After winning the competition way back in July 2009, OMA's Pierre Lassonde Pavilion is ready to make its public debut tomorrow. Nestled within Quebec City's 17th-century architecture and located at the historic National Battlefields Park, the Pavilion is the shiny new kid on the block with its... View full entry
In light of the recent killing of 49 people at Pulse, a gay night club in Orlando known to many as a center for Queer and Latinx culture, our focus for this week’s podcast is the role and significance of queer spaces in creating community and culture.We wanted to use this time to encourage... View full entry
Today, the New York City Council unanimously passed a set of bills requiring free menstrual-hygiene products in public schools, prisons, and shelters, making it the first city in the nation to pass so-called "menstrual equity" legislation. The city will budget for tampons and pads just like it does for toilet paper and hand soap. — New York Magazine
"Tampons and pads are not currently covered by public-assistance programs and some school-aged girls stay home or use products longer than they should when they get their periods. Women in prisons face rationing and degrading treatment from corrections officers."For more public health-related... View full entry
Could Los Angeles grow to become a “real city” like New York or London? Last year, LA gained at least 50,000 people, according to a recent report from the California Department of Finance, pushing the population to more than 4 million people for the first time in the city’s history. — Vice
Part of the appeal of Los Angeles has been its refusal to be like other cities. For years, its objective "center" was a forbidding cluster of office towers with near zero street life, while in outlying, low-density neighborhoods, people partied in back yards that ran up against wildlife preserves... View full entry
Saarinen’s work for the spy agency mostly involved designing models of buildings and weapons that had yet to be built. He even worked on designs for the original war room in the White House. And the people at OSS claimed that he was so good at his job that he could not be replaced. — Gizmodo
It's lucky for architecture that Eero Saarinen, who was known in the CIA as "Architectural Designer (Chief, Special Exhibits Division)" wasn't so successful at his work for the agency that he couldn't be replaced, although one wonders how much of that top secret work rubbed off on his later... View full entry
In May 2015, the citizen platform Barcelona en Comú (Barcelona in Common) catapulted Ada Colau into power as the city’s first female mayor. Ten months earlier, the group didn’t even exist.
With no money and little experience, just how did they wrest the city from the entrenched political caste that had been running it for the past 40 years? Not surprisingly, Barcelona en Comú has since been inundated with requests for an answer...
— the Guardian
"In response, the group produced a step-by-step explanation – How to Win Back the City en Comú"Barcelona en Comú is a citizen platform launched in 2014 that is the minority government in power right now in Barcelona. Many of its members participated in the 15M movement and come from political... View full entry
According to a recent poll by the AJ 78% of architects want Britain to remain in the EU. In May David Chipperfield, Richard Rogers, Amanda Levete, and Thomas Heatherwick were among many prolific industry professionals who vocalised their decision to back the remain campaign with an open letter... View full entry
Reflecting on TV's role in British architecture the BFI is running 'Architecture on TV'. "TV has not only provided a platform for these commentators but played a pivotal role in broadening architecture’s audiences and engaging the public in debate. "We are giving away two tickets to the final... View full entry
City attorney Mike Feuer has filed criminal charges against Carol Jean Alsman, a local property owner, for allegedly forcing out tenants in rent-controlled units and then listing the units for rent on Airbnb. [...]
[Feuer’s] office has lodged civil complaints against three other Los Angeles property owners for allegedly using their buildings as illegal hotels [...]
“In a city with a profound shortage of affordable housing, unlawfully converting rental units to operate hotels has got to stop”
— qz.com
Related on Archinect:After allegations of racial discrimination and #AirbnbWhileBlack fallout, Airbnb looks inwardAirbnb invests in a blockchain futureAirbnb intentionally misconstrued data to "garner good press", according to new reportBarcelona plans shakedown scheme against unlicensed Airbnb... View full entry
Sweden, once one of the most welcoming countries for refugees, on Tuesday introduced tough new restrictions on asylum seekers, including rules that would limit the number of people granted permanent residency and make it more difficult for parents to reunite with their children.
The government said the legislation... was necessary to prevent the country from becoming overstretched by the surge of migration to Europe that began last year.
— the New York Times
As more and more refugees flood into Europe from the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere, once-welcoming countries are increasingly tightening their borders. For more on this, check out these links:Tensions build at Athen's port of Piraeus, the first stop for many refugees seeking asylum in... View full entry
When we first visited Bankside Power Station for the original Tate Modern competition in 1994, it seemed like the castle in Sleeping Beauty – an enormous urban mountain that was completely overgrown, surrounded by barbed wire and prickly roses, as if protecting the hidden beauty inside. It seemed dangerous. It is totally unimaginable now, but this was a huge chunk of the city that was totally excluded from public life, set back behind high walls. — theguardian.com
Read more on the Tate Modern:A look around the new Tate Modern extension"We can't sneer at developers": Herzog & de Meuron examine London's futureFirst look inside Tate Modern's new Extension View full entry
Architecture writer and historian Hugh Howard has written many books on American architecture, telling stories that meld design and cultural history together in highly accessible and humanistic ways.His latest book, Architecture's Odd Couple: Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson, tracks the... View full entry
The museum, which will open on Tennozu Isle in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district will not only be a place for these models to be displayed, but also act as an effort to preserve them.
The space will be lined with over 100 shelves to display their permanent collection, in addition to special exhibits. Each model in the museum will be accompanied by a QR code which can be scanned using a smartphone to access more information about the structure, including photos of the completed work.
— popupcity.net
The Archi-Depot museum originated from the Archi Depot Foundation (founded last year by Terrada Warehouse and Tokyo Design Center companies), with the core purpose of conveying to a general public the significance and artistry inherent to the architectural model-making process. Before opening the... View full entry
The original Tate Modern redevelopment was started in 1995 and since opening in 2000 has become the most popular gallery in the world. It made sense then for Herzog and De Meuron to return and finish the job. Their architectural evolution and legacy is now embedded in the London skyline, as is... View full entry
Upon first glance, the “Kurt Schwitters: Merz” exhibition is an enticing haven of artistic talent. The retrospective opened earlier this week at the Galerie Gmurzynska in Zurich.
An exhibition involving Zaha Hadid is sure to be a visual treat, whether it's her work that is on display or if she designed an exhibition's setup. Hadid's design for this particular exhibition...is the late architect's homage to Kurt Schwitters' famous Merzbau.
— Bustler
See more photos of the exhibition on Bustler.More on Archinect:Zaha Hadid's repertoire is a stunning display in Venice's Palazzo FranchettiOne of the late Dame Zaha Hadid's final designs will be built in West ChelseaInside the Zaha Hadid-designed $50 million High Line penthouse View full entry