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Where is Grigory Perelman? He's in St. Petersburg... And Perelman has rejected offers to attend and receive prizes for his monumental proof for the Poincaré Conjecture. NYT l previous Mais informação...

Every few months I hear Brad Pitt talking about his love of architecture, and this week it appears he's in the thick of it. He's been blasted by residents of a British seaside town for a controversial design project he's worked on -- before construction has even begun. And on the same day, I saw a study finding that architects have been voted the sexiest male professionals, in a survey of women's ideal partners. Coincidence? ... The photo is of Brad Pitt intently using a glue gun on a design model as Frank Gehry beams at the camera. www.tedwells.com Ouvir Podcast

Atop the highest peak of the highest hill in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles rests Silvertop -- one of architect John Lautner's most intriguing houses. "Real architecture is everything in life: Free-enduring spaces, heart, soul, spirit ... " Lautner said. Started in 1963, Silvertop wasn't finished until ten years later. In this podcast, hear about the clients who finished the house and have lived there ever since. Photo of Silvertop by John Ellis. www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

There hasn't been a house built in the past 70 years that even comes close to the iconic status of Fallingwater. Sure it took a good architect and a great client, but it also took the right cultural climate and publicity machine that understood what America was looking for - and gave it to us, all sugary excess on a cantilevered platter. And we've eaten it up ever since. Podcast notes: For more information, read the book Fallingwater Rising: Frank Lloyd Wright, E.J. Kaufmann, and America's Most Extraordinary House, by Franklin Toker. Visit the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York for their Sweet Creations Gingerbread Houses through December 15, www.eastmanhouse.org. And visit www.tedwells.com Ouvir Podcast

Architectural One Hit Wonders: George Wyman and Willis Polk each designed a building that is so great, it overshadows their career. Wyman's Bradbury Building (1892) is in Los Angeles and few interior spaces in the world even come close to its magic. He almost didn't take the job, until a Ouija board told him he must. Polk's Hallidie Building (1917) in San Francisco is wrapped in a early use of a glass curtain wall -- and Polk did it so well there has not been a glass curtain wall since that is as beautiful as the Hallidie's. These one-hit wonders have much to teach us about bridging the past and future with bold and thoughtful designs. The Bradbury Building is located at 304 S. Broadway in Los Angeles. The Hallidie Building is at 130 Sutter Street in San Francisco. And visit www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

Some architects depend on computer rendering and much of their reputation is built on computer imagery -- but when was the last time you saw a building in real life that looked better than the rendering? In the computer images, buildings are often depicted at night, with the translucent walls aglow, offering glimpses of life inside. Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, and Rem Koolhaas know the power of persuasion in creating a rendering as an inspirational sales tool. But what does this mean to all of us who have to live with the buildings -- in the real world -- and face the disappointment of seeing the building built, and it's not as ethereal, as glowing, as interesting as it was presented to us in the rendering? The answer might be found in a winking Jesus. Pictured is the rendering and reality views of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, designed by Zaha Hadid. For more inspiration, visit www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

I've found some buildings that look better in reality than in rendering -- and they are all designed by one firm. The firm is Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architects, whose de Young Museum in San Francisco opened recently. What struck me about their work, as it relates to a discussion of architectural rendering is that many of their buildings look, well, dull in renderings -- and they even look dull in models. But consistenly, Herzog & de Meuron's built work is better than the renderings. That is rare in contemporary architecture, especially in architecture where the renderings seem to rely more and more on computer tricks and lighting for dramatic effect. It was the architect Adolf Loos who, in 1908, set us on a difficult and publicly unpopular course through the 20th century, declaring Ornament a Crime -- and it was interpreted by Modernists to include any ornament, and anyone who chooses to decorate their designs was suspect for most of the 20th century, but now, perhaps the tide is turning? Herzog and de Meuron are breaking this century-long trend and in many buildings celebrate ornament. Is this their secret to rendering reality? Photograph is a backlit panel of the perforated copper screens at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Other Herzog & de Meuron buildings to look up: the Ricola Production and Storage Building; the Library of Eberswald University; the Tate Modern; the Dominus Winery. For more information about the new de Young Museum, visit www.thinker.org. And for some designs for which I am guilty, visit www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

