Monthly Archive for November, 2011

The Shard: its architect’s view

Published on November 28, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

From Dominic Bradbury at The Telegraph…

The views from the summit of the Shard are astonishing. London is spread out before you like a vast, moving tapestry. You can look out at Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Park, follow the winding route of the Thames and gaze down on the Gherkin and the NatWest Tower. Directly below you sits Southwark Cathedral, looking like an exquisite toy, and a mass of spaghetti formed by train lines converging on London Bridge railway station. This is the tallest building in Europe, and its viewing gallery, which occupies storeys 68 to 72, will become one of the city’s major tourist attractions when it opens in 2013.

Just as you can see out of its windows for as much as 40 miles on a clear day, so you can see the Shard, which is 1,016ft high, from almost everywhere in the capital. Its sculpted, tapering form has become the most visible landmark on London’s skyline, and a source of deep fascination before its construction has even been completed. No wonder, then, that for its architect, Renzo Piano, the project carries with it a deep sense of responsibility. More…

The Constructed Environment Journal, Volume 1, Issue 3 published

Published on November 23, 2011 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

constructed_frontThe third issue of  The International Journal of the Constructed Environment has now been published.

Volume 1, Issue 3 contains:

Continue reading ‘The Constructed Environment Journal, Volume 1, Issue 3 published’

Post-modernism Comes of Age

Published on November 9, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

From Charles Jencks at Blueprint Magazine…

Strange as it may sound, post-modern architecture flourished after it was declared dead in the Nineties. Perhaps all it needed was a name change, the disappearance of a moniker that had tantalised people for 20 years. Whatever the case, ‘post-modernism blossomed after the millennium in all but name, especially in architecture. With the return of ornament and pattern-making, the explosive growth in iconic buildings and landmark sculptures – works that are symbolic and highly communicative – many of the PM concerns of the Eighties and Nineties have become central to society.

This cryptic rebirth raises the question of how we categorise a period, especially the modern one. Most historians date the modern age to the Renaissance for two essential reasons: the birth of the global economy and the nation state. Beyond such determinants there are the words of the participants themselves, the repetitive use of that big brand ‘moderna’, and its cognate terms of praise. Architects and historians, such as Filarete and Vasari, used that term positively on countless occasions. If one accepts that both popular and professional usage defines labels, then one might call the period 1970-1990 a post-modern era; but I think that would be a kind of modern mistake. It would be reductive, oversimplifying many different voices, and would erase the important continuities as well as a greater global truth. Much of the world is still embedded in traditional culture. Rather, it makes sense to conceive of history as interacting multiple waves, or parallel bands or rivers that compete and go underground or perhaps re-emerge for short periods. More…

Cultural Sustainability and Changing Worldview: Dilemmas of Architecture and the Built Form

Published on November 9, 2011 in Book, Headline and Newsletter. 0 Comments

 

Cultural Sustainability and Changing Worldview: Dilemmas of Architecture and the Built Form by Faida Noori Salim  is now available as part of  The Constructed Environment series.

“Network societies” will never replace traditional communities. In today’s evolving global culture, the issues of cultural sustainability, identity, and belonging are being challenged. At the heart of this challenge is the difficulty of individuals’ spatial and social assimilation. Looking back, architecture and the constructed urban form have always faced dilemmas that continue to challenge communities. Thus, the challenge facing the traditional mechanisms of belonging is an urgent matter and is presented as a dilemma due to the transitional nature of today’s time period. Individuals as users and as architects need to rediscover the secure home and place, without which no community can be sustained.

This book discusses Baghdad as an example of a city whose cultural stability was challenged over a short period of time, and should serve as a reminder to other cities of the importance of stability and belonging. The flow of information affects the flow of people’s inner space, which can no longer be thought of as internally controlled, and architecture should be aware of such changes and the dilemma it creates for the occupation of space. It concludes that architecture and the built form cannot afford to continue on its current path if society aims at sustaining its cultural and social capital. This is especially evident in the fact that architecture is closely linked to power, which has an important role in the stability of communities and their cultures.

The role of iconic architecture’s transition to sovereign architecture plays an important role in changing the norms of the built form and asserting new rules. Thus, the role of the architect’s responsibility becomes increasingly important, and the question of good faith and freedom becomes central in relation to the ethical role of the architect and architecture in the social system.

Lawsuit threat to ‘pop-up’ City Mall

Published on November 3, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

From Ben Heather at stuff.co.nz…

Christchurch’s City Mall Restart project is being threatened with legal action after being accused of copying a “pop-up mall” in London.

Director of the London Boxpark development Roger Wade emailed City Mall Restart organisers accusing them of a “blatant breach of the Boxpark intellectual property rights”.

“Boxpark has now instructed legal action against the owners of City Mall – Pop Up Mall for intellectual property rights infringement,” he said.

But City Mall organisers have hit back, claiming Boxpark was being “precious” and there were no similarities between the projects.

The threat could not have come at worse time for Christchurch organisers, with City Mall scheduled to reopen on Saturday, marking the first return of retail to central Christchurch since the February 22 earthquake. More…