News:architects have “nothing to do with the workers” who have died on construction sites in Qatar, according to Zaha Hadid, whose Al Wakrah stadium for the FIFA World Cup 2022 is under construction in the gulf state.
Over 500 Indian migrants and 382 Nepalese nationals have died in the country since it won the right to host the football tournament, according to an investigation into conditions in the Qatari construction industry by British newspaper The Guardian, prompting an outcry from human rights groups across the world.
“It’s not my duty as an architect to look at it,” Hadid said yesterday at the reopening for her Olympic aquatics centre in London. “I cannot do anything about it because I have no power to do anything about it. I think it’s a problem anywhere in the world. But, as I said, I think there are discrepancies all over the world.”
Hadid‘s Al Wakrah stadium is one of five new venues under construction for the tournament but the architect says it is the responsibility of the Qatari government not architects to address issues relating to worker deaths.
“I have nothing to do with the workers,” she said. “I think that’s an issue the government – if there’s a problem – should pick up. Hopefully, these things will be resolved.”
Asked if she was concerned about the deaths, Hadid commented: “Yes, but I’m more concerned about the deaths in Iraq as well, so what do I do about that? I’m not taking it lightly but I think it’s for the government to look to take care of.”
The 40,000-seat stadium is currently under construction in Al Wakrah. Its curvaceous form was based on a type of Arabian fishing boat, but the design came under fire shortly after release when critics compared it to a vagina.
These photographs show the newly converted aquatics centre by Zaha Hadid Architects for the London 2012 Olympics, which will open to the public next week without the controversial wings that housed additional seating during the Games.
Now configured as it was originally designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the temporary stands constructed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been removed and replaced with glazing that fills the space between the spectator stands and the roof.
In its new “legacy mode,” the centre accommodates 2500 seats for future events including the 2014 World Diving Series and 2016 European Swimming Championships.
Two boxy temporary wings housing 15,000 temporary seats that were tacked onto either side of the building when it was originally opened ahead of the Games were removed in May last year.
In a statement released ahead of the centre’s reopening on 1 March, mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “After a post-Olympic makeover, London’s majestic aquatics centre is now flinging open its doors for everyone to enjoy, whether an elite athlete or enthusiastic amateur.”
“All of the world-class sporting venues on the magnificent Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park have secured bright futures, dispelling fears of white elephants and helping to drive our ambitious regeneration plans for east London,” Johnson added.
Aquatics centre in Olympic mode showing temporary seating
A diving pool, competition pool and training pool are arranged in a line along the centre of the building, with the training pool housed under Stratford City Bridge on the edge of the Olympic Park.
The centre’s internal layout remains largely unchanged, but daylight now enters the space through expansive glass surfaces replacing the banked seating that rose from behind the permanent stands.
As well as prestigious international events, the venue will also provide community facilities for swimming and diving lessons, fitness and family sessions, water polo, synchronised swimming, diving, triathlon, sub aqua, gym and dry diving.
London studios Grimshaw, Haworth Tompkins and Marks Barfield Architects also made the shortlist to recreate the “spirit, scale and magnificence” of the iron glass and steel structure that was designed by English architect Paxton to host the Great Exhibition of 1851, but was destroyed by fire in 1936.
Backed by Chinese developer the ZhongRong Group, the new exhibition venue will provide the centrepiece of a wider masterplan for the overhaul of the surrounding 80-hectare park.
Possible reconstruction view
“This is a stellar line-up of talent demonstrating the worldwide interest in this unique and challenging project,” said London mayor Boris Johnson, who is chairing the judging panel.
“The rebuild of The Crystal Palace is set to produce an extraordinary new landmark for the capital, which will support the rebirth of this historic park and catalyse jobs and growth in the local area,” he added.
Up to three of the shortlisted firms will be invited to prepare concept designs later this year. An overall winner will be announced shortly after and construction of the chosen scheme could start in late 2015.
Ni Zhaoxing of ZhongRong Group commented: “The expressions of interest and outstanding shortlist demonstrate the wealth and diversity of design talent inspired by the challenge of rebuilding the Crystal Palace in the spirit of the magnificent original.”
