The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has official ruled Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s One World Trade Center (1WTC) as the tallest building in the United States. The decision comes after a long debate questioned whether or not the tower’s 408 foot spire should count towards its overall height.
As CTBUH explained: “Due to design changes that resulted in the removal of the architectural cladding around the mast at the top of the structure, it became unclear whether the structure was in fact a ‘spire’ – a vertical element that completes the architectural expression of the building and is intended as permanent, or whether it was an antenna – a piece of functional-technical equipment that was subject to change.”
It’s been two year’s since the construction of the 42-story Museum Tower in Dallas. As many of you may recall, the luxury condo has been in dispute with the neighboring Nasher Sculpture Center over an intense “hot spot” caused by the tower’s highly reflective skin. Although Nasher has demanded that the Museum Tower cover its southwestern facade with an external louver system, thus blocking the glare from penetrating Nasher’s Renzo Piano-designed cast aluminum sunscreen, the developers have refused to oblige due to a fear of jeopardizing the project's profitability.
Negotiations have turned to squabbles and proposals have fallen on deaf ears. However, a team lead by REX and Front has been commissioned by the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund (DPFPF) - the Museum Tower’s developer - to explore a "third option," one that would not require changing the construction of either Museum Tower or the Nasher.
MoMA P.S.1 has announced five finalists to compete in the 2014 Young Architects Program (YAP). Now in it’s 15th edition, the competition will challenge a group of emerging architects to design a temporary installation within the walls of the P.S.1 courtyard for MoMA’s annual summer “Warm-Up” series.
The 2014 shortlist includes Collective-LOK (Jon Lott of PARA-Project, William O’Brien Jr. of WOJR, & Michael Kubo of over,under; NY, MA), Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (Cristina Goberna & Urtzi Grau; NY), LAMAS (Wei-Han Vivian Lee & James Macgillivray; Ann Arbor, Toronto), Pita + Bloom (Florencia Pita & Jackilin Hah Bloom; Los Angeles), and The Living (David Benjamin; NY). The winners will be announced in early 2014.
Goettsch Partners and Ballinger Proposal. Image Courtesy of Northwestern University
Northwestern University has unveiled three final proposals that are in the running to replace Bertrand Goldberg’s Prentice Woman’s Hospital, which is currently being demolished in Chicago after a long, high-profile preservation battle. The shortlisted architects - Goettsch Partners and Ballinger, Perkins + Will, and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and Payette - have each proposed a two-phased plan for the 600,000 square-foot Biomedical Research Building, which is intended to become a “world-class research and development enterprise” that serves as an “anchor” for the Feinberg School of Medicine’s research facilities.
Eight teams have been selected to participate in the second stage of an international competition to masterplan a new financial center west of “New Moscow”. Located in Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye, the 460 hectare mixed-use development will include the construction of offices, housing and hotels, as well as commercial and social infrastructure.
The search is over: DIALOG and Snøhetta have been selected from a shortlist of four to design a new central library in the Canadian city of Calgary. Planned for a prime location adjacent to City Hall, the 280,000 square foot “landmark” will “strengthen the fabric of community life by weaving East Village, the original heart of Calgary, back into the story of Centre City.” Once complete in 2018, the new library will serve over 140,000 workers and students who travel downtown every day.
Morocco will host its first pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. Curated by the Foundation FADA’ (Fondation pour l’Art, le Design, et l’Architecture) and directed by architect Tarik Oualalou, the concept for the Moroccan pavilion will be based upon Morocco’s role as an urban and architectural laboratory in the twentieth century. The project, entitled “Fundamental(ism)s,” will be organized in two parts:
Chris Baribeau of Modus Studio is the exemplar of a “community builder.” With a mantra that moves beyond the building and believes the architect to be responsible for the creation of healthy and thoughtful places, Baribeau and his Fayetteville-based practice have built works that transcends ordinary design. Embodying everything in which drives Modus Studio, the award-winning Eco Modern Flats serves as a prime example of community-based, sustainable design.
Chyutin Architects have won a competition to design a new campus for the Ben Gurion University in Israel. Planned for a 30 hectare site in Beer Sheva, the 300,000 square meter campus will double the University’s existing facilities, both of which will be connected. Once complete, the new campus will include a welcoming public square with commercial and cultural facilities, as well as students dormitories, a congress center, academic and research facilities, sports facilities and more.
