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2007
Historic New Orleans Public Housing Under Threat:  The St Bernard Public Housing Project as it could be A number of INTBAU members have played ongoing roles in the rebuilding of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and that connection was further secured with the launch of INTBAU USA at the Traditional Building Exposition and Conference in October of 2007. INTBAU members continue to work on new designs for New Orleans, and to speak out in defence of the city. Among the many reasons New Orleans must be saved, in our view, is that it offers one of the world's great exemplars of a traditional city: not pickled in time, but not discarding its rich past to embrace a standardized model of modernity either. Instead New Orleans has unashamedly built on its own sometimes exotic local traditions, and thereby made them much richer with time. It should not go unnoticed that this approach has brought enormous cultural and economic rewards. Beyond its architecture, another key dimension of the city's rich traditions is its economic and cultural diversity. That diversity has existed in a laid-back, laissez-faire atmosphere – at best culturally self-reliant, but at worst abandoned by government in time of need. Such was the case with Katrina: a shocking revelation for much of the world, and yet only one more element of a much older pattern for many New Orleanians. As if that's not enough, government has then had a nasty habit of intruding after all, and making a bigger mess of things. That is arguably the case most recently with New Orleans' public housing agency, the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), which is managed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). At just the moment that housing shortages are causing severe economic hardship for returning residents – with rents as much as five times higher than before the storm - the agency has announced they will demolish 4,500 public housing units, to be replaced at some uncertain future time with 3,300 new units.  The St Bernard Public Housing Project as it is now: boarded up for demolition Initially the demolitions were to proceed on December 13. Advocates decried this "Christmas present" to the 3,000 families who have been displaced, noting that some 14,000 New Orleans residents are now homeless – more than double pre-Katrina estimates, and that government has not kept its other promises to rebuild. Add to that the looming deadline for FEMA to fund 3,700 families staying in trailers in private trailer camps, and New Orleans' housing crisis looks set to deepen yet again. The condemnation has been widespread, and passionate. The debate even extended to presidential election campaigning, when Sen. John Edwards argued that replacement units should be rebuilt first, before any demolition. In response to the widespread political pressure, HANO announced plans to refer the final decision to the New Orleans City Council. The design and construction quality of the buildings has been the subject of contention. These "projects" are nowhere near as dysfunctional as infamous high-rise tower projects like Chicago’s Cabrini Green or St. Louis' Pruitt-Igoe. In fact they are traditional brick low-rises that many say are reasonably sound and can be regenerated into successful mixed-income neighbourhoods. Their problems stemmed more from bad management practices and from an ill-conceived "warehousing" approach that concentrated and stigmatized those of low income. Still, the public housing "projects" as they existed were widely loathed, even by residents. Crime and drug use were very high, and maintenance and repairs were inadequate at best. Many neighboring residents do want to see them razed, leading to a tense and polarized atmosphere. But advocates for the historic buildings say there is no need to throw out the baby with the bathwater: there is a sensible middle path. The housing stock is perfectly able to support new mixed-income communities, providing reasonably-priced market-rate housing while preserving affordable units. On the face of it that shouldn’t be too hard to do: the 4,500 subsidized units were only about 65% occupied before Katrina, and even fewer of those residents are expected to return. On the other hand, many more have been displaced by the storm, which destroyed fully 50,000 of the City’s rental units. INTBAU members have been grappling with this issue, and have made our voices heard. INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners member Andres Duany led the Unified New Orleans Plan charrette for District 6, which included the St. Bernard Project. As in other parts of the city, this was a contentious subject. The initial reaction of residents was that the project represented an enormous blight on the neighbourhood that must be removed. Initially it was assumed this meant the project should be torn down. But at the same time, residents wanted affordable housing in the area, and wanted to preserve the area’s architectural heritage wherever possible. So the team looked at various options, and discussed them with residents. Gradually a recommendation emerged and was refined: the projects should be drastically renovated and some of the newer buildings should be removed. Most importantly, the street grid should be restored, following sound practices of safe neighborhood design and "eyes on the street". The units should range in income, some for sale at market rate and others preserved as affordable units.  The St Bernard Public Housing Project as it could be: plan of the proposal Our conclusion and recommendation to our New Orleans clients was that it is surely possible, and advisable, to 'throw out the bathwater without throwing out the baby': to maintain a valuable stock of affordable homes, and a valuable part of the city's architectural heritage, with renewed vitality and health.
