In November of 2012 Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is selected from 46 submissions by the jury of architects and experts as the winner of the international completion for a New National Stadium for Japan. The venue is to last the next 50-100 years and that it would host the 2019 Rugby World Cup as its first event, then the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics if Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games.

This past July 2015 the National Stadium and ZHA experienced many new announcements, as you might expect, including: The New National Stadium Advisory Committee ministers approving the design and budget of the stadium; Prime Minister Abe announcing his commitment to building the stadium designed by ZHA; The Japanese Government deciding to scrap everything and start over.

The original stadium proposal is both admired and polarizing. The noise generated by architectural notables is worth noting: Tadao Ando, a 1995 Pritzker winner, chairman of the competition selection panel said of the winner: “The entry’s dynamic and futuristic design embodies the messages Japan would like to convey to the rest of the world.” He added: “I believe this stadium will become a shrine for world sport for the next 100 years.”

But there are equally notable detractors, 2013 Pritzker winner Toyo Ito and prominent Japanese architect Arata Isozaki saying it reminded him of a turtle. Another likened the proposal to another kind of animal.

“Why do we need this white elephant?” said Fumihiko Maki, a 1993 Pritzker winner. “Tokyo is not a zoo.”

There was additional noise that the winner of the National Stadium was not from Japan. But the finalists were in fact well-vetted: The Japan Sport Council, owner of the Kasumigaoka National Stadium, selected a total of 11 out of the 46 entries for the international design competition to update and remodel the venue in preparation for Tokyo’s Olympic and Paralympic Bid and the IRB 2019 Rugby World Cup. The 11 finalists were renown offices from Australia (1), France (1), Germany (1), Great britain (2), Japan (4), Netherlands (1), and Turkey (1).

Arguably, a most compelling bad vibe was the estimated 2020 finished product $2 billion price tag, supposedly even after a redesign in 2014 by ZHA.

The Tokyo stadium faces another challenge: It must avoid becoming an economic burden by carving out a life as a sports resource long after closing ceremonies. The most recent example is the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 London Olympics. On 1 March 2014, the centre was opened to the public. Architect of record: ZHA.




So here we are today in late August 2015, with ZHA submitting a thorough revisiting of the project brief, which correctly asks for an 80,000 seat solution to sit on a tight parcel of urban real estate. The architect affirms the price-tag problem is not the design but the non-competitive bidding process and inflationary economy that is Japan at this point in time.




Admittedly, I had concerns with this concept in this venue at first glance. Will the stadium encroach on the nearby historic Meiji Shrine, built in central Tokyo in the early 20th century to commemorate Emperor Meiji. The arena will occupy part of the shrine’s outer gardens, which preservationists say leaving no breathing space and raising traffic and safety concerns.

above> the original national stadium that hosted the 1964 olympics is the oval in the red plot – seating capacity 55,000. below> the new seating bowl with and w/o roof exoskeleton – seating 80,000.

Let’s consider everyone craving an efficient and smart solution, which in fact may be sitting dead center right in front of them. The concept sketches draw much more attention to the building than what will really be. And the façade where the structure is not only expressed but inhabited. A series of diagonal stairways and elevated walkways are developed into the envelope of the stadium that function as a stadium on event days and other days it’s an extension of the pedestrian landscape of the Gainen area, allowing extended walks and elevated views over Tokyo.



above> a pedestrian landscape of the Gainen area, allowing extended walks and elevated views over Tokyo. below> carving out a life as a destination for many interests, a rock concert for example, long after closing ceremonies.

Hence, the more I understand the proposed solution, understand the considerable change the new speaks to the old, there is much more right than wrong. The proposal is worth another look.

Lest we forget, the brief also asks for a 50-plus-year lifespan at minimum. Who can’t envision the future landscape shift around this building – because of this building. We’ve learned the new and significant speaks to future ambitions.

Official ZHA Statement> [ zha / new national stadium report august 201 ] outline in detail the unique design for the New National Stadium which has been developed over two years to be the most compact and efficient stadium for this very special location in Tokyo. Zaha Hadid Architects welcomes a new contractor bidding process for the New National Stadium to reduce costs and ensure value for money in terms of quality, durability and long-term sustainability.

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and our Japanese partners, the New National Stadium contains all the knowledge and expertise gained from the team’s direct experience of other Olympic, World Cup and World Championship stadia. The substantial investment in time, effort and resources already made by the Government and people of Japan into the existing team over the past two years ensures the New National Stadium can be completed in time to welcome the world to Japan in 2019 ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and become a new home for sport for many future generations of Japan’s athletes, sportsmen and women.

[ prologue ]
September 2011> Tokyo submits their bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo are later shortlisted.

November 2012> Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) was selected from 46 submissions by the jury of architects and experts as the winner of the international competition for a New National Stadium for Japan to last the next 50-100 years and that would host the 2019 Rugby World Cup as its first event, then the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics if Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games.

September 2013> International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Tokyo as the host city of the 2020 Olympic Games.

June 2014> ZHA submits a redesign responding to new budgetary restraints. The modifications include downsizing (the 80,000 seat capacity remained the same), a lower profile and lighter and sustainable materials.

Spring 2015> The old stadium which hosted the 1964 Olympic Games was demolished. (Surveys of the old stadium had found the original 1958 structure in considerable disrepair. Simply to meet current seismic and safety codes would have required an investment of at 100 billion yen alone. Further investment was also required for improvements to the facilities for athletes, spectator sight-lines and amenities, and to increase capacity from 55,000 to 80,000.)

7 July 2015> The New National Stadium Advisory Committee ministers approves the design and budget of the stadium.

10 July 2015> Prime Minister Abe announced his commitment to building the stadium design by ZHA.

17 July 2015> The Japanese Government decides to go back to the start on the New National Stadium.

25 August 2015> ZHA / New National Stadium Report August 2015 is submitted.

[ new national stadium video presentation ] [ zha / new national stadium report august 201 ]

above> zaha hadid | photo steve double

British architect Zaha Hadid is the first woman to earn in her own right the Royal Gold Medal for architecture. The medal, approved by the Queen and awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), has been the harborage of men since 1848, although women have shared the prize with others on a handful of occasions. Previous winners include IM Pei (2010), Frank Gehry (2000), Norman Foster (1983), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1959), Le Corbusier (1953), Eliel Saarinen (1950), Frank Lloyd Wright (1941) and George Gilbert Scott (1859)

Zaha Hadid is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary experimentation and research in the fields of architecture, design and urbanism.

RIBA President and chair of the selection committee, Jane Duncan, said: “Zaha Hadid is a formidable and globally-influential force in architecture. Highly experimental, rigorous and exacting, her work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, is quite rightly revered and desired by brands and people all around the world. I am delighted Zaha will be awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 2016 and can’t wait to see what she and her practice will do next.”

