MARK #29 Dec/Jan 2010

Women at the helm of architecture: we visit Zaha Hadid’s Guangzhou Opera and New York’s Nina Libeskind, the driving force behind studio Daniel Libeskind. We’re off to Orestad, Denmark, to see BIG’s latest project – 476 dwellings wrapped around two courtyards. Still in Denmark, 3XN’s decidedly contemporary bank in Middelfart fills its waterfront site as unobtrusively as possible. Heading north to northern Sweden, we spend a night at the six hotel rooms that hang from – and hug – the trunks of trees.

CONTENTS

Cross Section Christ + Gantenbein, Tomohiro Hata, Deca, Behnisch, Matharoo, Sue, Johannes Norlander, Paredes Pino, Hiroshi Sambuichi, Jae-Yong Lim, Reinhardt Jung, Kengo Kuma

Viewpoint
Mmbb (São Paulo), Andrés Jaque Arquitectos (Madrid)

Long Section

• BIG in Copenhagen: An impressive 476 dwellings wrapped around two courtyards: BIG’s latest contribution to the developing city area of Ørestad.
• Zaha Hadid Architects in Guangzhou: Two giant pebbles overlooking pearl river house the new Guangzhou Opera.
• Nina Libeskind in New York: It’s often said that she is the driving force behind studio Daniel Libeskind. Who is Nina Libeskind, and what does she do?
• Manuel Herz in Mainz: Letters from the Hebrew alphabet form the basis of Manuel Herz’s synagogue in Mainz.
• David Hertz in Malibu: After using refrigerator panels and sailing boats as building materials, David Hertz tries his luck with the wings of a Boeing 747.
• The Architect’s Playlist: After listening to Deus, Guru and others, Katya Tylevich makes a case for music as frozen architecture.
• Lot-ek in Anyang: Ignoring its concrete-jungle surroundings, Lot-ek’s open school injects bold new life into a lush and leafy site bordering the Anyang River.
• 3XN in Middelfart: The decidedly contemporary bank building that 3XN designed for the Danish town of Middelfart fills its waterfront site as unobtrusively as possible.
• Various Architects in Harads: Suspended above ground, six hotel rooms hugging the trunks of trees in northern Sweden help guests return to their roots.
• Letter from Venice: Sergio Pirrone went to the Venice Biennale to portray Kazuyo Sejima and felt like a paparazzo.

Service Area

• Photographer and author Juergen Nogai (Los Angeles)
• Design transformations by Chuck Hoberman (New York)
• Profile of Achim Menges & Jan Knippers (Stuttgart)
  African expeditions of Paolo Cascone (Burkina Faso)