Opening up September 4 at 5pm with a lecture by 2012 Pritzker Prize Winner, architect Wang Shu, the exhibition of projects of Chinese architects focuses on the theoretical research on architecture and design as well as building practice currently found fertile ground in any contemporary China but particularly in the city of Shanghai. Organized by La Triennale of Milan and the Degree Course in Engineering/Architecture from the University of Pavia, yhe center of the debate will be on urban development and architecture thanks to the cultural milieu linked to Tongji University. More information on the exhibition after the break.
R 20th Century is pleased to present AFTER, curated by Kelly Behun and Alex P. White of kelly behun|STUDIO. AFTER, which is on view September 19-October 27, will feature works from kelly behun|STUDIO, one of the most innovative, experimental design studios working today, and R 20th Century, one of the leading galleries for the exhibition of historic and contemporary design.
Designs in the exhibition draw inspiration from methods of sampling, appropriation, and deconstruction and how these ideas relate to postmodern notions of authorship. AFTER acknowledges “reference” in ways that are alternately direct, irreverent, poetic and oblique. More information on the exhibition after the break.
The exhibition is opened from last Wednesday July 25th and will run until August 15th. Curated by Urban Zen & Nomad Two Worlds, ‘Discover Haiti’ features art, accessories, clothing and home furnishings designed and produced in Haiti.
The collection comprises the work of craftsmen in small objects, pictures, and also the projects of refurbishment and reconstruction of buildings destroyed by the last 2010 earthquake.
Anupama Kundoo‘s Wall House, originally built in Auroville, India in 2000, will be partially reconstructed at a 1:1 scale at the Venice Biennale this year for the theme of “Common Ground” by director David Chipperfield. This portion of the exhibition is supported by the University of Queensland, whose students and staff will assist with the construction of the replica alongside Indian craftspeople and Italian builders. The house has been described as a testing ground for spatial and technological innovation. In its debut at the Venice Biennale, it will afford Kundoo the opportunity to further explore these experiments.
Follow us after the break to see the innovations behind this widely acknowledged piece of architecture.
Opening September 12, the Design Exchange in Downtown Toronto will be the site of the newest exhibit titled “Considering the Quake | Seismic Design on the Edge,” curated by Dr. Effie Bouras, postdoctoral fellow and Professor Ghyslaine McClure, P.Eng of the McGill University Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics. The exhibit, which runs through to November 9, will feature recent cutting edge building projects from some of the most innovative architects and engineers, as seen through the lens of earthquake engineering. More information on the exhibition after the break.
In 1953, six years before the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened to the public, two of his structures—a pavilion and model Usonian house—were built on the future site of the museum to house a temporary exhibition displaying the architect’s lifelong work. From July 27, 2012, to February 13, 2013, the Sackler Center for Arts Education at the Guggenheim Museum will present A Long-Awaited Tribute: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian House and Pavilion, an exhibition comprised of selected materials from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, highlighting the first Wright buildings erected in New York City. Text Courtesy of: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF). More information on the exhibition after the break.
This year’s Venice Biennale will kick off on August 29th and run through November 25th and will feature a pavilion from Israel called “Aircraft Carrier”. The collected work confronts the dramatic changes in Israeli architecture since 1973, and the American influences that made them possible. The curators of the exhibit, Erez Ella, Milana Gitzin-Adiram and Dan Handel defined four major architectural phenomena that epitomize these changes: Signals, Emporiums, Allies and Flotillas. The curators invited five leading Israeli and international artists and architectural photographers to reflect on these ideas. Participants include Assaf Evron, Fernando Guerra, Florian Holzherr, Nira Pereg, and Jan Tichy and product designer Tal Erez.
Stop by after the break to see some of the work to be featured as part of “Aircraft Carrier”.
This year’s Venice Biennale will kick off on August 29th and run through November 25th and for the first time, the Institut Ramon Llull will be presenting an exhibition dedicated to Catalan and Balearic architecture entitled “Vogadors”, featuring nine projects from nine different architects that epitomize the contemporary and avant-garde works from the regions. The exhibition is inspired by the Mediterranean Sea, which is the main geographical feature of the regions, and by the words of Jorge Oteiza, “He who forges ahead creating something new does so like an oarsman, moving forward but back-paddling, looking behind him, towards the past, towards what exists, so as to be able to reinvent its underpinnings.”
Follow us after the break to see the projects to be featured at the exhibit.
The National Building Museum in Washington DC just opened a one of a kind exhibit featuring a 12-hole mini-golf course, which will be up until Labor Day, September 3. Designed by leading local architects, landscape architects, and contractors, their creations allow visitors to challenge friends and family to a round of mini-golf with air-conditioned comfort in the museum. Games cost $5 for non-members and $3 for members. For more information on the exhibit, please visit here. More images after the break.
