As every 2 years, we have been attending the Venice Architecture Biennal. Find some first impressions below (if you’re reading the RSS feed, these images might not show):
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My friends from MikeViktorViktor, a young Antwerp-based Architecture office (neither Mike nor Viktor) recently send me a link to a great representation of their work. Apart from the great work they do (and which you should definitely check out), it’s a fantastic way of communication.
MikeViktorViktor Architects – a bmtjk presentation from boemtjak on Vimeo.
thank you for the link Melisa!
As mentioned below, EXD09 is going to kick off soon.
I am especially looking forward to the talks with Alejandro Aravena and Julien de Smedt on 9th September and Konstantin Grcic and Giulio Cappellini on the 12th. I’ll also have a closer look at the public space project at Jardim de Santos and the project towards a new criticism in design and architecture ‘Stop & Think’ – read more on that in the EXD’09 Detailed Program (pdf).
Amazing flashmob in front of my one of my favourite public buildings/squares: Peter Celsings Kulturhuset in Stockholm (1966-1971).
You could call Centre Pompidous (1972-1976) programmatic qualities a mere copy of it. In my opinion Kulturhuset works even better, the lowered square connects different pedestrian routes and tunnels them under a major street.
The initial design also marks all the functions by lettering them on the facade: OMA’s diagrams of the 90′s.
The Planungsnetzwerk geo-Innovation of the University of Karlsruhe is organizing its second symposium on the 23rd of april in Karlsruhe. Its all about gis, web 2.0, experiments within urban context with gps and geodata.
Contributors are amongst others the openstreetmap (see also Thomas article openstreetmap) and the unortkataster.
Lately the readers of Volkskrant selected 30 year old Almere the ugliest place in the Netherlands; average Dutch associates Almere with bourgeois, boredom and absence of culture. Almere’s city officers are desperate; Continue reading ‘Is Almere There Yet?’
After a couple years without publishing, the latest issue of Hunch #12 will be relaunched in collaboration with NAi Publishers at the Berlage Institute, Rotterdam. The event takes place this coming Tuesday, the 31st March, at 19:00 within the school itself.
Continue reading ‘Hunch 12: Bureaucracy – Launch Event’
Google Maps recently updated various cities within Europe, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Of course, Europe being much more dense, has caused privacy problems for Google as seen in a row exposed by the BBC News in the UK. While I’ve snooped through some of my favourite spots in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, I’ve yet to explore the limits of what Google has made available online. It seems that some of the secondary cities such as Utrecht and Maastricht still lack the service. Given that the cameras are placed high above a moving truck, there are few (or no) views of pedestrian streets; and perhaps Google should think about capturing Amsterdam by boat?
UPDATE: I’ve added a map with the cities where street view is available. The recently added Oxford, London (Millenium Dome), Rotterdam (Ben van Berkel’s Erasmus bridge) and Amsterdam (Mirailles, West8 & Co. at Borneo) are not yet on it. Even more recent are the additions of Cannes, Zaragoza and the Amalfi Coast. Whatever Google’s criteria for inclusion are, we agree with them.
The website for this year’s 4th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2009 is fully online and operational. Rotterdam architect Kees Christiaanse will curate the program, and has developed the theme: Exploring Urban Futures. He will be working in association with a team in Zurich at the ETH, where he also teaches urban design. In Rotterdam, Christiaanse runs his own office, KCAP, which is recognized for work in both architecture and urban design. Being the 4th biennale, expectations are high following what many perceived as a decline in the scale and quality of the last, 3rd Biennale entitled “Power”.
Continue reading ’4th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam – Exploring Urban Futures’
Have a look at OMA’s most recent project for Prada, the ‘Prada Transformer‘. The project has it’s own proper website, featuring Rem presenting, plans and renderings as well as a construction time lapse in progress.
Wonderland, a young architects network initiated by a group of former Berlagers, is now offering their Wonderland Magazine as a free PDF download. ‘Getting Started’, ‘Making Mistakes’, and now ‘Going Public’ – the titles of the first issues speak for themselves. The magazine is a refreshing hands on manual for young practices and gives some insight into the situation of architecture startups in Europe.
Since the devastating fire that consumed the notorious architecture faculty at the TU Delft in 2008, the architectural community in the Netherlands has been holding their breadth to find out what their new faculty would look like. The open international ideas competition has recently closed, and the TU Delft is planning to launch the project winners at the NAi in the coming weeks.
On March 14th at the NAi, the award winners and mentions will be announced and a debate held to discuss the work. The museum will simultaneous open an exhibition documenting the work that will run until the 7th June 2009. In total 466 entries came from 50 countries, and the competition organizers will publish a monograph of the work this May.
The highly reputed Jan Van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, Netherlands (Map) has sent out it’s call for applications (click on “Applications” on top), to be received by the 15 April, 2009. The research program mainly reaches out to Artists, Theoreticians and Designers, but their openness always for diversity of students. If you are one of the unfortunate former employees of a Dutch office, and want to stick around the Netherlands, here is a great chance. You can bet that the competition to get in will be stiff.
Continue reading ‘If you’ve lost your job, apply to the Jan Van Eyck Academie!’
I just found out that the office worked at in 2001 in Barcelona updated its website, finally (spanish architects often don’t consider it necessary to be present on the web).
Josep Mias (Mias Arquitectes) emerged as talented young architect from the school of Mirailles and founded his own office in 2001 after the death of Mirailles (see EMBT). I also made that transition from Mirailles to Mias while working there as an intern.
update: it’s still standing:
more pictures @ movingcities.org
thanks to: 太阳太阳太阳
we’re talking local Beijing time.
1:07爆料User has marked vehicles, are safe to go home, thanks to the concern of everyone, thank you for the support of this report! Hope that all people in the fire Ping’an home! Wishes the injured a speedy recovery! To pay tribute to the brave fire fighters! ! !
1:07 on the road there are a number of taxi cars and more
1:05 There are fire engines and vehicles to the scene of the fire towards.
1:03 only east-west direction along the bus in the walk outside the security line there are still many people, Yuanwang smoke in the building.
At present, the main road 1:02 Sanhuan roads are still closed, have not seen the car, armed police have access to Chaoyang Theater
User claimed 0:59 withdrawal on the road, passing the police station呼家楼, brightly lit inside, there are 7-8 police on standby in the hall. Area where a pedestrian can not see, about 20-30% of the homes also亮着灯.
Continue reading ‘TVCC_timeline’
We just got news that the TVCC, just next to the CCTV building is burning. Looks like we have to add a new category of famous buildings in flames…
source: Oana & 潘石坚
Continue reading ‘TVCC on Fire’
OMA announced on Tuesday that 50 of their 300 employees have to leave. Business Director van de Chijs comments that he expects OMA to survive the economical crisis as business is going well. But as they intend to be “terribly careful” the diceded on the lay-offs.
In related news OMA announces the same day that they won the competition to build the Taipei Performing Arts Centre (as widely reported). Have also a look at the very interesting runner-up by Abalos+Sentkiewicz.
Read on for more pictures and the press release of the OMA design. Continue reading ‘OMA fires 50, wins Taipei competition’
