Going for Gold: The early reviews are in for the Winter 2014 Olympic Games venues and so far they're outpacing the reviews of Sochi's hospitality sector: "By most accounts, the Russians have succeeded in building a collection of world-class venues ranging from a glittering ice dome on the coast to a highly technical bobsled run in the nearby mountains." [Los Angeles Times] The hotels aren't winning near as many medals. [The Washington Post]
Smells Fishty: Mark Lamster thinks that Fisht Stadium—designed by Populous, and on all your TVs for the next few two weeks—bears more than a passing resemblance to Dallas's AT&T Stadium, designed by HKS. Here's Lamster:
Fisht reproduces Cowboys signature pair of arched trusses, and shares its bulbous, hump-back shape—albeit with a wave-like articulated roof of polycarbonate. What it appears not to share, at least from the images available online, is the sensitive way Cowboys Stadium hits the ground, slanting in to minimize its bulk. Fisht is a lot more ham-fisted, flaring out and surrounded by all manner of circulatory junk.
It's sort of Lamster's job to find the Home of the Dallas Cowboys superior to a venue that's 6,500 miles away from Dallas. But, point taken—the two do look something alike. [The Dallas Morning News]
More Monday News:
Francine Houben of Mecanoo takes the crown as AJ's woman architect of the year. [Architects Journal]
A Spanish court orders Santiago Calatrava to pay $4 million in a dispute over the Oviedo city hall. [Associated Press]
A best-of-2013-New-York-architecture list—in February? I suppose it's okay, as long it's got a Winter Olympics medals theme going. [New York Daily News]
Elliott + Associates Architects of Oklahoma City picked up plaudits from Interior Design magazine for its work in Marfa, Texas. [The Oklahoman]
“Frank Lloyd Wright: Building the Imperial Hotel" opens at the Frist Center. [The Tennessean]
The fascinating and tragic story of the Torrance development in Southern California. [Curbed]
A non-architect shares his perspective from jurying architecture awards. [The Fresno Bee]
AECOM architect Rob Rothblatt previews the new Sacramento Kings arena. [KTXL]
Photo used with permission via a Creative Commons license with Flickr user Sam Churchill.
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