Videos

Founded by Grimshaw and FutureCity in collaboration with the Fellows of the RSA, the Urban Research Unit (URU) is a one-year research project focused on urban design, masterplanning and placemaking. It will include a series of eight panel discussions that will use various urban factors to compare and contrast New York and London. Their upcoming event, 'Navigating the Future City' will take place in London on June 5. This event sets out an ambitious and achievable vision for London as the most vibrant, vital and accessible city in the world. The discussions will focus on a new approach to supporting London’s role as a key aviation hub, and points towards radical solutions for the capital’s transport network. For more information, please visit here. A video of their previous event can be viewed after the break.

Organized by AAAB, the 'Connection - Import Ticino' Exhibition, which begins today and runs until June 9, aims to create a network of cultural connections between cities as a means of spreading the values of urbanism and architecture. The exhibition features a project that was born out of the desire to establish a cultural connection between the city of Barcelona and other European cities. A series of architecture exhibitions are the focus of this project, which also offers other events such as conferences and meetings between universities and aims to create synergies between the professional architects involved. Each event, which is called a “connection”, is composed of a first exhibition in Barcelona, followed by a second presentation in the invited country. For more information, please visit here.

Currently on view until July 4th at the Aedes Gallery in Berlin, UNStudio's 'Motion Matters' Exhibition presents ten of UNStudio’s milestone projects, in addition to conveying their perspective on 25 years of architectural production, their current approach to architectural practice and the wider discourse that determines design challenges today. For many years UNStudio has been investigating the potential of the temporary installation as an experimental testing ground for manifold architectural concerns and it is these investigations that form the basis of their exhibit. More images and architects' description after the break.

Taking place July 6-7 at CosmoCaixa in Barcelona, the 'Childhood and Public Spaces' international conference offers a series of perspectives and experiences on actual childhood space scenarios in the city. An encounter with urban-design practice, educational experience and artistic methods are key aspects of this hands-on approach. It will also include a forum allowing dialogue between international professionals and workshops that take you to actual spaces in Barcelona. This action has been organized by the design and space-creation masters students of the UPC-CCCB. The deadline to register for the event is June 15. More information after the break.

STUDIO magazine just released their Issue #4: TRANSFORMATION which focuses on how the city is a place involved in a continuous Transformation where man is the main creator and user. Furthermore, this issue uses several architectural projects to demonstrate how the city withstands continuous changes in its form, generating new and different landscapes. Through various scales and facets of architecture, the magazine clearly presents to its readers, from basic to in depth analyses, this transformation process cities undergo. For more information, and to read the magazine, please visit here.

Taking place August 28-September 6, the University of Genoa's San Rocco Summer School (SRSS) will teach you to design buildings by making drawings, copying precedents and talking about corner solutions. Each teacher, who is a member of the San Rocco editorial board, and some friends and colleagues, will participate for two days, taking over the work developed by the colleagues that preceded him in the days before. It is the students who will provide the SRSS with consistency, being the only constant. The building to be designed is the new mosque of Genoa. Applications must be submitted no later than 12:00 on June 10. For more information, please visit here.

As an update to our recent post about the ‘Richard Meier – Architecture and Design’ Retrospective Exhibition currently taking place until July 28 at the Fondazione Bisazza in Vicenza, Italy, the first images have been shared with us. The exhibit includes several iconic, current and recently completed projects by Richard Meier & Partners, in celebration of the company's 50th anniversary. Also being unveiled at this exhibition is a site-specific installation for the Foundation’s permanent collection. For more information about the exhibition, please visit here. More images after the break.

Magma Architecture's Olympic and Paralympic Shooting Arenas have just been distinguished with a 2013 AIA UK Excellence in Design Award. Driven by the desire to evoke an experience of flow and precision inherent in the shooting sport through the dynamically curving space, the shooting arenas were the only buildings of the London 2012 Games to be selected. While all three ranges were configured in a crisp, white double curved membrane façade studded with vibrantly colored openings, the fresh and light appearance of the buildings truly enhanced the festive and celebratory character of the Olympic event. For more images and information on their award-winning project, please visit here.

