RIBA Announces a New Award for Housing in Memory of Neave Brown

The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the foundation of a new award focused on recognizing work in housing in the UK. The award is named in memory of Neave Brown, the British architect, and designer famed for his many housing estates in London.

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“It is an honor to announce a new, very special RIBA award dedicated to the late Neave Brown,” said RIBA President Ben Derbyshire at an event introducing the award. “Neave’s contribution to housing will not be forgotten. He was a passionate pioneer who sought radical housing solutions to improve the lives of the local communities he served, and much can be learned from his work.”

Brown, who passed away in 2018, was perhaps best known for his works in London, including the Alexandra Road and Dunboyne Estates. The Alexandra Road Estate is particularly widely known, having served as the inspiration for various other estates in the city (notably the Whittington Estate by Hungarian architect Peter Tabori) and as a filming location for numerous movies, music videos, and album covers.

The Neave Brown Award for Housing will seek to recognize design excellence in housing, be it innovative design or community impact. It’s a crucial addition to the roster of awards given by the national body. And while London’s housing crisis is universally known (due to the city’s global profile), the capital’s crisis is indicative of a broader national issue rather than a problem in itself.

Intriguingly, the factors contributing to Britain’s housing crisis are more profound than a lack of availability or lack of affordability (though both do contribute.) Rather, there seems to be a disconnect between the homes being developed/built and the homes people want to live in.

“According to RIBA research, in some parts of the country, just 1 in 5 people would choose to live in a newly built home. Architects, developers, and local authorities must design and build homes that people want and this country desperately needs. I have high hopes that this new award will play a role in raising the bar and recognizing good-quality, sustainable housing that will meet the needs of current and future generations.”

This stylistic disconnect between designers and the public is not unknown in Britain. Indeed, Alain de Botton’s 2006 book The Architecture of Happiness centered around this problem exactly, discussing the meaning, relevance, and faceted nature of beauty in architecture.

As a new award, no distinction has yet been given, but all 2019 RIBA Regional Award-winning housing projects will automatically be considered for the honor. The deadline for the 2019 Regional awards is open until 21 February.

News via RIBA

January 31, 2019 0

Annabelle Selldorf-designed Qianlong Garden Interpretation Center coming to Beijing’s iconic Forbidden City in 2020

By Alexander Walter

Juanqinzhai moon gate in the Beijing Qianlong Garden after its conservation. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund.

The 250-year-old retirement digs of an 18th-century Chinese emperor are getting a face-lift.

The World Monuments Fund announced Monday that the New York-based architect Annabelle Selldorf and her firm, Selldorf Architects, will design an interpretation center at the Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City in Beijing. — The New York Times

According to the World Monuments Fund, “the interpretation center will be located in an existing, restored structure within the second courtyard of the Qianlong Garden.”

Juanqinzhai theater room after conservation. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund.

“Selldorf and her NYC-based firm, Selldorf Architects, designed the center in three distinct halls surrounding an open pavilion, each of which will provide visitors with a unique perspective on the past and present of the remarkable complex.”

Interpretation Center exterior before conservation. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund.

“The Garden was largely left dormant after PuYi, China’s last emperor, left the Forbidden City in 1924. Its buildings have never been opened to the public, and it is one of the most significant historical sites in the Forbidden City to remain unrestored since imperial times. In 2004, World Monuments Fund and the Palace Museum partnered on a comprehensive review of the entire Qianlong Garden site and developed a master plan for its conservation.”

Learn more about the Qianlong Garden Conservation Project here.

January 30, 2019 0

Liz Diller and Helene Binet Recognised in 2019 Women in Architecture Awards

Architect Liz Diller and architectural photographer Hélène Binet have been awarded the 2019 Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable Prizes, respectively, for their exceptional contributions to the field of architecture. The prizes are part of the eighth edition of the Women in Architecture Awards founded jointly by The Architect’s Journal and The Architectural Review.

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Liz Diller, co-founder of New York-based practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro, said: “‘It is a great honor to be awarded the Jane Drew Prize 2019, and to join such an amazing group of women that came before.” The prize, which recognizes “an architectural designer who, through their work and commitment to design excellence, has raised the profile of women in architecture,” has previously been awarded to Amanda Levete (2018), Denise Scott Brown (2017) and Odile Decq (2016).

The news of the Jane Drew award comes at a major moment for Diller, whose office recently announced plans for the London Centre for Music and completed the first of two significant works at the Hudson Yards development in New York. Diller is no stranger to awards: just last year she was named one of Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Important People’ (an award she also shared in 2009 with partner Ricardo Scofidio.)

“From her wide range of work – including the High Line in New York, to The Broad art museum in Los Angeles, to the much-anticipated London Centre for Music,” explained AJ editor Emily Booth, “Diller’s brave, refreshing, innovative and often cross-disciplinary approach is an inspiration to the architectural profession.”

