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Tag Archives: los angeles
On Site Sneak Peek…
Revuelta Way
10 Compete to Revitalize Los Angeles’ Oldest Park
Ten practices from around the world have been shortlisted in a competition that aims to transform Los Angeles‘ Pershing Square one of Southern California‘s top destinations. Located on a five-acre plot in the city’s downtown, Pershing Square is Los Angeles’ oldest park. Each semi-finalist has been challenged to develop proposals based off of experiences. A small selection of finalists will be selected in December to move on to the competition’s final phase.
The 10 semifinalists are:
- Agence Ter from Paris, France with SALT Landscape Architects from Los Angeles
- Snohetta, from Oslo, Norway with offices in New York and San Francisco
- James Corner Field Operations, New York with Frederick Fisher and Partners from Los Angeles
- W Architecture, New York
- PWP Landscape Architecture (Peter Walker) from San Francisco with Allied Works Architecture from Portland
- Mia Lehrer Associates from Los Angeles with !Melk from New York
- Petersen Studio + BNIM, Los Angeles
- Rios Clementi Hale, Los Angeles with OMA from New York
- SWA from Downtown Los Angeles with Morphosis
- wHY Architecture from Culver City, CA
WIRED Looks at 8 Cities of the Future
WIRED Magazine has created a list of Eight Cities That Will Show You What The Future Will Look Like in the latest edition of their design issue. In the relatively short span of time that humans have been planning cities, more and more decisions have been made that have shaped the path of new technologies and methods that will make cities better. Such projects—like new streetlights, bicycle infrastructure, and traffic-sensitive museums—highlight some of these advances in the urban lifestyle.
Los Angeles, United States
Los Angeles is retrofitting 4,500 miles of sodium-vapor streetlights with light-emitting diodes, so that roads will look brighter, but can also be adapted to their environments, for instance, by blinking when a police car or ambulance is on its way.
Shanghai, China
The new Shanghai Natural History Museum not only incorporates green climate and water systems, but also utilizes its spiral shape to direct busy traffic flows through a chronological tour of life on Earth
Medellin, Columbia
Utilizing strategic urban planning methods to knit together a fractured community, Medellín has integrated cable cars into the city’s hillsides, integrating poorer citizens with the city through access to jobs and other opportunities
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
As a part of a planned network of dedicated bike roads, Eindhoven has created Hovenring, an elevated steel deck specifically made for cyclists to safely ride above busy intersections
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
With the annual hajj, the population of Saudi Arabia increases by three million. Most cities aren’t designed with these kinds of surge capacity in mind, but Mecca, over the years, has been the site of more careful planning to allow for pilgrims to stay safer, healthier, and more comfortable, all while honoring the tenets of Islam. Such systems include advanced airport arrangements, Pneumatic trash tubes, expanded mosques, and the creation of fiberglass tent cities.
Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi’s widespread use of minibuses—called matatus—for transportation can often be difficult to track, with varying routes and time schedules. Thanks to a new student-built smartphone app, citizens can now track the routes and stops of local matatus, helping them better control how and when they travel.
San Francisco, United States
Companies like WeWork in San Francisco have developed coworking spaces, where offices become environments of natural light and openness, a concept becoming more and more popular in the business world.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
To combat issues with large-scale highways, Dubai’s Turbine Interchange—an alternative to roundabouts and cloverleafs—allows drivers to better turn or change directions without disrupting traffic, all within a cost-effective system
5 Reasons Frank Gehry Might be the Perfect Choice for the LA River Master Plan
Since the Los Angeles Times broke the news that the LA River Revitalization Corp has enlisted Gehry Partners to lead a new master plan effort for the Los Angeles River, there have been a slew of negative responses: the Friends of the Los Angeles River have refused to endorse the Gehry effort, reactions collected by the Architects Newspaper ranged from skeptical to angry, and Alissa Walker at Gizmodo did not mince words when her headline declared “Frank Gehry is the Wrong Architect to Revitalize the Los Angeles River.” These responses raise real and legitimate concerns – progress on the LA River has been years, if not decades, in the making. There is already a master plan, prepared by Mia Lehrer and Associates, and the US Army Corps of Engineers approved a plan to restore 11 miles of the river, known as Alternative 20, just this past July. There are worries that this new effort could threaten the current approvals and funding.