Open to students and professionals worldwide, the Architecture at Zero 2013 competition is challenging participants to create a design for a new, roughly 150 unit mixed-use residential apartment building located in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, California. With the aim of being as close to zero net energy as possible, the building must be a mix of affordable and market rate housing units and include a full neighborhood-serving grocery store on the ground level. The competition is presented by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and AIA San Francisco, in partnership with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC). Submissions are due October 1. To register, and for more information, please visit here.

MONU magazine on urbanism recently announced their call for submissions for their upcoming #19 issue on the topic of 'Greater Urbanism'. In this new issue, they would like to discuss the problems of urban "greatness" in a global context, but also to envision new strategies for the "greater" urban areas of cities in terms of governance, politics, space, architecture, sociology, ecology, and economics. Ultimately, this issue will try to define what "Greater Urbanism" means today in general and in relation to the past and to previous strategies. They are inviting participants to submit radical new strategies, critical thinking, analytical texts, photo essays, pioneer projects, data-based infographics, and historical research. Submissions are due before July 15. For more information, please visit here. For more information, please visit here.

Held in conjunction with MoMA’s exhibition Le Corbusier: An Atlas of Modern Landscapes, “Le Corbusier/New York” is a two-day international symposium taking place June 8-9. The event will examine this world-renowned French architect's ideas on the city before and after his first trip to the United States, along with his influence on generations of American architects. The journey through Le Corbusier’s work will begin on Saturday with an exclusive preview of the MoMA exhibition led by its curator Jean-Louis Cohen and Sunday's events include engaging lectures at the Center for Architecture. Discussions will focus on how Le Corbusier's ideas about New York City influenced his work and how, in turn, Le Corbusier's legacy impacted the city's built environment. For more information, please visit here.

Ground/Work is a design competition just launched yesterday that seeks to recognize emerging design talent with a highly visible built project in New York City for Van Alen Institute. Since 1982, the Institute has occupied the sixth floor of its building at 30 West 22nd Street in Manhattan, where a diverse program of competitions, curatorial initiatives, and public events has made Van Alen an influential center for design innovation. This year, the Institute is making its public-oriented mission central to the reinvention of its own office and event space, transforming the ground floor and lower level of its building for a new venue to house its entire work space and public programs. The deadline for submissions is June 13. For more information, please visit here.

The Executive Board of The Berlage Center for Advanced studies in Architecture and Urban Design, chaired by Professor Karin Laglas, has just appointed architect Nanne de Ru as the Director of The Berlage. Partner of Powerhouse Company, de Ru has taught and lectured at schools across Europe, such as the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and Delft University of Technology. Now part of the Faculty of Architecture, The Berlage is an entity of Delft University of Technology that builds on the tradition and reputation of the former Berlage Institute.

Taking place at the Virserums Art Museum June 26-27, Wood Summit Smaland is an international conference that will focus on sustainability and wood architecture. Featuring renowned guest speakers such as Jim Taggart, Sadie Morgan, Stefan Behnisch and TYIN Tegnestue, winner of Architecture of Necessity 2010, the winners of Architecture of Necessity 2013 will be announced. For more information, please visit here.

DawnTown recently announced the winners for Landmark Miami, their 2013 ideas competition which focused on how cities are instantly identified by the individual structures within them. With the challenge of coming up with a new symbol for the future, architects and designers were tasked with creating an iconic architectural piece that contributes to the image of Miami. Studio Dror was announced as the first prize winner for their 'Miami Lift' proposal which pays tribute to the city's by elevating visitors to give them a new perspective to the city. More images and information on the winning entries after the break.

Taking place July 16-29, the two week 'Dynamic Fields' workshop consists of analyzing and creating structures responsive to environmental energy. Presented by Parametrica, the last day of project is dedicated to Patrik Schumacher, director at Zaha Hadid Architects and founder of AA Design Reseach Lab London. Schumacher will present a lecture on Parametric Semiology (Architecture as interface of communication) as intelligent structures and parametric architecture are the primary topics up for discussion for the whole event. Students or graduates, architects, interior designers, product designers, urbanism designers, engineers and all others who wish to partake in experimenting what the parametric design of such structures is in practice are expected to join both in the workshop and the conference. More information after the break.