Tag Archives: Buildings

Architectural History: A Tour Of SoHo In New York

Architectural Digest (March 16, 2023) – Architect Nicholas Potts returns for another history-revealing walking tour, this time exploring the ever-evolving look of SoHo in New York City. From stone-mimicking cast-iron details to repurposed mercantile buildings with soaring glass windows, Nick breaks down the surprising history and motivations that led to the distinctive style “South of Houston.”

Check out Nicholas Potts here: Website: https://nicholasgpotts.com/

Profiles: La Seine Musicale Architect Shigeru Ban

Dezeen (March 16, 2023) – Japanese architect Shigeru Ban explains how his egg-shaped music auditorium acts as a western gateway to Paris in the last instalment of Dezeen’s Concrete Icons series produced in collaboration with Holcim.

The video features La Seine Musicale, a music complex that houses a large multipurpose concert hall and a smaller auditorium. The musical facility is located on the Ile Seguin island near Paris’s western suburbs, occupying a third of French architect Jean Nouvel’s mixed-use masterplan of the island.

Additional footage courtesy of La Seine Musicale, by Arthur Maneint, Hensli Sage and Noesys Prod.

Read more on Dezeen: https://www.dezeen.com/?p=1905754

Design: The Architectural Review – March 2023 Issue

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The Architectural Review (March 2023) – This issue brings together the winners and nominees of the W Awards,  celebrating exemplary work by women and non-binary people around the world. We explore the expansive bodies of work of the founder of the CCA and winner of the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture, Phyllis Lambert, and co-founder of SANAA and winner of the Jane Drew Prize for Architecture, Kazuyo Sejima. And in its inaugural year, the Prize for Research in Gender and Architecture is awarded to Part W for their mapping project, Women’s Work. 

This issue also includes the work of the architects shortlisted for the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture – recognising emerging talent in architects under the age of 45 from around the world – and the MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice, which celebrates architects who are working in UK‑based practices, with a focus on their role in the design and delivery of a recently completed project.

Profile: ‘Luminist’ Designs Of Architect Steven Holl

CBS Sunday Morning (January 29, 2023) – The works of architect Steven Holl have helped define the look of cities around the world, making remarkable use of light and space.

Correspondent Rita Braver talks with Holl, whose recent works include the REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington, D.C., and the Kinder Building at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – buildings in which Holl hopes to express “the joy from the creative act.”

Steven Holl is a tenured Professor of Architecture who has taught at Columbia GSAPP since 1981. After completing architecture studies in Rome in 1970, the University of Washington in 1971, and graduate studies at London’s Architectural Association in 1976, Holl founded Steven Holl Architects in 1977. Based in New York City, the forty person firm also has an office in Beijing.

Steven Holl has realized cultural, civic, academic and residential projects both in the United States and internationally including the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland (1998); the Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle, Washington (1997); Simmons Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts (2002); the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri (2007); the Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, China (2009); the Linked Hybrid mixed-use complex in Beijing, China (2009); Cité de l’Océan et du Surf in Biarritz, France (2011); the Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland (2014); the Arts Building West and the Visual Arts Building at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa (2006, 2016); the Ex of IN House (2016); the Lewis Arts Complex at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey (2017); Maggie’s Centre Barts in London (2017); the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (2018); and the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2018). Upcoming work includes the REACH expansion of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (2019); the Winter Visual Arts Center at Franklin & Marshall College (2019); Rubenstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (2019); and the expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2020).

Architectural Tours: River North In Chicago

Architectural Digest – Architect Lynda Dossey returns to the streets of Chicago for another walking tour, this time highlighting the hidden details to be found in the stylish River North neighborhood.

River North is a lively neighborhood in the Near North Side. It boasts luxe shops and eateries, plus posh nightclubs and cocktail bars. Opened in 1930 in a former industrial area, the sprawling Merchandise Mart attracts throngs of shoppers to its home and office design showrooms. Surrounding the Mart, artist’s studios in converted warehouses and lofts form a hub that sustains the area’s foremost art galleries. 

