Historic Basque Factory Gets a Makeover

The design team, formed by Jon Montero and Naiara Montero from Barcelona, has recently won the international competition for the renovation of the Tabakalera, a former tobacco factory, now historic cultural center, in Donostia-San Sebastian. Bustler

Before the Levees Break: A Plan to Save the Netherlands

Ever since the 1953 flood, the Dutch have relied on a simple but effective equation for modeling flooding risk, risk = (probability of failure) x (projected cost of damage). Now concerned about the effects of rising sea levels the newly formed Deltacommittee has released a plan to protect highly vunerable areas of the Netherlands over the next two centuries Wired

Nation's First 'Underwater Wind Turbine' Installed in Old Man River

The nation's first commercial hydrokinetic turbine, which harnesses the power from moving water without the construction of a dam, has splashed into the waters of the Mississippi River near Hastings, Minnesota. Wired

European Universities Pick Competition Winners

In Austria, Zaha Hadid Architects have been selected as the architects of the Library and Learning Center at the University of Economics & Business, Vienna. In the UK, Glenn Howells Architects have been appointed to develop the campus master plan and the refurbishment of associated buildings at Newman University College, Birmingham.

A letter to the NYT

Cameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr replying to the NYT about this article just previously posted also at Archinect... well done Cameron!

Two new 4,300-year-old tombs discovered near Cairo

Egyptian archaeologists have found the tombs of two court officials, in charge of music and pyramid building, in a 4,000 year old cemetery from the reign of Pharaoh Unas. Slideshow

 

Double Decker Modernism

The joint submission by Foster + Partners and Aston Martin has won first prize, alongside Capoco Design, in Transport for Londons competition to design a new bus for the capital. Bustler

Archinect Op-Ed: Global Systems vs. Local Platforms

From Archinect:

by John Robb We are in the midst of radical social and economic change brought on by the emergence of a global system that is completely and utterly uncontrollable -- it is too big, too fast, and too complex to control. Unfortunately, the lack of a global control system means that we face a long series of increasingly severe shocks (due to the systems tight coupling, each new shock will sweep the world in months), wrecking long standing and established structures with ease. The first shocks, a bubble in energy and a financial crisis, have already done significant damage. More are on the way as the global system moves ever farther from normal patterns of operation. So, how does this impact the future of architecture and design? In general, this means that designers will need to focus less on macro or global level needs and much, much more on the needs of the local. Why? The solutions to macro level instability will be found in the development of local communitys that build systems and organizations that enable them to both withstand systemic shocks and prosper based on internal dynamics. This is nearly inevitable since architecture and design flow to sources of growth, and we will only see prolonged growth at the local and not the macro level. The first change will require architecture and design that transforms previously unproductive spaces most residences and communities are black holes of productivity into spaces that can produce value, from food to energy. A home, whether it is an apartment building or suburban residence, in 2025 will gain its value from its ability to efficiently produce necessities, and even income (as measured by the value of the output in local trade), for the owner. Community design will in turn focus on the creation of platforms that support and catalyze increases in production for the community as a whole. NOTE: For those that are unfamiliar with the concept of a platform, it finds its roots in the technology industry. Essentially, it is a system that simplifies a set of processes required for a given activity and bundles them into an easily accessible package. For example, the Internet is a platform. Platforms radically accelerate development and often foster the creation of diverse ecosystems of participants that rapidly innovate to fill the available opportunity/space. Within resilient communities, we will see the establishment of platforms that make it easier to grow/sell food, produce/share/sell energy, trade, share ideas/methods (social software), produce products (fab labs), collect/share/sell water and much more. For example, to accelerate the ability to share/sell energy within a community, smart grid technology and microgrids provide an excellent avenue of approach. More specifically, if my domestic wood-fired, combined heat power (CHP) system produces excess electricity, I could either sell it into the community's microgrid or store it locally depending on the pricing information I get from smart grid data flows. Another example would be platforms that support local agriculture. Platforms in this category such as vegitecture support localized agriculture and food production and include; centrally located open space for farmers markets, small fenced garden plots that can be rented, local cold storage, groves of nut trees, community composting systems, green roofs/walls and much more. If this sounds like a return to the 19th Century way of life you would be wrong. IF done correctly, the intensity of production and the productivity of participants will be orders of magnitude higher than during that earlier period. Further, IF done correctly it promises a rapid, broad and sustainable increase in standards of living for all participants. So, get ready and get innovating, for if we can crack the design of the models necessary to accomplish this, it will propagate virally across the entire world. John Robb is a former USAF pilot in special operations and software/IT entrepreneur. His book Brave New War , and website Global Guerillas are both excellent resources for anyone interested in exploring the future security challenges and opportunities for enhancing modern society's adaptability and resilience in todays rapidly changing globally, networked environment. Currently he is exploring the topic of resilient communities and how communities can shield and/or insulate themselves from such rapidly changing conditions by developing local capacity. In the Op-Ed above he discusses a few ways in which architects and other design professionals can contribute to the development of such capacity. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Losing Lousiana

