Archinect - News

Colin Cantwell, the architecture lover who designed the Death Star, has died

2022-05-24T09:00:00-04:00

Designer Colin Cantwell, who was responsible for the design of the Death Star and several iconic ships in the Star Wars saga, has passed away at the age of 90. The news was confirmed by the designer’s partner, Sierra Dall, and reported first by the Hollywood Reporter.

Born in San Francisco in 1932, Cantwell earned a degree in animation from the University of California, Los Angeles. Cantwell was in fact the first animation graduate in the history of UCLA, having suggested to the school that they add an animation major.

In tandem with his love of space and animation, Cantwell described architecture as his other major passion. During his studies, Cantwell spent months creating building designs with the goal of attracting the attention of Frank Lloyd Wright. Cantwell ultimately traveled unannounced to the architect’s School of Architecture at Taliesin, Wisconsin to personall...

The shabby-futurist architecture of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland's newest addition

2019-05-30T13:48:00-04:00

Significant expansions to Disneyland, the fabled theme park in Anaheim, California, are not taken lightly among its designers and imagineers. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the newest 'land' at the park, has been hotly anticipated since it was first announced over five years ago. The 14-acre addition opens tomorrow, and a select number of photos and pieces of information have been released ahead of time.

Black Spire Outpost. Photo by Chris Pizzello

Because Galaxy's Edge lies on the North-West corner of the park, its designers have gone to great length to make it appear isolated and derelict. The buildings are paneled, boarded up and covered in dust; the walkways are littered with luggage beyond human scale; a circuitous bazaar, known as the Black Spire Outpost, is strewn in ramshackle awnings and arrhythmic lighting patterns.

View this post on Instagram Only 10 more days until #StarWars #GalaxysEdge at #Disneyland opens! As you can see, the Cast is ready to wel...

The inspiration for Star Wars' Sandcrawler, Hôtel du Lac, faces imminent demolition

2019-03-27T19:27:00-04:00

"(The hotel) is one of the rare standing testimonies of the brutalist movement in North Africa. [...] Hôtel du Lac was built as an expression of Tunisia's modernity and independence. In contrast to the surrounding architecture, the hotel makes a rebellious statement of departure from both traditional and colonial architectural forms."

This local landmark of Tunis has made quite an impact on the public since its initial opening in 1973. Said to be the inspiration behind a fictional Sandcrawler vehicle in George Lucas' Star Wars films, the Hôtel du Lac also acts as "one of Tunisia's premier brutalist structures" in North Africa. The building was designed by Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani, who was also known for his commissioned works on various pavilions and fairs as well as other hotels around North Africa. The Hôtel du Lac was Contigiani's most known work.

Hôtel du Lac © Ahmet Ersoy, 1993.

The Sandcrawler vehicle from "Star Wars: A New Hope" Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

The ten-floor hotel features 416 rooms which were known to host high profiled guests and A-List clientele. However, in 2002, the hotel closed its doors to the public. Since its closing, the building has remained empty, slowly deteriorating. The once bustling venue attracts several onlookers due to its interesting upside-down pyramid shape and s...

The final frontier: wheelchair accessibility in science fiction

2018-08-01T15:29:00-04:00

Space remains a vast, untamed place, penned in only by the limits of our own imaginations. So why the hell are there so many staircases in space? [...] Once you start realizing how many stairs there are stopping you in real life, it becomes impossible not to notice them existing in the sci-fi you adore. Turns out they’re everywhere [...] our sci-fi imitates a real-world reliance on steps and stairs in our architecture.

With Staircases in Space: Why Are Places in Science Fiction Not Wheelchair-Accessible?, Ace Ratcliff pens an excellent analysis of the pervasive presence of staircases in sci-fi that appear to foreshadow a future where universal accessibility for wheelchair-bound people like herself—and beyond that, the full inclusion in society—remain utterly unachieved.

"Unfortunately, 50 years worth of Federation starship manifestations also means half a century of inaccessibility," writes Ratcliff. "The original USS Enterprise bridge has enough steps you could take the equivalent of an aerobics class just trying to get from the turbolift to the Captain’s chair. The same level of inaccessibility goes for both the USS Voyager and USS Discovery, and if you’re a wheelchair user, you better not try to grab an after-shift bottle of bloodwine at Quark’s Bar unless you plan on dragging yourself up several steps to get there. In fact, the bridge from The Next Generation’s Enterprise is the only one that...

Relatively soon, in a galaxy (not so) far far away: announcing Star Wars Lands

2015-08-19T14:24:00-04:00

Disney raised more questions than it answered at the D23 Expo with the announcement of plans to unveil Star Wars Lands at Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla. Here’s what we know so far: The new 14-acre lands will each feature two attractions set in a remote frontier town on the outer rim of the “Star Wars” galaxy. No opening dates have been set for either the California or Florida projects.

Star Wars fans may be salivating at the mouth right now, with a new trilogy on the horizon and now Disney's announcement of two themed parks at the D23 EXPO. Construction will begin at the Anaheim version in 2017 in the Big Thunder Ranch area, which is currently a bit of a no-man's land for themed dinner shows. Starting in 2015, there'll be a Star Wars-themed annual event in Tomorrowland.

As the LA Times states, there's been very little information released so far. But here's what we do know:

The rides and areas will be oriented around the upcoming trilogy, rather than the older two.
One new ride will feature a battle sequence between the "First Order" and the Resistance. First Order sounding a bit unfamiliar? That's because it's an organization from the new series, formed after the collapse of the Empire, but also employing stormtroopers, TIE fighters, etc.
Another new ride will let you fly the Millennium Falcon.
The new land will be set on a planet never seen in the older films. A remo...

Al Jazeera looks at the opposition and support for Chicago's George Lucas museum

2014-12-17T17:02:00-05:00

Ash-har Quraishi reports on why some Chicagoans oppose a plan for a museum for the ‘Star Wars’ creator’s artwork

Architecture publication CLOG releases gorgeous "SCI-FI" issue

2013-08-30T19:48:00-04:00

Rod Serling, creator of the 1950s television series "The Twilight Zone", defined science fiction as "the improbable made possible." The same might be said for the practice of architecture. After all, architects by trade conceive of spaces, places, and worlds that do not (yet) exist. Furthermore, the ability to make the improbable possible is held in especially high regard today and is oftentimes what defines an architectural practice as “innovative” in the first place.

Contemporary architecture publication CLOG has released its seventh issue, SCI-FI. In the digital glow of the internet age, architectural discourse has become both bountiful and ephemeral, oftentimes muddling the lay of the land. In response, “CLOG slows things down. Each issue explores, from multiple viewpoints and through a variety of means, a single subject particularly relevant to architecture now. Succinctly, on paper, away from the distractions and imperatives of the screen.”
With its precise curation and focused content, CLOG’s SCI-FI examines the mutually-affecting relationship between architecture and science fiction in a variety of ventures. SCI-FI honors this “two-way artistic influence between architecture and science fiction” while provoking readers to consider future architectural aesthetics and the aesthetics of futurism. Previous issues have showcased themes surrounding BIG, Apple, and Brutalism. SCI-FI features over forty contributors from the architecture world ...

LucasFilm Unveils Sandcrawler-Shaped Singapore Office

2011-09-02T15:34:08-04:00

The massive, slow moving Sandcrawlers from George Lucas' Star Wars films inspired the form of his new regional headquarters in Singapore. Designed by Aedas, the Sandcrawler Building is neither rusty nor slow moving - the glassy and streamlined building will combine a high performance facade with lush gardens and foliage that spills over terraces, resulting in a highly efficient commercial space.