On the first day on architecture delegation to the UAE last last fall, our group toured the art and culture capital of the country, the Emirate of Sharjah, where the Sharjah Art Triennial was in full swing in several venues, including an abandonned fruit and vegetable market and a former girls school. We also toured the old Bank Street district of Sharjah which contained a massive array of mid-century office and residential towers in various degrees of disrepair. Fascinating to our posse of architecture photographers, architecture curators and journalists! But the cherry was Arsekal Avenue by night, with a tour of Concrete, the Rem Koolhaus / OMA designed installation space. It was a long first day but not to be missed was the chocolatier Mizram, where we had time to stop for a quick tour and cafe prior to our dinner engagement. So much goodness.
Designed by a hybrid of Inhabit Architecture and IBI Group, the newest modern elementary school to hit a blighted Tacoma neighborhood, Mary Lyons is an amazing example of open eduction, project based learning design, with a library spanning 3 floors and a massive flex space on the top floor, integrating all upper grades.
The official last project I'll ever shoot with the venerable Schacht Aslani Architects prior to their rolling into Mithun, the new mechanical building on Clover Park Technical College's campus is a fantastic mashup of bold hyper graphics, vast open space punctuated by ceiling trusses and beams, and old school machinery. Such an inspiring place, even on a dark rainy day!
North Idaho College of Education is a resource center and classroom space for a consortium of Idaho public university institutions, situated in Coeur d'Alene, and beautifully rendered by Spokane office of Integrus Architecture. So grateful for the bluebird skies early September in Northern Idaho!
The latest project by modernist designer Ben Waechter is the 1900's school house, turned lobby, amenities hub, bunk wing and guest rooms that lead to fantastic new cabins and spa addition, in the burgeoning Columbia River Gorge hamlet of Bingen, WA.
