Today more than ever, architects are facing high expectations for the design, function and performance of a project. Careful building design takes the regional influences of climate into account, material origin, perhaps cultural building traditions. These are ways to lower the ecological footprint. But what do architects do to further enhance the building performance? That is an exciting element to explore. Finding out that today digital technologies are implemented in buildings in every region of the world is an interesting fact to discover!
Being in confinement has produced unconventional means of exploring architectural spaces and installations. Instead of putting everything on hold until life goes back to normal, designers and curators found inspiration from practices like performance arts and theatre, breaking down the walls between the subject and viewers but from a distance.
Ashley Bigham and Erik Herrmann of Outpost Office reimagined the theme of "mobility" by creating 1:1 scale drawings on the Ragdale campus using GPS-controlled field marking robots. Their unique urban installation, which addressed modern-day concerns such as public spaces, how we are engaging with them, and physicality, won first place in the 2020 Ragdale Ring competition.
'In Orbit' Installation. Image Courtesy of Studio Tomás Saraceno
Tomás Saraceno takes us around his Berlin studio, in a short segment video, shot during his recent exhibition 'Algo-r(h)i(y)thms' at Esther Schipper gallery. The Argentinian artist’s atelier, “a space for experimentation and testing out intricate ideas”, contains a room dedicated to his recent studies around spiders.
Seoul is considered one of the most densely-populated and over-priced cities in the world, reaching a staggering $ 80,000 per square meter. The extreme conditions of the city have forced local architects to operate, design, and build framing the city's urban issues, traditions, and history. This approach by architects has created the the theoretical basis of “The Condition of Seoul Architecture”, a publication by multidisciplinary practice TCA Think Tank which sees the point of view of 18 innovative South Korean architects. In this interview, Pier Alessio Rizzardi, founder of the practice, interviewed whimsical architect Moon Hoon, explaining his unique take on architecture and how his work has the ability to inspire people into another dimension.
Open call : Busan Architecture & Urban Media Competition
2019 Busan Architecture & Urban Media Competition
1. Theme : Memory & Oblivion (A matter concerning the method of existence) Philip Johnson once said, "Some civilizations are remembered only by their architecture," while Aldo Rossi stated that, "Memory is the consciousness of the city. The city itself is the collective memory of its people, and like memory, it is associated with objects and places. The city is the locus of the collective memory." Such a belief indicates that architecture can be a means of forming the identity of the city itself by creating places and memories for humans. Modern people endure living
Set to screen at the ADFF:NOLA festival, Frank Gehry: Building Justice showcases how Gehry-led student architecture studios developed proposals for more humane prisons.
Thanks to initiatives like the Art for Justice Fund, Open Society Foundations, and a slew of insightful reporting, the American criminal justice system has been under great scrutiny and pressure to reform. Some of these changes have been quite prominent—such as the increasingly-widespread decriminalization of pot and pending major federal legislation—and have faced opposition from the powerful lobbying of the private prison corporations. However, despite the depth and breadth of criminal justice reform, one critically important element has remained mostly overlooked: the design of correctional facilities.
The London Festival of Architecture, the world’s largest annual festival of its kind, took place across the city this June. The month-long festival welcomed thousands of people to explore architecture installations and creations, and take part in the activities and discussions, which included an event put together by SKNYPL.
The theme for the year 2019 was ‘Boundaries’ in all its forms: zones, walls, city limits… And for their first international show, SKNYPL presented “PHOBOS”, a film-installation about Moscow and the fearful impact of having physical and metaphysical boundaries. The studio created a special online version of the film especially for ArchDaily readers.
During Milano Arch Week 2019, we had the chance to speak with one of the most influential Swiss architects, Mario Botta. Defining himself as a stonemason, Botta has been working since the age of 16, realizing a vast number of projects of different typologies — from private homes to museums and churches.
Advances in technology have changed the way people work and move around congested cities. Since free space in these urban areas has become scarce, people have shifted their perspective upwards and are now looking to the sky for new means of mobility, transporting their goods via cargo drones and flying ‘taxis’.
