Renzo Piano´s addition to Ronchamp´s site

Notre Dame du Haut. The new visitors´ center and the nuns convent, designed by Renzo Piano. Photo by Iwan Baan

I´m happy that I had the opportunity to see the work on Renzo Piano in San Francisco, and also, I´ve been at the exhibition of his work at LACMA, the Museum of Art of Los Angeles.

Though, I don´t like his proposal for the City of Los Angeles, in the area surrounding the Museum  -it is said that Piano won the competition because he respected the sponsors´ buildings- :( , I think he has always respected the environment and the landscape. As Michael Kimmelman says in the New York Times article, ¨Quiet Additions to a Modernist Masterpiece¨, humility is a virtue. 

Ronchamp. Grand Opening. Photo by Michel Denancé, Architectural Record

 RONCHAMP, France — Completed in 1955, Le Corbusier’s hilltop chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in this hardscrabble patch of eastern France attracts some 100,000 supplicants each year, architectural and religious. If critics still sometimes blame Le Corbusier for inspiring generations of soulless, cookie-cutter housing projects and office parks, he remains the high priest of Modernism for singular works like this. So it was predictable that a firestorm broke several years ago after plans circulated for a convent and new visitors’ center at the site of the chapel. Renzo Piano was the designer. Big-name colleagues like Richard Meier, Rafael Moneo and Cesar Pelli signed an online petition denouncing the $16 million project. The Fondation Le Corbusier, keeper of the architect’s flame, fumed. Now the buildings have opened, with some landscaping (by Atelier Corajoud, a Paris firm) and a bit of tinkering yet to come. I took a train from Paris recently and found the chapel empty on a bright, crisp spring morning (a godsend), then visited the nuns. They are not quite a dozen elderly Poor Clares, lately moved from their home of 800 years at Besançon, 60 miles to the south, which they had sold to help pay for the new place. Cheerful in their light gray habits, the sisters were finishing lunch in the refectory around a handsome glazed courtyard open to a cloudless sky. A few minor acoustic problems with the nuns’ concrete quarters aside, Mr. Piano and his team (Paul Vincent was the partner in charge at Renzo Piano Building Workshop) have created remarkably light and peaceful spaces that are virtually invisible from the chapel and gracefully connected to nature. Competing with Le Corbusier’s masterwork would have been a fool’s game and an affront, Mr. Piano clearly realized; spoiling it, a cinch. Doing neither, the additions insert new life onto the hill, and in the process remove a despised 1960s gatehouse that had obscured sight of the chapel from the town below. Humility is a virtue. That’s the obvious lesson, but doing anything, even constructing a few self-effacing buildings at Ronchamp, is a big deal. Mr. Piano solved the riddle of adding to a site without appearing conspicuously to do so by burrowing into the brow of the hill, below the chapel, and inserting the convent and visitors’ center into the cuts, half buried, with zinc-and-glass facades to let in light. He placed the visitors’ center beside the old pilgrims’ path, which winds through woods from the valley all the way up the hill, and adjacent to a parking lot, which has been usefully trimmed.

Keep on reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/arts/design/renzo-pianos-demure-additions-to-le-corbusiers-chapel.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp

Read the on line petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ronchamp/

In Memoriam. Arquitecto Néstor Pablo Doval

Este post es en homenaje a mi colega y ex compañero de estudios, arquitecto Néstor Pablo Doval, quien falleciera el 30 de Septiembre de 2011 a los 49 años de edad. Me acabo de enterar.

Pablo residía en Key Biscayne, Florida. Estudió en la Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo de Buenos Aires y alcanzó su Master degree en Harvard.

Con Pablo habíamos cursado en la FADU y estudiado juntos para exámenes de Sistemas Constructivos, materia que no era de su agrado, su gran preferida, al menos en ese momento, era el diseño arquitectónico.

