Billion-pound projects are perverting architecture warns David Adjaye, who says architects should be champions for the cities they build projects in.

In a keynote speech at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam yesterday, Adjaye said that architecture should be the “arbiter of ideas”, yet many of today’s projects are driven by “elitism that is to do with hyper-commercial liberalism and who controls money”.

“Money has totally corrupted the ability to make a meaningful form,” the architect told the audience.

“It’s all about money now. Architecture in the west is absurdly expensive – projects cost billions and it’s crazy.”

Architects have a responsibility to cities

Adjaye, who was knighted for his services to architecture in 2017, argued that architects have a responsibility to make sure their buildings give back to the people that use them, rather than simply fulfil a client’s brief.

“Architecture is able to become a form that is able to push a certain sort of justice into the equation,” he said.

“I think that architects are responsible in the way that they work for a client, but they also work for a city, they’re always indebted to making sure the city is giving the best back to its constituents.”

The Adjaye Associates founder took the audience through a selection of his own projects, highlighting how each one offers some kind of “free space” –  a nod to the theme of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale –  to its place.

One example he gave was his Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC.

Smithsonian Museum conveys political message

He said the building, which cost $250 million (£196 million) to build, is designed to take visitors on an emotional journey that communicates a political message. It does this by taking people down eight levels then back up another eight, to “literally physically bury people into a space with no light and then to lift them up”.

Design elements were also chosen to celebrate the craftsmanship of African people who were enslaved and brought to America.

“We think migrants have no skills but there were these incredible people brought to America who were literally building America with their skills,” said Adjaye.

The museum also features a shaded courtyard by the water, which lowers the temperature outside the building. “The building is the last moment before the mall, so in the hot summer sun it’s a much beloved space,” added the architect.

Aïshti Foundation gave Beirut a new public space

Other examples included the Aïshti Foundation, an art gallery and shopping centre in Beirut enclosed behind a gauze of red aluminium.

Adjaye said he was trying to create a place that could help the city recover from the “incredible trauma fracture” of the Lebanese Civil War with his design. One detail he added was a pool on the building’s rooftop.

“Since the war, the idea of public space has become very contested – there are military everywhere,” he stated.

“This gauze embraces the multi-programme of the space, he added. “You can find a space that can give you reflection, mind, retail, this idea of wellness.”

Small-scale projects “can be an opportunity”

Even small-scale projects can help to  “reset” cities on some level he said, citing the pavilion he created for the Gwangju Biennale in 2013 as an example.

“Any moment can be an opportunity to go beyond the material excellence of construction,” he said.

The project saw the architect team up with author Taiye Selasi to design and build a public reading room where locals could swap books.

The space, which is “obviously WiFi-ed”, is still a permanent place for people to gather and use. “It has taken on its own life,” said Adjaye.

The post Crazy money has “corrupted” architecture says David Adjaye appeared first on Dezeen.

La prise de conscience relative aux problématiques écologiques que nous connaissons est de plus en plus importante. C’est dans ce cadre que La Villette propose du 4 au 8 décembre le spectacle du géographe et metteur en scène Frédéric Ferrer intitulé Borderline(s) investigations.

Lors de cette mise en scène il sera question de l’exploration des frontières et limites du monde. Le pitch de ce spectacle, emmené par la compagnie de théâtre Vertical Détour, nous présente un groupe de chercheurs venu exposer les premières conclusions de ses travaux.

A l’écoute de ces constats à propos de l’état du monde, des limites mais aussi du changement climatique, l’effondrement de la biodiversité, la désertification et le plasticage des océans, cette rencontre publique sera vouée à proposer de vraies solutions disruptives, permettant de repenser entièrement le monde.
Ces problématiques actuelles vous intéressent ? Vous pouvez prendre vos places pour ce spectacle inédit qui se déroulera du 4 au 8 décembre à 20h dans la Grande Halle de la Villette.