But as with other parts of the City's dismally slow reconstruction, that will take a renewed commitment of Federal and State leaders to follow through on a high-quality rebuilding, consistent with the city's rich traditions. Members of INTBAU will continue to send this message to City leadership, and encourage others to join in. Michael Mehaffy has served on three different Hurricane Katrina recovery planning teams, and continues to spearhead the Neighborhood Centers Development Project in New Orleans. The full Gentilly Community Charrette Report is available on the web here (PDF). Update: 20 December 2007 The New Orleans City Council voted unanimously on December 20 to demolish the first four public housing projects, and set the stage for the demolition of the remaining units in the city. Protesters jammed City Hall in conditions of near-riot. Police used pepper spray and stun guns on protesters as they tried to enter the Council Chambers. Some were treated at area hospitals. Defenders of the vote argued that new units will be built to replace the old units, which were in deplorable condition. But an email notice from members of the group Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility argued that this does nothing for those displaced. "...The bigger issue is HUD's policy for replacement housing. Despite a post-Katrina affordable housing crisis of unprecedented proportion, HUD is spending $762 million to tear down the city's entire public housing stock and replace it with 744 subsidized units -- an 82% reduction in units. HUD plans to build an additional 1000 market-rate and tax-credit units, which are expected to sell for over $400,000 each." 
Duany And Plater-Zyberk Honoured  Andres Duany and Lizz Plater-Zyberk. Image: Simon Hare Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the husband-and-wife team who lead the Miami firm Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ), have been named the recipients of the sixth annual Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture. They will receive $US200,000 and a model of the Choregic Monument of Lysikrates during ceremonies on 29 March 2008 in Chicago. Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany are two of the most influential and controversial architects and town planners in the world. Duany and Plater-Zyberk have been at the forefront of the effort to revive the principles of traditional neighborhood design. Plater-Zyberk, also dean of Miami School of Architecture, described their work as "using successful and sustainable design ideals to address the challenges of modern life". They view traditional town planning as a panacea for social ills ranging from traffic congestion and other environmental threats to the disenfranchisement of the poor and the elderly. In addition to their architectural and academic work, Duany and Plater-Zyberk are best known for designing cities — street grids, town centers, parks — and for writing architectural and building codes that help revitalize communities. DPZ has completed designs for nearly 300 new towns, regional plans and revitalization projects, including neighborhoods in Naples, Fla., Baton Rouge, La. and Providence, R.I. Plater-Zyberk also leads Miami 21, a project to overhaul city zoning intended to discourage exposed parking garages, create wider sidewalks and build homes where people can live above their businesses.  Duany & Plater-Zyberk's scheme for Tornagrain, Scotland. Image: DPZ Duany and Plater-Zyberk have received numerous design awards, including the Brandeis Award for Architecture, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Medal of Architecture from the University of Virginia, the Vincent J. Scully Prize for exemplary practice and scholarship in architecture and urban design from the National Building Museum, and the Seaside Prize for contributions to community planning and design from The Seaside Institute. Among their many honorary degrees, Plater-Zyberk received an honorary doctorate in architecture from the University of Notre Dame. Duany and Plater-Zyberk met as undergraduates at Princeton and both received master’s degrees from the Yale School of Architecture. Andres Duany is a member of the INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners, and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk is a member of the INTBAU Committee of Honour. The Driehaus Prize This year, the annual Driehaus Prize was doubled to a $US200,000 unrestricted cash prize. The prizes represents the most significant recognition for classicism in the contemporary built environment. Recipients were selected by a jury comprised of Richard H. Driehaus (Founder and Chairman of Driehaus Capital Management, and a Board Member of INTBAU), Michael Lykoudis (Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture), Elizabeth Dowling (Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture), Paul Goldberger (Architecture Critic for "The New Yorker"), David M. Schwarz (Principal of David M. Schwarz / Architectural Services, Inc), and Adele Chatfield-Taylor (President of the American Academy in Rome). Established in 2003, the Richard H. Driehaus Prize honors, promotes and encourages architectural excellence that applies the principles of traditional, classical and sustainable architecture and urbanism in contemporary society and environments. It is presented annually by the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture to an outstanding architect in recognition of their work. In conjunction with the Driehaus Prize, the annual Henry Hope Reed Award is given to recognize the contributions of supporters of classical architecture operating beyond the drafting tables and outside the practice of architecture. Past Driehaus Prize Recipients include: Jaquelin T. Robertson (2007), Allan Greenberg (2006), Quinlan Terry (2005), Demetri Porphyrios (2004) and Léon Krier (2003).
