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In this video Bjarke Ingels shares his enlightened view on Hedonistic sustainability, challenging the misconception that one must give up a portion of their comfortable lifestyle in order to live sustainability. Ingels counteracts that delusion with examples that illustrate the possibilities of sustainable buildings and cities increasing life quality. He encourages architects to embrace their expanded roles of becoming “designers of ecosystems” by creating a world where our presence is not seen as detrimental to our environment through the integration of our “consumption patterns and leftovers” into our natural world. Ingels is optimistic as he shares Hollywood’s copy of BIG’s Denmark Pavilion for the Shanghai 2010 Expo in Iron Man 2. Ingels states, “If Hollywood starts ripping off sustainable architecture to portray science fiction it could be a sign we are moving towards Hedonistic sustainability.”

Reference: TEDxEast

Subarquitectura transforms a roundabout into a public space with the Parametric Romantic Garden that creates a system of paths leading to a tram station in Alicante, Spain. The parametric design accommodates for existing trees while establishing 32 unique ways in which the platforms may be reached. Each platform is capped with a hollow luminary, serving as an identifier for the station while breaking down the scale for the travelers. Follow this link for more information on the project.

This video reveals the first statement by director David Chipperfield and president Paolo Baratta regarding the 13th International Venice Biennale. With “Common Ground” as the underlying theme, Chipperfield encourages participants not to promote themselves, as if in a theater, but rather promote a dialogue that will begin the “chemical process” that will ultimately lead to finding connections between “things, people and influences”. Chipperfield highlights that the Venice Biennale is about “what is not private, but what is common.”

The architecture exhibition will open to the public August 29th, 2012.

Martín Azúa 1999 / Photographs Daniel Riera

Barcelona designer Martín Azúa questions the idea of the private home with the Basic House – an inhabitable volume that is “foldable, inflatable and reversible”. The experimental prototype challenges the idea of homeownership, offering an alternative to the materialistic reality of today. Made from metalized polyester, the Basic House is a shelter small enough to fit in your pocket, allowing you to break away from the imprisonment of material ties.

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The Montansier / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

French photographer Franck Bohbot has shared with us a series of photographs based on the interiors of historical Parisian theaters. Bohbot strived to capture the cultural life of the architecture with the absence of people, paying homage to the empty theater. Naked, the photographs reveal a sense of grandeur and intimacy. Continue after the break for more images.

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Courtesy of Trahan Architects - Renders by By-Encore

The Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame (LSMSHOF) celebrates two seemly disconnected subjects within one contemporary venue, combining North Louisiana’s profound history with its influential world of sports. Designed by Trahan Architects, in coordination with Method Design and CASE, the new $12.6 million venue will house donated memorabilia that embodies “the contributions of the diverse cultures that have shaped the state and are crucial to understanding the unique traditions and legacy of Louisiana and the Gulf South.” A complex design, generated with the help of BIM technology, reflects the disparate subjects in one fluid structure encased within a locally inspired facade.

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Via Spontaneous Interventions

The U.S. Pavilion at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale has announced their theme Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good with the launch of a new website dedicated to share information about the exhibition as well as broaden the call for projects to be considered for inclusion. Organized by the Institute for Urban Design, Spontaneous Interventions will “examine the nascent movement of architects, designers, planners, artists and everyday community members initiating their own projects to bring positive change to the urban realm – from temporary architecture and crowd sourced urban planning to guerilla bike lanes and urban farms.” Those who have realized an intervention in a U.S. city, both tangible and digital, are encouraged to submit their projects by February 6 in order to be reviewed in time for the next curators’ meeting. Visit the Spontaneous Interventions website for more information.

Existing site for Iraqi parliament complex in Baghdad - Courtesy of Assemblage

It has been confirmed that Zaha Hadid is one of the architects shortlisted for the international competition to design a new, $1 billion Iraqi parliament complex in Baghdad. The full list has yet to be released, but as we have announced earlier, the London-based firm Assemblage has also been shortlisted. Located in the middle of the city, the new complex will be challenged with the remnants of a partially built super mosque planned by Saddam Hussein. Massive 50m reinforced concrete columns tower over the site, as construction was halted by the US-led invasion in 2003. Continue reading after the break for more. read more »

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected thirteen recipients to receive the 2012 AIA Young Architects Award. Defined as professionals who have been licensed ten years or fewer, the Young Architects will be honored for making significant contributions to the profession and providing exceptional leadership. The recipients will be presented the award at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C.

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The Lens © Michael Maltzan Architecture

The Lens, designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture, has been selected as winner of the international competition to redesign the St. Petersburg Pier in Florida. After over a month of debate, a jury of three architects and two elected officials selected the proposal, believing it to be the most practical and cost-effective design. The jury’s decision was consistent with the public’s opinion, as 68% of the public comments supported The Lens, 42% liked The Wave, while only 17% backed the Eye. Next, the St. Petersburg City Council will vote on February 2nd to decide whether or not they will approve the design. If the concept is accepted, the next year will be dedicated to involve the public in the creation of the final design.

Follow this link to watch the pier jury ranking. Find more information on the final proposal here.

Reference: WTSP 10 News, City of St. Petersburg

New York based architect and writer, Luca Farinelli, has met with 22 architects, critics and historians between February and August of last year to present them with an identical sequence of questions revolving around clichés and recurring themes within architectural discourse. Each meeting was captured on video, generating an interesting compilation of 265 answers by some of the most well-known architecture professionals. The first interviews, published in Log 23 this past fall, included Emilio Ambasz, Peter Eisenman, Steven Holl, Bjarke Ingels and Thom Mayne. Check out Farinelli’s website and visit Anyone Corporation for more information.

