Architecture and design news:
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Asif Khan designs tiny forests for London to bring calm to city's streets
by Kim Megson | 12 Sep 2016
Architect Asif Khan is bringing tiny forests to the streets of London to address the need for calming “third places” in urban environments. The architect has partnered with car manufacturer MINI for the project, called MINI Living, as part of the London Design Festival, which will run from 17-25 September. “Given the trend of urban densification we need to tap urban potentials in creative ways,” said Oke Hauser, creative lead
Architects reveal design for US$250m World Trade Center arts venue
by Tom Anstey | 09 Sep 2016
Designs have been unveiled for the final piece of Daniel Libeskind’s World Trade Center masterplan, with the US$250m (€222m, £188m) Perelman Performing Arts Center labelled as the development’s “keystone”. The translucent marble cube is a far cry from Frank Gehry’s stacked box concept – a US$400m (€355m, £300.5m) design that was officially dropped after more than a decade of development, with the architect declaring "I don't want to go where
Silver sphere of OMA’s Taipei Performing Arts Center revealed for first time
by Kim Megson | 06 Sep 2016
A giant aluminium sphere has been unmasked on the streets of Taipei following the removal of the scaffolding at OMA’s Performing Arts Center for the city. The exteriors of two of the centre’s theatres – the Proscenium Playhouse and Multiform Theatre – can now be seen clearly for the first time. Both venues will seat 800 spectators. An elevated transparent central cube will house the 1,500-capacity Grand Theatre, as well
First ever London Design Biennale opens this week with mission to define utopia
by Kim Megson | 05 Sep 2016
The first ever London Design Biennale will open to the public on 7 September, with participants from 37 nations using the event to explore the concept of utopia. Brand new work by leading architects, designers, scientists, writers and artists will explore how good design can respond to challenges such as pollution, growing and aging populations and mass migration to create perfect societies. The exhibition will include large-scale kinetic sculptures, immersive
International shortlist revealed for London's Illuminated River project, organiser declares UK 'remains a design destination' post-Brexit
by Kim Megson | 05 Sep 2016
Adjaye Associates, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and AL_A are among the six architecture practices in the running to illuminate 17 of central London’s bridges with permanent light installations. Les Éclairagistes Associés, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, and a team led by Sam Jacob Studio and artist Simon Heijdens are also in contention for the ambitious £20m (US$26.6m, €23.8m) project. Over 340 firms, grouped into 104 teams, entered the competition to breathe new
Studio Gang will design next year's Summer Block Party for Washington D.C building museum
by Kim Megson | 05 Sep 2016
Studio Gang have been lined up to produce a temporary installation for the National Building Museum's 2017 Summer Block Party, following in the footsteps of Snarkitecture and Bjarke Ingels. The design concept is being kept under wraps for now, but the studio promised it will “engage the spirit of creative experimentation that has defined the success of the Summer Block Party series.” Previous installations include a complex maze, a huge
Fitness and fun promoted at MVRDV's madcap House of Movement and Culture
by Kim Megson | 02 Sep 2016
Culture, health and movement are the focus at MVRDV’s new community centre in Copenhagen, which encourages adults and children alike to enjoy a better quality of life through physical activity. Slides, fireman's poles, labyrinths, nets and climbing walls provide a means of navigating around the Ku.Be House of Culture and Movement, which is being opened today by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. The project, designed in collaboration with ADEPT, is
Placido Domingo opens Dubai's boat-shaped Opera House
by Kim Megson | 31 Aug 2016
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will tonight (31 August) officially open the nautically-themed new Dubai Opera House, with developer Emaar stating the venue will rival the Sydney Opera House for cultural impact. The singer, known as “the King of Opera”, will give the very first performance at the configurable 2,000 seat venue, which will host theatre, concerts, art exhibitions, opera, orchestra, film, sports events and seasonal programmes. Architecture studio Atkins were
Yansong, Ingels and Koolhaas in the running for Design Museum's annual architecture gong
by Kim Megson | 31 Aug 2016
Ma Yansong, Bjarke Ingels, Rem Koolhaas and Herzog and de Meuron are all in the running for the annual architecture prize awarded by London’s Design Museum. The ninth edition of the museum’s Beazley Designs of the Year will celebrate the best creations over the past 12 months across six categories: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Product and Transport. Yansong and his studio MAD are nominated for the Harbin Opera House; Ingels
Studio Pei-Zhu design Chinese pottery museum shaped like a giant brick kiln
by Kim Megson | 31 Aug 2016
Beijing architects Studio Pei-Zhu have developed a reputation for their sculptural leisure buildings across China, and they have just started work on another: a museum for, and inspired, by pottery. The Jingdezhen Historical Museum of Imperial Kiln will be located in China’s ‘porcelain capital’ in Jiangxi province. The building – surrounded by clusters of china workshops dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties – is designed in the vault-like
