GSD News Archive: November 2007
GSD faculty member and alumni design BP’s first green gas station Can Gas Go Green? Welcome to the future of fuel. By John Gendall House of Helios BP, the energy company formerly known as British Petroleum, cultivates a reputation as the greenest of the energy multinationals; the firm’s sunburst logo is meant to remind customers of its investments in solar and wind power. Yet for all its alternative-energy aspirations, BP, like the rest of the world economy, still lives and dies by oil. So it only made sense that the company chose Los Angeles, the embodiment of American car culture, as the site of the world’s first “eco-friendly” gas station. Although it only opened this February, Helios House (the name refers to the Greek sun god that inspired the BP logo) has become a landmark on gritty Olympic Boulevard in West Los Angeles. The project began in July 2006, when BP asked architects Nader Tehrani and Monica Ponce de Leon, founders of the Boston-based firm Office dA, to design a gas station that would reflect BP’s green image. In search of local expertise, Tehrani and Ponce de Leon recruited fellow Graduate School of Design alums Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee in Los Angeles.
[02138 magazine, November/December, 2007] image: Helios House at the corner of Olympic and Robertson Blvds. in Los Angeles
|
Michael Adlerstein (LF ’86) to design renovation of UN buildings After 10 Years and 3 Plans, U.N. Renovation Is in Sight
By Warren Hoge The widely recognized postwar modern exteriors of the 55-year-old steel and glass Secretariat tower and its companion General Assembly Hall have aged well, but inside, the years have taken their toll. The $1.876 billion project is scheduled to take five years. Nov. 27 — Cruise ships, barges, islands, tent settlements, a 30-story annex, a Wal-Mart-size building, even Brooklyn. All of them have been proposed by increasingly desperate United Nations officials as the place to locate thousands of employees and delegates while the organization’s stylishly timeless but dangerously antiquated 39-story headquarters are refurbished. This decade-long search has ended now with a decision to begin a five-year, $1.876 billion renovation of the complex in the spring and to house the 2,600 people who must move out in rented space in Manhattan, across the East River in Long Island City and a temporary conference building on the United Nations campus.
[The New York Times, November 28, 2007] image: Mark Lennihan/Associated Press
|
Arnold Arboretum names Heather Heimarck (MLA ’91) new director of Landscape Institute The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University has announced the appointment of a new director of its Landscape Institute. Heather Heimarck, a practitioner and instructor of landscape architecture, will step into the leadership role in February 2008. John Furlong, who led the Institute for over 25 years, announced his intention to step down earlier this year to devote more time to teaching and private practice. Ms Heimarck is currently creative director and principal of HighMark Land Design, a landscape architecture and planning studio established in 2000. With a background in fine arts, sculpture and community service, Ms. Heimarck brings a social and environmental ethic to the practice of her art. Ms Heimarck is also an experienced educator who has taught at the Landscape Institute, at Harvard’s Landscape Architecture Summer Program, at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Boston Architectural Center. Ms. Heimarck received an MLA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a BFA from the University of Michigan. Ms. Heimarck’s company will continue as Heimarck & Foglia, a partnership forged to explore landscape architectural design. |
A Celebration of Landscape and Simple Forms—Architect Hashim Sarkis Excerpted from the article by Dr. Meshari Naim and Tareq Abdel Fattah (Al Benaa, # 205, November 2007) Contemporary Arab culture has become fixated on issues of heritage and history and is searching for a distinctive identity in a built environment crowded with intermingled identities. As a result, Arab architecture receives little recognition beyond traditional, historic design. We have confined our buildings to history. In this issue, we present Hashim Sarkis, an Arab architect and academic, director of the Aga Khan Program at Harvard University [Graduate School of Design]. His work presents a more profound architecture that respects landscape and transcends the inhibition of history and the forms that it imposes on designers and inhabitants alike. The issues of identity and history are present in his work, but he approaches them from an “ecological” angle. His notion of authenticity is a response to site, to ecology, to topography. It is also linked to renewal and innovation. In our Arab region, we need architects who transcend this adherence to history and embrace new parameters of architectural production. These parameters are linked to ever-changing, current conditions, but also to site conditions that are less volatile. Sarkis’ work exemplifies a seamless overlap between the fixed and the changing, which, according to the poet Adonis leads to innovation. For example, the ecological solution for the eroding beach in Damour combines a contemporary approach with a respect for the conditions of the site while addressing the larger ecological problems that the Lebanese civil war has left behind. This heightened sensitivity recurs in Sarkis’ work through the interaction of the elements of his buildings with the elements of the landscape and the site, be it an open beach front or a congested urban center . . . .