News: the rising cost of property in city centres is causing the “biggest crisis” facing architects and urbanists, according to critic Joseph Rykwert, the recipient of this year’s RIBA Royal Gold Medal (+ interview).
Speaking to Dezeen the day before being awarded British architecture’s most prestigious award, the 87 year-old spoke with concern that the increasing cost of city centre property would make the diversity that makes cities thrive impossible.
“What’s happening is that – this is common knowledge – the price of property in city centres is making it impossible, particularly in the big cities, for any kind of social mix to take place. It’s castrating the whole notion of city life,” he said.
Rykwert is known for his large body of work on cities including his seminal 1963 book The Idea of a Town, which his RIBA Gold Medal citation called “the pivotal text on understanding why and how cities were and can be formed”. His other books include The Necessity of Artifice and The Seduction of Place.
Though the life of cities were one of his early topics, the rise of cities with over 20 million occupants holds little excitement for Rykwert. “They are not very happy places are they? Extremes of inequality are underlined in the way those kind of cities are built and extremes of inequality always tend to show up in political movements.”
Joseph Rykwert the day before receiving the 2014 Royal Gold Medal. Photograph by Dezeen.
The other major challenge facing architecture is climatic, said Rykwert. “We have an energy crisis and … if we go on building large, glass-faced, air-conditioned buildings we will exacerbate the situation. And this is what’s we are doing”.
Rykwert said architects can – and should – try to make modest improvements wherever they can, and understand the impact they can have. “It’s very important that architects understand their own power and that what they do is something which is of enormous impact to society. Not that I believe that architecture influences social behaviour directly, but it certainly does so indirectly.”
The critic believes that contemporary architects need to take a more intelligent engagement with the past. “At the moment architects tend to ignore the past. Yet the past is all we know. We don’t know the future. The way in which the past and the present mesh is something I find a bit lacking in current architecture discourse,” he said.
Three of Rykwert’s best-known books
Rykwert was born in Poland in 1926 and moved to London in 1939. He is Paul Philippe Cret Professor of Architecture Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at the University of Cambridge, Princeton, the Cooper Union, New York, Harvard Graduate School of Design and the University of Sydney.
The RIBA Royal Gold Medal is the institution’s highest honour, given to a person or group in recognition of a lifetime’s work and for significant influence “either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture.” The Queen personally approves each recipient, and recent winners have included architects David Chipperfield, Herman Hertzberger and Peter Zumthor.
Other architectural writers and critics who have won the medal include Nikolaus Pevsner and Colin Rowe.
Announcing the award last September, RIBA described Rykwert as “a world-leading authority on the history of art and architecture” whose “groundbreaking ideas and work have had a major impact on the thinking of architects and designers since the 1960s and continue to do so to this day”.
Here’s a full transcript of the interview:
James Pallister: Congratulations on being awarded the Royal Gold Medal.
Joseph Rykwert: It wasn’t wholly expected I must say!
James Pallister: I suppose you wouldn’t expect to get a gong from the profession you criticise?
Joseph Rykwert: Exactly. Though I’m not an adversarial critic.
James Pallister: What’s missing from architectural discourse today?
Joseph Rykwert: Well a sense of power. Architects don’t have a sense – perhaps power is the wrong word – they don’t always have the sense of the authority they should have.
I think it’s very important that architects understand their own power as it were and that they understand what they do is actually something which is of enormous impact to society. Not that I believe that architecture influences social behavior directly, but it certainly does so indirectly.
James Pallister: For you, as a critic and a historian, is it important to engage the public in the architectural debate or is it ok to solely engage the architectural profession in debate?
Joseph Rykwert: Well the trouble is that very few people outside those who have actually been trained professionally have much of an understanding of architecture. One of the essential skills in judging a building before it is built is the ability to read plans. I really am sometimes quite horrified at how few people can read plans.
James Pallister: Do you think critics are still relevant today, given the power of the internet, and the globalization of architectural media?
Joseph Rykwert: Come on! We are all critics. We are all critics all the time. That’s what criticism is about. The Greeks used the word to signify winnowing. You have a winnow net, you throw things up and the wheat comes down and the chaff flies away. And that’s what you hope to do when you are a critic: separate the grain from the chaff.
James Pallister: Was there any particular artist or architect who made a big impact upon you in your early career?
