Arch Daily |
- Schwerin State Museum · Gallery of Old & Contemporary Masters / Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten · Reiner Becker Architekten BDA
- Setia City Convention Centre 2 / Archicentre
- Monument Park / McBride Charles Ryan
- Ora Hostel / Sea Architecture
- Svalbard "Doomsday" Seed Vault Floods After Record Winter Temperatures
- Tomorrowland Tailors / Amezcua
- Barcelona's Meteorology Center by Álvaro Siza, Through the Lens of Fernando Guerra
- Town Entrance in Chatenay Malabry / Ateliers 2/3/4/
- 17 Projects Win 2017 RIBA East Awards
- Renacer de Chamanga Community House / Actuemos Ecuador
- The Breakneck Evolution of Chinese Metro Systems
- De Halve Maen Apartment Building / Mecanoo
- How Developers Turned Graffiti Into a Trojan Horse For Gentrification
- Center for Jewish Life at Drexel University / Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects
- The Spaceship Has Landed: Apple’s New Campus Opens
- See Barcelona Through an Architect's Eyes
- Gardens Beyond the Clouds / ARKPABI | Giorgio Palu’ e Michele Bianchi Architetti
- Kazuyo Sejima's Sumida Hokusai Museum in Tokyo Photographed by Laurian Ghinitoiu
| Posted: 19 May 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Rainer Gollmer Fotografie
 © Rainer Gollmer Fotografie Complex The new building complements the existing museum structure of 1882 within the heart of the castle complex in Schwerin, nominated on the German Tentative List as a World Heritage Site. Distinct geometry and modest simplification are both central to the design. On the one hand, the new construction is positioned boldly within the existing context, while at the same time offering an abstract version of the original and redirecting the effect of the new whole. The new building contains 800sqm exhibition space, distributed over two very different floors.  © Rainer Gollmer Fotografie A new walkway offers the primary connection to the Old Gallery. Furthermore, the new building includes its own separate entrance from the courtyard and, with services such as toilets, storage and ancillary rooms, it could also be run entirely separately.  © Rainer Gollmer Fotografie Art While the Old Gallery puts an emphasis on the works of the old masters, the new building's exhibition space serves to display contemporary art and temporary exhibitions. A collection of Günther Uecker's work, unique in northern Germany, has been assembled in the Schwerin State Museum. An Uecker exhibiton was custom-designed for the New Gallery and has commanded the entire upper floor since the inauguration. A collection of new media is presented on the lower floor. Various interactive installations and media art projects of current and topical interest are grouped around a large work by Jörg Herold.  Section Exterior design The new building shell is based on a very simple but pertinent design concept. Full height glass panels alternate with solid concrete panels along all four sides of the building. The glass covers all necessary access, as well as the new walkway on the upper floor, and offers views across to the original museum, the sumptuous castle and also to the lake. The mullioned windows are flush to the external concrete and may be shaded as required via internal blinds located in the ceiling. The walkway, with its fully glazed sides, offers maximum visibility of the neighbouring theatre building.  © Rainer Gollmer Fotografie Concrete technology Uniformly closed cavity walls of in-situ concrete span the space between the full height glass surfaces. Seamless, cast in three stages and over 9m in height, they reflect the colour scheme of the old building,with its yellow-hued and red surfaces of varying grain. These colour aspects have been highlighted and transferred to the exposed concrete of the new building by means of red and yellow additives. After striking, the lower section of concrete has been polished by hand by approximately 5mm. The section above has been bush-hammered. It is these processing methods which bring the aggregate to the facade surface and ensure the new building's final appearance in keeping with the old existing structure.  © Rainer Gollmer Fotografie This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Setia City Convention Centre 2 / Archicentre Posted: 19 May 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © H. Lin Ho
 © H. Lin Ho From the architect. This project is strategically located in the commercial hub of Setia City. It is the second phase to the highly successful first convention centre that was constructed some 5 years ago.  © H. Lin Ho The site is located fronting the central park to facilitate open air events in the park. A grand staircase links the new building directly unto the central park plaza and waterscapes. Ample car parking is provided for all around the new complex. A covered pedestrian link way ties this building up to all the other buildings in Setia City  © H. Lin Ho SCCC2 as it is known comprises 5,700 square meters of column free exhibition space divisible into 2 separate large halls. The 73m X 78m X 9m high grand hall can seat 5000 pax banquets. The hall is proportioned for maximum flexibility.  © H. Lin Ho Metamorphosis This new project will take Setia City into the next phase of transformation. The city which first started in 2009 is set for growth with many new buildings coming on stream in the next 5 years.  © H. Lin Ho The design concept for this large complex was based upon the scaled patterns and colour of a large caterpillar – basic green, yellow, white and black. Caterpillars are the first stage in the transformational life of a butterfly. It undergoes a process of metamorphosis after which a beautiful butterfly emerges. This concept was interpreted into the finishing of the entire wall and roof of the structure and carried into the interior design of the spaces too.  Ground Floor Plan This was a fast track project that took only 9 months to complete at a cost of RM38m. It hosted its first event in November 2016.  © H. Lin Ho A large verandah way makes up the entry foyer, lobbies and pre-function halls from which all visitors get dropped-off and enter. From there they can gain access into the grand hall. Loading and storage spaces are all located to the rear of the complex.  © H. Lin Ho The halls and pre function are aptly served by catering kitchen, pantries and food and beverage kiosks in the foyer area. The grand hall has two service lanes running on its sides, functioning as service lanes and storage area and forms the vital service spine of the complex. In addition there is room for outdoor events and marquees for weddings or garden parties.  Roof Plan The building is basically a series of reinforced concrete boxes slotted into a large structural steel hangar. The steel structure was prefabricated and features bolt and nut joints. The roof system is a double skin roof with rockwool and sisalation which not only serves as heat and sound insulation but also assists in achieving the construction period. Laying the Zincalume Sanko Speed Deck as bottom liner at the start allows works on ground to progress concurrently.  © H. Lin Ho Roof and wall cladding were in four colors: Sulphur Yellow, Veridian, Off White and, Cape Charcoal Black to simulate the organic patterns of a caterpillar onto a simple box by creating a recognisable geometry, paying attention particularly on the three dimensional effect. The resulting effect is an animated illusion to what would otherwise have been a lacklustre shed - demonstrating that modest budgets can produce exceptional results with a little creativity … and colour choices are usually free.  © H. Lin Ho This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Monument Park / McBride Charles Ryan Posted: 19 May 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Timothy Lee
 © Timothy Lee From the architect. In mid-2012 MCR and MAB started working toward the realization of `Monument Park' – a space between New Quay Promenade and `The Quays' apartments to address the negative perceptions of the Docklands area. The ambition was to readdress retail, to provide shelter, to engage all ages, be playful, provide somewhere to sit and be `Art'. The artist Callum Morton's submission was chosen and the collaboration was further enhanced by the inclusion of the landscape Architect Occulus. The rest of the description of the project is best served by quoting Callum's `opening' speech.  © Timothy Lee ` ….about this place we have made here? First of all it is important to say that this is not a park with sculptures in it which some might be tempted to say, rather it's one work that is a public park, a type of garden, a place to congregate, to sit, to shelter and play in. These forms that rise out of the ground and the plants that emerge through it, are underneath one plane that has been laid across the whole site. And this ground plane is in the end the true subject and unifying element…….'  Sculpture plan Indeed from the beginning the idea was to create an artificial topography that would rise and fall across the site, and that this changing topography would create opportunities to open up new worlds, above, between, below and through the ground.  © Callum Morton The Docklands plan is inextricably linked to the great grid of Melbourne. Together, MCR and Occulus explored the idea of using the original Hoddle Grid and its subdivisions as the pattern for the terrain, referred to as the 'concrete rug' that was laid across the site. The team began to explore the public sculptures around the city and used some of these monuments as hidden forms, as objects from the archive, which when placed under the rug would contribute to a new topography.  © Timothy Lee  Section / Elevation These monuments were 3D scanned to produce 3D computer models which were then placed strategically under the rug. Once fixed, holes were broken into surface of the rug to create internal 3D gridded surfaces. At other points the ground plane of the rug is opened up where parts of the landscape are eating its way through the decaying surface.  © Timothy Lee  Plans 'So there you have it. Some founding fathers, a guy throwing a hammer and an abstract sculpture by a father – Burke and Wills, Matthew Flinders, Adam Lindsay Gordon, Pathfinder, Captain Cook, the Marquis of Linlithgow and Vault – are all covered and rising up from underneath the concrete and look a bit like funny ghosts or Dementors from Harry Potter.'  © Timothy Lee This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 19 May 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Adison Ruangsiridecha
