Daniel Libeskind has been selected to design a new “landmark” building for Durham University’s Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics in England. The state-of-the-art facility, which will house the industry-leading Institute for Computational Cosmology and Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, is expected to “complement” the traditional buildings that surround it while serving as an exemplar for sustainable design. Completion is planned for December 2015, depending on planning permission.
Mies van der Rohe's last constructed skyscraper, the IBM building in Chicago, recently underwent a significant transformation: the modernist office building is now a 316-room luxury hotel. An interesting post on the ArchitectureChicago Plus blog weighs in on the building's history and ponders: will Mies' minimalist aesthetic be compromised by its new lavish furnishings? Read it all here.
Gentrification has been a running theme in the social and economic fluctuations that occur in cities. Between housing booms and busts, the revitalization of small manufacturing and the shifting populations cities grow and change organically, subject to a variety of trends. In an article in Business Insider, Tali Arbel traces urban revival by following the successes of craft breweries that have sprung up in desolate and blighted neighborhoods. Brewers have found a home in cities full of abandoned warehouses and factory buildings where real estate is available and affordable. As these neighborhoods become more affluent, rising in trendiness and popularity, they are beginning to price out these same businesses that helped establish them. Where are these businesses to go and how can gentrifying neighborhoods protect social and economic diversity?
Read on for more.
The 'Sa(ndy)licornia' proposal, which was one of the selected entries in the MOMA PS1 Rockaway Call for Ideas, is a reaction to the fact that in many ways Sandy, effectively, became a brand, and in doing so it provided all sorts of people with various sorts of "meaning". From this point of view, architect Daniel J Wilson focuses on how disasters can be understood to provide a form of social glue, clear-eyed perspectives about "what really matters", and the possibility of rebuilding something from scratch, only better. More images and architects' description after the break.
Since 2007, Jade Doskow has been photographing the remains of World's Fair Sites: once iconic spots that displayed the ambitions/ideals of their eras, now, often forgotten and left to decay. Now, for the 50th anniversary of the 1964 World's Fair in New York (in just a few weeks time), Doskow has a new goal: to shoot all the iconic North American fair sites - from Seattle's Space Needle to San Francisco's Treasure Island. To do so, she's launched a Kickstarter campaign: LOST UTOPIAS. See more of Doskow's stunning images, and find out how to support her Kickstarter campaign, after the break...
Taking place during the National Building Museum's Summer Block Party, the Architecture 101 lecture series explores iconic styles during significant periods in architectural history. The two lectures, titled 'Miesian' (July 20) and 'Expressionism' (July 27) will serve as a refresher course for the professional or student or providing the novice with a chance to learn more about the world of architecture. More information after the break.
JAPA Architects shared with us their proposal, Dyv-net, Dynamic Vertical Networks, which deals with the development of modern, efficient and environmentally acceptable farming structures. Located in the Tai Po District, the second largest administrative district in Hong Kong, the architects foresee a paradigm shift to vertical agriculture structures which can be integrated into a territorial network along the country. More images and architects' description after the break.
Charles Correa, considered one of India's greatest architects, is celebrated for his post-war work in India in which he connects modernism with local traditions. Digital magazine, uncube, has dedicated a full issue to this renowned architect and includes reviews of the RIBA exhibition currently on view in London, a look at his most influential architectural projects, assesses his role as urbanist and planner, and an interview in which Correa reflects on his own career.
More after the break.
One of the selected entries in the MoMA PS1 Rockaway Call for Ideas, Stephen Yablon Architect’s "Yona on the Beach" accepts the inherent and increasingly dynamic weather conditions of barrier islands. Their idea is a new model for barrier island settlements; entire beach neighborhoods are raised high above the 100 year flood plain so that the barrier island below can naturally shift and change during storms with minimal impact to human habitation. More images and architects' description after the break.
We've talked at length about the future potential of 3D Printing for Architecture - from rapidly producing emergency shelters to putting structures on the moon - but The Chicago Architecture Foundation has already found a way to make 3D Printing practical for architects - today. Since 2009, the foundation has been using 3D Printing to make models of all the buildings of the city of Chicago (that's over 1,000 buildings in a 320 sq ft area). The idea is to let native Chicago-ans and tourists alike get a better sense of the city, seeing the city grid, the relationship of heights between the tall buildings, its patterns of development."
