Sebastian Jordana
Video: Olympic Architects London 2012, In Conversation With…
As part of our Soho House ‘In Conversation With’ series Crane.tv last night spoke with architects Rod Sheard of Populous, Kathryn Findlay of Ushida Findlay and Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt. Focused on designing the Olympics, each architect discusses their London 2012 specific project. Sheard tells us of the mammoth task involved in designing an Olympic stadium, Findlay discusses one of the only permanent structures to stay in Stratford, the Orbit, her co-project with Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, while Khan and Ohrstedt fill us in on how, as an emerging architecture duo, they worked with global brand Coca-Cola to amplify their message, creating Beatbox, a structure fusing design and music. While each structure serves a different and specific purpose, the architects all share one mindset: changing the face of London while keeping the spirit of sustainability intact.
Video: Kathryn Findlay’s Impermanent Structures, Architecture Tour
Kathryn Findlay is the Principal Director of Ushida Findlay Architects. The internationally renowned practice is known for its use of experimental design and progressive technology. This was demonstrated most recently when they were appointed as delivery architects by Arup for Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond’s ArcelorMittal Orbit, the tallest sculpture in the 2012 Olympic Park. One of Kathryn Findlay’s most notable projects was the Soft and Hairy House in Japan, inspired by Salvador Dali’s notion that future architecture would be ‘soft and hairy’. Extending these ideas Findlay guided Crane.tv around London, showing us her favourite impermanent structures, demonstrating the adaptability of our city and the possibilities for the future.
Video: Haunch of Venison, Gallery Re-launch
Representing a cross-section of some of the most renowned contemporary artists, Haunch of Venison has recently moved out of Burlington Gardens, where it has been for the past few years, back to its former home in the Haunch of Venison Yard, with architect Annabelle Selldorf overseeing the redesign. With another branch in New York, the gallery represents, amongst others, Turner Prize nominees Richard Long, Simon Patterson and Nathan Coley. We catch up with the gallery’s International Director Matt Carey-Williams and Iraqi artist Ahmed Alsoudani who shows us around his current exhibition.
Video: London Pleasure Garden
Located in the Olympic East End, the London Pleasure Gardens is a new 20-acre riverside arts and entertainment destination. Patterned after the Pleasure Gardens of the 17th and 19th Centuries, LPG invites visitors to listen to music, admire paintings, stroll, drink, flirt and immerse themselves in culture. Featuring open-air concerts, dance and theatre arenas, historic and contemporary architecture, an urban nature reserve, a boutique hotel and a floating cocktail bar, LPG will evolve over the next three years, acting as an entertainment centre but also a platform for artists and musicians to showcase their work to the public. Here, we speak to LPGs creative director, Deborah Armstrong about the project, the regeneration of the Royal Docks and the artists and architects involved.
Four Pritzker-Prize winners to submit conceptual designs for new office tower in Manhattan
L&L Holding Company, LLC, today announced that four of the world’s most acclaimed architecture firms – Foster + Partners (Lord Norman Foster), Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (Lord Richard Rogers), OMA (Rem Koolhaas) and Zaha Hadid Architects – are participating this week in the conceptual design phase of its architectural competition for a new office tower to be constructed at 425 Park Avenue in Manhattan.
In April of this year, L&L Holding invited 11 of the world’s most accomplished architects to express their interest in competing for the commission to design a new tower at 425 Park Avenue. Of those invited, nine firms chose to enter the competition. After careful deliberations, L&L Holding narrowed its list to the four selected firms, each of which is led by a Pritzker Prize-winning architect with extensive international experience and proven expertise in office tower design.
The architects and their teams have prepared and are presenting their conceptual designs this week for a 650,000 square foot tower that will be designed to high L.E.E.D. sustainability standards.
Video: New V&A Project / Amanda Levete
Planning permission for a new extension to the Victoria & Albert Museum has officially been granted today. The £41 million project will be the biggest new art space in London since the Tate Modern.The bid to design a 1,500 square metre underground gallery for temporary exhibitions, courtyard and entrance on Exhibition Road was won by architecture firm, AL_A, in March 2011. We interview Amanda Levete, founder and director of the firm, about the specifics of the plans and her thoughts on the government’s support of British architecture. Amanda Levete is one of the most successful women in architecture and is married to Ben Evans, director of The London Design Festival. She regularly collaborates with artists such as Anish Kapoor and has previously worked on projects such as the Selfridges department store in Birmingham, the media centre at Lord’s cricket ground and, with her own firm, installing ‘The Timber Wave’ in the entrance to the V&A.
Giveaway Winners: Ten copies of ‘How to Make a Japanese House’
Last week, thanks to the courtesy of NAi Publishers, we gave you the chance to win 10 copies of: How to Make a Japanese House. To participate, we asked you to answer the following question:
What is the home ideal Japanese clients long for when requesting an architect to build them a single-family house?
After more than 100 comments, we now have the winners: Isabella Mancini, James Amaya, PJ Far, Josh Graham, Seth Elsworth, Deborah Brooks, Anitha Deshamudre, Cindy Casey, Matthew Conway, and Electra Chong. Congratulations to the winners, you will be contacted through your emails. Thanks everyone for participating and stay alert… more giveaways to come!
