Aficionados of GM architecture,
And welcome back to the newsletter that understands the journey all too well…
Here’s what you need to know this week:
→ Incredible Tree Top Trail in Minnesota 🌳🌳
→ Tadao Ando Drops Another Meditation Hall🧘☮️
→ Chile’s Underground Gym Dome: The World’s Most Unique Sports Facility? ⚽️🏀
→ Drop it Like it’s Hot: New Structure of the Week 🔥🥵
→ Who Said What!? Hot Takes From Around the World of Architecture & Design 🗣️🗣️
Let’s go.
Tadao Ando Shows the Power of Light 🧘☮️
Tucked away in Wonju, South Korea, Museum SAN had earned a reputation as one of the country’s most compelling modern buildings. Tadao Ando- the original architect- just added another enticing element.
The “Space of Light” is the second meditation space to grace Museum SAN, and it’s a beautiful one.
The World’s Most Unique Sports Facility? ⚽️🌐
Way down at Chile’s ALMA observatory- home to the largest radio telescope in the world- Benjamín Murúa Arquitectos just dropped a truly unique, underground, domed sports center. The PVC and carbon-fiber curved roof is slightly translucent, supported by glulam trusses.
Inside and 4.5 meters underground, we find almost 1000 square meters of multiple courts, gyms, and other amenities.
Minnesotan Treetop Trail🌳🌳
As of July 28, the world’s longest elevated trail loop is accepting pedestrians. Reaching a height of 32 feet above ground, the trail offers epic views of flora and fauna, and will even stay open during the frigid winter months.
Designed by award-winning Snow Kreilich Architects, the path consists of 400 20-ft modular sections and is made from 15,000 composite deck boards, 80K fasteners, and 1K tons of structural steel.
Who Said What!? 🗣️💬
→ “I think that it’s important to consider the history of architecture and consider who was making decisions about what was important…. I don’t want to describe the exhibition as corrective; it’s not. It’s not changing anything that happened. But, I hope that it makes some people consider the fact that a lot of interesting and important work was being done by architects who were not white men.
– Janna Ireland comments on her exhibition on the legacy of legendary Black architect Paul Revere Williams
→ “It’s time to rethink what we are doing as an industry and realise that by focusing so much on carbon reduction we are neglecting other areas where our industry causes much harm. We need to tackle climate change and sustainability from all fronts.”
– Michelle Sanchez argues that the emphasis on carbon reduction in architecture has some unintended side effects
→ “I think as a profession, and as a discipline, we need to consider the ways in which architecture is or could be grounded in everyday life—that is, the ways in which people engage the built environment in their day to day—and move beyond the idea of architecture as something on a pedestal, or as something that only the top one percent can afford.”
– Juan Du gives some insight into her design ethos
Drop it Like it’s Hot 🥵🔥
De Zwarte Hond’s new, super bio-diverse timber office in Amsterdam is sure to be a trendsetter.