Nos vimos por última vez de casualidad, esperando mi esposo y yo para cruzar una de las vías del Barrio de Belgrano R, Buenos Aires. Nos intercambiamos noticias, ambos ya estábamos casados y con hijos.

Lamento mucho su deceso; la noticia me causó gran pesar.

Para conocer los proyectos del arq. Néstor Pablo Doval:

http://www.pablodoval.com/

Which cities are the richest ones?

According to the 2012 Wealth Report released by real estate firm Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank. The report is based on detailed data on the number, distribution, and preferred locations of high net-worth individuals (defined as households with more than $100 million in assets). This is the globe-straddling capitalist over-class that Cynthia Freeland has dubbed the "new global elite," or what the report itself labels the global economic "plutonomy" of the "richest 1%."

1. London
2. New York
3. Hong Kong
4. Paris
5. Singapore
6. Miami
7. Geneva
8. Shanghai
9. Beijing
10. Berlin

The report also asked respondents to predict the most important cities in 10 years. The projected key cities of 2022 include:

1. London
2. New York
3. Beijing
4. Shanghai
5. Singapore
6. Hong Kong
7. Paris
8. São Paulo
9. Geneva
10. Berlin

Reference:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/04/where-global-1-live-now/1668/

Seventh International Conference on the Arts in Society. Call for papers

Night palm house. From http://artsinsociety.com/files/2011/08/Night-Palm-House.jpg

The Arts Conference will be held in partnership with the Institute of Cultural Capital from 23-25 July 2012 at the Art and Design Academy at Liverpool John Moores University in Liverpool, UK. The conference provides an interdisciplinary, scholarly platform for discussion of the arts and art practices and is intended as a place for critical engagement, examination and experimentation of ideas that connect the arts to their contexts in the world - in studios and classrooms, in galleries and museums, on stage, on the streets, and in communities. Plenary speakers, who will address our special theme 'The Art of the Event', include: 

 * Dr. Beatriz Garcia, Head of Research, Institute of Cultural Capital, Liverpool, UK 

 * Prof. Andy Miah, Director, Creative Futures Research Centre, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK 

 * Sally Tallant, Artistic Director and CEO, Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, UK 

 In addition to plenary speakers, proposals for paper presentations, workshops, or colloquia are invited. The deadline for the next round in the call for papers (a title and short abstract) is 22 May 2012. Future deadlines will be announced on the conference website after this date. Full details of the conference, including an online proposal submission form, may be found on the conference website. Presenters may choose to submit written papers for publication in the fully refereed International Journal of the Arts in Society. If you are unable to attend the conference in person, virtual registrations are also available, allowing you to submit a paper for refereeing and possible publication, as well as access to the journal. Whether you are a virtual or in-person presenter at this conference, we also encourage you to present on The Arts in Society YouTube playlist. Please select the Online Sessions link on the conference website for further details.

READ MORE:

http://artsinsociety.com/conference-2012/

About Michael Graves´ Portland Building

The Portland Municipal Services Building. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Building

I have been reading an article at the DJC Oregon, about the importance of Michael Graves´ Portland Building, and its pros and cons. I´ve never seen it with critic eyes, because for me, Michael Graves´ works have been great symbols of post modernism, so, historically speaking, nice or not, they are really important, at least for me. Here, an excerpt from this article:

