Historically, gay neighborhoods are spatial expressions of a specific form of oppression. If the form of oppression changes, so will the spatial expression. So we live in a moment of unprecedented societal acceptance of homosexuality, and as a result the meaning and the composition of these districts are in flux. — Vice
Amelia Abraham interviewed Amin Ghaziani, author of a new book titled There Goes the Gayborhood? The discussion touched on; the history of these neighborhoods, their four defining characteristics and their role in gentrification or urban revitalization. View full entry
Discover the Villa Savoye as you've never seen it before, through the discipline of Parkour and the movements of traceurs !
Le Corbusier, the real grandfather of hip-hop, could also be the inspiration behind the parkour? View full entry
"In the late 1920s, Le Corbusier created a plan for Paris," Ford says. "Its most celebrated portion was called 'Towers in the Park.' [...]
Think unremarkable, high-rise apartment buildings. Think low-income housing projects. [...]
"Many of hip-hop's most prominent artists were born, raised, and perfected their crafts in those very same housing projects. Hip-hop was a result of the economical, political, and sociological deprivations instituted by the housing projects across America."
— metrotimes.com
For Scottish architects, a decision to go it alone could create longer-term opportunities for Scotland to enshrine its own architectural education and regulation system based on the protection of function. It could also boost the development of a strong, distinctively Scottish architectural culture […] Independence could well dissuade practices and architects from relocating south. — Architects' Journal
The Architects' Journal is polling architects for their opinion ahead of tomorrow's vote on Scottish independence. So far, two-thirds of Scottish architects voted pro-independence. Specifically: "Those working in small practices showed a clear preference for independence, but those at medium to... View full entry
The Eisenhower Memorial Commission on Wednesday will review two approaches, including one that removes most of these elements. If that plan is selected, Gehry informed the commission, he will ask for his name to removed. — washingtonpost.com
The conceptual storefront Prada Marfa, 2005, by Elmgreen & Dragset, has a new lease on life. The Texas Department of Transportation reached an agreement last week with the foundation Ballroom Marfa to preserve the sculpture after nearly one year of negotiations. The government threatened to shut down the work because it could be considered an illegal roadside advertisement under state law. [...] the foundation plans to lease the land underneath Prada Marfa and register it as an art museum. — theartnewspaper.com
Previously: Prada Marfa declared an illegal outdoor advertisement, faces possible removal View full entry
A top real estate executive from Brooklyn is proposing a high-speed sky gondola between the Brooklyn waterfront and Manhattan — a back-to-the-future form of mass transit that could ease congestion on ferries, subways and bridges.
The so-called East River Skyway would be comprised of high-speed aerial cable cars, moving New Yorkers to Manhattan in less than four minutes. The cars could accommodate more than 5,000 people per hour in both directions.
— nydailynews.com
IKEA has a little known secret: the company is a non-profit. Ingvar Kamprad the founder of IKEA created the philanthropic Stichting Ingka Foundation whose mission is to “further the advancement of interior design.” IKEA’s bizarre business model looks like this: the nonprofit Stichting Ingka owns a private Dutch Company, Ingka Holdings that owns the majority of individual stores at the franchise level. — onlinemba.com
Talk show host and journalist Charlie Rose has been announced as the 2014 recipient of the esteemed Vincent Scully Prize. Established in 1999 by the National Building Museum and named after Professor Vincent Scully to honor his legacy and work, the prize recognizes exemplary practice, scholarship, or criticism in architecture, historic preservation, and urban design. — bustler.net
Widely known as the anchor and executive producer of Charlie Rose and co-anchor of CBS This Morning, Rose will receive the prize in recognition for his insightful interviews with the world's leading thinkers that explore the value of good design as well as the growth and shaping of the urban... View full entry
The Architectural League of New York's Beaux Arts Ball 2014: Craft on September 20 is coming up! Tickets to the festive event are currently on sale, but guess what: Archinect is giving away two pairs of tickets to two lucky readers! (two tickets for each winner)TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: In the... View full entry
"And so, you know, having named my son after him, what was I going to do? Of course I said yes." — The Architect's Newspaper
The Architect's Newspaper has an insightful interview with Zoltan Pali about his firm's decision to "consciously uncouple" with Renzo Piano's firm on the design for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts museum project. It's not always easy when you get matched up with someone, even if you've named... View full entry
it seemed perverse to us that architecture has become all about the aesthetics of a few iconic buildings whose main function is the glorification of those with the money to build them. As one prize after another celebrates the work of a selected band of world famous "starchitects", it seemed like humanity's most pressing problems are how to fold metal into the most obscure shapes, and how implausibly high a building can go. — Al Jazeera
As curated by Daniel Davies on how architecture and design can be used to build a better world, Al Jazeera sheds a light on what really matters as architecture moves into domains of architects and geographies where the works is making difference in people's lives."They are architects not paid by... View full entry
Crafty space manipulator Luftwerk will showcase FLOW/Im Fluss, a nightly light and water installation at Chicago's Couch Place alley on September 17-20 from 5 p.m. to midnight. Luftwerk, the Chicago-based collaborative established by Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, is best known for their... View full entry
On this 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a shiny new skyscraper towers over what was once a smoldering pile. It’s touted as “an ever-present symbol of renewal and hope,” but the process to build One WTC, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, has been arduous and much-delayed. The project, which has had its share of critics, is finally set to open in early 2015. — qz.com
The São Paulo Biennial, which opened on September 6, is traditionally a contemporary art festival, but this year’s event puts new emphasis on architecture. Chief curator Charles Esche commissioned nearly 70 percent of the exhibition’s artworks, collaborating with a five-person curatorial team that included an architect for the first time in the biennial’s 63-year history (fun fact: it’s the world’s second-oldest contemporary art biennial). — blouinartinfo.com