Silverstein Properties closed on its $430 million deal to buy US Bank Tower, an iconic Downtown Los Angeles property whose purchase price was far below initial expectations. [...]
In a statement, chairman Larry Silverstein said: “I believe in the future of Downtown Los Angeles.”
— The Real Deal
The 73-story US Bank Tower, designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until the recently completed Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles and later the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco took over that title. The 36-foot-long... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Azure Magazine In a landmark year, AZURE celebrates the winners and finalists of the 10th annual AZ Awards. The first-ever virtual AZ Awards Gala featured inspiring special appearances by All-Star guests and the 20 winners of the AZ Awards 2020, participating from... View full entry
Back in August, Archinect connected with Robert M. Calvani, FAIA, NCARB and Alfred Vidaurri Jr., FAIA, NCARB, AICP, the 2020 President and 2021 President-Elect, respectively, of NCARB and discussed; their plans for the next two years, how NCARB is aiming to support diversity initiatives, and how... View full entry
Architecture for Dogs, a playful collection of, well, architecture for dogs, is currently on display for an exhibition at Japan House London. The initiative was "invented by architects" and features designs by architects including MVRDV, Kengo Kuma, Toyo Ito, Ma Yansong, Sou Fujimoto, and... View full entry
So it was, in a sense, good news that the nonprofit Trust for Governors Island released a proposal on Monday to rezone disused parts of the island, long set aside for economic redevelopment.
It’s an aspirational plan, more than anything. The goal, which has been circulating for a while, is to incubate a new climate research center. Similar ideas have been advanced for decades on Governors Island.
— The New York Times
Yankee Pier Plaza. Image courtesy of WXY architecture + urban design/bloomimages. NYT architecture critic Michael Kimmelman on the recently announced plan by the Trust for Governors Island to develop a center for climate solutions, designed by WXY architecture + urban design, on parts of the... View full entry
Heatherwick Studio together with Earthprise and a team of experienced local waterfront and biodiversity specialists have unveiled The Cove, a new vision for San Francisco's Piers 30-32. The part of the bay has been closed for over 36 years due to a devastating fire that decimated the original... View full entry
After revealing three finalist designs for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library last month, the international competition for the planned $100 million research and interpretive center has unanimously selected Snøhetta as the design architect. Their winning proposal for the forthcoming 15th... View full entry
In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Concrete. Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature... View full entry
There have been countless unknowns surrounding LACMA’s vast rebuilding project: the nature of the landscaping, whether the underside of the massive concrete structure would feel like a pleasant, shady spot or an oppressive freeway underpass, where the museum’s playful Alexander Calder fountain sculpture might go.
The biggest question mark has hovered over the form and nature of the galleries...
— Los Angeles Times
With the fate of Los Angeles' beloved LACMA museum making headlines since Swiss architect Peter Zumthor received the bid, public response to its redesign has been primarily negative and controversial. With construction well underway despite the recent pandemic, images of museum... View full entry
SOM's design for Jiuzhou Bay—a new mixed-use neighborhood located along the Pearl River Delta in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province—will transform the waterfront of the Greater Bay Area’s burgeoning tech hub and create a blueprint for future development in China. The low-carbon community... View full entry
Out of a half-century career of creative and prolific work, Rudolph’s Burroughs Wellcome headquarters & research center stands out as one of his finest works. We’re now fighting to save this magnificent example of the convergence of corporate & scientific vision and architectural talent—and we thought it would be useful to share an outline of it’s history, purpose, and features. — Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation
A petition to save the only Paul Rudolph-designed building in North Carolina, started by the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation on change.org, had over 1,700 signatures as of September 16th. View this post on Instagram A post shared by PaulRudolphHeritageFoundation (@paulrudolphfoundation) on Sep... View full entry
An experimental green housing project in a Chinese megacity promised prospective residents life in a "vertical forest", with manicured gardens on every balcony. [...]
The problem? The mosquitoes love the plants, too. [...]
Without any tenants to care for them, the eight towers have been overrun by their own plants - and invaded by mosquitoes.
— The Telegraph
Even with everything else going on right now, the crazed excess of the newest building on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue is guaranteed to stop you in your tracks. — San Francisco Chronicle
The Chronicle’s urban design critic, John King, reviews the now-completed and very much style-agnostic Enclave dormitory in Downtown Berkeley. "It's as if Harry Potter and Fred Flintstone decided to build a McMansion. On acid." Image courtesy of LCA Architects. "The design mimics a Moorish... View full entry
Kohn Pedersen Fox's (KPF) infamous One Vanderbilt tower has finally opened. A project extensively covered on Archinect, the 77-story building now stands completed and open to the public. According to the firm's press team, the tower "transforms the civic experience of the Grand... View full entry
A fire has broken out in a downtown Beirut building near the city's port where an explosion last month killed nearly 200 people, wounded thousands and left the city's residents traumatised.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire in one of the city's best-known buildings that was the work of the late Iraq-born British architect, Zaha Hadid.
— Al Jazeera
The ZHA-designed commercial building was reportedly still under construction, and one corner appears to be badly damaged from the fire, according to first news reports. Welding is rumored to be the cause of the fire. No injuries have been reported so far. This story is still developing. UPDATE... View full entry