A few weeks ago we started conducting a series of video interviews with some of the most promising young architects. In times when “ architect may no longer mean architect“, they were asked to talk about key aspects of their role as an architect in modern society, among other topics to discuss about the direction of architecture.

Our first guest is Shohei Shigematsu (1973). He graduated from the Department of Architecture at Kyushu University in 1996, and then went to the Berlage Institute in Amsterdam. He started working at OMA in 1998, becoming an associate in 2004. He´s now the director of OMA*AMO NY, working on projects such as the CCTV Headquartes in Beijing, the design of the Whitney Museum extension in NY, the Millestain Hall at Cornell, the Stock Exchange at Shenzhen, the Torre Bicentenario in Mexico and a mixed use building in Jersey City.

Photos of OMA NY after the break.

Realdania is a strategic foundation that initiates and supports built projects that improve the quality of life in Denmark. They are involved in aprox. 54 flagship projects, and now they are starting a mixed use building in Bryghusgrunden, one of the few undeveloped remaining areas of Copenhagen, Denmark with the potential to link the city to the waterfront. And guess who they choose for this project: OMA.

But what´s interesting in this project is the mixed of use. Housing, offices, public spaces and parking are put together with the Danish Architecture Center, with its own exhibition areas, research facilities, an auditorium, conference rooms, a bookstore and a café. It´s architecture meets one of it´s own key subject of study: mixed use.

Video, renders, plans and more info after the break.

Sorry for the lack of posts this last few days, but before leaving to San Francisco my computer died. Now i´m back home with a borrowed computer, and will be posting some buildings i found in SF.

This two rotated cubes are part of the adaptation of the 1907 Jessie Street Power Substation, adjacent to the Yerba Buena Park in San Francisco, into the new Jewish Contemporary Museum by Daniel Libeskind Studio and local architects WRNS Studio. The project houses 63,000 sq feet for exhibitions and programs in visual, performing and media arts, and includes 3,500 square feet of space for education.

The april issue of Icon features 20 essential young architects. According to Icon ““young actually means young, but architect may no longer mean architect”. Architecture for Humanity (Cameron Sinclair) and Alejandro Aravena (Elemental) are good examples – also architects doing blogs…

The World Architecture Festival is an annual event for architects worldwide, and this year it will be held at Barcelona, Spain on October 22-24 and will award buildings in 16 categories (more info con the awards after the break)

This 3 day event will have a nice agenda, full with exhibitions, live presentations, product showcases, a student charrette, thematic exhibitions (built environment, new technologies, collaboration and sustainability), plenary lectures, study tours of Barcelona and lots of social events and networking.

Here comes Arch Daily! Architecture, day by day.