Wednesday, June 25, 2014

'Bounce below' in an abandoned slate mine in Wales



"Giant trampolines inside a mammoth slate quarry cavern are the latest tourist attraction tipped to bring thousands of thrill seeking tourists to the region.

Bounce Below will open next month at Llechwedd in Blaenau Ffestiniog – the world’s first facility of this kind. The caverns, twice the size of St Paul’s Cathedral, will be lit up in a light show while visitors bounce on giant trampolines linked by a 60ft long slide."


From here and here.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

OPEN 2014 on until 4th July



Date:
13 June 2014 - 4 July 2014
Time: 9.00am - 9.00pm
Location: 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS - View map

OPEN2014 is the end of year exhibition for:
Architecture BA Honours
Interior Architecture BA Honours
Master of Architecture (MArch) RIBA Part II

OPEN2014 is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2014

All welcome. Entry is free, no need to book.

Thanks to Christina Diamandi for the photograph of the Interior Architecture contribution to the exhibition.

IA Graduates at 'Free Range'. Brick Lane July 10-14



Bartlett Summer Show. 27 June - 5 July


Opening night and party

Friday 27 June
18.00 –  01.00
Official show opening by Michael Webb
19.00


Venue

Main Quadrangle and Slade Galleries of UCL, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT


Open to the public

Friday 27 June, 18.00 – 22.00
Saturday 28 June, 10.00 – 20.30
Sunday 29 June, 10.00 – 17.30
Monday 30 June, 10.00 – 20.30
Tuesday 1 July, 10.30 – 16.30
Wednesday 2 July, 10.00 – 16.30
Thursday 3 July, 10.00 – 20.30
Friday 4 July, 10.00 – 20.30
Saturday 5 July, 10.00 – 20.30

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Optical Glass House by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP


"A tree-filled courtyard is glimpsed through the shimmering glass-brick facade of this house in Hiroshima, designed by Japanese architect Hiroshi Nakamura."
more plus video at dezeen.

Monday, April 7, 2014

David Adjaye Talk May 20th


Dream Builders: David Adjaye
20 May 2014 
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue: RIBA, 66 Portland Place London W1B 1AD

"David Adjaye has been described as an architect with an 'artist's sensibility'. His internationally renowned buildings are defined by his bold use of innovative materials and a diverse colour palette which reflect an equally strong interest in landscape and terrain.

From his pioneering 'Ideas Store' library buildings in the UK, to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver , to The Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, London, to the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington DC, his work is imbued with, and inspired by, the stories of people and dynamics of place.

In 2007, he was awarded an OBE for services to architecture and in 2013 he topped the Guardian's "Powerlist" of Britain’s most influential black people. He currently has projects underway in Ghana, Nigeria, America, China and the Middle East.

In partnership with the BBC, the RIBA brings you an opportunity to direct questions to David Adjaye as he is interviewed by Razia Iqbal about his approach to building, his many journeys and the projects and experiences that have defined him.

A recording of the event will be broadcast by the BBC World Service."

Fees: £5 Standard

Tickets here.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

'Ruin Lust' at Tate Britain, 4 March-18 May 2014

Ruin Lust
Tate Britain
4 March – 18 May 2014
Adult £11.00 (without donation £10.00)
Concession £9.50 (without donation £8.60)

Ruin Lust, an exhibition at Tate Britain from 4 March 2014, offers a guide to the mournful, thrilling, comic and perverse uses of ruins in art from the seventeenth century to the present day. The exhibition is the widest-ranging on the subject to date and includes over 100 works by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, John Constable, John Martin, Eduardo Paolozzi, Rachel Whiteread and Tacita Dean.

Dutch Architects Dus: Large Scale 3D Printing


"Working on site for three weeks, the architects have so far produced a 3m-high sample corner of their future house, printed as a single piece weighing 180kg. It is one of the building blocks that will be stacked up like Lego bricks over the next three years to form a 13-room complex, modelled on a traditional Dutch gabled canal house, but with hand-laid bricks replaced by a faceted plastic facade, scripted by computer software."

From the Gaurdian.

Friday, March 28, 2014

The xx's Temporary Performance Space in the Park Avenue Armory



London-based band xx is doing a series of shows in a temporary installation in New York's Park Avenue Armory.  This video describes the design as well as past installations in the building.  It also describes the building itself, parts of which recently were renovated by Herzog and deMeuron.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Chthonic churches at Lalibela


Lalibela is a town in northern Ethiopia that is famous for its monolithic rock-cutchurches. This rural town is known around the world for its churches carved from the living rock, which play an important part in the history of rock-cut architecture. Though the dating of the churches is not well established, most are thought to have been built during the reign of Lalibela, namely during the 12th and 13th centuries.




Thanks to 2nd year critic Quynh Vantu for bringing up this reference during Monday's crit.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

'The Dictionary of Details' Lecture by Wayne Head



The Dictionary of Details

When: Thursday 20th March 18.00
Where: University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS

Architect and director of BDP, Wayne Head has produced a Dictionary of Details and will give a lecture at the University of Westminster prior to its forthcoming publication by Routledge. The book looks in depth at details in architecture and explores whether they are mere ornaments or structural ideals representing larger principles. Illustrated examples range from the simplest to the most innovative through drawings, diagrams, photographs and text.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

David Rockwell's temporary bespoke theater for TED 2014


"TED, the nonprofit enthusiastic to ‘ideas worth spreading’, has invited the rockwell group to build the stage for the 30th anniversary of the conference, in vancouver. set in the vancouver convention centre, the portable and temporary theater is constructed with 600 pieces and assembled onsite for the five day festival. the intimacy of the space is realized by instilling a sense of community while having singularity in form. the individual and the collective are showcased in unison as the arena becomes a manifestation of the organization’s core principles. in addition to david rockwell’s observations, from being an attendee over the years, further inspiration for the theater was gathered from historic organizational spaces such as campfires and other non permanent commons. comprised mostly from locally harvested douglas fir wood sourced from the pacific northwest, the seating ‘bowl’ also includes a walkway along the perimeter with lattice-like platforms and handrails. 16 different seating options are present, and vary from lounge groupings, rows of benches, and beanbags. a standing room area in the back allows viewers to access personal electronic devices, without disturbing the rest of the audience. aided by an electronic cutting machine, the event construction company, nussli, fashioned the structure (along with the custom furniture and steelcase fabrication) to be easily disassembled back into 8’ x 10’ x 12’ boxes, and possibly reused for upcoming events."