If you are in the New York area, Columbia University is organizing a celebration for architect and critic Kenneth Frampton’s 80th birthday. This event, entitled Five Architects: A North American Anthology , is a conference curated by Frampton on Saturday, November 13 running from 10 am – 6 pm. The five architects will include Steven Holl of New York, Rick Joy of Tucson, John + Patricia Patkau of Vancouver, Stanley Saitowitz of San Francisco and Brigitte Shim + Howard Sutcliffe of Toronto. The diverse group represents a varied body of work which, although quite distinct and different, share certain values, such as a particularly sensitive feeling for the impact of both craftsmanship and climate on the generation of form and a seemingly, equally shared concern for the expressive tactility of material and the articulation of structure under the impact of light.
This summer,C.F. Møller Architects informed us of their shared first prize for a competition to design a new Opera and Culture Center in Norway. The firm just shared with us that the jury has recently selected C. F. Møller Architects as the final winner (Norwegian firm Space Group in collaboration with the London firm Brisac Gonzales was the other first place contestant). As we’ve previously featured, the new center will create a vibrate cultural community for opera, dance, plus educational and mixed programs. The winning proposal, entitled Kulturkvartalet, forms an entire cultural district where the “light and lively facades create an ever-changing play of light and shadow.” Set to be inaugurated in 2014, the center will connect the various activities with a network of pedestrian streets, squares, and a nearby park. The project will abide by the environmental standard BREEAM.
Our newest addition to the site, our AD Classics, highlight impressive and innovative buildings spanning the course of history. While we are continually fascinated by Kahn’s National Assembly Building of Bangladesh (1982) or SOM’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (1963), what about works that date even farther back….before Corbusier’s Unite d’ Habitation (1952) and Mies’ Farnsworth House (1951); before the Eames House (1945) and Wright’s Unity Temple (1905). Dating back to the 1880s, Antoni Gaudí devoted over a decade of his life to one of Barcelona’s, and the architecture world’s, most prized structures, la Sagrada Família. The cathedral has remained under construction for hundreds of years as debates concerning whether or not its current state is too far from the original vision continually spark controversy. Yet, this Sunday, as the NY Times reported, Pope Benedict XVI visited the cathedral to consecrate the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. The visit spurred hundreds of workers to prepare the church in an effort to highlight the newest “ latest architectural and artistic features”.
Check out this small dwelling located in the countryside of Switzerland. Designed by FOVEA Architects, the residence boasts a strong aesthetic with a sharply angled facade. The titled upper volume (it is inclined at 40 degrees) faces south, and its geometry balances the need for privacy and light. The lower level is a simple rectangular floor plan with a patio; an outdoor area that seems contained by the angled volume above. Large windows allow natural light to illuminate the interior, and also provide great views of the surroundings. The home was prefabricated and is clad in painted pine planks that allow it to blend in with the rural architecture of the area.
Amidst a block of more traditional houses in Bilzen, Brussels-based Bassam El-Okeily, in collaboration with Karla Menten, has squeezed a contemporary three storey residence. From the street, the project’s vastly unique façade screams for attention, yet the crazed internal geometry is contained by a flat piece of glass – a move that allows the project to assimilate better into its context. In the evening time, the façade is lit in different colors allowing the house to act as “a pubic light sculpture by night.”
Jimenez Lai of Bureau Spectacular shared his residential project for a warehouse loft. The 1400 sf space is conceived as a house within a house where all the material possessions are compacted into one oversized briefcase, which the subject sleeps inside. The project focuses on engaging two architectural issues: the inside/outside and S/XL.
