Author: Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP - Contributing Editor

11.16.12: Charles Renfro, AIA, of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Justin Davidson, of New York Magazine, and Toby Cecchini, bartender & author, headlined the first installment of “Cocktails & Conversations.” The series pairs an architect and a critic, journalist, or curator in conversation; a custom drink inspired by the architect’s is created especially for the occasion. The event was organized by Abby Suckle, FAIA, President of cultureNOW, and the AIANY Architectural Dialogue Committee.

(l-r) Justin Davidson and Charles Renfro, AIA

Daniel Fox

Toby Cecchini mixes the night’s cocktail.

Eve Dilworth Rosen

11.14:12: The Center for Architecture and the Norwegian Consulate General hosted a lunch seminar on the collaboration between architects and artists on large scale public projects, “Demystifying the Architect/Artist Collaboration: The Norwegian National Tourist Routes to NYC.”

The National Tourist Routes in Norway has for years served as an incubator for artistic and architectural interventions in the most scenic parts of the natural landscape. Two artist/architect teams presented on their collaborations: artist Mark Dion / architect Lars Berge and artist Mary Miss / architect Susan Rodriguez, FAIA. A panel discussion was moderated by Alan Brake, Executive Editor, The Architect’s Newspaper.

(l-r) Mark Dion; Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, LEED AP; Alan Brake; Lars Berge; Susan Rodriguez, FAIA, Ennead Architects; Henrik Width, Deputy Consul General of the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York; Mary Miss; Svein Rønning, Curator and Head of the Arts Council for the National Tourist Routes

Daniel Fox

11.12.12: As part of the Oculus Book Talk series, Jeff Speck presented his new book Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time.

Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA, editor, Oculus, with author Jeff Speck.

Julie Trébault

11.14.12: A “ground raising” was held for 50 UN Plaza, a project by Foster + Partners.

(l-r): Arthur Zeckendorf, Zeckendorf Development; Daniel Garodnick, NYC Councilman representing Manhattan’s 4th District; Eyal Ofer, chairman of Global Holdings Inc. and Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd.; Armstrong Yakubu, partner, Foster + Partners; Sherrill Kazan, president, Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza; Brandon Haw, senior partner, Foster + Parterns; and William Zeckendorf, Zeckendorf Development

Monika Graff

10.27.12: Storefront for Art and Architecture held its annual Critical Halloween party, with the theme “On Banality, on Metaphor.”

Architecture firm SO-IL dressed as “Shades of White.”

Naho Kabuto

HWKN dressed as “Architecture Blows.”

Naho Kabuto

Exhibitions

10.21.12: Architecture for Humanity New York presented an interactive installation in Coleman Oval Skate Park under the Manhattan Bridge titled “The Urban Web.”

Ehsanul Haque

Through 02.01.13: “BUCKYBALL,” a 30-foot-tall LED light sculpture by artist Leo Villareal inspired by the work of Buckminster Fuller is on view in Madison Square Park.

James Ewing/Madison Square Park Conservancy

Through 02.03.13: On display at the Jewish Museum is “Crossing Borders: Manuscripts from the Bodleian Libraries,” an exhibition by Morpholio and MESH Architectures.

Courtesy Morpholio

11.19.12–Summer 2013: A sculpture by Nigeria-based artist El Anatsui, titled “Broken Bridge II,” will hang on an outdoor wall next to the High Line between West 21st and West 22nd Streets. The sculpture was originally shown in Paris during the 2012 Triennale.

Installation view of El Anatsui, Broken Bridge, 2012, at La Triennale: Intense Proximity, Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, 04.20.12 – 08.26.12.

Erik Lasalle. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Two Schools Engage Students and Communities

At first glance, a school in the Bronx and a school in a Helsinki suburb appear to have little in common. The former is clad in brick and zinc panels and spans a long urban block, while the latter is comprised of two freestanding timber-paneled structures surrounded by a blanket of snow. Though these two schools are separated by thousands of miles, both serve large student populations – from primary through intermediate levels – that are diverse and low-income. By design, the New Settlement Community Campus and the Kirkkojärvi School foster a sense of belonging among students, and their multi-purpose spaces transform into community centers after hours.

