Archinect - News

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson announces death of retired principal Jon Jackson

2018-08-24T14:25:00-04:00

In the words of the late Dick Rittelmann (1938-2015), friend and collaborator, and cofounder of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann: “The breadth and complexity of BCJ’s work over the years is a testimony to the skills of Jon Jackson as not only a great individual architect, but of a manager, mentor, motivator, and collaborator. Jon has matured from one who creates great architecture to one who creates the environment in which great architecture can occur.”

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson announced today in a press release that retired principal Jon Jackson passed away last Friday, August 17. A Pittsburgh-area native and a highly respected figure in Western Pennsylvania and national design communities, Jackson and his work — which focused on large, technically complex projects and also helped define the interactive workplace seen in today's leading tech companies — played an integral role in bringing BCJ to national and global prominence.

“Jon C. Jackson hired me in 1997 to join Bohlin Cywinski Jackson,” tweeted SmithGroup Principal Rosa Sheng, who was also a founding member of BCJ's San Francisco office in 1999. “He was not only just and fair, but a true champion for my career development and instrumental in supporting what became the San Francisco Office where I spent 20 years of my career. Rest In Peace Jon, you are missed.”

Correction: This post previously stated that Jackson was survived by his wife Roxanne Sherbeck, FAIA — with whom he c...

R.I.P. Architect Albert C. Ledner

2017-11-16T12:24:00-05:00

Ledner's trio of buildings for the union's headquarters in Manhattan catapulted him onto the national stage, raising eyebrows and earning him accolades for his innovative approach. One of the structures resembles a giant Connect 4 game board, speckled with more than 100 porthole windows and sloping 20 feet from the base.

Susan Langenhennig reports that Albert C. Ledner, died Monday night in Manchester, N.H.

For more about the "quirky modernist architects who, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright" read this, this or this.

The Ledner House, New Orleans, December 2006 | Credit Karrie Jacobs

The O’Toole Building of St. Vincent’s Hospital, originally headquarters of the National Maritime Union | Credit Albert Ledner

via https://www.aianeworleans.org/event/albert-ledner-exhibit-opening/

In Memoriam: those we lost in 2016

2016-12-08T12:21:00-05:00

Reasons for celebration in 2016 have been rare; it was largely a year of profound change and loss, especially within architecture. Here is a brief memorial for 17 remarkable architects, designers, planners, and educators we lost this year.

↑ Balmori Associates' "GrowOnUs Floating Landscape"

Diana Balmori (1932 - 2016)

Designing nature within a highly compact and industrial grid isn't a simple affair: landscape architect Diana Balmori, who died in November of 2016, flawlessly and imaginatively integrated the two in works throughout her award-winning career. In addition to the Abandoibarra District in Bilbao, the Spanish-born and U.S.-based Balmori designed numerous living or green roofs in Manhattan, creating gorgeous and sustainable arrangements. In addition to teaching and running her own firm, Balmori was frequently recognized with awards, including a nod from The National Endowment for the Arts.

↑ "Gunnar Asplund" monograph by Peter Blundell Jones

Peter Blundell Jones (1949 - 2016)

Pro...

Bing Thom dies at age 75

2016-10-04T16:58:00-04:00

Bing Thom, the lauded Canadian architect, died of a brain aneurysm at age 75 while on a trip to Hong Kong, the city of his birth.

Thom was one of Canada's most admired architects. He was awarded the Order of Canada, the Golden Jubilee Medal, the RAIC Medal, the Margolese Prize, as well as honorary degrees from Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.

Thom studied architecture at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley. He worked for Arthur Erickson and Fumihiko Maki before opening his own firm in 1981, Bing Thom Architects.

Some of the most notable projects by Bing Thom Architects are the Central City plaza, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, the Aberdeen Centre, and the Sunset Community Centre—all in British Columbia, where Thom lived and worked. Bing Thom Architects also built in the United States, China, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

“Bing believed architecture transcends the building, to shine its light onto its sur...

Editor's Picks #444

2016-04-13T17:48:00-04:00

ICYMI Amelia Taylor-Hochberg published a 3 part interview with Coy Howard, by students in John Southern's “Architectural Media and Publishing” Cultural Studies seminar at SCI-Arc. Ewa Lenart was impressed "Great Work and greatly inspiring teacher!"

Plus, Nicholas Korody explored ‘Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work’ by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams. Chris Teeter thought it was "good work...very interesting...these guys are 100% correct about scale".

News
Dame Zaha Hadid DBE passed on March 31st. Frank Gehry remembered "she was one of the guys...[That’s] sexist in its own way I suppose. I don’t mean it that way...She was undaunted by all the stuff that would be against a woman coming into a field at that level. She didn’t pay attention to it…She was very confident."

Daniel Elmore criticized some of commentary "She deserves to be remembered not as one of the best 'female architects' but one of THE BEST architects of our time...A visionary before her time and a...

