The new national stadium of Japan, by Zaha Hadid Architects, will be built for the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In September, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the host city for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020. A town with a good track record, Tokyo beat out Istanbul and Madrid and took the prize for the third time.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A range of existing facilities will be used for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games, including Rafael Violys Tokyo International Forum, a civic complex completed in 1996.

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The city was first selected for the 1940 summer games, which were canceled due to World War II. Tokyos second win was for the 1964 summer Olympics. Symbolizing the end of Japans postWorld War II reconstruction, new athletic facilities were built and infrastructure was upgraded, changing the Japanese lifestyle for good. Now many are wondering what kind of legacy the 2020 Olympics will leave.

In preparation for the 1964 Olympics, Tokyo underwent several major changes including the construction of an overhead highway system, the extension of subway lines, the widening of streets, and, just days after the opening of the games, the launch of the Shinkansen bullet train connecting Tokyo and Osaka. Our urban life, based on a network of underground trains, was a gift of the 1964 Olympics, says Professor Hiroyuki Suzuki of Aoyama Gakuin University. Most of the new athletic facilities were concentrated within central Tokyo. While a number of the original structures remain in use, Kenzo Tanges Yoyogi National Gymnasium stands out as the events iconic building. Flexing the countrys technological muscles, the building is topped by a spectacular swooping roof and, fittingly, was erected on the site of a former U.S. military base. It showed the world the power of Japans contemporary architecture culture, which has continued into the present.

This time, the main Olympic venues will be divided between two areas reasonably near the Olympic Village, in the middle of the city. To improve Tokyos already efficient public transportation network, there is talk of adding new subway lines that would facilitate movement to the citys two airports as well as to one of the venue areas, the Tokyo Bay Zone. Largely built on landfill, this area is a relatively recent addition to the city and is still considered a little out of reach. More commercial amenities catering to the 17,000 athletes who will call the Village home are also anticipated. These will make the neighborhood more enticing after the Olympics, when temporary accommodations are converted into permanent residences.

But recasting the Village isnt the only adaptive reuse planned. A whole range of existing facilities will host the new competitions. While the Tange gym will hold handball tournaments, Fumihiko Makis Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium will host table tennis. Other buildings, such as Rafael Violys Tokyo Forum and various stadiums as far afield as Sapporo and Sendai, built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will be venues for weightlifting and soccer respectively.

One building not slated for reuse is the 1964 Olympics main stadium. In preparation for the possibility of winning the bid, the Japan Sports Council held the International Concept Design Competition for a new arena in compliance with the IOCs current requirements. In November 2012, they awarded the commission to London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, which will serve as the projects design consultant in collaboration with a team of Japanese firms captained by Nihon Sekkei, Nikken Sekkei, and Ove Arup Japan.

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Will Tokyo's Second Olympics Leave a Design Legacy?

The site of the former Hudson's department store in Detroit. SHoP Architects and Hamilton Anderson Associates have been tapped to come up with concepts for a new building there.

One of Detroits most iconic sites will be the subject of an intense design concept study in coming months, headed by New Yorks ShoP Architects.

Photo courtesy historicdetroit.org/Detroit Free Press Archives

The former Hudson's department store.

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The focus will be on the site of the old Hudsons department store, which for decades in mid-20th century reigned as Detroits most important shopping locale. The store dated to 1891 and was built in multiple stages, reaching 25 stories and 2.2 million square feet before it closed in 1983. The structure was imploded in 1998 and since then the site has housed just an underground parking garage.

Rock Ventures, the umbrella entity for billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert, founder and chair of Quicken Loans, announced Monday that it had hired ShoP to work jointly with Detroit-based Hamilton Anderson Associates (HAA) to conduct an intensive study of concepts for a new signature building on the site (most likely mixed-use commercial and residential). Given central downtown location in the heart of Woodward Avenue, the project promises to produce what could be a new postcard image for the Motor City. These two firms, known as premier urban catalysts, were chosen for their innovation and creativity, as well as their track record of committing to community engagement. We believe SHoP and Hamilton Anderson will join a long list of distinguished architects, including Yamasaki, Burnham, and Kahn, who have created landmark buildings in Detroit that stand the test of time, said Jeff Cohen, founder of Rock Companies, LLC, a member of the Rock Ventures family of companies.

