New Work ::: St. Cuthbert's College Performing Arts Centre

(c) Patrick Reynolds

The new 3000m² Performing Arts Centre in Auckland, New Zealand designed by Architectus provides specialised teaching and rehearsal facilities for both music and drama education at St Cuthbert’s College. The facility is laid out as a series of elements around a central atrium space that present themselves at street level as an abstraction of the scale, form and rhythm of the adjacent residential context. The programme includes aside from specialised facilities for instrument teaching and rehearsal spaces for choirs, orchestras and drama performance, general teaching spaces for music and drama.

blog wunderlust: 3rd June 2013

Critics build nothing.

Robert Moses

Inside Iraq's Imam Hussein mosque (video) | Peek Inside the Winners of the 2013 AIA Housing Awards | Mirrored cityscapes from around the world | Crystal Palace Football Club, New Ground – AFL Architects | What an Urban Planner Should Look Like in the Internet Age | Prince Charles urges ‘harmony with nature’ | In China, 'cancer villages' a reality of life | Richard Saul Wurman: Seek Opposites | Skyscraper as Symbol |

last word: Highlights from the End of Year Exhibition 2013 [Caribbean School of Architecture]

4th Izmo International Summer School - Public Art and (semi)Public Space

Izmo has organized the fourth edition of the Izmo International Summer School in Turin, from 22nd July to 1st August 2013, which focuses on public art and the (semi)public space. The course is aimed at students, graduates, professionals and, in general, anyone who is interested in sustainable art and creative design. The lectures (in English) will be held by experts, professors and artists involved in the field of art work, urban design, cultural management, with the aim to provide broad and multidisciplinary insights into the topic. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience of methods of sustainable and interactive design that will enable them to work creatively with different materials and to approach participatory design practices

OMA NY

Shohei Shigematsu, director of OMA New York talks about the process that his office teaches, as well as the pulse of the city.

Blog Wunderlust: 27th May 2013

The essential role of the architect is to exceed expectations

Rem Koolhaas

[image source]

Calatrava projects encounter issues with water and structure | Super-Shiny Renzo Piano Designed Condos Force Nasher Sculpture Centre to Close | Astounding Street Art in Beco do Batman, Sao Paulo | Urban Renewal in Maryland | Freedom Rooms: Micro Apartments Designed by Prisoners | Prefab Lives! | Solar-Powered Hospital in Haiti Yields Sustainable Savings | An Architect's Tool Bag | Why Manhattan's Green Roofs Don't Work--and How to Fix Them |

last word: ‘Sea-ing’ the view from Stella

TED talks ::: Architecture for the people by the people

Architect Alastair Parvin presents a simple but provocative idea: what if, instead of architects creating buildings for those who can afford to commission them, regular citizens could design and build their own houses?

Miami Beach Convention Centre

MIAMI BEACH SQUARE from BIG on Vimeo.

The master plan for the Miami Beach Convention Centre environs in Miami Beach, Florida designed by Bjarke Injels Group (BIG)

David Adjaye

Renowned architect David Adjaye who is in the business of building history.

On the Boards: Novo Mesto Central Market

The proposed site for the 1600 m² Novo Mesto Central Market lies in a historical town near the Florjanov Square in Slovenia. Designed by ENOTA the multi-gabled roof references the immediate surroundings and the arched facade opens to the square. The play of elements and materials of monolithic polished and impregnated concrete creates an opportunity for an interplay of light and shadows on the interiors.

blog wunderlust: 20th May 2013

Even plain structures have moments of drama - through the right eyes.

Dr. Elizabeth Pigou-Dennis

[image source]

'Architecture has become too mundane' says Charles Correa | Bastard Chairs: Photo Series on Makeshift Chairs in China and Hong Kong | Abandoned Urban Spaces: A Photo Series by Lori Nix | Why Architecture's Identity Problem Should Matter to the Rest of Us | Tools For Life by Rem Koolhaas for Knoll | When Modernism Lost its Way | São Paulo May Lose Cup Games | Homes Designed By Architects For Their Moms | Why Africa Should Be Wary of Its ‘New Cities’

last word: Building on a grand design

Pin-Up

Felix Burrichter is a New York-based architect turned editor who prefers building magazines.

House of the Week 166: La Tumbona

Designed by the late Argentine architect Clorindo Testa in the late 80s, La Tumbona is located on the beaches of Ostende, Argentina. The distinct cubic forms of the house appear as a tumble of red concrete boxes dancing over the dunes. The proximity to the sea allow in high tides the waves to wash underneath the home.

blog wunderlust: 13th May 2013

Testa undoubtedly spoke the language of Brutalism, he did so with an Argentine accent

Juan Fontana

[Re-Ward Project]

