The Big Hammock
Imagine napping in a big hammock on the Greenway during your lunch hour. Designed and led by Hansy Better Barraza AIA, a team has woven The Big Hammock, the world’s largest portable relaxation/napping/hangout device, at the Fort Point Channel Parks. Take a turn in the hammock and enjoy activities from noon to 8:00 pm daily through September 4.
To find out more about The Big Hammock, click here. See more images after the break.
BSA Response to Greenway Guidelines
Check out Chris Lovett’s video we spotted about the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s proposed guidelines for development around the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Greenway has the potential to become a highly activated public realm fusing commercial entities with cultural institutes, both on and off the Greenway. The interview features Mike Davis’, the Commissioner of Public Policy for the Boston Society of Architects and VP and principal with Bergmeyer, thoughts on guidelines, such as height restrictions but more importantly, Davis stresses the importance of connectivity and form. Although several proposed ideas have met challenges and will not be realized, the BSA is trying to push the planning for the Greenway forward. By developing these empty parcels, the Greenway will transform to become a completely viable component to the Boston area.
2010 BSA Design Awards
The annual BSA honor awards program invites submissions of projects of any type anywhere in the world designed by Massachusetts architects and also invites architects throughout the world to submit projects built in Massachusetts. Deadline is June 24. Click here for more information. Seen at Bustler.
Common Boston Common Build Competition
The Common Boston Common Build (CBCB) is a design competition that challenges participants to design and implement a project in response to real community needs. Held over 3 days during the Common Boston Community and Architecture Festival, the CBCB is open to teams and individuals from ALL disciplines and experience levels. Common Boston and LostInBoston have partnered to host this year’s event, focused to raise awareness of the built environment, improve wayfinding and inspire connections across Boston’s urban fabric.
Competitors will be asked to work with preselected sites as well as vocal neighborhood members to develop design solutions that address the specific physical and social needs of that community. The CBCB aims to prove that even when created in less than 3 days and with a capped budget, an innovative and influential response to a real problem can alter the way we interact with and understand the built environment of a community while seeking tangible benefits for its inhabitants.
For more information, go to the competition’s official website.
Community Rowing Boathouse / Anmahian Winton Architects
Architects: Anmahian Winton Architects
Location: Boston, MA, USA
Principal in Charge: Alex Anmahian
Project Managers: Nick Winton, Todd Thiel
Project Architect: Sydney Schremser
Project Team: Joel Lamere, Makoto Abe, Aaron Stavert, AIA, Mazen Sakr, Garth Goldstein, Andrew Plumb, AIA, Julia Davis, AIA, LEED AP
Civil Engineering: Stantec
Marine Structural Engineering: Childs Engineering Corp.
Structural Engineering: Richmond So Engineering
MEP/FP Engineering: RW Sullivan Inc.
Landscape Architects: Stantec
Lighting: LAM Partners
Project Area: 30,000 sq ft
Budget: $11.45 M
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Mike Champion, Peter Vanderwarker, Jane Messinger/Anmahian Winton Architects, Sydney Schremser/Anmahian Winton Architects
May events at Harvard GSD
Harvard University Graduate School of Design hosts some great lectures featuring some of the world’s most important architects. Here are some of their May events:
May 3 / Ecological Urbanism Book Launch Reception
May 6 / Jaime Moreno lecture
May 6 / Michael Rock of 2×4, “A Brief History of Screens”
May 7 / Bob Peck, Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration, Loeb Fellow ’78, “From the Federal Government and here to help”
May 8 / Palladio Oggi: Palladio and the Present Symposium (*in New York City)
You can find more on each event on the GSD official website, which is constantly adding new events. Every event is free and open to the public.
Architectural Response, 3 day workshop in Boston
Its clear in 2010 perhaps more than ever that significant shifts in economies and culture can occur extremely rapidly; climatic crisis can devastate enormous populations in seconds. Our architectural response is critical. The architectural recourse of one crisis needs to be more than a temporary fix as it is often the only opportunity to implement further preventative measures for a future occurrence.
