“He’s made an amazing contribution to American intellectual and moral culture,” Noam Chomsky, the activist and MIT professor, said last night. “He’s changed the conscience of America in a highly constructive way. I really can’t think of anyone I can compare him to in this respect.” Chomsky added that Dr. Zinn’s writings “simply changed perspective and understanding for a whole generation.” [via The Boston Globe]
Historian, activist, and all-around 9th Dan ninja master Howard Zinn passed away yesterday, January 27th, of a heart attack while traveling in California.
His most well-known work, A People’s History of the United States, changed the way that many of us looked at history – giving a view of the rise of the US without a patriotic filter feigning perfection. Zinn wished for us to consider the whole picture when viewing our history, including the oftentimes unfortunate, embarrassing – and sometimes horrifying – aspects of it that are far too often whitewashed in our school textbooks. He challenged us to take a long, hard look at our history – and at ourselves – in the hope that we could take what we learned to shape a better future for this nation, and the world.
Possibly even more importantly, Zinn worked to spread the idea that dissent was an essential part of democratic life – and that questioning the status quo and demanding more / something better was possibly the most ‘American’ thing we could do as informed citizens.
[Note: A People's History is a must-read for ninjas, in case you somehow didn't know - otherwise you're running around here uninformed like a white belt. Knowledge is the most important weapon in your arsenal.]
Thanks to our ninjas, and AMNP readers Hee and Beth – who unwittingly submitted this week’s Ninja Math to me. Note – I don’t mean to imply that the builders of the Miapolis Tower are evil personified – like Sauron from The Lord of the Rings. I, however, don’t know for sure that they aren’t, either – I’m just saying.
If you’re inspired with an idea for a Ninja Arithmetic post by a project that you come across, don’t hesitate to contact AMNP! You don’t have to make the graphic yourself – simply explain the equation to me in an email, and I’ll handle the rest. Simply end your suggestion to architecture@myninjaplease.com, with “Ninja Arithmetic” in the subject line.
The P.S.1 installation competition seems to be an increasingly popular, creative, and fun way for architects / designers to express themselves simply for architecture’s sake – while creating an interesting space to be used, seemingly, as a kind of rallying point for architecture and design related events in NYC. With a new year comes a new installation, adding to a growing list of impressive work by up-and-coming designers.
Sure not to disappoint, this year Brooklyn based SO-IL [for Solid Objectives - Idenburg Liu] has been named winner of the competition, for an entry entitled ‘Pole Dance’.
“What we wanted to do is propose a structure that was constantly trying to find its balance as it was influenced by people and outside forces. It’s a take on the wider world, where we’re always trying to find balance in our lives and in everything around us.”
The installation will lay out a 12′ grid of 2 inch thick, 25 feet tall fiberglass poles – which, due to these dimensions, etc, will be quite flexible. A roughly 9,000 square foot stretchy net will be suspended – the form of which will be dynamically altered as the poles sway. Lastly, a number of brightly colored balls will be bouncing around on this netting, allowing visitors to ‘play’ with the installation.
Studio Banana TV interviews Japanese architect Toyo Ito on the occasion of his lecture at the European University of Madrid. Toyo Ito is one of the world’s most innovative and influential architects. Ito is known for creating extreme concept buildings, in which he seeks to fuse the physical and virtual worlds. Interview realised with the sponsorship of the European University of Madrid.
Toyo Ito is a Japanese architect born in 1941. He graduated from Tokyo University’s Department of Architecture in 1965. His office Toyo Ito & Associates is a world leading exponent of architecture that addresses the contemporary notion of a ’simulated’ ciy, and has been called “one of the world’s most innovative and influential architects.”
Dubbed “BOA”, for Boston Arcology, the project was designed by E. Kevin Schopfer as a floating arcology much like the one proposed for New Orleans a few months back. Capable of housing over 15,000 people in new apartments, condos, hotels, offices, and a new city hall, the ?BOA [Bank of America might sue...] extends as a long linear box from Rowe’s Wharf – supposedly in an attempt to preserve existing views and sitelines, while emulating the general massing of Boston by “exud[ing]a rigorous geometric format.”
