After twin earthquakes in April and May claimed 9,000 lives and left vast swathes of Nepal in ruins, survivors worried if they reused the brick rubble, they would end up with the same vulnerable, seismically unsound structures.
[...] Shigeru Ban - who helped bring global attention to humanitarian architecture and continues to influence fellow architects and disaster-relief workers - devised a solution. [...]
"I'm encouraging people to copy my ideas. No copyrights," Ban said.
— reuters.com
"While Ban said he enjoys working on grand projects commissioned by privileged people, he also wants to help people who have lost their homes, and is encouraged that many architects have followed in his footsteps."Previously in the Archinect news:Shigeru Ban: Beauty as a basic human needShigeru... View full entry
November 2015↑ Cut away confusion from your NYC commute with these beautiful subway maps Navigate NYC's subway system with this handy resource that's also easy on the eyes. Locally based architect Candy Chan rendered the city's subway stations into a growing collection of lovely 3D maps... View full entry
"'Are you going to do beautiful architecture or do-gooder architecture?' I want to do neither and both." [...]
"It's not like you're going to design some single product that revolutionizes the way people shape the world around them," Surface said. "You have to change fundamentally how your organization is structured, how your resources are allocated, stop thinking of yourself as a gatekeeper. It's about redistributing how power and decision making and resources are divided between people."
— thestranger.com
Prompted by her work with Design in Public in Seattle, this profile of Susan Surface dips into her professional and personal background to designing like she gives a damn, covering the diversity of ways she seeks to question the power structures that perpetuate socially irresponsible or... View full entry
July 2015↑ New satellite images show progress in China's island-building projectNew satellite images were revealed in July that showed the extensive project China is making with its island-building project in the “South China Sea.” An important shipping route, the disputed waterway has... View full entry
[Tarek] looks down at the glossy graphics, and then up again, before gesturing around at his neighbours. “Where are we in this picture?” he asks...
Norman Foster’s practice has chosen to partner with a government widely condemned by international human rights groups for its brutal crackdowns on dissent and widespread use of torture; in return, the company seems to believe it can carve out a place for itself in the vanguard of a progressive new era of urban design...
Is it right?
— the Guardian
Jack Shenker and Ruth Michaelson take a more in-depth, on-the-ground look at the political context of the Maspero District masterplan, which I discussed a few weeks ago. The Foster and Partners-designed project would remake a part of Cairo that was the site of numerous protests since 2011. The... View full entry
Now that the cat is out of the bag and the Japanese government has officially announced Kengo Kuma's stadium proposal as the new winning design for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, all eyes are on Zaha Hadid Architects, design firm of the voluptuous initial winning stadium spaceship which was ultimately... View full entry
The government on Tuesday picked a design by architect Kengo Kuma for the new National Stadium, a building that is expected to become the centerpiece of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
One of two short-listed entries and identified until now only as design A, Kuma’s plan was a joint submission in partnership with construction giant Taisei Corp.
The competing design, identified as design B, was by architect Toyo Ito [...].
— japantimes.co.jp
Last week's rumors turned out to be true - the winning Design A was indeed developed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, beating out Toyo Ito's less successful Design B.UPDATE: Zaha Hadid issues disappointed statement on Tokyo Olympic Stadium decisionPreviously in the Archinect news:Kengo Kuma &... View full entry
Today, The Barack Obama Foundation issued a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) to seven architectural firms, one of which will ultimately be selected to design the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) on the South Side of Chicago. [...]
Although the RFP process is not a design competition, the RFP will require defined, visual responses from each candidate to present creative ideas in response to the Foundation’s project goals.
— barackobamafoundation.org
After sending out RFQs to a broad range of (undisclosed but widely speculated) architectural firms on August 26, the President and First Lady, together with advisers from the Obama Foundation, have found time to sit down and select seven finalists to receive a formal Request for Proposal. The... View full entry
As I walked back down Forest Avenue, I realized how revolutionary the Prairie School was for its time. Wright and the architects in his fold built a genre based on their interpretations of how living spaces could evolve. So many elements of Wright’s designs were bold, such as raised floors and roofs that extended significantly from their structures, while also retaining a strong sense of simplicity. — NYT
John L Dorman recounts the glories of homes found in Oak Park (a village 10 miles west of the Loop outside of Chicago), designed by Frank Lloyd Wright between 1889 and 1909. An easy way to take in the sights is the “Wright Around Oak Park Tour” ($60), an extensive three-hour guided walking... View full entry
In addition to the dense mixed-use development above the rail yards, the new draft calls for doubling the size of Drexel Park, a river overlook, a series of boardwalks and green spaces along the west bank trail of the Schuylkill, and a transit terminal for buses. — Philly.curbed.com
Actually, I am blinded by this light" Zaha Hadid's first words at the lecture. — SCI Arc Media Archive
"Zaha Hadid reviews her work at the AA with Rem Koolhaas, and, before that, with Leon Krier. She stresses her interest in the Russian avant-garde. She expresses her need to seriously engage with twentieth century culture. She describes her first independent projects after leaving the Office of... View full entry
No matter how prepared I think I am, December is always a frenzy. Between wrapping up end-of-the-year projects and remembering to buy wrapping paper, the days disappear faster than my coworker’s toffee. If you’re anything like me, the holidays are heralded by a panicky visit to the mall and a... View full entry
Whatever you think of the initial "Tall Emblematic Structure in Dubai" prompt, there's no doubt that some fairly significant changes were made to Fernando Donis' winning design for the Dubai Frame and the actual monument as it is being constructed. As Archinect commenter Donna Sink noted, "The... View full entry
The Royal College of Art has announced the appointment of Dr Adrian Lahoud as Dean of the School of Architecture.
Currently Head of the Architecture programme, Dr Lahoud joined the College in September 2015. Previously he led the MArch in Urban Design at The Bartlett, University College London. [...]
The appointment represents the conclusion of an international search. Dr Lahoud will take up his new position in January 2016.
— Royal College of Art
Majestic doesn't cover it—to judge by these photos by Adam Mørk and Hufton+Crow, MAD's new 850,000 square foot Harbin Opera House located on the titular Chinese city's Cultural Island is approaching a masterpiece.With two theaters (The Grand Theater seats 1,600, the Small Theater 400) and a... View full entry
