The very thing that makes modern cities vibrant and culturally dominant – increasing population density, and the atmosphere and networks that result from it – has left them politically under-represented. Meanwhile, the scattered and thinned-out populations of many struggling rural and small town areas distribute their voters through the British and American electoral systems much more efficiently. — Andy Beckett – The Guardian
Related on Archinect:The V&A's Martin Roth on Brexit: 'Me-first mentality' spreading through Europe is 'brutal'Brexit means Brexit: architects Rob Hyde, Katy Marks and Mark Middleton on how Brexit could change UK-architecture (and how architects could change Brexit), on Archinect Sessions... View full entry
Tokyo has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1.5bn (£1.2bn) national stadium that will host the 2020 Olympic Games.
The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, and other dignitaries attended the event on Sunday at the site of the demolished national stadium that was used during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. [...]
The ceremony ended with a video showing how the stadium is expected to look and function once completed by November 2019.
— The Guardian
A quick refresher, here are just a few instances of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium saga in the Archinect news:Kengo Kuma selected for new Tokyo Olympic StadiumKengo Kuma & Toyo Ito rumored to be designers behind new Tokyo Olympic Stadium proposalsTokyo Olympics refusing to pay Zaha Hadid for work... View full entry
As part of the newly launched interdisciplinary Antarctic Biennial, architect Gustav Dusing and artist Sho Hasegawa will be sent to Antarctica in March 2017 for what could be described as an inspiring, if chilly, imaginative tabula rasa. The winners for the Biennial were chosen during this year's... View full entry
In this eye-candy survey of Iran's newest architectural projects and prevailing trends, Architectural Digest takes a closer look at how the country's architects and architecture is shifting to not only attract more media attention, but to create a new visual identity:"Right now, the massive trend... View full entry
Shortly after Grafton Architects won RIBA's inaugural International Prize for their UTEC campus in Lima, Peru, I spoke with the firm's director, Yvonne Farrell, to get the backstory to the project and discuss how the award might affect the firm in the long run. As an academic building, UTEC... View full entry
ISIS forces have retaken the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, according to Syrian government media, the ISIS media wing and a human rights monitor. [...]
ISIS first seized control of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in May 2015. Syrian government forces recaptured it in March this year. [...]
ISIS demolished many of the city's ancient treasures, including the 1,800-year-old Arch of Triumph and the nearly 2,000-year-old Temple of Baalshamin, as well as the Temple of Bel.
— CNN
Palmyra previously in the Archinect news:Palmyra after ISIS: a first look at the level of destructionISIS militants have reportedly blown up Palmyra's Arch of TriumphISIS attacks second ancient Palmyra temple this monthISIS blows up 2,000-year-old Baalshamin temple in PalmyraISIS beheads leading... View full entry
Bjarke Ingels Group is the latest big fish to join the development frenzy along the LA River in advance of its rehabilitation. The Gallo family, of vinous fame, has commissioned the Copenhagen/New York-based firm to create a proposal for a city block-sized development in the Arts District. The... View full entry
In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect... View full entry
Taking the view that the owner of the Philharmonie had modified and thus defiled his architectural work, Jean Nouvel had sued ... asking the court to order the owner to perform all works necessary for the restoration of his work so as to comply with the architectural plans he had initially drawn. [...]
The case at hand renews the debate on the difficulties of granting remedies which constitute an acceptable way to balance the proprietor's rights and the moral rights of architects.
— lexology.com
Get caught up on Nouvel's dispute with the Philharmonie:Jean Nouvel loses court case over 'sabotaged' Philharmonie de ParisJean Nouvel files for court order against Philharmonie de Paris disputeJean Nouvel boycotts opening of his Philharmonie de Paris View full entry
Last Friday night, a fire broke out during a concert at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, California, killing (at present count) 36 people. While the precise cause of the fire is still unknown, the building was rife with code violations that accelerated the fire's damage, many related to its... View full entry
The museum is not a singular or path-breaking work of architecture; its design goals have more to do with manipulating light and shadow and with physical substance [...]
Yet taken as a whole the museum offers a range of encouraging signs about the priorities of architecture’s up-and-coming generation. These include a genuine interest in shifting definitions of public space in a digital age and — most important of all — a preference for measured and layered effects over operatic ones.
— Christopher Hawthorne - latimes.com
UC Davis' new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of art opened in November, and will function as a teaching museum with spaces for studios, galleries, and classrooms, including a courtyard for performances and installations.According to Hawthorne, SO-IL's design (done in collaboration Karl... View full entry
A lot has changed since 1984. That much is made clear with Google’s fun new toy, an interactive timelapse of Google Earth that stretches back 32 years. Constructed with 33 cloud-free annual mosaics, the tool was made interactive by Carnegie Mellon University CREATE Lab’s Time Machine... View full entry
Reasons for celebration in 2016 have been rare; it was largely a year of profound change and loss, especially within architecture. Here is a brief memorial for 17 remarkable architects, designers, planners, and educators we lost this year.↑ Balmori Associates' "GrowOnUs Floating Landscape"Diana... View full entry
The new Kent State Center for Architecture and Environmental Design has just opened. Designed by WEISS/MANFREDI, the 117,000 square foot building was the winner of an international competition. The soon-to-be LEED Platinum certified structure is intended to link the Kent State campus with the... View full entry
After his firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures was awarded the bid to create the building in 2010, Callebaut decided to erect a structure that was "like an inhabited tree," that could create a green urban landmark for the city with a minimal carbon footprint.
Slated for a completion in September 2017, the tower will stand 20 stories tall with a 90 degree twist that is achieved with a 4.5 degree turn per floor as the building ascends.
— taiwannews.com.tw
Vincent Callebaut, the Belgian architect known for audacious, ecologically-minded design proposals now has a project under construction in Taipei. We previously featured Callebaut's "LILYPAD, A Floating Ecopolis for Ecological Refugees" in 2008.Related on Archinect:Architecture Dean Poh says... View full entry
