In suburbs, cities and rural areas, [big-box stores] can present a reuse and rehab conundrum, particularly as retailers become more sophisticated about controlling leases and redevelopment. [...]
With the big-box model, stores are rarely remodeled. [...]
A kind of “retail cannibalism” emerges, where companies compete for market share with ever-shinier facades that leave aging stores behind as the asphalt fades.
— minnpost.com
More on the fading development of big-box stores:A supermall grows in fracking countryFor in that death of malls, what dreams may come? Archinect Sessions #32, featuring special guest co-host, Nam Henderson!Dead Malls and Shopping DinosaursDead-malls and the return of Main Street View full entry
But Bickels’s lasting legacy was more technical...For those who care about spaces — like Hultén, Piano and countless other international visitors over the decades — the combination of intimate, varied rooms and light sources make for a kind of ur-museum, not grand but perfectly executed. — NYT
James McAuley explains how Mishkan Le’Omanut (designed by Samuel Bickels) in Ein Harod, has inspired some of the 20th century’s most iconic buildings. Especially, with regards to the use of natural light within museum architecture. View full entry
Last month, Seth Pinsky, Executive Vice President at RXR Realty, shared a presentation regarding the development of the long-planned rehabilitation and conversion of Pier 57 aka “SuperPier.” According to him, the 450,000-square-foot development will invest $350 million of private capital to redevelop the structure, and in return create hundreds of jobs, generate millions of dollars of revenue for the Hudson River Park Trust, and create a new destination for New Yorkers and visitors alike. — 6sqft.com
Throughout its history, Kitchener has often imagined big plans for its urban development, but since the 1960s most of these grand plans for downtown Kitchener only ever found form in the Market Square Shopping Centre. Market Square is the most complete and concrete repository of Kitchener’s attempts at re-imagining itself in the postwar period. — Numéro Cinq
Nathan Storring, a writer, artist, designer, and assistant curator of the Urbanspace Gallery in Toronto, writes a thorough critique of the redevelopment, destruction, and rebirth of the downtown core in Kitchener, Ontario. The issues and concerns, raised in his essay in microcosm, can be applied... View full entry
Over the last few years, we’ve all finally admitted that hospitals are depressing, sometimes toxic places...[But] what if the solution is to redesign the building itself?...Since the late 1980’s, hotels—not hospitals—specifically designed for sick people have been popping up throughout Scandinavia. In [some countries,] a patient’s stay is free, covered by national insurance...Accommodations at patient hotels resemble most traditional 3-star hotel properties. — Quartz
More about health-related design on Archinect:Jason Danziger heals psychosis with designHow urban designers can better address mental health in their work, according to a new think tankPreventing disease and upholding public health through architectureConstruction kicks off for Steven... View full entry
For those former guests and architectural buffs who lamented the demolition of the iconic Hotel Okura Tokyo, they can soon preserve a piece of it in their homes.
Hotel officials plan to sell on the Internet some of the furniture and fixtures used in the guest rooms and restaurants during the main building's 53-year history, with the proceeds going to charity. [...]
The 11-story main building, which opened in May 1962 [...], was called “a masterpiece of Japan’s modernism architecture.”
— ajw.asahi.com
Previously:It's lights out at the old Okura: reconstruction of the iconic Tokyo hotel starts next weekAs the Okura says sayonara, Tokyo doesn't seem to care muchFarewell to the Old Okura 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
Rather than watching passively as non-local or private developers consume neighborhood public spaces, we can use Placemaking to enable citizens to create their own public spaces, to highlight the unique strengths of their neighborhoods, and to address its specific challenges. While gentrification can divide communities and build upon exclusivity, Placemaking is about inclusion and shared community ownership. It is about increasing “quality of life,” not removing public life. — pps.org
Related on Archinect:"Eco-Gentrification," or the social ramifications of "urban greening"Is NYC losing its "New Yorkiness"?Can an Indianapolis arts collective pull off a fairer form of gentrification? View full entry
Smithsonian photographer Carolyn Russo first found herself drawn to air traffic control towers in 2006 on a flight into LaGuardia when she first studied the architectural details and circular windows of that now inactive structure [...]