Joseph Rykwert: Well the dominant architect of my time was Le Corbusier. No doubt. He was obviously the greatest architect of his generation. He was also the most insistent publicist – some people would say self-publicist. You could look at his buildings, and you could read his writings. This is not true of Walter Groupius or of Alvar Aalto, certainly not true of Mies van Der Rohe. Mies was very laconic, as I’m sure you know. Not only laconic but also gnomic.
James Pallister: How hopeful are you for the future of architecture?
Joseph Rykwert: Well as always we are at a critical moment. Architecture is permanently in crisis. The crisis now is as much financial as technical. What’s happening is that – this is common knowledge – the price of property in city centres is making it impossible, particularly in the big cities, for any kind of social mix to take place. It’s, as it were, castrating the whole notion of city life. And I have no idea what will happen as a result, but something must. I probably won’t see the consequences but it’s something, which is bound to have a long-term effect.
James Pallister: Is that the biggest issue facing architecture?
Joseph Rykwert: Well it’s certainly the biggest issue facing urban planning.
James Pallister: You’ve seen the rise and fall of idealistic modernism and the emergence of sustainability as an interest of many: what’s your definition of a sustainable city?
Joseph Rykwert: I think it’s a word that’s up for grabs, isn’t it.
The fact is that we have an energy crisis. In this country we don’t need to underline it, we’ve just had the floods, which may be or may not be a seasonal phenomenon independent of global warming but certainly the extreme weather phenomena all over he world, including heat waves in Australia and south-east Asia, are almost certainly related to it.
If that makes parts of Equatorial Africa and Equatorial America uninhabitable it will mean the population will shift, either north or south – probably more north than south. This will create a population crisis. It’s already, in a minor way, in place in the northern shores of the Mediterranean. They can’t cope with the influx of refugees. I’ve no idea what will happen as a result of that and I don’t wish to prophesy because it’s a risky business. But it is a permanent crisis, which doesn’t seem to be going away.
James Pallister: What is architecture’s role in this?
Joseph Rykwert: Well if we go on building large, glass-faced, air-conditioned buildings we will exacerbate the situation. And this is what’s we are doing, so it’s anyone’s guess what will happen.
James Pallister: Do architects have an ethical duty here?
Joseph Rykwert: I would have thought they did. I’m certainly in no position to dictate it. But as a critic you are bound to note that sort of thing.
James Pallister: In general do you think that architects should make the world a better place?
Joseph Rykwert: That’s what it’s about! If it’s not about that it’s not about anything.
James Pallister: Some people say that bad things happen when architects think they can change the world…
Joseph Rykwert: I didn’t say change the world. I said make it a better place. The world is changing anyway without architects. Maybe it could do with a bit of help every now and again.
James Pallister: Is there anything missing from architectural discourse today?
Joseph Rykwert: What I do miss is a sense or consciousness of the past. Past achievement is not something that should weigh heavily on architects but something that should be part of –as it were – the fertilising ground on which they grow.
Architects tend to at the moment ignore the past. Yet the past is all we know. We don’t know the future. I’m not a great believer in reaching out beyond what you can learn both from the past and the present. The way in which the past and the present mesh is something I find a bit lacking in current architecture discourse. Which is why historicism is really a danger. There are people who see the past as a kind of quarry (which is sterile, of course) instead of thinking it as the kind of ground and manure and fertilising background…
James Pallister: Who are the most interesting architects working today?
Joseph Rykwert: Well the architect I’ve worked most closely with is David Chipperfield. There are older figures. Richard Meier in America has also done some wonderful buidlginds. Frank Gehry is another one who has done interesting and fascinating work.
James Pallister: Does the growth of cities with over 20miliion inhabitants in places like China excite you, as a writer on the life of cities?
Joseph Rykwert: They are not very happy places though are they? Extremes of inequality are underlined in the way those kind of cities are built and extremes of inequality always tend to show up in political movements. However that will work out I’ve no idea.
James Pallister: Why do you think architectural theory matters?
Joseph Rykwert: Well at the moment there’s much too much of it! It only really matters if it effects practice. As an independent discipline, I think it’s really rather boring.
James Pallister: What do you mean there’s much too much of it?