CCTV/OMA Partners-in-charge: Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, designers, David Gianotten, photographed by Iwan Baan
OMA’s CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, ArchDaily’s 2012 “Building of the Year,” was deemed “Best Tall Building Worldwide” by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Selected from a shortlist of four deserving skyscrapers, CCTV was awarded “best” due to its “unusual take on skyscraper typology.”
The jury stated: “Instead of competing in the race for ultimate height and style through a traditional two-dimensional tower soaring skyward, CCTV’s loop poses a truly three-dimensional experience, culminating in a 75-meter cantilever."
NEXT architects has been awarded first prize in an international competition to design a pedestrian bridge for Meixi Lake in Changsha. Designed to be “more than just a connection,” the footbridge will serve as a key public space for a new lake district within the Dragon King Harbor River development. Recreational, ecological and touristic programs will be integrated into the 150 meter-long, 24 meter-high elevated parkway.
The Curry Stone Foundation has named three winners of the 2013 Curry Stone Design Prize: Hunnarshala (Bhuj, India), Proximity Designs (Yangon, Myanmar), and Studio TAMassociati / Emergency (Venice/Milan, Italy). The annual prize, now in its sixth year, awards talented designers who “harness their ingenuity and craft for social good.” More on each winner, after the break.
Brasilia / Oscar Niemeyer. Image Courtesy of Federico Babina
Barcelona-based architect Federico Babinahas released the second edition of ARCHIPIX (Less is pixel), revealing a series of 8-bit portraits of modern architecture’s most legendary masters and works. The idea behind the project is to capture the essence and personality of each subject through the simplicity of the pixel. This serves, Babina describes, as “a metaphor of architecture, where every little detail is a key component of the whole mosaic.”
Though the fastest way to get from point A to point B is a straight line, architects Arturo Tedeschi and Maurizio Arturo Degni of Arturo Tedeschi (A>T) also believe it is the most boring way. Inspired by Sou Fujimoto’s 2013 Serpentine Pavilion and formed by a specific algorithm, A>T’s “Cloudbridge” seeks to heighten the experience of footbridges by creating a non-linear path that slows users down and connects them with the surrounding nature. According to the architects, the cloud-like bridge, made of a cubic steel modular frame and supported by a main beam, could easily constructed in any major mountain range.
After winning a Transport for London (TfL) tender for ideas to improve pedestrian access across the River Thames, Thomas Heatherwick and Arup unveiled plans for a new, 367-meter long ‘Garden Bridge’ that will span the river from Temple to the Southbank. The lush pedestrian corridor, earmarked for opening in 2017, would be the first new crossing since the Millennium Bridge opened to the public in 2002.
More details and updated images after the break...
Ottawa site of future National Holocaust Monument. Image Courtesy of Canadian Architect
Daniel Libeskind and David Adjaye, along with four other shortlisted teams, are competing to design the National Holocaust Monument in Canada. Planned to be built in a prominent site in the heart of Ottawa, near the Canadian War Museum, the $4.5 million monument is expected for completion in 2015.
The jury, made up of internationally renowned art and design professionals, a representative from the National Holocaust Monument Development Council and a Holocaust survivor, chose the following six teams as finalists:
It’s that time of year again: DesignIntelligence has released their 2014 rankings of the Best US Architecture Schools. Though many students and professionals are curious to know just who is number 1, we encourage you to forget the rankings and consider the survey’s invaluable insight on the current state of architecture and architectural education.
Hundreds of design educators and professionals participated in the 2014 survey to identify the profession’s biggest challenges, as well as just how design education is evolving to reflect those challenges and which schools are really producing students best equipped for the profession today.
Out of all the data, two Universities stood out.
Read more to find out which two Universities are best preparing students in 2014, after the break…
The Russian Green Building Council has shortlisted five teams to continue on with the second stage of the international Park “Russia” competition, which plans to become the largest theme park in Europe. Designed to be a “trademark” for the country in Moscow’s Domodedovo district, the 1000 hectare “Russia” Theme Park aims to merge concepts of healthy living, entertainment and education into one, commercially attractive destination.