I viewed each tower as both an essential aviation artifact and a vessel with a powerful presence—watching over the vastness of the airport and sky; a non-judgmental cultural greeter [...] In the presence of the tower, I sensed the complex orchestration of humans
— smithsonianmag.com
↑ Airport Tower at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland. ↑ Airport Tower at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, Sweden.See more photos from Carolyn Russo's new book The Art of the Airport Tower (Smithsonian Books, 2015) and read an interview with her over at Smithsonian.com.Related on Archinect:Eero... View full entry
Visitors to the garden bridge in London will be tracked by their mobile phone signals and supervised by staff with powers to take people’s names and addresses and confiscate and destroy banned items, including kites and musical instruments, according to a planning document. [...]
Caroline Pidgeon [...] said she feared the bridge was following “a worrying trend of the privatisation of public places, where the rights of private owners trump those of ordinary people”.
— theguardian.com
Previously on Archinect:London Garden Bridge wins new supporters with revised funding dealFurther legal setbacks for London Garden BridgeCheeky "A Folly for London" winners announced View full entry
[The tower proposed for 340 Flatbush Ave Ext.] will rise 1,000 feet tall, claiming the title of New York City’s tallest building outside of Manhattan, and giving Brooklyn its first legitimate supertall skyscraper...The residential component will span 466,000 square feet, and be divided amongst 550 units, with approximately 90 floors in total. There will also be 140,000 square feet of commercial development... — New York Yimby
According to New York Yimby, "SHoP’s tower will be a dramatic improvement for both the cityscape and the skyline. With slender proportions capped in pointed, Deco-tinged accents, the building will have a notable presence without overwhelming its surrounds..."Thoughts?More about towers on... View full entry
[On Thursday, November 5], the Commission on Chicago Landmarks unanimously voted to recommend Chicago Landmark status to the Marina City complex. [...]
A resolution will be drafted and will head to the Chicago City Council in December for a final vote.
— chicago.curbed.com
This seems like a done deal. As quoted in Loop North News, Commission on Chicago Landmarks chairman, Rafael Leon: "everybody recognizes those buildings around the world, that the moment that they see it, they see Chicago. I’m so glad that we have gotten to the point of designating these... View full entry
Held at the Grand Hyatt from October 26 to 30, the conference theme was The Resurgence of the Skyscraper City. A series of case studies presented by leading visionaries in the industry showcased building technologies, new landmark developments around the world, and where the capital to finance these developments is coming from. — SkyriseCities
At a CTBUH conference held in New York City last month, well known architects including Daniel Libeskind, Bjarke Ingels, Moshe Safdie, Adrian Smith and Rafael Viñoly joined planners and developers to discuss the future of skyscraper design and construction around the world. Many of their... View full entry
With their sustainable growth slowing down, things didn't look good at all for the future of Turkey's malls. [...]
With interest in city conservation growing, a popular opposition against gentrification projects rising, and a newborn curiosity for the country's Ottoman-era buildings being threatened by construction companies, talking positively about shopping malls came to be considered sacrilegious from 2013 on.
— psmag.com
More on Istanbul's architecture:Istanbul’s introverted megaspacesIstanbul's 'illegal' towers to be demolished after landmark court rulingAn urbanist's guide to Istanbul: ‘We live in a giant construction site’Gezi Park: Architecture and the Aestheticization of Politics View full entry
LDF aims to grow the Lotte Duty Free Shop World Tower into the world’s No.1 duty-free shopping destination.
[...] Lotte is poised to turn the Lotte World Tower into a tourist attraction that can compare well with Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands
On top of that, the company plans to make the Lotte World Tower the largest tourism hub in Gangnam by equipping it with the world's highest observatory (located on the 123rd floor (555 meters high) [...].
— koreaittimes.com
Related in the Archinect News:Seoul's Lotte World Tower complex passes safety inspections, allowed to reopenConstruction in Seoul’s supertall Lotte World Tower surpasses 100th story – amid safety concernsMysterious Sinkholes Appear Near Construction Site of Supertall Skyscraper in Seoul View full entry