By Kimberly Rene’ Vanecek

While residents passed propositions earlier this year that will make way for new growth in the city, it specifically paved the road for the development of a new multipurpose arena and a children’s museum. Ricardo Fernandez, a member of The Arts and Culture task force with the Borderplex Alliance questions, “Could this be El Paso’s chance to step up to the plate and use its voice to support a call to architects to design one of the two new venues?” Kroloff added, “Whichever building you choose, create something new, something different, but do it right. You only have one chance, go all out! If it were the last building, what do you want it to say?”

Architectural competitions are no stranger to El Paso; the Sun City held a “Request for Proposal” and a “Request for Qualifications” for the Plaza Theatre renovations. The city wanted to know the experience and qualifications for parties desiring to participate.

Former city planner Nestor Valencia states, “Experience and track records on the building for which you are selecting a firm is crucial. We asked many questions, including quality of work, satisfaction, ability to work with people and the community, etc. etc. Competition among firms is fierce, and all stops are pulled to win the project.”

The Arts and Culture task force from the Borderplex Alliance, Denise Fernandez, and Marcella Fernandez sponsored a luncheon at the El Paso Club where Krolloff spoke to community leaders; he went on to say that resident’s input should be addressed when El Paso chooses a design. Lorey follows suit, “I would encourage the city to hold meetings in neighborhoods surrounding the suggested venue and listen to any concerns or opinions they might have.” Kroloff then added, “Bring in the architects to meet them. Have them present their renditions like they did in New York. You have to do this where there is a lot of traffic so the residents can easily access the projects.”

The economic impact the High Line produced is astounding. The urban park generated a spur in real estate development in the areas that run along the line creating over 12,000 new jobs, residential real estate witnessed a boost in property values almost doubling. 10th Avenue, where the railway hugs, is now host to 4.4 million visitors a year.

Now it’s El Paso’s turn to talk. What do you want for the city?

http://www.thehighline.org/blog/2012/12/27/2012-at-the-high-line-in-photos

Photographed by Laura Bustillos

By Kimberly Rene’ Vanecek

In designing new projects Kroloff says one should respect the history and build upon it. He notes, “It’s important not to copy the past. You can never achieve the reality or the spirit because there are different tools today, different methods. If you want to build something modern, build it. Just be respectful of how you build it according to its surroundings.”

Sherry Mowles, an El Paso architect echoes this statement, “It is critical to preserve and respect the historic buildings. New development should respond to the scale and take cues from the neighboring buildings and open space, but they should be fresh, appropriate to our time, the materials and aesthetic should be an extension of El Paso’s landscape and history.”

Mayoral candidate Steve Ortega joined the exchange, “I think every great city has great buildings. El Paso possesses several historic gems such as the Mills Building, Kress Building, Banner Building, Caples Building, and the Toltec Building. As far as new buildings are concerned, I am very excited about United Bank’s new building downtown, they are making a huge statement.“

Reed says people tend to have a hard time letting go of the past “We are not still living in mud huts are we? No, we’ve progressed; we are driving Prius’s now, not the Model T. Learn from the industrial past and draw from that language. Don’t copy it! Create something new and different.”

“Although the preservation of historic buildings near San Jacinto Plaza has been our most recent architectural priority, El Paso is in need of development beyond that region of the city, “responded mayoral candidate Hector Lopez.

Kroloff continues, when building a new structure you have one chance to do it right and you should go all out, “What do you want to say that will speak for today and for the future?” He adds, “If you have to tear it down, it was done wrong in the first place.” He says the way to design a project that will provide positive outcomes is to, “Bring something forward about El Paso…as opposed to saying you want something like Phoenix or San Antonio.”

Local architect Martina Lorey agrees, “I am in favor of El Paso having an iconic building, however, I think this begs the question; what is our vision for El Paso, our brand, our identity?”

Photographed by Fedrico Villalba

By Kimberly Rene’ Vanecek

Reed Kroloff an internationally renowned architect and Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Museum spoke recently as part of the architectural series sponsored in part by Texas Tech College of Architecture at El Paso, in partnership with the City of El Paso Department of Planning and Economic Development, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Museums and Cultural Affairs Department.

A group of forty or so individuals comprised of students, businessmen, politicians, philanthropist, teachers and architects attended the lecture at The El Paso Museum of Art. Reed spoke eloquently about his forte, architecture. It wasn’t a lecture on clean lines and empty spaces or blowing up the past to make way for the future. It was on respecting the legacy of the city, why iconic buildings work and how a competition can unite the community with results that generate economic impact.