The Old Theatre of Subotica Demolished  Theatre of Subotica which was demolished. Image by Viktorija Aladzic The first monumental public building in the city of Subotica, Serbia, a tavern and a theatre, has been demolished by the local authorities. The theatre was built in 1854, during the so-called Bach's absolutism, a period of the intense Habsburg political oppression in Hungary. Having survived world wars and major political and social changes the theatre became unique symbol of civic consciousness and municipal pride in Subotica, a major urban centre in Serbia, located in the north of the country, near its border with Hungary. The theatre became a listed building in 1983 and in 1991 was included on a Heritage List of Serbia. Despite such a classification, a number of people involved in the planning process of the theatre reconstruction claimed that building has no historic and cultural value and that it should be torn down completely. A compromise was reached eventually. One third of the existing building was to be saved, including the main hall, main staircases and the ball room on the second floor, as well as the front facade, with six tall neo-Corinthian columns, which symbolized a theatre building. The remaining two thirds of the complex were to be torn down and replaced by a new structure. The formal documents which allow the demolition were signed at the beginning of 2007 virtually in secrecy, with very little information released to the public. After the contract was signed the local authorities held a public presentation on the construction plans. However, the presentation did not shed light on the future plans as only the structural blue prints were displayed and the drawings for the facades are to be completed by 2012 when the rebuilding project is due to be completed. Public opposition The public reaction was passionate and stormy. A major campaign was organized both in Serbia and in Hungary to save the historic building. The international public opinion was also rallied via Internet. The Hungarian office of ICOMOS appealed to the mayor of Subotica to save the theatre. Michael Petzet, the ICOMOS president, sent a letter to Voja Brajovic, Serbian Culture Minister, in an attempt to prevent the demolition of the old Subotica theatre. The Serbian authorities responded by not allowing the ICOMOS office in Serbia to inspect the building and move forward with the demolition plans, which started in June 2007. The mayor of Subotica promised that the oldest part of the building will be saved and restored. However, during demolition a part of the central staircase was torn down by accident, the front facade was completely pilled off, the roof and ceiling were destroyed and only some smaller parts of front columns and walls were preserved. The old theatre, a historical monument of extraordinary importance and one of the most important symbols of Subotica, is gone forever. The historic town centre, also listed in Serbia's National Registry of monuments, was severely damaged. Despite all this, the Serbian authorities say that the demolition has been legal and insist that the historic part of the building will be dutifully restored. Viktorija Aladzic
Popular Vote Turns Against Skyscraper in Turin:  Turin before and after. Image courtesy La Repubblica 
INTBAU this week received a report from Italy concerning a very serious campaign now in progress. The recently updated website of INTBAU Supporter member A Vision of Europe is hosting a campaign against a series of new skyscrapers is going to be built in Italy, in Turin, Milan, Rome, and other famous cities. Speaking from Ferrara, AVOE Director Gabriele Tagliaventi said, "on Friday 26th, La Repubblica has announced the first 4 in the row proposed to be built in Turin and you can see the impact from the render done by Renzo Piano". "Therefore, we start a campaign to mobilize citizens and try to open a debate. There is a letter to be signed and sent to the President of the Italian Republic and the Mayor of Turin. If you can download it and send it, great!"
The threat of tower blocks spoiling the traditional silhouettes of historic Italian cities is real, explains Tagliaventi: "The menace is serious and the risk is to have the Italian cities devasted for ever. I think that we can do something. Many thanks for your help for the beautiful city that we all love!" Support the campaign Those opposing the project in Turin could vote in a public opinion poll supported by La Repubblica newspaper. The vote is closed now, with a 53% opposing the tower and only 47% in favour. The outcome of the vote is not binding, but it is hoped that it will will influence the debate. Opponents of the tower now hope to force a public referendum. If you want to support A Vision of Europe's campaign, you will find a letter here in English to print, sign, and send it to the Mayor of Turin and the President of Italy. AVOE asks that you also email a copy to avoe@libero.it and civicarch@unife.it. Below is the address of the Quirinale, the palace of the President in Rome. Those wishing to submit an email to the President of Italy should download and fill out the draft letter, copy it and paste it into the box on this secure site.
Mailing addresses:
SIGNOR PRESIDENTE
SIGNOR SINDACO
Tel: +39.011.4422526
CNU Charter Awards 2008: Call For Entries: Closes 12 December 2007* CNU's Charter Awards recognize achievements in placemaking that advance the Charter of the New Urbanism. The Congress for the New Urbanism welcomes your submissions for the 2008 CNU Charter Awards. This juried awards program recognizes today's best work in urban design, architecture, landscape design, development, and placemaking -- work that fulfills and advances the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism. CNU co-founder and DPZ principal Andres Duany is this year's jury chair and he is joined on the jury by a top-notch group of experienced and new generation urbanists:
Submissions deadline Professional entries must be shipped or postmarked by 12 December 2007. *To accommodate academic schedules, submissions for the academic awards program may arrive in CNU's offices on or before 2 January 2008. For information, winners gallery, forms, and instructions, please visit the awards website, http://cnu.org/awards, or email cnuinfo@cnu.org. Further information For more information contact:
Payton Chung
INTBAU USA: 
