Design and Architecture

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Dodger Stadium upgrades; an ADU is born Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

Let’s play ball! There’s a $100 million renovation coming to Chavez Ravine. Janet Marie Smith of the Dodgers gives us the rundown, and architecture critic Paul Goldberger discusses the evolution of the American ballpark. Plus, the city hopes Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, can be an answer to the housing shortage. And they’ve built one to prove it. We’ll hear about lessons learned from a little house in a backyard in Highland Park.

Remembering César Pelli; Sowden House parties on Jul 23, 2019

Show notes

The designer of “The Blue Whale” has died. The Argentinian-born architect Cesar Pelli of the Petronas Towers and other landmarks passed July 19 at age 92. We’ll hear about his mark on LA, where he created glass-skinned buildings inspired by local artists, including the colorful, if controversial, Pacific Design Center.

And a classic LA house with a dark past has become a party house with a purpose. We’ll meet the new owners (and their seven Persian cats) of the Lloyd Wright-designed Sowden House.

Hollyhock House; Space Age Design; Guo Pei Jul 16, 2019

Show notes

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House has become Southern California's first UNESCO World Heritage site. Why did it earn this distinction, and how will it cope with a flood of new visitors? Starburst signs and Satellite shopping centers... Apollo 11 launched 50 years ago on Tuesday, marking a high point in the space age. We'll look at how space exploration shaped LA's landscape. And we’ll go see the fabulous outfits by Guo Pei, a Chinese designer who was born in a time that rejected fashion, on show in Orange County.

Crystal Cathedral’s resurrection; billboards on the Sunset Strip Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

When Philip Johnson built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove for televangelist Robert Schuller in 1980 it was called "the largest glass building in the world." Now it’s the new home for Orange County's Catholics, renamed Christ Cathedral, and architects Johnson Fain have dialed down the sunlight with a bold screen of “quatrefoils.”

And, the City of West Hollywood is in the midst of creating digital billboards that are visually appealing without offending residents. We'll hear about how they plan to achieve that, and we'll go back to the late 1960s, when rock ‘n’ roll billboards ruled the Sunset Strip, and hear about a billboard-related mystery that went unsolved for decades.

Jony Ive leaves Apple; LA’s time capsule Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

When longtime Apple chief designer Jony Ive announced he was jumping ship, markets shook. How much is good design worth? We talk about what’s next for Apple, Ive and the branding of consumer technology. Plus, will we have dogs in 60 years? A time capsule at Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial captures the values and anxieties of Angelenos today.

Selgascano in LA; The Weather Machine Jun 25, 2019

Show notes

Spanish architecture firm Selgascano is taking over LA with brightly colored plastic and lots of plants. DnA visits their Second Home Hollywood, Serpentine Pavilion at the La Brea Tar Pits; and Sam First, a jazz club at LAX. And, forecasts are more accurate than ever. Andrew Blum says props should go to the creators of the weather prediction “machine” and explains how this global science project is now under threat just as storms are growing in size.

Flying taxis coming to LA; fining landlords for vacant units Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

Uber wants to add app-based flying taxis to LA's airwaves. Uber Air is set to launch in 2023, and the company has enlisted eight firms to create (pro bono) concept designs for what they call “skyports.” Can drone taxis remedy LA traffic jams, or just add to transit inequity? And, the city has a housing crunch, but are lots of apartments sitting empty? Some city officials want to impose a vacancy tax on landlords and property owners who keep homes vacant.

Santa Monica Airport’s future; fashion designer Halston Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Santa Monica Airport is expected to close by 2028 and be replaced by a park, and this weekend the city will begin digging up both ends of the runway. But the transition is worrying folks who see a clean, green, quieter future for aviation; and people who believe the Westside needs housing more than it needs another park. Plus, a new film about the life and times of Halston combines high style with corporate drama. We hear about an American fashion designer’s fabulous rise and meteoric fall.

Taking pride in LA’s LGBT Center; getting the goods at LACMA Jun 04, 2019

Show notes

LA Pride takes place this weekend and among those celebrating will be the new residents of the LA LGBT Center. The center was founded 50 years ago and a major upgrade was designed to bring LGBT youth and seniors together in a very modern family. And, have you ever wondered how an artwork winds up in LACMA’s collection? Think of it like a dating show that matches wealthy donors with curators and the objects they desire.

Digital billboards resurface in fight over visual blight May 30, 2019

Show notes

Los Angeles is considering revising its regulations around billboards to allow more digital signs all around Los Angeles. But activists say the proposed rules would allow for Las Vegas-style digital billboards far and wide. For this episode of DnA on ATC, KCRW’s Frances Anderton talks with Larry Perel about the signs of what’s to come.

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