As 3D Printing technology gets more and more sophisticated, it's easy to imagine that every architect will soon have a 3D printer that could do the same - allowing him/her to instantly visualize not just his/her design-in-progress, but every surrounding building as well.
Check out some cool videos of this 3D printed Chicago, after the break...
TiP, an online magazine that explores the latest thinking across architecture, art and science, just launched a competition which encourages all to push forward your agenda and have your ideas reach the world. If you have a fascinating issue you would like to investigate or have been working on some exciting research in architecture, design, art or science, enter our competition to be in with the chance of having your work published exclusively on TiP. All of the articles will be judged by a panel including TiP’s Editor in Chief, Sarah Gormley, and members from Balmond Studio in London. The submission deadline is September 10. More information after the break.
IE University just announced its first competition initiative “Houses for Change,” hosted by IE School of Architectureand Design. The purpose of the competition is to consider housing as an urgent and basic component of improving urban environments for the poor and at risk and to propose viable housing alternatives for those often neglected or left out. Architecture students and recent graduates of architecture, along with peers from other fields forming multidisciplinary teams, have a unique role to play in suggesting solutions and approaches in response to the housing crisis facing many cities today. Registration is free, and the deadline for submissions is December 16. More information after the break.
The Victorian Coalition Government’s design competition to re-imagine Flinders Street Station in Melbourne has entered its final phase with the six shortlisted competitors submitting their final designs. Selected from 117 entries, the shortlist includes the following Australian and international firms:
With the potential to become one of the most attractive cities in the greater Moscow region, the proposal by de Architekten Cie. for Odintsovo integrates dispersed urban fragments and the landscape into a harmonious whole. By injecting the iconographic urban fabric, cultivating existing greenery, enabling forest to penetrate to the center, forming green rooms, and greening (planting trees) on existing boulevards, the scale of the city is formatted on a human scale. More images and architects' description after the break.
Titled 'Between earth and sky', this proposal for the new Gateway of Shenzhen Southern University of Science and Technology by penda is a metaphor of formal contrasts to design a campus landmark. Their design for an entrance sculpture at the University is a connection of 2 opposites: the fluid, lower part connects the gate to the gentle hills of the landscape in the background and carries a grid of lights, which can be seen as a connection to the cosmos - a contrast of the earth and the sky. More images and architects' description after the break.
UPDATE: "WIA" has now reached its goal. A group of women fed up with the state of architecture today have started a campaign to transform the profession, to "redefine the ideas of success and compensation within our discipline [..., to create] healthful trends both within the academy and profession with real life/work balance [..., and] create more women leaders within the discipline." As they put it: "We want an approach appropriate to this century." The campaign, run by Nina Freedman, the Director of Projects for Shigeru Ban Architects, and Lori Brown, an architect, author and associate professor at Syracuse University, needs to earn only a few hundred dollars more to reach their $7,000 dollar goal. However, only 35 hours remain - if you're interested in learning more, check out their video here.
Recently chosen as one of the selected entries for the MOMA PS1 Rockaway Call for Ideas, the 'Occupy the Dune' proposal by Balmori Associates focuses on an infrastructure as the center for civic activity, protecting the community while connecting it socially and ecologically. Vegetation that colonizes the dunes surface is the most critical part of the ecosystem, adding strength and stability to blunt extreme winds and storm surge. More images and architects' description after the break.
Open to registered architects and landscape architects in Australia, and internationally, the Royal Adelaide Hospital Site International Design Competition is a two-stage process for the redesign of the current hospital site, which will be vacated in 2016. The challenge focuses on creating an iconic place within the Greater Riverbank Precinct of Adelaide. Stage One (18 July – 28 August) will see competitors anonymously submit initial design concepts while Stage Two (16 September – 8 November) is the opportunity for the shortlisted teams to further develop their Stage One submission. More information after thebreak.