In a recent Washington Post article architect Roger K Lewis wrote about a recent article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which examined how commercial architecture’s similarity across nation provides mobile Americans with a sense of stability. Donna Sink, thinks it has less to do with with concepts like "familiarity-seeking" and more to do with the profit motives of developers.
In the second part of the CONTOURS: Whither Goest Thou, Green Economy: feature, Sherin Wing looks at the how the R-word index and the drag that the so-called PIIGS is having on the economy, are impacting the greening of the economy. Her essay attempts to put aside overblown... View full entry
Perhaps you have noticed that commercial architecture lining roads in Maryland and Virginia looks more or less the same and not much different from strip malls and boxy stores lining roads in Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio or Oregon. [...] Why do housing developments and retail shopping facilities look so much alike, given how much Americans value individuality, freedom of expression and independence? — washingtonpost.com
The design for an observation tower for the nature reserve ‘De Onlanden’, situated to the South-West of the City of Groningen, The Netherlands, was presented today to Natuurmonumenten (the Dutch Society for the Preservation of Natural Heritage) [...]. The observation tower is the result of a study into the optimal application of Ultra High Performance Concrete by a case study team comprising of UNStudio, ABT, BAM Utiliteitsbouw en Haitsma Beton. — bustler.net
We are days away from launching our new blogging platform, and we're looking for a few motivated individuals to get started now. If you're an architecture student that wants to represent your school with a school blog, we want to hear from you. But our new blogging platform will no longer be... View full entry
Piranha was commissioned by Silverstein Properties to create a short film depicting the completion of The New World Trade Center site. Piranha wrote, produced, art directed, filmed, and finished all vfx for this inspiring piece marking the 10th year anniversary of 9/11. — Vimeo
Piranha has shared with us a short film that they delivered on September 6th to Silverstein Properties that depicts the renaissance of downtown New York. It was presented at Tower 7 at a press event, in presence of Mayor Mike Bloomberg.Produced by Piranha NYCDirected by Gaspard Giroud View full entry
Over the next six months Architecture for Humanity plans to transform their current Open Architecture Network, an online network that empowers architects, designers, builders and their clients to share architectural plans and drawings, into a robust platform that provides dialogue and tools to support a shared vision of a more sustainable future across sectors. The combined strength of these communities, both created out of the TED Prize, will help spur innovation, learning, and best practices. — architectureforhumanity.org
Simultaneously acting as exhibition, discussion tool, and architectural manifesto, “What About It? Solo Exhibition” presented for the first time a physical collection of the intellectual provocations, architectural narratives, and theoretical adventures of WAI Architecture Think Tank... View full entry
Richard Hamilton the British painter and printmaker and pioneering figure in Pop Art, died on Tuesday. Donna Sink, used it as a teachable moment noting "I *just* showed this collage to my students as an example of an experiential rendering of a non-specific space. RIP", referring to Richard Hamilton's 'Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?', which is often referred to as the first example of Pop Art.
In Archinect's newest feature CONTOURS: Whither Goest Thou, Green Economy?, Guy Horton, claims "If the Obama administration is guilty of anything it is of being too optimistic and, yes, hopeful. The culture, with all of its working and non-working machinery, was not ready for big green to be... View full entry
While there is indeed real cause for anxiety, and new crises continue to emerge, the most pertinent stance young (and for that matter, established) designers can take is to translate the wealth of research emerging from design schools into further activist engagement and new research opportunities — and to advocate for that central role for designers in solving the profound dilemmas that define our time. — Places
The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art describes his efforts to expand MoMA's role to support experimentation and advocacy in architecture and design. For several years now, through exhibitions and workshops MoMa has explored how designers can... View full entry
Dadaab is now the third-largest city in Kenya, but there are no Kenyans living there. Instead, it is home to 450,000 Somalis in a camp that was built for 90,000 people. Refugees like Nuriya are not permitted to leave the camp, because the Kenyan government wants them to remain refugees and not become illegal immigrants. The government also prohibits them from working. — Der Spiegel
Dialika Krahe reports from the Ifo Refugee Camp, near Dadaab, Kenya. The camp was originally built for 90,000 people but now has around 450,000. Henok Ochalla, the UN camp manager doesn't see how many of the refugees in Dadaab can ever return. Therefore he'd like to establish a permanent... View full entry
No other place in the world has such a fantastic collection of underecognized and underappreciated vertical architecture as in Los Angeles. In a city of mostly low-density avenues and sprawling suburban tracts, no other street in L.A. contains as many of these Modernicus Erectus as Wilshire Boulevard. — Urban Operations
Since 2006, the annual pamphlet on skyscrapers is published as an ongoing research project by the office of Los Angeles architect John Southern, Urban Operations. This year's issue, "Wilshire Star Maps" is a limited edition of 100 prints and a digital edition you are about to enjoy. It also... View full entry
"For the past several years, Denver International Airport and I have worked with a team of dedicated architects and engineers to try to bring this ambitious project to fruition," he said in a statement. "From the beginning we have had the project's best interests at heart and although we have decided to part ways, I wish DIA all the best with the South Terminal Redevelopment Program and its future success." — denverpost.com
Previously: Calatrava: Hasta la Vista Denver! View full entry
The accelerating decline of suburban neighborhoods from Florida to California suggests that the contradictions of the system are finally catching up with it. The Great Recession is challenging not only the economics of homebuilding but also the essence of the suburban dream. Residential construction has slowed dramatically, and yet there remains a massive oversupply of single-family houses, especially on large lots. — places.designobserver.com
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will join the jury for the Pritzker Prize, architecture's top honor, Pritzker officials announced this morning. Joining Breyer on the eight-person jury will be architect Zaha Hadid, who won the prize in 2004. — latimesblogs.latimes.com
I am back in Chicago after a summer in Copenhagen and other various Nordic lands. (I actually have been for a bit, started school on AUG22).
I thought I would take a second to thank all the people that made the summer what it was.
— University of Illinois Chicago (Matthew)