Hélène Binet. Image Courtesy of The Architect's Journal — Hélène Binet. Image Courtesy of The Architect’s Journal

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Architectural photographer Hélène Binet was also recognized in the awards, receiving the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her nearly three-decade career in the wider architectural field. “For nearly three decades, Hélène Binet’s photography has influenced and shaped how we understand architecture,” said Booth in a statement.

Binet’s work spans countries and projects of all types and scales, including works by Caruso St. John, Geoffrey Bawa, Zaha Hadid, and Studio Mumbai. She received the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography award in 2015, and was named honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2007. Her work is also included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Women in Architecture awards were founded in 2012 with the aim of celebrating the extensive and exceptional work of female architects and design professionals across the world. The awards will be officially presented at a luncheon in March.

January 29, 2019 0

MVRDV to design pictographic mixed-use project in Kiel, Germany

By Justine Testado

Image © MVRDV.

A new mixed-use dubbed as the “KoolKiel” by MVRDV is in the works to redevelop a former industrial site in Kiel, Germany. The 65,000 m2 project will use a flexible design system to accommodate for future needs of the community as the area develops.

The site of KoolKiel is currently occupied by a large, single-story building that once stored chains for ships and then became the location where Werner comics were printed during the early 1980s. These days, the building is known as W8 Medienzentrum and houses a unique collection of tenants, who are mostly media and creative companies.

MVRDV’s proposed design retains the W8’s existing structure as commercial units topped with apartment units. Next to the W8 Medienzentrum will be a new building with a zig-zagging plinth containing office and retail spaces, which will be topped by housing blocks and a small office tower. At the end of the site, a 250-room hotel tower will connect to the zig-zag plinth through a public-event space. There will also be a furnished courtyard and a rooftop park.

The colorful pictographic facade panels, which will be made from fiber reinforced concrete, will feature various icons inspired by creative feedback from the local community, MVRDV says. The project’s flexible design system will allow the size and number of cantilevers on the hotel tower to be changeable, the number of pictographic panels displayed on the building, and the size, number, and layout of the apartments above the W8 building.

“In a location with such a dynamic and creative existing community, it’s obvious that the community should have a say in this development,” said MVRDV co-founder and principal Jacob van Rijs in a statement. “KoolKiel is not only inspired by them, but it also allows them to tailor the proposal to their wishes—we’re presenting them with not just a design, but also a question: ‘how ‘Kool’ do you want it?’”

Find more project drawings in the gallery below.

Project facts
Project Name: KoolKiel
Location: Kiel, Germany
Year: 2018+

Credits
Architect: MVRDV
Principal-in-charge: Jacob van Rijs
Design Team: Philipp Kramer, Bartlomiej Markowski, Ruggero Buffo, Bartosz Karasinski, Christine Sohar, Daniel Mayer, and Eleonora Lattanzi
Visualization: Antonio Luca Coco, Luca Piattelli, Masoud Khodadadi

Partners
Structure: Werner Sobek
Fire: Wenzel + Wenzel
Cost calculation: Wenzel + Wenzel

January 28, 2019 0

Application filed for new Midtown supertall, proposed as the second-tallest in the Western Hemisphere

By Devin Gannon

All renderings by TMRW courtesy of Gensler

The developers behind the distinct supertall at 432 Park Avenue want to take a second shot at altering New York City’s skyline. Harry Macklowe submitted last week a preliminary application to the city’s planning department for a 1,551-foot-tall skyscraper between 51st and 52nd Streets in Midtown, the New York Times reported. If the city approves the project, Tower Fifth, the name given to the tower proposed by Macklowe Properties, would become the second-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

The 96-story supertall would still fall below the current title-holder One World Trade Center, which measures 1,776 feet tall thanks to its spire. But if looking at ceiling height only, Tower Fifth would be considered the tallest in the city, measuring just a foot taller than Central Park Tower, under construction on Billionaires’ Row.

Macklowe Properties has tapped Moed de Armas & Shannon Architectsand Gensler for the design of Tower Fifth. As renderings depict, the tower would sit atop stilts above 52nd Street, rising upward until the top where a “two-level slab juts out from the northern and southern sides of the building,” the Times wrote.

The building would feature an 85-foot-high glass lobby that would stretch a block and frame St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Above the lobby, there would be shops, a food hall, and a public auditorium made of glass, overlooking the landmark. Amenities and tenant space would measure 960,000 square feet throughout the office floors, according to the architects.

Other plans revealed include an energy-efficient facade, public concourse, and the city’s tallest observatory, where apparently visitors will be able to enjoy a clear, 60-foot corkscrew slide.

