MEDIA MONDAY / EARTHSHAKING ARCHITECTURE WINNER

Interior of Sendai Mediatheque: 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner

Exterior of Toyo Ito's Pritzker Prize winning entry, a public library in Sensai, Japan

PRITZKER PRIZE UNVEILED

Pritzker Laureate Toyo Ito of Japan

And the envelope please: The prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize for 2013 went to Toyo Ito, the 71-year-old head of Tokyo based Toyo Ito & Associates.  His winning entry is the Sendai Mediatheque, a library in Sendai, Japan.  NPR calls it “a transparent cube, composed of tubes and platforms.”  The library withstood the big earthquake in Japan that caused the damaging tsunami.  Sarah Williams Goldhagen, the architecture critic for The New Republic said “Videos shot from inside the Sendai Mediatheque during the earthquake show terrified people crouching under desks as a suspended ceiling shakes ominously above them.  But Ito’s pioneering technology made the building flexible and resilient.”   Link to the quake inside Ito’s library: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKgURstRt_A:    

**See end of this blog for a brief summary of the prize.

FAREWELL Ms. MATTHEW ALICE

Noticed in Jan Riegal’s newsy media notes column in the SD Press Club’s “Foghorn” newsletter that Linda Nevin, the the long time columnist for the Reader recently passed away.  All of us knew Linda’s work by her nom de plume Matthew Alice.

Link to Jan’s column:

http://sdpressclub.org/the-foghorn/captains-log-by-jan-rieger/

EXECUTIVE JOB OFFER—The 2015 Centennial Celebration under the leadership of Balboa Park Celebration, Inc., is seeking a Chief Executive officer.  The full time position runs from now until mid-2016.  For a job description link to http://www.balboapark.org/2015/CEO-Job-Search

For more info email: Vavina@balboapark2015.org

EARLY BIRD CHIEF.

SD Press Club’s next speaker at its Newsmakers breakfast series is SD Police Chief William Landsdowne.  The Chief supports the gun control proposals laid out by President Obama after the Newtown, Conn. Shootings.   The breakfast forum is 7:30 am, Thurs. March 28 at the NewSchool of Architecture & Design, 1249 F Street, downtown.

RSVP: RSVP now.

http://sdpressclub.org/events/newsmakers2013-march-28-2013/

JUST THE WINE FACTS.

For many moons Tom Gable has been facebooking his wine tips in his popular no flash, just the facts, m’am style.  My vino buddies (and you know who you are like Tom’s recent tip):  BV Napa Cabernet 2010 for $14.

NEW LOOK FOR SD HOME/GARDEN LIFESTYLES

The new redesigned San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine should be arriving from the printers by the end of the week.  Under the staff’s of Editor Janice Kleinschmidt and Art Director Laurie Miller, the 34-year old publication has never looked better.  Photographer Martin Mann’s image graces the April “annual spring design issue” cover of the new bolder sized mag.

WHAT’S UP WEST COASTER?

Heading into its 3^rd anniversary next fall, expect “growth” plans to be unveiled for West Coaster, the town’s top craft been print magazine and social media site by summertime.  In the meantime link to current issue: www.westcoastersd.com

**Defining the Pritzker Architecture Prize

To honor a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision, and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.

The international prize, which is awarded each year to a living architect for significant achievement, was established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through their Hyatt Foundation in 1979. Often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” and “the profession’s highest honor,” it is granted annually.

The award consists of $100,000 (US) and a bronze medallion. The award is conferred on the laureate at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site throughout the world.