David Basulto
Win a copy of Blueprints of the Star Wars Galaxy
The book will be limited to only 5,000 prints in english, and thanks to ArchDaily and Epic Ink Books you can win a copy!
To win this 35-pound book (priced at $500) all you need to do is follow these simple instructions:
Autodesk announces AutoCAD 2012 for Mac
Today Autodesk announced AutoCAD 2012 for Mac OSX, offering native support for Mac OSX Lion, and AutoCAD WS for Mac (the cloud/mobile solution for CAD drawings).
Autodesk also announced AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac, available for immediate download at the App Store (US$899.99).
The new portfolio of AutoCAD products for Mac expands options for millions of users of the popular design, documentation and collaboration software. AutoCAD 2012 for Mac was built specifically for OS X Lion and helps users create stunning designs on their platform of choice. AutoCAD LT for Mac enables users to document designs, optimize workflow and collaborate with colleagues and clients. AutoCAD WS for Mac enables users to view and collaborate on DWG files through the Mac interface. In addition, AutoCAD WS users can plot DWG files to PDF or DWF formats and sync with their cloud-based AutoCAD WS account, making files accessible from their AutoCAD WS mobile app. AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac and AutoCAD WS for Mac are available exclusively in the Mac App Store.
More images after the break:
More about Foster + Partner’s new Apple Campus in Cupertino
The city of Cupertino has released more details about the new Apple Campus, revealed back in June.
The new documents confirm Foster + Partners as the architects, working with ARUP North America and Kier & Wright, a local civil engineering firm that has worked on Apple’s current campus and buildings for other tech companies (eBay, Nvidia, Cisco, Netflix and Sun, among others).
About the program:
- An Office, Research and Development Building comprising approximately 2.8 million square feet for up to 13,000 employees
- A 1,000 seat Corporate Auditorium
- A Corporate Fitness Center
- Research Facilities comprising approximately 300,000 square feet
- A Central Plant
- Associated Parking
It’s a pretty amazing building. It’s a little like a spaceship landed. It’s got this gorgeous courtyard in the middle… It’s a circle. It’s curved all the way around. If you build things, this is not the cheapest way to build something. There is not a straight piece of glass in this building. It’s all curved. We’ve used our experience making retail buildings all over the world now, and we know how to make the biggest pieces of glass in the world for architectural use. And, we want to make the glass specifically for this building here. We can make it curve all the way around the building… It’s pretty cool.
- Steve Jobs
The round shape has also been cited as an important part of the campus’ security (better perimeter control) and to improve internal circulations.
It’s interesting to see that the objectives of the project are focused on reducing the use of electricity by generating its own energy on an on-site Central Plant, provide open green spaces “for Apple employees’ enjoyment” and to “exceed economic, social, and environmental sustainability goals through integrated design and development”. It seems Jobs choose the right firms for this.
By looking at the drawings it seems that the project is ready to go, and now it’s waiting for city approval. The city has revealed that they are very likely to approve the project, so it seems everything is on route for an opening in 2015.
Drawings and renderings after the break:
VitraHaus / Herzog & de Meuron
Over the years the Vitra Campus has become an architecture museum, featuring works by the most renowned architects: Frank Ghery, Zaha Hadid, Alvaro Siza, Tadao Ando, Jean Pruvé, Nicholas Grimshaw, Buckminster Fuller and SANAA (under construction).
The latest addition to the complex is the VitraHaus building, a series of stacked pitched-roof boxed, designed by Herzog & de Meuron for Vitra’s Home Collection:
Explore the Kanagawa Institute of Technology Workshop by Junya Ishigami in Google Maps
The Kanagawa Institute of Technology Workshop by Junya Ishigami is an elegant rectangular box with with floor-to-ceiling glass, enclosing an interesting interior space with 305 columns of various sizes supporting the stripped roof of skylights. The columns, although seemingly random, are specifically placed to create the sensation of zoned spaces, but their nonrestrictive quality provides a flexible layout to suit the changing needs of students.
Now you can get a better sense of this space by using Google Streetview to navigate the interior, as seen on the above image (just drag it). For a larger view just follow this link.
Via Spoon & Tamago.
Mac OSX Lion and CAD software
Yesterday Apple released the latest version of their operative system: Mac OS X Lion. I started using it yesterday and it works like a charm on my Macbook. At a first glance, there’s a lot of focus on handling all your applications thanks to features like Mission Control (an improved view of everything running on your computer) and Launchpad (a new way to organize your apps). Other interesting feature is Airdrop, which will allow you to easily share files with your co-workers. There is also a lot of focus on security, back up, system recovery and versions of files, that I know will be very useful for architects.