Continue reading “Two Schools Engage Students and Communities”

Best Schools Build Both Community and Curriculum

Sam Lahoz

A view of the hanging desks in the Center’s double-height space.

Sam Lahoz

Guests listen to the “talking heads” of contemporary education and learning theoreticians.

Sam Lahoz

Thomas Mellins, curator, “The Edgeless School” and Juulia Kauste, director, Museum of Finnish Architecture, and project leader, “The Best School in the World,” in front of a panel from “The Best School.”

Sam Lahoz

Event: Press preview and opening: “The Edgeless School: Design for Learning” and “The Best School in the World: Seven Finnish Examples from the 21st Century”
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.01.2012
Introduction: Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY executive director
Speakers: Thomas Mellins, curator, “The Edgeless School”; Juulia Kauste, director, Museum of Finnish Architecture, and project leader, “The Best School in the World”; Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, President, AIANY; Jukka Pietikäinen, Consul General and Ambassador, Consulate General of Finland
Sponsors: Duggal, Hyperakt, Shaw Contract Group, Waldners (underwriters); Avery Dennison, MechoSystems (patrons); Ennead Architects, F.J. Sciame Construction, Levien & Company (sponsors); Bonetti/Kozerski, Lutron Electronics, Turner Construction Company (supporters); and 2012 AIANY Chapter Inaugural Fund: Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (patron); Beyer Blinder Belle, Forest City Ratner Companies, Mancini Duffy|TSC, New York City School Construction Authority, Perkins Eastman, STV Group, and Thornton Tomasetti (sponsors); ASSA ABLOY, Cameron Engineering, Cosentini Associates, DeLaCour & Ferrara Architects, E-J Electric Installation Co., Ennead Architects, F.J. Sciame Construction Co., FXFOWLE, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti, Jack Resnick & Sons, JAM Consultants, JLS Industries, Knoll, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Lend Lease, Milrose Consultants, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Syska Hennessy Group, Vanguard Construction & Development Co., Viridian Energy & Environmental / Israel Berger and Associates, and World Trade Center Properties (supporters)
Organizers, “Edgeless School”: AIANY in collaboration with the Committee on Architecture for Education and the Center for Architecture Foundation
Senior Research Consultant: Edith Ackermann, Ph.D., Visiting Scientist, MIT School of Architecture
Exhibition Design: Sage and Coombe Architects
Graphic Design: Hyperakt
Organizers, “Best School”: Museum of Finnish Architecture, as part of New Finnish Design CITY campaign, produced by the Consulate General of Finland and the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York

My high school was a 1960s experimental “pod school” gone wrong. A maze of hallways connected clusters of hexagons, which were divided by flimsy partitions into windowless classrooms. Recently, the building was demolished to make way for a newer model, and I admit that I didn’t feel very sentimental when I saw photos of those pods split open by the wrecking ball.

While I can’t blame the awkwardness of my teenage years entirely on the shortcomings of my school’s design, many architects and educators believe that environment makes a difference in students’ test scores and social skills. To kick off Archtober, the Center for Architecture hosted an opening reception for two new exhibitions showcasing the latest developments in K-12 design in the U.S. and Finland, respectively titled “The Edgeless School: Design for Learning” and “The Best School in the World: Seven Finnish Examples from the 21st Century.”

“The Edgeless School” exhibition occupies both the Center’s main level and mezzanine, featuring drawings, photographs and models of 17 schools recently constructed in New York and across the U.S. The notion of “edgelessness,” explained curator Thomas Mellins, involves blurring traditional distinctions: spaces are multi-purpose instead dedicated, desk configurations are non-static instead of typical grids, glass walls blur indoor and outdoor spaces, and funding often comes from a combination of both public and private sources.

There are no pod schools here. The designs on display offer new takes on the traditional building blocks of schools. Typical locker-lined hallways meant only for circulation have been reinvented to encourage lingering; they are wide and well-lit with built-in seating. Classrooms reflect the shift from the teacher as authoritarian figure at the front of the room to a facilitator of ideas who moves easily throughout the space and guides students’ exploration.

