The Architect's Newspaper - News Channel

Getting Greener

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Seattle's eco-district nearing reality.:

With catchphrases like “green,” “eco-friendly,” and “environmentally sustainable” adopted by everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Target, it can be difficult to distinguish significant change from commercial marketing ploys.

Attempting to better integrate the green agenda into local planning, the Bullitt Foundation, a Seattle nonprofit focusing on sustainability, awarded $50,000 last spring to the city’s Capitol Hill Housing Foundation to conduct a feasibility study for a neighborhood “eco-district.”

The foundation hired lo (Continue reading.)

Open> Airport Lounge

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Slade Architecture designs a retro-infused clubhouse for Virgin Atlantic.:

Virgin Atlantic JFK Clubhouse
John F. Kenedy International Airport Terminal 4
New York
Designers: Slade Architecture

Virgin Atlantic is scaling up, moving their JFK Clubhouse to a larger, more convenient location; their previous space was designed by SHoP Ar (Continue reading.)

Review> Weighted With History

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Paul Gunther appraises a new history of K.F. Schinkel's work in Berlin and Potsdam.:

Schinkel in Berlin und Potsdam
Gerrit Engel, with introductory essay by Barry Bergdoll and historic texts by Detlef Jessen-Klingenborg
Schirmer/Mosel Verlag Gmbh (bilingual edition), $68

This chronologica (Continue reading.)

Editorial> MoMA, Develop Don't Destroy

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Julie V. Iovine considers the fate of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien's American Folk Art Museum.:

Every year, The Art Newspaper, the august art tabloid out of the U.K., publishes its data-crunching Exhibition & Museum Attendance Figures for museums around the world. And once again the Museum of Modern Art figured prominently in the top ten of multiple lists, including presenting three of the 20 most popular exhibitions for the year (the design show Talk to Me was in fact number 20) and standing at number three for total art museum attendance.

MoMA has long since proved its might in terms of establishing an agenda for art, and particularly architec (Continue reading.)

Preserve or Prolong?

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Getty launches initiative to conserve modern architecture.:

With the Charles and Ray Eames House taking a cornerstone position, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) launched the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI) in March. The institute is hardly new to architectural preservation, but the GCI’s honed expertise makes them especially qualified to take on the kind of preservation conundrums that plague modern architecture as, for example, the Eameses’ use of untested-by-time mass produced flooring or Corbusier’s use of concrete. For now, the focus is on the inaugural project.

The Eames project came to the atten (Continue reading.)

Walk This Way

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

New City College center to promote engaged urban design.:

To the architect Max Bond, social equity was a core value and so was design integrity. And the new J. Max Bond Center on Design for the Just City, named for the architect who died in 2009, will actively spread the word through collaborative research projects, design advocacy, leadership development, and education programs at its new home within the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York.

Launched on May 1, the Bond Center, said its founding director Toni Griffin, will aim to be “a leader in thinking on how design can become more central to the policies (Continue reading.)

Open> Car Dealership

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Chicago-based Valerio Dewalt Train design a high-tech space to showcase Fisker and McLaren cars.:

Fisker-McLaren Dealership
4190 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA
Tel: 650.815.4477
Architects: Valerio Dewalt Train

California’s high-end car dealerships tend to all look the same. Full of glass, steel, and bravado, they’re more about wealth an (Continue reading.)

Editorial> Getting It Right in the Queen City

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Alan G. Brake praises progressive urbanism in Cincinnati.:

America has a deep-seated anti-urban streak, which happens to dovetail, in the eyes of many, with a mistrust of government at every level. The Republican presidential primary has flared with anti-urban rhetoric, which is particularly shortsighted given the still-weak state of the economy, one in which urban areas are bouncing back faster than their rural and exurban counterparts. That cities are the country’s economic engine seems obvious almost to the point of being self-evident, so why is it still seen as politically advantageous to denigrate urban areas? And why are urbanists so ba (Continue reading.)

Open> Pop-Up Shop

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Snarkitecture creates an undulating boutique showcasing Odin perfumes.:

Odin New York
328 East 11th Street
New York
Tel: 212.475.0666
Designer: Snarkitecture

Temporary architecture often serves as a liberating typology for experimental architecture. Due to its nature as a short-term investment and low financial risk, youn (Continue reading.)

Bike on By

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Planning framework for Bloomingdale Trail wrapping up in Chicago.:

The community planning process to convert the elevated rail line known as the Bloomingdale Trail into a public park and recreational path is underway. The three mile embankment, twice the length of New York’s High Line, will feature five access points from adjacent pocket parks, as well as eight access points from intersecting streets. The trail winds through Chicago’s Logan Square, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, and Bucktown neighborhoods.

During public meetings residents who live near the abandoned line have expressed concerns about privacy and security, while some have o (Continue reading.)

In Detail> Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Weiss/Manfredi's new Visitor Center blends with the landscape using an innovative steel structure.:

Less than four years ago the Washington Avenue parking lot was the most interesting thing happening behind McKim, Mead & White’s magisterial Brooklyn Museum. Replacing a lone turnstile and guard’s hut with a series of glass-wrapped, green-capped pavilions and a plaza, the new Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) Visitor Center by New York–based Weiss/Manfredi is a sight for sore eyes. Nestled within a rich context and history—the nearby Prospect Park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century and the Gardens by his two sons in the (Continue reading.)

Obit> Peter Mackenzie, 1961-2012

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Baker remembers his 30-year relationship with the late architect.:

Architect Peter Mackenzie, a partner in David Baker + Partners died in March while being treated for brain cancer. He specialized in affordable housing and was responsible for much of the work that led to the firm receiving the 2012 Distinguished Practice Award from the AIACC. Firm founder David Baker recalls his 30 year relationship with the architect.

David Baker + Partners is a family operation. Most of us are motivated by the nature of the work. To design housing, espec (Continue reading.)

The Challenge

Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Textile company asks Parsons students to reinvent wallcoverings.:

Fold, fill, or weave were the marching orders given to students at Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments. The students were armed with Xorel, a woven polyethylene fabric from Carnegie Fabrics that has the textured appearance and malleability of fabric but is as tough, stain resistant, and durable as a plastic. The company engaged the students to design soft structures made from the tech fabric for the firm’s booth at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Center. Faculty member and architect Granger Moorhead and his brother, indust (Continue reading.)

Unveiled> UC Riverside Student Recreation Center

Mon, 7 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Cannon Design takes cues from the surrounding landscape for new student center.:

UC Riverside Student Recreation Center Expansion
Architect: Cannon Design
Location: Riverside, California
Completion: May 2014

Located on the north (Continue reading.)