OMA Architecture Fan in Seattle

Will Rem Koolhaas Neighbor Frank Gehry in Los Angeles?

2010-05-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

A quick note in response to article by Nicolai Ouroussoff in the New York Times. Who's going to win the competition for Eli Broad's personal collection's home?
Just returned from visiting Los Angeles, I can't wait to go back to the vibrant, creative city of angels. Next week Mr. Broad may make his decision about what's to be added to the area that already for a while has not much to do with the downtown of my first acquaintance in the mid-seventies.

OMA and Leigh & Orange Architects in Hong Kong

2010-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

There's 101 years difference in age between OMA and Leigh & Orange Architects; the former founded in London in 1975, the latter in Hong Kong in 1874. Last year Leigh & Orange celebrated its 135th anniversary, check out the history of the firm on the L&O website, images of projects dating back to 1901 up to and beyond 2008 give a good idea of the firm's versatility.
OMA & L&O won the contest to design the Chu Hai College campus in Hong Kong, see the OMA-site for more information.

OMA at Home in Rotterdam

2009-10-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Kunsthal, the Cube of Cheese, the Triplet Towers, ever so slowly but steadily Rem Koolhaas has been putting his mark on his home-town. And now OMA, in partnership with ABT Engineers & Co and Werner Sobek is to build the multi-functional StadsKantoor or city-hall & center of Rotterdam.

According to Architectenweb the ANP announced that the People's choice had not been OMA's design but that of SeArch. But Contest Committee members apparently didn't like the prominent "green cones" (I think they resemble cocktail shakers) in that firm's design.

A soundless video on YouTube shows imagery related to the StadsKantoor (City Hall) design, and for a split second the viewer can also detect the three towers OMA is building in the harbor city of Rotterdam.

Does the structure of StadsKantoor remind me of Lego®?
Yes, it does, a Lego® Transformer. Look at those awesome legs that from a certain angle seem to support the whole floating body!

Promised to be the most sustainable building in the Netherlands the complex will catch rainwater, have elevated terraces and homes with gardens, and facades with sandwich panels and lightweight thermal insulators (nanogels).

DOKU ARTS Shows Houselife

2009-06-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Image of the article by Tracy Metz, is from newspaper NRC, photographic image is from the docudrama Houselife.

Guadalupe Acerdo is the cleaning lady of the "Maison a Bordeaux", the "best design of 1998" according to Time magazine.
She's prominently featured in "Houselife", a film by Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine.
Acerdo holds her ground in the lift, or on the "movable floor" in the house designed by Rem Koolhaas.

Houselife may be viewed during DOKU.ARTS the Festival of Films on Art
June 11-14, 2009
At the Filmmuseum
Vondelpark 3, Amsterdam

It pays off to buy more than one ticket at the time!

Film tickets
Regular €7,80.
With reduction: €6,50.
Friends of the Filmmuseum €4,50

When buying four tickets at once, you pay only €22,50 (€5,60 per ticket). These tickets can be used by one or more persons.

Ticket reservations:
tel. +31(0)20-5891400
Please pick up reserved tickets at least 30 minutes before the start of the screening.

Rem Koolhaas Twitters

2009-04-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Birds do it, educated flees do it, zoologists and architects do it.

Rem Koolhaas collects philosophical architectural thoughts on twitter.

PRADA - TRANSFORMER

2009-03-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Rem Koolhaas together with associates Kunle Adeyemi and Chris van Duijn, and design architect Alexander Reichert sign for the architectural project: the Prada - Transformer.

To read in a press release that the Prada pavilion, "the building", its four sides a combination of: hexagon, cross, rectangle and circle, will be moved in position for different events by a crane, boggles the mind. However, the concept becomes totally clear, acceptable and brilliant when you take in Koolhaas's online design presentation.

From the Prada Press Desk:
The website is the result of a collaboration between Prada, AMO (the mirror image think tank of OMA) and 2x4, a multidisciplinary design studio from NY focusing on art, architecture, and fashion, world wide.

The concept of the site is strongly linked to the architectural project. Equal to the built pavilion, which transforms to accommodate different events, the website regenerates its graphics and contents according to the changes in use of the actual structure along time. The main navigation system is a timeline which allows users to intuitively scroll back and forward revealing the calendar of the pavilion and the related content.

For further information:
Prada Press Office
+39.02.541921
ufficio.stampa@prada.com
PA - TRANSFORMERRAD

Rem Koolhaas a Kind of Architect

2009-03-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Nortwest Film Forum presents:

REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT
(Markus Heidingsfelder, Min Tesch, Germany, 2008, Digibeta, 97 min)
Presented by Northwest Film Forum

When: March 6 through 13, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Where: Northwest Film Forum, 1515 - 12th Avenue, Seattle
Cost: $9

For tickets and more information visit the Northwest Forum website.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Flames

2009-02-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beijing has gone down in fire. The hotel which was scheduled to open in the coming summer of 2009 is part of the state owned and operated Beijing TV studios —CCTV— designed by OMA. The main towers and horizontal bridging section of CCTV have been spared. The blaze is said to have been caused by nearby lit fireworks.

OMA presents Theater Design Taipei, Taiwan

2009-01-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

Amphitheater, arena, black box, in the round, proscenium; there are as many different theatre structures as there are styles of theatre art. The Office of Metropolitan Architecture, world wide known for multi functional auditoriums has presented yet a new approach with the proposed stage design for the Taipei Performing Arts Centre.

The cube shaped building is to hold three performance spaces (1500, 800, and 800 seats) which may be used in combination, as well as individually. Such flexibility will allow (local) theater companies to create more experimental spectacles. And this innovative theatre complex may also become an interesting venue for foreign, space demanding companies such as Cirque du Soleil.

The routing of the public through the Performing Arts Centre will allow patrons a look into the back stage areas. This "peek into the kitchen" is reminiscent of what the great visionary/director Ariane Mnouchkine has offered the public for many decades with her Theatre du Soleil.

Iwan Baan in London

2008-11-10T16:21:00.001-08:00

In OMA's case Iwan Baan is the one who goes where no one (holding a camera) has gone before, or will go after him for that matter (too late, the curtain wall has gone up). If you've seen the photos he took for OMA in Beijing (on his website), you know he's got what it takes to create lasting impressions even before the project is finished.
Note to Self and Every Other: When in London go see show.

