Archinect - News

Mies van der Rohe's life has been turned into a graphic novel

2019-09-10T14:15:00-04:00

Agustín Ferrer Casas, a Spanish illustrator and writer began working on the graphic novel in 2015, in an endeavor to tell the story of Mies' life and career. Now in 2019, the book is ready for release.

Image by Agustín Ferrer Casas

Casas did his homework for the 4-year project, working from a robust body of material. "It is a fictional biography of his life, based on numerous writings by many other authors and Mies himself," he says in a blog post. "And I say fiction because in this book, I try to show not only part of his work but life, the personality of the architect. What made him a great architect and what he left behind in his ambition to build."

Image by Agustín Ferrer Casas

Norman Foster has also written the prologue for the artistic work, in which he reflects on his appreciation for Mies' projects. The book can be previewed on Issuu and purchased here.

An engineer's comic addresses social equity in transportation planning and design

2018-07-23T15:40:00-04:00

Engineer Ryan Martinson uses his cartooning skills to explore why and how to better incorporate social equity goals into transportation planning Equity & Mobility, a 12-page comic article published in the Summer issue of Transportation Talk," the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineer's quarterly newsletter.

The Canadian Institute for Transportation Engineers newsletter showcases a comic strip addressing social equity in transportation design. The article looks at how planning decisions can be affected by a biased user experience design process affecting who is included in our transportation systems.

Summer issue of Transportation Talk comic by Ryan Martinson. Image: Equity & Mobility.

Martinson's comic describes how faster transportation modes like automotive travel are often favored over more inclusive ones such as walking, biking, and public transportation.

Summer issue of Transportation Talk comic by Ryan Martinson. Image: Equity & Mobility.

While pointing out these design issues, he also offers specific solutions on how to design more inclusively and better impact people's economic and social opportunities. You can flip through the full article here.

"All Work and All Play": Archinect Sessions Episode #16 with Jimenez Lai and Robert Ivy, CEO of the AIA

2015-02-12T19:40:00-05:00

What do Robert Ivy FAIA, EVP/CEO of the AIA, and Jimenez Lai, of Bureau Spectacular, have in common? Other than they're both architects, not so much! What better way to celebrate a profession at the crossroads than featuring interviews with both in our latest podcast episode.

Paul, Amelia, Donna and Ken spoke with Ivy about the AIA's newly launched "I Look Up" (#ilookup) public awareness campaign for architects, and Jimenez Lai joined us in studio to discuss his latest Graham Foundation-funded collaboration, Treatise: Why Write Alone?.

Treatise is currently being exhibited at the Graham Foundation in Chicago through March 28, and its eponymous publication launches March 18.

As always, you can send us your architectural legal issues, comments or questions via twitter #archinectsessions, email or call us at (213) 784-7421.

Listen to episode sixteen of Archinect Sessions, "All Work and All Play" with Jimenez Lai and Robert Ivy FAIA, EVP/CEO of the AIA:

iTunes: Click here to listen, and...

San Francisco is quick to poke fun of Snøhetta's new One Van Ness tower design

2015-01-05T14:02:00-05:00

The new design for One Van Ness, which will rise 37 stories at the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Market Street, is the work of Snøhetta [...]. A journalist and illustrator, Susie Cagle tells me in an email that she covered San Francisco real estate in 2008, and the Snøhetta project reminds her of ambitious residential projects planned for Market Street that never happened. "I think it's a place where dense construction makes sense," she says.

Previously: Snøhetta to take over SF development project near Civic Center

Revisiting the American Folk Art Museum controversy, through comics

2014-08-14T13:01:00-04:00

Artist and animator Sam Grinberg revisits the fight over the future of the American Folk Art Museum.

9 Ways to Dance About Architecture

2013-06-19T13:51:00-04:00

In this comic, Grant Snider of Incidental Comics illustrates a variety of architectural forms and their corresponding dances. Which one is more your style — Bauhaus Bounce or Cubist Shuffle?

A sneak peek of the new architecture-obsessed Batman graphic novel

2012-05-22T14:17:00-04:00

Gotham City is undergoing one of the most expansive construction booms in its history. The most prestigious architects from across the globe have buildings in various phases of completion all over town. As chairman of the Gotham Landmarks Commission, Bruce Wayne has been a key part of this boom, which signals a golden age of architectural ingenuity for the city. And then, the explosions begin.

INCIDENTAL COMICS: Iconic Houses

2012-01-29T12:31:00-05:00

In an earlier draft of this comic, it appeared the Farnsworth house was being gnawed by ordinary beavers. My architect brother informed me that Mies van der Rohe was known for his innovations in steel and glass, not wood. So just to clarify: those are MUTANT beavers.

Truth, Jawlines And The American Way: The Changing Face Of Superman

2011-12-01T19:01:37-05:00

Superman has gotten a makeover — well, another makeover — two years ahead of turning 75 years old in 2013. As the first and most widely known representative of the spandexed set, Superman remains the popular face of that uniquely American creation, the superhero. But America has changed a lot since 1938. And as it did, that face changed, too.

Secret features of Apple's new headquarters.

2011-06-13T12:05:20-04:00

One ring to rule them all

MVRDV Wins Competition for China Comic and Animation Museum in Hangzhou

2011-05-06T19:23:00-04:00

Hangzhou urban planning bureau has announced Dutch firm MVRDV winner of the international design competition for the China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM) in Hangzhou, China. MVRDV's winning design refers to the speech balloon: a series of eight balloon shaped volumes create an internally complex museum experience of in total 30,000m2. Part of the project is also a series of parks on islands, a public plaza and a 13,000m2 expo center.