Because of subsidence and global warming, Louisiana is slowly disappearing

Can Cities Save the Planet?

Scientists are skeptical. Planners are hopeful. The Dutch are pragmatic. Witold Rybczynski for Slate

Paul Goldberger: Architectures Ten Best of 2008

The Architecture Critic for The New Yorker weighs in on his picks for the best of '08. Read

Student sabotage's of BLM drilling rights sale

Amy goodman interviews Tim DeChristopher , who bought drilling rights to 22,000 acres around Arches National Parkin protest to the Bush Admin's rush to squander our national resources. His bidding costs oil and gas companies $$$$ for the other 150,000 acres. He was arrested and the bidding ended in chaos.

Homeless? Get a Porsche!

If this economy gets worse, we may soon start seeing more Porsches on the roads. Porsche-shaped tents, that is. Michael Rakowitzs P(L)OT project is a car-shaped tent that restores parking spaces to pedestrians as street-side camping. CCA-Actions | Via SC

Unity Temple wins $200,000 federal grant to aid repairs

 

The historic Frank Lloyd Wright buildingtroubled by crumbling ceilings, leaky walls and the prospect of a repair bill of more than $1 million (has) just won a $200,000 federal grant.

Flickr The Commons

The key goals of The Commons on Flickr are to firstly show hidden treasures in the world's public photography archives, and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer. Fantastic, copyright free imagery. Here is a result for Architecture >

For I. M. Pei, History Is Still Happening

Nicolai Ouroussoff follows up his previous article on I. M. Pei's latest project with thoughts on the architect's career: I CANT seem to get the Museum of Islamic Art out of my mind. Theres nothing revolutionary about the building. But its clean, chiseled forms have a tranquillity that distinguishes it in an age that often seems trapped somewhere between gimmickry and a cloying nostalgia. NYT | Slideshow

Designs to Beat the Downturn Blues

We might have had a bleak end to 2008, but it was actually a good year for splendid buildings and inspiring architectural exhibitions. BD asks 18 major players in the business to pick out their highlights from the past year. BD

Kalita Humphries Theater

Kalita Humphries Theater, originally uploaded by Super Bjorn.

I hit 30,000 views today. Congrats everyone so here is a Frank Lloyd Wright building for you. A great theater and old home for the Dallas Theater Center before the head over to the new Wyly Theater.

Working out of the Box: Annalisa Dominoni

From Archinect:

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths. Are you an architect working out of the box? Do you know of someone that has changed careers and has an interesting story to share? If you would like to suggest an (ex-)architect, please send us a message. This week we present Annalisa Dominoni, an Italian architect who has applied her architectural education and experience to design architecture, products, and clothing for space travel and extreme environments. Archinect: Where did you study architecture? Annalisa Dominoni: At the Facoltࠤi Architettura of Politecnico di Milano. At what point in your life did you decide to pursue architecture? When I chose an artistic secondary school, my idea was to continue studies at the Academia of Art, but during those years I developed a strong interest towards architecture, which became stronger when I took my diploma. I've always had the ability to visualize space and volumes in relation to the users and his perception. I liked to think in 3D and work with study models at different scales to understand dimensions and proportions. When did you decide to stop pursuing architecture? Why? After my degree in Architecture, I opened an Architecture and Design bureau. At the same time, I wrote for various architecture and design journals such as Domus and Abitare, maintaining a connection with the university (I was assistant in the design courses). After three years, when I decided to start my academic career, I chose the theme for my PhD Industrial Design for Space trying to understand if an architect, a designer, could have a role in this field - generally characterized by engineers, biologists, physics etc, - and what that role would be. Dome C Concordia Base - Scientific Research on High Antarctic Plateau Habitability Design Expertise - Dome C Concordia Base, Antarctica Habitability Design Expertise - Dome C Concordia Base, Antarctica Fortunately, at that moment, there were two competitions for the technological utilization of the International Space Station. I presented two proposals which were both accepted. The first proposal was the design of a new integrated clothing system to be used during the IVA (Intra-Vehicular Activities), and the second one was the design of a new light fitness system to be used by the crew as a countermeasure in microgravity. During this time I was the editor and director of Techne Magazine, an important scientific and technology journal which was going very well. With success from the industries and the public, I had the space programs to develop, the PhD and no more time to devote to architecture I had to make a choice Describe your current profession. Professor at the Facoltࠤel Design of Politecnico di Milano teaching strategic design and innovation systems. Director of the SPIN-DESIGN LAB project research laboratory, characterized by a wide multidisciplinary transversality, where academic and industrial skills are combined. Research areas of SPIN-DESIGN include space and extreme environment, prosthetic objects, innovation and techno-textile_DESIGN. My projects aim at increasing comfort and adaptability in extreme and little-known environments, and human conditions encompassing the design of high tech and innovative industrial products. International Space Station ISS Director of TECHDESIGN research centre, a collaboration between the Politecnico di Milano and TexClubTec. TECHDESIGN research centre aims to study and find applications to market innovative fabrics and materials, defining future scenarios and designing new product families. Member of AIAA/DECT/ASASC (AIAA, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, DECT, Design Engineering Technical Committee, ASASC, Aerospace Architecture Subcommittee) in which I am involved in different branches such as Education and Research/Design. Ive developed research projects with research bodies as ENEA, and Space agencies such as ASI, Italian Space Agency, ESA, European Space Agency and NASA, with the co-operation of major industries such as Thales Alenia Space and Laben, and the other companies such as ABB, Aerosekur, Benetton Group, Domino, Electrolux Zanussi, Sealed Air, TechnoGym, Prada, Usag etc. Columbus Module at the International Space Station ISS Experiment in Space My Space design projects have been tested on board the International Space Station, ISS, by the astronaut Roberto Vittori. Principal Investigator of VEST Experiment, an integrated clothing support system to be used in microgravity condition, launched from Baikonur Space base in Kazakistan, MARCO POLO Mission, ASI, April 2002. Principal Investigator of GOAL (Garments for Orbital Activities in weightLessness), ENEIDE Mission, ESA, April 2005, obtaining the ENEIDE MISSION AWARD from ESA. GOAL, Garments for Orbital Activities in weightLessness, ENEIDE Mission Ive developed many feasibility studies on habitability in extreme environments as BASE CONCORDIA in Antarctica, a feasibility study to design alternative solutions for interiors and equipment, ENEA, 2002, and in Space conditions as MEEMM, a feasibility study to increase usability of experimental equipment on Columbus Laboratory of the International Space Station, ESA, 2003. Intra-Vehicular Activities IVA Publications The results of my research projects have been presented in international conferences and published in proceedings and scientific journals. In 2002, I published the book Industrial Design for Space that contains the reflections and the projects for living in Space and that defines the role of design in Space project activities. From 1999 to 2001, I was editor and director of the technological innovation journal Techne World Wide Magazine. What skills did you gain from architecture school, or working in the architecture industry, that have contributed to your success in your current career? As a space architect, I design Lunar and Mars bases and equipment which requires specific skills and competence similar to traditional architecture disciplines. Also, technology and innovation have been very important in my career to define a new field of application in different areas, from intelligent fabrics (think about textile materials for inflatable habitation modules in Space but also tensile structure used in different context on Earth) to nanotechnologies (for example the sensor systems integrated into materials to monitoring building structures and equipment, or the surface nanostructured treatments to improve the performances of the materials) taking in mind the importance of the users need in relation with the design of the artificial world, the third skin (the architecture). Mars base design for Facility for Integrated Planetary Exploration Simulation (FIPES) Do you have an interest in returning to architecture? As you can see, there are so many skills and activities in common between my current work and architecture that allow me to maintain my interests in a design continuum made of objects and tools at different scales. As says a famous title from Triennales exhibition in Milan From spoon to the city. At the same manner, I could say From Space to the Earth. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Future Wyly Theater

Future Wyly Theater, originally uploaded by Super Bjorn.

