Book Review: From Art to Architecture

By Michael Webb

Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Architecture After Images. Edward Dimendberg. (The University of Chicago Press, $65).

A timely and penetrating study of a firm that has surged to prominence on the strength of two headline projects in New York: its imaginative transformation of Lincoln Center and the High Line (in association with Field Operations). In both, the architects were highly respectful of existing structures and that augers well for an even greater challenge: extending the Museum of Modern Art without destroying the American Museum of Folk Art. MoMA outraged the architectural establishment by threatening to demolish its next-door neighbor. It will require all of DS+R’s skill to integrate Tod Williams & Billie Tsien’s unique building into the new structure, and convince an overbearing institution to reconsider its threatened act of vandalism.

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The FORM 15: Matt Gagnon

Matt Gagnon's Knit Fort made with strips of wood knit together with rubber cord. Image Mark Iantosca/Matt Gagnon Studio.As part of our on-going series of conversations with architects about the state of the profession, their inspiration and other pressing questions, today we get the perspective of Matt Gagnon. A product of Cornell University, Gagnon worked for Frank Gehry and Gaetano Pesce before launching his own studio in 2002. Since then, he has taken on a variety of projects, with clients ranging from W Resorts to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

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The FORM 13: A Conversation with Griz Dwight

Griz Dwight's D.C.–based practice specializes in restaurant and retail projects, including Barbatella. Photo by Amber Fredericksen/Courtesy Grizform Design Architects.

At FORM, we really like to know what makes architects and designers tick. What inspires them, delights them, even what aggravates them. It helps us understand their own work and gives us a better understanding of the current states of the profession. We're pleased to inaugurate a new series on FORMmag.net today—brief conversations with architects and designers, where we take their pulse—and the pulses of their industries. Up first is a q-and-a with Griz Dwight, the principal and owner of Grizform Design Architects, based in Washington, D.C. He gives us plenty to think about.

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Awards Report: California Firm Receives Coveted P/A Prize

CRO Studio's design for a library in Tijuana, Mexico, also serves as a civic hub. Image courtesy CRO Studio.

While Modulo Prep Library’s footprint may be small and its construction budget tiny, its mission is anything but. Instead, the library, located in Tijuana and designed by CRO Studio partners Adriana Cuéllar and Marcel Sanchez (along with a design team of Gabriela Bendeck, Arturo González and Joseph Ruiz Tapia), represents a major re-thinking of the idea and function of a library and its role in a public space. So compelling was the project and the ideas behind it recently received the 60th annual Progressive Architecture Award.

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Are You In? Register Today for the AIA’s 2013 Conference

Don't forget to register early for this year's AIA convention in Denver. Image via AIA.

Registration is now open for the 2013 AIA National Convention, June 20–22, in Denver, Colorado. See and be seen at the industry’s premier event and immerse yourself in this year’s theme—Building Leaders.

Besides education sessions that will challenge attendees to sharpen their own leadership skills, the event’s organizers have gathered a remarkable group of keynote speakers to discuss leadership from a range of perspectives. Featured will be TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie considering leadership from a business standpoint; Cameron Sinclair, the Architecture for Humanity co-founder, who will focus on the intersection of design and leadership; and former secretary of state, Gen. General Colin L. Powell, who will address political and military leadership. “This combination will give attendees unique perspectives on leadership applicable to their own lives and our profession,” says John Rogers, the 2013 AIA Convention Chair.

Don’t miss a minute! Sign up now to get reduced registrations rates and access to the widest selection of education sessions and tours—they fill up quickly! And, if you reserve your hotel room by January 31, you can take advantage of special early bird discounts.

See you there!