|
Possibility of a Guggenheim Museum in Finland |
 |
 |
|
Wednesday, 19 January 2011 15:08 |
Helsinki Mayor, Jussi Pajunen, has recently announced that the City of Helsinki has commissioned the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to conduct a concept and development study, exploring the possibility of creating a new Guggenheim Museum in Finland. Helsinki is the largest city in Finland.
While located at the heart of the fast-growing Baltic Sea region, 315 miles due east of Stockholm, where it serves as a gateway between East and West, the city is home to 1.3 million people and several universities. The relocation of the cargo harbor in 2008 opened vast waterfront areas in downtown Helsinki have been freed for redevelopment, further enhancing Helsinki’s strong maritime character and making the urban structure more sustainable.
The study, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011, will explore topics including the possible mission and structure of an innovative, multidisciplinary art museum in Finland, the form that its exhibition and education programs might take, its prospective relationship with Helsinki’s existing visual arts institutions, the museum’s potential economic impact and the scope of the Guggenheim Foundation’s involvement in its operation. Beginning from a deep consideration of program and purpose, the study will seek to imagine what a museum of the 21st century might be.
The Mayor stated, "As the capital of our country and home to its greatest concentration of art museums, Helsinki has a special responsibility to keep improving and developing Finland’s cultural infrastructure. It is widely recognized that cultural destinations can help drive economic growth for a country, provided they are created within an intelligent overall plan for development. We have such a plan—and the Guggenheim, as a truly global institution, is the ideal institution to collaborate with us in studying how to realize our goals. This is a collaboration that can help Helsinki and Finland prosper in an increasingly interconnected and competitive world."
The commencement of this concept and development study marks the first step in a multi-level process that will advance and evolve only with the appropriate consent and endorsement at each stage. |
|
|
John Hancock Tower in Boston selected to receive AIA Twenty-five Year Award |
|
|
|
Wednesday, 19 January 2011 14:26 |
Award recognizes an architectural design that has stood the test of time for 25 years
The John Hancock Tower in Boston, designed by I.M. Pei & Partners, has been selected to receive the 2010 AIA Twenty-Five Year Award. The John Hancock Tower has demonstrated excellence in function, in the distinguished execution of its original program, and in the creative aspects of its statement by today’s standards. The 2011 Twenty-five Year Award will be presented at the AIA National Convention in New Orleans.
Thirty-five years after its dedication, the lean, rhomboid reflective glass tower designed by Henry Cobb, FAIA, continues to dramatize this classic architectural question of aesthetic balance. Built on a small site adjacent to some of Boston’s greatest architectural assets, the tower had to be massive enough to accommodate the owner’s requirements, yet absolutely mindful of its delicate and historic surroundings.
Located in Boston’s historic Copley Square, the Hancock Tower continues to serve as an office building. The 60-story, 790-foot reflective glass tower remains the tallest building in New England. Boston Globe architecture critic Robert Campbell, FAIA, said the tower is “one of the greatest office towers of the second half of the 20th century.”
Past Honors and Awards
The John Hancock Tower received an AIA National Honor Award in 1977. In 1994 a Boston Globe poll of architects and historians rated it as the third-best work of architecture in Boston history, behind only Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library, its two closest neighbors. The John Hancock Tower recently achieved LEED Gold Existing Building certification for energy use, lighting, water, material use, and other sustainable strategies--some of them (such as ample use of natural light) a part of the original design.
In addition to the 2011 Twenty-five Year Award, the firm of I.M. Pei Partners, Architects, previously received the 2004 Twenty-five Year Award for the East Building, National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Founding principal I.M. Pei, FAIA, received the AIA Gold Medal in 1979, and his firm was honored with the 1968 AIA Architecture Firm Award.
|
|
Architecture Billings Index Continues Positive Momentum |
|
|
|
Wednesday, 19 January 2011 14:12 |
Three out of past four months have seen positive business conditions
On the heels of its highest mark since 2007, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) jumped more than two points in December. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the December ABI score was 54.2, up from a reading of 52.0 the previous month. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 62.6, up slightly from a mark of 61.4 in November.
“This is more promising news that the design and construction industry is continuing to move toward a recovery,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. However, historically December is the most unpredictable month from a business standpoint, and therefore the most difficult month from which to interpret a trend. The coming quarter will give us a much better sense of the strength of the apparent upturn in design activity. ”
Key December ABI highlights:
Regional averages: Northeast (55.3), South (54.8), Midwest (52.9), West (48.4)
Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (60.1), commercial / industrial (52.7), institutional (50.6), mixed practice (47.8)
Project inquiries index: 62.6
|
|
The AIA Announces the 2011 Institute Honor Awards |
|
|
|
Tuesday, 11 January 2011 16:13 |
 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected the 2011 recipients of the Institute Honor Awards, the profession's highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design. Selected from over 700 total submissions, 27 recipients located throughout the world will be honored at the AIA 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition in New Orleans. We are hereby putting a small description of the awarded projects, but will be developping some of them into full feature in the next weeks. |
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 January 2011 14:35 |
|
Read more...
|
|
American Institute of Architects Adds Session on New Orleans Reconstruction to Haiti Reconstruction Conference Later This Week |
|
|
|
Monday, 10 January 2011 14:33 |
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced it was adding a session to its two-day conference on Haiti reconstruction to address the efforts of New Orleans to recover from the twin disasters of Hurricane Katrina and the disastrous BP oil spill last year.
The two-day AIA Summit on Haiti is being held on Thursday – one day after the first anniversary of the Haitian earthquake of 2010 – at the Loew’s Hotel in New Orleans. Organizations participating in the AIA’s Haiti conference include The American Red Cross, National Urban League - Greater New Orleans, Adecco Group North America, United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Architecture for Humanity (AFH), National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), Public Architecture and Black Design Network News.
The second session of the two-day conference puts the spotlight on New Orleans, where participants will hear first-hand accounts of how New Orleans is rebounding from natural and man-made disasters. The program will feature renowned local speakers and panel case studies on New Orleans.
The AIA announced last month that it would sponsor the Haiti conference on how to expand volunteer opportunities for the building and design industry in that ravaged and impoverished nation.
The meeting comes as the AIA implements a resolution passed unanimously in September by its Board of Directors that expresses support for the Haitian architectural community and commits to developing a process under which AIA volunteers will be able to provide assistance to those affected by the earthquake. That resolution followed a joint AIA/USGBC announcement in July naming Stacey McMahan, AIA, LEED AP, as the Architecture for Humanity (AFH) Sustainable Design Fellow to lead AFH’s sustainable rebuilding efforts in Haiti. McMahan has been working directly with community members in Architecture for Humanity’s Rebuilding Center based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Ms. McMahan will also be attending the conference.
The Haiti conference is the latest AIA effort in the past year to assist Haiti with expertise and contributions. Immediately after the earthquake a year ago, the AIA offered assistance to its members on where to send financial donations and resources. In April, the Puerto Rico Chapter of the AIA hosted a conference that united Haitian design experts with other Pan Caribbean professionals to examine the current status of Haitian infrastructure, identify strategic areas of support and plan for local, regional and national development. A website was also developed: www.aiaforhaiti.org |
|
Last Updated on Monday, 10 January 2011 14:35 |
|
|
<< Start < Prev 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 14 of 82 |
