Tate Modern extension wins planning approval

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Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron addition to the Tate Modern wins planning approval:

The extension to the Tate Modern has been given the green light by Southwark Council despite protests.
The council’s planning committee last night approved the extension despite a last minute objection by IPC Media which is moving into a building opposite the proposed site.
IPC complained that the Tate extension designed by Herzog & De Meuron would lead to overlooking issues and a loss of privacy.
Work on the 12-storey extension to the south-west of the existing Tate Modern is expected to start in September 2008 and be opened by 2012.

H&dM have created quite the museum design empire, what with the original Tate Modern renovation and the Walker Art Center addition in Minneapolis, MN.

Apple Sued under ADA

Apple Store San FranciscoApple Store San Francisco, originally uploaded by Josh Bancroft

And Fake Steve Jobs has his retort:

So we’re being sued because our stores are difficult to navigate if you’re in a wheelchair. See here. Two gals who had difficult experiences in our store are suing us. I must say, my first reaction when I heard about this suit was probably the same one most Apple faithful have: Fuck ’em. Like you, I figured this was probably just another shakedown. These days now that we’re popular and making loads of money everybody is crawling out of the woodwork to shake us down for a few bucks. I figured one or both of these gals who are suing us is probably related to the lawyer bringing the suit, and they all sat around one night cooking up some idea and then sent the two gals into the store and made sure they couldn’t reach a piece of software or whatever.

To anyone else who feels they’ve had a bad experience, for whatever reason, please hire a lawyer and file a complaint and we will pay you whatever amount you choose, in a prompt and professional manner, without challenging or questioning your claims.

Building a Community with Bits and Backhoes

Mueller PlanMueller Plan, originally uploaded by Rob Goodspeed

Building a Community with Bits and Backhoes:

Located on the former site of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (which closed in 1999), the 711 acre Mueller redevelopment project will be larger in size than either downtown Austin, or the University of Texas campus. When the project is complete the neighborhood will house 10,000 residents, 10,000 jobs, over 1,000 units of affordable housing. The site will contain a town center, grocery store, school, parks, the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, and the Austin Studios filmmaking complex.

This sort of community building is only magnified in New York City due to the scale and density of the city and NYC resident’s propensity to discuss real estate. From macro sites like Curbed to niche sites such as Gowanus Lounge and Kensington Brooklyn Blog all scales are covered.
That no one lives in the Mueller development an interesting development.

Architecture on Air

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Speaking of podcasts, check out Architecture on Air an academic podcast of interviews and lectures: This unusual format is by design as the series is meant to focus on helping students build a more nuanced and attentive language with which to describe the built environment and their own work (as opposed to fixating on images).

Farnsworth House becomes even more a part of Nature

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The recent Midwestern rains and
rising floodwaters threaten the Farnsworth House in Plano, IL (which will reopen for tours next month) brought water to just below the elevated floor:

Floodwaters crested on Friday afternoon, August 24, just below the main floor of the house, which was constructed in 1951 on six-foot high piers along the banks of the Fox River. Following torrential rains during the previous week, the staff of Landmarks Illinois–which operates the historic site–implemented an emergency flood plan, raising the house’s furniture on crates and removing other valuable articles. An August 28th
Chicago Tribune article provides more information.

While Pruned calls this design a quasi-failure, I think they protest too much. I do recall from history that the house was lifted on stilts for this very reason; which is quite a Modernist reaction to nature’s wrath.
Outside the Roofless Church
This is similar to Philip Johnson’s Roofless Church in New Harmony, IN (worth a visit) which is sited just out the Wabash River flood plain. The project is surrounded by a masonry wall with only two voids: the entry, on the major axis, and on the secondary axis a void which functions as an alter to contemplate the rising spring and fall floods. Johnson eloquently designs with Nature, and all of her seasons to create a quite nice contemplative space.
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