Stephen Zacks

Cleaning Oil Platform Wreckage in the Gulf

2012-02-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

How to Lift 3,500 Tons: Jon Khachaturian began his career putting offshore oil rigs in place. Now he pulls them back out. Popular Science, Dec. 2011.

Engaged Urbanism, Museums, German Luxury Cars

2011-11-08T12:05:00.001-05:00

What does it mean when museums position themselves as engines of social change...powered by luxury car companies? Stephen Zacks considers new claims on the urban environment. The Architects' Newspaper, Nov. 8, 2011.

Review of Small, Gritty and Green

2011-09-29T12:38:00.001-04:00

Review> Industrial Strength: Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America's Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World by Catherine Tumber. The Architects' Newspaper, Sep. 19, 2011.

Nam June Paik Library by Nahyun Hwang and David Moon

2011-09-11T20:41:00.001-04:00

A Moving Archive: True to the work of the pioneering Korean artist, the Nam June Paik Library turns research into a performance. Metropolis, September, 2011.

Mexicantown Bridge, Detroit

2011-06-19T14:17:00.004-04:00

Motor City Freeway Span: New bridge and park reunite Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood. The Architect's Newspaper, Jun. 16, 2011.

Graham Foundation Award: A Beautiful Ruin: The Rebirth of New York City, 1975-1986

2011-06-13T00:19:00.005-04:00

A Beautiful Ruin: The Rebirth of New York City, 1975-1986, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts, production grant, 2011.

This project has been supported by the New York Council on the Arts.

Flint Spark? Competition seeks to reignite dead Rustbelt building.

2011-05-31T20:38:00.004-04:00

Flint Spark? Competition seeks to reignite dead Rustbelt building. The Architect's Newspaper, May 31, 2011.

Détournement, or the Misguided Oppositional Ideology of the College-Educated Urban Elite

2011-05-20T00:17:00.001-04:00

Détournement, or the Misguided Oppositional Ideology of the College-Educated Urban Elite. TARP Architecture Manual, Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Spring, 2011.

Pecha Kucha New York #11: The Dimensions of the New City

2011-05-20T00:14:00.002-04:00

The Flint Ecological Urbanism Project, Pecha Kucha New York #11: The Dimensions of the New City, public presentation, May 7, 2011.

Five Mayors' Plans for Economic Recovery, Identity, and Sustainability

2011-02-04T12:22:00.002-05:00

Government: Leadership Council: Five leading mayors talk about the challenges they face, the strengths of their cities, and their visions for the future. Metropolis, Jan., 2011.

Toshiko Mori, Mark Robbins, Richard Gluckman, Olin Partnership, Pentagram and others in Syracuse, NY

2010-11-17T05:19:00.005-05:00

Urban Intervention: The Syracuse Center of Excellence helps lay the foundation for the revitalization of a struggling Rust Belt city.
Metropolis, November 2010.

Eminent Domain and the Columbia University Expansion

2010-07-08T09:50:00.005-04:00

I'll Take Manhattanville: Many states have clamped down on eminent domain. Recent court cases signal that New York won't be following their lead.
Architectural Record, August, 2010.

James Corner, Roberta Brandes Gratz, and Dan Burden

2010-06-28T08:12:00.002-04:00

"The Conservationist," "The Parkitect," "The Pedestrian."
Monocle, July/ August 2010.

Studio Gang's Media Production Center for Columbia College

2010-05-21T11:35:00.004-04:00

Cinematic Architecture: Media Production Center, Studio Gang. Blueprint, June, 2010.

New York State Council on the Arts Grant

2010-02-01T14:25:00.012-05:00

PHOTO Michael Transue

The New York State Council on the Arts has awarded me a grant for my narrative history of urbanism in New York during a pivotal moment in the late 70s and early 80s when art and architecture were about to transform the city into a global superstar.

2009

2009-11-05T14:39:00.021-05:00

Design Report: Spark Life. (subscription only)
Monocle, Dec. 2009.

Galeria Leme: Contemporary Art Dealer, São Paulo.
Monocle, Nov. 2009.

Emergency Services: Radio Star and Home Stretch. (PDF)
Monocle, Oct. 2009.

NY400: Dutch New York. (subscription only)

Monocle, Sep. 2009.

PHOTO Darren Hall

Shop Idols: McNally Jackson Books. (subscription only)

Monocle, Jul./Aug. 2009.

