Michael Bierut, this year’s winner of the Design Mind award, discusses the state of contemporary design with our National Design Awards winners: Tom Kundig, FAIA; Scott Stowell (OPEN); Ralph Rucci; Lucinda Sanders (OLIN); and Charles Harrison.
Some of the most significant architects of our era have cited designer and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s influence on their work. Learn how architects Peter Eisenman, Founder and Principal, Eisenman Architects; Michael Graves, Founder and Principal, Michael Graves & Associates; and Robert Venturi, Principal of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates are inspired by Piranesi’s eclectic...
Moorhead & Moorhead, brothers Granger and Robert, welcomed Cooper-Hewitt Members to their studio last evening. Their work explores issues of function and materiality, at scales ranging from furniture to architecture. An exploration of elasticity, the Rubber Lamp is a flexible silicone shell that flips up or down. Tape Wound Borne, featured in Design Life Now:...
This is the first interview in Chapter 2 in my new book, Designing Media Jimmy Wales, October 2008 Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia in 2001, harnessing voluntary contributions from anyone with sufficient interest and time to create the world’s largest encyclopedia. I was surprised that the first email that I received from him was signed Jimbo,...
Internationally renowned architect and designer Michael Graves will provide an intimate portrait of his celebrated career and discuss the influences that shaped his thinking and approach to design—from his early days as a student and a recipient of the prestigious Prix de Rome fellowship, to his distinguished academic career at Princeton University and the development...
SIMS Municipal Recycling Facility in Brooklyn. Image courtesy of Selldorf Architects. Selldorf Architects, located at Manhattan’s Union Square, recently opened their studio to Cooper-Hewitt’s Design Watch Members. The firm has acquired an international reputation for work that is sensitive to context and program, thoughtful in execution and timeless. The firm has worked on public and...
The winner of the 2010 Architecture Design Award is KieranTimberlake. Founded in 1984, the firm is noted for its integration of research with design, and a deep environmental ethic. They design for clients in the arts, public institutions and private residences—and will design the new US Embassy in London. Presenting the Architecture Design Award is...
James Carpenter Design Associates opened their studio doors to Cooper-Hewitt Members on October 6. Members were captivated by the ‘show and tell’ of prismatic effects of transmitted and reflected light. JCDA seeks to bring light into our lives in a way we recognize, translating its abundance or rareness, and always its richness. Masters of...
The Sukkah City installation at Union Square last weekend was an ideal example of how to use public space in NYC. As the brochure educated: “Biblical in origin, the sukkah is an ephemeral, elemental shelter, erected for one week each fall, in which it is customary to share meals, entertain, sleep and rejoice. Ostensibly,...
On September 24, Design Watch Members were treated to a rare look into the Richard Meier & Partners Model Gallery in Long Island City, overlooking the Pepsi-Cola sign and the East River. A mammoth model of The Getty Center greeted viewers: made of basswood and birch, the 25’ x 25’ model rested on 16...
Washington DC teens gathered at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery to learn about education and careers in design from the National Design Awards winners, finalists and jurors. These professionals are working in the fields of fashion, industrial design, architecture, multimedia, and graphic design. Tim Gunn and Cooper-Hewitt's Director of Education Caroline Payson lead...
The final grand challenge posed by Secretary Wayne Clough for the new strategic plan of the Smithsonian is explained by the sentence: “America is an increasingly diverse society that shares a history, ideals, and an indomitable, innovative spirit. We will use our resources across disciplines to explore what it means to be an American and...
Rick Cook talks to the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt staff. Cook+Fox Architects is a firm devoted to creating environmentally responsible, high-performance buildings. The firm has become known for innovative design at the highest standard of environmental responsibility and for their commitment to excellence enriched by the collaborative process. Rick's work has been showcased at the National Building...
Join us for a unique discussion of Medellín, Columbia's transformation from one of the most violent cities in the world to a vital community whose new architecture carries the powerful message of social and educational inclusion. "Our most beautiful buildings must be in our poorest areas": these are the words of former mayor of Medellin,...
Why? The first purpose-built home of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet is both a bridge and anchor for the Oslo community. As part of the first phase of an extensive transformation of the waterfront, the Opera is a monumental gateway to the harbor. Its most distinctive feature is a white marble roof that serves as...
