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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New High Line Designs Released; Phase 3 Expected in Spring 2014

Images courtesy of James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro released designs for a third and final phase of the High Line in NYC yesterday. The designs mix enough new ideas into the familiar trope of the elevated walkway weaving between high rises and native plants to ensure that the final extension of the High Line will not disappoint.

According to a post from Architizer, the third phase includes several components: “Spur,” which includes a tiered arena above the junction of 30th Street and 10th Avenue; “Crossroads” which connects Phase 3 with Phase 2; and “Interim Walkway,” a half-loop of preserved train tracks and wild flora, offering the types of views of the East River only available to the High Line.

The "Spur."Some of the best idea-provoking moments on the High Line are the many interactive features that invite visitors to radically rethink the flexibility of uses available in the public sphere. New “peel ups” on Phase 3 include picnic tables, planters, and seesaws—exciting and thoughtful expansions on the signature benches, performance space, and water features of the earlier sections.

"Peel-Ups"
The Friends of the High Line and the city of New York expect the new section to open to the public by Spring of 2014 with a $90 million price tag.

Eli Broad Announces Plan for New Museum in Downtown L.A.

Billionaire art-collector Eli Broad unveiled plans last Thursday for the porous-concrete-shelled structure that will house his 2,000-piece art collection and provide an anticipated catalyst for downtown's halting renaissance.

The Broad Art Foundation features a three-story layout designed by New York-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and consists of a spongelike mantle that lets light into the 40,000-square feet of gallery space, which itself sits atop a vast storage vault.

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Diller Scofidio + Renfro Hypar Pavilion at Lincoln Center

Diller Scofidio + Renfro recently completed their latest project, Hypar Pavilion at New York City’s Lincoln Center. The pavilion is located in the center’s north plaza and houses a restaurant. The design consists of a twisted rooftop that in covered with grass, allowing visitors to climb up to use the space as a park. The rooftop measures 7,200 square feet and touches down to the ground on one end, where there are steps leading up. The restaurant inside holds 160 diners and 40 people at the bar with a long open kitchen plan. The intention of the project was to create a restaurant in the square that didn’t take away usable space for visitors looking to relax.

[via Designboom]