Even within the world of design media, it was easy to miss the news: In late January, Notre Dame’s School of Architecture announced that Peter Pennoyer, a New York–based architect and author, had won the 2024 Richard H. Driehaus Prize. The Driehaus is architecture’s traditional/classical design version of the Pritzker Prize. Although it comes with a hefty $200,000 check—twice the size of the Pritzker’s honorarium—and previous winners include such luminaries as Robert A.M. Stern, Michael Graves, Leon Kier, and Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the award still exists in a sort of media vacuum.
Several events have shaped Morocco since its independence. One of them is the Architects’ transition from serving the declining French empire to serving the newly independent Moroccan nation. Upon gaining independence in 1956, young Moroccan and foreign architects were tasked with constructing a self-sufficient Morocco. The demand for modern infrastructure, new administrative buildings, and improved education and health facilities led to a construction boom. This boom provided architects and planners the opportunity to express their vision.
Inspired by the popularity of modernism in Europe, architects experimented with buildings that embodied brutalism. This architectural style was not only a rebellion against the colonial vision of urban design in Morocco, but also a symbol of architectural unity in the urban landscape. Buildings were created in various typologies with the characteristic of exposed concrete, showcasing its inherent qualities of strength, durability, and functionality. These buildings, which can be seen in cities such as Agadir, Casablanca, Tangier, and parts of Marrakesh, represent a dialogue between brutalism and Moroccan culture, environment, and climate.
The landscape of downtown São Paulo would not be the same without the presence of Copan. The building inserts Niemeyer's curves into São Paulo's dense verticality, creating a distinctive rhythm that becomes a landmark for all who encounter it. Besides accommodating around five thousand residents, the building serves various purposes, offering different typologies for its residential programs, varying apartment sizes, and prioritizing diversity among its tenants. Differences also emerge when we examine how each person inhabits a standard floor plan; renovations proposing distinct finishes and new layouts reflect the character of each resident but also showcase the inventiveness of the architects intervening in this classic structure. Thus, we gather here projects realized within this icon to demonstrate how each home is unique, even when created in series.
As far as history goes back, art and architecture have always been interrelated disciplines. From the elaboration of the Baroque movement to the geometric framework of modernism, architects found inspiration from stylistic approaches, techniques, and concepts of historic art movements, and translated them into large-scale habitable structures. In this article, we explore 5 of many art movements that paved the way for modern-day architecture, looking into how architects borrowed from their characteristics and approaches to design to create their very own architectural compositions.
As a landscape architect, Dan Kiley has significantly contributed to the world of design. The designer worked with influential architects such as Louis Kahn, I.M. Pei, and Eero Saarinen. Influenced by the timeless landscapes of André Le Nôtre, most of his designs are well-known for their manner of merging grids and allées, striking a balance between natural and organized beauty.
Opening January 18th, “The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley” exhibition is a traveling photographic exhibition honoring one of the most critical Modernist landscape architects. Curated by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, the display aims to explore and spread awareness of the architect’s profound impact. Showcased at The Exhibition Space @ ABC Stone in Brooklyn, the show offers a captivating journey through 27 carefully chosen designs by Dan Kiley.
Exterior view of Doshi’s Sangath Architect’s Studio, Ahmedabad, Image by Iwan Baan. . Image Courtesy of Vitra Design Museum
As we step into the new year, we take a moment to reflect on the lasting impact of celebrated architects, designers, and curators who passed away in 2023. This past year witnessed the departure of influential figures who, through their talent and dedication, left an indelible mark on the built environment. Some embarked on their careers with bold gestures that reshaped architectural paradigms, while others worked quietly, placing a profound focus on the human experience or the invisible figures of out profession.
In Downtown Cairo, the Jameel Center pays homage to modernism and Mamluk architectural heritage. The Abdul Latif Jameel Center for Middle East Management Studies illustrates effective and adaptable architecture. The old business education building, a monument in Cairo's multi-layered architectural and academic heritage with staple elements such as concrete façades, has Mamluk-inspired arches, and wooden mashrabiyyas. Photographer Ebrahim Bahaa Eldin captures this unique architecture and its surrounding environment.
Tashkent: Appropriating Modernism, installation view showing a reproduction of the columns and canopy of the Zarafshan restaurant at 1:2 scale, original and contemporary forms. Photo: Ivan Erofeev.. Image Courtesy of Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and Wael Al Awar have jointly unveiled “Tashkent: Appropriating Modernism” at the Sharjah Architecture Triennial. The showcase spotlights three essential instances of modern architecture in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Crafted by Wael Al Awar, founder and principal architect of waiwai, the initiative presents the three case studies and their significant evolution.
Often referred to as the “City of Music,” Vienna stands as a living testament to architectural evolution across centuries. Bring together an array of styles, ranging from the grandeur of Baroque palaces to the innovative Art Nouveau designs and the Vienna Secession movement, visitors are drawn to the city for its architectural marvels. Vienna's eventful past is reflected in its architectural landscape, which has withstood wars, imperial expansions, and the changes of numerous artistic trends while managing to maintain its unique identity as a symbol of resilience and reinvention.
