Follow this tag to curate your own personalized Activity Stream and email alerts.
Gensler recently began a research project focused on Los Angeles and D.C., “Hackable Buildings – Hackable Cities,” exploring how building owners can adapt their properties to meet changing demand.
“It really started with some research that we were doing on the evolution of office buildings,” said Raffael Scasserra, a Gensler principal. “What we were looking at is what is that evolution like? What is it transforming to and what are buildings going to be?”
— washingtonpost.com
The Boston Public Library, which was founded in 1848 and is the oldest public urban library in the country, is moving rapidly in that direction. With a major renovation underway, this Copley Square institution is breaking out of its granite shell to show an airier, more welcoming side to the passing multitudes. Interior plans include new retail space, a souped-up section for teenagers, and a high-stool bar where patrons can bring their laptops and look out over Boylston Street. — nytimes.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
REX recently unveiled their scheme for redesigning the historic Davis Brody building on 450 West 33rd St in New York. The $200 million project consists of repositioning, re-cladding and interior renovation -- making it yet another addition to major redevelopments to NYC's evolving neighborhoods... 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
As reported last week by Archinectors Ayesha Ghosh and Alex Stewart, a discussion regarding MoMA's expansion plan and the intended demolition of the American Folk Art Museum took place at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, an appropriate venue for a conversation rife with implications for... View full entry
The winners of the international 2013 Faith & Form/IFRAA Awards Program restored and remodeled religious spaces that can indeed be deemed worthy of praise.
Founded in 1978 and co-sponsored by Faith & Form Magazine and the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA), the annual awards program recognizes the best in architecture, liturgical design, and art for religious spaces.
— bustler.net
Here's a selection of the winning submissions: Find more winning submissions and other competition details on Bustler. Images courtesy of 2013 Faith & Form/IFRAA Awards Program. View full entry
[Diller] had great respect for the Folk Art Museum, calling it a “bespoke” design tailored to the needs of the museum. She went through several scenarios on how to integrate the museum in the expanded footprint. [...]
Adapting the Folk Art Museum building, however, would basically compromise the building’s interior beyond recognition. [...]
The architects would have had to destroy the Folk Art Museum building in order to save it.
— Architect Magazing
In what looks like the kiss of death for the #folkMoMA movement, Diller Scofidio + Renfro's design for MoMA's expansion will necessitate the destruction of the neighboring American Folk Art Museum, as proposed today in a MoMA press conference. The initial threat to the Folk Museum was made last... 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
Make It Right, an organization that helps communities rebuild after environmental or economic disasters, opened its most recent project in Kansas City, Missouri this past Saturday. The project focused on the abandoned and badly damaged Bancroft School plot, renovating the school building into... View full entry
Spanish architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz of Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos have been presented the Abe Bonnema Architecture Award for their outstanding renovation of Amsterdam's historic Rijksmuseum. The prestigious Dutch award is granted biannually to an architect that designed a building of 'remarkable high quality architecture.' From a total of 49 entries, five projects were shortlisted, with the New Rijksmuseum winning the award. — bustler.net
Olson Kundig Architects' renovation project for the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington is set to begin later this month. [...]
The 16,000 sq.foot project consists of a new wing and building expansion that will double gallery space—including housing the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art—and therefore enhance visitors' art experiences and the museum's overall significance in downtown Tacoma.
— bustler.net
North of the Berkeley Hills, nestled in the quiet community of Kensington, lies an abandoned mansion called the Blake House. At the end of a short gravel path, the home historically reserved for the UC president lies behind two wrought iron gates.
But the 13,200-square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion — with an elevator, two kitchens, a massive library and panoramic views — has been empty for more than five years.
— dailycal.org
Officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the start of the aptly named "Park Over the Highway" plan in St. Louis, Missouri earlier this month. The plan's objective is to connect the iconic Gateway Arch grounds and Downtown St. Louis by building a... View full entry
Donald Judd bought 101 Spring Street, an 1870 cast-iron building, in 1968 for $68,000.
He stripped the dilapidated building down to its plaster walls and wood floors, illegally removing distractions like fire sprinklers.
Then Judd (1928-1994) spent decades turning the spaces into a showcase for his art and a place to rest his head on a bed made of wood planks. It’s carefully related to the colored tubes by Dan Flavin that march across the room, echoing the rhythm of a gorgeous row of windows.
— bloomberg.com
