St. Louis Blues

Following a link from today's news at ArchNewsNow, I learned about the possible destruction of the 108-year-old Syndicate Trust and Century Building at Ninth and Olive in downtown St. Louis. The unoccupied building sits across the street from the Old Post Office, which is in the process of being renovated into residences. The developers of this project contend that their plans cannot continue unless a parking garage is built on the site of the Century building. Two things boggle me: first, that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is supporting the demolition of the Century building with money, and two, that the renovation of one historic structure (Old Post Office) requires the demolition of another historic structure (Century).

Now I'm no expert on St. Louis and its downtown, but I've visited the city many times, since my girlfriend Karen's parents live in one of the city's suburbs. So on numerous trips I have seen and experienced different parts of St. Louis, including Washington Avenue and "Historic Downtown", two areas that are appealing for the quality of their old buildings. Much of the rest of St. Louis only has traces of the city's boom early last century, with vacant lots between these typically unused old buildings. So when I hear that one of these buildings is to be torn down to make way for a parking garage, it doesn't seem right. Isn't there another option? Can't the parking be located elsewhere? Are there any nearby vacant lots that can be filled before demolishing the Century?


Syndicate Trust and Century Building in background

Most likely all these - and more - questions have crossed the minds of the developers and other parties, but with its plans to demolish the Century, preservationists are stepping in to protect it. An online petition has begun to effect the National Trust's position and recommend the required parking be fit into the Century's shell, in my mind not the ideal solution but one better than solely a parking garage, whatever form it my take. And Metropolitan St. Louis, a group attempting to attract young people to St. Louis, has started a Save The Century! campaign.

All too often decisions are viewed as either/or, the field of preservation no different. The building is saved or it's not. Approaches that move away from this dialectic tend to just save the facade, or save a portion of the facade, or even save the facade and build a taller building behind it, all dishonest solutions. Maybe it's time to find another solution, one that respects the physical lineage of the city, while still making it work today. What that is I don't know, but we'll never have a chance of finding out if we demolish every historic building that stands in the way of a developer making more money.

Chicago's Green Streak

Two recent articles reiterate Chicago's role in making the United States a greener place:

First, an article appeared in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times by its old architecture critic Lee Bey, who left that post to become Mayor Richard M. Daley's right-hand man on architecture-related decisions and is now working as director of media and governmental affairs at SOM. Bey talks about green rooftops in the Loop and green bungalows on the South Side, concluding that Chicago's "sustainable push should serve as an example to state and federal governments and the building industry." If you've been paying attention, there's nothing new here, though at first glance it appears that something closer to Germany's model would serve as an example. Chicago is taking strides towards sustainability, but it's still a long way from what it should be, perhaps because our gas and energy prices - high for us now - are still very low when compared to other countries and continents.

Second, Metropolis Magazine cover's "Mayor Daley's Green Crusade" in its July issue. This piece focuses on what Mayor Daley has implemented in his fifteen years as mayor, such as the Chicago Center for Green Technology (one of only six LEED Platinum buildings), adding trees and plants to planters and sidewalks, using hydrogen-fueled buses, and others (pdf link). The most visible (politically, not visually) maneuver so far has been the greening of City Hall's roof, the first green roof on a municipal building in the US.


Mayor Daley on the roof of City Hall

What both these articles have in common is the all-too-American fact that for sustainability to be successful in the US it must have economic advantages. For example, jobs are created by many of the Mayor's programs. Renewable-energy and other sustainably-minded companies are attracted to Chicago for its programs, increasing the city's tax base and creating more jobs. Individuals come to visit or live in the healthy landscape of the city, in turn boosting real estate values and so forth. In other words, Chicago is trying to make sustainability work economically as well as on its own principles, something that on second thought would make a good model for other cities in the United States.

Update 07.06: NPR features a page with audio on green roofs, titled "Green Roofs Sprout Up All Over," with links to projects on the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities web site.

Monday, Monday

This week's update:

Toneelschuur's new home in Harleem, Netherlands by Mecanoo.

Updated book feature is Architecture of the World: Japan by Tomoya Masuda.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

Downtown Seattle Public Library Walkthrough by Scott Neilson (via City Comforts).



Directory of African American Architects, just like it sounds (via That Brutal Joint).



