Soapbox is a new weekly series delivering a curated set of lectures, talks and symposia concerning contemporary themes but explored through the archives of lectures past and present. With the plethora of lectures, talks, symposia and panels occurring world wide on a daily basis, how can we begin... View full entry
"By investing in Framework, our city will now be home to the first skyscraper made from wood in the United States. This project not only reflects Oregon’s leadership in the newly emerging wood products industry of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), it also demonstrates our city’s commitment to finding innovative ways to quickly deliver affordable units during our housing crisis,” said Portland Mayor, Ted Wheeler. — Portland Housing Bureau
LEVER Architecture's project, Framework, has been awarded 6M from the city of Portland as a recipient of the City's "Fast Starts" Affordable Housing Program. The program aims at providing financial and city level assistance in the development and deployment of affordable housing projects that aim... View full entry
A big obstacle to attracting new recruits is the stigma around working in the public sector. There remains a widely-held stereotype that planning departments are the realm of dusty, tweed-jacketed types, nested in their booths for the last half century. Williams says that when he started at Croydon, a colleague pitied him, assuming he had ended up there because he couldn’t get a job in an architecture practice. — The Guardian
With the explosion of STARCHITECTS collecting major commission after major commission in the same manner children collect toys, a young office in London, Public Practice, has found a niche all to their own — one who's historical stigma only expanded Public Practice's potential and... View full entry
A week to the day in which Norwegian design firm Snøhetta released their ambitious designs to modernize Phillip Johnson's Postmodern icon — the AT&T building in New York — Norman Foster has come out and added his name and gravity in support of the building protests against the proposed... View full entry
Among major initiatives announced for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s centennial year is the creation of a new permanent YOLA center to be designed by Frank Gehry. The famed architect will transform an existing facility, located in the LA suburb of Inglewood, into a central resource for the Youth... View full entry
A three-storey chunk of an east London council estate that is venerated and despised in almost equal measures has been acquired by the V&A.
The museum announced it had made one of the most unusual property deals in its history: rescuing an enormous chunk of the Robin Hood Gardens estate, complete with walkway and maisonette interiors.
— The Guardian
Completed in 1972 and considered an icon of brutalist architecture — representing the good and the bad traits of the movement, depending on the perspective — the Tower Hamlets "Robin Hood Gardens" council estate is being demolished. By salvaging an intact piece of the building designed by... View full entry
Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese Architect Tadao Ando's first residential development in NYC and outside Asia, 152 Elizabeth Street, has just sold its highly anticipated duplex penthouse for $35 million. The 9,000-square-feet penthouse spans three floors and features a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath home... View full entry
Construction is underway for the upcoming Bora Residential Tower, which is set to be the tallest building of its kind in Mexico City. Client Nemesis Capital commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects to design the tower back in 2015. Located in the growing Santa Fe business district near the 28-hectare La... View full entry
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
Named after the 18th century Italian painter whose most famous works depict lavish celebrations on the canals of his native Venice, Canaletto—the 31-story tower designed by Amsterdam's UNStudio—offers luxury, waterside living next to City Road canal basin in central London. ©... View full entry
For the hardcore LEGO-loving families out there, this one's for you. Airbnb and LEGO are currently running a global contest asking one question: In a response of 50-500 characters, “If you and your family had an infinite supply of LEGO bricks, what would you build?” The grand prize? 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
As it’s currently written, the bill would entirely eliminate the federal Historic Tax Credit program (HTC), which provides a 20 percent tax credit for the redevelopment of blighted buildings and renovation of notable architectural landmarks. — Architectural Digest
The Reagan Administration’s Historic Tax Credit program, which helps fund historic renovation projects, is in jeopardy of being scrapped in the new tax plan unveiled in the House last week. According to Architectural Digest, the conservative idol's program has preserved more than 40,000 total... 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