Breaking news from architecture and design magazine Dezeen

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Plans for East London tower by Amanda Levete Architects withdrawn

Dezeen Wire: the developer behind plans for a tower designed by architecture practice AL_A in Shoreditch, East London has withdrawn its planning application – BDonline

The design for a twisted tower on a former industrial estate attracted over a thousand letters from local residents. Developers Londonewcastle say they will adapt the proposal before submitting a new planning application early next year.

See our previous story on the original design for the Huntingdon Estate here, another AL_A project in London that was scrapped recently here and more projects by AL_A here.
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Alyn Griffiths | 25 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Jean Nouvel's Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom wins European Hotel Design Award

Dezeen Wire: the Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom hotel by French architect Jean Nouvel has won the "New Build Hotel" category at The European Hotel Design Awards 2011. More about Jean Nouvel's Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom wins European Hotel Design Award

Alyn Griffiths | 25 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Award-winning design consultancy Airside to close in March 2012

Dezeen Wire: pioneering multidisciplinary design consultancy Airside has announced that it is to close in March 2012, stating: "we can't see a way for Airside to move forward and accommodate all of our individual ambitions." More about Award-winning design consultancy Airside to close in March 2012

Alyn Griffiths | 24 November 2011 | 1 comment
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"World's 'lightest material' unveiled by US engineers" – BBC

Dezeen Wire: a team of engineers based in California have created a material made from a lattice of hollow metallic tubes that they claim is the lightest in the world – BBC

The substance is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and consists of 99.99% air. Tubes with a wall thickness 1,000 times thinner than a human hair are used to create the lattice structure that gives the material it's strength. Potential applications include shock and sound absorption and thermal insulation.
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Alyn Griffiths | 23 November 2011 | 1 comment
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Occupy movement establishes new protocols of protest design – The New York Times

Dezeen Wire: in her latest article for The New York Times, design critic Alice Rawsthorn examines the symbols and slogans adopted by the Occupy protest movement in cities around the world.

Rawsthorn explains that the name 'Occupy', which originated at the Occupy Wall Street protest against the banking and democratic system, "is a stellar example of both what is known in marketing as an umbrella brand name and what the anti-corporatists in the movement could call beating them at their own game." She adds that the use of hashtags and slogans short enough to send on social networks such as Twitter have helped the movement spread globally and could represent a new protocol for protesters involving "the repeated use of a few carefully chosen words," rather than images.
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Alyn Griffiths | 23 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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The Shard "will be loved" – Renzo Piano

Dezeen Wire: Italian architect Renzo Piano says his London skyscraper, The Shard, will be loved by the public, because "it will be accessible, because it is transparent, understandable and not mysterious" – The Telegraph More about The Shard "will be loved" – Renzo Piano

Alyn Griffiths | 23 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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New York's September 11 museum delayed

Dezeen Wire: the opening of the September 11 museum in New York, which is scheduled for September 2012, is under threat due to an ongoing dispute over unexpected costs – The Washington Post

The museum is part of a memorial to the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre being developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who say that they are owed $156 million by mayor Michael Bloomberg's National September 11 Memorial & Museum foundation. The row had been kept quiet over fears it could overshadow the 10th anniversary of the attacks but has now led to the suspension of construction contracts which could delay the completion of the museum.

See our previous story on the opening of the National September 11 Memorial, an animation of the memorial fountains and architecture critic Rowan Moore's examination of the infighting that has plagued the redevelopment of the World Trade Centre site.
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Alyn Griffiths | 22 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Bacteria and pedal power could be the future of kitchens – The Guardian

Dezeen Wire: design critic Justin McGuirk says that a kitchen concept by Dutch electrical company Philips that uses decomposition to generate methane gas for cooking is an example of how we may "have to get more comfortable with bacteria and with putrefaction's role in our ecosystem" – The Guardian

McGuirk claims the Microbial kitchen concept's "steampunk" aesthetic offers "an alternative vision to the clinical kitchen," and also mentions the trend for low-tech kitchen appliances, such as designer Christoph Thetard's pedal-powered devices, which he says represent a reaction to the impending energy crisis.

Last year Dezeen published a report on Food and Design, including examples of low-tech gadgets for preserving and preparing ingredients and concepts for growing food in the kitchen.
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Alyn Griffiths | 22 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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RIBA and Design Council back government strategy for quality homes

Dezeen Wire: the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Design Council have expressed support for a new housing strategy announced by the UK government that aims to deliver high quality homes rather than a higher volume of poor standard properties. More about RIBA and Design Council back government strategy for quality homes

Alyn Griffiths | 22 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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TV presenter's housing scheme is "a much better application of celebrity philanthropy than most"

Dezeen Wire: architecture critic Rowan Moore says that a housing development built by the UK architecture show presenter Kevin McCloud's company Hab is a positive attempt at reversing the trend for "unimaginative, overpriced, undersized" properties in the UK – The Guardian

