Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Oscar Niemeyer, the famed Brazilian architect whose fluid designs infused Modernism with a new sensuality and captured the imaginations of generations of architects around the globe, has passed away in Rio de Janeiro. He was 104. Brasília’s Esplanade of Ministries features some of Oscar Niemeyer’s best-known works, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, the airy crownlike structure.
Image: Eraldo Peres/Associated Press
Courtesy New York Times
Shikoku, Japan
A group of citizens, architects and academics concerned about the closing of many schools in Japan have restored the Hizuchi Elementary School—an exquisite example of Japan’s homegrown brand of Modernism located in a small town on the island of Shikoku. The efforts of the Architectural Consortium that lead the historic building’s salvation have been honored with the 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Image: Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru
Courtesy Arch Record
United States of America
At the 2012 American Institute of Architects (AIA) convention, the institute's chief economist, Kermit Baker, revealed that approximately 60,000 payroll jobs have been eliminated at U.S. architecture firms since the recession began in December 2007—that’s 28 percent of the pre-recession workforce at firms. Of those 60,000 jobs, about 36,000 were held by architects, the AIA estimates.
Courtesy Arch Record
Kolding, Denmark
Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen have completed their sensitive refurbishment of the former paint manufacturer GORI factory, transforming it into the International Business College (IBC) Innovation Factory. The IBC Innovation Factory is a 12,800 sq m education facility with a creative learning environment, the design of which has been inspired by the six natural elements of fire, water, greenery, light, sound and air.
Image: schmidt hammer lassen
Courtesy World Architecture News
Boston, United State of America
Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon have earned the Audi Urban Future Award with an ambitious concept that revolutionizes the transportation system of the Boston-Washington corridor. The Shareway 2030 proposal would create a network of roads, train tracks and tunnels in the mega-region, and would allow travellers to customize their routes, creating itineraries that take into account socializing, dining and other activities that can be enjoyed along the way.
Courtesy Azure Magazine
