Same number of architects, but much less to do – so what are we doing with all this free time. This DnA radio show, beaming out of L.A., describes the surge in interest in competitions and furthering education. It includes stories from the retrenched.
10.04.09 in practice
Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity , gets huffy in the Huffington Post about being stood up by Zaha Hadid at a debate on the Ethics of Architecture. Sinclair found it to be a debate more about personal morals than group ethics – there was apparently little talk about how the profession might adapt to the current economic climate.
10.04.09 in theory
It isn’t too much of a surprise that many medieval buildings fell over in this week’s earthquake in L’Aquila, 6.3 on the Reichter scale. What is surprising is the number of modern buildings that were also affected. The worst example as L’Aquila’s 15 year old hospital, which was declared structurally unstable – not good at the time it was most needed. Roman architect Paolo Rocchi says that it should have survived the earthquake if it as built to code – that it didn’t might be evidence of substandard materials having been used.
10.04.09 in heritage structural-engineers
The first Regrowth pod has been installed on a burnt out property in Coombs Road, Kinglake West.
10.04.09 in buildings
Modelled on the 1950s The Age Small Home Service, the ®AIA with the Victorian Government Architect has just launched its Bushfire Homes Service. Registered AIA architects, working pro bono, are asked to submit intent by April 6th and ‘uncomplicated’ designs by April 13th. Details attached.
04.04.09 in practice
The University of Melbourne School of Architecture (etc) is to be pulled down and rebuilt. Hopefully differently. Rather than an open competition, which would have been nice… they want expressions of interest which they will whittle down to six practices who will then be invited to compete.
30.03.09 in education competitions
A Regrowth Pod prototype (see Butterpaper 14.02.09 ) has almost been built for a burnt-out site in Kinglake. The architects and buiders are being followed through the process by a team of film makers so hopefully we will get a better picture of what they are up to on the telly soon. Meanwhile have a look at the website:
22.03.09 in buildings
Grand designs are afoot for Paris, again. The Guardian says , “the challenge… is not to reshape Paris, but rather to extend its inherent beauty to its outskirts, les banlieues – a web of small villages, some terribly grand and chic (Neuilly, Versailles, Saint Mandé, Vincennes, Saint Germain-en-Laye), others modest and provincial-looking (Montreuil, Pantin, Malakoff, Montrouge, Saint Gervais) and others still, socially ravaged and architecturally dehumanised (La Courneuve, Clichy-sous-bois). And also to link them.”
21.03.09 in urban-planning
Frank O. Gehry has just turned 80. But what is his real name? Take the Frank Quiz at The Guardian!
21.03.09 in architects
Architect / protaganist:
Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn died late last month at 84. Architectural Record has just published an obituary .
21.03.09 in architects
A two week public hearing starts next week into the fate of several sites very close to Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.
Wallpaper* Magazine opened its video channel last month. After a few weeks it has a number of vids for your viewing pleasure, including one of a house on wheels in Suffolk (by DRMM). So much easier than walking inside, instead you command the inside to come to you.
09.03.09 in video-portals
Some important buildings sorely lack architectural input. The new 70 metre tall Melbourne Airport control tower by Air Services might be one of them. This is the “Indicative Concept Design” being presented to contractors interested in building it. They seem to have used Sims software circa 1998? Not sure that car park is working too well. Adelaide gets similar but shorter.
04.03.09 in buildings
Comment [1]
Apologies for the site being down yesterday – slight disagreement with the webhost about whether the hosting had been paid for. 9 years old by the way.
So it wasn’t the heat after all – apparently the cracks on Melbourne’s eye are quite big and have nowt to do with the heat. Japanese engineers heading this way to fix. It will take some fixing.
02.03.09 in structural-engineers
I was just sent the link to this hilarious but rather old article from last May – about an architect who seems to have snapped while writing a planning report for a farm shed somewhere in the UK.
22.02.09 in weird-wonderful planning
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After a false start or two, DCM has been reappointed as architects for the Stonehenge Visitor’s Centre in the U.K.
Building Design 13.01.09
17.02.09 in architects
Butterpaper is happy to publish for discussion architects’ work related to bushfire reconstruction. The first is from Melbourne practice 1:1 Architects, a director of which lives in Kinglake West.
14.02.09 in architects
Architect / protaganist:
Comment [1]
Greg Burgess’ 1982 Hackford house burnt down on the weekend, in Kornalla, Gippsland. According to RMIT’s Aardvark, which also has more pictures, the house won the 1983 RAIA Merit Award for Outstanding Architecture and the 1985 Robert Joseph Haddon Award.
11.02.09 in buildings