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Charles Renfro, one of New York’s most talked about architects with a list of headline institutional and commercial commissions to his credit, is being sponsored to New Zealand by First Windows and Doors, in association with Home NZ magazine.
Charles Renfro
Renfro will have speaking engagements in Auckland (April 13) and Wellington (April 14) during his 2010 visit, to be held at Auckland University and the City Gallery, in Wellington.
The New York architecture firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, is behind some of the city’s most talked about recent projects including the High Line, the redesign of the Lincoln Center, Brasserie, Eyebeam and – further afield – the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art.
Renfro joined the studio in 1997 and was appointed a partner with founders, Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, in 2004. A native Texan and graduate of Rice and Columbia Universities, Renfro has had his work exhibited worldwide at many museums and institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum, the Netherlands Architecture Institute, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and the Pompidou Centre. He lectures frequently in the United States and abroad. Renfro has been on the faculty of Columbia University since 2000 and was the Cullinan Visiting Professor at Rice University in 2006.
Charles Renfro’s visit will coincide with the release of the fully revised First Specifier’s Guide, to be issued for the first time in soft cover format.
Diller, Scofidio + Renfro Key Projects
New York's High Line park as seen from street view (Photo: © Iwan Baan 2009)
 High Line park (Photo: © Iwan Baan 2009) |
 High Line at evening (Photo: © Iwan Baan 2009) |
High Line Project
This combination urban park/urban renewal project by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro is set on an elevated unused industrial rail line through 18 blocks on Manhattan’s west side. The first stage opened in June 2009 to widespread acclaim, and the whole project is scheduled for completion this year. Already an estimated two million people have visited the High Line, which features meandering concrete pathways, naturalistic plantings, fixed and movable seating, lighting and special features.
Lincoln Center – Alice Tully Hall Redesign
This project by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro has recently received an American Institute of Architects Honour Award for 2010, which recognises “excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design.” Part of an ongoing renovation of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, the Alice Tully Hall overhaul involved a reworking of the building’s interior and exterior, including new glazed facades and internal walls of solid wood and resin reshaped into sinuous curves to optimise acoustics for concerts, recitals and chamber music.
