Acclaimed Uruguayan Architect Rafael Viñoly Dies at 78, and Other News

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Acclaimed Uruguayan Architect Rafael Viñoly Dies at 78

Rafael Viñoly, the Uruguayan architect renowned for designing memorable skyscrapers like 432 Park Avenue and the Walkie Talkie, has died at 78. Though he leaves behind a legacy of commercial and cultural buildings across the world, Viñoly was a modernist who enclosed sweeping spaces under glass to create luminous interiors. His most famous work in New York City—his adopted home—was 432 Park Avenue, which briefly reigned as the world’s tallest residential building. Viñoly masterminded structures in each of the city’s boroughs, and he played a role in the Think Team that formed to approach redeveloping the World Trade Center. Viñoly’s presence also paved the way for South American architects to start earning more stateside recognition. —Ryan Waddoups

Tiffany hires Lauren Santo Domingo as artistic director for its homewares division.

Tiffany & Co. has hired Lauren Santo Domingo, a well-known socialite, longtime Vogue contributor, and Moda Operandi co-founder, as its inaugural artistic director for homewares. In her new role, Santo Domingo will collaborate with Tiffany’s housewares design and production team to modernize the category. Her first collections will be released this April in coordination with the jeweler’s much-anticipated renovated Fifth Avenue flagship reveal, and will include six new tabletop motif collections as well as a range of four hand-blown glassware collections. The full collections will be available in Tiffany stores worldwide as well as on the jeweler’s website, with some select pieces available for purchase on Moda Operandi.

Construction officially kicks off on the expansive Edition Residences Fort Lauderdale. 

Construction on the Edition Residences Fort Lauderdale has officially broken ground. When the property wraps up, it will include two buildings, 65 luxury condos, nine villas, and four penthouses with picturesque ocean views. The oasis-like outdoor space will offer a tranquil outdoor meditation walkway, Intracoastal riverwalk, moonroof, sunroof, movie screen, fire pit, and two pools with private cabanas. A Health and Wellness Center will offer pilates, yoga, and training rooms, as well as a tranquil Turkish-style hammam, steam shower, and quiet rooms.

The Orlando Museum of Art’s chief curator resigns following a major Basquiat scandal.

Hansen Mulford has retired as the Orlando Museum of Art’s chief curator after more than 40 years of service amid investigations into the museum’s Basquiat drama in 2022. Following the scandal, the museum’s board chair Cynthia Brumback and director Aaron De Groft left their jobs, with Mulford retiring shortly after. Their departures may be related to recommendations from an investigation by a local law firm, which museum officials have not commented on.

Amazon pauses plans to build its HQ2 in Virginia four years after it was announced.

Four years after Amazon abandoned plans to build a campus in New York, the e-commerce giant will halt the construction of its HQ2 in Virginia due to the slowing of the tech industry’s long boom and pandemic-induced changes to office work. John Schoettler, Amazon’s real estate chief, confirmed the pause would affect the construction project’s second, larger stage, which entailed a mix of office towers, open space, and the Helix, a spiraling glass building. The pullback has made future investments by developers and small businesses uncertain.

A collector donates 1,677 artworks to launch Paris’s Arab World Institute art museum.

French-Lebanese art dealer and collector Claude Lemand has donated 1,677 works by 148 Arab artists to the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris, triggering plans for a new museum dedicated to Arab art. The IMA has guaranteed that nothing in the collection—which includes pieces by well-known artists like Dia Al-Azzawi and Simone Fattal—will be deaccessioned. The new museum, which will become the West’s first pan-Arabic art museum, is slated to open after a two-year renovation of its Jean Nouvel–designed building.

Extinction Rebellion stages a protest at the Rijksmuseum, but no art was damaged.

The Dutch faction of the Extinction Rebellion staged a protest at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum beside Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Night Watch on Sunday. Two demonstrators brandished a replica of the painting, in which the original’s watchmen were submerged in water, referencing the group’s catchphrase: “There is no art on a flooded planet.” The demonstration, attended by ten protesters, called out the museum’s sponsorship deals with KLM airline and ING bank, which they asserted are contributing to global warming. No art was damaged.

A towering inferno engulfs a 42-story building under construction in Hong Kong.

A towering inferno erupted in a Hong Kong shopping district as a 42-story building under construction caught fire Thursday. Flames ripped through scaffolding surrounding the building, and explosions rattled the air as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. The fire, which took nine hours to extinguish, prompted the evacuation of nearby residences and hotels.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Medieval people may have spotted mythical whale-like sea creatures.

David Cronenberg dissects female wax models at Fondazione Prada.

A baking class might grant you behind-the-scenes access at Taliesin.

ArchDaily readers think David Chipperfield deserves the Pritzker Prize.