A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

On Wednesday, November 13, the Cooper Union is screening Diana Agrest's The Making of an Avant-Garde: the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies 1967-1984 . If you're like me the IAUS brings to mind the journal Oppositions and Peter Eisenman. He can be found in the below photo as #4, but who are the rest? Who are these "makers of an avant-garde"? Feel free to comment with your guesses. A couple hints: The graphic below (the bottom half of the film announcement from above, which I added the numbers to) and an Architect's Newspaper piece on an IAUS book , with a captioned photo of a ca. 1974 dinner. Film screening details: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 7pm Film Screening Panel Discussion and Open Reception to follow The Great Hall: 7 East 7th Street, lower level Free and open to the public

At lunch yesterday I sauntered over to the East River Esplanade, and noticing one of SHoP's little buildings nearing completion (and without my ever-trusty but now broken camera), I took a few shots of it with my dumbphone. The glass pavilion sits underneath FDR Drive and is steps away from SHoP's Pier 15 , which opened late 2011 and can be seen reflected in the glass walls of the below photo.  [North elevation. All dumbphone photos by John Hill.] According to the NYC Department of City Planning : "These pavilions will serve community and commercial uses with their imaginative architectural expressions that will complement the public open space as well as return the vitality of the city to the water’s edge." [Northeast corner of the pavilion] The covered areas on two sides of the pavilion (facing north and east) indicate that the building could be used as a cafe or something that requires waiting in line. New York Harbor Parks indicates "recreational/s...

Here are some photos of the University of Aveiro Water Tank in Aveiro, Portugal, by Alvaro Siza, photographed by José Carlos Melo Dias . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos  archidose

The SAGE Handbook of Architectural Theory is a 776-page tome that "documents and builds upon some of the most innovative developments in architectural theory over the last two decades." To mark the release of the book, Parsons SCE is hosting a panel discussion (free, no RSVP required) this evening; details are below. Architectural Theory in an Expanded Field Monday, October 28, 2013 at 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Wollman Hall (B500), Eugene Lang College 65 West 11th Street, New York, NY Join Parsons SCE for a panel discussion with the general editors and US-based contributors of the Sage Handbook of Architectural Theory , celebrating the launch of the paperback edition convened by Brian McGrath , Dean of the School of Constructed Environments at Parsons and moderated by Joanna Merwood , associate professor of Architectural History at Parsons. The panel discussion will explore the handbook’s agenda and consider its significance for architectural research, education and ...

Discovering Architecture: How the World's Great Buildings Were Designed and Built by Philip Jodidio, published by Universe, 2013. Hardcover, 260 pages. ( Amazon ) In an average year Philip Jodidio seems to churn out about a dozen books, easily the most of any writer on architecture. With Taschen and other publishers he focuses on contemporary architecture (the Architecture Now! series, for example), but with this recent coffee table book for Universe he reaches all the way back to the year 537 in a presentation of 50 important masterpieces. Actually, only 19 of the 50 buildings come after the 19th century, and only two of the buildings (the Millau Viaduct by Norman Foster and the National Stadium in Beijing by Herzog & de Meuron) were completed this century. Jodidio moves from the Hagia Sophia and Chartres Cathedral to Angkor Wat, Ryoan-Ji, the Taj Mahal, and other historical treasures (UNESCO seems to be the most oft-used word in the book, after architect...

Clifftop House in Maui, Hawaii, by Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti, 2011 The following text and images are courtesy of Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti . Maui's south coast is gentle and works for indulging all-inclusive holidays, whereas its north coast is a rough surfer’s paradise with strong winds and most important perfect waves. Windsurf sail designer Robert Stroj moved from Europe to Maui to lead the design research studio of Neil Pryde in Kahului, Maui. While exploring the island with his wife, they soon fell in love with the area of West Maui Mountains on the north coast; a very unpopulated area with high cliffs at the cost, fresh onshore breezes and unobstructed views to the ocean. After finding the perfect spot it took them three years to buy the land and several more to finish the house. Now they live there with their two sons and a dog. The home in such an environment becomes crucially important. Besides being just a home, this house works also as a social venue for the ow...

UPDATE 11/15: Three finalists have been announced. See my new post to find out all of the entries, or see the bottom of this post for the answer key. Back in April the Nobel Foundation selected twelve architects to vie for the design of the Nobel Center in Stockholm. Eleven of the firms (minus Herzog & de Meuron) submitted designs at the end of September, and each of them can be viewed on the Nobel Center website. Oh, and each entry is anonymous. According to the website: "The jury will not comment on any proposal until 2-5 of them in November 2013 have been selected to proceed to the competitions [sic] second stage. The names of the architects behind each submission will at that point be revealed." Below are the proposals, followed by the list of the architects at bottom. So which architect goes with which proposal? Design Proposals (in alphabetical order): A. Archipelago : B. Beyond 1210 : C. Butterfly : D. Landing Seagulls : E. Nobelhuset : ...

Here are some of my photos of the PATH - West Concourse (2013) in New York City by Santiago Calatrava . The walkway, which opened on Tuesday, connects the PATH station (still under construction) with the recently completed Brookfield Place at Battery Park City; photos of the latter to follow. For orientation purposes, the marble wall lines the south side of the walkway so, for example, the top photo is looking to the west, toward Brookfield Place. To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos  archidose

This week architects have been busy reading and commenting on Christine Outram's essay at Medium , "What Starbucks Gets that Architects Don't: Or why I left the architecture profession." On my first read a couple days ago I got the message (architects need to listen to the people who occupy their buildings) and agreed generally that buildings and spaces could be designed better, although I detested the way it was written and didn't find that round tables at Starbucks to be a strong argument for architects talking to and listening to people. To make just one comment on her article in this blog post, it's worth focusing on what I think is the gist of her argument: "You [architects] don’t understand people. I correct myself. You don’t listen to people." These sentences come right at the beginning of her piece, setting up her argument about Starbucks ("Form follows feeling") and using the Internet to poll people about things like where...

Here are some photos of the WMS Boathouse at Clark Park (2013) in Chicago, Illinois, by Studio Gang Architects , photographed by John Zacherle . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos  archidose