VotW 08: Shigeru Ban On L/Studio

Today we feature a video of Shigeru Ban talking about his work in his own words. Ban is the architect of such works as the Nomadic Museum, Artek Pavilion, Centre Pompidou Metz and the Aspen Art Museum among others. As Ban describes in the video, he has long been a proponent of using materials or more specifically, recycled mass produced items in unconventional ways in his works. The wikipedia entry for Ban describes his polemics in this way:

For Ban, one of the most important themes in his work is the “invisible structure”. That is, he doesn't overtly express his structural elements, but rather chooses to incorporate it into the design. Ban is not interested in the ‘newest’ materials and techniques, but rather the expression of the concept behind his building. The materials he chooses to use are deliberately chosen for how they aid the building to do so.

Shigeru Ban Website

Happy Holidays '09

Regent Street, London, UK - Regent Street
via flickr: leoniewise

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Intriguing Earth Architecture 75

CGAC, Santiago De Compostela, Spain - Alvaro Siza Vieira
via flickr: David G. Neguillo

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VotW 07: Canal Theater By Baldeweg

In case you were not aware a fairly new website has emerged on the web featuring video reporting of many architectural and design projects throughout Europe. In their own words:

Studio Banana TV is an on-line platform dedicated to the promotion of multidisciplinary creativity in an audiovisual format. Studio Banana TV broadcasts its own video productions which are produced upon demand and which range from interviews to notorious artists, designers, architects, musicians etc. to documentaries on exhibitions, projects and studios. Through its thematic channels it also features a rich selection of videos edited by specialists in each field.

In this weeks video Studio Banana TV features the Canal Theater Building by Juan Navarro Baldeweg in Madrid, Spain. Here is an excerpt from their website describing the video itself:

Juan Navarro Baldeweg (Santander, 1939) is a Spanish architect, painter and sculptor. Navarro Baldeweg has provided a novel look at the constructive practices, in which the work is understood as the subject of an existing physical context activation. He has been guest lecturer at many international universities and is a professor in the Department of Architectural Design of ETSAM. He is author, among other works, of the National Museum of Altamira, the Canal Theatres in Madrid, the National Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos, the Salamanca Congress Centre, the Institute of Archeology and Architecture Awareness in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, or the extension to the School of Music at Princeton University. Special thanks to the Canal Theatre and to Juan Navarro Baldeweg Architects.

Interview and translation by Studio Banana TV

Juan Navarro Baldeweg at Alessi

Intriguing Earth Architecture 74

Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Gehry Partners, LLP
via web: Hello Beautiful!

If you have not visited already, we highly recommend Hello Beautiful! by Edward Lifson which provided the article and inspiration for the photo shared here.

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Intriguing Earth Architecture 73

Alumni Hall Parking Structure (Lehigh University), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA - Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
via flickr: alish863psu

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VotW 06: Carolyn Steel Speaks At TED

Here is a description of the lecture given by Steel from the TED website:

Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.

Cullum and Nightingale Architects
Review of "Hungry City" by Steel

Intriguing Earth Architecture 72

Cite' de la Musique, Paris, France - Atelier Christian de Portzamparc

via flickr: laurenatclemson

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Intriguing Earth Architecture 71

Community Boathouse, Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Anmahian Winton Architects
via flickr: Chris Devers

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VotW 05: Daniel Libeskind Speaks At TED

Here is a description of the lecture given by Libeskind from the TED website:

Daniel Libeskind builds on very big ideas. Here, he shares 17 words that underlie his vision for architecture -- raw, risky, emotional, radical -- and that offer inspiration for any bold creative pursuit.

Studio Daniel Libeskind
TED bio

Intriguing Earth Architecture 70

Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany - Renzo Piano Building Workshop
via flickr: Luigi Rosa

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Posta Aerea 08

We are sifting through the virtual mailbag again and would like to share a few newsworthy items with our readers. So without further ado here are the selections that we have filtered for your enjoyment. The urbanSHED International Design Competition has launched its inaugural event. Here is an excerpt from the press release provided to us:

The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and the New York City Buildings Department are thrilled to announce the launch of urbanSHED, an international design competition that challenges the global design community to rethink the current sidewalk shed standard and create a prototype worthy of today’s New York City. Details on this exciting competition are in the press release pasted below, and the website is now live: urbanSHED.

