Archinect - News

A story about death and architecture

2015-05-21T23:32:00-04:00

I'd like to tell you a story about death and architecture...hospital architecture has earned its reputation...if we want better buildings for dying then we have to talk about it....where we die is a key part of how we die.

In this talk, architect Alison Killing looks at buildings where death and dying happen — cemeteries, hospitals, homes. The way we die is changing, and the way we build for dying ... well, maybe that should too.

For those interested in more about the architecture of death, check out this interview between Karen Eng and Alison Killing.

h/t @AlJavieera

Koolhaas' Venice Biennale Closes; Brought Record Attendance

2014-12-01T16:55:00-05:00

The 14th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale closed this Sunday. Curated by Rem Koolhaas, the controversial exhibition was themed "Fundamentals," inviting the 65 national pavilions (a record number) to critically consider the legacy of modernism. For the central pavilion, Koolhaas and his team from OMA/AMO and Harvard curated a display of the "Elements of Architecture": floor, ramp, escalator, façade, wall, window, balcony, elevator, stair, fireplace, toilet, door, corridor, ceiling, roof.

228,000 people visited the Biennale, breaking prior attendance records. That being said, the 2014 iteration was open for 6 months, compared to the 3 month duration of the 2012 Biennale. According to statistics released on the Venice Biennale website, 45% of visitors were students and young people.

Terri Peters covered the Biennale for Archinect. Her coverage can be found here.

A more general round-up of the event can be found here.

Arctic Adaptations: Inuit Architecture Showcased in Venice Biennale

2014-10-30T13:55:00-04:00

For the first time in the 14-year history of the International Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Nunavut flag flew at the entrance to the Canadian Pavilion, an Inukshuk floating at the entrance of “Arctic Adaptations: Nunavut at 15.” The exhibit, curated by architects Lola Sheppard and Mason White, from Toronto-based design firm Lateral Office, coincides with the 15th anniversary of the territory’s creation.

Previously: “Arctic Adaptations: Nunavut at 15” to represent Canadian Pavilion at 2014 Venice Biennale

"Hacking" Rem Koolhaas' 2014 Venice Biennale with Project Source Code

2014-09-24T15:33:00-04:00

Hacking an architecture exhibition through augmented reality? Yes, there's an app for that. "Project Source Code" is a digital guerrilla-style exhibition created by architect/artist/researcher Güvenç Özel that lets mobile-device users "hack" key works in Rem Koolhaas' "Elements of Architecture" exhibit currently at the 2014 Venice Biennale. Blending digital and physical space, the project is deemed to be the first to use augmented reality on a live exhibition and also the first time that raw 3D architectural models are treated as exhibition pieces.

Ozel's selection includes 6 pioneering works he directly acquired (with prior approval) from contemporary architects and designers known for their use of digital design techniques. This includes Asymptote Architecture, Greg Lynn FORM, Neil M. Denari Architects, and Oosterhuis_Lénárd.

Ozel fully explains his project in the info he provided below:

PROJECT SOURCE CODE

"In the field of computer science, SOURCE CODE refers to a set of instructions...

Architecture's Rebellion at the 2014 Venice Biennale

2014-09-02T13:33:00-04:00

This year's Biennale reveals that neither modernism nor contemporary architectural practice is as it seems. The best architecture today may not be revolutionary, but then today more than ever the desirability of revolutions are in doubt. Situated modernism has for many years been and continues to dominate architectural practice with the opposite of flattening results.

Editor's Picks #381

2014-08-19T20:36:00-04:00

Nicholas Korody penned, Shitting Architecture: the dirty practice of waste removal. Therein drawing lessons; from Slavoj Zizek on the toilet and Timothy Morton (of Object-Oriented Ontology [OOO]) on sustainability as the preservation of the status quo, he argues that "Under the weight of the ecological crisis, the world has been flattened. There is no exit".

In response, Orhan Ayyüce offered up an image of the sublimely absurd, "I am always baffled by big houses that are marketed with +5.5 bathrooms (very common in wealthy neighborhoods) and so on. And of course these host extremely hi end living styles. It is kind of funny to think all these people do all day is shit and shit and shit everywhere in the house".

