ArchiVIAS. the contemporary architecture guide & maps

Surprise! Niemeyer puts Avilés on the map.

2010-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

where: Avilés, Spain
who: Oscar Niemeyer
what: International Cultural Center

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, at age 103 (yes, still at work!), is soon to inaugurate an International Cultural Center in the northern town of Avilés, Spain, opening its doors to the world. Some already call it the "Niemeyer effect", as its impact attracts celebrities (and their support) around the globe: like Stephen Hawking, Brad Pitt, Paulo Coelho, Woody Allen, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and also promises to position the town as home of the top ten cultural spots in the world.

The decision was to create a new site to host the Principe de Asturias annual awards, which honours leading figures in science, arts, or public service (Niemeyer was awarded in 1989), building an open public space where, in Niemeyer's words, "social meaning is more important than architecture itself"

His unique and simple architecture can be vastly seen, among all, in Brasilia, the capitol city of Brazil, where his modern architecture is mostly recognized and applauded (because of quality and quantity), in Manhattan, New York (the UN headquarters with Le Corbusier) and gladly, in years to come, in the Argentinian city of Rosario.

I admit I like his words more than his work (his architecture in the "formal" point of view). Formally, I think and feel different. Maybe because of the excesive use of reinforced concrete, the monumentality, the heaviness, the immense dry areas that usually surround his buildings (as he says: "clean terrain emphasizes architecture"). But all this is nothing when it comes to "living" his architecture. I had the privilege of visiting his museum in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and experiencing the richness of the inside spatiality. A dome, a ramp, and a big hole in the ground was all he used.

Long live Niemeyer!

Centro Cultural official site

more info

Niemeyer official site

What's with the twins at Puerto Madero?

2010-12-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

where: Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The developing neighborhood in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires's most previliged and expensive area, has a peculiar characteristic: many projects are conceived as twin tower complexs. I haven't studied the reasons that explain this particular repetition, but I'm sure the clue to this must have to do with building code's: height restrictions (airport nearby), elevated FOT (total occupation factor) and low FOS (land occupation factor) per square feet of land.
This means: build a lot of square feet in a small portion of land and up to determined height. This helps reducing horizontal mass area and therefore, avoids the generation of dense barriers, that alter views and create big shadowed areas.

This is how Puerto Madero, the "twin tower neighborhood", looks.

Let's look closer...

Still under construction, and the one's I like most, Madero Harbour. by Pfeifer-Zurdo arquitectos.

The slit-like corners turn a glassy bulk tower into a lightweight building.

The highest (171.8 m), Torres Renoir, by Robirosa, Beccar Varela, Passinato

Great terraces and last generation technology with the "domotization" of services and electronics at Torres Mulieris, by Justo Solsona of M/SG/S/S/S.

The first built in Puerto Madero: Torres River View by Camps & Tiscornia

The triplets: Torres Le Parc Puerto Madero, by Estudio Aisenson

The "linked" towers: El Faro, by Dujovne, Hirsch & Asociados

The ones with the gap: Torres del Yacht by Fernandez Prieto y Asoc and M/SG/S/S/S

Will Aslop. Ontario College of Art & Design

2010-11-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

map: 100 McCaul St, Toronto, ON M5T 3K4, Canada

After reading interviewed British architect and artist Will Aslop, I couldn't help posting his work.

COLOR as architectural element, DEMOCRACY in the process of elaborating the project and SELFISHNESS in the final decision making, describe his architecture and the way he moves.

In my previous post, regarding Herzog & de Meuron's works, I wrote about their constant innovation and how they reinvent themselves in each project. This is what Aslop says, and I quote him as to deepen my thought:

"I like architects who always defy people’s expectations. It doesn’t mean I like what they do, but when their work is done, it will have presence, and it will be a strong part of the fabric of what the city could be. For example, I like Jean Nouvel’s work because I don’t know what he is going to do next. But if you show me a site where Zaha Hadid is going to build, I can try to predict how that building is going to look and, chances are, my prediction will be 70% accurate."

try the whole interview

Herzog & de Meuron. Elbephilarmonie Hamburg

2010-11-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

map: Am Kaiserkai 20457 Hamburg, Germany

I just read about this philarmonic that's under construction in the pro-"new architecture" city of Hamburg. Herzog & de Meuron's studio is one of my best, and this building shows why. Because it's different. Different from the rest and different from themselves. H & dM's innovative creativity keeps them far from stylish "brand-architect's" that found a proper language that undisguiseably seems to suit in any city.

The project is installed atop a red brick 1963 warehouse

check the lighted cranes reminding people of what is to come (idea of scenographer Michael Batz) and turning a construction site into a tourist attraction

Arquitectonica. Icon Brickell Tower

2010-11-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

map: 501 Brickell Av. Miami, Florida

Local Miami studio Arquitectonica, in collaboration with Yoo by Phillipe Starck, are responsible for the design given to this 3-tower mixed use complex just a bridge-cross from downtown and on Biscayne Bay's waterfront.

The whole composition consisting on distinctive outlined blocks in an irregular sequence, added to the use of dark glassed windows is what I call creative resolution for a high rise building.

That's why the first time I saw the building from the bridge that connects Key Biscayne to the land I wondered who could have designed such a thing. An interesting mass that changed Miami's skyline, as you can see in my pictures below (taken during construction in May 2008). The Icon is far to the left, with cranes still on the rooftop.

Frank Gehry. IAC Building

2010-11-27T12:53:00.000-08:00

map: 555 west 18th street, New York, New York

Here's one of the most interesting buildings I came across last October: Gehry's IAC Building, his first made entirely in glass. What impressed me is the faceted white facade that dominates the view from blocks away.