VIDEO: Aquatic Centre / LCLAOFFICE + Edgar Mazo + Sebastián Mejia, by Cristobal Palma
Back in 2010, we featured the Aquatic Centre for the Southamerican Games designed by LCLAOFFICE + Edgar Mazo + Sebastián Mejia (former Paisajes Emergentes). Today, we have an amazing video of the Aquatic Centre that Cristobal Palma shared with us.
You can check some more videos by Cristobal Palma at ArchDaily:
Video: Exhale Pavilion, Art Basel Miami Beach 2010
Rachely Rotem and Phu Hoang joined forces to create an award-winning temporary installation, Exhale: Seven miles of reflective and phosphorescent rope, influenced by bioluminescent algae found amongst the Miami sea life, which they designed for the Oceanfront Pavilion at Art Basel Miami Beach 2010.
Video: Design Museum, Exclusive!
The Design Museum is moving. Crane.tv gets a sneak peak of the Design Museum’s plans to move to a new home in Kensington, London in the historic former Commonwealth Institute. Here, Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum reveals architect John Pawson’s plans for the new building and tells us about the museum’s legacy and why it’s ready to grow up.
Imagination wins the Troldtekt Award 2012
Matthias Kisch from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Amy Linford from Newcastle University have won first and special awards respectively in this year’s Troldtekt Award just announced. Architectural and design students from 23 countries entered the concept competition, submitting an extensive array of creative and original ideas about how Troldtekt’s traditional acoustic panels can be used. More information on the winners, images and videos after the break.
Giveaway: Ten copies of ‘How to Make a Japanese House’
Thanks to the courtesy of NAi Publishers, we are giving you the chance to win this great book: How to Make a Japanese House (see our review here). We have 10 copies of the book and all you have to do to participate is become a registered user (if you’re not one already) and answer the following question in our comments:
What is the home ideal Japanese clients long for when requesting an architect to build them a single-family house?
You have until Monday 9 to submit your answer. Winners will be announced and contacted next Tuesday 17. Good luck!
Video: W London Hotel
W Hotels opens its latest flagship in Leicester Square, London. With a rock and roll-inspired bar, a 38-seat 3D screening room and a restaurant run by three-Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, it stays true to its design and luxury roots.
Video: Three Little Worlds
Chicago-based architecture practice Bureau Spectacular has converted The Architecture Foundation’s Project Space into a pop-up living space and installation made up of a graphic sequence of imaginary worlds entitled Three Little Worlds (we featured the project as a kickstarter). Jimenez Lai, the architecture practice’s founder, shows us around the space, where he has set camp, something which he has done before having lived and worked in a desert shelter in Taliesen and resided in a shipping container at Atelier Van Lieshout on the piers of Rotterdam. Here, he tells Crane.tv about his love of comics and cartoon, which is apparent in his installation and the interchangeable realities of the spectator and the performer, and demonstrates how to navigate his “giant comic book.” Three Little Worlds runs till 25 August at The Architecture Foundation.
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge / Santiago Calatrava
Architects: Santiago Calatrava
Location: Dallas, USA
Completion: 2012
Lenght of Bridge: 367,6 m (1,206 ft)
Height of Pylon: 136 m (446 ft)
Photographs: Alan Karchmer
Video: Patricia Urquiola
Patricia describes the nature of art and design and the blurring boundaries that surround both. Despite touching into pools of both, she first and foremost identifies herself as an architect and designer.
AD Round Up: Best from Flickr Part LXXI
We have more than 80,000 photos in our Flickr Pool, so keep them coming! Remember you can submit your own photo here, and don’t forget to follow us through Twitter and our Facebook Fan Page to find many more features.
The photo above was taken by CarlosCoutinho in New York, USA. Check the other four after the break.
MÉCA – Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la Culture en Aquitaine / BIG
Team BIG+FREAKS freearchitects, dUCKS scéno, Khephren Ingénierie, VPEAS, ALTO Ingénierie, Vincent Hedont, PBNL, Mryk & Moriceau, Ph.A wins the competition to design a new 12 000 m2 cultural center on the riverfront of Bordeaux, merging three cultural institutions into one single building. More images and complete press release after the break.
Giveaway Winners: Color Light Time + Scale / Steven Holl
Last week, thanks to the courtesy of Lars Müller Publishers, we gave you the chance to win a copy of two of Steven Holl’s latest publications: Color Light Time and Scale. To participate, we asked you to answer the following question:
Steven Holl uses watercolors. With all the technology available today, what are the advantages or benefits of the analogue process of creating architecture?
After more than 100 comments, we now have the winners: Daniel Whitcombe, Dylan Gould, John Noble, Stephanie Rinehart, Chad Harding, and Cari Ann Siemens. Congratulation to the winners, you will be contacted through your emails. Thanks everyone for participating and stay alert… more giveaways to come!
Video: Matteo Thun, Designer Profile
Italian designer and architect Matteo Thun talks to Crane.tv in his studio in Milan about his illustrious career. Famed for being one of the co-founders of the Memphis Group, a collective that helped shape design and its style in the 80s, Thun is also the chair of product design and ceramics at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and has worked as Creative Director of Swatch. Here, Thun tells us about why building a church in the mountains is next on his to-do list.
Update: Botín Center / Renzo Piano
A week ago we told you about the Botín Center, Renzo Piano’s first major project in Spain. We also featured some preliminar models of the project and more information on this building, which will have the largest private foundation in Spain invest over 150 million USD. We now have more official images, including some drawings and sketches. Check them out after the break.