Dickson Despommier: Vertical Farms. (subscription only)
Monocle, Jul./Aug. 2009.

Terry Schwarz: Shrinking Cities. (subscription only)
Monocle, Jul./Aug. 2009.

High balls: Tokyo rooftop football. (subscription only)
Monocle, Jul./Aug. 2009.

At Cornell University, Groundbreaking Could Mark the End of a 12-Year Saga.
Architectural Record, Jul. 2009.

Q & A: Michael Moses: Art as a financial asset. (subscription only)
Monocle, Jun. 2009.

Portfolio: 240 Central Park South.
Architectural Record, Jun. 2009.

The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places, by David Gibson.
Print, Jun. 2009.

Three-Dimensional Dreams: The architectural fantasies of the boom era were a good thing.
Wound, Summer 2009.

Earls Gone Wild.
Print, Apr. 2009.

PHOTO Stephen Zacks

Oh, That’s Rich. Damon Rich.

Edificial.com, Mar. 26, 2009.

PHOTO Magda Biernat

Catchin’ it on the Bounce.
Edificial.com, Mar. 17, 2009.

Auster on ~~Mumford~~ Auster.
Edificial.com, Mar. 13, 2009.

Access Restricted Accessed.
Edificial.com, Mar. 13, 2009.

PHOTO Sherry Aliberti

Exyzt-ential EventCity: Storefront Had a Party.

Edificial.com, Feb. 23, 2009.

Marvel-ing at the McCarren Park Pool.
Edificial.com, Feb. 17, 2009.

Urban China in on the Joke.
Edificial.com, Feb. 13, 2009.

2008

2009-11-05T09:45:00.015-05:00

Form Follows Performance: The German architect Stefan Behnisch pushes architectural form into new energy-efficient directions.
Metropolis, Dec. 2008.

The Painted Building: For three decades Steven Holl has used watercolors—drawn each morning, before the deadlines kick in—as a springboard toward the creation of architecture.
Metropolis, Nov. 2008.

Thinking about Shrinkage: Dessau is one of several German cities testing creative solutions for urban depopulation.
Metropolis, Nov. 2008.

Whirlwind Tour: Kansas architecture students haul a prefab arts center across the state to a tornado-ravaged town.
Metropolis, Nov. 2008.

New York Condos.

Oris, 52, 2008.

The Good Life? A survey of leisure activities in New York leaves a lot to be desired—in particular, something to drink.
Metropolis, Oct. 2008.

The Affordable Housing Complex: In New York City, a new model has emerged: privately developed mixed-income projects by prominent architects that reach back into the sky.
Metropolis, Oct. 2008.

Design After Franco: Delayed by decades of civil war and dictatorship, contemporary Spanish design is now a force to be reckoned with in the international furniture-and-lighting scene.
Metropolis, Sep. 2008.

In from the Sea: Traditional fishermen in Lebanon land a custom-designed community.
Metropolis, Sep. 2008.

Experimenting with Disaster: In a battered New Orleans, the CityBuild consortium creates a process for community-based projects.
Metropolis, Sep. 2008.

PHOTO Tod Seelie

Swoon and the Sea.
Metropolismag.com, Sep. 12, 2008.

Exporting the Quad: Moore Ruble Yudell—and a handful of other top firms—is reshaping the university experience by creating, overseas, that unique American place: the college campus.
Metropolis, Jul./ Aug. 2008.

Jeanne Gang: The Art of Nesting.
Metropolis, Jun. 2008.

PHOTO Stephen Zacks

Forest for the Trees.
Metropolismag.com, May 28, 2008.

Home Sweet Home.
Metropolismag.com, May 2, 2008.

Made in the USA: Contrary to popular belief, American manufacturing jobs haven’t all been shipped overseas. Utilizing better design and state-of-the-art technology, the sector has actually grown.
Metropolis, Mar. 2008.

Follow the Money: With the winning bid for the Hudson Rail Yards announced, the author takes a critical look at the flawed selection process.
Metropolismag.com, Mar. 31, 2008.

Beyond the Wall: A young architect finds promise in the concrete barriers that divide Israel and Palestine.
Metropolis, Feb. 2008.

PHOTO Bilyana Dimitrova

Vanishing Point: An architect best known for teaching and theory builds his first project—a Mies-inspired glass house—as a vessel for the disappearing self.
Metropolis, Jan. 2008.

