rem koolhaas just cancelled his appearance at both the barbican tomorrow and the pecha kucha on sunday!
i'd bought tickets for both events (£15 each) - was taking no chances after loosing out in the door lottery at the AA for eisenman/koolhaas event there - but i guess there's just no way i'm gonna see him in action yet (sorry for being a total koolhaas whore..to those of you who couldn't care less).
pretty down about it...don't care too much about lord foster who's taking his place on the panel at the barbican.
looks like patrick schumacher also bowed out for the pecha kucha (or has been replaced by cristos from zha).
We are pleased to announce that Lord Foster has agreed to take part in the Debate ‘What Skyline Does London Want?’, a London Architecture Biennale headline event organised by the Architecture Foundation. Rem Koolhaas is unable to participate due to urgent and unavoidable commitments overseas
Fresh from an altercation with an egg-throwing "local tough" at Highbury Corner, Boris Johnson was in sparkling form as he addressed the final Blueprint Big Breakfast at Smith's of Smithfield this morning.
Johnson told the assembled ranks of design professionals that he came to address them "in a spirit of complete and abject humility" as a "mere politician and a man who barely scraped a pass in art A-level", but then proceeded to offer his audience the benefit of his considerable experience as "a man in the street".
Taking his inspiration from a gargoyle glimpsed through a south-facing window, the erstwhile Spectator editor implored his listeners not to neglect beauty in modern architecture and boldly quoted his fellow Tory Oliver Letwin to back his point. Warming to his task, he went on to survey the history of architecture from the ancient Greeks to the Labour government of 1948 to Richard Rogers' urban task force in a whirlwind of abstract thought.
It was left to RIBA presidential candidate Sunand Prasad to reintroduce the MP to reality, asking whether a future Conservative government would be prepared to pay extra to make public buildings beautiful.
"I'm not making any spending commitment today," replied Boris crisply.
No-shows no tragedy for regeneration debate, writes Ellen Bennett
It's the plague of life as an architecture groupie. The great and the good so seldom show up.
Wednesday night's regeneration debate at Tate Modern held out the tempting offer of Ricky Burdett as chairman and a special guest appearance by architecture's very own enfant terrible, Will Alsop, to tempt us away from the eagerly anticipated Argentina vs Holland game.
But, like the guest star of the Saturday sheep drive, Norman Foster, and Rem Koolhaas, the headline name for Sunday's Pecha Kucha, they were nowhere to be seen. Add to this Zaha's no-show at last year's RIBA conference - with the ultimate insult of a "video-appearance" sent along in her place - and you start to wonder if it's really worth shelling out for all those tickets.
Still, the Architecture Foundation's Rowan Moore and Southwark's Chris Horne were among those who did turn up and, despite the Tate's auditorium being rather less than packed, they put on a good show. Hot topics included the inevitably of gentrification as a result of regeneration and the Big Question about the Olympics - will it regenerate east London? (a resounding No, according to Moore). Perhaps there's a lesson for all those celebrity lovers out there: even if the big names can't be relied on, there are still big ideas to be had.
It's groundhog day at the Gherkin, writes James Rose
Lord Foster, proving he can still resemble a Bond villain when sporting a fawn suit and pink tie, introduced the British premier of Mirjam von Arx's film Building the Gherkin at the Barbican on Wednesday night.
Foster repeated his view that the gherkin label began as a critic's jibe but has since evolved into the public's affectionate nickname, last heard at the RIBA launch of the Royal Mail's architecture stamps on Monday. As the documentary showed, it was also his line at the tower's opening party in 2004, leaving no doubt as to how comfortable the architect feels about the irreverent tag.
After such a bracing opening, it was unfortunate that the Barbican chose to present Marcus Robinson's 30-minute "short" about the erection of the London Eye as a pre-gherkin appetiser. Robinson's time-lapse photography of the construction site set to music looked like corporate PR wallpaper and ought to have been chopped down to music video size.
After 25 minutes, hysteria began to ripple through the audience. A round of applause burst out, apparently sparked by the honest belief that this fade out must be the last, followed by nervous laughter when it became clear that Robinson wasn't done yet.
