Museums Are Finally Taking a Stand. But Can They Find Their Footing?
As cultural institutions scramble to declare their support for Black Lives Matter, their gestures have felt both self-aggrandizing and too little too late.
https://nytimes.com/2020/06/11/arts…
Architecture schools send messages of solidarity to those protesting against police violence, racial injustice
Calling for an immediate end to racial injustice and the need for sweeping police reform.
https://archpaper.com/2020/06/archi…
America’s Cities Were Designed to Oppress
Architects and planners have an obligation to protect health, safety and welfare through the spaces we design. As the George Floyd protests reveal, we’ve failed.
https://citylab.com/perspective/202…
Racism is built into U.S. cities. Here’s how architects can fight back
Police brutality and the coronavirus pandemic are two health crises that disproportionately impact black Americans. Architects, who take an oath to protect the “health, safety, and welfare” of the public, must be part of the solution.
https://fastcompany.com/90512407/ra…
There’s No Reason for an Architect to Design a Death Chamber
As the country grapples with racial justice, architects should finally take a stand on the most barbaric aspects of a biased prison system.
https://nytimes.com/2020/06/12/arts…
Chronicles of Modernism: uncovering the history of the Isokon Building, north London’s answer to the Bauhaus
The Isokon Building (or Lawn Road Flats), a trailblazing modernist structure, designed by architect Wells Coates, that became the epicentre of new-age radicalism in the 1930s and 1940s. One of my favorite apartment buildings in London!
https://themodernhouse.com/journal/…
We need to address the prejudice and exploitation that underpin our national myths
Much of Britain’s wealth and heritage is a monument to black lives not mattering.
https://bdonline.co.uk/opinion/we-n…
‘A Kafkaesque nightmare’: the survival guide helping condemned estates beat the bulldozers
It has been called ‘one of the finest council estates in the country’. So why is Cressingham Gardens facing demolition?
https://theguardian.com/artanddesig…
Eugène Atget’s Paris, 100 Years Later
Incredible.
https://nytimes.com/2020/05/27/worl…
Refugee Camps: From Temporary Settlements to Permanent Dwellings
On average, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), "many displaced persons spend more than 16 years living as refugees in temporary shelter."
https://archdaily.com/940384/refuge…
Indigenous designs take centre stage
Interest in Indigenous design has been growing as a response to globalization and a search for architectural styles that convey a sense of place.
https://theglobeandmail.com/busines…
What lies ahead for post-shutdown cities? It depends on whom you ask
What comes next for American cities.
https://sfchronicle.com/bayarea/art…
‘Slow Street’ Initiatives in Cities Promote Social Distance During Pandemic
The Open Streets plans.
https://architecturalrecord.com/art…
How LiveRamp’s San Francisco headquarters usher in a new era for the growing tech company
Pals Studio O+A!
https://frameweb.com/news/liveramp-…
Watch Chair Times, a film that documents the many-sided world of chairs
Recounting the story of 125 seating objects dating from 1807 to the latest 3D printed designs, resulting in a comprehensive timeline of modern seating design.
https://designboom.com/design/chair…
Hancock Park may become Los Angeles’s first true urban microcosm
To the uninitiated, the “fabric” of Los Angeles’s cityscape can feel improvisatory, a game board consisting of extravagantly mismatched pieces. The very same observation can easily be applied to Hancock Park.
https://archpaper.com/2020/05/hanco…
The Virus Won’t Revive F.D.R.’s Arts Jobs Program. Here’s Why.
The Federal Art Project, part of Roosevelt’s sweeping employment plan, gave work to thousands of artists, but politics and society were different then.
https://nytimes.com/2020/04/22/arts…
Ruth Asawa’s crocheted wire sculptures grace new US postage stamps
The USPS has announced a set of stamps featuring 10 of Ruth Asawa’s meticulous wire sculptures.
https://designboom.com/art/ruth-asa…
Meet The Visionaries Who Transformed This Historic Building Into A Cosmopolitan Downtown Napa Restaurant
Architectural Resources Group joins the collaborative effort to bring a historical space back to life.
https://forbes.com/sites/chelseadav…
Six Feet Apart and Closer Than Ever
In the spirit of service our pals at Studio O + A have added a section to their website to help us figure out what the virus means for design.
https://o-plus-a.com/covid-19-six-f…
Welcome to Zoom Space
Aaron Betsky on the new realities of social distancing.
https://architectmagazine.com/desig…
The world’s top 10 new architecture projects
Making a virtue out of global lockdown, The Guardian's critic takes a virtual tour of the world’s best new architecture projects.
theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/m…
Parks and Houses for the People
In Sweden, at the turn of the 20th century, the Social Democrats created a network of radically communal spaces. These deserve new attention as a usable past that can inform our own contentious times, especially as we contend with a pandemic.
https://placesjournal.org/article/s…
David Baker Architects receives the 2020 AIA California Firm Award
The award joins David Baker Architects' already crowded trophy chest.
https://archpaper.com/2020/05/david…
New revelations tell why a socialist commune failed in Dallas. (Hint: It wasn’t the socialism)
From the failed commune department.
https://dallasnews.com/arts-enterta…
Beyond Refugee Housing: 5 Examples of Social Infrastructure for Displaced People
Throughout human history, the movement of populations–in search of food, shelter, or better economic opportunities–has been the norm rather than the exception. Today, however, the world is witnessing unprecedented levels of displacement.
https://archdaily.com/919496/beyond…
