It’s Wednesday, my friends! From World’s Fair architecture in San Antonio to lavish renovations at historic properties in upstate New York, here’s the news you need to know today as we head into the upcoming holiday week.
Zaha Hadid Architects donates their World Cup tents to organizations that help refugees
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), in association with Education Above All (EAA), is donating 27 of the modular tents it designed for this year’s FIFA. World Bowl to refugee communities in Syria, Turkey and Yemen. The structures will be used as clinics, schools and temporary shelters. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is taking 15 tents for ten schools and five clinics in Yemen and Turkey. The Qatar Red Crescent is taking the remaining tents to Syria to serve as shelters.
Three ZHA-EAA tents are currently in use in Pakistan and Turkey for hundreds of Pakistani and Syrian refugee children.
“We have a like-minded partner in Education Above All who is committed to investing in innovative design for the good of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.” Zaha Hadid Architects project architect Gerry Cruz said in a press release. “Together, we developed a robust, cost-effective and lightweight fabric-wrapped modular architectural system to build structures that can be adapted in many variations to meet the conditions and lives of displaced children and children on the move. We hope these newly donated tents will bring safety, learning and fun to thousands of people in Yemen, Syria and Turkey.”
Work will focus on the tower’s observation deck, to repair a leaky interior, update plumbing and repair stucco ceilings, among other repairs. It’s not the first time some work has been done on the building: crews carried out minor repairs in the 1980s, and the revolving restaurant was renovated in 2006.
The deputy director of the Department of Public Works, Luis Maltos, told the San Antonio Business Magazine that the height of the structure will be a major challenge for the construction team.
“As you can imagine, it’s a structure that’s 750 feet up in the air,” Maltos said. “Most of the cost is accessing the tower.”
RFP submissions are due by January 10. If all goes according to plan, work will begin in early 2024.
H/T KSAT
The Office of Architectural Research designs an educational and visitor center in the house of the famous painter from the Hudson River School
Earlier this month, New York Governor Kathy hochul revealed that the Hudson, New York property, once owned by a notable Hudson River School painter, will undergo extensive renovations, with the addition of a new educational and visitor center.
The property was owned by Frederic Edwin Church, a 19th century artist known for landscape paintings that include The heart of the Andes. Now known as the Olana State Historic Site, the iconic house and gardens attract more than 200,000 visitors each year.
Groups will enter the lobby of the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape through a stepped terrace and connected to outdoor pathways that connect to Olana’s historic carriage road network. Inside there will be a multipurpose room and a cafeteria. The new building will be designed by the New York City-based Office of Architectural Research.
In addition, the exterior of Church’s home will be painted, a maintenance facility built and native species planted, among other improvements, next year.
“The new projects will build on the legacy of Olana—the visionary design of the house, studio and landscape of artist Frederic Church and his family”, Governor hochul said in a press release. “The Frederic Church Center will add to this canvas and help welcome patrons to one of the most beautiful places in New York State.”
In total, the new construction and renovations are expected to cost $25 million.
New sculpture near Brooklyn Bridge pays tribute to The Notorious BIG
Earlier this month, leaders of the DUMBO Improvement District and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) gathered near the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge to unveil a sculpture honoring one of Brooklyn’s most famous residents: Christopher “The Notorious BIG.” Wallace.
Brooklyn Bridge: The sky is the limit in Kings Countycelebrated the 1990s hip hop legend famous for tracks like “Juicy” and his posthumous number one hit “Mo Money Mo Problems.”
Artist Sherwin Banfield explained the inspiration for the sculpture in a statement: “’It Was All A Dream,’ the opening lyric to The Notorious BIG’s hit song ‘Juicy,’ exemplifies my dream to create this monument… [delivering this project means so much to me personally, my story and artistic development as well as countless fans of Hip-Hop Culture who continue to be positively affected and influenced by the communal experiences and sonic frequencies of B.I.G.’s artistry. I cherish the significance of the potential impact on young children of color who will have an opportunity to experience a public sculpture that represents and reflects their identity, circumstance and/or dreams.”
The sculpture is part of NYC Parks’ Art in the Park program, an initiative that brings contemporary art to parks in the five boroughs.
Long Beach COVID memorial remembers virus victims
This month the Long Beach, California City Council okayed plans for a COVID memorial in downtown’s Lincoln Park. The Council selected a proposal from PAO Design that honors COVID victims as well as those (everyone?) who were impacted by the pandemic. Before construction begins, PAO has one year to nail down the details and permitting for Twin Arches.
“The proposed artwork beautifully honors the members of our community lost to COVID-19 and the lives impacted by the pandemic,” Long Beach Mayor Mayor Robert Garcia told CBS LA.
PAO Founding Partner and Principal James Shen explained the concept to the Long Beach Post on December 14. The memorial’s steel arches will be fitted with a covering that can be extended to create an event space
Shen said the hollow steel arches would be inscribed with victims’ names in a series that slowly fades to black to recognize lives still-to-be changed by the pandemic. The arches, Shen added, will also contain a retractable covering that could be extended to create a temporary event space between the arches.