These exemplary new American schools reflect concepts that the Finns have long applied in designing their educational spaces. “The Best School in the World” exhibition, located in the Center’s adjoining storefront at 532 LaGuardia, portrays seven contemporary Finnish schools through photographs, models, and drawings, supplemented by a video on the history of the country’s school system.

Finnish students have consistently excelled in standard testing, and it’s not a stretch to see how their environments have helped them succeed. “We have a very long tradition of believing in the idea that the environment is key to [fostering] learning,” shared Juulia Kauste, director of The Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Though the two exhibitions were organized independently and initially appear as juxtapositions, viewers will likely find many common threads and begin to understand the dialogue generated between American and Finnish school design. “The social conditions may be a little bit different, but we’re learning from each other,” affirmed Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director.

Murrye Bernard is a freelance architecture writer and a contributing editor to Contract Magazine and e-Oculus. www.murrye.com

Winners of the 9th Annual Emirates Glass LEAF Awards include Steven Holl Architects for the Daeyang Gallery & House, Mixed-Use Building of the Year; Studio Daniel Libeskind with DCA Architects for Reflections at Keppel Bay, Special Award, Residential Building of the Year (multiple occupancy); and Daniel Libeskind, AIA, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement in Architectural Community Award…

desigNYC’s third round of project collaborations, orchestrated under the annual theme of Recharging Communities, connected 15 organizations with close to 50 design professionals; the 2012 Communications Design Projects & Teams include Bard Prison Initiative + PS New York; Clemente Soto Velez Center (CSVC) + Studios Kudos; Compost for Brooklyn (C4B) + Karen Greenberg; Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) + Pure+Applied; NYDesigns + Remake Design; OpenPlans Transportation + Purpose; and Safe Horizon + Reboot; the 2012 Built Environment Projects & Teams include Fort Greene Strategic Neighborhood Action (SNAP) + Incorporated; Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance + ABArchitekten and Mapos; Gowanus Canal Conservancy + KaN Landscape Design; Lower East Side Business Improvement District (LES BID) + DUB-studios with SVA Impact! students; Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union (LES FCU) + Bernheimer Architecture and d/b/A designbuild; New Destiny Housing Corporation + EOA | Elmslie Osler Architect; PlayHarvest + Moorhead & Moorhead; and Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation + WE-design/WE-build…

Interior Design announced its 2012 inductees into the Hall of Fame, including Alexandra Champalimaud…

Paola Antonelli, the Museum of Modern Art’s Senior Curator of Architecture and Design, has been named Director of Research and Development…

Ken Levenson, AIA, president of the nonprofit NY Passive House, and a founding board member of the American Passive House Network, has opened 475 High Performance Building Supply (which refers to the PH annual heat demand requirement: 4.75Kbtu/sfyr) with other passive house professionals…

The New York Society of Architects is honoring John di Domenico, AIA, LEED AP – di Domenico + Partners; Dolly Williams, A. Williams Contruction; Thomas Hanrahan, AIA, Dean, School of Architecture, Pratt Institute and principal, Hanrahan Meyers Architects; Elliott M. Glass, AIA, Glass and Glass; and Anthony Morali, RA, Morali Architects; on Wednesday, November 14th at their 106th Annual Awards Dinner Dance at 106th Annual Awards Dinner Dance at Tribeca Rooftop…

09.26.12: Jim Garrison, AIA, principal Garrison Architects, watches along with his students from Pratt as a module is set that will form a two-story childcare center for Lehman College in the Bronx.

Maria Escalera, Garrison Architects

10.01.12: The Center for Architecture kicked off Archtober by hosting openings for two exhibitions: “The Edgeless School: Design for Learning,” and “The Best School in the World: Seven Finnish Examples from the 21st Century.”

A grid of school desks hangs within the storefront and mezzanine at the Center as part of the “The Edgeless School” exhibition.

Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA

Thomas Mellins, curator, “The Edgeless School,” and Juulia Kauste, director, Museum of Finnish Architecture, and project leader, “The Best School in the World”.

Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA

(l-r) Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director, AIANY; Finland’s Consul General in New York, Jukka Pietikäinen; and Joseph Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP, 2012 AIANY President

Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA

10.04.12: A Sound & Acoustics Panel was held in the Orchestra of St. Lukes as part of the New York/Dwell Magazine’s City Modern series.

(l-r) Geoff Lynch, AIA, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture; Raj Patel, Arup; David van der Leer, associate curator of architecture and urban studies, Guggenheim Museum; Richard Olcott, FAIA, FAAR, Ennead Architects; and artist Mary Ellen Carroll. Hugh Hardy, FAIA, not pictured

Linda G. Miller

10.04.12: Architectural Record’s 10th annual conference, “Innovation Conference 2012: Design Leaders Envision the Next Decade,” was held at the McGraw-Hill Conference Center.

Clifford Pearson, deputy editor, and Cathleen McGuigan, editor-in-chief of Architectural Record, flanking keynote speaker David Adjaye, Hon. FAIA, RIBA, founder and principal, Adjaye Associates

Linda G. Miller

Jeanne Gang, FAIA, principal and founder, Studio Gang Architects, and Brandon Haw, senior partner in charge of the New York office of Foster + Partners

Linda G. Miller

10.06.12: In the Archtober Lounge, CultureNOW demonstrates the app that features the 31 Archtober Buildings of the Day. CultureNOW’s Podcast Project will feature talks from 50 architects and 50 artists.

(l-r) William Singer, AIA, AIANY Architectural Dialogue Committee; Abby Suckle, FAIA, president, CultureNOW and AIANY Vice President for Public Outreach; Arthur Platt AIA, co-chair of AIANY Architecture Tourism Committee; Anne Lewisohn, AIA, CultureNOW vice president; and Molaundo Jones, program director at the Creative Arts Workshops for Kids

Linda G. Miller

10.06-10.07.12: openhousenewyork presented the 10th Annual OHNY Weekend, inviting people to tour the city’s most interesting spaces, many of which are not typically open to the public.

Central Synagogue is the oldest building in New York in continuous use for this purpose. It was designed by Henry Fernbach in 1872 in the Moorish style, and restored by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates in 2000.

Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA

Exhibitions

On view in the Slocum Gallery at Syracuse University School of Architecture through 10.25.12 is “Investigations,” an exhibition of the work of Syracuse visiting critic Stephan Jaklitsch, AIA, and Marc Gardner, AIA, Principals of Jaklitsch / Gardner Architects.

Courtesy of Jaklitsch / Gardner Architects

“Richard Meier: Building as Art” is on view through 03.03.13 at the Meier-designed Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck in Remagen, Germany. The exhibition focuses on his museum buildings and residential projects, and includes models, sketches, renderings, and photographs.

© David Ertl

The Chicago Athenaeum’s 2012 American Architecture Award winners include the Village Health Works Staff Residence by Louise Braverman, Architect; Nascar Hall of Fame by Yvonne Szeta/Pei Cobb Freed & Partners with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting; Cité de l’Océan et du Surf by Steven Holl Architects with Solange Fabião and Leibar & Seigneurin; East Hampton Town Hall by Robert A.M. Stern Architects; Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library District/Columbia Public Library by Davis Brody Bond; W24LOFT by Desai/Chia Architecture; Hunters Point South Waterfront Park by Weiss/Manfredi with Thomas Balsley Associates; Clyfford Still Museum by Allied Works Architecture; Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems by Toshiko Mori Architect with Ashley McGraw Architects; Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts at Brown University by Diller Scofidio + Renfro; High Line (Phase II) by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with James Corner Field Operations; Natural History Museum of Utah by Ennead Architects with GSBS Architects; Millenium Science Complex, Pennsylvania State University by Rafael Viñoly Architects with Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel; Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building/UCSF by Rafael Viñoly Architects with SmithGroup; Sagaponack Barns by Christoff: Finio Architecture; National September 11 Memorial by Handel Architects, PWP Landscape Architecture and Davis Brody Bond; The Gateway Center, Westchester Community College by Ennead Architects; HL23 by Neil M. Denari Architects; BOK Center by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects with Matrix Odell; New York City Center by Ennead Architects; and William H. Neukom Building, Stanford Law School by Ennead Architects with MKThink…