But what about the software we architects use on a daily basis? A word of advice before you upgrade:
- Graphisoft Archicad r14/r15: Both versions work (and according to @ArqErvey it works faster) with Mac OS X Lion, but there is a small bug related to zooming that has been already documented and should be patched soon. Read the official announcement.
- Google SketchUp 8: Not yet supported for use with OS X 10.7. There are several known issues. Google SU team has stated that they are already working on it, fix should be out soon.
- AutoCAD 2011: Currently not supported on the Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) operating system. If AutoCAD 2011 for Mac is installed on Lion, undesirable side effects can occur, including issues with printing/plotting, Customer Error Reporting (CER), and more. Autodesk is working on a Service Pack to address these problems.
- Update: readers inform on our Facebook page that Vectorworks runs well, but there are some minor issues that will be addressed by Nemetschek.
Disclaimer: Graphisoft is the sponsor of our Software section.
Peter Zumthor lecture at the Centre Georges Pompidou
Enjoy this lecture by Swiss architect and Pritzker laureate Peter Zumthor.
The lecture took place in May 19th the Centre Georges Pompidou, where Zumthor revisited 6 recent projects:
The video has also a simultaneous french translation, but it’s still watchable in english.
Update: You can mute the right channel to remove the french translation, as some readers pointed in the comments section below.
Thanks Vicentiu for the tip!
(Remember: you can always send us tips and info using our contact form)
Rem Koolhaas’ opening lecture at the Strelka Institute
A year ago we told you about the Strelka Institute, a postgrad school for media, architecture and design in Moscow. The school focuses on a series of themes aimed to reshape Russia’s current role in the world: from the preservation of the urban environment and migration to the future of energy and the role of virtual space.
The curriculum for the first academic year has been developed together with AMO (OMA’s think tank) as a framework for these creative investigations. Research projects will be led by OMA head Rem Koolhaas, AMO director Reinier de Graaf and cultural advisor Michael Schindhelm.
On the opening lecture (video above) Rem Koolhaas explains the program (first 40 minutes), addressing several global issues. Koolhaas’ interest in Russia will now play a vital role in shaping the next generation of architects.
Infographic: Architects on Twitter
Architects on Twitter?
With more than 40,000 followers, our Twitter account @ArchDaily has become a great channel to connect with our readers. Through this channel we’ve been able to see the progress of your buildings, know about the competitions/awards you win, share links, ideas, knowledge, and much more. And Architects on Twitter are constantly finding new creative ways to use the platform, as a collaboration and marketing tool.
UK digital marketing agency Pauley Creative conducted a survey among british architects using Twitter, and put all the info together on this nice infographic. Some of their findings:
- 65% of Architects surveyed had been using Twitter for over a year
- The majority of Architects use Twitter to keep up with the latest industry news (86%) and network with industry peers (79%)
- When asked ‘Who do you follow?’ most selected Other Architects (82%), Practices (77%) and Publications (75%)
- 95% of Architects do find Twitter useful, primarily for the reason that it’s quick and easy to share information and keep up with the latest news
- 99% of Architects surveyed stated that they would provide a recommendation if asked
Are you using Twitter? Are you following @ArchDaily? How are you using Twitter? Who do you recommend to follow?
Share your experience on the comments below, or Tweet it with hashtag #ArchOnTwitter.
See the full infographic below:
Kim Jong-il looking at architectural model
AD Interviews: Sou Fujimoto
A while ago I had the chance to meet one of the architects whose work I highly admire: Sou Fujimoto.
This Japanese architect based in Tokyo, Japan, established his firm Sou Fujimoto Architects back in 2000. He graduated from the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo in 1994, and has been a lecturer at Kyoto University since 2007. With a solid history in residential and cultural projects this firm has consistently shown a unique and innovative play of spatial qualities within its building designs, pushing the limits of housing and space conventions.
He defines his architecture under the concept of Primitive Future
You can check other works by Sou Fujimoto recently featured on ArchDaily:
- House N
- Group Home in Noboribetsu
- T House
- House of ORDOS 100
- Children’s Center for Psychiatric Rehab
- Final Wooden House
- Dalarna Library (in progress, with ADEPT Architects)
Musashino Art University Museum & Library / Sou Fujimoto
Architects: Sou Fujimoto
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Client: Musashino Art University
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 2,883.18 sqm
Photographs: Daici Ano
One of the most interesting projects I’ve seen in a while, the Musashino Art University Museum & Library proposes a new relation between the user and the books, surrounded and sheltered by them. We had the chance to ask Sou Fujimoto about the challenge of designing this program in the information age, as you can see on the above video.
