Ai Weiwei has never set foot inside the [Bird's Nest].
He told NPR that the stadium has become entirely divorced from ordinary people.
"We love this building, but we don't like the content they have put in, the kind of propaganda. They dissociated this building [from] citizens' celebration or happiness, [it's] not integrated with the city's life," Ai said. "So I told them I will never go to this building."
— npr.org
The attached photos were taken by me on a recent trip to Beijing. View full entry
HandsumCa$hMoneyYo commented "Norman Foster seems like a really odd fit for this project. He's a wealthy corporatist architect from northern Europe...taking on an abandoned arts academy in a communist state in the tropics, hmm. What could possibly go wrong, yo?"
News Reports surfaced via an interview in the Sunday Times that Sir Norman Foster has been engaged to plan for a conversion of the famed Scuola di ballo, Escuela Nacional de Arte in Cuba. HandsumCa$hMoneyYo commented "Norman Foster seems like a really odd fit for this project. He's a... View full entry
"The internationally-renowned director Wim Wenders devotes his new film to Graubünden architect Peter Zumthor. Work on the project will take several years to complete. A taste of the film will be available August at the Venice Biennale." — Suedostschweiz
ok - the translation's mine (and my german suspect) but apparently wim wenders is doing a long term documentary on zumthor's work. the primary gist of the movie will be to document - fully - one of his projects from sketch to completion. this could either be brilliant or maddeningly overdone.... View full entry
...Sandra Burga, the project’s client and coordinator, gave an introduction on the scope of the design project, discussed her background in Peru, t... and the project directives to be accomplished within the time period for the design charette and the duration of the project (projected to be completed around 2014, 2015)... 'provide sustainable, innovative, and transformational development to various areas in need, building structures, in which people live, work, learn, heal, and gather…' — UrbDeZine
We are Lamas Cultural Center design team and we invite you to participate in our next meeting, Thursday, 12th, July, 2012. We will be reviewing our design schemes for the new 6000 sf to 6500 sf Cultural Center in Lamas, Peru. We will showcase our sustainable design scheme with passive ventilation... View full entry
The canopy can look like a lot of architecture for such a small project, but that’s partly its value: to put Cazucá on the map and create a de facto town square beside the school (made of shipping containers, serving a population in which a quarter of the children are malnourished, I was told by the school’s principal). Now children play soccer under the canopy and clean up the square every day, and there’s a vegetable garden with tomatoes and herbs. — nytimes.com
The tower, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, will contain offices, exclusive residences, a luxury hotel, restaurants and a viewing gallery across 72 floors which can be occupied.
There are a further 15 levels which make up the 'spire' - six of which have the potential to be used, with another nine exposed to the elements.
The 1,016ft skyscraper was inaugurated by the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Qatar, Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, and The Duke of York.
— dailymail.co.uk
A UK friend is writing "a little book" on architectural losers. Such a British idea. He's collecting the under-talented and the under-appreciated, the beaverers-away in an unappreciated style. To which my predictable response is: how many volumes can you run to? How, from the myriad, will you choose? — theage.com.au
It's curious how much the ethos of the adventure playground chimes with the language of a new era of design today: a "participatory" process, recycled materials, an adaptive product. It doesn't sound like the 1940s. But equally valuable is the zone of exception that the adventure playground represents in the city — Guardian
Justin McGuirk asks, what happened to playgrounds that give children space? He goes on to examine two recent examples of temporary playgrounds in London by Erect Architecture and the Rockwell Group. Mr. McGuirk also refers to the role of Danish architect Carl Theodor Sorensen and... View full entry
"The [Butaro] project has a high relevance, since it can be applied as a solution to similar regions with limited opportunities and high risks of infection. [...] Also remarkable is the excellent quality of the buildings that were built exclusively with local workers.” — Zumtobel Group Award
The Butaro Hospital in Rwanda was praised as innovative and cost-efficient by the Zumtobel Award 2012 jury, ultimately winning in the category of "Built Environment." Over 230 projects were submitted in for the 2012 Zumtobel Group Award in this category. Entries were received from 22 nations... View full entry
... the buyer will be contractually obligated to shell out over $10 million to execute a detailed, 80-page list of renovations, ranging from a handful of new peepholes to a sweeping overhaul of the buildings’ bathtubs. On top of that, the buyer must deposit just over $2.5 million into an escrow account that HUD can access in the event that repairs are not on schedule, as evidenced in the illustrated quarterly progress reports the buyer will be required to send. — artinfo.com
Rowan Moore lamented the lack of nuance and complexity in both the design and historical memory represented by the new RAF Bomber Command memorial in Green Park, London. For his part drmatthewhardy disagreed with Mr. Moore, writing “I don't think anyone expects Rowan Moore to approve of anything classical. This is a fabulous war memorial and an impressive and poignant reminder of the crews and their overwhelming sacrifice
In Lautner's Concannon Residence, from Dust to Dust, Orhan Ayyüce explored the “nebulous subject” of architectural preservation. He questioned “In short, what is worth of preserving and who preserves the privately owned American House? Would the ultimate decision... View full entry
CLIPS OF SEATTLE LIBRARY: INTERVIEW WITH HOMELESS MAN AND SHOTS OF STRUCTURE.
This footage is part of a feature length Documentary film that I am making about my father Rem Koolhaas.
— vimeo.com
“The form was reinvented to an extent,” says Yanni Loukissas, a postdoc in MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS). And while the question of exactly which design changes should be credited to Utzon or Arup’s firm has been a matter of some dispute, the building, Louskissas says, stands as “an example where the engineer was instrumental in reshaping the project.” — web.mit.edu
Norman Foster told the Sunday Times: “Carlos is a great dancer who is inspiring the regeneration of an iconic ruin of early modernism outside Havana.” — Building Design
Speaking to The Sunday Times on June 17th, Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta and Lord Norman Foster explained their plans to regenerate the iconic ruin of early modernism outside Havana. The original building, with its distinctive brick and domed roof construction was designed in... View full entry
Álvaro Siza Vieira has been selected as laureate of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of this year’s International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, Italy. The board of la Biennale di Venezia, currently chaired by Paolo Baratta, under Director David Chipperfield, announced the decision this week, which also happens to be Siza's birthday week. — bustler.net
Click here to see more Archinect News posts related to the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. View full entry