A page on the project on Gensler’s website describes the observatory: “At the top of the tower, the city’s highest observatory grants unprecedented views and features an array of unique experiential, cultural, and entertainment experiences within a public observatory.”

The proposed tower is far from becoming a reality. Because the project could encroach on five landmark buildings, including the Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s, it will require approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

And Macklowe Properties will have to secure roughly 580,000 square feet of development rights from neighboring properties, a condition allowed under the 2017 rezoning of Midtown East. Under the rezoning, landmarks can sell and transfer unused development rights within the 78-block area.

While plenty of obstacles lie in wait, Macklowe is confident the city will approve his project. “Tall buildings are a reality,” he told the Times. “The days of restrictions on buildings are really over. This is a building that’s never been built before, a 21st-century building.”

January 24, 2019 0

Rio de Janeiro named the First World Capital of Architecture

UNESCO has named Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the World Capital of Architecture for 2020. In keeping with UNESCO’s recent partnership agreement with the UIA, UNESCO designates the World Capital of Architecture, which also hosts the UIA’s World Congress. The World Capital of Architecture is intended to become an international forum for debates about pressing global challenges from the perspectives of culture, cultural heritage, urban planning and architecture.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone R, Thomas Vonier, President of the International Union of Architects (UIA), and Verena Vicentini Andreatta, Municipal Secretary of the City of Rio for Urbanism, announced last Friday that Rio de Janeiro will be the World Capital of Architecture. “The World Capital of Architecture initiative underscores the common commitment of UNESCO and the UIA to preserve architectural heritage in the urban context,” said Ernesto Ottone R. “Through the range and quality of its activities, the World Capital of Architecture in Rio de Janeiro will demonstrate the crucial role of architecture and culture in sustainable urban development.”

As the first World Capital of Architecture, Rio de Janeiro will hold a series of events under the theme “All the worlds. Just one world,” and promote the internationally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s 11th Goal: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” UNESCO, the UIA and local institutions will organize activities to promote projects involving architects and urban planners as well as policy makers, social institutions and professionals from other sectors including artists and writers in an open and creative space of dialogue and innovation.

The UIA2020 Rio World Congress of Architects is promoted by the International Union of Architects (UIA) – an entity based in Paris – and organized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB). For the first time, the event will be held between July 19 and 26, 2020 in Rio with activities in various locations in the central region of the city, including the Gustavo Capanema Palace, which will host exhibitions, lectures and workshops. The expectation is that 25,000 architects and architecture scholars from around the world will visit the city during the UIA2020Rio.

January 23, 2019 0

Aerial Futures Explores Commercial Space Travel at the Houston Spaceport

A new video by AERIAL FUTURES explores commercial space flight through the Houston Spaceport. The video was produced as part of a broader research initiative bringing together leading thinkers, practitioners and operators to imagine the potential opened up by spaceports. The video explores the spaceport as a new kind of architectural typology, and asks what kind of impact a spaceport is likely to have on the city and its population.

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Reiterating Houston’s long-standing relationship with space travel, Ellington Airport is now home to the Houston Spaceport. The Spaceport is within a 15-minute drive of the central business district, making it the most urban commercial spaceport to date and positioning Houston as the most cosmically connected city in the world. The commercial sector is now driving the aeronautical industry, leading to an upsurge in spaceport construction. The implications of this new typology for urban life are huge: in support of the new spaceport and its operations, Houston City Council recently approved an $18.8 million Phase 1 infrastructure development budget. This sum of spaceport-related infrastructure funding is without parallel anywhere else in the world. New roads, drainage systems and utilities will provide a foundation for aeronautical businesses and foster engineering activities, while providing a physical and intellectual link to aerospace expertise.

January 21, 2019 0

Five Designs for Chicago’s O’Hare Global Terminal go to Public Vote

by Eric Baldwin

Five design teams have been selected to present their ideas for the Chicago O’Hare Airport Global Terminal and Global Concourse expansion. The designs are on display at an exhibition opened by Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the Chicago Architecture Center. Teams include Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza, Foster Epstein Moreno, Studio ORD, SOM and Santiago Calatrava. Known as O’Hare 21, the project represents O’Hare’s first major overhaul in 25 years.

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The new terminal will replace the existing 1960s Terminal 2 with a global terminal that reflects the legacy of Chicago’s innovation, architecture and diversity. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that selecting an architect for the project is a key priority before he leaves office next May. The project calls for two satellite concourses to be built as part of the expansion. The airport’s total terminal area would grow from 5.5 million to 8.9 million square feet.

