The indefatigable Paul Krugman takes a closer look at Trump's proposed infrastructure funding plans in his column for The New York Times, wondering why the President-elect would seek private equity for public projects. Is this a profiteering scheme that sneakily privatizes ownership of... View full entry
The Northern Estate consists of a series of Grade I and II listed buildings, which provide office space for the House of Commons. Many buildings on the estate have not been refurbished in over 40 years however they are now non-compliant with a multitude of regulatory and statutory building... View full entry
How do you create a new home to house iconic and innovative design? With eyes on the final outcome, and with everyone waiting to see the unveiling of one of the most anticipated buildings this decade, we think that John Pawson, OMA, Arup, and Allies & Morrison have risen to the challenge of... View full entry
Soon after a major renovation and reopening for the Rose Reading Room at their flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the NYPL is now moving forward with another mammoth revamp on its Mid-Manhattan Library. The NYPL offers a first look at the overhaul, a project they are calling a “state-of-the-art library that will serve as both a model and catalyst for a rejuvenated library system.” — 6sqft.com
Three leading starchitecture firms – Rafael Viñoly Architects, Richard Meier & Partners Architects and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates – have joined forces to collaborate on Waterline Square, a new residential development occupying five acres of land on one of the Upper West Side's last remaining waterfront development sites along the Hudson River. — Wallpaper
Once, twice, three times a pyramid: thanks to non-invasive scanning, archaeologists have determined that "El Castilo," also known as the Kukulkan pyramid in Chichen Itza, has two other pyramids inside of it. As The Guardian explains:"A 10-metre-tall pyramid was found within another 20-metre... View full entry
The University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind., has broken ground on a new home for the university's architecture school. [...]
The new building will enable the university’s School of Architecture to add two graduate programs: historic preservation and real estate development. Walsh Family Hall will be the second element of a planned arts quadrangle. [...]
The hall is designed by John Simpson Architects of London; Stantec is the architect of record.
— asumag.com
Learn more about the new building— a prime example of New Classicism— on the School of Architecture's website.Related stories in the Archinect news:London Architect John Simpson to Design New Architecture Building at Notre DameScott Merrill wins the 2016 Driehaus Prize View full entry
After two more glass panels were ruined on the Peace Bridge, Calgary's top transportation official revealed that vandals have, overall, caused more than $200,000 in damage to the bridge, forcing the city to upgrade the security camera system in the area.
The helical steel pedestrian bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and spanning the Bow River, was closed for several weeks this summer while a contractor replaced half a dozen cracked panels.
— Calgary Sun
Apparently, eight glass panel have been replaced in total since the bridge opened in 2012. Glass handrail panels have been shattered. And, earlier this year, all the light fixtures had to be replaced because the original ones kept burning out during the cold winter months.As a deterrent, officials... View full entry
After being proposed for addition to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places last year, the iconic Vanna Venturi House has officially joined the list after being voted in by the Philadelphia Historical Commission on November 10th. According to PlanPhilly:"After a nomination first heard last... View full entry
Landscape architect and innovative urbanist Diana Balmori has died at age 84, as announced by her firm's website. The Spanish-born Balmori, who founded her own firm in New York City at age 58, was known for her site-defining and inventive landscape architecture works, including the Abandoibarra... View full entry
More than three years ago, Google announced plans to build a massive “landscraper” headquarters in London. But after switching architects from AHMM—whose plans were deemed “too boring"—to Thomas Heatherwick, and following the chaos of Brexit, the plans were up in the air. Now, the... View full entry
After nearly ten years of being put through the ringer of recession and recovery, Herzog & de Meuron's Elbphilharmonie is finally complete, and slated for its grand opening in January 2017.But before the public gets to bask in Yashuhisa Toyota's acoustic design, anyone can peek inside the... View full entry
One of the tallest surviving structures from the ancient world has been totally destroyed by Isil extremists at Nimrud, the former capital of Assyria, which was captured by Iraqi government forces on 13 November. The ziggurat, which was nearly 2,900 years old, was obliterated. Only the largest Egyptian pyramids are higher than Middle Eastern ziggurats and central American step pyramids.
[...] incidents represent “the worst damage that Isil has inflicted on Iraqi archaeology”.
— theartnewspaper.com
An older satellite photo from August 31, 2016 shows the Ziggurat and Temple of Ishtar still intact. Image via ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives Facebook page.Related stories in the Archinect news:Destruction of Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery by ISIS militants went unreported for... View full entry
Cities are always day-to-day. There are cultural buildings, there are important business campuses, and in between there is the normal city. And there are, of course, better and worse quarters. Unfortunately, I have to say that the older quarters are normally the most beautiful. Quarters that have developed over time have more charm and class...It is important that beacons are continually established in this mush, in these newly developed areas — Der Spiegel
Ulrike Knöfel interviewed architect Jacques Herzog regarding the soon to open Elbphilharmonie. They also discuss the state of contemporary architecture, it's role in rapid gentrification and how to best ensure a building is loved/preserved for generations. View full entry
a triumph of postindustrial classicism by the ultimate deluxe architect. More a craftsman than a visionary, he conjures steel membranes and glass scrims that seem to float free of their tethers. With beams as fine as pencil lines, he draws planes that seem flatter, volumes more graceful, and angles righter than anyone else’s. ..a mini-city so perfectly ordered and ruthlessly pleasant that by rights it should exist only in the mind. — NY Magazine
Justin Davidson visits the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. As the first architectural marker on the new 17-acre Manhattanville campus, which RPBW masterplanned, Davidson looks for clues to the future/past of the new campus/city... View full entry