SHoP has designed dozens of signature projects, including the Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, New York, where the worlds tallest modular housing towersalso designed by SHoPare currently under construction. Hamilton Anderson has worked on numerous Detroit projects including the Tech One Building at the TechTown Research and Technology Park at Wayne State University. "In visiting Detroit, we've experienced the zeal and sense of entrepreneurship that underpins a vibrant urban environment. Through our inclusive design process and engagement with academia, we look forward to becoming part of the local culture and conducting a dialogue about the future of downtown," says William Sharples, SHoP principal.

In the coming month, SHoP and HAA will meet with local stakeholders to discuss programming and design concepts. In early 2014, the two firms will host a lecture series for the community to learn more about the architects, the Hudsons site, and what it will take to get a project of this magnitude underway. Designing a signature architectural project from the ground up in downtown Detroitor any great cityis an opportunity of a lifetime, and we are committed to getting it right, says Gilbert. Our goal is that this project will become not only a symbol of Detroits past and present, but more importantly, highlight the high-tech potential, creative future of opportunities for Detroiters and visitors from around the world.

Continued here:
SHoP to Work on Major Detroit Project

Diamond Schmitt Architects, in collaboration with Edward J. Cuhaci and Associates Architects, has finished the expansion and renovation of the MacOdrum Library at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. The $27 million project updates and expands the 1960s facility by introducing natural light throughout the core and adding features that address modern-day learning environments.

Anchored by a helical mahogany staircase, the five-story library features nine new reading rooms, interactive study rooms with large touch-screen monitors and two treadmills with desks, a video gaming lab, a discovery center with digital media labs, and additional group and graduate study rooms. A future music resource center will host small concerts on a piano beneath a circular skylight.

We have to move beyond the traditional ways of learning and support creativity, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. Thats what this building does, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, said at the reopening ceremony. The building is extremely functional, and it really is a beautiful space.

Originally posted here:
Diamond Schmitt Architects Completes Library Renovation at Ottawa's Carleton University

Now that local politicians and team owners have decided Orlando will get a Major League Soccer stadium, they have to decide what it will look like.

Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando City Soccer Club president Phil Rawlins and others from the city's anointed MLS team travel to Kansas City, Kan., for a two-day design workshop today and Wednesday. They'll brainstorm with architects from Populous, the firm hired to design the new stadium.

"I'm a big believer in doing this getting all the parties involved in the same room to talk about concepts and which way to go," Dyer said.

They will focus on big-picture ideas for the design of the $84 million stadium. A fine-tuned blueprint will come later.

City officials participated in similar brainstorming sessions with architects in the early stages of designing both the Amway Center arena and the upcoming renovation of the Citrus Bowl stadium. One of those sessions yielded the 180-foot color-changing steel spire that has become the Amway Center's most prominent feature.

Some details of the stadium are already known: It is supposed to be a modern, state-of-the-art facility seating about 18,000 people. Fans will have a roof over their heads, and the field will be open to the sky. There will be a supporter section; corner terraces; about 2,500 club seats; 300 seats in luxury suites; and a premium club with a bar and restaurant.

But its appearance and how distinctive it will be from other MLS stadiums is up in the air.

Designers likely will draw inspiration from some of the newest MLS stadiums, including BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston and Sporting Park in Kansas City, though the latter facility, at more than twice the cost of Orlando's, is likely more elaborate than Lions fans can expect.

Dyer toured both those facilities last year during the debate about whether to commit public money to the project. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs toured PPL Park, home of the Philadelphia Union.

Populous, formerly known as HOK Sport, is a leading sports architecture firm with an impressive list of athletic facilities around the world, including the soccer stadiums in Kansas City and Houston, and Orlando's own Amway Center.

