The following text comes from Powerhouse Company‘s book Ouvertures. We found this excerpt to be particularly engaging and they graciously gave us permission to share this short piece with you in its entirety. Enjoy!
Our exhibition Rien ne va plus researched and discussed the impact of the 2008 economic crisis on architecture. The simple question that led to this research was the question why, after bankers, architects were the first to be fired en masse as the crisis hit? How had we architects become so entangled with the money market?
https://www.archdaily.com/200473/typecasting-or-the-void-after-starchitectureAmber P
NRJA shared with us their proposal for the reconstruction of a former police station to an apartment building in Riga, Latvia. Their design concept respects the architectural heritage, partly renovating the existing volume and adding a new modern architecture. Reinhold Schmaeling buildings, especially schools, hospitals and public buildings created in early 20th century are very unique architectural works and important part of the rich and diverse heritage of Riga. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The Water Cathedral is a large, horizontal urban nave for public use. The structure is made up of numerous slender, vertical components, which hang or rise like stalactites and stalagmites in a cave, varying in height and concentration. The project incorporates water dripping at different pulses and speeds from these hanging elements, fed by a hydraulic irrigation network. When filled with small amounts of water, the stalactite components act as interfaces out of which water droplets gradually flow and cool visitors below. The stalagmites topography provides elements of shade, along with plants and water that collect under the Water Cathedral’s canopy.
Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) will be hosting the lectures of well-renowned architect, Peter Eisenman and architectural theorist, Jeffrey Kipnis at their W.M. Keck Lecture Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Eisenman’s lecture will take place Monday, March 5th at 7pm while Keck’s lecture will be held Tuesday, March 6th at 7pm. Both lectures are free and open to the public. More information after the break.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture + Planning will showcase the architecture of The Freelon Group in an art exhibition opening February 15th at the Wolk Gallery at MIT. The exhibit, which runs through April 13th, includes ten projects designed by the Freelon Group, plus a table from the furniture collection designed by founder Philip Freelon. Featured projects include museums, university buildings, libraries and an airport parking structure (we’ve published a few you can see here. And don’t miss our interview with Philip Freelon). More information on the event after the break.
A collaborative project by KMKG Studio and OchoResotto, Architecture Export is a video project from CIS [Creative Industries of Styria, based in the city of Graz in Austria] aiming at making Styrian architecture better known on the international level. Styrian architecture has already enjoyed considerable success in an international context in the past and Graz, the Styrian capital and second largest city of Austria, has recently been award the tittle of Unesco City of Design.
We are pleased to bring attention to the book Dutch Mountains that focuses on Francine Houben from Mecanoo Architecten and her inspiring work that spans the globe. We have featured Mecanoo Architecten before and you can see them here. Houben came to architecture like many great young architects who are driven by social idealism. “Uplifting the people, contributing to quality of life—that was the great goal.” Among being named Business Woman of the Year in Netherlands in 2008, Houben still works for social idealism. Houben says about her Birmingham library, “I want to create cohesion among the ethnic diversity of the city and the traces of its industrial past.”
https://www.archdaily.com/207183/dutch-mountains-francine-houben-mecanoo-architectenAmber P
Check out this condensed video, provided by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), featuring Michael Pawlyn. As many architects have been inspired by nature, Pawlyn concentrates on biomimicry’s potential to influence the function rather than the form of a building. He believes a functional revolution needs to occur, stating we need to focus on a radical increase in resource efficiency, a shift to closed-looped systems and the transformation from our current fossil fuel economy to a solar economy. With the natural world as our living proof, Pawlyn believes all three of these challenges are crucial and achievable.
We found this Venn diagram on arthitectural. This illustration was originally created by Colin Harman in regards to graphic design. However, there is no doubt this logic can apply to architecture, or any other design profession.
