CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates

Clad Tidings: Titanic Signature Project's plates in place

2011-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Titanic Signature Project reached an important milestone this month with the completion of its eye-catching aluminium cladding. Devised with the help of specialist facade contractor Metallbau Frueh, and manufactured by EDM Spanwall, the 3,000 anodised aluminium plates are arranged into a complex symmetrical pattern, fracturing the reflected light into an abstract sea of shards.
See the details in the Architects Journal, illustrated as ever with Donal McCann's dramatic photographs:

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/in-pictures-eric-kuhne-and-todds-belfast-titanic-visitor-centre-takes-shape/8618229.article

View Project details

Signature Project to get the Full Picture: Dr Robert Ballard prepares to return to Titanic

2011-08-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Pioneering deep sea explorer Dr Robert Ballard has announced he will return to the wreck of the RMS Titanic that he first discovered with Jean-Louis Michel back in 1985.
The purpose of next months's 2.33 mile descent to the seabed is to document the badly damaged stern section of the ship, which broke away during the dramatic final moments of her sinking.
The stern section lies some 600m away from bulk of the ship, surrounded by the ghostly debris field from which the majority of Titanic artefacts have ben recovered.
This new visual material will allow curators and exhibition designers for the Titanic Signature Project to piece together the very first complete digital image of the wreck, which will be incorporated into the cutting-edge visual presentations being devised for the galleries that are due to open in April.
Read the full story in the Belfast Telegraph:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/titanic-expert-to-return-to-sea-bed-16032051.html

View Project details

The Book of the Mall: Two CivicArts projects published in ArtPower's 'More? Mall!'

2011-06-28T04:47:00.000-07:00

Bluewater and the Mall of Kuwait have just been given the multi-page treatment in ArtPower's latest book, 'More? Mall!'
At over 300 pages, this weighty volume features over 60 retail projects worldwide, offering a revealing overview of contemporary mall design.
Based in Shenzhen, China, ArtPower are steadily building an impressive back catalogue of substantial arts and design titles, bringing the world of architecture, interiors, graphic and product design to an expanding Chinese readership.

ArtPowers' website:

http://artpower.com.cn/book/en/main.asp

'More? Mall!' book profile:

http://www.artpower.com.cn/html/airspace_508_133.html

Midway Gardens, Istanbul: A blueprint for successful symbiotic activity

2011-06-03T02:54:00.000-07:00

View Project details

Marking a moment in time: Belfast commemorates Titanic's launch

2011-06-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

100 years ago today, the completed hull of the RMS Titanic left the cradle of the Arrol Gantry and took to the water for the first time.  Launching a vessel over 882 feet long and weighing 24,360 tons was no small feat, with 15 tons of tallow, 3 tons of soft soap, and 5 tons of train oil and tallow mix being required to ease her stern-first slide into the Lagan. Once safely afloat, the mighty hull was towed to the deepwater wharf where she would be fitted-out as a liner of unparalleled luxury and comfort.
A service of commemoration will take place today to mark this momentous moment in the life of the liner, on the very site of the Harland & Wolff Shipyard in Belfast. Led by Chris Bennett, chaplain of Belfast's Titanic Quarter development, it will include a moment's silence for the 1,517 people who lost their lives upon the liner's maiden voyage; an event that was to make Titanic's tale such a poignant mix of triumph and tragedy. As a symbolic flare is launched at 12:13 BST, the precise hour of the launch, it's glow will be reflected in the partially-plated hull of the Titanic Signature Project: a concrete reminder that this Irish engineering achievement is not forgotten.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/31/titanic-centenary-belfast

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-northern-ireland-13602851

Powering through the pipeline: Titanic Signature Project progresses

2011-05-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

With less than a year to go until it’s scheduled opening, construction of the Titanic Signature Project continues a pace under the ever-watchful lens of photographer Donal McCann. Commissioned by Harcourt Construction and Titanic Quarter to document the build, Donal’s portrait of a major attraction in the making is destined to become the definitive record of the Queen’s Island development.