Evening exterior view - Outdoor art installation “Ailanthus” by Stefano Arienti (right) © Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The newly constructed wing for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, opens to the public today with a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony accompanied by the City of Boston’s Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Designed to preserve the 1902 historic building, the 70,000 square-foot addition will offer purpose-built spaces for concerts, exhibitions and classes, along with enhanced visitor amenities. The museum will also be kicking off an inaugural season of exhibitions, performances and events that will highlight the buildings wide range of programming.

“This new wing is an extraordinarily elegant workshop, a bustling counterpoint to the historic building’s serenity. Here, the thinking and the work of the Museum is performed, so that the Palace, which had been put to uses for which it was not equipped, can once again give visitors the experience Isabella Stewart Gardner intended: a personal confrontation with art,” said Anne Hawley, Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Museum.

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© Foster and Partners

Foster + Partners, Halcrow and Volterra, the team behind the Thames Hub proposal, welcomed reports yesterday that the government will be considering a Thames Estuary Airport when it launches its consultation to discuss options for retaining the UK’s aviation hub status. The proposal, which includes a comprehensive environmental management strategy, is capable of being privately funded and built within 16 years. Estimations for the capital costs include: a new £20 billion, 150 million passenger estuary airport; £20 billion, four track orbital rail line and utilities spine; £6 billion barrier crossing and tidal power generation that will power the airport with green energy; and an additional £4 billion for improving infrastructure.

On behalf of the team, Norman Foster stated, “We welcome reports that the government is considering the case for an estuary airport, and the extra airport capacity that it can provide, when it consults in March on options for retaining the UK’s aviation hub status as part of the nation’s aviation strategy.”

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View from Rosemount Viaduct - Rendering provided by the Diller Scofidio + Renfro submission boards

Aberdeen City Garden Trust has announced Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) as winner of the international design competition that will transform the center of Aberdeen. The New York City based firm will be working with the Scottish practice Keppie Design and Philadelphia landscape architects OLIN. The “rich and varied” shortlist included Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Foster + Partners, Gustafson Porter, Mecanoo, Snøhetta & Hoskins and West 8. After an extended run-off between DS+R and Foster + Partners, the Aberdeen City Garden competition will be DS+R’s first major win in a European design competition.

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© SOM | MIR

The Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) has announced their victory in an international competition to design the Greenland Group Suzhou Center in Wujiang, China. The 358-meter tower’s efficient split-core configuration demands a double-take, as the “curved, tapered form unifies the office, hotel and residential uses within a single volume.”

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Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects

Today, the President of the Biennale di Venezia, Paolo Baratta, and the 13th International Architecture Exhibition Director, David Chipperfield, met at Ca’Giustinian with the representatives of the 41 countries participating in the exhibition, including representatives of Kosovo, Kuwait and Peru for the first time. David Chipperfield announced the theme of this year’s Biennale is to be Common Ground. Continue reading for more information.

David Chipperfield states, “I want this Biennale to celebrate a vital, interconnected architectural culture, and pose questions about the intellectual and physical territories that it shares. In the methods of selection of participants, my Biennale will encourage the collaboration and dialogue that I believe is at the heart of architecture, and the title will also serve as a metaphor for architecture’s field of activity.”

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The Partners of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) have announced their plans for a new design studio in Los Angeles to join their West Coast practice. With a commitment to urban, environmental and social sustainability in Southern California, the studio will be lead by three former SOM architects – Michael Mann, FAIA; Paul Danna, AIA; and Jose Luis Palacios, AIA.

Craig Hartman, FAIA, the Design Partner in SOM’s San Francisco office, stated, “We want to be part of the dialogue in LA – a tremendously important cultural and talent hub and a diverse design-centric city. With Michael, Paul and Jose leading our studio,” Hartman continued, “we will be part of the conversation and be able to collaborate meaningfully with colleagues and institutions that we’ve known for years.

New commissions include UCLA’s new Medical Education Building that will become a entry point for the campus and the Medical School, a new mix-use project at UC Santa Barbara and a new courthouse for the Superior Court of California in San Diego, which will be the largest in the state. Find more information here.

© Chris McVoy

The Campbell Sports Center at Columbia University celebrated its topping out last Wednesday. Steven Holl Architects designed the “inviting new gateway” for the Baker Athletics Complex – the primary athletics facility for the University’s outdoor sports program. With the structural frame place, the large interior space and amazing views of the city are already able to be experienced. Construction is two weeks ahead of schedule and the athletic complex is planned to open this fall. Continue reading for more images and information.

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American architect Peter Bohlin, FAIA discusses his life work and design philosophy at the 2011 September AIA Chapter Meeting, held in the Cartwright Auditorium at Kent State University. Bohlin founded Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in 1965 and has since gained a reputation for creating exceptional designs that are committed to the individuality of place and user. Bohlin has been awarded over 500 regional, national and international awards for design. In 2010, he received the national AIA Gold Medal, the highest award given by the institute. Enjoy the lecture and view ArchDaily’s exclusive interview with Peter Bohlin here.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson projects at ArchDaily:

• Dry Creek Outbuildings
• Uniqlo Shanghai
• Creekside Residence
• Shanghai Apple Store
• Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business
• Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center
• Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center

Reference: AIA Akron

We began the week with the destruction of Houston’s historic Prudential Building and now end with a time-lapse documenting a 30-story, five-star Chinese hotel constructed in only 15 days. The Chinese construction company, Broad Group, is gaining international attention for their efficient construction methods made possible by through prefab construction techniques, as ninety-three percent of the high-rise was quickly pieced together with pre-made components. read more »