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.

https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"...

Michael Rotondi’s legendary Carlson-Reges House is now for sale

2017-02-22T17:27:00-05:00

For the first time ever, the Carlson-Reges House designed by Michael Rotondi is up for sale. A collision of industrial materials and a 1920’s era power plant, the home is an iconic work of Los Angeles architecture that was awarded an American Institute of Architects award. It is listed for $12.5 million.

Back in the 1990s, Richard Carlson and Kathy Reges commissioned Rotondi to design the building, intended to serve as the heart of The Brewery, the massive Lincoln Heights live/work art colony that they developed. The home doubled as an art gallery and a kennel for purebred dogs (as well as rescues).

Check out this review by Orhan Ayyüce from a few years ago for more on the project. And head over here to find out more about what makes Rotondi tick.

h/t LA Mag

One-to-One #44 with RotoLab co-founders Michael Rotondi, M A Greenstein and Nels Long

2016-10-31T18:06:00-04:00

For this One-to-One, Paul and Amelia are joined in-studio with RotoLab co-founders Michael Rotondi, M A Greenstein and Nels Long. Among a variety of ventures, RotoLab has ambitions to create uniquely VR-environments for architectural education and practice, and in the process, completely upend how we learn and work. Inspired by decades of experience in architecture and VR’s imminent future, Rotondi and his co-founders spoke about socializing in VR, gaming as education, and what this new frontier could mean for tomorrow’s architects.

You can read about RotoLab's GamerLab™ initiative here.

Listen to One-to-One #44 with the RotoLab co-founders:

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Michael Rotondi in-studio for Episode 8 of Archinect Sessions, "A Sense of Place"

2014-11-26T14:49:00-05:00

Michael Rotondi joins us in-studio this week, for a special conversation with Orhan Ayyüce about architecture education and Rotondi's Los Angeles roots. Paul, Amelia, Donna and Ken also discuss ol' fashioned southern contextualism in Charleston, South Carolina, in response to Clemson University's scrapped modern building plans.

Listen to episode eight of the Archinect Sessions podcast, "A Sense of Place":

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Shownotes:

Gigaom Roadmap conference

Clemson scraps its modern building plan

“Modern Oakwood” lawsuit

Olson Kundig case

Renzo Piano will design the new Kum & Go corporate HQ in Iowa

Yaohua Wang wins 2014 Harvard GSD thesis prize...

Look back, move forward: Weekly News Round-Up for November 3, 2014

2014-11-10T18:55:00-05:00

Friday, November 7:

8,000 Glowing Balloons Recreate the Berlin Wall: A 10 mile chain of balloons will line the path where the Wall previously stood, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its demolition.
First Ever Chicago Architecture Biennial Taking Shape for 2015: The Biennial's theme of "The State of the Art of Architecture" (named after Stanley Tigerman's 1977 conference), is starting to take shape, and will include a photo exhibition on Chicago from Iwan Baan.

Thursday, November 6:

Massive Hollywood project sits atop quake fault: The California Geological Survey confirmed that the Millenium Hollywood skyscraper sits on top of an active fault, despite the fact that the developer's consultants find no evidence of an active fault in their analysis of the data. LA's Department of Building and Safety will ultimately determine whether the Millenium can be built.
Centre Pompidou To Open Design and Architecture Gallery: Upon the opening of its new photography gallery, the renowned Parisian...

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.

Michael Rotondi's 2012 SCI-Arc Commencement Speech

2012-09-20T17:30:00-04:00

Thanks to Michael Rotondi for providing us with the transcript from his '12 SCI-Arc commencement speech, and thanks to Orhan for bringing it to our attention.

---

Now and Then
The Upside of Evolution

Good afternoon everyone –
My name is Michael Rotondi aka Roto
Parents, relatives, friends, my colleagues, Director Moss, Board of Trustees, and especially

all you in the Class of 2012 _ The 40th Graduating Class of SCI-Arc, congratulations

I represent the first Graduating Class___1973………there were ten of us, all top 10.
I have been a part of SCI-Arc for 40 years, in every capacity.
A Student, a Teacher, a Director, a Trustee, and most importantly, a member of the Family.

Throughout, I’ve been a witness to a form of Creation Itself.
A collective organism, conceived at the epicenter,
where the counter productive force of Anger
transforms into the generative power of Creativity.
Although it began as a revolution, SCI-Arc was a Love Child.

I am often asked –
How...

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.

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...

Sketchbooks of RoTo

2011-06-03T09:55:00-04:00

My ideal workspace is wherever I am when a thought or an image comes to mind and I can sit with my sketchbook. I have always carried a notebook with me, for at least thirty years. This hand to paper, mediated by my fountain pen or RoTo pencils, switches on my mind and focuses my attention. As I draw or write, all of my senses become more acute—apprehending everything around me more clearly and precisely. A paradox, but true.

Cal Poly Pomona ENV40 Celebration

2011-04-12T15:09:02-04:00

Event includes panel discussions featuring leaders of the environmental design professions including: Marvin J. Malecha, Ray Kappe, Richard Chylinski, Frank Clementi, Stefanos Polyzoides, Deborah Sussman, Michael Rotondi, Ken Smith, Rick Bishop, and Lorraine Wild.

SCHEDULE OF ENV 40 PANELS, Saturday April 16th 2011

10 – 11 am: The early years

Dean Emeritus Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA, 2009 President of the American Institute of Architects
Professor Emeritus Ray Kappe, FAIA, former Chair of the Architecture Department (who went on to found SCI-ARC)
Professor Emeritus Richard Chylinski, FAIA, former Chair of the Architecture Department (who helped establish the department in 1966)
Professor Emeritus Ken Nakaba, FASLA, former Chair of the Landscape Architecture Department
Professor Emeritus Bob Perry, Landscape Architecture Department
Professor Emeritus Charles Loggins, Urban and Regional Planning Department, former Associate Dean of ENV

11 – 11:45 am: Years of growth

Dean Emeritus Barry Wasserman, FAIA, former California State Architect
Professor Emeritus Rod Tapp, FASLA, Landscape Architecture Department
Calvin Abe, FASLA, AHBE Landscape Architects
Steven A. Preston, FAICP, City Manager, City of San Gabriel
Bob Kain, AIA, Healthcare Principal, HMC Architec...