James Corner Field Operations, the urban design and landscape architecture firm behind the High Line in New York City, has been selected by Georgetown Heritage to complete a similar transformation of a historic canal in the Washington D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown. Working with the National Park Service and the D.C. Office of Planning, the team will design a comprehensive master plan for a one-mile section of the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park (C&O Canal NHP) to update the site from a historic location into a community asset.
Patrick Lynch
Patrick is ArchDaily's News Editor. Prior to this position, he was an editorial intern for ArchDaily while working full time as an assistant for a watercolor artist. Patrick holds a B. Arch degree from Penn State University and has spent time studying under architect Paolo Soleri. He is currently based in New York City.
James Corner Field Operations Selected to Transform Historic Canal Park in DC Neighborhood of Georgetown
This LEGO-Compatible Tape Will Allow You to Build Structures on Almost Any Surface
As any architect who has played with LEGO can tell you (which, let’s face it, is nearly all of us), one of the most exciting yet struggling steps is just starting off on that tabula rasa of the standard, flat LEGO base. But for anyone looking to build something within the context of their environment, you were flat out of luck. Now, that all may be changing, thanks to a new LEGO-compatible tape, currently being funded on Indiegogo.
This Instagram Account Explores the Beauty of Circular Plans in Architecture
“The circle . . . is the synthesis of the greatest oppositions. [It] combines the concentric and the excentric in a single form, and in equilibrium. Of the three primary forms [triangle, square, circle], it points most clearly to the fourth dimension.”
This quote, spoken by artist and Bauhaus professor Wassily Kandinsky, helps to explain the obsession architects, from Palladians to Modernists, have long held with pure geometrical forms – chief among them the circle.
Inspired by this obsession, one Instagram account titled “Circular Spaces” has collected many of the best examples of circles found in architecture. The account tracks the geometries at all scales, from the planet-sized plan of the Death Star to the familiar intimacy of a round dining table. Check out a selection from “Circular Spaces” below.
Cornell Tech Unveils Snøhetta-Designed Hotel and Education Center for Its Roosevelt Island Campus
Cornell Tech has revealed that Snøhetta will be the latest firm to design buildings for its currently under-construction Roosevelt Island Campus, joining structures by top architects including Morphosis, Weiss/Manfredi, Handel Architects, and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. The two new buildings, the Verizon Executive Education Center and Graduate Hotel, will be the final part of phase one of the campus master plan, slated for completion in 2019.
Alison Brooks Architects Designs First London Highrise for Greenwich Peninsula Development
Alison Brooks Architects has revealed designs for their first London highrise as the project receives planning permission. The mixed-use scheme will consist of a cluster of 4 residential towers of varying heights, with co-work and leisure at the ground floor and podium levels, contributing community value to the regeneration of London’s Greenwich Peninsula, the site of Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners’ O2 Arena and a future £1 Billion Mixed-Use Project by Santiago Calatrava.
KPF's One Bayfront Plaza to Share Title of Miami's Tallest Tower
Renderings have been revealed of KPF’s One Bayfront Plaza, a 92-story mixed-use tower in downtown Miami that when completed will reach 1,049 feet tall, becoming one of 5 new buildings that will share the title of Miami's tallest tower.
The project is being developed by Florida East Coast Realty, and will bring 902 apartments, 200 hotels rooms, 532,000 square feet of office space and 104,000 square feet of retail to downtown Miami. Located at 100 South Biscayne Boulevard, the project will total 3.3 million square feet.
15 Gallery Spaces to Open in Base of Zaha Hadid's High Line Residential Building
Real Estate firm Related Companies has announced the development of 15 new art gallery spaces to be located in and around the base of Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street residential building, located along the High Line in the New York neighborhood of Chelsea. The acclaimed Paul Kasmin Gallery, currently located in three West Chelsea locations, will serve as the anchor tenant with a 5,000 square-foot gallery in the base of the Hadid-designed building and additional space in the ‘High Line Nine,’ a collection of full service boutique exhibition spaces located adjacent to the building beneath the High Line.
Foster + Partners Wins Ipswich River Crossings Competition
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Competitions has announced that Foster + Partners has been selected as the winners of the Ipswich River Crossings competition, beating out proposals from a shortlist including Adamson Associates, Knight Architects, Marc Mimram and Wilkinson Eyre. The competition sought designs for three bridges crossing the Upper Orwell River that could reinvigorate and increase connectivity within Ipswich’s waterfront district.
