, the founder of the biennial, in a statement.

NCARB testing set to resume June 9th in many states

2020-06-05T18:55:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), as of June 1, has begun re-opening testing sites for architectural licensure examinations. Starting on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020, prospective exam takers will be able to schedule an appointment at any open test center offering “All Programs” or “Essential Only” services, which include the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) .

Prometric, the company that actually administers the tests, has, according to a recent NCARB announcement, "been able to resume testing at locations where local and state mandates allow" as states across the country begin to reopen following the two-month-long COVID-19-related closures.

You can view Prometric’s current site openings on the company's website; This list is set to be updated daily with new re-opening information. The shift comes as NCARB and Prometric lobby to change the designation of ARE exam takers from "non-essential" to "essential" in the wake of the pandemic.

NCARB wr...

Expo 2020 Dubai: one-year postponement confirmed

2020-05-26T17:42:00-04:00

It's official: Expo 2020 Dubai will be postponed by one year. After the UAE government asked for a delay last month, a majority of the Bureau International des Expositions member states now voted in favor of the proposal, officially confirming the new start date of October 1, 2021 and end date of March 31, 2022.

Previously on Archinect: Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill unveils Al Wasl Plaza scheme for Dubai Expo 2020. Image: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture..

"We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year," said the Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in response to the BIE announcement. "We are thankful to Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed."

Previously on Archinect: Asif Khan-designed portals for Expo 2020 Dubai create celestial gateway...

Venice Biennale postponed to May 2021

2020-05-18T09:49:00-04:00

The 17th International Architecture Exhibition for the Venice Biennale has been postponed for a second time due to the Coronavirus pandemic and is now rescheduled to take place May 22nd to November 21, 2021.

The exhibition, titled How Will We Live Together? and curated by Hashim Sarkis, was originally scheduled to take place in Venice from August 29th through November 29th 2020, but has been moved to next year as an "acknowledgment that it is impossible to move forward – within the set time limits – in the realization of such a complex and worldwide exhibition, due to the persistence of a series of objective difficulties caused by the effects by the health emergency underway," according to the La Biennale organization.

Additionally, the 59th International Art Exhibition, curated by Cecilia Alemani, meant to accompany the architecture show has also been postponed for a year and will now take place in 2022.

The organization continues, "The current situation, up to now, has definitel...

Serpentine will not host a pavilion this year due to COVID-19

2020-04-24T12:39:00-04:00

For the first time since the annual program was founded, Serpentine Galleries will not host the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Johannesburg-based practice Counterspace this summer. The commission has now been extended into a two-year endeavor in which the practice will collaborate with the Serpentine on a series of off-site and online research projects through the rest of this year. The culmination of this new project will resolve with the opening of the Pavilion in the summer of 2021.

Sir David Adjaye, a Serpentine Galleries trustee and Serpentine Pavilion Advisor said, "The global COVID-19 crisis has changed the immediate context. Rather than rush to execute Counterspace's stellar design as soon as it is safe to do so, the Serpentine has chosen to accept the slowness reshaping society today and utilize it to develop a deeper relationship with the architects."

Amina Kaskar, Sumayya Vally and Sarah de Villiers of Counterspace. Photographed by Justice Mukheli in Johannesburg, 2...

AIA Conference on Architecture 2020 is officially cancelled

2020-04-16T17:03:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced that its AIA Conference on Architecture 2020 has been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

As part of the cancellation, AIA will be refunding conference registration fees for those who had previously purchased tickets to the three-day event, which was originally scheduled for May 14-16th in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles authorities have indicated that the city’s shelter-in-place directives would remain in place through mid-May at the very least. In mid-March, AIA announced that it was postponing the conference, but did not give a new date for the event.

Now, as the likelihood that social distancing measures will remain in place perhaps into the summer months becomes more widely acknowledged, the organization has opted to begin preparations for a potential virtual event, the latest in a series of such transitions.

In a statement published by AIA, AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA writes, “After carefully monitoring COVID-1...