Wake Up Calls, a zen-like diversion by Orsinal (via kegz.net)

Peterman at MCA

Friday night saw the opening of two exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago: Skin Tight: The Sensibility of the Flesh and Dan Peterman: Plastic Economies.

As an architect I was drawn to Peterman's work and found it much more stimulating, at least mentally. The Chicago-based artist uses recycling as a means to create his art and, more importantly, to explore how we use our natural resources, both what we make and what we do with those goods.



The show has many highlights in this, his first solo show in the US, including Standard Kiosk, situated on the MCA's plaza (above), Recent Recipes, an assembly-line presentation of food and other products compiled into a strange combination, and Villa Deponie, a single room completely made from recycled closed-cell foam. Highly recommended.

Mantz at Friedl

Via the Chicago Reader, German artist Gerhard Mantz's landscape animations are on display at Oskar Friedl, 300 West Superior.


Vorubergehende Unsterblichkeit

From Fred Camper's synopsis:

Though Gerhard Mantz's ten computer-generated landscapes at Oskar Friedl have the texture of digital creations, their designs are atypically and admirably sparse. Taking 19th-century landscape painting as his primary model, Mantz produces works that suggest the changed nature of Romantic aspirations in the digital age: Caspar David Friedrich's landscape paintings imbue his locales with magic; Mantz's repetitive surfaces are just as mysteriously subjective. The strangely melancholy beauty of these places can't be traversed--we're hopelessly distanced from nature.

Burnham Prize Winner w/ Images

As promised in an earlier post, here's a couple images from the winning scheme by Chris Hardie, Andrew Groake and Kevin Carmody of the UK.





The above images are for site #2, serving the west Loop area.

Many thanks to Chris Hardie for the images.

Austria West

Tomorrow, the 25th of June, sees the opening of "Austria West: New Alpine Architecture" at the Austrian Cultural Forum, featuring projects by over 25 architects in the country's western provinces Tirol and Vorarlberg.



The show illustrates that a lot of quality contemporary architecture - in any country - exists outside of city centers, in this case Vienna. It runs until October 30 and is FREE.

Looks like another excuse to visit New York this summer...

What Makes Him Tick?

Upon Herbert Muschamp's imminent departure as his post at The New York Times, The New York Observer features a mistitled piece on the 56-year-old critic, "As Muschamp Goes, Angry Adversaries Ready for Revenge".



The piece is actually a well-written synopsis of Muschamp's time as an architecture critic, from the mid-1960's to the present, giving both a good background and a much-needed perspective on the trajectory of his career. Regardless of his recent writings and baffling behavior over the years (WTC flip-flop, for example), the article paints a generally good picture of Muschamp, indicating that his successor has some mighty big shoes to fill.

Bucky's Dome

On July 12, the 50th anniversary of R. Buckminster Fuller's patent for the geodesic dome, the United States Postal Service is honoring the inventor/architect/engineer/philosopher with a 37-cent stamp.



Although the stamp appears a little too cartoon-like for my tastes, it originally appeared as the cover of Time Magazine in January, 1964. Painted by Boris Artzybasheff, it depicts not only the geodesic dome, but also the Dymaxion car and the 4D Apartment House.

As one of the most forward-thinking, optimistic, and humanistic people of the 20th Century, I'm glad to see Mr. Fuller with any sort of honor, helping to keep his ideas alive. I highly recommend his book Critical Path to anybody interested in his ideas and his life.

Yes, yes they can.

Today's commentary section in the Chicago Tribune features a submission titled Can buildings stay important? (registration req'd) by Phillip G. Bernstein, an architect and professor at Yale School of Architecture, arguing that the recent collapse at Terminal 2E of Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris that killed four people indicates that methods for translating architects' and engineers' drawings into built form are outdated, and that technology can bridge this communication gap.



Not surprisingly, Bernstein is also vice-president of Autodesk Inc., the maker of AutoCAD, 3D Studio VIZ, Architectural Desktop, and Revit, among many other pieces of CAD software. In many ways, his commentary speaks about those last two products, which attempt to become intelligent, systems-based tools, rather than purely drafting tools. Features like 3d model-linking, database links, reference links and construction assemblies are innovative in terms of CAD, but they still have a long way to go before an architect can create something beyond the strict limitations of these pieces of software. Simple drafting, be it hand or computer, still yields the best results, regardless of the "crude drawings that serve as a visual shorthand for builders."