We are currently seeking a Senior Industrial Designer that has an outstanding product portfolio and experience building and guiding a team of designers. Duties/Responsibilities: + Defining and leading the activities required to generate a clear, compelling, and actionable design point of view for the

View the full design job here

Raymond Loewy, the father of the profession of industrial design, is renowned for (among other things) designing trains in the streamlined style. But here’s a fun fact: Before he was designing trains, he got his foot in the door at the Pennsylvania Railroad by designing…a trash can for Penn Station in New York City.

That was in 1932, and Loewy of course went on to design trains, planes, automobiles, appliances, logos and more. If you’re interested in both Loewy’s life story and his many design accomplishments, there’s a new book out where you can stock up on Loewy tidbits.

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1213131

Back in the ’80s Journalist John Wall wrote an assignment on the Loewy-designed S-1 steam locomotive, which then evolved into a lifelong fascination with the designer’s work. Wall’s “Streamliner: Raymond Loewy and Image-making in the Age of American Industrial Design,” is 344 pages and available for $39.95. Here are some of the endorsements:

“An elegant synthesis of Raymond Loewy’s life and achievements, Streamliner is a splendid story and well told.”
— Stephen Bayley, author of Ugly: The Aesthetics of Everything

“With wry wit, John Wall’s aptly titled and illustrated Streamliner covers Raymond Loewy’s long twentieth century, from the Gestetner duplicator in the 1920s to the interior of Skylab for NASA. ‘Pure form,’ Wall explains about Loewy’s stylish, self-branding industrial designs, ‘does not move the metal.’ With line and shape, Loewy in Wall’s pages moves products big and small, from the Pennsy locomotive S-1, the Greyhound Scenicruiser, the Studebaker Starliner coupe, and the presidential Air Force One, to eye-catching corporate logos, the lipstick cylinder, and the Lucky Strike packet. A fascinating yet unhagiographic read.”
— Stanley Weintraub, author of Long Day’s Journey into War: Pearl Harbor and a World at War—December 7, 1941

“Raymond Loewy shaped the iconic images of postwar America. His sleek elegance branded consumer goods, cars, trains, Air Force One, and his own relentlessly perfected personal celebrity. John Wall vividly brings this design genius to life as a flesh-and-blood master of how we see the modern world.”
— Richard Cordray, fomer Director of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

“Streamliner ably summarizes the career of Raymond Loewy. Relying on a wide range of sources, John Wall provides the most expansive summary yet of the industrial designer’s career. Distinguishing this account from others is its emphasis on Loewy’s most successful design—his own image and reputation as a recognizable brand.”
— Jeffrey L. Meikle, author of Design in the USA

“My late aunt was a fashion illustrator and my first cousin is named Alfred Dreyfus. Symmetry? My good friend John T. Wall expertly reports and writes a fabulous book about one of the greatest inventors in history. Aunt Pat never designed a refrigerator, a car, or a train, but good lines are good lines. This is a delightful read.”
— Shelley Smith, ESPN SportsCenter

“This meticulously researched biography of designer Raymond Loewy introduces us to an underappreciated genius—the man behind many of America’s most iconic product and logo designs. John Wall writes with elegant authority; it’s clear from his cinematic and literary allusions that we are in the hands of a master prose stylist. Sit back and prepared to be informed and entertained.”
— Mike Tharp, former Tokyo Bureau Chief, the Wall Street Journal and U.S. News & World Report

Check it out here.

Reader Liz sent us the following solution for storing the removable plates and body of her George Foreman Grill:

I got the wonderful George Foreman grill with the changeable plates for Christmas a few years ago. I have since been struggling with how to store the 5 grill plates since they don’t stack conveniently and can get easily scratched. I live in an apartment, so storage space is hard to come by. After several disappointing online searches, I decided to create my own [storage solution]. I used a vertical, metal sorter (similar to this one) placed on top of a locker shelf (similar to this one) so I can store my Foreman grill underneath the plates. The file sorter that is holding the grill plates is coated in plastic so it won’t scratch the plates, which is vital!

In addition to being a great solution for a George Foreman Grill, it would be wonderful for waffle iron plates, lids for reusable storage containers, lids for pots and pans, and even baking pans and cookie sheets. Thank you for such a terrific suggestion, Liz!

This post has been updated since its original publication in 2008.

Post written by Erin Doland