Scottish architects play to win with legos.
The economy is so bad…five top firms participating in a challenge to design structures built out of Legos. Reminds me of Russian exhibit of buildings never built. via artinfo [PR]
The economy is so bad…five top firms participating in a challenge to design structures built out of Legos. Reminds me of Russian exhibit of buildings never built. via artinfo [PR]
Graphic designers Alexander Boxill have redesigned architecture magazine the Architectural Review, which relaunches this month.
fonts:
two fonts, (mercury and t-star), a serif and a sans are used in varying hierarchies, weights and intensities throughout the magazine to bring texture and diversity.
headlines:
we have removed all traditional headlines.
each section has a particular treatment to entice the reader.
view: a large brief overview of text
building: a number – a cataloguing system has been introduced so buildings are numbered for an entire year.
marginalia: a quote
Designer: alexander boxill
Producer: architectural review
via dezeen
The Spire from starchitect Santiago Calatrava may rise after all, if the developer can make a deal to have the AFL-CIO’s pension fund pay for it to secure five years of construction jobs.
Representatives from AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trusts are meeting with Chicago Spire developer Shelbourne Development Group on Tuesday to advance preliminary discussions that could have the deep-pocketed pension fund help pay for construction of the stalled skyscraper.
Discussions between the trusts and Irish developer Garrett Kelleher began in January, but the talks are in the “embryonic stage,” said Tom Villanova, president of the Chicago and Cook County Building Trades Council, which represents 24 trades locally.
“The main thing is jobs,” Villanova said. “We can use our own funds to benefit members. The Spire is going to be five years of construction, which is just phenomenal for us. It’s thousands of jobs.”
An investment by the pension fund would make the project a 100 percent union job.
“Obviously, the idea of pulling the unions together and making this a ‘Made in America’ project is very positive,” said project spokeswoman Kim Metcalfe, who confirmed ongoing discussions with the union.
“We’re exploring all of the financial options with the economy as challenging as it is, but clearly this is long-term,” Metcalfe said. “We’re working toward the success of the building. We continue to actively market the building. Clearly, the construction of the building is on pause, but nothing else about the building has stopped.”
The break in construction has left a hole 110 feet wide and 76 feet deep at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive, making the Spire a worldwide symbol of the recession and shut-down credit markets. It has had numerous liens filed against it as consultants and contractors involved in the initial work sought payment for their services. Architect Santiago Calatrava, who designed the twisting building, filed liens against the project in October for more than $11 million.
The union has three investment trusts, including the Building Investment Trust, a pooled real estate fund with more than $2.5 billion in assets as of Dec. 31. It was created in 1988 as a vehicle to provide competitive risk-adjusted returns for its participants, as well as a way to create jobs in commercial real estate projects for its members.
The Chicago market has proved to be the biggest beneficiary of the fund, with more than $1 billion invested in local projects, including senior and affordable housing and Trump International Hotel & Tower, Villanova said.
The trust, Villanova added, also is interested in investing in the construction of an Olympic village, should Chicago win the 2016 Games.
Toronto-based Sustain Design Studio, creator of the much-touted MiniHome, is giving a series of workshops in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Sustain has been developing dedicated ecological trailer parks for communities of MiniHome residents as well.
Sustain’s Trevor McIvor and Andy Thomson will be coming to both events to discuss prefab architecture and the future of sustainable community design. They’ll also answer questions on their line of products. Sustain is offering a 25% discount to the first California customer to purchase a 12×34 model, which will be on show at Dwell on Design.
San Francisco Session and Venue Information:
Date: Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, 6:30pm to 9pm
Location: Anshen+Allen Architects. 901 Market St.
*Participating architects will be eligible for AIA continuing education credits. The San Francisco event will take place on Tuesday, April 7, from 6:30-9pm California workshops
Los Angeles Session and Venue Information:
Date: Wednesday, April 8th, 2009. 6.30pm to 9pm
Location: SPF: a Gallery, 8609 Washington Blvd
Producer: sustain design studio
Planners reveal a “new” Paris. No mention of bail outs and concepts très bon. via nyt [PR]
New photos of Robert Venturi’s second home racing Staten Island ferries. via a/n blog [PR]
Good glassy-historicist Apple store concept no slam-dunk in Georgetown. via a/n blog [PR]
No Lego replica but a full scale replica of Le Corbusier’s vacation home in Cap-Martin on the Cote D’Azure. via coudal [PR]
MoMA, New York, on-going. Design is not always pretty.
Sometimes it is blunt and aggressive, especially when it is meant to deliver a clear message or depart from tradition and express new ideas. Rough Cut presents a selection of bold designs from MoMA’s collection, ranging from striking posters to fierce chairs, and from incisive videos to vehicles designed for harsh terrains and unforgiving circumstances. Design is not always pretty—but when it is good, it is undeniably powerful, meaningful, and beautiful.
Organized by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, and Patricia Juncosa Vecchierini, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design.
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