Big, bold and basket-shaped, the structure, “Vessel,” stands 15 stories, weighs 600 tons and is filled with 2,500 climbable steps. Long under wraps, it is the creation of Thomas Heatherwick, 46, an acclaimed and controversial British designer, and will rise in the mammoth Far West Side development Hudson Yards, anchoring a five-acre plaza and garden that will not open until 2018. Some may see a jungle gym, others a honeycomb. — the New York Times
But Stephen M. Ross, the billionaire founder and chairman of Related Companies, which is developing Hudson Yards with Oxford Properties Group, has his own nickname for “Vessel”: “the social climber.” And the steep price tag Mr. Ross’s privately held company is paying for Mr... View full entry
A few months after winning the honorable 2016 Venice Biennale Golden Lion, Pritzker laureate Paulo Mendes da Rocha was announced today as the architecture recipient of the Japan Art Association's Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award for 2016. Comparable to the Nobel Peace Prize in prestige, the Praemium award celebrates extraordinary [lifetime] achievement [in the arts]. — Bustler
Well known for his elegant use of concrete and steel, here's a peek at some of da Rocha's projects: National Coach Museum, 2015. Lisbon, Portugal Patriarch Square Portico, 2002. São Paulo, Brazil Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, 1993, São Paulo, Brazil. Courtesy of Japan Art Association More... View full entry
[Schumacher] sees parametricism as the architectural style of capitalism, to which he is a relatively recent convert. “My early heroes were Marx, Lenin and Trotsky, people who wanted to make an impact”, but he now believes that free enterprise is the best means of the “human development of prosperity and freedom”. The innate logic of parametricism means that, in a truly free market, with “freer utilisation of land”, it would eventually triumph. — theguardian.com
Patrik Schumacher sits down with Rowan Moore, and share his plans to assert a parametricist future as Zaha Hadid's successor at ZHA. Moore isn't exactly convinced.More on Zaha and Patrik:The Salerno maritime terminal: Zaha Hadid's first posthumous project inaugurated in ItalyZHA after Zaha: Patrik... View full entry
After stalling for years, the $243 million World Trade Center Performing Arts Center started to make headway in recent months, and now Silverstein Properties have revealed the official renderings. With the help of billionaire businessman Ronald O. Perelman's $75 million gift, the 90,000-square-foot marble cube designed by REX will both stand out as an impressive piece of cultural architecture and co-exists with the other structures on the WTC complex. — 6sqft
The Guggenheim Foundation's Helsinki museum, the design of which was chosen after a hotly anticipated competition last year, is now missing a major financial backer, namely, the government of Finland. Prior to its withdrawal, Finland was going to pick up construction costs and a portion of the... View full entry
Beating out SOM and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the Portland-based firm ZGF Architects has taken the number one spot in Architect Magazine's annual ranking of the fifty best architectural firms. The ranking, which evaluates firms using the criteria of Business, Sustainability, and... View full entry
This years wooden spoon goes to a luxury block of flats in London’s Docklands. Lincoln Plaza, a residential development in London’s Docklands is the winner of the 2016 Carbuncle Cup. Designed by BUJ Architects for Galliard Homes, the development consists of two residential towers integrated with a hotel and a standalone drum shaped building set off to one side. — BD Online
The luxury block of flats in London designed by BUJ Architects has beaten five other projects in the running, Saffron Square by Rolfe Judd, The Diamond by Twelve Architects, One Smithfield by RHWL, Poole Methodist Church by Intelligent Design Centre and 5 Broadgate by Make Architects. The judges... View full entry
University of East London hosts international PACT conference - two days of keynotes and discussions with Patrik Schumacher ( ZHA), Mario Carpo ( UCL), Jose Sanchez ( Plethora Project/USC) and Benjamin Dillenburger ( ETH/ITA). — University of East-London and IEREK
PACT Conference UEL, 12.09-13.09 Please join for keynotes by Mario Carpo (UCL), Patrik Schumacher (ZHA), Jose Sanchez ( Plethora Project / USC) and Benjamin Dillenburger ( ETH/ITA) , followed by a series of provocative Panel Discussions. The Panel Discussions are organised around our keynotes... View full entry
Nicholas Korody discussed Using game theory to fine-tune architectural diplomacy with architect Adam Tarr (founder of award-winning Mzo Tarr Architects). alexsenciuc was impressed "From theory to practice, this is one of the most interesting ways to shape an architectural project. One could... View full entry
With a press release that makes references to Banksy's iconic global stencils, the new digital architectural stencil set from Morpholio enables architects to instantly make customizable stencils of complex designs, from faces to condo layouts to intricately shaded trees. The initial image can... View full entry
River LA, formerly the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, has posted a video interview with Frank Gehry about his work on the LA River revitalization project. The nonprofit organization works to build public support for the project. “I think when I started it I had trepidation,”... View full entry
Kunlé Adeyemi founded NLÉ in Amsterdam and Lagos in 2010, after over eight years at OMA. Raised in Kaduna, Nigeria, with an architect father who was constantly redesigning his childhood home, Adeyemi studied architecture in Lagos before getting an MArch II at Princeton, studying with Peter... View full entry
Twenty-one architects and landscape architects made concept sketches for a theoretical summer house — an open-air structure sometimes known as a “folly.” It would have occupied a central spot on a grassy knoll on the southern slope that fronts the main house. — NYT
Ted Loos reviews a new exhibition, “Follies, Function & Form: Imagining Olana’s Summer House”, running through November 13th at the Coachman’s House Gallery at NY's Olana State Historic Site. View full entry
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (Thursday 1 September 2016) announced the shortlist for the 2016 RIBA Client of the Year award. The annual award, supported by The Bloxham Charitable Trust, recognises the role that a good client plays in the creation of fine architecture. — RIBA
The RIBA Client of the Year award recognises that great architecture is often born from a good relationship between the client and the architect. The award reinforces that a good client can have a positive impact on what the architect produces. The winner is to be announced at the RIBA Stirling... View full entry
The anticipated outcome of The Laundry Truck is of course the build-out of an aesthetically pleasing and inviting unit. In addition, The Laundry Truck will serve as a location to promote educational services for the target community as well as job training. We are on the precipice of a new era in addressing the urgent needs of people experiencing poverty and homelessness, where homeless individuals are taking the lead in their own journey out of poverty. — Kickstarter
The architects and designers over at Radian, Inc., along with Bayaud Enterprises and Denver Homeless Outloud, have kicked off their effort to in some small way, address the crisis of homelessness/extreme poverty in Denver, CO.On a somewhat related note, Denver recently launched it's... View full entry