Archinect - News

Hudson Yards now has its own video game starring comedian Conner O'Malley

2020-01-30T08:41:00-05:00

Hudson Yards has received its share of mockery. Be it Archinect's April Fools' day joke, Vessel's Shawarma like appearance or the Luxury Real Estate Dildo Experience, there has been a fair share of criticism and poking fun of the new development.

Well now, there is a Hudson Yards "video game," and it stars comedian Conner O'Malley. Check it out below!

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 ...

IKEA Buys Naming Rights to Heatherwick’s Vessel at Hudson Yards

2019-04-01T09:00:00-04:00

Since opening in March, Thomas Heatherwick’s Vessel at Hudson Yards has caught headlines for its ostentatious design, its billing as “public art”, its repudiation of the tenants of accessibility, and its overreaching rights to the photos taken by visitors. Also drawing plenty of scrutiny is the name of the project, the Vessel, which despite its prominence on promotional materials, remains a working title.

As visitors begin streaming in, Related Companies, the developer behind the massive, $25 billion neighborhood, has been asking for public input on the perfect name for their architectural centerpiece. And, the internet and company has come up with a good sum of suggestions; ‘The Copper Kebab’, ‘Lady Liberty’s Diva Cup’, and ‘Escalator Broken’ have been particularly popular options.

However, just as the free ticket to climb comes with the price of waiting an hour online to reserve a spot to wait in line, everything public about this project has been a hoax—including the competition...

Comedy meets architecture as Michael Ian Black chats with Deborah Berke

2017-04-06T12:18:00-04:00

Although certain architects have attempted to inject humor into the profession, architecture is generally not known for its slapstick and wry timing, which makes the pairing of interviewer Michael Ian Black (formerly of classic comedy show The State) and Yale Dean of Architecture Deborah Berke just...unusual, but great. You can listen to their talk about the role of architecture in everyday life here.

While you're at it, take a listen to Archinect's podcast conversation with Deborah Berke...

Watch the trailer for the new film 'the Architect'

2016-06-07T18:11:00-04:00

When a couple sets out to build their dream house, they enlist the services of a visionary modernist architect, whose soaring ideas are matched by only his ego. The woman is swept away by the uncompromising creative artist whose personality provides a stark contrast to her practical husband's. She is so taken she hardly notices the Architect is building HIS dream house.

The latest film to satirize the profession, the Architect stars Parker Posey, James Frain, and Eric McCormack and was written and directed by Jonathan Parker.

It's not immediately clear if the architect is modeled after anyone in particular. The character's appearance resembles a certain British designer a bit, while the work looks a bit like a more curvilinear Richard Meier project.

What do you think? An unfair portrait of architects or a spot-on satire of the discipline's more hubristic tendencies?

The Architect - Trailer (2016) from Parker Film Company on Vimeo.

ClickHole's magnificent spoof on starchitects' unbuilt buildings

2015-07-24T17:44:00-04:00

“a barbershop, a beautiful barbershop formed by curves of alabaster stone. It would resemble an albino slug that’s eating a pile of white towels. Instead of sitting on swivel chairs during your haircut, you’d rest on a big egg that rises out of an indoor reflecting pool. [...] Every day, I open the phone book and call a handful of random barbershops to see if anyone is interested, but I have yet to find a barber with the vision and bravery required.” – Zaha Hadid

I had dreamed of the day when the visionary and hysterical ClickHole would lampoon starchitects. Now that day has come, and the resulting listicle does not disappoint.

Here's Frank Gehry's lost project for the "Evil Concert Hall":

"Instead of holding music, the evil hall would just house endless screaming and clanking chains, establishing an intriguing duality that exists not just in the Disney universe but throughout the entirety of the cosmos. The Disney family only approved the good building.”

And poor Santiago Calatrava, disappointed to realize his design wasn't so original after all:

“My best design ever was actually the Taj Mahal, but I found out that it had already been made. It was extremely humiliating, because I learned that while pitching it for a museum in Barcelona. When I unveiled the model, the clients said, ‘This is the Taj Mahal. India has one,’ and I told them I was pretty sure they didn’t, because I had just invented it. We looked up the Taj Mahal, and sure enough, it...

Jack White studied at the GSD, and other celebrities' hidden architectural pasts

2015-04-01T21:16:00-04:00

In our Snapchat attention-span world, we forget that celebrities often had different careers before they became international superstars. Did you know that Brad Pitt once worked for Frank Gehry, or that Robert Irwin very nearly became an architect instead of an artist? Herewith, a look back at the design pasts of several major celebrities.

5. Alejandro Innaritu, Film Director

When Best Picture-winning Birdman was still just a one-shot dream in his subconscious, Alejandro Innaritu was the executive assistant to architect Josep Iluis Sert, helping him keep his calendar and gather materials for meetings with city planning officials. Innaritu frequently attributes his signature layered, non-linear and often narratively challenging storytelling to the early years spent managing a formidable and unrelenting schedule.

4. Elon Musk, TESLA

As an intern on the design of the flagship building of General Motors’ corporate HQ, Elon Musk picked up substantial design inspiration for his later care...