Archinect - News

The top architectural competitions in 2016 on Bustler

2017-01-03T19:55:00-05:00

After revisiting the most popular/talked-about/award-winning Architects, Projects, and Events on Bustler in 2016 over the past few days, we're closing out our look back with the top Competitions of the year. Regulars will recognize recurring audience favorites from 2015, like eVolo's annual Skyscraper Competition (eVolo also features the highly popular VMODERN Furniture Design Competition among the top 10 this year) and the Laka 'Architecture that Reacts' Competition.

Now that earth has completed its full circle around the sun, let's take a quick look back at some of the most visited competition posts of 2016 on our sister site Bustler that also had an impact on the Archinect news this past year:

eVolo 2017 Skyscraper Competition

The top 10 architecture & design events in 2016 on Bustler

2016-12-29T20:09:00-05:00

Bye-bye 2016, your time's up. A turbulent 366 days in so many regards, this year has certainly been packed with a plethora of exciting architecture and design events happening around the world. [...] From the hundreds of entries that went up on Bustler this past year, we have compiled the top 10 most visited event posts.

Here are just some of the most visited event posts of 2016 on our sister site Bustler that also dominated the Archinect news this year:

World Architecture Festival 2016

Berlin, Germany - Arena Berlin
November 16-18, 2016

The Most Attention-Grabbing Projects of 2016

2016-12-28T12:30:00-05:00

Every year, there are the projects the slip under the radar and projects that grab headlines. For any number of reasons, be it form or function or fracas, these are the projects that stuck out from the rest—in no particular order.

Archinect's critical round-up of Snøhetta's SFMOMA addition

Working with a newly-historic, highly-distinct building like Mario Botta's SFMOMA would be a challenge for any architect. Snøhetta tried to rise to the occasion with their remodel-addition—but not everyone was pleased with the result.

Closer look: Zaha Hadid's new “floating” Port House in Antwerp

The late, great Dame Zaha Hadid is not yet done with the world of architecture. One of her most major posthumous projects landed on top of the historic Port House in Antwerp, largely to acclaim.

First glimpse of Foster + Partners and Rubio Arquitectura's Museo del Prado expansion scheme

In celebration of its 200 year anniversary, Madrid's Museo del Prado has commissioned Foster and Partners to undertake a major...

Top Features: Our Favorite Feature Articles of 2016

2016-12-26T10:00:00-05:00

These are the articles that made big waves in 2016 – not just in traffic, but in defining the discussions architects were having. From professional practice issues to academia to interviews and showcases, we present to you our favorite original editorial of the year:

One student's solution to the permanent limbo of refugee camps

There are more refugees in the world right now than since World War II—and the world is woefully unable to shelter them. This student imagines a refugee camp that would be both livable and high functioning.

Frank Gehry, Liz Diller, Rem Koolhaas and Others Share Crucial Moments in Their Education

Ever wonder how some of the biggest names in the industry—the 'starchitects'—got to where they are? Julia Ingalls gathers snippets of big name architects' memories of their halcyon (or not) years spent in the academy.

If Only I Had Known: Advice for Prospective Architecture Students, from Former Students

Architecture school is a costly enterprise. It's also really hard. So...

All the news that's fit to archive: the biggest architectural preservation stories of 2016

2016-12-23T13:39:00-05:00

2016 had its fair share of victories and losses in architectural preservation, but many of the biggest news stories were affirmations – of historical eras, styles, and struggles. Check out the projects that made preservation headlines this year, presented in no particular order:

Chicago's Marina City designated official landmark status — it's about time!

Bertrand Goldberg's beloved "corncobs" had been seeking landmark status since 2015, although given their iconic role in the Chicago-scape, many were surprised they weren't landmarked already. Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Blair Kamin noted that Marina City's survival rested on the sacrifice of another Goldberg icon: Prentice Hospital, which was demolished in 2013-2014.

Lautner's Sheats-Goldstein house is to be donated to LACMA

This major boom for LACMA is the museum's first acquisition of an actual piece of architecture, and will be open to the public.

Breuer's Brutalist library in downtown Atlanta faces demolition

While not imminent, ...

A Salute to Garbage Fires: moving on from 2016 and predictions for 2017, on Archinect Sessions #93

2016-12-22T18:24:00-05:00

It's that time of the year – for washing away the stench of the past and basking in the sweet, slightly terrifying promise of an uncertain future. This week on the podcast, we dish out our predictions for architecture in 2017, and try to digest the year that was 2016.

