I never realised how nostalgic I am, until I started writing. An architect is not supposed to be nostalgic but forward-looking. But I’m nostalgic for a time when mankind was a lot more forward-looking than it is today; for a gradual optimism about the future. That’s the paradox. — Failed Architecture
"In his book Four Walls and a Roof – The Complex Nature of a Simple Profession, Reinier de Graaf paints an honest picture of what it is like to work as an architect today. De Graaf, who is a partner at OMA and director of AMO, the office’s think tank, provides engaging stories about the... View full entry
The Louvre Abu Dhabi has finally opened its doors a decade after the agreement between the French and Emirati governments was signed to establish the mega-museum on Saadiyat Island. [...]
An underwhelming entrance via a nondescript car park might be improved in years to come by an adjoining garden. “It should appear in a few years,” Nouvel said, adding that this was dependent on funding.
— The Art Newspaper
The video above shows the installation of Giuseppe Penone’s sculpture ‘Leaves of Light’ and the beautiful movement of the spots of light coming through the structure's massive dome. © Louvre Abu Dhabi, Photography: Mohamed SomjiAlso watch Jean Nouvel describe his design for the "first... View full entry
The latest Proust Questionnaire featured Herman Hertzberger—one of the most important Dutch architects and theoreticians of the modern age known for his designs of housing complexes, offices and schools. Or, as randomised summed up "Legend"! Others were interested to learn more about his... View full entry
In Pleasantville, New York is a 1947 Usonian community of 50 houses that blend in with their surrounding landscape. All were approved by Frank Lloyd Wright, but three were built by the architect himself, the Sol Friedman House being one. Famous for its mushroom-shaped roofs and carport, the... View full entry
Therefore it ought to be recognized that even in the entire second half of the 20th century, the true way to try to find out what architectural theory means ought to be figured out by reading historians. In a way, historians are depositaries, they have defined the paradigm of what could be considered ‘modernities,’ something that has changed radically in this new century. — magaceen.com
"The ever diminishing role played by theory and thought in professional practice is, according to Frampton and Moneo, one of the principal challenges that contemporary architecture is faced with. Add to this the great transformations taking place in society, the economy, and architecture itself... View full entry
WeWork has plans to launch a private elementary school for “conscious entrepreneurship” called WeGrow in a New York City location next year. The company has even tapped Danish architect du jour Bjarke Ingels to design the first school, dubbed “WeGrow," which will likely be within their new Fifth Avenue headquarters. “In my book, there’s no reason why children in elementary schools can’t be launching their own businesses,” said co-founder Rebekah Neumann. — 6sqft
Rendering by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Source: WeWorkRendering by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Source: WeWorkRendering by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Source: WeWork View full entry
Brand Barcelona’s comeback begins with a contribution from its heaviest hitter: Antoni Gaudí. Almost a century after his death, the architect of La Sagrada Familia is still synonymous with the city. On 16 November, Gaudí’s first house, Casa Vicens, begun in 1883, will open permanently to the public for the first time. — The Guardian
With tourism considerably down due to mass demonstrations and political unrest, Catalonia's capital Barcelona is hoping to lure more visitors back when a stunning architectural gem in the Gràcia district opens to the public on November 16: Casa Vicens, a summer house for wealthy industrialist... View full entry
The Royal College of Art (RCA) has submitted proposals to Wandsworth Council for a £108 million state-of-the art building for postgraduate students and entrepreneurs, which will secure the RCA’s future in Battersea and deliver new studios, workshops and incubator units required to support its future growth. — Royal College of Art
Exactly one year ago, Herzog & de Meuron was announced as the competition-winning architects for the Royal College of Art's new £108 million Battersea South campus. The project, sitting adjacent to RCA's existing Dyson, Woo and Sackler Buildings, reached another milestone this week with the... View full entry
As part of their yearly innovators issue, which will hit newsstands tomorrow Nov. 4th, the Wall Street Journal has named Diller Scofidio + Renfro their 2017 Architectural Innovator of the Year. The 36 year old firm has "gone from downtown phenomenon to international powerhouse" the magazine... View full entry
MVRDV, in collaboration with local architects Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute, has completed the much anticipated Binhai Public Library in Tianjin, China, and first photos reveal a mountainous topography of curved bookshelves creating an amorphous atrium that holds a spherical... View full entry
From Zaha Hadid’s bulbous plaza to a ‘library’ of flora planted across a skygarden, the South Korean capital is using its architecture festival to look to the future – and atone for the costly sins of the past — The Guardian
The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright is in South Korea's capital reporting from the inaugural Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. "There are over 200 biennales already, so we had to do something different," he quotes the event's curator Hyungmin Pai. "We see it as a kind of... View full entry
A revised proposal for the Moinian Group’s supertall in Hudson Yards, 3 Hudson Boulevard, calls for a slightly less-tall tower. A redesign from FXFOWLE now brings the total square footage to 2 million square feet from a previous 1.8 million and lowers its height to 940 feet tall from... View full entry
Yale has just completed two new residential colleges near the heart of campus: a superblock of neo-Gothic fantasy. This reversion to an archaic visual language exemplifies a troubling trend. With their new architecture, universities all too often abdicate leadership in promoting artistic innovation as they pander to plutocratic donors. — Places Journal
Columnist Belmont Freeman takes a critical look at Yale's RAMSA-designed Benjamin Franklin College and Pauli Murray College in his latest piece for Places. While Freeman marvels at their extraordinary evocation of tradition, he argues that their historicism represents a missed opportunity to... View full entry
Last week FixNation and Architects for Animals joined forces to raise funds for FixNation’s critical charitable services for Los Angeles’ homeless cats, including spaying and neutering (check out the projects from last year). To raise awareness cat shelters were designed and constructed by... View full entry
Archinect is excited to announce a new partnership with PLANE—SITE, a Berlin-based creative agency working at the interface of urban form, cultural space and social life. Every three weeks, starting today, we will be sharing a video from the Time-Space-Existence project, a series of videos... View full entry
