Exhibition on Transforming South Street Seaport To Be Launched by AIA New York

Compelling proposals to change the face of lower Manhattan will be on display at the Center for Architecture in New York. "South Street Seaport: Re-envisioning the Urban Edge", is an exhibition from July 17 through September 20, 2008 that showcases 37 prospective designs resulting from the third Biennial Ideas Competition launched by the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the AIA NY. This competition encouraged participants to envision new connections, both material and metaphoric, to Manhattan’s contemporary urban fabric.

"South Street Seaport: Re-envisioning the Urban Edge" provided a rare opportunity for students and young professionals in the field of design and architecture, and who have completed their education at the undergraduate or graduate level within the past 10 years, to engage the ongoing evolution of the South Street Seaport.

Preserving waterfront history
Continuing its recent tradition of selecting sites tied to New York City’s waterfront, ENYA partnered with the Seaman's Church Institute (SCI), whose headquarters have been in the Seaport neighborhood since 1832. With SCI functioning as a hypothetical client, participants were asked to consider the area’s past before suggesting interventions to its future.

Principal design elements of the contest included a community center for the SCI and gallery space to house their collection of maritime art and artifacts, as well as open space usage that would preserve the neighborhood’s intriguing history. Unlike previous competitions that have asked entrants to consider building on terra firma, this competition required the design of a new pier over the water south of the Brooklyn Bridge.

“ENYA’s Biennial Competition program provides an important opportunity for emerging architects from around the world to proffer their suggestions about what the future face of New York City might look like,” commented Carolyn Sponza, AIA, LEED AP, Vice President for Professional Development with the AIA New York Chapter. “As an ideas competition, many of the selections break the mold of traditional thinking about urbanism and engagement with the city—often resulting in proposals that tread the boundary between the accepted and radical."

Global perspectives on the Seaport
The competition jury included highly influential designers and critics form New York, including Nina Baniahmad, Sara Caples-Jefferson, Kate Kerrigan, Eeva Liisa Pelkonen, Michael Sorkin and Calvin Tsao. The exhibition curators are Anne Leonhardt, Joel Melton, and Sean Rasmussen. Models of the four winning entries will be displayed along with the 37 proposals selected by the jury. More than 200 participants entered the competition, representing a broad spectrum of domestic and international architects, landscape architects, urban designers and planners, and graphic artists from 13 countries.

Opening party, walking tour and more
In addition to the opening on July 17, other events will include a symposium, walking tour, and lecture. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication that contains highlights of the best entries, critical essays by noted architectural writers on architecture Michael Sorkin and Ann Buttonwieser, and proposals by NYC high school students involved in an architectural design studio program.

Exhibit Featuring "Tapestry In Architecture" Out Until June '09

Organized as part of the year-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of the National Association of Japan-American Societies (NAJAS), "Tapestry in Architecture: Creating Human Spaces" is the first U.S. exhibition of the textile work of Japanese artist Mitsuko Asakura.

Highlighting intricately woven, delicately patterned works specifically designed to complement architectural interiors, the exhibition showcases 11 hanging pieces replete with photos and a video essay depicting the creation process.

The exhibit begins its North American tour at Japan Society (July 10-August 14, 2008), then travels to Harvard University’s Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Cambridge, MA (September 15-November 14, 2008), the Morikami Museum and Gardens, Delray Beach, FL (December 16, 2008-February 22, 2009) with a final presentation at the American Institute of Architects Headquarters Gallery, Washington, DC (March 12-June 26, 2009).

It is first in a series of smaller-scale summer exhibitions at Japan Society that provide an intimate look at specialized subjects, private collections, nontraditional media, and more.

"Tapestry in Architecture: Creating Human Spaces" features works specifically commissioned by clients including Hie Shrine for its new building in downtown Tokyo, Pfizer Global Research and Development for its laboratories in Nagoya, and Resona Bank in Osaka. Because the works are integral components of these buildings, rather than remove them for the exhibition, Asakura has created exact copies to travel in the exhibition. The dramatic enhancement of these architectural spaces, ranging from a cutting-edge pharmaceutical laboratory in Nagoya, Japan to a shrine in Tokyo, Japan, with site specific tapestries is documented in the exhibition by large-format photographs that show some of the works in situ.

