The U.S. pavilion's exhibition, "The Architectural Imagination", will focus on Detroit as a case study for architectural interventions worldwide, with keen interest in "creativity and resourcefulness", according to a press release issued from the University of Michigan. Co-curators Cynthia... View full entry
When most people think of the Arabian peninsula, they think of the opulent man-made islands of Dubai and that city’s sparking, futuristic towers... But with his series Crossings, Arko Datto shifts the attention to the millions of migrant workers from throughout Asia who are building these structures.
Datto used Google Maps and Google Earth to capture the vast highways, sprawling landscapes, and grand projects that laborers have built under conditions that border on slavery.
— Wired
“The work deals with the issue in a fairly abstract/tangential way,” Datto told Wired Magazine. “The total lack of human presence in the images is symbolic of the anonymity, facelessness, and lack of representation that the migrant workers suffer.” View full entry
Amelia Taylor-Hochberg presented Curated thoughts from an earlier (Archinect Sessions Episode #24 and #25) conversation with Kevin Roche, "a hero of the long-game". snooker-doodle-dandy noted "I have always liked Kevin and his work. He was one of the people whom drove me to the... View full entry
Berkeley city officials have shut down access to public records regarding the construction of the apartment complex, which was completed in January 2007. Normally, they would be viewable upon request, but zoning office staff cited a pending police investigation and a request by the Berkeley city manager that the records not be made immediately available. — LA Times
The fifth-floor balcony collapsed early morning Tuesday, in the midst of a birthday celebration for one of the victims. At the time of collapse, there were reportedly thirteen people on the balcony; the seven who survived the fall now face life-threatening injuries. Of the six dead, five were... View full entry
We spoke to Richard Armstrong, the director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, on the eve of the exhibition Guggenheim Helsinki Now: Six Finalist Designs Unveiled at the Kunsthalle Helsinki [...]
So the Guggenheim Helsinki will really happen?
Come June we will say which architect seems best for the job; then there has to be a vote in city council again [...]. So there are still a few legislative hurdles ahead, but I would predict yes. It’s irresistible.
— The Art Newspaper
Related:Get a glimpse of the Guggenheim Helsinki Stage Two finalist proposalsWhat do you think of the Guggenheim Helsinki Stage One entries?The Next Helsinki counter-competition launches in response to Guggenheim Helsinki controversyDid you submit one of the record-shattering 1,715 entries to the... View full entry
The father of modern architecture Le Corbusier and the most influential architects of the 20th century Louis Kahn will not find place in the latest heritage conservation list of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
Ahmedabad happens to be the only place in the world where Le Corbusier had designed four different buildings. Louis Kahn's IIM-A building too does not figure in the list of heritage buildings.
— Times of India
"The list, which consists of 2,247 buildings and havelis in the walled city and 382 buildings outside the walled city area, will be notified in a day or two. Inclusion in the list will mean that the new conservation building bye laws would now be applicable." View full entry
Just north of Newark, New Jersey, the Pulaski Skyway became the country’s first so-called “superhighway” — a 3.5-mile raised roadway running over the top of some of the most heavily industrialized property in the country. [...]
In infrastructure terms, the Pulaski is what’s called “functionally obsolete,” meaning it doesn’t meet modern design standards —and the money being spent to fix it up won’t change that.
— marketplace.org
He has a vision of a future where his company makes a third of the world's buildings – all modular, all steel, and all green.
“The biggest problem we face in the world right now isn't terrorism or world war. It's climate change,” he says.
— bbc.co.uk
A fascinating profile of Zhang Yue, the man behind Mini Sky City, a 57-story tower built in 19 days. Yue's company, the Broad Sustainable Group, was able to construct at such speeds by assembling prefab parts at the rate of 3-storeys a day. Now, Yue's set his sights on on building the full-size... View full entry
The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Monday that cities and counties may require developers to provide below-market-rate housing as a condition of a building permit.
The decision is expected to make it easier for Los Angeles and other cities with housing shortages to force developers to build or pay for affordable housing.
— LA Times
Two years later, Manfredi’s focus on Olympics facilities is much more than professional curiosity. He is an essential member — and a public face — of a planning team racing against a June 30 deadline to deliver a new venue plan for Boston’s bid for the 2024 Summer Games. [...]
“It has benefitted enormously from time,” said Manfredi, a principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects, referring to the pending 2.0 plan, in development for months.
— bostonglobe.com
Previously:Boston wins U.S. Olympic Committee's bid for 2024 GamesWhich U.S. city will win the 2024 Olympic bid? Boston, LA, DC and SF duke it out View full entry
Friday, June 12:The new OMA-designed Garage Museum opens in Moscow: On the design, Koolhaas has been quoted with "not restoring the building, but preserving its decay". The original Soviet-era building used to be a restaurant.Thursday, June 11:Stargazing with Patrik Schumacher: Episode 33 of... View full entry
Loath to lose more housing, Los Angeles lawmakers are now taking steps to help legalize 'bootlegged' apartments that have long existed without municipal blessing...The goal, City Councilman Felipe Fuentes said, is to 'maintain affordability and try to get folks into stable, dignified housing.' Both tenant and landlord groups praised the budding plan as a 'win-win'...But the idea has already raised concerns among some residents who see it as a reward for flouting the law. — Los Angeles Times
More:In Los Angeles, homelessness is becoming more visibleMonterey Park City Council adopts tougher penalties for landlords of illegal boarding homesWill Los Angeles be seeing more housing development along its LA River?Another case of "poor door" for proposed Vancouver high-riseHonolulu Law... View full entry
Google's ambitious £1 billion King's Cross development, which will be the technology giant's European headquarters, has faced repeated delays since it was first announced back in 2013. The project currently has "no target completion date." — Business Insider
This news came to Business Insider via "a source close to Heatherwick", although neither Google nor Heatherwick has commented on it at this time. Heatherwick is already pinned to the expansion of Google's Mountain View headquarters, along with Bjarke Ingels of BIG. Previous designs by local firm... View full entry
the System-Built developer may indeed have constructed this home without Wright’s knowledge — Urban Milwaukee
Alas, some thing never change. View full entry
The site is located in Kaesong, the old imperial capital of medieval Korea, now a small industrial city located in North Korea, just north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). [...]
“There were wars of nerves between South and North scholars due to differences in methodologies, but we were in a same boat on the achievement of this excavation.”
— qz.com