Rem Koolhaas Takes Seat in EU Council

2008-10-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

What will the European Union be like between 2020 - 2030?
A council of wise (well sorry girls) men is going to think about and discuss the future of the EU.
Initiator of this gathering is the French president Nicolas Sarkozy. President Sarkozy's ulterior motive for a discussion about the borders of Europe is his own unwillingness to let Turkey join the EU.

Suggested members of the 'reflection' group are Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, Letland's former president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Finnish Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila, the Polish former president Lech Walesa and the Italian former EU commissary Mario Monti.
The former prime minister of Spain, Felipe Gonzalez will be the Chairman.

The group will report on the future in 2010.

OMA à La Défence

2008-09-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Draw a line on a map of Paris, from the Pyramid by I.M. Pei, and "Le Petit Arc du Carrousel" (in the gardens near the Louvre, Les Tuilleries) through the "Arc de Triomphe" to "La Grande Arche" by Von Spreckelsen and Andreu, in the northwest of Paris and you've got the "Grand Axe". The neighborhood at the end of the line, La Défense has mostly office buildings.

Rem Koolhaas presented a design proposal to revamp La Défense somewhere in Venice during the Biennial (see comment Piet Vollaard below)

Through November 23rd you can visit the Dutch submission to the 11th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennual, organized by the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi).

Libraries for All

2008-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

In 1998 the Seattle voters helped pass a bond measure Libraries for All, 196.4 million dollars to renovate 22 existing, and build 5 new branch libraries, as well as to design and build the new Central Library.
Rem Koolhaas co-founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture and former Seattleite and then OMA partner Joshua Prince-Ramus were principal designers of the award-winning Central Library building, along with Seattle-based LMN Architects.

On Saturday September 13 the conclusion of the successful 10-year building period will be celebrated in all Seattle Public Libraries.

Rem Koolhaas was scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. in the Microsoft Auditorium, but his presentation has been cancelled.
Here's some old and more recent footage where you can see and hear him speak.

Joshua Prince-Ramus former OMA principle, and since 2006 president and co-founder (with Erez Ella) of REX will present the key note of day-long celebratory presentation in the Microsoft Auditorium (4th Avenue/ 1st floor entrance) at the Seattle Central Library, downtown.

Can't make it?
Read Joshua Prince-Ramus manisfesto or listen to him speak on TED

The presentation is co-sponsored by AIA Seattle.
Admission is free and open to the public.
The Central Library is located at 1000 Fourth Avenue.
For more information, call (206) 386-4636.

The Seattle Public Library Foundation and Friends of The Seattle Public Library ( co-sponsored by USbank) are issuing "passports" with photographs and information on all the libraries in the system. Patrons are encouraged to visit all of them, and if they do, they can collect stamps at each of the branches. Some of those who can show a fully stamped pass in January of 2009 may be eligible for a special gift!

EU Quarter in Brussels

2008-08-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Office of Metropolitan Architecture is one of five European firms chosen to present plans to redesign the EU Quarter, where offices of the European Union are located. The plans should include apartments, houses and shops.

OMA again in Rotterdam - Kaas van Koolhaas

2008-08-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Rotterdam was bombed during World War II and in rebuilding this world renowned harbor city somehow an anchoring center was omitted. When you arrive in Rotterdam by train, the first impression you get of the city is that it's relatively new. The street that runs parallel to the railroad and the one perpendicular to the Central Station are lined by large post war buildings and some towers. The boulevard straight ahead leads to a shopping center, a village style mall, built to replace what was destroyed during the war. The heart of the city is a replacement, and not more than that.

The architects of the Office of Metropolitan Architecture envision a cube that will fill in that architectural and emotional hole.
An anchoring structure that will return that certain central quality that a city of Rotterdam's proportions and importance needs.
The cube will find its foundation partially on top of existing buildings, and will show "holes" allowing for a connection between the interior and the city.

Only in Holland, where cheese cubes are the obligatory snack presented with wine and beer, a project of this size could be likened to a cube of cheese. So be it, Rotterdam will have "De Kaas van Koolhaas" (Cheese by (or of) Koolhaas).

Seattle Central Public Library

2008-07-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Central Public Library opened its doors to the public at the end of May 2004.
At the beginning of the following month volunteer library docents started guiding patrons through the building on general (focused on library functions) and architectural tours.
By the end of May 2008, it turned out that during the four years that the library had been open, 34,000 visitors signed up for a hike through the 11-story building (covering 10 floors, since Head Quarters on the 11th floor is off limit for patrons).
This number did not include all the tagalongs and unregistered tours.
The library of OMA and LMN became an important tourist draw, and continues to be part of the itinerary of many people visiting Seattle.

OMA / AMO in Italy for PRADA

2008-04-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Imagine Milan, an industrial building renovated and expanded to create a home for the Prada Art Foundation.
More later…

According to Michael Kimmelman for the New York Times Magazine (3/23/2008) the PRADA ART FOUNDATION may be likened to New York City's DIA or Houston's Menil as far as being chic and slightly arcane. Arcane?

OMA in Dubai

2008-04-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

OMA presented the masterplan for a complete Waterfront City in Dubai.
The city, which will give a home to 400,000 people is going to be build up from the ground. Waterfront City will be the center of the man made island group called Dubai Waterfront that surrounds Jebel Ali.

HafenCity Hamburg

2008-01-23T07:40:00.000-08:00

image courtesy OMA
Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon have presented the design for the Science Center and Aquarium in Hamburg's HafenCity.
Playful in design, building blocks create an eyelet on edge. The building, a magic ring of activity in the harbor, permits an eye on the city, on the river, and on the future.
Marc Paulin will be the principle architect for this project.

Maggie's Centre

2008-01-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rem Koolhaas will design a "home-away-from-home" for patients of the Beatson Oncology Center in Glasgow. Founded by and named after the late Maggie Keswick Jencks, the client, Maggie's Centre has in the past commissioned architects such as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid

OMA Tower in Delirious New York

2007-12-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

More than three decades after Rem Koolhaas's book Delirious New York rolled of the press, Rem Koolhaas is going to add a 60,000 square foot, 22-story high tower to the Big Apple's landscape.

The tower will house the Creative Artists Agency Screening Room and other facilities of CAA.

Koolhaas will take the lead, in partnership with Shohei Shigematsu, Director of OMA New York.

The tower, which will be located in Madison Square Park, is expected to be finished in 2010.

A Tomb for All People - The Great Pyramid

2007-09-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

Dance like an Egyptian, be memorialized like a Pharao.