.jpg?1494986216 "© Adison Ruangsiridecha") © Adison Ruangsiridecha From the architect. Ora Hostel is the newest hostel, for warm welcome the Backpacker guests to visit Bangkok, Thailand. It's located at BTS Saphan Khwai Station near Jatujak Market.  © Adison Ruangsiridecha The Conceptual of this project is Modern Loft style, for responding the character of the building like a man who can discovery the world. .jpg?1494986240 "© Adison Ruangsiridecha") © Adison Ruangsiridecha It was started to design in 2015 by SEA ARCHITECT CO., LTD. come to renovate from the ex-shop house to be the hostel. This unit is 4 m. Width by 12 m. in 6 stories. The greeting façade from wood can attract the guest who look from BTS Saphan Khwai station easy to find this place. Moreover, the Interior of this hostel are design by mix use of materials such as wood, concrete and steel for created space like a various characters of guest to be one family.  Section This small building hostel can reserved the maximum guests around 38 persons, reserved with all facilities. The security and safety are first concerned for guests. The function of first floor is lobby and cafeteria, Kitchen and public area for guests. .jpg?1494986229 "© Adison Ruangsiridecha") © Adison Ruangsiridecha  Floor Plans  © Adison Ruangsiridecha The Mezzanine floor is relaxation area, the guest can play the game, watching TV, reading a book and etc. The second floor to fourth floor is dormitory and private room for guest can take a rest with all facilities reserved and toilets in every floors. The roof top is created for reserved breakfast and dining time, Guest can see the Bangkok's view from this area.  © Adison Ruangsiridecha This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Svalbard "Doomsday" Seed Vault Floods After Record Winter Temperatures Posted: 19 May 2017 11:40 AM PDT  © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Svalbard_seed_vault_IMG_8751.JPG'>Wikimedia user Bjoertvedt</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> Earlier this year, the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard was flooded after record high temperatures over the winter caused some of the permafrost surrounding the vault to melt, reports The Guardian. The building's entrance tunnel was flooded and then froze to create conditions "like a glacier" for those trying to enter. Fortunately, the vault itself was not breached, meaning no harm came to the building's precious contents. However, the incident has raised questions about whether the building will be able to fulfill its purpose in the long term. The vault was opened in 2008 as part of a worldwide initiative to preserve global biodiversity—in particular, to preserve the seeds of important food crops worldwide to serve as a backup in case of any disaster which might wipe out existing crops. While many countries maintain their own seed vaults, the Svalbard vault was intended as a failsafe, in a place that is rarely affected by world events. The importance of this logic was demonstrated in 2015, when Syria made the first ever withdrawal from the bank to replace parts of their own archive which were lost as a result of the Syrian civil war. However, this year the security of Svalbard as a location for the doomsday vault has been called into question. The vault is buried into a hillside on Spitsbergen Island, as the permafrost in the ground at this location helps to reduce the mechanical cooling needed to keep the seeds at a safe -18 degrees celsius. But as the world experiences increasingly extreme temperature changes—with areas near the poles more dramatically affected—that permafrost is no longer as reliable as it was just 10 years ago. "It was supposed to [operate] without the help of humans, but now we are watching the seed vault 24 hours a day," Hege Njaa Aschim, a member of the Norwegian Government, told The Guardian. Managers of the vault are now taking precautions to waterproof the entrance tunnel and create better drainage around the entrance. In addition, they have installed pumps inside the vault itself, which would protect the seeds in the event of a more severe flood. But with climate change seemingly only accelerating, it isn't yet known whether more might need to be done. "The question is whether this is just happening now, or will it escalate?" asked Aschim. "We have to find solutions. It is a big responsibility and we take it very seriously. We are doing this for the world." Added Åsmund Asdal at the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre, which runs the vault: "This is supposed to last for eternity." Story via The Guardian. 6 Structures Designed to Save Humanity From Itself This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tomorrowland Tailors / Amezcua Posted: 19 May 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Paul Rivera
 © Paul Rivera "Super Servicio Lomas" located on Pedregal # 24, one block from two of the most important thoroughfares of Mexico City, Periferico and Av. Paseo de la Reforma, was one of the first multifunctional buildings that were built in the city. The project, designed by architect Vladimir Kaspé, opened in November 1948, with the intention to integrate a car dealership, gas station and retail spaces into a single building.  © Paul Rivera The neighborhood, originally intended for commercial use, soon became an office area, displacing the residential sector. The building closed its doors in 2007, leading to an almost complete demolition in 2010, to later develop "Torre Virreyes", a 25 level construction by architect Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon. This new building has an auditorium, multipurpose room, restaurants, museum, underground parking and a small shop of 100 m2 on the ground floor: Tomorrowland Tailors, a firm born in 2011 as a small tailor shop, that shortly after became one of the most exclusive in the country.
