Hasta La Ideas

Back in early 2009, when the financial tidal wave really started giving everyone a soaking, it seemed like we were reporting on a starchitect losing yet another massive multi-million dollar project, usually involving a skyscraper of some sort. Sure, there are still things happening like Frank Gehry‘s troubles with the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the perpetually-doomed fate of Norman Foster‘s Las Vegas hotel, but it doesn’t seem to carry the same “the sky is falling!” feeling that these sorts of things used to just two years ago. Whatever the case, we’re not sure whether to feel strangely fondly about this resembling the past, or view it as another loss for architecture (it’s an emotional roller coaster), so we’ll let you decide what to do with the information that Richard Rogers has seen his plans for a skyscraper above New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal disappear. Though on and off again since 2007, the NY Times reports that the project seemed to be moving forward earlier this year, with developer Vornado saying it had put together a deal with a Chinese company that would give the building the $600 million it needed. Over the last couple of months, that plan seems to have now gone astray, with the investors having taken their money to Park Avenue Plaza instead. As the paper reports, this is the second attempt Vornado has tried putting a tower atop the busy bus terminal, the first in 2000 when it tried to “build a headquarters for Cisco Systems,” but was ultimately thwarted “with the collapse of the dot-com boom.” However, this may not mean that a tower will never find itself on top of the depot, as the Port Authority has said that it will continue to review the skyscraper idea.

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RoboKopter footage of Warsaw riots from last week

Last year we wrote about the disruptive technology of flying cameras as developed by Eric Austin, a videographer, RC pilot and founder of Heli Video Productions. To refresh your memory, Austin combines sick flying skills, cutting-edge remote-control technology and high-end Canons to pioneer an entirely new type of cinematography. Since last year he’s been busy with both a forthcoming ABC show and commercial projects. Check out the following footage, where you get to see both his rig and a demonstration of serious skillz—he’s flying the thing in and out of a jungle canopy in Puerto Rico:

(Warning: If in an office, turn your sound down, extremely loud soundtrack.)

It’s not surprising that technology this cool is seeing parallel development overseas. A Poland-based YouTube user known only as latajacakamera (“flying camera”) has built his own “RoboKopter” heli-based shooting rig, which enabled him to capture footage of the Warsaw riots four days ago. It’s stunning, particularly when seen full-screen:

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If you haven’t been following our occasional posts on the London 2012 Olympics, all you need know is that there are a lot of various accoutrement that come with such an event, and right now we’d like to catch you up on two just-released pieces to add to the pile. First, the official Olympic and Paralympic coins have been released. The former was designed by an architecture student, and features sort of exactly what you’d expect from this sort of thing (an image of the city’s skyline, icons of the various sports, etc.). However, it’s the Paralympic coin, designed by Pippa Sanderson, that wins our hearts. It cleverly incorporates a shot-up target, a bicycle spoke, a stop watch, and the face of Big Ben, all split into sections on one face of the coin. It’s interesting, fun, and beautiful, and bravo to the Olympic committee for selecting something more interesting than the usual. Second, the LOCOG has also unveiled the Olympic and Paralympic Posters. These are the “art” posters, and given that they include artists like Martin Creed, Tracey Emin, and Gary Hume, they’re more likely to be used to raise awareness of the London 2012 Festival (where they’ll be hosted at the Tate) than for the games themselves. Our favorite of the bunch is Bridget Riley‘s “Rose Rose,” which “has arranged colours in horizontal stripes, indicating the direction of athletic tracks or swimming lane.” They can all be seen here.

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LAVA’s reinterpretation of an existing youth hostel has resulted in a new type of space. The design is all about the individuality of spaces – L..

A San Francisco hotel lobby houses a curious collection of furniture

Hotels may play to the boutique experience by furnishing the public areas with a sturdy mix of handsome tables and chairs culled from high-end shops like Design Within Reach, but few go as far as San Francisco’s Clift. The motley collection of designer furniture gracing the hotel’s immense lobby would more likely be found in a museum or private home than a stopping place for hundreds of travelers, wheeling their luggage with kids in tow. As Clift’s Vice President of Design Mari Balestrazzi explains, high-end furnishings are an important part of the hotel’s distinct charm. “We’re like an interactive museum,” she says. “The pieces are real and some are quite expensive but it would take the fun out of it if we didn’t allow our guests to really use the spaces.”

Conceived by Philippe Starck ten years ago, the diverse range of lobby furniture is not only intriguing to the eye, but it also keeps the space fresh from a design perspective. Upon entering the hotel, guests come across Roberto Matta‘s homage to surrealist artist René Magritte—a stool posed as a green apple in a black bowler hat—and to their right they’ll find William Sawaya‘s octopus-like Darwish chair, a bronze four-seater custom-crafted for the hotel.

Salvador Dali’s Leda table unites a cluster of chairs in the main area, including Michel Haillard‘s Horn Sofa and a plexiglass and bronze side chair, designed by Starck and developed by the famed French atelier Thierry Goux (now known as Rinck). A few feet away sits Crystal Farm‘s “Elk Gentleman’s Chair,” a rustic piece more traditionally placed in a cabin in the woods, but in a swanky hotel, manages to round out the lobby’s warm vibes.

To the right of Gerard Garouste’s 18-foot bronze fireplace, along the Brazilian cherry back wall, a gold-hued chaise perfectly juxtaposes a slightly gruesome Bronze Chair chair sculpted by Sawaya & Moroni.

Starck’s aptly named Big Arm chair—the focus of a city-wide scavenger hunt and a piece of furniture guests are encouraged to climb on or crawl under to see a “childish” design surprise—serves as a perfect contrast to the hotel’s “Angel Chair.” Though sitting in that chair isn’t forbidden, the “Angel Chair” is the only furnishing with a slight “do-not-touch” vibe. Vice President of Guest Experience Dave Freiberger explains that the beautifully ornate chair—positioned by itself near the lobby elevators—is the only one remaining from the original Clift lobby, designed in 1918. The leather chair features gargoyle-like lions and a cherubic boy carved into each wooden arm, recalling the hotel’s formerly lavish Italian Renaissance decor.

Home to one of California’s most expensive and unique collections of designer furniture, Clift stands out for staying authentic to its boutique hotel atmosphere despite its 300 rooms. Balestrazzi speaks to the choice in luxury over durability, stating simply, “We want our guests to feel engaged by their surroundings.”