Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.
On January 17, 1994, Angelenos were awoken at around 4:30 am by the earth shaking beneath us. The Northridge earthquake and its aftershocks killed 57 people, injured thousands, and toppled and damaged tens of thousands of buildings. Tomorrow marks 25 years since that major quake.What steps have we taken to secure our buildings for when the Big One does hit?
Planners are calling Minneapolis the most radical city in America, after a vote to allow duplexes and triplexes to be built on lots previously zoned for only single-family homes. What are the chances something like this could happen in LA? And a talk with Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs turns to the Brexit saga and how it’s affecting -- and implicating -- the “97% of creatives” opposed to a split with the EU.
The state’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, called for a “California for all” in his inauguration speech this week. He also called for a “Marshall Plan” for affordable housing and said that “we have a homeless epidemic that should keep each and every one of us up at night.” So what will Gov. Newsom do to address housing and homelessness?
The Consumer Electronics Show opens Tuesday in Las Vegas and there is buzz about 5G. But do we have the juice to power the increased speed and connectivity it will bring? DnA talks to net zero buildings engineer David Stillman. And hip hop has produced music, art, fashion and dance. Is it shaping architecture? Curator Sekou Cooke discusses the impact of hip hop culture on buildings.
Governor Jerry Brown has championed California’s high-speed rail project. But as he passes the baton to Gavin Newsom, its future is in question. Newsom has openly considered scaling back high speed rail. Republicans want the project cancelled completely. And voters are lukewarm. A recent PPIC poll found a majority of Californians don’t see it as a priority. So what does that mean for construction so far? Because, yes, a lot has been built and it’s already changing the Central Valley.
On Christmas Day, many people will be at home with loved ones. But what kind of home exactly? A “gigamansion” in the hills where you’ll have a jellyfish room but you might not bump into your guests? Or a tent on Venice Beach, with a great location but no creature comforts or stability? In 2018, more than 50,000 people were living on the streets of Los Angeles, while others were building homes of 50,000 square feet or more. DnA looks at these two extremes in “This is Home in LA: From the Tent to ...
In a city that has gone mad for tunneling, Elon Musk has managed to keep the spotlight on his Boring Company with a drip-drip of titillating news about his underground drilling project in Hawthorne. Months of wondering if this was all more talk than do were answered Tuesday when press and selected guests were invited for a big reveal. Frances Anderton shares the experience with Steve Chiotakis on DnA on ATC, and asks if Musk’s genius for geewhiz technology blinds him to other ways of thinning tr...
Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” is set in a recreation of 1970s Mexico City. The production designer Eugenio Caballero explains how they created the look for a “modern black and white” film. And if you're still looking for holiday gifts for the movie or design buffs in your life, listen up for suggestions from the creator of “Film and Furniture.”
Transportation officials in LA County have laid out 28 projects they want to complete before the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. To pay for it, LA Metro CEO Phil Washington last week floated a controversial approach: charging tolls on freeways during times of highest use, or what’s known as “congestion pricing.”
“The Cher Show” is a celebration of the rocky but triumphant life of Cher -- and 600 of her spectacular outfits created by the legendary designer Bob Mackie. Also, a production designer shares the decorating tastes of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And a mid-century concert hall gets restored, and with it a design mystery is solved.
Hundreds of residents of Malibu lost their homes during the Woolsey Fire last month. Now the city is starting to rebuild. But there are some big questions to consider. Should houses be permitted in the most fire-prone areas? Should homes be rebuilt with more fire-resistant materials?
Malibu residents who have lived through past infernos say nothing compares to the Woolsey Fire. Most people who lost homes don’t plan on leaving. But the design and siting of homes may have to change, and Malibu may have to permit new kinds of structures. Plus, what we can learn about the future of driving from an automaker that didn’t show any cars -- and other takeaways from the LA Auto Show.
The LA Auto Show kicks off this week. Visitors can see the latest car models and learn about the technology under the hood. But one car manufacturer is not showing any cars at all during the press and trade days, and that has everyone buzzing.
This week, DnA visits the UAE and finds oil. We talk to the curator of “Crude,” an art show about oil’s impact on the lives and cities of the Gulf - and the Southland. And the founder of the alternative mobility convention LA CoMotion explains why LA is the “transportation technology capital of the world.” Plus, two women creatives at Dubai Design Week talk about designing - and dressing - for their Saudi culture, while embracing change.
The Woolsey Fire has come and gone, leaving about 1,500 homes and other structures burned to the ground, according to Cal Fire, and hundreds more are damaged. Now as homeowners embark on rebuilding, experts say this is a taste of a new normal (or abnormal) and it’s time for some big picture resilience thinking.