This is our final episode for the year – we'll be back in a few weeks with fresh discussions, but in the meantime, if you like the podcast, you can do us a huge solid by rating us on iTunes. Send us thoughts, comments, and suggestions through connect@archinect.com, or find us on Twitter, @archsessions.

Listen to episode 93 of Archinect Sessions, "A Salute to Garbage Fires":

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Not just #NotMyAIA: the top professional practice stories of 2016

2016-12-22T14:07:00-05:00

From the nitty gritty of starting a business to the institutional upsets at the AIA, this year of professional practice issues took some big hits. The following stories showcase the work atmosphere for architects in the U.S. during 2016.

Scott Frank, Senior Director of Media Relations for the AIA, resigns following the AIA's statement of support for President-elect Trump

Frank's resignation came after the AIA's controversial endorsement of president-elect Donald Trump caused an uproar within its membership, prompting the organization to issue multiple apologies. Allegedly Scott resigned due to the “AIA’s severe mishandling of the situation” and “total lack of accountability," when it made such a statement without member consultation and against his better judgment. The practical effects of the controversy and its fallout have yet to be fully understood, but it certainly fueled feelings of distrust and frustration for many members, prompting some to resign.

Cheezburger founder/CEO joins...

The top prize-winning architects of 2016

2016-12-21T18:15:00-05:00

Not a year goes by without one — or maybe 10 — of today's most reputable architects becoming the latest laureate of a prominent architecture award; not to mention the debate that normally ensues in the design community and beyond. Whether through practice, scholarly research, teaching, or expertly juggling all three, these architects have made their lasting mark. Here's Archinect and Bustler's 2016 list of the top prize-winning architects, in no particular order:

Alejandro Aravena - Pritzker Prize

Not only was Alejandro Aravena the director of the 2016 Venice Biennale, he became the first Chilean architect and one of the youngest architects to win the Pritzker this past January. Reactions to Aravena's selection were generally positive, though also conflicted.

Paulo Mendes da Rocha

2016 was a golden year for Paulo Mendes da Rocha. In four months' time, the 2006 Pritzker laureate received three lifetime achievement awards: the Venice Biennale Golden Lion, the Praemium Imperiale Award, and...

The stories that influenced architecture culture in 2016

2016-12-21T12:22:00-05:00

Architecture culture, while impossible to pin down precisely, tracks its course roughly with trends in starchitecture, academia, and global politics. It is the substance that wherever you practice, teach or write, provides some kind of reference point for identifying with being "an architect". While this includes bigger events and shows that draw international attention, it's also a matter of the images and media that inflect the discourse.

Here are some of 2016's biggest news stories that helped shape that idea of architectural culture (presented in reverse chronological order):

Design is the center of the universe at the 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial, "Are We Human?"

Co-curated by husband-wife architecture-academia bigwigs Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley, the Biennial was themed around recognizing design's impact in absolutely every facet of human existence, from the mundane to the sublime. In Colomina's words: “We have to formulate this biennale as a question—a question that is not ...

The architecture projects that won big in 2016

2016-12-20T17:56:00-05:00

2016 was one hell of a year for many people. Thankfully, the world is still full of inspiring folks, like the many architects and designers who ceaselessly work hard toward a better future. The last 12 months flashed by with a multitude of memorable structures brought to life from renowned and emerging practices alike. And several of those projects won accolades in some of architecture's most prestigious competitions. Here's Archinect and Bustler's list of 2016's top award-winning projects, in no particular order:

SANAA's Grace Farms “River” building wins latest MCHAP

The IIT College of Architecture bestowed their second biennial Mies Crown Hall Architecture Prize to SANAA's meandering Grace Farms community center in New Canaan. The prize distinguishes the best architecture in the Americas.

The Rainforest Solutions Project wins the 2016 Fuller Challenge Award

Initiatives like the Rainforest Solutions Project show that compromise is attainable despite multiple clashing perspectives. The ...

How starchitect culture shifted in 2016

2016-12-16T18:18:00-05:00

This topical review of 2016's News isn't about certain architects' big projects or prizes (those'll have their own lists), but about the culture surrounding those big names, and the way their personalities convey the profession to a wider audience. For your reading pleasure, presented in reverse chronological order:

Jean Nouvel's court battle over the Philharmonie continues

Nouvel had originally filed an unsuccessful suit against the Philharmonie for "defiling" his design by altering it without his consent. He's now filing the complaint with a different French court, to get them to change it back to his original design, bringing up complex issues of intellectual copyright as well as architectural reputation.

Frank Gehry might bail on the U.S. now that Trump's been elected

Dual American-Canadian citizen Gehry mentioned in an interview that French president Francois Hollande had offered him self-exile, although it's unlikely that he'll take Francois up on it. In the same interview, Gehry...