It makes me wonder though, is it commentary? Or promotion?

Slowness

Transcribed below is an opinion piece by Nahm Yoon-ho, deputy city news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo, taken from the JoongAng Daily Opinion, with links and images added by yours truly. Having worked on a fair number of Korean projects, I can't help but sympathize with the author.

The Value of Slow Architecture

"Slow food" is the opposite of fast food. The movement was born in Italy two decades ago to protect traditional cuisine from the global dominance of McDonald's. The adjective "slow" has been popping up in many other fields.



One of the most interesting concepts is "slow architecture." It is a creation of the Japanese, who are known for coining new words.

Slow architecture refers to the process of building structures gradually, taking not only function but other factors into account. The resulting buildings are not just aimed at economic efficiency but value cultural and historical characteristics as well. The architects and designers use unique and natural materials if possible to minimize an artificial feeling and to be assimilated by the local culture.



Acclaimed Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is famous for "slowly" building structures with stone and wood in the mountains of Switzerland. His masterpiece, the Thermal Baths at Vals, a spa resort facility, took six years to complete and is considered to be perfectly harmonized with the surrounding environment.



Spanish master Antonio Gaudi's Sagrada Familia is a model of slow architecture. The construction has been in progress for over 120 years since Gaudi first designed the cathedral in Barcelona. The progress is slow, but Sagrada Familia has already become a heritage of Spain.

Japan is among the leaders in slow architecture. Daikanyama, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Tokyo, is home to Hillside Terrace, an internationally famous residential-commercial complex.



Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki devoted over three decades to meticulously planning the building. Hillside Terrace was awarded the "Prince of Wales Prize in Urban Design" for reflecting the changes of time and giving life to the urban scenery.

The slow architecture buildings have established themselves as culturally symbolic spaces for each region. Not only experts and critics, but also local residents, appreciate their importance.

Koreans have yet to learn the meaning of slow architecture. We might have decided on the capital relocation just as we choose a meal at a fast food chain. Policymakers have moved so quickly that the composure and planning of a slow architect seem to be the last thing in their minds. What makes them so impatient when moving a capital should be meticulously planned?

Monday, Monday

This week's update:
National Theatre of Japan on the island of Okinawa by Shin Takamatsu.
Updated book feature is Window Seat: Reading the Landscape from the Air by Gregory Dicum.

Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism (INTBAU), "a new independent association that promotes cooperation between all those who design, make or enjoy traditional buildings, architecture and places."

Carfree.com, the online companion to the book Carfree Cities, which aims to find a solution to the vexing problem of urban automobiles (via Safety Neal)

Make, Ken Shuttleworth's new architecture firm, created after leaving the office of Norman Foster six months ago.

The Vortex, Shuttleworth's latest, via the Guardian.

Dark Age Reviewed

The New York Times book section features a review (registration req'd) of Jane Jacobs's new book, Dark Age Ahead, by Michiko Kakutani, who doesn't exactly find her latest compelling or insightful. A sample:

Part of what's wrong with this book is its methodology, or lack of one. Ms. Jacobs's most powerful writings have always [had] a spontaneous, ad hoc nature, eschewing a systematic approach in favor of a more intuitive one...This approach worked brilliantly in [The Death and Life of] Great American Cities. Dark Age, in contrast, tackles a much larger, more abstract subject that does not lend itself to her looping, discursive style. Instead... she serves up flimsily anecdotal evidence in support of her broader arguments.

Gehry and the Dames

For the Birds: An Amazing Exhibition of Bird Houses opened on Tuesday in the Chicago Women's Park and Gardens outside the Clarke House Museum - Chicago's oldest house, from 1836 - at 1827 South Indiana.

Over 100 birdhouses are featured, including an unmistakable entry by honorary Chicagoan Frank Gehry, the man this city can't seem to get enough of. The free exhibition, sponsored by the NSCDA (National Society of the Colonial Dames of America), is open noon-3pm Wednesday through Sunday. (via Chicagoist)

Burnham Prize Winner

Archinect reports that Chris Hardie, Andrew Groake and Kevin Carmody are the winners of the 2004 Burnham Prize Competition, receiving a three month scholarship for independent study at the American Academy in Rome and a stipend, both to be split (somehow) among the three.



