SCAPE and Rogers Marvelhave been unanimously selected from 27 international applicants to create a schematic design for one of the most visited destinations on the Mississippi River: Water Works in downtown Minneapolis. The SCAPE-Roger Marvel Team, which also includes New York-based James Lima Planning + Design and Minneapolis-based SRF Consulting, will be responsible for transforming the historically significant Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, within which the Water Works district exists, with a master plan based on a series of “visionary” parks and trails.
Aiming to seamlessly integrate into the UNESCO World Heritage site, this proposal for the Museum of Bavarian History is derived from the existing roofscape the building references to history. Designed by Simon Takasaki Architecture + Research Studio, their proposal develops a formal language which is triggered by the existing structures, overlaying the present and the future simultaneously. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The Port of Rijeka Authority and the City of Rijeka, in cooperation with Rijeka Architects Association (DAR) just launched the Delta and Porto Baros Area Competition will calls for the urban-architectural concept design for the area's development. Participants are encouraged to investigate into both the "land-use/gross build-up area" framework as well as the spatial/urban context of the site and propose the ideas which could challenge the general guidelines and requirements set by the Master Plan of the City of Rijek. The deadline for submissions is October 22. More information after the break.
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.
Synthesis Design + Architecture (SDA), the forward-thinking Los Angeles-based architecture firm led by architect and USC professor, Alvin Huang, has recently won an international competition to design a rapidly deployable pavilion to showcase and charge Volvo’s new plug-in electric hybrid, the V60.
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.
Brooklyn Brewery, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Courtesy of Flickr User Wally Gobetz. Used under Creative Commons
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?
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 Wilsonfocuses 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.
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.
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.
Courtesy of IE University, School of Architecture & Design
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.
Flinders Street Station and Flinders Street; Courtesy of the Victorian Coalition Government
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.