The Smithsonian-affiliated National Museum for American Jewish History (NMAJH), the nation’s only museum documenting the Jewish-American experience, has assiduously expanded its collection from 40 objects, when it opened in 1976, to more than 20,000. In doing so, it has outgrown the meager 6,000 square feet of exhibition space in its current home, a half-block from the spot on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall where it is constructing a new 100,000-square-foot complex designed by Polshek Partnership. NMAJH hopes that when the $150 million space opens on July 4, 2010, it will be able to expand its programming and quintuple its attendance to 250,000
Frank Gehry will design the ninth annual summertime pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery in London this year. It will be Gehry’s first built structure in England and that’s exactly the idea—the gallery selects architects and artists “who, at the time of the Serpentine Gallery’s invitation, have not completed a building in England,” the U.K.’s Building magazine reported on January 17. No word yet on what Gehry’s design will look like, but his pavilion will include a café that doubles as an event venue. Previous efforts by Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Daniel Libeskind have attracted as many as 250,000 visitors
Planning is underway on a new building that will be the centerpiece of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Cultural District. The project charts new territory for New York City both in sustainable design and its designated mixture of occupants; it also marks a step forward for the city’s long-stalled plans for the area. The development firm Full Spectrum of New York, together with architects studioMDA and Behnisch Architects, is developing the $85 million project and expects to break ground in early 2009. Images courtesy studioMDA / Behnisch Architects, renderings by ESKQ In a new tower for the Brooklyn Academy
The Empire State Building basked in the limelight after taking top honors in last year’s “America’s Favorite Architecture” poll, in which the American Institute of Architects (AIA) asked the public to pick the nation’s most beloved 150 buildings in honor of its 150th anniversary. Now, architects are taking a turn. Buoyed by the immense popularity of sesquicentennial events—the AIA’s Web site, which usually averages 7,000 hits a week, was slammed with a server-crashing 27,000 hits-per-hour after results of the top 150 poll were unveiled—they’re capitalizing on the freshly elevated profile of their profession to shape policy, in ways large and
No Such Thing as a Bridge Too Far in Dublin Santiago Calatrava’s bridges in Dublin are getting some company in the form of Spencer Dock Bridge—a curvy structure designed by Future Systems. Linking the city center to a docklands redevelopment area, the new 131-foot-long span over Dublin’s Royal Canal will be located within the new Linear Park. It will carry automobile traffic, pedestrians, and one of the Luas streetcar lines. Images courtesy Future Systems Designed by Future Systems, Dublin’s new Spencer Dock Bridge features a 62-foot to 95-foot-wide, shallow deck—just two feet thick—supported at its center by two piers; at
Saucier+Perrotte Experience Rocky Mountain High Saucier+Perrotte Architectes, in collaboration with Marc Boutin Architects, have designed the National Mountain Centre, a Rocky Mountain museum and visitor’s center to be constructed in Canmore, Alberta. Program elements within the five-story, 55,000-square-foot space will be layered—a touch inspired by geological stratification, says partner Gilles Saucier. Images courtesy Saucier+Perrotte Architectes Saucier+Perrotte Architectes, in collaboration with Marc Boutin Architects, have designed the National Mountain Centre (top). Program elements within the five-story, 55,000-square-foot space will be layered—a touch inspired by geological stratification (middle). A 98-foot-tall central, seismic column doubles as a rock-climbing wall, which will be North
Fuksas Serves Up Gourmet School Design Hotel and restaurant trainees in Montpellier, France, are due to get a crash course in chic design appreciation. Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas has designed the new Marianne hotel, catering, and tourism trade school. Images courtesy M Fuksas ARCH Massimiliano Fuksas has designed the new Marianne hotel, catering, and tourism trade school in Montpellier, France (top). Partially exposed structural framework will create a diamond pattern on the curved exterior surfaces, while the building’s skin is made of triangular aluminum panels punctuated by triangular aluminum window frames with double glazing (middle). The school includes five buildings
Michigan State University (MSU) has picked Zaha Hadid Architects to design its new $26-million Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, in East Lansing, Michigan, school officials announced today. Hadid’s selection emerged from a competition that began last June and had narrowed to five firms, including Morphosis, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and Randall Stout Architects. Joseph Giovannini chaired the selection committee. Images courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects Michigan State University has selected Zaha Hadid's design for its new Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (top). Her design calls for a sharply angular, low-slung horizontal three-story building with a glass and aluminum
A plan for redeveloping large sections of the riverfront in New Orleans took a step closer to reality when it received a green light from the city on January 9. The New Orleans Building Corporation (NOBC), whose board includes mayor Ray Nagin and three members of the City Council, endorsed conceptual plans and authorized work to begin on the project’s first phase, perhaps within months. New details about project financing were also released. Image courtesy New Orleans Building Corporation The redevelopment of New Orleans’ riverfront encompasses several areas within a 4.5-mile along the east bank of the Mississippi River. Work
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