The most crucial elements are often the most overlooked. One fundamental one being: the elevator. Elevators have provided key characteristics in architecture’s progress over time. Beyond their simple ability to transport people up and down hundreds of floors, elevators have become doors to unexpected routes in society and design.
It has been 20 years since Giancarlo De Carlo’s death on June 4th, 2005. In his life, De Carlo believed architecture to be an effective tool only if weaved into every aspect of the environment it operated in, including its communities. These opinions were considered to be deeply controversial as Postmodernism was on the rise.
The question of ethical prisons has been explored throughout history. Today, humane prisons seem to have become a rare and overlooked subject when it comes to their systems and design. From Venezuelan gang-run prisons to scandi-style cells in green plains, prisons are a world yet to be explored.
In August, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order that is to make classical architecture the United States’ new staple for all future federal buildings. A move that is presented as a response to American people’s demands, but in reality hides much more.
We spend our entire lives hearing about art, cinema and music, but where has architecture disappeared to? Once featured in mainstream newspapers, architecture’s popularity amongst the masses has taken a dive. It could be time that the world of architecture considers investing more time in communicating with the communities they serve.
The human race has long searched for meaning in the most inexplicable occurrences, one of them being death. Unexpectedly, it is in the architecture of cemeteries, filled to the brim with memories of pain and sorrow, that we find a cathartic space that allows for true solitude and reflection.
When disaster strikes, architects are often met with the challenge of aiding communities left stranded. The requirements are many, with an equally long list of challenges that make the job terribly difficult. Shigeru Ban breaks through the world of disaster relief architecture with cardboard tubes and a dream: to make architecture for the people.
Steven Holl introduces harmony between man and nature through open urban landscapes, wiping out the concept of private and public with his concrete structures. This new approach to architecture makes us wonder if boundaries are what we needed all along.
Frank Gehry and his architecture are known for the controversial Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, which has long lived a double life: a harbinger of gentrification and a masterpiece of rule-breaking design. Which is it going to be?