Architect of the Tropical, Dies at 80

2015-12-07T04:00:00-05:00

Using local materials whenever possible, including cement mined from local limestone mountains, he designed stylish buildings sensitive to their tropical island settings. He preferred natural ventilation to air-conditioning; he also liked to use natural light and incorporate gardens into his structures.

Thomas S. Marvel, died in early November, at his home in San Juan, P.R. He was 80.

For more read this post by Marvel Architects (his son Jonathan Marvel is a Founding Principal). Also, check out an older article in NYT, which explores the relationship/partnership between father and son.

Editor's Picks #423

2015-07-13T00:47:00-04:00

Julia Ingalls explored how a firm the size of Gensler manages to maintain a cohesive studio culture. midlander wondered "when did Gensler get so big? I feel like I never heard of them until 10 years ago, then suddenly they were everywhere? Was it organic growth or have they been buying up local firms to expand?"

News
The NYT reported the Studio Museum in Harlem, will construct a new $122 million home designed by the British architect David Adjaye on West 125th Street.

SALT released Global Tools 1973-1975 (a free downloadable book) which compiles/archives the lessons of the "non-school", founded by members of a radical Italian pedagogy group from the 1970s.

One year after Operation Protective Edge, Haaretz examined what (if anything) has changed since the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, and asks "If we don't learn from our wars, are we doomed to repeat them?" +A ziz thinks "Gaza might as well be the saddest place on Earth…"

Anna Daugherty penned a eulogy for Francis Tsai, previo...

Editor's Picks #422

2015-07-06T13:40:00-04:00

Nicholas Korody interviewed Andrés Jacque (of the Office for Political Innovation ) about COSMO, the winning entry of this year’s MoMA PS1 Young Architect’s Program competition. Therein he argued "I believe that the architect’s role nowadays can also be providing alternatives, and enriching through diversity the collective catalogue of desirable possibilities."

Thayer-D commented "I don't think this qualifies as architecture, but it's very interesting" to which Kozumelle responded "I have seen this in person and it is not architecture in the strictest sense but still a wonderful, fantastic idea. Jaque's ideas are always politically charged and veer into other territories and he does it well."

Plus, for Screen/Print #34 Amelia Taylor-Hochberg featured the latest edition of KTISMA , from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

News
The Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition selected Paris-based Moreau Kusunoki Architectes as the grand-prize winners.

midlander likes...

Editor's Picks #421

2015-06-24T09:24:00-04:00

Amelia Taylor-Hochberg penned What makes an artless museum?, which reviewed the February Sky-lit event/preview of the new Broad Museum. Therein she argues that it provided "an opportunity for the architecture to be treated as a relational art object, but not so it could be handled with velvet gloves". Chris Teeter commented "great article, it's worth 2 or 3 reads…" Donna Sink wrote "A meaty essay...on the Broad Museum (meat, contraceptive sponges, art, raw spectacle: it's a big topic"

Plus, Julia Ingalls explored the Role of Software vs. Vision in Architectural Employment. Derek Kaplan thought it was a "Great article on a topic that needs more discussion."

News

Charles Correa, named "India’s Greatest Architect" by RIBA, died at 84. jla-x eulogized "He was pretty great. I studied his residential developments extensively as a student...He will be missed".

Despite recovering from several major surgeries for cancer, Tadao Ando spoke with NHK World about; recent projects, the durability of...

Charles Correa, legendary Indian architect, dies at 84

2015-06-17T13:43:00-04:00

Born in 1930 in the southern Indian city of Secunderabad, Mr. Correa studied at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai and then went on to attend theUniversity of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. to study architecture. “To work in India is the great advantage of life in the Third World. The issues are so much bigger than you are; they give you a chance to grow,” Mr. Correa wrote in his book ‘Housing and Urbanization.’

Charles Correa died at home Tuesday night in Mumbai, after a bout of brief illness (according to BBC news). He is known for the diversity and far-reaching quality of his work in India and elsewhere, including affordable housing, master planning, and high-profile academic and diplomatic structures. In 2013, RIBA named him "India's Greatest Architect". Up until his death, he served as a consulting architect with the Goa government in India.

After studying at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, Correa earned architecture degrees from the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some of his best known architectural works include the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in Ahmedabad, the Kanchanjunga Apartment tower in Mumbai, MIT's Brain and Cognitive Sciences Center in Boston, and the Parumala Church, as well as his master planning work for Navi Mumbai in the 1960s.

RIP Charles Correa, 1930-2015

↑ British Council, Delhi

↑ Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, Ahmedabad

↑ Kanchanjunga Apartm...

Editor's Picks #408

2015-03-16T11:50:00-04:00

Nicholas Korody profiled the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND). jla-x was excited as has "been looking for a way to get involved with something like this".

News

- The world lost visionary Frei Otto and his death moved up the announcement of his winning the 2015 Pritzker Prize. Plus, the renowned Michael Graves died and his firm promised to "continue to honor Michael’s humanistic design philosophy".

