Archinect - News

In the ‘battle’ for Sydney’s brutalist Sirius building, public interest loses

2024-06-25T08:00:00-04:00

A decade ago the only way to secure a bed in Sydney’s brutalist icon, the Sirius building, was a proven need and time on the social housing waitlist. Now the price of admission starts at $1.55m – for a studio apartment. [...] Advocates who fought to save the building from the wrecking balls and from being sold see it now as the pinnacle of privatisation that failed the state’s most vulnerable.

The fate of Sydney’s martyred Rocks mirrors closely that of London’s Trelick and Balfron Towers, and the future of Singapore’s once caste-busting social housing system. As of our last reporting, the brutalist landmark has (finally, and forever) been saved from the wrecking ball — only to be turned over to private equity. The issue highlights what many see as the death of a progressive conception of planning, wherein accommodations for working-class people are placed in the center of cities and not the other way around.

"Sirius is the pointy end of the privatization of the city and entrenching 'ghettoes for the rich'," architect Philip Thalis puts it. "It’s bad for society if the best parts of the city are exclusively for people with the most means, particularly when allied to decreasing densities in those areas."

Meanwhile, the New South Wales state government just announced a "once in a generati...

Liverpool redevelopment scheme wins revived Carbuncle Cup as Britain's 'worst new building'

2024-06-24T18:10:00-04:00

The unfortunate "winner" of the UK’s Carbuncle Cup, which annually celebrates the country’s most detested new architecture, has been announced as the 2019 Liverpool Lime Street redevelopment scheme from Broadway Malyan. The contest, which is presented by the London-based magazine The Fence, was revived for 2024 after a six-year hiatus following BDP’s Redrock Stockport "victory" in 2018.

What can be said about this monstrosity? The magazine describes: "This mass-scale redevelopment demolished a century of businesses and buildings, replacing them with sheet-metal etchings of the cinemas and bars that once stood. Behind that façade, much like everything else in Liverpool, is a 412-bed student accommodation block and a 101-room Premier Inn hotel — two new additions that the city’s residents have never asked for or benefited from."

The outcome might play into the hands of advocates pushing leaders to save the century-old Marks & Spencer department store on Oxford Street in London, a ca...

Bologna unveils plan to reinforce 12th-century leaning tower

2023-12-08T18:30:00-05:00

Work to prevent the collapse of a leaning medieval tower in the heart of the northern Italian city of Bologna will cost €20m ($21.5m) and take 10 years at least, its mayor has said. Last weekend, the city unveiled a €4.3m (£3.7m) project to shore up the Garisenda tower – one of the city’s two towers that look out over central Bologna, providing inspiration over the centuries to painters and poets and a lookout spot during conflicts.

The Garisenda Tower, like the Tower of Pisa, has leaned for centuries as the ground on which it was built gave way soon after its construction. It slants at four degrees compared to 3.9 degrees the Tower of Pisa leans at. Last month, the area around the Garisenda Tower was cordoned off due to increasing concerns about its potential to collapse. Bologna’s mayor, Matteo Lepore, claims that the time to restore the structure will match the 10 years it took to reinforce the Tower of Pisa.

Built in the 12th century, the Garisenda Tower, which stands at approximately 157 feet, sits alongside the taller, and also leaning, Asinelli Tower. As reported by The Guardian, Italy’s civil protection agency has issued a “yellow” alert for the area around the two towers indicating the space is under watch. However, they aren’t believed to pose any immediate risks to people’s safety. The mayor has also urged the government to work to make the towers UNESCO World Heritage sites. Work to reinforce the to...

The struggle between green design and architectural history hangs over the renovation of one Bangkok icon

2023-08-11T18:40:00-04:00

A Bangkok landmark known as the “robot building” has been stripped of its identity, heritage campaigners have said, as they called for the city’s distinctive architecture to preserved. [...] Campaigners have urged the bank to find a way to improve energy efficiency while maintaining the facade’s unique design. They say the lack of legal protection for the building underlines the broader need for changes to how sites of special importance are identified and preserved.