What? It’s a huge box on the waterfront…
The proportions are, of course, based on the Golden Ratio – and the diagonals within the rectangular frame are actually meant to be a reference to the Boston Common [criss-crossing paths contained within the rigid boundary of the city].
Really, I just had to share this with everyone, as it’s awesome in its ridiculousness.
I know, you probably think I’ve cracked – and I totally have – but hear me out. All the other options suck, and I’m bored with too much free time this morning not to argue my point. The other choices for Barbie are ‘environmentalist’, ’surgeon’, ‘news anchor’, and ‘computer engineer’ – non of which, obviously, is cooler than being an ‘architect’. Here’s what I’m thinking:
- ‘Environmentalist’ isn’t really a profession itself – anyone can be an environmentalist. Additionally, this is America – nobody here believes in that global warming nonsense [sad as that sounds, lets face facts].
- Girls know damn well that they can be doctors / surgeons / whatever. What is this, the 80s? A decade or so of ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and whatever else we’ve got for medical dramas on TV must have changed any antiquated ideas about women not being surgeons.
- Moving on to ‘News Anchor’ – that shit right there is just sexist. Of course Barbie can be a news anchor, she’s a babe. Why not say swim-suit model or Playboy Bunny? My ninjas, please.
- Last we come to ‘computer engineer’… and I’ve got nothing. I actually wish I was a computer engineer, as maybe I could land a sweet gig somewhere like Google and make some $$. And as we know, ‘computer engineers’ all call themselves ‘IT Architect’ or whatever anyways, so they’ve got the title too. I’ll just go with the god-complex ‘we design and shape the world’ argument here and move on.
All that aside, I mostly want to spread the joy. I know so many architects will talk about Legos or whatever building block-ish toys they played with inspiring their desire to be an architect. I would love one day to hear that a woman I work with decided she wanted to be an architect when she got her first Barbie at age 5 – only, of course, to have those hopes and dreams crushed by a crap economy and absurd developer-controlled building sector…
Now to be serious: Barbie does seem to hold a special place in the hearts of many who have played with / collected the dolls, and I think it’s safe to say that toys do influence children as they grow-up. More women in architecture can only be a good thing, even if their initial interest is prompted by a toy originally based on some kind of German sex doll [kind of].
Designed by LAN Architecture, this unnamed apartment complex is planned for the Terres Neuves District of Begles, France. Much like Le Corbusier’s famous explanation of his Unite d’Habitation project, Terres Neuves is based on inserting living units into a steel frame – “like wine int0 a wine rack”, as Corbu put it.
The first stage was to ’sculpt’ the volumes in order to exploit their urban potential and intrinsic spatial qualities. We directed our research towards a hybrid typology combining the house and the apartment.
The principle underlying our approach was that of stacking containers, and careful study of habitat modes, climatic conditions and the sun’s trajectory throughout the year suggested the way to organise this. The project’s column-slab supporting structure has a system of lightweight facades providing ultra-high performance insulation levels.
Outside of the technological advances allowing for a lighter strucutre and cladding [or at least the appearance / effect of 'lighter], LAN has deviated from Unite d’Habitation by creating a rather significant outdoor terrace space for each unit [see the diagram below], which can be closed of with a sliding screen of some kind. The idea here is that this gives the building distinctly different personalities as the seasons the change.
During the summer, residents are expected to leave the screens on the terrace open, allowing cooling breezes to permeate the building and get into the block’s internal courtyard. When temperatures drop, the terraces can then be enclosed – becoming a kind of three-season room, I would think, while also protecting that interior courtyard from any harsh winter winds.
The project is described as ‘green’ by the designers, but I’m not sure what that refers to – other than the terraces / ventilation, and the insulation described in the quote above.
Partly because Conan is f-ing hilarious, and partly because we ginger-headed ninjas need to stick together, I would like to take a moment to deviate from AMNP’s architectural ruminations to say that the ninjas here at MNP are ‘with Coco’.
What does this mean for AMNP readers exactly? Absolutely nothing at all – but I really wanted to come up with a reason to post this image, which is killin’ me. Keep fighting the man, Coco!