The three-dimensional cladding of folded aluminium plates is providing ample opportunities for elegant abstract shots, emphasising the graphic aspect of the design that is intended to evoke the play of light on water.

Comparing Donal’s photographic record with CivicArts’ original renders ably demonstrates how well the form has transferred from sketch to site to create a rich and engaging façade.

You can keep pace with the TSP’s rapid progress through Donal’s dedicated project page, and read his anecdotes of onsite photography via his blog:

Donal McCann - The Signature Project:

http://www.donalmccann.com/signatureproject.html

Donal McCann’s Blog:

http://donalmccann.com/talk/

CivicArts – Titanic Signature Project, Belfast

View Project details:

http://www.civicarts.com/titanic-signature-project.php

Prime Example: Eric to speak at the e.g. 5 conference this Friday

2011-04-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Eric Kuhne will be the opening the 'My World' section of this year's e.g. 5 conference with an inspiring presentation on 'cities of the future'.
Described as 'the premiere gathering of and for the innovators in media, technology, entertainment and eduction', each e.g. offers its attendees a stimulating mix of speakers, covering everything from animation to architecture.
Past contributors have included Simpson's creator Matt Goering, and Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Frank Gehry.
Held at the Monterey Conference Center, California, the 3-day conference starts this Thursday.

See the e.g. website for more details of this year's agenda:

http://www.the-eg.com/content/schedule

Date for the diary: 14:00h, Friday 8th April 2011

Coming ashore in style: See CivicArts' scheme for a luxury liner terminal in Istanbul

2011-03-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

View Su Bahçeleri Galata Limani

Viva Las Vegas: CivicArts' horseshoe scheme deals a new hand to the city of dreams

2011-03-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

View Epicentre Las Vegas

Speaking in Stockholm: Eric Kuhne to present '5 CITIES FOR THE FUTURE' at the Kopcentrumdagen

2011-03-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

CivicArts' founder and owner, Eric R. Kuhne, is the key-note speaker for tomorrow's Kopcentrumdagen (Shopping Centre Day) conference, held at the Hilton Slussen in Stockholm. Now in its fourth consecutive year, this event provides the forum for Market magazine and research firm GfK to present their findings on the state of Swedish retail, identifying consumers' latest expectations of the modern shopping experience. The country's shopping malls and centres are ranked according this evolving criteria, revealing who is succeeding across the board, from retail mix to convenience and atmosphere. With his address, Eric will make a compelling case for cities and urban centres with a soul, that are 'civic meeting places, far more than retail destinations'.

http://www.market.se/kopcentrumdagen/

Re-imagining Retail: CivicArts transforms Chadstone into a town centre

2011-02-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.civicarts.com/chadstone.php

Building Pictures: Donal Mc Cann begins his portrait of the Signature Project

2011-02-08T02:05:00.000-08:00

Leading Northern Irish construction and architectural photographer, Donal Mc Cann, has begun to paint a digital portrait of the Titanic Signature Project as it rises up from Queen's Island. Living in Belfast, Donal is ideally placed to chart the TSP's progress in all lights and weathers, capturing the changing mood and character of the build as frame turns to form then to finished structure.

The next 12 months will see rapid progress as the contractors strive to complete the build by the centenary of Titanic's maiden voyage in April 2012. This ever-changing element to the commission has certainly caught the photographer’s imagination:

"For me, being asked to document the Signature Project ticks all the photographic boxes. With each visit comes a fresh approach to shooting, whether that be a new section of cladding on one of the hulls or a portrait of one of the labourers. You really have to think on your feet to get a great shot.

Already it's such a beautiful building and I'm sure when it's finished it'll be the jewel of not only the Titanic Quarter but of the whole of the North".

Donal's collaboration with Titanic Quarter and Harcourt Construction will surely prove to be an invaluable documentary of this future landmark's birth.

