The new library across from the Pacific Design Center strikes an appealingly upbeat tone, borrowing from various architectural influences to become one of the most impressive public pieces in the region in a decade. — Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times
The MVRDV and COBE scheme for the transformation of a former concrete factory into a multifunctional creative hub was chosen winner of an international design competition. The master plan proposes an informal transformation of the 45,000m2 site into a dense neighborhood, incl. 8,000m2 existing factory halls, organized around a plaza for events. — bustler.net
Matthew Marks arrived at Ellsworth Kelly’s studio in Columbia County, N.Y., last year with an architectural model of his new Los Angeles-area gallery. It was meant as both visual aid and inspiration. Mr. Marks was hoping to entice Mr. Kelly into creating something for the building’s facade. — NYT
The NYT discusses the future West Hollywood Matthew Marks Gallery, designed by ZELLNERPLUS, with Ellsworth Kelly sculpture-embellished façade. Location: West Hollywood, California. 2011 Design Architect: ZELLNERPLUS Structural Engineer: Gordon Polon SE MEP Engineer: Creative Engineering... View full entry
An unprecedented architectural public education event is going to take place in New York. After Rome, Moscow, Terni, and St. Petersburg, VELONIGHT, the unique project by professor Sergey Nikitin, founding director of Moskultprog, is inviting to explore the postwar cultural and architectural history of New York City on bicycles in the night between October 1 and 2. — VELONIGHT
Architects and cultural historians, including Rem Koolhaas, Guy Nordenson, Jean-Louis Cohen, Peter Eisenman, Ken Jackson, Tony Fletcher and others, will narrate the moonlight bike tour that will take participants from the Guggenheim Museum to Downtown Manhattan, riding past icons (and failures)... View full entry
Just two more days, and New Yorkers get to celebrate - for the first time ever - a very special month in their city: Archtober, a month-long festival of architectural design activities, programs and exhibitions. Presented by the Center for Architecture and many, many other collaborating... View full entry
The building’s exterior was made a landmark in 1997. The interior, which had come to public attention after a signature metal screen by the sculptor Harry Bertoia was removed, was not given landmark status until February. Two months after the interior landmark designation, the commission granted the new owner, Vornado, permission to make changes to the building. — NYT
Designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill the former Manufacturers, the former Hanover Trust building located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street, is considered a Modernist landmark. Robin Pogrebin examines the ongoing court battle between preservationists and... View full entry
For his thesis project at the University of Toronto, Clint Langevin, in collaboration with Amy Norris, proposed "repurposing abandoned mines as renewable energy infrastructure in the U.S." — bldgblog.blogspot.com
Check out more of Clint's work on his profile. View full entry
A complex scale model of Tokyo is on view by appointment at Tokyo's Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. The model was built in 2003 by 30 Mori employees over approximately 17 months. All streets and buildings were photographed at street level and from above via helicopter. They were then adjusted in Photoshop and glued to polystyrene models. — thepolisblog.org
German firm kadawittfeldarchitektur has sent us fascinating first photographs of the recently completed new adidas research and development building "adidas Laces". The new structure houses 1,700 working places at the adidas World of Sports campus in Herzogenaurach, Germany. — bustler.net
Today the California Academy of Sciences achieved a groundbreaking feat of sustainable design as the U.S. Green Building Council presented it with its second LEED Platinum certification, making it America’s first double platinum museum, and the world’s largest double platinum building. — Inhabitat
A review of project invoices... shows $5.17 million in lump-sum payments for work done by Calatrava himself, mostly "visioning." There is little accounting of what Calatrava did and how much time he spent on it — which is not unusual with star architects but isn't always the case.
The records provide other glimpses at the cost of doing business with someone of Calatrava's stature, including more than $640,000 spent on models and animation whose ownership is now in question.
— denverpost.com
Builders will use the machine to complete the spire of the Shard skyscraper near London Bridge in south London.
When fully extended the crane will sit at 317 metres or 1,040 ft above ground level, making it seven metres taller than the building's eventual highest point (310 metres).
The Shard will become the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th tallest in the world when it is completed in 2012.
— dailymail.co.uk
Mateo Arquitectura recently completed the new building for the Film Library of Catalonia in the Raval district of Barcelona. Designed by Josep Lluís Mateo, the project won the first prize in a restricted competition in 2004 and houses archives, a library and cinema halls on a total area of 7,515 sqm (80,891 sqft). — bustler.net
But what most attracted me was the architectural landscape of South Moravia — its surprising profusion of castles and chateaus, built between the 12th and the 19th centuries, many of them designated by Unesco as sites of cultural significance. — The NYT
Evan Rail visits the region of Moravia the lesser known cousin of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. Along the way he encounters the 19th century architectural follies of the Liechtenstein family, discovers Moravia’s Baroque castles and manages to reference the philosopher... View full entry
Earlier this week on Wednesday, the construction of the new academic building for the Amsterdam University College reached its highest point. Mecanoo architecten, based in Delft, designed the 6,000 m² faculty for the University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam. The new Liberal Arts and Science building will be located in Science Park Amsterdam, the international science and research center in the area referred to as Watergraafsmeer, and will be realized in 2012. — bustler.net