During the World Architecture Festival 2018, which will be held this year again in Amsterdam, we had the chance to sit down with Kim Nielsen, one of the founders of Denmark-based firm 3XN.
https://www.archdaily.com/918437/ad-interviews-kim-nielsen-of-3xnAD Editorial Team
This article was made in partnership with Design Indaba, a website and annual festival that uncovers innovation for good. Click here to learn more about the annual event.
It took a few years and multiple failed career attempts for renowned minimalist designer John Pawson to truly enter the world of architecture. Though he’d cultivated an interest in design from a young age, he’d initially shied away due to his beliefs that he needed to be good at math and that design was an innate skill rather than something that could be taught.
Recorded on August 31st, 2011 at the architect’s New York office
I first met Daniel Libeskind on December 18, 2002, when he presented his vision for the New World Trade Center at the newly restored Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. I see that morning as the birth of starchitecture phenomenon and him as the very first starchitect, as he presented first in front of the mainstream world media and the way he did it, it was clear – here is the winner. Something clicked, and I thought – I must interview this great architect, even though I have never interviewed anyone before. But as soon as he left the stage, the man was mobbed by the press. Dozens of superficial questions flew his way… I looked across the grand atrium and saw the architect’s wife, Nina, standing proudly, but alone. We had a quick chat and set up my very first interview for the following day!
Before social media took over, buildings were published on magazines, edited and refined according to their architects’ preferences. Nowadays, magazines are left on the sidelines for a much more influential platform, one that is not totally controlled by the architects. Digital communication has changed the way people view and interact with architecture, providing architects with new insights on how to design their structures.
PLANE—SITE, a global production agency involved in the world of urban, cultural, and social spaces, have put together a short video that examines the impact of social media on architecture firms. Building Images provides insights from OMA/AMO and UNStudio, two firms with different approaches to social media, who explain how social platforms have helped them see their projects in unprecedented ways.
If you come to think of it, the urban development of the world's largest cities is like playing a game of Tetris; No matter how condensed or crowded, for architects, there is always room for more. However, this act of 'structural stacking' often creates unique architectural compositions.
As a follow-up to his first photo-series, Singaporean photographer and visual artist Kevin Siyuan put together 'Corridors of Diversity', a short montage of communal corridors and HDB (Housing and Development Board) block facades, featuring the dynamic designs and forms of Singapore's densely built environment.
#donotsettle is a project about Architecture and Experience. Watch 100+ more videos related to Architecture on their YouTube Channel, or see what we are up to on Instagram and Facebook.
10 Years in the Making
When Raffles City was completed in the second half of 2017, it undoubtedly marked an important moment for UNStudio. This large-scale project (almost 400 000 sqm) formed the first presence of UNStudio in the ‘Middle Kingdom’. And they entered the large market with a bang. The 2 towers rise to 250 meters in height, gently weave, twist and turn to form a dynamic ensemble while incorporating a large-scale mall at its base. The project is located in Hangzhou, a city about 150 km from China’s financial center Shanghai. While Hangzhou isn’t that well known outside China, the city is one of the most prosperous on the mainland. Nowadays perhaps more famous by being the home of technology juggernaut Alibaba than the more idyllic west lake, Hangzhou is rapidly developing with new areas, districts and financial centers. Raffles City is a key point in one of those new districts. Located along the river, Qianjiang New Area is aiming high. Skyscraper after skyscraper rising out of the ground, the one bolder than the other. But no doubt that UNStudio’s dynamic lines shape the new face of Hangzhou.
When we get wrapped up in everyday life, it can be easy to take the place we live for granted. In the MiniLook Berlin video, Okapi Creative Studio takes a step back to show the beauty of daily life in the city of Berlin via a stop-motion, tilt-shift technique that makes the city appear as if in miniature. The video highlights everyday street scenes and picturesque shots of nature, while some famous buildings make appearances as well.
Chiloé is a five-part video series produced by Glaciar Films and directed by Diego Breit and David Guzmán; it explores the architectural identity of the southern island off of Chile. Architects, carpenters, artisans, and inhabitants present the constructive history of the island and explore how it is faced with the imminent changes of modern production and practices.
Glaciar Films has made three of the five episodes available to ArchDaily readers. In these clips, explore the island's architecture along with interviews with principal architects of the region: Jonah Retamal, Edward Rojas, and Macarena Almonacid.