Videos

With the celebration of Carnival upon us, venues around the world are bound to be filled with the merriment of masked and costumed figures at extravagant parties, partaking in the century’s old tradition of masquerading. While most participants aspire to facilitate the movement of dance in their costumes, a smaller group of revelers consider structure and shape instead. These architects of iconic structures from decades past celebrated the 1931 Beaux Arts Ball by masquerading in these sky-high replicas of their buildings. If you’re looking to make a statement during the final night of Carnival, perhaps a Guggenheim Museum headdress or Eiffel Tower hat is the perfect party accessory.

Read on after the break to learn more about the Beaux Arts Ball.

A vision to protect post-Sandy Manhattan against future superstorms, Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) “Dry Line” seeks to form a continuous storm barrier around lower Manhattan by transforming underutilized waterfront spaces into a “protective ribbon” of public parks and amenities. Though ambitious, the project is not impossible; it was one of six winners in the US’ Rebuild by Design competition that is envisioning ways New York can protect its edge.

"The beauty of [architecture] is the payoff. That building has created a better place for people to live and a better lifestyle for people." A mixed use building that brings together craft beer, street tacos and modern housing, California developer Jonathan Segal's "The Northparker" has helped transform the once blighted area Northpark into one of San Diego's most up-and-coming neighborhoods. Breadtruck Films shares just how a single building created community and changed a city in the video above.

It’s no wonder that the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere. From Copacabana’s Balneario Beach to the iconic Cristo Redentor atop Corcovado, Rio is a “cidade maravilhosa” (marvelous city) with one of the most spectacular urban settings in the world. Capturing its mystic, the pros of Scientifantastic have posted a stunning time-lapse that captures life in the coastal Brazilian megalopolis.

Another, revealing the favelas of Brazil and more, after the break.

"Our industry moves really, really slowly, and it's generational." This latest interview from Arbuckle Industries' groundbreaking documentary Archiculture features a discussion with architect, Autodesk vice president, and Yale professor Phil Bernstein. In the interview, Bernstein focuses on the technological aspects that have shifted the methodology and possibilities of architecture today, and how Autodesk is contributing to its advancement through educational interventions. Additionally, he addresses the cultural issues that have arisen as bi-products of technology, as a disconnect between teachers and students has developed due to their different media focuses.

The second episode in "Classic Japan" features the 1966 Kyoto International Conference Center by Sachio Otani. The site of the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, Otani's waterfront conference center unfurls onto nearby Lake Takaragaike via a series of concrete pathways that offset the centre's Brutalist weight. Filmed and edited by Vincent Hecht, a French architect and film maker currently living in Tokyo, the series focuses on Japanese architecture from the 1950s to the 80s.

Before working on the conference center, Otani had previously worked in the office of Kenzo Tange, whose Yoyogi National Gymnasium was featured in the first episode of the "Classic Japan" series.

ArchDaily has teamed up with Building Pictures, Filipa Figueira and Tiago Vieira to feature weekly episodes of their video series “Arquitectura à Moda do Porto,” which highlights Porto’s most significant buildings over the last two decades.

The series launched in 2013 and is comprised of 10 episodes, each focusing on a different theme: light, stairs, balconies, nature, textures, doors, windows, skylights, pavements and structures.

Last week we featured the series' first episode about Porto's shimmering lights, and now we present Episode 2 - Stairs. Read the producers' description of Episode 2 after the break. 

In conjunction with "Contemplating Basics," the 35th Aedes Architecture Forum's exhibition of work by Beijing-based ZAO/standardarchitecture, Reframe presents an interview the firm's founder, Zhang Ke, and Dr Eduard Kögel, an Urban Planner and critic from Berlin.

Following the extensive preservation battle over Bertrand Goldberg's iconic Prentice Women's Hospital, the Chicago landmark was demolished a few months ago to pave the way for Perkins+Will's new Biomedical Research Building for the Feinberg School of Medicine. The four year preservation struggle was marked by repeated appeals to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and Mayor Rahm Emanuel with attempts to place the building on historic registers, proposals to adapt it for modern use, and design competitions to gain public opinion on the future of the building. Ultimately, the outpouring of global support by architects and preservationists to save Prentice fell short of the political agenda of progress, prioritizing future development over preserving the city's past.

From Tokyo-based French architect and film maker Vincent Hecht comes "Classic Japan," a series of short films focussed on Japanese architecture from between the 1950s and 80s.

The first installment takes viewers into Kenzo Tange's 1964 Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, built to house the swimming and diving events of the 1964 Summer Olympics. Completed in less than two years and seating upwards of 15,000 spectators, the Gymnasium is renowned for its suspension roof, and will host the handball competitions during Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics.

We've teamed up with Building Pictures, Filipa Figueira and Tiago Vieira to feature weekly episodes of their video series “Arquitectura à Moda do Porto,” which highlights Porto’s most significant buildings over the last 20 years.

The series is comprised of 10 episodes, each focusing on a different theme: light, stairs, balconies, nature, textures, doors, windows, skylights, pavements and structures.

In light of the recent opening of Mons International Congress Xperience (MICX), Daniel Libeskind hosted a private tour through the conference center, explaining his thinking behind the building’s expressive form. The experience was captured on this short film by Spirit of Space with the intention to open the discussion up to a larger audience.

The building, an important new landmark in the Belgium city of Mons, is described by Libeskind as “an expression of contrasting geometric forms.” Aside form providing function and “lively” spaces for auditoria and conference use, the building aims to be “a hinge between the old city and the new.”

"Your interaction with architecture can either uplift you or depress you." In this latest Archiculture interview from Arbuckle Industries, Maurice Cox discusses the potential of architecture's atmospheric qualities to influence our daily lives. The professor, designer, dean, and former politician expresses his opinions on the intersection of politics and design in both the United States and abroad, arguing the importance of public input on creating inspirational architecture. Additionally, Cox reflects on how the process of transitioning from education to professional practice has changed for today's emerging designers.

The latest episode in NOWNESS' In Residence series takes viewers into the Esplugues de Llobregat home of Catalan artist Xavier Corbero. Albert Moya captures Corbero's life size cabinet of curiosities— brimming with art pieces and eclectic miscellany— as the artist himself wanders through a Piranesi-esque series of seemingly impossible cantilevered staircases and arches.

"What I try to do does not stem from reason," says Corbero, "What I always attempt to do is poetry."

"Suburbia has... several destinies." Author and social critic James Kunstler is one of several contributing speakers in Arbuckle Industries' groundbreaking documentary Archiculture. In the latest extra from the film, Kunstler provides his perspective on the modern housing sector and the shift from city life to suburbia, specifically examining the decline of the city as a result of political upheaval. Additionally, he postulates how architecture will evolve in the future and offers his ideas for overcoming America's suburbia-centric ways by drawing inspiration from the past, advocating that young designers focus on tectonics to shift back to a smarter built environment.