The Guardian tells the story of the Sumet Jumsai-designed near-iconic "Robot Building" at the heart of Bangok’s bustling commercial district. The 37-year-old structure has been undergoing renovations at the hands of Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB), irking fans and preservationists who feel its character is being taken away with the wholesale removal of its original facade and, possibly, other key architectural elements which have made it so distinctively part of the capital's visual landscape.

The bank contends its work is necessary for the well-being of employees and to reduce energy consumption. What could result from the fray is a possible change in the structure of preservation, which mostly favors ancient monuments in the country. Air rights can still be sold to developers, which are in part the target of reform efforts. The saga also touches on the need for greater architectural education for the public, an issue which aided in the demise of Tokyo's Nakagin Capsule Towe...

Kisho Kurokawa-designed Capsule House K is now one of Japan's most coveted short-term rentals

2022-08-31T18:57:00-04:00

As private lodging, a maximum of seven individuals can stay per night, and they can use the kitchen to cook. [...] Kurokawa used the building, called Capsule House K, as a villa residence. His son, Mikio, started offering it for private lodging in May. “I hope visitors will spend a leisurely time here and enjoy being in one of the few existing Metabolism buildings,” said Mikio.

The "sister" of Tokyo's recently-demolished Nakagin Capsule Tower was finished the year after the erstwhile apartment building and is now maintained by architect Kisho Kurokawa's son Mikio and an outside company which manages the bookings. Pets are not allowed, but interested parties can reserve a stay starting at the (fairly reasonable) price of ¥14,300 (or $103 USD) a night for one person.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by 牧野友衛 Tomoe Makino (@tomoemakino)

An NFT version of the more famous Tokyo capsule tower is also up for sale until October 20th. Otherwise, fans of Metabolism might have to cough up some heftier change for one of the structure's original capsules, which some speculate could be about to hit the auction block soon.

World Monuments Fund announces its 2022 watch list of endangered heritage sites

2022-03-01T16:52:00-05:00

An important designation has been granted to several of the globe’s most important underrepresented cultural landmarks after the World Monuments Fund (WMF) today announced its biannual World Monuments Watch list.

The list represents a group of endangered heritage sites in dire need of preservation as their local stewards attempt to prevent them from falling victim to climate change, crowded tourism, overdevelopment in urban areas, natural disasters, and war.

Heritage Buildings of Beirut, Lebanon: The vibrant coastal city of Beirut, devastated by the blast of August 2020, needs further recovery support to protect and rehabilitate the historic buildings essential to its identity. Pictured: A French-mandate building in the upper part of the Fouad Boutros corridor after the blast. Image courtesy WMF.

The 25 sites comprising this year’s list are made up of a diverse cadre spanning across a time period of 12,000 years and from countries as far-ranging as the United Kingdom and Nepal. Thei...

Docomomo US highlights 18 projects as winners of the 2020 Modernism in America Awards

2020-11-13T17:01:00-05:00

The seventh iteration of the Modernism in America Awards program Docomomo US recognizes 18 projects that "highlight the best in preservation practice by today's architects, designers, preservation professionals, and grassroots advocates."

For this year's awards program, winning projects were selected based on their model preservation efforts that showcase meticulous, innovative, and a continual pushes towards the preservation field within inclusive histories and holistic approaches.

Below are the winners and selected project images.

Hunt House. Image © Dan Chavkin Photography

Eames House Conservation Management Plan

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Hunt House (Malibu, CA)
Texwipe/EarthCam (Upper Saddle River, NJ)
Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (New York, NY)
Florida’s Midcentury Modern Architecture (Florida)
Eames House Conservation Management Plan (Los Angeles, CA)

Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. Image © Garret Rowland, Gensler

Arvonne Fraser Library. Image © Peter J. Sieger Phot...

"The Glass House Project" begins construction at the Menokin Foundation

2020-06-26T14:18:00-04:00

The Menokin Foundation has announced the commencement of construction on The Glass House Project, a preservation endeavor to transform the ruins of Menokin, the home of Declaration of Independence signer Francis Lightfoot Lee and his wife Rebecca Tayloe Lee. The project will preserve the remaining portions of the 1769 Colonial-style home and replace missing walls, floors, and sections of the roof with glass.

