L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, the posthumous built environment artwork first conceptualized by the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude in the early 1960s, will be on view in Paris from Sept. 18 to Oct. 3. Following Christo's plans, his team wrapped the Paris monument in 25,000 square meters (269,000 square feet) of recyclable silvery blue polypropylene fabric held together with 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) of recyclable red polypropylene rope. In order to help viewers safely see the installation, which was funded entirely by the posthumous sale of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's artworks, the City of Paris will close the surrounding streets to pedestrian traffic only for three weekends and ensure that the monument's interior and terrace remains accessible.
"Sixty years after the genesis of the project and the first plans, the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe is a unique occasion to say 'Thank you' to the artists one last time," said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo in a press release. "This is an opportunity to see Paris differently, the city that Christo loved so much since he had taken refuge in 1958 where his and Jeanne-Claude’s collaboration was born." [Christo and Jeanne-Claude]
Scientists and researchers from CSIRO's Marine Debris Research, Ocean Conservancy, and the PADI AWARE Foundation have identified global hot spots for debris and litter. The "debris problem is global and heterogeneous, pointing to the transboundary nature of the issue and necessitating sub-national approaches to implementing effective solutions," according to their study, published in ScienceDirect. The researchers analyzed debris data from 22,508 land-based and 7,290 seafloor clean-ups and surveys across 116 and 118 countries, respectively, finding that food and beverage packaging made up a large portion of the litter. Litter hot spots often were in "high-infrastructure, low-wealth" areas, including Athens, Greece; Tunis, Tunisia; and Lima, Peru. In the U.S., Lake Michigan, Charleston, S.C., and Rhode Island were all hot spots for seafloor debris. [Phys.org]
What makes architecture excellent today? That's the question contributor Terri Peters explores in ARCHITECT's September 2021 issue. Speaking with sustainable design leaders in architecture, she investigates why people, place, and purpose should be prioritized in projects of all scales, typologies, and objectives. Peters also interviewed Bryan C. Lee Jr., design principal of New Orleans–based Colloqate Design and a co-organizer of the national platform Design as Protest, to learn more about the role of justice and social advocacy in architecture. [ARCHITECT]
The Dallas-based manufacturer and building materials supplier Builders FirstSource has acquired the Apollo software assets from Katerra, a construction technology startup that collapsed in June, leaving behind a $2 billion legacy. The Apollo platform includes software that aids in design collaboration, workflow, budgeting, and task assignment. [Builders FirstSource]
Sourcing environmentally friendly building products for a project? From acoustical ceiling baffles to bird-safe glass, ARCHITECT selected 15 sustainable products from a pool of 75 submissions to its inaugural Sustainable Product Call. [ARCHITECT]
Vectorworks 2022, the latest release of the Columbia, Md.–based software developer's namesake BIM and CAD platform, includes updates to Vectorworks Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals, Braceworks, ConnectCAD, and Vision. [ARCHITECT]