Winners of Parks for the People, a student competition presented by Van Alen Institute in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service to reimagine America’s greatest natural and cultural treasures—its national parks, include City College of New York Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture and finalist Pratt Institute School of Art and Design…

The Decoration and Design Building (DDB)’s jury has selected this year’s Stars of Design Honorees, including Richard Meier, FAIA (Lifetime Achievement); Allan Greenberg (Architecture); Juan Montoya (Interior Design); Laura Starr, Stephen Whitehouse, and Jeffrey Poor of Starr Whitehouse (Landscape Architecture); and Durston Saylor (Architectural Photography); winners of a new award category called “Stars on the Rise” include Rafael De Cardenas, Kelly Behun, Brad Ford, Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller of Carrier & Company, and Jayne Michaels and Joan Michaels of 2 Michaels…

Nicholas Quennell was honored with the DeWitt Clinton Award for Excellence presented by The Green-Wood Historic Fund at its fifth annual benefit…

The Winnipeg Art Gallery has shortlisted six architectural teams for the design of its Inuit Art and Learning Centre, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro…

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a selection review team for the new bridge to replace the Tappan Zee, including Jeffrey Koons, Richard Meier, FAIA, Thomas P. Campbell and Keith Brownlie…

Pratt Institute is celebrating its 125th anniversary this October…

Seri Worden has been selected as the Executive Director of The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation…Perkins+Will announced that Richard Marshall, Intl. Assoc. AIA, has joined the company as International Strategy Director…

Wendy J. Hall has joined The Switzer Group as Principal – Client Development…Ted Moudis Associates (TMA) welcomes Rachel Robinson as Design Manager and Crissy Hathaway as Business Development Coordinator…

2013 OCULUS Editorial Calendar will be announced shortly!
If you are an architect by training or see yourself as an astute observer of New York’s architectural and planning scene, note that OCULUS editors want to hear from you! Projects/topics may be anywhere, but architects must be New York-based. Deadlines for submissions will be included. For further information, contact Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA: kristen@ArchNewsNow.com.

10.14.12 Call for Entries: Enlightening Libraries: Student Design Competition—AIAS/Kawneer

10.15.12 Call for Submissions: 2012 Chicago Prize Competition: FUTURE PRENTICE

10.15.12 Call for Entries/Expression of Interest/EOI: West Kowloon Cultural District Museum

10.19.12 Call for Nominations: AIA Fellowship and Honorary Fellowship

10.19.12 Call for Nominations: AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education

10.19.12 Call for Entries: Gowanus by Design WATER_WORKS

10.26.12 Call for Entries: 60th Annual P/A Awards—Architect Magazine

10.31.12 Call for Entries: The Battery Conservancy: Draw up a Chair Americas Design Competition – Portable Outdoor Seating for the Battery

10.31.12 Call for Entries: Architectural Record One Millionth CEU Test-Taker Sweepstakes

10.31.12 Call for Entries: Generation Kingspan Student Architectural Design Competition

11.01.12 Call for Applications: 2013 Rome Prize Fellowships—American Academy in Rome

11.01.12 Call for Entries: Building Trust International Open Photography Competition: “Developing World – Digital World”

11.01.12 Call for Papers: 50th IMCL Conference on Reshaping Suburbia into Complete Healthy Communities, Portland, OR, 06.23.13 – 06.27.13

11.01.12 Call for Submissions: 2013 World Habitat Awards

11.05.12 Call for Submissions: RIBA Open Ideas Competition: Re-imagining York’s Guildhall Complex

11.16.12 Request for Applications: 2013 Sustainable Design
Assessment Team Program (SDAT)

11.16.12 Call for Submissions: NYCEDC “Change the Course” – The NYC Waterfront Construction Competition

11.20.12 Call for Entries: Street Seats Design Challenge: Design Furniture for Boston’s Fort Point Channel

11.23.12 Call for Entries: 2012 Palladio Awards Honoring Excellence in Traditional Design

11.30.12 Call for Entries: Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint Design Contest

11.30.12 Call for Submissions: Detroit by Design 2012: Detroit Riverfront Competition

12.01.12 Call for Entries: 2013 Berkeley Prize Essay Competition – The Architect and the Accessible City

12.07.12 Call for Entries: USITT 2013 “Ideal Theatre” Student Design Competition for Architecture and Theatre Students

12.10.12 Call for Applications: 2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence

12.15.12 Call for Entries: 2012 Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Awards

[Ongoing] Call for Applications: TH!NK:Art+Architecture Design-build Camp, Abetenim Arts Village, Ghana