The Future Wyly Theater in Dallas, TX.

The Audacity of Hope for Better Public Works

Last Saturday, President-elect Obama announced plans for a "public works construction program" that will be "the largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s." Is he talking about architecture? I'm not getting my hopes up. Robert Campbell for the Boston Globe

Plectic Architecture?

Plectic Architecture -Towards a Theory of the Post-Digital in Architecture. Professor Neil Spiller-Director-AVATAR Bartlett School of Architecture, via Beyond the Beyond

ShowCase: The Mondri and Elano Hotel

From Archinect:

ShowCase is an on-going feature series on Archinect, presenting exciting new work from designers representing all creative fields and all geographies. We are always accepting nominations for upcoming ShowCase features - if you would like to suggest a project, please send us a message. How do we make a hotel of genuine experiences in Las Vegas, the City of Pastiche? How do we extract the identity of the Mondrian and the Delano Hotels without producing copycat versions? How do we maximize the benefits of a large-scale complex without losing the identity and individual logistics of its parts? How do we address a mass audience while retaining the exclusivity required by a long tradition of ground breaking hotels? And finally, how do we create the Small and Intimate when the program is huge and imposing? ↑ Click image to enlarge Outside image (Click on this and all of the images to get a detailed view) ↑ Click image to enlarge Outside image ↑ Click image to enlarge Rain forest lobby ↑ Click image to enlarge Pool deck We studied the Mondrian and Delano Hotels with the aim to extract core elements of their identities. Rather than falling for their success, we tried to encircle where they could fail in the event of a Las Vegas relocation. ↑ Click image to enlarge Model photo ↑ Click image to enlarge Model photo ↑ Click image to enlarge Facade detail ↑ Click image to enlarge Model photo ↑ Click image to enlarge Model photo What makes these two hotels different and what connects them? We have reproduced the essence of the hotel experience and thereby attempted to introduce a genuine experience of Las Vegas to Las Vegas. JDS/Julien de Smedt Architects Julien De Smedt is the founder and director of JDS Architects based in Copenhagen, with offices in Brussels and Oslo. A designer and architect whose work is known in Europe and abroad, Julien's commitment to the exploration of new architectural models and programs has helped to re-energize the discussion of architecture in Denmark with projects such as the VM Housing Complex, Maritime Youth House and Stavanger Concert Hall. Born in Brussels to French art enthusiast Jacques L鯢old and Belgian artist Claude De Smedt, Julien attended schools in Brussels, Paris, and Los Angeles before receiving his diploma from the Bartlett School of Architecture. Before founding JDS Architects, Julien worked with OMA, Rotterdam and co-founded in well known architecture firm PLOT in Copenhagen. Among other awards and recognitions, Julien received the Henning Larsen Prize in 2003 and an Eckersberg medal in 2005. In 2004 the Stavanger Concert Hall was appointed Worlds Best Concert Hall at the Venice Biennale, and the Maritime Youth House won the AR+D award in London and was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe award. In 2007 Julien also won a large international competition for the new Holmenkollen Skijump in Oslo, Norway. Julien has been a guest professor at Rice University in Houston, Texas and invited to teach at the University of Kentucky in 2009. Among other places, Julien has also lectured at the Sendai Mediatheque in Japan, the Architectural Association of Ireland, the Tate Modern in London, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, the Pavillon de l'arsenal in Paris, the McGill University in Montreal, Yale University in New Haven, and both SciArc and USC in Los Angeles. Julien's work has been exhibited in numerous locations around the world, such as Copenhagen, Toronto, Paris, New York City, and Sao Paulo. The first monograph of JDS Architects, entitled PIXL TO XL, was published by Damdi in December 2007 and is currently available.

