Dezeen Wire: as the September 11 Memorial nears completion in New York, architecture critic Rowan Moore examines the political and professional infighting that continues to dominate the rebuilding of the World Trade Centre site – The Observer
Dezeen Wire: with 30 Habitat stores in the hands of administrators, the Guardian’s Andy Beckett asks how this iconic British design retailer can be saved – Guardian
Dezeen Wire: the London 2012 Olympic medal design unveiled yesterday “fails to impress branding experts,” reports Sam Jones for the Guardian.
Zaha Hadid’s aquatics centre for next year’s games was also unveiled yesterday, one year ahead of the opening ceremony. Check out the first pictures and let us know what you think here.
See all our stories about the London 2012 Olympics »
Here are some more details from London 2012:
The London 2012 Olympic medals, designed by British artist David Watkins.
The London 2012 Olympic medals were unveiled tonight by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe at an event in Trafalgar Square to mark one year to go to the Olympic Games.
IOC President Jacques Rogge and IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald were also present at the special ceremony.
The medals will be produced in Britain and have been designed by British artist David Watkins, who is an established artist in the field of decorative art.
When creating the brief, the Victory Ceremonies team of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) worked closely with the British Museum’s Keeper of Coins and Medals, Philip Attwood, to look at the symbolic history of medals in Europe in the last century. The LOCOG Athletes’ Committee, chaired by Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards, was also heavily involved in its development.
Following the initial tender, six artists were selected for the second stage of design and development. Based on their work, the panel – which comprised experienced creative leaders and sports personalities – felt that David Watkins’ design for the London 2012 Olympic medals held a narrative that befitted the athletes achievements.
The medals’ circular form is a metaphor for the world. The front of the medal always depicts the same imagery at the summer Games – the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, stepping out of the depiction of the Parthenon to arrive in the Host City.
The design for the reverse features five symbolic elements:
» The curved background implies a bowl similar to the design of an amphitheatre.
» The core emblem is an architectural expression, a metaphor for the modern City, and is deliberately jewel-like.
» The grid suggests both a pulling together and a sense of outreach – an image of radiating energy that represents the athletes’ efforts.
» The River Thames in the background is a symbol for London and also suggests a fluttering baroque ribbon, adding a sense of celebration.
» The square is the final balancing motif of the design, opposing the overall circularity of the design, emphasising its focus on the centre and reinforcing the sense of ‘place’ as in a map inset.
David Watkins said of his design: ‘It is exciting to think that the finest athletes in the world will be wearing my medal design next summer. Its key symbols juxtapose, front and back, the goddess Nike for the spirit and tradition of the Games, and the River Thames for the city of London. I hope the medal will be enjoyed and treasured as a record of great personal achievements in 2012.’
Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: ‘I hope that seeing the design of the London 2012 Olympic medals will be a source of inspiration for the thousands of athletes around the world who are counting down the year before they compete at the greatest show on earth. All of our preparations are focused on ensuring the athletes are at the heart of the Games, and I believe that through this rigorous process the panel of experts have selected an artist and a design for medals that all athletes would be proud to own.’
IOC President Jacques Rogge added: ‘Highlighting the effort and achievement of the athletes, as well as the city where the Games are held, these beautiful medals will be a fitting reward for the Olympic medallists of 2012. It is the pinnacle of a sporting career to become an Olympic champion but I am confident that receiving one of these medals will make it all the more special in London next year. Congratulations to LOCOG for creating a design that will inspire the Olympians of 2012.’
The ore for the medals is supplied by London 2012 sponsor Rio Tinto and is mined at Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper Mine near Salt Lake City in America, as well as from the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia. The medals will go into production later this year at Royal Mint’s headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales.
The design of the London 2012 Paralympic medals will be released later this year.
Dezeen Wire: The Telegraph shows 22 new aerial photos of the London 2012 Olympic Games venues – see the gallery here.
See all our stories about the London 2012 Olympic Games here.
Dezeen Wire: architecture critic Rowan Moore has written a scathing review of the recently opened Museum of Liverpool for The Observer. Read the full article here.
Dezeen Wire: in this movie designers pay tribute to Design Week editor Lynda Relph-Knight, following the magazine’s final printed publication last month – see our earlier story.
After 22 years, Relph-Knight is leaving the magazine, which will continue as a web-only publication. Click here to read Relph-Knight’s farewell statement.
Dezeen Wire: the latest Future Trends Survey by the Royal Institute of British Architects reports little change confidence levels among UK architects in the last two months.
See past RIBA Future Trends Survey results here.
RIBA Future Trends Survey results for June 2011
The Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) has published the latest results of the monthly Future Trends Survey for June 2011.
The number of practices expecting more work in June remained constant at 26%; those expecting a drop in workload fell from 24% in May to 22% in June. Fewer practices expected a drop in staff levels, falling from 15% in May to 11% in June; 8% of practices expected staff levels to increase, compared to 7% in May. 24% of architects reported that they have personally been under-employed in June 2011, a significant improvement from the figure of 29% returned in May 2011.
The sector forecasts remain virtually unchanged this month. The private housing sector forecast (balance figure +7) remains the most positive with 64% of practices expecting work levels to stay the same, compared to 60% in May; the percentage of practices expecting a reduced workload fell from 17% in May to 15% in June. The commercial sector forecast is neutral (balance figure zero); the number of practices expecting workload to remain constant rose from 60% in May to 69% in June, and 16% of practices predicted less work compared to 21% in May. The outlook for the public sector workload (balance figure -23) remains the most pessimistic, with only 4% of practices expecting a rise in workload (compared to 7% in May); 80% of practices predicted that workload would remain the same, compared to 77% in May.
