On May 24, the Whitney Museum will break ground on its new building designed by Renzo Piano. This will mean abandoning its current home, a 1966 Brutalist building (above) designed by Marcel Breuer (shown below in his Wassily Chair). The fate of the iconic Breuer building has been the topic of hot debate, but finally there is a resolution. The Metropolitan Museum of Art will take it over and use it for educational programs and exhibitions. This change will occur in 2015, when construction is complete on the new Whitney. Bravo to the Met for stepping up to the plate!
DWR was recently treated to a special tour of Finn Juhl’s home, which he completed in 1942 and lived in until his death in 1989. Today, it is part of the Ordrupgaard Museum in Denmark. Juhl designed his home from the inside out, starting with the plan view and adding the facades afterwards. As described by the museum, “the house is composed of two blocks standing at right angles to one another. One block contains the public functions. The other comprises the more private spaces. A neutral entry foyer joins the two parts of this clearly articulated open plan.” Photo above by Bonnie Edelman. MORE PHOTOS...
Visit the Acropolis Museum in Greece and experience the beauty of furniture by STUA - the Spain-based company with whom we've worked for more than a decade. STUA completely furnished this museum, which has been named as one of the six finalists for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award. The museum was designed by Bernard Tschumi Architects. MORE PHOTOS...
An alternative to prefab, EcoTechBuild has just completed its prototype hybrid house -- the first of its kind to be permitted and built in California's Mohave Desert. It is constructed from 20'-long recycled cargo containers that were fabricated and finished in Los Angeles and then shipped to the site where they were erected and stacked two high in 15 minutes each. What do you think about it? Would you want to live there?
We're about to leave for the fairgrounds for Salone del Mobile, but I wanted to share this picture with you from my morning stroll in the Quadrilatero D'Oro neighborhood in Milan. Can you figure out why they left the door casing, or architrave, around this door? Perhaps it was a portafinestra leading out to a terrace that they hope to rebuild?
Congratulations to Eduardo Souto de Moura on being named the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. Widely considered to be architecture's highest honor, the award will be presented to the 58-year-old architect from Portugal on June 2. “During the past three decades, Eduardo Souto de Moura has produced a body of work that is of our time but also carries echoes of architectural traditions.” said Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo. “His buildings have a unique ability to convey
One of the following six finalists will be awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award. The finalists are: David Chipperfield Architects for Neues Museum in Berlin; MDMA for Bronks Youth Theatre in Belgium; Zaha Hadid Architects for MAXXI (shown above) in Italy; Ateliers Jean Nouvel for Concert House Danish Radio in Denmark; Bernard Tschumi Architects for Acropolis Museum in Greece; and Koen van Velsen for Rehabilitation Centre Groot Klimmendaal in The Netherlands. The ceremony will be held on June 20 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.
For nearly a decade, Steve Jobs has been fighting preservationists over his plans to demolish his Woodside, California home. Built 86 years ago, the 30-room Spanish Colonial Revival home was designed by architect George Washington Smith for copper baron Daniel Jackling. Jobs lived in it for a while, and then left it vacant as he pursued permits to destroy the house and build something smaller. Eleven years of neglect later, the home was determined to be beyond repair and the town granted the demotion permit. Two days ago, it was torn down. What do you think, should the buyer of a historically significant home be responsible for its legacy, or is it theirs to keep or destroy as they please?
One of our 2010 catalogs gave you a sneak peek at some beautiful photographs taken at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, and we wanted to share more of them with you. The subjects of the photos are chairs and stools designed by Jesús Gasca, the founder of STUA (Solo Tengo Un Amor: I have only one love), which is a furniture company based in Spain. Gasca is a very important part of the DWR family and we are the only place where you can find his work in the U.S.
Shown above is the STUA team in front of the Museum, from left to right: Raul Bartolome (video camera), Javier Guerrero (video director), Jon Gasca (STUA) and Josu Martin (photographer). They had just one day to take the photos and make the video. Adding to the challenge, the center rotunda had been covered to prevent any natural light from entering the space during Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance, a special exhibition at the museum.
We applaud the work of the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, and their recent renovation of the Kugel/Gips House in Wellfleet. Designed in 1970 by Charlie Zehnder, the house is featured in this film made by Chris Szwedo (who also performed the music). Enjoy.
Learn more about the CCMHT in this earlier Design Notes story.
America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places is now accepting applications for 2011. This organization has helped save hundreds of historic treasures, including the work of mid-century greats. The Kraigher House (above) was designed by Richard Neutra in 1937, and may have been the first International Style house in Texas. In 2004, it was listed as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, and by 2007 the house had been restored and saved. The photos below show the house when it was first built, and how it looks today.
I don't know what kind of doctors Frank and Schneeweiss are, but their beautiful lobby is sure to put a skip in the step of everyone who arrives. Designed by Stadler and Partner architects, the space uses colorful Nube chairs designed by Stua. The lobby is at the Munich offices of Dr. Susanne Frank and Dr. Wolfram Schneeweiss.
“The elevator swished up like a gigolos’ hand on silk stocking.” So begins this archival footage of Susan Sontag speaking with Philip Johnson about skyscrapers and New York City.
Last week, we told you about our tour of the Philip Johnson Glass House. See images of the house, taken on a perfect spring day, and hear from RISD president John Maeda as he shares his thoughts about the house and its simplicity.
As we go into the weekend, here is a question to ponder. Which would you prefer to live in: the Philip Johnson Glass House (see below) or the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House (shown above)? Go to sothebys.com/modernviews to hear how this question was answered by some of the top creative minds of our era. My answer: both, of course. (Dare to dream.)
Congratulations to Duncan and Tim for correctly answering the question in our Nov. 9 blog post. Completed in 1949, the Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, was Philip Johnson’s private residence. When you’re standing inside, the glass walls frame the surrounding environment (“I have very expensive wall paper,” Johnson once said), offering stunning views of the lake, trees (that he sometimes moved), sculptures, well-groomed lawn (with specific mowing instructions) and perfectly straight diagonal paths. It all sounds a bit contrived until you experience it and recognize the magnificence that Johnson created here – a place that he referred to as his “50-year diary.” There are still a few available dates for Glass House tours before they close the house for the winter.
If you could be invited to any dinner party in the history of mankind, which would you choose to attend? For me, it would be one of the legendary gatherings at Philip Johnson’s Glass House, where the table was often surrounded by the greatest minds in art, design and architecture. Fortunately, I’m not the only one, and a new website is here to satiate our thirst for inspiring conversations. Check it out at GlassHouseConversations.org – a website experience that begins with a provocation each Monday. People have only five days to respond. After comments have closed a “Final Word” is chosen from the replies. In this week’s conversation, Alice Rawsthorn, Design Critic of the International Herald Tribune,
The average tourist will find architectural masterworks in all the major cities of the world but more adventurous travelers will find big rewards in the great buildings located far off the beaten path. Works like the Frank Gehry Guggenheim in the dirty port city of Bilbao, Spain, and the breathtaking Eero Saarinen North Christian Church in the farm country of Columbus, Indiana, are two examples of truly inspiring architecture living in locations otherwise left off the map of the Great Cities of the World. The newest entry in this category is the Tampa Museum of Art, designed by the brilliant San Francisco architect Stanley Saitowitz, and completed just a couple months ago.
