Tuesday, October 9, 2012, by Sarah Firshein

The London-based Architects Registration Board has implored the British architecture newspaper Building Design to please, guys, stop referring to Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind as "architects." The move may solicit chuckles from those who'd love to see Libeskind's buildings demolished or those quick to take jabs at Piano's newly opened Shard building, in London, but ARB was serious: "All three [BD Online] articles make reference to either Mr Renzo Piano or Mr Daniel Libskind [sic] as 'architects', however, as they are not registered with the Arb they are not entitled to be described as such." Then: "In the light of BD's readership I would ask that you avoid referring to Mr Piano and Mr Libskind as 'architect's [sic] in any future publications."

In America, each state provides its own licensing requirements for architects, with the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) serving as the banner organization "leading the regulation of the practice of architecture through the development and application of standards for licensure and credentialing of architects," according to the official site. On the contrary, Britain's ARB is a 15-member national council that "regulate[s] the architects' profession in the UK" by "prescribingor 'recognising' the qualifications needed to become an architect" and "making sure that only people on our register offer their services as an architect." And so, the theory goes, because Libeskind and Piano aren't officially on the ARB register, they shouldn't be referred to as architects by a British architecture paper.

BD Online, of course, won't be complying with this request: "as far as BD is concerned Renzo Piano is an architect and that is how we will continue to refer to him," editor in chief Amanda Baillieu said in a statement. Something else: last February, Piano and Libeskind both signed an open letter to London Mayor Boris Johnson pleading for him to save Design for London, the architectural advisory body to the mayor, from budget cuts. How's that for karma!

Arb says BD cannot call Piano an 'architect' [BD Online via Architizer]

Continue reading here:
Nomenclature Nonsense: Piano, Libeskind Aren't 'Architects,' Says One British Board

The developers behind a planned $40 million restaurant and bar precinct in central Christchurch have short-listed four architects to draw up plans for the riverfront development.

Antony Gough, whose family owns most of the Oxford Tce Strip and several adjacent properties, is determined to be the "first off the block" with a major central-city development and has given the short-listed architects until the middle of next month to come up with a scheme for rebuilding the earthquake-damaged area.

Gough said yesterday that he hoped to be able to lodge resource consent applications with the Christchurch Central Development Unit by the end of November so work could begin early next year.

The project would cost about $40m and would initially involve building bars and restaurants along Oxford Tce. The rest of the development, including retail outlets at the rear through to the City Mall, would be done in stages, depending on demand and cashflow.

Gough's planned hospitality precinct will be the central city's first since The Strip, SOL Square and Poplar St were destroyed in the February 2011 earthquake.

- Fairfax NZ News

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Architects shortlisted for Strip rebuild

Kent State University is reaching for the stars to find a designer for a new building for its College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

Eight semi-finalists will soon be announced from a list of 36 teams from around the world that are vying for the $40 million job, said Douglas Steidl, dean of the design college.

The university will choose three to four finalist teams, which will then be paid a stipend to produce a preliminary design that will be vetted for cost, functionality, sustainability and aesthetics. A winner will be chosen by January.

He said the goal is to put KSU on the map with a distinguished piece of contemporary architecture.

Thats what were looking for, he said Tuesday.

Teams seeking the KSU assignment include a whos who of contemporary architecture. Among the world-famous firms on the list are: Eric Owen Moss Architects of Culver City, Calif.; Morphosis, of Los Angeles and New York; Farshid Moussavi Architects and Zaha Hadid Architects, both of London; Smith-Miller +Hawkinson Architects and Weiss/Mandfredi, both of New York.

Many Ohio firms are also seeking the KSU assignment, sometimes in the role of lead designer in partnership with a distinguished firm from outside the region, and sometimes in the role of partner to an outside firm in the lead spot.

Local and regional firms in the hunt include Richard L. Bowen Associates, Robert Masckhe Architects and Westlake Reed Leskosky, all of Cleveland; and Moody Nolan and NBBJ, both of Columbus.

Steidl said he thought the competitive process to choose the winning team will result in a building that has an image, that is sustainable and keeps us on track with what we preach to our students about quality and function and sustainable design and how a building contributes to a community.

The project will be financed through a $170 million bond issued by KSU earlier this year, which will also fund new construction and improvements to other academic buildings on campus.

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Architects on a star-studded list are vying to design the new Kent State University architecture and environmental ...

Oct 7, 2012 - 11:00

Image Caption: Herzog & de Meuron built this football stadium in Munich. (AFP)

byGhania Adamo, swissinfo.ch

Le Corbusier, Herzog & De Meuron, Mario Botta and Peter Zumthor - to mention only the most prominent names - have put Swiss architecture on the world map. The younger generation has not yet achieved the same celebrity, but it is striking out in new directions of its own. For the 125th anniversary of the birth of Le Corbusier, swissinfo.ch talked to art historian Lorette Coen about current trends in Swiss architecture.

