Project
AP143.S4.D65
Description:
File documents the unexecuted project for the University Art Museum, Long Beach, California. Material in this file was produced between 1986 and 1988. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), commissioned Eisenman/Robertson Architects to design an art museum adjacent to the main campus entrance. The 67,500-square-foot building was to comprise four galleries, a black-box theater, an auditorium, a cafe, conference rooms, a library, offices, preparation spaces, and storage vaults. The project, sited on a 23-acre arboretum, included landscaping; terraced sculpture courtyards, botanical gardens, and a two-acre pond. Eisenman linked the northern and southern parts of the arboretum by an elevated public walkway through the museum. Sets of drawings were presented on 8 and 30 April, 2 June, and 5 Aug. In the first design phase Eisenman explores the cartographic figures which form the basis of his artificial excavation when superposed: a series of sketches establishes the analogical relationships which fix the relative scales of the plans and produce the superpositions; another series contextualizes the superposed figures by placing them within the museum site (DR1987:0859:087-090). The second phase concerns the building; the working model shows the building carved out of a square pit, from which spring an oil derrick and a reconstruction of a recreational pier (Rainbow Pier, 1920s) used here as circulatory bridge (DR1987:0859:160). In the third phase the architect systematizes his archeological procedure by using five significant cartographic dates - 1849, 1889, 1949, 1989, 2049 - each corresponding to a specific superposition (see DR1987:0859:274-277). In the fourth phase, Eisenman simplifies the superposition of 2049 to a few iconic colour-coded forms: ranch (green), ranch house (blue), campus site (red), and water forms (river and pond) (gold). Material for the fourth phase includes three relief models, four presentation drawings, and a model (property of the CSULB) (relief models: DR1987:0859:001-003; drawings: DR1987:0859:004-008). Eisenman "inhabits" his artifical archeology by detailed planning of interior spaces, and gives substance to the cartographic traces in a series of sketch sections, perspectives, and working models. Working models reveal how the central "canal" area gradually became the museum's access point (DR1987:0859:484-490); the museum, galleries, offices, and preparation areas are on one side of this deep cut, while the cafeteria and black-box theater are on the other. The upper level was to house offices, meeting rooms, and the library. File contains audiovisual material, conceptual drawings, design development drawings, presentation drawings, reference drawings, working drawings, photographic materials, and textual records.
1986-1988
University Art Museum
Actions:
AP143.S4.D65
Description:
File documents the unexecuted project for the University Art Museum, Long Beach, California. Material in this file was produced between 1986 and 1988. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), commissioned Eisenman/Robertson Architects to design an art museum adjacent to the main campus entrance. The 67,500-square-foot building was to comprise four galleries, a black-box theater, an auditorium, a cafe, conference rooms, a library, offices, preparation spaces, and storage vaults. The project, sited on a 23-acre arboretum, included landscaping; terraced sculpture courtyards, botanical gardens, and a two-acre pond. Eisenman linked the northern and southern parts of the arboretum by an elevated public walkway through the museum. Sets of drawings were presented on 8 and 30 April, 2 June, and 5 Aug. In the first design phase Eisenman explores the cartographic figures which form the basis of his artificial excavation when superposed: a series of sketches establishes the analogical relationships which fix the relative scales of the plans and produce the superpositions; another series contextualizes the superposed figures by placing them within the museum site (DR1987:0859:087-090). The second phase concerns the building; the working model shows the building carved out of a square pit, from which spring an oil derrick and a reconstruction of a recreational pier (Rainbow Pier, 1920s) used here as circulatory bridge (DR1987:0859:160). In the third phase the architect systematizes his archeological procedure by using five significant cartographic dates - 1849, 1889, 1949, 1989, 2049 - each corresponding to a specific superposition (see DR1987:0859:274-277). In the fourth phase, Eisenman simplifies the superposition of 2049 to a few iconic colour-coded forms: ranch (green), ranch house (blue), campus site (red), and water forms (river and pond) (gold). Material for the fourth phase includes three relief models, four presentation drawings, and a model (property of the CSULB) (relief models: DR1987:0859:001-003; drawings: DR1987:0859:004-008). Eisenman "inhabits" his artifical archeology by detailed planning of interior spaces, and gives substance to the cartographic traces in a series of sketch sections, perspectives, and working models. Working models reveal how the central "canal" area gradually became the museum's access point (DR1987:0859:484-490); the museum, galleries, offices, and preparation areas are on one side of this deep cut, while the cafeteria and black-box theater are on the other. The upper level was to house offices, meeting rooms, and the library. File contains audiovisual material, conceptual drawings, design development drawings, presentation drawings, reference drawings, working drawings, photographic materials, and textual records.