Architect Clare Cousins provides a 'buffer' against the stress of renovating | The legacy of Argentine architect Clorindo Testa, 1923-2013 | Humanitarian intent: Urgent Architecture from ecohomes to shelters – in pictures | House conversions just part of an evolving downtown, Black Iris architect says | Five things every architect should know about copyright | Cities on a Hill | A blueprint for green living

last word: The cost of inaction

Sustainable Architect's Home

blog wunderlust: 6th May 2013

The answer to some problems is not design/architecture

Justin Zhuang

An Integrated Home Power/Transportation Solar Installation That Does It All | photographic illusions of falling up into the sky | A blueprint for women architects to overcome doubt, discrimination | 'They may as well be in Dubai' | MOCA's 'A New Sculpturalism' faces uncertain future without Gehry | Belfast architect Dawson Stelfox: the first Irish man to climb Everest 20 years ago | Architect turned woodworker turns reclaimed wood into furniture |

last word: Wanted - Robust, enforced building codes

The Price Of Desire

MAKE HISTORY AND BE A HERO OF MODERNISM: A Narrative Feature Film Project by Mary McGuckian Bringing the Life and Work of Eileen Gray to Preserve the Iconic E1027

On the Boards: Madrid Pavilion

A proposal for the Madrid Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo designed by architects 3Gatti. The facade was inspired by an umbrella, the metal screens can open and close to adjust the amount of light in the building.

On the Boards: Courthouse in Saint Malo

[image source]

The proposed courthouse in Saint Malo, France designed by French atelier LAN Architecture is to play a key part in the growth of the city from being a simple port town. The exterior of the proposed building is a simple rectangular object with a large atrium that lightens up the structure and creates a pleasant atmosphere. The walls are made of thin layers of onyx that allows light to pass through in the daylight, whilst the interior lighting allows the box to glow at night.

House of the Week 165: House on the Bluff

images (c) Yasuhiro Nukamura

This office and residence for a family of four is located on a urban site in Yokohama, Japan. Designed by architect Edward Suzuki, the interiors are finished in bleached timber with off-white walls and black trim. The double height office and library whilst meant for work, doubles as a small concert space.

blog wunderlust: 29th April 2013

Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it.

Banksy

[image source]

Artist and architects pay homage to Brazilian Modernist | Lost in Translation | Akihisa Hirata and Toyo Ito installation at Lexus Design Amazing 2013 | The 10 Truths about BIM (Building Information Modeling) | Three Buildings: Emilio Fuscaldo | 'Problems' as Maracana stadium reopens in Rio | Why Is MoMA Planning to Destroy a Beloved Work of Contemporary Architecture? | Harpa wins European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2013

last word: Peter Williams for Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments (ARCHIVE)

Grounded

Grounded from GLUCK+ on Vimeo.

What is the function of a vacation house? Escape the city to escape a hectic pace of life. Find peace in a lakeside retreat designed by architects Gluck+

On the Boards: National Maritime Museum

(c)Terry Pawson

The competition proposal for the National Maritime Museum for Bremerhaven, Germany designed by architects Terry Pawson. The design is composed of three new buildings that reference the form, scale and materiality of a boatyard and are connected by a timber board-walk leading directly to the water's edge by the dock.

blog wunderlust: 22nd April 2013

You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see.

Tadao Ando

[image source]

Unexpected Costs ~ Big ticket design software versus alternate methodologies | Architecture Students Compete to Create Largest Cardboard Structure in the US | Q&A: Architecture’s Early Riser | Flaunting the Spirit of Support for the Arts | The Imagination of Playgrounds | Whole Foods to Build First Commercial Rooftop Greenhouse Atop Brooklyn Store | Halevy Simmons dies; architect who helped build Adam's Mark Hotel

controversy: the outcry towards the demolition of the TWBTA designed Folk Art Museum continues with their alternate proposals

last word: WIHCON Developing Offices For Professionals

Visual Acoustics

Trailer for Visual Acoustics a film that celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, arguably the world's most renown architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.

House of the Week 164: S House

(c) Patrick Reynolds

The S House in Mount Eden, New Zealand was designed for a family of five by architects Glamuzina Paterson. The house derives its name from the fluid and winding circulation that divides the long, thin site into two gardens to the east and west of the lot. The perimeter of the home is finished in stained cedar in contrast to the black oxide concrete through the floors of the interior. The lush gardens compliment the palette of materials in a landscape composition of reeds, waterways and rocks.

blog wunderlust: 15th April 2013

People can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything. More and more I think that architecture has nothing to do with it. Of course, that's both liberating and alarming.

Rem Koolhaas

[image source]

David Walsh talks about the Future of Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) | Against Homogeneity | Building a better big box | A do (not think) tank: People for Urban Progress | Does architecture media matter? | Shigeru Ban: ‘People’s architect’ combines permanence and paper | 30 abandoned places that look truly beautiful | New Chicago Plan: Pedestrians Come First | A New Humanism: Part 15 | Modernism isn’t a “Style”

last word: Former Chevening scholar building a career in architecture

Archi-Culture

Archiculture takes a thoughtful, yet critical look at the architectural studio with interviews with architects, historians and educators to help illustrate this unique teaching methodology.

Casa Mirador / Wine tasting pavilion

Casa Mirador / Wine tasting pavilion from Estudio Palma on Vimeo.

