Hasta La Ideas

Well that’s about the fastest turnaround from shortlist to winner set of announcements we’ve ever seen. Just a few days back, we told you that the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, or the Mies van der Rohe Award, had just released its set of six finalists for the biennial award. Now here we are with the winner: David Chipperfield for his Neues Museum Berlin. Back in those far off days when we were discussing the shortlist, we were pulling for Bernard Tschumi’s Acropolis Museum, despite the inclusion of a handful of regularly-winning starchitects But don’t get us wrong: we love Chipperfield’s museum all the same. Here’s some from the official announcement:

Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: “My congratulations to our winners who have created two exceptional buildings. The Neues Museum brings the past and present together in a stunning mix of contemporary architecture, restoration and art. The Collage House in Girona is another remarkable renovation which fuses old and new materials in a harmonious whole.”

The original Neues Museum, designed by Friedrich August Stuler, was built in the mid-19th century. The building was severely damaged in the Second World War and reconstruction began in 2003, with the aim of restoring the site to its former glory. David Chipperfield, who worked on the project with fellow British architect Julian Harrap, adopted a dynamic approach in his restoration. Rather than attempting to conceal the difference between the old and new elements, the past and present are beautifully combined to create an unforgettable building with multiple layers.

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We received a number of emails and comments on our post back in January wherein we wrote about Alec Appelbaum‘s Fast Company piece on the growing backlash against LEED certification. While long-perceived as the Earth-saving solution to building, the eco-friendly veneer has been tarnished somewhat over the past couple of years, with some saying the imposed LEED building codes “are producing dud buildings and that taxpayers are footing the bill through subsidies” and that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) behind all of it often muscles its certification demands into developments of all kinds. And now another, new complaint has surfaced, this time involving U2 guitarist, The Edge. As the AP reports, the musician has plans to “build a cluster of mansions overlooking the Pacific Ocean” in Malibu, California. While he’s sought extra-green LEED-certification for each of the houses (“averaging 10,500-square feet each”), critics have complained that this is the sort of invasive development that the USGBC should be trying to stop before anyone even starts thinking about how green the new buildings will be. In its own defense, the Council says it doesn’t have the authority to tell people what private properties they can and can’t build on, as that’s an issue for local government. However, it does have the ability to lean on the system when it believes a project risks jeopardizing the environment, something critics of The Edge’s development don’t think the organization is doing enough of. As of now, the project is at a standstill, awaiting a decision from California Coastal Commission sometime over the next two months. In the mean time, those opposed will continue to fight, the development’s site will likely get more defensive than it already is (surprisingly so, we think), and either a lot of green houses will be built or nature will stay nature. Here’s video of the project:

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While the University of Iowa has had to continue its fight with FEMA over the rebuilding of their Museum of Art, which was heavily damaged by the floods of 2008 and is now essentially un-insurable due to its current building’s close proximity to the river, they may have just received a helping hand. To this point, after the flood water receded, by and large, their struggle has been reported in local outlets and by interested parties such as we here at UnBeige (U of I, after all, is this writer’s beloved alma mater). But now the NY Times has filed a long report on the battle, telling the university and museum’s story and how FEMA has created what appears to be a frustrating, pointless instance of mind-numbing bureaucracy. To catch you up: FEMA has agreed to give millions to help the museum repair their original building. But if it’s not insurable, how are they supposed to hang their valuable art collection inside (“valued at $500 million”)? FEMA, to this point, won’t budge and won’t agree to the university’s other option, using those funds to help construct a new building, one at a much safer distance from the river. And so that’s where we are now. Hopefully this national attention to their cause helps give a bit of a push in the right direction. Certainly couldn’t hurt.

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You know you’ve made it big when the National Museum of American History sends someone out to pick up after you. We last reported on the museum sending out curators to find bits and pieces that would reflect the country at that moment during Barack Obama‘s inauguration. At that time, the museum scoured the National Mall, hunting for solid archival pieces. Now, the Washington Post reports, they’ve sent curator Barbara Klark Smith to Wisconsin to see what she’s able to dig up and collect surrounding the ongoing and captivating dispute between Democrats and Republicans over the state’s budget and setting limits on unions’ collective bargaining rights. Given all the signs and other paraphernalia likely generated from both those for and against Governor Scott Walker, there’s sure to be a treasure trove. Here’s a bit:

A spokeswoman for the museum said the Wisconsin debates and protests fit right into the museum’s mission.

“This is part of the museum’s long tradition of documenting how Americans participate in the political process. The museum collects from contemporary events because many of these materials are ephemeral and if not collected immediately are lost to the historical record,” said Valeska Hilbig, deputy director of public affairs for the museum.

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The windchill here in Chicago at the moment is putting us well into in the negative two-digits, so it’s difficult to believe that these foreign concepts of “spring” and “warmth” actually exist. However, if they do, and you’re in the area, we highly recommending making this the year you finally make the trek out to Connecticut to tour Philip Johnson‘s Glass House. Hard to believe they’re already in their fifth season, as we remember reporting on it back when they first began (have we really been here this long?). This year, in addition to several new tours, we’re most excited about the launch of a new monthly program called “Third Thursdays: Conversations in Context.” Here are all the details:

Leading minds in the fields of architecture, art, design, history, landscape and preservation will serve as hosts of this special curated tour. Figures such as Paul Goldberger, New Yorker Architecture Critic; Barry Bergdoll, Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, MoMA; Theodore H.M. Prudon, Founding President, DOCOMOMO US; Hilary Lewis, Philip Johnson Scholar; Donald Kaufman + Taffy Dahl, Donald Kaufman Color; Charles Renfro, Diller Scofido + Renfro; Gregg Pasquarelli, SHoP Architects; and Tod Williams + Billie Tsien, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, will provide narrative, interpretation, and personal inspiration while walking the Glass House site with an intimate group of visitors. Following the tour, guests will gather for a reception on the site. ($150 per person, per evening)

We’d love to catch all of these. Is Cristina Ross‘ house still on the market? Season tickets for this season at the Glass House start on February 15th at 9am. Tours themselves will begin sometime in May.

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