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Architects, Dyer and Lions to brainstorm ideas for MLS stadium design

THE United Architects of the Philippines-Kadayawan Davao (UAP-KD) will hold its 2nd Arki-Smash Badminton Tournament on January 25 and 26 at the Smash n' Drop, San Pedro Extension, Davao City.

The tournament is open to badminton players all over the country.

Categories to be contested are men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

In a phone interview with Sun.Star Davao, UAP-KD committee chairman Chang Alquiza said that a team challenge between Architects Badminton Federation (ABF) players from Luzon and Mindanao will also be expected.

"We are happy that a total of 22 ABF players from Luzon composed of Board of Directors will join the tournament while we expect 10 ABF players from Davao City and one from Cagayan De Oro City," Alquiza said.

Alquiza said that the architects are very excited to play and that they really pushed through with the event following the positive feedbacks they received last year.

She added, "The best thing about this tournament is that a fair leveling of players will be conducted by the organizers."

Registration is pegged at P600 per pair and free t-shirts will be given to the first 100 paid players.

Winners from different categories will receive trophies and cash prizes.

The class B champion will receive P5,000 while the runner-up will get P 2,500. Prizes of P4,000 and P2,000 will be awarded to the champions and runners-up of classes E and F.

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2nd Arki-Smash badminton tournament slated Jan. 25-26

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -

Now that Orlando officials have approved a Major League Soccer team, it is time to decide what the stadium will look like.

Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Soccer Club President Phil Rawlins are meeting with architects in Kansas City Tuesday to discuss the design of the new Major League Soccer stadium reports the Orlando Sentinel.

It will feature a modern, state-of-the-art look that will cost $84 million and seat about 18,000 fans. It will also have corner terraces, club seats, luxury suites, and a premium club with a restaurant and bar.

Populous, the firm hired to design the new stadium, is known for designing stadiums around the world, and even Orlando's own Amway Center.

The new stadium will be built in Parramore, bounded by Church St., Central Blvd., Terry and Parramore Ave.

Stadium construction is expected to begin this year and be completed in 2015. In the meantime, the Lions will play at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

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Architects, city officials discuss ideas for new MLS stadium design

The state chapter for the American Institute of Architects rang in the new year welcoming three area architects to its board.

Lisa H. Nice of Post Architects and Samuel Herpin of Remson/Haley/Herpin Architects have been elected to the 2014 Louisiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Board of Directors Executive Committee.

Nice, a Baton Rouge-based architect will serve as first vice president/president-elect. Herpin, who also works in Baton Rouge, will be the secretary/treasurer during this term.

Angela M. Morton has also been elected to the local AIA board. Morton, of Mathes Brierre Architects of New Orleans, will serve as vice president for District B.

Others elected to the 2014 Board of Directors Executive Committee were William A. Tutor, of Alexandria, president; George Minturn, of Natchitoches, vice-president-District A; and Brent A. Frick, of Lafayette, vice-president-District C.

Immediate Past President Jeffrey K. Smith, of Hammond, will also serve on the Executive Committee.

Representing America's architects since 1857, the AIA has nearly 80,000 members nationally who are licensed architects, allied partners and emerging professionals.

Original post:
AIA state board welcomes Baton Rouge, New Orleans architects

Even after the windfall of the Getty's Pacific Standard Time Presents series of exhibitions in 2013, there's still a significant list of postwar Los Angeles architects and designers whose careers remain underexplored.

Among the most intriguing is the designer Deborah Sussman, whose work with Jon Jerde on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics made a cameo last summer in "Overdrive," PSTP's anchor show at the Getty Museum.

Now Sussman, still working at age 82 at Sussman/Prejza, the firm she founded in 1980 with her husband, Paul Prejza, is getting a solo spotlight in "Deborah Sussman Loves Los Angeles," an exhibition running through Jan. 19 at Woodbury University's WUHO Gallery in Hollywood.

GRAPHIC: Best of 2013 | Entertainment and culture

It is a modest but charismatic show. And a timely one, since the role of female architects and designers and how they've been overshadowed by their male collaborators and clients has been much debated in recent months.

