Archinect - News

Revisiting John Portman's design legacy in his hometown of Atlanta

2018-10-22T14:46:00-04:00

Portman was a pioneer of the devices with which somber modernism was given glitz: mirror-glass, wall-climbing glass lifts, sky bridges, swooping curves. He described some gaudy candelabra he put around a piano stage in the Atlanta Marriott Marquis as a “homage to Liberace”. His buildings became known for their “Jesus moments”, those times when, emerging from a deliberately understated entry into some architectural emulation of the Grand Canyon, a visitor would reliably exclaim, “Jesus!”

Rowan Moore pens a piece on the lasting impact of the late John Portman's other-worldly buildings in Atlanta, which were known for eliciting “Jesus moments” from surprised visitors and also described as “Disneyland for adults” by less-impressed critics.

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”.

Getting architects to pay attention to their building's lasting impact

2018-03-27T16:33:00-04:00

In architecture, there is an obsession with a building’s official completion, while its actual lifespan is often left out of the picture.

In his Failed Architecture piece "What If Architects Would Embrace, Rather Than Ignore, a Building’s Future?", René Boer looks at the imbalance of attention a building gets during its opening day compared to its lasting 'future legacy': "The fact that most architectural projects of a certain scale will leave a spatial legacy of some sort gives those involved a responsibility. Therefore, the spatial professions might want to broaden their horizon and attempt to relate to the future of their projects at least in some way."

2017 AIA Gold Medal posthumously awarded to Paul Revere Williams — the first African-American recipient

2016-12-07T20:02:00-05:00

It's that time of year when the American Institute of Architects reveals the winner of the AIA Gold Medal, which honors an individual's outstanding body of work that has influenced architecture theory and practice. For 2017, the Medal was awarded posthumously to architect Paul Revere Williams, the first African-American recipient. Williams passed away in 1980.

LAX Theme Building.

A trailblazer throughout his career, LA-born Paul Revere Williams was the first black architect to join the AIA and to be elected to the Institute's College of Fellows. He designed over 2,000 homes and commercial buildings around LA and abroad, including affordable homes for new homeowners, the glitzy abodes for his celebrity clients, and infamous icons like the LAX Theme Building (1961) and his renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel (1949).

Having to deal with racial obstacles, Williams is also known for developing the ability to draw upside down to accommodate white clients who might not have wanted to si...

A new beginning for Rosa Parks' Detroit home

2016-10-05T18:11:00-04:00

[Rosa Parks' home] on South Deacon Street had become blighted and faced demolition in recent years, but its fortunes have since changed. The home’s facade has been removed and will be refashioned into a replica-style artwork that will be shown in museums across Europe...“She loved the city, but I don't think the city loved her very much back,” [Parks' niece Rhea] McCauley said. “This house should have been preserved here. But we live in a world where every other project takes precedence.”

You would think that the Detroit home of Rosa Parks would have more easily garnered local support for its preservation in the present day. But as Parks' niece Rhea McCauley described, her aunt was still treated with hostility when she moved into the city in 1957, two years after she refused to give up her bus seat. That attitude seems to have carried on as McCauley struggled to find a backer to preserve the home, saying that “Doors have been slammed in [her] face”.

Luckily, McCauley was able to get help from artist Ryan Mendoza, who will transform the house's facade into a replica-style art piece that will tour museums across Europe. Why Europe? Mendoza, who acknowledged that he isn't even from Detroit, says it's “a statement about the lack of interest in preserving the home in the city where it actually existed”.

h/t Quartz

Saddam Hussain's architectural heritage—and what to do with it

2016-09-13T18:30:00-04:00

During his time in power, as head of state and as leader of the all-powerful, secularist Ba’th party, Saddam would oversee an unprecedented program of monumental development across the historic city of Baghdad. This was not limited to monuments of war and hollow bronze shells, but enormous palatial complexes, museums, art galleries, and civic squares [...] marshal it, awkwardly, unevenly, into the post-industrial age, a modern city shaped by the aspirations and egotistical tastes of a despot.