The Urban Land Institute has awarded BIG Architects its 2009 Award of excellence. The project has also won the 2008 Forum Aid Award, 2008 World Architecture Festival Best Housing Award, and the 2009 MIPIM Award. The Mountain is the result of a collaboration with Høpfner A/S, Danish Oil Company JDS, Moe & Brødsgaard, and By & Havn. The ULI had this to say about the winning design proposal:

The Mountain is wonderful example of success that showcases creativity, innovation, and long-term thinking. Perhaps now more than ever, the ULI Awards for Excellence program reminds us of the key difference that responsible design and development can make in terms of longevity and overall community sustainability.

Image courtesy of Peter Aaron/Esto

This striking image arrived in our inbox promoting the work of photographer Peter Aaron. the quality of the images rival that of the renown architectural photographer Iwan Baan. Once again here is a description of the work in the author's own words:

When Peter Aaron was in Chicago recently, he made a series of exciting images of the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago and of the city’s Millennium Park. Aaron, who was awarded an AIA Collaborative Achievement Award, created images that capture the luminous quality of natural light, Renzo Piano’s trademark. Peter’s images locate the Art Institute in relation to the landscape, the park, the city and the lake. The adjacent garden was designed by Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel. In Millennium Park, the Cloud Gate is by Anish Kapoor; the Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the bandshell, pavilion and bridge by Frank Gehry. The new museum building and the park are well known, have been often photographed and frequently published. You are surely familiar with the structures and the spaces…but they never looked as energetic and lively as in Peter Aaron’s images. I hope you’ll take a look: esto flickr slideshow to see a slide show of these recent photographs.

Firm Focus: Asymptote

Today we feature the architecture firm, Asymptote. The second in our long promised five part series stemming from our earlier Young Architects Poll post. The New York City based firm is headed by the two principals, Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture and currently lists a 65 person staff.

Since its inception in 1989, the firm has long been known as a predominately theoretical based practice. Using amorphous forms and high powered three-dimensional modeling computer software and captivating models, the firm has been featured in a number of magazine articles, architectural monographs and design school lectures. Asymptote were (are) regular participants in many world competitions and exhibitions to include the Venice Architecture Biennale. Its first realized commissions came through explorations in interior architecture for esteemed Italian design firm Alessi and the New York Stock Exchange.

Since 2000 more projects have come to realization for the firm especially in southeast Asia, eastern Europe and the United Arab Emirates. Recently completed and current projects include: 166 Perry Street, NYC; World Business Center Busan, Busan, South Korea; Strata Tower, Abu Dhabi, UAE; and the Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE among others. What seems to separate Asymptote from others is its particular fusion of structure, materials and design aesthetic. All of which seem to be the source of intrigue for the firm's projects. Additionally, their introduction of refreshingly different forms differentiates how their architecture is perceived, in terms of space, rather than that of the orthogonal norm.

Asymptote Architects
designboom article

Intriguing Earth Architecture 69

Espacial Habitat, Epinay-sur-Seine, France - ecdm
via email: Matthieu Roggwiller

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VotW 04: Jalisco Library By LOT-EK

Guadalajara Library - LOT-EK from arquiNETWORK on Vimeo.

Ever wonder what could be done with all those left airplane fuselages when they have flown their last miles? Apparently, LOT-EK has given it a lot of thought and has proposed a design for a library in Mexico as an example. You might recall that this New York based firm has been a strong proponent of using/reusing everyday cargo containers in a creative and arguably sustainable way.

An excerpt from noticias arquitectura follows regarding the design:

Over 200 Boeing 727 and 737 fuselages are stacked in a north-south slant in relation to sun exposure for energy efficiency. Two shifts in the direction of the main axis of the fuselages generate two large open spaces within the stack.

The building utilizes the space inside the fuselages to contain and organize functions that require enclosed spaces - such as book collections, meeting rooms and administration offices, - while the 2 large open spaces house a large atrium with all the reading areas on one side and two auditoriums on the other...

noticias arquitectura article
BLDGBLOG article

Intriguing Earth Architecture 68

St Ignatius Chapel, Seattle, Washington, USA - Steven Holl
via flickr: 2:19

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