I believe the design was inspired in the movement of the waves, since the building is in Hudson River's waterfront

behind stands Nouvel's Residences at 100 11th Av

The public lobby was designed as an event venue, and is home of the world's largest video projecting walls

The white color of the glass is what most caught my attention. As I looked closer I discovered that the colored "degradé" effect was caused by the distance between these tiny white dots

view from 19th st. In the corner, Gehry to the right, Nouvel to the left

more info at www.iacbuilding.com

Jean Nouvel. Residences at 100 11th Ave

2010-11-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

map: 100 11th Ave, New York, New York

In Chelsea's waterfront, Jean Nouvel's 2nd building in NY is right in front of Ghery's IAC headquarters

Here is a selection of pictures I've taken by october 2010

The balconies on the lower floors are disguised behind the steel structure, creating an intriging layout of gardens. This view from the entrance is much more interesting than the street view

These are the stairs to the entrance

The side facade and the front ones have two different languages. I didn't like this, it lacks authenticity, the facade acts like a mask and the building looses it's strength.

see more of my own New York pictures

read critic by Paul Goldberger @ The Newyorker

World Trade Center. Progress on the web

2010-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

Check out www.wtcprogress.com for the latest on WTC site construction. Delivered by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Testing is already underway in one of the memorial pools waterfall.

Celebrating archiVIAS first year

2010-10-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

In october 2009 archiVIAS began posting the world's most interesting contemporary architecture, adressed in maps, and linked to architecture critics and further information.

As a one year anniversary celebration, I have traveled to MIAMI, CHICAGO and NEW YORK to bring you the best and newest of contemporary architecture in these cities.

I used the blog to build my own itinerary and I can tell you it really helped!

I hope you enjoy seeing my impressions captured with the camera as much as I did personally!

New York

SOM's Freedom Tower (1 WTC)

SOM's 1 WTC under construction & 7 WTC completed

SOM's 1 WTC, 2 of WTC's remaining tridents, and MAKI's 4 WTC

Ground zero with 1 WTC to the right. Pelli's financial center at the back

Jean Nouvel. Soho residences

Foster. Sperone Westwater Gallery. Recently opened!

SANAA. New Museum of Contemporary Art

Rem Koolhaas. Prada store. (No pictures allowed inside!)

MORPHOSIS. The Cooper Union

Meier. 173 Perry st

ASYMPTOTE. 166 Perry st

ASYMPTOTE's facade reflecting Meier's building

Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The Highline Park

Ghery's IAC Headquarters. At the back Nouvel's 100 11th av

Nouvel

Renzo Piano. The New York Times

Foster. Hearst Tower

SOM. Time Warner Center

Close view of SOM's 7 WTC

Pelli. WFC Wintergarden

Pelli World Financial center 1, 2 & 3

WTC's remaining tripods

Arad's pools at ground zero

Maki. 4 WTC

Nothing at Herzog-de Meuron's 56 Leonard st

Detail of SANAA's New Museum of Contemporary Art

Detail of MORPHOSIS Cooper Union for Arts

Ghery's IAC HQ

Detail of the "sfumata" effect on the glass facade

Miami

Gehry. Miami New World Symphony

Herzog & de Meuron. Lincoln 1111

Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe and Associates (NBWW). 1450 Brickell

CHICAGO

Far at the end of the street Gehry's Jay Pritzker Pavillion

Pelli 181 Madison

Former Sear's Tower. Now Willis

Pei. Hyatt Center

the highest!: Willis Tower

the river that runs through it

Magnificent Piano. West wing of Chicago's Art Institute

Gehry's Pavillion just crossing the street

The incredible Gehry

Studio Gang. Aqua Tower

just a hole at Calatrava's abandoned Spire.

Cesar Pelli. 15 Penn Plaza

2010-09-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

map: 7th Ave & 31st - 32nd streets. New York, New York, USA

Argentinian César Pelli's prompting controversial tower is soon to be built in Manhattan. The 1216 feet building (just 34 ft lower than the Empire State Building) startles Empire State owner as battles that the tower will compete with his building, ruin its views, and even throw off the feng shui. But city council and new yorkers approved the project.

: : : ::: THE FACT
it’s 42 percent larger than current zoning allows

: : : ::: THE QUOTE
"Height is not a problem — the skyline should remain as dynamic as the city, and the obvious direction for change is up."

Justin Davidson

: : : ::: THE CRITIC
"...efficiencies were added to conditions negotiated with an assortment of city agencies: extra-wide sidewalks to relieve congestion, a new pedestrian tunnel linking Sixth and Seventh Avenues, a set of freshly renovated subway exits, and plentiful retail on the lower floors — all in exchange for a huge zoning bonus in allowable floor space."

Justin Davidson. Read

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Snohetta & Davis Brody Bond Aedas : 9/11 Museum

2010-08-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

map: World Trade Center site. New York, NY

Awaiting completion in 2011, 9/11 memorial Museum already shows Snohetta's above ground pavillion. The 7 storie underground museum is designed by Davis Brody Bond Aedas of New York. The Norwegian-american Snohetta office was comissioned the building (the only one that sits in the memorial grounds) horizontal and light, so as not to interfere with the inmensity of the site, and with a reminiscent appearance of the original towers.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE
"Almost no memorial museum is sited where the tragedy actually happened. And this museum is the reverse of most. Usually, the museum houses the exhibit. Here, the exhibit houses the museum."

- Steven Davis of Davis Brody Bond Aedas

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Paola Moure. Exquisit simplicity carved in the emptiness of a "patio"

2010-06-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Thumbs up for Paola Moure, an argentinian architect based in Paraguay, who's naive simplicity managed to "tie" two typologically well defined but non-contemporary buildings (one from the early 1900's, the other from the 50's)

A vertical blank facade and a narrow "empty" space behind was all she needed to magically link both pieces of the CPES cultural center, turning it into one.

In this authentic architectural poetry there is no need of reapeting classical mouldings or old-fashioned windows. The stripped facade unveils its contemporariness.

There is no door, the facade folds up attracting the passer-by in an almost "arrogant" way because of the undeniable invitation one is forced to accept.

The "patio": moulded emptiness.

There are no signs of schematic order in the organizing of circulation. Doors and stairs sporadically appear "up there, back here, behind that".

Light and space are the pillars of architecture, and those are the tools Moure intelligently used to define the difficult task of joining two different buildings loaded with conditionings. But as they say, "the bigger the problem, the better the project".