This shop creates custom suits of the highest quality, with hand woven fabrics of worldwide-recognized textile houses; it has a front of 9 m of clear glass, which functions as a window display. Its horizontal planes - both floor and ceiling - are reflective and highlight the centerpiece of the project, which is built with 2,050 wooden bricks; a niche that embraces whoever occupies it, a space for a unique luxury experience, where the finest styles of recent decades are retrieved, projecting a future in which tradition and innovation work together, symbolizing the ideology of modern man.  © Paul Rivera  © Paul Rivera This same ideology rules the project, which focuses on a mix between digital technology and mexican labor; the hardest carpentry work is not only in laying the bricks properly, if not in the difficult task of getting the amount of tzalam wood needed to produce 2,050 solid pieces and assemble them in the course of 6 weeks.  Plan At the request of the clients - a group of experts in fashion and textiles – Amezcua projected a space that reflects the manufacturing process of the suits, a handmade process that allows customizing of every detail, favoring innovation and cutting edge designs.  © Paul Rivera This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Barcelona's Meteorology Center by Álvaro Siza, Through the Lens of Fernando Guerra Posted: 19 May 2017 08:58 AM PDT
In this photoset by Fernando Guerra, the photographer turns his lenses to a little-known project by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, Meteorology Center in Barcelona.  © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG  © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Located on the Paseo Maritimo in Barcelona the center was built for the 1992 Olympic Games. It served as the headquarters for the meteorologists who forecast the weather during the outdoor Olympic events, such as the races. The center also housed the press group during the Olympics. Currently, the upper floors of the building are the headquarters for the Department of Meteorology, while the lower levels are used by the Port Authority, both with independent access.  © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG  © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Build from concrete and bricks, the building recedes a little from the ocean on the coastal boardwalk. Its cylindrical shape stands out in the surroundings, showing eight deep radial openings that accommodate terraces and small courtyards. Although it appears to be a closed volume, an open central patio nine feet in diameter, provide the illumination for the interior spaces. Marking the entrances, the architect made two straight subtractions in the pure volume parallel to the ocean, creating small swings and covered spaces.  © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG See the full photoset below: This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Town Entrance in Chatenay Malabry / Ateliers 2/3/4/ Posted: 19 May 2017 08:00 AM PDT .jpg?1493774537 "© Clément Guillaume") © Clément Guillaume
.jpg?1493774600 "© Clément Guillaume") © Clément Guillaume From the architect. Strategically located at the entrance of a new neighbourhood, the square provides a clear view of the crossroads whilst announcing the future development of the Faculty of Pharmacy. .jpg?1493774488 "© Clément Guillaume") © Clément Guillaume The geo-topographical characteristics of the site, a 5-metre change in level together with its location at the intersection of dense traffic roads, determined the landscape plan. Three horizontal terraces are formed as plateaux ranging from very mineral to extensively planted, with fountains and plenty of seating. They give access to the different building entrances. .jpg?1493774556 "© Clément Guillaume") © Clément Guillaume  Plan .jpg?1493774498 "© Clément Guillaume") © Clément Guillaume Located below the rue J.B. Clement gives them protection from nuisances related to the intensity of traffic whilst allowing visual continuity to both sides of the road. The series of steps, tiers, ramps and terraces is treated in natural stone with abondant planting. This new mineral topography integrates all pedestrian movement and access constraints whilst allowing for different uses. .jpg?1493774522 "© Clément Guillaume") © Clément Guillaume This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 17 Projects Win 2017 RIBA East Awards Posted: 19 May 2017 06:15 AM PDT  © Will Scott The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced 17 winning projects in the 2017 RIBA East Awards. Topped by Walters & Cohen Architects' Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre in Suffolk which won the RIBA East Building of the Year Award, these 17 regional winners will go on to compete in RIBA's national awards, with the best in the national awards ultimately going forward to compete for the Stirling Prize. "It was just fabulous to see the diversity and exceptional quality of buildings around the region," said RIBA East Regional Director Louise Todd. "The jury had a really difficult task in selecting the winners, which says a lot for the strength of the shortlist and the creativity of the architects involved." The 17 Awards represent the largest number of projects ever awarded in a single year by RIBA East. The winners were presented with their awards at a ceremony at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, yesterday evening. Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre / Walters & Cohen Architects  © Will Scott The Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia / Architype  © Dennis Gilbert St Albans Abbey / Richard Griffiths Architects  © Richard Griffiths Holkham Hall Stables and Pottery Building / Hopkins Architects  © Martine Hamilton Knight Redshank / Lisa Shell Architects Ltd + Marcus Taylor  © Hélène Binet University of Cambridge Primary School / Marks Barfield Architects  © Morley von Sternberg Lode House / Henry Goss Architects  © Henry Goss Combined Colleges Boathouse / R H Partnership Architects (RHP)  © Andrew Hatfield Heong Gallery, Downing College / Caruso St John Architects  © Ioana Marinescu Cowan Court, Churchill College / 6a architects  © Johan Dehlin The Welding Institute / Eric Parry Architects  © Dirk Lindner The Echoes / Bell Phillips Architects  © Kilian O'Sullivan Modern Detached / Coffey Architects  © Timothy Soar Backwater / Platform 5 Architects  © Alan Williams Carrowbreck Meadow / Hamson Barron Smith  © Jefferson Smith Marsh Hill / Mole Architects  © David Butler Peacock House / BHSF Architekten + Studio-P  © Benedikt Redmann
