Archinect - News

Gingerbread City is back with sweet architectural designs in London and New York

2023-12-11T13:42:00-05:00

London's Museum of Architecture has revealed the 2023 slate of participating design firms in its annual Gingerbread City exhibition, along with an expanded American component taking place in New York City through the end of the holiday season.

For the dual city festival, participants were charged with interpreting the role water plays in urban development. Their designs comprised four zones (Urban Floodplain, Canal City, Frozen Landscape, and Underwater + Floating City) in both locations, with a fifth Desert Landscape area presenting a “sweet feast for the eyes” in New York.

BubbleBurst Bonbon Museum: Spherical Symphony of Sweet Delights by Atelier Ten © Luke O’Donovan

Bakewell Bridge by Allies and Morrison © Luke O’Donovan

Highlights from the more than 100 firms that contributed to the London exhibition include a BubbleBurst Bonbon Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects, Jammy Jubilee by Foster + Partners, Atelier Ten’s The Gingerbread Factory, the Bakewell Bridge by Allies and Morrison, a...

London’s Battersea Power Station hosts giant Christmas tree animation by artist David Hockney

2023-12-06T13:10:00-05:00

The world-renowned artist David Hockney has lit up London’s iconic Battersea Power Station with a giant installation resembling two Christmas trees. Titled ‘Bigger Christmas Trees’ and set on the station’s two north-facing 328-foot-tall chimneys, the animation will be on display from December 1st until Christmas Day, December 25th.

“Battersea Power Station is such a beautiful building, I wanted to decorate it in a way that I hoped would bring joy and hope to Londoners,” said Hockney about the scheme.

Image credit: Apple

The 10-minute animation was designed by Hockney on an iPad using a digital pencil; an appropriate method given that Battersea Power Station currently houses Apple’s UK headquarters.

In June, we reported on the opening of Foster + Partners’ Apple Store within the station, marking the company’s 40th store in the United Kingdom. Late last year, meanwhile, we covered a review of the newly completed WilkinsonEyre interior spaces in the station alongside a Frank Gehry-desig...

Gingerbread City returns to the Museum of Architecture in London

2022-12-16T12:19:00-05:00

The popular Gingerbread City holiday exhibition has returned to London’s Museum of Architecture featuring some tasty designs from top firms organized into five “mini-cities” master-planned for the second consecutive year by Madeleine Kessler Architecture.

Each of the small cities represents global polar, temperate, continental, desert, and tropical climate zones. The museum’s founder Melissa Woolford told AJ in a preview of this year’s show that put forward “‘many brilliant ideas for how to tackle the challenge of building for different climates,” adding: “By bringing all these ideas together, Museum of Architecture hopes to inspire meaningful conversations around how we can act to help save our planet.”

The exhibition runs until January 2nd in the museum’s 6-7 Motcomb Street space in Belgravia. Let’s have a look at the competing teams with a selection of enticing photos. (h/t to AJ for the project descriptions.)

Desert Island. Image: © Luke O'Donovan

Liquorice Library (UHA) — "in th...

Archinect Outpost to host Holiday Party December 15th

2018-12-07T19:22:00-05:00

Join us next Saturday, December 15th, 11-3pm for a holiday sale of our curated inventory. Newly displayed and price-reduced items (some as much as 50%) will be available for purchase at Archinect Outpost, located at 900 East 4th Street, Los Angeles CA 90013.

Come taste our Brutal coffee, try on Sam Jacob-designed scarves, peruse our books and check out our limited-time sales. This is an ideal opportunity to get last minute gifts for yourself or your design-conscious friends and family members. We'll see you there!

Can't make it to the party? Check out our recently updated online store, where we are featuring the same items as those in the retail shop.

Daniel Libeskind gets to design the new Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Star

2018-05-17T14:02:00-04:00

Many big-name architects enjoy dabbling in product design and use their brand recognition to sell chairs, tableware, shoes, and anything in-between—but getting to design the new star topping the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City is one of the rarer commissions. Daniel Libeskind was just tapped by Swarovski to create a replacement for the current star the crystal company had first unveiled in 2004.

