A project that took a little over six years to design and construct opened its doors this week along Huangpu River in Shanghai's West Bund. The brainchild of famed Chinese collector and businessman Qiao Zhbing, Tank Shanghai consists of five preserved oil tanks which are connected by OPEN... View full entry
[...] the museum site is surrounded by the urban landscape of a modern city, but it still remains under the influence of the desert and the sea, the French architect tells The Art Newspaper in an interview in his Paris studio.
Hence his choice of a design inspired by the desert rose, a flower-like cluster of gypsum crystals, which he sees as the “most powerful symbol of the desert, and the influence of wind, time and water”.
— The Art Newspaper
Interviewed by The Art Newspaper, Jean Nouvel talks about his design process that lead to the creation of the monumental National Museum of Qatar which opened in the capital city of Doha this week. "The place has become a pedestal for images, a sort of transmitter, a tattooed museum," Nouvel... View full entry
“Paris changes! But nothing in my melancholy
Has changed. New palaces, scaffolding, blocks of stone,
Old neighbourhoods, all turn to allegory
And memories weigh more than stone.” - from The Swan by Charles Baudelaire
— Kunstkritikk / Nordic Art Review
A tragicomic cultural and architectural critique of consumer modernities by Will Bradley. "Every architect in Europe (and beyond) is hustling for a piece of the future Oslo. Their visions are wildly, overtly, perhaps clinically at odds with reality." A must read, h/t Ron Linden via Peter... View full entry
For decades, Open Concept, and the togetherness-loving, friend-filled lifestyle it was supposed to bring, has been a home buyers’ religion, the one true way to live. Go to Houzz, the home remodeling site, type in “open concept,” and up come 221,569 photos. Over on HGTV, DeRon Jenkins, costar of the popular “Flip or Flop Nashville,” will tell you, as he recently told the Globe, that an open floor plan “allows the love to flow.” But now, experts say, people are starting to openly yearn for walls. — Boston Globe
Uninterrupted space. This is what real estate agents, interior designers, and almost every host on HGTV have promoted for the past decade. However, design experts are saying that people are beginning to miss walls. Homeowners realize they don't want to live in this "fantasy of uninterrupted... View full entry
Keaton’s comedy derives largely from the positioning —and constant, unexpected repositioning— of his body in space, and in architectural space particularly. Unlike other slapstick performers who relished in the close-up and detailed attention to the protagonist, Keaton frequently directed the camera to film with a wide far-shot that could contain the whole of a building’s facade or urban span within the frame. — Lapsus Lima
While few movies can be truly considered architectural, and even fewer can meaningfully activate the filmic environment through its protagonists, the silent movie era saw no better patron of the spatial arts than Buster Keaton, the creative force Roger Ebert once described as "the greatest... View full entry
Following over a decade of planning, the National Museum of Qatar finally opened its doors to the public today. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, the 560,000 square-foot museum was built with a complex structure of interlocking curved discs and cantilevered angles, which was inspired by the... View full entry
"(The hotel) is one of the rare standing testimonies of the brutalist movement in North Africa. [...] Hôtel du Lac was built as an expression of Tunisia's modernity and independence. In contrast to the surrounding architecture, the hotel makes a rebellious statement of departure from both traditional and colonial architectural forms." — CNN
This local landmark of Tunis has made quite an impact on the public since its initial opening in 1973. Said to be the inspiration behind a fictional Sandcrawler vehicle in George Lucas' Star Wars films, the Hôtel du Lac also acts as "one of Tunisia's premier brutalist structures" in North... View full entry
Last month, Amazon announced that it was canceling its controversial plan to build a second North American headquarters in New York City's Long Island City neighborhood. For residents and activists concerned about gentrification and overcrowding, the decision to abandon the plan was seen as a... View full entry
Can the relationship between architecture and politics ever be summarized by a well-organized diagram? San Francisco based writer Julia Galef recently offered a proposal on Twitter for distinguishing the four main political groups by their architectural preferences in a familiar format in the... View full entry
Details and designs have been revealed for the MSG Sphere London, a planned venue that would hold up to 21,500 people. [...]
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG), which is behind the New York concert and sports venue of the same name, have bought a 1.9-hectare (4.7-acre) site in Stratford, adjacent to the Olympic Park and Westfield shopping centre, that was used as a coach park during the 2012 London Olympics.
— The Guardian
Image: Madison Square Garden CompanyInitially rumored in January 2018, London's sphere-shaped music venue proposal, designed by Populous, has substantially taken shape, and the Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) behind the project has reportedly now filed planning documents. The plans have been... View full entry
Extell Development’s supertall on Billionaires’ Row is officially the tallest residential tower in the world. Central Park Tower, at 225 West 57th Street, has reached its 92nd floor, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall tower at 432 Park Avenue. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Central Park Tower will top out at 95 stories, or 1,550 feet tall, making it stand out significantly among neighboring skyscrapers when construction wraps up next year. — 6sqft
For years, the Robie House limped along, a shadow of its former self, a sad state of affairs that resulted from neglectful owners or well-meaning stewards who lacked the funds to put the landmark back in order.
Now, though, that $11 million-plus project is finally complete — the house will reopen to visitors Friday — and it reminds us anew why the Robie House is one of Chicago’s, and the world’s, architectural treasures.
— Chicago Tribune
While a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's 1910 Robie House on the University of Chicago campus used to accompany a feeling of sorrow and a bit of regret, it can now be the pinnacle of any trip to the Windy City. Interior of the Robie House, by Frank Lloyd WrightAn exhaustive restoration of the... View full entry
Foster + Partners' design for a Tulip-shaped tourist attraction is being recommended for approval by City of London officials, reports Building Design. Sited next door to Norman Foster's Gherkin, the proposed viewing platform has received considerable pushback. Examples include opposition from... View full entry
In an interview in his Berlin offices with The Art Newspaper, Chipperfield spoke about the frustratingly free brief for the West Bund Art Museum, China’s unstoppable urban development and the ethical questions that arise for architects working in countries with authoritarian regimes. — The Art Newspaper
When asked about China's slowing economic growth and increasing authoritarianism, Chipperfield answers: "I would say the narrative about the diminishing expansion of the economy is offset by the slightly more sophisticated environment that is evolving. The Chinese are getting better at building... View full entry
REX recently unveiled the final design for the Necklace Residence, a yet-to-be-built, luxurious family dream home of its own kind. Overlooking the Long Island Sound, the intricately designed 43,500-square-foot project is an ensemble of five private family homes created for a husband and wife... View full entry