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Since the Civil War, the majestic dome of the U.S. Capitol has symbolized the unity of the United States, despite the discord in the government it overlooks. [...]
But the dome has lately grown as fractured as the federal government, and Tuesday the Architect of the Capitol announced that a $59 million project to save it would begin next month. [...]
There are now hundreds of cracks and deficiencies, and water already has stained parts of the Capitol’s interior.
— The Washington Post
The White House may be the centre of great power, but it is not in itself that big or that shouty. It’s just a nice, white house, rather elegant, with a fine sweeping drive, but utterly dwarfed by the US Treasury next door – a fact that is, in itself, a bit of a clue to the relative significance of wealth in American society. [...]
If the White House gleams simply because of the influence of the man inside it, the rest of the Washington complex is designed to make its case for significance.
— telegraph.co.uk
The Commission of Fine Arts [...] has praised Gehry’s designs in the past but asked him to consider minor revisions. [...] In response, Gehry submitted a redesign that incorporates a few dozen more trees – but left the basic components of the memorial untouched. Gehry did not attend the presentation of the new designs last week, and an architect at his firm said: “We are staying with the overall big ideas for the project.” — theguardian.com
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With Jack Evans and Vince Gray headed to New York and Muriel Bowser and Andy Shallal otherwise occupied, the small candidate crowd at last night's architecture debate must have left the hosts feeling as lonely as sad architect archetype Ted Mosby. The lack of candidates at the District Architecture Center brought about a similar lack of political tension, but that didn't keep the candidates who did show up from having ideas about buildings. — washingtoncitypaper.com
Alas! The winning team to renovate the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library has been selected. That team would be Mecanoo and Martinez + Johnson, who won over notable finalists Patkau + Ayers Saint Gross and STUDIOS + Freelon.
Upon contract approval, Mecanoo and Martinez + Johnson will begin working with library staff and consultants to finalize the new library's design scheme.
— bustler.net
Find out more on Bustler. View full entry
The historic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington D.C. is one step closer to finding the architectural team for its major renovation project -- and competition is stiff [...] After submitting their proposals, the top three teams will have one final presentation to persuade the review panel and the public this Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. in the MLK Library's Great Hall. — bustler.net
Team 1: Mecanoo + Martinez and JohnsonTeam 2: Patkau + Ayers Saint Gross Team 3: STUDIOS + Freelon Get more details about each project on Bustler. View full entry
Still standing strong after its opening in 1976, the Washington D.C. Metro rail system designed by architect Harry Weese was deemed the recipient of the AIA's Twenty-five Year Award.
The award recognizes a structure that demonstrates architectural resilience for 25-35 years. The structure must also show excellence in function, execution of its original program, and creative aspects in accordance with today's standards.
— bustler.net
These are a few of the D.C. Metro's stations. Find out more about the D.C. Metro on Bustler. View full entry
Three finalist teams have advanced into the last round of the search for an architect to renovate — or possibly redesign — Washington D.C.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Back in October, the competition had already narrowed down the list of applicants to 10 teams with the invitation to create technical proposals on how they would approach renovating the Mies van der Rohe-designed library. — bustler.net
The three finalists are: Patkau Architects / Ayers Saint Gross with Krueck + Sexton Martinez + Johnson Architects / Mecanoo Architects STUDIOS Architecture / The Freelon Group Previously: Ten firms chosen for second stage of MLK Jr. Memorial Library renovation search View full entry
The search to find the architect team to help redesign the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library continues as the competition narrowed down from 26 firms to 10 last month. These 10 teams were invited to create technical proposals on how they would approach renovating the Mies van der Rohe-designed library in Washington D.C. Firms are not expected to submit design concepts in this round. Proposals will be judged by a team of library, urban planning, architecture and preservation experts. — bustler.net
UPDATE: Shortlist for D.C.‘s MLK Library renovation narrowed down to 3 teams The firms are: Cunningham Quill Architects/1100 Architects Ennead Architects/Marshall Moya Architects Leo A. Daly/Richard Bauer Martinez and Johnson Architects/Mecanoo Architects OMA/Quinn Evans Architects Patkau... View full entry
Mark your calendars for the fast-approaching DesignDC, the annual conference of education and networking at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Sept. 25-26) and the District Architecture Center (Sept. 27) in Washington, DC. For three full days, visitors can attend numerous education sessions that will cover just about every aspect in design.
In light of a new school year, a significant topic in this year's conference is continuing the discussion on school safety.
— bustler.net
The vote came after Gehry presented the latest changes in the design, which included the restoration of bas-relief sculptures that had been eliminated in an earlier design and alterations in the statues of a young Dwight D. Eisenhower and of Eisenhower as president and World War II general. Excerpts from Eisenhower’s Guildhall Address, delivered after the allied victory in Europe and considered his most important speech, were also approved for the memorial. — articles.washingtonpost.com
The Hirshhorn Museum’s proposed Seasonal Inflatable Structure, also known as “the Bubble,” a project announced in 2009 and intended as an architecturally and culturally transformative space on the Mall, would operate at a loss in each of three scenarios examined in an assessment done by the Smithsonian. — washingtonpost.com
“We’ve said from the beginning, and the secretary [G. Wayne Clough] has said it, this is a bold project,” said Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for history, art and culture. “We’ve encouraged this, but it has to be raised by private money. In terms of doing that... View full entry
Ingels has been asked to envision a gateway, one that invites visitors to learn, rest and escape and then leads them north to the rest of the Mall. B.I.G. will be responsible for site and building investigations, programming, campus planning, architectural and engineering design concepts and cost analysis.
The area "suffers from some notable impediments, and the buildings within the landscape are not utilized in a fully functional and efficient way," the Smithsonian says.
— bizjournals.com
Harry S Truman inherited a White House that was in horrendous shape. After the British nearly burnt it to the ground in 1814, the construction of 20th-century innovations—indoor plumbing, electricity, and heating ducts—had also taken its toll on the structure. The building was nearly 150 years old, and it showed its age. In November 1948, the building was in a near-condemnable state... So it had to be gutted. Completely. — nationaljournal.com
As a public-art stunt, the Seasonal Inflatable is troubling. The Hirshhorn should build it anyway. — Washington City Paper
If and when the Inflatable is first inflated, perhaps in fall 2014—that’s the latest, and perhaps the last, aspirational launch date—the architectural pavilion known informally as the Bubble and somewhat more officially as the Bloomberg Balloon could serve as another kind of proof... View full entry