For the latest edition of Working out of the Box: Archinect featured Francis Tsai, of Francis Tsai Illustration and Concept Design, who received a Master's degree in 1993 from University of Texas in Austin.

Xenaxis "worked with Francis Tsai at Rockstar games and he was one of t...

Three Lost Days at the Biggest Architecture Show in the World

2014-08-19T15:14:00-04:00

Architecture’s largest and most public event needs to do more than just go through the motions. The Biennale, unfortunately, seemed to be driven not by passion or a desire to communicate, but by a sense of obligation. [...] Perhaps an ornamental city is simply an ill-omened venue for an event celebrating the most functional of arts. Venice may always be trapped in the past, but the Biennale should be at the forefront of a conversation about architecture’s future.

Build it and they will come: Princeton architecture at the Venice Biennale

2014-08-04T14:39:00-04:00

This year's Venice Architecture Biennale, an international showcase of trends and research, showcases the work of a number of Princeton faculty and students. It marks the greatest number of invitations Princeton has received to participate in the Biennale, reflecting the University's strength in pioneering research. "Much like other art biennales, its purpose is to present the current panorama of the discipline," said Alejandro Zaera-Polo, dean of Princeton's School of Architecture.

Critical irony in Russia’s special mention “Fair Enough” pavilion in 2014 Venice Biennale

2014-07-18T20:59:00-04:00

The "Fair Enough" exhibition of Russia's 2014 pavilion at the ongoing Venice Biennale gives a clever response to the Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014 theme that Biennale director Rem Koolhaas assigned to curators. Curated and designed by the Strelka Institute, Russia received one of three Special Mentions out of 84 national pavilions during the 2014 Biennale awards ceremony.

"The Russian pavilion's 'Fair Enough' exhibition responds to Koolhaas’ curatorial theme by the concept itself: 20 Russian architectural ideas are presented, using the universal language of the international trade fair...'Fair Enough' is not a fair of products, but an Expo of ideas."

Editor's Picks #375

2014-07-09T19:31:00-04:00

Inspired by the 2014 Venice Biennale curated by Rem Koolhaas, Esther Sperber penned the Op-Ed in which she argues that contemporary architecture must shift From (EX)CITE to (IN)CITE.

In response Thayer-D wrote "There's no rule that says architects can't stimulate both the senses and the intellect, as many great architects have done in the past, yet it's architecture's public nature that makes it imperative to not lose sight of how most people engage with it, and that is not through words".

News
Justine Testado posted the news, Zaha Hadid wins the D esign Museum’s Designs of the Year Award 2014. Despite (or perhaps due to?) some critics, Donna Sink commented "I think all the criticism Zaha is getting for her stance on human rights is totally appropriate and deserved. And I have very mixed feelings about her body of work. But I find this building in particular hard to resist - it's just gorgeous. Perfectly balanced".

The Creators Project interviewed David Benjamin, creator of MoMA PS1's...

Editor's Picks #373

2014-06-25T13:46:00-04:00

For the nineteenth edition of Screen/Print, Archinect excerpted from a new collection of essays titled Chicagoisms. - vado retro had a complaint "ragged right is, well, raggedy. widows and orphans galore. who did this page layout? it is not good"...

Terri Peters penned a review of Rem's Venice Biennale. Therein, she wrote "The exhibition encourages dialogue, and feels like an exhibition of architectural research, not a survey of new trends in architecture".

For the nineteenth edition of Screen/Print, Archinect excerpted from a new collection of essays titled Chicagoisms. A slightly condensed version of the introduction explains "the title of this volume, refers precisely to those moments of productive interaction and wild provocation, of radical speculation and fruitful exchange, that Chicago is uniquely capable of inspiring, fostering, and implementing"

vado retro had a complaint "ragged right is, well, raggedy. widows and orphans galore. who did this page layout? it is not good"...

News
In a video shot at his "Sonnets of Babylon" pavilion for the 2014 Venice Biennale, Daniel Libeskind preaches the importance of drawings for creating architecture. He claims drawing(s) is "not a completely secular task...they have their own dest...

Chicago plans architectural biennial for 2015

2014-06-24T11:58:00-04:00

The upstart exhibition, which Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to announce Tuesday, will be called the Chicago Architecture Biennial, a nod to the prestigious Venice Biennale, which just opened its 14th international architecture exhibition. Chicago is billing its biennial as North America's biggest survey of international contemporary architecture, but the event faces a crowded field.

