Archinect - News

ArtCenter aims to explore visionary design "Beyond the Bauhaus"

2019-11-10T09:00:00-05:00

Different Tomorrows: Design Futures Beyond the Bauhaus [...] brought together scholars, artists, activists and designers to challenge the Bauhaus as the movement of record with discussions related to gender, race and global perspectives. Organized by graduate Media Design Practices Department Associate Professor Sean Donahue and Professor Elizabeth Chin, the series included a reading room, [...] projects questioning the Bauhaus legacy, and a docent tour of the Getty Center’s Bauhaus archives.

A thoughtful interview with Elizabeth Chin and Sean Donahue, the two ArtCenter College of Design-based organizers behind Different Tomorrows: Design Futures Beyond the Bauhaus reveals a bevy of interesting and thought-provoking connections between the Bauhaus and a variety of topics and locales, including the movement's connections with China, the work of the school's female practitioners, and other suppressed focuses.

Chin writes, "The version of the Bauhaus that was promoted in the U.S., and which has influenced places like ArtCenter, was stripped of many of the concerns that had fueled the development of the Bauhaus. Two of the most important, from our point of view, were the experimental educational model and the school’s concerns for social well-being."

#GettyFire: Wildfire breaks out in Los Angeles near the Getty Center

2019-10-28T13:57:00-04:00

Early this morning, at around 1:30am, a fire broke out along the 405 freeway near the Getty Center in Los Angeles. As the blaze spread through the Sepulveda Pass, firefighters were found on the scene working to contain the fires as residents were prompted to evacuate the area according to ABC 7 news.

Brush fires are common among the dry landscapes of Southern California, specifically in Los Angeles County. In December 2017 the Getty Center experienced and survived a massive wildfire that erupted along the Sepulveda Pass. The Getty Center, designed by Richard Meier & Partners in 1997 and is designed with a series of fire prevention strategies, including large stone wall expanses and a minimal number of openings located adjacent to the complex's scrubby hillsides.

Although these natural disasters are not uncommon, the severity of these events reaffirm many things.

The intensity and power of these fires can quickly destroy thousands of acres of land and countless homes and structure...

Iconic Eames House to undergo new conservation plans as it turns 70

2019-04-22T15:21:00-04:00

Ahead of the Eames House's 70th anniversary, new plans for the conservation of the iconic midcentury-modern abode have been unveiled. The Getty Conservation Institute and the Eames Foundation have worked together to assemble a disciplinary team of heritage specialists to formulate a plan for the preservation of the home as well as the contents inside like artwork and custom furniture.

A national historic landmark, the Pacific Palisade home is owned by the Eames Foundation, who is intent on providing a long-term sustainable approach to the care of the site, buildings, and collections in their care. The new Conservation Management Plan will assist them in their efforts to ensure the authenticity of the home's original elements.

While the house remains in pretty good condition, corrosion and years of excessive sun exposure have caused fading and left objects brittle. The CMP will help the Foundation to address needed repairs to the house as well as the landscape.

“In developing the ...

Massive wildfire erupts near the Getty Center in Los Angeles

2017-12-06T12:52:00-05:00

A new wildfire closed part of Interstate 405 early Wednesday near Los Angeles' posh Bel Air area and prompted evacuations [...] The closure of I-405 -- a significant north-south artery in the country's second-largest city -- came after flames swept down the foothills toward the highway near Sepulveda Pass and the Getty Center arts complex as stunned motorists drove by shortly before 6 a.m.

The Richard Meier-designed Getty Center — scheduled to celebrate its 20th anniversary on December 16 — woke up to a terrifying scene before sunrise this morning with the neighboring hillscape ablaze.

The Skirball Fire is the latest of several fast-moving wildfires devastating Southern California this week.

Richard Meier on the Getty Center as it turns 20

2017-12-04T14:46:00-05:00

The Getty Center, that collection of hilltop buildings in travertine and white metal panels designed by the New York architects Richard Meier & Partners, opened to the public on Dec. 16, 1997. To mark the 20th anniversary of the Brentwood complex, we reached Meier, now 83, by phone to ask him about his memories of getting it built.

The Getty completes major renovation project of Kahn's Salk Institute

2017-06-29T12:22:00-04:00

It’s heralded as one of the major masterpieces of American modernism, but its ocean-adjacent location has made conservation difficult. Today, the Getty Conservation Institute announced that a major renovation project of Louis Kahn ’s Salk Institute in La Jolla has been completed.

The project centered primarily around restoring the complex’s teak window walls. Set within the monolithic concrete walls of the study towers and offices, they had weathered to a non-uniform appearance and were deteriorating. While prefabricated, the windows have a “hand-crafted quality” due to the detailing. Over the years, they suffered surface erosion and had accumulated a fungal biofilm.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies, photos by Elizabeth Daniels

“Restoration of the teak wood presented a number of challenges,” says Kyle Normandin, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. project manager and associate principal. “The success of the project is that we were able to save so much of the original materia...