The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism (INTBAU) USA, a cross-country initiative, was launched in New Orleans on Octber 17, 2007. As INTBAU chair Robert Adam described it, it is timely that INTBAU’s growing international network now has a chapter in the world’s remaining superpower. In his message to the New Orleans launch conference, Adam noted that "this is one of the most significant moments in the growth and success of the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism". Around a hundred people gathered to hear presentations from US activists and international representatives. Krupali Uplekar, active in both INTBAU India and INTBAU Germany, described these chapter activities, and her own more recent role at the University of Notre Dame. Audun Engh described the early history of INTBAU, and the recent work of INTBAU Scandinavia and other European projects. Andres Duany made the case for the importance of international exchanges and sharing of lessons and building patterns. ICTP member Michael Mehaffy, new Chair of the USA chapter, described the benefits that a US chapter can convey for American members. Members of the new chapter Board include representatives of many familiar US organizations: the ICA&CA, Notre Dame, the University of Miami, New Urban Guild, Building Process Alliance, and others. It was especially fitting that the launch conference be held in New Orleans, Mehaffy noted. The city is still struggling to rebuild its traditional fabric, and needs the expertise that INTBAU members can provide. Moreover, the lessons of New Orleans are valuable for INTBAU members as well. "What's at stake here is not just New Orleans' problem. There are issues here that exist, in one degree or another, in our own communities, and elsewhere around the world – not least, the issue of how to build and to rebuild more sustainably". Several speakers noted that as we face increasingly global challenges, such international exchanges and alliances are surely becoming more important. INTBAU USA offers new opportunities for US members to participate in a more diverse range of international topics &emspace; not merely duplicating efforts of existing US organizations, but uniting them in a broader international umbrella, on a wide range of related building topics. Those topics include innovative preservation strategies, financial mechanisms and techniques; sustainable local economies built around local cultural traditions; education in a diverse range of building and rebuilding patterns and principles; new research into sustainability and human health in the built environment; and important dialogue with other NGOs on building policy. A notable example of that is the INTBAU Venice Declaration, which Mehaffy will discuss in an invited address to the Canadian chapter of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an important policy body governing building and rebuilding practices in culturally sensitive areas.
As Robert Adam put it: "INTBAU is struggling worldwide to protect, maintain and promote the traditions that give us all our identity and make places fit for a full and sustainable life. In this we are fighting the powerful forces of global uniformity. To have a fully functioning Chapter in the world’s remaining superpower is not only important for the rich and varied traditions of the USA but also has a symbolic significance on a world stage". Further information
Visit the USA Chapter web page here and join INTBAU here.
Acropolis Now: 
Reports from Athens suggest that the New Acropolis Museum project continues to damage Athens's historic urban fabric. The latest protests have arisen over threats to demolish two listed 19th century buildings adjoining the new museum. The architectural community of Greece is outraged at this architectural "cannibalism". Many ordinary citizens are also disgusted by the political manoeuvres that have followed the building of this museum, and which have now exposed the previously listed buildings to proposals for destruction. In 2003, the previous Greek government selected the Swiss-born (dual French/Swiss citizen) deconstructivist architect Bernard Tschumi to build a new museum on historically and archeologically sensitive ground, facing the Acropolis. At the time, many Athenians and others, including mathematician, urbanist, and architectural theorist Nikos A. Salingaros, criticized the proposed design as refusing to harmonize with anything in its environment (see INTBAU's previous news report from 2004). Indeed, the design of the new building has an "ultra-contemporary high-tech" look, so that it relates to absolutely nothing in the long history of Greek architecture. Salingaros's comments were published online at www.2blowhards.com, and later in Spanish, Italian, French, and Hungarian versions. The government in Greece lost power in an election held soon after this essay appeared on the world-wide web, and there was hope that the new government would stop the project. That was not to be the case, however, and the museum is now finally built. Just this week, the task of transferring the priceless collection of antiquities from the old Acropolis Museum to the new one has commenced. A total of 25 houses were demolished to make space for the new museum. The original brief required that two listed buildings from the 1930s, one Neoclassical and the other more Art Deco (above), be protected. The design brief included an explicit injunction that the design had to respect their position. The two protected buildings are numbers 17 and 19, Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. This past July, while wildfires were devastating all of Greece and threatening to burn ancient Olympia, the legal protection of these two buildings was lifted. According to reports, the committee's decision was tied in a 12-12 vote, but it was broken by the deciding vote of the council's president, Christos Zachopoulos. Salingaros notes that this procedure "brings back to memory the unexpected declassification of the museum's site that lifted its archeological protection so as to allow excavation of the new museum's columns. Numerous lawsuits have dogged this museum, because of a string of such seemingly "irregular" procedures. But everything has been pushed through regardless, and by both successive governments", he added. The details of the controversy, according to many observers, can be reduced to a very mundane reason: having a better view from the Museum's cafeteria terrace. At present, the clients of the Museum's cafeteria will have to face the back of the two listed buildings, which were never designed to be particularly attractive. The Greek press is saying that the expected income from tourists lunching at the Museum Cafeteria overrides any concerns for historic preservation. According to Salingaros, "Greek architects who support the demolition of the previously listed buildings, however, wish to implement the modernist ideal of a building disconnected from its surroundings. Thus, the heated debate is also driven by ideology: the arrogance of the contemporary showcase building that needs to stand apart from its 'inferior' older siblings". 
