December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | News
M. Ridwan Kamil: Creativity at heart of success
Returning from his two-week visit to London in 2006, where he accepted the International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year (IYDEY) award, architect M. Ridwan Kamil brought home an unusual souvenir.
Arriving back in his hometown of Bandung, Ridwan carried the results of research he found on how creative activity drives the economy of England’s capital.
“I saw a shift in economic activities in London, where communities are moved by strong ideas. The interesting thing was that economic activities that started from a powerful idea didn’t always rely on big capital. Whoever was the most creative was the most successful,” he said.
Full text via The Jakarta Post
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | News
Skyscraping ambition for Mecca
The dramatic redevelopment of Islam’s holiest city is something Muslims should celebrate
The Guardian’s Ali Eteraz on why the planned makeover of Mecca by Foster & Associates and Zaha Hadid is not a “Dubai-fication”, but something Muslims should celebrate.
More at The Guardian
Image: Bazuki Muhammad
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Exhibitions
NUS Architecture / ‘50 Years: In Progress’
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | News
China Express
Without a doubt, the Chinese economy has been nothing short of miraculous over the last few years, turning a development nobody into one of the hottest markets in the world. Although new signs are ominous—a recent report in The New York Times said that housing sales in big cities this year have dropped by as much as 40 percent, and several firms told AN that commercial construction in the country is way down—China is still the place to be for Western architects, including many of California’s top firms looking for large-scale work.
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Competitions
The iF concept award 2009
Submit: Friday, January 09, 2009
The iF concept award challenges up-and-coming, young designers from around the globe to compete. Students from any design, architecture, engineering and marketing major as well as young professionals from the mentioned fields (having graduated within the last two years) are very welcome to enter the competition.
A preselection jury of internationally renowned experts will select a “shortlist†(consisting of 300 entries) from the total pool of entries. Last year, more than 2,100 entries were received for the iF concept award, submitted by 1,350 contestants from 37 different nations. Respected specialists will then choose the “Best 100â€, the award winners of the iF concept award, during the final Adjudication publicly on the first day of the CeBIT show (03.03.2009) in Hannover, Germany. They will also establish, who of the winners will be awarded a share of the prize purse. This will be announced during the awards ceremony only days later (07.03.2009). In the evening all participants of the ceremony will celebrate in the iF lounge.
The exhibition of the iF concept award 2009 during the CeBIT show is not only for winners. Newcomers will have the option to promote themselves through their work and the public will be able to experience and discover the newcomers and the iF concept award in all its shades. Seeing that, all exactable entries will be shown in a special exhibition during the CeBIT.
We look forward to many extraordinary entries and new trends. Good luck in the iF concept award 2009.
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Exhibitions
S(e)oul Scape: Towards a New Urbanity in Korea
Friday, October 31, 2008 - Sunday, January 04, 2009
S(E)OUL SCAPE is the exhibition that recounts the outcomes of the urban and architectural transformation that involved South Korea in the last years. After a long period of dictatorship, Korea is today at the center of a unique and unprecedented process of economic, social and cultural development which is characterizing the role of this country in the contemporary world.
Curated by Francisco Sanin, the S(E)OUL SCAPE exhibition identifies in the work of six among the most well known Korean architects -Chung Guyon, Joh Sung-yong, Kim Young-joon, Min Hyun-sik,
Seung H-sang, Yi Jong-ho- a program that persistently reveals itself in the culture, in teaching, in the theoretical research that accompanies the daily architectural practice.
After the opening in Florence and the success enjoyed at the RAS Gallery in Barcelona, at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam and at the Umetnostna galerija Maribor/Maribor Art Gallery, the BOZAR - Centre for Fine Arts in Bruxelles will now host -October 31, 2008 until January 4, 2009- the fifth venue of the international tour of the exhibition.
From October 31, 2008 until January 4, 2009
BOZAR - Centre for Fine Arts, Bruxelles, Belgium
Rue Ravenstein 23 - 1000 Bruxelles
Opening: October 30, 2008, 6 pm
Tuesday thru Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
Thursdays until 9 pm. Closed on Mondays, on
December 25 and on January 1.
Free admittance.
via BOZAR
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Exhibitions
Shanghai Transforming
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Friday, January 09, 2009
Shanghai Transforming, a new exhibition at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, is free and open daily from October 14th, 2008 through January 9th, 2009. A series of original programs complements the exhibition.