WOHA‘s traveling exhibition, ‘Breathing Architecture’, is on its way to Taichung, Taiwan after a successful run at the acclaimed Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt. Taking place at the Taichung Info-Box July 26-September 23, the exhibition features concepts of open structures which embrace aspects of community and permeability of form in response to climate and nature.
Today marks the opening of world-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava’s unprecedented exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Not only will Calatrava become the first contemporary architect to have a retrospective exhibition at the Hermitage, but this will also be one of his largest and most extensive exhibitions to date. Curated by Cristina Carillo de Albornoz and Ksenia Malich, the exhibition will examine Calatrava’s innovative style through his various artistic realms. From never-before-seen paintings and sculptures to celebrated architectural models and sketches spanning Calatrava’s 30- plus year career, the exhibition will give individuals a unique opportunity to explore the inner workings and creative process of this celebrated artist. More images and information on the event after the break.
At the seventh edition of the International Architecture Festival from June 27-July 1, eme3‘s project brings back the action to the public space. They aim to recover the format of former editions and take back the interventions and organization of activities in different locations of the city center. These locations include some lots and spaces that were abandoned and fell into degradation. Their topic, ‘Bottom Up’, has a participation of around 50 participants coming from 17 countries. More images and architects’ description after the break.
As part of the 5th International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam, Casanova + Hernandez Architecten will be putting on the ‘Can public space be used to regenerate urban life?’ roundtable discussion today, June 26 at 3:00pm.
This roundtable discussion is based on the one-year postgraduate studio entitled “Public Space Acupuncture”, that has been guided at the Berlage Institute by Helena Casanova and by Jesus Hernandez. An accompanying exhibition will open at 7:00 pm, remaining on view until Sunday, August 12. More information on the participants after the break.
From next Friday 22nd will take place the AA Projects Review Exhibition. The place of the event is located in the Architectural Association’s main building at 36 Bedford Square, London WC1B3ES.
Projects Review offers an overview of the AA’s 2011/12 acadamic year. On display are hundreds of drawings, models, installations, phogographs and other materials documenting the diversity and experimental nature of the AA School.
‘At the AA architecture is pursued as a form of cultural knowledge, across year-long design projects and portfolios. We believe that truly great schools don’t just nurture and support architectural talent: they build audiences for experimentation, out of which new architectural ideas, visions and projects emerge. Please join us as part of this audience, which the AA remains committed to promoting at the cutting edge of architectural cuture, practice and learning.’
The access to this Friday event required invitation but will be free the rest of the days until 14th July.
Taking place at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale headquarters from July 16-21, the ‘CRITICAL: Lisbon’ workshop is dedicated to talking, writing, and publishing critically about architecture. Coordinated by Lev Bratishenko, Frederico Duarte and Becky Quintal (included in the Critical Distance program of Lisbon Architecture Triennale), the event is conceived as a speculative editorial project that confronts the notion that architects and the public operate in ideologically disparate universes by focusing on their common desire to improve the city. More information on the workshop after the break.
The school of architecture at IE University and TU Graz is putting on an intensive 8-day studio-based design workshop that will be held in Madrid, from July 6-13. This year’s program, titled “Emptiness: The Potentials of Vacancy”, will deal with the consequences and opportunities that derive from the gross overbuilding of the past decade. After years of construction-fueled euphoria, we are now confronted with the after-effects: a city riddled with empty masses, incomplete plans, and urban spaces hastily conceived and neither fully constructed nor consolidated. The moment is challenging and profoundly liberating; it is a crisis that demands creativity and gives us license to invent. For more information, please visit here.
Taking place June 19th at 7pm at RIBA in London is the Do Architects Help? event which will examine the role that the UK built environment industry plays in overseas development. This London Festival of Architecture discussion, sponsored by Dunbar & Boardman, and put on by Article 25, emphasizes that in a world that is becoming increasingly urban and populous, architects and other built environment professionals are well placed to use their specialist knowledge and skills to influence development policy and help communities better prepare for and recover from disasters. Despite this their expertise is largely lacking for mainstream international development practice. For more information on the event, please visit here.
Richard Meier & Partners recently announced the first retrospective exhibition in Mexico City presented at the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil on display now until August 26. Exhibiting some of the most emblematic works of renowned architect Richard Meier make it possible to view his design philosophy as a whole and in depth. The retrospective includes a selection of models, original sketches, renderings and photographs. Some of the iconic projects exhibited on the show include the Smith House, The Getty Center, The Neugebauer Residence and the Jubilee Church. More information on the exhibition after the break.
