December 2005
MVRDV Moves Into Mountains
Ever commited to the unconventional, MVRDV has designed a housing complex for Liuzhou, China that once again defies convention. The location of the project is a valley where the eroding mountain face will be enveloped by a series of staggered boxed structures that will leave pockets of vegetation in an amalgam of built and natural form. In the valley itself is a wetland or constructed pond that is shown to support both vegetation and housing on its edge.
There is something parasitic about the development as it grows from the valley, and unfortunately there is neither an ecological nor slope stabilization strategy present on their Web site, but it would be interesting to know how they plan on striking a balance between the existing ecology and proposed architecture. Liuzhou is scheduled to be completed in 2007.
Link: MVRDV
Via: China Daily
LA's Newest Status Symbol
The LA Times features an article on LA's "newest status symbol", the Sierra Towers.
Sierra Towers sits on Doheny Road at the western end of the Sunset Strip, where the lively commercial clutter of West Hollywood gives way to the grand mansions of Beverly Hills. The building has always had its fans, well-heeled Westsiders of a certain age who appreciated the unobstructed views from every floor and the tender ministrations of porters and attentive doormen. It isn't surprising that condos in the building have been selling for jaw-dropping prices the last few years — the cost of residential real estate has skyrocketed throughout Southern California. Yet a Sierra Towers address now represents something more than a hefty price tag: The building has acquired a cool quotient.
Link: LA Times
Landscape — December 22, 2005
Posted by Deborah
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax N.S
The competition to redesign Point Pleasant Park has been awarded to the firms NIP Paysage, Montreal and Ekistics Planning & Design, Dartmouth. Point Pleasant Park is a park in Halifax, Nova Scotia that has sustained damage in the way of insect infestation, ice storms and Hurricane Juan seriously damaging and degrading their coastal forest. Therefore, it is no surprise that the mandate for the competition was Regenerate, Restore and Renew focusing attention on strengthening coastal ecologies and preserving the unique heritage of the site. The panels themselves are lessons in ecology, detailing 50-year forest management and slope stabilization strategies, combined with native plantings and local materials.
Link: Point Pleasant Park
Link: Ekistics
Link: NIP Paysage
Draw attention to America's irreplaceable and diverse garden and horticultural heritage
Historic buildings are not the only treasures on our nation's cultural endangered species list -- America 's landscape legacy of gardens is also at risk. In an effort to raise awareness for these nationally significant resources, the Washington, D.C.-based Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) along with Garden Design magazine, have issued a Call for Nominations - Landslide 2006: Spotlight on the Garden.
Nominate a great American landscape. Deadline for nominations is January 31, 2006.
Link: The Cultural Landscape Foundation - Landslide 2006
Via: Archinect
Jellio: Fun By Design
The 70's were colourful and plastic as a kid and Mario Marsicano and Chris Lenox of Jellio have captured that childhood aesthetic in their furniture and art collections. Their Turbo line takes its inspiration from the Revell car model kits; remember the plastic snap-off pieces? The Jellio version is wall mounted and made from aluminum-filled polyurethane resin with a metallic silver finish. I was delighted to find Rockem Sockem Robots commemorated in an end table; they were a personal favorite, but they also make a "Light Britesque" table, squirt gun art and more. Jellio truly is fun by design.
Link: Jellio [Thanks, Mario!]
Ozark chapel honored with AIA 2006 Twenty-five Year Award
It is one thing to celebrate a new building, but it is another to look back and recognize an outstanding design that has stood the test of time. We have an award winner looking back 5 years to show you from Ireland as well, but here is a building in the US which has been awarded a 25 year award. And I am sure that the Throncrown Chapel will continue to be celebrated for some time to come.
There are not many iconic modern religious structures which come immediately to mind. Thorncrown and Lloyd Wright's Wayfarers Chapel are certainly two of the most significant modern religious buildings in the US that come to my mind. Interestingly both of the Wrightian Organic Architecture school of thought.
Architect E. Fay Jones’s unique appreciation of the site and environment are what make the Crownthorn Chapel so special. Beyond the striking structural concept it is the way that Mr. Jones made use of the tracery of the trees, the dappled light through the foliage and branches, the rooted connection to the earth and the soaring slot of sky above which make this building truly remarkable.
Link: Thorncrown Chapel
Link: AIA - Thorncrown Chapel Selected to Receive AIA 2006 Twenty-five Year Award
Michael Wolf on Hong Kong
Michael Wolf is a photographer who captures the residential condition of Hong Kong as a portrait of both density and abandonment. The repetitive patterns of apartment buildings showcases order at its most extreme producing a visual lull that is both attractive and arresting. The majority of images were captured at unknown heights creating a boundlessness that is uncomfortable, but outweighed by the intrigue. Michael Wolf's truly engaging study can be found in Kenneth Baker and Douglas Young's Hong Kong: Front Door / Back Door.
Link: Polar Inertia
Link: Hong Kong: Front Door/ Back Door
BO BEDRE Element 2005 competition
If you had only eight days to design a piece of furniture how well do you think you'd do? The young designers who took up the challenge to do just that did fairly well at the Danish magazine BO BEDRE Element 2005 competition.
The criteria for competition was a maximum of five years of design experience, being under 35 and having eight days to produce a finished product. Seven designers took the challenge and their work is currently on display at the Danish Design Centre until December 30, 2005.
