Mayne Takes Gold, Williams Tsien Take Firm Award
Caltrans District 7 Headquarters (Morphosis)
Add another medal to Thom Mayne‘s trophy case. Thursday the American Institute of Architects announced that it was awarding him the 2013 AIA Gold Medal. He’ll pick it up at next year’s AIA convention in Denver, becoming the 69th AIA Gold Medalist. The list of works from his firm Morphosis is way too long to include here, but it includes the diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California; the California Department of Transportation District 7 Headquarters in Los Angeles; and 41 Cooper Square in New York City.
Meanwhile Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects have been awarded the AIA Firm Award. The architects, who opened the new Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia this year, have also designed (among other heralded work) the former American Folk Art Museum in New York; the C.V. Starr East Asian Library at the University of California, Berkeley; and the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.
Barnes Foundation (Tod Williams Billie Tsien)
Pantone Color of the Year: Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City
Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz. (Courtesy Warner Bros.)
Just in time for the holiday season, and perhaps taking its cue from Christmas palette, the color wizards at Pantone have announced the 2013 color of the year. Drum roll please … Emerald, or color code 17-5641 to be exact. If you’re wondering why emerald, and not say, forest green, here’s what Pantone has to say: “Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”
“The most abundant hue in nature, the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, in a statement. “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally-appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”
Last year’s Tangerine Tango popped up everywhere, so keep your eyes peeled for Emerald.
Twinkle Toes: Eric Owen Moss Now A Football Fan
In a recent issue of The New Yorker, writer Ben McGrath profiles Steve Clarkson, the private football coach to the quarterbacks of tomorrow. The writer interviews several adolescent clients attending Clarkson’s elite practice camp, including 10-year old Miller Moss (also featured on the article’s only photo). During a workout McGrath finds Moss’ father in the stands—California-based architect Eric Owen Moss.
“I would be completely disingenuous if I didn’t say I really enjoy this stuff,” said the elder Moss of the high-stakes training. “I’m embarrassed a little bit. It’s contagious in a way that even parents who should know better don’t always.” The design influence of the architect—once called the “jeweler of junk” by Philip Johnson—may be evident on the field: his son sports silver Nike cleats with the nickname “Miller Time” embroidered in gold.
Six Architects & Designers Take Home $50,000 Prizes
Today the United States Artists (USA), a national grant-making and advocacy organization, named fifty artists to receive the USA Fellowships, which includes six in design and architecture whose accomplishments, in everything from landscape architecture to digital technology, have distinguished them in their field. These fellows—hailing from New York, Los Angeles, and Arkansas—will receive unrestricted grants of $50,000 each. Among the winners are two architecture firms, a landscape architect, and an academic.
Happy Thanksgiving from AN!
The Architect’s Newspaper extends our best wishes to all our readers for Thanksgiving. We’d also like to thank our 40,000+ twitter and nearly 30,000 facebook followers for your engagement throughout the year. We enjoy the conversation and hope more of you will join us. Happy Holidays from AN. We’ll be back on Monday.
Obit> Jane Holtz Kay, 1938-2012
Jane Holtz Kay in 1986.
Noted author and critic Jane Holtz Kay passed away November 5 at the age of 74 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Her book Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back propelled her into the national spotlight as she chronicled the affects of cars on the American landscape. Jane Jacobs remarked about the book, “Jane Holtz Kay’s book has given us a profound way of seeing the automobile’s ruinous impact on American life.” She had been working on a sequel to Asphalt Nation, documenting climate change and global warming, called Last Chance Landscape. Holtz Kay was also architecture critic for The Nation and formerly for the Boston Globe. She is survived by her sister, Ellen Goodman, daughters, Julie Kay and Jacqueline Cessou, and four grandchildren. The staff at The Architect’s Newspaper sends our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.
Congratulations to Joshua, Winner of AN’s Greenbuild Giveaway
AN was back at Greenbuild this year in San Francisco, and we offered readers at the expo a chance to win an iPad Mini and $250 to stock it with the latest tunes, apps, or anything else, really. Over 130 of you participated in the Greenbuild Booth Crawl Contest, and we’re pleased to announce that Joshua Hickman of California was drawn as the lucky winner. Congrats Joshua!
Happier Holidays for Architects as Billings Continue to Climb
BILLINGS (BLUE) AND INQUIRIES (RED) FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS. (THE ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER)
Heading into the holidays, the AIA has more good economic news to report: the Architectural Billings Index (ABI) has recorded a third straight month of growth. The October score was 52.8, up from September’s 51.6 (any score above 50 indicates a growth in billings). The uptick reflects improving conditions in the housing market and real estate more broadly. All four regions were in positive territory, with the South leading at 52.8, followed by the Northeast at 52.6, the West at 51.8, and the Midwest at 50.8.
Finalists Announced for Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge
And then there were 20. The Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge has narrowed its list of competing cities to 20 finalists! The competition—which encourages architects, city planners, and governments to come up with innovative solutions to improve city life—was originally announced in June by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to assist in addressing urban challenges. Of the 305 cities that submitted proposals, 20 were chosen to continue to the next step: an Ideas Camp, where the final five will be selected and a total of $9 million will be awarded to implement their ideas.
Join AN at Greenbuild in San Francisco to Win an iPad Mini!
Visit Greenbuild, the world’s biggest green design conference taking place this year in San Francisco, for a chance to win an iPad Mini and a $250 AMEX gift card thanks to The Architect’s Newspaper, Buro Happold, YKK AP America, Greenscreen, Monodraught, and Firestone Building Products. Hit up the GRAPSHISOFT, YKK AP, Firestone, and Greenscreen booths to collect a postcard to be stamped by each of the four companies. Be sure to fill out your contact information on the postcard. Your postcard will be entered in a lottery and AN will select a winner the week of November 19th. See you at Greenbuild!
Architecture For Humanity Begins Recovery Work On East Coast
Devastation in Breezy Point, Queens (CNBC)
As the northeast is slowly getting back on its feet, non-profit Architecture for Humanity is already commencing its plans for rebuilding and recovery. While it’s still early, the organization, which is partnering with AIA chapters in the hardest hit regions, is starting first with impact assessment. Generally working in hard hit areas around the world, this is the first time their New York chapter has had to respond locally, pointed out Jennifer Dunn, New York Chapter Leader. AFH is not only looking to re-build, but to re-build better. “We don’t just want to help build back the coastline but create more resilient communities that can withstand future disasters,” said co-founder Cameron Sinclair in a statement.
Architecture for Humanity is looking for support in the form of donations or volunteers. Donations can be made online here, while volunteers should email volunteer@architectureforhumanity.org. Flood repair strategies are posted here. Further updates will appear on the Architecture for Humanity website as soon as they are available.
Hurricane Sandy Hits AN’s Lower Manhattan Headquarters
Flooded streets at 34th Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan. (@LassanaDiarra_/Twitter)
Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the northeastern United States overnight, hitting Lower Manhattan especially hard. The 14-foot storm surge, the highest tide ever recorded in 200 years, swept across the city filling tunnels, basements, and streets and causing massive power outages across Lower Manhattan.
AN‘s Murray Street headquarters is fortunately located on high ground in Tribeca, but the city-wide subway shutdown, power outage, and cell service outages have made the offices temporarily inaccessible. Editors in New York and across the country continue to work through the aftermath of the natural disaster to produce the best in architectural journalism daily, both in print and online as New York returns to normal, but please bear with us as we work to return to our normal routine, and check back often for the most current architectural news.
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