Joseph Rykwert: Well the amount of interminable books published on architectural theory! I don’t have to list them. Just go down to the RIBA Boookshop and look at the shelves. Theoreticians who don’t look at real buildings are of no interest to me.
James Pallister: How do you think that critics can make architecture relevant to the public today?
Joseph Rykwert: Well only if the public reads them. So they have to reach out to the public. They have to be accessible. They have to write as if they weren’t some sort of superior being, but as if they were like everyone else.
News:Google‘s latest research project equips smartphones with the ability to map their surroundings and build navigable three-dimensional virtual environments that can be used to give directions indoors.
Google’s hope is that the phone could give precise directions to any given point, inside or outside, by learning the dimensions of spaces just through moving around them.
“What if directions to a new location didn’t stop at the street address?” said a statement on the project website. “What if you never again found yourself lost in a new building?”
The Tango device works by using a motion-tracking camera and depth sensor built into a prototype Android smartphone. As the user walks around pointing the camera at what it sees, the sensors in the phone take 250,000 measurements of its surroundings every second and fuses this information into a three-dimensional map.
The tech giant has made 200 of the devices to give to software developers so they can design and build new mapping tools, games and algorithms.
While the initial application is to help create better navigation tools, Tango could be used to create augmented reality games or assist visually impaired users when they’re attempting to navigate an unfamiliar area.
It could also be used to give precise measurements of each room in your house, so if you’re wondering whether that new sofa will fit into your living room, Tango will be able to tell you.
The project has been developed by the tech giant’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, which is one of the few remaining acquired parts of Motorola that Google decided to hang onto when it subsequently sold the company to Lenovo.
Joris Laarman‘s MX3D-Metal method combines a robotic arm typically used in car manufacturing with a welding machine to melt and then deposit metal, to create lines that can be printed horizontally, vertically, or in curves without the need for support structures.
Following on from the machine Laarman developed last year that used a quick-drying resin, this method of printing makes it possible to create 3D objects on any given surface independent of inclination and smoothness. The technique can be used to print with metals including stainless steel, aluminium, bronze or copper.
Robot arm 3D-printing metal lines in mid air
“By adding small amounts of molten metal at a time, we are able to print lines in mid air,” explained Laarman.
The metal lines can also be printed to intersect with each other, creating self-supporting structures, and the robotic head can build up several separate lines at once by adding to each one in turn.
MX3D-Metal 3D-printing robot
The designer is currently using the technique to make a 3D-printed metal bench, which will go on display as part of an exhibition of his work at Friedman Benda Gallery in New York this May, though the final form of the piece is still in development.
“The nice thing about working with new technology like this is that the formal language of the design follows what is possible with the technique,” he said. “While the technique is developing the possibilities change.”
Robot arm 3D-printing metal lines
However, Laarman believes the approach can also be used 3D-printed architectural constructions and concrete reinforcements. “Because the technology is not affected by gravity, it could even be used in space,” he said.
Previously, printing with metal was achieved through selective laser melting (SLM) or electron beam printing; SLM uses a high-powered laser beam to create three-dimensional parts by fusing fine metallic powders together, while electron beam printing uses a similar technique with an electron beam and is printed inside a vacuum. However, these techniques are expensive and produce very small objects.
“All these are ways to print in metal on a very small scale,” said Laarman. “The method we developed is for a larger scale and doesn’t need a support structure like all other methods.”
Laarman’s technique isn’t restricted to just printing in layers either, becuse the print head of MX3D-Metal can approach the object from any angle and print lines that intersect in order to create a self-supporting structure. “3D printing like this is still unexplored territory and leads to a new formal language that is not bound by additive layers,” he said.
Examples of 3D-printed metal lines
The process can also be scaled down to create more refined structures without the need for scaffolding or other supportive add-ons.
The software that controls the robot arm and welder was developed in collaboration with American 3D software company Autodesk. “The combination of robot/welding is driven by different types of software that work closely together,” Laarman revealed, adding that the software will eventually be developed into an interface that allows the user to print directly from design programs.
“Vertical, horizontal or spiraling lines require different settings, such as pulse time, pause-time, layer height or tool orientation,” he continued. “All this information is being incorporated in the software.”