This workshop exposes digitally-driven technologies aiding the architectural realm in developing design intentions in accordance with environmental, material & production parameters. Workshop explores how to implement TODAY the utilization of advancing technologies whether a student or design professional. Parametric approaches are not limited to the software one uses but more importantly a shift in thinking of multi-phase aspects of an architectural project. Join LaN in forwarding the relevance of these practices to very real-world scenarios.
The three day workshop will take place at the Microsoft New England Research & Development Center between April 12-14. For more information, click here.
April events at Harvard GSD
Harvard University Graduate School of Design hosts some great lectures featuring some of the world’s most important architects. We will be telling you about their events on a monthly basis, so here are the dates of their April events.
April 1 / Science and Democracy Lecture Series: Can We Leave the Bauxite in the Mountain? / Arundhati Roy
April 2-3 / Critical Ecologies / Colloquium, Keynote Speakers Sanford Kwinter, Piet Oudolf, Richard Wrangham
April 6 / Now? Territories and Territoriality / Martha Rosler in conversation with Mohsen Mostafavi
April 6 / Form / John Portman + Jack Portman with Mack Scogin
April 7 / Daniel Urban Kiley Lecture: Color is not a Decoration / Claude Cormier
April 8 / On the Future of Landscape History / John Dixon Hunt in conversation with Mark Laird
April 12 / Architectural Agency: The Case of Elemental / Alejandro Aravena with Andres Lepik, Toshiko Mori, Hashim Sarkis
April 13 / The Return of Nature: The Nature of Architecture / Peter Eisenman, Jorge Silvetti, Sarah Whiting
April 14 / Discussions in Architecture / Peter Eisenman with Preston Scott Cohen
April 14 / REAI Lecture / Adolfo Carrion, Director of the White House Office on Urban Affairs
April 15-16 / Inside/Out: Exploring Gender and Space in Life, Culture, and Art / Conference
April 16-17 / Cambridge Talks IV: Design Politics / Symposium
April 20 / Digital Culture in Architecture / Antoine Picon
April 21-23 / Design, Infrastructure Sustainability, and Social Responsability / Conference
You can find more on each event on the GSD official website. Every event is free and open to the public.
BanQ / Office dA
Architects: Office dA
Location: Boston, MA, USA
Project Design: Nader Tehrani, Monica Ponce de Leon
Principal in Charge: Nader Tehrani
Project Architect: Dan Gallagher
Project Coordinators: Catie Newell, Brandon Clifford
Project Team: Harry Lowd, Richard Lee, Lisa Huang, Remon Alberts, Janghwan Cheon, Jumanah Jamal, Aishah Al Sager
Contractor: Homeland Builders
Structural Consulting Engineer: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.
MEP Consulting Engineer: Wozny/Barbar & Associates, Inc.
Lighting Consultant: Collaborative Lighting
Acoustical Consultant: Acentech
Kitchen Consultant: TriMark USA, Inc.
Building Code Consultant: Hal Cutler
Project Area: 446 sqm
Proyect Year: 2006-2008
Photographs: John Horner
SHIFTboston Ideas Competition
SHIFTboston is calling on all visionaries to submit his and her most provocative ideas for the City of Boston. Think: WHAT IF this could happen in Boston? SHIFTboston seeks to collect visions that aim to enhance and electrify the urban experience in Boston. We want innovative, radical ideas for new city elements such as: public art, landscape, architecture, urban intervention and transportation. Competitors could explore topics such as: the future city, energy efficiency and ecological urbanism. YOU TELL US.
The honorary recipient will receive a cash prize and present at the SHIFTboston Forum at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston on January 14, 2010. The winning entry will be displayed on billboards, bus shelters, subway cars and post cards in the Boston Metropolitan area. All eligible entries will be promoted on the SHIFTboston blog and website and will become part of the SHIFTboston Exhibit. Submission deadline is December 11. Seen at Bustler. More information at the competition’s official website.
