Check out this trailer for what promises to be an awesome documentary on the Eames. This painter and architect duo carved their niche into the history of design, beginning with their famed lounge chair and ottoman, continuing with graphic design, photography, architecture, and visionary ideas for companies such as Westinghouse, Boeing and Polaroid. Directed by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey, the documentary will run in New York at the IFC Center on November 18, and will have its broadcast premiere December 19 as part of the PBS American Masters series. Narrated by James Franco, Eames: The Architect and the Painter is the first film dedicated to these creative geniuses and their work. As the clip explains, ”They were introducing people to look at the world differently.” Enjoy!

During the week-long MIAW2 workshop by Politecnico di Milano, Visiondivision served as guest professors and worked closely with students to generate new ideas about the essence of green design in terms of, resilience, recycling, and ethical consciousness. For the workshop, the architects constructed a study retreat on campus where the final result can be enjoyed in 60 years. With patience as the main key for the design, “we can reduce the need for transportation, waste of material and different manufacturing processes, simply by helping nature grow in a more architectonic and useful way,” explained the architects.

More about the project after the break. 

Australia-based Andrew Maynard has shared a new type of governmental building with us with a project that is as much a statement about pushing the realm of architecture forward, as it is a reaction to political happenings and the need for change. This adaptable architecture builds upon the irony of a democracy where elected representatives supposedly represent the voice of the people, yet, the occupied governmental spaces are “fortified and spatially manipulated to the benefit of the representative rather than those represented.” By allowing the represented to interact with the spatial qualities of the representatives, Maynard’s mobile and adaptable structure becomes a ” democratic architecture.”

More images and more about the project after the break. 

We’ve been taking you through the two week installations at the BOFFO Building Fashion event, and this week marks the third installation by Patrik Ervell + Graham Hudson. It is quite remarkable to see the transformation that takes place at 57 Walker Street every few days (remember how last time, the fashion and architecture pair Irene Neuwirth + Marc Fornes / TheVeryMany resulted in a crazy atmosphere of organic metallic forms dancing across the room?). Now, visitors will experience a space with crumbling walls, rubble, scaffold and re-bar designed by Hudson in response to the Ervell’s design brand of innovative materials and unconventional application throughout his collections. “Overall, the environment that has been created where destruction —the decay and the beautiful—are transformed into art and design, both literally and figuratively,” explained BOFFO.

More about the designers and the installation after the break.

The AIA just reported September’s Architecture Billings Index measuring 46.9, a sharp drop since August’s 51.4. Such a low index reflects a decrease in demand for design services, and the new projects inquiry index was 54.3, down from a reading of 56.9 the previous month. “It appears that the positive conditions seen last month were more of an aberration,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “The economy is weak enough at present that design activity is bouncing around more than usual; one strong month can be followed by a weak one. The economy needs to be stronger to generate sustained growth in design activity.” Regional averages place the Midwest first with as score of 51.0, with the Northeast following at 50.8, South at 47.3 and West at 46.7. As we’ve been seeing, the commercial/industrial sector is leading with 52.4.

Architecture has taken over the month of October (or, should we say Archtober) in New York as the city’s Architecture and Design Month provides scores of activities, programs and exhibitions throughout the month. The program, which runs out of The Center for Architecture, seeks to raise awareness about the important role of design in our daily lives, and to celebrate New York’s richness of such a built environment. This week on Archtober’s calendar of events, we are looking forward to the beginning of the Architecture & Design Film Festival at Tribeca Cinema (featuring 31 varied films!) and Architecture for Humanity’s Design Like You Give a Damn lecture later in the week. National Design week starts up on Sunday and there’s an interesting lecture about the history of urban waterfronts next Thursday. Plus, be sure to check out a walking tour of the September 11 and Irish Hunger Memorials on Sunday, the 30, and to round out the month, how about a Halloween parade at the Center for Architecture. In addition to the events, every day of the month has an associated “Building of the Day”. We spotted some ArchDaily favorites on the list that you may want to tour such as 41 Cooper Square (October 20); The Highline (October 22); New Amsterdam Pavilion (October 23); Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center (October 25); and The Standard Hotel (October 28).