Rem Koolhaas is said to head committee which will choose architect to design and build The Great Pyramid

You can make reservations to be buried or have a memorial stone placed now.

Presentation of the tomb's model were presented during The Great Pyramid Festival on September 2nd, 2007.

RIBA European Award

2007-06-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Royal Institute for Britisch Architects (RIBA) had awarded Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon of OMA with the RIBA European Award for their design of Casa da Musica in Porto.

In 2003, three years after het received the Pritzker Prize, Rem Koolhaas was awarded RIBA's Royal Gold Medal.

Dubai Renaissance II

2007-06-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

Rem Koolhaas and Fernando Donis will give an other shot at the Dubai Renaissance.
With their "anti icon" proposition they offer a real clean design, the White Page, a reflective element within the sardonic forest of iconic imagination.

SculptorAnish Kapoor, landscape architect slash textile designer Petra Blaisse and industrial designer Konstantin (gimme 9 pedal bins) Grcic will collaborate with Koolhaas to add the spectacular to what at first glance comes across as a lighter in the desert.

Rem Koolhaas elected to AAAS

2007-05-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Bright light, brilliance.
The photo that accompanies the announcement that Rem Koolhaas will join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) couldn't have been chosen better. On October 6 Koolhaas will join like brilliant minds for the induction ceremony at the AAAS headquarters in Cambridge.

Er gaat hem geen licht op, hij heeft het licht daar zelf geplaatst.

Jobs at OMA

2007-05-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

It's not really my business, and if you were looking, you already know, but still, it may be good to check and see if there's a position for you at OMA.

Besides, this is as good a time as any to point out that the OMA site is new and improved, with head shots of all the partners, way finding that makes sense, links that deliver. In other words, all round attention for detail, a signature web site for a firm such as OMA.

Who's on First?

2007-05-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Every creative person knows: world wide and at the same time, others wrap their minds around exactly the same ideas.
Writers know: you don't get copyright for an idea alone, it's the approach of the story that count, as well as the moment of publication.

A box, is a box, is a box, but for what it contains, the measurements, the material it's been made of, the color and print, the signature and branding.

bd: the architects' website, reports that Rem Koolhaas has pointed out that the designs for city plans in Abu Dhabi by OMA and by Foster + Partners show great resemblances.

Rotterdam City of Architecture 2007

2007-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

The Kunsthal is one of 40 sites used and highlighted during Rotterdam 2007.

The mayor of Rotterdam and council members have proclaimed 2007 the Year, and Rotterdam The City of Architecture.
The program throughout the year includes exhibits, art auctions, presentations of artifacts, theatre and a home show. There will be a trade fair —Architect '07, cruises to view prospective home sites from the water, walking tours and the dedication of new buildings.

The third International Architecture Biennial titled "Power —Producing the Contemporary City" will take place at the Kunsthal from May 24 - September 2, 2007

Rem Koolhaas Calls for Boycot

2007-01-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

Building Design the British weekly for architects writes: "Rem Koolhaas has called on architecture’s superstars to join him in a campaign to overhaul the competition system, which he has condemned as “hideous” and a drain on resources and influence."

Shenshen Exchange SSE

2007-01-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Image: Office of Metropolitan Architecture.

OMA's second assignment in China houses the SSE. "The floor" of the stock exchange is elevated over a thus partially covered plaza with room for special events. Building of the complex will start at the end of 2007

OMA in Dubai

2006-12-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit Artist Impression OMA 2006.

Jumeirah Beach

Sinterklaas at the Kunsthal

2006-12-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Typically Dutch. Until December 10 on display at OMA's Kunsthal in Rotterdam: Sinterklaas wrapping paper from the 1920's until now. History in paper: changes in quality of pulp, design, and a shift in subject matter (from emphasis on the saintly Bishop to his ghost-busting helper Pete) through eight and a half decades.

Pixels for GAZPROM

2006-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

OMA Design. Gazprom City Competition St Petersburg. Copyright Holder - OFFICE FOR METROPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE (O.M.A.)

Honorary Doctorate Rem Koolhaas

2006-11-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

The Catholic University of Leuven (KUL in Belgium) has awarded Rem Koolhaas an honorary doctorate.
"Koolhaas perceives developments within cities as mirroring those within the community."
Other honorees are film actor Robert Benigni, author David Grosman, and violinist Sigiswald Kuijken.

Rem Koolhaas: A Hero In His Own Time…

2006-11-29T07:51:00.000-08:00

Time Magazine calls Rem Koolhaas "‘urban visionary who spotted a wealth of potential in our congestial cities." The founder of OMA has been added to the magazine's list: "60 Years of Heroes".

Jumeirah Beach Residence No Fata Morgana

2006-10-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Looking for jewels in the desert? Dubai Properties and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture are partners. The first joint project comes in the form of two buildings centrally located in the Dubai Business Bay including an 80-meter tall, cylindrically shaped residential building with a floor space of 30,000 square meters. In addition to apartments, underground parking and a spa area, the building will also house a variety of shops on the lobby level. The second and adjacent building, a futuristic glass cube of 20 floors with a floor space of 85,000 square meters in total, will accommodate office rooms.

Rem Koolhaas and Fernando Donis of OMA will be responsible for the design of the two buildings. The Porsche Design Studio will play a consulting role for the outdoor architecture. Furthermore, PDS will be in charge of designing public areas such as the lobby, restaurants and passenger lifts. Upon residents' request, apartments may be equipped with furniture, lighting units and kitchens by Porsche Design.
At the beginning of 2007, the German real estate agents Engel & VÃ¶lkers of Hamburg will start to market both the apartments and office rooms. Both buildings are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009. Porsche Design signs cooperation contract involving the interior of the building projects.

"The two construction projectemphasizese the great trust placed by the international finance community into Dubai as an innovative metropolis," says Hashim Al Dabal, CEO of Dubai Properties. "While the architecture and interior design of these two buildings will definitely attract a lot of attention, they will also contribute a valuable added bonus to Dubai Business Bay.

Roland Heiler, Managing director of the Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See: "We are delighted to be able to work on this project with internationally acclaimed partners like Dubai Properties and Rem Koolhaas. What is more, the new buildings provide an ideal platform from which we can further expand the presence of our brand in this important region."