This exhibition is made possible by Canon. This exhibition is also sponsored by The Tokyo Club. Additional support is provided by Kajima Corporation, Takenaka Corporation and Shimizu Corporation. Transportation assistance at Japan Society is provided by Japan Airlines. Exhibitions at Japan Society are also made possible in part by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and the Friends of the Gallery. Installations at Japan Society Gallery are supported by a generous gift from Henry Cornell.

About Mitsuko Asakura
The daughter of an artist and dyer, Mitsuko Asakura was born and raised in Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. Growing up helping her father in his dyeing workshop and surrounded by the traditional craft artists of Kyoto, Asakura developed a passion for weaving. Deeply immersed in the traditional textile culture of Japan, she created her own original style of textile art by mixing traditional fiber dyeing with experimental shapes. Asakura’s tapestries are notable for their sensitive use of color and unusual forms. All of her dyes are handmade, often featuring a combination of natural ingredients sourced in the nature surrounding Kyoto and cutting-edge chemical substances. The interplay of the natural and man-made materials in the dye creates vibrant and subtle colors that distinguish her work. These dyes create vibrant and subtle colors that distinguish her work. Most striking is her series of works entitled Oritatamu, which she first started creating in the 1970s. Oritatamu is a play on Japanese words which translates to “weaving and/or folding.” Unlike her contemporaries who were also exploring three-dimensional textile forms that were free-standing, Asakura has always created her dimensional work to be hung on a surface like a tapestry.

Along with her many commissions, Asakura’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions both solo and group, primarily in Japan.

About NAJAS
The National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that offers educational, cultural and business programs about Japan and U.S.-Japan relations to the general public through its member Japan and Japan-America Societies. NAJAS is the only national non-profit network in the United States dedicated to public education about Japan. It consists of approximately 40 independent Japan-related organizations located in 32 cities around the country.

About Japan Society Gallery
Japan Society Gallery is among the premier institutions in the United States for the exhibition, research, and publication of Japanese art. Extending in scope from prehistory to the present, the Gallery's exhibitions have covered topics as disparate as classical Buddhist sculpture, contemporary photography, and media arts. The Gallery presents two major exhibitions each year, working with leading museums in Japan, the United States, Asia, and Europe to bring together objects of cultural significance, historical importance, and high aesthetic value. In conjunction with exhibitions, Japan Society Gallery publishes scholarly catalogues and conducts educational programs, including lectures, guided tours, and symposia of international importance. Through these activities, the Gallery contributes to the scholarship, connoisseurship, and appreciation of the art and culture of Japan and East Asia.

About Japan Society
Founded in 1907 by prominent New York City businesspeople and philanthropists, Japan Society has evolved over 100 years into an internationally recognized nonprofit organization presenting a full range of programs within arts and culture, business, education, family, and public policy. Through over 100 events annually, Japan Society creates rich encounters and exchanges that offer opportunities to experience Japanese culture; foster sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the United States, Japan, and East Asia; and improve access to information on Japan.

BBG-BBGM Moving To Empire State Building, Will Pursue LEED Silver

Designed to accommodate the firms’ need for more space, the move by the architectural and interior design firms BBG-BBGM will relocate their New York City headquarters to the iconic Empire State Building. Managing Partners Louis R. Hedgecock, AIA and Julia Monk, ASID, AIA made the announcement about the 15-year lease that has been signed. The firms are relocating from 515 Madison Ave., the New York office location since their founding in 1984, to a 32,000 square feet space on the entire 25th floor of the Empire State Building.

The firms are pursuing LEED Silver Certification in the Commercial Interiors category (LEED-CI). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings and interiors.

“As global design firms, this move is an important step in our long term strategy. We are pleased to provide our staff with an office environment that reflects our values of creativity, collaboration and commitment to sustainability,” Hedgecock said.