Here is the proposed unimpeded view, with both existing buildings and tall shady trees digitally erased: 
It seems to some that the new building was designed without adequate thought for the two listed buildings which would stand in front of it. Both 17 and 19 Dionysiou Areopagitou have elegant fronts behind magnificent old trees, which shade what is a pedestrian street leading around the Acropolis. But because Tschumi placed his building back from the two party walls, rather than abutting them as the urban context might have suggested, the view created from the New Museum towards the lower flanks of the Acropolis hill is hidden by the blank party walls of these two listed two buildings and street trees.
The irony in all of this is that the Greek Government - including all the successive governments, which have exerted their considerable power to build the New Acropolis Museum - could be seriously risking its reputation. Far from promoting architectural and cultural enlightenment through an ultra-contemporary new museum, it could conceivably be accused of embracing a preposterous (and ephemeral) architectural fashion while destroying its priceless heritage. How has history judged those governments who, in the past, demolished their historic buildings so as to impose an idea of architectural modernity? Update 1 INTBAU has now received a comment from Vassilis Vassilikos, author of the book "Z", which was made into the award-winning film starring Yves Montand and Jean-Louis Trintignant: 'With my old identity card as Ambassador to UNESCO, I got past the guard and entered the grounds of the Museum. And I was appalled. Whereas [Santiago] Calatrava heightens spaces and creates domes, Mr. Tschumi attacks and is provocative. "What is this triangular platform?" I asked, pretending innocence. "This is the balcony of the Cafeteria", he answered. Friends, readers, and fellow citizens, if you go to see it, you will also be horrified; this open terrace is a concrete arrow aimed at the back of the two protected buildings, as if wanting to tear them down by its sheer vehemence. It is savage; it is from the third world. 'Naturally, it matches the monstrous conception of the whole museum. But such an aggression, which is unworthy of an important architect like Mr. Tschumi, I never expected. If the protected buildings are demolished, this arrow will then target the Acropolis itself, as if wanting to destroy it as well. Mr. Tschumi, is this the much-desired dialogue with the ancient monument?
'Oh, Melina [Mercouri], who started this project, you would now be on a hunger strike until they pulled down this arrow of revenge that is the terrace of Tschumi's Cafeteria.' Update 2 Jacques Lang, the former French Minister of Culture was in Athens for a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, and gave an interview prior to his meeting. Here is an excerpt:
'I will convey [to Mr. Karamanlis] my anxiety about the houses surrounding the New Museum. It will be a great mistake to demolish them. The road leading from the center of Athens to the Acropolis is wonderful, with its trees and historic houses. I cannot understand why these two have to be destroyed. They are part of the Athenian heritage, of the city's history. In the past, the Pompidou government perpetrated many crimes against History and the cultural heritage of Paris, as for example with the destruction of the ancient market in the Les Halles neighborhood. According to the facts that I know, the architect obtained permission to create a museum with greater height, so that it can have an uncluttered view towards the Acropolis. Now, however, the question of view concerns only the cafeteria. Should Classical homes be destroyed for a cafeteria?' Update 3 The distinguished German theater and opera director Peter Stein produced Sophocles' Electra in Athens this summer, staged at the ancient theater of Epidauros. He had a comment on the New Acropolis Museum:
'I like your city [Athens]. It has changed a great deal in the last several years. But I don't like the New Acropolis Museum at all. I find it bombastic and in bad taste. I believe that it destroys the aesthetic character of the surrounding region. In every city the old buildings give the city its aesthetic identity. The modern ones destroy it. For this reason, I believe that you need to protect your Neoclassical buildings. Those pay homage to the Acropolis.' Update 4 Videos of the destruction of the tiny Church of St George, of damage to the archaeological remains, and many other videos in Greek language: Update 5
Update 6 Professor Nikos Salingaros has expanded material originally supplied for our news pages into a hard-hitting essay on the New Acropolis Museum. "Architectural Cannibalism in Athens", published in Orthodoxy Today, 20 November 2007, www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles7/SalingarosAthens.php Meanwhile, the internationally known composer Vangelis Papathanassiou (Chariots of Fire) spoke out against the proposed demolition of his home, No. 19 Dionysiou Areopagitou St. In a November 18, 2007 interview carried out with Sunday Times columnist Matthew Campbell, he declared this: "an act of architectural terrorism. [The New Acropolis Museum] is an architectural tsunami; a monstrosity that arrogantly overshadows the whole area, thus offending the Parthenon itself, our history, the Athenians and Greeks in general. It is attempting to devour what is left of this historic area". "Vangelis Papathanassiou fights Greek gods of demolition", www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2891014.ece. Defenders of the two listed historic buildings have made a clever allegorical video, available for viewing at http://youtube.com/watch?v=Naf9X8Ix7Lw. Further information You can read more about the campaign to save the buildings in English and Greek at globalculturalheritage.blogspot.com/ and areopagitou17.blogspot.com/. The campaign organisers of the latter site encourage you to send an email opposing the proposal to them, which they promise to pass on to the authorities.