This is a little much, I would say – but that doesn’t take away from it being pretty funny. Someone in Boulder, tired of the interwebs being full of “IT Architect” postings put this up on Craigslist:
Dear IT/Computer/Analytics professionals:
You are not ‘architects.’ It’s true. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you just aren’t. Do you know that even real architects can’t even legally call themselves an ‘architect’ unless they pass a rigorous intern/licensure process?… yeah, it takes about 5 yrs and hundreds of dollars, and it’s regulated by an international organization devoted to the single purpose of licensure. Yet, you self-inflating computer hacks throw that word around like it belongs to you. Maybe you’re just filling that white space on your business card, or maybe you’re just trying to get laid by riding the coattails of a noble profession. I don’t pretend to understand your nerdy motives, but I implore you to stop this chicanery. Shame on you.
My ninjas, please!
In all seriousness, though – looking for ‘real’ architecture jobs in a culture where the term has so many new meanings is HORRIBLE. I care less about what people call themselves, and much more about how hard it is to distinguish IT professionals from designers [online]. That’s probably because I myself don’t have a license…
Now, right to business: everyone reading this should stop – right now – and go donate some money to disaster relief efforts in Haiti. I’m not really sure that it matters who you give the money to, so long as you give it – but since this is an architecture site, I’ll suggest you head over to Architecture for Humanity. When things settle down and this tragic natural disaster starts to fade from the 24 hour cable news channels, I trust that AfH will be in Haiti, hard at work trying to rebuild.
- lastly, don’t miss myninjaplease.com’s two newest features :A Dozen, and The Industry. Our ninja Kookiecrumbles has been hard at work interviewing artists and featuring their work as well as speaking to industry insider – coming up with some great content that should not be slept on.
Paul Goldberger, writer and architecture critic for the New Yorker, writes on Jeanne Gang's new Aqua tower in Chicago - explaining why it's an even more impressive project than understood at first glace. .:read the full article->
The Brookings Institute has graded President Obamas infrastructure spending / plan as an "A-" - but in reading the actual article, I'm not really sure why. Sure, it seems like a good idea - but the fact that it hasn't really been implemented properly / most effectively should be reflected in Obama's grade, shouldn't it?
Well, no Planning Department - thats the new direction some cities/towns are taking, opting to contract planning work out to private firms rather than staff a full-time planning department.
Or really, 'Not on my Planet'. The NIMBY movement is possibly being elevated to a global scale, with Pacific Islanders (Micronesia, in particular) taking legal steps to block the Czech Republic from building a coal plant due to the affects said plant would have on the island nation - some 6,000km or so away. Well played, Micronesia! I have no doubt that this won't work directly - but it keeps the effects global warming has on small island nations and their populations in the news, which is a big deal. Also, this shows (in case you weren't aware) that the people of Micronesia are ninjas - using the Czechs' own laws against them.
Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker, sits down to discuss his new books - and the current state of things in the world of architecture - with Charlie Rose.
Architecture students want more design/build projects in school - which will only make them more effective in the workplace, giving them valuable construction experience.
How good of a job are architecture schools doing at integrating sustainability into their curricula? Apparently, not so impressive. Check out "Ecological Literacy in Architectural Education".
Experts say that even though commercial real estate is tanking, that it both won't be as bad as the housing market's collapse and won't cause another recession. Ninjas will not be holding their breath (well not for this, anyways) - and architects will probably still be screwed.
For completely screwing-over the entire planet. Brilliant! A writer for the Guardian, who was in the room for a number of the Copenhagen talks, explains how China blocked all the major iniatives - and how Obama isn't [really] to blame. "I am certain that had the Chinese not been in the room, we would have left Copenhagen with a deal that had environmentalists popping champagne corks in every corner of the world."
Autodesk, makers of AutoCAD and Revit [among other software] have created an online videogame to build awareness about the importance of green building. My ninjas, PLEASE...
Are LED traffic signals too efficient for cold climates? Apparently they don't necessarily give off [read: waste] enough heat to melt snow - which can then pile up enough to block the signals from the view of drivers.
Can abandoned 'big box' retail be converted to suburban farming? It would certainly put these spaces in the 'burbs to good use - and would [I imagine] be more cost efective than vertical farming in our cities. Something to think about...