BBG-BBGM designed their new office space to reflect the firms’ culture, identity, commitment to sustainability, and work style. Designed to optimize natural light in a white and grey color scheme, the office features the Ahrend benching system, Humanscale ergonomic seating and desk lights, strategic use of reflective surfaces for maximum dispersal of natural light, and a partially exposed ceiling structure.

Some of the energy saving elements include lighting controls with daylight harvesting photo sensors; a daylight receptive window control system with automatic window shades and operable windows to provide ventilation; and energy efficient lighting, such as T5 high output fluorescent lamps with LEDs, to reduce the power required to 15% below ASHRAE standards. The bathroom fixtures use water and energy saving technology such as TOTO low flow and motion sensor toilets, automatic sink faucets and hand driers. Sub-metered Energy Star equipment and appliances control temperature, optimize energy performance, and measure the firms’ energy and water footprint.

Selected eco-friendly materials include low emitting VOC paints, adhesives, coatings, sealants, plastic laminates, and non-formaldehyde MDF panels; recycled content materials include certified wood floors, Interface carpet tiles and Ecophon fiberglass ceiling tiles and wall coverings; renewable materials include linoleum and substrates such as strawboard in custom millwork.

About BBG-BBGM
BBG-BBGM are internationally renowned, award winning architectural and interior design firms with extensive expertise in the design of mixed use complexes, luxury urban hotels, resorts, high end residential, retail, and corporate/office buildings. The firms have offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Scottsdale, AZ, Sydney, and Shanghai.

Flexibility At A Las Vegas Theater

A landscape interior metal fabric solution from Cambridge Architectural, a full-service provider of architectural metal fabric applications, defines and separates space within the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the new Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The newly renovated theater, formerly the Aladdin Center for the Performing Arts, is designed to house Broadway-style shows for extended runs.

Cambridge Architectural's innovative mesh application provides "house reduction" in order to produce more intimate seating for smaller crowds. Retractable panels of metal fabric allow larger areas of the theatre to be reconfigured to suit the space requirements of an event. Specifically, the metal fabric application allows the 7,500-seat theatre to be effectively reduced to seating for 2,800 through the use of glistening mesh partitions that carve out interior space.

"The former theatre was 30 years old and needed to have the flexibility to be used in several size configurations to maintain its viability," explains Lendall Mains, architect, Lendall Mains Architect, Las Vegas, NV. "The new functionality and unique look of the mesh panels helped create an effective method of house reduction that revived a tired building for use in an ever- changing Las Vegas market."

"This project was a perfect demonstration of our ability to solve unique problems with architectural mesh," explains Heather Collins, director of marketing for Cambridge Architectural. "There were three important design considerations for this project aside from a striking visual appearance: The customer required acoustic transparency so that the finely tuned theater acoustics were not affected; the system had to be easy to operate with a minimum of training; and since there is little storage space, the screens needed to be self-contained. The mesh panels were also to be wash-lighted with RGB LED's and with projection from the stage. The system provides transparency while still offering a visual division of the space."

In addition to aesthetics, the metal fabric application maintains many functional benefits, one of which is fire resistance. Traditional fabric curtains could not be used for the theatre due to fire code issues. The woven stainless steel mesh application solved this problem.

"We have more than 25 years of venue experience, so we know that curtaining off a wall doesn't work," said Denise Perry, Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Development for BASE Entertainment, which operates the facility. "Cambridge provided a material that worked very well for this purpose."

The custom Space Sculpting mesh solution is comprised of 23,000 square feet of flexible metal fabric in Cambridge's Scale and Mid-Balance patterns. The two types of woven metal mesh were attached using Cambridge's Reelease attachment method, designed specifically by Cambridge engineers for this project as a solution for raising and lowering the metal fabric panels at the touch of a button. A concealed, overhead-mounted, motorized reel both unreels the metal fabric downward and retracts it upward for hidden storage.

When deployed, the metal fabric partitions are secured at the floor by small magnets concealed in steel handrails. As a demonstration of the versatility of designing with metal fabric, Cambridge's Scale pattern, featuring 62% open area, was specified in the upper panels to facilitate ventilation.