More information, including Lai’s illustrated storyboards after the break.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, the Architecture + Design Museum is launching its latest exhibition – a retrospective honoring Stephen Kanner. Kanner, in addition to being the founder and president of the A+D, was also a third generation architect and principal of Kanner Architects. Some of his most notable projects include PUMA retail stores worldwide, in addition to his contributions to his native LA environment. The exhibit, which will run from November 4th through January 16th, will display sketches and models of his work. As Sam Lubell reported for the AN Blog, “Many will be surprised by the depth of Kanner’s talents—he could sketch almost any building or neighborhood with exact precision, his cartoons were artful and hilarious, and he excelled at painting, model-making, and even carpet design— or even the breadth of his architecture, so this show is a must-see.” The museum is set to establish a Stephen Kanner Memorial Fundto ensure the future of the museum. A+D explained, “Kanner envisioned a museum dedicated to progressive architecture and design, celebrating not only the design breakthroughs of the city but also the accomplishments of the national and international design scenes.”
Check out Santos, Brazil’s new Museum of Modern Art designed by Metro Arquitetos Associados and Paulo Mendes da Rocha(be sure to check out our interviews with da Rocha here). Officially opened last month, the museum is visually shocking as the gigantic volume seems to be hovering over an open gathering space. Metal trusses measuring 60 m by 20 m support the two all-metal walls of the project. On the exterior, the facade is made with pre-cast slabs of concrete and then on the interior, it is plastered. The museum boasts one exhibit hall of 1,135 m² and one of 1,200 m², a café, ticket office, gift shop, lounge and archive, and is integrated into the existing Benedito Calixto Art gallery by way of the suspended steel beams of the new museum.
The latest buzz from China is all about the West Kowloon Cultural District, a large performing arts venue incorporating studios, theaters, performance venues, and cultural and public spaces. We’ve brought you coverage on OMA’s proposal as well as Foster+Partners‘ and Rocco Design Architects‘ schemes, and as the master plan develops, we’ll be sure to bring you the latest updates. As CNN reported, China has become “an increasingly attractive territory for leading architects.” And, we couldn’t agree more. Over the past few months, we’ve seen great projects from Holl emerging in China, such as his Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, as well as Hadid’s Guangzhou Opera House, OMA’S CCTV Tower, Vector Architects + CCDIP’s Tianjin Elementary School, and, not to mention, Plasma Studio’s Flowing Gardens. Plus, in terms of experimentation, China’s recent Expo 2010 offered the perfect opportunity for architects across the world to demonstrate their newest concepts about space, materials and performance. This explosion of architecture in the West has brought with it a sense of fresh experimentation of form and analysis of programmatic elements and organization. Together, the buildings are forming a rich and diverse vocabulary of architecture sprinkled throughout China. Koolhaas commented to CNN, “I think that any architect today has to be interested in China.”
Sadly, Shanghai’s Expo 2010 ended yesterday after 184 exciting days. Throughout the course of the exhibition, over 73 million people experienced great pavilions from countries across the world and we’ve brought you coverage of projects ranging from videos to project descriptions to photographs. In these past months, we’ve shared a few of our reader Seppe’s videos with you (check out his German Pavilion, UK Pavilion, and Denmark Pavilion clips, previously featured on AD) and today we’re sharing his latest bit on the Swiss Pavilion.
One New Change, Jean Nouvel and Sidell Gibson Architects’ mixed use facility, has just opened in Cheapside, London. The project includes over 340,000 ft of office space and an additional 220,000 sqf for commercial use. It is set to become London’s newest shopping destination and bring life to the area, “all set overlooking London’s most famous landmark, St. Paul’s Cathedral.” The project has sparked controversy as Sian Disson shared, “…staunch traditionalist Prince Charles made his feelings towards the glass and steel hulk clear from an early stage, attempting to have Nouvel thrown off the project when he learnt of the architect’s appointment.” Contrastly, as we reported earlier this year, the project was awarded by the MIPIM with the jury noting that the project will transform the area bringing a refreshing contrast. While the public voiced their opinion about the color selection, Nouvel’s use of glass provides blurred reflections of the Cathedral to be seen in its facade, gently referencing the historic landmark within its contemporary presence. Which side are you on?
Australian firm, Plazibat & Jemmott Architects, shared their most recent competition submission with us. The competition asked participants to design a residence using Australian building material supplier Boral’s selection of products. “This model takes a holistic approach to the issue of sustainable suburbs and is interested not so much in the technicalities of water harvesting or co-generation, but rather through increased efficiency, density and social interaction,” explained the architects.