Burning Man 2020 goes virtual with "The Multiverse"

2020-04-11T14:47:00-04:00

After much listening, discussion, and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision not to build Black Rock City in 2020. Given the painful reality of COVID-19, one of the greatest global challenges of our lifetimes, we believe this is the right thing to do.

Burning Man is the latest physical event casualty resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event organizers announced that they will be canceling the physical build-out of Black Rock City this year, for the safety of the participants and community, and will be building the city virtually, under the existing theme of "The Multiverse."

Burning Man 2020: The Multiverse

While the organizers have admitted to not knowing exactly what this virtual replacement will look and feel like, they are committed to working with the community to build something "engaging, connective, and fun." They have also announced that they will be issuing refunds to everyone who has already purchased tickets, while asking those that can afford to do so to consider donating all or a portion of the ticket price to the Burning Man Project.

Bjarke Ingels's giant mirrored Orb rises at Burning Man 2018. Photo taken by BIG partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann.

Each year designers and builders from around the world come toge...

New dates proposed for Expo 2020 Dubai

2020-04-06T21:17:00-04:00

The UAE has officially proposed that the World Expo 2020 Dubai be moved. They have put forward a potential start date of October 1, 2021, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The request was made in a letter addressed to Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

After hinting at a potential one-year delay of the Expo 2020 Dubai last week in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE government has now reportedly proposed the new start date of October 1, 2021 and end date of March 31, 2022. The Bureau International des Expositions confirmed that it would be discussing the request at the upcoming BIE Executive Committee meeting on April 21.

Expo 2020 Dubai hinted at potential delay of the event in a message released on March 31

The central Al Wasl Plaza at the Dubai expo grounds was designed by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and is surrounded by major thematic pavilions envisioned by BIG, Foster + Partners, and Grimshaw. In charge of the expo site master plan were HOK, along with Populous and Arup. Asif Khan designed the Expo Entry Portals which were unveiled recently.

2020 Salone del Mobile Milan postponed to April 2021

2020-03-27T15:14:00-04:00

Salone del Mobile Milan announced today that the 2020 edition of the anticipated event has been postponed to April 13-18, 2021. The Board of the Salone del Mobile made the decision in light of the coronavirus health crisis that continues to significantly impact countries across the globe. Back in February, the 2020 event was initially rescheduled to take place this June. But the Board ultimately decided they couldn't move forward with that plan in these unprecedented circumstances.

Looking forward, Salone del Mobile expressed optimism for next year's event. The 2021 edition marks their 60th anniversary, which will be celebrated with a single, sector-wide trade fair. For the first time, all biennial exhibitions will be held in conjunction with the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0, S.Project, and SaloneSatellite. This sector-wide trade fair “will represent a fresh opportunity to pull together to revitalize our businesses, ...

Society of Architectural Historians Seattle conference rescheduled as online event

2020-03-20T20:51:00-04:00

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) announced today that it will reschedule its previously cancelled annual conference as an online-only event.

SAH’s Seattle 2020 Conference was initially scheduled to take place April 29th through May 3rd in Seattle, but it had to be cancelled as the growing novel coronavirus pandemic began to disrupt previously planned Spring conferences and events.

As a result of the pandemic and social distancing measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus, SAH has elected to reschedule the gathering as a virtual conference that will take place Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May 1, 2020 via Zoom. A schedule for the conference, which will be broadcast live on Pacific Standard Time, can be found here.

The group’s website states, “The SAH 2020 Virtual Conference will bring together professionals from around the world who focus on the history of the built environment and its role in shaping contemporary life.”

Like the IRL gathering had plann...

American Academy in Rome is shutting down entirely due to COVID-19

2020-03-18T17:36:00-04:00

The American Academy in Rome (AAR) has announced that it will be shutting down its campus in Rome in response to the novel coronavirus-19 epidemic.