The foundation is working with Machado Silvetti, a Boston-based architecture and design firm, along with a team of experts, to realize the ambitious project. Also on the project team are Consigli Construction Co. Inc (construction); DATA Investigations, LLC (archaeology); Eckersley O’Callaghan (glass design); Encore Sustainable Architects (historical architect); John Fidler (preservation technology); Reed Hilderbrand (landscape architecture); and Tillotson Design Associates (lighting design).

"The remains of the Menokin Plantation challenged our imagination to develop a design...

In defense of Oakland's "charmless" Brutalist baseball stadium

2019-10-03T07:00:00-04:00

When the Oakland Coliseum opened in 1966, it was hailed as a Brutalist gem that could house two sports in an elegantly simple, circular design. A half-century later, it is perhaps America’s most hated sports stadium. Players and coaches deride it. The Oakland Raiders are fleeing it. [...] Even these pages have called it “a bland, charmless concrete monstrosity” that “isn’t worthy of preservation.”

Writing in The New York Times, Jack Nicas embarks on a spirited defense of the Oakland Coliseum, warts and all.

Nicas writes, "Yes, the Coliseum is ugly, but it is cheap, gritty and fun. The spacious confines allow fans to roam around, spread out and enjoy a comprehensive view of the game. And the park’s dinginess fosters a freewheeling atmosphere, where bleacher die-hards bang drums and heckle outfielders, while upper-deck denizens pack picnics and pass joints," adding, "It all adds up to a baseball experience that stands out in the increasingly homogeneous ballpark landscape."

View of the proposed Oakland As stadium. Image: Bjarke Ingels Group

The 53-year old stadium is due to be replaced by a new facility designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, Gensler, and James Corner Field Operations on a different site. The existing stadium, under the plan, will be scraped to create a sunken amphitheater that would serve as the heart of a new housing and park complex planned for the site.

Listen to ...

The Getty devotes $100 million to global “Ancient Worlds Now: A Future for the Past” conservation initiative

2019-09-23T15:45:00-04:00

As a response to the race against time to preserve the world's ancient cultural heritage, The Getty recently announced an ambitious, $100 million initiative called “Ancient Worlds Now: A Future for the Past” that aims to promote a stronger understanding of global cultural heritage and its value to present and future society. Although activities related to the decade-long initiative are already underway, an official launch is scheduled for next summer.

Main objectives of the initiative include:

raising broad awareness of the threats to ancient heritage caused by development, economic pressures, mass tourism, political forces, climate change, and violent conflict;
creating effective conservation strategies and educational programs to engage audiences worldwide about the significance of protecting ancient sites;
and pursuing further research to strengthen understanding of the interconnections between ancient cultures.

“In an age of resurgent populism, sectarian violence, and climate ch...

Microsoft plans to preserve cultural heritage sites through AI

2019-07-17T13:17:00-04:00

The plan is the fourth pillar in a five-year philanthropic effort dubbed AI for Good, which already includes previously announced target areas centered on the earth, humanitarian action and accessibility. The $10m cultural heritage initiative will focus on finding ways to celebrate people, language, places and historic artifacts,

Microsoft, a leader in the tech industry, has initiated a new extension to their $125M AI for Good program. The company aims to use artificial intelligence as a way to preserve cultural heritage. According to an announcement made by Microsoft President Brad Smith, "We want technology to advance, but we all want, and should want, to preserve timeless values around the world." Microsoft has teamed up with two French companies, HoloForge Interactive and Iconem.

Both specializing in 3D digital renderings to help recreate photo-realistic models of historic cultural sites, this new collaboration is exploring interactive experiences with 3D model making.

HoloForge Interactive used these 3D renderings to travel back in time by using the HoloLens augmented reality headset. Image courtesy of Microsoft

By preserving these sites, new opportunities for cultural exchange and interaction grow. Iconem's co-founder Yves Ubelmann shares, "3D digital models will allow people to travel not only throug...

Chicago's recent change in building codes will heavily impact the city's Building Reuse Initiative

2019-07-08T15:57:00-04:00

The city’s early building code had more of a tear-down mentality where every project had to comply with the new construction code. The rehab code that was introduced in 1983 did recognize that rehab projects had some distinct differences and did not need to fully meet new construction standards.