Yale unveils new School of Management building by Foster

Foster + Partners presented their designs on Monday to the Yale community for the new School of Management building. Sir Norman Foster graduated from Yale in 1962. Images and info at Yale.edu, Via

Working out of the Box: Corcoran Sunshine

From Archinect:

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths. Are you an architect working out of the box? Do you know of someone that has changed careers and has an interesting story to share? If you would like to suggest an (ex-)architect, please send us a message. Archinect: Where did you study architecture? Elisa Orlanski Ours: As lame as it sounds, dont we as designers make an effort to study architecture everyday? On the job site, in studios, and especially in spaces we occupy. But back to the question, I studied architecture at Barnard College (1994-1998) and received my M. Arch. from Columbia (1998-2001) / ETH in Zurich (2000). While my direct academic focus was urban design, I honed my interest in architecture through explorations in computer science, finance, physics and teaching. Nadia Meratla: I completed undergraduate and graduate studies in architecture at McGill University (M. Arch. 2001), a very enriching experience. I also taught design studio at McGill upon graduation which afforded me the opportunity to straddle theory and practice. Will Tims: I studied architecture at the University of Virginia (1993-1997) and earned my M. Arch. at Yale (2000-2003). Both were a great fit for me Virginia for its focus on the fundamentals of modern design and for the rigor it demanded, and Yale for forcing me to think beyond what I already knew, or thought I knew. The program at Yale encourages such a dynamic and eclectic range of thought everything is on the table, and the spirit of the collaborative studio lives on very strongly there. Elisa: The three of us are very involved in giving back to our own academic communities. We feel that it is important to offer guidance to recent grads by helping them network and learn how to market themselves. ↑ Click image to enlarge 166 Perry, Asymptote Architecture / Perry Street Development Corp. / Archpartners (Click on this and all of the images to get a detailed view) At what point in your life did you decide to pursue architecture? Nadia: I grew up in transition between the US, UK and Canada and had the good fortune to travel extensively and be inspired by great design and horrified by bad design. Architecture mediated well the classic art-science duel. Will: I was drawing house plans since 6th grade and my parents encouraged me by pointing out interesting buildings and details on our family road trips across the country. During the summer before my senior year in high school, I spent four weeks at an Introduction to Architecture program at UVa and really loved it and the school. Jeffersons campus alone could inspire one to study architecture. After this experience, I committed to pursuing this path in college. Elisa: My earliest memories involve building Lego houses for my dolls and Lego cities for my brothers cars. My father fostered this interest in buildings by exposing me to the multiple scales of architecture and dynamic systems through travel, meteorology and cooking. Growing up in both the quiet enclave of Princeton and the stimulation of Buenos Aires raised intriguing questions on urbanism that I find myself answering today. It is interesting to see the cycle repeat itself in my nephew now when I see him navigate through the Lego Factory on the computer. ↑ Click image to enlarge 166 Perry, Asymptote Architecture / Perry Street Development Corp. / Archpartners When did you decide to stop pursuing architecture? Why? Will: First off, I dont think Ive stopped, I just think that I pursue it from a different angle now. A couple of years out of Yale I became frustrated with the slowness of the profession in terms of success and advancement. I had also spent my time either working in small firms or for myself, on smaller high-end residential projects, and was longing for something that was larger, more complex and urban in its influence. I took a year and did the Masters of Science in Real Estate Development program at Columbia. Right around graduation, in October 2006, I came to work in Predevelopment for Corcoran Sunshine. Nadia: Likewise, I consider myself still pursuing architecture however from a real estate perspective. In traditional practice I was greatly intrigued by feasibility analyses that informed development and also the delightful complexities of program, conflicting priorities and the multitude of objectives that were influenced and essentially governed by an intricate balance of both design and real estate. The conceptual stage, massaging of program and critical evaluation of a developments potential from a design perspective has always had a particular allure. Ultimately, marketing and programmatic innovation are not distinct but rather inherent to architecture. Elisa: Stopped? Come on, were just getting started. Throughout Columbia, I tried to always alternate between practice and theory in my apprenticeships and combine the two in my studios and seminars. When I graduated from my seven years there and worked for firms like Wendy Joseph and Peter Eisenman, I might as well have been voted least likely to depart from parametric designs and urban theory. With that, I became a Project Manager for RDRice Construction, a boutique New York City construction company, for almost four years building residences designed by 1100 Architects, Steven Harris, Jacques Grange and BKSK. There I learned the craft of detailing from the installers themselves, demands of New York-centric clientele, and that every line on a drawing has an impact to the schedule and budget. After building six highly detailed residences, from a 16,000SF modernist townhouse gut renovation to installing a priceless Giacometti mantle, it was time to leave and finally try to combine the art of building with my urban theories. That is when I came to Corcoran Sunshine. ↑ Click image to enlarge The Dillon, Smith-Miller + Hawkinson / SDS Procida / dbox Describe your current profession. Elisa: PreDEVELOPMENT describes the phase of a development property beginning with site acquisition through the