UK Government to Build Ten "Eco-Towns" Following UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's promise at the 2007 Labour Party Conference that he would build ten eco-towns and increase house building targets to 240,000 per year, The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment (TPF) will hold a workshop examining eco-towns and their practical realisation. TPF recently joined the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and the Royal Institute of British Architects to set criteria for eco-towns in the UK. "The aim of the conference is to help experts from central and local government, architecture,urbanism and commercial development find out more about meeting the eco-town challenge offered by government", commented TPF's Chief Executive Hank Dittmar. The seminar and masterclass, to be held on 30 - 31 October 2007, will explore the design, planning and function of eco-towns and how they can minimize impact on the natural environment and reduce carbon emissions. Earlier this year, Gordon Brown announced that HRH The Prince of Wales's town of Poundbury was to be an exemplar for eco-towns. The conference will therefore use Poundbury as well as TPF's new development at Upton, Northampton as models. The conference programme will combine debate on the aspirations of eco towns - resonance with local history, tradition and surrounding landscape, long term sustainability - with the realities of volume targets and commercial viability. International speakers include Neil Sinden from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Professor David Lock from the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), Janet Jackson from the University of Northampton, Stuart Blofeld from the Building Research Establishment (BRE), Henrik Berg von Linde from SWECO (the Nordic region's leading knowledge sphere in the fields of engineering, environmental technology and architecture) and Assistant Professor Jeff Kenworthy from Murdoch University, Australia. INTBAU is a strategic partner on this event. Further information Download the flyer and registration and registration details here.
Call for Submissions for the 27th Annual Arthur Ross Awards 
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America announces a call for submissions for the 2008 Arthur Ross Awards for Excellence in the Classical Tradition. Established in 1982 by Classical America Chairman of the Board Arthur Ross and its President, Henry Hope Reed, the Arthur Ross Awards were created to recognize and celebrate excellence in the classical tradition. For the last 23 years, the awards have recognized the achievements and contributions of architects, painters, sculptors, artisans, landscape designers, educators, publishers, patrons, and others dedicated to preserving and advancing the classical tradition. Past honorees for architecture have ranged from well-known practitioners such as Allan Greenberg and Quinlan Terry, to relatively unknown but no less accomplished ones such as A. Hayes Town and Harold H. Fisher. The awards have also recognized excellence in the work of artisans such as Historical Arts and Casting and Decorators Supply Company, painters such as Richard Piccolo and Edward Schmidt, sculptors such as Frederick Hart and Alexander Stoddart, and patrons such as Chauncey Stillman, the Citizens of Greater Kansas City, and HRH The Prince of Wales. The awardees are chosen each year by a selection committee made up of members of the ICA&CA Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Fellows, and distinguished members of related professions and are drawn from nominations received by the committee during the course of the year. The 2008 Arthur Ross Awards On Monday, May 5, 2008, The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America will hold its annual Arthur Ross Awards at New York’s historic University Club. The ICA&CA is now accepting nominations for consideration by this year’s Ross Awards jury, to be chaired by Allan Greenberg. The ICA&CA has a policy of keeping past applications on file for future consideration. We welcome submissions from both first-time applicants as well as those who have submitted in previous years. Should a past applicant wish to send updated materials or have their previous submission removed from consideration please contact ICA&CA Managing Director Henrika Taylor atht@classicist.org. The 2008 Jury will select five recipients for awards from among the following categories: Award Categories
Please note that Awards are not given in every category every year, however, in exceptional circumstances, more than one award may be given in a given category. Award Criteria
The Arthur Ross Awards jury considers several factors in selecting each year’s recipients:
2008 Jury
The jurors for the 2008 Arthur Ross Award who will select five recipients for the prestigious Arthur Ross Awards this year include the following:
Instructions for Submissions
Instructions follow below.
Format for Submissions
Registration Fee
FREE for current ICA&CA members and professional members; $25 for non-members.
Submission date & instructions
Applications must be received in the ICA&CA office no later than Friday, December 14, 2007, 5PM, and should be sent to:
The Arthur Ross Awards
Questions
Please email questions concerning the Awards to ICA&CA Managing Director Henrika Taylor at ht@classicist.org.
ICA&CA Calls for Submissions for the Rieger Graham Prize
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America
is pleased to announce the second bi-annual Rieger Graham Prize, to occur in 2008 and to be awarded to a recent graduate or practitioner of architecture.
The centerpiece of the prize is a three-month Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, the premier overseas center for independent study and research in the fine arts and humanities. The purpose of the prize is to promote the practice of classical architecture and to foster the continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition.
The total award will include Academy fees, travel allotment and stipend. Academy fees provide a single room and board; a double room can be made available, but the award recipient would pay the cost of meals for an additional person.
Context
The Charles Rieger and John D. Graham Architectural Art Prize results from a bequest by the late Charles Rieger, Professor of Architecture at Columbia University.
Rieger bequeathed to the Institute a painting by a friend and mentor, artist John D. Graham (female portrait, Aurea Mediocritas, 1952) and stipulated that the painting be sold to endow a prize in the field of classical architecture.
