ULM MÜNSTERPLATZ Just over 100 miles (170 kilometers) from Freiburg, Germany, the city of Ulm straddles the banks of the Danube River, and although the two cities' cathedral squares — Münsterplätze — have slightly different birthdates, they are virtual twins. They grew up over the same five-and-a-half centuries, only to be laid low in the same bombing raids of 1944. — Published 2010.0929
	POSTCARD FROM TRENTON Dear ArchitectureWeek, It was a hot day and a long bus ride from Midtown Manhattan to Ewing Township, New Jersey, to get a sneak peek of the restoration in progress of Louis Kahn's Bath House, forever geographically misplaced near Trenton. Two dozen or so intrepid architecture and design journalists, including yours truly, munched on box lunches and watched My Architect on the bus's overhead TV monitors as we rumbled down the Jersey Turnpike toward one of Kahn's pivotal projects from the early 1950s. — Published 2010.0811
	IN APPRECIATION OF DENNIS SHARP The death of Dennis Sharp on May 6, 2010, has robbed the architectural world of one of the most eminent and prolific authors, critics and commentators of the 20th-century architectural scene. Born in 1933 into a family of building contractors, architects and surveyors, Dennis initiated his architectural studies at the Architectural Association (AA) in London and later attended the University of Liverpool under Dr. Quentin Hughes. — Published 2010.0609
	NORTH AMERICAN WOOD The Richmond Olympic Oval, the venue for long-track speedskating events in the recent Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, is capped by a massive roof almost 6.5 acres (2.6 hectares) in size. The LEED Silver-certified building, designed by Cannon Design, features prefabricated pine panels spanning between hollow composite wood-steel arches to form a rhythmically pleated timber ceiling over the ice. — Published 2010.0310
	BECHTLER MUSEUM BY BOTTA Clad in a glazed terra cotta tile that lends it an orange hue and a sleek feel, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, shows Swiss architect Mario Botta shifting subtly from his signature brick and stone. — Published 2010.0217
	ROYAL GOLD MEDAL FOR I.M. PEI The RIBA Royal Gold Medal for 2010 goes to an architect whose renown has been built over several decades of consistently producing a very particular kind of structure — often aspired to, rarely achieved. The characteristic buildings of I.M. Pei stand serene with the elemental dignity of high modernism, while at the same time expressing both the dynamism of muscular structural sculpture and the deep subtle touches of sensitivity to context. — Published 2010.0210
	AIA NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS 2010 Among the brick buildings and live oaks at Rice University in Houston stands the Brochstein Pavilion, a cleanly patterned, rhythmic composition of glass and metal. With indoor and outdoor seating shaded from the Texas sun, this structure by Thomas Phifer and Partners offers a casual gathering space in the central quad, inviting activity while blending into the existing campus fabric. The pavilion was among the 28 projects recognized by the American Institute of Architects in its 2010 AIA Institute Honor Awards. — Published 2010.0210
	PUGH + SCARPA AIA FIRM AWARD 2010 It's not easy to pigeonhole Pugh + Scarpa Architects. And that's the way partners Gwynne Pugh, Larry Scarpa, and Angela Brooks like it. The buildings they create are dynamic, many with colorful, angular, patterned facades that exude a sense of whimsical energy. Even at its most eye-catching, the work is also decisively rooted in function and energy efficiency. The firm has also established a substantial portfolio of affordable housing projects. — Published 2010.0127
	AUSSIE ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2009 On a windswept site in Australia's Snowy Mountains stands a rounded, steel-clad form, like a sleek spacecraft among the grasses. Anchored to a concrete plinth, this ground-hugging shelter by James Stockwell Architect deflects wind and transfers snow loads while offering its occupants expansive views of the Snowy and Thredbo River Valleys. — Published 2010.0113
	PUGH + SCARPA STEP UP Walking or driving past the new Step Up on Fifth project in downtown Santa Monica, California, one could mistake the colorful building — with its front facade of yellow, white, and purple metal panels — for a contemporary art center or a fashionable condominium. The mixed-use residential building in the heart of this affluent, picturesque city was actually built to serve people suffering from mental illness and homelessness. — Published 2009.1202

Art Galleries and Museums page: [prev] | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | [next]