New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is searching for bold ideas that can “make government work better, solve a serious problem, or improve city life” in the United States. The Mayors Challenge encourages local architects and professionals to team up with their city officials and propose an innovative local solution that could be applied to a national problem.
Located in the city of Poznań, this 25.000 m² office building will be MVRDV’s first project in Poland. Sculpted by the restrictions of the site, the glass tower’s figure completely changes shape depending on the direction it is being viewed. Besides the large amount of office space, Baltyk Tower will feature retail space, a panorama restaurant and a proposed one room hotel. Completion is scheduled for 2014.
Continue after the break for the architects’ description.
Zaha Hadid has been awarded the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to architecture in the Queen’s building honors announced this weekend.
Cameron Michael captures the energy of the city with this time-lapse production. From the highline to the city skyline, this video makes you feel like you’ve just spent your entire Sunday walking through the streets of Manhattan. Although Michael admittedly “bent” a few laws while filming The Manhattan Project, this adventure seems to have been well worth the effort. Enjoy!
One week from today, Chicago-based architecture practice Bureau Spectacular will transforms The Architecture Foundation’s Project Space into an inhabitable installation and a graphic sequence of imaginary worlds, through the studio’s trademark mixture of built structure and cartoon. Founded by emerging architect Jimenez Lai in 2008, Bureau Spectacular is a studio of architectural affairs, who describe their strategy as one of making “absurd stories about fake realities that invite enticing possibilities”. Fascinated by the interplay between storytelling and building, absurdity and speculation, Bureau Spectacular weave architectural design and theory into comic strips that pop from the page into the real world as installations and small buildings.
Jimenez Lai: “This installation – Three Little Worlds – is a cartoonish blow up of a fragment inside the Cartoonish Metropolis. It is a comic book someone can walk into, a window into another reality.”
Continue after the break to learn more.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and 10 other groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders warning that cuts to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC)’s budget could lead to further deterioration of the U.S. Capitol and wind up costing taxpayers more in the long run.
“There is little disagreement that the federal government, including Congress, must live within its means and be judicious in its consideration of short and long term expenditures,” the letter states. “However, the AOC’s FY2013 budget is focused primarily on needed maintenance and repair projects that are designed to keep the buildings of the Capitol complex – some of them nearly two centuries old – in proper working order.”
Continue reading for more.
As reported on bdonline, Zaha Hadid is currently the preferred suitor for the London’s Design Museum. The Pritzker Prize winning architect has apparently wooed the sellers with her plans to turn the 1950s building into an architecture museum. She has reportedly teamed up with a private backer and is one of eight pursuers for the Design Museum, which will be relocating into a new home in 2014.
Continue after the break to learn more.
Courtesy of the Prelinger Archives, this archival 1930s footage by Bethlehem Steel captures every phase of construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. The iconic, San Francisco structure celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, as it opened May 27th, 1937. Including the approaches, the Golden Gate Bridge spans a remarkable length of 1.7 miles (8981ft or 2737m), making it the longest span in the world from its completion in 1937 until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. A unique aspect to the construction of the suspension bridge was the emphasis placed on safety. With the use of safety nets, hard hats and safety belts only eleven workers died during construction, which was a new safety record for the time.
Like no other style, Art Deco represents a built manifestation of the interwar period’s enthusiasm and splendor. In London, buildings of this era reflect the elegance, progress and assertiveness that describe the modern metropolis age. Even today, these buildings have lost none of their aura and appeal, yet they lack any proper documentation.
Together, Niels Lehmann and Christoph Rauhut have worked tirelessly for the past three years researching and photographing London’s architectural Art Deco heritage. With your help, they will feature over 230 buildings with large-scaled photographs in the soon-to-be published book “Modernism London Style.” Follow this link to become a supporter and learn more.
Continue after the break to view more photos.
The highly anticipated “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace, designed by American artist James Turrell, will open to the public today with a sunset light show. The abstract pyramidal structure complements the natural light present at sunrise and sunset, creating a mesmerizing light show that connects the beauty of the natural world with the surrounding campus. This experience is enhanced by an LED light performance that projects onto the 72-by-72-foot thin white roof, which offers views to the sky through a 14-by-14-foot opening. Additionally, the Turrell Skyspace is acoustically engineered for musical performances and serves as a laboratory for music school students, as it stands adjacent to the Shepher School of Music on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas.