Lorette Coen: Making that kind of distinction is the last thing I would do. Because unlike in the past, the exchanges between the linguistic regions of Switzerland today are quite intense. It used to be the case that French Swiss architects were not interested in the work of their German-speaking counterparts, and vice versa; and the Italian Swiss looked towards Milan. But times have changed. The French speakers now go off to work for a year in Zurich or Berlin, and German-speaking architects come and establish themselves in western Switzerland. Even better, several architecture buros of the younger generation are spanning the regions. So there is a lot of movement among Swiss architects.

L.C.: I would say no. In point of fact, you find similar tendencies everywhere. For example, the growing interest in a more modest architecture. Let me explain. The younger people today do not use luxury materials like stone. They go for compressed wood, concrete, sheet metal, and so on. There is a concern with economy, to which is added a concern for the environment. All our architects conform to this trend, but in different degrees. Let us say that some of them are more sparing of energy costs than others.

L.C. Yes, housing. But let me just go back for a moment. The Second World War put all architectural projects on hold throughout Europe, including Switzerland. In the post-war years (1950-1960), they started to build housing at a frenetic pace. Then this flurry of activity cooled down. Today, we see a new growth of interest in housing. Except that the young architects have learned to think about space differently the way it is occupied and lived in.

L.C. Le Corbusier certainly remains a key figure for young architects. But that does not mean that they imitate him by building towers. What counts in their work is much more the social parameters than the height of buildings. Their thinking revolves around these questions: what kind of cities do we want? what sort of mobility? what sort of accessibility? So relevance is the key element. Formerly it was virtuosity, the kind that was so typical of artists like Le Corbusier or his French counterpart Jean Nouvel, wanting to produce the perfect architectural object. If the heritage of Le Corbusier lives on, I think it remains in the art of thinking out a design project.

L.C.: One that springs to mind is the small villa built of glass and metal at Chardonne (canton Vaud) by the Geneva practice Made in Srl. It stands on a hillside in Lavaux, and reflects the terraces of the vineyards going down to the lake. Another type would be the barn (for 30 cows) at Lignires in canton Neuchtel, built by Localarchitecture, Lausanne. This same firm is also responsible for the Chapelle de Saint-Loup (Vaud), an architectural wonder designed like a work of origami and build in the grounds of a religious institution of Protestant nuns. Those would be a few examples of experimental architecture.

L.C.: Partnership between young architects from different countries is not really a new trend. If you go to Herzog & De Meuron, you will hear people speaking about 20 languages. Another example would be the team of Richter and Dahl Rocha, based in Lausanne. One is Swiss, the other an Argentinian. So working with people from abroad is a well-established practice. It has perhaps been stepped up now, because with the economic crisis, a lot of young European architects have started to enter competitions in Switzerland. Recently a Catalan firm, Estudio Barozzi Veiga, won the competition for the new cantonal fine arts museum in Lausanne. So as to have a base in Switzerland during the construction, they have linked up with Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms, who come originally from Basel but are based in Lausanne. As I said, there is a lot of movement in all directions, both within Switzerland, and between Switzerland and other countries.

Continue reading here:
“For young Swiss architects, Le Corbusier is still a key figure”

Oct 7, 2012 - 11:00

Image Caption: Herzog & de Meuron built this football stadium in Munich. (AFP)

byGhania Adamo, swissinfo.ch

Le Corbusier, Herzog & De Meuron, Mario Botta and Peter Zumthor - to mention only the most prominent names - have put Swiss architecture on the world map. The younger generation has not yet achieved the same celebrity, but it is striking out in new directions of its own. For the 125th anniversary of the birth of Le Corbusier, swissinfo.ch talked to art historian Lorette Coen about current trends in Swiss architecture.

Lorette Coen: Making that kind of distinction is the last thing I would do. Because unlike in the past, the exchanges between the linguistic regions of Switzerland today are quite intense. It used to be the case that French Swiss architects were not interested in the work of their German-speaking counterparts, and vice versa; and the Italian Swiss looked towards Milan. But times have changed. The French speakers now go off to work for a year in Zurich or Berlin, and German-speaking architects come and establish themselves in western Switzerland. Even better, several architecture buros of the younger generation are spanning the regions. So there is a lot of movement among Swiss architects.

L.C.: I would say no. In point of fact, you find similar tendencies everywhere. For example, the growing interest in a more modest architecture. Let me explain. The younger people today do not use luxury materials like stone. They go for compressed wood, concrete, sheet metal, and so on. There is a concern with economy, to which is added a concern for the environment. All our architects conform to this trend, but in different degrees. Let us say that some of them are more sparing of energy costs than others.