This year's competition, "Urban Waterways - The Chicago River Project" asked entrants to develop three sites along the Chicago River as water taxi stations to improve upon this aspect of the city.



The jury (Reiser + Umemoto, John Ronan, Professor Roberta Feldman, Zoka Zola, Mark Schndel of Studio Gang, and landscape architect Chandra Goldsmith) in the two-round competition picked the winner from ten finalists, from Chicago, New York, UK, Netherlands, North Carolina, Toronto, and Salt Lake City.



I'll post images of the winner and finalists as they become available.

Oh, Danny Boy

Arcspace's latest update features The Danish Jewish Museum in Copenhagen, which opened on June 8. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the Museum is a renovation of a 16th century boathouse of brick construction.



The architect squeezed a labyrinth of wood-paneled corridors at odd angles within the already-small rooms. Display cases are cut into the canted walls, as are slots of light. The space seems to be a cross between Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin, Kurt Schwitters's Merzbau and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.


Plan of the Museum

Supposedly the angled walls and sloping floors are "to make visitors feel they are standing on a boat; a reminder of the rocking seas thousands of Jews crossed as they fled Nazi-occupied Denmark for neutral Sweden."

I think this is the perfect building for Libeskind, just like the predecessor in Berlin. But is he the man to oversee 10 million s.f. of office space in downtown Manhattan? Apparently many people think not.

Les Halles Redo

The New York Times features a slide show of the four entries to fix Paris's late 1970's disaster, Les Halles, an underground shopping mall sited on old markets. The architecture, shown below, did not address the street plan of Paris or its architectural context, its dismal quality reinforced by the throngs of people who have visited the exhibition to recommend one of the four replacements. Cast your own vote at the official site (in French).



Entries are by OMA/Rem Koolhaas, MVRDV, David Mangin of SEURA, and Jean Nouvel. The winner, chosen by the Mayor of Paris, will be selected in the fall.

Monday, Monday

This week's updates:
M-Preis Supermarket in Telfs, Austria by Peter Lorenz Architekt + Partner.
Book update: McSweeney's Issue 13, edited by Chris Ware.

Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

Printed Matter, the world's greatest resource for artists' publications. Now with a new site!

Archis, the online home of the magazine.

Topography of Terror, a building competition won by Peter Zumthor in 1993, under construction until a premature hiatus in 2000, now unfortunately scrapped for various reasons.

Smart Growth = Magic Growth

Urban Advantage works "with architects, planning staff, and citizen groups, [to] create visions of pedestrian-friendly, socially-interactive communities by transforming photographs with photo-editing software." Browsing through their transformation images, I was impressed with the persuasiveness of the images, new buildings, mature trees, and other amenities magically sprouting from the ground. While these images need to be taken with a grain of salt, they definitely create an idealized vision of less-than-ideal places that could potentially be realized over time. Reminiscent of New Urbanist planning principles, each commercial center, transit improvement, or residential development takes a homogeneous, car-oriented locale and turns it into an equally homogeneous, pedestrian-oriented place. Of course, Urban Advantage is carrying out the designs of other people, but they definitely focus on a certain way of improving our surroundings.

What made me really start to question what I was seeing is the following, a "downtown residential development", one block from my office in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood.


Before


After

Not knowing the details of this study, all I can say is that the townhouses on the right side of the street (New Street) are definitely possible, as the large site is currently a parking lot. Most likely a tower would lurk behind this wall of low-rise buildings, in order for the developer to even come close to making their money back.

The building fronts that occupy the left side of the street are another story, though. The townhouses in the foreground would require demolition of part (if not all) of a parking garage that serves condominiums visible in the before image above the blank brick wall. The new building facade in the background (light stone with balconies) faces the same problem, though it could simply be a recladding. Slapping windows and stone on two elevations to give the impression of a residential building, while actually still being a parking garage, now cloaked in condo garb.

My point is that the difference between these images and reality is humongous. The effort required to make it happen, and the inconveniences created by the plan are not readily apparent to most people. If it does happen, it will definitely improve the area, but it will negatively impact many people living there already and it will take long time before the idealized image is reached, if at all.(via Beyond Brilliance)

Of particular note might be the fact that the parking lot on the right was the original choice for the Music and Dance Theater Chicago's permanent home, now taking residence behind Frank Gehry's bandshell in Millennium Park.