The city of Chicago is comprised of close to 500,000 buildings. Filled with many historic and influential structures, Chicago is a mecca for architectural historians and enthusiasts. In April, the city adopted a new series of building codes which will allow for better building reuse and preservation solutions.

Aerial view looking northeast along the Chicago River towards Lakeshore Drive. The Merchandise Mart is visible in the lower left corner. Image © Copelin Commercial Photographers. Courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago. Library. Special Collections and University Archives.

Beth Mattson-Teig of Urban Land explains: "The new Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code, based on the International Existing Building Code, will provide tailored requirements for different scopes of work in existing buildings, replacing the 'one-size-fits-all' approach of the current rehab code with a more flexible framework of requirements that are designed to work for a wide range of projects. For co...

A Look Back at Some Articles Celebrating American Architecture and Architects

2019-07-04T14:01:00-04:00

Who and what comes to mind when thinking of American architecture? In practice, academia, and culture, America's influence on the built environment has undergone moments of triumph as well as moments of reflection. In celebration of the nation's independence from British monarchy in 1776, Archinect rounds up a selection of news coverage discussing American architects, architecture, and discourse.

Notable American Architects

OMA revamps Houston's old post office

2019-07-01T13:18:00-04:00

The Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and developers Lovett Commercial have unveiled plans to transform the 55,000-square-foot Barbara Jordan Post Office in Houston into a mixed-use cultural center and park for the city.

Rendering of proposed atrium located within the renovated post office building. Image courtesy of OMA and Luxigon.

The adaptive reuse project, called POST Houston, will bring a rooftop park, urban agriculture, retail establishments, a market hall, co-working spaces, and other uses to the former post office building with the goal of "balancing preservation with strategic, almost surgical interventions" in order to reposition the post office into a dynamic cultural node.

View of POST Houston's proposed rooftop park. Image courtesy of OMA and Luxigon.

The complex will be topped with a five-acre rooftop park designed by Chicago landscape architects Hoerr Schaudt containing an organic farm and other recreational areas. Hoerr Schaudt is also behind the 2015 desig...

A historic house with two faces in San Francisco

2019-06-16T10:43:00-04:00

Subtle historic restoration and bold reinterpretation have rarely combined on a site as well as they have in an oft-visited district San Francisco. A stone's throw from the Painted Ladies is a Victorian home built in 1889 which draws little attention to itself upon first glance.

Back Façade of Alamo Square Residence, by Jensen Architects.

A peek around the side, however, and one would note that not only has the façade been lovingly restored, but the back has been completely reimagined for a family with modern tastes. San Francisco-based Jensen Architects were tasked with a radical update for the 19th century home for an adventurous client. The floor plans have been completely reimagined to allow daylight in through the back façade, including a glass-encased elevator which doubly functions as a display for mechanical functions.

Back Façade of Alamo Square Residence, by Jensen Architects.

Drawing one's attention back to the historic façade, one can see a painstaking renovation carried o...

Carmody Groarke preserves Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House with an encasement

2019-06-11T13:19:00-04:00

The work of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh belongs to the early modernist period, along with that of Austria's Adolf Loos and California's Irving Gill. Though Mackintosh built very few projects during his career, the few that have survived have continued to be of great importance for modern architectural history.

Hill House, by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh.

Hill House, built in 1904 in the hills of Helensburgh, Scotland, is among the most significant. Designed by Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, the home rises from the landscape like a castle stripped of all ornament, a novel mix of the old and new worlds. The 115 year old home has been a popular tourist destination for years, though it had long been in serious need of preservation. The wet weather of Northern Scotland has been increasingly challenging for the Portland cement exterior, and calls for preservation proposals were made in 2017.

Hill House Box, by Carmody...

Paul Rudolph's Milam Residence is back on the market

2019-05-25T10:20:00-04:00

In 1961, early in the architect's career, Paul Rudolph completed the Milam Residence in Ponte Verda Beach, Florida. Fortunately, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, and, according to the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation, "the family of Arthur W. Milam, who originally commissioned the building, have been owner-residents since the building was finished, and have cared for it with pride. Now, they are making the building available - and they are hoping that the next owner will be struck by the building’s many beauties and virtues, as well as understanding its importance as a work of truly great Modern architecture."

