Archinect - News

Win a copy of “The Architecture of Cinematic Spaces”, a new book by Mehruss Jon Ahi and Armen Karaoghlanian!

2020-08-18T11:15:00-04:00

Craving more inspiring books about architectural film studies? Eager to learn more about the ever-intriguing relationship between architecture and film? Don't miss out on “The Architecture of Cinematic Spaces”, the latest volume by Mehruss Jon Ahi and Armen Karaoghlanian, the editors of online journal Interiors. Thanks to the book's publisher Intellect Books, Archinect is giving away five copies of the book to our readers!

This 96-page book takes an academic, graphic approach to film studies, combining critical essays with original architectural floor plan drawings detailing the production design of iconic 20th and 21st century films like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, “Rope”, “Le mépris”, “Playtime”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Home Alone”, “Panic Room”, “A Single Man”, “Her”, and “Columbus”. Each chapter features an original floor plan of a key scene in each film.

Whether for scholarly research or just for fun, this page-turner inspires us to pay closer attention to the stories the...

Win a copy of “Lair,” a book that explores the architecture of iconic movie villain abodes

2020-01-09T11:24:00-05:00

Co-authored by Miami-based architect Chad Oppenheim and editor Andrea Gollin, “Lair” is an entertaining dive into the designs of villainous hideouts in iconic films and explores the question of why so many of them live in such architectural splendor. The book marks the first title of Tra Publishing's Design + Film series. Thanks to Tra Publishing, Archinect is giving away five copies of the book to our readers!

Fifteen films are highlighted in the book, including “Blade Runner 204”, “Ex Machina”, “The Spy Who Loved Me”, “The Incredibles”, “Dr. Strangelove”, and more. Printed on stark black pages, “Lair” takes a look at these seductive, edgy abodes through original architectural illustrations and renderings by Carlos Fueyo, photographs, essays, film analyses, interviews, and more.

Photo courtesy of Tra Publishing.

It also contains interviews with film production designers, directors, and other top industry professional...

With no wheelchair ramp, Tony Award winner Ali Stroker couldn't join her cast and crew on stage to celebrate their win

2019-06-12T15:15:00-04:00

After her win, Stroker spoke to reporters about the lack of accessibility on Broadway. She said that most of the theaters’ backstage areas are not generally accessible to performers with disabilities. “I would ask theater owners and producers to really look into how they can begin to make the backstage accessible so that performers with disabilities can get around,” she said, per The New York Times.

Ali Stroker became the first person to use a wheelchair to win a Tony Award during Sunday night's glitzy ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Her historical win — which was for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in the acclaimed Broadway revival of “Oklahoma!” — is a milestone in bolstering the representation of people with disabilities.

However, there was an obstacle for Stroker during the ceremony that is all too common for people with disabilities in everyday life: No ramp had been built to connect the audience seating area to the main stage. In one instance, she had to wait in the wings on stage in case she won in her individual category. Then when “Oklahoma!” won Best Revival of a Musical, Stroker could not join the rest of the cast and crew on stage to accept the award. While Stroker generally had a celebratory night, that moment was yet another disheartening reminder that basic universal accessibility needs are still easily overlooked.

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Studio Ghibli reveals more details of their anticipated theme park

2019-06-07T19:48:00-04:00

At a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, Studio Ghibli producer and co-founder Toshio Suzuki, Aichi governor Hideaki Omura and Chunichi CEO Uichiro Oshima laid out the basic plans for the park. The site is located within the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park, and in keeping with director Hayao Miyazaki's strong environmental beliefs, is to be built in harmony with existing nature and without cutting down a single tree. The park will not feature roller coasters or other ride-type attractions.

The celebrated Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli announced more details of their upcoming theme park in Nagakute City, in Japan's Aichi Prefecture. The studio and their collaborative partners revealed that three areas of the 494-acre park will open in fall 2022. According to Japan Today, the “Hill of Youth Area” will feature the whimsical, steampunk architecture of the film Howl's Moving Castle; the “Dondoko Forest Area” — in reference to My Neighbor Totoro — will have walking trails; and the “Ghibli Big Warehouse Area” will feature shops, cafes, an exhibition room, and a rumored Cat Bus building. Other parts of the park, which will be modeled after the studio's other beloved films Princess Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery Service, are scheduled to open in the following year.