2007

2009-11-05T09:40:00.009-05:00

Beyond the Spectacle: Dubai’s insane rate of development is easy to misinterpret—even caricature—but the cliché obscures the city’s more serious ambitions.
Metropolis, Nov. 2007.

The Global Contract: The raging, unregulated world economy is now one we all share. How we reconcile that with the threats facing us will be the moral and technological dilemma of our time.
Metropolis, Oct. 2007.

Peter Gluck’s Social Work: An outspoken architect points the way to socially responsible practice.
Metropolis, Sep. 2007.

PHOTO Sean Hemmerle

The Discreet Charm of Bernard Khoury: The context-driven work of an emerging architect reflects his deep ambivalence about the high-end reconstruction of Beirut.
Metropolis, Jul. 2007.

Site Specific: A new book puts the history of one of New York's premier public-art organizations into context.
Metropolis, Jun. 2007.

The Eternal Glow: Studio FAM’s memorial to victims of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
Metropolis, Jun. 2007.

The Magic Lantern: A masterful addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum by Steven Holl Architects brightens the landscape of midtown Kansas City.
Metropolis, Mar. 2007.

The DNA of Science Labs: Can architecture help produce paradigm-shifting discoveries? A research center by Rafael Vinoly aims to find out what makes scientists—and the human mind—tick.
Metropolis, Feb. 2007.

2006

2009-11-05T09:38:00.001-05:00

Native Son: Oklahoma City’s Rand Elliott carves out an impressive body of work that’s deeply rooted in place and local culture.
Metropolis, Dec. 2006.

The Thrill of it All: Spectacle brings David Rockwell's zest for life to the printed page.
Metropolis, Oct. 2006.

A Caravan of Hope for the Balkans.
International Herald Tribune, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sep. 12, 2006.

A Pilgrimage Through the Balkans, Looking for Dots to Connect.
The New York Times, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aug. 29, 2006.

The Politics of Pleasure: The Van Alen Institute’s latest exhibition is a scenic argument for the importance of recreational spaces in cities.
Metropolis, Sep. 2006.

Great Plains Urbanism: The conservative, pragmatic Midwestern city of Omaha, Nebraska, institutes one of the country’s most progressive sets of urban-design standards.
Metropolis, Sep. 2006.

PHOTO Sean Hemmerle

The Great Divide: With a border running through the center of Nicosia—and politicians squabbling—architects and planners on the opposing sides prepare for the city’s eventual reunification.
Metropolis, Jun. 2006.

Orange Alert: Detroit artists use color to draw attention to urban blight.
Metropolis, Jun. 2006.

Museum on the Mount: New York-based architect David Hotson lands a commission for the most prominent site in Armenia.
Metropolis, Mar. 2006.

The Heart of Beirut: Developer Solidere has succeeded in restoring downtown as a meaningful public realm.

Metropolis, Mar. 2006.

Beyond Black + White: Philip Freelon built his firm from the ground up—and now he’s the go-to architect for African-American cultural commissions.
Metropolis, Feb. 2006.

The Dark Side of Architecture: A new book by Kyong Park looks for signs of rebirth in destruction.
Metropolis, Jan. 2006.

2005

2009-11-05T09:19:00.008-05:00

In Praise of Gentrification: Why our traditional assumptions about economic development are all wrong.
Metropolis, Dec. 2005.

The Building as Canvas: A German studio responds to the ubiquitous Balkan air conditioner.
Metropolis, Nov. 2005.

Up in Michigan: How the contract furniture industry became a beacon for sustainable design.
Metropolis, Nov. 2005.

Family Reunion: In Texas two brothers create a modern tribute to their Vietnamese roots, uniting three generations.
Metropolis, Aug./Sep. 2005.

Near No Man's Land, a Quest for Unity and Peace.
The New York Times, Heyri Art Valley, South Korea, Jul. 23, 2005.

The Design of Dissent: Socially and Politically Driven Graphics, by Milton Glaser and Mirko Illic. Review. Metropolis, Jul. 2005.

PHOTO Iosif Kiraly

How to Renovate a Totalitarian Building: Bucharest’s National Museum of Contemporary Art opens in a section of the wildly oversize Palace of Parliament Building.
Metropolis, Jun. 2005.

Symbolic Architecture: As ethnic conflict persists in Kosovo, churches and other buildings have become disputed territory.
Metropolis, Jan. 2005. (A journal from this reporting trip is posted here.)