Currently on view at the MoMa, the Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagementexhibition has provided an exciting and successful glimpse into how architecture can serve the greater needs of society. The museum just shared with us their latest news that starting in November and running through May, the Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries will hosting Building Collections: Recent Acquisitions of Architecture. This exhibit will highlight the great variety of important acquisitions made by the Department of Architecture and Design since 2005, juxtaposing, in several cases, newly acquired material with works long held in the collection in order to underscore the rationale and motives behind collecting architecture at MoMA. Some of the featured pieces include models by Corbusier and sketches by Sullivan.
More about the exhibition, including images of some of the acquired pieces after the break.
We’ve got another great project by Studio Gang Architects to share with you. The building, a former brown-field converted into a visitor center, speaks to Jeanne Gang’s idea of architecture being an all encompassing field with the built landscape playing a large role in shaping our enviornment. In our interview with Ms. Gang, the principal at Studio Gang along with Mark Schendel, she expressed her interest in “the horizontal plane” as a designed landscape can also function to compliment the built form. For their visitor center, which is located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the project remediates its distressed site by reestablishing native species and habitat. Both site and building design work together to educate visitors about the region’s unique bio-diversity.
As we reported back in 2009, RMJM‘s proposed Okhta Center was the subject of heated debate as residents of St Peterburg’s wanted nothing to do with the tower which was regarded as a “symbol of political ego.” Yet, as Record shared, the tower is set to move ahead after receiving a construction permit from Glavgosekspertiza, the body in charge of issuing building permits. Towering 403 meters into the skyline, the building will become the highest in Europe and as we’ve seen with Nouvel’s proposal for 53rd Street, Pelli Clarke Pelli’s 15 Penn Plaza and Frank Gehry’s Beekman Tower, adding a big change to the skyline sparks big controversy. In St. Petersburg, approximately 3,000 people gathered to protest the project which is being developed by gas giant Gazprom and is backed by Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin. In addition to strong public opposition, BD reported that Russian authorities were reviewing RMJM’s design following a report from Unesco’s World Heritage Committee, which has repeatedly threatened to strip the city of its World Heritage Site status if the tower as originally planned is built. The tower still needs a construction permit from City Hall, which, as Record reported, has backed the project from the start.
We’ve been bringing you coverage of the Living Architecture’s vacation houses and now we’re excited to share news that Living Architectureand Artangel are organizing a competition to build a new, temporary, one-bedroom structure on the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank Centre in London. The Room will allow up to two guests at a time a chance to spend a unique night in an exemplary architectural landmark overlooking London and will be available for the duration of the Olympic Year, 2012. The competition is open to any architect or architect teamed up with an artist/engineer or designer from across the world. Design proposals are expected to be bold, ingenious and intelligent, for residents and London alike. The deadline is November 30, and the shortlist announcement will be December 10.
The 32,000 sqf Los Angeles’ Holocaust Museum, designed by Belzberg Architects, has just opened. Sitting across from the Holocaust Memorial, the museum is the new face of the LAMH, the United States’ oldest holocaust museum which dates back to 1962. To the unknowing passerby, one may not even notice the museum as Belzberg has decided to bury the museum underground – a move that not only preserves the parkland above but also creates a dynamic circulation route bringing people beneath the earth to remember those who experienced the Holocaust.
More images and more about the museum after the break.
Talk about a great public space, the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center seems to have it all. A sudden and much welcomed break from the chaotic streets and hectic bustle of city life, Caesar Pelli’s amazing garden slows down the pace of a passerby’s day for just a second as one may steal a glance of the river, read under palm trees or relax on the grand marble stairs. This space is so meaningful that it was one of the first things rebuilt after the attack on the World Trade Center back in 2001. Yet, according to the New York Observer, Brookfield Properties, the owner of the World Financial Center, has proposed a redesign of the winter garden, including the removal of the beloved steps.