In a letter published to the AAR website, Mark Robbins,
AAR President and CEO, writes, “In consideration of the safety of those residing in Rome and the institution as a whole, we have made the difficult decision to close the Academy’s campus on April 3.”

Robbins adds, “While the situation continues to rapidly change in both Italy and the United States, it is clear that this will continue for months. The AAR has done its best to keep the community safe in the weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, but is no longer able to house everyone until the end of the Fellowship year. All who are able to leave before April 3 are being encouraged to do so.”

In order to help the current crop of Rome Prize fellows, who are typically in residence at AAR for between six months and a year, AAR “will continue to support our Fellows in every way we c...

NeoCon 2020 and NYCxDESIGN have been postponed due to COVID-19

2020-03-18T10:41:00-04:00

Announced March 17th, NeoCon 2020, the conference held every June at The Mart in Chicago since 1969, has been postponed. It was originally scheduled to occur from June 8th to June 10th. In its statement, the conference states:

The health and welfare of all NeoCon participants, as well as local, national and international communities at large, are our highest priority. For the past several weeks, theMART has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation with partners and city and state officials. It is now clear that postponement is the correct decision and all those involved with the June event have new information with which to plan accordingly.

NeoCon has been a place for ideas and innovations in commercial design to be celebrated. Throughout the years, many milestones and unveilings in design have been showcased at NeoCon including reveals from companies like SteelCase, Dupont, and Herman Miller. The conference anticipates new stroked in the areas of office design and virtual re...

AIA's Robert Ivy issues guidance for architecture firms coping with COVID-19 fall out

2020-03-17T13:21:00-04:00

Robert Ivy, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has penned a letter to AIA members offering advice and resources for how firms and individuals can navigate the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The global spread of the novel coronavirus-19 strain has swiftly disrupted the work of the architecture and construction industries over the last few days as cities across the country (and the world) have enacted restrictions on travel and as many businesses and universities have transitioned to temporary remote work situations.

Ivy's message, which touches on what firms can do, plans for rescheduling the recently cancelled AIA Conference, and other topics, is published in full below.

Dear AIA community,

We are living in a challenging time. As we awaken each new day of this unfolding public health emergency, our perspective changes, sometimes radically. Despite all of our professional knowledge and technical mastery, the COVID-19 crisis...

Breaking: 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture has been postponed

2020-03-13T18:09:00-04:00

In a statement released today, the 2020 Conference on Architecture announced its postponement due to the progressing developments of the coronavirus pandemic. The event will no longer take place May 14th to 16th in Los Angeles.

This comes after Mayor Garcetti's directive to City Departments issued Thursday, March 12th which put "a ban on all events or conferences on City-owned properties that are anticipated to attract more than 50 people." As the LA Convention Center, a city-owned property, fits this criteria, the news seemed inevitable.

Currently the AIA says it is exploring options to reschedule the event and will update members with details when available. "The health and safety of our members, colleagues, exhibitors and speakers is paramount and we feel compelled to postpone the annual conference to minimize the risk to our valued participants and partners. By making this decision in advance, we also hope to minimize any stress or inconvenience for our participants and partners...

Will the AIA cancel the upcoming Conference on Architecture?

2020-03-13T14:41:00-04:00

UPDATE: 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture has been postponed

On Thursday, March 12th, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a directive to City departments outlining new measures to be taken to limit the spread of COVID-19. With the 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture scheduled to begin this May in Los Angeles, many are wondering what the status of the event will be.

Included in Garcetti's list of additional measures are these two:

A ban on all events or conferences on City-owned properties that are anticipated to attract more than 50 people;
Postponement or cancellation of all non-essential public community events or group activities with 50 or more participants, or that require close contact between vulnerable individuals.

The Los Angeles Convention Center will be the venue to hold the AIA Conference and as a "city-owned property," it falls under the Mayor's outlined criteria. Yet, the AIA on March 12th, the same day as Garcetti's address, said it "is seriously considering the ...