Prince tribute museum gets October opening date
by Tom Anstey | 26 Aug 2016
Six months on from his death, a tribute to music legend Prince will come in the form of a museum at his Paisley Park home and recording complex in Chanhassen, Minneapolis. First announced after the death of the musician in April, the tribute museum has been given an official opening date of 6 October. First opened in 1988, the studio was designed by California-based architecture firm BOTO Design and was
Architects partner with UNESCO to develop prototype 'satellite visitor centres' for world's remotest heritage sites
by Kim Megson | 23 Aug 2016
Two architecture studios hope to show how remote heritage sites can be served by ‘satellite’ visitor centres through their own design for a tourist hub which celebrates an uninhabited Scottish archipelago from a location on a nearby island. Scottish studio Dualchas Architects and Norway’s Reiulf Ramstad Architects, who are working in the UK for the first time, have unveiled their masterplan for the St Kilda Visitor Centre. They propose the
Hassell's translucent exterior for Australian arts centre will cast dancers in silhouette
by Kim Megson | 23 Aug 2016
Architecture studio Hassell have unveiled their design to revamp the Geelong Performing Arts Centre; one of the leading cultural venues outside of Australia’s main cities. The studio – fresh from winning a competition to design the Western Australian Museum in Perth – have been commissioned by the Victoria state government to oversee a major upgrade of the 35-year-old building’s facade and interior facilities. The result is a contemporary exterior with
Kanye West opens 21 pop-up stores worldwide as passion for fashion and design revealed again
by Kim Megson | 22 Aug 2016
Kanye West fans around the world queued for hours to get into one of the 21 pop-up fashion stores opened by the musician and designer over the weekend. West announced the location of the temporary stores – which sold merchandise linked to his latest studio album The Life of Pablo – on Friday, prompting a surge of interest in cities as varied as New York, San Francisco, Singapore, London, Berlin,
Pop-up preview of James Corner's Miami Underline opens on Tuesday
by Kim Megson | 22 Aug 2016
A pop-up preview of James Corner Field Operations’ Miami Underline will open on Tuesday (23 August) to showcase how the landscape architects plan to transform the land beneath the city’s MetroRail into a 10 mile linear park. The pop-up will take place at the Underline’s ‘Brickell Backyard’ fitness area, located at the north end of the Miami River, at 10.30am EDT. Event-goers – who are being encouraged to come to
Can a building inspire empathy? Design duo propose 'living lab' pavilion for Dubai Expo to find the answer
by Kim Megson | 22 Aug 2016
Architects Höweler + Yoon have proposed an interactive ‘Living Lab’ for the Dubai 2020 Expo, which would creatively explore human empathy. The Empathy Pavilion, designed like a giant elevated cave, would house a 300-person capacity exhibition gallery on the ground floor, several workshop spaces on the second floor and a black box theatre on the top floor. The architects have partnered with the MIT Media Lab’s Opera of the Future
Culture and condominiums: How OMA's Faena Forum is designed to transform Miami Beach's waterfront
by Kim Megson | 19 Aug 2016
Miami’s Faena Forum is nearing completion, with architects OMA revealing new construction images of the culturally-inspired real-estate initiative. The 50,000sq ft (4,600sq m) project, which is central to the development of Miami Beach, is made up of a connected cylindrical and cubic structure. The first of these offers flexible spaces for dance, theatre, arts and debate space. The second will house a hotel and condominiums. A central assembly hall on
Thomas Heatherwick urges backers of 'amazing' Garden Bridge 'to hold their nerve' as criticism mounts
by Kim Megson | 18 Aug 2016
British designer Thomas Heatherwick has launched an impassioned defence of his Garden Bridge project in London, arguing that the project has been used as a political football by “people with an agenda” and those “who love to sneer.” The scheme – a 367m (1,200ft) planted River Thames crossing linking South Bank and Temple – has attracted controversy and negative headlines over the allegedly opaque procurement process and the public funding
Build like Bjarke: Northern Irish architects challenged to build pavilion for Belfast
by Kim Megson | 18 Aug 2016
Northern Irish architects have been given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Bjarke Ingels and design an architectural pavilion that “uplifts the soul and impacts on wellbeing.” Inspired by the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Hyde Park – which has been created this year by Ingels and his studio BIG – the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) have launched a design competition for a temporary public structure
Yayoi Kusama's infinity rooms to tour the US
by Tom Anstey | 17 Aug 2016
Famed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama will be the subject of a touring exhibition, with the 87-year-old artist's “infinity mirror” installations set to travel the US in 2017 through 2018. Debuting on 23 February 2017 at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors will then travel to a number of notable museums across the US including the Seattle Art Museum, the Broad in Los Angeles, Toronto’s