This innovative approach encompasses a direct expression of site and city without predetermined images imposed on the architectural outcome, as often happens in the thinking at traditional schools of design. There are few recurring forms in Sarkis’ work, unlike the dull repetition that characterizes much of the work of contemporary architects in the Arab world. One underlying design element among Sarkis’ projects is their ecological dimension, their deep connectedness to landscape. Another element is their simplicity of form. Each project may take on a different sculptural quality, but all his work expresses a simplicity and honesty. Contemporary Arab architecture, as this young architect is trying to convey, does not need to be relegated to predetermined, mummified design.
(click on images to view larger) first image: Detail view of the housing for the fishermen of Tyre second image: Frontal elevation of the Assabil Public Library, Beirut
|
American Architecture Award Winners on View in New York Exhibit puts the spotlight on firms considered the most talented in the nation. By Mairi Beautyman Architecture defined by a prestigious awards program as the best in the U.S. will be on view at furniture manufacturer Kimball Office’s New York showroom, November 15-December 14. The exhibition celebrates the winners of the 2007 American Architecture Awards, organized by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. On November 15, Kimball Office will host an opening reception from 5pm-7pm. [Interior Design, November 8, 2007] Among the award-winning projects is the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, designed by the firm of Rodolfo Machado, Co-chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design; and Jorge Silvetti, Nelson Robinson Jr. Professor of Architecture. More information on Machado and Sillvetti's award-winning project... |
|
Harvard GSD Alumni Council Creates Financial Aid Fund in honor of GSD Dean Altshuler Major gift raised in record time Harvard University Graduate School of Design Alumni Council Chair Michaele Pride announced at the Council’s semi-annual meeting in October that an endowment has been established in the name of GSD Dean Alan Altshuler. The Alumni Council–Alan Altshuler Fund for Financial Aid recognizes Dean Altshuler’s strong commitment to increasing student financial aid during his tenure at the School. In less than ten minutes, all members of the Alumni Council present at the October meeting agreed to participate in the endowment, raising $50,000 that was matched 1:1 by Alumni Council Development Committee Chair, Geoffrey LePlastrier. The brainchild of Le Plastrier and fellow Council member Ron Ostberg, the endowment is the largest single gift ever made by the Council. “It was like a light that went on for me at four o’clock in the morning the day of the Council meeting,” said Ostberg. “Geoff picked up on it and decided to create a matching fund. At the Council meeting that day, everyone came forward. Recognizing that the Council is comprised of members at varying stages of their careers, we created three levels of giving to enable everyone to participate. It was a spectacular show of solidarity and leadership for the Council.” In response, Dean Altshuler acknowledged that the fund will be appreciated and celebrated for many years to come. “This is an extraordinary pledge,” said Altshuler. “In my last few months as dean, I am exceedingly moved that the Council chose to establish the financial aid fund in honor of my tenure. This noble gesture will serve as an enduring symbol of friendship to me as I continue on as a professor at the School for many years thereafter.” While dean, Altshuler has substantially increased the amount of need-based aid provided to students and the accessibility of these grants across the diverse student body. “In establishing this fund, the Alumni Council honors a beloved dean and his commitment to making a GSD education possible for talented students from around the world, regardless of their financial circumstances,” said Geoff Le Plastrier.
image: GSD Alumni Council Chair Michaele Pride, Alumni Council member Ron Ostberg, GSD Dean Alan Altshuler, and Alumni Council member Geoff Le Plastrier following the announcement of The Alumni Council–Alan Altshuler Fund for Financial Aid at the Alumni Council meeting held on October 11th.
|
Josep Lluis Sert Professor in Architecture Rafael Moneo participates in "Architecture for Worship in the 21st Century" How We Design Houses of Worship—Architects Debate the Traditional vs. More Modern Approaches By William Weir, Courant Staff Writer Even if you’re not one for going to services, religious buildings probably play a big part in the landscape of your city or town. But structurally, what sets a church, synagogue or mosque apart from, say, a Blockbuster? For a long time, the matter of how you build sacred spaces was one that didn't get a lot of discussion. “There was a feeling that this is an important topic that nobody ever talks about in the university setting,” says Robert A.M. Stern, dean of the Yale University School of Architecture. “We are in a very religious period. If that's true, then attention to the buildings that shelter those religions should follow that.” To that end, Stern’s department and the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale teamed up to put on a three-day conference, “Architecture for Worship in the 21st Century.” . . . . . . Speakers included Rafael Moneo, who designed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. His creation caused something of an uproar when it opened in 2002, partly for its design (it avoids all right angles) and its elaborateness (it’s 12 stories and cost $200 million). Four years later, it’s one of the city's major architectural attractions. [Hartford (CT) Courant, November 4, 2007]
|
GSD Alumni, New Orleans symposium panelists speak out on Post-Katrina construction "Rebuilding New Orleans, Post-Katrina Style"
image: Lee Celano. Timothy Holmes in his house in Upper Treme
Rising Up in New Orleans, the Post-Storm House By Robin Pogrebin This city has always been known for its eclectic housing styles — Greek Revival, Italianate, Creole. Now emerging is what could be called posthurricane vernacular, wide-ranging, architectural responses to what everyone here refers to simply as the Storm. There is what could be called the Defensive style, houses jacked up so high on pilings that they look as if they might teeter over or take wing. There is also the Defiant Style: pristine houses with columned porches painted in storybook pastels. These are surrounded by houses with boarded-up windows and padlocked doors; FEMA trailers still in the front yard; arrested construction because of a shortage of contractors; or empty lots with nothing left but corroding concrete foundations. These cheerful houses stick out like cartoonish stage sets, with people determined to live happily ever after inside, even though they may still be encircled by devastation and afraid to venture out on the deserted streets after dark.