Boston-based architecture firm Cubellis Associates, Inc. is closing shop. The 24 year old firm had recently opened a number of offices around the country, and employed roughly 400 people. Clients are being transitioned to start-ups created by employees Cubellis has recently let-go.
What is going on with Gwathmey Siegel & Associates' U.N. Mission project? If they were going for secure, why not put everyone in an actual bunker then?
"The concrete-paneled pillar opens grudgingly as it rises, transitioning from a blank wall to perforations just wide enough for an archer, to vast executive windows near the top. The structure embodies the latest in security doctrine and technology, but it has a stark, medieval look, as if it were meant to defend against catapults and trebuchets. Welcome to your friendly federal government's new diplomatic presence on the Manhattan skyline."
Minarets are now banned in Switzerland, in a move that is so absurdly ignorant that all I can do is laugh. Consider this: what is a minaret but a different word for something that is essentially the same as a common feature in Christian churches/cathedrals? Bell towers and tall steeples? My ninjas, please - same exact thing. Shit, bell towers even serve the same purpose as a minaret. Why not just build giant signs that read "hey, all you Muslims - we'd prefer it if you got the hell out of here". This is why in a true democracy [so nowhere] you don't have popular votes on these kinds of issues - because people in large groups are all too often biased, small minded, clique-orientated, bigots. Last time I checked popular demand wasn't a solid reason for the government allowing the many to mistreat the few...
This, I think, is a really cool / interesting story: "It all started when Google's Tom Wyman and Chris Cronin started getting enthusiastic calls and e-mails from architects who had children on the spectrum. Their kids, the parents reported, had discovered the software program and loved it. All they needed was their creativity and a computer mouse and they could design entire neighborhoods."
"The Long Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded Bates Masi + Architects the prestigious Archi Award for the Lakeside residence in Montauk, Long Island. The award was for the category Best Single and Multi-Family Residence."
"Paul Goldberger wants to remind us of why architecture matters, in shaping lives and cultures. From ancient Rome to the next wave of American - or Asian - building. This hour, On Point: Paul Goldberger, on the power of the built world around us."
Thanks mostly to pro-industry nuts, the climate change / global warming discussion has reached a strange level of apathy - mostly because - quite literally - people don't perceive their environment as 'warmer'. My ninjas, PLEASE. To suggest that climate change isn't happening - contrary to the opinion of the majority of scientists - because you still need to wear a coat in the winter is RETAHDED. Two new comments on the debate are from Amanda Baillieu [editor of bd] - claiming that "scientific evidence has now shifted enough" to suggest climate change isn't an issue to worry about [she doesn't source anyone, of course] - and a response by Hattie Hartman at the Architects' Journal, wondering mostly what the hell Amanda is talking about. An important point I'd like to make: saying that scientists think / support something isn't the same as showing they do. Many of these people claiming that science has debunked climate change are supposed to be journalists - even as a lowly blogger I know you need some sources to back something like that up. Sh!t.
"Just six weeks ago PLP Architecture was set up following a headline-grabbing fracture within Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects (KPF). Yet the new practice, led by the US giant's London founding member Lee Polisano and partners David Leventhal, Fred Pilbrow, Karen Cook and Ron Bakker, already boasts a 60-strong workforce and an enviable client list."
Zaha Hadid-designed Maxxi, the new museum of contemporary art in Rome, is opening soon - and Nicolai Ouroussoss gives us an overview of Hadid's latest work.
Thom Mayne spoke at Cornell recently, and dropped some gems: "His design philosophy opposes the "conservative" idea of "architecture as a contextual activity," wherein buildings are simply efficient containers for the prearranged activities that take place inside them. Mayne prefers constructing large-scale "environments" wherein the architecture provokes an active dialogue: the buildings and its surroundings mutually interpret each other. Innovation arises in a matrix of conflicts - rather than necessarily underwriting the given function of a space, Mayne's designs often challenge the idea of spatial coherence."
Check out SOM's vision for expanding Beijing's Central Business District - a project that could eventually displace up to 10,000 residents. Yay for progress! Wait, what...?