28 days to go...

...until the unveiling of some wild and wacky architecture at Expo 2010 Shanghai. The theme of "'Better City, Better Life,' represent[s] the common wish of the whole humankind for a better living in future urban environments." Regardless of the theme, most of the country pavilions are explorations of architectural innovation, like Thomas Heatherwick's UK pavilion:


[UK Pavilion, detail | image source]

The general idea of expos is that the national pavilions are expressions of the country, their culture, innovation, knowledge, etc. So what does the US pavilion by Canadian architect Clive Grout say (besides "who the heck is Clive Grout?")?


[US Pavilion, rendering | image source]

A number of sustainable features are included, though they don't seem to impact the form of the building as much as symbolism. According to the pavilion's web page, the "bold and simple shape of the USA Pavilion shadows that of an eagle with open wings, a creature that is uninhibited by boundaries. ... the eagle has been designed with its wings open as a gesture to welcome guests into the Pavilion." So the pavilion is rhetoric over architectural innovation, business as usual, even in regards to the private sourcing of a very public project, as described in this Architect's Newspaper article. Its location near an entry gate, and the fact its the US pavilion, will guarantee a high number of visitors (projections call for 60 million), but the design hold little promise in impressing them, especially in regards to the other pavilions.

Today's archidose #405

Here are some photos of the Mesa Del Sol Town Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Antoine Predock Architect, 2008. Photos are by jarrod_arq1, who has many more photos in his flickr set on the building.

To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:

:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose

Candide Round Table

A week from today I will be participating in a round table discussion timed to the launch of Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge. The panel focuses on knowledge, writing, and architectural publishing, among other things. I'll be alongside 306090's Emily Abruzzo, Yale's Nina Rappaport, and Columbia's Kazys Varnelis. Between now and then I need to work on de-jangling my public speaking nerves, come up with a brief slideshow on why I do my blog and weekly web page, and think about the questions posed in the press release below. If you attend the discussion be sure to say hi!

8 April, Thursday, 6-8pm
The Glass Corner, Room 206
25 East 13th Street

In an age of seemingly ubiquitous information, data and networks:
What is knowledge?In an age of self-publication and blogs:
Can peer review ensure quality?
Why should architects write when what they do best is design?

Hosted by William R. Morrish, 
Dean, Parsons, School of Constructed Environments
Moderated by Susanne Schindler, 
Editor, Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge

Panelists:
Emily Abruzzo, Editor, 306090, Frequent SCE visiting faculty.
John Hill, Writer and Editor, A Daily Dose of Architecture
Nina Rappaport, Publications Director, Yale School of Architecture, Frequent SCE visiting faculty.
Kazys Varnelis, Director, Network Architecture Lab, Columbia University

–
Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge
is a peer-reviewed German-English language periodical edited by the Department of Architecture Theory, Faculty of Architecture at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

For questions or review copies, contact Susanne Schindler
schindler@theorie.arch.rwth-aachen.de