Frank Gehry is an easy target for criticism. His buildings can be polarizing, and his detractors are quick to seize on any defect. Details are trickling out slowly, but a recent presentation to reporters revealed that the plan would eventually identify locations for parks and real estate developments, as well as establish a unified design theme for future improvements such as pedestrian and bicycle paths. For his part, Gehry has emphasized the water reclamation aspects of the project – an especially timely subject in drought-stricken California. And in an interview with Frances Anderton on KCRW’s “Design and Architecture,” Gehry was quick to clarify, “It’s not a building, I’m not doing a building!”
We don’t yet know exactly what Gehry has in store for the L.A. River, but here are 5 reasons he just might be the perfect choice for the job:
1. Gehry adds Visibility
Even in Los Angeles, the river is an afterthought for many people, but Gehry’s involvement will bring more attention and more notoriety (just look at the flood of coverage over past month). The city of Los Angeles is already committed to spending $500 million on the Alternative 20 plan, and some estimates suggest the final cost to the city could be as high as $1.3 billion. Having a recognizable name like Frank Gehry involved will help the city raise funds to support the project.
2. Gehry Brings Technology
Modeling software from Gehry Technologies will be a major asset for the LA River efforts. L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne reports that Gehry’s office has already created a point-cloud three-dimensional model of 70% of the river. Tensho Takemori, one of the lead architects on the project, says that once the model is complete, it “will give us an objective starting point for the river that everybody can work on.”
3. Gehry Brings Experts
Architects are trained to be generalists, which, by definition, means they are unlikely to be experts in anything. One sure sign of a successful architect is the quality of the team they assemble, and Frank Gehry is no stranger to bringing in experts: the one aspect of the Disney Concert Hall that is universally praised is the acoustics, designed by expert acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. For the L.A. River project, Frank Gehry has assembled a highly regarded team of experts, including the renowned landscape architecture firm Olin, Dutch water expert Henk Ovink, and engineers from Geosyntec.
4. Gehry’s Plan is Comprehensive
Existing plans for the river are incomplete. Alternative 20 only addresses 11 miles of the river from Griffith Park to Chinatown. The existing master plan only applies to the 32 miles of the river within the Los Angeles city limits. There are also other plans developed by Los Angeles County, and the city of Long Beach. Gehry Partners’ task is to establish a strategy for all 51 miles of the river, including coordination and outreach with the 15 municipalities it flows through. And rather than starting from scratch, Gehry has said their efforts are building on the existing plans.
5. Gehry is Free
So far Gehry Partners has been doing this work pro-bono. Very few others could take on such a monumental task without getting paid.
Luciano Giubbilei
For those of you not already familiar with Luciano Giubbilei, his work in landscaping is truly admirable.
Giubbilei has been a huge inspiration to me when it comes to the aesthetic of landscaping.
As an Architect and Landscaper myself, I very much appreciate the minimal aspect of his designs.
His book The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei is a must have and one of my favorites.
On Site Sneak Peek
A quick look at the home I’ve been building for my family in Monecito…
Quick Sketch…
A quick sketch of mine
Minoli
Tiles, tiles, tiles!
Specializing in ceramics for 50 years, Minoli has supplied beautiful floor, wall and mosaic tiles to a diverse range of clients, each with very specific needs. When founded in London in the late 1940s, the company initially both produced and installed Terrazzo, before relocating to Oxford and branching out into supplying Italian ceramic tiles in the 1960’s.
Studio William Hefner 