Capturing a snapshot of a city in transition, Shanghai Transforming explores the past and speculates about future possibilities of China’s largest city through graphics, photographs and maps. In scale, speed and intensity, Shanghai’s recent growth is unmatched. As with other cities in Asia, architecture is a major
component of the economic and urban boom, and with the eyes of the world turning to Shanghai for the World Expo 2010, the rate of transformation is increasing.
Exhibition Opening: Tuesday, October 14, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Curator: Iker Gil /MAS studio
For more information about the exhibition and the activities complementing it:
http://www.mas-studio.com/pdfs/Shanghai_Transforming_eng.pdf
http://www.architecture.org/exhibitions.html#johnbuck
The book Shanghai Transforming, edited by Iker Gil, has been published by ACTAR.
via Bustler.net
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Events
President’s Design Award 2008
Uncovering creativity in your own backyard is the order of the day. In an era where the creative economy is gaining a foothold in the Gross Domestic Product, recognition and exposure differentiate the good and the better.
In its third year running, the President’s Design Award raises the design bar in the local Singapore scene. In a mindset where local talent is only deemed successful when applauded overseas, the President’s Design Award looks set to change that viewpoint. It is since grown into a milestone for significant achievements in various fields of local design, ranging from product design, architecture, urban design, interior design, visual communications to fashion.
As always, this year sees an array of awards in various fields. In particular, this year’s three Designers of the year offer have pushed the boundaries of their design field, presenting spectacular designs that affect the way we perceive, live, work and play.
More on Epigram, WOHA, and Air Division receiving their Awards at SHIFT .
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Events
Fusion and Reconstruction of Brazilian Architecture DNA
When: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - Sunday, December 28, 2008
Commemorating the centennial of Japanese immigration to Brazil, the Tokyo Art Museum presents “Fusion and Reconstruction of Brazilian Architecture DNAâ€. Works introduced in this exhibition are by the Brazilian architecture unit, Brasil Arquitetura, Francisco de Paiva Fanucci (b. 1952) and Marcelo Carvalho Ferraz (b. 1955). Established and based in Sao Paulo since 1979, Brasil Arquitetura has produced a wide range of works from city planning and public facilities to residential housing and furniture design.
This exhibition consists of four parts:
- Serra da Mantiqueira, traditional architecture in the countryside of Sao Paulo researched by Marcelo Carvalho Ferraz,
- Conjunto KKKK (1998-2001), a building formerly owned by the Japanese government, now transformed into a complex containing a museum, archival room, and theater,
- Museu do Pao (2007), a wooden flour mill facility in Rio Grande do Sul converted into a bakery museum,
- Museu Rodin Bahia (2006), a historical wooden building in the northern state of Salvador, now turned into a Rodin museum.
via Bustler.net
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | News
Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Goes Super Colossal
From Bustler.net
On December 19, Australian Veterans’ Affairs Minister Alan Griffin unveiled the design for a memorial to honour Australians who have given their lives during peacekeeping operations around the world. The memorial, to be built on Canberra’s Anzac Parade, will also serve to symbolize the ongoing work of the hundreds of Australian peacekeepers currently restoring order and security to communities affected by war and civil unrest.
A national competition to design a fitting monument to peacekeeping was launched in September of last year and now Marcus Trimble from Sydney architecture and design firm Super Colossal was declared the successful entrant with his contemporary design.
The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial has two main elements. The first is a glowing passage of light that is a powerful entry for the Memorial. The passage is between two massive monoliths, raised slightly off the ground in a stone courtyard. They make up a monumental structure that is the right size for Anzac Parade. The pathway between the two polished cubes glows with an intense golden light. This light can evoke the Australian Peacekeepers’ role and their help to local populations. The Memorial with the lit interior has a striking presence on Anzac Parade both by day and night.
Passers by will see just this imposing bulk, relieved by the glow of light.
As visitors go deeper into the Memorial, they can walk through the passage of light. They may be reminded of deep canyons in the Australian outback, with towering walls but the uplifting blue sky above. They may feel the warmth and comfort of the light between the two imposing monoliths. They then will come to a courtyard, of more intimate size and feel. It is surrounded by Australian trees. Written in the pavement are words evoking the qualities and sacrifice of Australian Peacekeepers. Along the back will be a long horizontal beam recording the many peacekeeping missions in which Australians have served and an inclined plane to receive wreathes and other mementoes. This inner space will be suitable for both formal ceremonies and smaller scale commemoration. It will also be a place of quiet reflection on personal experiences and the significance of Peacekeeping.
Around the wall are bronze fixtures so that visitors may place flowers or candles to remember their relatives and loved ones.