Timetable
Deadline: Thursday, November 13, 2007.
Application
The applicant must submit a proposal for a project involving research, documentation and design, showing how the applicant sees fit to explore Rome in the best way possible for his/her career development. The foremost priority in choosing the prize recipient will be the project’s link to the opportunity to learn from Rome and its environs in situ.
Application documents must include:
1. Cover letter with all current contact information
For more information, please contact INTBAU member Victor Deupi, Arthur Ross Director of Education at vdeupi@classicist.org.
Criteria
In addition to the merits of the project proposal and personal credentials, the jury will look for exceptional and demonstrable skill as measured by samples submitted from past work. The jury will judge such talent against the complementary Vitruvian ideals of strength, function and beauty as revealed by both the conception of the design samples and their manual execution. Theoretical as well as practical merit will thus determine the selected fellow.
Requirements
After completing study in Rome, the prize winner will be required to submit some tangible or publishable result from his/her experience, which will be the property of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America and which can be featured in Institute publications and/or exhibitions as applicable. The winner’s encounter with the classical past must be documented through finished drawings or through other presentation media of designs or documentation which explore the lessons learned from Rome.
All work from the prize must be completed within six months of the end of the residency in Rome.
Eligibility
Candidates must be within five years of having received a four or five year Bachelor of Architecture degree, Master of Architecture degree, or Master of Fine Arts degree prior to the fellowship.
The prize will be limited to United States citizens.
Further information
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America
The 2008 Palladio Awards:
The Palladio Awards honor firms for excellence in traditional design. The seventh-annual competition will recognise outstanding residential, commercial, institutional and public projects in the following categories:
Residential Architecture:
Commercial, Institutional & Public Architecture:
Projects completed between November 15, 2005 and November 15, 2007 are eligible. The winning firms in this year’s competition will receive:
The Palladio Awards program is co-produced by Traditional Building and Period Homes magazines and is named in honor of Andrea Palladio, the Renaissance architect who created modern architecture for his time while drawing on past models for inspiration.
For more information, to view previous winners or to download an entry form, go to www.palladioawards.com. If you have any questions about your submission, please call us at +1-718-636-0788.
CIVITAS: Innovation in conservation area rehabilitation
The Intensive Programme (IP) Project CIVITAS - Innovation in conservation areas rehabilitation: survey, documentation and design of historical centres, in the LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME 2007/08 framework, has been approved and will receive funding from the EU & the Italian National Agency.
The aim of the CIVITAS programme is to introduce architecture students to the new strategies for conservation area
rehabilitation, and to expose them to the rich cultural heritage of Emilia-Romagna Region.
The European and national territory presents a network of towns, villages and borghi, that define the identity of our regional landscape, rich of quality and authenticity. The IP creates an opportunity to promote the rehabilitation of conservation areas developing an innovation design process and strategies for survey, documentation and design.
Each partner will report about the national status quo in the field, and then the IP is enriched by a series of field trips (Bologna and eventually other ancient towns in the Region). This programme gives a group of students the opportunity to improve their technique of surveying, analysing and document an historical centre (or a conservation areas) in order to define a code based design process. It also gives to the teachers the possibility to define shared visions, address good practice interventions and promote new studies and reports about the topics of the programme.
The activities have the further purpose of define the figure of a professional who can act the preservation of the European historic centres.
Partners
The University of Bologna is the coordinating institution and the other partners (holding an ERASMUS University Charter) are:
INTBAU will take in charge the strategic dissemination of the IP aims, as mentioned in the approved project.
The project partners will shortly meet in London to define the 2008 IP events.
The lead partner is currently developing the theme for the 2008 Joint Summer Programme under the name "The Invisible Cities: Lessons in Drawing & Urbanism for a sustainable century", dedicated to the 35th year since the first italian edition of Le città invisibili, a magic realist novel by Italo Calvino, first published in Italy in 1972. The image above right is of the cover of the first english edition of 1974.
- Giuseppe Amoruso and Matthew Hardy
Further information
Prof. Giuseppe Amoruso
Bursary Scheme Helps Meet UK Heritage Skills Demand
A new bursary scheme launched by English Heritage, the National Trust, Cadw, Construction-Skills and the National Heritage Training Group is set to help address the skills shortage in the UK heritage sector as highlighted by reports in 2005 from the Countryside Agency and the National Heritage Training Group.
The Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme organises and funds work-based training placements for individuals who want to work in the built heritage sector. The main skills targeted through about 80 bursaries over four years include brickwork, carpentry and joinery, fibrous plaster, lime plaster, stone masonry and conservation, leadwork, thatching and ironwork.
The bursaries will operate as work based training placements - at NVQ Heritage Skills level 3 and above - working with contractors at a variety of sites, including those of National Trust, English Heritage and Cadw. Bursary placements are currently being advertised on the Scheme's website and more will be available throughout the duration of the Scheme.