She also causes intrigue and surprise. Two aspects of architecture that I particularly like. The idea of discovering a place little by little, as you walk, creates mystery, curiosity and fascination. Sensitivity is exposed. And the simplicity of it all suddenly feels entangled. Paradoxically: an entangled simplicity!

Faceted stairs, hidden doors, cornered paths are some of the chosen resourses that transform this particular "path" or "hallway" into a linked cultural center, that now has the seal of 3 passing eras.

The "stairway to no-where" (as i call it) is the most relevant sculptural object of the project. A twisting metallic structure wrapped around a folded concrete wall-floor-roof dangerously (no railings!) leads you to a deserted rooftop. An intended sightseeing balcony? (no railings either!).

The detail: the floor does not meet the wall

Paola Moure's work is like a sweet candy. Paraguay owes her much. And so do we.

Gehry turns square. And insipid?: Miami New World Symphony

2010-05-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Not far from the beaches and just a few blocks east of acclaimed Herzog & de Meuron's Lincoln 1111 garage, retail and residences, an unrecognizable Gehry shows his least deconstructivist project: the Miami New World Symphony.

South Beach residents are happy to have him home, but the concrete cube that will house the music academy, by now, lacks the typical expressiveness of Frank Gehry's projects such as his recent Abu Dhabi Guggenheim museum and the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago. Only a few scattered signs of his firm are spotted in the entrance's slide-like roof, also in the interior, some curves poke through the glass facade on one of it's sides that opens the stiffness of the simplistic enclosure, and outside, towards the adyacent future park (no longer commisioned to Gehry -budget matters-), where a lonely twisted tree-like (sculpture?) stands.

Here are pictures I took last April

This is the facade that faces an "unwalked" Lincoln LN: Lincoln road shops' back door. This too is the building's "back" (that doesn't mean he can use those standard impersonal windows!! How could he!!)

A Glass facade facing the garage: is it necessary?

This is what I can shyly call the "most exciting" part of the project

The glass facade as will be seen from the park, reflecting South Beach Hotels, like the Delano and the National. Bottom right stands the "tree-like" sculpture.

A weak accent

The strong Miami sun reveals the irregular white concrete facade. Intentional or low quality construction?

17th street, the Delano, the National, and "cubic Gehry"

Please tell me this is not what we will see of Gehry's New World Symphony garage. So not-tuned.

Soon with the completion of the building, I'm sure (and wish) the whole project will be a worthy icon of contemporary architecture, and deserving Frank O. Gehry.

more info @ arcspace

Christian de Portzamparc. Hergé Museum. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

2010-05-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Pritker prize winner (1994), Christian de Portzamparc made his childhood dreams come true with this museum that pays hommage to Hergés most iconic comic strip creation: Tintin. All of his vast adventures that once cradled and enchanted my own childhood, now amuse me in this adventurous walk along the four different characterized parts of the building. The simple lined comic strips acquire a new third dimension. In the inside it's like becoming a new character because of the playful forms and coloured walls that resemble Hergés drawings.

map: Rue du Labrador, 26 , Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium

: : : ::: THE FACT

The building has 4 parts that illustrate diffrent kind of characters.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"I said to myself, from this point on, that the museum was obviously a tribute to Hergé, but also as much a game played with Hergé, or a letter to Hergé.”

- Christian de Portzamparc

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Herzog & de Meuron. 1111 Lincoln Road. "The joy ride"

2010-04-13T23:25:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I was amazed while visiting Herzog & de Meuron's -almost finished- building at Lincoln Road (Miami's most popular open mall). Garage, shops, and residences all mixed up in a unique spot. This whole new spatial and conceptual experience synthesizes the core of architectual design: the need of reflecting the actual -contemporary- way of life. H&M did it just great!

Seen from far, it looks like an unfinished building. It's the "muscle without cloth" as Herzog define's it. Well, aren't we in Miami?

As you enter by car it seems as if Disney's Magic Kingdom where right in the heart of South Miami Beach. The twist and turns overlapped with different heighted levels makes you feel flattened but then relieved as the susesion of simple and double heighted levels appear while driving along the ramps. Also, the dim light in the low heighted levels makes you feel you're going to be crushed against the ceiling when coming from a high leveled and "lighted" one. It's light that creates space with ticklish sensations. That's fun.

This is a "low heighted level". Shadow

and this one is high. Light.

We parked on level 7. The last one. Miami's skyline looked magnificent. But...was I on a parking garage? Yes, I was.

I walked all the way down - it's a must- and from the top I could hear a car's engine, and to my surprise, as I peeked from the stairs, I could see that the car was down on Level 1. Looking through the faceted stairway hole seemed like a game of hide and seek. Again in Disney trying to find the car as it appeared here but then there.

It's the ride that matters. A travel along the building. We're in Miami, aren't we?

Impeccable construction and thorough design:

The railing passing through the concrete columns

Entrance to the bathroom. What an angle! The painted strips on the wall highlight the walkway that crosses from one street to the other. Don't like the flooring.

Levels? What size? medium, large, or small? Just like shopping in Miami!

one of the stairs that link to the neighbouring bank.

a steel rod web. Art

concrete "cut with a nife". The solid concrete was as soft as baby's skin.

The whole building is a sculpture, but the stairs are the masterpiece:

Is it a Miami bunyan tree?

Believe it or not, a Retail at level 5!!! Lincoln's promenade continues...! (It's the glass structure at the back)

The mischief (Sorry H&deM! I believe it ment pain for them too!):

The ramp-column encounter

Is that "3" upside down?

Yeah, couldn't stop from taking a picture with the masterpiece. I like the tree and that wood that (unconsciously?) my sister made appear in the foreground. It's "Herzog & de Meuronesque".

If you ever go to Miami, you can't skip 1111 Lincoln Road. You've got to experience the sensorial promenade of this exceptional building full of details....

Toyo Ito. World Games Stadium

2010-03-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

map: Jhonghai Rd, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

: : : ::: THE FACT

The solar panels covering the vast external face of the stadium are able to generate most of the power required for its own operation, as well as additional power that can be saved.
The solar panel roof will produce 80% of the electricity in the nearby residential areas

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

“To me, it is more of a snake than a dragon. A wavy snake body with broad front and narrow hind would be the most precise metaphor. Snakes aren’t my favorite animal but I am a snake according to the Chinese horoscope.”