To thrive post-Zaha, Koolhaas says ZHA should emulate high fashion brands

2016-05-17T17:44:00-04:00

Rem Koolhaas said Zaha Hadid Architects could survive the death of its founder if it feeds on her architectural DNA. [...] “I think there is a model these days where fashion houses survive by working on the DNA of their founders,” he said. “It is a model that is becoming more and more current and it could work in architecture too, I think.”

Related on Archinect:

Daniel Libeskind turns 70; designs Musical Labyrinth for Frankfurt Opera

2016-05-12T13:29:00-04:00

Preparations are still running for various events around Daniel Libeskind's 70th birthday, among them the concert project "One Day in Life." Libeskind has designed the project for Frankfurt's Old Opera. A total of 75 concerts are to be given on May 21 and 22 at 18 different locations spread over the city of Frankfurt. Libeskind's idea was to bring music to places where hitherto no music had been played, for example hospitals, public baths or hidden bunkers.

Via @daniellibeskind on Instagram: "In Frankfurt installing the Musical Labyrinth for One Day in Life that opens May 20th. #onedayinlife"

Other recent Libeskind stories in the Archinect news:

Zaha Hadid Architects to continue under Patrik Schumacher's leadership

2016-04-20T17:30:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects issued a formal statement announcing that the firm will continue to move forward, with Patrik Schumacher acting as de facto leader. In addition to finishing the 36 projects they had started or had under contract before Dame Hadid died on March 31st, ZHA will also be taking on new work. According to The New York Times, in addition to opening new offices in Mexico City and Dubai, the firm "also hopes to push further into aviation, having won a contract for a new airport in Beijing." In tomorrow's episode of Archinect Sessions, Schumacher will share his personal and professional reflections on Hadid's legacy, and elaborate on how he'll carry Hadid's "DNA" and his p arametricist ideas into new arenas.

“We want to tell the world that we’re still a viable, vibrant address for major work of cultural importance," Schumacher told the NYT. “My ambition is to become more visible as a leader of the field to clients."

He also stated that he wants to continue moving forward on ...

A recollection of some of Zaha Hadid's recent prestigious accolades

2016-03-31T18:57:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid was a daring creative force from the very beginning...She had the ability to consistently shake things up in the architecture world — and leave a lasting influence. Throughout her extensive decorative career, Zaha Hadid received an abundance of awards including the 2004 Pritzker Prize and most recently the 2016 RIBA Gold Medal, being the first woman architect to win both awards in her own right.

Archinect's sister site Bustler rounded up some previous coverage on Hadid's accolades and award-winning projects that she and her firm have won over the last few years.

For more Archinect coverage on Zaha Hadid's passing:

“We just loved her”: Frank Gehry remembers Zaha Hadid

The architecture community reacts to Dame Hadid's death on social media

Zaha on Zaha: "I always thought, you know, I should do well because the work is good."

How the Pritzker Prize came to be

2016-03-16T13:15:00-04:00

As native Chicagoans, it’s not surprising that our family was keenly aware of architecture [...] While the architecture of Chicago made us cognizant of the art of architecture, our work with designing and building hotels made us aware of the impact architecture could have on human behavior. So in 1978, when we were approached with the idea of honoring living architects, we were responsive. — Thomas J. Pritzker

A brief history on the family behind "the architecture profession's highest honor", and how the prize was established.

For more, check out Archinect's most recent coverage on the Pritzker Prize:

Why is the Pritzker such a big deal?

Aravena's Pritzker: A Critical Round-Up

"Making A Pritzker Laureate" – Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, gives us an inside look at the prestigious award, on Archinect Sessions #48

Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, director of this year's Venice Biennale, named 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate

Searching for Queen Elizabeth's architectural legacy

2015-09-25T03:53:00-04:00

Elizabeth II is the first major British monarch who will not have an architectural style named after her [...] The present Elizabethan era includes as many as a dozen architectural highlights and at least two broad architectural styles. “I cannot imagine a term or an argument that would tie all of this together,” says Stanford Anderson, a professor emeritus of history and architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “'New Elizabethan architecture’ just ducks the question.”

Santiago Calatrava: Career highlights still to come

2015-06-09T15:00:00-04:00

This week Calatrava defended his projects. “The reality is that throughout my career I’ve tackled projects in Spain that I’m proud of,” he told Spanish daily El Mundo. [...] At 63 years old, Calatrava said he hoped the best of his career was still to come. “Many of the architects I admire have given the best of themselves as they mature,” he said. “I’m hoping to do the same.”

