“The hotel is owned by 50 Union Square Hospitality LLC, a venture of developer Nakheel PJSC and private equity firm Istithmar World PJSC, said K.C. Kavanagh, a Starwood spokeswoman. Nakheel and Istithmar are part of Dubai World, a state-run holding company.” (Bloomberg)
More was revealed yesterday and today about Todd Williams and Billie Tsiens’ design for Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation – which is planning a controversial move from Suburban Merion to the City’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. In two videos published on the Philadelphia Inquirer’s website, the architects explain the concept and describe the elements of their design. In a clever move, William’s and Tsien have kept the original galleries in-tact, while ‘inserting’ two contemplative spaces ‘inside the walls’ of the original galleries. While some may argue this changes the effect of viewing the collection as it stands today, the insertion of a reading room and sunken garden will allow visitors to reflect on the art – something that is difficult to do in the cramped Merion galleries.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Meanwhile, both Inga Saffron of the Inquirer and Nicolai Ouroussoff of the New York Times reviewed the design, bringing two different perspectives to the debate. Saffron praises the “rigorous clarity” of the organization of the building while Ouroussoff questions the move of the museum itself, citing the eccentricity of the original galleries as a refreshing attraction in the über-touristy world of blockbuster art.
Source: www.nytimes.com
The controversial move has been highlighted in the film “The Art of the Steal” which was a surprise hit at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Finally, the LA Times ran a piece yesterday that highlights architect Robert Venturi’s disdain for the move, citing the integral relationship between the 12 acre site in Merion and the existing galleries.
Philadelphia’s fabled Barnes Foundation is set to move to a controversial new home in the City’s cultural district on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. While this will place the collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings only blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rodin Museum – thus creating one of the premier arts districts in the world – critics claim that the move will undermine the will of Albert Barnes. His collection is currently displayed in a specially built gallery just outside city limits in Merion, Pennsylvania, where Barnes hung the works not in chronological order, but in a way that related the works to one another.
The New York architecture firm of Todd Williams and Billie Tsien was commissioned to design the foundation’s new home in 2007. The design was a closely guarded secret until today. Plans were revealed, almost unceremoniously on Monday, two days before a scheduled hearing before the City’s Planning Commission. While the drawings released do not include the architect’s narrative, it appears they have kept the galleries in a similarly proportioned building fronting the Parkway. A new courtyard separates the galleries from the specialty exhibition space. The building’s proportions seem elegant, almost classical. With almost all of TWBT’s work, the devil will be in the details – the architects are known for their attention to craft and materials. One other note: it seems the designers chose to put the main entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue instead of the Parkway – which questions the urbanity of the plan. This is a challenging project steeped in controversy and until the architects present their full vision to the public, we will uphold final judgment.
A lot of attention is being paid to the Motor City these days, both good and bad. Time Inc. parent company of Time Magazine has decided to focus on the city for a year, buying a house in the Indian Village neighborhood of Detroit and creating partnerships with CNN Money Magazine and Sports Illustrated. CNN Money has set up a website called Assignment Detroit that has covered various stories about the ups and downs of living in the Motor City as well as posted interviews with some famous natives sons including Kid Rock and Michael Moore. Time Magazine’s most recent cover story about Detroit discusses the rise, fall, and potential resurrection of this once mighty city. In addition, The Wall Street Journal recently tracked the city’s growth and decline through the history of one house.
More often than not, national and international press coverage of Detroit is negative. Over the next few months, Globizen will also be paying attention to Detroit, not necessarily focusing on the decline, but also looking at the potential of the city and how that could effect post industrial cities throughout the world. Stay tuned.
To follow-up on A New Era of Frugality?, it appears that I may have jumped the gun. According to an article in the New York Times titled Drink, Dance, but Don’t Say ‘Club’, crappy is the new chic. A new bar in the East Village, called Superdive, just opened up and they’ve replaced over-the-top bottle service with tableside keg service. And to reinforce the theme, the keg comes with decadent plastic cups and the bar is decorated with lavish and exotic materials such as plywood. Superdive has allegedly become the most blogged bar since it opened in June.
The New York Times has an incredibly interesting piece on the Four Seasons Hotel company. Like the larger hospitality industry, Four Seasons is feeling the pinch from this downturn:
“Our results are going to be seriously impacted,” Mr. Sharp says. “Now is the time that management skills will be tested.”
The popular Quality of Life Index published annually by Monocle ranks the top 25 most liveable cities in the world. This year’s winner is Zurich. But, as explained by Editor in Chief Tyler Brule in the above video, this is about quality of life — not the largest business hub or cultural centre. That’s a point to keep in mind regarding all of these surveys and rankings. What are the criteria?
An interesting debate is raised in the video: Does a high quality of life correlate to a more dull city? I mean, most quality of life indices have the usual suspects at the top — Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver, and Melbourne. While I’m not saying any of these cities are dull, I’m personally a big fan of Zurich, they’re quite different than New York, London and, let’s say, Hong Kong. (I purposely left Tokyo out, because it’s likely the most efficient run megalopolis in the world)
So what about a city like New York? Well US cities don’t fair as well on surveys such as these because of higher crime, no universal health care and weaker education for the masses. That said, New York is without question an exciting and vibrant city that attracts people from all over the world. It all depends on what you’re looking for.
Wallpaper Magazine has teamed up again with Forbes to select the hottest business hotels in the world for 2009. The hotels are divded into the following categories: Best Business Hotels of Asia/Oceania; America; Europe; and Africa/Middle East.
Pictured above is the best of Europe: The Dolder Grand, Zurich, Switzerland.
“It doesn’t get better for the business traveller than The Dolder Grand, which won the 2009 Wallpaper* award for Best New or Renovated Hotel. Recently re-opened, the hotel is an ‘island in the city’, an urban resort that sits high above the orderly bustle of Zurich. The curvaceous arms of Foster + Partners’s new wings embrace the fully restored 100-year-old original structure. New insertions with interiors by United Designers include four of the most opulent ‘super suites’ imaginable, a large ballroom and a fully fledged spa.”