The four year project has been funded by a £900,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and contributions from the partners.
- Matthew Hardy
Further information
More information is available form the Scheme's website or by contacting the Bursary Scheme Manager Clara Willett at enquiries@buildingbursaries.org.uk or telephone +44 (0)1442 890756.
One of the oldest European communities under threat
Rosia Montana is one of the oldest communities in Western Romania, home of about 2000 inhabitants of different ethnic background (Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Czechs, Roma). The area harbors archaeological sites of unique value. Ancient Roman dwellings, kilometers of mining tunnels dated to pre-Roman and Roman period, still inhabited century-old houses, all part of the national heritage.
The local environment had been affected in the Communist past by industrial mining activities. These were stopped immediately after 1989 and the area began to recover its natural charm. Economically, alternate economic activities such as organic agriculture and eco-tourism have started to develop.
Over the last years, Rosia Montana has attracted significant media attention since a gold exploitation license has been granted by the Romanian state to Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC). Right: Traditional house of Rosia Montana. Image by Lorin Niculae
RMGC is a joint venture between an off-shore company, on one hand, and a bankrupt state-owned Romanian mining company (Minvest Deva S.A.), on the other hand. The Romanian state owns 19.8 % of the shares and would collect 2% from the venture's profits through mining taxes, if the project would be put into practice.
Major concerns over the environment
A number of NGOs have expressed grave concerns over the consequences this project may have for the entire region. The mining project requires dynamiting four mountains (Carnic, Cetate, Orlea and Jig) that surround Rosia Montana, demolishing the town and creating a 600 hectare pond for depositing the cyanides-processed tailings in Corna Valley. The project would destroy 958 households, 10 churches belonging to the Orthodox, Catholic, Greek-Catholic, Unitarian and Reformed rites, and unearth 12 cemeteries. A 185 meter high dam would separate the one kilometer away city of Abrud from the 214 million tons of tailings that would result from what would be the biggest open pit mining project in Europe - 8 km wide in diameter.
The Soros Foundation warns that this project may completely destroy the local community and its impressive heritage. The Soros Foundation draws attention to the fact that once resources are exhausted, a few years later, the mining companies will leave the area and the local people will be left with the environmental problems caused by the operation. Right: A Roman Temple of Rosia Montana.
In Romania, Alburnus Maior, an organization founded in 2000 by 250 families from Rosia Montana, Corna and Bucium that refuse relocation and oppose the mining project was the first voice that warned the general public and the international community about the dangers related with the project. Its sustained campaign to save and to preserve the town of Rosia Montana, its heritage and protected environment was joined by prestigious national and international organization, such as The Romanian Academy, Earthworks, Greenpeace and Mining Watch.
Read the previous INTBAU news story on Rosia Montana
- The Soros Foundation Press Office & Aura Neag
Europa Nostra Awards 2007
The European Commission and Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, have announced the winners of the annual European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards.
Five top Prizes, which each include a monetary award of €10,000, will be presented in the following categories:
In addition to the five top Prizes, sixteen Medals (2nd Prize) and thirteen Diplomas (3rd Prize) will be awarded. The Awards Ceremony, which will take place on 8 June 2007 in the Stockholm City Hall in Sweden.
Europa Nostra Awards
- Aura Neag
Residents Fear For Classical Theatre in Subotica:
Subotica is a mid-sized town in Serbian province of Vojvodina, population 150,000, very close to Serbia's border with Hungary. It experienced great development at the end of 19th century, when most of the downtown got its present look. The very first monumental building built in town at the beginning of that era of rapid development was the theatre building, built in 1854, designed by János Scultety. Besides a theater, the building hosted a restaurant, patisserie, hotel and a ball room. It became a meeting place for growing civic society in Subotica, and a symbol of this society made up of many nationalities: Croats, Serbs, Hungarians, Jews, Germans and others.
The theatre was reconstructed in 1904-1907 when the gallery made of an early concrete structure was added to the auditorium. The next major reconstruction happened in 1927, after auditorium burned in 1915. So the building is a history book itself.
Twenty years ago, due to building's poor condition, the idea to demolish it and build a new theatre in Subotica emerged. Since then building has been neglected, despite the fact that it was listed as a monument of great importance, and located in the core of the town which is also listed as an important site.
The demolition idea materialized with the building plans and recently the contracts for demolishing 2/3 of the building were signed off. The smallest, oldest part of a building would be restored according to the new plan. A big campaign started by the citizens of Subotica against the demolition of this very valuable building has recently been joined by ICOMOS Hungary. We invite you to join the citizen's efforts to stop demolition of this fine 19th century theatre and hotel in Subotica and get the building restored instead.
Further information
For more information and comments, please visit www.subotica.info.
Petition
You can sign an online petition opposing the demolition.
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The Acropolis Museum under construction in summer 2007. The buildings and trees to be removed are those in front of the terrace on the right. Image: Calder Loth
Rosia Montana's rural landscape. Image by Lorin Niculae
