Palladio in London

Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy
Royal Academy of Arts,
London
W1J 0BD
Starts 31/01/2009
Until 13/04/2009

more info can be found here

Istanbul- the capital of culture 2010-

Here are some of my favorite posters designed for 2010 Istanbul Capital of Culture.

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia from south (source)

According to an article appeared on NTVMSNBC, as a part of the preparation process for Istanbul -capital of culture in 2010, the scaffolding that has been there for some 16 years will be removed. 2010 should be the best year to visit Istanbul...

so, how's research?

Tour Eiffel and Paris by Robert Delaunay (1911)

Oil on canvas, Pompidou Centre.

Peace Monument, Paris

The monument was created by Clara Halter and Jean Michel Wilmotte in 2000.

Ron Arad in Pompidou Centre (2)

Pyramide du Louvre by I.M.Pei

The Pei Pyramids were built in 1989 in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum, since then they have been a great source of inspration for anyone interested in contemporary interventions within historic contexts...

Halle de la Grand Place by Francis Soler

This market building project, designed by the architect Francis Soler, stretches alongside the main square of Bethune surrounded by facades which were rebuilt after 1918 as replicas of earlier facades and located at the foot of a 14th century belltower listed in 2005 as a UNESCO WHS.

Ron Arad in Pompidou Centre (1)

Ron Arad's first big solo exhibition in France, his current Pompidou Centre Show, will be ending on the 16th of March 2009. It will tour to MoMA in New York in Summer 2009 and go on to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 2010.

Arad claims that formal distinctions between art, architecture and design are obsolute - he defines himself as a "no discipline" artist.

two twentytwo (Valletta)

One of the coolest transformation of historic defence structure projects: two twentytwo 2 22 by Chris Briffa Architects. Architects' definition of the concept can be found here. The project was completed in the year 2007. Its upsetting to see that there are still so many walled cities where interventions are not permitted within the city walls...

For more information on 2 22 click.

The Unusual Facade of the Church of Gesù Nuovo, Naples

Originally built as a palace during the 1470s, the Church of Gesù Nuovo's facade was preserved during the transformation of the building.

Galleria Umberto I

Galleria Umberto I (built during 1885s) by Emanuele Rocco.

Restoration of what?

According to an article appeared on the Guardian website "officials move closer" to hanging giant electronic advertising screens from the St Mark's Square's (Venice) elegant palaces to pay for restoration work! A failed attempt -experienced many times elsewhere- which will destroy the urban space for 'restoration'.

Borusan Art and Music House - Istanbul

An old 'shell' for a new core... A re-use project by GAD in the historic Beyoglu district of Istanbul.

Valletta- the WALLS

Size Matters...

Small House for Big People!
Apparently this house -red in the middle- is the smallest one in Amsterdam [w=1.20 m].

Decolonizing Architecture

Questioning the future of Israeli colonies in Palestine; an acute architectural and urbanistic problem.

Scenarios for the transformation of Israeli Settlements.
A project by the London/Bethlehem based architectural studio of Sandi Hilal, Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman.

"Two case-studies; the settlement of P'sagot, a hill near Ramallah and the abandoned millitary camp of Oush Grab, near Bethlahem. The first project is an imagined set of scenarios and the second, a real battleground between Palestinians who want to turn it into a public park and Israeli settlers who try to claim it, heavily armed and escorted by the Israeli army."

Unfortunately, with the ongoing war in Gaza, seems like a lot more similar projects will be carried out in the future of the region...

Winners of the Competition for Basque Cultural Center

I was surfing the internet for inspration regarding re-use projects within historic structures and areas, came across the Design Team's winner project for the Architectural Renovation of Tabakalera, [located in the city of Donostia-San Sebastian, the capital of the Gipuzkoa territory, in the Basque Country, next to the border between Spain and France].

The project is rather modest, [not really insprational] or 'conservative' in the sense that it hesitates how to stand in relation to the extant structure. The designers description that the project 'is characterized by its respect for the existing building' appears as a common excuse for rather spiritless designs in historic structures.

Welcome to 2009!

war; global economic crisis; unemployment and etc...

Although 2009 does not seem very promising to many, cities around the world celebrated the new year with fireworks... and London was beautiful...