By contrast, von Arx's feature length piece drew some genuine laughs, not least with the sight of Swiss Re building director Sara Fox solemnly entering the newly completed tower only to be blocked by a misbehaving security gate and, to her credit, falling about laughing.
BD's quick exit poll found photographer Suzie surprised by how emotional a film about a building had been, while Richard, a visual merchandising designer, had appreciated the chance to see inside it.
Access to the gherkin was a hot topic for the concluding Q&A, earnestly hosted by the Daily Telegraph's film critic Sukhdev Sandhu.
Ann, a project manager for the NHS, told the Gherkin's project director Carla Picardi it was a shame the public couldn't easily get into the landmark structure, to which Picardi responded that "most corporate buildings aren't accessible to the public, but at least the corporations are commissioning great architecture".
City planner Peter Wynne Rees maintained the articulate poise he had displayed in his appearances on film, issuing a robust defence of London's stance on tall buildings and taking a swipe at the sort of "totally negative" journalism that saw the Gherkin labelled one of Britain's worst designed buildings in a recent BBC poll.
Director von Arx, the final member of the panel, revealed that Making the Gherkin had been thoroughly road-tested before being launched on the city where it was made. Her film was shown in cinemas in Switzerland and Germany, and on television in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, before making its London debut.
Due to the demand of tickets, the Barbican has scheduled an additional screening on July 9, at 1.30pm, and might have to add further dates.The DVD will be released in August and will include 50 minutes of Special Features (Norman Foster in Conversation, Robin Partington's Architectural Masterclass, Behind the Scenes, Featurette, Theatrical Trailer).
Well, the "Big Debate" was definately a disappointment - it has to be said that i was already sulking over Rem Koolhaas having cancelled at the last minute (had to go to Kuwait it turns out...) and so pretended to develop a childish interest in my mobile phones camera settings right back there on T-row at Barbican's Theatre 1 (it does panoramic shots - wuuhuu!).
I was going to write a long piece here, but I didn't really take notes, and I'm not sure it's worth it. In brief, Adam Caruso's presentation was the best (he made us laugh, always a plus). Alejandro Zaero-Polo was probably the weakest - to me it just seemed like an ego trip showing his own work.
Norman Foster felt that we can go vertical as long as we do it well, using valid designs, and emphasise the importance of the baseline alongside the skyline, integration with public transport etc.
FOA would really like to build something tall and I guess they're still unhappy about their proposal for Ground Zero not being picked (or so it seemed).
Lee S. of KPF was quite dry (and had a very low voice which meant you actually had to pay attention), showing some slick animations. Said there were some big problems ahead (doesn't like government intervening in local city matters). Very corporate, business minded, but I actually warmed to him as the evening progressed. Made a point that there a 240 tall structures under construction in the world at the present moment, but that of these, only something like 11 (15?) being built in Europe/North America.
Adam Caruso, perhaps not the biggest optimist (compared to the Foster generation) - pointing out problems with pollution and other side effects of rapid growth. Does not believe the demographic projections. However, denied he was a cynicist as a member of the audience would later have us believe ("Adam, you just don't like humans...").
Rowan Moore called for questions as the debate was actually starting to pick up a bit (again, thanks to Adam Caruso - Foster had already run off, Alejandro was rubbing his forehead and seemed tired, but it was actually getting interesting):
Unfortunately, the two "questions" from the audience came out more like long comments (why does this always happen...) and sucked the last bit of energy out of the night.
Rowan Moore summing up by saying that he'd noted he was the only English person on the stage and perhaps that was saying something about the attraction London has (and it's growth potential). So maybe the demographics aren't that wrong after all.
That's quite a messy recount though...
Wen't to the Future City exhibition at the Barbican today - thankfully the FT have already done a review which I feel is spot on: FT review
London Architecture Biennale
and architecture week.....
http://www.architectureweek.org.uk/regional06.asp?region=3
+
http://www.architectureweek.org.uk/regional06.asp?region=3
anyone go'n? or does footie have your attention!
It starts on june 23 , ( i guess ) at the barbican art gallery .
