The Architects' Journal reported that Wolf Prix referred to the Venice Architectural Biennale as an ‘expensive dance of death’ and went on to claim a ‘great’ biennale would have featured forums and themes looking ‘behind the scenes’ at decision-making. mimiz took on the charge "having just come back from venice where I moderated several panel discussions on the behind the scenes making of interventions at the US Pavilion, I think Prix is sucking on some sour grapes."

"Zawia#00:Change discusses the significantly changing realities imposed on all social, political and economic systems and their influence on design disciplines. Zawia#00:Change will attempt to demonstrate whether architects are ready to embrace changing ideals and new modes of operation, and whether they are willing to help better people’s lives rather than focusing on glorifying design or architecture." — www.zawia.co

“I think the age of totally specific specialization as a designer is less interesting. I think what’s more interesting is to merge different interests and passions and invent something new.” - David Rockwell, Rockwell Group — media.designerpages.com

Rem Koolhaas is to receive the 2012 Jencks Award, announced the Royal Institute of British Architects. The Jencks Award is given annually to an individual (or practice) that has recently made a major contribution internationally to both the theory and practice of architecture. — bustler.net

The 13th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia opened its gates today and kicked off the events with the much anticipated Awards Ceremony in the Giardini. Golden Lions were presented to Toyo Ito, as representative of the Japanese Pavilion (Best National Participation Award), and the team Urban-Think Tank/Justin McGuirk, representing the exhibition Torre David / Gran Horizonte, 2012 (Best Project Award). — bustler.net

Labelling the festival an ‘expensive dance of death’, the Coop Himmelb(l)au-founder went on to claim a ‘great’ biennale would have featured forums and themes looking ‘behind the scenes’ at decision-making ‘instead of boring exhibitions’. — The Architects' Journal

What's the biggest myth about architects?

That we're all individualistic fundamentalists. Actually architecture is a very collaborative discipline. On a big project, there can be a cast of thousands: the job of the architect is not only to create, but to get everybody on board. In that sense, it's very consensual. — guardian.co.uk

Ingels looks boyish in his “Free Ai Wei Wei” T-shirt and his enthusiasm as he explains his early ambitions to be a comic book artist is infectious. He switches enthusiasms in an instant. At the moment, he is enthusing about infrastructure. Ingels recently won a commission to design in his native Copenhagen a combined rubbish incinerator and power plant with an irresistibly bonkers proposal to stick a ski slope on its roof. — ft.com

What constitutes a modern professional workplace is changing rapidly, and Gensler, the San Francisco design and architecture firm, is betting those changes will factor more heavily not only into clients’ interior design decisions, but every single real estate decision they make.

That bet led Gensler to hire a well-known name locally in both design and real estate circles: Robert A. Peck. — washingtonpost.com

THE HYPE OF THE SCHOOL IS WAY DEEPER THAN WHAT I BRIEFLY EXPERIENCED LAST SEPTEMBER.
WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY I HAVE MENTIONED TO ERIC, BUT NOT IN DETAIL. ERIC SHOWED NO INTEREST IN ME ELABORATING. — Small @ Large

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the July ABI score was 48.7, up considerably from the mark of 45.9 in June. Noticeably, the South was the only region reporting increase in design activity. el jeffe noted dejectedly "hard to get excited.i don't think that a slightly lessened decline in billing would be a rebound; the direction hasn't changed, just the rate of decline."

Innovation and research are the themes that define the work of the seven teams and the seven installations that articulate SPAINLAB, the exhibition at the Spanish Venice Biennale Pavilion curated by the architects Anton Garcia-Abril and Débora Mesa of Ensamble Estudio. — bustler.net

“Snøhetta’s extensive experience with ambitious waterfront projects and its world-class architects’ familiarity with San Francisco through their work on the SFMOMA expansion was a huge factor in our decision,” said Joe Lacob, Co-Executive Chairman and CEO of the Warriors. “All you have to do is look at what they’ve done for the new National Opera House in Oslo and the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt to see what is possible at Piers 30-32.” — nba.com