This week's show is dedicated to Louisville, and we're delighted to share the mic with longtime Archinect favorite Steven Ward. Steven is an architect and partner at Studio Kremer Architects, teacher and architecture critic/cheerleader for the local independent paper LEO Weekly. We discuss his... View full entry
The head of an influential charity in Italy has said that it is not feasible to rebuild all of the Medieval villages reduced to rubble by yesterday’s earthquake, as it would be too costly and the region has been depopulating anyway.
Instead, the strategic plan for the mountainous area northeast of Rome should be “rethought completely”, said Paolo Beccegato, vice director of the Catholic charity Caritas, which has workers assisting in the devastated zone.
— Global Construction Review
The 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the mountainous area northeast of Rome yesterday morning, affecting 241 towns and killing at least 250 people.In related news:Death toll climbs to 350 after powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits EcuadorA 6.4 magnitude earthquake has just struck JapanTaiwan... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Yulio. There’s no denying it: Virtual Reality (VR) creates a buzz. It’s exciting and attention-grabbing. It attracts and then holds. And keeps holding. Wherever you go, a pair of goggles instantly draws a crowd.For businesses in the Architecture and Interior... View full entry
It's touted as the "world's highest and longest" glass-bottom bridge, elegantly stretched between two mountain peaks in central China's Hunan province.
And as of this weekend, it's open to visitors. Now, one can walk the 470-yard length of the glass bridge, which is positioned a vertigo-inducing 328 yards above the ground, as China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
The bridge is located in the Zhangjiajie National Forest [...].
— npr.org
Related stories in the Archinect news:China announces world's longest and highest glass bridgeChina opens 590-foot-high glass-bottom bridgeNow THAT's a skywalk! Jin Mao Tower to open world's highest fenceless, all transparent walkway in ShanghaiChinese glass-bottom walkway cracks below tourists... View full entry
This isn't your grandfather's urbanization: population figures in major U.S. cities, which on the whole are on the uptick after declining in the 1960s, are adding residents not to their already built urban cores but rather in the form greenfield sprawl, which makes use of farmland and lightly... View full entry
Mike Ford, a lead architect for the Universal Hip Hop Museum, has studied and written about the relationship between disastrous urban planning/architecture and the rise of hip hop. Essentially, Ford's argument is that the ghettoization of African Americans in the 20th century via ill-conceived... View full entry
"it performs the functions of a great city, in terms of size, cosmopolitan style, creative energy, international influence, distinctive way of life, and corporate personality [proves that] all the most admired theorists of the present century, from the Futurists and Le Corbusier to Jane Jacobs and Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, have been wrong.” — the guardian
"In the 1960s, British architectural critic Reyner Banham declared his love for the city that his fellow intellectuals hated. What Banham wrote about Los Angeles redefined how the world perceived it – but what would he think of LA today?"With a nod to Glen Small's Biomorphic Biosphere is... View full entry
You’ve always wanted to call Brooklyn home. But it’s complicated. You’re not really the pioneering type. Brooklyn can be rough around the edges. Amenities are lacking. We understand. Industrial-chic finishes are important in life. So are 25-year tax abatements. And European-style, car-sized parking turntables. — failedarchitecture.com
Failed Architecture takes a closer look at Brooklyn's wildly sprouting 'developer architecture':Photographs by Cameron Blaylock. Find many more examples of subtle contextualism over on failedarchitecture.com. Related stories in the Archinect news:5 myths about gentrification, according to a... View full entry
The National Labor Relations Board decided in favor of Columbia University graduate students and teaching assistants in a landmark case over their right to unionize. The decision will affect private universities nationwide and overturns a 2004 Brown University precedent, which asserted that... View full entry
Los Angeles wants to rethink its river. [...] And LA isn’t the only metropolis looking to reclaim its once-mocked waterway. Cities around the world are realizing that water can be a cultural and recreational asset, not something to hide or pillage, and it seems no waterway will be wasted for long. — wired.com
Related stories in the Archinect news:Gruen Associates, Mia Lehrer, Oyler Wu appointed to design L.A. River Greenway in San Fernando ValleyWhat's happening with Frank Gehry's masterplan for the LA River?A plan to clean up the River Spree around Museum Island in Berlin View full entry
The true impact of air pollution has been obscured by the failure to consider people’s exposure as they move around during the day...
The research cites air pollution as “the world’s single largest environment and human health threat” but laments that the problem has not previously been “considered spatially and temporally”, with most studies basing a person’s pollution exposure on where they live.
— the Guardian
Interested in urban initiatives to combat air pollution? Follow these links:Barcelona's bold new plan to get cars off the roadSmog-choked Beijing plans "ventilation corridors" to provide much-needed fresh airNew Delhi mandates odd-even car rationing to fight world's worst air... View full entry
Future Arena, the handball venue, will be taken apart and the pieces used to build four schools around the city, each serving 500 students. [...]
the city will turn the aquatics stadium into two community swimming centers; the media center will become a high school dorm; and the 300 acres of land on which Barra Olympic Park currently sits will go be turned over for public parks and private development.
— grist.org
More on Rio's Olympic legacy:In honor of the Olympics, French artist JR installs giant athletes in RioRio mayor admits Olympics were a “missed opportunity”, but believes the city has been unfairly portrayedThe rapid gentrification of Rio's favelas in advance of the OlympicsRio Olympics "must... View full entry
In this fascinating piece by Rumaan Ali for Slate, he explores how children's picture books offer a fun historical survey of the ideal architecture and interior decor for each place and time, spanning from the early 20th century to contemporary times. Although the books usually incorporate some... View full entry
The idea behind Turncoats is for people to relax, slough off their more cautious professional selves, and engage in full-throated (yet respectful!), rapid-fire debate on a broad range of topics. Audience members are encouraged to speak up, Powerpoints are strictly forbidden, and alcohol is served liberally. — washingtoncitypaper.com
Started in London in the last couple years, Turncoats has chapters in Scotland, Vancouver, Serbia and now, the U.S. The first D.C. Turncoats event takes place tomorrow, August 24, and is centered around the debate topic of "D.C. Wants Boring Architecture". Find more details here.More on debates... View full entry
Julia Ingalls took readers on a tour of some of the world's most attractive public housing projects, from the last decade. ChrisDx commented "The projects certainly appear innovative in images taken most likely when they were first built. I wonder how ‘successful’ they have been in meeting... View full entry
