The Architecture Post Behind the Scenes

An introduction to Archaeology of the Digital, an exhibition curated by Greg Lynn at CCA, Montreal

In this video hosted by The London Real, Dr Rachel Armstrong, the co-director of AVATAR (for Advanced Virtual and Technological Architectural Research), talks about her concept of Living Architecture and why she believes it can prevent the sinking of Venice, how she is designing an interstellar "worldship" with Project Persephone, and why her favourite place is in the laboratory.

The new issue of Architectural Design is guest-edited by Pia Ednie-Brown, Mark Burry and Andrew Burrow. The topic is The Innovation Imperative: Architectures of Vitality. In this issue, the guest-editors examine concepts of innovation, emergence, and architecture as a collective practice in this time of processes cultural, financial and social shifts, to quote editor-in-chief Helen Castle. Five articles (before having my copy) capture my attention:

Becoming Architectural: Affirmative Critique, Creative Incompletion | Brian Massumi

Strange Vitality: The Transversal Architectures of MOS and New Territories/R&Sie(n) | Pia Ednie-Brown

bioMASON and the Speculative Engagements of Biotechnical Architecture | Pia Ednie-Brown

The Evolutionary Dynamics of Sentience in Cities | Michael Weinstock

and finally,

Architecture, Innovation and Tradition | Antoine Picon

This new issue will be available (if not yet) in your local bookstore…

by Rem Koolhaas

Source:

This map shows the number of travelers putting their ticket into the automatic barrier in a given Parisian metro station.

[En]coding Architecture, at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg Pennsylvinia, on February 2013 will discuss new forms of architecture, new modes of representation, new forms of fabrication, within the context of tectonics, cultural philosophy, architectural theory and geopolitics.

The architect is no longer an organizer of matter and space, but a designer of systems with multi-layered components and increasingly complex relationships. [En]Coding Architecture 2013 invites rising superstars, experienced researchers and designers to present experimental work derived through computational thinking and digital making. [En]Coding Architecture 2013 positions the field as an alloy of programming, digital tooling, art and science.

Speakers:

Sanford Kwinter, Harvard GSD

Eric Goldemberg, MONAD, FIU School of Architecture

Daniel Shiffman, NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Lars Lerup, RICE School of Architecture

Sean Ahlquist, Taubman College, University of Michigan

Warren Neidich, Delft School of Design, TU Delft School of Architecture

Neil Leach, University of Southern California

Wes McGee, Taubman College, University of Michigan

Niccolo Casas, Bartlett School of Architecture, Academia Di Belle Arti Di Bologna (tbc)

A series of workshops will be organized with Daniel Schiffman on The Nature of Code and Wes McGee on Robots in Architecture.

Submission in the following fields are encouraged:

Material Morphology and Code

Tooling

Interaction | Human Computer Interface | Behavior

Augmented Construction | Architectural Robots in the Built Environment

Data | Architecture as Geopolitical Act

The new Pathology of Architecture | Indulging Opulence | Flesh

Submission should be sent before January 8th, 2013. Full projects due: January 31th 2013.

Grand Paris Public Transportation | Infographics © Le Monde

This map is the provisional map of the Grand Paris Express, (GPE), or Express Greater Paris, one of the most impressive — at least as it has been announced — project to regenerate Paris Metropolitan Area (PMA) that suffers from a fundamental traffic congestion. This project aims at reducing traffic congestion issues with the development of 150-kilometer rapid-transit lines to re-connect peri-urban, suburban areas to each other and to the center of Paris and to increase public transportation capacity in the PMA.

Its construction is announced by 2025.

The Crab House, a project by Ai Weiwei

On January 11, 2011, Ai Weiwei's Crab House faced demolition for obscure reasons, including building's right and land permits. This demolition included artist Ding Yi's studio for the same reasons. Ai Weiwei filmed demolition in stages including discussion with local authorities, Police's intervention. As Culture Leaks wrote, early in 2008, Ai Weiwei was invited to build a studio, named The Crab House, in Malu township, by the district government of Jiading, Shanghai as efforts in developing the town's cultural assets.

Something Fresh but odd! Where? Paris. What? A inflatable doughnut. No! A bridge, in white.

Paris-based Atelier Zündel Cristea just unveiled their proposal for a new bridge. The idea behind this trampoline-cum-bridge is,

[T]o invite [Paris's] visitors and inhabitants to engage on a newer and more playful path across this same water.

The bridge will be near the Bir-Hakeim bridge. Unlike the existed 37 Parisian bridges, this structure will be

equipped with giant trampolines, dedicated to the joyful release from gravity as one bounces above the river.

(…) [I]t is formed of inflatable modules, like giant life-preservers, 30 meters in diameter. In the central part of each ring, a trampoline mesh is stretched. The floating buoys, fabricated in PVC membrane, are attached together by cord to form a stable and self-supporting ensemble. Each module under tension — filled with 3700 cubic meters of air — develops in space with an arch-like form

Who's Who?

Atelier Zündel Cristea is co-founded in 2001 by Irina Cristea and Grégoire Zündel.

Video-interview: studioWOK | Itinerant Office

The Video is part of the video series New Generations: Three Approaches to Architecture in Times of Crisis - studioWOK.

The last one by this Itinerant Office is this video interview of studioWOK, a young practice founded in 2009. This agency, composed of Marcello Bondavalli, Nicola Brenna and Carlo Alberto Tagliabue, deals with sustainability, housing and public space quality.

studioWOK participates in numerous competitions in Italy and abroad. They received awards and mentions in parallel and works on private and public projects between Milan and Verona

Video-interview of Snark Space Making | Itinerant Office

A video part of a video series named New Generation - Three Approaches to Architecture in Times of Crisis, launched by Itinerant Office.

Snark Space Making is an interdisciplinary collective based in Milan. This agency is composed of architects, urban planners, geographers, semiologists, economists and journalists. This collective deals with the design of the public dimension and pays particular attention to the social role played by mobile communication realm, on both a S and XL scale, designing tools and policies, services and processes.

A pixelated building for a residence hall and hostel designed by Japanese Atelier Bow Wow in association with Huber Rössler Architekten.

It announced that this 2100-square-meter and six-storey building will home 265 students.

Its construction will start by 2013.

Source: Mapolis

Images originally appeared on Mapolis, Muenchen Architektur, Competitionline.