Slowly, but surely, Hamburg’s beautiful Elbe Philharmonic Hall is nearing completion (according to the Philharmonic’s construction website, the roof construction that seals the large concert hall has just been completed!). We shared some photos of the concert hall’s innovative and iconic skin system when we visited Hamburg earlier this year, and recently, Jose Campos shared his latest set with us.

Check out Campos’ photos and learn more about the completed ceiling construction after the break.

Built in 1861, the Park Avenue Armory Park functioned as both a military facility and a social club for the prestigious Seventh Regiment of the National Guard of President Lincoln’s volunteer militia. Now, the 210,000 sqf five story building (which occupies an entire city block) serves as the home for a not-for-profit cultural institution where visual and performing arts can take place within a not so traditional setting. In 2007, the building began a comprehensive revitalization project as it had fallen into a state of disrepair with Herzog & de Meuron as the lead designers (by the way, have you seen their new website?). Herzog & de Meuron have embraced the history, craftsmanship, and the inherent contrast of the Armory’s spaces to restore the interiors to their original elegance. “Park Avenue Armory is a richly layered building of outstanding historical significance that we are treating like a monument, revealing the physical traces produced over time, preserving it for the future and above all reinventing it,” explained Herzog & de Meuron.

More about the restoration after the break.

In keeping with our coverage of the Solar Decathlon, we are happy to share Victoria University’s Meridian First Light House third place finish. Finishing a few point shy of the University of Maryland’s 951 points, the New Zealand university received 919 points with high standings in several categories, including winning the Engineering contest, gaining first equal in Hot Water and Energy Balance, second for Architecture and third for Market Appeal. Plus, over the course of the competition, the house managed to produce more energy than it consumed – achieving net zero energy consumption, despite 10 days of undesirable weather. Team member Nick Officer exclaimed, “While we may not have won overall we are incredibly proud to have represented New Zealand on the world stage. We had such and amazing response from the US public here along with supporters back home.” Be sure to check out our previous coverage of the house to learn more about the traditional Kiwi bach – a New Zealand holiday home – inspired residence.

More photos of the residence after the break. 

Farshid Moussavi Architecture has just shared their winning residential proposal for the La Défense financial district to the west of Paris with us. The new 11,000 + square meter building is part of the larger urban renewal project, La Parvis Jardin de l’Arché, which links La Défense and les Terrasses de Nanterre. The design’s slender volume – which contains 7,500 sqm of residential units, 2,930 sqm of student accommodation and 1,000 sqm of retail space – is comprised of slightly rotated floor plates that produce oblique balconies and loggias. The shifting form builds upon the site’s visual connection to La Grande Axe, providing uninterrupted views down the historic boulevard. The winning project marks Moussavi’s first built work in France, as well as FMA’s first major project since the dissolution of her previous firm Foreign Office Architects with co-founder Alejandro Zaera-Polo.

More images of the winning design after the break. 

Just a few days ago, Foster + Partners revealed their plans for the Kuwait International Airport, a project designed to attain a LEED Gold standing for the passenger terminal, marking the first in the world of its kind. Situated in a desert climate, the environmentally responsive building is sheltered from the sun’s harsh rays with an amazing roof canopy which offers a sense of fluidity and lightness to the terminal. ”Its design is rooted in a sense of place, responsive to the climate of one of the hottest inhabited environments on earth and inspired by local forms and materials,” explained the architects.

More images and more about the airport after the break.

Arata Isozaki and Anish Kapoor have joined forces to create a mobile concert hall that will travel across the devastated region of Higashi Nihon, brining a promise of hope to those still suffering from the earthquake of March 2011. Using music as the means to bring an uplifting message, Ark Nova will provide seating for approximately 700 spectators to watch interdisciplinary artistic projects, musical ensembles and multimedia exhibitions. The hall will serve not only as a platform for performances but also as a place to meet and find creative inspiration; thus, make a lasting contribution toward returning normalcy to the region.

