February 25, 2009 | Broadcast | News
At the Oscars, David Rockwell’s architecture of forced intimacy
The slim credit that flashed by at the end of the broadcast — “Production Designer: David Rockwell” — hardly hinted at the deep, sometimes very odd architectural symbolism that piled up during Sunday night’s Academy Awards.
The L.A. Times’ Christopher Hawthorne gets in behind the architectural intent in this year’s 81st Academy Awards; where even a stage set and some theatrical adjustments are able to drop a commentary on an entire culture and its status quo, post-Wall Street meltdown.
[Photo: The reconfigured Kodak Theatre. Credit: Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images.]
Link The Rockwell Group
February 24, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Sejima and Nishizawa of SANAA to design this summer’s Serpentine Pavilion
The temporary building, which will sit outside the London gallery in Kensington Gardens for three months, will be the practice’s first structure to be built in England. Sejima and Nishizawa founded Tokyo-based firm SANAA (Sejima + Nishizawa and Associates) in 1997 and trained under Toyo Ito, who designed the Serpentine’s pavilion in 2002.
The pair, whose New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York was unveiled last year, will work alongside structural design and engineering firm SAPS, led by Mutsuro Sasaki, and with the Arup team, led by David Glover and Ed Clark with Cecil Balmond.
Previous Pavilions have been designed by Frank Gehry (2008), Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond (2006); Ãlvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond (2005); Oscar Niemeyer (2003); Daniel Libeskind (2001); and Zaha Hadid in 2000.
February 24, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Toyo Ito leads donations to Australia bushfire recovery
Japanese architect Toyo Ito has boosted fundraising efforts to help victims of the bushfires in Victoria, south Australia, which have left more than 180 dead and 7,000 homeless.
Ito, who delivered lectures in Melbourne and Sydney this week as part of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects International Speakers series, has donated his fees for the lectures to the Australian Bushfires 2009 appeal.
The RAIA has also announced it will donate the profits from ticket sales to the lectures to the appeal.
Ito’s donation came as architects across Victoria rallied together to offer further support. At least one practice was reported to be offering Aus$25,000 (£11,000) in pro bono work for victims whose houses had been damaged or completely destroyed by the fires.
via BDOnline.co.uk
February 24, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Japan’s Sanaa to design this year’s Serpentine Pavilion
This year’s Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens will be designed by Tokyo practice Sanaa, it has been confirmed.
The temporary structure, which will be located outside the Serpentine Gallery for three months, is the first scheme to be built in England by founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, former pupils of Toyo Ito, who designed the 2002 pavilion.
Commenting on the decision, BD’s Building editor Ellis Woodman said: “It is a disappointingly safe choice. With the exception of the appointment of Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura in 2005, the recent commissions have all gone to architects whose work is characterised by a bracing disregard for the history of the discipline and Sanaa belongs very much to that tendency.
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Cycling through the city- The OCBC Cycle
A wonderful built environment is not just about having beautiful buildings. Large scale events that take place in the city play a critical role in developing the bond between the public and its immediate environment for it is through memories that a space becomes a place and that is why we think that the OCBC Cycle Singapore is a step in the right direction.
With about 5000 participants, Sunday’s event attracted not only professionals but also all types of cyclists, old and young. With such a broad cross section of society pedalling, we think that this will plant the seeds of love for not only cycling but also a heightened sense of intimacy with the roads. We are also glad to know that there are plans for next year’s event to include a 150-kilometre round-the-island race.
Always a lover of the 2 wheeled pedal-powered machine, we at FIVEFOOTWAY think that the relative slowness of the bicycle allows one to better appreciate the city as compared to travelling at 70km/h and being more concerned with Electronic Road Pricing gantries. There is a certain simple pleasure about gliding along the roads of our cities that we hope more will come to share.
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Boon Lay MRT extension offers shorter journey times for urbanites.
Singapore- Residents and workers at Jurong West can expect shorter journey times when the Boon Lay Extension of the Mass Rapid Transit System is officially opened on February 28. The 3.8-kilometre stretch along the East-West Line consists of two stations – Pioneer and Joo Koon and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the new stations will benefit Jurong West residents, and those working in the Jurong Industrial Estate.
FIVEFOOTWAY believes that such continual improvements in the public transportation system makes our built environment a more liveable place for everyone.