Foster + Partners, Epstein and Moreno

The joint venture led by Foster + Partners, Epstein and Moreno created a new vision for a gateway to Chicago to capture the city’s progressive spirit and its architectural legacy. Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners said: “I remember coming to Chicago as a graduate and being captivated by the energy, the extraordinary location, the music the culture, and the outdoor sculpture – all of those influences blend together in our proposal.” The proposal includes sweeping arches that merge into a single curve.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill teamed up with ARUP, Ross Barney Architects and JGMA. Their proposal includes natural landscaping around an undulating roof upon glass walls. Inside, a glass-enclosed waiting area features trees and ample open space.

Studio ORD

Studio ORD Joint Venture Partners is led by Chicago’s Jeanne Gang, and the team’s design was formed as a three-part terminal around a large atrium. The proposal stands apart for its signature use of wood in the ceiling of the terminal. The design was inspired by the airport’s original name, Orchard Field, and the interior of the project reinterprets this through an organic design and natural plantings.

Santiago Calatrava

Calatrava’s plan includes the global terminal and a business complex with formal gardens that would remake the present site of parking facilities next to the terminals. The terminal is formed with a pointed form featuring a white roof overhang. The terminal’s interior features Calatrava’s white-on-white uniform surfaces with plenty of natural light.

Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza

Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza Joint Venture Partners created a scheme where a curving, upturned roof creates a vast open space. Inside, bright white surfaces and columns meet tall glass walls. The team stated that, “Our vision is to return the romance of air travel to all who pass through Chicago’s O’Hare.”

Officials hope to complete the multi-phase O’Hare 21 project by 2026. An exhibition of the designs is on display at the Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E Upper Wacker Drive. The public are invited to view the proposals online and vote for their favorite scheme: https://voteord21.flychicago.com/home/pages/default.aspx. Voting ends on 23 January.

January 18, 2019 0

Chicago architects launch parody campaign to build a golden border wall for Trump

By Mackenzie Goldberg

Border wall prototype at Mar-a-Lago (Mr. Trump in background).

The architects behind the Flying Pigs on Parade project—which planned to install four golden pig-shaped balloons in front of the infamous Trump Tower Chicago sign—are back with another anti-Trump parody, this time mocking the President’s proposed border wall.

New World Projects, the Chicago-based firm known for creating visual commentary on the ridiculous nature of our current political environment, has released renderings and an accompanying GoFundMe campaign for a prototype wall that would surround the Mar-a-Lago resort and golf club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mocking Trump’s penchant for ambitiously gaudy design, the proposal promises a 30-foot tall, gold finished picket fence on one side, that would be electrified on the other by six new coal plants built along the border. The project’s website cynically describes, “the bad guys on the other side can look through and imagine the riches and moral integrity of being American.”

Throughout the hypothetical scheme, the team has injected dark-humored digs at our President—such as the included detail that the project will “be built with Mexican labor and paid for by Canada.” Similarly, the renderings depict a macabre fantasy. In one, a US Border agent is shown controlling an aggravated dog in front of a full-scale version of the fence. The caption reads, “gold and shiny.”

The catalyst for the parody campaign was Brian Kolfage’s very real crowdfunding efforts to subsidize a portion of Trump’s Wall, which raised more than $20 million towards its goal of $1 billion. New World Projects has jokingly set their ambitions on $570 million, with the caveat that if they should not be able to execute their plans, all money raised will go instead to the International Refugee Assistance Program.

January 16, 2019 0

Foster + Partners Plan Automotive Museum on Disused Airfield in Rural England

Foster + Partners have released images of their proposed Mullin Automotive Park at Enstone Airfield, now submitted for planning permission. Intended as a “world-class automotive museum in the heart of the British countryside” the scheme will rehabilitate a disused airfield to support a growing community of classic automobile collectors.

Designed as a collection of buildings arranged in a crescent, the museum draws inspiration from the concept of a rural estate, with a journey through a carefully-considered landscape towards a main focal building. As well as reflecting on the history of the automobile industry over the last century, the scheme will house an open-ended collection charting the future of mobility.

The scheme contains a small cluster of workshop-style buildings located near the entrance, housing visitor facilities such as ticket offices and cafes. From there, visitors proceed through a landscape to site’s centerpiece museum, orientated to maximize thermal performance and minimize energy consumption.

The clustered nature of the scheme’s built element allows for most of the site to remain as green parkland. The site will also feature roads designed for exercising cars from the Mullin collection, while a series of residential pavilions and landscaped lodges bring enthusiasts closer to the automotive collection.

We are delighted to be part of this exciting new development that represents the convergence of mobility and lifestyle to create a new vision for the future. The Mullin Automotive Park will be a unique cultural destination set in Cotswold countryside, that seeks to support the wider community as well as providing a special experience for classic automobile collectors.
-Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners

News of the scheme comes weeks after Foster + Partners released details of their proposed soaring towers for Shenzhen, China.

News via: Foster + Partners

January 16, 2019 0

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Foster + Partners, Epstein and Moreno

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Studio ORD

Santiago Calatrava

Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza

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