The Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) is a philanthropic body, dedicated to preserving local culture. It recently wrote to RIBA after the architectural body awarded Zaha Hadid Architects' Galaxy Soho complex a 2013 International Award for architectural excellence, chastising RIBA's choice of winner. — phaidon.com
“Fans are much more sophisticated now,” said James Renne, a principal at the architectural firm Rossetti and the chief architect of the renovation. “You’ve already got N.F.L. stadiums that these fans go to, N.B.A., N.H.L. arenas that they go to" — NYT
Ken Belson reported on plans by Daytona International Speedway for up to $400 million in renovations. The goal is to overhaul the 54-year old, 147,000-seat track, shrink capacity, add amenities and reorganize the main grandstand. View full entry
Almost invisibly in her own day, Natalie de Blois, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, helped guide the design of three of the most important corporate landmarks of the 1950s and ‘60s — the headquarters of Lever Brothers, Pepsi-Cola and Union Carbide — whose suave steel-and-glass facades still exude the cool confidence of postwar Park Avenue. — New York Times
Tina Hovsepian of global architecture firm Callison was driven by the need to help homeless individuals in Los Angeles when she designed the first prototype for the "Cardborigami" shelter during her fourth year at USC's School of Architecture. Cardborigami, which has grown into a non-profit... View full entry
The foundation of architecture lies in the creative process. And for many architects, the beginning of that process involves none other than simple pencil and paper for jotting down those ideas, notes, and sketches to inspire the next project. Inspiration and Process in Architecture, published by... View full entry
My own conviction is that the most meaningful prolonged response to the Pritzker — but much more, to the entrenched discrimination it both reflects and reinforces — will involve political action directed toward measureable change. It will involve ramping up the current professional and cultural conversation — now focused on sharing experiences, promoting awareness, influencing leaders in the field — and articulating specific goals, definable outcomes. — Places Journal
Lately the subject of women's status in architecture — long dismissed as essentialist and unnecessary — has bounded back onto the agenda. As recent articles, books, exhibitions, online discussions and petition campaigns all attest, the full integration of the profession remains a... View full entry
This is a story about a desk — not any desk, mind you, but a startling, Frank Gehry-designed security desk in the lobby of the Inland Steel Building, one of Chicago's great mid-20th century high-rises.
The U-shaped desk is best described as a piece of furniture that's been elevated to the level of art, or is simply an emblem of excess.
— articles.chicagotribune.com
In her recently published Op-Ed Ann Lui, reflected on the experience of receiving a jury citation, for her and her partner’s entry in the 2013 Burnham Prize Competition: NEXT STOP-Designing Chicago BRT Stations. She concluded "So submit the competition that doesn’t have a... View full entry
“Los Angeles doesn’t take architecture seriously,” he says, “though I guess you could say that about most cities.”
“What about Disney Hall?” I ask.
"That’s just one building,” he says with amusement.
There is nothing peevish in his attitude toward this place. He is a fan, waxing a bit protective of our image: “It’s easy from outside to portray us as La-La Land, still easy for Europeans to come here and make jokes about us.”
— Los Angeles magazine
The opening of Work Towards Fairness by architect Eric Moed signifies the first step towards the restoration of Casa do Passal in central Portugal. The Casa do Passal was formerly inhabited by Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who helped around 30,000 people escape into neutral... View full entry
As John Kerry was trying to renew negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority late last week, the "Architactics" exhibition opened at the ZeZeZe Architecture Gallery in Tel Aviv Port. This coincidence provides an injection of realism into what, a week earlier, seemed like a series of interesting mental exercises, but far from the present reality. The aim of the exhibition... is to mobilize tools from the world of design and architecture to help to promote the peace talks. — haaretz.com
"The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is based mainly on a territorial problem, and therefore architects must play a central role in finding its solution," says architect Yehuda Greenfield-Gilat, who, together with fellow architect Karen Lee Bar-Sinai, founded Saya in... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) selected ten recipients to receive the 2013 Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship. The recipients will receive compensation for the entire cost of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) and a full set of study guides provided by Kaplan Architecture Education. — aia.org
The recipients are Dijana Alickovic, Assoc. AIA, Nicole Alvarez, Michael Archer, Assoc. AIA, Rachel Auerbach, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Gina DeLeon, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Erike DeVeyra, Assoc. AIA, Steven Marrone, Assoc. AIA, Erin Porter, Assoc. AIA, Jaclyn Thomforde, Assoc. AIA, and Melissa... View full entry
Keeping up-to-date with your favorite architects, firms and schools has just become WAY easier! As you know, Archinect delivers a lot of news and information, every day, reflecting the activity of the architecture community at large. For some people, this can be too much information! So... View full entry
Michael Holt speaks to Bjarke Ingels, founder of Danish practice Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), about the exchange of skills and ideas that stem from international collaborations, and the potential for a hybrid of urban, landscape and architectural form at Barangaroo. — australiandesignreview.com
Finalists have been announced today for Ground/Work: A Design Competition for Van Alen Institute’s New Street-Level Space. The challenge invited emerging designers, up to ten years out of school, to design Van Alen’s new street-level work space and public venue at 30 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. Three finalist teams were selected from a pool of over 120 teams answering the recent Call for Portfolios. — bustler.net
Previously: Ground/Work: A Design Competition for Van Alen Institute’s New Street-Level Space UPDATE: Ground/Work finalist teams reveal their designs for Van Alen Institute’s new street-level space UPDATE: Collective–LOK Wins Van Alen Institute’s Ground/Work Competition View full entry