NOMA responds to the coronavirus pandemic

2020-03-13T12:48:00-04:00

In a statement released March 13th, National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) National President Kimberly Dowdell announced that the organization will cancel or postpone events with more than 20 people. Dowdell writes, "We are levaraging technology to replace many of our in-person events with virtual meetings, when practical."

NOMA is scheduled to host a reception at the 2020 AIA Conference and plans to provide an update after learning the AIA's decision concerning the conference. Additionally, Dowdell stated NOMA is currently considering to change its April national board meeting to a virtual meeting. NOMA Summer programs are still on track pending any further developments.

Studio culture goes online at Taubman College

2020-03-10T18:08:00-04:00

As the spread of the novel coronavirus prompts a cascade of event cancellations and school closures, the rest of the Spring 2020 semester hangs in the balance for many design students and educators.

Just this week, Columbia University, Princeton University, Harvard University, The Ohio State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Berkeley and others have announced school closures to varying degrees as these institutions formulate plans for moving instruction out of the classroom and onto the internet for (at least) the remainder of the semester. At many universities, mid-reviews are just around the corner or have just taken place, leaving the remaining half-semester in limbo for students and professors, alike.

As educational institutions transition toward a yet-to-be-determined period of all-remote coursework, the deeply social culture of design studio is being challenged from multiple angles, as well.

Anyone who has been through architecture scho...

Here is a list of the architecture and design events that have been canceled or postponed due to the growing coronavirus outbreak

2020-03-10T16:22:00-04:00

As concerns increase for COVID-19, many cities, institutions, and events have been taking precautions in an effort to mitigate the risk of spreading the disease. The architecture industry has seen its share of impact, with the cancellations and postponements of many prominent events across the globe.

Below you'll find a list of all of the current happenings with events in the architecture and design space so far:

Big Events Still on Schedule

There are no significant architecture events originally scheduled for the upcoming months that have not been canceled or postponed. We will continue to update this page if events scheduled further in the future announced changes.

Postponed Events

AIA Conference on Architecture 2020, initially scheduled for May 14-16th 2020 has been postponed, announced the AIA March 13th. AIA is currently exploring options to reschedule the event and will update members with details when available
According to Architectural Digest, the Architectural Digest Desi...

108th ACSA Annual Meeting postponed due to coronavirus

2020-03-09T12:08:00-04:00

ACSA President Rashida Ng announced Saturday that the 108th ACSA Annual Meeting will not place in San Diego this week. In the statement, she says:

The Board of Directors reviewed public health data about the coronavirus and its impact on travel and our conference venues, and determined it would be an unacceptable risk to hold the conference and related activities at this time. We regret having to make this decision, but determined we must prioritize the health and safety of our conference attendees.

The organization is currently exploring a virtual means to recognize and facilitate "the important and timely scholarly work" that would be shared throughout the conference.

This news comes in light of many other postponements and cancellations of events in architecture due to the coronavirus. With the ever evolving developments of the virus, Johns Hopkins has created an interactive dashboard that maps all of the global cases of the coronavirus. It may serve as a visual resourceful tool ...

SXSW 2020 canceled in Austin due to coronavirus concerns

2020-03-06T18:54:00-05:00

According to a statement released by SXSW today, the City of Austin has canceled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU. Initially scheduled to occur from March 13 to March 22, this is the first time in 34 years that the conference has been called off.

"We are devastated to share this news with you. 'The show must go on' is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation," SXSW said in a statement.

A decision drawn from concerns of the coronavirus, just two days ago, Austin Public Health said that "there is no evidence that the closure will make the community safer," but SXSW says it will "honor and respect the City of Austin's decision."

Harvard Square Kiosk by CultureHouse. Via CultureHouse Facebook page

In the world of architecture, one of the more popular happenings at SXSW is the Place By Design competition which "aims to showcase innovative and invigorating d...