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| Renacer de Chamanga Community House / Actuemos Ecuador Posted: 19 May 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Kliwadenkonovas
 © RAMA ESTUDIO From the architect. The project was developed in the unofficial New Jerusalem shelter which is in San José de Chamanga - Esmeraldas, and it is one of the affected areas by the earthquake. The area where the project is settled corresponds to a community land that was previously donated to the neighborhood. The space was used to house 30 families with a total of 170 people. This shelter was well organized, but its only need was to have a communal space that hosts several collective activities. The Process The Process The project consists of developing a community center for Chamanga through design and construction participatory processes. Community workshops were developed in order to understand and prioritize people's needs; these activities served as a base for the design. The workshops also allowed us to understand about the local resources and the workforce existing in the shelter. In other words, this first stage was vital for the community to practice everything they learned and to complete their communal space in later stages.  © RAMA ESTUDIO From the beginning, the idea was to support the community organization processes in activities such as reconstruction, mingas (community work), and workshops. These activities, well implemented, can boost the internal economy of the population because they will take better advantage of the government and private aids that they would receive as affected by the earthquake.  Frontal Facade  Rear Facade From the workshops, the complete design of a community center was proposed with an approximate area of 180 m2. Cane and wood were mainly used, and the same area will be used for community development.  Model Idea The project was considered as a wide roof that allows to develop all the activities planned by the community. The basic intentions were to revalue the local materials and the safe construction systems, also to empower people through collective work during the building trade.  © Kliwadenkonovas For this, guadua cane structure was proposed which was assembled by simple joints and joints with nuts and threaded bars. All of these allowed that no specialized workforce was needed in cuts, nor complex unions of the cane. The structural configuration was given by two planes of crossed canes that are structured to support the roof. The foreground corresponds to the front facade with 4.80m (height) by 20m (length) and the background corresponds to the rear facade with 3.20m (height) by 18m (length).  Top View A large percentage of the cane was donated by near farms, and the process of harvesting and treating the cane was done by the community. This stage was one of the longest and most complex because cane forests are difficult to access; besides that, the harvest can become dangerous if people do not have a clear guide for cutting. For the foundation, a system previously used by Actuemos Ecuador team, which is based on recycled tires and concrete, was used. This system was easy to implement, and it also lowered costs and gave a new use to the tires; moreover, the system was verified by volunteer engineers who collaborate us in different projects.  © Kliwadenkonovas Teak logs were used in the floor structure. This material is easy to find in the area, and it was donated by the community. The dimensions of the floor are 15m (long) by 7m (wide). For the floor, chopped cane was used and tied to the secondary cane beams which are settled over the main teak beams. In the roof, cane was used in main beams where a layer of chopped cane was settled over there and was used as a thermal mattress. Finally, some zinc sheets were placed over the ceiling finishing the roof.  Side Facade  Side Facade Hardwood panels and recycled furniture from other constructions were used to make the kitchen furniture, warehouses and storage. The children's play area started from the drawings and workshops with the children of the community. As a result of these, an interlocking structure of cane and pilings created an element that allows children to climb, hang, or slip.  © Kliwadenkonovas This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Breakneck Evolution of Chinese Metro Systems Posted: 19 May 2017 05:00 AM PDT
In 1990, China, then a country with a population of just over 1.1 billion inhabitants, had only three metro systems—located in Beijing, Hong Kong and Tianjin. Fast forward a mere 27 years later and the number of urban transit systems has grown more than ten-fold. As Peter Dovak, creator of "The Evolution of China's Metro Systems" graphic explains,
Dovak has also created graphics that show the evolution of Beijing and Shanghai's systems, now the world's two largest in both length and annual ridership. [2]
Earlier this month we pulished Peter Dovak's illustrations series of "Mini Metros." The graphic of Chinese metro systems is a continuation of that project. Visit Dovak's site to see more.
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| De Halve Maen Apartment Building / Mecanoo Posted: 19 May 2017 04:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Mecanoo
