Critics of the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere, 432 Park Avenue, are quick to try to bring the tower down from its 1,400-foot pedestal. And strangely, its very own architect is the latest jump on the bandwagon. Rafael Viñoly admitted at a Douglas Elliman talk last week that his creation “has a couple of screw-ups,” namely the window framing, which he blames on developer Harry Macklowe, and the tiny issue of “the interior design and layout.” — 6sqft.com
Previously:As 432 Park Ave reaches completion, the number of supertall skyscrapers in the world is now 100A Trashcan Inspired the Design of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue View full entry
As Sadiq Khan arrived for his first day at work as London’s new mayor, architects urged him to be bold in tackling the city’s housing crisis.
They warned that his policies alone won’t be enough to solve the problems and advised him to widen his approach.
“Bold strategic moves are what’s required, and I therefore hope the new mayor has the stomach for a fight,” said Russell Curtis of RCKa.
— bdonline.co.uk
There are high hopes for Khan, find out more about some of the issues he will have to tackle in his new position: £950 for a mouldy 'central' flat? Welcome to London.The root of London's housing crisis lies beyond its bordersLondon's housing crisis is creating a chasm between the rich and... View full entry
The Art Fund’s Museum of the Year shortlist was announced...with Bristol’s Arnolfini; the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in south London; Jupiter Artland near Edinburgh; London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the York Art Gallery in the north of England being nominated for the £100,000 prize. — theartnewspaper.com
Relating articles:The price of keeping Britain's 'Downton Abbeys' from crumblingV&A East project updateUtopian dreams; London's first Design Biennale reveals its opening theme View full entry
While the buyer’s name and official selling price will be kept anonymous until June, the real estate agency behind the sale, Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, confirmed that the new owner is from the area and apparently wants to preserve the property as it has been maintained thus far. The last known price of the house was $1,500,000 back in March. — Chestnut Hill Local
Previously:No guarantees for historic residential architecture in "real-estate limbo"Golden Years: Saluting joint creativity with Denise Scott Brown, on Archinect Sessions #45The Vanna Venturi House is for sale 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.(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect... View full entry
As Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct sat free of cars overhead and drivers attempted to move around the city during the roadway’s planned 2-week closure, a new drone video Tuesday showcased again what all the fuss is about. A view inside the SR 99 tunnel won’t get much better than this until you’re actually able to drive through it. [...]
The 4-minute video captures what has been built behind nearly 1,600 feet of mining along Seattle’s waterfront.
— geekwire.com
Bertha previously in the Archinect news: Seattle's massive Bertha tunnel drill is up for repair, but still faces a shaky outlook View full entry
RIBA revealed an array of projects as the winners of the 2016 London Awards during a recent ceremony. First launched in 1966, the yearly competition distinguishes some of the area's top-notch design projects in various architectural categories. While winning in the competitive London Awards is already a great honor, they're just the beginning of RIBA's yearlong awards cycle. Now, the London Awards winners will move on to compete in the RIBA National Awards. — Bustler
Take a gander at some of the winning projects:Alphabeta by Studio RHEGraveney School Sixth Form Block by Urban Projects BureauCovert House by DSDHARegent High School by Walters & Cohen ArchitectsThe Bath House Children's Community Centre by Lipton Plant ArchitectsEly Court, South Kilburn by... View full entry
New York's iconic Stonewall Inn, where the modern gay rights movement took root, will become the first national monument honoring the history of gays and lesbians in the U.S. under a proposal President Barack Obama is preparing to approve.
Designating the small swath of land will mark a major act of national recognition for gay rights advocates and their struggles over the last half-century.
— AP
Originally built as stables in the 1840s, the Stonewall Inn was the site of historic riots after police raided the LGBT bar on June 28, 1969. While such raids were then common, that night the bar-goers fought back – in the process helping to catalyze the LGBT liberation movement.The news was... View full entry
It has been whispered about for months, but now it’s official: Vornado Realty Trust is offering up a palatial four-floor apartment at 220 Central Park South that is priced at a record-smashing $250 million.
