Archinect - News

Plans revealed for atelier masōmī's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center in Liberia

2023-04-19T17:31:00-04:00

Details of the new Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development in Monrovia, Liberia have been revealed this week by atelier masōmī, the lead designers of an all-female project that will include exhibition designs from Counterspace’s Sumayya Vally and input from local architect Karen Richards Barnes.

The project supports the EJS Center’s mission with workshops, office spaces, exhibition galleries, a café, and a library. The center was formally established on International Women’s Day in 2020 and will now play host to the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize-winning former President’s personal and professional archives.

Image courtesy atelier masōmī

The atelier’s founder, Mariam Kamara, says: “The design is a direct response to the history, climate, cultural, and architectural heritage of Liberia. The project is an introspection on the challenges faced and on the strength and hope brought about by inspirational leaders such as Madam Sirleaf. The first woman Head of State o...

David Chipperfield Architects finalizes its Nobel Center interior design

2018-05-29T15:28:00-04:00

David Chipperfield Architects' Nobel Center, criticized by some as dominating, has developed its final design for the interior of this new Stockholm space. The firm added a number of new public exhibition areas that will be free of charge with a design aimed at strengthening the vertical connections between levels and activities while creating an open atmosphere.

Nobel Center exhibition areas, by David Chipperfield Architects. © Nobelhuset AB. Architecture.

From the exhibitions on the entrance level to the restaurant on the top level, with a panoramic view of Stockholm, the entire space has been created to facilitate open circulation.

Nobel Center auditorium and restaurant, David Chipperfield Architects. © Nobelhuset AB. Architecture.

Several levels at the Nobel Center will house temporary thematic exhibitions and permanent exhibitions about the Nobel Prize, the Laureates and Alfred Nobel.

Nobel Center new public park, David Chipperfield Architects. © Nobelhuset AB. Architecture...

Sweden's king voices disapproval of Chipperfield's Nobel Center design

2016-06-03T13:09:00-04:00

[King Carl XVI Gustav] said the sprawling brass-clad structure, designed by the British architect David Chipperfield to house the Nobel Foundation and host its prestigious annual prize ceremony, would dominate Stockholm’s celebrated 19th-century waterfront... ‘The size of the building is determined by what is necessary for a Nobel Centre. It’s not exploiting the value of the land or something – it’s not a developer building, an office building or a hotel...’ [Chipperfield said.]

King Carl XVI Gustav isn't favorable toward Chipperfield's dominating design plan for the Nobel Center, which inevitably has sparked opposition. But, supporters of the project beg to differ.

Previously on Archinect:

David Chipperfield wins Nobel Center architectural competition

Nobel Center competition shortlists three teams to move on to stage two

Eleven renowned architects present proposals for Stockholm’s future Nobel Center

Further strides made in Nobel-winning research on the neuroscience of navigation

2015-04-30T14:57:00-04:00

Place cells, which fire when the brain recognizes a corresponding geographical landmark (like your house, or the Space Needle) [offer] a two-dimensional map of familiar environments [...] Grid cells ... are not tied to particular places — but are adjusted as needed to mark off the space around us [...] Now, researchers from University College London have shown how grid cells help us combine mental maps, joining rooms into a house, blocks into a neighborhood and neighborhoods into a city.

Some background on the Nobel Prize-winning medical research can be found here: Nobel Prize in Medicine Is Awarded to Three Who Discovered Brain’s ‘Inner GPS’

New podcast, new banknotes, new neurons: Weekly News Round-Up for October 6, 2014

2014-10-13T20:27:00-04:00

Sunday, October 12:

A classic American look, feng shui notwithstanding: Investigating the impact of wealthy Chinese immigrants on suburban Seattle's real estate boom.

Saturday, October 11:

Indiana Ponders Abolishing Licensing for Architects: Part of a state-wide reconsideration of more than "200 types of professional licenses, permits and certifications", aimed at cutting regulatory costs.
Announcing "Archinect Sessions", our brand new podcast! Listen to Episode #1 now: We're launching a weekly podcast to discuss prominent news items, feat. members of the Archinect community and other special guests. Ep. #1: "Where are the women?"