Sussman's body of work isn't as vast or significant as that of Denise Scott Brown, the architect excluded from the Pritzker Prize given her husband and partner Robert Venturi in 1991 or Julia Morgan, who last month won the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal in hyper-posthumous fashion, more than 55 years after her death.

But it is more than rich enough to sustain an exhibition like this one, filling the narrow WUHO Gallery with photographs, wall graphics and items under glass.

And in the end, the show's most meaningful themes aren't limited to gender or the nature of creative partnerships. They also include the way Sussman helped graphic design take on a bigger, quasi-architectural scale in the 1970s and 1980s and how the cultural identity of Los Angeles was forged in those decades.

Sussman's work, in that sense, provided a bridge between two definitions of graphic design one about text and the other about the city as well as between two eras in L.A. design history.

PHOTOS: Hawthorne's best architecture moments of 2013

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Review: A timely look at L.A. designer Deborah Sussman

PHOENIX - Right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of downtown Phoenix sits a majestic ruin: Phoenix's historic First Baptist Church.

On the outside it appears to be in great shape, but looks are deceiving. One you walk inside you realize it's just a shell.

"This was finished in 1929, just before the depression. It was a big church; 1,400 or more people were here for services. It was designed for chorale singing and mass choirs," said Terry Goddard, former Arizona Attorney General and the self-proclaimed protector of the church.

After 40 glorious years, hymns were silenced as the congregation packed up and moved out, leaving the structure abandoned. To make matters worse, on a cold February day in 1984 tragedy struck the church: a fire broke out inside the sanctuary. The fire continued to burn for two days, causing the roof to collapse.

Although the charred remains act as a scar of it's dark days, the ruins give off a romantic and charming vibe making the future still very bright.

It was former congregation members and a few notable names that have seen the charming potential contained within the church and halted the demolition.

For the past 20 years, this 40,000-square-foot building has transformed into an open-air sanctuary for thousands of birds and nearly 50,000 honey bees who've made camp within the old rose windows. However, a few local architects have drafted plans to renovate the old building.

For the main sanctuary, architects envision a beautiful garden amongst the angelic ruins or an open-air concert venue beneath the starry Arizona sky.

The hallways are dark and tattered, but there are dozens of abandoned rooms that have the potential to be renovated into office space, high-end residential living or even the addition of a black box theater. These are just a couple ideas that have been suggested.

Deep within the basement sits an abandoned boiler, however, could you imagine turning it into a giant pizza oven?

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Architects seek to renovate PHX church

REG Architects, founded byRick Gonzalez Jr., received two merit awards in December from the Palm Beach Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. REG was cited for its work in renovating the Cultural Council of Palm Beach Countys headquarters at 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth.

The building opened in 1940 as a movie theater and later was used to house a contemporary-art collection, a disco and a restaurant. Palm Beach philanthropist Mary Montgomery donated the building to the cultural council. Said Gonzalez, Its a classic example of adaptive reuse.

The work was financed with a $700,000 grant from the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency.

The other merit prize awarded to REG is for a private equestrian center on 60 acres in Wellington. Hedrick Brothers Construction received the Builder of the Year Award for the project.

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Making merry IberiaBank and Arnstein & Lehr LLP partnered for a fourth year to hold the Heartfelt Holiday Toy Drive to benefit children served by the Achievement Centers for Children & Families. More than 700 toys were donated by employees and the public.

Some were distributed on Dec. 18 at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium. Santa Claus appeared and handed a toy to each of the 60 children in attendance. They also were treated to a tour of the museum and planetarium.

The toy drive is held in collaboration with the National Arts Institutes Kids Rule the Arts. I wish everyone could see the huge smiles on the childrens faces, said Jennifer Brancaccio, market president for IberiaBank. Steven Daniels, managing partner at Arnstein & Lehr, said the firm is happy to continue the partnership, which ensures that underprivileged children have a memorable holiday.

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PR awards The Gold Coast PR Council, which honors excellence by local public relations and marketing professionals, will host the 10th annual Bernays Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at Boca Dunes Golf & Country Club, 1400 Country Club Drive, Boca Raton.

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Architects honored for Cultural Council renovations