from National Trust for Historic Preservation
Tour fees to go towards flood restoration

Plano, Ill.—Less than a month since Fox River flood waters entered Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s modern masterpiece—the Farnsworth House—doors will once again open through October 2008 for special tours designed to raise funds for mounting restoration costs. Site director tours on Wednesdays and special weekend tours offer visitors a first-hand look at restoration in progress, as work continues on interior house damage and property damage. Visitors will also have a rare look at the interior of the Farnsworth House without the controversial teak wardrobe.

This special tour schedule is:
* Every Wednesday, at 1 P.M., for a donation of $100—Tour with Farnsworth House Site Director Whitney French who leads the restoration efforts and was on hand the day of the flood.
* Weekends, for a donation of $50—Walk the grounds, see how high flood waters rose, and get a rare look inside the Farnsworth House and see the damage. The public is asked to check www.farnsworthhouse.org/ to register for specific weekend times.
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“These are truly unique and special tours we are offering during this very difficult time,” said French. “We are still working very hard on all recovery efforts which will ultimately cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We hope the public will come out, support these efforts with a donation, and have an educational experience learning about what we are dealing with on a daily basis.

“One of the most unique elements of the tour will be that visitors will see the interior of the house without the controversial teak wardrobe for the first time in 57 years,” French added. “It has been removed to be conserved. Its vacancy leaves an absolutely stunning and simple view of the house—one that any admirer of modernism and Mies will absolutely love.”

The Farnsworth House, fell prey to Mother Nature Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, as more than eight inches of rain fell in two days from Tropical Storm Lowell, immediately followed by the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Fox River waters rose two feet over the top deck, entering the Farnsworth House interior. Built within the flood plain of the Fox River in Plano, Illinois, the house is supported by columns more than five feet above the ground which proved not high enough as record breaking rain amounts brought the river more than fourteen feet above its normal level.

The Farnsworth House, which is a National Trust Historic Site, was built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1951. It is one of the most famous examples of modernist domestic architecture and was considered unprecedented in its day. Landmarks Illinois and The National Trust for Historic Preservation saved the house in 2003 by purchasing it for $7.5 million at an auction in New York City. Today, the house is part of the National Trust’s collection of 29 historic homes, and is operated by Landmarks Illinois as a house museum. The last flood of the house took place in 1996, when the property was owned as a private residence. That clean-up effort took months and hundreds of thousands of dollars.A blog documenting the restoration of the Farnsworth House can be found at www.farnsworthhouse.org.

Landmarks Illinois is the state’s leading voice for historic preservation. Since its founding in 1971, the 2,500-member statewide organization has gone on to save countless architectural and historic treasures throughout Illinois. Landmarks Illinois’ mission today focuses on saving building, facilitating preservation, and educating the public through innovative programs and promotion. For more information, visit www.landmarksillinois.org.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history—and the important moments of everyday life—took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, 9 regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories. For more information, visit www.PreservationNation.org/.”

Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation - Press Center
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Popularity: 6% [?]

from Bustler

On Monday October 6th, the emir of Dubai, Sjeik Mohammed bin Rashi al-Maktoum, officially opened the seventh Cityscape Dubai 2008. During the gala dinner of the largest real estate and development event of its kind, Mecanoo director Francine Houben received the Cityscape Architectural Award for the National Performing Arts Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

National Performing Arts Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan by Mecanoo Architects
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This theater and music complex will include a concert hall and an opera house. The prize, whose theme is ‘Design for an Emerging World’, has been awarded to the National Performing Arts Center because of the building’s strength in expression, the integration of the complex with the park, its advanced theater design and technical innovation and the building design’s response to the subtropical climate of the city of Kaohsiung. The Cityscape Architectural Award is endorsed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Entrance to the foyer
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Francine Houben: “I am happy receiving this prize for the National Performing Arts Center. It means that Dubai honors designs that take climate issues into account and with attention for innovative and sustainable solutions.”

Inside the concert hall
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In 2007, Mecanoo won the competition for the National Performing Arts Center. The theater complex of 100,000 m² has a total of 6,000 seats: an opera house with 2,250 seats, a concert hall with 2,000 seats, a recital hall with 500 seats, a play house with 1,250 seats and an open air theater for thousands of visitors.  The start of the building works is planned for December 2008. The theater complex will open its doors in 2012.

