A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Earlier today I came across a special feature on Architectural Record 's web site, called " China's Building Blitz ". As the country is spending "nearly 16 percent of its GDP" on construction and using over half of the world's production of concrete in the process, it's no wonder that China is big in architectural circles these days. Rem Koolhaas, architecture's urban champion and prognosticator, is embracing China's building boom, particularly fond of the instant urbanism as cities spring up in less than ten years, and having already put together a book on the subject. On the up side, all this fuss has given many American and European firms an outlet for their designers, with innovative solutions coming from firms like Herzog & DeMeuron, stadium architect for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and Rem Koolhaas's OMA , who are doing multiple projects including the CCTV Headquarters, also in Beijing. As well, the construction boom is b...

Chicago architect John Ronan was announced last night as the winner of a design competition to design the Perth Amboy High School in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The 40-year-old architect beat out well-known architects Morphosis of Santa Monica, California and Peter Eisenman and Fox & Fowle of New York City; as well as fellow finalists Gabriel Field Architect of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Robertson + McAnulty w/ UrbanLab of Chicago. Ronan's design was unanimously chosen as the winner with Peter Eisenman mentioned as second place. The winning design superimposes three systems: the landscape of the site (Mat), horizontal building elements (Barscape) and vertical building elements (Towers). These subsequently create interior courtyards, flexible educational spaces, and separate communal spaces. The 3,000-student high school is planned to open in 2006. [Added 03.05: Lynn Becker's Repeat site features a piece on Ronan's victory in New Jersey.]

In a breath of extremely fresh air, today the Friends of the High Line (FHL) released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) soliciting design teams for the master plan to convert the 1.5-mile elevated railroad on Manhattan's West Side into a public open space. This announcement, made in conjunction with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, means that reclamation of the High Line is becoming a reality. Last year, FHL sponsored a design competition to generate ideas for the unused railroad's future, receiving over 700 entries from 36 countries. Photo by J. Sternfield from FHL web site. My interest in the High Line's future started when I visited Manhattan a few years ago and experienced the impact of the railway on Chelsea and other neighborhoods under the Line. To me its presence gives those places a distinct character that distinguishes them from other parts of Manhattan, while referring to its industrial past that is otherwise disappearing. Its use as a publ...

On Mondays I update my other web site, a weekly dose of architecture , so in lieu of trying to come up with something to write about for this page I've decided to provide a link to the new weekly dose and some other links to get your week started right. Enjoy! Weekly dose: Mauritskade Apartments by Erick van Egeraat. Other links: Commune by the Great Wall A private collection of contemporary architecture designed by 12 Asian architects overlooking the Great Wall of China. Spaces of Uncertainty An exhibition focusing on ill-defined spaces that are not officially or definitively occupied, spaces that are dynamic and unstable. Manhattan Timeformations A project that uses computer models and interactive animations to depict the dynamic relationship between Manhattan's skyscrapers and other layers of urban information. And if you want to know more about Casimir Pulaski Day, here's a link for more information on the Polish General who we celebrate by giving...

Mauritskade Apartments in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Erick van Egeraat, 2002 Sited in the Dapperbuurt area of Amsterdam, twelve luxury apartments sit opposite the anthropological museum, Tropenmuseum . This prominent location, adjacent to one of the city's canals, sits on a triangular piece of land that is otherwise full of 19th century structures. So the architect, Erick van Egeraat , faced two contextual problems: relating to the existing buildings and dealing with the public face the site entails. In addition to the twelve apartments, the program called for parking and commercial space, both fitted into the ground floor. According to the architect, "a mix of vertical and horizontal lines were chosen for the for the elevations ...

In a couple hours I'll be one of over 25 million people glued to their television sets to see how many Oscars Lord of the Rings is going to win in the 76th Academy Awards . But I'll admit that the Best Picture contest doesn't hold my attention this year - though my vote would go to Lost In Translation if I were a member of the Academy, partly because it's an underdog film, but also because it's an independent film, which I guess is what makes it an underdog. Instead I'll be waiting patiently through the enormous amounts of filler that occupy the ceremony every year for the Best Documentary category. And the nominees are: Balseros , the story of seven Cuban refugees in 1994, Capturing the Friedmans , following the Friedman family after the father and son are charged with child molestation, The Fog of War , Errol Morris's portrayal of Robert McNamara re-examining his role in the Vietnam War, The Weather Underground , about a radical group in the late ...

On display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago until the end of May is a retrospective of sculptor Lee Bontecou. Her sculptures and drawings were popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but since she has rarely exhibited and has existed in a way that works for her but not necessarily for the art world that admires her. Teaching art in Brooklyn, Bontecou can spend years on individual works, immersing herself at times, but without rushing to finish a piece to appease curators, gallery owners or sellers. Untitled , 1966. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. When I viewed the exhibition on its opening night in early February I was primarily impressed by the intricacy of each piece. Each sculpture works at both the macro and micro scales, in other words from across the room and close-up to the viewer. Nature is a definite influence in her work but also is engineering and, in particular, war machines. The last gives her art a (unintended, perhaps) political resonance that seems ...