Joshua Prince-Ramus: Building a theater that remakes itself

Joshua Prince-Ramus gives a thoughtful and inspiring talk about his recent completed project, the Wyly Theater in Dallas, Texas. The first few minutes are a must see as he takes a step back and discusses the current state of architecture, and the troubling stance architects are taking, giving up power in exchange for less liability – making Architects “for decorative purposes only.” Stating that the profession is acting like cowards, he offers an inspiring approach to design and collaboration between architects and clients. Always, well spoken and a talented designer as well, it is fascinating to hear about his design process and the thoughts that lead to his innovative architecture.

Also see his presentation about the Seattle Public Library here: OMA’s Joshua Prince-Ramus on Seattle’s Public Library

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More info on Joshua Prince-Ramus from TED.com:
With one of the decade’s most celebrated buildings under his belt, Joshua Prince-Ramus would seem well-positioned to become the world’s next “starchitect.” Except that he doesn’t want the job. With his quiet intensity and intellectual bearing, Prince-Ramus is the antithesis of the egomaniacal master architect. He flatly rejects not just the title, but the entire notion of a “starchitect” designing with a genius stroke of the pen.

Prince-Ramus is best known for his work — with Rem Koolhaas’ radical Dutch architecture firm OMA — on the Seattle Central Library. The striking, diamond-windowed structure re-imagines, to spectacular effect, the library’s role in a modern urban context. “Seattle’s new Central Library is a blazing chandelier to swing your dreams upon,” Herbert Muschamp wrote in The New York Times. “In more than 30 years of writing about architecture, this is the most exciting new building it has been my honor to review.”

Having founded the US practice of OMA in 2000, Prince-Ramus split from Rem Koolhaas in May 2006 to found a new firm, REX, with colleague Erez Ella. He continues to take what he describes as a hyper-rational approach to architecture, pushing logic and rational ideas to their limits to create buildings that are unexpected, but wholly appropriate to their environment and intended use. REX’s current projects include Museum Plaza in Louisville, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in Dallas; the Vestbanen redevelopment in Oslo, Norway; and the new headquarters for design house Vakko, in Istanbul. REX is also one of five finalists for the Governors Island redevelopment in New York.

“Joshua Prince-Ramus isn’t just creating buildings. In a field obsessed with celebrity, he’s putting the work — and his workers — first.”
Fast Company

Magnus Larsson: Turning dunes into architecture

This is an amazing architectural concept. Vast in scope and with a functional and benificial goal this idea is a monumental undertaking while positively affecting the environment of Sub Saharan Africa. I am torn whether intervening with natural systems to this extent is actually a positive, however slowing desertification is an admirable goal that could improve the lives of millions. It would be amazing if the world would band together to support a project that is not directly benifiting the wealthy developed world. The organic forms produced create intriguing spaces and forms, while introducing trees and plants to this wall has many benifits to the area. This is definitely controvercial and has me thinking about so many issues. Is this even architecture? How much control do you have over the forms once they begin to grow? How do you stop them from growing indefinitely? What are your thoughts?

From TED.com:
Architecture student Magnus Larsson details his bold plan to transform the harsh Sahara desert using bacteria and a surprising construction material: the sand itself.

Architecture student Magnus Larsson wants to turn some of the most deserted and harsh landscapes on the planet into habitable structures. How? By turning loose sand dunes into solid architecture using bacteria. A team at UC Davis has been looking at the microorganism bacillus pasteurii to solidify the ground in earthquake-prone areas. As Larsson puts it, “All I did was to deliberately misapply their technology … and to pump up the scale, and turn it into a 6,000-km-long wall that’s made of sand and protects against sand.”

After talking with Jason DeJong at UC Davis and with Stefano Ciurli, a b. pasteurii expert at the University of Bologna, Larsson put together a team at University College London to grow the bacteria and attempt to solidify sand. His Holcim Award-winning proposal is a complement to the Green Wall Sahara shelterbelt, being planted across the African continent. Larsson is now investigating how to bring the project to the next stage: a 1:1 scale prototype.

“One of the most interesting aspects of the project, I think, is that this solidified dunescape is created through a particularly novel form of‚’sustainable construction’ — that is, through a kind of infection of the earth.”
Geoff Manaugh, BLDG BLOG

Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man

This was just an inspirational talk that discusses issues from a unique point of view. The story about improving the train journey between London and Paris was particularly insightful, in my opinion. Throughout our lives, we need to focus more on quality over speed or convenience.

From TED.com: Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real” value — and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life.