 Thirty years after it was completed, the Portland Building continues to elicit strong opinions. The controversial structure, designed by world-renowned architect and product designer Michael Graves, has been declared both an architectural atrocity and a brilliant piece of innovation. Some people criticize its small windows and low ceilings, while others laud it as the spark that started the postmodernism architecture movement. One thing everyone can agree on, however, is that the building has had an impact – whether positive or negative – on the city and its architectural community. “The Portland Building did get people talking, which was useful in a city where the 1970s had brought largely corporate box architecture,” said Carl Abbott, who teaches urban studies and planning at Portland State University and is writing a book on the development of city planning in Portland. “For a couple years, it put Portland on the national architecture map.” The 15-story, 362,422-square-foot building was the result of a design competition sponsored by the city in 1979. Two other architects created designs of glass and concrete, but Graves chose to use terra-cotta tile and vibrant colors inspired by architecture he had seen on a recent trip to Italy. According to Graves, city officials were confused by his approach. “The submissions went to City Council, and the color on it was not to their liking – they were all modernists,” Graves said. “With the rain, everything in Portland is gray. Why would I make a gray building? I did it to spice things up.” The council named Graves the winner – in part, he admits, because one of the other competitors exceeded budget restrictions. “As the building emerged and was occupied, displaying its many deficiencies as a functional space, opinion shifted as reality set in,” Abbott said. “Ironically, the attention to the building may have turned opinion leaders away from innovation. (They said,) ‘We tried to be cutting edge; we didn’t like what we got, so let’s be more cautious.’ ” Despite being only three decades old, the building last year was added to the National Register of Historic Places, adding fuel to the debate. Most structures on the register are at least 50 years old, though exceptions have been made, including in Portland.

The Portland Building. DJC Oregon files

Interior of the Portland Building. From friendsofsdarch.photoshelter.com

READ MORE:

http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/02/22/portland-building-still-controversial-after-30-years/

Some urban art works by Liu Bolin

Hiding in the City. Dragon Series. Photograph. 118x150 cm. 2010

Hiding in the City No 2. 2005. Photograph

Hiding in the City No 3. 2005. Photograph

Hiding in New York. Tiles for America. Photograph. 118x150 cm. 2011

Hiding in the City. The Yellow River. Photograph. 118x150 cm. 2011

Pictures above from:

http://www.ekfineart.com/html/detail.asp?workinvnum=4634&artistname=Liu%20Bolin

Liu Bolin. Lost in Art

In 1903, Georg Simmel wrote ‘The Metropolis and Mental Life,’ postulating the emergence of a new urban lifestyle and a sharp discontinuity from life as man had known it. Overwhelmed by the onslaught of stimuli, the modern man must uphold a reserved—and what Simmel calls blasé—attitude as a means of self-preservation. To live in the metropolis was to maintain a safe distance from the churning of its gears, a spiritual separation and freedom from its calculating forces. So what does it take to get noticed in the city, to awaken the intrinsically unsympathetic dwellers of Simmel’s metropolis? For Chinese artist Liu Bolin, the answer is complete invisibility.

Excerpt and third picture from:

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/40759/invisible-city-dwellers/

A bright future for New Urbanism???

Built in 1995 overlooking the Gulf of Mexico on Florida's Panhandle, Rosemary Beach was based on the principles of neo-traditional design and new urbanism. (John Handley, Photo for the Chicago Tribune / March 23, 2012)

Is there a bright future for New Urbanism? We´ll need years ahead to find out, though Andrés Duany and wife are optimistic: 

 "There has been a long dry spell in new urbanism developments because of the economy," said Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, dean of the school of architecture at the University of Miami. But she sees better days ahead: "The new urbanism product has maintained its value, and going forward there will absolutely be a resurgence. New urbanism is still a model for the future. It's exactly what the boomers want." Her opinion carries weight since she and her husband, Andres Duany, were among the pioneers in new urbanism.¨ (Chicago Tribune.com) 

 I´m not a fan of New Urbanism. I can accept the walking distances, and the town like neighborhood, but these developments will never become real ¨barrios¨, like the ones we used to live in. New Urbanism projects are big scenography and if you´ve seen The Truman Show movie, you´ll perfectly understand what I mean. Do we need to copy old styles in plastic, foam board, stucco, to be happy? Ridiculous. 

Many years ago, I´ve also read that Celebration, the neighborhood with the Disney stamp, was not full as expected, and though the advertisements showed black and white people, the residents were all white. You understand what I mean. And I don´t know other cases of mixed populations, again, too similar to The Truman Show. 

