May 23, 2013
We spotted OMA‘s new furniture line for Knoll, Tools for Life, a few weeks ago in Milan, but couldn’t quite figure out where the architecture firm’s radically customizable coffee tables and chairs would fit in. The ever-shifting and totally adjustable designs suggest a new kind of lifestyle and work environment—a challenge to the status quo of sitting still. These pieces aren’t furniture as much as GIFs that you can sit on. But it has finally dawned on us: If anyone would ever want to sit on a GIF it would be David Karp—and what cutting-edge office would need OMA-designed Knoll furniture but the newly cash-tumescent Tumblr? More GIFs after the jump!
more
December 19, 2012
2012 is the year of the GIF, just ask the Oxford English Dictionary. In the past 12 months, the graphic interchange format has had a huge impact on the way we share architecture online. We’ve compiled a roundup of the most viral, inspiring, and ingenious design-related GIFs for 2013. Get ready to be mesmerized!
more
December 17, 2012
Only a GIF can truly capture the most captivating moments from Design Miami. That’s why we’ve made five! Above is Booo’s Surface Tension Lamp (by FRONT), a light fixture that blows a continuous stream of incandescent bubbles which stopped visitors in their tracks and created a permanently hypnotized crowd surrounding the booth. Click through to see the rest of the “moving” projects we saw this year!
more
December 13, 2012
“Kosmaj Toy”, 2012 by Los Carpinteros at Sean Kelly
You would expect to see architects wandering the stalls of Design Miami or lounging by the entrance yearning to be chosen to design next year’s pavilion. But cross the parking lot and head into Art Basel Miami Beach and you’ll find that architecture is quietly taking over the art world. Proof of architecture’s ascension: Low Carpinteros’ spiky, sculptural Kosmaj Toy, pictured above, sold within 10 minutes of the opening, according to the New York Times ArtBeat. Indeed, scale models of buildings, cross-sectional drawings, feats of engineering, wild architectural fantasies, and even some full-scale built prototypes could all be found at the Miami Convention Center (which is itself at the center of an oedipal architectural contest between OMA and BIG). Given that architecture is the mother of all arts, the strong architectural themes at ABMB might indicate a reunification is underway — and we couldn’t be more excited.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite architecture-inspired art at ABMB. Click through to see them all, and don’t forget to share your favorites in the comments section below.
more
October 19, 2012
Bring on the European-sized portions of popcorn and dark chocolate M&M’s: The Architecture and Design Film Festival is now under way here in New York City, and with more than 25 films from around the globe ranging from 2 minutes to 103 minutes, this four-day event offers something for everyone (there’s even a film on the “art of human waste“). We had the chance to watch Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line, by the Checkerboard Film Foundation, which takes a long and steady look at the illustrious architects. Read more.
more
October 19, 2012
Step aside, Cannes Film Festival. New York City’s design establishment descended upon Tribeca Cinemas last night for the opening of the annual Architecture and Design Film Festival, which this year includes more than 25 films from around the globe. The event featured the world premier of the 86-minute documentary Design is One: Lella and Massimo Vignelli, which chronicles the work of this powerhouse design duo. Another highlight of the evening’s festivities: Audis parked outside the theater, ready to zoom off and give architecture driving tours. Read more!
more
October 19, 2012
Beyond the Street, Mengyi Fan and Marc Moukarzel
The GIF wave has hit the architecture community hard. Case in point, Storefront for Art and Architecture‘s GIF-themed halloween party, where architects are being invited to submit their pocket-size animations to be screened at this year’s costume crawl.But the trend has also infiltrated academic channels. As part of Experiments in Motion, architecture students at Columbia University GSAPP worked with Audi of America on a year long collaboration looking at the future of mobility in New York City. What else would an architecture and automotive collaboration produce but GIF visions of a city in motion?
Click through to see them all.
more
October 17, 2012
Photos: The Future-Predicter
It’s undeniable that contemporary architecture and the business of making it is changing. That has a lot to do with the creative, speculative, and unsolicited work being done by young architects and designers like the peeps behind +Pool and Lowline. The guys were on hand last night at ST[Making Things]RY to discuss their fantastic projects, both of which promise to make striking contributions to New York’s heritage of great public spaces. Continue.
more
August 30, 2012
Eva Franch translates the trend for men’s blue pants into a monochromatic melange of pleated skirt, stockings, and strappy wedges. All photos © Chris Barley/future-predictor.
The Venice Biennale is not only a showcase for the best and brightest minds in the architecture world; it also is a rare opportunity to observe architects and their ilk on display themselves. The exhibitions and installations might merely be an elaborate red herring, a distraction from the purposefully obscure tote parade on the paths of the Giardini and the loungers trying to check their email via the spotty free wifi at the cafés between pavilions. This year, as always, the dress code was kept at a comfortable casual chic. What did emerge as noteworthy, however, was a particular shade of blue pant. See more!
more
August 30, 2012
Animated photo © Experiments in Motion
In 2007, Herzog & de Meuron unveiled its much-ballyhooed design for the Elbphilharmonie performing arts center in Hamburg. The project, which entails transforming an old brick warehouse into an architectural showstopper, is rising in HafenCity, a former port zone that has become a vibrant work-live-play district in recent years. While many buildings there have reached completion, the 1.3 million-square-foot Elbphilharmonie has hit a number of snags. Construction was temporarily halted in November 2011, and the venue’s opening date has been pushed back to 2014.
For their contribution to the 2012 Venice Biennale, the Swiss architects sought to put the spotlight on this troubled undertaking. In the Arsenale, they hung a large wood-and-foam model of one of the building’s auditoriums; behind it, they installed a long wall plastered with news reports regarding the controversial project. Read more.
more