From unlikely beginnings as a classics teacher to his current job as Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group, Rory Sutherland has created his own brand of the Cinderella story. He joined Ogilvy & Mather’s planning department in 1988, and became a junior copywriter, working on Microsoft’s account in its pre-Windows days. An early fan of the Internet, he was among the first in the traditional ad world to see the potential in these relatively unknown technologies.

An immediate understanding of the possibilities of digital technology and the Internet powered Sutherland’s meteoric rise. He continues to provide insight into advertising in the age of the Internet and social media through his blog at Campaign’s Brand Republic site, his column “The Wiki Man” at The Spectator and his busy Twitter account.

Rory is the original advocate of ’360-degree branding,’ a persuasive and charismatic speaker and has a tremendous knack for making ideas come to life in an easily digestible way. He has been walking the walk longer than anyone.
Gary Leih, Ogilvy Group Chairman

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Majora Carter’s tale of urban renewal

From TED.com:
In an emotionally charged talk, MacArthur-winning activist Majora Carter details her fight for environmental justice in the South Bronx — and shows how minority neighborhoods suffer most from flawed urban policy.

Majora Carter is a visionary voice in city planning who views urban renewal through an environmental lens. The South Bronx native draws a direct connection between ecological, economic and social degradation. Hence her motto: “Green the ghetto!”

With her inspired ideas and fierce persistence, Carter managed to bring the South Bronx its first open-waterfront park in 60 years, Hunts Point Riverside Park. Then she scored $1.25 million in federal funds for a greenway along the South Bronx waterfront, bringing the neighborhood open space, pedestrian and bike paths, and space for mixed-use economic development.

Her success is no surprise to anyone who’s seen her speak; Carter’s confidence, energy and intensely emotional delivery make her talks themselves a force of nature. (The release of her TEDTalk in 2006 prompted Guy Kawasaki to wonder on his blog whether she wasn’t “every bit as good as [Apple CEO] Steve Jobs,” a legendary presenter.)

Carter, who was awarded a 2005 MacArthur “genius” grant, now serves as executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, where she pushes both for eco-friendly practices (such as green and cool roofs) and, equally important, job training and green-related economic development for her vibrant neighborhood on the rise.

“We could not fail to be inspired by Majora Carter’s efforts to bring green space for exercise to the South Bronx. We need more ideas like these to bring solutions to minority communities.”
- Time

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Cameron Sinclair: The refugees of boom-and-bust

Cameron Sinclair is an inspiring individual and I agree with his statement that in many of the issues he takes on, there is no High Road, but only one road to take. Social and environmental sustainability and responsibility is a moral imperative, one architects are bound to serve. Make the right choices.

At TEDGlobal U, Cameron Sinclair shows the unreported cost of real estate megaprojects gone bust: thousands of migrant construction laborers left stranded and penniless. To his fellow architects, he says there is only one ethical response.

To watch his previous video: click here
Visit the Architecture for Humanity homepage: architectureforhumanity.org
Buy the fantastic book produced by Cameron Sinclair’s organization Architecture for Humanity: Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises

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Aimee Mullins and her 12 pairs of legs

The TED.com description of the video: Athlete, actor and activist Aimee Mullins talks about her prosthetic legs — she’s got a dozen amazing pairs — and the superpowers they grant her: speed, beauty, an extra 6 inches of height … Quite simply, she redefines what the body can be.

Aimee Mullins was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run – competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. At Georgetown, where she double-majored in history and diplomacy, she became the first double amputee to compete in NCAA Division 1 track and field.

After school, Mullins did some modeling – including a legendary runway show for Alexander McQueen – and then turned to acting, appearing as the Leopard Queen in Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle. In 2008 she was the official Ambassador for the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

She’s a passionate advocate for a new kind of thinking about prosthetics, and recently mentioned to an interviewer that she’s been looking closely at MIT’s in-development powered robotic ankle, “which I fully plan on having.”

William McDonough on Cradle to Cradle Design

Another interesting talk from our friends at TED. William McDonough is a controversial figure when discussing architecture and sustainability. People argue he is hypocritical for lecturing on the importance of sustainable design strategies and then designing the new Ford factory and headquarters. His book Cradle to Cradle talks about a new better way for industry to be organized and he even designed the materiality of the book to be an endlessly recyclable material…yet are the facilities to actually recycle the plastic based book existing?

Either way you can’t argue that his ideas should be ignored or that his buildings aren’t trying to make a better place for us to live and work. In this talk he goes over his philosophy of design and ends up highlighting a design his office did for a new city in China.

Enjoy the video and I promise to post a new article in the near future. I also have some more videos to post and a show from the BBC on Meis van der Rohe coming soon.