Dubai Properties LLC is one of the three major real estate development companies of Dubai and a member of the publicly-owned Dubai Holding. Among other things, the company is the building contractor in charge of the Jumeirah Beach Residence real estate project, which includes apartments, villas and hotels but also leisure facilities such as shopping centers, sport and fitness clubs, and office rooms. Furthermore, Dubai Properties developed the Business Bay area, a property of 6.4 million squarmeterses where both residential and commercial buildings are planned.

Porsche Design is a global luxury men's brand and is hallmarked by engineered products. Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche established the Porsche Design brand in 1972 and the products attract consumers with their technical innovation, and represent functionality, and timelessness in its purest form. Porsche Design products are sold in exclusively owned retail and franchise stores, shop-in-shops, upscale department stores, and specialty stores.
The Porsche Design Studio is located in Zell am See, Austria, asymbolizesses the distinctive, classic styling typical of all products of the Porsche Design Group. The Studio also works for third parties active in the fields of industrial and product styling. It is one of the most renowned design studios of Europe.

Rem Koolhaas was born in Rotterdam in 1944 and is one of the most famous internationally acclaimed architects of our time. The best-known projects created by the architectsÂ office OMA, which was founded in 1975, include the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, the concert hall Casa da Musica in Porto and the Public Library in Seattle. On top of numerous other awards, Koolhaas received the >Pritzker Prize, which is generally held to be the equivalent of the >Nobel Prize in architecture.

Koolhaas to design Rothschild Headquarters

2006-10-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

In 1975 Rem Koolhaas, Madelon Vriesendorp and Elia and Zoe Zenghelis founded the Office of Metropolitan Architecture in London. Thirty-five years later Rem Koolhaas is hired by David Rothschild to design the new headquarters of the Rothschild investment bank in The City.
The ten story building will be topped by the "Sky Pavilion" from where clients will be able to enjoy the view of landmarks such as St. Paul's Cathedral. The building is expected to be finished within three years time.

Iwan Baan for OMA at MoMa

2006-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

November 15, 2006 – February 26, 2007, the walls at MoMa's Architecture and Design Galleries will be papered with Iwan Baan's photographs of OMA's CCTV in Beijing.

OMA in Beijing at MoMa

2006-10-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

November 15, 2006 – February 26, 2007, MoMa presents designs OMA - Ole Scheeren and Rem Koolhaas, for CCTV in Beijing. The Architecture and Design Galleries will be wall papered with Iwan Baan's photographs of OMA in Beijing.

From the web site of MoMa:

"The China Central Television Headquarters by Ole Scheeren and Rem Koolhaas is one of the most innovative architecture projects under construction today. Scheduled to open for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the complex, which comprises three buildings and a media park situated on a site east of Beijing's Forbidden City, embodies a proposal for social and urban change through a rethinking of the tall building. CCTV is a private building that will have a uniquely public Visitor's Loop, while its mirror image—TVCC, or the Television Cultural Center—is a public structure housing a state-of-the-art broadcasting theater, cultural facilities, and a five-star hotel.

"The international architectural partnership Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) won the competition for its design in 2002, and the project broke ground in 2004, with OMA partner Ole Scheeren leading its design and execution. The immersive installation explores the project's internal complexity and richness, its integration of public and private uses, and its structural innovation through an array of graphics, renderings, and explanatory texts as well as large- and small-scale models,many of them presented publicly here for the first time. A selection of architectural drawings from MoMA's collection will situate the project as one of the most visionary undertakings in the history of modern architecture."

The exhibit is organized by Tina di Carlo, Assistant Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Alexandra Quantrill, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design.

Serpentine Gallery Post Marathon October 13-14

2006-10-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

During the Serpentine Gallery Marathon: London in July 2006, Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist interviewed more than 70 protagonists of the London scene. Following the enormous success of this event, Post Marathon will feature live interviews with key figures about the influence of commerce on the cultural industry.

Post-Marathon live events at the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion:

Friday 13 October 2006 6:30-7:30 p.m. Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist interview Jeff Koons

Saturday 14 October 2006 12 Noon-6 p.m. Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist will conduct a series of interviews
to key players and thinkers in the cultural and financial world.

Speakers include: Thomas Demand, Chris Dercon, Jimmie Durham and Maria Thereza Alves, Dan Graham, Zaha Hadid, Samuel Keller, Tobias Meyer, Sarah Morris, Miuccia Prada, Saskia Sassen, Matthew Slotover and Amanda Sharp, Gayatri Chacrovati Spivak, Stephan Truby.

Post-Marathon is conceived as live research into the growing interest of investors and economic forces in the cultural industry - cultural studies, contemporary art and architecture in particular. New attitudes such as sponsorship of cultural events as a more efficient form of branding and advertising, management's use of critical theory, and the
interest of hedge funds and corporations in art collecting as a form of investment have recently changed the relationship between finance and culture.

Post-Marathon will address issues of power and the invisible laws governing the art market and the art world as well as the interaction between money, culture and creativity in a global perspective. The corporate and financial world and finance are capitalizing on culture not only with contemporary art acquisition, but also by rediscovering the key role of culture as well as western aesthetics in the globalised economy. More and more, business and industry is looking at art, architecture and
culture as a source for new inspiration. Is this interest shaping a new cultural and economic scenario? Why are the financial and business worlds interested in the previously disregarded cultural industries?

Post-Marathon purposely takes place during the Frieze Art Fair, a major event for art and for London that has changed the cultural landscape of the city. Such a background will be the perfect occasion to investigate the overlap and interaction between capital and culture. Post-Marathon will seek to consider the current situation and to identify new categories for the understanding of the changing role of culture in the global economy.

Tickets: Friday 13 October £5 (£3 concession), Saturday 14 October £10 (£8 concession), TicketWeb 08700 600100
www.ticketweb.co.uk, www.timeout.com/parknights, or at the Gallery Lobby Desk, Phone: 020 7402 6075
Press Enquiries: Tom Coupe, 020 7298 1528 tomc@serpentinegallery.org

Contemporary Art Museum in Riga, Latvia

2006-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

image Office of Metropolitan Architecture.

The OMA team, led by Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf has finished the design for the Latvian Contemporary Art Museum in Riga. Local cooperator is "Jaunr?gas att?st?bas uz??mums" Ltd. The project is one of the first examples of public and private partnerships in Latvia.

OMA has developed the complete concept for re-appropriation of the old TEC-1 building in Andrejsala, location of the former electricity center, and Riga's artsy enclave. Within the territory of almost 40 hectares public and residential space is combined.

