Venice Architecture Biennale names the exhibition’s first Black curator, data shows Americans are ready to travel for the holidays, and submissions are now open for the 18th annual HD Awards. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Brad Pitt takes on his latest design project
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While Brad Pitt may be best known for his acting roles, he has a knack for design and architecture, too. Most recently, he dove head first into the renovation of a music studio at Château Miraval, the South of France winery he’s owned for nearly a decade. Pitt joined forces with Emmy-winning French producer Damien Quintard to refresh the space, which was originally built in 1977 by the winery’s previous owner and has seen its fair share of top musicians, including Pink Floyd, the Cure, Sting, and more. “With Brad’s eye for design and my appetite for progress in sound we’ve built something quite touching and emotional that really ties the recording room together,” Quintard told Architectural Digest of Miraval Studios.
Lesley Lokko to curate the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale
Lesley Lokko; photo by Murdo MacLeod
Ghanaian-Scottish architect, academic, and novelist Lesley Lokko has been selected to curate the 18th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale, reports Dezeen. Lokko’s appointment marks the first time the biannual event’s board has chosen a Black architect to fulfill the role, and the third time a woman has been named curator. “A new world order is emerging, with new centers of knowledge production and control,” says Lesley Lokko. “New audiences are also emerging, hungry for different narratives, different tools, and different languages of space, form, and place. After two of the most difficult and divisive years in living memory, architects have a unique opportunity to show the world what we do best: put forward ambitious and creative ideas that help us imagine a more equitable and optimistic future in common.” The exhibition will be held from May 20th to November 26th, 2023.
109 million Americans expected to travel over the holidays
Although COVID cases are climbing, research conducted by AAA forecasts that more than 109 million Americans are expected to travel between December 23rd and January 2nd. This is a 34 percent increase from 2020, with 27.7 million more people traveling by car, airplane, or other modes of transportation. This bounce back is a positive indication of recovery—bringing this year’s numbers to 92 percent of 2019 levels. “Americans who canceled their vacations in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year, although they will still be mindful of the pandemic and the new omicron variant,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “With vaccines widely available, conditions are much different, and many people feel a greater level of comfort with travel.”
Meet the Afghan women behind three DC restaurants
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A recent piece by Washington Post writer Jada Yuan delves into the story of a group of Afghan women who are now leading their family-run restaurant empire in the DC area. The family’s first restaurant, a tiny café named Afghan Bistro, opened in 2016 and was followed by Bistro Aracosia and Aracosia McLean. However, it wasn’t until Kabul fell in August 2021 that the businesses’ patriarch, Omar Masroor, decided to take a step back and transition his restaurants to be run by women as an act of solidarity. Now, the locations are led by Omar’s sister Eve, as well his daughters Taliha and Iman, while his wife, Sofia, oversees all operations. (Zainab, Omar and Sofia’s youngest daughter, recently began training to become a server at their McLean location.)
Submissions are open for the 2022 HD Awards!
Hotel Milla Montis in Maranza, Italy, designed by Peter Pichler Architecture; Best in Show project winner at the 2021 HD Awards
The time has come to submit your latest and greatest projects and products to the 18th annual HD Awards. This year’s projects portion spans 26 categories, while innovative products will be recognized in 13 categories, including the newly added Sustainable Solutions. The deadline for entries if March 4th, 2022. Winners and finalists will be selected by a soon-to-be-announced jury of industry professionals and celebrated at a June ceremony in New York, as well as featured in the May/June issue of Hospitality Design magazine. Submit your projects and products today!