Milam Residence. Photo by Robert Champion.

Rudolph himself described the Milam residence as “a composition of considerable spatial variety with vertical and horizontal interpenetration of spaces clearly defin[ing] inside and out. Gone are the earlier notions of organization through regular structure with subdivisions of space freely spaced. Spa...

Historic buildings shine as the Los Angeles Conservancy announces its 2019 Preservation Award Winners

2019-05-09T18:08:00-04:00

Los Angeles is a cornucopia of sites and experiences. However, beyond the city's experiential characteristics it's also home to an elaborate collection of historical landmarks and structures. This week the Los Angeles Conservancy announced its 2019 Preservation Award Recipients. The selected projects reflect a wide range of efforts to preserve L.A. County's architectural heritage.

Since 1982, the Los Angeles Conservancy has reviewed and recognized historical structures that represent excellence in the field of historic preservation. A selected jury comprised of experts in architecture, historic preservation, and community development are chosen to award winners in various categories. Some categories include rehabilitation, sensitive restoration, adaptive reuse, as well as special Chair's Award for exceptional contributions.

What started as a nonprofit membership organization in the late 1970s, the Los Angeles Conservancy had dedicated their time and efforts through education and a...

L.A.'s hospitality market enables designers to highlight the city's rich historic architecture through reuse

2019-04-25T21:10:00-04:00

L.A. has a reputation for being a progressive city architecturally, and a city that’s always transforming itself. We have an amazing amount of architecturally significant historic buildings. I think people have grown to appreciate what those have to offer.”

The city of Los Angeles is a city filled with several renovated buildings and historical structures that have been turned into must-see stops. Although this city isn't the first to revive unused historical buildings, Los Angeles' ever-evolving knack for finding "beauty in the reuse" has given many architects and designers the chance to "bridge time periods together" through hospitality.

The firm Design, Bitches has built their practice on creating uniquely designed spaces through their multi-disciplinary approach and Los Angeles roots. Their work on the 1920's Masonic lodge transformed the second floor into a lively venue for music as well as a place to eat and drink called, Checker Hall. According to Catherine Johnson of Design, Bitches, "people are looking for spaces that feel like they belong in a place."

Checker Hall bar designed by Design, Bitches. Image courtesy of Jessica Sample

The Pasadena-based consulting firm Historic Resources Group focuses on working with developers to...

Buildings lost, forgotten, reimagined and transformed

2019-04-24T10:27:00-04:00

Though buildings are often symbols of permanence, as it may lend itself to the status of an icon for a city or an heirloom for a family, they can be rendered obsolete at any moment. According to Ruin and Redemption in Architecture, Dan Barasch's newest book published by Phaidon Books, abandoned buildings can either be Lost, Forgotten, Reimagined or Transformed.

1. Lost

Robin Hood Gardens, by Alison and Peter Smithson. Completed 1972, Demolished 2017.

"The Brutalist Robin Hood Houses in London featured innovative design elements including "streets in the sky," internal elevated passageways and alcoves that were intended to encourage social interaction and give shared amenity to residents.

After a period of decline and despite considerable attempts at preservation, demolition of the 252 apartments began in 2017. A new 1,575-unit housing development is now partly complete on the site, and a museum is plann...

The Columbus Square pavilion by Elizabeth Hirsh Fleisher, Philadelphia's first licensed female architect, is slated for demolition

2019-03-13T15:24:00-04:00

The loss of this charming pavilion would be a double blow for Philadelphia history. Not only is Columbus Square’s little stone tower a fine example of mid-century modern design, it is also one of a handful of surviving buildings by Elizabeth Hirsh Fleisher, the first woman in Philadelphia to receive a license to practice architecture.

The crown-roofed cylindrical pavilion designed by Elizabeth Hirsh Fleisher in 1960 is a landmark in South Philadelphia's Columbus Square. Now, the building is slated for demolition as part of a renovation of the park.

