Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse has been severely damaged fire. The nine-story “vertical village” in Marseille, France became a historic monument in 1995 and serves as one of the most important postwar landmarks of modernist architecture.

The design of the new housing project for the Erasmus University College by Erick van Egeraat consists out of five stories and houses a lecture hall, reading rooms, tutor rooms and offices for the staff of EUC. Located at the Nieuwe Markt in the center of Rotterdam, this new university concept will be implemented in the former 1923 library building which currently houses the Museum of Education. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Check out Great Spaces’ clip on the Brooklyn Bridge, one of New York’s amazing infrastructure feats. The construction of the bridge was a family affair as it was designed by John Roebling in the late 1860s and then completed by his son and daughter-in-law. One must imagine New York’s “skyline” of the 1800s to fully understand the innovation and the magnitude of such a massive project. For more about Roebling’s bridge, be sure to view our AD Classics coverage.

Architect: Choi Ropiha Fighera Location: Ballast Point Park, Birchgrove, NSW, Australia Client: Sydney Harbour Foreshore Structure Floor Area: 460 sqm Completion: 2009 Photographs: Brett Boardman

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Taking place March 17-19, the 361° Design Conference, which we are media partners for, will be focusing on a series that aims to capture practices with the “one-degree of difference”. Its objective is to create a multi-directional showcase of ideas and innovations that have and had a significant impact on the habitat around us. The event will include four tracks: Systems & Technology, Objects & Experiences, Paracentric Practices, and Innovating @ Grassroots. For more information, please visit their official website here.

Ajman University of Science & Technology will hosting a four-day workshop by architects Mrs. Elke Delugan-Meissl and Mr. Roman Delugan of Delugan Meissl Associated Architects – DMAA February 18-22. DMAA is known for their works involving urban development and interior and industrial design. Their most recent award was for the IF Product Design Award 2012 for their IYON LED Spotlight Series for Zumtobel. In addition, Delugan Meissl will hold a public lecture and open an exhibition for their work during the period of the workshop at the university. For more information and registration, please contact workshop coordinator Dr. Jihad Awad: dr_jihadaa@yahoo.com; j.awad@ajman.ac.ae.

The University of Architecture and Urbanism “Ion Mincu” of Bucharest will be celebrating its 120th anniversary this year in an ample event known as the Romanian Convention of Architecture and Design (ROCAD), that is going to take place at Parliament Palace in Bucharest from May 16-18. ROCAD, who are media partners of ArchDaily will offer a unique concept – a balanced mix of conferences and exhibitions – has created a stir among the architects and designers from Romania and thus over 1200 professionals at the May event are expected. More information on the event after the break.

Richard Meier recently discussed his perspective on creating public spaces. He expands on his experiences of designing numerous buildings across the globe and their importance in relation to public spaces. He discourses how the Getty Center in LA fosters a special environment for all activities, whether it be viewing the entire city or participating in cultural activities – the surroundings of the building are just as important as the structure itself. He also comments on the significance of the square that is encompassed on one side by his Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, and its destination as a mecca for teenage skateboarders and the seniors that come to watch the youths. Interestingly enough, his talk emphasizes the places that surround the architecture, the idea that the intent is not about making a building or monument, it is about creating a place and making a statement. This in turn makes for a much more exciting architectural experience – because it is the spaces that objects make that we inhabit.

James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) is one of five shortlisted teams invited to participate in an international design competition to renovate and reactivate Chicago’s landmark Navy Pier. Unveiled to the public last month, the goal of the intervention is to refocus the experience of the pier to the lakeside. This is an opportunity for the city to reassess what the waterfront means to an urban center and the character of its identity.

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The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 have announced the New York based office HWKN (HollwichKushner) as winner of the annual Young Architects Program (YAP) in New York. As winners of the 13th edition of the program, HWKN will construct an outdoor summer installation at the PS1 courtyard in Long Island City, Queens. The winning proposal, known as Wendy, was selected from five finalists and will provide a unique setting for the popular Warm Up summer music series.

Continue reading for more.

When the statistics showed architecture as the field of study where recent graduates had the highest unemployment rate, some suggested that future students ought to pursue different educational backgrounds. Courtney Lukitsch has shared her response to such a claim by defending the merits of an architecture education. ArchDaily reaches a wide range of readers – from established professions to students just entering the field – and we’d like to hear your thoughts on the value of pursuing an architecture education.

“Recently published reports about education degrees ‘not to pursue’ in architecture, design and art, made the rounds in the national press and A&D industry, raising eyebrows and demanding closer scrutiny.  Needless to say, this news spread like wildfire on social platforms such as Facebook and twitter, oddly to scant commentary among top-tier critics, academics and educators, architects and designers, a decidedly vocal and opinionated group of incredibly well educated professionals.”

Read the rest of Lukitsch’s article after the break. 

Architects are not funny

Architects do not fish

Architects do not understand velvetta

Architects do not hunt, they do peck

Architects have not seen ”Two and a Half Men”

I Have Seen the Future will be the fourth event that the creative Roman group, CityVision, will present at the MACRO museum of via Nizza in Rome next February 17th at 6:30pm. After the great success of Rome CityVision Experience, Love and Kill your own Town and Y1 Independent Architecture Stuff, a new independent architecture event will be presented for the first time in Rome, the famous London office SQUINT/OPERA with a lecture of Jules Coke (Squint/Opera founding director). More information on the event after the break.