2006-09-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

Rem Koolhaas and his team presented the design for Milstein Hall, the newest building of the Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP). Groundbreaking for the 43,000-square-foot Milstein Hall will take place in 2007 directly behind Sibley Hall and adjacent to the Foundry and Rand Hall.
The new building will offer a vibrant and flexible public space, with studios, library, presentation and exhibition areas, a lobby and an auditorium/boardroom. Milstein Hall will facilitate collaboration between the departments in the already existing buildings.
Koolhaas will lead the project along with OMA Associate Shohei Shigematsu.

Loft Project in Jersey City, N.J.

2006-09-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Rem Koolhaas intends to design a 1.3 million square feet building near the waterfront, which will include 710 condominium units, and 120 "work-live units", some of which will be offered to artists at below-market rate. The plan calls for 16,000 square feet of gallery space and about 52,000 square feet for retail businesses.
Whether the existing 13-block warehouse district will be incorporated, used partially, or torn down remains to be seen.

Alexander Kluge

2006-09-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for another interesting TIME OUT PARK NIGHT at the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.
On Friday 22 September, at 7p.m. you'll have a rare chance to see a special selection of films by the celebrated experimental German filmmaker Alexander Kluge.
Introduction by: Alexander Kluge, Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist
Program:
Minutenfilme, 6:30 Min.
Der flexible Unternehmer / Tiermehlfabrikant Fred Eicke weiß Auswege, 15 Min.
Die Liebe stört der kalte Tod / Balladen-Magazin Nr. 9, 24 Min.
Wer immer hofft stirbt singend / Wieso aktuelle Schrecken trösten können,15 Min.
Eine Frau wie ein Vulkan / Das Finale I in Bellinis Meisterwerk NORMA, 15 Min.
Als Offizier und Philosoph / Eberhard von Erbst, Nietzsche-Forscher und Major, vor Verdun, 24 Min.

Check the weather forecast, put on your walking shoes and bring your umbrella, if only to keep the rain away, for artist Olivia Plender does it again with "In Search of the New Republic" (or the Tables Turned) an evening lecture and guided tour around the esoteric societies based in South Kensington.
Plender did it before with "A Gathering of Merrie Campers - Coniston Old Hall Campsite, Cumbria." A project with Grizedale Arts, 2005

For more information and tickets visit Time Out Park Nights or the Gallery Lobby Desk 020 7402 6075

For more information and tickets visit Time Out Park Nights or the Gallery Lobby Desk 020 7402 6075

Serpentine Gallery hosts Domus Night: House of Cards

2006-09-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

In this month's issue Domus published a reprint of influential Italian designer Enzo MariI's architectural card game LIVING, which was first published in 1976.

Join Rem Koolhaas, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Enzo Mari, Julia Peyton-Jones, members of graphic design studio Abake and other special guests as they play the card game to celebrate thirty years of LIVING.

Friday 15 September, 7p.m. Serpentine Pavilion

The same evening architect Joseph Grima and curator Kayoko Ota will present the Domus archival project Metabolism: Portrait of a Movement. This presentation will include interviews with the key protagonists of this Japanese architectural movement.

Tickets: £5 (£3)
BSL Interpreted

Metamorphosis Binckhorst

2006-08-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

After designing the tram tunnel and Netherlands Dance Theatre for The Hague, Rem Koolhaas and OMA embark on a mega project in the residential Dutch city. Chosen out of three competing firms, the Office of Metropolitan Architecture will give new life to the old industrial area called Binckhorst.
Projected changes include revamping of the Brinckhorstlaan into the Champs Elysées of the North.

Existing landmarks on the ±250 acres are the former Caballero Factory, a wind mill, cemeterySint Barbara, a harbor and a castle Kasteel Binckhorst.

The Binckhorst will become a residential area with 4500 - 5000 homes of which 30% will be social- or subsidized housing.

The plans for the area, which will be presented in October of 2006, will include office space, restaurants, cafes, shops and other facilities which will stimulate job possibilities within the neighborhood. At the moment 1100 people work at Binckhorst, the projected number for 2025 is 15,000 according to the advice by Houthoff Burumawhich was published in March of this year.

Iwan Baan at Serpentine Pavilion Opening

2006-08-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Photographer Iwan Baan sheds his new media light on the opening of the Serpentine Pavilion Gallery. See "the egg" up close by day and by night.

Tony Hall visits Serpentine Pavilion

2006-07-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Some people get to have all the fun. Check out, and keep an eye on Tony Hall's blog. He posted some well taken photograps of the Serpentine Pavilion in London on his blog. According to his comment at this -OMA Arch. Fan in Seattle- site, he'll be attending some of the presentations within "the egg".

Time Out Park Nights at the Serpentine Gallery

2006-07-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

SERPENTINE GALLERY MARATHON: LONDON

STARTS 6pm FRIDAY 28 JULY
ENDS 6pm SATURDAY 29 JULY
24 HOURS

Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist interview over 50 people in 24 hours. Leading artists, architects, philosophers, writers, filmmakers and economists debate critical issues of the day with particular focus on London.

FRIDAY 28 JULY
6pm - 9pm
Ken Adam / David Adjaye / Brian Eno / Zaha Hadid / Charles Jenks / Hanif Kureishi / Ken Loach / Tim O’Toole / Yinka Shonibare

9pm - 12am
Michael Clark / Tony Elliott / David Greene and Sam Hardingham / Susan Hiller / Tim Newburn / Tom McCarthy

SATURDAY 29 JULY
12am - 3am
Ron Arad / Marcus du Sautoy / Pedro Ferreira / Mark Leckey / Roger Hiorns / Olivia Plender / Peter Saville / Richard Wentworth / Jane and Louise Wilson / Cerith Wyn Evans

3am - 6am
Abake / Shumon Basar and Marcus Miessen / Anat Ben-David / Sophie Fiennes / Russell Haswell / Damien Hirst / Ant Genn

6am - 9am
Zygmunt Bauman / Michael Bracewell and Linder / Ryan Gander / Gilbert and George / Iain Sinclair / Caruso St John

9am - 12pm
Eleanor Bron / Mark Cousins / Giles Deacon and Katie Grand / Patrick Keiller / Isaac Julien / Doreen Massey / Mary Midgley

12pm - 3pm
Peter Cook / Richard Hamilton / Gustav Metzger / Gautam Malkani / Chantal Mouffe

3pm - 6pm
Tariq Ali / David Bailey / Hussein Chalayan / Doris Lessing / Milan Rai / Marina Warner

PAVILION TICKETS
The 24-hour interview marathon is made up of eight three-hour sessions. Each pavilion ticket allows access to the Pavilion for one three-hour session.