- Toyo Ito. Architect

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"it unfolds slowly to the visitor and is as much about connecting — physically and metaphorically — with the public spaces around it as it is about the intensity of a self-contained event"

- Nicolai Ouroussoff for The New York Times. READ MORE

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Santiago Calatrava. Liège-Guillemins Station

2010-03-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

map: Liège-Guillemins, 4000 Liege, 4000, Belgium

: : : ::: THE FACT

the station is set to provide a new pulse for the former industrial city, acting as the first part of a planned architectural vision for a corporate center in Belgium and the launch of Liège’s renewal.

The project has no facade in the traditional sense, since the interaction between interior and exterior is seamless. The monumental roof becomes, in effect, the project’s facade.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

”People think a station is just a roof, but it is much more complicated than that.”

- Santiago Calatrava

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"Its ethereal, transparent, filigree architecture suggests openness, a dissolving of boundaries, infinite horizons, speed, grace and ease: everything, in other words, that train travel should be."

- Jonathan Glancey for the Guardian. READ MORE

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Herzog & de Meuron. Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest)

2010-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

map: Olympic Green, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China

: : : ::: THE FACT

All thousands of tons of steel were made in China, making the stadium the largest steel structure in the world.
for the design, the team studied chinese ceramics

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

Why does a Chinese bowl or a Chinese window have this kind of pattern? Maybe the Chinese people like things to appear in this irregular way, but underneath there are very clear rules. The Bird's Nest developed in this way.
- Li Xinggang, head architect of CADG

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

Although China’s burgeoning wealth owes much to its export industries, for the Olympics the country has been content to play the reverse role, buying the most futuristic architecture that the rest of the world has to offer, rather than showcasing native talent.

Paul Goldberger. The Newyorker. Read more.

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Eric Owen Moss. The Umbrella

2010-02-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

map: Hayden Avenue 3535, Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA

: : : ::: THE FACT

The fundamental design intention was to provide an outdoor venue for a small number of muscians who would perform on the balcony for an audience seated below (now an internet HQ).
An outsatnding example of innovative use of material (glass)

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"This is a place with no hierarchy, but of fluid and flexible spaces".

- Eric Owen Moss

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

Lacking a precise definition and function, it is to be judged mainly for its formal values. It is architecture for the sake of the image; a design of a symbol with a strong identity, using an artistic approach rather than a functional one.

- Shira Brand. Read more at floornature.com

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Norman Foster. London City Hall.

2010-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

map: The Queens Walk, London, SE1 2AA, England

: : : ::: THE FACT

It has no front or back in conventional terms. Rather, its shape is derived from a geometrically modified sphere, a shape that achieves optimum energy performance by minimising the surface area exposed to direct sunlight.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"Norman Foster’s glass monstrosity on the south bank of the Thames is a terrible insult to its neighbour, Tower Bridge, and to the Tower of London across the river. The Glass Gonad, Boris calls his new HQ, while his deputy, Kit Malthouse, is blunter, ranking it as an “architectural jerk-off”. "

Read Sunday Times online article

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"this grey metal egg, with a helical ramp whipping up its middle, is not a normal-looking building."

Roger Moore. Read article

: : : ::: THE LINKS

ASYMPTOTE. The YAS Hotel

2010-01-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

map: Yas Island. United Arab Emirates

: : : ::: THE FACT

It's the first newly constructed building to cross over a Formula 1 race track

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

“a perfect union and harmonious interplay between elegance and spectacle. The search here was inspired by what one could call the ‘art’ and poetics of motor racing, specifically Formula 1, coupled with the making of a place that celebrates Abu Dhabi as a cultural and technological tour de force.”

Hani Rashid. Asymptote Architect

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"the hotel seems built for speed, in particular of the machines cruising by and under it, justifying both its forms (including the odd split solved by the grid structure) and its very existence."

Aaron Betsky at Architect Magazine

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Renzo Piano. Central St. Giles

2009-12-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

map: St. Giles High Street, London, England

: : : ::: THE FACT

the 6 different facades are made of brightly coloured ceramic cladding, assembled out of thousands of individual pieces. This material will barely fade and is self-cleaning in the rain, so will look much the same as it does now for decades.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"I wanted to make a building that smiles"

Renzo Piano

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"Central St Giles plays a high-risk game — it could have been nauseating — but in the end I am heartily glad that it is not another work of nondescript glass. It really does bring a new kind of energy to the neighbourhood."

Rowan Moore for London Evening Standard. Read article

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Piano's official site
Central St Giles official site
@ BD by Amanda Birch
@ World Architecture News
@ skyscrapernews.com

Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA. The New Museum of Contemporary Art

2009-12-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

map: 235 Bowery, New York, New York, USA

: : : ::: THE FACT

When searching a firm for the planning, the aim was to find young architects that hadn't built much in New York.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

“We don’t want to hide things behind gyp board, we want to show what the building is made of and maximize the feeling of openness, but do it in a beautiful way inside the parameters of the toughness. This is why the building’s structure and guts are exposed— the ducts, the sprinklers, the fireproofing material—and the view from the street includes everything on the ground floor.”

Sejima and Nishizawa (SANAA)

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"The most exciting space in the building is only four feet wide and some fifty feet high, and is tucked behind the elevators: it contains a stairway connecting the third- and fourth-floor galleries. I have never been anywhere at once so eerily narrow and so gloriously monumental."

Paul Goldberger @ The Newyorker. Read full article

"the contrast between the instability of the forms and the uniformity of the aluminum gives it a strangely enigmatic glow, evoking both a fading past and a phantom future. As you get closer, the skin becomes tougher and more industrial, echoing what’s left of the neighborhood’s grittier history."

Nicolai Ouroussoff @ The New York Times. Read full article

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Frank Gehry. Novartis AG Headquarters.