Previously:

A look at Boris Johnson’s legacy to London

2015-04-20T18:49:00-04:00

Boris Johnson’s term as London mayor has produced a surprising mix of spectacular and workaday projects – along with some famous follies. But will he leave the city looking better than it did seven years ago?

Michael Graves has died at the age of 80

2015-03-12T17:53:00-04:00

Michael Graves, the renowned architect and founder of Michael Graves Architecture & Design (MGA&D), died peacefully of natural causes in his home in Princeton, New Jersey on Thursday. He was 80 years old.

Born in Indianapolis on July 9, 1934, Michael Graves is regarded as bringing "post-modernism" to the masses. As a young architect, Graves worked for George Nelson who sparked his deep interest in American pop culture, which was conveyed throughout his work. Graves also collaborated with teaching colleague Peter Eisenman in numerous competitions and was also part of the New York Five. Wherever Michael Graves' name was mentioned, plenty of attention -- good or not -- was sure to follow, and will continue to do so for years to come. For starters, the Kean University Michael Graves School of Architecture is slated to open later this year.

His firm, Michael Graves Architecture & Design, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. Reflecting Graves' wide range of design interests and focuse...

MAS Context LEGACY is now accepting entries until December 1

2014-10-27T19:39:00-04:00

MAS Studio is back with their latest competition, MAS CONTEXT: LEGACY. The open competition explores how the most influential people, places, buildings, ideas, films, etc. have affected -- and continue to affect -- the way we experience the urban environment. And LEGACY not only looks to the past, it also theorizes what legacies may define the future.

Submissions can be in the form of critical essays, photo essays, analytical studies, data visualizations, visual explorations, films, or interviews.

So get started on those entries. The deadline to submit is Monday, December 1, 2014.

Learn more important competition details on Bustler.

More is more: the gaudy genius of the late Deborah Sussman

2014-08-27T13:57:00-04:00

“More is more,” was the motto of Deborah Sussman, the graphic designer behind this brilliant visual riot, who died last week at the age of 82. Trained in the office of Charles and Ray Eames, she took their love of colour and pattern to new heights, establishing a studio with her husband, Paul Prejza, that would tackle everything from shop fit-outs to city wayfinding, sprinkling her distinctive brand, like sugary confetti, from Philadelphia to Santa Monica.

One week ago: Deborah Sussman, designer, has died at age 83

In-depth Louis Kahn exhibition opening at London’s Design Museum on July 9

2014-07-07T21:13:00-04:00

"Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture" is a multi-themed exploration behind legendary architect Louis Kahn that will be showcased at the Design Museum in London starting Wednesday, July 9. Until Oct. 12, 2014, the exhibition will feature architectural models, original drawings, travel sketches, photographs, and films – including interviews with famous architects like Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry, Sou Fujimoto, and Peter Zumthor who each describe how Kahn has influenced his own work.

Learn more about the exhibition on Bustler.

Dead man building: is Louis Kahn's posthumous New York project his best?

2014-07-07T13:56:00-04:00

When the American architect Louis Kahn collapsed from a heart attack in the toilets of New York's Penn Station in 1974, he left behind a lot of loose ends. There were three children, by three different women [...]. There was his dwindling practice, which he left $500,000 in debt. And, tucked away in his sketchbooks, was a complete set of drawings for an unrealised project – one that would lie dormant in his archive for almost 40 years.

How Legacy Architecture Shapes Our Experience of Place

2014-05-19T13:17:00-04:00

I have been trying trying to understand what makes historic places special to so many of us. Part of it is that they are relatively rare in the United States, I guess. For several decades our newer everyday architecture – our subdivisions, strip malls, office buildings – has been simultaneously bland and deadening in its consistency. [...] But I also think there may be something deeper going on. We gravitate to older places because they ground us in space and time.

Olympics 2012: What happens next?

2012-08-08T13:18:00-04:00

London’s surprising win that morning was attributed to its focus on urban regeneration and legacy: perhaps the first time an Olympic bid had specifically presented the Games as merely the warm up for a longer-term rejuvenation.