Thursday, October 9:

Architects Create a 3-D Printed Column That Survives Earthquakes: Made of cement and based on ancient Incan techniques.
Renzo Piano admits he's "struggling to do something good" for the LA Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences project: A fable to remind us that architecture is never solely the product of architects.

Wednesday, October 8:...

David Chipperfield wins Nobel Center architectural competition

2014-04-09T12:52:00-04:00

David Chipperfield's "Nobelhuset" is the winning design for the new Nobel Center in Stockholm, after a unanimous jury decision. Back in Fall 2013, Chipperfield was one of 11 famous architects who submitted proposals for the future Nobel Center.

In the second stage, the competition narrowed down to three proposals from: Johan Celsing - Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor (Sweden); Gert Wingårdh - Wingårdhs Arkitektkontor (Sweden); and of course, David Chipperfield and Christoph Felger - David Chipperfield Architects Berlin (Germany).

The Nobel Center will be built to become an architectural representation of the Nobel Prize and serve as a space to promote the Prize's ideals of forward thinking and innovation.

Here's more detail into the winning design:

"According to the statement of the jury, the proposed building has an elegant, timeless and attractive external appearance with a clear identity of its own. The revised façade design, with its shimmering vertical brass elements and glass, has a l...

Eleven renowned architects present proposals for Stockholm’s future Nobel Center

2013-10-04T13:46:00-04:00

The search has begun for the design of the future Nobel Center in the Blasieholmen peninsula in Stockholm. As an architectural representation of the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Center will serve as a space to promote creativity and innovative thinking in finding solutions for the world's major challenges of today and of the future. For stage one, 11 big-name architects submitted their proposals under anonymity to the competition jury on Oct. 3.

Participating Architects:

Kim Herforth Nielsen, 3XN Architects, Denmark;
Bjarke Ingels, BIG Bjarke Ingels Group A/S, Denmark;
David Chipperfield, David Chipperfield Architects, Germany;
Johan Celsing, Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor AB, Sweden;
Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, France;
Lene Tranberg, Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter A/S, Denmark
Marcel Meili and Markus Peter, Marcel Meili, Markus Peter Architekten AG, Switzerland;
Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf, OMA, Netherlands;
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, SANAA, Japan
Kjetil Thorsen, Snøhetta Oslo A/S, Norway;
Gert Wingårdh, Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, Sweden

UPDATE: Nobel Center competition shortlists three teams to move onto stage two

Can you guess who designed what? Let us know in the comment section below!

↑ Beyond 1210

↑ A Room and a Half

↑ Archipelago

↑ Landing Seagulls

↑ Nobel Sphere

↑ Nobelhuset

↑ PRI...

Twelve Architects to Compete to Design Nobel Center in Stockholm

2013-03-25T19:12:00-04:00

During the winter there has been a selection process to choose the architects who will be invited to participate in the planned architectural competition to design a Nobel Center at Blasieholmen in Stockholm. In total, over 140 architects have been considered by a specially appointed evaluation committee. Of these, 12 have been selected to be invited to the architectural competition.

The Nobel Foundation has announced the following 12 architects selected:

Kim Herforth Nielsen – 3XN, Denmark
Bjarke Ingels – BIG, Denmark
David Chipperfield – David Chipperfield Architects, England/Germany
Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Ascan Mergenthaler – Herzog & de Meuron, Switzerland
Johan Celsing – Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor, Sweden
Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal – Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, France
Lene Tranberg – Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, Denmark
Marcel Meili and Markus Peter – Marcel Meili, Markus Peter Architekten, Switzerland
Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf – OMA, Netherlands
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa – SANAA, Japan
Kjetil Thorsen – Snøhetta, Norway
Gert Wingårdh – Wingårdhs arkitekter, Sweden

Within the two-stage competition, the architects' task will be to design the building that will become the new home of the Nobel Prize in Stockholm. The building will house the Nobel Foundation, toge...