More examples of 3D-printed metal lines
Last year, Petr Novikov and Saša Jokić, two interns at Joris Laarman Lab created the MX3D-Resin, which allowed the creation of chunky three-dimensional rods from a polymer, rather than slowly building up two-dimensional layers like a standard 3D printer. From these initial experiments, Laarman discovered a way of doing the same with metal.
Laarman graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2003, and first received international recognition for his decorative Heatwave radiator produced by Dutch design brand Droog. He set up his own lab in 2004 in Amsterdam with partner and film-maker Anita Staris. Laarman’s previous work has included chairs designed to mimic the proportion and functionality of human bone.
The brief asked designers to explore two options for the building: to retain it as a stand-alone library or to extend upwards and convert it into a mixed-use complex. The architects will now work together with library staff to decide the best approach.
“My dream is that people will start to love this building so much that they even bring their books from home to read in the library,” said Mecanoo principal Francine Houben, during the design presentation.
She continued: “We will pay respect to Mies van der Rohe and research what is possible to prepare this building for the library of the future. But most important is bringing out the values of Martin Luther King. My dream is to make this building to reflect his ideals.”
Ten architects were originally shortlisted for the project, including OMA and SOM, and the list was whittled down to three at the end of 2013.
News: two British entrepreneurs are constructing a hydroponic farm in a network of tunnels under south London that could supply local restaurants and retailers with fresh herbs and vegetables.
Richard Ballard and Steven Dring’s Growing Underground project is located in tunnels beneath the London Underground’s Northern Line that were originally built as air-raid shelters during the Second World War.
Intent on demonstrating that it is possible to operate a commercial urban farm with a minimal carbon footprint, the entrepreneurs plan to transform 2.5 hectares of the disused air-raid shelter into growing space that will supply produce to London businesses, reducing the amount of food miles “from farm to floor”.
Ballard and Dring collaborated with horticulturalist Chris Nelson to develop a hydroponic system that makes the most of conditions in the tunnels and enables them to grow a variety of micro herbs, shoots, miniature vegetables and other foods.
The hydroponic farming method involves growing plants in a mineral-rich solution on specially constructed growing platforms under controlled temperature and lighting conditions.
The farm’s subterranean location means that the farmers don’t need to worry about pests and diseases, or Britain’s unpredictable weather.
After spending the past 18 months conducting growing trials in the tunnels, the entrepreneurs have launched a crowdfunding campaign that aims to raise £300,000 to support the business’ expansion.
“Integrating farming into the urban environment makes a huge amount of sense and we’re delighted that we’re going to make it a reality,” said Richard Ballard. “There is no ‘could’, ‘might’ or ‘maybe’ about our underground farm. We will be up and running and will be supplying produce later this year.”
The farm’s carbon neutral credentials are achieved by utilising low energy LED grow lights, locally sourced green energy, a recirculating water system and the 33 metres of earth above the tunnels, which helps maintain a consistent temperature.
Growing Underground founders Richard Ballard and Steven Dring
Growing Underground has received backing from celebrity chef Michel Roux Jr, who lives close to the farm’s entrance near Clapham North station.
“When I first met these guys I thought they were absolutely crazy,” said Michel Roux Jr. “But when I visited the tunnels and sampled the delicious produce they are already growing down there I was blown away. The market for this produce is huge.”
The disused underground air-raid shelter before refurbishment
The first crops grown at the farm will include pea shoots, rocket, mizuna, broccoli, red vein sorrel, garlic chives and mustard leaf, as well as edible flowers and miniature vegetables. Following further development it will become possible to grow crops including mushrooms and heritage tomato varieties.
Full-scale farming is set to commence in March, with the first produce expected to be available in late summer.
The tunnels will provide 2.5 acres of growing space
News: construction is set to begin later this year on a new six-storey home for Mexican design and architecture gallery Archivo, designed by emerging studio Zeller & Moye and overseen by Mexican architect and gallery founder Fernando Romero.
Conceived as a “raw exoskeleton” of splayed concrete floorplates, the new gallery in Mexico City will provide extensive exhibition and events space for Archivo, which was launched two years ago by FR-EE principal Fernando Romero to promote industrial design from the twentieth century up to the present.
