But the Vali-e-Asr mosque, designed by the Iranian architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff, is stirring controversy in a country that hosts some of the world’s most glittering places of worship. Iranian hardliners are refusing to recognise it as a mosque, complaining that it does not have a minaret or proper dome, and that it is dwarfed by the theatre. [...]
The conservative Mashregh News said: [...] It was “an insulting, postmodern design” that is “empty of any meaning”, it said.
— The Guardian
Designed by Iranian Fluid Motion Architects and nearly 10 years in the making, the modern appearance of the almost completed Vali-e-Asr mosque in Tehran is facing harsh opposition from Iran's conservative establishment. "The Vali-e-Asr mosque doesn’t have a minaret, nor a dome; neither did the... View full entry
Nicholas Korody published The Amnesias of "Make New History", a reflection on the "broader curatorial failures" of the second Chicago Architecture Biennial, which launched with the theme "Make New History." davvid (and others) were impressed "Wow. Thats an excellent critique." The latest The... View full entry
Closings commenced at the late Zaha Hadid‘s futurist 520 West 28th Street at the end of June. According to a press release from developer Related, now that move-ins are underway, the architects have revealed the fully amenitized interiors, which include one of the world’s first private IMAX theaters, a 75-foot sky-lit lap pool, a High Line-adjacent terrace and landscaped courtyard, and a fitness center complete with a 24-hour juice bar and plunge pool. — 6sqft
renderings © Scott Francesrenderings © Scott Francesrenderings © Scott Francesrenderings © Scott Frances View full entry
Ten years after a Dundee V&A museum was first considered, the finishing touches are being applied to the exterior of the £80.1m building ahead of its opening next summer. [...]
No amount of artist's impressions and computer-generated fly-throughs could have prepared the city for the true size and scale of the imposing design of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who will inspect the building on Wednesday.
— BBC
Kengo Kuma was in Scotland today to inspect construction progress on the impressive V&A Museum of Design Dundee he designed. Video via V&A Dundee on YouTube He seemed very pleased, stating: "As an architect, seeing a completed building can be stressful, as some times the quality isn’t... View full entry
The concrete, t-shaped residential tower designed by starchitect, Bjarke Ingels and his firm BIG, topped out over the weekend, adding diversity to Upper Manhattan’s usual upright architecture. The East Harlem project at 158 East 126th Street, known as E126, uniquely slopes inward as it rises... View full entry
Architects have a thing for strong men, and the big global practices – from Norman Foster to Zaha Hadid – have piled in in a bid to help Kazakhstan’s dictator, Nursultan Nazarbayev, build himself a trophy city — The Guardian
Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright reports from the Astana World Expo grounds as part of the paper's fascinating new series, Secret Stans, which offers a glimpse into the cities of the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and... View full entry
In an emerging subgenre of architectural documentary, Nathaniel Kahn, Tomas Koolhaas, and Eric Saarinen take a personal look at their mythologized fathers. [...]
Whether a film deals in the social or monumental legacy of an architect, the idea of the genius—which has been so unevenly applied—should come under scrutiny. As the children of architects have conferred through these films, nobody can be all things to all people.
— citylab.com
In her piece for CityLab, Daisy Alioto looks at three recent examples of iconic architects having their life's work documented in film by their sons: Rem Koolhaas in REM, produced by Tomas Koolhaas; Eero Saarinen in Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future, by Eric Saarinen; and Louis Kahn... View full entry
“… And Though She be but Little, She is Fierce!”, the title of Liz Teston’s contribution using a quote from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, captures the content of this MONU issue on “Small Urbanism” very well. For when it comes to urbanism, small things seem to... View full entry
The mysterious images of the physical manifestations of military power hover between abstraction and information, between the inscrutable and the mundane. They are at once compelling as visual compositions and chilling as photographic documentation of activities that are otherwise based on speculation. — MacArthur Foundation
The 2017 MacArthur fellows have been revealed. Artist and geographer, Trevor Paglen, won the award for his work on surveillance infrastructures. Twelve years ago, we followed Paglen on his field work and spoke with him about experimental geography. The full feature by Bryan Finoki is... View full entry
Frances Bronet, senior vice president and provost at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and a distinguished educator at the forefront of interdisciplinary curricula and collaboration, has been selected as the 12th president of Pratt Institute, announced Bruce Gitlin, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee [...].
She will be the first woman president to lead Pratt Institute, one of the world’s most renowned art and design colleges.
— pratt.edu
Frances Bronet will officially commence her presidency on January 2, 2018, succeeding President Thomas F. Schutte who — after more than two decades at the helm — stepped down on June 30 this year. Pratt Institute Provost Kirk E. Pillow has served as the school's interim President since then. View full entry
Swiss francs, like most world currencies, have long featured notable faces from the past. But now, each beautiful note is designed around an abstract theme related to Switzerland. For the 10-franc note, instead of the retired portrait of the controversial genius Le Corbusier, the theme focuses on Switzerland’s organizational talent – expressed by time. — Le News
Le Corbusier and his plan for Chandigarh won't be featured on the new 10-Franc bill anymore. The new bill is inspired by Switzerland’s "organizational talent" and punctuality; it represents a pair of hands conducting time, the country's longest railway tunnels, and a map of the country and of... View full entry
A new set of photographs of the recently opened Canadian National Holocaust Monument have been released and help give a better understanding of the Daniel Libeskind-designed space: how it sits in its surrounding landscape created by Claude Cormier, and what atmosphere the large-scale... View full entry
The New Museum Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that OMA’s Rem Koolhaas and Shoehei Shigematsu will design the museum’s new building at 231 Bowery as part of the institution’s expansion. The new structure, purchased by the contemporary art museum in 2008, will link the museum’s... View full entry
Architecture is a creative media that analyzes what is, while imagining what could and should be. Located in Los Angeles’ Art District, A+D Museum's current exhibit, The Architectural Imagination, is a showcase of re-imagining and rebuilding the outdated industrial urbanscape of Detroit... View full entry
UPDATE: We have already hit our limit of 500 confirmed guests for the party. If you have RSVP'd and cannot make it, please update your status here to free up some space for others. If you would like to attend, please send us an email to [email protected], indicating your name and guest name(s)... View full entry