Hasta La Ideas

Earlier this week we were talking about critic Paul Goldberger‘s great piece in the New Yorker about Las Vegas’ CityCenter development and what it meant to the city to suddenly have this impressive collection of new buildings by world famous architects and designers right at its, pardon the pun, center. While, per usual, he was able to put the whole project into a larger context, it’s odd that he didn’t talk about how one of its most prominent buildings is trying to kill all those who come near it. The windows of the Vdara Hotel, owned by MGM and a portion of the CityCenter development, apparently catch the sunlight just so that, at times, redirects incredibly powerful beams of light right toward its pool area. So strong is this light that it’s singed hair and melted plastic bags. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that employees call it the “Vdara death ray.” The building was designed by architect Rafael Vinoly and built, as always with large projects like these, by a team of firms. Somewhere along the way, it’s reported that the designers knew about the issue and placed a protective film over the windows to help absorb some of the light. Unfortunately, if you’re not originally from that desert climate, it’s nearly impossible to try and design for it correctly (see also: Richard Meier‘s courthouse in Phoenix). The good news is that the hotel and its developers plan to try and fix the issue as soon as they’re able. In the interim, if you have plans to visit, we recommend following the wise words of Mary Schmich (or by way of director Baz Luhrmann‘s version) and always wear sunscreen.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Early last spring, you might recall our reporting on the ongoing trials and tribulations surrounding Apple CEO Steve Jobs‘ sixteen year struggle to demolish the George Washington Smith-designed home he bought in 1984 and build something new on the Woodside, California property. At last we left it, preservation groups had managed to block Jobs’ request from the city to the tear down the house, resulting in more court appointments. Since then, Jobs has finally won his battle, with the groups dropping their suits and the city offering him the permits he originally won more than six years ago before the latest issues began. Now that the original house has come down, Gizmodo has an incredibly detailed look at the new house plans. True to form, while the house is gigantic (coming in at close to 5,000 sq. ft.), it’s set to play into Jobs’ less-is-more standards he’s put into the technology company he runs. What’s more, the site reports that the architecture firm hired for the residential project is responsible for several of Apple’s most famous stores, including its celebrated Fifth Avenue shop in New York. And now that construction has begun, this will likely be the last time you see anything of the house until years from now when its sold and in 2102 when another billionaire buys it and has to fight preservation groups who want to keep it around.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

A progressive design conference looks at modern architecture for an aging population

If design is about problem solving, the stereotypical nursing home—sterile, isolated, generally depressing—is perhaps one of the institutions most in need of an overhaul.

In an effort to change traditional retirement living, Architizer co-founder Matthias Hollwich came up with New Aging—a conference consisting of hands-on workshops and discussions about progressive development for age-related living spaces.

Also a partner at NYC-based architecture firm HWKN, Hollowich hopes that together with other architects, designers and visionaries they can create projects that will bring a sense of playfulness and community for the elderly through functional design.

Speakers at the conference include Manuel Ocana of the Santa Rita Geriatric Center on the island of Menorca, Spain; Arnoud Gelauff of the De Plussenburgh Apartments in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Erhard Kinzelbach of the Hainburg Nursing Home in Hainburg, Austria; Daniel Cinelli of the Newbridge on the Charles in Dedham, MA; HWKN of Aging in Africa in Cote D’Ivoire; Madeline Gins of design firm Architecture Against Death; and several other prominent figures like Jeurgen Mayer H, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Joel Sanders.

New Aging will be held at the UPenn School of Design where Hollwich previously taught advanced design studios focused on re-thinking the nursing home. The two-day conference takes place on 1-2 October 2010 and is open for registration to the general public and students for $285 and $35 respectively. For more information, visit the New Aging site.

Patkau Architects of Vancouver have won a competition to design six houses in the nature reserve surrounding Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania. (more…)

This earth and plant-covered hump is a house by Paris architect Patrick Nadeau, currently under construction in Reims, France. (more…)