Trust for the National Mall has announced the Stage II results, naming the ten design teams selected to continue in the third and final stage of the National Mall Design Competition. The National Mall will undergo an approximate $700 million restoration in three selected areas – Union Square including the Reflecting Pool and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds, and the Constitution Gardens between the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

“We are excited about the teams selected to advance to Stage III and have no doubt each of them will create beautiful, useful and sustainable designs for the National Mall,” said Caroline Cunningham, President of the Trust for the National Mall. “We are eager to share their final designs with the public in April.”

Continue reading for more information and the complete list of finalists. read more »

Over 1,200 entires from 30 states and 10 countries submitted applications for the National Mall competition. Late last month fifteen design teams were chosen as finalists to advance to the second stage of this prestigious contest.

Hosting 25 million visitors annually, the National Mall will undergo an estimated $700 million restoration beginning in 2012. The competition has been broken down into three areas of restoration: Union Square including the Reflecting Pool and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds, and the Constitution Gardens between the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

Among the finalists to move on to stage two of the competition, Diller Scofidio Renfro, Weiss/Manfredi, and Rogers Marvel Architects who are shortlisted for two out of the three areas of restoration, as well as Snohetta, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Ten Arquitectos, and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson who are finalists for one area of restoration.

“Entrants were evaluated on past design performance, philosophy, design intent, thoughtfulness, creativity and overall resume,” according to a release from the Trust of the National Mall. The jury, compiled of architects, professors and other members of the architecture community, included Michael Gericke of Pentagram NYC and Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne founder of Morphosis.

The second stage of the competition includes interviews of the teams conducted by the Trust for the National Mall and the National Park Service, and the last stage will include proposed plans for the restoration. The competition will culminate in May 2012 and the proposed designs from stage three of the competition will be available to the public prior to the winning design being selected.

Follow the break for a complete list of design finalists for the National Mall Competition.

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This week, with the help of our readers, our Architecture City Guide is headed to Shanghai. Shanghai is noted for having more Art Deco buildings than any other city, including László Hudec’s Park Hotel, which is not on our list but will be added in a future guide. Like many cities in China, Shanghai’s rapid growth has meant a boon in contemporary architecture styles. We put together a list of 12 modern/contemporary buildings that we feel provides a good starting point. It is far from complete. There are dozens of other great buildings that are not our list, and we are looking to add to the list in the near future. Please add your favorites in the comment section below so we can add them on the second go around. Again thank you to all our readers who sent in their suggestions and photographs. The city guides would not be possible without your help.

To check out other cities visit our world map or our Architecture City Guide page.
The Architecture City Guide: Shanghai list and corresponding map after the break.

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This week our Architecture City Guide is headed to Philadelphia. The list of influential architects that have either worked, studied, or taught in Philadelphia is perhaps the only list that challenges the numbers of Founding Fathers that descended on this city of “Brotherly Love.” A brief list includes Sullivan, Kahn, Wright, Pei, Rudolf, Corbusier, Latrobe, Gropius, Mumford, and Furness. That being said, our list of 12 barely scratches the surface of buildings worth seeing in this great city. We would like to hear about your must not miss buildings in the comment section below.

The Architecture City Guide: Philadelphia list and corresponding map after the break!

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Our Architecture City Guide series heads to the northwest this week featuring Seattle.  The futuristic Seattle Space Needle, designed for the 1962 World’s Fair – Century 21 Exposition, is just one of the many can’t miss buildings on our list.  What others do you think should be added?  Visit our comment section to share your favorites.

The Architecture City Guide: Seattle list and corresponding map after the break!

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© Nic Lehoux

These simply organized structures, a cottage and office, replace preexisting buildings that were inefficient, structurally compromised and in serious disrepair. Rebuilding within the footprints of the former structures allowed for the introduction of a clear relationship between the buildings and better response to the site. While architecturally similar, the two new buildings are programmatically diverse with the cottage housing the living elements of the program, and the office hosting the working component.

This project received a 2010 Design Award, Custom Residences Category AIA Housing Award, a 2010 Green GOOD DESIGN The European Center for Architecture and The Chicago Athenaeum, a 2009 Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture AIA San Francisco. More photographs and drawings of Dry Creek Outbuildings following the break.

Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: Woodside, California, USA
Structural Engineering: Umerani Associates
MEP Engineering: C&B Engineers
Civil Engineering: Lea and Braze Engineering, Inc.
Landscape Architects: Patrick Brennan
Lighting Design: David Wilds Patton, Isometrix
Geotechnical Engineering: Murray Engineers
Acoustic Enginnering: Charles M. Salter Associates Inc.
Contractor: Van Acker Construction, Louis Ptak Construction, Inc.
Client Representative: The Rockridge Group, Ken Morrison
Project Area: 600 sqf Guest House, 550 sqf Caretake Cottage, 370 sqf Caretaker Office
Photographs: Nic Lehoux

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© Nic Lehoux

Located within the main shopping district of Shanghai, the Uniqlo flagship store’s backlit skin of perforated metal, dramatic circular track with mannequins encased in acrylic futuristic capsules, robotic lighting, steel gravity tubes and glass panels successfully accomplished BCJ’s goal to create an iconic building for their client.

To say this project was challenging would be an understatement. It wasn’t just the teams working in three different languages and three different countries, or the state of the existing building – a dirt floored vacant building, but these circumstances paired with a government edict that all construction had to be within 30cm (12 inches) of the existing facade and completed prior to the Shanghai Expo in three months or the client would risk losing their lease added a bit of pressure. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson coordinated with the buildings original designers, Shanghai based Jiang Architects & Engineers to create a memorable flagship store for Uniqlo.

Photographs and sketches of Uniqlo Shanghai following the break.

Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: Shanghai, China
Principal for Design: Peter Bohlin, FAIA
Principal in Charge: Robert Miller AIA, LEED AP
Project Manager: Chris Evans, AIA
Project Team: Mark Adams Campie Ellis, AIA Nguyen Ha, Michael Hatcher, Nick Hons, Matt Wittman
Owner: Fast Retailing, Inc. Ltd. (Parent Company of Uniqlo)
Consultant: PCS Structural Solutions
Lighting Design: Candela
Facade Consultant: Axis Façade,
Rotating and Flying Mannequin Consultant: ZFX
Local Architect of Record: Jiang Architects & Engineers
Local Structural Engineer: Jiang Architects & Engineers
Translator: Turid Gronning
Contractor: Tanseisha Co. Ltd.
Project Area: 38,751 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Nic Lehoux, Nácasa and Partners, Inc.

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During the AIA Convention we had the opportunity to talk with Peter Bohlin (FAIA), founding principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and one of the most renowned architects in the US.

An early advocate of sustainable design, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson focuses their designs on the site and the user.  Their sensitivity to place and ability to work in a wide range of scale and circumstance has resulted in a firm that is capable of providing exceptionally smart design on a consistent basis. Founded in 1965, they have offices in Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is probably most well known to the general public for their design of the Apple Store Fifth Avenue in New York City.  This project is a great reflection of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s commitment to outstanding design and emphases on creating a strong relationship between a building and its physical surroundings.

In 1994 Bohlin Cywinski Jackson was awarded the AIA Architecture Firm of the year and they have received over 450 awards, regionally, nationally, and internationally for their design abilities.  Most recently in 2010 founding partner Peter Bohlin received the prestigious AIA Gold Medal, the highest award given by the Institute.

Most of their most acclaimed projects can be found on “The Nature of Circumstance” a monograph published by Razzoli, and on “Arcadian Architecture: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson – 12 Houses“.

You can see some of their projects featured at ArchDaily (more to come very soon!):

• Creekside Residence
• Apple Store Shanghai
• Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business
• Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center
• Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Grand Teton

© Nic Lehoux

Located in Woodside, California the Creekside Residence sits in its own natural world.  The site is in a meadow surrounded by western oaks, Douglas fir, and aromatic bays that border two creeks that never meet.  Bohlin Cywinski Jackson focused the design of the residence around the surrounding landscape creating cantilevered roofs and views to the environment beyond.  This project received a 2009 Honor Award for Design AIA Pennsylvania and a 2009 Wood Design Honor Award.  More photographs and sketches following the break.

Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: Woodside, California, USA
Principal for Design: Peter Q. Bohlin FAIA
Principal in Charge: Gregory R. Mottola AIA
Project Manager: Denis Schofield AIA LEED AP, Associate
Project Team: Ben McDonald, Christopher Moore, Brian Padgett, Michael Waltner
Structural Engineering: Umerani Associates
MEP Engineering: C&B Engineers
Civil Engineering: Lea and Braze Engineering, Inc.
Landscape Architects: Patrick Brennan
Lighting Design: David Wilds Patton Lighting Design / Isometrix
Geotechnical Engineering: Murray Engineers
Acoustic Engineering: Charles M. Salter Associates Inc.
Contractor: Van Acker Construction, Louis Ptak Construction, Inc.
Client Representative: The Rockridge Group, Ken Morrison
Project Area: 10,200 sqf
Project Year: 2003-2007
Photographs: Nic Lehoux

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This week the Architecture City Guide series heads south to warm up a bit, featuring Atlanta. We’re looking forward to hearing from you, what are your can’t miss Atlanta buildings? Add them to the comment section below.

Follow the break for our Atlanta list and a corresponding map!

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© Nic Lehoux

A multiple award winner for design excellence and sustainability, the Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center offers a dramatic face along the street and an extended front porch gathering space for its neighborhood.  Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the building is located on a gently sloping site diagonally across from a new city park and leads toward Ballard’s center one block away.  Follow the break for further project description, photographs, and drawings of the new library.

Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: 5614 22nd Avenue N.W, Seattle, Washington, USA
Principal for Design: Peter Q. Bohlin FAIA
Principal in Charge and Project Manager: Robert Miller AIA
Project Architect: David Cinamon AIA, Associate
Project Team: Zeke Busch, Stephen Gibson, Nguyen Ha, Darren Lloyd, Jessica O’Brien, Steve Mongillo, Eric Walter
Structural Engineering: PCS Structural Solutions
MEP Engineering: Affiliated Engineers
Civil Engineering: Rosewater Engineering, Inc.
Landscape Architects: Swift Company LLC
Lighting Design: Candela
Acoustical Engineering: The Greenbusch Group
Security: Sparling
Cost Engineering: The Robinson Company
General Contractor: PCL Construction Services, Inc.
Owner: The Seattle Public Library City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods
Project Area: 15,000 sqf library and 3,600 sqf neighborhood service center
Project Year: 2005
Photographs: Benjamin Benschneider, Nic Lehoux, and Courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

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© flickr: nickmilleruk

The Architecture City Guide series is back, this week featuring New York City.  Grab a scarf and hat and hit the streets to check out some of the great architecture that NYC has to offer.  Think we left something out?  Add your can’t miss NYC buildings to our comments below.

Follow the break for our New York City list and a corresponding map!

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We recently received this large format monograph on the work of Bohlin Cywinsky Jackson, one of the most renowned US firms. Their works include the Grand Teton Discovery and Visitor Center in Wyoming, several Apple Stores around the world, Pixar Studios, and a long list of award winning public and residential projects.

More info about their monograph after the break.
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© Foster + Partners

Recently reported in El Economista, Apple has chosen to team up with Norman Foster for its new Apple Campus in Cupertino, California.  Steve Jobs and Norman Foster have been working together for months developing the design for the new campus. The future headquarters will seek to utilize Foster’s innovative vision for sustainability, ability to perfect a building for its users down to the finest detail, and ideas to maximize efficiency in the workplace.

Sustainability, is reported to be a large focus of the new campus.   A network of submerged transportation tunnels is in the works and the campus will incorporate some of the Foster’s innovations already implemented in Masdar City, designed by Foster + Partners.  Masdar City is considered the first city in the world without cars or carbon emissions (capacity 50,000).  The R & D buildings will be multifunctional and will incorporate cutting-edge technology in materials and equipment as well as renewable energy resources.

Apple and architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson had previously teamed up to design Apple Stores worldwide.  In August we featured the London Apple Store and in July we featured the Apple Store in Shanghai, China both designed Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

In true Apple fashion, everything is hush hush, and it is all about the reveal.  We will look forward to seeing the result of the collaboration between Jobs and Foster.  Stay tuned to ArchDaily for the latest developments.