Which news stories defined architecture education in 2016?

2016-12-15T12:33:00-05:00

In education and academia news, 2016 had its fair share of architecture's everlasting debate over Theory v. Practice, while also making a big move towards improving students' rights. Check out our most significant News stories from the world of architecture school in 2016:

Peter Zellner to launch the Free School of Architecture, a tuition-free, experimental architecture school

The FSA is a tuition-free post-graduate school in Los Angeles, to be launched in 2017. While free, the school won't be accredited, nor based in a static location, and also be capped at 48 students by 2020 – characteristics that commentators were critical of, for concern it could turn into a pure ideas salon. Zellner aligned the school with the radical pedagogical departures taken by Ray Kappe at SCI-Arc and Peter Eisenman at the IAUS.

Following a landmark decision, graduate students will now be able to unionize

The decision overturned a 2004 precedent set by the National Labor Relations Board, that determined stud...

Beyond Trump and Brexit: Archinect's biggest political news stories of 2016

2016-12-14T13:14:00-05:00

'Tis the time of year to reflect – on the good, the bad, the self, and the world. In looking back on the year that was 2016, we've parsed through all the News stories and now present to you, in all their gruesome glory, the biggest political stories of the year.

While news from the U.S. presidential election and the Brexit referendum dominated our political coverage, 2016 was also a year of contentious policy, grappling with the architectural changes wrought by the evolving sharing economy and emerging technologies, as well as adapting to the ongoing threats of climate change and Flint, Michigan's water crisis. We've already published our round-up of the biggest controversies of 2016, which naturally also includes a healthy dose of political stories.

The following items were chosen considering three basic criteria: the post's high traffic, the vibrancy of its discussion section, and how important Archinect's editorial staff thinks it is to the architecture-world at large (as those fir...

In Memoriam: those we lost in 2016

2016-12-08T12:21:00-05:00

Reasons for celebration in 2016 have been rare; it was largely a year of profound change and loss, especially within architecture. Here is a brief memorial for 17 remarkable architects, designers, planners, and educators we lost this year.

↑ Balmori Associates' "GrowOnUs Floating Landscape"

Diana Balmori (1932 - 2016)

Designing nature within a highly compact and industrial grid isn't a simple affair: landscape architect Diana Balmori, who died in November of 2016, flawlessly and imaginatively integrated the two in works throughout her award-winning career. In addition to the Abandoibarra District in Bilbao, the Spanish-born and U.S.-based Balmori designed numerous living or green roofs in Manhattan, creating gorgeous and sustainable arrangements. In addition to teaching and running her own firm, Balmori was frequently recognized with awards, including a nod from The National Endowment for the Arts.

↑ "Gunnar Asplund" monograph by Peter Blundell Jones

Peter Blundell Jones (1949 - 2016)

Pro...

From the editors: our favorite projects of 2016

2016-12-05T18:00:00-05:00

Kicking off our celebration of all the great work that came out of 2016, we have some personal favorites from our writers and editors. We'll take the time to toast the prize-winners later, but for now, these are a few of the projects that we just loved from 2016:

Julia Ingalls

OMA's "An Occupation of Loss"

Big idea intangibles can often result in a pass/fail situation for architects; either they create something astonishing, or something astonishingly bad. OMA's attempt to tackle grief in this joint work with an artist provides the right mix of personal interactivity and procedure while simultaneously giving form and a kind of comfort to an experience we invariably all must tackle at some point.

Steven Holl's University of Iowa Visual Arts Building

Steven Holl is one of my all-time favorites because his works usually always enhance qualities already present in the site. His mastery of natural light distinguishes him, and is on prominent display here: the entire building serves as ...

From the border wall to the Pritzker Prize: the architectural controversies that defined 2016

2016-12-01T12:04:00-05:00

As the year comes to a close, we're taking the opportunity to reflect on its defining moments. 2016 has been, for many of us, a pretty tough year—and the architecture community hasn't been immune to its trials and tribulations. Here's a round-up of some of the biggest controversies, debacles, and fiascos of the year.

The Boorish Border Wall Competition

Long before Donald Trump went from long-shot presidential candidate to President-elect, a controversial competition was launched to design the border wall that remains one his major campaign promises. Initiated by the mysterious Third Mind Foundation, the competition provoked immediate and intense backlash because of its asserted “neutrality” in regards to a proposal considered by many to represent the heights of xenophobia.

The Great Tokyo Olympic Stadium Debacle

This debacle actually began in 2015, but it continued well into 2016. Zaha Hadid Architects won a competition to design the National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and proc...