Renowned British architect Norman Foster has resigned from a proposed expansion to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.
In a statement released on Thursday, Foster + Partners claimed it had formally resigned from the project more than two months ago.
In 2009, the Russian government approved Foster's plans and agreed a sum of $650m (£415m) to modernise and expand the museum.
But the project subsequently stalled.
— bbc.co.uk
“An economic downturn is always a good thing for preservation,” says Regina O’Brien, chairperson of the Modern Committee of the Los Angeles Conservancy. “A lot fewer developers are making a lot less money, and therefore they have a lot less motivation to pursue these profit-oriented flips. But the problem is that the opposite is true when the market picks back up.” — thedailybeast.com
Many of these references are to natural phenomena: the wind-blown sand dunes of the desert or the sanctuary of an oasis; others refer to a way of life seemingly passing beyond recall: the dhows used for trade and pearl diving, or the tents of the nomadic Bedouins. — Atlantic Cities
It is like the new expression of Orientalism. Middle East architecture is defined by few limited metaphors by Western architects who are really looking East to fulfill their payroll obligations. View full entry
"A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living" is the LA-based architect's first major museum retrospective happening now until Sept. 8 at the Hammer Museum. Practicing architecture in Los Angeles from 1939 to his death in 1979, Jones -- or Quincy, as he was known -- is described as a quiet... View full entry
North of the Berkeley Hills, nestled in the quiet community of Kensington, lies an abandoned mansion called the Blake House. At the end of a short gravel path, the home historically reserved for the UC president lies behind two wrought iron gates.
But the 13,200-square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion — with an elevator, two kitchens, a massive library and panoramic views — has been empty for more than five years.
— dailycal.org
The Gold Dome building based on Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome will be preserved. TEEMCO, an Oklahoma-based environmental professional engineering firm has purchased the architecturally historic Gold Dome building located on legendary Route 66. As one of the first geodesic domes in the world, the Gold Dome is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. — todaysfacilitymanager.com
It was a dome of many firsts: the first dome to have a gold-anodized aluminum roof, the first above-ground geodesic dome, and the first Kaiser Aluminum dome used as a bank. Due to these forward thinking attributes, the building was billed as the “Bank of Tomorrow.” View full entry
Henning Larsen Architects, the international firm of the late Henning Larsen, was selected to build the new Citizen and Media Center in Stuttgart, Germany this past July. In collaboration with engineering firm Knippers Helbig, the new Center will be located in Stuttgart’s Castle Park and is described to be a distinctive entrance to the listed parliament building in Baden-Württemberg, which attracts over 65,000 visitors a year. It will also provide access to exhibitions and press conferences. — bustler.net
Randell Makinson, a forceful advocate for preservation of the rambling Greene & Greene bungalows that came to be seen as graceful emblems of early 20th century California, has died. He was 81. — LA times
Randell Makinson is an important force of the architectural preservation community not only for Los Angeles but for California in general before there was LA Conservancy and preservation boards. An authority of Greene & Greene Architecture who has written 5 books on their work and also... View full entry
For the past six years, professor Zhang Lin has been moving rocks and rubble to construct his dream mountain home in the Renji Mountain area of Beijing, China. The catch? It's actually on the roof of a 26-story apartment building. And according to the South China Morning Post, the structure is completely illegal, as he never received the necessary planning permission for this extreme dwelling. — huffingtonpost.com
In the latest edition of the Working out of the Box series Archinect interviewed Brooklyn-based designer & artist Doug Johnston. His current profession is creating "objects by stitching rope together" and he explains "I guess sometime early on, I realized that my design work wouldn't be... View full entry
Officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the start of the aptly named "Park Over the Highway" plan in St. Louis, Missouri earlier this month. The plan's objective is to connect the iconic Gateway Arch grounds and Downtown St. Louis by building a... View full entry
The bid to design an $81 million, 28-story residential tower on the site of Indianapolis' former Market Square Arena just went to RTKL (together with developer Flaherty & Collins Properties). The winning design was chosen by a panel of local government, real estate and community leaders and prevailed over five other competitors. — bustler.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT TO INVIGORATE HALF BLOCK OF LONG BEACH Long Beach, CA, August 12, 2013 The City of Long Beach is revitalizing a half-block in need of an upgrade at the corner of Long Beach Blvd. and Anaheim Street across from the Blue Line. Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio... View full entry
Los Angeles is a vast city with countless significant buildings working their way into native architects' psyche often without their acknowledgement. It is not unusual one of those buildings would show up head on, often seen while driving and only to go back to their reclusive place in mind... View full entry
"The Poetics of Boxes" is the first monographic exhibit in Europe of the work of Mathias Klotz, currently one of Chile's most acclaimed international architects. The exhibit opens on Sept. 13 at Aedes Berlin. The upcoming exhibit will reveal the design approaches and methods of Klotz's... View full entry
