Some kiwis don’t appear to be that impressed with Denton Corker Marshall’s output, presented to them recently at the NZIA conference.
06.06.09 in weird-wonderful
I think the Jetsons were trying to warn us about this sort of carry on.
03.06.09 in weird-wonderful video-clips
Jan Gehl is bringing Copenhagen to Perth , and has just completed a $250,000 study on the city which was presented to the public on Friday night. He gave a radio interview the day before, during which he suggested merging functional types so that you’ll be able to get a drink somewhere other than Northbridge. Other ideas include encouraging cycling, and student flats in the CBD. Sounds kind of familiar. The $250,000 study will be online soon so we can have a gander, and perhaps calculate the cost per page.
02.06.09 in urban-planning
Denton Corker Marshall is working with the Halim Group on a design for a 15 storey tower behind the historic Windsor Hotel. The tower will reportedly wipe out part of the Hard Rock Cafe – no great loss there. But the National Trust isn’t happy – CEO Martin Purslow saying, “This proposal is over twice the statutory height limit under Melbourne’s planning scheme. It says the statutory height limit is to preserve the scale of the Bourke Hill precinct, and that’s the bloody reason we have these limits.”
Melbourne Uni is getting closer to finding an architect for its Architecture School.
29.05.09 in education
‘Architecture of Happiness’ author Alain de Botton, is putting his money where his pen is, proposing five rather expensive rental holiday houses near London. Hi de Hi chalets these are not. Each Living Architecture house is designed by either an established contemporary architect, or by an emerging practice. “The inspiration for Living Architecture came from a desire for people to be able to experience what it is like to live, eat and sleep in a space designed by an outstanding architectural practice.” The first one off the blocks is a wildly cantilevering house by MVRDV, but the most interesting one could be by Peter Zumthor. His rendering is below. Where is the bleedin’ house?
25.05.09 in architects
South Australia is now the only Australian state without a givernment architect, following recent appointments in Western Australia (Steve Woodland) and Tasmania (Peter Poulet). The Institute chapter president in SA, Tim Horton, is keen for an in-government architect to be appointed there soon, seeing it as an important way to capitalise on the federal government’s lolly scramble (stimulus funding).
24.05.09 in practice
Comment [2]
Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect, died on Wednesday in Vancouver, aged 84. He had been in practice for 55 years. This obituary at the Toronto Star dwells on his low points as well as the high ones (of which there were many). Interesting to hear that Erickson wasn’t crash hot at business, and was declared bankrupt in 1992. “Architecture is a profession of constant disappointment… I’ve been through it so many times. I’m used to the endless disappointment. But I’m still optimistic.”
24.05.09 in architects
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Here is another new initiative to assist in bushfire-affected areas.
From the blurb: “Design Aid is a register of architects, builders, carpenters, interior designers and other associated trades who are willing to volunteer their expertise to individuals, families and community groups in rebuilding their homes and buildings.”
17.05.09 in groups
The ABC reports that a Gallery of Australian Design has just opened in Canberra. It’s, “a partnership between the National Museum of Australia, the Institutes of Architects and Landscape Architects and the University of Canberra.” According to patron Michael Bryce, Aussies find design “routine and functional”, and Canberra is the obvious location for a gallery like this as it is, “the design capital of Australia.” Hmm.. No info on who designed the gallery funnily enough.
16.05.09 in galleries
The regrowth pod competition is all over, and the 35 entries whittled down to a shortlist of 7. I was one of five judges, which meant my personal fave didn’t make the shortlist. Such is life.
08.05.09 in competitions
Comment [2]
This one slipped past the radar. A competition (now closed – hopefully someone saw it) for the green roof designs for three existing Melbourne buildings. It has been organised by the mysterious Committee of Melbourne, and there was an article in The Age, buried in the business section.
02.05.09 in sustainability competitions
Cashed up locals and tax-deducting out of towners are possibly descending on the Melbourne Convention Centre for Parallax (if there are any left). The ®AIA’s national conference has begun. Blink and you’ll miss it – it finishes on Saturday.
30.04.09 in conference
Comment [2]
For those many architects able to assess energy efficiency with First Rate version 4, your licence expires tomorrow. It’s 5 or nowt now. Seems they are trying to reduce the number of assessors by making everything expensive – like the required training course. One more external consultant to add to the list?
29.04.09 in sustainability practice
The winner of this year’s Pritzker Prize, and $100,000 from the Hyatt vaults, is Peter Zumthor. Much is being made of his not being a starchitect, and therefore suitable for receiving the first big gong of the GFC. The man himself defends his lack of a glossy mag profile in a Bloomberg interview last week: “To build good houses doesn’t take a lot of publicity; that just gets in the way. I have to stay concentrated on what I want to make. That way I don’t allow myself to get distracted.”
21.04.09 in architects
Upgrades to the webhost caused this website to fall into a black hole for two days. Obviously back now.
The Age surveys many artists at work in the archi-zone (and vice versa). It’s on the occasion of a couple of exhibitions and a new book: Beyond Architecture: Imaginative Buildings and Fictional Cities, by Robert Klanten and Lukas Feireiss. Its publisher describes it as, “the first publication of its kind to document the creative exploration of architecture and urban propositions in the contemporary arts.” The online article has no images or links – unfortunate – so I thought I should fill the gap to enhance your reading pleasure. Some of these artists are from the book, some from The Age article.
11.04.09 in books
Bellemo and Cat’s house and office in Northcote, Melbourne, is an Ampelite clad box streaked in apple green. Certainly brightens up the cramped laneway it inhabits. Apparently the streaks are drived from a drawing of the structure of one of their previous works. Dwell magazine recently featured it.
11.04.09 in architects
Architect / protaganist:
Martin Filler, at the New York Review of Books, wades through 8 new books on Le Corbusier, and gives some hint of his inner complexities. He also describes Le Corbusier as a lecturer (Tim Benton has just written a book about this):
10.04.09 in architects
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