File 65
1986-1988
Project
AP148.S1.1970.PR02
Description:
The project series documents Poli's work on the Interplanetary Architecture project, which was also made into a film by Superstudio directed by Alessandro Poli (the film is not included in the fonds). The project reflects Poli's deep fascination with the moon landing in 1969. Poli uses this major media event as a catalyst for thinking about a new approach to architecture and tools for design, including the idea that film and the movie camera should become part of the toolset. The project also seems to be in some way a response to Epoch magazine's challenge for a "Primo concorso di architettura nello spazio" (the first architectural competition in space), and includes much imagery and textual references to a new road or architectural links between the earth and other planets, including an earth moon highway. In his storyboard, Poli also makes reference to his earlier Piper project, and some imagery features wheels and an amusement park. The Interplanetary Architecture project was exhibited by Superstudio in Rome in 1972 and featured in "Casabella" magazine in April 1972 (no. 364). The project was also featured in the 2010 CCA exhibition "Other Space Odysseys". In the accompanying CCA publication, Poli describes this project as "a voyage off earthbound routes in quest of architecture unfettered by the urban nightmare, by induced needs or by planning as the only tool for regulating and solving the world's problems" (Poli quoted in Borasi and Zardini, 2010, 110). Poli's work on this project is deeply tied to the Zeno project, which was also featured in this exhibition and is included in this fonds (see AP148.S1.1972.PR01). For the Zeno project, Poli envisioned a dialogue between astronaut Buzz Aldrin and an Italian peasant, Zeno of Riparbella. Poli felt that these two shared a similarity in that both their homes were isolated capsules, one that provided a lens from which to see the rest of the world and understand their place in it. The material in the series includes numerous photomontages and collages of astronauts in space, as well as drawings of plantery shapes and structures. There are also texts, some of which include calculations of distances and diameters of planets, as well as notebooks and sketchbooks, many of which Poli included in a folder he entitled "Storyboard." The series also includes an unsent letter from Poli to Adolfo Natalini which describes how, after the moon landing, everything - the planet, the moon, the stars - is architecture, and that this will necessitate the need for new design tools, such as the movie camera. Some works are signed Alessandro Poli-Superstudio. Source cited: Giovanna Borasi and Mirko Zardini, eds., Other Space Odysseys, Montreal and Baden: Canadian Centre for Architecture/Lars Müller Publishers, 2010.