In 2006, the world's best chair designer, Hans Wegner, will celebrate his 92nd birthday and his 75th year of designing furniture. Wegner epitomizes the best in Danish design - the idea that craftsmanship and modern living are not at odds - and that well-crafted designs can be produced in quantity. And, continuing another tradition, of sorts, it's the final week to mail-in your creation to the Design Within Reach Champagne Chair Contest. Plenty to celebrate! For more information visit the Danish Design Center at www.ddc.dk; Design Within Reach at www.dwr.com; and www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

Charlotte Perriand lived long enough to see her modern furniture became famous, and command six-figure prices at dealers and auction houses around the world. But more importantly, she knew how to live. Perriand, was one of the most influential furniture designers of the early modern movement. She introduced the âmachine ageâ aesthetic to interiors in the steel, aluminum and glass furniture she created at Le Corbusierâs architectural studio in the late 1920s and 1930s. Perriand was also one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century, but like many woman who labor long in the shadow of more famous men, it was she who most displayed a spirit of living that is lacking in life today. Part of this loss could be our feeling that there is little new in the world for us to discover, that discoveries happen only in laboratories and computer rooms. For a designer there seems to be little to discover, but is this true? Other cultures were a source of rich inspiration to Perriand, but while our opportunity for exposure to cultures in the 21st century is certainly greater, is our understanding of some cultures really any better today? For designers, there is still much more to discover about the human condition â and Perriand can teach us about playfulness, adventure and the joy of discovery. The exhibit "Charlotte Perriand" is open until March 27 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. For more information visit www.centrepompidou.fr and read the book Charlotte Perriand: A Life of Creation (The Monacelli Press). Visit www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

At the farthest western edge of Spain, where it meets the sea and looks to the setting sun over the Atlantic this desolate landscape is formed by the constant wind and waves. It is a harsh land, this tip of Galicia, where the most valued natural resource is the sea. And on this westernmost point, Finisterre, also known as the coast of death because of a long history of shipwrecks, perches one of the most moving pieces of modern architecture, a cemetery for sailors and fishermen, by architect Cesar Portela. Through May 1, 2006, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York there is a new exhibit of modern Spanish architecture. For more information, visit www.moma.org. And visit www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

Two men, both architects -- one, Antonin Raymond was a Czech who came to America and worked for Frank Lloyd Wright and would become the father of Japanese modernism; and the other, a talented American of Japanese descent from Spokane, Washington, George Nakashima. These men's paths would dramatically cross a few times during their lives, and each time, their lives were changed. Design in America, Japan, India and the world, is better because of it. This is their story. At the Graham Foundation in Chicago until May 25, 2006, visit the exhibition about Antonin Raymond and George Nakashima's ashram dormitory building, Golconde: The Introduction of Modernism in India (www.grahamfoundation.org). The Sri Aurobindo Ashram allowed scholars access to the library and archives and all images and drawings were catalogued wih the Ashram's permission. The research team for Golconde comprised of Pankaj Vir Gupta, AIA and Christine Mueller, partners in the firm of vir.mueller architects (www.virmueller.com). Mira Nakashima's book, "Nature Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima," is a tribute to her father, his architecture and furniture, and his reverence for nature. For information on the book and tours of the Nakashima Studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania, visit www.nakashimawoodworker.com. And visit www.tedwells.com. Ouvir Podcast

Mori discusses how she integrates innovative materials and fabrication with traditional techniques to produce stunning architectural and design works. An AIA SF/SFMOMA Public lecture. Ouvir Podcast

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Founded in 1994 by Michael Rock, Susan Sellers, and Georgianna Stout, the design studio 2x4 has developed a reputation for innovative work that focuses on culture and spans print, motion graphics, the Web, and environmental design. Join Rock for a discussion of 2x4's unique methodology and innovative approach to graphic design. An AIA SF/SFMOMA Public lecture. Ouvir Podcast