OOZE architects shared with us their mixed residential and commercial project located in Gundala, 35 km south of the Hyderabad city center in India. Their aim for ‘Forest Life’ was to create an eco-community with different individual villa typologies located within the existing forest next to a much denser mixed use development with residential towers and a commercial podium with proximity shops leisure activities and offices located along the main road leaving Hyderabad towards the south. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The Morpholio Project seeks to create a new platform for presentation, critique, and collaboration relevant to all designers, architects, artists, or members of any image driven culture, through a dedicated mobile app for iOS devices. Created by a group of five architects, and academics, the app explores to re-image the portfolio: “Although essential to design culture, the current methods of creating and sharing design portfolios and presentations still ultimately rely on fixed notions of time, media and outdated technologies of sharing.”
https://www.archdaily.com/207765/the-morpholio-project-appAmber P
The fundamental concern that guided the decision process from the start was how to produce a solution that is environmentally responsible, functional, cost effective and iconic. The circular shape of the building aims at giving a positive response to all of the above.The proposal by MOOV not only preserves the locations and offers living conditions to its dwellers, but also enhances the actual natural conditions, by regenerating the plot. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The engaging and dynamic proposal for the Dalian Library by 10 design represents an attention for both an urban and internal connectivity. The library is intended to be a transformative environment that pulls visitors into a unique landscape. The building weaves into the ground creating a series of courtyards and topographic undulations- rooting itself, and then sweeping up into the air forming a bold urban landmark becoming a community center for the neighborhood. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Globally recognized for its distinguished academic reputation and one of the world’s most prestigious independent colleges, Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture will present their spring 2012 lecture series from February 13 through April 9, 2012 at the Institute’s Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. The lectures are free and open to the public; however, seating priority will be given to current students with Pratt identification. More information on the event after the break.
This unique landscape and future landmark for the city of Qingdao, China is a first place project, submitted by the Los Angeles office of HKS Architects, for the design of the Conservatory by the Office of 2014 Qingdao World Horticultural Expo Executive Committee. The winning proposal was selected from an international selection of projects and was shared with us by HKS. Read on for more after the break.
Diana Lowenstein Gallery is pleased to present “archiTECTONICS” a solo exhibition of new work by Miami artist, Julie Davidow. The work will be on view from February 11 – April 8, 2012 in the front gallery. Using cues from architecture, design and construction, Davidow’s paintings – with their minimal and precise qualities – create a two-dimensional world derived from the space that we inhabit.
TRANSFORM shared with us their proposal for the Info Portal Rebild National Park competition. Offering some of the most dramatic and ‘authentic’ landscapes in Denmark, the park’s new info portal is placed on the edge of the town Rebild and the Rebild National Park. The project plays with the existing surrounding landscape, and the new building becomes a part of the National Park rather than a part of the city. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Serie Architects‘ proposal was recently selected as the design for the 2012 Olympic Pavilion for BMW following a sustainable design competition. Their cutting-edge design will represent a significant architectural addition to the Olympic Park, while reflecting the company’s deep commitment to sustainability. BMW’s pavilion, which has a floor space of 800m2, will be built on an elevated site above the Waterworks River, situated between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Center. More images and architects’ description after the break.
BIG has just been announced as the winner of the competition for the new Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah. The non-profit community center for the visual arts, which started in 1976, invites people to experience art through education, exhibitions and events. The aging historic building (dated from 1929) was in need of restoration and an addition that could allow the organization to increase their educational outreach and enhance the quality and scale of the exhibitions, while maintaining free admission to the public.
The program will be a studio based design ‘charette’, undertaken in small groups, for a project (yet to be determined), on a site within walking distance of the venue. Suggested themes include the exploration of architectural strategies that can moderate between the permeation of the external envelope in Australian coastal architecture and how this might confront more harsh climates and locations. The design program will be supported by talks from the ‘masters’ and on-going tutorial support during the week. All the ‘masters’ will stay with the participants at the venue – Jemby Ringa Lodge at Blackheath, 600 meters from spectacular Evans Lookout. The program will culminate in presentations and crits on the last Friday. More information on the program after the break.
Architect:Godwin Austen Johnson Location: DIFC, Dubai, UAE Project year: 2011 Project Architect: Jonathan Ashmore Partners in charge: Jason Burnside & Michael Dawson Project size: 650 sqm Client: uenergy by uconcept Contractor: Highate Interiors MEP consultants: Scott Wilson ME Photo credits: GAJ
