French architect Jean Nouvel has cranked up the color quotient in London with his eye-catching temporary pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in the middle of Hyde Park. The scarlet tent-like structure is made of glass and fabric and supported by a dramatic metal frame.

A 3 years time-lapse about the destruction of EDF tower and construction of Sequana Tower in Paris. Ramon tooks 45 000 pictures to make this video !

Location: Paris / France
First shot: january 2007
Last Shot: September 2010
Number of images: 45.000

Artist Olafur Eliasson describes the glass facade on Harpa, Reykjavik’s new conference and concert hall. Architect Osbjørn Jacobsen from Henning Larsen architects and Christopher S. Darland from Artec Consultants explain their part in the design. For more information on the project, go to www.harpa.is

Reminiscent of the crystallised basalt columns commonly found in Iceland, the hexagonal glass creates kaleidoscopic reflections of the city.  The multi-faceted glass façade is based on a geometric principle which is realised in two and three dimensions.   Designing and constructing the building have been a complicated process because while the facades are derived from the same concept, depending upon orientation, their geometries vary.  This leads to difficult connections where ultimately each corner is a unique joint.

The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco chapter (AIA San Francisco) announces the winners of the 2010 AIA San Francisco Design Awards program. The winners were revealed and celebrated last night at a special gala held at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. The emcees for the evening were Sarah Lynch, Editor in Chief, California Home + Design and Bill Roger, 2010 AIA San Francisco Board President.

At the gala, winners were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the built environment in the categories of Architecture and Interior Architecture, Energy + Sustainability, Historic Preservation and Innovation in Rehabilitation, Integrated Project Delivery, Young Architects and Associates, Unbuilt Design, and Urban Design in the Bay Area. Each of these award categories was divided into three subcategories—Honor, Merit, and Citation. In addition, awards for Special Achievement were also presented. Read the rest of this entry »

Metropolis is a quirky and very abridged narrative history of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. It uses stop motion video animation to physically manipulate aerial still images of the city (both real and fictional), creating a landscape in constant motion. Starting around 1755 on a Native American trading path, the viewer is presented with the building of the first house in Charlotte. From there we see the town develop through the historic dismissal of the English, to the prosperity made by the discovery of gold and the subsequent roots of the building of the multitude of churches that the city is famous for. Now the landscape turns white with cotton, and the modern city is ‘born’, with a more detailed re-creation of the economic boom and surprising architectural transformation that has occurred in the past 20 years. Read the rest of this entry »

Short film about the recent opening of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. The principal architect, Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA is interviewed as well as Lisa Phillips, director of the museum, Lisa Roulmell, Museum Deputy Director & COO and Lisa Hoptmann, Senior Curator. The video highlights the activist history of the museum and the design of the new building and the opening exhibit, Unmonumental. Produced by Howard Silver for Bloomberg MUSE. Edited by Seth Karten, DP Scott Sinkler

Built on the campus of EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, The Rolex Learning Center designed by the internationally acclaimed Japanese architectural practice, SANAA, opened on 22 February 2010. If they need any more introduction, SANAA is the winner of the 2010 Pritzker Prize

A Necessary Ruin – Trailer from Evan Mather on Vimeo.

Movie worth seeing! Moviemaker Evan Mather just sent us a link to his latest movie, “A Necessary Ruin: The Story of Buckminster Fuller and the Union Tank Car Dome”

Evan Mather’s documentary short film about Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s recently demolished Union Tank Car Dome, will begin a limited one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles and also screen at the AIA/NY Center for Architecture as part of the current “Modernism at Risk” exhibition. Read the rest of this entry »

The Fellowship intends to offer travel-study opportunities to west coast scholars similar to the Rotch and Rapson Fellowships. The Fellowship intends to nurture design understanding of resource sustainability in the world. The Cavin Fellowship awards will honor the families and architectural traditions of William Brooks Cavin, Sr. and William Brooks Cavin, Jr., FAIA. The Cavin family will remain involved in the mission of the Fellowship. Read the rest of this entry »

OMA, the research based think tank within the office for metropolitan architecture, has extended its expertise in planning the design of the future energy infrastructure of the EU as part of ‘roadmap 2050: a practical guide to a prosperous, low-carbon europe’ the project, proposing an EU-wide decarbonized power grid by 2050, debuts in brussels today to an audience of european leaders. Read the rest of this entry »