"How do we dramatically cut down on green-house gas emissions, lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and become more energy-efficient without arguably wrecking the U.S. economy?So far, no one's come up with a viable answer, largely because we keep looking at global warming from the same angle. The result is tunnel vision - we keep missing the forest for the trees with remedies like cleaner cars, fewer smoke stacks, more renewable energy sources. Each is necessary, but solves only partof the problem. What we need is a paradigm shift in the way we view energy consumption in this country. It's architecture - residential, commercial and industrial buildings and their construction materials - that account for nearly half of all the energy used in this country each year. And it's the architects who hold the key to turning down the global thermostat." Mazria, E. 2003. It's the Architecture, Stupid! Solar Today, May/June 2003, pp. 48 Ouvir Podcast

Marc Angelil's research addresses contemporary developments in urban design. Using various case studies from Europe, Asia, and the United States, he investigates large metropolitan areas in view of their physical structures. Major attention is given to sustainable processes as well as the dynamic forces that impact the formation and transformation of a city. Angelil is professor of architecture and design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and the author of Inchoate: An Experiment in Architectural Education, published by ETH Zurich. He is a practicing architect for agps architecture, with offices in Los Angeles and Zurich. Ouvir Podcast

Andrea Deplazes' research addresses a broad spectrum of architectural design activities, including public and institutional projects, urban design, housing, and industrial buildings, with special focus on wood construction.His lecture, "Constructing Architecture. Materials, Processes and Structures," will showcase studio work with students, in particular sustainable structures in the Swiss Alps.Deplazes is Professor of Architecture, Construction, and Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) and is the author of "Constructing Architecture. Materials Processes Structures" and "Bearth & Deplazes: Constructs." Ouvir Podcast

Patrick Devanthery and Ines Lamuniere were born in Sion and Geneva in 1954. Partnership DEVANTHERY & LAMUNIERE, Architects in Geneva and Lausanne in 1983. Since 1989 they are part of the editorial committee of FACE architectural journal in Geneva, where they pursue their interest in history and criticism of modern and contemporary architecture. Both have taught at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard (1996, 1999) and at ETH Zurich (1991 to 1993, 1994). Since 1993 Ines Lamuniere is Professor in Architecture at EPF Lausanne. Winners of many public competitions in Switzerland, among which are recently: Psychiatric Clinic in Yverdon (completed 2003), Urban Housing District in Neuchatel (completed 2004), Town Hall in Payerne (completed 1999), a 250-room hotel in Bern (building completed 2004), and Public garden in Lausanne (completed 2000). In 2002 they were commissioned for the new Headquarters Building for Philip Morris International in Lausanne. Ouvir Podcast

Valerio Olgiati is Professor of Architecture at the Academy of Architecture of the Universita della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Mendrisio. His research addresses new methods of designing large buildings in terms of structure and organization. His lecture will include studio work with students. Ouvir Podcast

The research of Dirk Hebel and Jorg Stollmann involves applying the details of small-scale objects to the design of larger structures.Their lecture will showcase how they applied the structure of the sprinkler head to the design of the Diller & Scofidio Blur Building at the base of Lake Neuchatel in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, for which Hebel served as project architect. The building was described as "an inhabitable cloud whirling above a lake" by Architecture Magazine.Dirk Hebel and Jorg Stollmann are Assistant Professors of Architecture and Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). Ouvir Podcast

Participan: Enric Massip i Bosh, con Félix Arranz. Contenido: El arquitecto barcelonés, en una conversación para un pliego SCALAE, explica su trayectoria académica, profesional y personal, deteniéndose en reflexiones sobre el papel de los concursos de proyectos, las carreras en vespa con Sito Pons, sus encuentros con el arquitecto japonés Kazuo Shinohara y la estancia de 18 meses en Japón, el descubrimiento del FAX y diversas teorías personales sobre lo similar y lo equivalente, el punto de vista múltiple y el contexto cambiante, la arquitectura (no) catalana y... las faltas de ortografía. La conversación, grabada en el verano de 2005, sirve en el momento de su emisión como un homenaje sentido al recientemente fallecido maestro Shinohara. Indice completo de episodios, acuario SCALAE y mas en: scalae.blogspot.com Noticias de arquitectura por el Cd'E AE BCN: enlacebcn.blogspot.com CD01 episodios 00-20, disponible CD02 episodios 21-33, disponible CD03 episodios 34-47, disponible Comentarios y sugerencias: enviar a scalae@arranz.net Quieres ser amig@ de SCALAE? consulta en scalae.blogspot.com Ouvir Podcast