The project will begin Design Development and Contract Documentation in January 2009.
Image: The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project, Super Colossal
more images at Bustler.net
December 30, 2008 | Broadcast | Competitions
FuturArc Prize 2009
Initiatives undertaken in the building and construction sector to counter environmental woes are by far the most effective. Studies have shown that the abatement costs of CO2 emissions in the building sector are in fact negative, i.e., sustainable design makes money for developers and owners. Yet, the industry has only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to making a real change. Building professionals have a real opportunity to make a difference.
The inaugural FuturArc Prize for sustainable design launched by BCI in 2008 chose the latter approach. Over 200 entrants from 15 countries submitted the most creative designs combining sustainability and architectural ingenuity. By popular demand BCI has decided to repeat FuturArc Prize. As in 2008, the FuturArc Prize 2009 aims to trigger continued change in the way we approach building, and showcase innovative ideas and solutions for sustainable design. We invite all professionals and students to contribute to a greener future by competing for the FuturArc Prize 2009. We look forward to your participation.
This year’s competition offers entrants a choice of two briefs. Option 1 is a hypothetical project set in the near future for which entrants may select a site in the cities in which they reside. The second is an actual project brief and site contributed by a developer in Indonesia.
December 26, 2008 | Broadcast | Exhibitions | News
BIG INABA MAD MASS: Four Proposals for Ansan opens today
Four architecture offices, BIG, INABA, MAD, and Mass Studies have proposed an urban plan for Ansan, South Korea which will be exhibited at the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Ansan City beginning 17 December 2008.
Organized by Hong-hee Kim, Hyun Jeung Kim, Jeffrey Inaba.
The joint project by the four firms, BIG (Copenhagen), INABA (Los Angeles), MAD (Beijing), and Mass Studies (Seoul) uses versatile architectural forms that change in size and use. The principals of the four offices, Bjarke Ingels, Jeffrey Inaba, Yansong Ma, and Minsuk Cho reinterpret the term ‘economies of scale’ to mean the value of a single architectural form that functions at several scales. The works are adaptable enough so that the same form can be enlarged or shrunk and still function as a building. They have the added capacity to dramatically change in size and transform in use from building to furniture to toy.
Given today’s economic instability, the architects propose an architecture that can be sized to accommodate changes in available funding. The forms have been developed so that if a project’s investment capital decreases, it can be scaled down; alternatively, if greater financing becomes available, the same form can be scaled up. These firms believe architecture does not have to be inhabitable and in tune with the human scale at just one size; it can be conceived with greater utility in mind so that the form can be enjoyed even when reduced or increased by 40, 50, or 60 percent. In the context of the exhibition, they have taken the idea of scalability further by developing works that function even when scaled 1,000 and 10,000 percent.
At the invitation of the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art (GMoMA), the offices designed a master plan and a set of four buildings in the city where the museum is located. The plan for a riverfront area of Ansan, a city of 550,000 inhabitants located near Seoul, includes housing, commercial, retail and municipal spaces. The proposed buildings which range in height from 80 to 400 meters and in length up to 1500 meters are displayed in the museum lobby in drawings, animations and four large models.
As an experiment in the economies of scale, the models are also designed as inhabitable objects in their own right. Each model of their urban plan is a furniture piece of their lobby plan. The three-dimensional representations of the buildings function as elements of GMoMA’s interior serving as a new bookshop, a set of seats and tables, a lounge area, and a reception kiosk. As a third variation, the forms will be produced at an even smaller scale as a reading lamp, light fixture, puzzle, and toy.
Architects have throughout time promoted their work through objects that are analogous to their designs for buildings. The architectural model helps audiences to visualize and appreciate a proposed building and in turn generate excitement, anticipation and demand for the project before it is built. In that sense, architecture has always been a practice of advertising scaled versions of itself. BIG INABA MAD MASS attempts to add another level of utility and promotion to this time tested practice by having the large-scale proposal advertise the small-scale version of the same form. The show’s architectural models have been made to draw interest in the urban plan while the urban plan was made to invite visitors to experience the works displayed in the show.
BIG
Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG - is a Copenhagen based group of over 60 architects, designers, builders and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development.
http://www.big.dk
INABA
INABA is a Los Angeles-based firm founded by Jeffrey Inaba that specializes in transforming cultural research into urban design and architecture.
http://www.inabaprojects.com
MAD
MAD is a Beijing-based architectural design studio dedicated to creating innovative projects that combine a sophisticated design philosophy with advanced technology in the areas of architectural design, landscape design and urban planning.
http://www.i-mad.com.
