Architecture News

Throughout the last two years, researchers at the MIT Senseable City Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts have been using Google Street View data to study some of the world’s most prominent cities in terms of tree coverage. Developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, “Treepedia” seeks to promote awareness of the role of green canopies in urban life, and asks how citizens can be more integral to the process of greening their neighborhoods.

The ever-growing list studies cities both around and beyond the USA, using an innovative metric called the “Green View Index,” which uses Google Street View panoramas to evaluate and compare green canopy coverage in major cities. Through monitoring the urban tree coverage, citizens and planners can see which areas in their city are green and not green, compare their green canopy with other cities, and play a more active role in enhancing their local environment.

The collaboration of Bjarke Ingels Group and Westbank are celebrating two milestones in Canada, as the topping out of their innovative Vancouver House coincides with the advanced construction of their relocated Serpentine Pavilion in Toronto.

The two BIG-designed structures, located on opposite coasts, have both been recognized for their architectural innovation. The LEED-Platinum Vancouver House was awarded the World Architecture Festival’s Future Building of the Year in 2015, while the “unzipped wall” is the first Serpentine Pavilion to embark on a multi-city tour of this kind, before ultimately landing in a permanent home on the Vancouver waterfront.

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Eleven years ago, ArchDaily was born with a mission in mind: to democratize architectural information around the world and empower our readers to foster inclusive discussions that positively transform our cities. By providing inspiration, knowledge, and tools to the architects currently facing the challenge of designing the future, we hope to help improve the quality of life of those who inhabit our world's urban centers.

At the ArchDaily Mexico offices, August 3rd is a special day:

Today our local site turns 6 years old!

When you think of your favorite spot to grab a beer, what architectural features come to mind? Is it the swanky furniture, themed artwork, or the heavily designed cocktail menu? Today, the aesthetics of bars are now as much a draw as the drinks themselves. From movie set inspired spaces to rooftops that offer spectacular city views, we’ve compiled a list of nine bars and beer gardens that every architect needs to cross off their list.

Work on the Snøhetta-designed renovation of 550 Madison Avenue, better known as the AT&T Headquarters, has ground to a halt in New York City. The controversial postmodernist icon, designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgree, has become the youngest building in New York to receive "Individual Landmark" status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), striking a blow to controversial efforts to renovate the building.

Under major renovation plans designed by Snøhetta, the scheme was set to be transformed at street level with a more transparent base, with the existing stone façade removed. Meanwhile, the signature ground floor element, an enormous arched entry, would be rendered a shadowy profile of its former self behind a fritted glass curtain wall. The plans attracted wide criticism, such as an intervention on film by Robert A M Stern, and grassroots campaigns including docomomo and change.org.

Airbnb is giving four lucky winners the honor of being among “the first people in thousands of years to spend the night on the Great Wall of China.” The competition, open until August 11th, offers the prize of staying in a custom-designed home situated on one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

The competition, run in collaboration with the Beijing Tourism Development Committee, is intended to “promote sustainable tourism to China by spotlighting wide-ranging efforts to preserve the Wall’s deep heritage and bring Chinese culture to life.” The four winners will have to adhere to strict House Rules, such as respecting their 1.38 billion neighbors, refraining from waking ancient guards with loud music, and promising not to disturb dragons.

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France took home the gold in this year's World Cup, however, in four years time, the world will turn its eyes to Qatar for another round of soccer mania. Preparations for the 2022 World Cup are already in full swing, with the construction and restoration of 8 stadiums that will host teams and fans from across the globe.

Get to know the 8 Qatar 2022 World Cup stadiums below.

A post shared by HYPEBEAST Art (@hypebeastart) on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:03am PDT

UK-based artist Alex Chinneck has unveiled his latest architectural installation, transforming the walls of a soon-to-be-demolished 1960s office building on the former Kent Wool Growers site in Ashford, England. “Open to the Public” features an eight-meter-high double zip running down the side of the building, revealing the forlorn interior.

The double zip descending the short elevation is joined by a long single zip running the full length of the building, peeling back the walls and windows in a move inspired by the area’s history of textiles and fabric.

“The Place of Sharing” is already taking shape on site. On the third day of work, foundations are being prepared and steel structures installed to support the Casa de Brincar e Não Só – Not Only a Playhouse, which is being built through August 10 at the Guarda Housing Complex (CHG) in Perafita, Matosinhos, Portugal. The initiative is part of the Self-Construction Laboratory organized by Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Center for Architecture.