I hope they put photos online , Id love to see some unseen works ,especially of Nox & Decoi and Constant Nieuwenhuys.
rem koolhaas just cancelled his appearance at both the barbican tomorrow and the pecha kucha on sunday!
i'd bought tickets for both events (£15 each) - was taking no chances after loosing out in the door lottery at the AA for eisenman/koolhaas event there - but i guess there's just no way i'm gonna see him in action yet (sorry for being a total koolhaas whore..to those of you who couldn't care less).
pretty down about it...don't care too much about lord foster who's taking his place on the panel at the barbican.
looks like patrick schumacher also bowed out for the pecha kucha (or has been replaced by cristos from zha).
oh well....
here's part of the email i received about this:
We are pleased to announce that Lord Foster has agreed to take part in the Debate ‘What Skyline Does London Want?’, a London Architecture Biennale headline event organised by the Architecture Foundation. Rem Koolhaas is unable to participate due to urgent and unavoidable commitments overseas
so is the cctv on fire or what...it better be!!!
From BD today
Fresh from an altercation with an egg-throwing "local tough" at Highbury Corner, Boris Johnson was in sparkling form as he addressed the final Blueprint Big Breakfast at Smith's of Smithfield this morning.
Johnson told the assembled ranks of design professionals that he came to address them "in a spirit of complete and abject humility" as a "mere politician and a man who barely scraped a pass in art A-level", but then proceeded to offer his audience the benefit of his considerable experience as "a man in the street".
Taking his inspiration from a gargoyle glimpsed through a south-facing window, the erstwhile Spectator editor implored his listeners not to neglect beauty in modern architecture and boldly quoted his fellow Tory Oliver Letwin to back his point. Warming to his task, he went on to survey the history of architecture from the ancient Greeks to the Labour government of 1948 to Richard Rogers' urban task force in a whirlwind of abstract thought.
It was left to RIBA presidential candidate Sunand Prasad to reintroduce the MP to reality, asking whether a future Conservative government would be prepared to pay extra to make public buildings beautiful.
"I'm not making any spending commitment today," replied Boris crisply.
No-shows no tragedy for regeneration debate, writes Ellen Bennett
It's the plague of life as an architecture groupie. The great and the good so seldom show up.
Wednesday night's regeneration debate at Tate Modern held out the tempting offer of Ricky Burdett as chairman and a special guest appearance by architecture's very own enfant terrible, Will Alsop, to tempt us away from the eagerly anticipated Argentina vs Holland game.
But, like the guest star of the Saturday sheep drive, Norman Foster, and Rem Koolhaas, the headline name for Sunday's Pecha Kucha, they were nowhere to be seen. Add to this Zaha's no-show at last year's RIBA conference - with the ultimate insult of a "video-appearance" sent along in her place - and you start to wonder if it's really worth shelling out for all those tickets.
Still, the Architecture Foundation's Rowan Moore and Southwark's Chris Horne were among those who did turn up and, despite the Tate's auditorium being rather less than packed, they put on a good show. Hot topics included the inevitably of gentrification as a result of regeneration and the Big Question about the Olympics - will it regenerate east London? (a resounding No, according to Moore). Perhaps there's a lesson for all those celebrity lovers out there: even if the big names can't be relied on, there are still big ideas to be had.
It's groundhog day at the Gherkin, writes James Rose
Lord Foster, proving he can still resemble a Bond villain when sporting a fawn suit and pink tie, introduced the British premier of Mirjam von Arx's film Building the Gherkin at the Barbican on Wednesday night.
Foster repeated his view that the gherkin label began as a critic's jibe but has since evolved into the public's affectionate nickname, last heard at the RIBA launch of the Royal Mail's architecture stamps on Monday. As the documentary showed, it was also his line at the tower's opening party in 2004, leaving no doubt as to how comfortable the architect feels about the irreverent tag.
After such a bracing opening, it was unfortunate that the Barbican chose to present Marcus Robinson's 30-minute "short" about the erection of the London Eye as a pre-gherkin appetiser. Robinson's time-lapse photography of the construction site set to music looked like corporate PR wallpaper and ought to have been chopped down to music video size.
