PUBLIC SPACE is the place where the drama of urban life spread out.

Leon Krier’s opinion in his book entitled Architecture and Urban Design; 1979-1992, judging that the public space can only be formed from the street and square.

Stephen Carr guides the design of public space in his book entitled Public Space that public spaces should be; responsive, democratic and meaningful. Read the rest of this entry »

A 1929 proposal by the Larkin Company to establish a “Larkin Square” at the corner of Seneca and Swan streets was shelved by a reticent Common Council and assailed by the Socialist council president Frank C. Perkins as a corporate give-away that “smelled to the heavens.”

The public square proposal would have seen Van Rensselaer Street cut through Seneca Street to Swan Street to relieve traffic congestion (yes, there was traffic congestion!), setting aside a triangular plot of cleared land for a public space honoring the company’s late founder, John D. Larkin.

The Larkin Company at the time was running the Larkin Department Store and the Larkin Food Market at full tilt, filling the entire ground floor of its massive factory complex at 701 Seneca Street with a shopping wonderland for discount foods and household goods. The company desired to create the square to rationalize traffic flow that had been bottled up as a result of the store’s opening and to establish an attractive gateway at the front lawn of the Larkin District. Read the rest of this entry »

Today the publication place of the ideas competition for a new town office for Rotterdam. 5 winners from 104 entries were chosen, also the people of Rotterdam also had a voice in the appointment of an audience winner.

“The Butterfly”, Figure Sky

PHE N.Y. Lanin, Head of the city

The jury, consisting of Wiel Arets (Chairman), Stefan Behnisch, Adriaan Geuze, John Körmeling, Michelle Provoost and Harm Tilman, received 104 entries to judge. Besides its task to appoint five winners, the jury asked to select 25 plans for this exhibition.

The 5 winners are: PHENY N.Y. Nine of LA La Lidy Meijers and Helga Fast (Posterholt); Figure of Sky RV Ritoe Architecture, Urbanism and Infrastructure (Delft), The Butterfly Maarten van Tuijl, Tom Berg Foot, Naoko Hikami (Amsterdam), assisted by Peter Farmer, Head of the City of Fountain Head of Christian Müller and Forideas (Amsterdam). Read the rest of this entry »