From Adolf Loos, whose radical ideas challenged the trends of his time, to Otto Wagner, a pioneer of Viennese Modernism, Vienna's architectural legacy continued to evolve. Fast-forwarding to contemporary times, Vienna's skyline bears the mark of internationally renowned architects like Zaha Hadid, whose fluid and futuristic designs push the boundaries of architecture. Hadid's work, including the Library and Learning Center at the University of Economics and Business, offers a dynamic contrast to the city's historic landscape. Moreover, firms like CRAB Studio, founded by Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham, bring experimentalism to Vienna's architecture, infusing contemporary concepts into the urban fabric. These architects and firms contribute to Vienna's architectural richness, adding new chapters to its storied history while honoring its innovation and artistic legacy.
Since the advent of Modernism, architects have become schizophrenic in dealing with the reality of time. This is a problem, because time and gravity are two universal forces. Architects are exquisitely good at dealing with gravity—it is present in everything we design. We study it and engineer its unrelenting requirements. Gravity does a symbiotic dance with structure. No matter how a design feigns weightlessness, its mass cannot be denied. Architects must deal with gravity, whether it’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s sagging balconies at Fallingwater or today’s steroidally enhanced parametric buildings.
UN Headquarters in New York. Photo by the blowup, via Unsplash
In 1945, the declaration of the end of World War II brought a wave of euphoria to the streets, and optimism permeated the atmosphere with the promise of brighter days. Inspired by this newfound hope, the United Nations Organization (UN) was established in the same year. The vibrant city of New York was chosen as the headquarters location, and an international team of carefully selected and invited architects was tasked with conceiving the project.
For this ambitious and truly international project, eleven renowned architects were brought together from various corners of the world. These architects, often known for their inflated egos, a common trait in their profession, were accustomed to exercising full control over their architectural designs and even their respective countries. They had to coexist in the same space and collaborate on a single project. The successful collaboration on this project would be a compelling demonstration of the possibility of achieving world peace.
The history of 'neutral colors' is a fascinating journey through the evolution of human aesthetics and design sensibilities. Closely related to the makeup of materials organically found in nature, the color chorus of whites, grays, and earthy brown tones has played a pivotal role in artistic expression, fashion, interior design, and architecture for millenia. From the understated hues of early clay, straw, wood, or brick architectural structures to the now prevalent contemporary interior style, neutral colors have transcended cultural boundaries and continue to hold a special place in our visual landscape – offering a sophisticated elegance and versatility that has stood the test of time.
For the Indian subcontinent, the mid-1900s marked a transformative period, brimming with turmoil and hope. Leaving a century of British rule, India and the newly formed countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh held onto an optimistic vision of a transformed society. The newfound independence invited the international Modernist movement to envision a fresh identity for the nations. Spearheading the movement in Bangladesh was the architect Muzharul Islam whose work continues to influence contemporary Bangladeshi architecture.
In Porto Alegre, the building of the Iberê Camargo Foundation; in the city of Porto, the office of Álvaro Siza, the architect and author of the celebrated project for the institution's headquarters, inaugurated in 2008. Throughout 70 minutes, the documentary "Paisagem Concreta" or Concrete Landscape navigates between these two ports.
https://www.archdaily.com/1007293/concrete-landscape-alvaro-sizas-documentary-is-available-for-streaming-nowArchDaily Team
Polish-Israeli architect Zvi Hecker, internationally recognized as an influential figure of Modernism in Israel, as well as a painter, illustration artist, and furniture designer, has passed away at the age of 92, as reported by Moderne Regional. Throughout his career, Hecker combined geometry and modularity with asymmetry and spiraling complex compositions inspired by the pattern of sunflower seeds, a recurring inspiration for his work. His complex geometric explorations are exemplified in a variety of projects on various scales and programs, including the Spiral Apartment House in Ramat Gan, Israel (1981–1989), the Heinz-Galinski-Schule in Berlin, Germany (1992–1995), and the crystal-like Synagogue in the Negev Desert, Military Academy, Israel, (1969).
This year marks the centennial of the first edition of Vers Une Architecture, Le Corbusier’s epoch-making book. Though a new English translation appeared in 2007 to much acclaim, most other practicing architects read the first English edition that appeared in 1928, entitled Towards a New Architecture. Comparing the three editions is instructive, particularly in one crucial respect: the insertion of the word “new” in the title. The book wasn’t really about new architecture, because very little of it showed buildings in the International Style. Instead, it was in many respects a clever diatribe intended to convince Europeans that they had no choice but to renounce every kind of architecture that had been built before the Great War and begin anew. It was remarkably successful in fulfilling that aim.
https://www.archdaily.com/1000499/away-from-old-architecture-what-le-corbusier-really-meantMark Alan Hewitt
George Smart is an unlikely preservationist, almost an accidental one. The founder and executive director of USModernist, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and documentation of modern houses, Smart worked for 30 years as a management consultant. “I was doing strategic planning and organization training,” he says. “My wife refers to this whole other project as a 16-year seizure.” Recently I spoke with Smart about his two websites, the podcast, the house tours his organization conducts, and why documentation is such a power preservation tool.