Zaha Hadid said: “I am very proud to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal, in particular, to be the first woman to receive the honour in her own right. I would like to thank Peter Cook, Louisa Hutton and David Chipperfield for the nomination and Jane Duncan and the Honours Committee for their support. We now see more established female architects all the time. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the challenges are immense. There has been tremendous change over recent years and we will continue this progress. This recognition is an honour for me and my practice, but equally, for all our clients. It is always exciting to collaborate with those who have great civic pride and vision. Part of architecture’s job is to make people feel good in the spaces where we live, go to school or where we work – so we must be committed to raising standards. Housing, schools and other vital public buildings have always been based on the concept of minimal existence – that shouldn’t be the case today. Architects now have the skills and tools to address these critical issues.”

serpentine sackler gallery | photo luke hayes

Born in Baghdad in 1950, Zaha Hadid started her architectural journey in 1972 studying at the progressive Architectural Association in London. She joined her former professors, Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam, where she became a partner in 1977. By 1979 she had established her own practice in London – Zaha Hadid Architects – garnering a reputation across the world for her trail-blazing theoretical works including The Peak in Hong Kong (1983), the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin (1986) and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994).

Working with office partner Patrik Schumacher, Hadid’s interest is in the interface between architecture, landscape, and geology; which her practice integrates with the use of cutting-edge technologies – the result is often unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

Hadid’s first major built commission, one that catapulted her rise, was the Vitra Fire Station in Weil Am Rhein, Germany (1993); subsequent notable projects including the MAXXI: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome (2009), the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games (2011) and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku (2013) illustrate her quest for complex, fluid space. Buildings such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (2003) and the Guangzhou Opera House in China (2010) have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our ideas of the future with new spatial concepts and dynamic, visionary forms.

pierresvives | montpllier | photo helene binet

In 2004 Zaha Hadid became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She has twice won the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, the RIBA Stirling Prize: in 2010 for the MAXXI Museum in Rome, a building for the staging of 21st Century art, the distillation of years of experimentation, a mature piece of architecture conveying a calmness that belies the complexities of its form and organisation; and the Evelyn Grace Academy, a unique design, expertly inserted into an extremely tight site, that shows the students, staff and local residents they are valued and celebrates the school’s specialism throughout its fabric, with views of student participation at every turn.

Zaha Hadid’s other awards include the Republic of France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Japan’s Praemium Imperiale and in 2012, Zaha Hadid was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was made Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture.

Zaha has held various adademic roles including the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; the Sullivan Chair at the University of Illinois, School of Architecture; guest professorships at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg; the Knolton School of Architecture, Ohio and the Masters Studio at Columbia University, New York; the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

The Royal Medal comes at a good time for Hadid. In July 2015, her proposed National Stadium for the 2020 Games in Tokyo was renounced by the Japanese government at the 11 1/2 hour. We’re also reminded of a similar fate for the Cardiff Bay Opera House, Cardiff, Wales, 1995. Of interested she won both design competitions for these projects. However, virtue was rewarded in 2010. Using the designs for the Cardiff Bay Opera House on the Guangzhou Opera House, the opera house is now credited with transforming a Chinese city with a population more than four times the size of Wales into a cultural capital. [ zha ]

It’s hard to believe that 2015 is the launch date of the first Chicago Architecture Biennial. With so many major worldwide architecture & design events going on and with Chicago’s architectural heritage being one of the richest in the world, this event will serve as the epitome of ‘it’s never too late.’ We talked to the biennial’s resourceful, Michelle Boone, Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), after an exhilarant, worldwide audience filled, first press event. Many would say she’s 100% responsible for this inaugural happening.

[DesignApplause] What’s the genesis of the Chicago Architecture Biennal? How far back does it go?
[Michelle Boone] I was appointed by Mayor Emanuel in 2011, and I would say probably that second week of my tenure I got a call from the mayor wanting to work towards identifying a new platform, a major platform to convene the world and celebrate one of Chicago’s multiple assets. And very quickly through the process of working on the Chicago Cultural plan released in 2012, we landed on architecture. That while we had great organizations like the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and others that were doing their part to introduce visitors to Chicago institutions and Chicago Architecture history, the city itself had done very little to really promote architecture. We had great music festivals, engaging theatre programs and grant programs in support of individual artists, but as an agency very little for architecture, one of the city’s cultural strengths. And professions! I mean, just the sector of architecture as a creative industry is really important to the city. So we began to explore and look at biennials and exhibitions around the world.

[DA] And what year was this?
[MB] 2012. We went to Venice, the granddaddy of them all and met with those folks and they were very encouraging. And you know, they were shocked and surprised when we told them Chicago wasn’t doing a biennial. Every time we spoke to someone outside of the city, we heard that over and over. Through this process and along with our very encouraging and supportive local architecture community we’re here today kicking off our biennial. Looking back it was very easy in the beginning pulling the pieces together, but then we had to do the hard work of pulling everything together.

[DA] To summarize, how long has it taken to get to today?
[MB] We’ve been working on it for three years, in different iterations. The exploration, research, the ideas started back in 2012. I think Sarah (Herda, executive director of the Graham Foundation) coming on board, and really starting to massage the artistic vision for the biennial probably started in late 2013. So, yes, I think the work that she and Joseph (Grima, an architect and writer who co-curated the 2012 Istanbul design biennial) have been engaged in has been at least 18-24 months for sure.

[DA] Venice started in the 80s. The experts say you have 10 years, and with the biennial occurring every-other year, that’s 20 years. Are you going to hang in there?
[MB] Well, the Biennial will hang in there (laughing) I don’t know if it needs me to hang in there all that time. What’s very important, we started right from the beginning establishing the Chicago Architecture Biennial as an organization, an independent non-profit to ensure the sustainability of the event. It’s not dependent on me being here at the city of Chicago, or Mayor Emanuel being here, but that the organization will build the institutional intrastructure to be able to carry this on.

[DA] You’ve been able to see all the installations, can you point me to one or two?
[MB] There are a lot of cool things here and one of the coolest to me is the installation with spider webs, so the spider as architect (Tomas Saraceno, Berlin) is pretty interesting to see.

above> – click image for slide show; Tomas Saraceno, Berlin – When entering into Saraceno’s installation, a visitor’s perception is reoriented in a darkened environment dotted with glowing sculptures that are articulated in silvery spider silk. Formed of complex interwoven geometries suspended in air, each piece appears as a unique galaxy floating within an expansive, infinite landscape. The work’s titles reveal the technical basis for each sculptural element, like the genus and species of the spider collaborators and the amount of time needed to construct their webs – one four months. During the building period of a sculpture, each cube is turned onto its different sides, dislodging gravity and interweaving concepts of freedom of control within the work.

[DA] Anything else you wish to say?
[MB] It’s free! One unique thing about our biennial in comparison to some of the others around the world, is that all of the works are free and accessible.

[DA] How did the largest architecture and design festival ever to be held in North America press conference go?