1969-1971
Architettura Interplanetaria [Interplanetary Architecture] (1970-1971)
Actions:
AP148.S1.1970.PR02
Description:
The project series documents Poli's work on the Interplanetary Architecture project, which was also made into a film by Superstudio directed by Alessandro Poli (the film is not included in the fonds). The project reflects Poli's deep fascination with the moon landing in 1969. Poli uses this major media event as a catalyst for thinking about a new approach to architecture and tools for design, including the idea that film and the movie camera should become part of the toolset. The project also seems to be in some way a response to Epoch magazine's challenge for a "Primo concorso di architettura nello spazio" (the first architectural competition in space), and includes much imagery and textual references to a new road or architectural links between the earth and other planets, including an earth moon highway. In his storyboard, Poli also makes reference to his earlier Piper project, and some imagery features wheels and an amusement park. The Interplanetary Architecture project was exhibited by Superstudio in Rome in 1972 and featured in "Casabella" magazine in April 1972 (no. 364). The project was also featured in the 2010 CCA exhibition "Other Space Odysseys". In the accompanying CCA publication, Poli describes this project as "a voyage off earthbound routes in quest of architecture unfettered by the urban nightmare, by induced needs or by planning as the only tool for regulating and solving the world's problems" (Poli quoted in Borasi and Zardini, 2010, 110). Poli's work on this project is deeply tied to the Zeno project, which was also featured in this exhibition and is included in this fonds (see AP148.S1.1972.PR01). For the Zeno project, Poli envisioned a dialogue between astronaut Buzz Aldrin and an Italian peasant, Zeno of Riparbella. Poli felt that these two shared a similarity in that both their homes were isolated capsules, one that provided a lens from which to see the rest of the world and understand their place in it. The material in the series includes numerous photomontages and collages of astronauts in space, as well as drawings of plantery shapes and structures. There are also texts, some of which include calculations of distances and diameters of planets, as well as notebooks and sketchbooks, many of which Poli included in a folder he entitled "Storyboard." The series also includes an unsent letter from Poli to Adolfo Natalini which describes how, after the moon landing, everything - the planet, the moon, the stars - is architecture, and that this will necessitate the need for new design tools, such as the movie camera. Some works are signed Alessandro Poli-Superstudio. Source cited: Giovanna Borasi and Mirko Zardini, eds., Other Space Odysseys, Montreal and Baden: Canadian Centre for Architecture/Lars Müller Publishers, 2010.
Project
1969-1971
Project
BMI/HQ
AP144.S2.D74
Description:
File documents the unexecuted design for the headquarters of the Birmingham and Midland Institute (BMI), in Birmingham, England. This project is related to the Shantasea Development (AP144.S2.D72) from which Cedric Price resigned as architect to take on the role of architect for BMI, one of the proposed tenants for the Shantasea project. Cedric Price proposed a municipal and regional "nerve centre" to house seminar and study rooms, workshops, galleries, film, television and music studios, a library, a planetarium, and a theatre. A flexible life-cycle plan (expansion, static, contraction) for the building and the activities would allow BMI to expand in the short and medium term, and to shrink in the long term, when it was assumed that many of its roles would be replaced by the UK's Open University plan (Works II, 42). Work on the project came to a stop in 1970 under a new city council (Architectural Design, June 1971, 368). Existing conditions material consists of maps and a survey of Birmingham. Conceptual sketches and drawings include: annotated diagrammatic plans and sections used to develop the building's massing and the horizontal/vertical relationships between functional areas; axonometric views showing the building's general form/functions; plans used for calculating square footage; diagrams showing visual and physical movement through the building; information and movement charts; and flow charts showing the building's organization. Design development drawings consist of graphs showing how functional areas might be used over time. Design development and working drawings include: diagrammatic plans and sections; exploded axonometric views of the functional relationships between areas; exterior axonometric views; sectional perspectives; space allocation plans; circulation drawings; diagrams showing activities throughout the day; furniture equipment schedules; theatre seating and stair studies; and elevations for exterior cladding. Charts show links between activities/actions; activity distribution; activity/capacity; progress of pre-contract work; and the telephone network. File also includes drawings by engineering consultants Felix Samuely and Partners and Zisman, Bowyer and Partners. Presentation material includes: newspaper clippings and text concerning the project; diagrammatic plans, sections, and charts; and a photo collage of the site; and a text by Cedric Price entitled "The Present Position". Some materials in this file were published in "Cedric Price Supplement No. 3", 'Architectural Design', vol. 41, (June 1971), 364-368, and 'Cedric Price-Works II' (London: Architectural Press, 1984), 36, 42. Material in this file was produced between 1967 and 1971. Zisman Bowyer and Partners appear as the mechanical and electrical consulting engineers; Silk and Frazier as the quantity surveyors; and Versa-Serve Ltd as the catering consultants on this project. File contains cartographic materials, conceptual drawings, design development drawings, panels, photographic materials, presentation drawings, presentation panels, publication drawings, technical drawings, and textual records.