Interior color schemes from iconic TV show set designs

2018-08-23T13:42:00-04:00

From the mid century modern world of Mad Men to the traditional English aristocratic look of Downton Abbey, the designs behind our favorite productions play a vital role in creating authentic backdrops viewers can delve into. Compare the Market and Neomam Studios have brought these set designs to the forefront by highlighting color schemes from some of the most iconic TV shows to air.

Take a look below at these familiar scenes with their accompanying color palettes:

Jerry's living room from Seinfeld

Don and Megan’s living room from Mad Men

The drawing room from Downton Abbey

Penny’s living room from Big Bang Theory

Ted, Marshall, Lily and Robin’s living room from How I Met Your Mother

Jess Day and roommates' living room from New Girl

Walt’s living room from Breaking Bad

COBE + MVRDV's rockin’ new Ragnarock Museum opens to the public

2016-05-03T13:27:00-04:00

Nestled within an industrial patch of warehouses in the Danish city of Roskilde stands the golden-studded, newly inaugurated Ragnarock, a museum where rock, pop, and youth culture are housed under one roof. COBE and MVRDV joined forces to design the new museum, which is part of the larger ROCKmagneten masterplan that the architects won in 2011.

Head over to Bustler for more details.

Previously:

ROCKmagneten: MVRDV and COBE Win Danish Rock Museum Competition in Roskilde

Sex Pistols graffiti secures famous Tin Pan Alley building Grade 2* listed status

2016-03-22T13:23:00-04:00

The cartoon drawings and graffiti scrawled all over the 1970s hangout of the Sex Pistols - a former silversmith’s workshop attached to a townhouse in London’s Denmark Street – have helped the building be awarded Grade 2* Listed Status. The decision by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, on advice from Historic England, is a major victory in the campaign to maintain Denmark Street, known as “Tin Pan Alley”, which is widely seen as a spiritual home for British popular music.

Oana Stanescu, the architect behind Kanye's volcano, talks to NY Times about pushing design boundaries via pop culture

2015-08-06T18:45:00-04:00

For a serious architect who has designed public housing in Dallas and a bridge in Slovenia, it may come as a surprise that Oana Stanescu’s best-known work is a 50-foot-high volcano that Kanye West ascended onstage during his grandiose Yeezus tour...Along with Dong-Ping Wong, her partner in the West Village architectural firm Family, Ms. Stanescu is making a name for herself in design circles for her ability to merge pop culture with utilitarian design.

For more Family on Archinect, you can check out Oana's archived Archinect School Blog, the +POOL, and the firm's other cool projects.

Chinese game developer designs HQ after Star Trek USS Enterprise

2015-05-26T20:30:00-04:00

The 260-meter long, 100-meter wide, six-floor building was built by Hong Kong-listed Chinese online game developer NetDragon Websoft, whose founder Liu Dejian — a 43-year-old University of Kansas alumni — is a huge [Trekkie]...With a total investment of 600 million yuan ($97 million), the building was inspired by the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, which appeared in three “Star Trek” movies in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sources report that construction of the office building started in October 2010 and was then completed in May 2014.

Check out the building on Google Maps or in the drone footage below.

"Archimusic" renders famous musicians into characteristic buildings

2014-06-17T17:12:00-04:00

Illustrator Federico Babina from Barcelona looks to some of the world's most influential musicians in his latest series, "Archimusic." Depicted in Babina's signature whimsical style, he architecturally renders 27 familiar names in various music genres like J.S. Bach, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Björk, Freddie Mercury, and Radiohead.

Maybe these drawings can spark a few creative notes (pun totally intended) of inspiration.

The buildings surely emphasize the enduring fame of these musicians, with some of them even resembling their physical appearances. Based on mere sightreading, the few measures of notes right below could also perhaps be a hint at the musician's musical personality.

Previously on Archinect news:
"Archibet": if architects designed an alphabet...
André Chiote illustrates the role of iconic buildings in the "urban collective memory"

AVATAR to Come to Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

2013-10-18T13:59:00-04:00

Our combined team has taken huge steps forward in “imagineering” Pandora as a real place for our guests to see, hear and touch. At the first-ever D23 Expo in Japan, we shared an early glimpse of the plans for AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park and I wanted to share some of these breathtaking images and a short preview of what’s to come with all of you.

AIA Asks Architects to Design Architect Barbie's Dream House

2011-05-12T12:06:18-04:00

Architect Barbie has a whole team of experts vying to design her Dream House—anyone from the American Institute of Architects who wants to enter the AIA's new competition, which kicks off today at the AIA 2011 National Convention in New Orleans. The winning design will be voted on by the public and announced in August.