upcoming presentations

Architectural presentations for the Denver Justice Center and the Clyfford Still Museum : [Both events are at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St.]
Steven Holl, of New York-based Steven Holl Architects, and Lee Becker, of Washington, D.C.-based Hartman-Cox Architects, will present their schematic designs for the justice center (courthouse and jail, respectively) starting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19.
In case you are not familiar with the process or the teams for the Clyfford Still Museum, the committee has pre-selected 5 firms, these were selected from the proposal submittals:

1. Allied Works Architecture (Portland)
2. David Chipperfield Architects (London)
3. Diller Scofidio + Renfro (NY)
4. Ohlhausen DuBois Architects (NY)
5. Sanaa (Tokyo)

The committee will meet with the firms on Sept. 12 thru 13 & then pick three finalists; these finalists will be presenting on Nov. 6th at 6pm, then the final choice will be determined on Nov. 8th.

thanks to lilhaven for the heads up

report card

a bow tie pool, a 72 foot tall tower, and a bridge over broadway. is this the stage for architectural wonder? the people of denver at the design forum left divided by libeskind's proposal for the redevelopment of denver's civic center park. according to polls, the public standings so far are 53% dislike, and 47% approve.
the issue that struck the author as the most beguiling was the idea for a pedestrian bridge over the street/park itself. this is a glaring unresolved design issue, since the current situation at street level is not so congested, and-the best cities in the world engage the street including a diversity of both peds and cars.
the hype.
the anticipation.
the image.
[scroll down for the slideshow]
the aftermath

libeskind and learning from chicago

rocky mountain news on using chicago as precedent to contemplate the future of civic center park. the long overdue lecture by DAMiel libeskind will take the stage at the colorado convention center this wednesday at 5:30pm.
also-the grand opening for libeskind's new building has been bumped up to october 7-8. this coincides with the innaugural exhibitioin HOT DAM: art at all hours, allowing the public through the doors beginning at 10am on saturday and ending 9am on sunday [it's free so you have no excuse to stay at home and watch seinfeld re-runs]. if you've got the dough, you can obtain a VIP tour a week early.

nyc visit

since we are searching for a replacement to the waterlogged camera that remains a casualty of the ghost lab, here are some random pics from nyc.

holl in iowa

a link to the flickr photoset by matt niebuhr, highlighting the recently completed university of iowa art and art history building by steven holl architects. some damn fine images, but remember kids-this is what happens when you use corten steel everywhere...

freitag high rise

from the flickr account of the same name-freitag, the makers of hip urban bagwear by means of truck tarpaulins, bike tires, and old car seatbelt straps have a new shop in zurich. made entirely from recycled steel shipping containers, the photos document the process of re-fabrication to fit the retail program needs.
1_steel slaughter
2_pile up
3_stock in

randy brown design/build

another design/build internship similar to the program by dan rockhill [studio 804], run by fellow k-state graduate randy brown. archinect's student blog page gives us the inside scoop of how the project turned out.
on a side note-we found this while snooping around his website. a development near omaha called hidden creek is endorsing new modern "eco-homes" where you can "sit in your living room and watch the deer, but still be two minutes away from supertarget." amenities include natural prairie tall-grass yards, green roofs, radiant floor heating finished with bamboo, and optional solar panels for electricity.

construction continues

denver civic center

the rocky mountain news couldn't wait for daniel libeskind to visit denver again to elaborate on his proposal for the civic center park. soooo-they asked 5 of denver's local architects to contribute sketches of their ideas for public comment. the list of architects are:

William Wenk: founder/principal of Wenk Associates
Yong Cho, co-founder/principal of Studio Completiva Inc.
Steve Chucovich, founder/principal ArchitectureDenver
Susan Saarinen, principal, Saarinen Landscape Architecture
Richard Farley, architect and planner, principal with Civitas Inc.

most of the plans propose a similar solution regarding the surrounding streets: bury them. this would allow for a more pedestrian friendly interface between the city & the park, which in the author's opinion, it severely needs. civic center park has always been perceived [whether founded or not] as a focal point for criminal activites and lacks recreational activities that makes other parks successful. large green spaces in the middle of downtown require an immense amount of planning to have curb appeal & sustain activity. in denver's case, it seems to be a matter of updating a 19th century park to fit today's cultural outlook.

view the designs, and vote for your favorite.

highland bridge installation

from the CDOT website:

Lane Closures

I-25 between I-70 and Speer Blvd. - (Pedestrian bridge installation) The following closures will take place this weekend. Alternate routes are strongly advised. Detours will be posted.

Friday, August 4th

All lanes of southbound I-25 will be closed between I-70 and Speer Boulevard from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Motorists will be detoured onto westbound I-70 to Federal Boulevard where they will go south on Federal Boulevard to Speer Boulevard.

Two lanes of northbound I-25 between Speer Boulevard and I-70 will be closed from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Alternate routes are strongly advised.

