The McMillan Sand Filtration Site is one of Washington, DC's most conspicuous mysteries. Unbeknownst to the thousands of commuters and residents that pass by its rusted gates daily, below this sprawling parcel of land lies a series of vast underground caverns built in the early 20th century by the Army Corps of Engineers as a natural purification facility for DC's turbid water supply. — Vimeo
The latest episode of PBS Digital Studios’ Unusual Spaces series visits mysterious abandoned silos and underground reservoirs at the McMillan Sand Filtration Site, just 2 miles north of Capitol Hill in DC. View full entry
Luxury brand Porsche Design recently launched a closed invite-only competition to find the architect for their Porsche Design Tower in Frankfurt, Germany. The winning proposal will have the most fitting urban architectural concept along with ideas for the surrounding outdoor spaces. The project will be Porsche's debut in real estate in Europe. — bustler.net
Out of a goal of 20 participating architecture teams, the first six firms to compete are: Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Vienna (Austria) 3XN, Copenhagen (Denmark) Neutelings Riedijk Architecten, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Stefano Boeri Architetti, Milan... View full entry
"394,000 US$!! This is the budget of homes in America that are 1/10th of this quality. Perhaps it's for two people, who are empty nesters, and entertain for a large extended family. The simplicity of materials and form, is exceedingly elegant". - b3tadine[sutures]
The latest edition of Showcase: features Slate House, located on a site in Laval, a suburb of Montreal. Designed by Affleck de la Riva architects, it stands in sharp contrast to the tract houses that surround it. b3tadine[sutures] exclaims "394,000 US$!! This is the budget of homes in America... View full entry
the Byzantine-inspired structure will “glow from the inside,” through the combination of light marble fused with glass and backlit with LEDs. — NYT
Last month, Alex Vadukul attended a ground blessing ceremony for the new Saint Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava to replace the original, whitewashed, four-story building, the shrine is set to be fully rebuilt by the end of 2016. For... View full entry
Smithsonian officials are planning a $2 billion futuristic reimagining of the institute’s southern campus that will create clear entrances, expand visitor services and upgrade mechanical systems to the historic Castle and the six buildings surrounding it.
Architect Bjarke Ingels, partner at BIG in Manhattan, unveiled the proposal Thursday in the Smithsonian Institution Building, known as the Castle.
— washingtonpost.com
Erecting such a building “without authority of the General Assembly will diminish or impair the beneficial interest of plaintiffs and other Illinois citizens” [...]
such a designation conflicts with the trust, which calls for preserving property as “a natural resource and as a free and open space not occupied by a giant building.” [...]
by acting without the approval of state lawmakers, the city and park district would have excessive power over the property “for which they have no authority.”
— chicagobusiness.com
BIG is about to make its debut in the UK. The Architects' Journal reported that the Danish firm was selected in an international competition to design the public square in the £8 billion redevelopment of the historic Battersea Power Station, a decommissioned coal-fired power station in southwest London. A formal announcement is yet to be made. — bustler.net
Situated within the Rafael Viñoly-designed masterplan, BIG's public square is described as becoming the gateway to the revamped power station.BIG, who is working alongside the Malaysian-backed Battersea Power Station Development in overseeing the design of the public square, is set to join the... View full entry
Two window washers' lives are literally hanging in the balance - they're stuck on scaffolding at 1 World Trade Center, officials said Wednesday afternoon.
The shaky scaffolding, which is suspended around the 69th floor, was seen dangling at an unstable angle, according to images that surfaced of the scene.
The workers are dangling at a 65-degree angle, according to NYPD counterterrorism czar John Miller.
— nydailynews.com
Architect Frank Gehry courts curves and controversy, and the deputy vice-chancellor of UTS admits to a degree of trepidation. A first look inside reveals whether those fears were justified [...]
The city’s first building by the controversial architect is part of a larger $1.1bn masterplan for the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), but is already attracting a lot of attention.
— theguardian.com
Q. You’re an established industrial designer. Why the focus now on building design?
A. I’ve always taken a great interest in real estate; in fact, if I had more capital, I’d probably be developing a lot more projects myself. There’s also money to be made in real estate — much more than one can as a designer. [...]
Q. But you’re not a licensed architect.
A. I am doing 11 buildings in the world, but I don’t have a stamp as an architect and I wasn’t educated as an architect.
— nytimes.com
For the World Health Organization Geneva Headquarters competition team jvantspijker proposed a transformation of the existing building from a Slab to T-typology and to renew the connection to the landscape. The vertical concentration of functions reinforces the centrality of the complex. The two... View full entry
I strongly disagree with the title. There is no such thing as Islamic Architecture or Islamic Culture. Islam is a multicultural faith with strong presence in Arab world, the Persian world, the Indian Subcontinent, in Eurasia and even in Europe. You cannot label an architectural style as Islamic just because it is used in a mosque. There are elements of the host culture present in this buildings. Mosques in Egypt or Turkey are significantly different from Mosques in Europe or India. - — boredpanda
After six long years of laboring on the renovation and expansion of the Harvard Art Museums, lead architect Renzo Piano had but one simple message at the unveiling of the new complex to the press on Friday.
“There is very little an architect should say about a new building,” he said. “Just ‘Welcome.'”
— bostonmagazine.com
Previously: Renzo Piano-designed Harvard Art Museum Nears Completion View full entry
The John and Jill Ker Conway Residence is a 124-unit apartment building designed by Sorg Architects. The $33 million building is a striking stack of white, metal-paneled blocks, staggered with views facing the Capitol and the Mall. What makes the building truly distinctive, though, is that the space enables case managers and social workers to work onsite with veterans in tandem with the D.C. VA Medical Center.
Sixty units will be set aside permanently for homeless veterans [...].
— citylab.com
Five architectural firms are on the shortlist to design the Louvre’s new storage facility, planned to open near the museum’s satellite in Lens, northern France. Corinne Vezzoni & Assoc and Zig Zag architecture, both from France, Neutelings Riedijk Architecten from the Netherlands, Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners from the UK and Estudio Arquitectura Baeza from Spain were chosen from 173 applicants. — theartnewspaper.com