Controversial Embassy in Baghdad Under Threat From Isis

2014-06-23T18:13:00-04:00

As militant Sunni fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) continue their assault on Iraq, following their recent take-over of Baquba, President Barack Obama has ordered the deployment of 275 combat-ready troops to help defend Baghdad and, in particular, the new and expensive embassy there. At 4,700,000 sq ft, the Yaeger Architecture-designed embassy is the largest in the world and, with a cost exceeding $700 million, it was the most expensive to construct. Its multiple gyms, conference rooms, pools, private gardens, department stores, and fortified apartments are all protected by blast-resistant walls and multiple security checks. An American working at the embassy has no real need to venture beyond its walls. The complex is a city-within-a-city –– or, more accurately, a city-within-a-city-within-a-city, as the embassy is situated in the heavily-fortified “Green Zone” that harbors Baghdad’s international population.

The urgent rush to protect the supposedly impe...

Analyzing modernism with a multi-faceted view in the 2014 Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

2014-06-20T14:09:00-04:00

The Spanish pavilion "Interior" at the 2014 Venice Biennale conveys its multi-layered concept with an enticing labyrinth-like design. Visitors can formulate their own experience as they walk through the open maze, which is "guided" by large images of contemporary and traditional Spanish architecture.

The pavilion is set up as an interactive exploration of Spanish modernism throughout the last century, mixed in with other main points like the influence of digital technology, or comparing traditional Spanish architecture with the contemporary. Sio2 Arch (formerly F451arquitectura) designed the exhibition, which was curated by Iñaki Abalos, Lluis Ortega, Enrique Encabo, and Inmaculada El Maluenda.

More photos and other details on Bustler.

Editor's Picks #372

2014-06-18T18:54:00-04:00

Amelia Taylor-Hochberg Editorial Manager for Archinect, talked with director Kelly Anderson about her documentary "My Brooklyn" and the “incredible, derogatory, racialized way people talk about the space". The film will air multiple times as part of PBS World's America ReFramed series, starting Tuesday, June 19, at 8pm (EST).

Plus, the eighteenth edition Screen/Print featured an excerpt from Judith K. De Jong ’s new book, New SubUrbanisms, which touched on Flattening: Formal and Spatial Practices.

citizen complained "The author seems to proclaim as breaking news the complex connectivity of central & peripheral parts of metropolitan regions...This isn't new...others have been working for decades now with the premise of a metropolitan system in which the urban/suburban binary is less and less meaningful".

News
Archinect discussed François Roche claim that Rem's Venice Biennale (is) "Obscene". boy in a well responded "Is the Biennale a good place for a soap box because the event is organi...

The 2014 U.S. Venice Biennale pavilion reinterprets 100 years of American architecture

2014-06-13T02:30:00-04:00

Styled after American corporate identity throughout the 20th century, our next featured 2014 Venice Biennale pavilion is "OfficeUS" representing the U.S. of A. Organized by NYC's Storefront for Art and Architecture in collaboration with PRAXIS Journal, the two-part exhibition will showcase and critically reinterpret the global influence of American architecture in the last century...For each week of the Biennale, OfficeUS will also address 25 issues relevant to its project archive.

Barkow Leibinger’s “Kinetic Wall” prototype exhibited at the Venice Biennale 2014

2014-06-11T20:37:00-04:00

American/German architectural practice Barkow Leibinger is back at the Venice Biennale with "Kinetic Wall". Specifically designed for this year's Biennale, the prototype highlights the evolution of wall-making while also standing as an ode to the 20th century fantasy of kinetic architecture -- or architecture that can move. Kinetic Wall is currently on display in the Wall Room at the "Elements of Architecture“ exhibition in the Venice Biennale.

Get more details on Bustler.

See it in action in the video below.

Korea, Chile, Canada, France and Russia are among the distinguished at the 2014 Venice Biennale award ceremony

2014-06-09T20:10:00-04:00

The 14th International Architecture Exhibition, "Fundamentals" -- a.k.a. the 2014 Venice Biennale -- officially opened on a festive note with the awards ceremony that took place on June 7 at the Giardini at la Biennale.