Section of the theater complex
Images: Mecanoo.
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Popularity: 4% [?]

from The Architectural League

Buckminster Fuller Symposium
Friday, September 12 - Saturday, September 13
The Great Hall of the Cooper Union
7 East 7th Street, at Astor Place

Participants include: Carol Bove, Peter Galison, K. Michael Hays, Chuck Hoberman, Sanford Kwinter, Dana Miller, Pedro Reyes, Allegra Fuller Snyder, Felicity Scott, Elizabeth A.T. Smith, Michael Sorkin, Victoria Vesna, Anthony Vidler

Visionary designer, philosopher, poet, inventor, engineer, and advocate of sustainability, Buckminster Fuller was one of the great transdisciplinary thinkers of the last century with a legacy that extends to nearly every field of the arts and sciences. This symposium takes its cue from Fuller’s dictum, “I always say to myself, what is the most important thing we can think about at this extraordinary moment,” and explores the diverse ways in which contemporary scholars and practitioners are pushing Fuller’s ideas and projects into the 21st century. For more information, click here.

Admission to the Buckminster Fuller Symposium is free for Whitney Museum members, Architectural League members and Cooper Union faculty, students, and staff. Member guests do not receive free admission. General admission to the Buckminster Fuller Symposium is $8; students and seniors with valid I.D. pay $6. For Architectural League member reservations please e-mail rsvp@archleague.org. For general admission tickets, click here. For additional ticketing information, email info@archleague.org.

Co-sponsored by Whitney Museum of American Art and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union.”
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Popularity: 5% [?]

Architects for Peace

When: Thursday 7 August, 7pm
Where: RMIT building 50, Orr St (off Victoria St) Carlton

” Melissa Bright & Tarryn Boden from MAKE architecture studio will present the Bird Hide Project at Westgate Park, Melbourne.

Westgate Park is an inner metropolitan park in the heart of industrial Melbourne. It was a former rubbish tip that has been transformed into a flourishing ecological and recreational wetland environment. The bird life in the park is considerable and the park has become popular with bird observers. A bird hide is proposed on the fresh water lake to address the lack of purpose built bird watching facilities.

MAKE architecture studio was connected to non-profit group, Friends of Westgate Park, through the Architects for Peace Pro Bono service and is now providing design services to the group.
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Following the completion of the design studio and an exhibition at RMIT, MAKE has developed the schematic design of the bird hide. The design has been developed with consultation with the Friends of Westgate Park, ERM and Parks Victoria.

about MAKE architecture studio…

MAKE is one of the new small Melbourne design studios set up in recent years. Directors Shelley Freeman and Melissa Bright, bring together their combined local & international experience to create a young and innovative approach to architecture.

MAKE strives to create individually crafted buildings with a sustainable ethos and site responsive design process. Both directors are actively involved in academic and community work.

Entry by gold coin donation, refreshments and plenty of food for thought provided.

Popularity: 4% [?]

from Archinect

An exciting temporary lido, created by acclaimed French architecture collective EXYZT and filmmaker Sara Muzio appears on Union Street, London SE1 0NL this summer. Following in the tradition of Roman baths and Turkish hammams, which provided a setting for social gathering, ritual cleansing and uninhibited political discussions, the Southwark Lido hosts a variety of activities in an unusual, architecturally innovative environment. Curated by The Architecture Foundation, the Lido provides bathing and breathing space for the general public, residents of Southwark and visitors to London Festival of Architecture alike.

The finished Southwark Lido before its grand opening
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The finished Southwark Lido before its grand opening
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Within a futuristic low-tech complex, visitors of all ages can enjoy the refreshing spray of the water deck, or sweat it out in a sauna; there is a paddling pool for children; beach huts doubling as changing rooms and living pods for staff; a sun deck; a bar operated by east London restaurant Bistrotheque. On hand to assist visitors is the lido team wearing uniforms designed by House of Holland. A mobile garden is adding color, created on-site in collaboration with Bankside Open Spaces Trust, which distributes throughout the neighborhood at the end of the Festival.