Featuring a total of 53 proposals, the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil and the Institute of Architects of Brazil launched the “Open Letter to Candidates in the 2018 Elections for the Right to the City.” The issue of social housing is one of the highlights of the proposed “Solidary and Inclusive Urban Planning.” For these organizations, it is crucial to establish a housing policy consisting of diverse solutions rather than a single model based on the construction of massive housing complexes, typically on the outskirts of cities, as is currently the case.

Following the October 2017 unveiling of NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s $500-billion futuristic city billed as a “startup the size of a country,” details of the project's progression have been scarce. Situated close to the border with Jordan and the Red Sea, the remote area has been sealed off to visitors, leaving onlookers to speculate with minimal details, such as the announcement by Japan’s Softbank that they were investing in the megacity.

However, news carried by Reuters suggests that the project may be far more advanced than originally expected, reporting that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has arrived in NEOM for a holiday. The news marks a break in tradition from the King’s holiday choices, typically a villa in Morocco or the South of France. Reuters also detail a design document revealed to them offering the first descriptions of what the architecture of NEOM may contain.

A proposal to include financing for properties built using bioconstruction techniques is awaiting the appointment of a rapporteur in the Environment Committee. The bill was introduced by Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP) at the request of movements advocating for affordable and sustainable social housing. The goal is to make this financing available through the Minha Casa Minha Vida program.

Designer Amaory B. Portorreal has produced a series of illustrations depicting houses inspired by the music of Kanye West. The series is in response to the hip-hop artist’s recent announcement that he would be launching a new architecture venture focusing on low-income housing.

More than a commentary on West’s interactions with architecture, the series presents an intriguing example of the connection between music and architecture, transitioning from a lyrical, melodic art form to one based on space and materiality.

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A giant replica of Le Corbusier’s iconic Villa Savoye has been half-sunk off a Danish fjord as part of the country’s Floating Art 2018 festival. The installation titled “Flooding Modernity” has been designed by artist Asmund Havsteen-Mikkelsen as a “comment on the sinking of the public sphere after the disclosure of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the manipulation of democratic elections through social media.”

As part of the summer art festival hosted by the city of Vejle and the Veijle Art Museum, the five-tonne model was towed into the fjord and sunk to sit as a half-submerged testament to a once visionary future.

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The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has announced the winners of the 2018 Brick in Architecture Awards, given to “the country’s most visionary projects incorporating fired-clay brick.” This year, 19 projects were selected from 88 total entries, spanning commercial, educational, landscaping, and residential categories.

“Fired-clay brick offers unlimited aesthetic flexibility, and is an integral part of any sustainable, low maintenance building strategy,” said Ray Leonhard, BIA’s president and CEO.

Full details on the awards and winners are available on the official website here. Below, we have organized the winning schemes by category.

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Videos

Moscow-based designer Alex Shtanuk has launched an Indiegogo campaign for his 107,000-square-foot (10,000-square-meter) blanket woven from over 3000 NASA Space blankets, to feature at this year’s Burning Man festival at Black Rock City, Nevada.

“The Blanket” seeks to “bring the waves of the ancient Lake Lahontan back to Playa,” influenced by wind conditions to mirror surreal forms such as waves, mountains, or giant sculptures. With an exterior metallic coating, the blanket will reflect 97% of radiated heat, creating a cool, refreshing environment underneath for those seeking shelter from the hot Playa sun.

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The Architects' Journal’s 2018 student survey has revealed troublesome, though perhaps not surprising, trends within the profession. The results of the survey, drawn from nearly 500 students in the UK, suggest that the economically fortunate are more likely to succeed within a culture that promotes unsociable and unhealthy working hours.

The numbers paint a bleak picture of the architecture student lifestyle in the UK, where, including tuition fees, students are now forking out an average of £24,000 per year. 44% of respondents identified this as the largest problem for them and their peers.

So as the traditional route into the profession becomes “increasingly out of reach for many,” is it time for schools and offices to reevaluate their methods in order to maintain a diverse, accessible architecture?

Minutes ago in Detroit, Director Dirk Denison and 2018 MCHAP Jury Chair Ricky Burdett announced the six finalists of the 2018 edition of the Mies Crown Hall America Prize. Selected from a longer list of 31 projects announced earlier this summer in Venice, these outstanding works of architecture will compete for the top honor, the MCHAP Award, which will be announced in October. The authors of the winning award will take home $50,000 to fund research and a publication and will be recognized as the MCHAP Chair in IIT’s College of Architecture.

The six finalist buildings were completed between January 2016 and December 2017. The descriptive texts, provided by the MCHAP jury, celebrate the merits of each individual project.