A. Eugene (Gene) Kohn, co-founder of the internationally renowned architecture office Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, has passed away aged 92, after a year-long fight with cancer. Gene Kohn co-founded Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in 1976, along with partners William Pedersen and Sheldon Fox, helping to shape it into one of the most impactful architectural practices worldwide. He was recognized for his ability to find creative solutions and to build consensus between designers and developers through his understanding of the relationship between architecture and commerce. He also taught at Harvard, Columbia, and his alma mater University of Pennsylvania.
Kohn Pederson Fox Associates: The Latest Architecture and News
Eugene Kohn, Co-Founder of Kohn Pedersen Fox, Passes Away at the Age of 92
KPF Reveals Design for New Office Tower in Manhattan
After completing One Vanderbilt, the tallest office building in New York, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates has unveiled plans for a new skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. The 320-metre high office tower at 343 Madison Avenue makes the most out of its relatively small plot and the silhouette mandated by the New York City zoning laws, featuring a series of receding volumes that leave a way to gardens and terraces at different levels. When completed, the project will also create an important new transit entrance to the Long Island Rail Road and the Grand Central Complex.
Arthaus, KPF’s First Residential Tower in Philadelphia, Tops Out
Arthaus, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates' first residential tower in Philadelphia has just topped out. The 47-story development with 108 residences, slated for occupancy in early 2022, is located along the famed Avenue of the Arts directly across the street from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
KPF's Mixed-Use Project in Southeastern France, M Lyon, Granted City Permit Approval
KPF has revealed that its mixed-use project M Lyon has reached the first milestone and was granted city permit approval. Located in Lyon La Part-Dieu, the first business district in Southeastern France, the 30,000 square meter intervention was designed in collaboration with local architect SOHO Atlas in Fine.
KPF Completes Tallest Office Tower in Midtown Manhattan
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) completed One Vanderbilt, the tallest office tower in Midtown Manhattan. Part of New York City’s East Midtown Rezoning, the highrise explores the future of the central business district, “with public realm benefits, carefully crafted materiality, and a tapered form that establishes a striking skyline presence”.
Gensler Ranks First in the 2020 U.S. Top Architecture Firms, for the Ninth Year in a Row
Comparing revenues from the previous year, Architectural Record lines up annually a list of the Top 300 U.S. Firms. Based on the 2019 data, Gensler tops again the selection, for the ninth year in a row, and Perkins and Will takes the second position. Third, fourth and fifth places were presented for Engineering Architecture firms HDR, Jacobs, and AECOM. Other companies in the top 10 include HKS and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
London's Shell Centre Awarded Planning Permission
The £1.2 billion Shell Centre development in London, masterplanned by Squire & Partners, has been awarded planning permission after being called in for review by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. Featuring 8 towers of up to 37 storeys which will sit alongside the existing 27-storey Shell Tower, the scheme was granted permission by the local council last year but was called in for review over fears that it could threaten the UNESCO Heritage status of the area around Westminster.
However, despite being awarded planning once again, opponents of the scheme have said they will continue to fight it, and have threatened to mount a judicial review of the scheme.
Read on after the break for more on the controversy
Hudson Yards' Long Awaited Makeover
The west side of midtown Manhattan is probably one of the more unexplored areas of New York City by residents and tourists alike. Aside from the Jacob Javits Center, and the different programs off of the Hudson River Parkway that runs parallel to the waterfront, there is very little reason to walk through this industry – and infrastructure – dominated expanse of land full of manufacturers, body shops, parking facilities and vacant lots. The NYC government and various agencies, aware of the lost potential of this area, began hatching plans in 2001 to develop this 48-block, 26-acre section, bound by 43rd Street to the North, 8th Ave to the East, 30th Street to the South and the West Side Highway to the West.
The new Hudson Yards, NYC’s largest development, will be a feat of collaboration between many agencies and designers. The result will be 26 million square feet of new office development, 20,000 units of housing, 2 million square feet of retail, and 3 million square feet of hotel space, mixed use development featuring cultural and parking uses, 12 acres of public open space, a new public school and an extension of a subway line the 7 that currently terminates at Times Square-42nd Street, reintroducing the otherwise infrastructurally isolated portion of the city back into the life of midtown Manhattan. All this for $800 million with up to $3 billion in public money.
Join us after the break for details and images.