1967-1971
BMI/HQ
Actions:
AP144.S2.D74
Description:
File documents the unexecuted design for the headquarters of the Birmingham and Midland Institute (BMI), in Birmingham, England. This project is related to the Shantasea Development (AP144.S2.D72) from which Cedric Price resigned as architect to take on the role of architect for BMI, one of the proposed tenants for the Shantasea project. Cedric Price proposed a municipal and regional "nerve centre" to house seminar and study rooms, workshops, galleries, film, television and music studios, a library, a planetarium, and a theatre. A flexible life-cycle plan (expansion, static, contraction) for the building and the activities would allow BMI to expand in the short and medium term, and to shrink in the long term, when it was assumed that many of its roles would be replaced by the UK's Open University plan (Works II, 42). Work on the project came to a stop in 1970 under a new city council (Architectural Design, June 1971, 368). Existing conditions material consists of maps and a survey of Birmingham. Conceptual sketches and drawings include: annotated diagrammatic plans and sections used to develop the building's massing and the horizontal/vertical relationships between functional areas; axonometric views showing the building's general form/functions; plans used for calculating square footage; diagrams showing visual and physical movement through the building; information and movement charts; and flow charts showing the building's organization. Design development drawings consist of graphs showing how functional areas might be used over time. Design development and working drawings include: diagrammatic plans and sections; exploded axonometric views of the functional relationships between areas; exterior axonometric views; sectional perspectives; space allocation plans; circulation drawings; diagrams showing activities throughout the day; furniture equipment schedules; theatre seating and stair studies; and elevations for exterior cladding. Charts show links between activities/actions; activity distribution; activity/capacity; progress of pre-contract work; and the telephone network. File also includes drawings by engineering consultants Felix Samuely and Partners and Zisman, Bowyer and Partners. Presentation material includes: newspaper clippings and text concerning the project; diagrammatic plans, sections, and charts; and a photo collage of the site; and a text by Cedric Price entitled "The Present Position". Some materials in this file were published in "Cedric Price Supplement No. 3", 'Architectural Design', vol. 41, (June 1971), 364-368, and 'Cedric Price-Works II' (London: Architectural Press, 1984), 36, 42. Material in this file was produced between 1967 and 1971. Zisman Bowyer and Partners appear as the mechanical and electrical consulting engineers; Silk and Frazier as the quantity surveyors; and Versa-Serve Ltd as the catering consultants on this project. File contains cartographic materials, conceptual drawings, design development drawings, panels, photographic materials, presentation drawings, presentation panels, publication drawings, technical drawings, and textual records.
File 74
1967-1971
articles
9 January 2023
Without even trying, retail is civic and political
Hilary Sample interviewed by Jack Self on how architects can respond to the changing urban dynamics of retail
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archives
Level of archival description:
Fonds
AP194
Synopsis:
The Johan Bettum OCEAN North projects records, 1995-2000, consist of born-digital files and a physical drawing that document three projects by the OCEAN North collective: Synthetic Landscape (1995-2000), Jyväskylä Music and Arts Centre (competition, 1997), and Tölöö Football Stadium (competition, 1997). The archive also includes a small amount of additional born-digital reference materials on 11 projects from the collective, including the three projects mentioned above.
1995-2000
Johan Bettum OCEAN North project records
Actions:
AP194
Synopsis:
The Johan Bettum OCEAN North projects records, 1995-2000, consist of born-digital files and a physical drawing that document three projects by the OCEAN North collective: Synthetic Landscape (1995-2000), Jyväskylä Music and Arts Centre (competition, 1997), and Tölöö Football Stadium (competition, 1997). The archive also includes a small amount of additional born-digital reference materials on 11 projects from the collective, including the three projects mentioned above.
archives
Level of archival description:
Fonds
1995-2000
Glaciers tell us of the past and the present, archiving histories of climate and revealing our impending climate futures. Join us on 9 October for a talk by Cymene Howe, presented in the context of the exhibition Oscillating Spaces, in which she describes how we can recognize the work that glaciers do to mark time and history. She will discuss a handful of her(...)
