"Architecture in the Netherlands has become notably boring"
Dutch architecture may be at the forefront of sustainable building practices, but Aaron Betsky feels it has rather lost its sparkle in recent years. More about "Architecture in the Netherlands has become notably boring"
"Chipperfield's work on the whole is bland, unimaginative and overly grandiose"
David Chipperfield did not deserve to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize last week, writes Aaron Betsky. More about "Chipperfield's work on the whole is bland, unimaginative and overly grandiose"
"Deconstructivism left us with the notion that architecture can be an act of continual revolution"
There are lessons to be learned from the dying embers of deconstructivism, says Aaron Betsky in this opinion piece as part of our series revisiting the style. More about "Deconstructivism left us with the notion that architecture can be an act of continual revolution"
"The Shougang Olympics site is a prime example of reuse elegance"
The setting for some 2022 Winter Olympic events within a former steel mill in Beijing has been widely criticised for its dystopian aesthetics, but it should be seen as an exemplar reuse project, says Aaron Betsky. More about "The Shougang Olympics site is a prime example of reuse elegance"
"Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost"
The redesign of Paris' Bourse de Commerce in Paris by architect Tadao Ando is a "complete disaster" of sterile concrete that turns the building into a monument to French colonial violence, says Aaron Betsky. More about "Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost"
"Bicycles are making our cities better, but what about our suburbs?"
As cities become more cycling-friendly it's important not to forget about suburbia, says Aaron Betsky, as he shares what architects and urban planners could learn from a cycle through the suburbs on World Bicycle Day. More about "Bicycles are making our cities better, but what about our suburbs?"
"When will we see good design as a NFT?"
As well as being bad for the environment, NFTs have so far failed to produce original or exciting work that pushes the boundaries of design, says Aaron Betsky. More about "When will we see good design as a NFT?"
"The crossroads is a space and a metaphor deeply rooted in most cultures around the world"
Reintroducing the concept of crossroads into the discourse around public space could help make architecture more inclusive, suggests Aaron Betsky. More about "The crossroads is a space and a metaphor deeply rooted in most cultures around the world"
"The Frank Lloyd Wright foundation has done its best to stymie our vision and spirit"
Aaron Betsky, president of Frank Lloyd Wright's School of Architecture at Taliesin, is leaving the post after a bitter fight to save the experimental institution. Here he details the behind-the-scenes battle to save the school. More about "The Frank Lloyd Wright foundation has done its best to stymie our vision and spirit"
"I hope the Smithsonian uses this whole debacle to rethink the Cooper Hewitt"
The upset caused by the resignation of Cooper Hewitt director Caroline Baumann is the least of the design museum's problems, says Aaron Betsky. More about "I hope the Smithsonian uses this whole debacle to rethink the Cooper Hewitt"
The 2020s "will see the return of the real" argues Aaron Betsky
As the 2020s begins, Aaron Betsky predicts that architects in the new decade will focus on reuse, flexible spaces and earthy materials. More about The 2020s "will see the return of the real" argues Aaron Betsky
"We have to do better than ugliness and incoherence. We can be woke and good designers as well"
The current way architecture is critiqued and presented at biennials and exhibitions is ugly, but it doesn't need to be, argues Aaron Betsky. More about "We have to do better than ugliness and incoherence. We can be woke and good designers as well"
"Attempts to stop terrorism at the fringes of architecture are becoming increasingly useless"
Architects and designers can't design ways to protect mass terror attacks in America's public spaces, but they should join the fight to eliminate the problem at its cause, argues Aaron Betsky. More about "Attempts to stop terrorism at the fringes of architecture are becoming increasingly useless"
"The best suburban malls were meccas with superb qualities"
As America's suburban shopping malls are becoming ghost towns, Aaron Betsky argues that their complex architecture character means that they deserve more serious consideration. More about "The best suburban malls were meccas with superb qualities"
"What bothers many people is the sense of an alien culture"
The outrage over New York's Hudson Yards is not really about ugly glass towers or bad urbanism – although it features both – but an unspoken disquiet that foreign ideas have overtaken a chunk of Manhattan, argues Aaron Betsky. More about "What bothers many people is the sense of an alien culture"
"With IM Pei's death, the last of the modern monument makers has passed"
With the passing of great modern architects like IM Pei and Kevin Roche, monumental architecture is becoming less relevant for today's society, says Aaron Betsky. More about "With IM Pei's death, the last of the modern monument makers has passed"
"The biggest problem with Coachella is that it all goes away after two weeks"
With Coachella now over, Aaron Betsky questions the value of the festival's temporary sets and large-scale installations, and if the strain that their construction and destruction places on the planet is worth it. More about "The biggest problem with Coachella is that it all goes away after two weeks"
"Frank Gehry has an unending thirst for new work, new ideas, new forms"
As Frank Gehry celebrates his 90th birthday, Aaron Betsky looks back over the architect's seven-decade-long career of projects that include "sliding planes, open frames, slithering fish, dancing blocks, and curving compounds". More about "Frank Gehry has an unending thirst for new work, new ideas, new forms"
"Artist Robert Ryman made architecture with more success than any other"
Frank Gehry once told Aaron Betsky that his favourite architect was actually an artist. After probing the work of late minimalist Robert Ryman, Betsky agrees that the painter's use of white made him a master manipulator of space. More about "Artist Robert Ryman made architecture with more success than any other"
"Boston City Hall is the frog waiting to wake up as a prince"
As the brutalist Boston City Hall celebrates its 50th birthday, Aaron Betsky reflects on the building's history as a monument to social democracy, and wonders if proposed updates will bring it a happily ever after. More about "Boston City Hall is the frog waiting to wake up as a prince"