David Leebron, Rice University President: “The campus has to play its role in inspiring our students.”
Continue after the break to watch a sneak preview of the Turrell Skyspace light show.
Steven Holl and Norman Foster have been chosen to design the next two Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centers in the United Kingdom. As reported by bdonline, Foster will design in his hometown of south Manchester at the Christie hospital, while Holl will design at the St. Bartholomew’s (Barts) hospital in London. This will be Holl’s second UK project, following the Glasgow School of Art.
Continue reading for more information.
Four innovative towers in Canada, Qatar, Australia and Italy have named the best tall buildings in the world for 2012 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the international not-for-profit association. These towers demonstrate the continued renaissance of tall building development worldwide, as a record number of 88 tall buildings soaring over 200 meters were completed in 2011, compared to 32 buildings in 2005. Another 96 tall buildings are projected to compete this year, with China being the largest contributor.
The four regional winners include the Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada (Americas); 1 Bligh Street, Sydney (Asia and Australia); Palazzo Lombardia, Milan (Europe); and Doha Tower in Doha, Qatar (Middle East and Africa). Additionally, Al Bahar Towers in Abu Dhabi won the CTBUH’s first Innovation Award for the project’s computer sun-screen.
“The winners display remarkable creativity, as well as a respect for the environment, connection with place, and the urban surroundings,” said Richard Cook, awards committee chairman and founding partner of Cook+Fox Architects.
Continue after the break to learn more.
Nearly 275 kilos of explosives brought down the first Red Road tower block this past weekend, marking the beginning of a controlled demolition process that will completely remove the infamous residential complex from the Glasgow skyline by 2017. In a response to the post-war housing crisis, the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) flats were constructed between 1964 and 1969 in an effort to provide the ultimate modern community for almost 5000 residents.
Continue reading for more on the iconic Red Road flats and a video of the demolition.
SCI-Arc will design and build two new arts venues that will energize and transform downtown Los Angeles, while an undeveloped light rail station in Minneapolis accelerates transit oriented development by transforming into a cultural gateway and arts market, and an abandoned six-building, two-block public school campus in New Orleans’ Tremé neighborhood will be redeveloped into an arts and education center that will provide 73 units of affordable live/work space for low income families.
Creative placemaking initiatives are sweeping the nation, and the three projects above are just a few examples of what’s going to become of it. ArtPlace has awarded 47 projects across the United States with $15.4 million in grants in order to support the use of the arts and design to improve quality of place and transform communities.
“As a result of these Artplace grants, 47 art and cultural projects will play a critical role in 33 local communities, driving the revitalization of a diverse group of neighborhoods across the country,” said philanthropist and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “This is an important, innovative program that highlights the positive impact and essential contribution the arts can have on the economic vitality of neighborhoods and the communities they serve.”
Continue after the break to review all 47 projects and see what may be happening in your city!
Visitors poured into Longwood Gardens this past Saturday to see 23-acres of breathtaking ‘Light: Installations’ by artist Bruce Munro. Although Munro describes the installations as simply “sketchbook jottings realized”, this “large-scale one-man-show” is anything but a simple feat. Eight large outdoor installations, two installations within the 4-acre Grand Conservatory and a collection of illuminated sculptures in the Music Room are keeping visitors mesmerized for hours.
Munro’s ‘Light: Installations’ are being shown for the first time outside of the UK. They will remain open until September 29th this year. Continue reading for more images and information.
Due to space limitations and increasingly aging infrastructure, Kinderspital Zürich called for a two-phase competition to design a new children’s hospital in the Lengg district of Zürich, Switzerland. At the recommendation of the jury, the foundation board of Kinderspital Zürich announced Herzog & de Meuron as the competition winner in May 2012. Their winning proposal includes a three-storey, wooden Children’s Hospital that provides a flexible, child-friendly environment. Furthermore, Herzog & de Meuron uses simple geometry to connect the contrasting typologies of the Children’s Hospital with the freestanding, six-story Centre for Teaching and Research that will also be located on the new medical campus.
Kinderspital Zürich expects to commission the new building in 2018. Continue after the break for the architects’ description.
As you enjoy your Sunday, watch this short-film and become inspired by the beautiful city of Venice. Vimeo user Joerg Niggli shot this timelapse from sunrise to sunset in hopes to capture the magic of “The Floating City”.