Wilshire Boulevard Temple broke ground on a new events center designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his firm OMA. It’s Koolhaas' first religious building, and his first ground-up building in LA following several near misses. And, the Formosa Cafe is getting a complete makeover. The 1933 Group explains how they plan to restore the iconic Hollywood night spot to its original glory.
Jim Carrey is known as an actor and comedian, but in the last couple years he’s taken up political cartooning. He tells DnA about expressing his anti-Trump feelings through art. And buying a house in LA can be a competition. Can a personal letter to the seller give you a leg-up? The editor of “Dear Seller” shares stories of what prospective buyers write to land their dream house.
Construction cranes are omnipresent in downtown LA. But a couple of upcoming projects really have people talking. A long delayed Frank Gehry project across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall is moving forward. And renderings of a Jenga-like tower at Pershing Square, with cantilevered swimming pools jutting out from all sides, got a lot of buzz.
What will the high-rise office space of the future offer? Maybe fresh air from a hole in the curtain wall, the piped-in sound of trickling water and the smell of the seashore? These are what you’ll find in downtown LA’s “Workplace Innovation Lab.” Will workers want it? And, Otis College of Art and Design turns 100 this year. The school is looking back, and forward, at a big party this weekend that will have input from its military alumni.
Today is Halloween, but there’s a holiday starting tomorrow that’s also become a full-blown LA celebration: Day of the Dead. As the tradition becomes mainstream and retailers cash in, some Latinos are anxious that it’s becoming a “Mexican Halloween” and not a commemoration of their dearly departed ancestors.
For the past century, LA has pushed rainwater and polluted urban runoff out to the ocean. Now it's trying to capture and clean that water in infrastructure that is also an attractive public space. Measure W on next Tuesday's ballot raises taxes for this vision, but others disagree. And while Day of the Dead has become a full-blown LA celebration, some Latinos are anxious it’s becoming just another commercial holiday.
Measure W hopes to capture water from downpours. How about simply pulling it from the air? A local design team has just won the prestigious Water Abundance Xprize competition, with a retrofitted shipping container that promises to draw H2O from the atmosphere. Ninety-eight teams entered the competition and LA's Skywater/Skysource Alliance, led by architect David Hertz with inventor Rich Groden, won.
DnA takes on art: in politics, money and public space. Interiors photographer William Abranowicz has a show of images marking the fight for voting rights at the Matt Blacke gallery, one of several LA museums and galleries that are encouraging voter participation. How did art become an “asset class”? Nathaniel Kahn explores the high-end art market in “The Price of Everything.” And two women try and awaken interest in LA public sculpture, by posing on it, in slinky outfits and with a great sense o...
Fashion designer Jonathan Skow, aka Mr. Turk, died Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 55. His flagship store is at the heart of Palm Springs’ design district, and he and his wife Trina Turk are key figures in the design and architecture community. We remember him and his contribution to the city he loved.
What we learned about the future of mobility at our “Flipping the Bird” design jam at IndieCade this past weekend. Buy a condo in a Bjarke Ingels-designed tower, gift a house to a slum dweller? A Vancouver group applies the TOMS Shoes one-to-one gifting model -- to houses. And the Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been dazzling people with hand-made puppets for 55 years. Will it keep the magic as it leaves its home?
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, dockless e-scooters have disrupted the cities they land in. Can "game thinking" help us think more creatively, and less reactively, about their potential? That’s the question at the heart of an event this Saturday at noon called "Flipping the Bird!" It’s a collaboration between KCRW, DnA and IndieCade, the international festival of independent games.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, dockless e-scooters have upended life in some parts of the Southland. Can "game thinking" help us think more creatively and less reactively about how to integrate disruptive new mobility options into cities? And, do you want to buy a house but can't afford it? How about buying and living in a property with friends? DnA meets a group that tried co-ownership -- and loved it, despite some problematic Target lights.
It’s raining in Los Angeles. That’s news in a place that’s been dry for several months. And historically, when it rains in LA, the water whooshes out into the ocean as fast as possible. But local leaders are changing how they think about rain. Now they want to catch it, keep it and store it for future use on less rainy days, and do all this in a way that is attractive to the public and makes our flood control systems destinations in themselves.
The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has three shows in LA. His new work “Life Cycle” at Marciano Art Foundation explores the state of refugees. He talks to DnA about exile, his roots as an “architect” and why he enjoys visiting casinos. A sociologist argues that only “social infrastructure” will save us from environmental disaster and civic meltdown. And a real estate marketer explains why buzz matters as much as sales in the world of celebrity development.
A historic church in Lincoln Heights is asking for help. The Church of the Epiphany was built well over a century ago, and it played a role in LA’s Chicano movement. Now it’s competing to win preservation funding.
