L: Paul Rudolph’s Orange County Government Center via Esto; R: The Museo delle Culture by David Chipperfield, via Huff Post.
Haters Gonna Hate: The New York Times has compiled a case for the defense of the world’s most loathed buildings — in the words of some of its most celebrated architects. Libeskind makes a case for the Tour Montparnasse in Paris, Zaha sings the praises of Paul Rudolph’s Orange County Government Center; and Norman Foster champions Berlin’s controversial Tempelhof Airport. A fascinating and provocative read.
Yours Truly: In the Huffington Post, Fred Bernstein wrote a succinct review of David Chipperfield’s newly opened Museo delle Culture in Milan (MUDEC) — in the form of a personal letter to the architect. Chipperfield has continued a growing trend of architects disowning their projects in protest at a lack of quality in the finished building, but Bernstein is there to offer some comfort for the quintessential British perfectionist.
Diplomacy by Design: An open call has been announced to find an architect to design the new U.S. Embassy building in Brasilia. Submissions for the contract to design the 270,000-square-foot compound will be taken up until July 1st, and whichever firm scoops the contract will work within a highly prestigious context — their design will stand alongside Oscar Niemeyer’s iconic National Congress building.
L: Site for the “Art Mill” in Doha, via Archdaily; R: Penn Station, via WSJ.
In Brief
Flour Power: In a bid to rival Abu Dhabi’s burgeoning collection of cultural icons across the Gulf, Qatar Museums are on the hunt for a firm to convert a decommissioned flour mill into a massive new gallery in Doha. The “Art Mill” will stand alongside museums by I.M. Pei and Jean Nouvel, and the competition will no doubt attract the likes of Thomas Heatherwick, who is currently masterminding a similar silo conversion in Cape Town.
Penning a Solution: Norwegian firm-of-the-moment Snøhetta has been tapped to create a fresh masterplan in a much-maligned chunk of Manhattan. The area around Penn Station has been the subject of countless design proposals in recent years, and now, developer Vornado has looked to the Scandinavian studio for help in light of their tidy transformation of Times Square to create a new public plaza.
L: 8 House by Bjarke Ingels Group; R: Rendering of Frick renovation plan via NYTimes.
Icon Afford That: Curbed has compiled a handy guide to property rentals in starchitect-designed buildings around the world. There’s something for every budget, including a studio in Jeanne Gang’s Aqua Tower or a penthouse apartment in BIG’s 8 House in Copenhagen. If you fancy a piece of Frank Gehry’s eponymous New York condo, though, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny …
Frick Fracas: NYC’s Frick Collection has ceded to the effort to save the existing museum — specifically the Russell Page garden — and will reevaluate its expansion plans (Paul Gunther wrote a nice backgrounder some months ago).
L: Paul Cocksedge’s Living Staircase, via Dezeen; R: LALO Townhouse by Sculp[IT], photo via Contemporist.
Design Details
Spirulina Stairs (in a manner of speaking): Designer Paul Cocksedge has just unveiled a “Living Staircase” in the Ampersand shared office space in his native London. Spanning four stories, the spiral stairs are planted along its rails, with a garden, library, and tea bar on the landings throughout.
In Pane Sight: Antwerp’s Sculp[IT] has designed a townhouse with the “world’s largest pivoting glass window”; at 10 feet wide by 20 feet high, we’ll take their word for it. (Hat-tip to Contemporist).
Eye candy
The Life Aquatic: Take a deep breath: Google is taking Street View underwater. In collaboration with the Catlin Seaview Survey, the search giant is looking to give more people access and in-depth information on the Earth’s oceans, and some pretty extraordinary images have emerged already. Check out their mission to map the “magic of the ocean” in the teaser video below. (Via Quartz).
Image at top: Paul Cocksedge’s Living Staircase, via Dezeen.