October-November-December 2001

Beware! The links in past news articles are not maintained.

Archi.TV3: the identitity of Contemporary Europe
December 19, 2001
In this Archi.TV broadcast, architect Stefano Boeri and photographer Francesco Jodice explain their search for the changing identity of Europe with the USE project, made by a group of 70 architects, photographers, moviemakers, artists and geographers. A large part of the project is on show at the exhibition Mutations in Brussels till 6th of January 2002.
Trans-urbanism: Fiction or Reality?
December 12, 2001
In late November, V2 held a two-day symposium devoted to 'trans-urbanism'. 'The city's substance is hardly material/architectural anymore. Public squares, market places, the lay-out of the streets seems no longer relevant to how the city is experienced,' the flyer announced. And though this statement was not the topic for discussion, a number of speakers wondered whether one could really speak about a new urbanism. OMA two times winner
December 12, 2001
Rem Koolhaas' office OMA won the design competition for the extension of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. OMA's proposal consists in the demolishing of the pavilion-like buildings and replaces them with a vast structure. The second winning OMA design is for a theatre in Dallas. Absent Architecture
December 3, 2001
On Thursday evening the Berlage Institute organised a discussion in conjunction with the Alliance Française and Archilab on the theme of hybrid landscapes. A new generation of French architects uses nature in a playful way to create artificial landscapes, thereby breaking open the traditional relationship between city and countryside. The evening opened with a short presentation the work of Dominique Lyon, Jakob + MacFarlane, and Francois Roche. In attendance were Winy Maas Adriaan Geuze and Aaron Betsky. 1st Architecture Biennial Rotterdam in 2003
November 29, 2001
The first Architecture Biennial in Rotterdam, 1ab, is expected to be put off for one year. The event is now scheduled for 2003. The most important reason for postponement is to prevent the 1ab event coinciding with the Venice Architecture Biennale. Trip to India
November 19, 2001
Last Thursday a delegation of architects, landscape architects and urbanists went for a three week trip to India. The theme of this study trip is 'abundancy and scarcity'. On the website specially made for this journey the whole trip can be followed. A daily report can be read (until now in Dutch) and people can react or just send messages (please as much as possible and in english!!). Unfortunately the site is in Dutch but please use this on-line dictionairy. Amsterdam's Western Garden Suburbs again a testing ground for Dutch Urban Planning
November 19, 2001
West of the A10 motorway in Amsterdam lie the Western Garden Suburbs, laid out according to the General Expansion Plan (AUP) of 1928. What is remarkable about the AUP is that it determined how Amsterdam was to develop and was implemented almost exactly as planned. Does the current renewal of the Western Garden Suburbs form a continuation of or break with the original intentions?. Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
October 29, 2001
The Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFR) takes place from Thursday 1 to Wednesday 7 November this year. Featuring classic films, documentaries, installations, lectures and presentations at four Rotterdam venues - Cinerama, Lantaren/Venster, NAi and Berlage Institute - the programme will show that film and architecture have more in common than ever before. Stronger Opponents Wanted! a book review
October 24, 2001
The book Stronger Opponents Wanted! looks at how major cultural buildings get built. Documenting the histories of Sydney Opera House, the Louvre and the Groningen Museum, the authors discuss the often far-reaching influence on such projects from politicians, sponsors, success managers and directors. But megalomaniac architecture dreams only become reality when enthusiastic soloists form a united front. The idea that an architect draws a design and construction immediately follows is an extremely naive view of matters, to put it mildly, often spread by the media.
MVRDV's New Autumn Collection
October 16, 2001
Hagen Island is a residential area designed by MVRDV in the new suburb of Ypenburg just outside The Hague. The housing looks hip, as if it was made for a film. Amidst the endless sea of new dwellings stretching out from The Hague, the layout here seems innovative. So plenty of reason to take a look behind the scenes at life on the set of this film.
The City as Museum
October 9, 2001
Amsterdam policy concerning art in public space has been delegated to the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK). With an exhibition entitled 2001: A Public Space Odyssey and a public debate, the AFK hopes to stimulate discussion about art in public space.
Urban Flotsam Chora / Raoul Bunschoten
October 1, 2001
CHORA is an institution co-founded by Raoul Bunschoten, who is also its director and most prominent member. It is a cross between an academic research institute, an urban design office and a think-tank for urban policy. Its recently published book Urban Flotsam manoeuvres between a manifesto, a vision on the contemporary city, and a guidebook for urban design education and research.