In the Know - Volume 1, No. 1
Robert Stern to speak at Penn State
Robert A.M. Stern, dean of the Yale School of Architecture, will present a lecture in the HUB auditorium at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16. He will speak about his ideas on architecture, the Smeal College of Business building project and other jobs his firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), has undertaken. RAMSA designed the new 210,000-square-foot building for the Smeal College of Business, which is currently under construction. When completed, it will be the largest academic facility on the University Park campus. Admission to Stern's presentation is free and open to all Penn State students, faculty and staff.
This lecture is made possible by Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity and is funded by the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC) along with the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and the Alpha Rho Chi Foundation. For more information, please contact Jeff Brown, vice president of the Vitruvius Chapter of Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity, at jdb343@psu.edu.
More on Robert Stern and the Smeal College of Business new building
http://www.ramsa.com/
http://www.giveto.psu.edu/Buildings/Smeal.aspx
The Late Faye Jones
“Internationally renowned architect Euine Fay Jones died at home on Monday, August 30. The most celebrated Arkansas architect in history, his work honored by numerous design awards, Jones also achieved international prominence as an architectural educator during his 35 years of teaching at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture.
“In a national survey conducted by the AIA in 1991, participants ranked Jones as one of the country's "10 most influential living architects," placing him on a list that included I.M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Charles Moore, and Michael Graves. American architects also ranked Jones' Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs as one of the five best buildings by an American architect in the 20th century.
http://www.uark.edu/jones.html
What does Yasser Arafat have in common with CM’s?
“The defeat of the Arabs and the establishment of the state of Israel left him in such despair that he applied for a visa to study at the University of Texas. Recovering his spirits and retaining his dream of an independent Palestinian homeland, he returned to Faud University to major in engineering but spent most of his time as leader of the Palestinian students.
“He did manage to get his degree in 1956, worked briefly in Egypt, then resettled in Kuwait, first being employed in the department of public works, next successfully running his own contracting firm. http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html
Does anyone read French?
Please translate the text on the Aéroports de Paris diagrams if you read French.
http://194.2.229.212/coupe.htm
More on Paul Andreu, Architect.
http://www.paul-andreu.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3742081.stm
More on the collapse at Aéroports de Paris
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3740567.stm
Chinese reduced construction budget
“And what of China's "frugal" Olympics? In May, Chinese officials were alarmed by the collapse of a terminal roof at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport. Its architect, Paul Andreu, had also designed some of China's most glitzy new projects, including the National Theater. Ten prominent Chinese scholars and architects petitioned Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to reconsider Olympic projects dedicated to "size, novelty and foreign prestige." Officials not only canceled five facilities, but scaled down the centerpiece of the entire Olympic building effort by scrapping plans for a retractable roof on the 100,000-seat stadium.
“Beijing's frugality is not limited to the Games venues: thousands of lesser construction projects across the country have been axed or trimmed, including roads and factories in 5,000 "economic-development zones." (NEWSWEEK - Nov 1, 2004)
High Rise Fire in Caracas
“Sources studying the 225-meter-tall East Tower of the Parque Central in Caracas say it appears that floor beams in the most-damaged areas of the tower did not collapse, as previously reported, but deflected during the Oct. 15 fire. (ENR)