Displaying items by tag: architects

This spring the Corning Museum of Glass opened its light-filled, 26,000-square-foot art and design gallery building—comprising five interior galleries—designed by the New York City-based architects Thomas Phifer and Partners (Fig. 1). In addition, a new, 500-seat glassblowing amphitheater opened in the original blowing room of Corning’s historic Steuben Glass factory. Together they form...

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Many believe New York’s pioneering Landmarks Law, enacted in April 1965, was the key factor in the rebirth of New York in the final quarter of the 20th century (continue reading about New York's Landmarks Law on InCollect.com). It fostered pride in neighborhoods and resulted in neighborhood preservation in every borough, connecting and motivating residents and bringing new economic life to older communities. It ensured that huge swaths of the city remain a rich complex of new and old. It also ensured the creative re-use of countless buildings. At the same time, a new body of important architecture has emerged as architects, clients, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission devised innovative solutions for the renovation of landmark buildings and for new buildings in historic districts. The law spawned creativity in architects’ responses to building preservation that has enhanced the cityscape in all five boroughs.

All styles eventually go out of fashion. Colonial hoop dresses, Victorian handlebar moustaches, and 1960s shag carpeting all enjoyed great popularity before falling out of favor. Similar cycles of taste have governed the history of furniture design. Going out of Style: 400 Years of Changing Tastes in Furniture, an exhibition presented by the Milwaukee Art Museum, displayed four centuries of major American furniture styles alongside scathing commentary written in the period by designers, architects, and writers.

Their critiques—which range from sarcastic to downright ruthless—reveal powerful opinions that helped drive the ebb and flow of taste from generation to generation. While the harsh assessments of the past may seem unfounded to antiques enthusiasts today, they remind us that most period styles—even the perennial favorites—were out of fashion at one time or another

The Dahesh Museum of Art today announced that it has selected a townhouse at 178 East 64^th Street as its new headquarters and exhibition space.  This coincides with the 20^th Anniversary of the Dahesh, America's only institution dedicated to collecting and exhibiting European and American academic art of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  The five-story townhouse has been selected for its convenient location and spacious gallery-like parlor.  The Dahesh is currently consulting with architects, with an opening date to be announced later this year.

The new home for the Dahesh Museum was built in 1899 and has a limestone and brownstone facade.  The building is 20-feet wide, comprising of approximately 7,000 square feet of space. Original details include two fireplaces with imported French Louis XV marble mantles and a marble foyer. The new location also includes a beautiful finished outdoor space of Italian stone.

It has been announced that five teams are the running to restore Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s celebrated school of art in Glasgow. UK based John McAslan + Partners (who restored Mackintosh’s last major commission), Scottish practice Page \ Park, and London and Hong-Kong based architects Purcell are all in the frame to lead the restoration of the Mackintosh Building amid a debate over how best to approach the rebuilding of the library and the areas of the building that were devastated by fire in May of last year. The selection of Avanti Architects and LDN Architects complete the roster.

Fourteen practices, from over one hundred initial expressions of interest, formally submitted documents in the first round of the tender.

A low-lying acrylic box glows in the woods outside Madrid like a futuristic polytunnel. Half submerged in the forest floor, it is an unlikely container in which to find an architecture office – particularly one that’s working on projects from Stockholm to Los Angeles. But then Selgas Cano, the Spanish firm chosen to design next year’s Serpentine Gallery summer pavilion, are no ordinary architects.

“We think nature should take precedence over architecture,” says José Selgas, who founded the practice with his wife, Lucía Cano, in 1998. “We try to hide the presence of our architecture as much as possible. In fact, people are sometimes upset when we finish a project because they are expecting something more visible.”

New York architecture fanatics everywhere can rejoice: Archtober has arrived. In its fourth annual iteration, the monthlong festival throws a spotlight on the importance of architecture and design in the five boroughs, calling special attention to the city’s rich built history and exciting future. In addition to a lineup of lectures, openings, and workshops, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter–sponsored initiative highlights a “Building of the Day,” with on-site tours led by the architects themselves.

On Monday, July 28, President Obama awarded artist James Turrell and architects Billie Tsien and Tod Williams with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. The award was given to nineteen other recipients, including documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones, and arts patron Joan Harris. During the ceremony, President Obama said, “The arts and humanities aren't just there to be consumed when we have a moment. We need them." 

Turrell is best known for his groundbreaking exploration of light, color, and space. His immersive works push the boundaries of human perception and create all-encompassing sensory experiences. Turrell has said, “My work has no object, no image and no focus. With no object, no image and no focus, what are you looking at? You are looking at you looking. What is important to me is to create an experience of wordless thought.”

The National Academy in New York has announced that it has added 13 new visual artists and architects to its ranks. Among the elected 2014 National Academicians are Ida Applebroog, Jane Dickson, Martin Puryear, Edward Ruscha, Joan Semmel, Stanley Whitney, Peter Bohlin, Preston Scott Cohen, Michael Manfredi and Marion Weiss, Eric Owen Moss, Antoine Predock, and Charles Renfro.

“2014 is an exceptional year for the National Academy with this new class of Academicians,” said Bruce Fowle, President of the National Academy, in a statement.

Gap has announced a partnership with the contemporary art fair Frieze, kicking off with the New York fair in May and continuing with Frieze fair in London. As part of the partnership, Gap has designed two unique outdoor experiences, called Gap White Space at Frieze, in collaboration with New York-based architects, Leong Leong, to welcome guests at the Frieze Art Fair locations in Randall’s Island, New York and Regent’s Park, London. These experiences are named after the White Space rooms found in select Gap flagship stores across the globe. These rooms feature and test the brand’s newest and most cutting edge items, allowing shoppers to experience Gap product in a unique and exciting environment.