Archinect - News

A $10-million gift to MOCA allows for free admission to the museum

2019-05-20T18:28:00-04:00

“We are not aiming at having more visitors or larger attendance, but we’re aiming at being more accessible, at having open doors,” he said in an interview. “As a civic institution, we should be like a library, where you can just walk in.”

With its recent celebration of turning 40, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles received a generous gift of $10-million from MOCA Board of Trustees President Carolyn Powers. The goal of the museum's future is to aid and assist in a "civic-minded" vision for the museum, according to MOCA Director, Klaus Biesenbach.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Image © MOCA

General adult admission to the museum ranged between $8 - $15, with free admission on Thursday evenings. However, after receiving this generous donation from Powers, this change is a significant step for the museum. According to board chairwoman Maria Seferian, "This is a game-changer, one of the greatest gifts our museum has had in a while," she said. "We've thought for a long time how we could go free and make the museum more inclusive, and now we have the opportunity to, so we're so excited."

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles project drawings. Image © Arata Isozaki

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles ...

Zaha Hadid Architects proposal for London's Vauxhall Cross Island

2018-01-22T13:27:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects designed a proposal for the Vauxhall Cross Island site in London. Located adjacent to Vauxhall Station, the proposal focuses on creating a Vauxhall district center by providing a mixed-use space to generate employment opportunities and a new public square to accommodate Transport for London's (TfL) emerging bus station plans.

Vauxhall Cross Island proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects. Render by Slashcube.

The London borough is undergoing a transformation with several other significant developments under construction or planned in the area. ZHA's design works with the height of the other proposed buildings in the area through its rectilinear form, grid-based façade, and materials.

Vauxhall Cross Island proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects. Render by Slashcube.

The new proposal includes two tall buildings with a low-level podium building to create a defined public square. The arrangement p...

First-year students in Zurich build a 240 square meter installation in less than 10 days

2017-06-06T17:01:00-04:00

Located under a freeway overpass in Zurich, next to the Toni-Areal which houses the University of Arts and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, is a new 240 square meter public architectural installation. The project has been carried out by ALICE (Atelier de la Conception de l’Espace) laboratory, an active unit of the EPFL-ENAC (School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering) that pursues research activities at the intersection of architecture, urban thinking and social sciences.

The installation was carried out by 200 first-year students and was erected in under 10 days. The students prefabricated all the built elements in Lausanne, where ENAC is located, and transported them in shipping containers to Zurich, where ALICE has been partnering with the Zurich University of Arts. The full-size, ephemeral structure, is comprised of 12 various contributions from the students and reflects numerous voices and spatial approaches. The project is meant to question the qualit...

Architecture has sacrificed its aspiration to deepen public life

2016-09-01T20:23:00-04:00

Modern architecture, during its heyday, was deeply concerned with its civic function; its mission to reform housing and improve the city was a moral imperative. But the failure of this utopian vision has served to...[give] rise to a profession in which its practice is defined increasingly by individual “star” architects and “architecture for architecture’s sake”...

In a piece on the civic benefits of music, literature, and architecture to the public sphere, Rebecca Burgess finds architecture to be somewhat lacking, based on the writings of Michael J. Lewis. Is this a complaint about the good old days in the vein of Prince Charles, or a meaningful critique in an era of starchitects?

For all the latest on starchitecture:

NYC's Lowline is approved by city officials, becoming world's first underground park

2016-07-14T14:25:00-04:00

What do you do with a sad, funky, abandoned trolley terminus? Well, if it's the former Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal under Delancey Street in New York City, you make the world's first underground park by virtue of adding some mirrors, skylights, and vegetation. One acre in size, the freshly city-approved park (which took nearly a decade to go from its initial concept to getting the green light from the city) makes use of solar technology to pour sunlight into the former terminal, which has remained unused since 1948.

"Every designer dreams of doing civic work that contributes to society and to the profession," said James Ramsey, Lowline Co-Founder and Creator. "Over the last 8 years, we just stuck to what we thought was a great idea that could make our city and our community better. We're thrilled to move ahead on designing and building a space that people will enjoy for generations to come."

For more on innovative design news in NYC:

Controversial Dubai Frame to open this month

2015-12-09T13:33:00-05:00

“The project is being transformed from being non-figurative architecture to an overscale figurative photo-frame. That is, from being a modern, public monument to a postmodern pastiche,” [competition-winning architect Fernando] Donis wrote in an open letter.

Described by an internet commenter as "the St. Louis Arch minus the beauty or finesse," the Dubai Frame project is scheduled to open this month to the public. The somewhat controversial monument, which has not only attracted a scathing load of public commentary but an objecting open letter from the architect who initially designed it, will quite literally frame views of both the old and new Dubai skylines. The $43.5 million rectangular wonder isn't just for viewing from afar; visitors will be able to access a sky bridge inlaid with a 25 square meter glass panel.

11th Street Bridge Park competition in Washington D.C. shortlists six teams for phase one

2014-05-06T20:24:00-04:00

Six teams of architects and landscape architects are still in the running for the 11th Street Bridge Park competition in Washington D.C. The nationwide competition is hunting for the best design to transform an old freeway bridge into D.C.'s first elevated park: the 11th Street Bridge Park.

Out of more than 40 teams and 80 firms that responded to an open call for submissions this past March, the jury selected the phase-one finalists -- who have all formed into the following interdisciplinary teams below:

Balmori Associates / Cooper, Robertson & Partners
Piet Oudolf with Glenn LaRue Smith/PUSH Studio / WXY architecture + urban design
OLIN / OMA
Stoss Landscape Urbanism / Höweler + Yoon Architecture
Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT) / NEXT Architects
Workshop: Ken Smith Landscape / Davis Brody Bond

More info about the competition can be found on Bustler.

Healthcare.gov aside, government and tech are starting to get along

2013-12-04T15:00:00-05:00

At the intersection of these two domains – technology and civic life – a small and fascinating sector has been taking root for the last few years. [...] Together, these types of companies and organizations have loosely come to define "civic tech" – and the potential for a future where technology finally, seamlessly, significantly alters how we relate to government and our neighbors.

Not without its growing pains, the U.S. government is slowly learning to effectively use technology to connect to its citizens. The expanding field of "civic-tech" focuses on the sharing and distillation of government data, to grease the bureaucratic wheels and ramp up personal civic engagement.

Explore the world of civic tech with this interactive network map, courtesy of the Knight Foundation.