Kroloff, a natural speaker, used no scripts or teleprompters. All of his thoughts were effectively communicated as he crossed back and forth on the stage while he showed slides of one of the most successful architectural contest in the country. He spoke about what is now the second largest tourist attraction in New York City, the High Line, and how it helped to unite a city. The High Line was originally an elevated historic freight rail system created in 1929 and it was a 13-mile project that eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings. Decades later, with a portion of the line destroyed and the remainder in disarray, there came a group who lobbied to demolish the remainder of the railway.

“Initially, it took the work of only two men who lived in the Chelsea area, where the railway passed, to create some noise. Those two individuals would sneak politicians, concerned parties, and people with connections, up to the deserted rail system at night. It was a strategic opportunity to show how with all the lights of the city illuminating the rail system, this landmark could evolve beyond the heap of metal it had become. Not till then did a sense of awareness begin to cultivate and spread in an effort to preserve the structure, “noted Kroloff.

What happened next was a key piece in why the renovation of the railway was incredibly successful. As the city decided to embrace the idea of forging forward with the preservation concept, they had a “call out” to architects to submit their ideas to transform the 1.45 miles of railway into a functional piece of property that would be welcomed into the community and draw visitors to the area.

Everyone was invited to provide renderings of their concept. The city then placed all of the submissions in a location that could be viewed by a large group of people on a continuous basis, the Grand Central Station, where everyday 750,000 visitors pass through the hub. Engaging the community to utilize their voices and call their city representatives was powerful. It allowed the residents to see exactly what was being proposed and how many ideas were being considered. The High Line is now a park that has flora incorporated in the rails, walkways, trails, and lounge areas. It is an area that supports cultural events as well as serving as an architectural platform.

Photographed by Iwan Baan

Reed Kroloff is the Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and an independent architectural consultant and commentator.

Mr. Kroloff was Dean of the Tulane University School of Architecture in New Orleans, Louisiana from Fall, 2004 through Spring, 2007. He arrived at Tulane just before Hurricane Katrina and helped lead the School to recovery and prominence in the poststorm environment, including raising a record $3 million in gifts and research grants; retaining 97% of the School’s students and 100% of its’ faculty after the storm; and playing a significant role in citywide planning and rebuilding efforts.

The recipient of the American Academy in Rome’s 2003 Rome Prize Fellowship, Mr. Kroloff previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of Architecture magazine. Under his direction, Architecture received more awards for editorial and design excellence than any magazine of its type, and quickly became the leading design publication in the nation. His writing has appeared in many other magazines and newspapers as well, ranging from Metropolis to Artforum, and he has been profiled by publications such as the New York Times.

Mr. Kroloff advises a range of clients on architect selection and design strategy, including, among others, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Ministry of Culture of the Federal Government of Mexico, Case Western Reserve University, The City of San Antonio, The Archdiocese of Chicago, and the History Channel. The combined construction value of the projects on which he has advised now exceeds $500 million. Through his firm Jones Kroloff, Mr. Kroloff has led dozens of design competitions and selection processes, including the Aspen Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art, Indianapolis Art Museum, The Highline in New York, The National AIDS Memorial Grove, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Mowtown Center, and Las Vegas’ Lied Children’s Museum and Discovery Center.

Mr. Kroloff writes and lectures widely, and is a regular visiting critic at architecture schools and professional organizations across the country. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, and has practiced architecture in Texas and Arizona. Mr. Kroloff serves on numerous boards and advisory councils, ranging from the Register of Peer Professionals of the United States General Services Administration to the Public Architecture Foundation.

Photographed by Laura Bustillos

By Kimberly Rene’ Vanecek

Fernando Romero, the visionary architect behind the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, will be in El Paso in March to offer a free lecture at the El Paso Museum of Art. Fernando Romero founded FREE in 2000 following his tenure at OMA, working with Rem Koolhaus, most notably as the project leader for Oporto’s Casa da Musica.

Over the last ten years, he has designed and built more than one million square feet, collaborating with over 500 architects on more than 100 projects. As founder of Archivo Diseno y Arquitectura, it is Romero’s aim to enrich the awareness of design and architecture in Mexico.

Romero is the author of several books, which embody his approach of translating crucial “moments in society” into works or architecture, including Translation (Actar, 2000), Hyper-Border (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), and Simplexity (Haite Kantx, 2010). A juror of several international design and architecture competitions, he has also taught at Columbia University. His work has received global recognition from the media, including Fast Co. Design’s 50 Creative Pioneers, 2012, and numerous award programs, such as Spark Awards (2012), Americas Property Award (2012), Red Dot Award – Best of the Best, 2006, and the Young Architects Award, sponsored by the Mexican Society of Architects, 2009.

Fernando Romero, FREE

Lecture sponsored by: McCormick Architecture

Thursday, March 7, 2013

New York City, NY

6 PM

Presented by: Texas Tech College of Architecture El Paso, in partnership with the City of El Paso Department of Planning and Economic Development, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Museums and Cultural Affairs Department.

Photographs courtesy of Fernando Romero