After 25 minutes, hysteria began to ripple through the audience. A round of applause burst out, apparently sparked by the honest belief that this fade out must be the last, followed by nervous laughter when it became clear that Robinson wasn't done yet.
By contrast, von Arx's feature length piece drew some genuine laughs, not least with the sight of Swiss Re building director Sara Fox solemnly entering the newly completed tower only to be blocked by a misbehaving security gate and, to her credit, falling about laughing.
BD's quick exit poll found photographer Suzie surprised by how emotional a film about a building had been, while Richard, a visual merchandising designer, had appreciated the chance to see inside it.
Access to the gherkin was a hot topic for the concluding Q&A, earnestly hosted by the Daily Telegraph's film critic Sukhdev Sandhu.
Ann, a project manager for the NHS, told the Gherkin's project director Carla Picardi it was a shame the public couldn't easily get into the landmark structure, to which Picardi responded that "most corporate buildings aren't accessible to the public, but at least the corporations are commissioning great architecture".
City planner Peter Wynne Rees maintained the articulate poise he had displayed in his appearances on film, issuing a robust defence of London's stance on tall buildings and taking a swipe at the sort of "totally negative" journalism that saw the Gherkin labelled one of Britain's worst designed buildings in a recent BBC poll.
Director von Arx, the final member of the panel, revealed that Making the Gherkin had been thoroughly road-tested before being launched on the city where it was made. Her film was shown in cinemas in Switzerland and Germany, and on television in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, before making its London debut.
Due to the demand of tickets, the Barbican has scheduled an additional screening on July 9, at 1.30pm, and might have to add further dates.The DVD will be released in August and will include 50 minutes of Special Features (Norman Foster in Conversation, Robin Partington's Architectural Masterclass, Behind the Scenes, Featurette, Theatrical Trailer).
Well, the "Big Debate" was definately a disappointment - it has to be said that i was already sulking over Rem Koolhaas having cancelled at the last minute (had to go to Kuwait it turns out...) and so pretended to develop a childish interest in my mobile phones camera settings right back there on T-row at Barbican's Theatre 1 (it does panoramic shots - wuuhuu!).
I was going to write a long piece here, but I didn't really take notes, and I'm not sure it's worth it. In brief, Adam Caruso's presentation was the best (he made us laugh, always a plus). Alejandro Zaero-Polo was probably the weakest - to me it just seemed like an ego trip showing his own work.
Norman Foster felt that we can go vertical as long as we do it well, using valid designs, and emphasise the importance of the baseline alongside the skyline, integration with public transport etc.
FOA would really like to build something tall and I guess they're still unhappy about their proposal for Ground Zero not being picked (or so it seemed).
Lee S. of KPF was quite dry (and had a very low voice which meant you actually had to pay attention), showing some slick animations. Said there were some big problems ahead (doesn't like government intervening in local city matters). Very corporate, business minded, but I actually warmed to him as the evening progressed. Made a point that there a 240 tall structures under construction in the world at the present moment, but that of these, only something like 11 (15?) being built in Europe/North America.
Adam Caruso, perhaps not the biggest optimist (compared to the Foster generation) - pointing out problems with pollution and other side effects of rapid growth. Does not believe the demographic projections. However, denied he was a cynicist as a member of the audience would later have us believe ("Adam, you just don't like humans...").
Rowan Moore called for questions as the debate was actually starting to pick up a bit (again, thanks to Adam Caruso - Foster had already run off, Alejandro was rubbing his forehead and seemed tired, but it was actually getting interesting):
Unfortunately, the two "questions" from the audience came out more like long comments (why does this always happen...) and sucked the last bit of energy out of the night.
Rowan Moore summing up by saying that he'd noted he was the only English person on the stage and perhaps that was saying something about the attraction London has (and it's growth potential). So maybe the demographics aren't that wrong after all.
That's quite a messy recount though...
Wen't to the Future City exhibition at the Barbican today - thankfully the FT have already done a review which I feel is spot on: FT review
Sorry, the person I call Lee S. above is actually Lee Polisano of KPF. I should have checked beforehand.
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