{"id":17917,"date":"2015-06-05T19:25:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T19:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/news-roundup-0605\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T10:57:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T14:57:39","slug":"news-roundup-0605","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/industry\/news-roundup-0605\/","title":{"rendered":"Starchitects Sound Off, Opportunities in Brasilia and Doha, and More Weekend Must-Reads"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

L: Paul Rudolph’s Orange County Government Center via Esto<\/a>; R: The Museo delle Culture by David Chipperfield, via Huff Post<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Haters Gonna Hate<\/b>: The New York Times<\/i> has compiled a case for the defense of the world\u2019s most loathed buildings \u2014 in the words of some of its most celebrated architects<\/a>. Libeskind makes a case for the Tour Montparnasse in Paris, Zaha sings the praises of Paul Rudolph\u2019s Orange County Government Center; and Norman Foster champions Berlin\u2019s controversial Tempelhof Airport. A fascinating and provocative read.<\/p>\n

Yours Truly<\/b>: In the Huffington Post<\/i>, Fred Bernstein wrote a succinct review of David Chipperfield<\/a>\u2019s newly opened Museo delle Culture in Milan (MUDEC) \u2014 in the form of a personal letter to the architect<\/a>. Chipperfield has continued a growing trend of architects disowning their projects<\/a> in protest at a lack of quality in the finished building, but Bernstein is there to offer some comfort for the quintessential British perfectionist.<\/p>\n

Diplomacy by Design<\/b>: An open call has been announced to find an architect to design the new U.S. Embassy building<\/a> 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 \u2014 their design will stand alongside Oscar Niemeyer\u2019s iconic National Congress building.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

L: Site for the “Art Mill” in Doha, via Archdaily<\/a>; R: Penn Station, via WSJ<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

In Brief<\/h4>\n

Flour Power<\/b>: In a bid to rival Abu Dhabi\u2019s burgeoning collection of cultural icons across the Gulf, Qatar Museums are on the hunt for a firm<\/a> to convert a decommissioned flour mill into a massive new gallery in Doha. The \u201cArt Mill\u201d will stand alongside museums by I.M. Pei and Jean Nouvel, and the competition will no doubt attract the likes of Thomas Heatherwick<\/a>, who is currently masterminding a similar silo conversion<\/a> in Cape Town.<\/p>\n

Penning a Solution<\/b>: Norwegian firm-of-the-moment Sn\u00f8hetta<\/a> has been tapped to create a fresh masterplan<\/a> 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<\/a> to create a new public plaza.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n
L: 8 House<\/a> by Bjarke Ingels Group<\/a>; R: Rendering of Frick renovation plan via NYTimes<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Icon Afford That<\/b>: Curbed<\/i> has compiled a handy guide to property rentals<\/a> in starchitect-designed buildings around the world. There\u2019s something for every budget, including a studio in Jeanne Gang<\/a>\u2019s Aqua Tower<\/a> or a penthouse apartment in BIG<\/a>\u2019s 8 House<\/a> in Copenhagen. If you fancy a piece of Frank Gehry<\/a>\u2019s eponymous New York condo, though, you\u2019ll have to pay a pretty penny \u2026<\/p>\n

Frick Fracas<\/b>: NYC’s Frick Collection has ceded to the effort to save the existing museum<\/a> \u2014 specifically the Russell Page garden \u2014 and will reevaluate its expansion plans (Paul Gunther wrote a nice backgrounder<\/a> some months ago).<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n
L: Paul Cocksedge’s Living Staircase, via Dezeen<\/a><\/i>; R: LALO Townhouse<\/a> by Sculp[IT]<\/a>, photo via Contemporist<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Design Details<\/h4>\n

Spirulina Stairs (in a manner of speaking)<\/b>: Designer Paul Cocksedge has just unveiled a \u201cLiving Staircase\u201d<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

In Pane Sight<\/b>: Antwerp’s Sculp[IT]<\/a> has designed a townhouse<\/a> with the \u201cworld’s largest pivoting glass window\u201d; at 10 feet wide by 20 feet high, we’ll take their word for it. (Hat-tip to Contemporist<\/a><\/i>).<\/p>\n

Eye candy<\/h4>\n

The Life Aquatic<\/b>: Take a deep breath: Google is taking Street View underwater<\/a>. In collaboration with the Catlin Seaview Survey, the search giant is looking to give more people access and in-depth information on the Earth\u2019s oceans, and some pretty extraordinary images have emerged already. Check out their mission to map the \u201cmagic of the ocean\u201d in the teaser video below. (Via Quartz<\/a><\/i>).<\/p>\n