More about the project, including a video clip, after the break.

Check out this interview we spotted over on DutchDesign - a research program from the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. This interview with Jan Gehl, a Danish architect and urban consultant for Copenhagen, is part of the program’s research to understand how cities function on a larger scale. Within just the first few minutes of the interview – when Gehl explains the importance of the “people scale” of the city and studying human behavior – we were interested and wanted hear more of his thoughts on planning. Further into the interview, Gehl notes that a successful piece of architecture is not merely creating a form, but rather a project that encourages some kind of interaction with the form. As Gehl explains, “ Form is center of attention, and life has been almost forgotten, and the interaction is something we don’t talk about much….” This interview touches upon large issues of planning such as redefining the streetscape to widen the sidewalks for pedestrian and cyclists access, and the notion of “parachuting the little scale into the big scale” to infuse small structures in bigger spaces to make them more relatable…all within the underlying concept of making the city for the people.

We introduced BOFFO’s fashion + architecture collaborative project, and began the week with the first installment by Nicola Formichetti + Gage/Clemenceau Architects. As each pair of fashion designer and architect shows their project for two short weeks, the second team of Irene Neuwrith and Marc Fornes is now in place. Neuwirth, a leading US jewelry designer, has transformed the 1800 sqf space at 57 Walker Street into a crazy biomorphic playground to display her designs with the hep of Marc Fornes, one of the leading figures in the development of computational protocols applied to the field of design and fabrication.

More about the temporary gallery after the break. 

On June 26 of this year, Steven Holl’s Museum of Ocean and Surf opened in Biarritz, France, and we recently learned that the building has been named the Public Building of the Year by the 2011 Emirates Glass LEAF Awards. Designed in collaboration with Solange Fabião, the museum has a strong connection between the sea and the built environment both on the programmatic level as the museum serves as a “teaching tool” to educate people about the health of the ocean, and on a formal level as the massing was conceptually influenced by “ under the sky and under the sea.” Yesterday, we shared an amazing clip from our interview with Steven Holl about the museum – check it out and tell us your thoughts on the project.

 More about the project after the break.

From the beginning of September until mid-December, BOFFO Building Fashion will feature five amazing collaborative expressions of fashion and architecture just south of Canal Street in Tribeca. BOFFO, a non-profit arts and culture organization based in New York, has organized these temporary gallery exhibitions as a way to introduce art and design to the public realm while creating opportunities for artists and designers to explore a subject matter that educates and informs the public. The first installation of Nicola Formichetti and Gage/Clemenceau Architects manifests Formichetti’s futuristic eye for fashion into a faceted, almost robotic, entity for showing his collection.

More about the exhibit after the break.

This past week, the Dutch Society for the Preservation of Natural Heritage received a new observation tower during the mini-symposium ‘Experience Nature with innovative concrete’ in Peize. A multidisciplinary case study team comprised of UNStudio, ABT, BAM Utiliteitsbouw and Haitsma Beton were experimenting with the characteristics of ultra high performance concrete – a super dense mixture of fine grain structure which contains steel fibers – to manifest their findings in a functional, operative design. The observation tower will rest in the forested reserves of De Onlanden in Groningen and will extend 5 meters above the tree line to offer amazing views of the landscape.

More about the tower after the break.

After winning the 2007 New York New Housing Legacy Competition, Jonathan Rose and Phipps Houses Group teamed with Grimshaw Architects and Dattner Architects to make “green” architecture for where it matters most. Via Verde, the South Bronx’s newest affordable housing development, goes beyond the hype of creating a sustainable building for marketing purposes, and allows design to inform a healthy building for its occupants. So, what constituents a “healthy” building? Well, in the minds of those from the South Bronx, that means a place that can address growing asthma rates, obesity, and the need for fresh produce. In the 290,000 sqf project at Brook Avenue and East 156th Street, Via Verde is connecting to its neighborhood’s needs while not shying away from giving a community in the process of urban renewal an iconic piece of architecture.

 More about the project after the break.