More info after the break:
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 / Peter Zumthor
The 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Pritzker laureate Peter Zumthor was unveiled today. A design that ‘aims to help its audience take the time to relax, to observe and then, perhaps, start to talk again – maybe not’, the materials are significant in aiding the design which emphasizes the role the senses and emotions play in our experience of architecture.
Zumthor added that ‘the concept for this year’s Pavilion is the hortus conclusus, a contemplative room, a garden within a garden. The planted garden enclosed by this dark structure was conceived by the influential Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.
The building acts as a stage, a backdrop for the interior garden of flowers and light. Through blackness and shadow one enters the building from the lawn and begins the transition into the central garden, a place abstracted from the world of noise and traffic and the smells of London – an interior space within which to sit, to walk, to observe the flowers. This experience will be intense and memorable, as will the materials themselves – full of memory and time.’
More info after the break:
The Apple Campus in Cupertino
Last week the Internet and architecture blogs went crazy after Steve Jobs presented the new Apple Campus to the city of Cupertino, California.
Rumors about Foster + Partners (an office with a high expertise on work environments) working with Apple on this new campus appeared on December last year on a Spanish newspaper, but there was never an official confirmation (or denial). But given that the actual project fits with the information we received from an anonymous tipster last December, it seems it could be right:
“I recently got a tour of Norman Foster’s office in London and saw some images of the Apple Campus design. I believe the main building will be a large donut shaped building with all the offices and labs surrounding a large garden. It was a very pure form which connects to some of the recent Apple stores, but I was surprised that it didn’t really scream Apple to me. Of course it could have been a very preliminary design that wasn’t fully resolved yet. Anyway, I just thought I would pass on some info.”
During Steve Job’s presentation to the city of Cupertino we could see this round building, and Jobs outlined several facts on how this new campus for 12,000 people will improve the 98-acre site, such as taking parking underground to reduce the footprint, increasing landscaping from 20% to 80%, and planting more trees (3,700 now, 6,000 in the future). It even includes its own natural gas based energy generation plant (as seen on the drawings) with the electrical grid as backup.
As for the 4-story round building, Jobs said:
“It’s a pretty amazing building. It’s a little like a spaceship landed. It’s got this gorgeous courtyard in the middle… It’s a circle. It’s curved all the way around. If you build things, this is not the cheapest way to build something. There is not a straight piece of glass in this building. It’s all curved. We’ve used our experience making retail buildings all over the world now, and we know how to make the biggest pieces of glass in the world for architectural use. And, we want to make the glass specifically for this building here. We can make it curve all the way around the building… It’s pretty cool.”
We reached Steve Jobs over the past weekend to get more details about the project and he said that he wasn´t interested in presenting the project on ArchDaily at this time, possibly because the project still needs to be approved by the city. We hope to bring you more details later on, so you can have an informed opinion.
More images from the presentation after the break.
Video tour of the High Line Section 2
Justin Davidson, architecture critic for New York Magazine, tours the recently opened section 2 of the High Line and describes the city views you can see from there.
2011 Pritzker Prize Ceremony: Eduardo Souto de Moura, and Barack Obama
Last night we had the honor of attending the 2011 Pritzker Prize Ceremony in Washington D.C., where Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura received this important recognition.
This was the third time we attended the event (after 2009 in Buenos Aires and 2010 in New York) and it was a special evening, not only because of the renowned architects attending the event, but also for the presenting speech by President Barack Obama. Obama, a friend of the Pritzker family, delivered a short but interesting speech to Souto de Moura and the architects. Obama’s interest in architecture goes way back as we’ve heard him state that he thought he could be an architect, but as he said at the speech “I expected to be more creative than I turned out, so I had to go into politics instead”.
It’s worth mentioning that Obama referred to the Pritzker Prize as the Nobel of architecture, a common comparison that puts the importance of this recognition in context.
After several mentions to architecture, his hometown Chicago, Mies (his campaign HQ was in a Mies building), Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Jefferson’s Monticello, he mentioned that architecture is about “creating buildings and spaces that inspire us, that help us do our jobs, that bring us together, and that become, at their best, works of art that we can move through and live in. And in the end, that’s why architecture can be considered the most democratic of art forms“.
About Souto de Moura’s work he mentioned that it was “effortless and beautiful”, and he highlighted the fact that the Braga Stadium was a democratic building, as he not only served the audience but people on the outside.