  ¨The movement arose as an antidote to sprawl, promoting the use of mass transit and encouraging walkable neighborhoods, like those that were built years ago, rather than the drive-everywhere neighborhoods of suburbia. This glorification of the past meant copying vintage housing styles. At Rosemary Beach, for example, the more than 600 residences reflect the historic architecture of the West Indies; Charleston, S.C.; St. Augustine, Fla.; and New Orleans. Neo-traditional design hit a peak of popularity in 1996 with the opening of Celebration near Walt Disney World in Florida. The 4,900-acre development by Walt Disney Co. was created to resemble small-town America of the 1930s and before. Victorian and Colonial Revival styles predominated in the 2,500 residences. Though Celebration ranks as new urbanism's most famous project, the trend was launched on Florida's Panhandle in 1981 at Seaside, not far from where Rosemary Beach is today.¨ (Chicago Tribune.com) 


Let´s see the following four pictures I´ve selected from Celebration´s web page: do you see anybody walking, navigating? (!!!)

 Is anybody here to feed the ducks?

Where are the children and pigeons?

Also, our life style has changed, I don´t see too many children playing outside and leaving their electronic games, and front porches are always empty, unless you are living in a latino neighborhood. The fans of New Urbanism design remembering their lives as kids, but it can´t be so any more. 

 ¨Not everyone is a cheerleader for old-style houses with front porches. Among the critics is California architect Barry Berkus. "Neo-traditional design looks back, not forward. New urbanists think all good architecture was done before 1940. But society has moved on," said Berkus, founder and president of B3 Architects and Berkus Design Studio in Santa Barbara. "New urbanism has been promoted as the great answer to housing needs and urban sprawl. But it's not for everyone. Before air conditioning, there were reasons for front porches. People in summer would sit on porches until the house cooled down. That's not the way people live today," he said. John McIlwain, senior fellow for housing at the Urban Land Institute, agrees with Berkus on front porches. "Going forward, there will be changes in new urbanism, and it will continue to be part of master-planned communities. Some core elements will remain, but characteristics like front porches may become marginal," McIlwain said. "Expect future new urbanism projects to include more rental, high-rises and open spaces, but fewer single-family homes." (Chicago Tribune.com)

 I absolutely agree with arch. Berkus and Mr McIlwain. 

All references from:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/newhomes/sc-cons-0329-new-urbanism-20120330,0,3867480,full.story

Hanging out clothes in the sun. The green point of view

Mercado La Paloma, in Los Angeles. And its neighbors. Photo by architect Luis R. Makianich
Do not reproduce without permission

Last Sunday I went to Los Angeles with my husband in search of murals. And I was surprised to see that next door to the famous Mercado La Paloma, a residential condominium exposed lots of underwear and more clothes hanging from the wire fence. I was thinking about how much I missed to hang out our clothes in the sun, like I did in Buenos Aires, -except on rainy days, of course- and was also wondering why the condominium residents didn´t choose to use the windows instead. I´m not sure in the rest of the USA, but in California you must use the washer and dryer, to avoid creating visual pollution. Also, the machines cannot be exposed, outside . To approve the location of your laundry, you must have it somewhere inside, with the corresponding ventilations. Today, it was by chance that I´ve read this article by Sara Robinson at AlterNet.com, well, I didn´t think about the green point of view.

Let´s read an excerpt from Making Sustainability Legal: 9 Zombie Laws That Keep Cities From Going Green:

 You’ve done your part, you good greenie, you. You’ve changed out the light bulbs, bought energy-saving appliances, learned to recycle, tuned up your bike, joined a co-op, and bought a transit pass and/or a fuel-efficient car. Now you’re looking around, wondering what to do next. With spring around the corner, maybe you’d like to hang out the wash on a sunny day. Or perhaps you could build an apartment in your basement to increase both your income and your neighborhood’s density…. Not so fast. Because this is the point at which your city government is very likely to swoop down in a flurry of paperwork and citations, telling you in no uncertain terms: No. You can’t do that. We don’t care how green it is, it’s also against the law.