Police Architecture Out In Force At LA Awards
AC Martin's Hollenbeck Police Station, one of six stations that picked up awards
The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) last week hosted the 40th annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards. A local ten-person jury consisting of city officials, contractors and developers recognized 31 projects in 20 categories. The verdict: It appears the city’s design professionals value sustainability, re-tooling dilapidated or ill-used buildings, economic rejuvenation and buildings that spur community involvement. Perhaps the biggest winners were police stations, a major design priority in the city lately, producing open, airy facilities meant to interact with their communities and even become community hubs. Six stations won awards, with the grand prize of this year’s awards going to the LAPD Administration building and its amenities like a nearly one-acre public park, a 400-seat auditorium and a rooftop garden. Other winners included the Hollenbeck Station in Boyle Heights by AC Martin, and the Olympic Police Station by Gruen and Associates. Read More
A Yearbook of Minnesota Architecture
A new go to guide for the Twin Cities and beyond.
Among the dozens of books that arrive in our office, I found myself quickly drawn into Alan K. Lathrop’s handsome new guide Minnesota Architects: A Biographical Dictionary. The volume includes nearly forgotten 19th century architects all the way up to leading contemporary practitioners like Vincent James, David Salmela, and Julie Snow. While the book might sound like a dry reference, Lathrop includes concise descriptions of the individuals and firms, including their educational and professional lineages. Black and white photographs, both contemporary and historial, illustrate the book, and most are larger than the postage stamp-sized images found in many guides. Lathrop also connects professional collaborations between individuals, so the book feels like a yearbook for the state’s architects.
It’s a form of refence book that should be copied. For now, Minnesota Architects is poised to become the new standard reference for anyone looking to learn more about the state’s rich built heritage and its well developed professional culture.
Steven Kanner Dies At 54
Unfortunately we have to share the tragic news that our good friend, the excellent architect Stephen Kanner, has passed away. Kanner, principal at Kanner Architects and founder of the A+D Museum, died after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. We plan to publish an obituary shortly, but until then we thought we’d share this wonderful tribute by Frances Anderton. Kanner really left us too soon. We wish his family our most heartfelt condolences.
Anchors Aweigh on the AIA Boat Tour
The Manhattan setting sail from Pier 62, amid the Nouvel and Gehry-glittered skyline. (Courtesy Classic Harbor Line)
Anyone who’s chugged around Manhattan on the Circle Line knows that the tour’s ever-voluble guides have Gotham factoids down pat, but can stumble when it comes to telling Emery Roth from Hugh Stubbins from Davis Brody Bond. Well, if you’ve longed for a hard-core architecture aficionado at the helm, your yacht has come in. Last Saturday, the second Around Manhattan Official NYC Architecture Tour shoved off from the archi-sparkling skyline at Chelsea Piers. Read More
Journey to the Center of the Bay Bridge
Access to the inside of the new Bay Bridge skyway is via catwalks suspended over the water.
Action-movie directors: Consider shooting your next film in the innards of one of the biggest projects going up in the Bay Area: the new, $6 billion eastern span of the Bay Bridge. There’s the evident glamour of a self-anchored suspension bridge–the Calatrava-esque part with the tower and cables holding everything up, which is still yet to be built. But already in place is the 1.2-mile ”skyway” portion, and inside the concrete monolith are whole rooms, including an electrical substation, and a tunnel that runs the length of the skyway. Only maintenance crews are typically allowed in this secret warren, but a media tour led by a Caltrans representative provided a close-up of some of its more unusual features. Read More
Walmart, Wages War in Chicago (Guess Who Won)
These pro-Pullman protesters got what they wanted. (Ira and Andrea/Flickr)
After years of trying to land a second Walmart in Chicago, the world’s largest retailer succeeded in a big way yesterday when the City Council unanimously endorsed a Supercenter on the Far South Side, the anchor of a 270-acre mixed-use development. While only a few months ago the outcome of that store seemed uncertain, it all broke last week, when the unions reached a tentative agreement with Walmart to pay $8.75 an hour in its stores, more than the current minimum wage but less than was initially sought. On top of that, the retailer has cast doubt on whether a surefire deal has been set. Meanwhile, the city is bracing for the prospect of dozens of stores, through a deal arranged by Mayor Richard Daley, both a bane and a boon as it could mean an investment of $1 billion though also a costly one if it undercuts current retailers. The Sun-Times‘ incomparable Fran Spielman spells it all out for us: Read More
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