LAWN TICKETS
Access to the Pavilion lawn on Friday evening or all-day Saturday. Interviews will be relayed by audio outside the Pavilion.

Pavilion Tickets: £15 (£10 concessions) for a 3 hour session

Lawn Tickets: £5 (no re-admittance) Friday or Saturday

Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London W2 3XA
T 020 7402 6075

Tickets
Time Out Park Nights
or at the Gallery Lobby Desk

Schedule of contributors may be subject to change

Time Out Park Nights at the Serpentine Gallery is supported by:
Arts Council England
Lottery Funded
The Royal Parks
Pilsner Urquell

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2006

2006-07-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

On July 13 the the Serpentine Pavilion will be opened to the public. From then until October 15 all kinds of activities and events will take place. Rem Koolhaas will for instance interview artists he has invited himself. On July 28 and some time in October, a 24-hour debate marathon will take place. Admittance is free, and you can have a coffee or watch a video inside the Pavilion.

Realdania at Bryghusgrunden in Copenhagen

2006-07-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Judging committee of Realdania unanimously has chosen OMA to design buildings and public space on the location of the old Brewery site in the neighborhood called Bryghusgrunden.

Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon will head the design team, while Chris van Duijn has been appointed to head the project team.

Within an area covering 12.000 square meters, the architects need to envision Realdania's new headquarters, gallery space for the Danish Architecture Centre, housing, offices and recreation areas. All this interspersed with public space, to create a lively ambiance. Projected opening date is in 2010.

Realdania is a strategic foundation created with the objective of initiating and supporting projects that improve the man made environment. The foundation's mission is to enhance quality of life in Denmark, by means of quality design and building.
Realdania was established in late 2000 following a merger between two large financial institutions. At the end of 2005 RealdaniaÂ’s net capital amounted to approx. 3,9 billion Euro. In 2005 the foundation's grants amounted to approximately 120 million Euro. Realdania is currently involved in approx. 45 strategic flagship projects and approx. 210 focus projects.

Gazprom

2006-06-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Rem Koolhaas is one of seven architects who have been invited to present a concept for a new office of the Russian gas company Gazprom in Saint Petersburg. The building should be 900 feet tall and may cost 750 million dollars.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller requires the design to fit well within the historic environment of the city. Community members will also have a say. This will be one of Saint Petersburg's most prestigious projects. The city has been attracting many national and international companies.
Whether the project will be realized isn't all together clear yet. Gazprom's stockholders would rather see the company invest money in nuclear energy projects. Interesting aside, Gazprom has interest in hunting clubs and raising pigs.

OMA in The Hague

2006-06-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

OMA has had a close relationship with The Hague for over 25 years. Founded in London in 1975 in London, part of the reason to move the office to the Netherlands in 1978, was the firm's sketch design for the extension to the Dutch House of Commons. Today The Hague has the highest number of OMA buildings in the Netherlands. A good and timely reason for a show.

From June 23-August 20, 2006, Stroom a center for visual arts and architecture, houses the exhibit "OMA in the Hague". The first complete overview of all projects: studies, designs, master plans and built projects, such as the Netherlands Dance Theatre, pop/ rock venue Paard van Troje and The Souterrain. Also shown are designs that were never executed: the price winning design for the new city hall, the plans for the second city centre at the Prins Claus Plein and the visionary transformation of highway A13 into a grand boulevard comparable to the Champs Elysees in Paris. Projects which, had they become reality, would have completely changed the image of The Hague. Future OMA projects will be presented as well, such as the new neighborhood close to the Central Station and the master plan for the industrial area The Binckhorst.

Opening Reception: June 22, 2006 at 5 p.m.
Open to the public from June 23 - August 20, 2006
Wednesday - Sunday, 12 noon - 5 p.m.

To RSVP for a tour of built, never realized and future project sites on July 7, 2006 check out information at Stroom site
The tour starts at 11 a.m. and finishes around 6 p.m. The program includes lunch, and a lecture by one of OMA's partners Floris Alkemade. Fee € 37.50

It's also possible to just attend Alkemade's lecture "OMA in the Hague", at Het Paard van Troje, Prinsengracht 12, The Hague, for €5.-- RSVP at the Stroom site.

Stroom Den Haag
Hogewal 1-9
2514 HA Den Haag
The Netherlands

Stroom Den Haag

OMA is al meer dan 25 jaar nauw verbonden met de stad Den Haag. OMA verhuisde in 1978 vanuit Londen naar Nederland, mede naar aanleiding van hun schetsontwerp voor de nieuwbouw van de Tweede Kamer. Inmiddels is Den Haag uitgegroeid tot de stad met de hoogste ÂOMA-dichtheidÂ.
Met de tentoonstelling ÂOMA in Den HaagÂ presenteert Stroom het eerste volledige overzicht van alle projecten: studies, ontwerpen, masterplannen en de gerealiseerde bouwprojecten, zoals het Nederlands Danstheater, poppodium Paard van Troje en het Souterrain. Daarnaast worden ook de niet-uitgevoerde ontwerpen getoond: het prijswinnende ontwerp voor het nieuwe stadhuis, het plan voor een tweede stadscentrum bij het Prins Clausplein en de transformatie van de A13 tot een boulevard met de allure van de Champs ElysÃ©es. Projecten die, als ze wel waren uitgevoerd, de stad Den Haag een heel ander gezicht zouden hebben gegeven. Ook de toekomstige OMA-projecten voor Den Haag komen aan bod, waaronder de nieuwbouw bij het Centraal Station en een masterplan voor industrieterrein De Binckhorst.

Opening: donderdag 22 juni 17.00 uur

23 juni t/m 20 augustus 2006
wo t/m zondag, 12.00 Â 17.00 uur

Stroom Den Haag
Hogewal 1-9
2514 HA Den Haag
The Netherlands

Stroom Den Haag

Prince Ramus and King Koolhaas

2006-05-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

Joshua Prince-Ramus is leaving the OMA nest, he's setting up office with another OMA architect, Erez Ella. The new partners are taking all of OMA's New York staff with them. Name of the new firm: REX.
Koolhaas keeps royal front in New York Times article of 5/14/2006.

