One Plus One Equals Three

Melbourne: a Renaissance City (on a Grid)

A flattering (and quite accurate, yet ever-so-slightly promotional) report on the re-birth of Melbourne-town by Streetsblog.

"Melbourne is a new world city, it has a modern grid much like a typical American metropolis. Naysayers who do not believe a city can be radically transformed say that the already narrow streets of many European cities make it easier to have good pedestrian environments there. Melbourne proves that isn’t necessarily so."

More (which is well-worth a read) on recent developments in Melbourne, Professor Jan Gehl's planning vision for the city and on how we're a "pedestrian's paradise". Reports on other Australian cities to follow soon at Streetsblog. Our laneways have proved to be such a huge success that they're about to build more... new ones that is... (stay tuned... details were announced on the weekend, but unable to find links so far). Via Treehugger.

Computerised Multi-storey Bike Parking in Tokyo

Respect. For the bike. From Japan. Of course.
Via Treehugger.

Aus-ugliness (Reprise)

A recurring architectural theme that seems to get wheeled out here every few years or so:

According to Philip Drew: "We haven't engaged with this country and its limitations ... and we haven't engaged with it visually, in terms of creating an architecture which is sympathetic, which builds on the visual qualities of both the flora, the weather and the land itself."

From Glenn Murcutt: "We think we live in the best housing in the world because we own our own house. It's appalling housing, it's appalling spatially. It's not architecture, it's merchandise. If I took it in personally, I'd die.

"I showed some Danes what's going up out along the roads to Castle Hill, Windsor, and I've never seen anything so depressing as these bloated, overly sized, terrible houses, built on the tiniest blocks in the traditional subdivision patterns, which is just nonsense. It's a total waste of land, not to mention resources, and I think people can only be depressed in this environment. It's terrible stuff."

More at The Sydney Morning Herald. The original on Aus-ugly. Via Super Colossal.

My Favourite Eel Trap

Over the past few years there's been much development going on in Melbourne's (reclaimed) Docklands precinct – some of which, deservedly, has been loosely called 'developer schlock'. Standing head and shoulders above much of the architectural goings-on there is Webb Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle-bridge designed by Sydney artist Robert Owen in conjunction with architects Denton Corker Marshall. It's one of the highlights of the area for me. (A post on another Docklands favourite coming soon).

From Architectural Record: the "design recalls an aboriginal eel trap, except that it is fabricated with a hooped steel frame tied by flat, laser-cut steel straps rather than woven sticks". A stunningly designed thoroughfare and an immense pleasure to walk or cycle through (so much so I always go back and forth a few times).

The above photo is by Shannon McGrath. Another of her great shots of Webb Bridge here. Even more photos in the continuation (see the eel in the eel trap).

Architect Kisho Kurokawa dies

Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa died of heart failure in Tokyo last Friday, aged 73. He was known for his revolutionary Nakajin Capsule Tower, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the Tokyo National Art Centre and a new wing of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Kurokawa "led a style known as the Metabolism Movement, advocating a shift from 'machine principle' to 'life principle' in his work and architectural designs based on themes including ecology, recycling and intermediate space". That quote from the IHT. More at Japan Today.

Kurokawa is a favourite architect of this blog. Here's a couple of photos of the breathtaking Nakajin Capsule Tower (here and here) and my fleeting impressions of the beautiful KL International Airport (complete with internal rainforest). Here's the National Art Center in Tokyo, and here's Kurokawa's practice.

Thanks Ray Kinnane.

Sockless in KL (Again)

Whilst I'm discussing things Malaysian and architectural, Kuala Lumpur International Airport deserves a mention. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa (he of Nakagin Capsule Tower fame) in conjunction with local architect Akitek Jururancang, KL's airport knocked my socks off too. Stunningly designed, featuring a lovely curved timber ceiling and a 'Malay forest enclosure' (complete with waterfall), KLIA was a pleasure to frequent (although the dining aspect of KLIA was pretty ordinary).

There's much happening with Asian airports, and this region probably leads the world in contemporary airport design. Read an earlier post on that subject at this blog here. Norman Foster has also designed the world's biggest and most technologically advanced airport in Beijing (more at The Guardian).

Read more about Kuala Lumpur International Airport at Architectural Review and Archidose. There's a few shots of the airport in this Flickr set too.