Architecture: History Of Chrysler Building In NYC

Today Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects returns to Architectural Digest for a deep, detail-oriented break down of New York City’s singular Chrysler Building. From its unmistakable Art Deco design to the hidden details that echo its automotive inspiration, see why the Chrysler Building is an iconic staple of the Manhattan skyline.

HISTORY

The story of the Chrysler Building began in 1928, when automotive titan Walter P. Chrysler, founder of Chrysler Corporation, bought the property from Coney Island developer William H. Reynolds for $2 million. Chrysler hired architect William Van Alen, who had previously designed a skyscraper for Reynolds on the site, to create the world’s tallest tower. Construction on Chrysler’s project began in 1929 and was completed in 1930. Reaching a height of 1,048 feet, including its 125-foot steel spire, the Chrysler Building surpassed the Woolworth Building and 40 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan in a “Race to the Sky” to claim the tallest building in the world–a title it held until 1931. The Chrysler Building still reigns as the world’s most famous skyscraper, playing prominent roles in film and television from Godzilla and Spider-Man to Sex and the City.

Architectural Views: The Bundeswehr Museum Of Military History, Dresden

Smithsonian Channel – In 2001, Daniel Libeskind was hired to design a tasteful extension to the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History, in Dresden. His vision was an ingenious feat of architecture that managed to be both modern and respectful of the city’s tragic past.

The Military History Museum in Dresden, Saxony is one of very few museums in Germany that has German war equipment from both World Wars. Some of the most famous large items in the museum include a V2 flying bomb and Germany’s first submarine. The museum aims to explain how the military, armies and war influenced politics and society, and vice versa.

Architecture/Renovation: The National Library (BNF) Of France In Paris (Dec ’22)

Interior of the renovated National Library of France
It was originally designed by architect Henri Labrouste. Photo by Marchand Meffre

Dezeen (December 26, 2022) – French practice Bruno Gaudin Architectes has completed a 15-year project to  renovate  and open up the historic rue de Richelieu site of the National Library of France in Paris, incorporating new public routes and spaces.

Interior of multi-level library with central reading space
It took 15 years to renovate and open up the historic building

Completed in the late 19th century by architect Henri Labrouste, the library is considered a masterpiece of the Beaux Arts style, with vast, skylit reading rooms framed by slender steel columns and highly decorative arches.

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Architecture: A Walking Tour Of New York City’s Rockefeller Center (AD)

Architectural Digest (December 22, 2022) – Today on AD, architect Adam Rolston takes us on an insightful walking tour of Rockefeller Center, exploring the history and details of New York City’s most famous holiday season destination.

From the history behind the towering art deco 30 Rockefeller Plaza to the iconic ice skating rink and smaller details you may not be aware of, come along as Adam explores and explains everything there is to know about Rockefeller Plaza.

Inside Views: Rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral

NOVA PBS Official (December 2022) – Following the April, 2019 fire that almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers set out on the daunting challenge of restoring France’s historic landmark.

Video timeline: 00:00 Introduction 02:10 The Aftermath of the Fire of Notre Dame 05:25 Current Efforts to Rebuild Notre Dame 07:13 Rebuilding the Roof of Notre Dame 14:12 Recreating Notre Dame’s Spire 19:40 The Use of Iron in the Structure of Notre Dame 26:00 Studying Notre Dame’s Stained Glass Windows 33:47 Hazards of Restoring the Burnt Cathedral 36:20 Cleaning the Limestone Vaulting 41:41 Carpentry Practices for Roof Restoration 45:06 Historic Changes to Stained Glass Window 49:47 Racing to Complete Notre Dame Before 2024

The program traces the dramatic human and technical challenges of the project’s first three years, going behind-the-scenes with carpenters shaping lumber for the new roof and spire, stone masons repairing gaping holes in the vault, and artisans who use traditional techniques to restore stained glass windows. A symbol of the nation’s identity and resilience, Notre Dame gradually rises from the ashes, thanks to a restoration project like no other.