Awards and Special Mentions were given to national pavilions and individuals to what the Biennale Jury considered to convey the most compelling approaches to the "Fundamentals" theme, which examines how societies worldwide have progressed, adapted to, or even rejected modernism. The theme also highlights countries and regions whose contributions to the global discussion on modernism are typically overlooked.

Below is a list of the winners:

Golden Lion for Best National Participation: Korea - "Crow’s Eye View: The Korean Peninsula"
Commissioner/Curator: Minsuk Cho
Curators: Hyungmin Pai, Changmo Ahn
Deputy Curator: Jihoi Lee
Summary: "The jury wishes to recognize Korea with a Golden Lion for the extraordinary achievement of presenting a new and rich body of knowledge of arch...

Ricardo Bofill’s “Time Space Existence” exhibition on La Fabrica for the 2014 Venice Biennale

2014-06-06T18:54:00-04:00

"Time Space Existence" tells the story behind La Fabrica, the well-known headquarters of Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura that is located in a repurposed cement factory in Barcelona...By reimagining La Fabrica in new locations -- particularly in Venice -- the exhibition serves as a case study that goes beyond the structure's physical presence and explores its timelessness throughout the last century.

As one of the many Collateral Events at the 2014 Venice Biennale, the exhibition opens to the public at The Palazzo Bembo starting June 7 through Nov. 23, 2014.

Check out more details on Bustler.

Rem Koolhaas interview: 'Architecture was at its best in antiquity'

2014-06-06T18:40:00-04:00

Rem Koolhaas, curator of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, tells Jonathan Glancey why the uniformity of modern cities drives him up the wall

Rem Koolhaas blows the ceiling off the Venice Architecture Biennale

2014-06-05T13:47:00-04:00

An exploded false ceiling and a lineup of lavatories become the stars as Koolhaas delves into the overlooked innards of today's buildings – and shows how architecture has become nothing more than cardboard

The end of architecture?

2014-06-02T13:21:00-04:00

As the 14th edition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture prepares to open, the pavilions of the Giardini might be the perfect venue for an analysis of the architectural manifestations of national identity. [...] Architecture is a curious world in which the things we hate might look very similar, to a less-inured eye, to the things we love. It is a question of degrees, of finesse. Koolhaas exemplifies the paradox.

Adaptation - architecture and change in China

2014-05-29T12:59:00-04:00

EMG set up EMGdotART Foundation [in 2012] – the first art and culture foundation established by a Chinese enterprise, to have a permanent gallery and headquarters in the heart of Venice, Italy.

"More than roofs, doors, courtyards or staircases, adaptation is fundamental for the understanding of Chinese architecture. If the fleeting fascination for fundamentals during the upcoming 14th International Architecture Exhibition [June 7 – 23 November 2014, Venice] will deal and try to understand the basic principles that create architecture; than, ADAPTATION - architecture and change in China《应变——中国的建筑和变化》 focuses on the flexible framework that makes architecture (in China) possible." MovingCities co-curatorial statement

Taking place on the ground floor the historic Palazzo Zen – newly renovated by Chinese architectural studio O-OFFICE – ADAPTATION, architecture and change in China – selected as one of 21 Collateral Events – is curated by Prof. Marino Folin (Rector of the IUAV University (19...

A rare look at North Korean architecture, brought to you by non-Koreans

2014-05-23T11:43:00-04:00

The Korea pavilion has been a part of the Venice Architecture Biennale since 1993, when the optimism of the post-Berlin Wall era made reunification between North and South Korea seem plausible. But getting equal representation from both Northern and Southern architects in 2014 has proved nearly impossible -- architects from the North would never seek individualized attention for their work, their practice entirely determined by guidelines set in stone by "Kim Jong-il's Architectural Theory".

Minsuk Cho, principal of Mass Studies in Seoul and the curator of Korea's 2014 pavilion, thought he'd have to give up on the idea of a joint North-South effort when communications with North Korea fizzled out, without explanation. This year's Biennale's theme, "Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014", is particularly relevant for Korea, considering both North and South remade their political and architectural landscapes after the Korean War, in the midst of mid-century modernism's development and the bi...