The [ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] launches 3 October 2015, and will run through 3 January 3 2016. @chicagobiennial @grahamfound

above> looking east towards lake michigan, orleans street bridge in foreground

last january 2014, mayor rahm emanuel gave notice that he envisions big plans for the chicago river. the news included continued development on the chicago river walk project and evening lighting concepts along the walk and the bridges.

below > rendering of mayor rahm emanuel’s proposed city lights competition in chicago | looking west, dearborn street bridge in foreground | city of chicago

below> june 2015, two new sections of the riverwalk opened to the public: the river theater between clark and lasalle streets | loop spy jennifer

october 2015, emanuel unveiled plans (the jetty) for the final six blocks of development along the chicago river’s main branch, from state street to lake street. this project, developed for the chicago department of transportation by sasaki in collaboration with ross barney architects and benesch engineers.

below > rendering of the jetty between wells and orleans streets | city of chicago

above> new apple flagship in the works on michigan avenue | renderings courtesy of chicago department of planning and development

november and december 2015 several big names feel drawn to the river – were they following river development the past 23 months? in november, apple announced a new flagship store, a glass pavilion with a michigan avenue street-level steps that spill down to the chicago river’s riverwalk. the architect for this project is london-based foster + partners. [ details ]

above> nike turned a barge on the chicago river into a floating gym

december 2015, nike, nearing the culmination of its month-long #GetOutHere social media campaign urging followers to exercise outdoors during the winter, turned a barge on the chicago river into a floating gym. it’s important to keep in mind, this is a first, a major brand, heck any brand, using a barge ON the river, if only for a week, for the purpose of promoting their business.

worth mentioning, nike started planning a single national #getouthere event more than six months ago. chicago was selected as the location for this december event, per jim beeman, a nike vice president. “we always hold that chicago has some of the hardiest athletes in the world when it comes to battling the elements,” he said.

sadly, a very smart man, robert boudreau didn’t take into account that docking up on the river requires the usual red tape one might imagine. going back to september 2015, when the chicago architecture biennial was launching, boudreau, in 1974, wanting to build a 200 foot floating ‘outdoor concert hall’, was smart enough to hire esteemed philadelphia architect louis kahn to design it. he also was smart enough to ask the city of chicago if he could host concerts on the river walk in front of the steps of the river theatre during the opening week of the biennial. he asked the city just several days notice. a real shame it didn’t happen. [ details ]

anyway, floating a pop-up on the river is a no-brainer. please allow for the red tape.

below> point counterpoint ii | louis kahn

we’re reaching out to you directly > if you’re showing your work during #mdw16 and wish to be considered in our milan coverage, please submit your press materials. submit regardless of the event you’re participating in: brera, fiera, spazio rossana orlandi, salonesatellite, superstudio, ventura lambrate, zona tortona, or anywhere else in milan.

provide as many images as you feel tells your story in high resolution jpg format crediting (designer, object, brand, project and photographer, etc.) also include your story, a press release in pdf format (project description, you, your brand, team, etc.) send your submissions and include in the subject – milan design week 2016 – your project name. though this is not a competition, our team will curate and post select submissions. designapplause has a dropbox entryway if needed.

the deadline for submissions for publication last week of april is 06 april 2016.
if you wish to post a preview of your work prior to design week, please submit your materials no later than 03 april 2016.

thank you. DesignApplause [ questions / submissions ] [ milan design week 2016 ]

[ below> marni ballhaus ]

[ below> poltrona frau group presents // embroidery chair | johan lindsten | cappellini | 2016 ]

below> the city event linked directly to the salone del mobile.milano will be space&interiors, organized by tmade expo at the mall porta nuova – brera design district: a display of surfaces, flooring, doors and interior finishings curated migliore+servetto architects.

below> luceplan celebrates the first 30 years of the iconic costanza.

below> [ emu ] introduces three new collections.

the new packaging for the entire coca-cola trademark will feature the brand’s signature red disc. the graphic visually unifies coke, diet coke, coke zero and coca-cola life. the new design will hit shelves in mexico the first week of may and then roll out globally throughout 2016 and 2017. packaging changes won’t come to the u.s. until at least next year.

coca-cola’s one brand strategy

a remarkable revelation by global icon after all these years, the changes, announced at an event on 18 april 2016, in mexico, represent an historic shift for the company. “the unification of the brands through design marks the first time in our 130-year history that the iconic coca-cola visual identity has been shared across products in such a prominent way,” said james sommerville, coca-cola’s vp-global design, in a statement.

“packaging is our most visible and valuable asset,” said marcos de quinto, chief marketing officer at coca-cola, in a statement. “the coca-cola red disc has become a signature element of the brand, synonymous with great taste, uplift and refreshment. by applying it to our packaging in such a bold way, we are taking the next step towards full adoption of the ‘one brand’ strategy, uniting the coca-cola family under one visual identity and making it even easier for consumers to choose their coca-cola with or without calories, with or without caffeine.”

two packaging designs

introduced a year ago (march 2015) –- participating markets will launch one of two packaging design approaches. the first, “monocolor” (pictured above), features single-colored packaging for each brand and a horizontal typography that visually connects packs when lined up side by side on the shelf or in a cooler. this design will be launched in 11 markets in the northwest europe and nordics region including: finland, iceland, great britain, ireland, france, denmark, norway, sweden, belgium, the netherlands and luxembourg.

the “split” design (pictured below), which will launch in spain, sports a horizontally divided look, with coke red appearing above the horizontal ribbon on every pack, and the variant’s signature color appearing below.

what’s the history of the coca-cola red disc?

it was first introduced in the 1930s on hand-painted coca-cola advertising. over the years, it became synonymous with great taste, uplift and refreshment. in 1947, the creative director at d’arcy advertising, archie lee, purified and systemized the red disc used then for retail signage to signify that real coca-cola was sold there. the disc, therefore, became the inspiration for our approach to the “taste the feeling” campaign signature that we introduced in january, and now these new packaging designs also communicate that coca-cola, any coca-cola is the real thing.

what’s gonna happen to the coke stripe ?

the stripe gave design a good hook to draw upon. a favorite below by chinese designer jonathan mak is his [ sharing a coke ]

[ thinking behind the design ] [ one brand strategy ] messing with good design fraught with mixed emotion.

on view through 14 august 2016.

fashion lures architecture and design to the metropolitan museum of art’s costume institute spring 2016 exhibition, manus x machina: fashion in an age of technology. the exhibition explores how designers are reconciling the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear. manus x machina features over 170 garments, diverse in their designers, techniques and details.

the credits
manus x machina is organized by andrew bolton, curator in charge of the metropolitan museum of art’s costume institute. shohei shigematsu, director of oma new york, led the design of the exhibition in collaboration with the design department (amo) of oma new york.

the architecture
from the architect> the exhibition is presented in the robert lehman wing, a double-height, octagonal addition on the museum’s central axis constructed in 1975. in order to preserve access to the permanent galleries, the exhibition space is located in the lehman wing’s central atrium and corridors. the space posed a number of unique environmental challenges for the costume institute’s show: excessive daylighting unconducive to textile exhibition, split levels, a corridor condition lacking dedicated display walls and an eclectic material palette.

a white, translucent volume was inserted into the existing brick and stone corridors of the lehman wing, softening its hard geometries. echoing the sectional relationship of a central clerestory and perimeter naves, the resulting ghost cathedral resonates with the classical language of the adjacent medieval art gallery. a raised platform built across the double height atrium provides continuous circulation and a 2,300 square foot central gallery– an unprecedented intervention in the lehman wing. upon arrival, this domed clerestory orients visitor’s with a 2014 chanel wedding dress by karl lagerfeld that embodies the exhibition’s theme. details of the 20-foot train’s baroque pattern are projected on the dome’s black out scrim, recalling the sistine chapel. four chapel-style pochés provide an area to focus on case studies.

exhibition designer shohei shigematsu commented, “the diverse range of garments required a neutral, integrated environment to focus on the pairings of manual and mechanical processes. an armature of scaffolding wrapped with a translucent fabric introduces a unique temporality within a historic institution.”

as a high-performance theatrical scrim, the perforated membrane material of the ghost cathedral offers the tensile flexibility required for the dome geometries as well as varying degrees of transparency. when lit from the front, the scrim appears opaque enough to function as a projection backdrop for garment details. lit from behind, the scrim appears transparent, exposing a sense of the lehman wing’s existing material palette and language. the unexpected spatial depth of the scrim allows for visual connections to the wedding dress from all quadrants of the lehman wing, while also revealing silhouettes of the temporary scaffolding framework housed within. in the lower level, scrim enfilades provide a permeable divider for each technique. as an integrated system for lighting, signage and projection, the scrim seamlessly serves multiple curation needs that would otherwise rely on overpowering media screens.

technical information
manus x machina: fashion in an age of technology
location: new york city usa
year: 2016
status: completed (commissioned 2015 / completion may 2016)
program: 18,300 sf exhibition
scrim surface area: 23,000 sf
architect: oma
lead architect: shohei shigematsu / oma nyc
team: scott abrahams, wesley ho, nicholas solakian, sergio zapata, daniel rauchwerger, lawrence siu, darby foreman, matthew haseltine, christine noblejas
engineering: arup
lighting: dot dash
media: 3 legged dog
membrane: newmat
scaffolding: ubs
masonry: cw keller
photography: albert večerka

the fashion
andrew bolton’s brilliant new exhibition at the metropolitan museum of art’s costume institute – the costume institute began as the museum of costume art in 1937, merged with the met in 1946, and reopened its space as the anna wintour costume centre in may 2014 – explores the relationship between the handmade and the mechanized in fashion. bolton’s vision pays homage to craftsmanship, innovation and the role designers play in the creative process.

the show’s galleries are divided into tenets of design outlined in diderot’s 1751 encyclopedia: embroidery, featherwork, artificial flowers, lacework, leatherwork, pleating, tailoring, and dressmaking. another interesting counterpoint emerges: haute couture versus prêt-à-porter.

alber elbaz succinctly explained why “manus x machina” is so important at a lecture prior to the opening: “it was almost an exhibition that was done for designers and with designers’ work. it was about workmanship, about know-how, about time, and the one thing that impressed me the most was that it was almost silent. . . . please go and see it.”

this is an exhibition for true fashion lovers.

manus x machina

left-right> hubert de givenchy / 1966-67 haute couture // yves saint laurent / autumn-winter 1969-70 haute couture // iris van herpen / autumn-winter 2013-14 haute couture // cristobal balenciaga / house of balenciago / autumn-winter 1965-66 haute couture

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above> patricia uriquiola and patrizia moroso at luminaire’s women in design event

designapplause talks to patrizia moroso prior to her special chat women in design: patrizia moroso & patricia uriquiola with spanish architect and designer patricia uriquiola at luminaire’s chicago showroom. moroso is an italian furniture company founded by patrizia moroso’s parents in 1952, and it is still a family company. today the company is headed by the second generation of the moroso family- roberto, the ceo, and patrizia, the art director. patrizia gives us a good glimpse why building close relationships with designers and architects is so important to her.

the story of moroso is about adopting a different approach to the market. it’s a story told by their designs and projects, by people, the protagonists of contemporary living, who tell of their genuine, spontaneous passion for beauty, emotion, design and art.

moroso says what sets her company apart is the amount of time and effort it puts in to make sure the unique character of each designer’s concept is captured in the finished product. “we talk a lot with the designer to try to give identity to the objects,” she explains. “we try to understand what is the personality and the identity of that thing.”

[designapplause] what is the most rewarding aspect of your job? was this realization a surprise?
[patrizia moroso] what i love about my job is the possibility to make things and collaborate with the brightest minds i know. it’s a fantastic opportunity for your life to be enriched by these special people and to realize something with them is simply wonderful. these people bring talent, ideas and like patricia (uriquiola) a friendship.

[da] have you enriched your life by selecting such a high quality of talent?
[pm] ha! yes. you know everyone is influenced by their beginnings, and my beginning was with very special people and different from the mainstream of design. i started working in the family company, an established company (in the 50s) and simply a daughter coming back from the university. but my roots in the family business started early for me, a young child where i spent much of my time playing with fabric and wood as toys.

above>plana – massimo losa ghini | 1987

at the university my courses were more creative in nature and i had ideas and my first collaboration was with a friend, massimo losa ghini, who was 22 at the time, but later became a very famous designer in italy and founded a movement called bolidismo and worked with the memphis group with ettore sottsass. soon after was ron arad and then toshiyuki kita.

above> suriyama island | toshiyuki kita | 1989

ron was the first to translate an incredibly strong design language and his work was basically art pieces for collectors and museums with the subject of the chair. and with us, it was the first time he created industrial objects and i feel very proud doing that. i was absolutely attracted by his talent and his congeniality. with toshiyuki, coming from japan, for us a completely different world with another kind of concept for the seat- maybe like sitting on a rock in the garden, a fantastic example of organic design. it seems that every designer i’ve made contact with are special talents that greatly influenced me.

[da] do you take risks selecting your talent?
[pm] creating something new is an elemental part of design. it makes no sense to just make another thing like the past. so yes, of course. taking risks is part of our job. and this is also the most exciting part the process.

[da] regarding creative pursuits, can you share what you feel is important?
[pm] the first thing is to know yourself. to have confidence in what you are creating, which is not very easy when you’re young. to also feel and communicate passion. and think about finding a good partner who reinforces your thinking.

if you want to do something and can’t find someone happy to make it for you, just do it yourself. do it yourself first and show that it’s possible. and the technology makes it possible to create your own work. in the end, the (industrial) designer has to have a partner in the industry.

for example, i remember in the 80s when i was crazy about all the young london designers, the manufacturing industries were not there. the then young designers, ron (arad), jasper (morrison) and tom dixon, their studios also had workshops so they could make things to propose to people. tom dixon, after trying many many times became a big success mass producing his own.

above> serpentine | tom dixon | 2003

when i first met patricia she presented models of baskets that she interpreted as furniture and she made all these models by hand. you see, when the designer presents more refined examples, more than a sketch or computer prints on paper, there’s a much better understanding of the project and designer. more recently, with front design like ron they also started designing for galleries and collectors and could also make things by themselves.

of course if the relationship is there, sometimes a sketch is enough. so you see in this example the importance of the relationship.

[da] a personal question about you. what do you feel are your most valuable assets you bring to your life’s passion? what are you blessed with. is it a talent or something learned?
[pm] i don’t know. i hope it is the value in the end of what we produce. it is the result of many good relations. i like to go around and see our work in a beautiful space, perfectly in harmony with the space and showing the value of the design. sometimes i go to a museum and see our work side by side with great pieces and i’m very proud. i also consider the life of a piece, if the work resists the change of time, resists the trends and is bigger than the last trend. of course every object does not have to be a masterpiece but the value a piece brings is very important.

[da] expanding on this question, is there something that people think is important but it’s not all that important?
[pm] ah yes, the ‘aesthetic’ for instance. you know i receive quite a bit of suggestions. most typically the younger talents focus on the aesthetic to try to keep my interest with some ‘ooh wow’ aesthetic attempts. but for me the aesthetic is absolutely the second step behind the concept because the concept is telling me why you did it.

[da] i recently judged a design show and the results were awful. a problem was the judges were given no criteria on what was important. was there innovation, was there a need fulfilled, were others talking about it. with design, after all the above is checked off what is the final criteria? is it good looking, how can a great solution not be beautiful. the aesthetic is pretty important here.
[pm] yes but for me the aesthetic is of course but it’s sort of of course. to understand why first, the concept, and then of course beauty because beauty is part of what we try to produce. and beauty is different for everyone in many different ways and takes a long time to fully appreciate.

[da] tonight you and particia will be chatting at luminaire regarding women in design. in 2009 you said there were many women design critics and journalists but few women designers. do you have a reason why? so today are things better?
[pm] let’s talk about gender differences. yes, there are many journalists and many are women, especially in italy. both genders are equally talented and accomplished it seems and i don’t see any gender difference. in the profession of design however there is some difference.

the people that i work with are all very confident and the dialog is easy and with many friendships. and there’s not a big gender difference regarding communication. but of course i find that the work between genders is usually a little different. the little details seem to be usually more important for women than for men.

above> victoria and albert | ron arad | 2000

for example, ron arad is really made of iron. his work is sculptural with a very strong gesture and (whoosh) in one second he designs something that has the beauty aesthetic we were just talking about. and he’s connecting this artwork with a craziness for functionality. a chair has to be comfortable and the shape determines comfortability. and if i wish something warmer and softer then metal and we arrive at felt because it’s smooth like metal. his shapes derive from cars, speed and architecture, but he’s not interested in some other the details.

above> tropicalia | patricia uriquiola | 2008

in contrast, patricia’s focus is on the little details. she’s interested in how we do a stitch, how to get a certain effect she wants. she’s not interested in the shape but the very detailed combinations of color and weaving and fabric. we wind up making custom fabrics to satisfy her vision. interestingly, with this kind of detail i find we arrive at a ‘total’ project of fabric determining softness, shape and functionality.

above> soft wood sofa | front design | 2010

for front design (anna lindgren and sofia lagerkvist) their focus is on illusion, it’s not a function but an idea. for instance their ‘soft wood’ bench concept is a fabric that looks like wood, an illusion that a magician might do. it’s fantastic because of the surprise.

[da] your emphasis on knowing why and your interest in the details reminds me that tomorrow i am spending the last day at neocon seeking out the design award winners. my intention is to ask them why their product won the award. what made it so good.
[pm] ah, to ask the people that won? a good question. let’s hope that they know.

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luminaire is more than a furniture showroom. it is an interactive design research center, a playground for the soul, an esplanade for discovery. more than anything else, however, it is a resource focused on creating environments that affect people’s lives.

above> objets nomades by louis vuitton

design miami/ 2016 will continue its dedication to offering an extensive program of special events, satellite projects, collaborations and commissions to complement the gallery exhibitions this year.

returning this year and continuing to explore the relationship between fashion and design are fendi and louis vuitton. fendi brings a decidedly conceptual, mobile interpretation of a vip room, the happy room, which references the italian brand’s heritage and workmanship. louis vuitton adds to its objets nomades collection with two striking new furniture pieces. airbnb will present sobremesa, a shared space inspired by the mexican tradition of lingering around a table after a meal, working with emerging mexico city-based design studio, pedro&juana. long-time collaborator audi presents the extra hour, by lego, inspired by the audi rs 7 piloted driving concept and focusing on the new kind of freedom and control over time and for the fifth year, maison perrier-jouët returns, this time working with andrew kudless and focusing on the notion of digital craftsmanship. compac, spain-based surface manufacturer collaborates with israeli designer arik levy on an installation inspired by frozen lakes, referencing features of quartz and marble.

above> photo courtesy of the architect’s newspaper

above> the 2016 design miami/ pavilion by new york-based shop architects is flotsam & jetsam, a lattice-like pavilion made from biodegradable bamboo filament. the concept ties together two qualities, one visually obvious beach, the other, miami seen as a center for creative thinking and technological. the installation is currently the world’s largest 3d object. a collaboration with fabrication firm branch technology and oak ridge national laboratory who, also using a biodegradable bamboo medium to create the 3d rendered seating.

collaborations/

design miami/ collaborates with institutions, partners and sponsors to present newly commissioned works of design at each fair. these collaborations take the shape of immersive installations, curated exhibitions and unique objects that celebrate design innovation and express keen enthusiasm for design patronage.

above> audi presents the extra hour by lego / inspired by the audi rs 7 piloted driving concept and focusing on the new kind of freedom and control over time that has come along with it. audi has commissioned installations by international designers and architects including bjarke ingels, reed kram, clemens weisshaar and konstantin grcic, thus underlining the brand’s commitment to fostering design culture. each of audi’s installations has highlighted key elements of audi’s technological advancements and married automotive design with the most current developments in different fields of design, urban planning and architecture.

above> dean & deluca, the legendary new york gourmet market and leading international purveyor of fine food, is partnering with one of the world’s most innovative architects, ole scheeren, to create a prototype of his design for a unique food retail concept titled stage. stage presents a glowing, pristine object in polished stainless steel with the undulating topography of a bespoke, high tech display system, created for the powerful celebration of the preparation and presentation of food.

stage will be located in the main exhibition tent of the design fair and will operate throughout the duration of the fair as its main and sole food partner.

above> airbnb presents sobremesa, a lively exploration of shared space, by pedro&juana, an emerging mexico city-based design studio founded by ana paula ruiz galindo and mecky reuss. sobremesa is the mexican tradition of sharing time and space lingering around the table after a meal in casual conversation; pedro&juana recreate the experience of sobremesa in a unique environment inspired by iconic mexican courtyard spaces. walking into the installation, visitors will feel transported to a space that is authentically connected to the designers’ home city through plants, interior design and local everyday objects. the sobremesa installation will change and evolve throughout the week to represent how shared spaces—like airbnb homes—become rich in experience, spirit, and memory as more and more people live and participate in them over time. the exhibition also features a program of meals, cocktails, music, and experiences at designated times throughout the week, activated by an array of diverse hosts selected by the designers.

above> courtesy of fendi / alberto zanetti

fendi presents the happy room, an inspired interpretation of a modular vip room. with a soft and rarefied tone, distinguished by simple volumes and rounded shapes, the happy room by cristina celestino suggests harmony and delicacy. numerous iconic elements, such as the distinctive arch of palazzo della civiltà italiana in rome, or the inlay of materials; drawing on the stylistic matrix of the fendi fur atelier, which is repeated within the collection through innovative techniques and the contrasting play of various types of marbles.

happy room will be located in the main exhibition tent.

curio/

this year part of curio, a design miami’s new exhibition platform, which invites designers, curators, innovators and gallerists to present cabinets of curiosity throughout the fair. each curio reveals a total environment of objects, textures, artifacts and ideas that challenges and contextualizes familiar design narratives.

above> patricia findlay presents atelier biagetti’s no sex

no sex in miami is the current episode of atelier biagetti’s exploration of contemporary life and goes deep into the human psyche to address the all-time greatest obsession: the idea of sex. first shown during milan design week 2016 curated by maria cristina didero, this time it is the ultimate environment for psychological confrontation, the therapist’s studio. the space itself contains all the expected elements, but the deceptively familiar surroundings are not innocently functional but rather tease the viewer, thus provoking new kinds of behavior around the perception of what sexy is, and around the idea of contemporary design.

galleries/

above> photo courtesy of friedman benda / adam reich

friedman benda returns to design miami with asymmetrical symmetry, two parallel room settings featuring the work of eleven contemporary designers. contrasts, opposites and asymmetries will illustrate the rich diversity and backgrounds of designers spanning four continents and four generations, while calling attention to the breadth and depth of each individual designer’s practice.

one room, a juxtaposition of non-traditional materials in a frenzy of vibrant colors and textures, marks friedman benda’s first collaboration with american artist chris schanck.this setting will feature a monumental contemporary dining table and mirror, and a new series of armchairs in schanck’s signature alufoil technique and will preview his first solo exhibition at friedman benda in september 2017. misha kahn, fresh from a working trip to south africa, will present the first in a new series of cabinets produced in swaziland made with woven grass, trash, car parts, and sea glass. the inclusion of the campana brothers’ bi-level marquetry table along with a pair of pink pirarucu armchairs, complete the room.

the second setting is an exploration of volumes, with furniture and objects in natural materials and earthy tones. british designer faye toogood’s volumetric roly-poly dining chairs in silver nitrate bronze will preview her first solo exhibition with friedman benda, assemblage 5, opening february 23, 2017. these chairs will be paired with korean designer byung hoon choi’s minimalist sculptural dining table in light oak and stone. american design legend, wendell castle, now 84, will show the first in his exciting new block series of carved chairs ‘born’ of wood, referencing classical sculpture of the renaissance period, marcel wanders’ low embroidered leather odjurss äte murmur chairs will be juxtaposed with los angeles based artist adam silverman’s organic ceramic vessels. the setting will include lighting – the unveiling of chilean design studio gt2p’s new remolten lava table lamps made from lava excavated from chile’s villarrica volcano; a voluminous rice paper and bamboo floor lamp by the influential italian architect and designer andrea branzi, as well as british designer paul cocksedge’scapture, a hand-spun aluminum dome chandelier, which holds the glow of a warm white light, but with no visible source.

brooklyn-based calico wallpaper will unify the rooms, a second collaboration with the company’s founders. inspired by the concept of optical illusion, calico wallpaper will present a site-specific print of their aurora wallpaper with a custom pattern designed to play with the viewer’s perception and challenge one’s visual system.

above> chicago based volume gallery focuses on american design, with a strong emphasis placed on emerging contemporary designers. featured designers in miami are: tanya aguiñiga, ania jaworska, christy matson, jonathan muecke, anders ruhwald, thaddeus wolfe.

above> at galerie kreo, clémence and didier krzentowski present exclusive limited-edition pieces by ronan & erwan bouroullec, pierre charpin, naoto fukasawa, konstantin grcic, hella jongerius, jasper morrison, marc newson, maarten van severen and martin szekely, as well as work by françois bauchet, humberto & fernando campana, alessandro mendini, jerszy seymour, studio wieki somers and others.

above> curved seat by jonathan nesci in waxed aluminum plate for giovanni beltran

giovanni beltran is a miami-based design agency founded in 2015 by the gallery noguchi breton [originally guccivuitton]. as noguchi breton, we have been engaged with the cultural and material vernaculars embedded within artistic practices of south florida since 2013. giovanni beltran maintains our interest in colloquial aesthetics to include the development and promotion of furniture, design and architecture.

designers> jonathan gonzalez, jonathan nesci, lex pott, deon rubi

off site/

the following are venues around the city:

above> courtesy of louis vuitton

objets nomades is a collection of furniture that reinvents louis vuitton’s art of travel. the installation will be composed of its most emblematic creations, some of which were especially made for design miami/: the stool by atelier oi, the cocoon by the campana brothers, the bell lamp by barber & osgerby, the concertina table , chair and light shade by raw edges, the swing chair by patricia urquiola and the lounge chair by marcel wanders. louis vuitton also unveils the blossom stool, designed by tokujin yoshioka, and the fur cocoon by the campana brothers. sharing a sense of intuitiveness, desire and pleasure, the objets nomades aims to continue louis vuitton’s tradition of offering inspiring and surprising designs to clients all over the world.

the blossom stool and fur cocoon will be displayed at design miami from 30 november until 4 december and are available for purchase during the design fair. the collection will then reside through january at the boutique store / 140 ne 39th street miami

above> evergreen brasil / luminaire lab / 3901 ne 2nd ave miami

luminaire’s commitment to promoting good design continues with evergreen brasil, an exhibition of brazilian designs debuting during art basel and design miami/ week thursday 1 december and on display until 31 december in collaboration with casa vogue brasil. the exhibition features a curated selection of multidisciplinary design covering furniture, accessories and jewelry from both emerging and established designers. characterized by their welcoming attitude, special connection to nature, celebratory lifestyle, inventiveness even when materials are scarce, and tendency to experiment and improvise — brazilian design is a celebration of diversity.

above> the speed of light courtesy of london designer philippe malouin. the speed of light sets lantern-esque led light globes in the design district on a path along the paseo ponti pedestrian mall / paseo ponti & ne 40th street miami

video courtesy philippe malouin

22 > 25 september 2017 / navy pier / chicago

the chicago architecture biennial along with artistic directors, sharon johnston and mark lee from la-based firm johnston marklee, announce the first round of artists and architects selected as participants of the 2017 chicago architecture biennial.

the 2017 exhibition will feature work from more than 100 architects, artists and designers from over 20 countries, building on the initial list below. stay tuned for additional developments related to participants’ projects, exhibition venues and information to help you make you plans to visit us in chicago in the fall.

[ 2017 chicago architecture biennial first round participants ]
51n4e (brussels, belgium; tirana, albania)
6a architects (london, uk)
ábalos+sentkiewicz (madrid, spain; cambridge, usa; shanghai, china)
adamo-faiden (buenos aires, argentina)
agenda agencia de arquitectura (medellin, colombia)
aires mateus (lisbon, portugal)
andrew kovacs (los angeles, usa)
angela deuber architect (chur, switzerland)
ania jaworska (chicago, usa)
arandalasch and terrol dew johnson (new york, usa; tucson, usa)
archi-union (shanghai, china)
architecten de vylder vinck taillieu (ghent, belgium)
arno brandlhuber and christopher roth (berlin, germany)
atelier manferdini (venice, usa)
awp office for territorial reconfiguration (paris, france; london, uk)
bak gordon arquitectos (lisbon, portugal)
barbas lopes (lisbon, portugal)
barkow leibinger (berlin, germany)
baukuh and stefano graziani (milan, italy; genoa, italy)
besler & sons llc (los angeles, usa)
bless (berlin, germany)
bureau spectacular (los angeles, usa)
caruso st john and thomas demand (london, uk; zurich, switzerland; berlin, germany)
charlap hyman & herrero (los angeles, usa; new york, usa)
charles waldheim (cambridge, usa)
christ & gantenbein (basel, switzerland)
daniel everett (chicago, usa; salt lake city, usa)
david schalliol (chicago, usa)
dellekamp arquitectos (mexico city, mexico)
design with company (chicago, usa)
diego arraigada arquitectos (rosario, argentina)
dogma (brussels, belgium)
drdh (london, uk)
ensamble studio (madrid, spain; boston, usa)
éric lapierre architecture (paris, france)
estudio barozzi veiga (barcelona, spain)
fala atelier (porto, portugal)
filip dujardin (ghent, belgium)
fiona connor and erin besler (los angeles, usa; auckland, new zealand)
first office (los angeles, usa)
formlessfinder (new york, usa)
frida escobedo (mexico city, mexico)
gerard & kelly (los angeles, usa; new york, usa)
go hasegawa (tokyo, japan)
hhf architects (basel, switzerland)
iñigo manglano-ovalle (chicago, usa)
j. mayer h. und partner, architekten and philip ursprung (berlin, germany)
james welling (new york, usa)
jesús vassallo (houston, usa)
jorge otero-pailos (new york, usa)
june14 meyer-grohbrügge & chermayeff (new york, usa; berlin, germany)
karamuk * kuo architects (new york, usa; zurich, switzerland)
keith krumwiede (new york, usa)
kéré architecture (berlin, germany)
kuehn malvezzi (berlin, germany)
luisa lambri (milan, italy)
lütjens padmanabhan architekten (zurich, switzerland)
made in (geneva, switzerland; zurich, switzerland)
maio (barcelona, spain)
marianne mueller (zurich, switzerland)
marshall brown (chicago, usa)
mg&co. (houston, usa)
monadnock (rotterdam, the netherlands)
mos (new york, usa)
norman kelley (chicago, usa; new york, usa)
nuno brandåo costa arquitectos ida (porto, portugal)
office kersten geers david van severen (brussels, belgium)
pascal flammer (zurich, switzerland)
patrick braouezec (paris, france)
paul andersen and paul preissner (chicago, usa; denver, usa)
pezo von ellrichshausen (concepción, chile)
philipp schaerer (zurich, switzerland)
productora (mexico city, mexico)
real foundation (london, uk)
robert somol (chicago, usa)
sadar+vuga (ljubljana, slovenia)
sam jacob studio (london, uk)
sami-arquitectos (setubal, portugal)
sanaa (tokyo, japan)
sauter von moos (basel, switzerland)
sergison bates (london, uk; zurich, switzerland)
serie architects (london, uk; zurich, switzerland)
shingo masuda+katsuhisa otsubo architects (tokyo, japan)
so-il and ana prvački (los angeles, usa; new york, usa)
stan allen architect (new york, usa)
studio anne holtrop (muharraq, bahrain; amsterdam, the netherlands)
studiomumbai (mumbai, india)
sylvia lavin (los angeles, usa)
t+e+a+m (ann arbor, usa)
tatiana bilbao estudio (mexico city, mexico)
tham & videgård arkitekter (stockholm, sweden)
the empire (verona, italy)
the living (new york, usa)
the los angeles design group (los angeles, usa)
thomas baecker bettina kraus (berlin, germany)
tigerman mccurry architects (chicago, usa)
toshiko mori architect (new york, usa)
urbanlab (chicago, usa; los angeles, usa)
urbanus (shenzhen, china; beijing, china)
veronika kellndorfer (berlin, germany)
welcomeprojects (los angeles, usa)
workac (new york, usa)
zago architecture (los angeles, usa)
zao/standardarchitecture (shanghai, china)

[ biennial statement ]
the act of looking to the past to inform the present has always been central to architecture. while different eras saw the imprint of history more strongly than others, one of the most dramatic ruptures in the evolution of architecture in the last century took place between history and modernity. spawned from a revolutionary and positivist climate, early modernism’s repression of history severed architecture’s future from its past. while measured and moderate attempts to incorporate historical models before and after the apotheosis of modernism brought about movements ranging from novecento, rationalism, neoliberty, postmodernism, and tendenza to various modes of revivalism, the zeal of modernism prevailed, obscuring these short-lived episodes. the insistence on creating works that are unprecedented and unrelated to architectures of the past reached new heights at the beginning of the millennium, as more and more architects became reluctant to view what they do as being part of a larger collective project or architectural history.

today, history represents neither an oppressive past that modernism tried to discard nor a retrograde mind-set against unbridled progress. instead, at a time when there is too much information and not enough attention—when a general collective amnesia perpetuates a state of eternal presentness—understanding the channels through which history moves and is shaped by architecture is more important than ever. a generation of architects has noted a renewed interest in precedents of architecture. committed to progress, but always from within an architectural tradition, these architects are producing innovative and subversive works grounded in the fundamentals of the discipline, and rooted in the fabrics of the cities where they are built, without feeling pressured to keep up with micro-trends or being accused of cultural appropriation.

the chicago architecture biennial 2017 will showcase the diversity of work from around the world to examine the underpinnings of this resurgence of historical interest. titled “make new history,” this second edition of the biennial will focus on the efforts—across registers of building and discursive production—of contemporary architects to align their work with versions of history. through the lens of architecture, the biennial aims to examine the interplay of design and the broadening access to, as well as recall of, historical source material. in the realm of building practice—from new construction to adaptive reuse to conservation—it will investigate the ways in which the architect’s encounter with a site is, in fact, the act of interpreting and responding to a prior accumulation of state and government regulations, social conventions, and markers of personhood. considerations for architecture in the context of history include the regulation and management of power and identity; what prevails and what does not; and how to recognize the significance of untold narratives. now, more than ever, the assumptions embedded in cultural exempla and civic imaginaries require examination and discussion.

with a legacy that is embedded equally in the buildings and fabric of the city and in a lineage of media and cultural production, chicago will provide a backdrop to typify disciplinary concerns around the continued importance and value of history in architecture. a calendar of events, emanating from the chicago cultural center outward to biennial partners, will create comparative encounters with various sites across the city. the biennial will foreground questions and ideas regarding the making of a new history: what political role has history played in the regulation of buildings and the city? how can buildings speak to history without being nostalgic or pastiche? and how might we build connections to the past that are relevant and valuable to our present?

architecture’s entry into the domain of the art biennial, almost 40 years ago in venice, was marked by a reflection on the relationship of history and memory in architecture. during its inaugural edition in 1980, the venice architecture biennale showcased an expanding repertoire of theatrical devices and scenographic modes of display. today, the role of history in the field of architecture has changed, as has the role of the exhibition. on the one hand, the biennial format lies at the core of architecture’s cultural and exhibitionary project: a forum to reach and produce new audiences. on the other, it replicates the enduring question of how to showcase and tell stories about absent buildings. this question has been addressed by a suite of new modes to express and mine architecture’s own traditions. often, these new methods of communication reflect an intensified engagement with media and approaches traditionally seen as art practices. this sort of overlap has served to blur the expertise and responsibilities of distinct disciplines.

the relationship between art and architecture is a historical narrative unto itself. both practices have evolved around the changing nature of public space, in the function of specific sites, and in the expanding definitions of national and civic identities. to continue the unity of architecture and the exhibition format of the biennial is to acknowledge these commingling histories. it also becomes—in its very act and existence—a nod to the past, which stands to strongly influence both the present and future of design depictions. at stake is the furthering of diverse identities and cultural politics, and the way in which these identifiers shape the changing representations of the architectural practice.

at-a-glance examples of the 2015 chicago architecture biennial below…

above> prima materia | prima studio mumbai ( mumbai india )

studio mumbai brings architects into the making process with workshop team of over 100 crafts-people, artisans, and builders to what principal bijoy jain calls making a sound and getting a response. these projects involve testing material systems and assemblies resulting in singular objects and large scale mockups at 1:1 scale. this project titled prima materia (first materials) is two towers made of bamboo, tied together with cotton thread, and highlighted by gold leaf, reminiscent of structures carried in the tazia rituals in india.

[ 22 > 28 october calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > vertical city

vertical city brings together 15 architects to revisit the 1922 chicago tribune tower competition that attracted 263 entries from the united states and around the world. the influence and reach of this particular project drove many responses and copies.

the most famous of these was an exhibition of late-entry drawings organzied in 1980 by the chicago seven, let vy stanley tigerman, that gathered a contemporaneious cross section of architectural ideas and influences. the chicago seven’s version of the competition was decidedly paper-oriented. the 2017 chicago architecture biennial eschews drawings and presents a scaled model, 16 feet hight. a most exciting sight and experience to walk among them.

[ 22 > 28 october calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > entrance installation, chicago designer ania jaworska

welcoming visitors into the main venue of the biennial, this bright, brash yellow installation has consumed a smaller, much less interesting chicago cultural centre reception desk. architect ania jaworska interrogates traditional architectural classification by subverting the physical and historic forms of the arch and the column until they are almost unrecognisable – her column provides no support and her arch creates a physical boundary instead of an entranceway. the abstract, yet functional work is a structural hybrid that challenges and almost overrides its environment in the impressively ornate chicago cultural centre entranceway.

chicago cultural center, 78 e washington street

[ 5 > 11 november calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above> super models – circular model is ‘casa rotunda’, built stabio switzerland 1980 / shown here replica by mario botta in 2017 /// rust colored model is ‘monument to the resistence’, by segrate italy 1965 / shown here replica by aldo rossi 2017

super models presents replicas of twelve models collected by german architecture museum (dam ) during the 1980s. despite the assumption that museums only knowingly show original works of art, models commissioned to replicate buildings have long been part of the culture of architectural exhibitions.

such models are understood to function as three-dimensional photographs, transferring information about the buildings that cannot be shown in galleries to visitors without claiming any status as architectural works. these models are often made by model makers and sometimes unbeknownst to the architect.

the proliferation of institutions collectin architectural materials during the 80s, however, altered the status of these objects. the new market encouraged architects to shift their production to collectable objects, like models, and to equate them with architecture itself.

super models reflects on how this simultaneously eroded and amplified attachment to authenticity entangled the work of historians, curators, and architects, ultimately modeling not history but what has become a key feature of contempary creative practice.

chicago cultural center, 78 e washington street

[ 12 > 18 november calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > constructions and references, caruso st john with thomas demand and hélène binet

caruso st john (london) present a room that highlights the circulation of images, references, and histories between their own office and their collaborators artist thomas demand and architectural photographer hélène binet. a felt wallpaper – folds – forms a wall around a table of five models. works by benet hang on the wallpaper. the models represent a completed building, one in-process and three competition pieces. stripped of their contexts, removed from place and politics, they are close to autonomous architectural thought. on the other table we see models made for their collaborative projects with demand.

chicago cultural center, 78 e washington street

[ 19 > 25 november calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > in the foreground and below – the wallderful: mexico city dellekamp arquitectos proposes not a wall, but a bridge between countries.

although they are doomed to crumble, humans have always built walls: along borders, across disputed lands, and around cities. whether it was hadrian, qin shi huang, or nikita khruschev, leaders often proclaimed the need to fortify their territories. and indeed they did: erecting formidable walls whose remains are largely relegated to the backgrounds of tourists selfies. dellekamp arquitectos reclaims the rhetoric of the wall in its ironic and iconic post-function state. political context serves as a point of departure to imagine a future where the border becomes the connection and the wall an invitation.

[ 26 november > 2 december calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > ellie abrams and meredith miller of t + e +a + m

t + e +a + m examine the ways that ruins—commonly aligned with 19th century romanticizing of authentic materiality—were always mediated through technologies of image production. ghostboxextends their material research that has previously addressed the packard plant in detroit by examining new typology: the big box superstore. these giant stores were once a celebrated destination on the urban outskirts and peripheries but they are increasingly abandoned as contemporary habits transform to online shopping. redistribution as a practice has the potential to recover a type of building that – unlike renovation, adaptive reuses, preservation, or restoration = permits the circulation of building components, taken apart, moved around, piled up, and mixed with new construction to create alternative uses. t + e + a + m is looking for a patron to make it happen.

[ 3 > 9 december calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > finite format 04, pezo von ellrichshausen (concepciôn chile)

pezo von ellrichshausen have an ongoing interest in multiples, their project finite format 04 runs through the serial sequencing of an imagined building form: half tower and half plinth. the project demonstrates a mathematical obsession; the imaged building is presented here as an outline described by six factors that resulted in 729 variations, framed and hung in a monumental salon-style grid. the serial nature of these works might suggest a reading against a lineage of art from the 1970s often called process or serial art, which exhausted an idea or concept in a monotonous way.

[ 10 > 16 december calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > gar hall where 24 plinths are arranged according to the figure-ground relationship established by mies’s plan for the illinois institute of technology (iit.)

horizontal city asks 24 architects to reconsider the status of the architectural interior. the exercise foregrounds the importance of the interior as a model of sociability. the architects reference a photograph of a canonical interior, from any time period.

[ 17 > 23 december calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

above > randolph square / frida escobedo / mexico city

frida escoberdo has designed a monolithic timber, tiered platform in randolf square – a singular formal gesture with moveable modules that allows for informal lounging, gatherings, and forums. the installation mirrors the chicago cultural center’s gridded ceiling. if expanding the concept out the door to randolf street, one might start to think about what architectural theorist sarah whiting calls ‘chicago elastic grid,’ in regard to the 1909 burnham plan for the city that fosters a surprising diversity of subdivisions and city-block sizes. photography > kendall mccaugherty

[ 24 > 30 december calendar ]

the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.

chicago cultural center, 78 east washington street