initiation of construction. That is the short and idealized answer; however the best way to describe the duration of our involvement is from feasibility studies to punchlists or in other terms from the cradle to the grave. CS is the only marketing and sales organization with a full service product planning studio led by trained architects/planners. With our diverse backgrounds, my esteemed colleagues (including Matt Goodwin, Leeana Khalique and Sarah Hardy) and I redefined the scope of the marketing consultant by providing a design / construction / urbanism perspective. Our strategic services are informed by sales feedback and market intelligence that shape the end product and ensure that the offering meets the buyers expectations. While not the designers of the buildings, we are instead the multi-scale design programmers for master plans down to bathroom fixtures, and often punch-list watchdogs. Positioned as a boutique studio with the resources of a corporation, Corcoran Sunshines multiple departments collaborate to customize our approach and recommendations for every site with the benefit of deep market knowledge. Predevelopment consults to assist developers, designers, financers, value representatives, contractors and ancillary consultants through the development process for new construction, conversions, condominiums, rentals, hotel-branded properties, master plans, resort destinations and the unfortunate latest product type, bank workouts. ↑ Click image to enlarge 40 Mercer, Atelier Jean Nouvel / SLCE Architects / Hines Interests / HotesAB / Whitehall Capital / Pandiscio Co. / Studio AMD Will: Similar to the shifting forces of the real estate market and the economy at large, we are able to tailor the scope of our services to the needs of our developers in a very fluid way. While Corcoran Sunshine is primarily a marketing and sales company, we are increasingly able to provide the sort of strategic and product-specific consulting on a variety of projects regardless of their phase and whether or not we sell the real estate. This targeted approach, whether meant to add-value, speed absorption, reposition an offering, or facilitate a sale through a quick re-design, provides developers and their design teams with the sort of facile expertise so necessary in todays challenging environment. Nadia: Predevelopment expertise substantiated by market research assists both developers and design consultants in order to strategically position a development as a premium competitive product. Predevelopment frequently serves as a referral matchmaker between the design and development communities. Our expertise is actively cultivated by innovative design research, attendance of international design shows, internal seminars, design publications, and a critical review of developments on the market and in the pipeline. Elisa: CS has been at the dynamic forefront of high-design developments, collaborating with renowned architects and designers such as Alan Wanzenberg, Annabelle Selldorf, Asymptote, Bernard Tschumi, Cesar Pelli, David Chipperfield, Frank Gehry, Gwathmey Siegel, Herzog de Meuron, Incorporated Architecture & Design, Jacques Grange, Jean Nouvel, John Pawson, Legorreta + Legorreta, Piero Lissoni, Philip Johnson, Philippe Starck, Polshek Partnership, Richard Meier, Rockwell Group, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Shigeru Ban, Steven Learner, Tsao & McKown, UN Studio and Zaha Hadid, among many others. Any trends or emerging designers Archinect readers would like to recommend are welcome. Pease email pd@corcoransunshine.com. ↑ Click image to enlarge Soho Mews, Gwathmey Siegel and Associates / United American Land / Archpartners What skills did you gain from architecture school, or working in the architecture industry, that have contributed to your success in your current career? Will: Architecture school taught me to think critically, to push myself to try new things and take a chance, even if it was uncomfortable. It is an amazing course of study that involves so many varied disciplines and lines of thought, from art and engineering to psychology and science I dont think there is another path that includes so many interesting and related fields. Much time working for Steven Harris Architects, Ryall Porter Architects, and then for myself was spent trying to find solutions to residential design problemsNew Yorkers want it all and there is rarely enough room! This experience enabled me to understand the wants and needs of a primarily luxury clientele, and to thus provide recommendations that result in elegant yet functional living spaces in exceptionally designed buildings that feature unparalleled lifestyle offerings. ↑ Click image to enlarge One Jackson Square, Kohn Pedersen Fox / SLCE Architects / Hines Interests/RFR Holdings / Eric Schuldenfrei & Hayes Davidson Nadia: Architecture school nurtured inspired collaboration and an innovative and experimental creativity. It further nourished a persuasion toward minimalism. Upon graduation, working at Saia Barbarese Topouzanov in Montreal, I was afforded the exposure to exquisite design principles and a unique collaborative spirit and creative milieu. At Gluckman Mayner Architects in New York I was inspired by a culture of design finesse and rigorous standards. Here my curiosity for real estate was stimulated by strategic feasibility analyses for New York development bids, residential acquisitions and working on Olive 8, a luxury residential hotel complex in Seattle. My pursuit of architectural journalism has also afforded me an exploration of innovations and opportunity to expose younger firms. Elisa: I always knew I wouldnt fit into the traditional role of an architect, designer, developer, builder, teacher or planner. In a way, I had to create a career that didnt exist to combine my design/marketing accomplishments at architecture studios, my management/ negotiating skills from construction, my passion for dynamic modeling and curiosity in parametric designs. The biggest challenge and greatest success of my role in starting this department at Corcoran Sunshine has been to strategically collaborate with brilliant teams to innovate truly exceptional architecture. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"Norman Foster must keep hands off Mecca"

