Repurposing and renovation are some of the hottest new trends in architecture, but architects in Hamburg may have elevated the stakes by their proposal to place a 19-meter high "green mountain" atop a World War II bunker in Hamburg, Germany. The new mountain would offer residents lots to grow... View full entry
For Renzo Piano, every building should tell a story.
The 79-year-old architect is as busy as ever with a workload that spans from Los Angeles to Uganda. With no signs of fatigue in a nearly 50-year career, Piano doesn’t struggle to find meaning in each new project. “I’ve wanted to make buildings since I was a kid,” says the Italian-born architect, who fondly recalls spending time at construction sites with his dad.
— CityLab
CityLab recently sat down with Piano for a conversation that, among other topics, touched on urban peripheries, Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus, and "the importance of designing buildings that reject paranoia in a world increasingly concerned with terrorism." View full entry
How will China's $36.1 billion dollar investment shape the future of Africa? While China only has 66 projects over the continent compared to the United States' 91 projects, it has pledged about ten times the total amount of money, and the lion's share of that cash is earmarked for Egypt. As Global... View full entry
To most people, mushrooms are a food source. To mycologist (mushroom scientist) Philip Ross, fungi are much, much more. In fact, Ross is most passionate about mushrooms’ ability to be used for building materials and it is this is what he primarily focuses his attention on. Recently, the mycologists figured out how to make bricks from growing fungi that are super-strong and water-, mold- and fire resistant. — Truth Theory
Referred to as "mycotecture," the mushroom bricks originally were embraced by the art world, but increasingly are being considered for other structural uses. Stronger and cooler-looking than concrete, the above fungi-brick structure is held together using chopsticks. View full entry
We are joined this week by Scott Frank of Argo Communications. Scott was previously the Senior Director of Media Relations at AIA National, but resigned after the Robert Ivy letter/ #NotMyAIA controversy, as discussed in Episode 89 of Archinect Sessions. We invited Scott to the podcast to discuss... View full entry
Peter Marino, leather-clad provocateur, will be honored at the Museum of the City of New York and presented the 2017 City of Design Award. The Award honors “creative entrepreneurs who have made New York City the design capital of the world and who inspire future generations of designers to bring... View full entry
Think you've seen all of Neil Denari's work? Eleven inkjet drawings featuring unbuilt visions by Denari's studio NMDA will be showcased in his “Displaced Buildings in Aperiodic City” exhibition, opening May 27 at the Steven Holl-designed ‘T’ Space Gallery in Rhinebeck, New York. If you'll... View full entry
Stefano Colombo, Eugenio Cosentino & Luca Marullo published their second text in a series conceived for Archinect on deserts and radical islands. It is a heady exploration of subcultures (ranging from Punk to Dark Valley, Dark Enlightenment and the Neoreactionaries) and how they "can be seen... View full entry
How can you transform a not particularly sustainable 1940s building into a leading example of pioneering environmental design? First, get the Harvard GSD Center for Green Building and Cities team focused on green building techniques, and secondly, hire Snøhetta. The result? This press release... View full entry
When it opens in 2019, the building is expected to be one of the tallest in the neighborhood. Views from the skyscraper include the Statue of Liberty, the Woolworth Building, City Hall Park and the East River. The condos will range from $630,000 studios to $4.7 million four-bedrooms. — 6sqft
Three years ago, starchitect David Adjaye completed his first project in NYC, an affordable housing complex in Harlem called the Sugar Hill Development. Now that he's garnered international fame for his National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC, Adjaye is coming back to the... View full entry
A major project in north London has just received planning permission; a ‘pixelated’ residential scheme will replace a historic clock tower and a derelict petrol station. The architects behind the project, NEUBAU, are an emerging practice consisting of thinkers and designers with international... View full entry
Frrank Lloyd Wright was never one to fret about meeting deadlines, sticking to budgets or roofs that leaked. So there is something fitting about the delayed, but altogether triumphant, restoration of Wright's Unity Temple, [...] the finest public building of Wright's Chicago years and home to one of the most beautiful rooms in America.
Instead of finishing on schedule last fall, the $25 million project is wrapping up just in time for the 150th anniversary of Wright's birthday, June 8.
— chicagotribune.com
"Success, it's often said, has many fathers, and so it is with here," Kamin writes. "A team of consultants led by Chicago's Harboe Architects has lavished exacting care on every aspect of this project, from the restoration of jewel-like art glass to the recreation of textured plaster walls." View full entry
As with any Apple product, its shape would be determined by its function. This would be a workplace where people were open to each other and open to nature, and the key to that would be modular sections, known as pods, for work or collaboration. — Steven Levy for WIRED
Since 2009, Foster and Partners have been working on a new headquarters for the tech giant Apple, originally in close collaboration with Steve Jobs, its founder, who saw it as one of his last crucial contribution to his legacy. Even though dramatic photographs of the ring-shaped structure have... View full entry
"I am pleased to see that the Liberal Democrats have recognized the key role of the built environment sector in tackling issues such as energy demand, climate change and urban flooding through their plans for infrastructure and housing.
“Proposals for new housebuilding should be balanced with ambitions to deliver high quality, well designed and sustainable homes across the country.”
— RIBA President Jane Duncan
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has responded to the publication of the Liberal Democrats manifesto, published earlier today. On Brexit:“I warmly welcome the commitment from the Liberal Democrats to protect the rights of existing EU citizens in the UK, and UK citizens in the... View full entry
Angelenos may be mildly alarmed to learn that local favorites Johnston Marklee Architects's striking Helios House (co-designed with Office dA) has slipped two spots to eighth place from its ranking on last year's top ten global filling stations as assembled by Design Curial. However, it's for a... View full entry