“Because this is women’s history month, it’s also worth pointing out that, 85 years after Fleisher received her architecture license, it’s still rare to find a Philadelphia building designed by a woman. The Columbus Square pavilion may be small, but that doesn’t mean it can’t find a use...”, architecture critic Inga Saffron writes in the article.

What should we do with beautiful, fascist buildings?

2019-03-07T15:18:00-05:00

By championing virtues such as speed, technology, youth, and flight, the Futurists worked to cement Italy’s status as highly advanced and, thus, superior. In Asmara, the handsome structures built between 1935 and 1941 became multi-faceted tools of oppression. Eight decades later, these Italian-designed edifices are still standing, albeit in need of rehabilitation. But preserving Asmara’s Futurist architecture necessarily preserves the fascist agenda that erected them in the first place...

Though the Futurists are featured in virtually every textbook on Modernism, their politics can be described as more than controversial. As they embraced speed, technology and scientific progress, the Italian group was also upfront about its misogyny, sympathetic towards fascist ideologies and eager to shed lessons learned from the past.

The Futurist Alfa Romeo building in Asmara, Eritrea

The Futurists built a significant number of buildings based on their principles in Asmara, a city in the African country Eritrea, that remain to this day. As they begin to show their age more than 80 years after their initial construction, the question remains: should we preserve buildings designed by hateful and oppresive ideologies? As the buildings of the tumultuous 20th century show their age, we must decide which should withstand the tests of time and which should be abolished.

Putting its future preservation into question, owner of Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium in Finland extends bidding period

2018-09-25T17:54:00-04:00

Considered one of Alvar Aalto's most important works, it came as little surprise that news of a Finnish district's plan to sell the architect's Paimio Sanatorium was met with shock and attempts at appeal.

Architects from the Finnish Association of Architects formed the Pro Paimio Committee and, along with the Alvar Aalto Foundation, have been working to ensure that any future owners commit to preserving the original architecture, interiors and furnishings in their entirety.

Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Museum.

The Sanatorium is a protected site and any buyer will have to abide by the restrictions this implicates. However, those advocating on behalf of the key work of modern architecture are concerned that certain new usages could wreck the original interior, which was uniquely tailored to the needs of tuberculosis patients for whom the facility was built.

"Paimio is an integrated oeuvre d’art of architecture: only when all these parts are kept together, do they show the beauty ...

A criticism of London's museum effect and the survival of everyday spaces

2018-08-31T14:39:00-04:00

London is pure object in these images and likewise in those taken from the other aforementioned viewing points. Like visitors to a museum, we wander the corridors atop the Switch House and observe the artefacts curated for our all-consuming gaze: a shard, a walkie-talkie, a gherkin, etc. Like Tower Bridge, the new Museum of London, Battersea Power Station and the Tate Modern, the skyline of the city is presented as a display – complete with its own exhibition gift shop.

George Kafka argues that London's trend in preservation and commemoration in the built environment is directly related to the decline of small-scale spaces and small businesses centered around everyday life.

Kafka cites recent developments in London's built environment over the past few years: the V&A preserving a of a section of Robin Hood Gardens, the Museum of London moving into Smithfield Market, and the Tate Modern's viewing platform extension.

He does not necessarily argue against cultural preservation and commemoration, but rather aims to draw attention to a trend in "objective gaze prioritized over subjective experience" and the effect this has on the survival of small, everyday spaces.

Philip Johnson + John Burgee's AT&T Building is now a designated landmark

2018-08-02T14:20:00-04:00

The designation protects the exterior of the building, including the facades of the office tower, annex, and enclosed covered passageway, and notably preserving its rose Stony Creek granite cladding and the broken pediment at its crown. Going forward, any proposed alterations to the exterior will require approval and permitting by the [NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission].

It's official. The AT&T Building is now a designated landmark. Late last year, Snøhetta's plans to redesign the historic building sparked months of heated debate among architects, preservationists, and critics.

Will the Los Angeles Times Mirror Square complex become a historic monument?

2018-07-18T15:11:00-04:00

The 378-page recommendation report filed by a group of preservationists, including preservationist Richard Schave and architect and 20th century architectural historian Alan Hess, calls on the city to protect the three most iconic structures of the Los Angeles Times complex [...] Purely from a design perspective, preserving The Times complex — once known as Times Mirror Square — is a difficult proposition.