Sami Angawi, an expert Saudi architect, said he was surprised and upset to learn of confidential plans, leaked last week, in which the holiest Islamic city would be redesigned by outsiders. Times

Orange blob to hide pump house

The winner in an architectural contest to remake a sewage pump house in downtown Miami is a proposal to cap it with a web of rubber tentacles reminiscent of a writhing sea creature.story @ Miami Herald | projects @ flickr

Obama's Weekly Address: Upgrading and Adding Buildings

Obama is increasingly talking about upgrading and adding to the Government's building stock. One can only hope that as this plan is developed they include innovative designers from all fields in this ambitious plan. Then again, maybe we can demand it.

New York Magazine's The Year in Architecture

The annual year end list madness begins. Interestingly, this list includes proposed but unbuilt designs, restorations, bike racks and civic infrastructure. The Top Ten Designs

Rebuilding America

Barack Obama has promised massive public spending and millions of new jobs on projects building and rebuilding roads and bridges, transit and energy systems the world that undergirds our economy and daily lives. But exactly what kind of infrastructure? Patching up the old 20th-century? Or rolling out the 21st? Brown? Or green? On Point (listen)

MVRDV Wins with Green Hills in South Korea

The Daewoo Consortium and the municipality of Gwanggyo announced the MVRDV concept design for a dense city centre winner of the developers competition for the future new town of Gwanggyo, located 35km south of the Korean capital Seoul. The plan consists of a series of overgrown hill shaped buildings with high programmatic diversity, aiming for high urban density and encouragement of further developments around this so-called Power Centre, one of the envisioned two centres of the future new town. Bustler

Bringing Brutal Back

Can restoring Paul Rudolph's signature building rescue the architect's reputation as well? Slate

Working out of the Box: Audra DiSimone

From Archinect:

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths. Are you an architect working out of the box? Do you know of someone that has changed careers and has an interesting story to share? If you would like to suggest an (ex-)architect, please send us a message. Archinect: Where did you study architecture? Audra DiSimone: Academically, I started at the University of Washington with Frank Ching as my first professor. That was a very classical architectural education rooted in fundamental tenets, with a modernist bent. I went to the other end of the dial in graduate school, beginning at SCI-Arcs program in Vico Morcote, Switzerland. Amazing. Lebbeus Woods was there at the time, and we explored some left-field material; an important counterpoint to the basics, but equally rigorous. The experience broadened my mind and way of thinking about not only the built landscape; but how to see, question, postulate. It was a good segue to Columbia University (Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation), where I obtained my Master of Architecture. Tschumi was Dean at the time; the faculty was incredible; the caliber of students was unrivaled. I felt utterly fortunate. Its impossible to summarize the richness of that education. My biggest take-away has been the ability to think critically. Thats broad; but I mean it in a very profound and very valid sense. I apply it daily. Architecture is a life-long educational pursuit. It doesnt begin and end in academia. ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | PARIS Design Direction for pilot renovation of relaunched hotel brand (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts). (Click on this and all of the images to get a detailed view) ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | PARIS Design Direction for pilot renovation of relaunched hotel brand (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts). At what point in your life did you decide to pursue architecture? Well, thats tough to say. My Father was an Architect, practicing out of our home. My Mother was a painter and loomed textiles. I grew up in a modernist house, full of the same modernist furniture that inhabits my home today. At age 3, Noguchi and Mies were part of my vocabulary. It was a pretty unobstructed path into pursuing architecture as a career; I was interning in the profession before I could touch it academically. ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | COLLATERAL Design Direction for pilot renovation of relaunched hotel brand (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts). ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | BATH AMENITIES Design Direction for amenity packaging and its presentation (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, in partnership with Cinq Mondes). ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | GLASSWARE Design Direction for signature coffee crockery and shotglasses (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, in partnership with Cinq Mondes). When did you decide to stop pursuing architecture? Why? Because at some point, I realized that I had never stopped to question it. I felt unsatiated, unconvinced that the hyper-focused minutia that I concerned myself with daily mattered to anyone but me. Its an incredibly venerable and rewarding profession; I needed to explore other avenues where I could apply my creative mind, while not feeling weighted by the production of architecture. Theres a little Richard Florida speak in this: were no longer a society of production; weve shifted to intellectual output. ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | LONDON Design Direction for pilot renovation of relaunched hotel brand (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts). ↑ Click image to enlarge LE MERIDIEN HOTELS | LONDON Design Direction for pilot renovation of relaunched hotel brand (with Starwood Hotels and Resorts). Describe your current profession. Presently, I'm Director of Design with Starwood Hotels and Resorts for Le Meridien brand. Le Meridien was acquired by Starwood in late 2005; in the past few years, I've been involved with the repositioning and re-launch of the brand. As a Design Director, I guide development of brand initiatives (everything from concepts to product) and oversee implementation of the initiatives in our hotels. The repositioning process began as an intense R&D exercise, looking at anything and everything in the evolving hospitality arena. Development and refinement of our distilled positioning has been an ongoing exercise in experience engineering -- constantly driving a visual language to build the brand. ↑ Click image to enlarge 29TH STREET PENTHOUSE Design Development, Construction Documents & Construction Administration for a private penthouse residence in New York, New York (with Rogers Marvel Architects). ↑ Click image to enlarge 29TH STREET PENTHOUSE Design Development, Construction Documents & Construction Administration for a private penthouse residence in New York, New York (with Rogers Marvel Architects). What skills did you gain from architecture school, or working in the architecture industry, that have contributed to your success in your current career? Again, its that critical thinking piece. Develop a brand thats a colossal challenge; particularly given the current hospitality climate. The bar is high. Differentiation is key, and that involves everything that the guest (or client) sees, touches, experiences. Its the visual environment, its the sound landscape, its the olfactory impression. Its also the positioning in the market, the target population, the communication scheme. We think about and play with all of it. Most lay people think of Architects and our education in the technical sense. Thats one aspect of a highly-complex, very nimble occupation. Were thinkers, creators, developers, visionaries, engineers, builders, ideators, strategists, educators ↑ Click image to enlarge PRATT INSTITUTE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Design Development, Construction Documents & Construction Administration for a School of Architecture in Brooklyn, New York (with Rogers Marvel Architects, Steven Holl Architects). Do you have an interest in returning to architecture? Im not practicing in the conventional sense; but I deal with aspects of the profession every day. When I started down the path of what I do now; I didnt miss drawing waterproofing details. There is joy in practicing architecture in that way. For now, I enjoy my alternate choice, and thats pretty important for any of us. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Yale Modernism Redux

Major works of post-WWII modernism at Yale have recently undergone or are undergoing major renovation efforts, making a visit to New Haven a unique opportunity to experience these masterpieces in their ideal states of existence. But can this impressive effort to resurrect at Yale inspire similar appreciation for other valuable but aging works of modernism in cities elsewhere? Check out this blog for the article and photos.