Saturday, August 5th

All lanes of northbound I-25 will be closed between Speer Boulevard and I-70 from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. Motorists will be detoured onto westbound Speer Boulevard to Federal Boulevard where they will go north to eastbound I-70.
All lanes of southbound I-25 will be closed between I-70 and Speer Boulevard from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. Motorists will be detoured onto westbound I-70 to Federal Boulevard where they will go south on Federal Boulevard to Speer Boulevard

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neighborhood flix

previous post. a new independent film venue located on east colfax, near city park and east high school is opening soon. neighborhood flix replaced the previously slated tenant [denver film society] when money and committment to the project fell short. the tattered cover bookstore is open & thriving, and the parking garage that serves both stores is free. i've also received word that both twist'n'shout stores [vinyl & digital] will be opening in the new space in october. photo courtesy of lconnard.

philosophy from harry lime

"in italy, for thirty years under the borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed — they produced michelangelo, leonardo da vinci and the renaissance. in switzerland, they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce?

the cuckoo clock."

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if phillip lewis is right...?

an article on landscape architect phillip lewis at denver.yourhub

Denver... is part of a linear city that really begins in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, CN and runs along the east slope of the Rockies. It intensifies beginning in Ft. Collins, ending in Pueblo, CO.

lewis was inspired to formulate his theories when the first night satellite images of the US were released to the public in the 1970's...

Second is Lewis's belief that our planning needs to have more than postage stamp sized parks and small, fragmented open spaces. We need large, contiguous areas that function as ecological and environmental systems for species other than our own.

maybe that's why central park is so successful?

denver has an law called the view planes ordinance that requires all newly built structures comply with, ensuring that the panoramic views to the mountains from every municipal park are preserved. washington park in particular has a distinct similarity to central park in that it is oriented on a long n-s axis, includes two lakes, perimeter jogging & biking trails, and expansive open lawns. although much smaller in size, the qualities it exudes make it one of the most popular parks in denver.
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silent alarm

going to see the talented musical lads from essex tonite. they cancelled last time they were here, so it better be a good one.

blocparty.com
bloc party on wikipedia
unofficial fan site
allmusic

still shortlist

the semi-finalists for the new clyfford still museum have been announced. once again mary voelz-chandler from the rocky mountain news is on top of the story.
the short list is as follows:

allied works architecture
david chipperfield
diller scofidio + renfro
ohlhausen dubois architects
sanaa

a very impressive list to say the least.

the story behind how the museum came to denver is an intriguing one. upon his death still's widow traveled around the usa, in search of a city best suited to house the works within the clyfford still estate [a collection of over 2100 paintings, sketches & sculpture]. denver appealed to her more than any other city, and a site was selected adjacent to the the new denver art museum expansion designed by daniel libeskind.

the museum is scheduled to open in 2009.

wikipedia on clyfford still.

more ghosts

sorry to beat this topic to death, but there is so much that hasn't been shown yet.
here is another link to the ghost 8 on flickr, with images provided by jason.
and this is an old article, but neverless a radio interview with brian mackay-lyons at the maritime magizine website.

ghost link

here is a link to a small collection of images we took at the ghost lab with brian mackay-lyons. the site is located about 1 hour south of halifax, in a fishing town called lunenburg.

ghost on flickr

the program for this years ghost called for a large building only known to us as "the studio". a 20' wide by 90' long structure that included a cantilevered viewing deck, an outdoor firewood crib, & a second floor loft space that lead to a catwalk above the entire length of the space. in past years, the ghost projects have been constructed entirely of wood. this year's would include the utilization of concrete & steel due to the more permanent nature of the project.
if you haven't seen the book plain modern, it is highly recomended reading for anyone over the age of 14 1/2.

film tabbing

this could potentially be the finest film of 2006:
the fountain
trailer for the fountain
and this one looks very promising [watch the first 24 minutes]:
a scanner darkly

return from ghost lab

"Imagine flying over the bones of a
ghost village on the edge of the world"

- Brian MacKay-Lyons

we are back and ready to share a monumental experience with our dear reader[s]. after 1 debaucherous week in nyc, and 2 phenomenal weeks in nova scotia we are EXHAUSTED, but much more enlightened [for better or for worse]. the ghost lab 8 was documented thouroughly, and there will be a plethora of images being linked here soon. after a massive sort through all the eye-vomit, i'm sure there will be some images worth peering at, eh?

tattered cover

encore for a classic

architect josh comfort [project architect for the lawrence group] & developer st. charles town co. have carefully planned the re-emergence of the lowenstein theater, fitting a complex new program into an historic shell. the new location for the tattered cover bookstore has been a challenge to convert an old theater into a place where books are displayed. for one, book shelves don't like sloping floors. the building will also lease space to udi's restaurant & denver folklore center.

neighboring the bookstore is a new parking facility, by local denver architects semple brown design. the structure will also lease a space for the independent music store twist & shout, as well as neighborhood flix cinema and cafe and a chipotle restaurant.

the parking garage will be accessible to coincide with the grand opening of the bookstore on june 25th.

bands, books, banjos, beatniks, & burritos...all in one place
what more could you want?