Monthly archives: October 2011

Gehry admits criticism of proposed Eisenhower
Memorial has been “mostly fair”

Dezeen Wire: American architect Frank Gehry has said that ”people are asking good questions” about his divisive design for a memorial to America’s 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The proposal features large metal tapestries hung from 80-foot-tall columns and set in a landscaped park. At a presentation to fellow architects at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington on Tuesday evening, Gehry insisted that concerns voiced by the public and Eisenhower’s grandchildren about the concept and scale of the project would be taken on board ahead of a planning application on 1 December - The Associated Press

Critics’ reactions to Pylon Design
Competition winner


Dezeen Wire: here is a roundup of reports following the announcement that Danish company Bystrup have won the UK Pylon Design Competition, organised by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the National Grid, and the Royal Institute of British Architects. More »

Owners of world’s most expensive house
choose to live elsewhere


Dezeen Wire: The New York Times claims that Antilia, the 27-storey house in Mumbai owned by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, is still acting as a pricey pied-à-terre, with Ambani’s family choosing to spend their time in a more modest 14-storey converted apartment block in the south of the city - The New York Times

Special offer: order Dezeen Book of Ideas
and London Design Guide for £20

Dezeen Book of Ideas and London Design Guide for £20

Order the new Dezeen Book of Ideas together with the London Design Guide by Max Fraser and pay just £20 for both books. More »

Design Council review recommends networked
system of design support


Dezeen Wire: a report commissioned by the Design Council has recommended a more localised approach to supporting design and architecture across England.  More »

“Stephen Bayley delivers Pomo its death blow”
- The Architect’s Newspaper


Dezeen Wire: author and curator Stephen Bayley has written a savage review of the Victoria & Albert museum‘s current exhibition of Postmodern design and architecture, which he describes as “a revived chamber of horrors.” - The Architect’s Newspaper

In his article, Bayley calls Robert Venturi’s extension to the National Gallery in London “a pitiably ill-proportioned and architecturally illiterate dollop of pious schmaltz,” and dismissively concludes that the exhibition is “a lot of tired one-liners, as fatigued as old newspapers.”

See our previous story on the exhibition here, as well as reviews by Justin McGuirk of The Guardian, Alice Rawsthorn of The New York Times and Rowan Moore of The Observer.

Dezeen Screen: Reinier de Graaf
on OMA’s preoccupations

Reinier de Graaf

Dezeen Screen: in this interview we filmed at the opening of OMA/Progress at the Barbican in London, OMA partner Reinier de Graaf talks about the architecture firm’s current preoccupations, including the city of London. Watch the movie »

Frank Gehry creates strategic alliance
of leading architects


Dezeen Wire: architect Frank Gehry has invited some of the world’s leading architects and designers to join an advisory board that aims to identify ways to achieve a higher quality of built environment through intelligent design. More »