2009-12-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

map: Fabrikastrasse 15, Basel, Switzerland

: : : ::: THE FACT

To reduce direct solar heat gain the glass facades are coated with ceramic frits and the glass roof panels contain photovoltaic cells that generate the energy necessary to power artificial lighting for the building.

: : : ::: THE LINKS

arcspace
Critic by Ouroussoff for NY Times

Zaha Hadid. London Olympic Aquatic Centre.

2009-11-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

map: Olympic Villa, Stratford, London, England

Original project rendering without side stands

Project with side stands

Construction site on november 2009

: : : ::: THE FACT

described as ‘the most complicated engineering challenge’ anywhere on the London 2012 Olympic Park.
the steel roof frame weighs more than 3000 tonnes and stands on only three supports.
two temporary stands were added to the original project

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

“The architectural concept of the Aquatic Centre is inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion, creating spaces and a surrounding environment in sympathy with the river landscape."

Zaha Hadid

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Zaha Hadid. MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts

2009-11-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

map: via Guido Reni, 2f 00196 Rome, Italy

: : : ::: THE FACT

Visitors are invited to dive into a dense, continuous space
The project is characterised by two primary architectural elements: the exposed concrete walls that delimit the exhibition halls and determine the intertwining of volumes, and the transparent roof that modulates and filters natural light.
The Contemporary Art and Architecture Centre for Rome is the first national museum for contemporary art in Italy.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"An interesting thing about the museum in Rome is that it is no longer an object, but rather a field, which implies that many programs could be attached to the museum. It’s no longer a museum, but a centre."

Zaha Hadid. Read more at dezeen.com

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"The completion of the museum is proof that this city is no longer allergic to the new and a rebuke to those who still see Rome as a catalog of architectural relics for scholars or tourists. It affirms the view that cities thrive when each generation attempts to rise to the challenges of the past while remaining true to contemporary values. That means that yes, we too — the living — have something to contribute."

Nicolai Ouroussoff. New York Times. 11-11-09. Read article

Read Jay Merrick from UK's The Independent

Read Jonathan Glancey from UK's Gaurdian

read Tom Dykhoff from The Times

"Roman Horror Day" by Ellis Woodman for bdonline. 11/20/09

It is also clearly intended to say something about Rome, that the city’s spectacular history of architecture is not over
Rowan Moore for "The Architect's Journal". 11/19/09

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Studio Gang Architects. Aqua Tower

2009-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

map: 225 N Columbus Dr, Chicago, Illinois, USA

: : : ::: THE FACT

It is the tallest building designed by a woman-owned architectural firm and the first skyscraper from Chicago’s Jeanne Gang, of Studio Gang Architects, who is just 45 years old.
It’s already won an award from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals because birds will be able to see its curving balconies and therefore will be less likely to fly into the tower.
Its powerful form suggests the limestone outcroppings and geologic forces that shaped the great lakes region.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

Concrete is always treated like it’s a solid stone material, but it’s really this fluid.

Jeanne Gang. Read more at metropolismag.com

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

At Aqua, the old base-middle-top formula is out. The top is conspicuously flat. It is the middle, with its playful bulges, that is the star.

Blair Kamin. Read article from Chicago Tribune Citiscape's

And using the curves to dissipate the wind gave Gang a bonus: she was able to put balconies on every floor, all the way up. Usually, condominiums sixty or seventy floors above the street don’t have balconies, because it’s just too windy up there to go outside.

Paul Goldberger for the Newyorker. Read article

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Diller Scofidio + Renfro and FXFowle Architects. Alice Tully Hall

2009-11-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

map: 1941 Broadway, New York, New York, USA

: : : ::: THE FACT

The jury particularly appreciated that the design team rethought an existing building and its environs, proving the needlessness of tearing the place down and starting fresh
designed to integrate the site with the surrounding cityscape

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"This is a reuse of a building and a transformation of an urban space," Jeanne Gang

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"...artfully sidestepping the tiresome old dichotomy between preservation and the wrecking ball. It’s a subtle knock at those who define good and bad in terms of a period or style rather than through a direct emotional engagement with an individual work. Think something is ugly? Look closer. There may be moments of unexpected beauty inside."

Nicolai Ouroussoff for NYTimes. Read article

"(the architects) They manage to be bold and subtle at the same time, making a dull building exciting without warping its identity completely."

"The greatest design failing of Lincoln Center was its separation from the rest of the city, and the redo of Sixty-fifth Street will go a long way toward healing that breach."

Paul Goldberger for The Newyorker. Read article

"(the architects) they are performing what they call “architectural striptease,” peeling the buildings back to their essence. It should really be called architectural therapy, since the goal is to improve the complex’s personality more than its appearance"

Justin Davidson for New York Magazine. Read article

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Museum of Image and Sound

2009-11-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

map: Av. Atlântica, 3432, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

: : : ::: THE FACT

the building takes inspiration from the neighbourhood’s stylized sidewalks designed by Roberto Burle Marx.
The “Vertical Boulevard” gently traverses indoor and outdoor spaces.

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

. “I always wanted to see another function”

Governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro in announcing that the museum will occupy the site of a former infamous nightclub that became an area of prostitution and drug trafficking.

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Zaha Hadid. Vitra Fire Station

2009-11-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

map: Charles-Eames-Straße 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein, Germany

: : : ::: THE FACT

Constructed as a working firehouse within the Vitra furniture design and manufacturing complex (buildings by renowned architects such as Ando, Ghery, Herzog & de Meuron, Grimshaw) after a fire some years earlier proved the need for such a structure

: : : ::: THE CRITIC

"Sharp edges on its overhanging canopy suggest the urgency of its purpose"
By Philip Kennicott. Washington Post

: : : ::: THE QUOTE

"The Fire Station is a sculpture of cast in-situ concrete that contrasts with the orthogonal order of the adjacent factory buildings like the frozen image of an explosion in a photograph"

: : : ::: THE LINKS

Steven Holl. Lynked Hybrid

2009-10-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

map: Beijing, China

: : : ::::THE FACT

Named by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) as the “Best Tall Building Overall” for 2009

: : : :::: THE QUOTE

“It is only in the intensification of our cities and the inclusion of mixed urban-public facilities in the sky that the true vibrant, dense cities of the future can be realized. The Linked Hybrid building, perhaps more than any other built project, really does point the way to that future.”