L.C. Yes, housing. But let me just go back for a moment. The Second World War put all architectural projects on hold throughout Europe, including Switzerland. In the post-war years (1950-1960), they started to build housing at a frenetic pace. Then this flurry of activity cooled down. Today, we see a new growth of interest in housing. Except that the young architects have learned to think about space differently the way it is occupied and lived in.

L.C. Le Corbusier certainly remains a key figure for young architects. But that does not mean that they imitate him by building towers. What counts in their work is much more the social parameters than the height of buildings. Their thinking revolves around these questions: what kind of cities do we want? what sort of mobility? what sort of accessibility? So relevance is the key element. Formerly it was virtuosity, the kind that was so typical of artists like Le Corbusier or his French counterpart Jean Nouvel, wanting to produce the perfect architectural object. If the heritage of Le Corbusier lives on, I think it remains in the art of thinking out a design project.

L.C.: One that springs to mind is the small villa built of glass and metal at Chardonne (canton Vaud) by the Geneva practice Made in Srl. It stands on a hillside in Lavaux, and reflects the terraces of the vineyards going down to the lake. Another type would be the barn (for 30 cows) at Lignires in canton Neuchtel, built by Localarchitecture, Lausanne. This same firm is also responsible for the Chapelle de Saint-Loup (Vaud), an architectural wonder designed like a work of origami and build in the grounds of a religious institution of Protestant nuns. Those would be a few examples of experimental architecture.

L.C.: Partnership between young architects from different countries is not really a new trend. If you go to Herzog & De Meuron, you will hear people speaking about 20 languages. Another example would be the team of Richter and Dahl Rocha, based in Lausanne. One is Swiss, the other an Argentinian. So working with people from abroad is a well-established practice. It has perhaps been stepped up now, because with the economic crisis, a lot of young European architects have started to enter competitions in Switzerland. Recently a Catalan firm, Estudio Barozzi Veiga, won the competition for the new cantonal fine arts museum in Lausanne. So as to have a base in Switzerland during the construction, they have linked up with Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms, who come originally from Basel but are based in Lausanne. As I said, there is a lot of movement in all directions, both within Switzerland, and between Switzerland and other countries.

Original post:
Le Corbusier still a key figure for young architects

BY KAREN BERKOWITZ | kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com October 6, 2012 3:24PM

District 113 residents listen Tuesday as architect Mark Jolicoeur, a principal at Perkins + Will, speaks to facility needs at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools.|Michael Jarecki ~ for Sun-Times Media

storyidforme: 37901973 tmspicid: 13903647 fileheaderid: 6397578

Updated: October 6, 2012 3:46PM

HIGHLAND PARK The architects hired by High School District 113 to create a Long-Term Facilities Plan are exploring each deficiency at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools from three vantage points.

Is it possible, or economically sound, to refurbish the building, the space or the mechanical system?

Would changing the facilitys function address some of the inherent drawbacks?

What would be gained by starting over and building anew?

That 3 R analysis refurbish, repurpose or rebuild has produced an exponential number of options and combinations for the dozens of items on the districts high priority list. Some of the options were mentioned Oct. 2 during the District 113 Community Engagement meeting, this one at Highland Park High School.

See the article here:
In Highland Park, architects eye school options

October 5, 2012

(JTA) Five sukkot designed by Polish architects are being displayed in a public square in Warsaw.

The Poland office of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which initiated and organized the Warsaw sukkot exhibition, had the temporary Jewish ceremonial dwellings placed at Grzybowski Square in the Polish capital.

The idea was to find a more innovative and open way to educate the general public about some Jewish customs, Karina Sokolowska, JDC country director for Poland, told JTA.

Sukkot are built as a reminder of the biblical tale of the nomadic period which the Israelites spent after their liberation from Egyptian slavery.

The exhibition, Sokolowska added, also was meant to serve as an inauguration for the Warsaw Jewish Community Center, though -- like the ancient Israelites during their desert wanderings -- that center is without a permanent address.

At this moment the JCC is still operating without walls, but hopefully will soon find its permanent location, Sokolowska said.

Piotr Lewicki, an architect from Krakow who designed one of the sukkot with his business partner Kazimierz Latak, described the structures as natural additions to Warsaws chaotic urban landscape.

Public spaces in our cities are usually ruled by mess, he told JTA, adding that Warsaws streets are no strangers to shacks and stalls.

Instead of a traditional canopy of branches, the two architects from Krakow used wicker, a common material used in traditional Polish masonry.