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Bihar govt offers 2 plots of land to S’pore Buddhist Lodge for Pilgrim Centre
The 5th Nalanda Mentor Group meeting in Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar which was attended by Singapore’s Foreign Minister George Yeo ended on Friday with the Bihar government offering for consideration two plots of land to the Singapore Buddhist Lodge to build a Pilgrim Centre for Singaporeans visiting Bodh Gaya.
The plots are near to where Lord Buddha gained enlightenment and we think that some architects might be interested to start thinking about something for this site.
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Ultra-luxe hotel Capella Singapore is the seventh hotel on the resort island, but experts say there is no overcrowding of rooms
“Sentosa’s seventh wonder”
Designed by Foster & Partners in association with a+i Asia, the Capella Singapore will offer 111 villas and suites (the largest in Singapore), each with private outdoor showers and bathtubs. It will also have Singapore’s first circular, glass-roofed ballroom, two restaurants, a signature Auriga Spa, private meeting rooms overlooking lush greenery, a business center and a signature Capella Club lounge. Additionally, 81 guests will have the option to stay up to 20 years in private suites and bungalows nestled in 1.3 million square feet of rolling hills. Capella Singapore is located on Sentosa Island.
via WAN
Sentosa’s latest hotel – the ultra-luxurious Capella Singapore – opens next month, bringing to seven the number of hotels on the small, 500ha island.
The $400-million hotel designed by renowned British architect Norman Foster is set to be the jewel in Sentosa’s crown, with its distinctive figure-eight shape wrapped around two grand colonial buildings restored to their former glory.
It will have 111 rooms from a selection of suites, villas and what Capella calls ‘manor’ houses.
Given that the resort island already has 1,200 hotel rooms, and with at least 1,650 more to come within the next three years, it begs the question: Is Sentosa in danger of being ‘hotel-ed’ out?
No, say industry experts who point out that the various hotels cater to different markets. Sentosa’s other hotels cater to either those on a budget, making them popular with families, or the upmarket crowd who can splash out but not to the level of Capella’s luxe lot.
Hotels in the first category are the Costa Sands Resort (Sentosa), Siloso Beach Resort and Treasure Resort. Prices start from $80, $260 and $288 for a night respectively.
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | Competitions
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Wins First Prize for “Shenzhen 4 Tower in 1†Competition
The jury for the “Shenzhen 4 Tower in 1†Competition, chaired by Mr. Arata Isozaki, selected Coop Himmelb(l)au‘s design for Tower C, the new “Headquarter of China Insurance Group†as the winning scheme. Other participants include Morphosis, Steven Holl Architects, Hans Hollein, MVRDV, and FCJZ Atelier.
via Bustler.net
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | Exhibitions
Tokyo: Design Teaching at MIT
When: Friday, January 16, 2009 – Friday, March 13, 2009
Where: Tokyo, Japan
Many internationally renowned architects turned out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a school with a distinctive architectural philosophy. This exhibition introduces the education in architecture today, focusing on its contents, process and what comes out of it.
via Gallery A4
February 23, 2009 | Broadcast | Competitions
WAN Announces House of the Year Award Shortlist
A prestigious panel of judges met on Thursday, February 10, to choose, from a long list of 30 designs, the six projects that will compete to win the title of WAN House of the Year 2008. The standard for 2008 was so high as to require an extension of the original target of 25 designs for the long list. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Vicky Richardson of Blueprint and Ken Yeang were unable to attend leaving Richard Coleman, Eugene Asse, Will Alsop, and Paul Monaghan to drive forward the judging at the prestigious One Alfred Place in Bloomsbury, London.
WAN Chairman Richard Coleman, who also chaired the jury, said: “All the judges found the task uplifting since so many contributions were of a high standard. There was also fluency in making a series of staged selections throughout the day, based on content, intent, presentation and the manifestation of architectural delight. All were abundant in the six finalists.â€
via WAN
February 21, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Augmented reality on your desktop; thanks to Sketchup
Augmented Reality is a new technology that is starting to spread. Basically, it consists on mixing 3D model with live footage in real time. This concept has been applied to futuristic interfaces, and it can be very helpful for architects as it allows you to take 3D Models a step further, placed on the real world and show it to your clients.
