The only context in which [Times Square] is routinely praised is a historical one, and then usually in a misguided glorification of its former grittiness. Nostalgia clouds the ugliness of the past and conceals the vibrancy of the present, but perhaps worst of all, it offers a pass for looking at Times Square as it really is and as it should be. [...]
if you’re trying to fight your way through the crowds of Times Square, you’re missing the point—the point is the crowd.
— observer.com
Related on Archinect:Have a moment at the "Heart of Hearts", now at Times Square for Valentine's DayNY Mayor de Blasio's Times Square overhaul runs into massive oppositionTimes Square throughout the agesTimes Square and the routine of chaosIs that a luge in Times Square? View full entry
I desperately tell myself as I hear students anxiously comparing internship applications and grad school plans. It’s okay if at any point, now or in the future, you find that you are straying from the path of the building arts, because you’ve collected some pretty valuable tools along the way. An architecture education provides much deeper skills than just designing and presenting buildings. — SCAD Architecture
"The SCAD School of Building Arts includes the allied disciplines of architecture, urban design, historic preservation, interior design, architectural history and furniture design, engaging more than 1000 students. The distinct collaborative environment within the School of Building Arts... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Core77 Design Awards. With the Regular Deadline for entry right around the corner on March 8th, the 2016 Core77 Design Awards invites designers from all over the world to put their best work forward and participate in this annual celebration of design enterprise... View full entry
The communication and orientation styles of the deaf or hearing impaired come with their own set of design guidelines, especially regarding shared or educational spaces. Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf/hearing impaired in Washington, DC has been profiled before for its attention to... View full entry
A US government agency says it has attained the “holy grail” of energy – the next-generation system of battery storage, that has has been hotly pursued by the likes of Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Arpa-E) – a branch of the Department of Energy – says it achieved its breakthrough technology in seven years.
— The Guardian
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Arpa-E) was founded back in 2009 as part of President Obama's economic recovery plan. So-called "moonshot projects" are often too risky for private investors, but this state-run initiative may have unlocked a new technology that others, from Elon Musk... View full entry
A new Texas state law going into effect on August 1 (exactly 50 years after the clocktower shootings at UT-Austin, by student and ex-marine Charles Whitman) will allow concealed handguns to be brought into public university campus buildings. This isn't sitting well with many members of the public... View full entry
Beijing is stepping up measures to fight against smog and pollution by building a web of ventilation corridors as one of its plans to combat climate issues, according to municipal authorities.
“Ventilation corridors can improve wind flow through a city so that wind can blow away heat and pollutants, relieving urban heat island effect and air pollution,” Wang Fei, deputy head of Beijing’s urban planning committee, told Xinhua News Agency.
— CCTV America
The planned "ventilation corridors" would range from less than 80 meters to more than 500 meters wide and – hopefully – do what their name suggests, providing a conduit for wind to blow away pollutants like particulate matter.Five major corridors are planned for the Chinese capital, running... View full entry
ICYMI Will Galloway penned a reflection on a workshop he instigated at Keio University, with members of Assemble, Paloma Strelitz and James Binning (pre Turner Prize). The studio ended with students building a very rough and very temporary Onsen. The three later discussed, the history of... View full entry
Beginning on Monday, March 7, 2016, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will no longer prosecute most violations or infractions, and the NYPD will no longer arrest individuals who commit these offenses – such as littering, public consumption of alcohol, or taking up two seats on the subway – unless there is a demonstrated public safety reason to do so. This initiative will enable the NYPD to devote its resources to investigating serious crimes... — Manhattanda
New Yorkers rejoice! A new initiative announced by the Manhattan District Attorney, the NYPD Commissioner and the Mayor means that you're now less likely to get arrested for sipping on a tallboy on your way back from a bodega.While you still may get a summons and have to pay a fine, the... View full entry
Twelve firms, including Greg Lynn Form, MOS Architects, Preston Scott Cohen Inc., and Zago Architecture have been selected by curators Cynthia Davidson and Mónica Ponce de León to create speculative architectural presentations for the 2016 U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The presentations... View full entry
Unlike industries such as automotive, which spend big bucks hiring branding and naming experts, architects often name themselves – sometimes on the fly.
There’s the story about ARO (Architecture Research Office) in New York. The name is generic, but what can you expect from the partners who named themselves on the way to a meeting, said Christian Unverzagt, design director at Detroit-based M1/DTW, a multidisciplinary studio specializing in design.
— Crain's Detroit Business
Architects spend years designing a single project, so it may come as a surprise that they sometimes name themselves in only a few minutes. While some firms have chosen a more clever approach to naming—Design, Bitches and BIG (with web address BIG.dk) spring to mind—many firms seem to choose... View full entry
The people of Geneva have narrowly rejected a controversial plan to extend and renovate the city’s Musée d’Art et d’Histoire by the French architect Jean Nouvel. The “non” camp won the public vote on 28 February with 54%.
Ateliers Jean Nouvel in Paris designed the planned extension, which was approved by Geneva’s municipal council last May, in collaboration with the local firms Architectures Jucker and DVK Architectes.[...]
The council must now launch a new competition for the museum.
— theartnewspaper.com
Related Nouvel stories in the Archinect news: Jean Nouvel in NYMag profile: "I create a film in my head."Jean Nouvel's super-tall 53W53 MoMA tower is "still an art"Jean Nouvel loses court case over 'sabotaged' Philharmonie de Paris View full entry
When we finally see this river restored to its natural beauty, it’ll be thanks to the work of thousands of people over decades.
The work that Frank Gehry is doing builds upon this—looking at how we can stitch together these 88 cities of LA County, including the 15 different jurisdictions along the river’s 51 miles—some of the most diverse and interesting communities that we’ve ever known. [...]
people have put aside their differences and said: This is an opportunity to move forward.
— planningreport.com
Get caught up with more news on Gehry's ongoing redevelopment strategy for the LA River:A closer look at reasons why the Los Angeles River revitalization is taking so longDoes Frank Gehry – or his firm – have what it takes to save the LA River?"They should grow up": Frank Gehry to critics of... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Burten, Bell, Carr Development. Burten, Bell, Carr Development (BBC), a non-profit community development organization is seeking qualifications from architects with experience designing shipping containers for commercial and/or office space use. The consultant must... View full entry
...eye-catching edifices began as China’s way of announcing its arrival as a powerful player on the world stage. Now, however, the Chinese government has changed course: It has officially declared this to be “weird” architecture that must be stopped. Chinese leaders have turned their backs on these structures, a shift that underscores China’s new conception of itself and its ambitions for the future [...] — the New Republic
"But the government’s mandate explicitly addresses both the function and form of new buildings, and the planning imperative seems designed to go beyond improving the quality of life. The end of “weird” architecture ties in to the government’s recent efforts to champion frugality... View full entry