Paul-Desmarais Theatre
9 October 2025, 6pm
The Life and Death of Ice with Cymene Howe
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Description:
Glaciers tell us of the past and the present, archiving histories of climate and revealing our impending climate futures. Join us on 9 October for a talk by Cymene Howe, presented in the context of the exhibition Oscillating Spaces, in which she describes how we can recognize the work that glaciers do to mark time and history. She will discuss a handful of her(...)
Paul-Desmarais Theatre
Talking Pictures
Sophie Dars and Carlo Menon, Stefano Graziani, and Yasufumi Nakamori present strategies for reimagining and employing visual formats such as the photo essay, the photo novel, and the photo exhibition. The event takes place in the framework of an ongoing CCA research project on the relationship between architecture and photography funded by The Andrew W. Mellon(...)
13 October 2016, 6pm
Talking Pictures
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Description:
Sophie Dars and Carlo Menon, Stefano Graziani, and Yasufumi Nakamori present strategies for reimagining and employing visual formats such as the photo essay, the photo novel, and the photo exhibition. The event takes place in the framework of an ongoing CCA research project on the relationship between architecture and photography funded by The Andrew W. Mellon(...)
Join us on 8 May at 6pm for a lecture by Noelia Monteiro on her work at Estudio Flume. The studio, based in São Paulo, develops socio-environmental projects in remote areas of Brazil, aiming to protect traditional communities that preserve the Amazon rainforest. Monteiro’s work poses a key question: in the face of resource scarcity, how can we build with almost nothing?(...)
Paul-Desmarais Theatre
8 May 2025, 6pm
Groundwork with Noelia Monteiro
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Description:
Join us on 8 May at 6pm for a lecture by Noelia Monteiro on her work at Estudio Flume. The studio, based in São Paulo, develops socio-environmental projects in remote areas of Brazil, aiming to protect traditional communities that preserve the Amazon rainforest. Monteiro’s work poses a key question: in the face of resource scarcity, how can we build with almost nothing?(...)
Paul-Desmarais Theatre
archives
Level of archival description:
Collection
CD034
Synopsis:
The SAAL Process exhibition collection consists of reproductions of several objects used in the exhibition “The SAAL Process, Housing in Portugal 1974–76.” It was created by the Museu Serralves and travelled to the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) in 2015. The collection contains reproductions of drawings, presentation panels and photographs dating from 1974 to 1979. Born out of the Portuguese Revolution of 25 April 1974, the Serviço Ambulatório de Apoio Local (Local Ambulatory Support Service) was a pioneering architectural and political experiment designed to address extreme housing shortages and poor living conditions in Portuguese cities.
1974-1979
The SAAL Process exhibition collection
Actions:
CD034
Synopsis:
The SAAL Process exhibition collection consists of reproductions of several objects used in the exhibition “The SAAL Process, Housing in Portugal 1974–76.” It was created by the Museu Serralves and travelled to the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) in 2015. The collection contains reproductions of drawings, presentation panels and photographs dating from 1974 to 1979. Born out of the Portuguese Revolution of 25 April 1974, the Serviço Ambulatório de Apoio Local (Local Ambulatory Support Service) was a pioneering architectural and political experiment designed to address extreme housing shortages and poor living conditions in Portuguese cities.
archives
Level of archival description:
collection
1974-1979
articles
Information Archaeologies
Origins of the digital
Molly Wright Steenson, Cedric Price, Oxford Corner House, Generator, digital, archaeology of the digital, information
21 September 2020
Information Archaeologies
Molly Wright Steenson on Cedric Price's Oxford Corner House and Generator projects
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Origins of the digital