Thanks to the AR-media Plugin for Sketchup, you can start playing with Augmented Reality. This plugin allows you to place the 3D Model over live video from your webcam, and move it around as you can see on the above video. The plugin calculates the planes on the live footage thanks to a sheet you need to print out, which allows the software to calculate the distance and inclination.
So, all you need is Google Sketchup (free), a webcam, then download the trial version of the AR-Media Sketchup plugin (limited to 30 seconds), print the sheet and you can start playing with your models.
The people at ArchDaily.com just did it at the office with Alejandro Aravena´s ORDOS 100 model, and it´s very impressive. Try to use a small model to start, since the 30 sec countdown starts running when the software launches and it can take a while to start completly, depending on the model.
via ArchDaily
February 21, 2009 | Broadcast | News
The Guardian: Dubai’s skyline a mark of vitality, not superficiality
Image Courtesy http://dubai-tower.blogspot.com/
Contrary to much of the discussion sprouting from Dubai’s impressive new skyline – that it is a collection of mostly opulent, excessive, empty developments -Â Explorer’s Siobhan Campbell also notes how the fact of the city’s “remarkable 40-year transformation from fishing port to busy city” has been largely overlooked.
More via The Guardian
February 20, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Aeon buys property for RM107m
Aeon Co (M) Bhd has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to acquire 2.5ha of land and property for RM107.2mil from Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
The purchase comprised RM27.2mil in land cost and RM80mil in building cost to be built in the future. The land forms part of a township called Bandar Sri Permaisuri.
In a statement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday, Aeon said the acquisition would be fully satisfied by cash and financed through the company’s internal funds.
“The acquisition is in line with Aeon’s corporate strategy of accelerating the expansion of its retail business through opening of new shopping centres and outlets,†it said.
February 20, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Malaysian Works Minister: Infrastructure development vital
Spending on infrastructure development during the economic slowdown is vital to lift the economy and attract more foreign direct invesments, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed.
“At this crucial time, I do also hope all political parties can set aside their differences and work together to uplift our economy,†he said yesterday after opening the Putra Heights Interchange.
He applauded the initiative by Sime Darby Property Bhd to build the new interchange to improve the connectivity of the area as the facility will save 15 minutes of driving time to KL International Airport, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya.
February 20, 2009 | Broadcast | News
A house that redefines comfortable living
In this article, Jean-Yves Prodel who suffers from a rare genetic disease called Werdnig-Hoffmann that causes spinal muscular atrophy and has forced him to spend much of his 44 years in a wheelchair, speaks about his ‘adventure’ in trying to create a house for himself.
With the help of Belgian, Stéphane Du Bois, Prodel constructed a house that followed the principles of universal design.
“In France, if you say ‘universal design,’ people are totally lost,” said Prodel, who started a universal design consulting firm of his own around the time he bought the house. Most French designers and architects, he added, have little tolerance for the concept, which holds that products and buildings should be usable by everyone, without requiring glaring adaptations to accommodate physical differences.
February 20, 2009 | Broadcast | News
Luxury developments in HK feeling the heat from the economic downturn
Hong Kong’s luxury home prices have fallen as much as 30 per cent this quarter even as the city economy continues to weaken. Prices at the waterfront development Harbour Place, a joint venture between two of the city’s biggest developers, have been slashed. Last year, the asking price was US$2,500 per square foot. Today it is US$1,500 or 40 per cent lower.
The longer-term view of the city’s property market remains weak, made more uncertain by the economic downturn and the rising unemployment rate. One bright spot is that Hong Kong does not suffer from an oversupply situation last seen during the ’97 crash. The number of completed units these days are less than half of that. – via CNA
February 14, 2009 | Broadcast | News
A short FIVEFOOTWAY questionnaire
Dear Friends,
It has been exactly a month since I mentioned about my short break so today, may I inform everyone that I will be returning to FIVEFOOTWAY action in the near future. JJ, Lyn and I are currently discussing on how we will bring our beloved FIVEFOOTWAY forward and we will be keeping all of you abreast on any developments about it.
More importantly, as the first step of my return from the internet wilderness, may I invite all of you to answer a short, 6-questions long questionnaire that can be found at www.fivefootway.com/survey. This will help us to understand you better and also guide us forward.
This questionnaire will run till mid-March 2009 where we will then collate the results and share our findings with everyone. Thank you for your help and I hope you will also invite your friends to take part in this survey! www.fivefootway.com/survey
Sincerely Yours,
Adib Jalal