Participan: Antonio Sanmartín, con Félix Arranz. Contenido: Antonio Sanmartín, aragonés oscense con estudio profesional en Barcelona, compone una figura peculiar en el panorama de la arquitectura española debido, entre otros motivos, a su propio esfuerzo en construir conscientemente un linaje personal que pasa por la relación directa y personal con arquitectos como Rafael Moneo, José María Torres, Albert Viaplana, Peter Eisenman o John Hedjuk. En cuanto a la conversación, en esta Sanmartín ofrece una profunda disquisición sobre cuestiones generales y particulares, abstractas y materiales, en base a su trayectoria no tanto personal como intelectual y en base a lo concreto de los proyectos más significativos de su estudio: 'Capuchinas' en Huesca, Pabellón de Asturias en la expo de Sevilla de 1992, Viviendas en Vidrà o en colaboración con Hedjuk y Eisenman. En la actualidad Antonio Sanmartín integra, junto con Elena Cánovas, el estudio aSZ arquitectos. Indice completo de episodios, acuario SCALAE y mas en: scalae.blogspot.com Noticias de arquitectura por el Cd'E AE BCN: enlacebcn.blogspot.com CD01 episodios 00-20, disponible CD02 episodios 21-33, disponible Comentarios y sugerencias: enviar a scalae@arranz.net Quieres ser amig@ de SCALAE? consulta en scalae.blogspot.com Ouvir Podcast

Participan: Gerardo García Ventosa; Toni Cusidó (LAMP Lighting) con Félix Arranz y Paola Mascioli. Contenido: El arquitecto barcelonés en la explicación de su trayectoria personal, que incluye apartados de compromiso docente (en la ETSAB de la UPC), y también de participación en la junta directiva de la Caja de Arquitectos y en la vocalía de cultura del Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Catalunya en el tiempo del congreso UIA del 96, da cuenta de las casualidades y decisiones personales que van desde el momento en que consultaba las posibles carreras a estudiar en su ciudad hasta el trabajo como arquitecto asociado en el interiorismo de la Torre AGBAR de Barcelona, junto a Jean Nouvel... Participa en la conversación Toni Cusidó -director comercial y de prescripción de LAMP Lighting- aportando un punto de vista específico sobre algunas de las soluciones de iluminación del edificio. Gerardo García Ventosa [www.gvarquitectura.com] Torre AGBAR [www.torreagbar.com] Indice completo de episodios, acuario SCALAE y mas en: scalae.blogspot.com Noticias de arquitectura por el Cd'E AE BCN: enlacebcn.blogspot.com CD01 episodios 00-20, disponible CD02 episodios 21-33, disponible Comentarios y sugerencias: enviar a scalae@arranz.net Quieres ser amig@ de SCALAE? consulta en scalae.blogspot.com Ouvir Podcast

Participan: Basilio Tobías, con Félix Arranz. Contenido: El arquitecto zaragozano Basilio Tobías, en una conversación destinada a un pliego SCALAE, comenta los detalles de su procedencia personal, formación universitaria, modo de trabajar, intereses e influencias y discurso técnico-profesional. Durante la conversación, en la que surge la sombra de la presencia e influencia en la ciudad y en arquitectos de la sensibilidad de Tobías del legendario, y de linaje, arquitecto zaragozano José de Yarza y García que atrajo y condujo a la capital aragonesa los aires y la exquisitez de la cultura y arquitecturas nórdicas europeas, Basilio comenta algunos de sus últimos proyectos como la torre de viviendas NOZAR en las inmediaciones de la estación intermodal Zaragoza-Delicias. Finalmente se descubren los ingredientes esenciales intelectuales del apreciado, premiado y laborioso arquitecto, incluido su personal respeto y rebeldía para con el destino y el azar. Basilio Tobías [www.basiliotobias.com] Indice completo de episodios, acuario SCALAE y mas en: scalae.blogspot.com Noticias de arquitectura por el Cd'E AE BCN: enlacebcn.blogspot.com CD01 episodios 00-20, disponible CD02 episodios 21-33, disponible Comentarios y sugerencias: enviar a scalae@arranz.net Quieres ser amig@ de SCALAE? consulta en scalae.blogspot.com Ouvir Podcast