After Obama and Lord Palumbo (chairman of the Pritzker jury) Eduardo Souto de Moura accepted his recognition, and said something very interesting that made me understand contemporary Portuguese architecture. He developed his work during the 1974 revolution in Portugal, after which the country required to give housing to millions of people. At that time post modernism was starting strong in the country, but that wasn´t the way to do housing (with columns and arches), which led to a late modernism that we see on his works, which in my opinion became a legacy to the new generation of Portuguese architects. More photos after the break:
AD Interviews: Preston Scott Cohen
I first learned about Preston Scott Cohen’s work when I read about the Goodman House, a simple and elegant operation of a concrete shell housing an ancient Dutch barn frame. But after further investigation, I was surprised to see a constant spatial and formal research of his work, that we have witnessed in the latest three public buildings from his office and featured on ArchDaily.
On one side we have the Nanjing Performing Arts Center, a curved roof related to the surroundings with a tower that anchors the project on the extended landscape. Also in China, the Taiyuan Museum (under construction) continues the geometric explorations with a tessellated surface that wraps a series of different spaces which alternate with courtyards that maintain a relation with the exterior.
When we visited Preston in Boston for this interview we had the chance to see a preview of his latest work, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (also shown during construction at AD), recently completed and now in final preparations to receive the art pieces and finally be open to the public. The exterior geometry of the building has a dynamic look, due to the changing shadows, while the interior features a careful use of natural light in the exhibitions spaces thanks to a lightfall that crosses the building.
Preston is also the Chair of the Department of Architecture of Harvard GSD, a role that allowed us to talk about the challenges of architectural education.
The challenges of architectural education
Our profession is very particular. We react very fast to current issues with our ideas, yet our buildings can take quite some time to be erected. For example, the project of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange building by OMA in China was the physical image of the new Chinese economy back in 2006. Five years later this new economy has taken the world by storm yet the building is still under construction.
Also, the exchange of knowledge in the age of information has made our profession move at an unprecedented speed, and thanks to the Internet the new ideas are not coming from the usual centers (New York, Milan, London) but rather from Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
In this new panorama, architectural education has to move faster, and smarter. It’s not about teaching how to use the latest tools, bur rather how to be part of a new world.
When we visited Preston Scott Cohen, Chair of the Architecture Department at Harvard GSD, we asked him about the challenges that architectural education is facing today, such as how our field is expanding to work on areas that were totally out of our scope until a few years ago.
With more than 120 architecture schools in the US, there are several perspectives about this. It would be great if you could tell us your opinion about this important matter.
AD Interviews: Steve McDowell / BNIM
During the 2011 AIA Convention in New Orleans we had the chance to sit down and talk with Steve McDowell, Principal and Director of Design of BNIM, the 2011 Architecture Firm of the Year. BNIM was founded over 40 years ago with a commitment to design excellence. Currently at the top of their game the Kansas City, Missouri headquartered firm has worked with high profile architects such as Steven Holl to produce the multi-award winning Block Building expansion for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, they have contributed to advancing education of building sustainability with their innovative design of the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, which is the first project in the world to achieve both ‘Living’ Status and LEED Platinum, and BNIM’s scope of work also includes more rural projects such as the Midwest Retreat.
Steven Holl shared, “We selected BNIM Architects because of their focus on innovation, impeccable reputation and stature, but we got much more from them. With the exacting level of care and commitment to Architecture, the collaboration was the best our firm has experienced.”
BNIM’s excellence in design and sustainability has been acknowledge by receiving over 300 design awards on the local, regional, and national level. Their 7 COTE Top Ten Green awards, 3 GSA Design Excellence Awards, 20 honor and design excellence awards by seven different AIA Chapters, and two National AIA Honor Awards is a testament to their process of integration and collaboration with clients and consultants, creating designs that reflect a balance of people, planet and prosperity.
Additional projects by BNIM featured on ArchDaily include:
Eduardo Souto de Moura interactive poster by Vítor Gabriel
Architecture filmmaker Vítor Gabriel shared with us this incredible video of the Casa das Histórias, Paula Rego Museum, one of the most recent works by 2011 Pritzker Laureate Eduardo Souto de Moura.
The vertical video looks great on the iPad, and takes posters to a whole new level.
2011 Pritzker Prize: Eduardo Souto de Moura
Today, the Pritzker Prize laureate has been announced: Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura.
The 58-year-old architect based in Porto worked on his earlier years at Alvaro Siza’s office, another Pritzker Laureate (1992), and opened his own practice in 1980. Since then he has completed over sixty buildings, most of them in Portugal, and also in Spain, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Along his works we find iconic projects such as the impressive Braga Stadium (2004) and the recent Casa das Histórias Paula Rego.
“During the past three decades, Eduardo Souto de Moura has produced a body of work that is of our time but also carries echoes of architectural traditions. His buildings have a unique ability to convey seemingly conflicting characteristics — power and modesty, bravado and subtlety, bold public authority and a sense of intimacy —at the same time.”
- Lord Palumbo, Chairman of the jury
More projects by Eduardo Souto de Moura after the break:
