See A Theater In The Making At Hard Hat Sunday
A Noise Within's construction site
Classical repertory theater A Noise Within (ANW) will find itself occupying some interesting digs next fall, moving from its longtime leased space in Glendale to a new 33,000-square foot facility built into the former Stuart Pharmaceutical building—a historic, mid-century modern complex designed by Edward Durell Stone. The design is being carried out by KKE and John Berry Architects. But before ANW even packs its bags for its new home, the company is giving culture vultures free peeks of the facility in construction every second Sunday of the month, including this Sunday. “It’s one thing to see something already built, but it’s another to see everything that goes into it,” said artistic director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, who is on hand for each tour, along with co-artistic director Geoff Elliott and the occasional board member or project superintendent. Contrary to its name—Hard Hat Sundays—guests don’t wear the head gear, but instead gather safely on a viewing deck and peer down at the site in progress. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about rebar than what you’re supposed to, or simply want to enjoy the sunset with other culture lovers, this could be your ticket.
LA Planning Director Keeping His Eyes On The Street
LA Planning Director Michael LoGrande (standing in front of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa)
Rethinking the streetscape will be the priority at the Los Angeles Planning Department, revealed newly appointed Planning Director Michael LoGrande in a conversation with LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne. “We’re getting people out of their cars and thinking differently about transit,” said LoGrande, who chatted with Hawthorne on Wednesday night at Occidental College.
Confirmed August 4 after the resignation of his predecessor, Gail Goldberg, LoGrande has faced significant staff and budget cuts, which he’s responded to by re-focusing long-term planning on transit projects rather than just catering to a constant stream of ad hoc requests.
International Code Council Calls For 30% More Efficient Buildings
Thermal heat loss graphic shows a building's energy inefficiency.
While the country has been obsessed mid-term elections, local and state building code officials passed another less conspicuous but equally important vote that will reportedly result in 30 percent more efficient buildings than those built to current standards. During the International Code Council’s (ICC) final action hearings held in Charlotte, North Carolina last month, building officials supported revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), one of the model building codes published by the ICC that establish minimum energy efficiency standards for new construction of residential and commercial buildings.
"Flat" LA Skyline Under Scrutiny
If you think LA’s skyline seems a little flat, you’re not the only one. Apparently LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa thinks so too. According to LA Department of Building and Safety General Manager Robert “Bud” Ovrom, the Mayor was disappointed at how the skyline stood in comparison to what he saw in a recent trip to China. The city’s flat-topped skyline was investigated in a two part-series from Curbed LA. We followed up with Ovrom. Read More
Behind the scenes at Canstruction LA
Gensler and Arup's camera-inspired "Can-on Picture a World Without Hunger." (Tom Bonner)
AN recently took a sneak peak at late night preparations for the fifth annual Canstruction LA, a charitable design competition—whose pieces are currently on display in the lobby of 5900 Wilshire Boulevard— that taps teams of architects, designers, builders and engineers to create large-scale sculptures using canned goods (and even a few water bottles) that will eventually be donated to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. What we found was a furor of activity, many boxes of pizza, and a bit of competitive banter among teams. Read More
Origami Fights Homelessness?
Ancient art once again finds itself an inspiration for new solutions. Borrowing principles from the art of Japanese paper folding, USC School of Architecture grad Tina Hovsepian invented Cardborigami, a temporary and ultra-portable shelter that can be used by the homeless or those stricken by natural disasters. The shelter is made from standard corrugated cardboard, a lightweight and cost effective material. Incorporating a consistent pattern of x’s and parallel lines, Tina created a structure that can fold down for portability, but also open up to create the makeshift “walls” of the shelter. Read More
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