You can keep abreast of the Signature Project's rising profile on a page specially dedicated to the Signature Project:

http://www.donalmccann.com/signatureproject.html

Donal will also be regularly updating his progress on his blog:

http://donalmccann.com/talk/

Water under the bridge?: Read Bluewater press cuttings from the EKA archive

2010-12-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

As the last, and most ambitious out-of-town shopping centre in the UK, Bluewater attracted the interest of critics and journalists from every field.
Inspiring impassioned debate about issues and ideology in architecture, design, planning and retail, it remains a benchmark for the sector; a point of reference that no one can ignore.
Over a decade since its doors opened, it is still a centre of attention, with around 28 million visitors each year.
In keeping with the reflective spirit of the imminent New Year, we present a cross-section of the media coverage that greeted Bluewater's arrival on the retail scene.

Read articles:

Shopping Centre Magazine, October 1997

View Page

Design Week – 28th February 1998

View Page

Building – 24th April 1998

View Page

SEN: The Magazine for Retail – September 1998

View Page

The Guardian - Monday December 28th 1998

View Page

The Guardian - Thursday February 18th 1999

View Page

SEN: The Magazine for Retail – March 1999

View Page

Page View

RIBA Journal - March 1999

Page View

Financial Times, Weekend FT, March 6th-7th 1999

View Page

New face on the net: Al Wady Gardens gets its own Facebook page

2010-12-01T03:04:00.001-08:00

http://www.civicarts.com/news.php?news_id=156#story

Big Views at The Big 5: Eric currently being interviewed by Ben Thompson, editor of MENA Infrastructure magazine -

2010-12-01T03:02:00.001-08:00

http://www.menainfra.com/

Saving the best till last: Eric closes the first day of The Big 5

2010-11-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

23rd November 2010: Invited speaker, Eric R Kuhne, closes the first day of Dubai's Big 5 Construction Conference with his presentation on 'The Rise of Madinat Al Hareer (City of Silk)'.

Emblematic of the CivicArts approach to 'architecture as the new diplomacy', he will lay out a vision for a 21st century Kuwaiti city that offers a new Arabian model for urban design.
Featuring the lofty Burj Mubarak Al Kabir (Tower of 1001 Arabian Nights), the talk will encompass other ambitious projects, including the Borabay Lakes Development in Kazakhstan and Belfast's Titanic Quarter: one of Europe's largest waterfront regeneration schemes.

Big 5 Website

Madinat Al Hareer (City of Silk) project profile

Titanic Quarter project profile

Borabay Lakes project profile

Book & Blog, Twitter & Tube: Follow our Multidisciplinary Practice through Multiple Media

2010-11-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates has expanded its digital presence, creating profiles on all your favourite sites to help to follow its work - Wherever you are!
Friend us on Facebook, find us on Flickr, tweet us on Twitter, view us on YouTube or browse our updated blog.

http://www.civicarts.com/news.php?news_id=153#story

New signature on Belfast's skyline: Titanic Signature Project takes shape

2010-11-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

Construction of CivicArts’ Titanic Signature Project (TSP) continues apace as the concrete core and steel superstructure are gradually clothed in weatherproof cladding, prior to receiving their final plates.

Prolific photographer Albert Bridge has been uploading a fine record of the TSP’s progress to the Geograph website, which aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Ireland.

7th November 2010
© Copyright Albert Bridge
Licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Link to Geograph listing

Spanning a six-month period from 15th June to the present, his images document the transition from ‘structure to signature’ as the building’s imposing mass and presence become more apparent.
Standing in splendid isolation on the skyline of Queen’s Island, the TSP is already a landmark, long before its galleries have opened.
The maritime colossus of her age, the eponymous liner took the highly skilled workers of Harland & Wolff under 2 years to build, from keel laying to launch, followed by a further year for fitting out.
The TSP is following a similar time line, with work having begun in mid-2006 and still on schedule for completion in April 2012, to coincide with the centenary of the ship’s maiden voyage.
Many thanks to Albert Bridge for making these excellent images available under a Creative Commons license.
If you would like chart the rapid progress of the TSP, then simply follow CivicArts on Twitter, or keep watching Geograph for Albert’s future updates.