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Polish architects design five sukkot for display in Warsaw

Okiwa Bay House, Tennent + Brown Architects;

The annual architectural awards programme is run by the regional branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

Out of the 13 awards presented, Marlborough architecture scooped four:

The Brancott Estate Heritage Centre (commercial), designed by Fearon Hay Architects;

Cloudy Bay Shack (commercial), Paul Rolfe Architects and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects;

Okiwa Bay House (housing), Tennent + Brown Architects;

Wairau Valley House (housing), Parsonson Architects.

Fearon Hay interior designer Rufus Knight said that accommodating the exposed and elevated piece of land on which the Brancott Heritage Trust Centre sits in the design had been a challenge.

"The design that we were trying to get away from was placing a glass box on a hill," he said. "So, there was a lot of excavation and digging and actually stitching or inserting it into the land."

Tennent + Brown Architects design director Hugh Tennent said their company faced a similar challenge when designing Okiwa Bay House at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds.

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Sound designs win awards

With rising pressure on healthcare providers to reduce costs and improve quality, Flad Architects is incorporating Lean tools and techniques into their designs as a solution for improving processes and performances.

Madison, WI (PRWEB) October 04, 2012

Instead of building new or upgrading existing facilities that carry over existing problems, healthcare organizations need to examine their idea of what a hospital should be. How can we increase patient safety and reduce wait times? How can we improve staff and patient travel times? How can we design it to be efficient and flexible? How can we do more with less?

Answering these questions and more, in Flad Architects white paper, titled "Incorporating Lean Principles in Healthcare Design," readers will gain knowledge from the experience of our architectural design teams as we highlight specific examples and lessons learned. Readers will learn how to apply Lean to facility design by understanding who should be involved, which Lean concepts to incorporate, when to initiate Lean activities, and what outcomes to expect. To view Flad's "Incorporating Lean Principles in Healthcare Design" in flipbook format, click on the link below or visit Flad's website under the Design Thinking section of Insights.

http://www.flad.com/eBrochures/Incorporating-Lean-Principles-into-Healthcare-Design/

About Flad Architects

Flad Architects (http://www.flad.com) specializes in the planning and design of innovative facilities for healthcare, higher education, and science and technology clients. With offices throughout the United States, Flad is a nationally recognized leader in serving the complex needs of knowledge-based organizations.

Mary Hirsch Flad Architects (608) 232-1275 Email Information

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Flad Architects Incorporating Lean Principles in Healthcare Design to Improve Outcomes

Flad Architects is working on four higher education projects to enhance students experiences and promote sustainability. By employing the tenets of sustainable architecture, each project strives to reduce the use of non-renewable resources, minimize environmental impact, and relate people with their natural environment.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 04, 2012

These projects are especially rewarding for me because they are platforms for education. They are each designed to enhance students experiences, to engage with a broader community, to uplift and inspire a whole new generation, says Stevens Williams, Principal Designer of the projects. These structures are not only efficient in their use of resources; they are emblematic of their mission and reflective of their campus contexts. These buildings are designed to have a minimal impact on the environment and an extraordinary impact on the individual.

Merritt College Center for Science and Allied Health is designed to be a safe, accessible, and inspiring environment for learning; it will be further enhanced by sustainable approaches to acoustics, lighting, indoor air quality, daylight, and views. These elements will not only improve learning outcomes, they will underscore science as a means of promoting human health.

San Francisco State University Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies conducts research and offers instruction in marine biology, oceanography, wetlands ecology, and evolutionary genetics. Situated on 35-acre former naval station, extensive renovation, selective new construction, and site restoration will meet an institutional commitment to excellence in education as well as carbon neutrality.

California State University Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Center will be the backdrop for a new educational paradigm. With welcoming public areas that introduce students to an engaging, highly interactive learning environment, and dynamic visual connections between activities, the Center for STEM Education will not only cultivate a new generation of innovators, it ushers in an exciting new era for the university.

The California Maritime Academy Dining Commons replaces an existing food service facility, while adding programs that contribute to the quality of student life and support community outreach. Bounded by a steep slope, service access, and neighboring buildings, the dining commons occupies most of the available site area. The design addresses these conditions in a manner that is both economical and aesthetically coherent, using building materials that were selected for durability, economy, and compatibility with the campus context.

Flad Architects project portfolio, titled "Enhancing, Engaging, and Inspiring Campus Community," summarizes each of these projects in detail. To view the projects in a flipbook format, click on the link below or visit Flad's website under the Design Thinking section of Insights.

http://www.flad.com/insights/files/itemFiles/ePubs/4-In-Progress/

About Flad Architects

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Flad Architects Working on Higher Education Projects to Enhance, Engage, and Inspire the Campus Community