January 18, 2013
Sliced Porosity Block by Steven Holl. Photo: Hufton + Crow
When’s the last time you saw the world’s top architects come together for a meeting of the minds? As we all know, architects can be a very individualistic bunch, with egos and accents usually getting in the way of that blissful round of kumbaya. But, the egos have been shelved for the Architizer A+ Awards, the biggest architectural awards program ever.
From Steven Holl and Preston Scott Cohen to Bjarke Ingels and the principals at MVRDV, architecture’s best and brightest can all be found on the A+ Awards jury. They will decide who—you?—takes home the trophy in 50 categories. They will choose whose projects will be showcased in major media publications like the Wall Street Journal, GOOD, Huffington Post, Cool Hunting—and Architizer, of course! Our jury also includes big-name journalists, developers, tastemakers, digital gurus, cultural luminaries, and other key figures, all of whom are helping us break architecture out of the echo chamber.
You’ve only got 7 days to submit your projects to the A+ Awards site, so if you want a chance to get your work in front of these great designers, be sure to enter now. Click through to see more of the architects on the jury and some of their best work.
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February 23, 2012
Olson Kundig Architects’ [storefront], Seattle’s homegrown gallery for urban experimentation, has been overhauled once again. Last month, it was a music lover’s haven, rekindling the cultural narratives of the world’s fast-disappearing record stores by inviting visitors to browse through neatly filed vinyl collections and stage listening parties. Their latest experiment takes advantage of the city’s thriving coffee culture, taking the form of an indoor mushroom farm nourished by nutrient-rich coffee grounds salvaged by local baristas. Read on.
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January 9, 2012
Throughout the years, New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture has been a critical hub for the art and architecture scene. However, its often hermetically sealed exterior of concrete panels can easily escape the notice of even an astute flâneur. While Storefront aspires to project a rigorously architectural exterior, [storefront], an experimental rotating gallery space in Seattle, Washington, disguises its architectural core with an accessible brick-and-mortar façade. Read on.
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May 5, 2011
Outpost, Olson Kundig Architects, United States, 2007.
Because Olson Kundig is based in Seattle and works largely out west, they’re merely “well known” in the tiny, insulated East Coast/Europe architecture world. But move east of the Hudson or south of the Mason-Dixon, and Olson Kundig is the gold standard amongst students and professionals: the Seattle-based practice has won over 65 AIA Awards. Because Olson Kundig is based in Seattle and works largely out west, they’re merely “well known” in the tiny, insulated East Coast/Europe architecture world. But move east of the Hudson or south of the Mason-Dixon, and Olson Kundig is the gold standard amongst students and professionals: the Seattle-based practice has won over 65 AIA Awards.
One of their latest — a 2010 AIA Honor Award — honors a home they built in rural Idaho: the appropriately-named “Outpost.”
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January 12, 2011
Roof of Downland Gridshell by Edward Cullinan Architects (United Kingdom)
Just like gables, wood is a building material that will never go out of style, especially when it’s updated to contemporary usage. From the mid-century aesthetic to the blonde wood IKEA look of the ’90s, wood has proven itself adaptable to even the steeliest Modernist.
The truth about lumber is that it’s strong, versatile, a good insulator, and easy to use. After the jump, view ten winning examples of wood’s 21st century application in building, from serene to cutting-edge.
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