As Centre Block closes, for I hate to remind myself, 10 years, we must turn our attention to the newly renovated West Block. The West Block will temporarily house the House of Commons while the Senate temporarily moves to the former Union Station. Thought the intent of this post was to feature the move to the West Block DO take a look at the video about the Union Station; fabulous restoration!

In between dinner parties, with limited time, but feeling as it is Wednesday I must post something. So, exceptionally rather than a complete post, I’ll post a link to Architectural Digests 14 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2019. Fun to note that we now know many of these architects.

I’m intrigued by The Shed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Looks like we’ll have new architects to explore in 2019.

Eero Saarinen is a Finnish American architect. Saarinen was born in Kirkkonummi, Finland in 1910. With his father, Eliel Saarinen, he shared more than a birthday, they shared carreers in architecture, and international recognition. His family emigrated to the United States in 1923. Saarinen studied under his father at the Canbrook Academy of Art, Paris, and finally the Yale School of Architecture. He worked with Charles Eames in the 40s. Saarinen was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 1954 he became a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Posthumously he was awarded a gold medal by the American Institute of Architects. His most famous buildings are the Washington Dulles International Airport, the TWA FLight Centre, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. [Read more…]

Peter Zumthor is a Swiss architect. He was born in Basal in 1943. His work is said to be minimalist and uncompromising. He won the Pritzker Prize in 2009 and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2013. He founded his firm in 1979. He has taught at the University of Southern California, at the Technical University of Munich, and Tulane University, at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is currently at the Accademia di Architetture de Mendrisio in Switzerland. Gert Wingardh has said that he most admires Frank Llowd Wright, Hand Scharoun, Carlo Scarpa, Frank Gehry, and Peter Zumthor. [Read more…]

Just found this! An exhibition of 5 design propositions for the Chateau Laurier expansion put forth by architecture students of Carleton University. See the propositions December 8 and 9 at the Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington Street.

You will remember that so far there has been version 1, then version 2, version 3 and then version 4.

César Pelli was born in San Miguel de Tucuman in Argentina in 1926. He studied at the Universidad National de Tucuman and subsequently received his Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois School of Architecture in 1954. In 1964 he became a naturalized American citizen. He is the founder of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Pelli is best known for his skyscrappers.
[Read more…]

Rem Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor at Harvard University. He was born in Rotterdam in 1944. He studied at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He is the founding member of OMA. He is considered a first rate provocateur. He likes to shake things up. Most architects as they agre are willing to compromise their designs to obtain more contracts – but not so Koolhaas. In 2008 Time magazine put him in their list of 100 of the World’s Most Influential People.


Cordoba International Congress Centre
Cordoba, Spain, 2002




Casa de Musica
Porto, Portugal, 2005




Seoul National University Museum of Art
Seoul, Korea, 2006




Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
London, UK, 2006




Schenzhen Stock Exchange
Shenzhen, China, 2011




CCTV HQ
Beijing, China, 2012




Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Dallas, Texas, 2009




Milstein Hall
Ithaca, New York, 2011




Riga Port City
Riga, Latvia, 2006




23 East 22nd Street
New York City, 2010




New Court London
London, UK, 2011




De Rotterdam
Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2013




Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
Moskva, Russia, 2015




Bryghusprojektet
Copenhagen, 2017




Torre Bicentenario
Mexico City, 2018




122 East 23rd Street
New York City, 2018




Taipei Performing Arts Centre
Taipei, China, 2018

Today let us explore the most famous churches and cathedrals of Austria. This selection ranges in year build from 1160 to 1924.


St Stephen’s Cathedral
Vienna, 1160




St Michael’s Church
Vienna, 1217




Minorites Church
Vienna, 1350




Salzburg Catheral
Salzburg, 1628




Old Catheral
Linz, 1683




St Charles Church
Vienna, 1737




St James Cathedral
Innsbruck, 1724




St Peter’s Church
Vienna, 1733




Borromaus Church
Vienna, 1737




Greek Church to the Holy Trinity
Vienna, 1858




Votice Church,
Vienna, 1879




St Nicholas Church
Vienna, 1899




Church of San Leopoldo
Steinhof, 1907




New Cathedral, Linz
Linz, 1924