December 17, 2012
The Orange County Center in Goshen, New York, faced demolition this year.
Copycat architecture, greedy developers, threatened buildings, student protests: 2012 definitely had its share of architecture controversies. But really, with all the egos involved is that really surprising? From Zaha Hadid’s faulty Olympic swimming pool to Wolf D. Prix’s screed against the Venice Architecture Biennale, here are the top 10 scandals that shook the design world this year. Click through to see them all!
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December 6, 2012
Works at Herzog and De Meuron’s Porta Volta project have finally started in Milan, after a two year delay. The project is a redevelopment scheme of the area around the city’s north-western Spanish gate. After its completion, expected to take about 30 months, the intervention is supposed to turn the traffic-dominated site into a vibrant place dominated by green and cultural amenities and integrated into the city fabric. Yet some are still rejecting the design as foreign to the Milanese architectural context. Continue.
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November 26, 2012
Images © Jin Yunguo/China Daily
Luo Baogen, a 67-year-old duck farmer, and his wife are making headlines around the world for refusing to leave their home in Wenling, China. Their row house, now separated from its formerly adjacent neighbors, stands in the way of an ongoing construction project to develop a new business district in conjunction with a recently built train station. The couple ignited the stand-off four years ago when they refused to move, unlike many other neighbors who vacated the area for government compensation. The Baogens strongly contend with the valuation of their home, and have vowed to stay inside day and night to protect it from demolition. Read more.
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November 21, 2012
CCTV Headquarters. Photo © Iwan Baan via Artsation
Are you a fan of OMA’s CCTV Headquarters in Beijing? What about Renzo Piano’s The Shard in London? Both buildings have made Huffington Post‘s list of “The World’s Ugliest Skyscrapers.” Of CCTV, HuffPo argues: “There’s little positive to say for Rem Koolhaas’ ode to state power in Beijing, a 44-story Mobius strip of awfulness.” Of Piano’s tower: “This new addition to London has a terrifying name and the dangerously angled glass facade of a shattered bit of glass.” Other skyscrapers on the list include The Gherkin by Lord Norman Foster, Shanghai World Financial Center by KPF, and the entire collection of towers in Dubai.
Do you agree? Jump on over to HuffPo and cast your vote. Also, the site is asking readers to submit additional candidates. It writes: “Have you seen a hideous skyscraper? Share your photo and join in the public shaming of unfortunate architecture!” Sounds like HuffPo is on an architecture witch-hunt!
The Shard (pictured left). Photo courtesy Safe Stand Ltd.
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October 25, 2012
The battle continues between the National Civic Art Society (NCAS) and Frank Gehry’s Eisenhower Memorial design. When we last checked in, the Society was holding a forum to file yet another complaint against Gehry’s contemporary design for the downtown DC memorial. The Society has now gotten their hands on a report that alleges that the mesh tapestry components of the design may be a trap for loose garbage. The 572-page report from the National Capital Planning Commission, which can be dowloaded here, says that wet toilet paper (as if there is tons of that flying around D.C.) was purposely stuck to the mesh for days, fraying some of it ends and discoloring pieces of steel wire. The Society considers this a small victory in their campaign and further “proof” that contemporary architecture really does suck.* Read more.
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October 12, 2012
It looks like the ARB should have been more careful about who they picked on, as a number of angry (and important) architects are laying the smack down and even encouraging the abolition of the national board all together. The Architects Registration Board got itself in trouble earlier this week for asking BDonline to refrain from referring to Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind as “architects” simply because they were not registered with the board. Now RIBA Gold Medal 1991 winner Colin Stansfield Smith, former RIBA presidents Sunand Prasad and George Ferguson, and British architect Simon Allford are holding nothing back when it comes to expressing how truly disappointed they are in the ARB, even calling for a disbandment. (Maybe “controversy” should be an A+ Award category?)
Read more about the ARB saga.
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October 8, 2012
The Shard, in London, designed by Renzo Piano. Photo: via Wikipedia
What’s in a name? According to the Architects Registration Board, a whole heck of a lot. Editors from the popular design publication BD were thrown for a loop recently when the ARB asked them to no longer refer to Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind as architects. Initially thought to be a joke, the strange e-mail from the board noted that the masterminds behind London’s Shard and Denver’s Art Museum were apparently not registered with ARB and therefore “not entitled to be described” as architects. The e-mail continued to say, “In the light of BD‘s readership I would ask that you avoid referring to Mr. Piano and Mr. Libeskind as architects in any future publications.” Read More.
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September 13, 2012
Debates in Washington D.C. are nothing new, but heated forums and mudslinging over an architectural monument is a whole other story. Next Tuesday, the National Civic Art Society will hold its next forum to discuss Frank Gehry’s design for the Eisenhower Memorial. This newest forum is the latest in a series of protestations over the past 6 months which has seen the group file complaint after complaint about the contemporary nature of Gehry’s plan. In a ‘Classicism vs. Modernism’ debate for the ages, the Eisenhower Memorial pits the National Civic Art Society and the late President’s family against one of the world’s most renowned architects. Read More.
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September 12, 2012
Brown|Hill Development and Peter Gluck and Partners have long been trying to turn a vacant lot across from the Ben Franklin Bridge into a luxury multi-purpose building aptly named 205 Race Street. Many Philly residents have been fighting with all their will to prevent this sleek and modern design from ruining Old City’s aesthetic. As tempers flare on both sides, we will have to wait to see what happens at the next zoning meeting. Read More.
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July 10, 2012
A legendary British singer loiters in this plaza.
We’re mere days away from the start of the 2012 Summer Games. Exciting, right? Maybe for those of us who don’t actually live in London. But for locals, the onslaught of millions of tourists threatens hectic and stressful few weeks to come.
In fact, the pace and noise of any city, even in the best of times, can make it tough to focus and let the creative juices flow. Just searching for a respite from the urban cacophony can prove exceedingly stressful. To celebrate the launch of their new London space, Audi sought the advice of six London artists and musicians, asking them to reveal their favorite quiet city spots to decompress and be inspired.
At the risk of destroying their peace, we’re sharing their secret creative escapes. See Romain Gavras (director), Lizzy Jagger (model), Oliver Sim (The XX), Tracy Emin (artist), Stephen Bayley (design guru), and the legendary Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music) dish below. Click through!
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