OMA versus Austria

2006-04-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

OMA used the idea of bar codes to design the logo for the European Union. The colors of the flags of participating countries take the place of the well known black and white verticals.
Austria chairs the EU at the moment and representatives claim that OMA is responsible for turning around the colors of the Baltic State. The order of the colors is blue black white, but appears as black blue white in the logo.
This is not a black and white issue, this is a colorful argument. May the true color surface.

Dee and Charles Wyly Theater in Dallas, Texas

2006-01-25T12:33:00.000-08:00

OMA builds the Dee and Charles Wyly Theater at the Dallas Center of the Performing Arts.
Ground breaking took place on November 10, 2005.

Image courtesy OMA

Hard Hatted Joshua Prince-Ramus

2006-01-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

OMA is all over the map. At the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, Joshua Prince-Ramus leads the team that's working on the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology, while Los Angeles based Gruen Associates provides executive architecture services.

"We are delighted to have a design partner of the highest caliber in OMA. The combined intellect of Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus will help us realize the full potential of the physical vision for IST," said David Baltimore, president of Caltech. "I am confident that they will design a building that will encourage the effective exchange of ideas across academic disciplines."

Peter Schroder, professor of computer science and chairman of the Annenberg Center building committee noted, "OMA's approach to the design of a building is as exacting and thorough as our approach to science and engineering. We have a real meeting of the minds."

Gruen Associates also has numerous well-known buildings to its credit, including such Los Angeles-area projects as the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles Convention Center renovation, and the Pacific Design Center.

Caltech will be represented on the project by Bonnie Khang-Keating, the Institute's head architect and director of the architecture and engineering department on campus.

The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology will serve as the interdisciplinary home for IST at Caltech. IST brings together people from different academic backgrounds to work on challenging problems that share a common theme of information. It is the first activity of its kind in the nation organized at an institutional level.

Rem Koolhaas returns to Alma Mater

2006-01-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

OMA has signed with Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. to design the new Millstein Hall.

The new building will be used by the College of Architecture, Art and Planning and will accommodate classrooms, studios and office spaces for each of the College's departments. The building will also offer a major lecture hall, as well as a boardroom.

OMA's design will enable integration with an already existing building, which in previous design concepts had been earmarked for demolition. The project budget is estimated at US $34 million and groundbreaking will start in 2007.

Joshua Prince-Ramus, OMA partner and head of the firm's New York office, will lead the design team, together with Rem Koolhaas, who is a 1972 AA graduate, and one of the department's visiting lecturers since 2005.

AMO & Platform 21

2006-01-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

AMO, OMA's research office for architecture and new markets is involved with concept consulting for Platform 21

Quote:

"Platform 21 is a new stage for design, fashion and creation.
As our name implies, Platform 21's focus is on contemporary issues and topics that will be of relevance in the future. We aim to create dynamic spaces for a variety of projects and activities that question and give insight into how the world is shaped around us.

The domain of creation is - at least to us - not something professionals have a monopoly on. We are interested in creative developments in fashion and design, including amateur initiatives. Platform 21 functions as an international meeting point, real and virtual, where seemingly disparate groups can inspire and strengthen each other: a network for people curious to explore our new century.

We are starting in a temporary home: a beautiful round chapel in the Zuidas district of southern Amsterdam. During this initial period, we look forward to experimenting with different ways of exhibiting design and fashion, showing the process of creation, and allowing interested designers and companies to share and test their latest projects.

www.platform21.com is another stage where we can show, tease, inform, question and play. It will develop into a 'little brother' or 'big sister' of Platform 21's real space, depending on the traffic it attracts.

In 2009, Platform 21 will move to a new 5,000m2 building near our present location. What this building will look like, how it will function, and who is going to design it are questions that have yet to be answered.

The Platform 21 concept will be developed further with the help of our founders, ING Real Estate, Premsela - Dutch Design Foundation and the Amsterdam City Council.

In the meantime, we hope to welcome you as a visitor, a contributor or a critic, online and our new site."

Serpentine Annual Architectural Commission

2005-12-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

OMA has been invited to design the 2006 pavillion for the Serpentine Gallery.
Six architects have preceded Rem Koolhaas in designing a temporary pavillion.
In 2005 Portuguese architects Alvaro Sizra, winner of the 1992 Pritzker Prize, and Eduardo Souto de Moura, creator of Braga, Portugual's stadium carved out of a granite hillside, created the temporary structure.

In 2006 visitors to Kensington Gardens can have their tea and enjoy programs; lectures and events determined by Koolhaas, in OMA's creation.
Serpentine's director, Julia Peyton-Jones, wants pavilion designers to be ambitious. As in each of the previous six years, the pavilion will be sold and dismantled after the exhibition period comes to an end; the structure given another life, somewhere else.

Situated in a classical 1934 tea pavilion and surrounded by the beautiful parkland of Kensington Gardens, the Serpentine is a unique Gallery in a perfect setting. Since it was founded in 1970, it has established an international reputation for excellence, presenting pioneering exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Man Ray, Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst and Rachel Whiteread are just a few of the artists who have exhibited at the Gallery.

Under the patronage of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Serpentine undertook a £4 million renovation of the Gallery which was completed in 1998. The new design, contained within the footprint of the original building, maintains the elegant character of the Grade II listed pavilion whilst offering maximum flexibility for the exhibition of works of art.

The Serpentine is right at the heart of contemporary culture in London and is one of the country's most popular public galleries, attracting over 500,000 visitors a year. The Serpentine organises up to five exhibitions annually, as well as its annual architectural commission, and is the only publicly funded gallery in London to consistently maintain free admission.

The Serpentine Gallery's renovation scheme was designed by John Miller and Partners.

Krentz Award

2005-11-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

photo © Timothy Hursley

Already in December 2003, while still under construction, Seattle Central Public Library received the Krentz Award from the British Columbia Region of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC).

To create the glass and steel "curtain wall", The Erection Company (TEC) used 4,644 tons of steel, enough to make 20 Statues of Liberty

The Krentz Award “honors outstanding engineering and architectural achievements exemplified through functional and expressive use of steel as the primary structural element.”

Conventional vertical columns carry the weight of the building. Slanted ((2 3/4 inch thick) steel box columns support the books spiral (4 tiers connected by a gently sloping path), carrying the load in a directional manner, or take the lateral loads, created by wind and/ or earthquake movement of the curtain wall.

Structural engineers were Arup Worldwide and Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Steel fabricator was Canron West. Steel erector was The Erection Co. Inc., Hoffman Construction Co was the general contractor/construction manager.