[New York Times, November 6, 2007] Read full article and view slideshow GSD New Orleans symposium information
|
Spiro Pollalis, Professor of Design Technology and Management, revitalizes “spirit of the place” in residence on Poros
image: Yannis Kontos/Polaris. Tatiana Spinari and Spiro Pollalis, with their two children, Nikolas, 5, and Kristina, 15, have renovated a two-story property on the small Greek island of Poros.
On a Greek Isle, Preserving Tradition By Emily Badger They could have knocked out the doorway and made it wide enough for a garage entrance or tall enough for a boat, or maybe turned the street-front shop into a sitting room, an extension of the home above. But Tatiana Spinari and Spiro Pollalis wanted to keep what they called “the life of the place,” a two-story residential-commercial property on the edge of this small island, an hour by ferry from Athens.
[New York Times, November 8, 2007] |
Assistant Professor Judith Grant Long testifies before Congressional subcommittee Assistant Professor of Urban Planning Judith Grant Long recently testified before the U.S. Congressional Domestic Policy Subcommittee based on her research on sports and tourism facilities. Subcommittee chair Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) quoted Professor Long’s research in his opening remarks. The subcommittee is under the auspices the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Professor Long's Testimony (pdf)
|
Professor Carl Steinitz Awarded Centennial Medal Carl Steinitz, Alexander and Victoria Wiley Research Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning, was awarded the Centennial Medal honoring extraordinary achievement in landscape architecture on October 24 during his retirement reception at the GSD. Prior to the reception, which honored him for his dedication and contributions to the School, Professor Steinitz presented the annual Frederick Law Olmsted lecture, “Landscape Planning: A History of Influential Ideas.” Professor Steinitz, who joined the GSD faculty in 1966, has devoted his teaching and research to landscape change, methods of landscape analysis, visual quality, and landscape planning and design. In 1984 he received the Outstanding Educator Award of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture; he was also honored with the 1966 Distinguished Practitioner Award from the International Association for Landscape Ecology (USA). In 1977, Professor Steinitz was chosen by the student body to receive the annual Graduate School of Design Teaching Award.
(click on images to view larger)
image left: Professor Steinitz with Niall Kirkwood, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Technology and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture images below: Professor Steinitz greets guests at the reception photos by Anita Kan
|
Dean-designate Mohsen Mostafavi and Professor Hashim Sarkis named to President Faust's Task Force on the Arts... Harvard president announces task force for the arts [Harvard Gazette, November 1, 2007] |
Hashim Sarkis, Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies, to be a guest speaker at BSA
As guest speaker at this month’s edition of the BSA’s “Conversations on Architecture,” Professor Hashim Sarkis will discuss the architecture of geography and present his work. His current projects include the Bab Tebbaneh School for Working Children and for Woman in North Tripoli, Lebanon, which won a Progressive Architecture honorable citation earlier this year. The lecture will be held at 7:00 pm on November 29th at The Architects Building in Boston.
image: Bademli House, Aegean Coast, Turkey
|
A New Dean Designs without Borders He seeks to create an environment in which there are no sacred cows, in which people, including himself, feel comfortable questioning long-standing assumptions and making suggestions without committing to their adoption—discussing for the sake of discussion. At least publicly, he has thus far refrained from floating specific ideas, but he has hinted that will change when he arrives in January. “It’s really important, I think, to have a position, if only to put forward that position, if only to incorporate disagreement with others, and be influenced and affected by the argumentation of others,” he said during an interview the day of his visit. “I do have a certain set of opinions and beliefs, and I think that’s an important part of coming to a school like this. There’s really no point in coming if you have nothing to say. If you’re just purely a facilitator, then I think it’s really not interesting.” [Harvard Magazine, November/December 2007] |
Internationally renowned architect Arata Isozaki lectures at GSD Azure magazine profile By Rachel Pulfer Arata Isozaki is a giant of contemporary Japanese architecture. A graduate of Tokyo University, he apprenticed with Kenzo Tange, then started his own firm in 1963. He has since designed everything from the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art to the stadium for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Recent projects include a national library in Qatar (shown). Sponsored by the Department of Architecture, Isozaki came to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design on November 19th to speak; he also gave an exclusive interview to Azure contributor Rachel Pulfer.
Read full Azure magazine article...
(image: Arata Isozaki and Associates) |