Getty Research Institute acquires massive Frank Gehry archives

2017-03-29T17:50:00-04:00

The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles acquired a seriously massive archive directly from the studio of Frank O. Gehry today. Dubbed The Frank Gehry Papers, the archives — which were granted as part gift and part purchase — reveal a comprehensive overview of the first 30 years of the architect's career, from his early graduate studies to his milestone 1988 competition entry for the Walt Disney Concert Hall that launched him into global fame.

“I’m honored by the attention of the Getty Research Institute delving into the history of my work, my beginnings, and other things that I never thought anybody would be interested in,” Frank Gehry said in a statement. “I’m very moved that this great institution, with its resources to search for the best examples of creativity in our world, has found me an interesting party.”

Frank Gehry, Greber Studio, Sketch1967, unbuilt, Beverly Glen, California, Frank Gehry Papers at the Getty Research Institute, © Frank O. Gehry.

Frank Gehry, Sirmai-Peters...

Paul Goldberger cements Frank Gehry's narrative at The Getty Center

2015-09-30T14:24:00-04:00

In a lecture hall that sat a third empty due to the eclipsed "super blood moon" transpiring outside, Paul Goldberger discussed his new biography of Frank Gehry, "Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry" with J. Paul Getty Trust C.E.O. James Cuno at The Getty Center.

Goldberger spent the first part of the evening recounting of the well-known narrative of Gehry's life: a Canadian Jewish working-class boy, Gehry moved from chilly Toronto with his ailing father to the warmer climes of Los Angeles, eventually becoming the city's, if not the world's, most iconic architect. After paying the bills in his early adulthood by driving trucks, Gehry enrolled at USC and then on to Harvard, where he completed his studies in architecture. He went on to work for a variety of architects including Victor Gruen, and on projects including 1961's so-called "futuristic building" at LAX (although, Goldberger was careful to note, in a purely junior capacity). Goldberger framed Gehry's existence not...

Pedestrians and light rail retake Sydney (well, George Street at least)

2015-07-28T19:28:00-04:00

The transformative effect of removing cars from a dedicated street or urban center and creating a pedestrian-friendly area isn't a new idea, but it's a popular one. Sydney, Australia has decided to repurpose its relatively trafficky George Street into an elegant shopping and walking area bisected by light rail, with design input from French architect Thomas Richez. According to The Sydney Morning Herald Richez, who has overseen the development of numerous public spaces in Africa and Europe, is now working with the city to create a zone that would foster a more relaxed vibe among pedestrians. As he explains, "The idea is, a good tramway line is like a reserve, a pleasant place, whether people use the transportation system or not."

The tramway in Reims, with the cathedral in the background. (Photo: Richez Associes)

Even in car-centric Los Angeles, institutions as varied as The Getty Center and commercial shopping cluster The Grove have employed similar non-pedestrian design strategi...

Over 150 Years of Architectural Photography in upcoming Getty exhibition

2013-09-30T19:04:00-04:00

The long historical relationship between architecture and photography comes to focus once again in the Getty Center's "In Focus: Architecture" exhibition beginning Oct. 15 until March 2, 2014.

Curated by Amanda Maddox, assistant curator of photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, "In Focus: Architecture" will look into the beginnings of architectural photography when 19th-century photographers documented historical sites and structures. As the cityscape modernized in the 20th century, so did architectural photography as inventive uses of the medium emerged -- and continue to do so in contemporary times.

The upcoming exhibition will showcase more than 20 works from the Getty's permanent collection including recently acquired photos from Andreas Feininger, Ryuji Miyamoto, and Peter Wegner.

Other additions to the exhibit are an accompanying book, "Architecture in Photographs," with an essay by Gordon Baldwin and a lecture by Dietrich Neumann, Royce Family Professor of History o...

MOCA architecture show, funded by Getty, could face cancellation

2013-05-02T12:46:00-04:00

The exhibition was planned as an exploration of the last 25 years of Los Angeles architecture, with work by Frank Gehry, Thom Mayne, Michael Maltzan, Barbara Bestor and many younger architects. It was funded in part by a Getty Foundation grant of $445,000. No other single show in the PSTP series received a grant as large, according to a Getty press release. A 272-page catalog, co-published by Rizzoli, is already complete.

Facing delays in finishing the installation of the show, the show will be canceled, or, at best, delayed.

Getty Announces Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A.

2012-09-28T20:30:00-04:00

Designed to continue the momentum of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980, last year’s sweeping initiative that included exhibitions and programs at 60 arts institutions across Southern California, Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., will be smaller in scope, comprising nine exhibitions and accompanying programs and events in and around Los Angeles slated for April–July 2013.

405 Freeway closure exposes the limits of Los Angeles' mobility

2011-07-12T02:37:04-04:00

...doesn't the general freakout over the shutdown suggest, in and of itself, its fundamental folly? It hurts to lose the 405 even for a weekend not because freeways are so valuable or because we love them so much but because we've painted ourselves in a corner in terms of mobility. We have left ourselves no escape hatches or viable alternatives.

LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne eyes impending automotive doom.

Follow the link for a thoughtful piece on "the city's great synecdoche" and how its future might impact architectural landmarks.