Archinect - News

Italy shuts down Steve Bannon's "gladiator school for cultural warriors"

2019-06-03T19:39:00-04:00

Italy’s cultural heritage ministry announced on Friday (May 31) that it would revoke a lease granted to Bannon after reports of fraud in the competitive tender process. The former Breitbart chief and aide to US president Donald Trump was reportedly paying €100,000 ($110,000) per year to rent the 13th Century Carthusian monastery, but now will have to search for another spot.

What was once the potential site for a training academy for the far-right, the Italian state evicts the conservative Catholic organization Dignitatis Humanae Institute (DHI) due to reports of fraud. According to a recent report from The Economist, institute director Benjamin Harnwell was shocked by the news, while the former aide to US President Trump stated the letter was "totally legitimate" and "dust kicked up by the left."

The plans for transforming a medieval monastery near Rome into the center for these "cultural warriors" of the far-right included the prospect that students "would learn philosophy, theology, history, and economics, and receive political training from the former Trump aide himself."

Unhappy with the recent news of losing the monastery, DHI plans to fight the decision in court. “The DHI will contest this illegitimate maneuver with every resource at its disposal no matter how many years it takes. And we will win and in the meantime, we relish the opportunity to ...

A surprisingly classical look for Google's London HQ from Heatherwick Studio + BIG

2017-06-01T20:14:00-04:00

Back in 2015, the 11-storey, AHMN-designed scheme for Google's headquarters was deemed "too boring" by Google CEO Larry Page. Heatherwick Studio and BIG were brought in to add some pizazz to what was an admittedly fairly straightforward, boxy design. Today's freshly unveiled renderings show a more visually nuanced building than their predecessor, but the structure does not push design boundaries in the overt way that many associate with BIG and Heatherwick.

Indeed, the abundance of bordered, angled bay windows creates the effect of a colonnade; viewed from the exterior, the building resembles a kind of Parthenon mash-up. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a roof garden quickly place the building in its modern context, but this is a building that takes pains to join a conversation, not start one.

Thomas Heatherwick explained in a statement that "The area is a fascinating collision of diverse building types and spaces and I can't help but love this mix of massive railway stations, roads...

RIBA responds to Conservatives Manifesto

2017-05-19T05:49:00-04:00

"The Conservative Party’s manifesto outlines its vision to further empower communities. Whoever forms the next government should ensure that plans to build high quality housing and infrastructure are linked with industrial and devolution strategies to encourage more jobs and a better quality of life for people across the country."

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has responded to the publication of the Conservatives manifesto, published earlier today.

"The RIBA welcomes the Conservatives’ acknowledgment that the UK’s architects are the finest in the world. This is recognition of the vital role that good design has on improving quality of life, sustainability and social integration; and acknowledgement that architects are the design professionals that make this happen."

On Brexit:

“The RIBA has long been calling for the rights of non-UK EU nationals to be confirmed. I’m happy to see it is included in the Conservative manifesto. Skilled architects come to the UK from across the world, giving us the edge in creativity and innovation; we need to ensure this continues into the future.

“British architects have been clear about our key asks from Brexit through RIBA’s ‘Global By Design’ report. The RIBA will continue to be a strong voice for the sector in the coming weeks and months.”

On planning and co...