Hettema Group kicks off summer of installations at Union Station Los Angeles
by Tom Anstey | 16 Aug 2016
The Hettema Group (THG) recently introduced the first in a series of pop-up installations to Los Angeles’ Union Station, with various events to run at the station through the summer months. The interactive media installation, Union Station 360º, ran from 15 July to 24 July and was the first in a series of free art events and concerts aiming to transform the transit hub into a public destination. The experience
Sanderson Group named masterplanners for US$5bn wellness 'wonder' in Bali
by Tom Anstey | 15 Aug 2016
Thematic entertainment design and construction firm Sanderson Group have been named as masterplanners for a US$5bn (€4.47bn, £3.87bn) development in Bali, Indonesia, dubbed a “new wonder” by its founders. Margarana Dream City – which covers 2.5sq km (0.95sq m) – follows a theme of “innergy”, with a pyramid-like tower at the heart of the development “drawing the positive 'chi' into a green city”. The mixed-use development offers a variety of
Architects inspired by mythical fish for proposed design of Wellington Movie Museum
by Kim Megson | 15 Aug 2016
New Zealand practice Studio Pacific Architecture have developed alternative designs for a planned film museum in Wellington backed by Lord of the Rings director Sir Peter Jackson. The Movie Museum and Wellington Convention Center, which will cover more than 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) of prime waterfront land in the city’s central business district, will house memorabilia from the sets of Jackson’s movies and the creations of the acclaimed Weta Workshop.
Designs revealed for major Sydney Opera House upgrade
by Kim Megson | 12 Aug 2016
One of the world’s most iconic cultural landmarks is set to be comprehensively revamped “and upgraded for the 21st Century”. The government of New South Wales, Australia has revealed working designs to update the Sydney Opera House as part of a AUS$202m scheme. The changes – which are the biggest in the building’s 43 year history – include an overhaul of the Concert Hall’s acoustics, accessibility, stage and backstage areas.
Future of Calton Hill landmark takes another twist as Edinburgh planners back Richard Murphy's concert hall proposal
by Kim Megson | 12 Aug 2016
A proposal by architect Richard Murray to transform one of Edinburgh’s most beloved landmarks into a concert hall and music school seems likely to go ahead after planning officials threw their weight behind the scheme. The former home of the Royal High School on Calton Hill is a neoclassical listed building designed by architect Thomas Hamilton in the 1820s. The question of how best to preserve the site has proven
Shanghai theme park combines architecture, technology and storytelling for spectacular light show
by Kim Megson | 11 Aug 2016
The Happy Valley theme park in Shanghai, China has opened a multimedia tower which transforms at night into the centrepiece of a dramatic 18 minute light show. The 32m (105ft) high tower – described by developer OCT Shanghai as “a symbol of modernity and an icon of contemporary culture” – is located in a tranquil central lake, where it leans skywards at an angle. When evening falls the tower is
Canadian music hub by Allied Works Architects 'an immersion of structure and sound'
by Kim Megson | 09 Aug 2016
A giant international hub for music and sound technology has opened in Calgary, Canada to house the country’s National Music Centre (NMC). Studio Bell, designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, is a vast street-crossing construction located in Calgary’s East Village. The 160,000sq ft (15,000sq m) building rises in nine interlocking towers clad in glazed terra cotta. It includes five floors of exhibition space showcasing over 2,000 artefacts and
Ideas competition for Philip Johnson's New York World Fair pavilion inspires new life for modern ruin
by Kim Megson | 09 Aug 2016
The winners have been announced in an ideas competition to propose a new life for Philip Johnson’s famous New York State Pavilion in Queens. The iconic structure – which includes two observation towers and a large elliptical Tent of Tomorrow – was built at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park for the 1964-65 World Fair. However, in the last few decades it has fallen into disrepair. Despite this, the pavilion remains a significant
New renderings reveal Peter Zumthor's US$600m LACMA museum redesign
by Kim Megson | 08 Aug 2016
New renderings have been released of Peter Zumthor’s proposed redevelopment of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) ahead of a public consultation meeting on 24 August. The images visualise eight semi-transparent pavilions supporting an elevated, organically-shaped main exhibition level. The Pritzker Prize winning architect’s design will replace four of the museum’s deteriorating structures to house LACMA’s permanent collection of historic and contemporary art. Demolition of older buildings means
Exclusive: David Adjaye tells CLAD about his design for the 'monumental' National Museum of African American History and Culture
by Kim Megson | 03 Aug 2016
Architect David Adjaye has told CLAD that the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington is “one of the defining projects” of his career to date. The landmark museum – which has been developed over a decade – is due to be opened by US President Barack Obama on the 24 September 2016. Adjaye’s practice Adjaye Associates worked with architecture studios Freelon Group and David Brody Bond
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