CultureNOW | A Celebration of Culture & Community

Cesar Pelli describes the process of designing the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia. The Petronas Towers, the central element of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre development, are a modern expression of Malaysia’s culture, history, and climate, and symbols of its economic growth and hopes for the future. The twin towers rise from a mixed-​use base of cultural, commercial, and public spaces set in a large park in the center of the city. Until 2004, they were the world’s tallest buildings.

César Pelli talks about the BOK Center in Tulsa, which hosts a range of events and performances, including sports, music, and circus performances. The Center is an 18,000-seat sports and entertainment venue that gives Tulsa its desired architectural icon. The design is contemporary while alluding to local culture, creating a world-​class design that is truly Oklahoman. As a central element of Tulsa’s regional development plan, the arena draws people to the city’s revitalized downtown.

César Pelli addresses how library design must take into account the changing ways that libraries are used. He describes here how his design for the Minneapolis Public Library is flexible and accommodates library evolution. The Minneapolis Central Library is a vital civic and cultural center for downtown Minneapolis. The highly sustainable design — the result of a collaborative, public process — reinvigorates the idea of the grand urban library, making it accessible and appealing to new generations.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, discusses the award-winning design of the Bronx Charter School for the Arts, that reflects the school's founding principle that arts education is critical to human development and learning. Color, space, and natural light create a direct physical connection with the content and aims of the curriculum. The budget restrictions and use of a former factory require a simple but innovative approach to achieve a healthy environment that enhances the learning spaces.  A community driven design process resulted in a unique, light-filled space. Through its adaptive re-use of the building, the school plays a role in the transformation of the Hunts Point neighborhood. The decision to reuse the facade structure with a new insulated brick layer for the exterior wall added energy savings. Filtered fresh air and north facing skylights supply the building with an ethereal aesthetic while meeting health goals. North-facing insulated clerestories reduce heat gain, bring natural light into the deep interior spaces throughout the day, and allow the school to save money on heating and cooling.  Many of the materials used are a minimum 60% recycled content.  The LEED checklist was used as a guide throughout.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, discusses the NYC Information Center, that was a commission that prompted a new way to look at tourist information. It transforms a storefront into an 'information space', seamlessly integrating media design and architecture to meet visitors at any level of engagement. All levels of physical and digital design are customized to extend and anticipate the contents of the new NYC-Go web site and create an object-based live experience for users. The view from the street pull the visitor into the information architecture. The universal symbol of information, the single "i", enlarged and extruded through the space, accommodates the Center's interactive 'Smart Tables'. These 6'x 4' multi-touch screens with a sophisticated mapping capability enable visitors to create their custom NYC guidebook. Graphic banding of floor and walls organizes the interior into coordinates creating a "mapped" foreshortened space. This project, a collaboration between WXY and Local Projects, exemplifies the cross disciplinary nature of WXY's work in both analog and digital enhanced spaces and has become a prototype for the clients approach to tourist information.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, discusses the NYC Information Center, that was a commission that prompted a new way to look at tourist information. It transforms a storefront into an 'information space', seamlessly integrating media design and architecture to meet visitors at any level of engagement. All levels of physical and digital design are customized to extend and anticipate the contents of the new NYC-Go web site and create an object-based live experience for users. The view from the street pull the visitor into the information architecture. The universal symbol of information, the single "i", enlarged and extruded through the space, accommodates the Center's interactive 'Smart Tables'. These 6'x 4' multi-touch screens with a sophisticated mapping capability enable visitors to create their custom NYC guidebook. Graphic banding of floor and walls organizes the interior into coordinates creating a "mapped" foreshortened space. This project, a collaboration between WXY and Local Projects, exemplifies the cross disciplinary nature of WXY's work in both analog and digital enhanced spaces and has become a prototype for the clients approach to tourist information.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, describes the process of designing the Activity Buildings at Hudson River Park, Piers 25 and 26. As families move into buildings along former industrial areas, the need for leisure activities arises. Four buildings were required to support dozens of planned activities. WXY's group of hybrid buildings articulates the new uses of this segment of the Park: miniature golf and snack bar with Dock Master's office, utility and maintenance, a boathouse and restaurant with a floating deck, and a skateboarding facility combined with comfort station. The architectural vocabulary draws on the history of robust marine structures and garages. WXY reinterprets the pragmatic nature of utility building with sculptural gestures using scale shifts and a sense of playfulness.  Angling rooflines and three-dimensional signs animate the compositions. The set of buildings share a material palette that shifts in color and shape. They are all single story with the walls and roof zinc clad and equipped with broad overhangs for shade and shelter from the elements.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, discusses the security kiosks at 11 MetroTech. The new parallelogram-shaped security kiosks create a slimmer profile and changeable views from every approach. It was important to challenge the notion that security enhancements automatically result in an aesthetic of unattractive, industrial materials and forms by providing a design solution that gave even greater interior view angles to the security personnel while being a positive addition to its environment. The sculptural quality of this unusual booth enhances and softens its presence in the street. Its cladding, made from multilayered glass panels, produces an ever-changing combination of shadows and reflections within its layers.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, discusses the design of the Fountain at Battery Bosque. The idea of a public park that is able to support thousands of flowering plants was bolstered by an emphasis on occupying the new park with hundreds of linear feet of seating and new activities including an exquisite water feature and dining facilities.

Claire Weisz, Principal at WXY Architecture, discusses the design plan for the Battery Bosque. Once a two-acre area of asphalt, the Bosque now fulfills the historic Battery Park's potential as a destination.  Full of natural abundance, with spaces to sit, eat, and play, it is a lushly planted porch in the vast acreage of New York's Inner Harbor. Key to this transformation was the synergy between the concept of a garden on the waterfront and the design of new park elements that could enrich the atmosphere.