Archinect - ALTA-NYC

Imagining the Post-Covid City

2021-04-23T13:18:00-04:00

C. ALTA-NYC x WORKSHOP

At this stage, no one knows the ultimate impact or toll that the Global Coronavirus Pandemic will have on our society. Early optimism that the pandemic could lead to a Great Reset – steering our economic and societal systems towards fairer outcomes and harnessing digital innovations towards public good, is giving way to a realization that the opposite is just as likely to manifest. Mid pandemic, a Darwinian scenario has already emerged where Big Tech and other business titans are thriving at the expense of individuals and small businesses. While the business elites reaped the rewards of a record stock market recovery and resurgence in 2020, the effects of the pandemic continue to expose and intensify economic, social, and racial inequities for many people worldwide.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL THE EMPTY OFFICE BUILDINGS AND HOTELS?

In between projects, my Office collaborated with WORKSHOP ARCHITECTURE in Toronto on collages that respond and elaborate upon this New...

X-TOPIA : A Digital World

2020-09-14T13:31:00-04:00

Following the recent virtual Burning Man festival entitled Multiverse, here are some thoughts and digital collages generated by my Office regarding X-TOPIA : A Digital World.

Channelling the spirit of Archizoom, Superstudio and 70’s OMA through a smartphone device, the ten vignettes illustrate current trends and future speculations. X-TOPIA is a cautionary tale of how technology is changing the way we live, work & play, for better or for worse.

C. ALTA-NYC

Throughout 20th and 21st century popular culture, we encounter visions and prophecies of the techno-dystopian future far more frequently than techno-utopias. Our presentiment of the future has inspired countless novels, soundtracks, films, and video games exploring the darker side of our technological advancement; dehumanization, dependence, authoritarian control, and inequality. In a techno-dystopia, cyberspace is under active threat from corporate and political interests, and the fundamental aspects of humanity (society, biolog...

3D printed Vessel for Venice

2019-11-15T07:20:20-05:00

Venice has been impacted by its second-highest tide ever recorded, and its most severe flood in 50 years. In recent news, the Venice Art Biennale has closed temporarily due to the high water mark.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy (2012), my Office conducted some design research on coastal structures that mitigate the effects of climate change. From my archives, I recovered a sketch proposal for a 3D printed Vessel docked at the Venice Arsenale.

This Vessel is part of a Speculative Project for Venice which appeared in Archinect in November 2014, addressing urgent global issues ranging from Climate Change to Unbridled Capitalism.

Image: ALTA ARCHITECTURE, with Brent Solomon

Gagnam Style : Material Innovation + Concrete Construction

2015-04-25T20:52:00-04:00

This Photo Essay from last week's work trip represents a brief 10 year survey of Architectural Innovation in the Gagnam District, Seoul's third largest district with an area of 39.5 km2 (15.3 sq mi).

Portrayed in vivid color in the satirical, record shattering 2012 YouTube hit, Gagnam is a psychic and physical space shaped by rapid economic expansion, globalization, socio-economics, bold architectural expression, high fashion & pop-culture.

Wandering South of the Han River, I learned more about advanced concrete construction techniques, LED facade lighting, and Contemporary South Korean Architecture.

Gagnam Style : Material Innovation + Concrete Construction

Galleria Department Store: UNStudio, 2003-2004

Ann Demeulemeester Store (now MM6 Maison Martin Margiela): Mass Studies, 2007

10 Corso Como: Kris Ruhs, 2008

Urban Hive: Archium, 2008

Rick Owens, 2011

Paul Smith Store (Now G Lounge + Korean Designer Shop): System Lab, 2011

Givenchy Store: Piuarch, 2014

Corresponding article from The Econo...

Re-visiting SILICON VALLEY 'Season 1'

2015-04-05T13:07:00-04:00

The idea for this post came from the FAST COMPANY article about the meticulously researched sets of the HBO show :

How HBO Recreated The Studiedly Zany Offices Of Silicon Valley

Around the time of the SILICON VALLEY 'Season 1' debut, I was invited to a nondescript 2 story red brick building on Charleston Road for a round of meetings. While the meetings did not yield the desired end result, it led to a new found fascination with the subculture of the Valley.

Below, the photo collage series breaks down the logos, icons, sets and story lines of SILICON VALLEY 'Season 1', while anticipating future plot lines. The images illustrate the uncanny parallels between reality & fiction, and how the HBO Team created a pitch-perfect satire. Consider this post an open fan letter to Mike Judge : I have followed his work since the 90's when Beavis & Butt-head first aired on MTV, and Office Space was released.

While SILICON VALLEY has legions of fans, perhaps the ultimate endorsement comes in the form of...

Re-reading Delirious New York in Venice

2014-11-10T14:53:00-05:00

With a few projects on hold and other initiatives about to start Construction, my Office sought an opportune moment to re-read Delirious New York within the context of the 14th International Venice Biennale.

First published in 1978, Rem Koolhaas’s ‘Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan’ has been widely translated and has gained mythic status among Students, Architects, Urban Planners, Theorists, Filmmakers, and anyone who is fascinated with the continuing evolution of New York City.

Examining the vast Architectural Survey in Venice, we speculated about how to format a postscript to Delirious New York (1978-2014). While that question is still up in the air, it might be possible to shed light on late 20th Century and early 21st Century developments in New York City, and its global reverberations.

Applying Michel Foucault’s concept of Other Spaces and the theme from Perspecta 47: MONEY, the proposed Pop-Up Event entitled “HETEROTOPIA” highlights New York City’s drive towards modernizat...