The massive condominium will encompass floors 50 through 53 of the Robert A.M. Stern-designed limestone tower, and it will span some 23,000 square feet [...]. The asking price works out to nearly $11,000 per square foot.
— therealdeal.com
Previously on Archinect: This $250M mega penthouse might become New York's priciest home View full entry
With the future of a Lucas Museum on Chicago's lakefront in doubt, the city of Waukegan is asking the organizers to look a little to the north.
Waukegan Mayor Wayne Motley reached out to Mellody Hobson, a Chicago financial executive and the wife of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, about locating the proposed museum featuring digital, traditional and narrative art on Waukegan's lakefront, a city spokesman said on Wednesday.
— Chicago Tribune
After a shake-up Tuesday wherein Chicago-based Friends of the Parks (which was taking a 30-day break from suing to prevent the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art from being built) announced that it wasn't going to budge on its anti-LMNA position, George Lucas announced that he was seriously... View full entry
A brick is an obdurate object of ambiguity that hovers between idea and matter, between life and death. Its texture can be smoothed to glide our touch or left rough and abrade. It can be molded into even shapes for consistent construction or made uneven, presenting individual challenges each time one is laid in a course. But while it can come close to an ideal oblong shape, it never attains perfection, and it can as much be said that it approaches perfection as it resists it. — Numéro Cinq
I have revisited my piece on the Mies van der Rohe Brick County House that appeared at Archinect. It is a literary essay that I hope adds some extension and insight. It looks back to the Greeks and forward to recent architecture, adding reflections on Modernism and current work. Many questions... View full entry
Earlier this year, photographer Baker took us on an odyssey through two icons of Modernism in the UK by Wells Coates: London’s Isokon building and Brighton’s Embassy Court. Now he’s teamed up with director Alex Simpson to create a mini-documentary, The Legacy of Wells Coates.
The Isokon was once home to Soviet spies, Agatha Christie and Modernist émigrés including the founder of Bauhaus school, Walter Gropius.
— thespaces.com
Find more tales of form following function here:A 'hidden' Mies van der Rohe masterpiece receives funding for renovationA tall order? Wooden skyscraper could become Britain's second tallest buildingWorking Out of the Box: Jader Almeida"African Modernism: Architecture of Independence" showcases a... View full entry
And so I seek out the airport chapel, interfaith space, prayer room, or meditation center, and see how each country’s particular tics and prejudices play out as spiritual architecture in technopolitical space. I rarely see other people in my visits to these places. — Witte De With Review
James Bridle wrote a short piece concerning one of his perennial obsessions: airport chapels, and the strange interactions of iPhones and prayer mats, and technological and spiritual spaces. View full entry
A study commissioned by the developer indicated that total economic output of the companies projected to occupy Hudson Yards will contribute $18.9 billion to the city's gross domestic product. [...]
Many projections in the report are also contingent on a host of economic indicators in the city, including demand for Class A office space. Out of the 10.4 million square feet Related will have to lease up, so far it has locked in commitments from tenants for 4 million square feet.
— crainsnewyork.com
The Hudson Yards project previously in the Archinect news:Welcome to the Hudson Yards, c. 2019: the world's most ambitious "smart city" experimentBIG's concept for a spiraling-landscape tower in NYC's Hudson YardsA Plan to Build Skyscrapers That Barely Touch the Ground View full entry
Wilmington officials say the cancellation of an architect business conference due to HB2 will cost the city nearly $1 million.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced Monday it will nix its three-day conference scheduled for later this fall at the Wilmington Convention Center. AIA officials cited the passage of HB2 as the reason for the cancellation.
— WETC
Being a bigot isn't just ridiculous—it's costly! Supposedly pro-business Republican senators in North Carolina have managed to drive away Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and now the AIA thanks to their passage of HB2, which Towelroad describes as a bill that "bans all local LGBT rights ordinances... View full entry