REACH FOR THE SKIES.Latest developments in high-rise at Frankfurt's DAM, while Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Born in Fumel, Lot-et-Garonne, he was educated at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was a founding member of Mars 1976 and Syndicat de l'Architecture. scoops a gong for his Barcelona tower. In Frankfurt's Paulskirche, to the strains of 'Surrogate Cities' (composed in 1994 by Heiner Goebbels Heiner Goebbels (born August 17, 1952) is a German composer and music director. Goebbels, who studied Sociology and Music in Frankfurt/Main, is a composer notable for his mixture of styles, drawing from sources as varied as classical music, jazz, and rock music. ), Jean Nouvel was presented with the 2006 International Highrise Award for his Torre Agbar The Torre Agbar (Catalan from the Spanish translation of the building's owner name , a water company), or Agbar Tower, is a 21st century skyscraper at Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Tower in Barcelona. This unique international prize, worth [euro]50 000, is financed by the DekaBank and staged by the City of Frankfurt. Inaugurated in 2002, this is only the second time it has been awarded. Kohn Pedersen Fox Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (also known by the acronym KPF)is a leading international architectural design firm located in New York City providing urban design and master planning for public authorities and private companies. were the first to be honoured in 2004 for De Hoftoren, their Netherlands Ministry building in The Hague. The aim is to reward only the most outstanding project, not just the best of those that apply for consideration. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The architect gets the cheque and the client, in this case Layetana Developments represented by Director of Architecture Anna Puyuelo, gets a 360mm high titanium and granite model of a stack of paperwork. Specially commissioned from artist Thomas Demand Thomas Demand (born 1964 in Munich, Germany) is a German photographer. He currently lives and works in Berlin. Education
More unintended irony came in the temporary village of fake log cabins being busily constructed around the Paulskirche in preparation for Frankfurt's annual Christmas fair. Hundreds of prominent guests picked their way over cables and around delivery lorries to attend the prizegiving and hear the laudatio by structural engineer Werner Sobek Werner Sobek (born May 16, 1953) is a German architect and structural engineer. Life Sobek was born 1953 in Aalen, Germany. From 1974 to 1980, he studied structural engineering and architecture at the University of Stuttgart. , chairman of the jury. He reminded architects and prospective corporate clients that, though most of the world's buildings are currently being constructed outside Europe and North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , we still retain research centres and have a responsibility to develop sustainable systems for diverse global conditions. Jean Nouvel modestly reminded us that no architecture is the work of just one person alone, and thanked his in-house team, other international professionals, and the Barcelona mayor for his courageous decision in accepting the project. He also emphasised his belief in specific architecture and long life structures which can be passed on to future generations. Of course Frankfurt's international bankers, well represented in the audience, know that construction financing works against this ideal. How many inner-city towers are anonymously interchangeable or, even when distinctive, remain standing once they have repaid their investment? The jury--Deka Bank property investor Johannes Haug, David Leventhal of KPF KPF Kerio Personal Firewall (Kerio Technologies Inc.) KPF Kohn Pederson Fox (architecture firm) KPF Kde Public Fileserver , Frankfurt's Culture Minister, and architect Peter Schweger--unanimously agreed on Torre Agbar, recognising its role in the revitalisation of a rundown industrial suburb, its generic character Generic characters are interchangeable characters, appearing mostly in animated shows or comic strips. They often reappear at different times with different jobs, or are seen in the background. and chameleon charm, mirroring colours and forms of the Catalonian region, and its sustainable design and construction credentials. As Anna Puyuelo remarked, 'The "Water Tower" (as it is known because it now belongs to utility company Aigues de Barcelona) functions on many levels. Both user-client and the public enjoy and are proud of its landmark quality, further underlining the importance of the social dimension in any piece of architecture'. But as has been noted in these pages (Outrage, AR June 2006), despite this profession of corporate civic pride, there appear to be issues of maintenance, with some louvres already broken and dirty. High Society, an accompanying exhibition at Frankfurt's Deutsche Architektur Museum, examines the Torre Agbar along with the four runners-up: Santiago Calatrava's Turning Torso HSB Turning Torso is a skyscraper in Malmö, Sweden, located on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait. It was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and officially opened on 27 August, 2005. The tower reaches a height of 190 metres (623 feet) with 54 stories. in Malmo, Delugan Meissl Associates' Wienerberg in Vienna, Mecanoo's Rotterdam Montevideo tower, and Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop's Jian Wai Soho tower in Beijing. Along with these winners are 16 selected international projects, some still in the planning stages, representing the latest architectural thrusts in high-rise construction. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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