Anthony Wood. CTBUH Executive Director

: : : ::::THE CRITIC

The idea of the street high above the city is intended to counteract the sense of isolation that high-rise living usually brings, and to create an incentive for residents to walk around the complex.

Paul Goldberger for The Newyorker. read the article

: : : ::::THE LINKS

OMA by Rem Koolhaas, & Ole Sheeren. CCTV Tower

2009-10-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

map: Guanghua Lu, BeijingChaoyang, China An adjacent building in the complex caught on fire by fireworks on Feb 9th 2009, before the building's scheduled completion in May 2009. It was to have the Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel

The fire extinguished: should the building be demolished or rebuilt? Read more

:::THE FACT

- On the bridge where the two leaning legs of the office meet there is a glass floor 525 feet above ground.

:::THE QUOTE
"The project is one of the most visionary since modernism and beyond" Tina di Carlo, assistant curator of architecture and design at the Museum for Modern Art (MoMA)

:::THE CRITIC

"it is a dazzling reinvention of the skyscraper, using size not to dominate but to embrace the viewer." Paul Goldberger for The New Yorker. June 30, 2008. Read the article

:::THE LINKS

info at OMA official site

info at wikipedia

The Newyorker. June 8, 2008

NY Times: Fire Ravages Renowned Building in Beijing
Ny Times Robin Pogrebin. Nov 16, 2006
info at arcspace
Februrary 9, 2010. The Wall Street Journal: China prepares to salvage Tower.

Mc Cormack & asociados. Recycling Los Molinos Building

2009-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

map: Av. Juana Manso y Azucena Villaflor, Dique 3, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Picture taken by PD showing Paul Siquier's mural. January 2010

Listen to Developer Alan Faena and artist Pablo Siquier

Views on Puerto Madero

:::THE FACT

- Designed as a center of art, culture, creativity, technology and life, the building will house, in what was the old engine room of the building, the Laboratory of Artistic Experimentation, "The Cathedral", which will be reserved for cultural activities.
- The project includes a pedestrian space linking Juana Manso Avenue and Aime Paine, under the glass bridge mills that link both buildings, decorated with a large mural of Paul Siquier.

:::THE QUOTE

"My purpose is to contribute to this global trend that believes in the creative transformation of cities as the necessary environment for the evolution of societies. The Art District which we conceive is in that direction (...). The future of modern society depends on the creative transformation of cities. What we build will remain in time and be part of the landscape of the new generations "" This work is to inherit. It is part of the heritage of our city. The basic idea was to recover the port design, manufacturing and service of Argentina in the early twentieth century and refunds according to a new urban model that will conceive the next generation. This was not intended as a ghetto but as an open space that encourages communication with the surroundings of Puerto Madero and the city. That is the value added ". Developer Alan Faena

:::THE CRITIC

the encounter between the existing and the new is proposed for a flexible and compact at a time. The aesthetics are integrated into a new form, simple, expressed in straight lines.
read more by Daniel Moya at Clarin news

read article by Mariana Fiorito for arq+his

:::THE COMMENT

Definetely Buenos Aires needs these type of buildings that incorporate public spaces into their own private one, giving the city the urban quality it needs.

:::THE LINKS

info at revistaarquitectura.com
info at "Noticias" magazine

Rem Koolhaas, Oma & Joshua Ramus. Seattle Public Library

2009-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

map: 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, Washington, USA

:::THE FACT

- a grand staircase transformed into an open auditorium, its side aisles form a stairway that descends to the 4th avenue entrance floor
- The books are placed along a “book spiral,” on a continuous four-story ramp

:::THE QUOTE

"It's a very specific culture here, (...) There is a very highly developed common sensibility and a highly developed sense of solidarity between the rich and the poor. I think it's the only part of America where the rich are angst-ridden and want to do good. It is also a culture where many people have been involved in the digital world. What connects everyone is a dedication to reason and to reasoning, and I think that enabled us to do the project and explains the way it turned out." Rem Koolhaas

:::THE CRITIC

"The rap on modernism is that it comes in just two flavors-the cold perfection of Mies or a cacophonous experimentalism that often seems more about fashion than architecture. The Seattle Public Library points to a third way, a new maturity" read more by Lynn Becker

:::THE LINKS

info at arcspace

info at OMA official site
info at archdaily

"Forbidden cities" by Paul Goldberger for The Newyorker

Coop Himmelb(l)au. Musée des Confluences.

2009-10-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

map : Quai Perrache, 69002 Lyon, France

Quotes & Facts

- "In the same way the future Musée des Confluences in Lyon is defined through the convergence of two currents, its architecture is characterised by the merging of two entities that are given urban stature with a local, regional and supra-regional significance, thus contributing to the self esteem of the city of Lyon within the regional boundaries of France."Coop Himmelb(l)au

- The crystal rising towards the side of the town is conceived as an urban forum and entrance hall for visitors

click : info at arcspace

click : moving render at Museum's official site

click : Coop's official site

Frank Gehry. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

2009-10-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

map: Saadiyat Island, Cultural District, United Arab Emirates
or
map: Saadiyat Cultural District

Quotes & Facts:

- "The site itself, virtually on the water or close to the water on all sides, in a desert landscape with the beautiful sea and the light quality of the place suggested some of the direction.” —Frank Gehry

- The building site also serves as a manmade breakwater configured to protect the island’s pristine north beach zone

- it's the largest museum in a series of cultural institutions planned as part of the Saadiyat Cultural District

- Tadao Ando, Hadid, Nouvel and Foster projects in same island.

click : Saadiyat Island official site

click : the building at Guggenheim official site

click : "Starchitects Join Abu Dhabi’s Big Cultural Gambit" byRobert Such at archrecord.com

click : info of 4 buildings at arcspace.com

Jean Nouvel. Louvre Abu Dhabi

2009-10-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

map : Saadiyat Island, Cultural District, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
or
map : Saadiyat district map

QUOTES & FACTS:

- This micro-city requires a micro-climate that would give the visitor a feeling of entering a different world. The building is covered with a large dome, a form common to all civilisations.
This one is made of a web of different patterns interlaced into a translucent ceiling which lets a diffuse, magical light come through in the best tradition of great Arabian architecture.
Water is given a crucial role, both in reflecting every part of the building and acting as a psyche, and in creating, with a little help from the wind, a comfortable micro- climate that will give visitors a feeling of entering a different world.” J.Nouvel
- “Abu Dhabi’s ultimate goal in creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and indeed the entire Saadiyat Island Cultural District, is to build a platform for deeper and more meaningful exchange among people from our own region and from all parts of the globe,”. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.
- a 24,000 sq m complex of pavilions, plazas, alleyways and canals 'evoking the image of a city floating on the sea'. Hovering over the complex will be a form inspired by traditional Arabic architecture: a vast, shallow, perforated dome—some 180 metres in diameter.
- It will feature artworks loaned from several top French museums, including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, le Centre Pompidou, the Musée de Quai Branly and the Musée Guimet.

click : Saadiyat Island official site

click : "Construction under way on Jean Nouvel's Louvre Abu Dhabi" on bdcnetwork.com 5/26/09

click: "Starchitects Join Abu Dhabi’s Big Cultural Gambit" by Robert Such on Archrecord
5/2007

click : Nouvel's official site

César Pelli. Goldman Sachs Tower

2009-10-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

map : 30 Hudson St, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Picture taken by author (PD) from Hudson River, october 2006

QUOTES & FACTS:

- the company has begun construction of another tower directly across the water in Lower Manhattan and plans to shuttle workers between the two buildings on private ferries, calling this their "Venice strategy"
- "sprung up over on what was once industrial land. It is an enormous complex—by far the largest cluster of skyscrapers in the region outside Manhattan." (Goldberger)
- Considered part of New York's skyline

click : arch critic Paul Goldberg from The New Yorker

click : wikipedia

click : more images

click : Pelli's official site

Diller Scofidio + Renfro & James Corner Field Operations. The Highline Park

2009-10-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

map : Washington St & Gansvoort St, New York, New York, USA

Project description

the Highline's story

TIMES architectural critic Vincent Lacayo with Scofidio at Highline Park today.

FACTS

- built on an abandoned elevated railroad
- the paving system consists of individual pre-cast concrete planks with open joints to encourage emergent growth like wild grass through cracks in the sidewalk

click : The Highline Park official site
click : James Corner Field Op official site
click : Diller Scofidio + Renfro's official site
click : info at archrecord
click : info and more images at architecturelab

Cook + Fox. The Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park

2009-10-19T18:49:00.001-07:00

map: 113 West 42nd Street, New York, New York, USAa view of the Bank (emerging at the back), from the Empire State Building. Picture taken by friend Tomas Pastoriza on october 2009

The Building is the 2nd tallest in NY, after the Empire State

watch NATGEO video on the building

FACTS:

- Bank of America Tower is the first skyscraper designed to attain a Platinum LEED Certification

- Several buildings were demolished to make way for the tower

- It is currently the second tallest building in New York City, after the Empire State Building, and the fourth tallest building in the United States

click : Cook+Fox's official site

click : info at Wikipedia

click : info at Wired New York

click : more images

click : Tower gets top green-building rating. May 20th 2010

Joshua Prince-Ramus of REX and Rem Koolhaas of OMA. Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre

2009-10-17T20:49:00.001-07:00

map : 2401 Ross Ave, Dallas, Texas, USA

: : : ::::THE FACT

a new theatre chair is one of the main elements in this revolutionary concept in theatre design. Read more at dezeen.

: : : ::::THE QUOTE

"Unlike a typical theatre, the Wyly accommodates back-of-house and front-of-house areas above and beneath the auditorium rather than wrapped around it, liberating its perimeter – a glass façade with optional blackout blinds – for direct contact with the urban surroundings. Passersby have the chance to glimpse the action inside"
Rose Etherington for dezeen

: : : ::::THE CRITIC

"The thrill of this building, in the end, lies not in the details but in the transformative powers of the machine inside."

Nicolai Ouroussoff for The NY Times. Oct 14, 2009. Read article

read Christopher Hawthorne's critic for LA Times. Oct 7, 2009.

: : : ::::THE LINKS

Zaha Hadid. Performing Arts Center

2009-10-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

map : Saadiyat Island. United Arab Emirates

FACTS

- Abu Dhabi aims to become one of the great cultural centers of the Middle East
- Nouvel, Ando and Ghery museum projects to be built in same Island
- "Ms. Hadid’s design for the performing arts center springs from the complex nature of the site rather than an exploration of cultural memory" (H. Fattah)

click : NY Times article " Celebrity Architects Reveal a Daring Cultural Xanadu for the Arab World" by HASSAN FATTAH. 02/01/2007

click : NYTimes article: "A vision in the desert" by NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF. 02/01/2007

click : project description in de zeen.com

click : info in Hadid's official blog

click : all 4 Saadiyat Island project renders in plataforma arquitectura.com

click : model pictures in desmena.com

Zaha Hadid. Housing over Spittelau viaduct

2009-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

map : Spittelauer Lände, 1090 Vienna, Austria

click : more images at archoy by Santiago Miret
click : Zaha'a official site
click : expo in design museum
click : bio at arcspace
click : bio at wikipedia
click : tips on how to get there
click : info at Zaha Hadid's blog

click : Shumacher's (partner) lectures and interviews

Coop Himmelb(l)au. Gasometer B

2009-10-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

map : Guglgasse 8, 1110, Vienna, Austria

click : Coop's official site
click : info (spanish) with drawings, photos and videos
click : info in wikiarquitectura

Coop Himmelb(l)au of Prix and Swiczinsky. Office extension at Falkastrasse 6

2009-10-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

map : Falkestraße 6, 1010 Vienna, Austria

click : moving render in Youtube
click : info in blog "arqhoy" by Santiago Miret

click : Coop's official site

César Pelli. Corporate architects: Hampton/Rivoira. Bank Boston Tower

2009-10-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

map : Av. Madero 1164 , Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina

click : article on artist Roux's wall painting (spanish)

click : info in wikiarquitectura

click : Pelli's official site

click : info in Hampton/Rivoira's official site

click : Interview with Pelli in Clarin news by M. Jurado (spanish)

click : chat with Carlos Dibar, member of the International Committee of Architectural Critics, on Puerto Madero and urbanism in Buenos Aires (spanish)

César Pelli. Repsol YPF tower

2009-10-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

map : Macacha Guemes y Juana Manso, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina

High level view. The River "de la Plata" in the background

The tower under construction, pointing out in the Buenos Aires skyline, from Costanera sur ecological reserve

The tower is the highest building in the picture, right in the middle, seen from Costanera sur ecological reserve, an oasis in touch with the city limits

View from the dam. Mario Roberto Alvarez's Hilton in the foreground. Picture by author.

