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Living Architectures: The Latest Architecture and News

How Ila Bêka Puts People's Emotional Responses to Space On Film

Celebrated for their unique, lively, and intimate take on architecture, in their films Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine break with the traditional representation of architecture, choosing instead to follow people living inside buildings, focusing on them instead of capturing empty structures. In a new video, Louisiana Channel interviews the Italian filmmaker and architect Ila Bêka, in which he discusses the rhythm of everyday life within contemporary architecture projects, and their importance in triggering emotions.

We felt that the movement inside architecture is very important to understand how the architecture works.
– Ila Bêka

Bêka & Lemoine's Entire Filmography Acquired by MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has acquired all 16 films produced by directors Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine. Their films, collectively titled “Living Architectures,” focus on the unseen inhabitants of famous buildings –housekeepers, window washers, concierges and more – fighting the long standing stereotype that architectural criticism is the sole domain of the intellectual elite. The collection, which is less than 10 years old, has remained in the spotlight for its contemporary commentary on architecture.

Architecture Criticism By the People, For the People: The Films of Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine

Selected as one of Metropolis Magazine's Game Changers for 2015, Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine are altering the face of architectural criticism thanks to one simple premise: you don't need to be an expert to have an opinion on the buildings you live with every day. In the following profile, originally published by Metropolis as "Game Changers 2015: Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine," Veronique Vienne uncovers what it takes to instil such a simple idea with both subtle poignancy and razor-sharp wit.

If walls could talk, what stories would they tell, not only about our intimate selves but also about our cultural assumptions, our social interactions, and the values we cherish most? Short of getting the inside story directly from walls, filmmakers Ila Bêka, 45, and Louise Lemoine, 33, strike up conversations with that other silent cast: the people who sweep the rooms, wash the windows, fix the leaks, and change the light bulbs.

“Our goal is to democratize the highbrow language of architectural criticism,” says Bêka, an architect and filmmaker trained in Italy and France. “Free speech on the topic of architecture is not the exclusive property of experts.”

40 Architecture Docs to Watch In 2014

This time last year we published our 30 Architecture Docs to Watch in 2013 featuring a fantastic range of films telling the tales of some of the world's greatest unsung architectural heroes. We now bring you eleven more for 2014, looking past the panoply of stars to bring you more of the best architectural documentaries which will provoke, intrigue and beguile.

Giveaway Winners: Living Architectures Books and Films

Last week, thanks to the courtesy of Beka & Partners, we gave you the chance to win one of the five DVD-Books of the Living Architectures collection.

Giveaway: Win Living Architectures Books and Films

Thanks to the courtesy of our friends from Beka & Partners, we are giving you the chance to win one of the five DVD-Books of the Living Architectures collection.

"Living Architectures” is a series of films that seeks to develop a way of looking at architecture which turns away from the current trend of idealizing the representation of our architectural heritage.

The five DVD-Books are: 'Inside Piano', 'Gehry's Vertigo', 'Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron', 'Koolhaas Houselife' and 'Xmas Meier'. We will have five winners, each of one will receive one randomly. All you have to do to participate is become a registered user (if you’re not one already) and answer the following question in our comments:

"Which architect would you like to see next in the Living Architectures series and why?"

You have until June 24 to submit your answer. Winners will be announced and contacted during the same day.

For more information about the DVD-Books you can check the trailers after the break, or go to www.living-architectures.com for more details. Good luck!