 Courtesy of Mecanoo Overhoeks  Sketch Challenge and inspiration  Courtesy of Mecanoo Idiosyncratic upper world  Courtesy of Mecanoo Diversity  Courtesy of Mecanoo  Sketch  Courtesy of Mecanoo This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How Developers Turned Graffiti Into a Trojan Horse For Gentrification Posted: 19 May 2017 02:30 AM PDT  5 Pointz. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/34639903@N03/3423491692'>Flickr user iamNigelMorris</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> It happened in the middle of the night: the stealth whitewashing of 5Pointz, Long Island City's unofficial graffiti museum. In 2013 owner Jerry Wolkoff, of G&M Realty, wanted the building razed in order to erect new luxury condominiums, and the artists sued to preserve their work. A judge denied the artists' request and Wolkoff had the murals destroyed under cover of darkness, ostensibly to prevent them from attaining landmark status. Though graffiti was born as a subversive act, these artists had painted with Wolkoff's permission since 1993 and had turned the warehouse into "the world's premiere graffiti mecca" and the largest legal aerosol art space in the United States. This was a serious betrayal. Recently, the artists refiled the suit and the developers requested to have the case dismissed, but on March 31st, three and a half years after the initial filing, a Brooklyn judge ruled against the builders, saying the case could proceed to trial. It's a bittersweet victory; the colorful public monument to aerosol art can never be replaced. In its place is a construction site where two bland apartment towers rise, adjacent to the No. 7 train lines, 400 million dollar's worth of soulless steel. Ironically, the new HTO Architect-designed towers might also be called 5Pointz, a name that symbolizes the five boroughs of NYC and was immortalized by the graffiti artists.  5 Pointz, the day after it was whitewashed under cover of night by the building's owners. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/timothykrause/10952614826'>Flickr user timothykrause</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> With the case now proceeding to court, the jurors will decide whether the destroyed artworks qualify as pieces of "recognized stature," which are protected by the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA), a 1990 copyright law amendment created to comply with the rules set forth in the Berne Convention, the international standard on copyright. VARA protects the moral rights in an artist's work, the idea that art should not be wantonly altered or destroyed. That gives artists certain rights over work they created, but do not own. The key words are "recognized stature": it's up to the subjective discernment of others to decide if Wolkoff will be forced to shell out reparations. There is precedent that suggests they could win: Muralist Kent Twitchell won a $1.1 million settlement thanks to VARA when his iconic, six-story-tall Ed Ruscha monument in Los Angeles was accidentally painted over in 2006.  Graffiti in Wynwood, Miami. Image© <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/southbeachcars/9967465896'>Flickr user southbeachcars</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Aerosol art, graffiti, street art, urban art, defacement of property, call it what you will. It oozes social consciousness and protests injustice. It embodies the empowerment of society's marginalized voices. There's no denying its impact, especially its transformative power. Once upon a time, Miami's Wynwood Art District was a blighted neighborhood with one of the nation's highest crime rates. A few dozen murals later and the area has metamorphosed into the hippest hood imaginable, boasting the trendiest galleries, restaurants, and bars. Anchoring the artistic gravitas of the area are the famed "Wynwood Walls," a privately sanctioned free outdoor street art "museum" founded in 2009. The walls feature the original work of over 50 famed street artists from 16 countries—all exclusively invited to decorate over 80,000 square feet (7,400 square meters) of concrete canvas.  Venice Beach Art Walls. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/4x4jeepchick/331475998'>Flickr user 4x4jeepchick</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Lately, graffiti has increasingly become government sanctioned. Protected public art initiatives such as Open Walls Baltimore and the Venice (Beach) Public Art Walls are pilgrimage-worthy landmarks. Originally intended to discourage the defacement of private property, these street art hubs are the new Trojan Horses of revitalization. Los Angeles, always at the vanguard of everything, passed a citywide mural beautification ordinance in 2013. A new work requires a $60 fee and a meeting with community representatives to vet the proposed artwork. The mandatory community meetings spark a discussion about public art that makes everyone feel included. In Buenos Aires there is an area called Zona Del Graffiti where aerosol artists don't have to practice their craft cloaked in darkness: if they have the building owner's permission, they can spray away as they please. Sometimes, they're even subsidized by local government. Such was the case of Argentinian artists Franco Fasoli (Jaz) and Nicolas Escalada (Ever) and Canadian Derek Mehaffey (Other), who in 2014 sued Monty Python creator Terry Gilliam's production company Voltage Pictures and distributor Amplify Releasing for allegedly featuring a large mural of theirs in certain scenes of the film The Zero Theorem without their permission. In 2014, Aholsniffsglue, a Miami artist whose real name is David Anasagasti and whose graffiti is featured in Wynwood, filed suit against American Eagles Outfitters for copyright infringement when the retail giant used his signature sleepy-eyeball motif in a marketing campaign without paying him a dime. In the end, the mega corporation buckled and settled out of court. What grants street artists Copyright protection? In the United States copyright protection is available for all "original works of authorship, fixed in a tangible medium that has a minimal degree of creativity." A work of art that does not meet all three criteria is not copyrightable. However, courts have traditionally deemed that illegal work is not subject to copyright protection—the reasoning being that no one should profit from his or her misdeeds. Was there trespassing or vandalism involved? If so, you're screwed. But not all animals are created equal. Banksy, for instance, thrives because of (not in spite of) the illegality of his work. His guerrilla tags give him a roguish élan that makes his work valuable to art collectors (and often loathed by fellow graffiti artists). A new Banksy whips the public into frenzy. As fans rush to catch a glimpse of his politically charged stencils, fellow street artists scramble to deface what they see as the privileged, derivative, highly overrated signature of a sell-out.  Banksy's "This site contains blocked messages," an artwork completed during his much-publicized stay in New York. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottlynchnyc/10526310184/'>Flickr user scottlynchnyc</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> The excellent 2014 documentary Banksy Does New York catalogs the famous 2013 NYC residency of the mysterious aerosol provocateur. We might not know who he is, but Banksy murals, in contrast with the work of most graffiti artists, have fetched millions at auction. And nothing, not the illegal reproduction of his work, nor the removal of a wall adorned with his figures, nor the constant condemnation from other graffiti artists lures him out of hiding. His anonymity equals no fear of copyright infringement. The fact is, not many copyright infringement cases make it to court, and those that do usually end in a settlement. What was once known as "the biggest countercultural movement since punk" has matured, and unfortunately lost some of its anarchic charm in the process. Banksy's shtick remains interesting because the spontaneity of the field has grown scarce. It's painful to concede, but street art has started to be associated with gentrification. The Tragedy of 5Pointz proves this: as justice for the artists remains to be seen, the developers announced the inclusion of a sanitized "40 by 80-foot edifice" and "designated mural walls" in the new complex. They just don't get it.  5 Pointz. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/55229469@N07/10675842463'>Flickr user Forsaken Fotos</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> The moral of the demolition of 5Pointz is about authenticity. "It was about artists coming in and telling a story" laments former 5Pointz Curator Marie Cecile Flageul. "This is the difference between public art and Times Square." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Center for Jewish Life at Drexel University / Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Posted: 19 May 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz
 © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz From the architect. Drexel University's Hillel House is sheathed in local red brick as textured fabric draped in an abstract menorah that terraces down to the street. Arranged on four interconnected levels, the square building has thickened side walls which contain services, and four central columns which structure the middle, front and rear.  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz The building is organized on four interconnected levels. Support (services)  Concept diagram Action (community)  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz At the center, and connecting the second floor, is a stair, amphitheater, auditorium, with a balcony overlooking it from above. This multilevel courtyard is a multipurpose space at the heart of the building, the pivot of everything.  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz Formation (learning)  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz  Section  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz Worship (divinity)  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz By day, light reflects on the woven brick notches, by night light shines from within. This is a space to create a continuing community of traditional values through meeting, learning, and ceremony. This is a place to gather and emanate light.  © Richard Barnes and Stanley Saitowitz This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Spaceship Has Landed: Apple’s New Campus Opens Posted: 19 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT  © Apple via screenshot from video "It's a pretty amazing building. It's a little like a spaceship landed" - Steve Jobs WIRED has published an in-depth article exclusively detailing Apple's new headquarters that has now opened in Cupertino, California. Coined as the "One Last Thing" Steve Jobs had envisioned prior to his death in 2011, journalist Steven Levy takes the reader through a step-by-step tour of the new Apple Park campus guided by design spearhead Jonathan Ive and head of facilities Dan Whisenunt. Designed in collaboration with Foster + Partners, the sprawling 75 acres hosts facilities ranging from a 100,000 square foot Wellness Center, a hilltop theater, a 755-foot entrance tunnel (tiled Apple white of course) and immense 4-storey glass doors that open up the Ring's equally giant café to the elements.  © Apple via screenshot from video The meticulous journey towards designing the campus is a testament to Jobs' legacy of creating products that streamline everyday chaos into a thoughtful design. Said Jobs to the Cupertino City Council in 2011: "I think we have a shot at building the best office building in the world." Located less than a mile from Apple's original Infinite Loop headquarters, that building is now a reality. Eight years in the making and the Apple spaceship has landed.
 © Apple via screenshot from video  © Apple via screenshot from video Glass is a unique and prominent feature of the 2.8 million square foot Ring structure, which holds 12,000 employees and features the largest curved glass panels in the world. Working with Seele Group for façade construction, Ive and Foster + Partners worked to create and manufacture the 45-foot tall panels of curved safety glass and finlike canopies that envelop the building.  © Apple  © Apple via screenshot from video The doors of the café The Ring is designed to run entirely on sustainable energy sources, from 805,000 square feet of solar arrays to shunning air conditioning in favor of funneling cool and warm air through its offices, becoming a "breathing building." Additionally, shock absorbers in the building's structure ensure that it can move 4.5 feet in any direction during an earthquake.  © Apple via screenshot from video Apple is planting 9,000 drought resistant trees throughout the campus, creating an experience Jobs sought to bring from his long walks in the California countryside. The resulting workplace is expected to nurture the future of Apple by benefitting its workers in every way it can through its architecture. "This was a hundred-year decision," says Apple CEO Tim Cook. Employees are moving in, now it is up to time to tell what future innovation Job's final project will raise from its glass walls.
Read the full article from WIRED here.