Last Chance for LUs

Today marks the last day of the AIA 2004 National Convention and Design Exposition, aka NaCoDex. Covering exciting topics like "Tactical Management: Innovation and Profit Through Leadership" and "Improving Architecture and Client Satisfaction Through Metrics", the continuing education seminars have something for everybody. Actually some seminars sound interesting, typically those covering sustainability, technology, and urban design issues.

So get off your butts and head down to McCormick Place for a Saturday of learning!

Brown Line Delayed

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Brown Line expansion project is on hold after receipt of two bids well over budget. The $530 million project includes costs for land acquisition, demolition, and construction, though the two bids received - at $420 million and $540 million - are only for construction work.

What this delay means is that businesses being forced out, because of the addition of elevators and exit stairs and the lengthening of platforms, will be open a few months more. Most notable is Demon Dogs under the Fullerton stop, though I'll be glad to see Tiny Lounge (Addison stop) and Beans & Bagels (Montrose stop) sticking around that much longer.


The fate of Demon Dogs.

Alderman Burton Natarus is nice enough to provide, on his web site, a PDF of all the Brown Line station designs, for your perusal.

Going, Going, Gone?

According to The New York Observer, New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp is "getting tired of his current duties and intends to step down before long." The paper's cultural editor Jonathan Landman says about Herbert, "you don’t keep somebody past the point where they feel they’re doing their best work." Now I don't fully understand that quote, though I don't think Muschamp is in the midst of his best work. That happened some years ago.



Lately, he's come under fire from other critics for his focus on big-name architects and lack of coverage on lesser names or other aspects of the built environment beyond Frank Gehry's latest building.



(And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Herbert leave his post at the Times only to return years later, more popular and important than ever?)



Regardless of his recent record, he'll be missed, though as the Observer points out, "wrapping up Mr. Muschamp’s era as critic, Mr. Landman said, [is] entirely up to Mr. Muschamp," indicating he could be around longer than we might think. (via Archinect)

Dream Show

The always reliable Archinect ran a bit of news on the BBC show Dreamspaces. According to the BBC web page, the "stylish series tackles contemporary design and modern architecture," and is hosted by (L-R) Justine Frischmann (ex-lead singer of Elastica), architect/presenter, Charlie Luxton, and David Adjaye (architect of the upcoming Museum of Contemporary Art|Denver).







While featuring the predictable, like Rem Koolhaas' Prada Store and Frank Gehry's Issey Miyake flagship, both in New York City, the British show has also ventured to Bucharest, Romania to cover its architecture and to Kansas and Texas to cover nuclear missile bunkers. Recaps of season one and season two indicate that the show appears to do a good job of zig-zagging all over the architectural spectrum, not limiting its coverage to well-known architects and their eye-catching buildings.



The popularity of do-it-yourself shows like Trading Spaces and networks like HGTV meant a show on architecture was just a matter of time. Like all other American TV shows, hopefully one of the networks will copy this BBC show and give even more people an architectural education, beyond those who have cable and BBC America.

Monday, Monday

This week's update:

Dennis and Judy Jones Performing Arts and Teen Center in St. Louis, Missouri by local firm Arcturis.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

Canadian Institute for Steel Construction Project Gallery, featuring image documentation of such projects as Will Alsop's addition to the Ontario College of Design, Palais des Congrès de Montréal, and Buckminster Fuller's Expo 67 Pavilion.



citying.com, photographs of Chicago and other cities.



[daily dose of imagery], just like its says, from Toronto, Ontario.

One Man's Treasure...

This weekend's Printer's Row Book Fair in Chicago is a book lover's delight. Earlier today I ventured to South Dearborn Avenue to dig through used and new books, trying to weed the gems from the junk. I took home the following haul:

A View from the Campidoglio: Selected Essay 1953-1984 by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The acclaimed architects doing what they do best, writing.



The National Register of Historic Places. The 1969 version, in my opinion a much better format than recent editions.



The WPA Guide to Illinois. The Federal Writers' project guide to 1930s Illinois, definitely outdated but with quality writing and depth missing in contemporary guides.



Human Figure in Motion by Eadward Muybridge. The photographer's unique documentation of movement, compiled from his classic 1887 collection Animal Locomotion.



