From self-driving cars, to biotechnology, and from prize winners to the destruction of architectural heritage, architecture and design have been in the news throughout 2015.Here, the Blouin ARTINFO A+D team has assembled our list of the events that have marked architecture and design over the last 12 months: as a profession, as a practice, as a field of inquiry, and as a market.1. Assemble architectural collective wins the Turner PrizeThe inclusion of Assemble on the shortlist for the Turner prize – UK’s most prestigious award for young artists – already shook the field. But when this radical architecture collective was announced the winner, it was as if someone had thrown a hand grenade at a gala. Assemble is more interested in creating socially inclusive projects in long consultation with residents, than in producing even a flashy building. Some said that the Turner prize was intended for often controversial contemporary-art pieces, such as, famously, Damien Hirst’s split cow and calf in formaldehyde. It was not for social architecture put together by 18 people in their twenties. Assemble was rewarded for its refurbishment of Liverpool’s Granby Four Street, a disenfranchised and run-down community, where Assemble helped run the community land trust, and establish a social enterprise for local entrepreneurs. Not quite art, some critics suggested.Why is it important?If the Turner had gone to a work of architecture, it would have been shocking enough. While Assemble’s collaborative approach has been quietly blooming for a while (such as the role of architecture in Gezi Park riots in Istanbul), the prize is a significant recognition of the importance of this practice, which is still controversial. We may see a lot more starchitects at community meetings in the years to come.2. Justin McGuirk was appointed head of Design Academy Eindhoven’s Design Curating and Writing ProgramJustin McGuirk, a London-based design writer, critic, and curator, although perhaps not quite a household name, is known in design circles for his astute writing on contemporary design: from the architecture of refugee camps, to the relationship between peak oil and the Mad Max movies. In May, Design Academy Eindhoven announced that he would head its two-year writing and curating Master program, saying that there is an urgent need to train a new generation of writers and critics from within the design world.Why is it important?It has been a stellar year for McGuirk, who has also been appointed chief curator for Design Museum in London, which is now moving to a bigger space in Kensington. Eindhoven is generally considered to be one of the top two design schools in the world (alongside Rhode Island School of Design), and McGuirk’s appointment signals that critical discourse in design is being taken very seriously. This points to an increasing understanding that design will be at the center of some of the most pressing challenges of the future, from clean energy to improving government services. The practice needs to be reflexive, as well as practical.3. Yves Béhar won Design Miami Visionary Award 2015Yves Béhar, the man behind fuseproject, has given us a number of hi-tech toys in the last few years, such as an unbreakable, low-cost laptop for the developing world children, to a smartphone-controlled smart household lock, and a revolutionary Bluetooth speaker. In September, he won the Design Miami Visionary Award for his practice that spans design, social enterprise, and humanitarian work.Why is it important?Béhar was not an expected choice. Although the Visionary Award is only in its second year, it was foreseen that it would follow the course set by the first, which was given to luxury retail architect, Peter Marino. This was in line with Design Miami’s role in high-end collectible design circles. Instead, the fair branched out into Silicon Valley, and singled out Béhar’s humanitarian work, rather than his luxury designs. Although high-end design has long been invested in privileging traditional craftsmanship, and unique objects, in the last few years it has become harder to ignore the possibilities of technology in high-end design. If Béhar’s prominence at Miami in December is any indicator, however, it may all be slowly starting to shift.4. ISIS demolished Palmyra TemplesIn August, the UN confirmed local residents’ reports that ISIS had destroyed the Temple of Bel in Palmyra, which for nearly 2,000 years has been a center of religious life in Syria. Syria’s antiquities chief, Maamoun Abdulkarim, told CNN that it was “the most important temple in Syria and one of the most important in the whole Middle East.” The targeted and considered destruction is partly because of ISIS considering all pre-Islamic religious objects and structures sacrilegious, and partially because of the revenue from looting.Why is it important?Although ISIS continues to kill and displace people, it is worth pausing to think about what it means to wreck a significant piece of religious and cultural history, not just for the Middle East, but for the entire world. Syria and Iraq are among the longest continuously settled regions, and before the latest period of war were among the most important on anyone’s architectural tour of the globe. Such tours may never be possible again. Even more importantly, the targeted destruction is part of a campaign to remove traces of the plural, culturally complicated heritage of the region. In an oblique way, ISIS is making a statement of the importance of architecture for culture.5. Records were broken for Collectible DesignA number of important records were broken this year at auctions for collectible design. In November, Sotheby’s 20th-Century Design sale in London set a record for Shiro Kuramata’s Miss Blanche chair, while Christie’s sold Gerrit Rietveld’s rare 1919 sideboard for more than double its highest estimate. In October, an unremarkable-looking dining table by Danish designer Peder Moos broke the world auction record for a piece of Nordic design at Phillips in London. Also in October, Artcurial set two world records, for a piece of furniture by Jean Prouvé, and Charlotte Perriand. And in April, Marc Newson’s Lockheed Lounge sold for more than £2 million at an auction at Phillips London, retaining the title of the most expensive design object in the world.Why is it important?The year 2015 has proved that the collectible design auction market is growing steadily, becoming an ever more important segment of the art market as a whole. It is expected that the market will continue to grow, which will continue to open up opportunities for new designers to experiment with high-end production of unique pieces, as opposed to entering the industrial production system.
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