View from the dam with Calatrava's Puente de la Mujer and the Sarmiento Frigate. Picture by author

Close view. Picture by author

click : wikipedia
click : article "Pelli planta árboles en una torre frente al río" by Ariel Hendler (spanish)
click : info in skyscrapercity.com (spanish)
click : Pelli's official site
click : interview in arq+his (spanish)

César Pelli with Mario Roberto Álvarez. Edificio República

2009-10-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

map : Av Bouchard 685, Buenos Aires, Argentina

click : info on emporis.com
click : dec 06. article in "La Nacion" news (spanish)
click : info in wikiarquitectura.com (spanish)
click : Pelli's official site

Santiago Calatrava. Puente de la Mujer

2009-10-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

map : Dique 3, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina

View of the bridge with Pelli's Repsol YPF tower in the background

Puerto Madero's new building development at he back

All pictures taken by author.

click : wikipedia

click : Calatrava's official site

click : more images

Architecture for Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.

2009-10-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

map: Maracana, Deodoro, Copacabana, Barra, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

click : "The city shaped by community hope - Viva Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil" writing by Roberto Segre, member of the International Committee of Architectural Critics

Kohn, Pedersen, Fox (KPF) . Espíritu Santo Plaza

2009-10-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

map : 1395 Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida, USA

Picture taken by author (PD). June 2009. Espiritu Santo Plaza is the building to the left. Beside it stands HSBC/Four seasons tower by Bermello, Ajamil associates, Miami's highest building This other picture, taken in 2006, shows a side view of Espiritu Santo Plaza under construction, far back to the left, behind HSBC/Four Seasons tower

click : KPF official site

click : Miami New Times article

click : world architecture news.com

click : "hurricane proof glass" by Adam Mizrahi

Kohn, Pedersen, Fox (KPF) & Hampton/Rivoira arqs (local associates). Telecom tower

2009-10-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

map : Alicia Moreau de Justo 50, Buenos Aires, Argentina

picture taken by author

click : KPF's official site

click : article in Clarin news

click : info in Hampton/Rivoira official site

click : web info

Cesar Pelli. 181 Madison St.

2009-10-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

map : 181 West Madison, Chicago, Illinois, USA

click: info on Pelli's official site
click : 181 official site
click : web info

Frank Gehry. The Jay Pritzker Pavillion. Millenium Park

2009-10-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

map : 201 E. Randolph St, Chicago, Illinois, USA
take a look at the pictures I've taken on October 2010

click : web info
click : Chicago Tribune article by critic Blair Kamim. 7/15/04
click : Gehry official site
click : more Gehry projects in arcspace

Renzo Piano. Chicago Art Institute. Modern wing

2009-10-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

map : 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois, USA
take a look at the pictures I've taken on October 2010

click : more images

click : Article by Roberta Smith for the NY Times

click : Article by Nicolai Ouroussoff of the NY Times

click : Piano's official site

click : post from Edward Lifson's blog: "Hello beautifull"

click : Piano's statement about the project

Herzog & de Meuron. de Young Museum

2009-10-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

map : 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA‎, USA click : article on NY Times by Nicolai Ouroussoff
click : Architects review on Museum's official site

Renzo Piano. California Academy of Sciences. Largest public Platinum-rated building in the world

2009-10-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

map : 55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA, USA

click : NY Times article by Nicolai Ouroussoff

click : more images

click : Piano's official site

click : the buildings sustainable design on Academy's official site
click : walk and learn about the museum in YouTube
click : Piano talks about the museum in YouTube

click: critic by John King for San Francisco Chronicle

Yoshio Taniguchi. MoMA. Museum of Modern Art. KPF executive archs

2009-10-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

map : 11 W 53rd St, New York, New York, USAAll pictures are taken by the author (PD). October 2007

click : info in MoMA official site

click : Taniguchi in archiplanet.com

click : article on The New Yorker by Paul Goldenberg

click : KPF official site

ASYMPTOTE. 166 Perry St

2009-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

map: 166 Perry St, New York, New York, USA
click : ASYMPTOTE official site
click : info at arcspace

Norman Foster. Hearst Tower

2009-09-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

map: 300 West 57 Street, New York, New York, USA

click : New York Times article by Nicolai Ouroussoff

click : wikipedia

click : Hearst Tower on Foster's official site

Kohn, Pedersen, Fox. World Trade Center Tower 5

2009-09-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

map : 130 Liberty St, New York, New York, USA 5 WTC first from right (actually Deutsche Bank Tower being dismanteled), then Maki's 4 WTC, Roger's 3 WTC, and Calatrava's Transportation hub

click : KPF official site
click : Kohn Responds to WTC5 Criticisms. Article on Archrecord by Alec Applebaum

click : World Trade Center official site
click : WTC5 on Wikipedia
click: Curbed NY: the decade's top 10 crazy things that didn't get built

Michael Arad & Peter Walker. National September 11 Memorial & Museum

2009-09-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

map : World Trade Center Site, New York, New York, USA

click : WTC official site

click : LowerManhattan.info

click : construction progress updates

click : Lower Manhattan Developement Corporation

click : Architect Arad on Wikipedia

click : NYMag article on Arad by Joe Hagan

click : live webcam showing construction of WTC site