Amazon, the giant online retailer, is closing all 87 of its U.S. pop-up kiosks, which let customers try and buy gadgets such as smart speakers and tablets in malls, Kohl's department stores, and Whole Foods groceries. It's the latest change in Amazon's bricks-and-mortar retail strategy, which includes bookstores, grocery stores, and cashier-less stores. — NPR
Amazon has been a frequent headliner in the news as they prepare for headquarter expansions and retail store changes. However, despite its popularity and rapid consumer fulfillment process, Amazon has decided to discontinue its pop-up kiosk program. A spokesperson from Amazon shared that the... View full entry
By championing virtues such as speed, technology, youth, and flight, the Futurists worked to cement Italy’s status as highly advanced and, thus, superior. In Asmara, the handsome structures built between 1935 and 1941 became multi-faceted tools of oppression.
Eight decades later, these Italian-designed edifices are still standing, albeit in need of rehabilitation. But preserving Asmara’s Futurist architecture necessarily preserves the fascist agenda that erected them in the first place...
— Atlas Obscura
Though the Futurists are featured in virtually every textbook on Modernism, their politics can be described as more than controversial. As they embraced speed, technology and scientific progress, the Italian group was also upfront about its misogyny, sympathetic towards fascist ideologies and... View full entry
Though he was described by architectural historians as "humorless," Walter Gropius "was in fact a charismatic figure," according to The Guardian's Fiona MacCarthy. His life and career are shrouded in myths of solemnity and passionlessness, though the fact remains that he imparted a significant... View full entry
The Architecture and Design Film Festival returns to Los Angeles as it hosts a five-day event featuring 24 films devoted to architecture and design. From March 13-17 guests will be able to attend film screenings, witness engaging panel discussions, and listen to director Q&A's. With the Los... View full entry
Arata Isozaki was just awarded the 2019 Pritzker Prize at the age of 87. Isozaki once famously said that "the most important thing an artist can do is confront society with something it has never seen before, something in a sense improper." As a full life of work lies behind the Japanese... View full entry
With the rise of e-commerce titans and online shopping services like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay brands have entered a precarious position in terms of satisfying consumer demand while maintaining interest within retail stores. With the rise of online availability, the need for items can be... View full entry
Ryan Scavnicky started off the year with a critique of the popular Instagram page @pleasehatethesethings (as well as McMansion Hell and other such snarky pages/sites) "The attitude the page displays is disparaging and elitist". Further "it feels unproductive to deflate the poorly executed... View full entry
Join us March 16th at Archinect Outpost to celebrate Swimming to Suburbia, the latest book of essays by UCLA professor Craig Hodgetts. Hodgetts will provide a lecture about the books, followed by a book signing. The book is available for presale here, to be signed by Craig Hodgetts at the event... View full entry
Kevin Roche (1922-2019) had a lasting influence on the American architecture scene. After moving here from his native Ireland in 1948, Roche studied under Mies van Der Rohe, another significant European emigré, and quickly found his footing in the country's largest cities, producing numerous... View full entry
When we were considering what to carry at Archinect Outpost, our retail shop and event space in Downtown Los Angeles, the products designed by Sam Jacob Studio immediately sprang to mind. Though they were, without question, designed with architects with mind, they were designed to appeal to... View full entry
Snøhetta has announced their new project proposal for the Museum Quarter in Bolzano. Nestled within Bolzano's capital in Northern Italy the building's location is set to be on top of Virgolo/Virgil Mountain. In conjunction with Bolzano's new cable car structure, also designed by Snøhetta, the... View full entry
Exuberant design was [Alessandro] Mendini’s specialty. Mendini died last week, age 87, and his death leaves a void in the school of thought that favored emotion and surprise over the cold efficiency that has come to dominate much of design, calibrated as it is to the precise and bottomless needs of the technology industry. — Fast Company
Trained as an architect with a passion for design, Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019) will be remembered as an advocate for the function of pleasure in design. Mendini and other Italian architects and designers championed a vibrant postmodernism throughout the second half of the 20th century, but... View full entry
The World Restaurant Awards reviews restaurants all over the world and considers not only food taste and quality but also recognizes the restaurant as a culture. Created by IMG, the awards celebrate establishments in 12 "Big Plate" categories and 6 "Small Plate" categories. This year it has been... View full entry
In June 2016, the MacArthur Foundation launched a high-stakes contest for an incredibly large grant. The big bet competition, called 100&Change, promised $100 million to whatever group could come up with the boldest idea for tackling one of the world's most pressing challenges. The winning... View full entry
The Rothko Chapel in Houston, founded in 1971 by the art patrons John and Dominique de Menil as an ecumenical site for both reflection and activism, will be closing on Monday for the rest of the year for the first phase of a $30 million restoration and campus expansion by Architecture Research Office. — The New York Times
New York-based firm Architecture Research Office (ARO) was selected in 2016 to be in charge of the restoration work. "During the closure, work inside the Chapel will include modifications to the entryway and vestibule, enhanced audio, security and fire systems, replacement of the existing skylight... View full entry