Co-sponsored by the AIA NY Marketing and PR Committee and the Oculus Committee, the Architecture & the Media Series – Architecture Criticism Today discussion will take place Monday, February 27, 6 pm – 8 pm at the Center for Architecture in New York City.

In the first of a four-part series, architecture critics discuss the role of criticism in the field of architecture and how it informs the general public’s understanding of design. They also answer a vital question: as a project comes to life, at what point(s) should critics weigh in? In this panel discussion, prominent editors and writers will discuss the overall trends and shifts in architecture criticism today. More information on the event after the break.

Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) will present the Columbia Building Intelligence Project (C-BIP) sixth International Think Tank on February 24, 2012, at the powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn, New York.

Leading educators, architects, engineers, fabricators, contractors, owners, and other industry experts will gather to explore solutions that could change the building industry for the better as part of the Columbia Building Intelligence Project (C-BIP). More information on the event after the break.

The new Midfield Terminal Complex at Abu Dhabi International Airport was just approved by the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi. Within master plan, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the terminal is conceived as a gateway to the city. The design creates large, unimpeded internal zones that will enhance the passenger experience, and can accommodate long‐term adaptability to industry demands. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Architects: UnSangDong Architects Location: 555-9 SongSan-li SeolAk-myeon GaPyung Kyeunggi-do, Korea Client: Cheong-shim Bldg, Area: 505.00 sqm Gross Floor Area: 637.40 sqm Structure: R.C. Photographs: Kyung-sub Shin

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Many of you may have probably noticed Scott Timberg’s article “The Architecture Meltdown” (Salon, February 4, 2012) circling the internet. The gloomy article discusses the unknowing future and possible demise of the architectural profession – the “glamour profession of the creative class”. Timberg describes struggling professionals that are either unemployed or working full-time at intern wages within a profession that is largely focused on the 1 percent.

There is no doubt that many architects and recent graduates are struggling. Architecture succeeded with the economy and crashed with it as well. With statistics revealing the highest unemployment rates among those with bachelor’s degrees in architecture and articles flooding the internet with titles “Want a Job? Go to College, and Don’t Major in Architecture” (New York Times, January 5th, 2012), there is not doubt that people are scared and unsure of where the profession is heading. Meanwhile, the (AIA) is cheering for a “2.1 percent rise in spending this year for non-residential construction projects”, a bit of optimism many are grasping onto for hope. However, we are headed somewhere. As Timberg states, “People will always need houses, cities and nations will always need schools and libraries and civic buildings, and trendy restaurants will need redesigns. Architecture will never die completely.”

Please continue reading to see Thomas Fisher’s response to Scott Timberg.

Led by Chicago-based Xavier Vendrell Studio, Team X seeks to respect, reveal and amplify the physical and experiential qualities of the authentic Navy Pier. Team X rejuvenates the Pier with a unifying system capable of evolving and changing over time, understanding that “the transformation of an existing place, done well, is responsive, organic and flexible”. A lush landscape contrasts the hardscape of Chicago, creating an urban park that functions like a plaza. Circular disks of varying circumferences puncture the landscape with various types of program and natural growth, accompanied by pocket parks, terraces and kiosks. “Horizon walk” platform attracts people to the Pier’s edge, as it the final destination that offers unobstructed views of Lake Michigan.

Continue reading for more!

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN’s “The Next List” features the bold and innovative ideas of Bjarke Ingels, focusing on the West 57th project that is transforming Manhattan skyline. Ingels states, “In the big picture, architecture is the art and science of making sure that our cities and buildings fit the way we want to live our lives.” The video also features comments from Robert A. M. Stern, Dean at Yale School of Architecture, and Douglas Durst, the developer of West 57th. Check it out!

Virtual Reality used to be the stuff of third-rate movies and tv shows with really fantastical plots that made one think, “how did these people get this job?” Fortunately, there are many university researchers who have constantly toiled at making real VR a useful and integral reality.

Take the VR learning site at Columbia. For anyone curious about western architecture there are some interesting structures to explore. It’s true that Columbia and the core Art History class that initially inspired this site is unfortunately Eurocentric: for example, French structures seem overrepresented.

We have been keeping close watch on the progress of Barclays Center, SHoP’s 650,000+ stadium for Brooklyn at Atlantic Yards. The project has an interesting history as the client, Bruce Ratner, originally looked to Gehry to design an urban solution and iconic image for the 22 acre site, prior to teaming with Ellerbe Becket and SHoP. As we’ve reported earlier, SHoP’s response has developed to become a sweeping pre-fabricated volume, with a perforated latticework steel skin and a transparent ground level. Photographer Roger Edwards has shared some recent photos with us of the construction process as the building is quickly beginning to take shape.

Check out more photos after the break.

The Buell Center will be hosting a public forum entitled What Is Foreclosed? Housing, Suburbanization, and Crisis, which marks the opening of Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream, an exhibition co-organized by the Museum of Modern Art and the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture. The event will take place on Saturday, February 18, 2012, in the Low Memorial Library Rotunda at Columbia University. An interdisciplinary group of scholars, activists, and architects, will debate the future of American housing, cities and suburbs and the cultural narratives that have accompanied the home foreclosure crisis and the economic crisis more generally. More information on the event after the break.