Link: DDC Release: Element 2005
Architecture of Dublin
Getting back to Ireland as promised, let's take a look at some modern Irish architecture in Dublin. Although Adriean did not tag along with my wife and I on our trip... at least not that I know of... he was feeling the Irish architecture vibe as well with his post highlighting some of this year's RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) award winners.
Following is more of what I have seen in Dublin... I will sprinkle some comments in with the photos. For those who want to dig deeper, check out The Reflecting City. This site is part of a current mixed media exhibition detailing the urban transformation in Dublin over the past decade. The site allows you to delve into the history, present and future of city via an interactive zoned map. The site focuses on nine districts and provides related images, interviews, virtual tours and abundant information related to the community, planning and projects.
Link: The Reflecting City: The Reconstruction of Dublin
Reference: Seeing Éire [prologue] (L+L)
Reference: Seeing Éire [II] - Temple Bar (L+L)
Reference: RIAI Awards 2005 (L+L)
Ireland Celebrates it's own
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland has recently handed out their awards for the best of 2005. Founded in 1839, the RIAI is the representative body for professionally qualified architects in Ireland and is the only dedicated exhibition facility for architecture and design in the country.
The RIAI travels to numerous venues throughout Ireland as well as London to recognize and showcase the wide range of projects completed throught the year. From high end residential to conference centres, it's a great display of work to look through.
Link: RIAI - Irish Architecture Awards 2005
Help develop a guide for safer rural buildings
It's competition day at L+L... this one by Architecture for Humanity.
In an effort to improve the long term shelter needs of those displaced by the Kashmir earthquake, the competition seeks to assemble a manual for distributing knowledge of earthquake resistant housing construction to make sure that homes are rebuilt safely and potentially save lives in the future.
It is free to enter and teams have until January 20th 2006 to put together schemes that utilize local materials and technology.
Link: Architecture for Humanity - Design[ER]
Via: Archinect
Design a cart that can provide shelter and storage.
For 2006 designboom started a non-profit-project : an international design competition under the title 'shelter in a cart'. The call for entries is now open. Participation is free. Deadline for entry submission is March 10, 2006.
The brief:
Urban homeless use carts to carry their possessions and to collect goods (like bottles, cardboard, etc.) that they then return to various recyclers in exchange for cash. this provides a small and valuable income. It is essential that your cart design not only accommodates all these functions but that it is affordable
(for production and for private parties or charity organisations
who wish to donate them).
Link: Designboom - Shelter in a Cart
BP Site Parkland / Harbourside Park wins four independant design awards
The Former BP Site Public Parkland at North Sydney (which we featured last May) was recently awarded the 'Overall Award for Excellence' by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects New South Wales Chapter. It also won the 'Design Excellence Award' for best project in NSW, bringing the total medal count for this project to four. The project design is in the vain of the current Spanish "enviro cool" parks.
The jury stated, mcgregor+partners "clearly demonstrated an intelligent and contemporary approach to the reuse
and interpretation of an industrial site."
Link: mcgregor+partners [Thanks, Adrian!]
Link: AILA New South Wales State Awards 2005
Reference: BP Site Parkland (L+L)
An Ireland travelogue teaser
Five days after returning from nearly two-weeks in Ireland, I am finally shaking the lingering jetlag and feeling motivated enough to begin to sort through some of my photos and recollections.
This trip was an anniversary trip with my wife who is not quite the design fanatic that I am, therefore seeking out examples of modern Irish design was not on the itinerary. But we came across enough in passing... but not too much so as to upset the missus.
A bit of light content follows... a brief description of our journey and some random images with more detailed content in the next few days.
Éireann go Brách!
Landscape — December 6, 2005
Posted by Deborah
The 6th edition at Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens, Québec
The names of the designers invited to take place in the seventh annual International Garden festival at Redford Gardens has been announced. They are: Pete North and Alissa North, landscape architects from Toronto, Ontario; Bosses Design (Éric Daoust, Donald Potvin, Jean-François Potvin), architects and designers from Montréal, Québ, Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot, landscape architects from Los Angeles, California; Chris Reed, landscape architect from Boston, Massachusetts (Stoss); Atelier le Balto (Marc Pouzol, Véronique Faucheur, Marc Vatinel), landscape architects from Berlin, Germany.
Link: International Garden Festival
Reference: International Garden Festival 2005 (L+L)
One of the most important examples of experimental design
The Pearlroth House, built by architect Andrew Geller in 1959 and located in Westhampton Beach, is scheduled to be demolished in spring 2006. Filmmaker Jake Gorst, along with Exhibitions International, are working to save the house from demolition. Their plan is to relocate the house and turn it into a museum of mid-century modern architecture.
Johnathan Pearlroth, son of Mitch and Arthur Pearlroth, and current owner of the house, approached filmmaker Jake Gorst in April 2005 regarding the possibility of preserving the house by relocation. Additions made to the house in the 1970s were decaying and much repair work needed to be done. Present day building codes made a complete restoration impossible without further compromising the original design. Pearlroth realized that he would have to build a new structure if his family was to continue enjoying their beachfront property.
For more info, follow the links below.
Link: Pearlroth House
Link: Andrew Geller
