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FARNSWORTH HOUSE SAVED
On the morning of December 18, 2003, historic preservationists were casting a worried eye on the Farnsworth House, designed by 20th-century architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. The famous 1951 steel-and-glass house was to be auctioned at Sotheby's that day, and its fate would depend on whoever emerged as high bidder. — Published 2004.0128
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POSTCARD FROM TURKESTAN
Dear ArchitectureWeek,
While in Kazakstan on my round-the-world bicycle tour, I visited the Hodja Ahmed Yasavi Mausoleum, one of the country's architectural gems. Surrounded by desert and low, rough, mud-brick buildings, the green tiled dome shimmers above the city of Turkestan. — Published 2004.0107
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MANHATTAN INSIDE UPDATES
Like putting a new engine in a classic car or an updated graphics card in an old computer, a few New York architects are giving high-tech interiors to historic buildings. In each case — car, computer, building — the external appearance of the original can be maintained while its function is upgraded. — Published 2004.0107
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GEHRY'S DISNEY CONCERT HALL
Crowning Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles, the stainless steel curves of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH) by Frank Gehry shine in the Southern California sun. They shine in quick flashes glimpsed through nondescript high-rises, throwing fortuitous reflections among the shadows. The taller forms stretch up and out toward the city, while the lower forms bend down toward passersby. — Published 2003.1217
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A HOUSE ON PUGET SOUND
For over 50 years, a secluded spot at the bottom of a cliff facing Puget Sound in Washington has been home to a cluster of unassuming cottages and cabins, known locally as "camps." Down here, at the watery edge of an otherwise predictable Seattle suburb, a small group of neighbors and friends have enjoyed salmon derbies, sunsets, and an incredible level of privacy with little change for two generations. — Published 2003.1210
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AUSTRIAN ALIEN
Something unexpected has appeared on the bank of the River Mur in Graz, Austria. Between the red brick roofs of neighboring historic buildings, "the friendly alien," as it is locally known, has landed in Austria's second largest city. — Published 2003.1203
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DISCOURSE ON DIGITAL
Every October, about 100 academics from around the world get together to share ideas and research results in the field of architectural design computing. Members of ACADIA — Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture — present discoveries about how to use CAD technologies to improve design and design education. They also speculate on future developments and how they might contribute. — Published 2003.1119
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TOTALLY TUBULAR KOOLHAAS
As a commuter train roars into a college campus in Chicago, its noise is suddenly muffled when it enters a stainless steel tunnel that sits atop the new student center. The tube and the building below it are the work of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his firm, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). The school is the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), still bearing the stamp of its mid-20th century modernist origins. — Published 2003.1119
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PIANO'S BEYELER FOUNDATION MUSEUM
Modern-art collector Ernst Beyeler wanted a tranquil, naturally lit environment for his paintings, despite conventional wisdom that would exclude all sunlight from most art collections. He had been impressed by the building designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano for the Menil Collection — a nonmonumental space open to contact with nature, facilitating a direct and relaxed relationship between visitor and artifact. — Published 2003.1105
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CONCEPTUALLY IN BETWEEN
Architects and glass artists in Portland, Oregon collaborated in designing and building chandeliers in a 2001 project called Multiplied Light. This year, architectural critic Randy Gragg curated a second experiment: to form glass and steel into architectural screens and to explore what he presents as a fundamental condition of architecture, "betweenness." — Editor — Published 2003.1105
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