A gossamer update to a redbrick tradition
For years, the University of Pennsylvania seemed incapable of putting up a new building that didn't include heaping quantities of those little red rectangles. Now Penn has admitted another non-brick building into its ranks. Designed by one of Japan's top architects, Fumihiko Maki, the $34.5 million centre is a gossamer bell jar made from the lightest, sheerest glass imaginable. The contrast with its solid, earthbound neighbours is striking, and yet the magic of Maki's design is that they look as comfy together as old pals.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Why Nicolai Ouroussoff is not good enough
[This piece from Design Observer takes a critical look at the work of New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff.]
Architecture criticism cannot simply be about what’s new because that leads precisely to the globe-trotting, star-gazing, architecture-as-sculpture approach we have now. We need criticism that connects us to a building’s references, emotions and textures, not only its news value.
Design Observer
Anglicans pull plug on Cathedral Square
In a move described as "dreadful" for Perth's CBD, the Anglican church has withdrawn from the $81 million Cathedral Square project pushed by Mirvac. The church's decision means demolition of its eyesore Law Chambers Building on Hay Street will be shelved indefinitely.
Sydney Morning Herald