Click here to view more photos...

Letter on a Lecture: Paul Finch records his thoughts on Eric's Berlin presentation

2010-11-16T09:54:00.001-08:00

In his 'Letter from London', renowned architectural critic Paul Finch reflects upon Eric Kuhne's vision for 21st century retail, as presented at the recent World Retail Congress in Berlin:
"There is a question, however, as to whether developers and investors would do better to think of their schemes in a much wider context. Why is this latter-day equivalent of the agora, a combination of market, village green and town square, not more widely used for social and cultural purposes? The architect Eric Kuhne, whose ground-breaking design of the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent transformed thinking about retail in Britain and elsewhere, told our Berlin audience that this would be the case. After nearly a century in which individualism had ruled retail thinking, we were moving back to concepts or a bigger society, and a world of development where the greater the mix, the better."
Architect's Journal, 04/11/10

http://www.civicarts.com/news.php?news_id=151#story

Reaching the Stars: City of Silk and Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens honoured in Arabian Property Awards

2010-11-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

Two CivicArts projects have been honoured in the recent Arabian Property Awards 2010, in association with Bloomberg Television: the property industry's most prestigious awards programme.
Entered in the 'Architecture - Mixed Use' category, The Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens received a 'Highly Commended' citation, while the Madinat Al Hareer (City of Silk) appropriately attained the full 5-star award, with its soaring 'star-catcher', Burj Mubarak Al Kabir (Tower of 1001 Arabian Nights).
Celebrating the best in modern architecture and development, Arabian Property Awards form part of the International Property Awards which are open to residential and commercial property professionals from around the globe.

Awards website

List of Award Winners in the Architecture - Mixed Used category

Madinat Al Hareer

Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens

An Eye to the Future: Eric joins the judging panel at the World Retail Conference

2010-11-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

Eric Kuhne will be brining his considerable experience of retail to bear, as he joins the judging panel of the Retail Futures Challenge.
This year the prestigious global contest invited teams from seven international colleges to 'create a store concept that captured the essence of their home cities', which they must now pitch to the delegates of the World Retail Congress, Berlin.

Date for the Diary: Monday 25th October 2010

Competition Details

Presenting the Future: Eric addresses the World Retail Conference in Berlin

2010-11-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

Guest speaker, Eric Kuhne, lays out his vision for the future spirit and ethos of modern shopping & leisure in a talk entitled 'Retail Futures: The Art of the Gift'.

Date for the Diary: Tuesday 26th October 2010

Link to the World Retail Congress

Speaker Profiles

A Riverfront Reborn: A vision for Griffintown's renaissance

2010-11-16T09:42:00.001-08:00

View Project

Building Narratives in Boston: Eric Kuhne and Moshe Safide explain architecture's story-telling qualities

2010-11-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Eric Kuhne brings his ideas to the Boston Book Festival this Saturday, joining fellow architect Moshie Safdie in a discussion entitled Architecture: Writing on the Walls. Staged in Boston's Public Library on 16th October, this is a great opportunity to hear two internationally recognised architects explain how they infuse buildings with meaning through design

Date for the Diary: Thursday, 16th October 2010

Link to BBF Events Descriptions

The Boston Book Festival homepage

Hot Property: Eric explores 'The Prophesy of Leisure' at London's Property Investor Show

2010-11-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Eric Kuhne is scheduled to present a masterclass in resort architecture & planning as part of the 'Trade and Professional Seminars' programme at the London Property Investor Show.

In 'Eudamonia & The Prophesy of Leisure', he will argue that only leisure can inject the desired vitality into our cities, offering up five dynamic models for 21st century urbanity.

Date for the Diary: Thursday, 14th October 2010

Link to Eric's seminar summary

Homepage for The Property Investor Show & OPP Live