2004

2009-11-05T09:10:00.002-05:00

Winka’s Riff: An architect known for computer-generated forms and social theory builds her first real house.
Metropolis, Aug./Sep. 2004.

Urban Studies: As the world grows more complex, designers undertake extracurricular projects to boost understanding of the changing urban environment. (PDF)
Metropolis, Aug./Sep. 2004.

PHOTO Stephen Zacks

A New Coat of Paint: Lithuania’s past complicates the restoration of its capital’s historic center.
Metropolis, Feb. 2004.

2003

2009-11-05T08:58:00.002-05:00

Anti-War Machine: Can a design for a vacation house comment seriously on international politics?
Metropolis, Aug./Sep. 2003.

The Art of Democracy: What an urban art festival in Panama City can teach Americans about freedom of speech, memory, and art in the public realm.
Metropolis, Jul. 2003.

Lay of the Land: A new map of the West Bank reveals a troubling phenomenon—urban sprawl as human rights abuse.
Metropolis, Feb. 2003.

2002

2009-11-05T08:50:00.005-05:00

Punk-Rock Urbanism: Joel Rash and friends built Flint, Michigan, on rock and roll.
Metropolis, Nov. 2002.

2001

2009-11-05T08:45:00.005-05:00

PHOTO Stephen Zacks

Capital Idea: Can Nigeria live up to the democratic ideals inherent in its new capital city’s design?
Metropolis, Jul. 2001.

Harlem Renaissance.
The Village Voice, New York, Apr. 18, 2001.

Desert Roses: African Film Comes of Age.
The Village Voice, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Mar. 10, 2001.

2000

2009-11-05T08:37:00.003-05:00

Fashion Statement: A T-shirt becomes an important weapon in the war against Slobodan Milosevic.
Metropolis, Nov. 2000.

Shell Game: No one’s talking about the real reason Detroit wants casinos.
Metropolis, Oct. 2000.

Books and Peer-Reviewed Journals

2009-11-05T08:34:00.004-05:00

"Downtown Alternative Space."
Storefront for Art and Architecture, 1982 - 200x, ed. Sarah Herda, Joseph Grima, Kyong Park, and Irene Sunwoo. (forthcoming)

"Factory Town: Reports of the death of manufacturing in New York have been greatly exaggerated.”
The New York 2030 Notebook, ed. Jeff Byles and Olympia Kazi. New York: Institute for Urban Design, 2008.

“Contested Territories: Interview with Eyal Weizman.”
Else/Where: Mapping - New Cartographies of Networks and Territories, ed. Janet Abrams and Peter Hall. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.

“The Art of Democracy.”
Urban Art and Global Cities: An Experiment in Context, ed. Gerardo Mosquera and Adrienne Samos. Amsterdam: Kitt Publishers, 2004.

"La Haine, or Culture Wars in Paris and the Banlieues.”
African Images: Recent Studies and Text in Cinema, ed. Maureen N. Eke, Kenneth W. Harrow, Emmanuel Yewah. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2000.

“A Problematic Sign of African Difference in Trinh T. Minh-ha’s Reassemblage.”
African Cinema: Post-Colonial and Feminist Readings, ed. Kenneth W. Harrow. Trenton, NY: Africa World Press, 1999.

“The Theoretical Construction of African Cinema.”
African Cinema: Post-Colonial and Feminist Readings, ed. Kenneth W. Harrow. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1999.

Panels, Presentations, Juries, and Reviews

2009-11-05T08:28:00.014-05:00

Michael Bell, Hunters Point South housing studios, critic.

Columbia University, GSAPP, Dec. 9, 2009.

How to Squat: a conversation with Alan Moore.
HomeBase Project, May 16, 2009.

Red Hook Vendors design competition, jury member.
Architecture for Humanity NY, Dec. 12, 2008.

Hashim Sarkis, final thesis reviews, critic.
Harvard Graduate School of Design. May 15, 2008.

Design Heroix: Laura Kurgan, respondent.
AIA Center for Architecture, Apr. 13, 2008.

PHOTO Stephen Zacks

Smart and Sustainable Cities, moderator.
International Design Forum Dubai, May 28, 2007.

PHOTO Stephen Zacks

Improve your Lot! Shrinking Cities, panelist.
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Feb. 4, 2007.