CISC is a national industry organization that represents the structural steel, open web steel joist and steel platework fabricating industries. The group awards annual Steel Design Awards of Excellence; this is the first year the regional award has gone to a project outside of British Columbia. Representatives from three architectural firms and two engineering firms judged the submission. Alexandra Harris, the Library’s capital program director, accepted the award at a ceremony Nov. 20 2003, in Vancouver, B.C. The award is a miniature steel representation of the library structure.

AMO in Russia

2005-11-02T08:01:00.001-08:00

OMA's think tank AMO has been invited to take a close look at the exhibition policy of The Hermitage in Saint-Petersburg. Objective: How can the museum with one of the largest art collections in the world improve exhibition possibilities. Much of the treasures are in stock, never shown. Branches in London and Amsterdam have been opened recently, but the question is, how to use the existing building in a better manner. Rem Koolhaas and Michail Piotrovsky, the director of the Hermitage signed an agreement for this assignment.

The involved parties hope to find funding for this multi-million Euro research project in both Russia and the Netherlands.

"Hermitage" comes from the French "L'Ermitage", the place where the hermit lives.
The time of exposure to the world has arrived!

OMA One of 30 Dutch Firms Involved in China's Building Boom

2005-10-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

OMA's design for the headoffice of Central Chinese State Television, CCTV.

Delft Blue is wanted in China (where it hails from anyway, there's nothing like going home), but architects have to follow authorities' guidelines.

Influenced by the Olympics which will take place in Being in 2008, China is experiencing a building boom. Skyscrapers appear where bulldozers have taken down what's no longer wanted. Half of the world's yearly production of concrete and one third of the steel production is used to raise whole new cities. Delft Blue facades, tulip decorations, copies of Dutch isles and wetlands, it all goes.

"Fast" is the motto. Fast design, speedy delivery. Dutch style is popular, but style does not equal Dutch Design. Not all architects want to submit to the ruling authorities. Others take on the challenge to stay true to their own ideas, while catering to the client.

Until November 26, Dutch Architects in Booming China, an exhibit at Arcam, Prins Hendrikkade 600, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Open Tue - Sat 1-5 PM.
Book with same title, in English and Chinese, available at Arcam, online and in some specialty bookstores ISBN: 90-7686-331-8 Published by Arcam in: 2005 € 29,50

OMA Designs for PCM 3 Major Newsrooms Under One Roof

2005-10-05T06:45:00.001-07:00

In my interpretation of the latest news from OMA, Floris Alkemade, the principle architect on the PCM account, plays with language. Words materialized. Three major newspapers, De Volkskrant, Trouw and NRC will find a new home in a giant column on the outskirts of Amsterdam. A pillar, the perfect metaphor --extended conceit-- for newspaper journalists. In Dutch "pillar" is often used to describe the political or religious affiliation of the different media.

The base or pedestal will house public spaces: a book store, a cafe where journalists will meet, media meeting rooms and lobbies where students, who live in the neighborhood, can get together. A floor with a low threshold, bringing in the community. A classic column, including fluted grooves (cannula), the "pillar" of the media will house the offices of PCM, the umbrella corporation. Transparency and daylight will be important. But the choice of materials hasn't been made. The architrave or head of the column will house the editorial offices. In the existing offices of De Volkskrant, journalists closed the blinds, trying to keep the light out. The people in the news room want a certain amount of seclution, while interaction remains crucial.

A Tour Guide's Take on Seattle Central Public Library

2005-09-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

My aim is to fill in the stories between opening day in May 2004 and now. So keep checking, there will be more, in the future, about the past.

Museum Plaza in Louisville, Kentucky

2005-08-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

At times I find myself calling Seattle Central Library a museum. A museum of modern architecture, of engineering science, of library art (the old catalogue cards are still in use, but look like artifacts), of rare books, of interior design, there are numerous reasons why I would make such a Freudian slip.

In Louisville, smart folks invited OMA to design a Museum Plaza. Beside a new museum, the building —which of course will be a work of art in itself— will house condominiums as well. Can't wait to see it. I wonder what slips the tour guides there will make. Joshua Prince Ramus, who heads the N.Y. office of OMA and was the hard hatted architect on site at Central SPL, will be the principle architect, responsible for the design.

OMA's City of Youth

2005-08-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

OMA goes to Roma. Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon will design a center for people under 30. An ancient market place, Mercati Generali, located close to the Forum and the Colloseum is the first historical part of town which will be renovated respecting the past. Innovative new structures will be combined with the existing architecture. In this center of 243.000 m2, shopping and entertainment will be combined. Gyms, discos, shops and theaters all surrounding a central plaza. Projected opening date is in 2008.

Washington State Quarter Design

2005-07-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

When Governor Gregoire invited the citizens to submit a design for the new State Quarter in 100 words, I did my part.

The government counts in a different way than the People. The first time I entered my 100 words, I got the message: under 100 words please. I tried three times, editing, editing, editing. Finally bingo. 69 words according to my computer. Does make you think about other cuts, doesn't it?

This is what I entered (quoted words are for text on quarter):

"Washington 1889"
Outline state. Border Canada = mountain range horizon, Mount St. Helens
Smith Tower, landmark past, evergreen trees.
Airplane. Flying salmon. Computer chips.
SCPL (Seattle Central Public Library), landmark present and future in foreground.
"Washington Evergreen State".

Justification: Diamond shaped steel and glass grid lends itself well for graphic design. Building's inside/ outside effect honors surrounding city scape, and views of Evergreen State. Library harbors tools of wisdom and IS teaching took in itself.

A Different View

2004-06-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Take the red steps up from the N.E. corner of the Norcliff Foundation Living Room (level #3) to the Meeting Room Level. Turn left at the top of the stairs. You'll see the glass wall, which permits view of Living Room and Glass and Steel Curtain Wall. Each time I make that turn, I'm reminded of late 1960's fabric design.

From the Meeting Room level you can see the Lensveld bookcases (with Plexiglas® sides and tops, Rem's touch to the Dutch manufactured shelves) fanned out across the botanical carpet designs by Petra Blaise on the Living Room floor.
"Different leaves from the designer's notebook." I will tell people who take my tours.

Blogspot Template

2004-06-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

A chartreuse line, a shimmering of light. This prefab template is most suitable. A reference to the color of movement in the Seattle Central Public Library. I'll be wearing a touch of chartreuse during my tours. Telling our patrons, "If I move, you move too."