Put simply, there was an overwhelming amount of news this year, and June was no exception. It was a big month for the world of architecture, but it also marked the beginning of a significant step for the small team at Archinect, too.

EVENTS:

↑ The Opening of Archinect Outpost

Archinect Outpost first opened its doors on June 15th with the sale of Ed Issue 2. It was our biggest step into the world of retail, and we have learned countless lessons since opening day. We exclusively sold architecture magazines at first, followed by the addition of architecture monographs, which was then quickly followed by the addition of numerous design objects and apparel items. It has been a rewarding six months being a part of the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District community, and we are looking forward to what the future holds for our small but mighty retail space.

DESIGN:

↑ Olafur Eliasson completes his first building, Fjordenhus, in Denmark

The announcement of Olafur Eliasson's biggest architectural project made headlines earlier this year, given the audacity of the design and the significant new creative direction for the Icelandic artist. Located in Vejle, Denmark, Fjord House opened on June 9th.

↑ Kanye West's first YEEZY Home project appears to be a prefab affordable housing scheme

There was much hasty speculation shortly after the renderings from YEEZY Home came to light. What followed was a long list of comments heavily criticizing the images and their supposed intention. One comment from Miles Jaffe perhaps summarized the mood in the forum best: "The YEEZY brand consists of $120 T-shirts and $600 hoodies. "Affordable" as used here is a marketing term for starter millionaires." 

↑ Penda's Tel Aviv Arcades offer arches and terraces rather than the generic glass tower

We looked at the photos of this residential high-rise with great scrutiny. I recall wondering if a building with these proportions and materials could support itself as elegantly as the photos suggest. It stands out as a potential new icon for the century-old city of Tel Aviv.

↑ 2018 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, is unveiled ahead of Friday's opening

The unveiling of the new Serpentine Pavilion design is an exciting event for the architecture community each year, and this year's entry did not disappoint. Frida Escobedo, one of the youngest recipients of the prestigious commission, dazzled visitors to Hyde Park with an enclosed courtyard composed of a lattice of cement roof tiles, featuring a shallow pool of water to ward off the summer heat.

↑ David Chipperfield's completed Amorepacific HQ shows how a company can participate in the larger community

David Chipperfield completed one of his largest and most daring project in June. As the new headquarters for Amorepacific, the largest cosmetic company in South Korea, the 30-story high-rise is as serene and calming as any of their botanical formulas. The expansive courtyard in the middle is what will likely make the Amorepacific HQ a landmark project in the oeuvre of David Chipperfield Architects.

↑ Zaha Hadid Architects’ Morpheus hotel in Macau to open tomorrow

The Morpheus hotel opened its doors in June and was quickly set to become one of Macau's most opulent addresses. Located on the southern edge of China, the area often touted as the "Las Vegas of Asia" has become the region's most popular entertainment destination, welcoming more than 32 million tourists a year and housing a new breed of mega-casino resorts that make the ones in Nevada look modest.

↑ An artist creates brutalist cuckoo clocks based on Germany's social housing

In June, we featured the works of artist Guido Zimmermann. His Cuckoo Block series is a brutalist take on the traditional cuckoo clock design. Based in Germany, Zimmermann's pieces are largely inspired by local brutalist housing blocks found in Frankfurt and Berlin. 

↑ Recycled Buildings: How to Design for Disassembly

This article raised a question of particular significance in the 21st century: how can architectural design extend past the lifespan of the building designed? How can architects plan the demolitions of their buildings as environmentally safe as possible? To answer this question, we spoke with Anders Lendager from the Lendager Group, a Danish firm working towards a circular economy by giving upcycled and recycled building materials a new life in their buildings. I also check in with building scientist Bradley Guy, who has been advocating for design for disassembly (DfD) for over twenty years, with the aim to offer outline suggestions for architects to ensure their buildings are ready for the end from the beginning.

BUILDING NEWS:

↑ Frank Lloyd Wright's Mayan Revival-style Ennis House on sale for $23 million

The home made famous in Blade Runner and countless other cameos in movies was the subject of an intensive preservation process that ended in June with a price tag of $23 million dollars for the nearly 9,000 square foot landmark overlooking Los Feliz felt like a steal to some and an outrageous cost to others.

↑ Glasgow School of Art engulfed by fire, again!

To much surprise, damage beset the same building twice. The blaze spread to nearby buildings, including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue, which suffered "extensive damage". The renovated Mackintosh library had been due to reopen next year.

OMENS: 

↑ Trump considers tent cities to house unaccompanied migrant children

In a rare conflation of architecture and political news, June was the month in which the Trump Administration first floated the concept of building tent cities to accommodate this rapidly increasing population of migrant children awaiting processing. What was once a consideration, become an indefinite solution as the news unfolded in the subsequent months.