Archinect - News

Meet Gerhardt Fjuck, the architect behind the world's ugliest buildings

2019-08-03T15:43:00-04:00

What does an architect look like? How would this architect act or sound? Comedian Arturo Castro skillfully portrays a fictional "visionary architect" in his humorous sketch series, Alternatino.

The new series airing on Comedy Central illustrates a self-absorbed, pretentious "genius." From the round-framed glasses to his grandiose rhetoric, Castro's take on the fictional visionary Gerhardt Fjuck is indeed comical. Why? Because sadly, this portrayal is not far off from many vapid and semi-altruistic architects of the 21st century.

Image still taken from Comedy Central sketch comedy series Alternatino starring Arturo Castro. © Comedy Central

When watching the four-minute comedy sketch, it causes one to laugh and pinpoint which architects Castro used to inspire this "virtuoso." The comedian's brilliantly overdramatized parody aptly captures the essence of those famed architects we all love to hate and hate to love.

"When you enter a Gerhardt environment, I want you to feel something. I ...

How do you solve a problem like Malibu? A call for revisiting Mike Davis' 'Ecology of Fear'

2018-11-15T17:20:00-05:00

The Woosley Fire, as of Wednesday morning, had burned through 97,620 acres of LA County's famed Malibu Canyon and neighboring communities nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains. Long home to an unruly mix of surfers, hippies, and celebrities, the fires have devastated numerous firebelt suburb populations along the coast, aided by the dreaded Santa Ana winds.

In total, officials have tallied more than 400 homes and other structures destroyed, leaving many homeowners to wonder whether or not to rebuild. But, LA Times op-ed columnist Gustavo Arellano asks us to ponder what would happen if we don't.

Over the last century, communities along Southern California's rugged coastline have seen an average of two major fires every decade since 1929. As predicted in Mike Davis' 1998 essay "The Case for Letting Malibu Burn,” little has been able to stop Mother Nature's wrath, which has only been made more frequent and more damaging by the region's increasingly hotter and drier summers.

The City ...

Michigan's central role in the Modernist movement leaves lasting impacts

2018-09-07T13:51:00-04:00

If Michigan isn’t the first place that comes to mind when considering [the Modern era] — unlike, say, Germany or France in the 1920s — it should be. The presence of Ford in the city and Booth in the country was enough to make Michigan ground zero for the Modernist experiment [...] making the state home to perhaps the most diverse and best-preserved collection of early Modernist experiments in the world.

A look at Michigan's history in the Modernist movement and the story it tells for our future. M.H. Miller traces three main convergences in the state: Henry Ford's first Model T factory, the Cranbrook school's presence, and numerous influential architects most notably Albert Kahn and Minoru Yamasaki. While this all leaves Michigan with several noteworthy sites, Detroit and surrounding areas are also cautionary markers of modernism's relentless pursuit of "progress" for future generations.

Fumihiko Maki featured in PLANE—SITE's next Time-Space-Existence video

2018-02-14T12:36:00-05:00

One of the world’s foremost living modernists, AIA Gold Medalist and Pritzker laureate Fumihiko Maki's celebrated career stretches over 60 years. Steering clear of “unnecessary forms or textures” (as he puts it), his designs are understated integrations of metal, glass and concrete. Like other Japanese architects of his generation, Maki has spent a lifetime unafraid to embrace new technologies while insisting on their humanity.

Four World Trade Center © Tectonic

Aga Khan Museum © Shinkenchiku-sha

Fumihiko Maki was trained under Kenzo Tange at the University of Tokyo, going on to graduate from Harvard GSD and work at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Sert Jackson and Associates. He later returned to Tokyo and started his own firm, Maki and Associates.

Spiral © Toshiharu Kitajima

In this new video for the Time-Space-Existence series, Maki discusses the importance in acknowledging human behavior in architecture, the strange shapes of today’s skyscrapers, and the influence of his mentor, ...

A look at visionary architect Georgia Louise Harris Brown, the first female African-American architecture graduate

2018-02-07T20:50:00-05:00

Pioneering African-American architect Georgia Louise Harris Brown had a knack for seeking out the most fertile architecture scenes in the world during her long career. She practiced in Chicago during Mies van der Rohe’s prime and, from there, moved to Brazil, where a singular modernist language was being created for Brasilia, the most ambitious planned capital of the 20th century.

Georgia Louise Harris Brown has been featured as part of Redshift's Respect series, focusing on architect visionaries. Brown was the first African-American women to graduate with an architecture degree, and the second professionally licensed African-American female architect in the nation. Beverly Loraine Greene was the first, and a role model to Brown.

She studied under Mies at his Illinois Institute of Technology and was heavily influenced by his modernist style. Her first job in Chicago was with Kenneth Roderick O'Neal, an African-American architect and structural engineer who also studied with Mies.

Working with Frank J. Kornacker Associates by 1949, Brown worked on several key projects such as 860–880 Lake Shore Drive. This high-rise was influential in its minimalist grid of steel and glass and constructed with Brown's structural calculations.