Daniel Libeskind and Nadja Swarovski. Image courtesy of Swarovski.

While designs for the new tree topper aren't available yet, an initial release announced a three-dimensional structure "radiant with light," inspired by the cosmos, and exemplifying Libeskind's trademark dramatic architectural lines.

"The new Swarovski Star for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is inspired by the beauty of starlight–something that radiates meaning and mystery into the world," Libeskind hinted at his inspiration. "The Star is a symbol that represents our greatest ambitions for hope, unity...

Gingerbread City: Zaha Hadid Architects, Foster + Partners and others reveal their sweetest designs

2017-12-19T17:30:00-05:00

Some of the world's biggest architecture firms have been competing for plots in this winter's tastiest property market -- the Gingerbread City. Recently opened at the Museum of Architecture in London, the miniature metropolis is brimming with contemporary -- and almost entirely edible -- buildings. Around 50 companies specializing in architecture, engineering and landscaping have baked and built structures for the project.

Photo: Luke Hayes.

If you're in London this week, make sure to get into the holiday spirit the architectural way and stop by the Museum of Architecture's Gingerbread City before it closes this Friday — and nothing but cookie crumbs will remain.

Competing gingerbread bridges (gingerbreadges?) by Periscope, Hopkins, and reForm Architects. Photo: Luke Hayes.

The roster of around 50 participating architecture, engineering, and landscaping firms includes some recognizable names like Zaha Hadid Architects, Foster + Partners, NBBJ, Studio Egret West, Pitman Tozer, among others.

An edible "mixed-used" building by Cooke Fawcett Architects. Photo: Luke Hayes.

All images courtesy of the Museum of Architecture.

Need another last-minute holiday idea? Build your own Gingerbread Village with these architectural drawings

2015-12-23T14:57:00-05:00

If last-minute is your signature style for the holiday season, here's a crafty idea from a fellow designer that you can use to impress your guests or as a fun family-friendly activity. Robert Christo is a Brooklyn-based architect who enjoys building gingerbread houses with his family during this time of year. He decided to take the well-loved pastime a step further and draw some IKEA-like architectural drawings for a Gingerbread Village. With some frosting, a good amount of gingerbread, and whatever sweet edibles you need, use Christo's handy instructions as a guide to assemble your own festive town, including homes, shops, village green, a schoolhouse, and sledding hill. (Hopefully you won't need an Allen wrench in the process.)

Update: Robert Christo shared a few more drawings he sketched.

To zoom in on the drawings, click here.

If you still have some gift shopping to do, check out Archinect's holiday gift guides:

The 2015 holiday gift-giving guide for architects

Archinect's 2015 holid...

Archinect's 2015 holiday guide to architecture books

2015-12-17T14:42:00-05:00

No matter how prepared I think I am, December is always a frenzy. Between wrapping up end-of-the-year projects and remembering to buy wrapping paper, the days disappear faster than my coworker’s toffee. If you’re anything like me, the holidays are heralded by a panicky visit to the mall and a desperate scramble to find the right gift. Chances are that gift will be a book (sorry, sis).

Luckily for you, we’ve put together a handy guide to some of this year’s most exciting titles. Have an architecture student in the family? No problem. A vegan, card-carrying eco-warrior aunt? Perfect. A cousin who just loves design? We’ve got you covered.

And if you have a long-haul flight coming up, treat yourself to one of these great titles and you’ll arrive at your destination before you know it!

The Young-at-Heart

Architecture is always changing and it can be hard to catch up. Young Architects 16: Overlay highlights the six emerging American firms who won the prestigious Architectural League Prize, an...