A visually stunning film capturing the Casa Mirador, Viña Casas del Bosque in Casablanca, Chile directed and filmed by Cristobal Palma and edited by Francisco Jullian. The wine tasting pavilion was designed by Arquitecto Matías Zegers

Competition ::: Instanthouse @ School

On the occasion of MADE expo (Milano Architettura Design Edilizia), the trade event due to take place at the Milan Fairgrounds from 2 to 5 October 2013, Federlegno Arredo S.r.l. is promoting a competition to find the most to novel projects for residential cityscapes and urban society.

The focus of the 2013 Instanthouse @School competition is Kindergartens & Nursery schools. The competition is looking for architectural ideas relating to the many ways that children perceive and interpret the world around them through the multi-sensory experience of space and architecture.

All Winners and honourable mentions will be put on display at MADE expo 2013. The Competition Organisers will build a full-scale prototype of projects whose architectural originality, construction technique and economic value are of particular interest to the manufacturers.

Eligibility: the competition is open to Italians and non-Italians who are studying or have studied architecture, engineering and industrial design.

Conference: Forum on Caribbean Architecture

The Federation of Caribbean Associations of Architects (FCAA) is hosting a conference and forum on Caribbean Architecture entitled, Caribbean, beyond architectural and urban characteristics in the culture of our people. The conference will be held in Santiago de Cuba from the 5th to 7th July 2013.

Sessions will include

• Caribbean Vernacular Architecture. Conservation Strategies
• Contemporary architecture in the Caribbean

For more details

On the Boards: Floating Cinema Square

[image source]

The Multiplex Cinema square designed by architects Konstantinos Tsamis & George Dimitrakopoulos includes various cinematic arenas located in a floating square in the waterfront of the city of Patras, South West Greece. The proposal creates a space dedicated to cinematography with both indoor and outdoor viewing venues.

On the Boards: Australian Pavilion

The national design competition entry for the Australian Pavilion for the Venice Biennale to be located in Venice, Italy designed by Peter Stutchbury Architecture.

Competition ::: International Olympic Committee Campus

The International Olympic Committee is hosting a two-stage international design competition for a new headquarters to be located at a site in Lausanne-Vidy, Switzerland. The proposed structure will house 450 staff members on site on a footprint no larger than 18,000m². The “Olympic campus” is programmed not only administrative facilities but should provide accommodation and services as well.

For more information follow the link.

blog wunderlust: 8th April 2013

(c) Cornerstone.design Ltd

The Irrational Exuberance of Rem Koolhaas | 4 Lessons the UK Should Take from Denmark | Architectural-Firm Names: The Ridiculous and the Regrettable | Q&A with Denise Scott-Brown | First We Stake Manhattan | Architecture Fiction: early CAD renderings by famous architects | Lives lived in parallel | 12-Year-Old Building at MoMA Is Doomed

last word: "Casting Architecture" Examines the Humble Ventilation Block in Tropical Design and Chinese Kingston Hotel targets 2014 opening

Casa 2G

Casa 2G - S-AR stación-ARquitectura from S-AR stación-ARquitectura on Vimeo.

Casa 2G, San Pedro Garza García, N.L. México by S-AR (stación-ARquitectura)

2013 Home of the Year

HOME New Zealand magazine's Home of the Year 2013 is located on a picturesque headland on Waiheke Island, near Auckland was designed by Stevens Lawson Architects

blog wunderlust: 1st April 2013

Architecture is about understanding the world and turning it into a more meaningful and human face.

Juhani Pallasmaa

Couple Builds Home Out of Shipping Containers in Williamsburg | The pleasures and perils of the open-plan office | The Risk of Being Too Nice | The Unexpected Beauty of Car-Free City Streets | Chastened, Folk Art Museum Puts Down Healthier Roots | Kickin' it - Sneakers Inspired by Concrete | Four Architecture Firms Challenged To Redesign Penn Station | China's copycat architecture boasts 'we can do this'

controversy: Fix the Pritzker, Denise Scott Brown Demands Recognition from Pritzker and a response, more than an asterisk, please

last word: Make buildings energy, water efficient

Massimiliano Fuksas

The Events & Research Space for the Nardini Distillery in Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Italy designed by Architect Massimiliano Fuksas.

Moby Celebrates L.A. Architecture

Musician, DJ, photographer, and architecture blogger Moby riffs on L.A. architecture in this video about the Getty-led initiative Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A.

On the Boards: Passive Solar Charter School

[image source]

The Passive Solar Charter School, in Caldwell, Indiana designed by architects Studio Patano+Hafermann is a 60,000 ft², 2-story middle school for roughly 700 students. The programme includes a library, technology centre, gymnasium, specialized classrooms for teaching art, music and science, and a performance space with seating for 500.

New Work ::: Shining Stars Kindergarten

[image source]

This neighbourhood kindergarten designed by architects Djuhara + Djuhara is located on a busy street in the suburbs of Jakarta, Indonesia. The palette is comprised of local materials including hollow bricks and ceramic tiles - patterned to create interest and reclaimed lumber for doors, decks and furniture and simple concrete floors. The play areas are placed in lawned courtyards and are buffered by big sliding doors help to bring natural light and aid cross ventilation. At the highest level of the 560m² kindergarten is a roof top garden with potted fruit trees.