Zeller & Moye planned the building as a stack of irregular floors that will project in different directions, creating a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces amongst the surrounding jungle-like greenery.
Staircases will spiral around the perimeter of the floors, connecting the various balconies and terraces, while transparent glass walls will be set back from the facade to enclose the spine of the structure.
“Our design for Archivo represents a new building typology in Mexico City,” said Christoph Zeller and Ingrid Moye, whose practice is based in both Mexico City and Berlin.
They continued: “The vertically stacked open floors full of life and activity connect the building with its surroundings, thereby challenging the trend for enclosed facades and stimulating an upcoming neighbourhood through culture and design.”
The new building will accommodate galleries for both permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, as well as a section dedicated to the history of Mexico City, a library, a restaurant and bar, and a number of workshop and events rooms.
Romero explained: “We are aiming to create the premier forum for contemporary design in Latin America, giving voice to young designers, creating dialogue and awareness about architecture and design in the region.”
“Building upon how we approach projects at FR-EE and in Archivo’s collaborative spirit, I wanted the new building to be designed in collaboration with other architects to create the ultimate platform and infrastructure around the collection’s activities,” he added.
Archivo will relocate to the new building from a space it has outgrown at the former home and studio of celebrated architect Luis Barragan.
“After two years, the thought of a new ground-up facility in which to create and design new shows is thrilling,” said gallery director Regina Pozo.
Green spaces surrounding the building will be open to the local community and are expected to be used for activities such as dance classes and urban gardening.
Here’s a project description from the design team:
Archivo by Zeller & Moye in collaboration with FR-EE
‘Archivo’ is a new space for Mexico City offering an exciting mixture of manifold programs, that aims to further enrich the cultural and social life of the metropolis.
Located in the heart of Mexico City, the new cultural hub is comprised of spaces for temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection of design pieces as well as room for educational and communal activities, social events and commercial use. ‘Archivo’ will attract both locals and first-time visitors, and will thus bring new life and regenerative energy into an undiscovered part of central Mexico City.
The building is designed as a raw exoskeleton that opens up to the surrounding jungle-like greenery. Like a tree, the open structure consists of vertical spines and floor plates that branch out horizontally to offer terraces at different levels with views into the green as well as over the city. Its six floors, orientated according to the irregular city grid, can be explored via a generous spiralled route that wraps along the building’s perimeter and meanders up through various functions at each level. Each function is partially located inside, with a portion situated on covered terraces in an unusual semi-open condition benefitting from Mexico’s year-long moderate climate.
Large open stairs connect the terraces, creating a continuous open territory that can be programmed and appropriated by its users as a stage, exhibition display, for social events or to meet and socialise. These activities animate the elevations of the building, clearly visible from the street, and from the inside of the park. The pure structure is completed by glazed facades set back from the slab edge to provide shade and privacy, whilst the more public functions occur along the active edges. A truly transparent and lively building is achieved that emanates outwards to the surrounding city.
‘Archivo diseño y arquitectura’ is an exclusive and vast collection of design items that will be displayed in open galleries enclosed only by glass in clear opposition to the traditional walled exhibition space. This open condition allows visitors to enjoy views into the exhibition areas both at a distance when approaching the building as well as when passing by more closely on the vertical public route. As the final destination point, a new “City Floor” is located on the building’s top level with a publicly accessible exhibition about the history and future of Mexico City against the backdrop of magnificent skyline views.
A wide spectrum of communal life forms an integral part of the project. Inside the green park-like terrain and immediately adjacent to the building, new multi-functional spaces for workshops, dance classes and socialising, as well as outdoor areas for urban gardening, serve as new destinations for the local community.
Project type: Open archive of a design collection and spaces for cultural programs Project name: Archivo Location: Mexico City Architects: Zeller & Moye: Christoph Zeller, Ingrid Moye, Directors Team: Omar G. Muñoz, Marielle Rivero Collaborators: FR-EE: Fernando Romero, Director Program: Permanent & temporary exhibition spaces, library, multi-use space, workshops, commerce and offices Status: In development Size (m2 and ft2): 3,000 m2 / 32,300 ft2 Date: 2013 – 2016 Cost: USD $4,000,000
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