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| See Barcelona Through an Architect's Eyes Posted: 18 May 2017 11:00 PM PDT Barcelona is an amazing city. With its vast amount of cultural offerings, the number of places to visit is almost infinite. If there is one thing that really sets Barcelona apart from other big cities is its architecture. Like in so many other cities, the best way to intimately get know a new place is to simply take a walk through its streets. This is what Barcelona Architecture Walks is all about, a specialized route hitting all the architectural must-see spots of Barcelona. This is a series of urban walking tours organized by architects which allow you to discover the city through the buildings and lessons of their great masters. They are a must for every tourist who wants to do something different in Barcelona, while still getting the real Barcelona experience. Of course, if you're an architect, you have no excuse. Through six differently themed walks, you can experience firsthand these examples of architecture that often get lost in the tangle of tourists taking selfies.  Cortesía de Barcelona Architecture Walks Inspired by Eoghan Lewis and his Sydney Architecture Walks, in October 2010 MIEL Arquitectos created the first Barcelona Architecture Walk. Three years later, the office obtained a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, recognizing the quality of the tours and proving that his idea still had a lot of ground left to cover. "At first, we tried to do it around the work by the architect that we liked best: Enric Miralles and his conversion of the Santa Caterina Market Hall," Miguel Ángel Borras explained in a recent interview. "Six months later, without having booked a single reservation, we decided it was time to offer a tour related to Gaudí. But not with the same old approach, but we wanted to give a deeper and understandable vision of who he was. It was honestly an excuse to share the history, culture, politics of Barcelona, " he added.  Arquitectos y guías de Barcelona Architecture Walks: Amilcar, Jordi, Joan, Martina, Ricard y Miguel Ángel. Image Cortesía de Barcelona Architecture Walks They currently offer the following weekly options, in addition to personalized private tours:
To celebrate their 6th anniversary, they have shared this short video with us. If you’re in Barcelona and want to do something different, meet people, and enjoy the architecture of the city, Barcelona Architecture Walk is what you are looking for.  Cortesía de Barcelona Architecture Walks This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Gardens Beyond the Clouds / ARKPABI | Giorgio Palu’ e Michele Bianchi Architetti Posted: 18 May 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Roland Halbe
 © Roland Halbe From the architect. The architect has a difficult task in creating new projects he often has to interfere with unique natural locations, each exuding its own individual atmosphere; he must therefore deeply examine each location, so that the project may be incorporated appropriately into the space that will contain it. In this project we have tried to rebalance both the relationship between human being and constructed space,and the relationship between architecture and open space, by creating many green spaces: roof terraces and gardens, accessible from luminous glass rooms,which encourage an osmotic reaction between internal and external, and between green space and mineral construction; light floods the space, shaping it, giving it structure and life; light becomes the generator of space.  © Roland Halbe Our desire to maximise the viewsfrom the buildings towards the green external spaces considerably complicated the project, and resulted in the creation of unusual volumes. These are based aroundthe idea thattheydisintegrate and juxtapose, apparently untidily, but following a strict logic based on rhythmic alterations and studied asymmetries.  Section Specifically, we tried to "explode" and then reassemble the green spaces we had previously interfered with, imaginingthat we could reinstate them at different levels as the roofs of the houses, thereby creating a garden stratification which, from a hypothetical bird's-eye view, seems once again to have become a single large field.  © Roland Halbe This residential complex overturns the traditional ratio between open air and constructed mass:somewhere you can encounter the anomaly of a corpus of new volumes, where empty ones are larger than filled ones. This allows the space to "breathe" and the houses to enjoy wide open views, creating afeelingoflivingamong "suspended villas" in the midst of nature: "suspended in a rarefied and permeable architecture".  2nd Floor Plan Experimentation and research for this project brought us back to one of the sets of basic tenets of Modern Architecture: Le Corbusier's five points for anouvelle architecture: pilotis, toit jardinplan libre, fenêtre en longeur, andfaçade libre.In fact, looking deeply intoour project,the entire complex seems to be a contemporary reinterpretation of Le Corbusier's guidelines.  © Roland Halbe At raised ground level a large plate designed for commercial use covers the whole site. At the centre of its roof top a densesweet gum wood filters the view of an office area placed within the greenery. Around it, in the shape of a horseshoe, there are twelve residential units, clad with a continuous boiserie ofoukumé wood; on the opposite side a large undulating glass windowlooks towards the suspended private gardens.  © Roland Halbe Several lengthy colossal "trunks", which symbolisethe lightness and the strength of bamboo, support precast housing plates (built like Lego). Full length and horizontal panoramic windows alternate with each other at different levels.  © Roland Halbe The villas, apparently suspended in the air, are covered with roof gardens and by a curved central volumeof glass and Corten Inox, which connects the mezzanines with the living rooms below.  © Roland Halbe This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Kazuyo Sejima's Sumida Hokusai Museum in Tokyo Photographed by Laurian Ghinitoiu Posted: 18 May 2017 09:00 PM PDT .jpg?1494811811 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Located in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, in which Sumida Hokusai (Katsushika Hokusai) was born and spent the majority of his life, this museum—completed in November 2016 to designs by Kazuyo Sejima—is a temple to the Japanese artist's work, including the likes of The Great Wave off Kanagawa and Red Fuji. Sejima, who was awarded the Priztker Prize in 2010, is commonly known as one-half of SANAA (alongside Ryue Nishizawa). This project, while seeking to celebrate Hokusai's work, has also been designed as a cultural beacon. In this photoset, photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu has turned his lens to the new cultural landmark.  Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (1830). Image via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain) .jpg?1494811915 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494812011 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811587 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811800 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494812000 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811618 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811713 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811790 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811744 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811723 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811863 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu .jpg?1494811884 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu
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