The Southwark Lido expresses EXYZT’s strategy of urban renewal, based on the idea that a community of users actively creating and inhabiting their urban environment is key to generating a vibrant city. This project explores the potential of using a site in transition from empty lot to new residential and office buildings, generously lent by Solid Space, to create a vibrant point of community and cultural engagement during its transformation. The run-up to its installation saw the organizers forming links with the local community and specific groups, providing them with a new place to hold events and share their work.

The lido’s site during the final construction phase
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Exyzt collaborated with filmmaker Sara Muzio
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The Lido sits within LFA2008’s Southwark & South Bank Hub curated by The Architecture Foundation, which occupies a dynamic part of London that has moved away from its traditional label as “the other side” of the Thames. It is now a major cultural quarter, with key venues like Tate Modern sitting alongside proposed urban redevelopments such as The Shard (Renzo Piano’s new office tower) and developments at London Bridge. Lively activities across the Hub will build on the area’s history, reveal a hinterland of hidden territories and offer new visions for the contemporary city.

Popularity: 7% [?]

WALLPAPER

“If you’re a fan of contemporary architecture then you’ve probably encountered the work of Dominique Perrault, the prolific French architect, famous for designing the four symmetrical L-shaped towers comprising the Bibliothèque Nationale de France on the banks of the river Seine.
More than just modern, Perrault’s work can feel positively futuristic, evoking a sense of dynamism and wonderment more often reserved for the CGI creations of science fiction films. Yet despite their boldness and scope, his buildings display a traditional sense of geometry, shape and line, a timeless elegance and grace amidst the drama. Read the full story

Popularity: 10% [?]

15 till 24 August - An International Summer Workshop in Beirut

Archis

Studio Beirut offers its second international workshop for architects, graphic designers, social scientists, urbanists, artists, and related disciplines in the arts and sociology. This workshop, extending over the last two weeks of August 2008 will address the topic “Rescripting Beirut.” In conjunction with the commission Studio Beirut has received to produce an Alternative Guidebook to Beirut, we propose research and design projects to confront the obvious lack of spatial history in the region, to revive and reassess the past, the present and the future as they manifest themselves in the spaces, the narratives and the plans for reconstruction and development that proliferate in the city and nation. Areas of the city that have now been leveled by war and real estate will be re investigated and interventions proposed to revive an awareness of their ongoing history. Wadi Abu Jamil, the old Jewish Quarter, or Northern Saifi, the traditional red-light district a “behind the bank”could be examples, but the city, transformed by conflict and development, abounds with such charged and undocumented zones. Research and active creative proposals will be seen as one synonymous system implemented by the directors and the many instructors along with the primary contribution of the participants in the workshop. Read the full story

Popularity: 13% [?]

RiverArt
Report by Ahmad Nadalian

Photos by Raheleh Zomorodinia & Ahmad Nadalian

“During last week (April 29 –May 4, 2008) a new environmental art festival was held on the coast of Caspian Sea, in the north of Iran. More than 140 artists from different part of Iran gathered on this beautiful region to create environmental installations and sand sculptures. The festival also included a number of art performances. I was responsible to act as an art director….”

“…I used red earth and painted portraits of young artists. I often depict mythological symbols. Snakes can frequently be seen in my works. I use this symbol as a reference; the exclusion of Adam and Eve in heaven. Many of his themes find their roots in the beginning of time when humans first started to evolve global mythologies in relation to their lives on earth. They have old meanings but new applications. ..”

Check some photos of the event in this post or read the report here

Read the full story

Popularity: 7% [?]

SEED Conference one month from today - sign up now!

A O NE- DAY C ONFERENCE on D ESIGN, E NTREPRENEURSHIP and I NSPIRATION * On Friday, June the 6th 2008 in Chicago. Folks from around the world have already signed up for this. And they sell [...] Read

Popularity: 4% [?]

Date: Friday-Saturday, April 11-12
Place: Yale School of Architecture

” This symposium, organized by students in the School’s Masters of Environmental Design program, will look critically at the idea that mobility - both literal and metaphoric - undermines traditional notions of boundaries. When people, buildings, capital, and ideas move through space and time without boundaries, it affects the way we think about identities and foundations in architecture and beyond. What are the precedents for mobility in architecture and how are they related to a general sense of unease? How do cultural, technological, economic and socio-political changes stimulate or limit fears and consequent designs for mobility?”  Check the program

Popularity: 2% [?]