SixtyNine-Seventy, The Spaces Between: An Urban Ideas Competition
Organized by AIA Utah Young Architects Forum and the Downtown Alliance, in collaboration with Utah Heritage Foundation, Sixty-Nine Seventy invites design teams from around the world to re-envision the circulation areas and passages of two blocks in Salt Lake City’s downtown. The entrants will prepare comprehensive ideas for these in-between spaces, developing them into the connective tissue linking the area’s cultural amenities. SixtyNine-Seventy, The Spaces Between: An Urban Ideas Competition launches on January 10, 2013 with a party at 7:00 PM at Squatters Pub. The competition and launch party are open to everyone. For those not able to attend the opening night presentations will be posted on the web immediately following the event. For more information, please visit here.
Summit Series’ New Village Will Be A Hub For Innovation
Summit Series, a popular conference that TechCrunch describes as “Part Burning-Man, Part TED,” has just acquired 10,000 acres outside of Salt Lake City, where they hope to develop a “500-home village to foster startups, artists, thinkers, and nonprofits who will build their own version of utopia.”
Summit Series began as a way for young, socially-conscious entrepreneurs across all types of industries to gather, brainstorm ways to make their business/non-profit better, and partake in fun activities; however, it soon gained prominence as notable keynote speakers (from Richard Branson to Bill Clinton) began joining in and spreading the word.
The idea behind the purchase is to offer a more permanent-home base for the innovative conference-goers, who usually only meet for 4 days a year, so they can network and “think big” 365 days a year. It will be the built expression of the collaboration and innovation that the Summit Series aims to inspire (think Silicon Valley tucked up in the Mountains). As Summit Series investor Tim Chang explains: “The community portion — the networking, the people — that could be even more valuable than just the straight return on investment for a vacation property.”
According to TechCrunch, “every aspect of the new village will be open to social experimentation,” which leads us to wonder – which architect would be best suited to design this hyper-social village of young innovators? Perhaps BIG or Michel Rojkind Arquitectos? Let us know who you’d like to see design this utopian village in the comments below.
Story via TechCrunch
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects to design Utah Performing Arts Center
Salt Lake City is about to get a new, state-of-the-art performing arts center designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (PCPA), in collaboration with HKS Architects. The 2,500-seat venue “will capture the spirit of its place” and serve as the region’s premier entertainment venue, while anchoring a vibrant arts district on the city’s main street downtown.
The selection committee of the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City chose the PCPA/HKS team from a competitive pool that included designers of some of the most prestigious theaters in the world. “We are honored to be selected to design the Utah Performing Arts Center,” said Cesar Pelli, senior principal of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. “Salt Lake City’s attractive downtown, vibrant cultural life, and wonderful views will all shape our design for what will be an important new venue for the entire city and state.”
The Utah Performing Arts Center will be designed to attract first-run touring Broadway shows and concerts, while providing an additional venues for Utah performance groups, such as Ballet West and Utah Opera.
Design of the project is expected to take about a year, with construction planned to begin in December 2013 and the opening of the theater projected for March 2016.
The Connecticut-based firm, PCPA, has extensive experience in designing world-class theaters, including the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Overture Center for the Arts in Madison (Wisconsin), and the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Samueli Theater in Orange County (California).
Reference: Reuters, Utah Performing Arts Center, SLC’s Desert News
Natural History Museum of Utah / Ennead Architects
Architect: Ennead Architects
Architect of Record: GSBS Architects
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Jeff Goldberg/Esto, Stuart Ruckman, Ben Lowry
Emigration Canyon Residence / Sparano + Mooney Architecture
Architect: Sparano + Mooney Architecture
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah (Emigration Canyon)
Project Year: 2009
Project Area: 2,700SqFt
Contractor: Benchmark Modern
Photography: Dustin Aksland
H-House / Axis Architects
Architects: Axis Architects
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Project Year: 2009
Projects Area: 4,100SqFt
Consultants: Bsumek Mu and Associates
Photography: Paul Richer, Richer Images
SWAY’D Interactive Public Art Installation / Daniel Lyman
Architects: Daniel Lyman
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Daniel Lyman
US Courthouse / Thomas Phifer and Partners
We had the opportunity to interview Thomas Phifer yesterday in his amazing studio on Varick Street (we’ll be sharing the video with you soon!) and he was excited to tell us about the new annex for the US Courthouse the firm is currently working on. Situated in Salt Lake City, Utah, the courthouse design not only provides a functional structure, but also draws upon Phifer’s attention to nature, specifically the site’s changing seasons and sun conditions. The courthouse respects the monumental presence of the justice system but that monumentality is balanced by the structure’s acknowledgement of its surroundings. ” It embodies both American idealism and practicality. It feels like it belongs to the people, and consequently inspires and reminds all that it stands for,” added Phifer.
More images and more about the courthouse after the break.