BREAKING: 2020 Biennale in Venice postponed until August

2020-03-04T11:34:00-05:00

Announced today by La Biennale Di Venezia, the 2020 Venice Biennale will be held from Saturday August 29th through Sunday November 29th, instead of from May 23rd through November 29th, as previously announced. In its announcement, the Biennale states:

The new dates for the Biennale Architettura have been established as a consequence of the recent precautionary measures in the matter of mobility taken by the governments of a growing number of countries around the world, which will have a domino effect on the movement of people and works in coming weeks.

This decision, the Biennale writes, serves to avoid the jeopardizing of the exhibition's quality. The initial phases in organizing the exhibition "involves architects and institutions from over 60 countries on all continents." As such, obstacles in travel would pose overwhelming challenges in realizing a complete production. In the spirit of excellence, this decision seems to be the wisest path to a fruitful outcome in August.

For a l...

Salone del Mobile in Milan pushed back to June amid concerns over Coronavirus

2020-02-26T00:01:00-05:00

As the impacts of the Coronavirus outbreak spread across the globe, large-scale gatherings and conferences planned for this spring are weighing whether to proceed as planned. Italy, where the annual Salone del Mobile Milan and the Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia are set to get underway in just a few weeks, is one of the hardest hit countries outside of China grappling with the respiratory illness.

Today, the organizers of Salone del Mobile Milan, which drew over 434,500 visitors from 188 countries in 2018, moved to push back the event to June 16th. In a joint press statement posted to Twitter, Milan Mayor Guiseppe Sala, Salone del Mobile President Claudio Luti, and Federlegno Arredo Eventi President Emanuele Orsini explain their plan to postpone the upcoming edition of the Salone del Mobile Milan due to coronavirus fears.

The statement from Salone del Mobile in full reads

"...following an extraordinary meeting today with the board of Federlegno Arredo Eventi, and ...

Museums in northern Italy stay closed amid new coronavirus fears

2020-02-25T13:23:00-05:00

An unprecedented shutdown of museums is taking place in Venice, Turin and Milan as private and public institutions close their doors in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-2019) outbreak across northern Italy. Seven Italian regions have now been instructed to close museums and implement various restrictions: Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The coronavirus (Covid-2019) outbreak that started in Wuhan, China is affecting more and more regions worldwide as a sharp rise in reported cases in South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Iran, and Italy is making headlines this week.

According to The Art Newspaper, all museums in seven regions throughout northern Italy have been ordered to close, including high-profile cultural institutions such as Museo Correr, the Palazzo Ducale, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice as well as Milan's Fondazione Prada venues, the opera house La Scala, and the city's famed cathedral.

Quarantine has been ordered for towns in the Veneto and Lombardy regions to stop the dangerous virus from spreading further.

With the opening of the 2020 Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition on May 23 quickly approaching, it remains to be seen if or how the new health and safety measures will impact preparation and visitor numbers.

Opening of Tadao Ando's He Art Museum in China delayed due to coronavirus fears

2020-02-03T19:22:00-05:00

The He Art Museum (HEM) announced today that it will postpone its launch originally scheduled for 21 March due to uncertainties stemming from redoubled efforts to contain the 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV. The new private project in Shunde district of the city of Foshan in Guangdong Province is backed by Midea electronics founder He Jianfeng with a 16,000 sq m double helix structured building designed by Tadao Ando.

The privately-owned He Art Museum (HEM) in Foshan City, China commissioned Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando in September 2015 to design its new gallery spaces and started construction in December of the same year, according to the museum's website.

"The architectural design highlights Tadao Ando’s challenge on 'dynamic geometry,' where the dual-spiral staircase and the courtyard done in cast-finish concrete will be unveiled for the first time, capturing the attention of the world," explains the museum's project description the Ando design.

"The architecture is presented in various types of 'circles,' ranging from its overall design to the details of its craftsmanship. These 'non-concentric circles' stacked together expand outwards provide tension and rhythm to the architecture, hence, achieve a dynamic equilibrium in this stable structure."

"By integrating traditional history and culture with modern and c...