"We needed a material that was acoustically transparent and provided airflow, but also had a solid appearance," said Georgina Sperber, design architect, M&J Architects, which specializes in the performing arts. "Cambridge's mesh fit the bill."

Mid-Balance was chosen for the remainder of the metal fabric screens because the tighter, 52% open area of the mesh is more receptive to wash lighting and projection, as color-changing LED lights are used to illuminate the metal fabric.

A total of 40 screen units were fabricated, varying in width from 10 feet to 12 feet, and in lengths from 13 feet to 68 feet. Cambridge performed all of the system design and fabrication, including a touch-screen control system.

"This was certainly a complex undertaking, and Cambridge brought the research and ingenuity that was required for the implementation of this new system," continues Mains.

"Planet Hollywood is a great example of a custom house reduction design that has become an integral part of our product offering," says Collins. "This new method of house reduction is a perfect solution for any theatre that needs flexibility to attract and accommodate different types of acts and their audiences. Cambridge's Reelease attachment system and corresponding
metal fabric patterns make this possible."

The Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts was completed in the spring of 2007. The new theatre is a rare mid-sized venue in the Las Vegas market, fitting between the larger concert arenas that seat more than 10,000 and the smaller showrooms that seat fewer than 1,200. It is the largest theater of its kind in the United States.

"In such a large space, the use of architectural mesh allows us to have three or more configurations in the room," explains Denise Perry.

Cambridge Architectural's Space Sculpting applications maintain the ability to carve out space while providing visibility, light and air flow. The aesthetic flexibility of Cambridge Architectural solutions allows for creative architecture that responds to the architect's imagination.

"We love Cambridge. They have been contributing to every phase of the project," adds Perry.

Architecture Billings Index Drops to Lowest Level Ever

Emblematic of the various struggling sectors in the overall economy, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped two points in March and fell to its lowest level since the survey’s inception in 1995. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI shows an approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the March ABI rating dropped to 39.7, following its steep nine point decline in February (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The inquiries for new projects score was 48.0, also the lowest mark for the survey.

“We’ve seen an 11-point fall-off in the first quarter of the year, and the prognosis for commercial construction later this year is not favorable at this point,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Aside from historically low project demand, all regions are showing very poor business conditions. This is not likely to reverse itself anytime soon.”

Key March ABI highlights:
Regional averages: South (45.3), Northeast (38.7), West (38.7), Midwest (36.9)
Sector index breakdown: institutional (50.8), commercial/industrial (38.3), multi-family residential (31.7)
Project inquiries index: 48.0

The Architecture Billings Index is derived from a monthly “Work-on-the-Boards” survey and produced by the AIA Economics Market Research Group. Based on a comparison of data compiled since the survey’s inception in 1995 with figures from the Department of Commerce on Construction Put in Place, the findings amount to a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to 12 month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction activity.

The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly survey sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended. According to the proportion of respondents choosing each option, a score is generated, which represents an index value for each month.

Watercolors By Architect Steven Holl Displayed In Bejing

New York’s Frederieke Taylor Gallery exhibited a series of 10 watercolors (each in a limited and personalized edition of two) by architect Steven Holl at the China International Gallery Exposition (CIGE), which took place in Bejing from April 25 to April 28. Holl produced these watercolors throughout the design process of a number of his projects in China.

Throughout his career, Holl has been an avid watercolorist, painting as often as possible in order to connect the subjective and the objective in his signature style. Speaking on the process, he said, “There is a joy in this way of beginning; it’s inspiring and light, and I feel it’s in my blood. I open my eyes. It’s a new unpredictable day; I have a yearning, and it’s unappeasable sometimes.”

Two of the projects represented in the exhibition are currently under construction and scheduled for completion later this year. These are seen in the images here-- (at bottom) the Linked Hybrid in Beijing (a group of eight towers and 660 geothermal wells linked by public sky-bridges) and (at top and middle) the Museum of Architecture and Art in Nanjing.