Studio Gang to Design Toronto Mixed-Use Tower for First Canadian Project
Studio Gang has been commissioned to design their first project in Canada, a mixed-use tower that will be located in the Toronto neighborhood of Yonge + St. Clair. The project is one of several commissioned by Toronto’s Slate Asset Management as part of a larger effort to revitalize the district through the use of public art, world-class design and vibrant streetscapes and open spaces. The area’s first intervention, an 8-story mural by renowned artist Phlegm, was completed last summer.
“Yonge + St. Clair is on its way back,” says Brandon Donnelly, Vice President of Development at Slate Asset Management. “Having occasion to bring Studio Gang’s first project in Toronto to the neighbourhood signals to the rest of the city that we would like to create something special here.”
Castaway Island Resort / VTN Architects
Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTN Architects), has revealed plans for a remote resort located on a private beach on a tiny island in the Ca Ba Archipelago of Vietnam. The exclusive resort will consist of a series of structures constructed of the firm’s trademark material, bamboo, and will accommodate up to 160 guests. The resort will be located 2 hours from the nearest airport and accessible only by boat, ensuring visitors will be treated to an exclusive experience within the island’s tropical environment.
Frank Gehry Discusses the Design Behind his Recently Completed Concert Hall in Berlin
“If it hadn’t been for Frank Gehry, we would have made a simple, straightforward concert hall where students play concerts. But if the space is there, and somebody so gifted, like him, is prepared to do that, then of course you have to do that” - Daniel Barenboim, Founder, Pierre Boulez Saal.
In this Facebook video, Frank Gehry discusses the circumstances of his most recently-completed project, the Pierre Boulez Saal concert hall in Berlin, and the significance of contributing a new venue to Berlin’s historic musical scene.
Dubai Frame Approaches Completion Amid Allegations of Stolen Intellectual Property
Dubai’s newest mega-attraction, a 150-meter-high, 93-meter-wide picture frame structure dubbed the “Dubai Frame” is approaching completion after a nearly two-year delay, and is set for opening in the second half of this year. At a cost of $43.60 million, the new building will stand as a symbol of the city’s rapid rise from modest settlement to gleaming metropolis, giving visitors a panoramic view of the boundary-pushing skyscrapers from the coast of the Persian Gulf.
It also may stand as a symbol of something far less idyllic: intellectual property theft.
Full-Sized Hyperloop One Test Track Nears Completion
Hyperloop One has revealed images of its full-scale test track, called the DevLoop, for the first time as it prepares for its first public trial later this year. The 500-meter-long (1,640 feet) DevLoop is located in the flat terrain of the Nevada desert, just 30 minutes from Las Vegas. In its final form, the track will extend two miles between launching and receiving points.
14 Architects Selected as Recipients of 2017 AIA Young Architects Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected 14 recipients for the 2017 AIA Young Architects Award. Now in its 24th year, the award was founded to honor young architects - licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of their age - who have “shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers.”
Floating Sleeping Capsules to Provide Overnight Transport to Dutch-Themed Japanese Amusement Park
It’s an age old question: How do you transport visitors to your Dutch-themed Amusement Park located four miles off the coast of Japan while also providing them with a place to sleep under the night sky?
Okay, age-old it isn’t – but it was the scenario facing the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, Japan, who recently acquired a 420,000 square-foot-island off the coast of the Nagasaki Prefecture. Their proposed solution? A fleet of floating capsules capped with a glass-roofed sleeping chamber that will slowly float overnight to the island housing new adventure-type attractions.
BIG's LEGO House Tops Out, Gets September Opening Date
The BIG-designed LEGO House has topped out and is headed toward completion ahead of its just-announced grand opening date on September 28. Located near LEGO’s corporate campus, in the heart of Billund, Denmark, the LEGO experience center will provide an estimated 250,000 yearly guests with a variety of LEGO-themed activities within its 12,000 square meters, inviting visitors of all ages to play and unleash their creativity.
35 Exemplary Projects Win 2017 AIA New York Design Awards
AIA New York has announced the winners of their 2017 AIA New York Design Awards, highlighting the best new projects located in the Empire State or completed by AIA NY registered architects across categories of architecture, projects, interior design and urban planning.
Within the four categories, winning projects have been granted either an “Honor” or “Merit” distinction. Each project has been chosen for its “design quality, response to its context and community, program resolution, innovation, thoughtfulness, and technique.” The winners scale in scale from temporary exhibitions to large-scale urban interventions.
This year 22 of the 35 winners were New York City-located projects, including the grand prize winner, Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s striking Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center at Columbia University’s medical campus. Continue reading to see the full list of winners.