Exhibition

The exhibition “Considering the Quake | Seismic Design on the Edge” is on view in Downtown Toronto’s Design Exchange through December. It is curated by Dr. Effie Bouras, postdoctoral fellow and Professor Ghyslaine McClure, P.Eng of the McGill University Department of Civil Engineering. On display are cutting edge, international building projects—including Office for Metropolitan Architecture’s Taipei Performing Arts Center in China, Daniel Libeskind’s Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, Japan’s Studio SKLIM’s earthquake-proof House, and Arup Engineering’s Olympic water cube—investigated through the lens of earthquake engineering.

Founder/co-curator, Dr. Effie Bouras and co-curator Professor Ghyslaine McClure of McGill University

09.11.12: Prior to the Architects Regatta on 09.13.12, there was a gathering of the skippers and sponsors at the landmarked New York Yacht Club Model Room, including (l-r): Rick Bell, FAIA; Guy Geier, FAIA; Gwenaëlle de Kerret; Mark Ginsberg, FAIA; Gerry Dolezar, Architects Regatta founder; Mary Burke, FAIA; and Wids DeLaCour, AIA. (Regatta photos ran in the last issue of e-Oculus, along with the list of winners.)

Kristen Richards

09.13.12: A number of the team behind the U.S. Pavilion at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale celebrated the success of “Spontaneous Interventions” at a fete hosted by D’Apostrophe; the pavilion garnered a Special Mention from the Golden Lion jury.

(l-r): Christine Abbate and Kristin Coleman (Novità Communications); Michael Sorkin (president; Institute for Urban Design board, and curatorial advisor); Lauren Crahan (Freecell, exhibition designer); Paola Antonelli (MoMA, curatorial advisor); John Hartmann (Freecell, exhibition designer); Anne Guiney (Institute for Urban Design executive director, and curatorial advisor); Cathy Lang Ho (independent writer/editor/curator, Commissioner and curator); Gordon Douglas (project manager); Kelly Loudenberg (filmmaker); David van der Leer (assistant curator of architecture and urban studies, Guggenheim, and co-curator).

Kristen Richards

Trade Publications Champion the Profession

A large crowd looks on as the panelists discuss the impact of trade publications on the profession.

Daniel Fox

Event: Trade Press: An Evolving Role (Architecture and the Media #3)
Location: Center for Architecture, 09.06.12
Moderator: Alan Brake, Executive Editor, The Architect’s Newspaper
Panelists: Katie Weeks, Editor, Eco-Structure; Linda O’Flanagan, Editor, Real Estate Weekly; Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Executive Editor, Hospitality Design; and Diana Moser, Editorial Director, Multi-Housing News
Organizer: Center for Architecture; AIANY Oculus Committee; Marketing & PR Committee; co-organized by The Architect’s Newspaper

Though they don’t line shelves on newsstands or in major bookstores, trade publications occupy prominent spaces on architects’ desks, and increasingly their inboxes. These magazines and their digital counterparts keep members of the profession apprised of the latest news, trends, and developments in product and material technologies, and provide venues for getting projects published. For the third event in the “Architecture and the Media” series, editors from several trade publications discussed the future of the media, from the ongoing digital-versus-print debate to how they identify trends and determine which projects to feature.

While many architects still prefer to receive print versions of their favorite trade magazines, digital issues are gaining popularity. “Print is becoming almost a secondary component to web content,” commented Katie Weeks, editor of Eco-Structure. Echoing that sentiment, Diana Moser, editorial director of Multi-Housing News. shared that her publication recently ceased its print version and went completely digital. Though establishing a web presence allows editors to reach a broader audience and create more content, “it can be hard to get designers excited about being published online instead of in the print version,” admits Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, executive editor of Hospitality Design.