Eventually moving to Brazil, Brown became professionally licensed in 1970 leading many firms for over the next twenty years. Read mor...

Frank Lloyd Wright designed Olfelt home is now for sale at $1.3M

2017-12-28T18:56:00-05:00

A rare find on the housing market: The Olfelt House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright can now be yours for $1.3 million. Located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota this rare find includes 3 beds and 2 baths set on 3.77 acres of private, grassy meadows. The house features a vaulted great room, walls of glass, and extensive built-ins. This 2,647-square-foot house was designed by Wright in 1958 and completed in 1960 for Paul C. Olfelt, a radiologist. The Olfelts worked with Wright personally before the architect’s death in 1959.

MacDonald Becket, influential Los Angeles architect, dies at age 89

2017-12-07T18:18:00-05:00

MacDonald Becket ’52, former chairman of the board and CEO of the architecture firm Welton Becket and Associates, died in Phoenix, AZ. He was 89. Becket, who graduated from the USC School of Architecture, was a driving force in the development of architecture in Los Angeles. Two of his major roles in California were coordinating the master planning and architectural implementations of the 260-acre Century City project and in the successful renovation of the state capitol building in Sacramento.

Among his many achievements, Becket was a founding contributor to MoCA's Architectural and Design Endowment in Los Angeles. He also designed the personal homes of former US presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford attesting to Becket's far reaching influence.

Win "Drawing from Practice, Architects and the Meaning of Freehand" by J. Michael Welton

2015-08-21T14:32:00-04:00

"Drawing from Practice, Architects and the Meaning of Freehand" by architectural writer J. Michael Welton is a practitioner's handy reference for freehand-drawing inspiration and an adept resource to anyone who's curious about the creative processes behind some of today's most influential architects.

The 221-page book includes more than 200 full-color drawings from an international range of architects. With ample research, Welton guides readers through the creative process of 26 of today's most prominent architects, from the initial sketch to the final product.

The book explores the drawings of:

Aidlin Darling Design, Alberto Alfonso, Deborah Berke, Marlon Blackwell, Peter Bohlin, Warren Byrd, Ellen Cassilly, Jim Cutler, Chad Everhart, Formwork, Phil Freelon, Michael Graves, Frank Harmon, Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon, Léon Krier, Tom Kundig, Daniel Libeskind, Brian McKay Lyons, Richard Meier, Bill Pedersen, Suchi Reddy, Witold Rybczynski, in situ studio, Laurinda Spear, Stanley Tigerma...

Famous architects flipping the bird

2014-10-28T13:44:00-04:00

It was just a matter of time before this Tumblr emerged... feeding off the buzz of Frank Gehry losing his cool the other day, "Supporting Frank Owen Gehry"

Win a copy of the reprinted “ÁLVARO SIZA. VIAGEM SEM PROGRAMA”

2014-08-06T18:43:00-04:00

The popular ÁLVARO SIZA. VIAGEM SEM PROGRAMA book tells the personal stories of renowned Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza through his own collection of drawings. Upon the success of the first edition, Red Publishing recently reprinted the book -- and guess what, Archinect is now giving away five copies to our readers!

To enter the book giveaway, fill out this survey by Wednesday, August 13, end of day. Winners will be chosen at random. Good luck!

The book presents 53 drawings that Siza created over a period of 60 years, beginning in Porto to the end of the 1950s when he made his way into the architecture world. In an interview, Siza talks about his most significant encounters with colleagues and friends, and the lasting relationships that were established.

Authors Raul Betti and Greta Ruffino worked with Siza himself in selecting which drawings to publish from his numerous sketchbooks and diaries. Digitally reproducing the drawings involved an in-depth study on materials and a digital ...

In-depth Louis Kahn exhibition opening at London’s Design Museum on July 9

2014-07-07T21:13:00-04:00

"Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture" is a multi-themed exploration behind legendary architect Louis Kahn that will be showcased at the Design Museum in London starting Wednesday, July 9. Until Oct. 12, 2014, the exhibition will feature architectural models, original drawings, travel sketches, photographs, and films – including interviews with famous architects like Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry, Sou Fujimoto, and Peter Zumthor who each describe how Kahn has influenced his own work.

Learn more about the exhibition on Bustler.

"Archibet": if architects designed an alphabet...

2014-01-10T19:35:00-05:00

The Barcelona-based illustrator responsible for Archicine and Archipixel, Federico Babina, has created a whimsical alphabet in the style of 26 particularly inspiring architects. For Archibet, Babina modeled each letter after an architect with that shared initial. The Guggenheim wraps around a leg of "W" (is for Wright); wood and colorful panels form a grid in the shape of an "E" (for Eames). The references are as diverse as the architectures, but Babina's style beams overall as colorful, retro, almost Saul Bass-ish.

Seeing the alphabet all together as a composite "Archibet City" is another surreal treat, and a snapshot of architectural history.

You can check out the rest of the Archibet and all of Federico Babina's work here: http://federicobabina.com/