The statistical analysis of the survey enables the RIBA to regularly report on two key confidence tracking indices relating to future workloads and staffing levels. For June 2011, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index is +4 (compared to +2 in May), and the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index is -3 (compared to -8 in May).
Adrian Dobson, RIBA Director of Practice said:
‘The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index for June 2011 is +4, a slight increase from +2 in May 2011, suggesting little overall change in confidence levels this month but remaining in positive territory.
‘Small practices (1 – 10 staff) see the best short term growth prospects in the housing sector, whilst larger practices (51+ staff) predict growth in the next quarter to come mainly from the commercial sector. Medium sized practices (10 -50 staff) see their future growth being in both the housing and commercial markets. No practice size category currently perceives immediate growth opportunities in the community and public sectors. Our practices report that 59% of their current workload involves conservation, refurbishment or adaptive re-use of existing buildings; this illustrates the significant role that work to existing buildings plays in the market for architectural services.
‘In their anecdotal comments, our practices continue to report intense economic pressure, resulting in a very competitive fee environment and evidence of reduced levels of specification for many of those projects which are progressing. Uncertainty of funding in the public sector remains a significant concern. Some conservation specialists noted the negative impact of the changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which means that VAT can no longer be re-claimed in relation to professional fees on these projects. A number of smaller practices cited the importance of detailed knowledge of local markets and local reputation in maintaining workflows. Some larger practices commented on an increase in the requirements for BIM capability as a pre-qualification criterion on larger projects.’
Dezeen Wire: a group of Palestinian business leaders are working on a Palestinian national brand and will launch the first campaigns later this year. The move coincides with an appeal for the UN to admit Palestine as a full member state – Financial Times
Dezeen Wire: as the UK government reviews design technology’s status as a compulsory school subject, industrial designers Seymourpowell have released a movie featuring Paul Smith, James Dyson and others talking about the importance of design education.
Watch this movie on Dezeen Screen »
Seymourpowell released the movie in collaboration with the James Dyson Foundation and the Design & Technology Association.
Here’s some more information from Seymourpowell:
Seymourpowell, in partnership with the Design & Technology Association and the James Dyson Foundation, have made this film to promote the importance of design education in Britain’s schools and universities, its contribution to successful business, and its fundamental role in supporting the UK Economy. The film features contributions from leading figures from across business and industry including Sir John Rose, Sir James Dyson, Sir Paul Smith and many more.
Business leaders unite to promote Design and Technology education as key to the future of Creative Britain.
Seymourpowell, in partnership with the Design & Technology Association and the James Dyson Foundation, are today launching a campaign film featuring contributions from leading figures from across business and industry. The film promotes the importance of Design and Technology (D&T) education in Britain’s schools and universities, its contribution to successful business, and its fundamental role in supporting the UK Economy.
Those taking part in the campaign film include:
The film launch follows a special event on the same subject, held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in Westminster. On a panel chaired by Design Museum Director Deyan Sudjic, speakers included Dame Ellen MacArthur, Dick Powell (Seymourpowell), Ajaz Ahmed (AKQA), Paul Jackson (Engineering UK) and the inventor and entrepreneur Mandy Haberman.
Key topic areas discussed by the panel included the National Curriculum review, currently being undertaken, and its potential impact on D&T teaching – many fear the subject could be threatened with being removed as a compulsory subject for all pupils from age 5 to 14. Another issue raised was the English Baccalaureate, and the view held by many in the creative and manufacturing industries that it’s already skewing the curriculum in many schools away from creative and technical subjects towards traditional, academic subjects. Also discussed by the panel was the impact of cuts in higher education for non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subjects from across the creative sector.
Please visit www.data.org.uk from Monday 18 July to download an audio recording from the event.
Dick Powell, co-founder and design director at Seymourpowell commented, “The impact of design education in the UK – from school right through to higher education and beyond – has been immense. With this campaign we hope to highlight the far-reaching benefits and prosperity delivered to the UK by design education, and raise awareness of the subjects’ crucial role in helping maintain Britain’s position as an international innovation leader”.
Sir James Dyson adds, “Inventiveness helps the economy. Design and Technology is the only lesson where young people can apply science and maths in a practical way. If D&T is sidelined where will the next generation of engineers, designers and inventors get their inspiration from?”
Richard Green, Chief Executive, Design & Technology Association said, “Earlier this year, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne outlined his vision to drive the nation forward with the words ‘Made, Created, Designed and Invented in Britain’. We too share in this credo, but also strongly believe D&T education is fundamental in realising this goal. We believe this film demonstrates the importance of retaining a curriculum that contains creative and technical subjects to unpin the UK’s current and future success as a creative leader.”
For more information and details on how to support visit www.data.org.uk
Dezeen Wire: Nicolai Ouroussoff, outgoing architecture critic at the New York Times, reviews the Central China Television building in Beijing by Rem Koolhaas of OMA: “The forms are a reworking of classical perspective; the irregular structure is an attack on Modernist ideas about structural purity”.
Read Ouroussoff’s review | Read Dezeen’s August 2008 story about the CCTV building
Last month it was announced that Ouroussoff, the NYT’s architecture critic for seven years, is leaving. His replacement will be NYT arts columnist Michael Kimmelman.
In September 2010 architect Ole Scheeren, who led the CCTV design team while at OMA, left to start his own practice called Büro Ole Scheeren.
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