A short while ago, we shared Apple’s latest cylindrical store designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in Shanghai (check out great photo sets by Flickr user Lesh51 and Roy Zipstein previously featured on AD).  This Saturday morning, Apple is set to open its biggest store yet!  The 30,1000 ft store will be situated in Covent Garden in London with more space, more staff and more merchandise than any other Apple store.  The project is a refurbishment of an 1876 building featuring Peter Bohlin’s classical glass and steel details, such as the trademark Apple staircases.  While Bohlin had to work within an existing framework, he was still able to bring Apple’s personality into the project.  Each room is dedicated to a specific Apple gadet, whether it be an iPod or a Mac book, and entire walls are covered with rows of iPads.  If you’re in the area, let us know what you think of the new store!

Video via YouTube user electricpigtv.

© Roy Zipstein

As we reported earlier last week, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s newest Apple store (and China’s first!) opened on July 10.  For the past five years, photographer Roy Zipstein has been documenting the stores, traveling to America, Europe, Asia and even Australia to highlight the artistry of the sleek structures.  Similar to how it takes a certain kind of architect to manifest Apple’s aesthetic and technological philosophy in built-form, it takes a certain kind of photographer to capture that essence on film.  Zipstein commented via Bernstein&Andriulli, “The Apple Stores are so beautifully designed, inside and out. It’s been very interesting to witness the design process evolve over the last few years, through the use of different materials such as glass, stainless steel and stone, and the evolving interpretation of the interior space. Having the architects present at some of these shoots and being able to exchange thoughts with them has been an added bonus for me.”

We’re excited to share Zipstein’s latest photographs from Shanghai!  And, be sure to see our previous set of images thanks to Flicker user Lesh51.

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© Flickr user Lesh51

Similar to their identifiable products, the Apple stores require a sleek, almost instantly recognizable, aesthetic.  As keepers of the latest technology, the buildings’ minimalist interiors boast a calm and sophisticated demeanor, complimenting, yet not overshadowing, their prized possessions.  It may come as a surprise that the leading architects behind the stores are Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ), a firm that had never designed a retail store before Apple and whose principal, Peter Bohlin, winner of the AIA Gold Medal, ironically doesn’t use email.

Bohlin has awed us in the past, especially with Apple’s second Manhattan retail store located on Fifth Avenue.  Turning a tough retail space into a successful masterpiece, the store’s iconic cube, a 32-foot glass structure, marks the store’s entrance and beckons customers down to the retail level which is illuminated with natural light.   And now, BCJ has just unveiled their latest Apple store, and the first of its kind in China which seeks to emulate similar design decisions as the Fifth Avenue project. read more »

© Nic Lehoux

Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Client: Mills College, Oakland, California
Landscape Architects: Ron Lutsko Associates
Structural Engineers: Rutherford & Chekene
Mechanical / Plumbing Engineers: Rumsey Engineers
Lighting: Silverman & Light
IT/AV: TeeCom Design Group
Acoustics: Charles Salter Associates
Civil Engineering: BKF Engineers
Project Area: 28,000 sq ft
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Nic Lehoux

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The architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson believes that “the sensuality of place, the emotive qualities of materials, and the ability to give pleasure and insight, to comfort and to transport can produce humane and spirited architecture.” Whether designing corporate headquarters for Pixar Animation Studios, the Software Engineering Institute for Carnegie Mellon University, the new Apple Stores in New York, Chicago, and Tokyo, or the twelve wooded retreats shown in this book, the firm’s architecture is alive to the subtleties of place, man-made or natural, and to the rich possibilities of materials and the means of construction.

The houses in Arcadian Architecture are exquisitely crafted of wood and stone and other natural materials, and are all sited within beautiful wooded, mountainous, or lakeside locales, from New York State to Washington State, and from the woods of Connecticut to the mountains of Montana. One of the highlights of this book is that it publishes, for the first time, the extraordinary, huge, extremely private and secluded, residential complex in Washington State that was built for Bill and Melinda Gates. Each house is presented on at least thirty pages, and is depicted by sumptuous new color photography, richly detailed conceptual sketches, presentation drawings, and construction documents.

Editor: Oscar Riera Ojeda
Publisher: Rizzoli
Cover: Hardcover
Pages: 426

Buy this book