Trade publication editors are always on the lookout for new projects to feature, but long gone are the days of pursuing portfolios sent by snail mail. Weeks scans lists of speakers for conferences to identify emerging leaders, and she often turns to Twitter to source ideas. Linda O’Flanagan, editor of Real Estate Weekly, takes an inclusive approach, viewing her publication as a community paper in which “we try to make room for everybody.” Rauen appreciates the opportunity to meet readers at the annual trade shows hosted by her publication. Ultimately, that’s how she sees the role of trade publications: “We’re champions of the industry rather than critics.”

The fourth event in the “Architecture and the Media” series will be held 11.08.12 on the topic of “Evolving Media Platforms.”

Murrye Bernard is a freelance architecture writer and a contributing editor to Contract Magazine and e-Oculus. www.murrye.com

Golden Opportunities: Olympic Parks of the Past, Present & Future

The event featured video produced by John Mcintyre, ANZIA, that interspersed recorded interviews with images of past Olympics architecture.

Daniel Fox

Event: London 2012 Olympics @ The Center: Lecture and Opening Ceremonies Party
Location: Center for Architecture, 07.27.12
Moderator: Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director
Speakers: Alkis Klimathianos, Kohn Pedersen Fox (Athens Olympics); João Pedro Beckheuse (via Skype), Winner of the Olympic Port Competition (Rio 2016 Olympics); and pre-recorded interviews with Kevin Owens, London Organizing Committee; Jeff Keas, Populous; Dan Epstein, Sustainability Leader/London 2012 Olympics; Michael Taylor, Michael Hopkins & Partners; and Jerome Frost, ARUP (London Olympics)
Organizer: AIANY Global Dialogues Committee
Reception by: Food by The ChipShop; beer by Fuller’s and Whychwood; wine by Monsieur Touton
Sponsor: Microsol Resources with technical support by Autodesk

Millions tuned in to watch Olympic athletes compete, but London itself was the real star of the show. Hosting the Olympic Games creates an opportunity for a city to introduce itself to the world, but it also permanently alters the fabric of the city. Future host cities should take note of both the victories and mistakes made in planning for parks of the present and past. “Cities learn from each other, and these changes can be jump-started by the infusion of ideas from another place,” remarked Rick Bell, FAIA, who moderated a panel discussion of designers involved with parks in Athens (past), London (present), and Rio (future).

The first of the modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896, and then returned to the city in 2004. According to Alkis Klimathianos of Kohn Pedersen Fox, who worked on the Athens Olympics, the planners faced the challenge of offsetting pollution and congestion, while grappling with post-9/11 security issues. In the wake of the Olympics, many of the venues fell into disrepair and have become unofficial homeless shelters due to the overwhelming cost of up-keep (over $3 billion annually). There were some positive changes: infrastructure now connects the region, and many notable architects have since contributed to the architectural legacy of Athens.

The planners and designers for London’s Olympic Park – including members of Populous, Michael Hopkins & Partners, and ARUP – discussed their experiences in a pre-recorded video conference call, which was interlaced with full-sized images of buildings and sites being discussed. They agreed that London is a city many people are already familiar with, so they didn’t attempt to make a grand cultural statement through the park’s design. Instead, they focused on transforming the previously neglected East End into a thriving place to live and work long after the Games are over. Thanks to transportation improvements, what was once a 40-minute trip from the center of London is now only a seven-minute ride by rail.

The next city to play host is Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the planning process is well underway. João Pedro Beckheuse, winner of the Olympic Port Competition, joined the panel via Skype to discuss the growth the Games will bring to the harbor, including 4,000 housing units and a new five-star hotel. “This level of investment and growth would take 20 to 30 years without the Olympics,” he noted. Still, Rio has a few hurdles to clear before the torch can be lit: Adam Williams of AECOM, the firm behind the master plan for Rio’s park, was not able to join via Skype because his computer was stolen.

Murrye Bernard is a freelance architecture writer and a contributing editor to Contract magazine and e-Oculus. www.murrye.com