Archinect - News

Chicago Architecture Biennial finalizes list of participants

2015-08-13T18:59:00-04:00

With a little under two months left until the big opening weekend in October, the Chicago Architecture Biennial rounded up a final list of over 100 established and up-and-coming architects, designers, and artists in the contemporary scene. Since the initial roster was announced back in April, approximately 40 firms were added by Biennale Co-Artistic Directors Sarah Herda and Joseph Grima alongside a notable advisory committee comprising David Adjaye, Elizabeth Diller, Jeanne Gang, Frank Gehry, Sylvia Lavin, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Lord Peter Palumbo, and Stanley Tigerman.

The participants, who represent more than 30 countries, were chosen following intensive research into contemporary architectural practices and issues around the world. The selection committee made visits to multiple cities including Beijing, Cape Town, Mexico City, and more.

And now, the final CAB line-up:

Al Borde (Quito, Ecuador)

all(zone) (Bangkok, Thailand)

Andreas Angelidakis (Athens, Greece)

Andrés Jaque / Office for P...

Win a copy of "Archibet" by Federico Babina!

2014-12-26T13:00:00-05:00

Architect and graphic designer Federico Babina has become popular for his whimsical illustration series that fuse together his love for architecture and drawing. This includes his "Archibet" series, where famous modernist and contemporary architects like Alvar Aalto, Luis Barragán, Herzog de Meuron, Quincy Jones, Mies van der Rohe, and Zaha Hadid are rendered as each letter of the alphabet in their signature architectural styles. Starting on January 20, Archibet will be widely available as a binded collection of postcards through Laurence King Publishing.

But guess what, five Archinectors can get their hands on a copy of Archibet before it's out in stores.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: First, have a look at the entire Archibet series here. Then in the comment section below, say which architect and for what letter that you would include in the Archibet.

Giveaway ends January 2, 2015. Five winners will be selected at random. Good luck!

The European Mies van der Rohe Award rounds up 420 nominated projects for 2015

2014-12-17T19:27:00-05:00

A total of 420 projects across Europe were nominated to compete for the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, regarded as the highest-ranking prize in European architecture for projects less than 2 years old. The biennial €60,000 prize was initiated in 1987 by the European Commission and the Barcelona City Hall to highlight recent projects that are exemplary of the prize's mission to foster design and technological innovation as well as noteworthy contributions from architects across the continent. The prize also gives an outlook of the evolving creative process of present-day architects working in Europe.

With 420 nominees, perhaps it's still too early to predict which projects will get shortlisted and then become finalists by the end of January 2015.

A few of the 2015 nominees include:

Spots - a conversion of former transformation stations in Košice, Slovakia by Architektonické štúdio Atrium

Hideg House in Kőszeg, Hungary by Béres Architect...

André Chiote illustrates the role of iconic buildings in the "urban collective memory"

2013-12-09T13:52:00-05:00

Rendered into clean lines and bold graphic hues, Oporto-based architect and illustrator André Chiote draws some of the world's most iconic contemporary structures designed by their equally iconic architects. He began developing this project by choosing specifically-programmed buildings that became cultural symbols eventually engrained into the "urban collective memory."

Even by only highlighting a particular detail, the building is still recognizable whether one remembers seeing it on TV, online, in print, or in person. The souvenir poster/advertisement-like quality of Chiote's illustrative style further emphasizes the popularity of these structures.

In his last approach, Chiote illustrated famous museums like Renzo Piano's addition to LACMA or the Mercedez-Benz Museum by UNStudio, among others.

Chiote continues exploring the role of these memorable buildings with "Sport's Buildings" -- many that have been seen in past Olympic Games. Here, he describes them as examples of "...

Win a Moleskine® notebook from the Inspiration and Process in Architecture collection!

2013-07-31T12:37:00-04:00

The foundation of architecture lies in the creative process. And for many architects, the beginning of that process involves none other than simple pencil and paper for jotting down those ideas, notes, and sketches to inspire the next project.

Inspiration and Process in Architecture, published by Moleskine® and curated by Francesca Serrazanetti and Matteo Schubert, is a growing collection of "notebooks" that reveal the creative process of some of the most notable figures in contemporary architecture. Each notebook contains critical essays, an interview with the architect, and a multi-media "Drawings" section that includes the architect's design materials and images taken right from their personal notebooks.

We are excited to be giving away five Moleskine notebooks from the collection! Winners will get their hands on a notebook of Wiel Arets, Cino Zucchi, Zaha Hadid, or one of the two latest names in the collection: Studio Mumbai and Dominique Perrault.

To enter, simply fi...