While EKE thought Otto was "a spectacular choice. Bravo.", Eric Chavkin noted "Frei Otto's work inspired Glen Small's BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE and much of early SCI_Arc student work". RJ Magoon also opined "No matter your opinion on the man or his work, it's hard to deny Graves' enormous influence on the practice and education in the last quarter of the Twentieth Century".

Ayesha Ghosh reported in from the first of the Architectural League of New York 2015 Emerging Voices lecture series, with firms Aranda\Lasch and MANUEL CERVANTES CESPEDES / CC ARQUITECTOS. There Aranda claimed "we like th...

Editor's Picks #400

2015-01-06T11:52:00-05:00

For the latest Student Works: Amelia featured Cellular Tessellation, a pavilion done as a "collaborative research effort among students from Bond University, University of Technology Sydney, University of South Wales, and University of Sydney" for the Sydney Vivid Light festival of 2014.

Plus, Alexander Showcase:(ed) architect Jorge Mealha’s Óbidos Technological Park Main Building, sited in the countryside north of Lisbon.

News

Paul scoured the archives and website analytics in an attempt to most accurately represent 2014, month by month, by sharing the most popular stories, job opportunities and discussions. Reflecting on digital publishing trends he noted

"As the internet continues to move discussions away from publications to social networks, Archinect's increase in volume in the forum and comments sections proves that we're continuing to provide a platform to facilitate communication across diverse social circles".

Meanwhile, Nicholas Korody put together a list of what Randy Deutsc...

Editor's Picks #396

2014-12-05T14:37:00-05:00

Beth Mosenthal penned an Op-Ed: Response to Michael Kimmelman's Critique of 1 WTC. She writes "I can only imagine the list of priorities that 1 World Trade entailed, but am still celebratory of the feat that it was realized despite perhaps the greatest obstacles any project could possibly have—fear and memory".

Ken Koense chose to respectfully disagree with her "The building is a touchstone for the future of large scale bunker buildings in America...which will certainly preclude the kinds of mixed use that Kimmelman's real critique addressed...Thousands died, two wars waged, but we've got our post card view, our symbol, our icon, our Freedom Tower. How picturesque". Similarly Krimson struggles "to overlook the blatant closed off nature of the project".

Plus, the latest Showcase: features Sparrenburg Visitor Center by Max Dudler, a "brutalist, rammed concrete" addition to a historic castle/fortress.

News

Paul Katz, who as president and managing principal of KPF was the mastermind of m...

In memoriam: Pritzker winner Hans Hollein dies at age 80

2014-04-24T17:34:00-04:00

Austrian architect and designer Hans Hollein, a winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize whose work ranged from big museums through tiny shops to furniture and sunglasses, has died. He was 80. [...] He won the 1985 Pritzker Prize for his work, which often included touches of fancy, such as bronze-clad palm trees in a Vienna travel agency.

RIP Hans Hollein (1934 - 2014), independent architect, artist and professor.

From 1976-2002, Hollein served as a professor at the University of Applied Art in Vienna, where he was also Dean of the Architecture department. He also held professorships at Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California, Los Angeles, and Ohio State University. According to Dorothea Apovnik, a spokeswoman for Hollein's family, he died in Vienna after a long illness.

The following is a selection of Hollein's work, including his Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main and Haas-Haus in Vienna.

Additional images of Hollein's earlier work are available here.

Donna Sink has begun a thread in the forum honoring Hollein, discussing his life and work.

Balthazar Korab - R.I.P.

2013-01-27T18:32:00-05:00

“I am an architect with a passion for nature’s lessons and man’s interventions” was how Mr. Korab described himself in a statement on his Web site, balthazarkorab.com.

Yesterday Jan 26th, David Dunlap reported that Balthazar Korab's death had been confirmed by his wife. Mr. Korab, one of the leading architectural photographers in the period after World War II, died on Jan. 15 in Royal Oak, Mich, at age 86. Mr. Korab’s archive is housed at the Library of Congress.

Remembering Mies' right-hand man

2011-12-21T11:41:36-05:00

Mr. Summers “was Mies’s absolute right-hand man, always,” said Phyllis Lambert... Asked in 1987 why he and Mies got along so well, Mr. Summers speculated that, as a Texan, he talked so slowly that Mies, a German émigré with halting English, could understand him.

RIP Gene Summers, 'modernist', architect of McCormick Place, and Mies' lieutenant for the Seagrams Building has died. Oh, he turned down pursuing the design of the WTC and was dean of IIT among other storied accomplishments.

Previously: Chicago architect Gene Summers dies

also: LAtimes

Rod Garrett, the Urban Planner Behind ‘Burning Man’, dead at 74

2011-08-29T15:53:01-04:00

Mr. Garrett died last week at 74, just short of the 25th anniversary of Burning Man’s founding. But his handiwork will be on display to thousands as the yearly festival begins Monday. Mr. Garrett arranged the grounds, called Black Rock City, in a series of concentric semicircles. At their center is the Man, a giant effigy meant to be immolated on the last night of the weeklong gathering.