UN Studio Fold by NAi Publishers. The most recent book on one of the Netherlands' most progressive architecture firms, headed by Ben van Berkel & Caroline Bos.

All tolled, I spent $28 on five books. Not bad for a Sunday morning.

Big & Green

Last night's party at the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) - for the Big & Green traveling exhibition currently docked in the Santa Fe Building - was the usual architectural get-together: drinking, schmoozing, and a little bit of actually looking at the exhibits. In the large lobby space (image below) is the majority of the traveling exhibit, but in CAF's smaller storefront space is their local installment, Chicago Green.



Of the two distinct areas, the Chicago portion is much more impressive than the international offering, the former embedding models in a "green" bed - bugs and all - sloped to drain to a bucket (below), while the latter features mainly 2d images suspended between an oversized cardboard frame that's far too bulky and tinker-toy like to help the cause.



If you find yourself in Chicago, the exhibition runs until September 12 and is worth checking out, with the CAF running green tours and programs all summer. If you find yourself elsewhere, check out the online portfolio, featuring 15 local green projects and the Ford Calumet Center entries, also on display.

Pleased to Meet Me

Took this quiz after I ran across it at City Comforts.

Take the quiz: "Which American City Are You?"

San Francisco
Liberal and proud, you'll live your lifestyle however you choose in the face of all that would supress you.

Crown Fountain

The Chicagoist posts a picture of the soon-to-be-completed Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. Designed by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, the Fountain is located in the southwest corner of the Park, across the street from the Art Institute's shady sculpture garden.


Image found at Chicagoist

Renderings of the project show images of faces, created by LED screens on the two opposing towers, spitting water into the shallow pool (1/8" deep) between the two glass towers. According to the artist, for a few moments the faces will act like gargoyles, at other times faces will oppose each other in an effort to make us think about duality, one of the piece's main ideas.



At about five stories high, each tower is roughly the proportion of a brick, covered in what looks like bricks made of ice or glass, giving the fountain an ephemeral look and making for an interesting sight even without any images.

When the fountain is opened in late July, I'm sure it will be a welcome addition to the hodge-podge that is Millennium Park.

Update 06.04: Chicago Public Radio has an interview with the fountain's artist, Jaume Plensa. Listen to it in Real Audio here (Thanks to Edward for the link).

Another North Michigan Tower?

As reported at the Chicagoist, Lucien Lagrange is designing a 64-story residential tower that would be situated directly west of the Fourth Presbyterian Church on North Michigan Avenue (across from the Hancock). As the architect of the Park Tower and the equally historical Plaza Escada (image below) across the street from the church, we can expect something contextual - for Paris, at least.


The Lagrange Legacy in Chicago

Regardless of the actual design, the decision to build a tower on the Church's property is driven by the growing congregation, as the design would incorporate additional space for them, in addition to the 240 condo units. Also the $25 million for the property would go towards the Church's Project Light $52 million capital campaign. The 5,200-member congregation will vote on the proposal on June 13.

Neighborhood groups are protesting the proposal, for good reason, citing that the building would be too massive and block the sun's path into the wonderful courtyard next to the church. Ideally the Church and congregation can be more creative in finding ways to raise money and expand their facilities, instead of falling back on the all-too-reliable, yet all-too-redundant condominium tower.

Update 06.14.04: The Chicagoist reports that members of the Fourth Presbyterian Church voted in favor of the sale of the church's land for a 64-story condominium tower.

Japan Landscape

Via this month's AIA Chicago newsletter, last year's Roche Scholarship winner Colin Franzen has a well-done page visually documenting his travels in Japan (with SOM Fellowship recipient Zane Karpova). Interspersing natural landscapes with buildings by Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, and the like, daily scenes of Tokyo, sumo wrestling, traditional houses, and so forth, Japan Sections is a rich slice of Japan.

Monday, Tuesday

This week's update:

University of Toronto Early Learning Centre by Teeple Architects.

Book update: Preserving the World's Great Cities: The Destruction of the Historic Metropolis by Anthony M. Tung.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

High Line Shortlist, four teams have been selected for the High Line Master Plan.



Siyathemba, Architecture for Humanity's 2004 International Design Competition, a soccer/football facility for Somkele, South Africa.



A 1-Minute Lecture by Jean Nouvel.



House in Progress, an online diary of the restoration of a neglected chicago bungalow (via kegz.net)