Hello Wood to give 5,000 pieces of Christmas Charity Tree firewood to Budapest community

2014-12-22T19:48:00-05:00

Getting caught up in holiday madness has become so normal that it's easy to forget that the holidays can act as a reminder that caring for each other -- no matter how simple the act -- can go a long way. Architecture firm Hello Wood, who built the 11-meter Christmas tree made out of 365 sleighs last year, recently built another Christmas tree installation in Budapest called the Charity Tree.

This time around, Hello Wood worked with Design Terminal and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid to construct the 11-meter Charity Tree, which was built in 5 days from 5,000 pieces of firewood that weigh 150 quintals (or about 30,000 lbs.).

Visitors can also walk inside the tree to find a chapel-like interior space. At night, the tree glows with lighting effects by Philips Hungary.

After the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6, all the wood used to make the installation will be given to local families in need. The Charity Tree addresses the issue of the many Hungarian families lacking daily heating d...

Hello Wood uses 365 sleighs to build an 11-meter Christmas tree in Budapest

2013-12-11T14:10:00-05:00

The holiday season is in full swing — or sleigh, in this case. Hello Wood, an architecture and design studio, built an 11-meter tall Christmas tree in one week using 365 sleighs in front of the Palace of Arts in Budapest. (Watch the video below.)

After Christmas, the temporary structure will be dismantled and the sleighs will be given to the kids living in the SOS Children’s Village homes in Hungary.

Here are the project details:

"Visitors can step in and have a look at the construction from the inside. The base is made of steel, it weights 4.5 tons, so the construction is perfectly safe from the heavy winds of winter. The four stems of the installation hold 325 kilograms each.

First, the carpenters of Hello Wood made the 10.5 meters tall wooden frame, which was brought to the scene, where it was put together with the help of a crane and the use of welding techniques."

"Then came the alpinists of Hello Wood, who were working on the installation for four consecutive days...

Nothing says "Christmas" like a bunch of dead animals suspended over an orchestra

2011-12-20T11:59:00-05:00

Archinect member Ricardo Soares has shared with us a video he captured on his smart phone last night in NYC's Guggenheim museum. Maurizio Cattelan's installation All, which I'm quite fond of, personally, is seen suspended from the oculus of the rotunda above the orchestra.

Archinect's Last Minute Gift Guide - 2012 Archinect Calendar and T-Shirts!

2011-12-15T18:25:22-05:00

Need a last minute Christmas gift idea? For an architect even? – Worry not, we got you covered with cool gifts from the Archinect Shop that even Santa will envy you for!

In Focus is Archinect's series of features dedicated to profiling the photographers who help make the work of architects look that much better.

This 2012 calendar celebrates the work of twelve outstanding architectural photographers previously featured on Archinect, including Nelson Girrado, Jordi Miralles, Luc Roymans, Eugeni Pons, Amy Barkow, Leonardo Finotti, Miguel Coelho, Thomas Volstorf, Simon Gardiner, GRIDUO, Kevin Bauman, and Kim Høltermand.

All profits from the calendar will be donated to Architecture for Humanity.

Get the Archinect In Focus Calendar here.

Forget the Frank Lloyd Wright book, architects want Archinect T-Shirts for Christmas! Orders placed before December 21 will arrive in time for Christmas (for orders within the USA). Act fast, many of the popular designs ...

how to buy a present for an architect

2011-12-15T13:44:38-05:00

A certain flintiness, an inability to keep from commenting on the settings of movies, sensitivity to bright lights and impatience with the ordinary are common side-effects of architecture education and practice. These quirks can mean real headaches for those who, already under the pressure of finding good and appropriate gifts for normal people, are met with the challenge of finding a good gift for an architect...

Happy Holidays from the World Trade Center

2011-12-15T11:57:06-05:00

Just as last December, the fine folks at Five Star Electric, 1 World Trade Center’s electrical contractor, volunteered their time to affix different colored sconces to the work lights in the tower, creating the seasonal effect.

Maybe the biggest Christmas tree in the world?