Mass Studies
Mass Studies was founded by Minsuk Cho in Seoul as a vehicle to critically investigate architecture in the context of mass production, intensely over-populated urban conditions and other emergent cultural niches.
http://www.massstudies.com
BIG INABA MAD MASS
Four Proposals for Ansan
Bjarke Ingels, Jeffrey Inaba, Yansong Ma, Minsuk Cho
Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art
Ansan City, Korea
From Bustler.net
December 26, 2008 | Broadcast | News
Discontinued: CHANEL Mobile Art Pavilion Cancelled
There’s just no room in this economy for orbs of insanity. The Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion, that handbag-inspired traveling exhibition that touched down briefly in Central Park this fall, will be spinning the globe no more. Chanel still isn’t sure what to do with the structure—it packs up into 51 shipping containers, but storing those until the economy rights itself in 2015 seems a touch impractical. read more…
December 18, 2008 | Broadcast | News
Chilling developments in Dubai
A refrigerated swimming pool and an artificially cooled beach - Dubai’s latest excesses are enough to make conservationists weep - Leo Hickman reports for The Guardian
There will surely come a day when Dubai runs the world’s reserves of hyperbole dry. But in the meantime, we continue to draw a sharp intake of breath each time a new construction project is announced. We have had ski domes built in the desert, seen vast artificial islands rise from the sea and watched several structures vying for the title of world’s tallest building. Dubai represents the will, vision and ambition of our species. Yet many believe it shines an unflattering light on our tendency for folly and hubris, too.
This week, it was reported that the Palazzo Versace hotel - the Emirate’s latest offering for those still in the market for exorbitant luxury - will boast, when completed in 2010, a refrigerated 820sq metre swimming pool and a beach with artificially cooled sand to protect its guests from the excesses of a climate that can see summer temperatures exceeding 50C. Wind machines will even be on hand to provide a gentle breeze.
“We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on,” said Soheil Abedian, founder and president of Palazzo Versace, a hotel group with plans for a further 15 luxury hotels around the world to add to the one that already exists on Australia’s Gold Coast. (I’m a Celebrity junkies will know this as the hotel where the celebrities are sent once voted out of the “jungle”.) “This is the kind of luxury that top people want,” he added.
IS IT REALLY?
What are ‘top people‘ thinking these days? Read on at The Guardian to find out what else can chill our backs, test our patience, and maybe even give a treehugger or two a heart attack.
December 18, 2008 | Broadcast | News
ArchRecord: Design and the Economy
ARCHITECTURAL RECORD reports on how the global economic downturn is affecting architects.
Architect Salaries Rose Nearly 30 Percent in Six Years
PROJECT UPDATES:
Shanghai Tower
On that note, are there any comments and concerns you might have in facing the recent economic downturn? Place your thoughts and discussions in the comment box below, or post an anonymous, no holds barred comment at Confessions of an Architect
December 17, 2008 | Broadcast | Competitions | News
Innovation for Indian apartments makes the unthinkable solar solution sustainable
SymHomes Mk1 - In a region where in the height of summer temperatures can rise to 111°F, constructing a steel apartment block seems like insanity. But just such a design is to be created in the West Bangor city of Kolkata in India. Building sanction (which incorporates planning permission and building control) for SymHomes Mk1, a design by Piercy Conner Architects, has been applied for and the design has already received several awards for its innovative sustainable properties.
December 15, 2008 | Broadcast | Competitions | News
Winners of Regional Holcim Awards “Asia Pacific†Announced in New Delhi
New Delhi, India – The winners of the second Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction from across region Asia Pacific were announced at a ceremony in New Delhi. Total prize money of USD 270,000 was presented to ten projects that show future-oriented and tangible approaches to urban renewal and development, energy efficiency and affordable housing.
Revitalization and relocation plan for Ghost City, Fengdu, China: Sustainable architecture
The Swiss-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction conducts the competition in parallel across five regions of the world. Almost 5,000 projects from 90 countries entered the competition which aims to promote sustainable responses from the building and construction industry to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. The ceremony in New Delhi featured a diverse and international group of project teams and demonstrated that sustainable construction is truly of global concern.
From Bustler.net
December 15, 2008 | Broadcast | Events
BIG INABA MAD MASS: Four Urban Proposals for Ansan
When: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - Sunday, February 01, 2009
Four architecture firms, BIG, INABA, MAD, and MASS Studies exhibit a collective project that functions as both an urban master plan and a promotion of architectural form.
from Bustler.net