The Los Angeles Times complex consists of three iconic structures which preservationists are pushing to make historic monuments. There is the 1935 building by Gordon B. Kaufmann featuring “The Times” neon sign and the grand Globe Lobby, Rowland Crawford’s late moderne style Mirror Building built in 1948, and the luxe Times Mirror corporate headquarters designed by William Pereira in 1973. Old enough to be out of date but not enough to necessarily be revered as historic, these structures hang in limbo with an undermined fate in Los Angeles history.

Despite preservation efforts, many of Chicago's historic buildings are still being abruptly demolished

2018-05-18T19:00:00-04:00

Despite the 90-day hold on demolition permits for buildings determined to be historic by the city, Miller says that some city council members have used aldermanic prerogative to fast-track the eventual destruction of significant structures. But more often than not, Miller says that communities and preservation advocates simply do not have enough time to line up a buyer or produce a plan for adaptive reuse when demolition threats surface.

With all its rich architectural history, is Chicago facing a preservation crisis? In recent years, many of the city's most historic buildings — despite being flagged by preservationists for their architectural or cultural significance — are being abruptly demolished.

According to Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago,“neighborhood preservation advocates have been stretched beyond capacity in recent years, overburdened by frequent demolitions,” he says in Chicago Magazine.

Citing environmental concern, AIANY expresses worry over the demolition of SOM's 270 Park Avenue

2018-04-02T14:45:00-04:00

270 Park Avenue, also known as the Union Carbide Building, is slated for demolition. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill partner, Natalie Griffin de Blois, and completed in the early 60s, the mid-century office tower will be town down in order for the building's owner, JPMorgan Chase, to erect a 70-story one, now allowed by the area's recent rezoning.

At 52 floors, the razing of 270 Park Avenue will be the world's largest voluntary demolition of a building. Due to its location in a crowded urban area, the process will involve a top-down, systematic deconstruction of the building that will take roughly a year, according to demolition experts.

Public reaction to the announcement has been predictably critical, with preservationists and other members of the architecture community pushing for the building to get in front of the Landmarks Preservation Committee ahead of its erasure. While much of the criticism has centered around the obscene loss of the superlative modernist skyscrape...

It has to do with electromagnetic fields and transmissions from the stones of these buildings

2018-03-19T11:12:00-04:00

Each piece of the structure tells that grander story. The poorly constructed stone walls in the original room hint at the area’s isolation and the need to use nearby materials. A sundial over the northern door installed by the fort’s early inhabitants is a celebration of the return of two men who were kidnapped during a Native American raid. In one room, a prayer is inscribed on a ceiling beam.

Serena Solomon traveled to the small town of San Ygnacio, Texas, where the River Pierce Foundation is working to identify, conserve and make known the built vernacular and cultural heritage of the rural village. With a special focus on the early 19th century sandstone complex of the Treviño-Uribe Rancho.

Grassroots activists are fighting to save Russia's wooden architecture

2018-02-16T13:55:00-05:00

“Today’s state of wooden architecture can be defined as an SOS,” says Igor Shurgin, an architect and restorer who runs the Foundation for Maintenance of Wooden Architecture Monuments. “If we do nothing to support it, then nothing will be left in 20 years.” A grant from the European Union enabled the organisation to stage a series of exhibitions in Russia and Europe between 2010 and 2012 that highlighted the problem.

After the contemporary artist Danila Tkachenko photographed a series of the country's abandoned wooden houses set ablaze, attempts to save Russia's wooden architectural heritage have become a high priority for preservation activists. Russia's ministry of culture has intentions to adopt an action plan to preserve these structures based on the work of architect and restorer Igor Shurgin, but many fear that it might be too little too late.

Estimated costs for preservation are assessed at around £183m, in addition to an extra £70m to protect 87 particularly significant works. Though the growing number of grassroots initiatives are promising, Konstantin Mikhailov, a coordinator of the Arkhnadzor preservation group, tells the Art Newspaper "that a great deal now depends on proper implementation of the recommendations."