Moore describes the scheme in Swindon, England, as "imaginative and well-designed," whilst cautioning that it will take time to determine whether McCloud's goals of creating a community and "making people happy" have been achieved. He adds that the houses themselves are "very plain-looking" and far removed from the aspirational properties that feature on McCloud's show, Grand Designs.
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Alyn Griffiths | 21 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Ai Weiwei supporters post nude photos online in protest against police

Dezeen Wire: supporters of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei have been posting photos of themselves naked on a website as a protest against the Beijing police's decision to question his assistant, who had taken nude pictures of the artist and four women – The Telegraph

Ai was detained for 81 days earlier this year by the Chinese government on charges of tax evasion, during which time he was also asked about the photographs that he says have no deeper political meaning.
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Alyn Griffiths | 21 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Latest issue of Colors magazine dedicated to "shit"

Dezeen Wire: apparently, tomorrow is World Toilet Day and the latest issue of Colors magazine focuses on all things faecal, including the taboos, dangers and practical applications of excrement – Colors magazine
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Alyn Griffiths | 18 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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"Private housing sector forecast recovers strongly" – RIBA Future Trends Survey

Dezeen Wire: The latest RIBA Future Trends Survey shows that the private housing sector is benefiting from all-time low interest rates but overall confidence about future workloads remains low. More about "Private housing sector forecast recovers strongly" – RIBA Future Trends Survey

Alyn Griffiths | 18 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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"Cities are machines for innovation" - Financial Times

Dezeen Wire: in his latest article for the Financial Times architecture critic Edwin Heathcote analyses how some cities have successfully reinvented themselves as hubs of creativity and commerce – Financial Times

Heathcote states that "the city stands out as an engine of progress and modernity," using examples from urban centres such as San Francisco, Milan, Turin, Pittsburgh and London to demonstrate how intelligent state funding can encourage creative vitality and economic growth.
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Alyn Griffiths | 18 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Critics' reactions to Terence Conran: The Way We Live Now at the Design Museum

Dezeen Wire: a new exhibition documenting the career of Terence Conran has provoked a flurry of media interest in the man who founded retail brand Habitat and London's Design Museum. More about Critics' reactions to Terence Conran: The Way We Live Now at the Design Museum

Alyn Griffiths | 17 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Richard Rogers's New York skyscraper won't get off the ground

Dezeen Wire: plans for a 40-storey tower designed by British architect Richard Rogers to sit on top of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York have been shelved following the Chinese backer's decision to pull out – The New York Times

See a skyscraper in London completed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners earlier this year.
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Alyn Griffiths | 16 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Habitat is "as good as dead" - Elle Decoration editor

Dezeen Wire: Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin has declared British furniture brand Habitat "as good as dead" in an article on the magazine's blog, stating "I give it two years max" – read the blog post

Ogundehin says that the retailer, which closed all but three of its UK stores earlier this year, failed to react to competition within the market and "increasingly misunderstood 'Lifestyle'," its key selling point. She claims that Habitat has lost its original focus on innovation and simplicity, and rubbishes plans by current owners the Home Retail Group to sell Habitat products at Argos and Homebase outlets, adding that their one remaining interest is to "flog stuff."

See our previous story on Habitat going into administration.
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Alyn Griffiths | 16 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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$180 billion spent on royalty fees annually - Washington Post

Dezeen Wire: the U.N. World Intellectual Property Agency has reported a rise in the amount paid as royalties and licensing fees from $2.8 billion to $180 billion in the last 40 years, representing a 60-fold increase – The Washington Post

The report shows that high income countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States continue to lead the way in research and development but that China's share in the global market has risen from 2.2 percent in 1993 to 12.8 per cent in 2009.

Last week we reported on measures being taken by the UK government to improve intellectual property laws, designer James Dyson also raised the issue when he accused a Chinese manufacturer of copying one of his brand's vacuum designs and Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin has criticised companies who reproduce classic products.
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Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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"Britain could become enormous Los Angeles-style ghetto" - Richard Rogers

Dezeen Wire: British architect Richard Rogers has warned that plans by the UK government to simplify planning regulations could lead to unmoderated urban sprawl, "with rust belts and towns joining each other" – Daily Mail

He added: "If the framework is not improved it will lead to the breakdown and fragmentation of cities and neighbourhoods as well as the erosion of the countryside." Rogers' concerns about the government's new National Planning Policy Framework are shared by environmental campaigners who say they don't offer a clear enough definition of sustainable development.

Richard Rogers was involved in a planning battle in 2009 over his proposed redevelopment of Chelsea Barracks in London – see reports on Dezeen Wire
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Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment
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Wayne Rooney hires architects to design garden shed

Dezeen Wire: England footballer Wayne Rooney has hired architects Pulmann Associates to design a shed in the garden of his £4 million home – The Sun
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Alyn Griffiths | 15 November 2011 | Leave a comment