Auckland interactive

March 9, 2010 at 8:54 am
Filed under Architecture, Dynamic Environments, Interactive, Lighting

Auckland’s Ferry Building was transformed into a dynamic light canvas with “Night Lights,” a 5-day installation that invited viewers to add their hands, bodies, and mobile phones to the show. Creative agencies YesYesNo, The Church, Inside Out Productions, and Electric Canvas partnered to put on the show, sponsored by Telecom New Zealand in conjunction with its rebranding. The team projected a sequence of six scenes every hour onto the building’s five-story facade, then invited viewers to interact with the show by projecting their body movements onto the scenes. –P.M.K.

night lights from thesystemis on Vimeo.

Larger-than-life library

March 5, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Filed under Architecture

In suburban Phoenix, “where the frontier meets the strip mall,” Will Bruder + Partners has created a new spin on the decorated shed. At the new Agave Branch Library, a false front made of vertical strips of galvanized-steel hat channels is 56 ft. at its tallest, tapering off to resemble a cock-eyed billboard. Slivers of reflective film between the narrow channels shout out the library’s name.

“It’s a cowboy front with a scale and presence big enough to signify the civic role of a library,” says Bruder, referring to 19th-century Western buildings that used false fronts to seem grander than they really were. Along a thoroughfare dotted with gas stations and fast food, against a dramatic mountain backdrop, the library both fits in and elevates the role of an important cultural resource.– P.M.K./S.N.

Secrets of New York

March 4, 2010 at 9:25 am
Filed under Architecture, Arts and Crafts, Placemaking, Public Art

One of the backlit collages Chris Rubino created for the Distrikt Hotel

Cafe mural (left) and typographic work at the Distrikt Hotel

Ten minutes with Frank

February 24, 2010 at 8:21 am
Filed under Architecture

February 19, 1958 Lyman Bryson host, commentator from: Frank Lloyd Wright – Creative Mind: The Architect as Creator | Free Lecture | Forum Network from PBS and NPR

In an interview taped on February 19, 1958, Frank Lloyd Wright opines on the evils of the urban city, including the oppression of teenagers and the desecration of nature and architecture wrought by industrialization. “The architect is the basic servant of society, but where are our architects? Most of them have gone into business now.” –P.M.K.

History + technology = spectacle

February 19, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Filed under Architecture, Dynamic Environments

Theatre Le Grand Rex in Paris is one of the world’s great theatrical venues. Known for its starry vault, water spectacle, and the largest screen in Europe, it’s a living relic of a bygone era. Note the emphasis on living: With the help of the latest in LED technology, provided by Daktronics, Le Grand Rex has a new dynamic facade to enliven John Eberson’s Art Deco design, completed in 1932.

Daktronics created two 39-ft. high vertical LED towers that rotate season-related content on the hour, interspersed with events information. Two custom, curving horizontal LED bands, each 82 ft wide by 6 ft. high, conform to the architecture, providing a colorful, fluid ribbon across the facade. The total effect sends a clear message: “It’s Showtime!” — P.M.K.

Smells Like [aaaarrrgghh!] Teen Spirit

February 18, 2010 at 11:09 am
Filed under Architecture, Graphic Design, Placemaking

Working on the large-scale renovation of Kansas City’s Piper High School, architects DLR Group wanted to create a dramatic entry statement that would also support the project’s sustainability goals. The solution is a 520-sq.-ft stainless steel mesh facade element that provides shade but allows daylight to enter, eliminating the need for artificial lighting in the commons area.

The facade, made by GKD-USA of its Omega 1510 mesh, also provides a memorable branding moment. Etched into the mesh, the school’s pirate mascot is unmistakable during the day and glows like a lantern at night.  –P.M.K.

Photos: Alistair Tutton Photography

Don’t believe your eyes

February 15, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Filed under Architecture, Healthcare, Interior Design

“Japanese designers Nendo have completed the interior of a mental health clinic in Akasaka, Tokyo, where none of the doors open and patients and staff instead move around the building by opening sections of the walls. Called MD.net Clinic Akasaka, the project includes sliding bookcases behind which the consultation rooms can be found and a single opening door at the end of the corridor that reveals a window to the outside.

By providing alternate perspectives for viewing the world, and avoiding being trapped by pre-existing perceptions, the interior allows visitors–and staff members–to experience opening new doors in their hearts, one after the other.” — A.M.

Home sweet (quirky) home

February 13, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Filed under Architecture

“If you are like most people out there, you live in a pretty run-of-the-mill building. While your home has its charms, for the most part, it’s probably not too different than any other living space…There are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes an architect takes an ordinary concept like the apartment building and turns it into something extraordinary. Influenced by nature, films, and even video games, here’s a look at 20 of the oddest, quirkiest, and most unique apartment complexes from around the globe.” — A.M.

Prefab concrete

February 12, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Filed under Architecture, Materials

From the February issue of Architectural Record, a new product innovation in prefabricated concrete. For the Hämeenlinna Provincial Archive building in Finland, Helsinki-based architectural firm Heikkinen-Komonen worked with Finish concrete design firm Graphic Concrete to create a patterned concrete surface for the building facade. The images, patterns, and symbols incorporated in the facade were taken from the archive historic documents. Graphic Concrete uses a technique where a special membrane is coated with surface retarder, which slows the hardening of the concrete in the mold. When the membrane is removed, the unset concrete is high-pressure washed to reveal the design. Read the full article here. — S.N.

NSFW but funny (don’t say you weren’t warned)

February 12, 2010 at 10:57 am
Filed under Architecture, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Someone named mentaldesigner has created a series of videos on the designer-client relationship.  How can robots talking in a monotone not be funny? — A.M.