I Lost my Socks in Kuala Lumpur

I had been looking forward to seeing Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers for quite some time (panoramic image here, image gallery here). I'm quite familiar with skyscrapers in the Western world (the largest of which are in the US), but what of the Islamic side of things? (Malaysia is a Muslim country). Until recently the Petronas Towers were the tallest building(s) in the world. Taiwan's 101 Tower is currently the world's tallest skyscraper, and Dubai's Burj Dubai looks set to gazump them all, once they figure out how big they want it to be (more here).

But whilst tallness alone is impressive, an interesting, captivating design of a tall building is even moreso. And one that intrinsically relates to the culture it's amidst – moreso again. That's what kept drawing me back to the Petronas Towers in KL – their astonishing, downright beautiful, theatrical and dare I say, haunting 'Islamic' presence.

For me, these towers are the most gob-smackingly impressive skyscrapers I've yet come across. Repeated viewings, especially at night when the two shiny steel clad towers are extensively lit – knocked my socks off completely. So I then took to wearing sandals (which are much better for KL's heat anyway).

Zaha Hadid to Rise Above Docklands 'Shlock'

Zaha Hadid is set to design a landmark Melbourne building in Collins Street in the Docklands precinct. According to Royal Australian Institute of Architects Victorian president Philip Goad "Docklands could do with a much greater degree of architectural sophistication ... It needs to rise above the developer schlock we now have." The building will be Australia's greenest – and our most expensive housing and office development. Read more at The Age.

It looks as though Bruce Armstrong's imposing (and very handsome) sculpture Eagle, (centre of image on dark plinth), instead of keeping a watchful eye over the harbour, will now have to stare at his own reflection. Then again, its nickname is 'The Big Budgie' after all.

An Image of its Former Self

This has been covered on a few blogs, and originated on Core77. It certainly sets a startling and perhaps innovative precedent in downtown Melbourne...

In Tyson Street Richmond (an inner suburb of Melbourne), Jackson Clements Burrows Architects have designed a house that is most unusual. Or rather, it's not the house per se that's so unusual – it's the large photo of the older house that was demolished to make way for the new one that is unusual – it occupies much of the street elevation of the site, with the new dwelling located behind this semi-transparent photo-facade.

The Tyson Street house "provides a response to the difficulty of making of architecture in heritage zones. The site was controlled by a Heritage overlay which favoured the retention of existing dwellings. In response to the clients desire to demolish the existing house, we proposed a strategy to replace the dilapidated cottage with a new house integrated within a supergraphic image of its former self".

The local council have either an amazing sense of theatre and an appreciation of 'the radical' – or this was approved late on a Friday afternoon. I have to admit to really quite liking the idea and can actually imagine this happening a whole lot more often. Recording and retaining fragments and aspects of our communities and built environments via permanent images displayed en situ on screen (or via other methods) is a nice idea and a whole lot more interesting than merely bulldozing memories away. But try telling that to a property developer.

More at World Architecture News.

Happy Birthday Coathanger

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be 75 years old on March 19. There are bigger, longer and higher bridges around the globe (although the Harbour Bridge is the "widest long-span bridge in the world"). Some bridges may have equally as scenic a location, but few will have such a connectivity to cultural-related events as 'The Coathanger' does. It's very much the peoples' bridge.

Put simply, it's our bridge. We love it, we walk it, we climb it and we celebrate with it. It's a bona-fide icon of Australia (especially when coupled with its neighbour, the Sydney Opera House). Sydney would be unimaginable without 'The Coathanger'.

Interestingly (as mentioned on By Design – see below), in the era of its opening, it was customary for a visiting member of the British royal family to open our significant public buildings. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened by Australians, no one seems to know why. Perhaps the royals realised that this was a significant milestone for Australia and that the construction of such an imposing structure was significant to our sense of nationhood? Perhaps they were holidaying in the Cotswolds? Who knows?

The Museum of Sydney has launched Bridging Sydney, an exhibition celebrating the bridge's 75 year history and the ABC's ever-interesting By Design radio programme recently (as usual) did a terrific report on the bridge's history as well (QuickTime 25MB file). It's worth the download.

Oh, and nearly forgot: someone's recreated the bridge in LEGO. Of course.