Latest news with #GraceFarms
Condé Nast Traveler
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Condé Nast Traveler
If You Love Architecture, Visit New Canaan, Connecticut in Fall
It would be easy to write off New Canaan as just another affluent Connecticut suburb, where Ralph Lauren Americana, Ivy League nostalgia, and weekend golf are par for the course. And, depending on where you're visiting from, maybe that's part of the draw—to see how the one-percent lives, to saunter down Elm Street as though you, too, own real estate in the 06840. But there's something unexpectedly enticing about New Canaan's picture-perfect topography—a creative energy that drew forward thinkers like the Silvermine Art Colony, who gathered in a barn to challenge portrayals of the pastoral, or the Harvard Five, who would turn America's conception of architecture on its head. For design enthusiasts, New Canaan is the place to be in the fall, when the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society puts on October4Design, a month-long initiative to celebrate architecture, art, and design. The jewel in the crown is the biennial Modern House Day Tour, falling this year on October 18th, during which private, midcentury modern homes open their doors to well-paying visitors. Grace Farms, the sprawling, SANAA-designed cultural center, will also be getting in on the action, celebrating its ten year anniversary with live music events. Beyond the man-made beauty, there's always Waveny Park, dotted with red maples and white oaks that put on a color show at the turn of the season. How to get there To get to New Canaan from New York City, take the Metro North New Haven Line from Grand Central Station. You can get a direct train to and from New Canaan during peak hours (between 6-9am and 4-7pm), otherwise you'll have to connect via Stamford. It's a journey that takes roughly an hour and a half, and it's a pleasant one, with plush red seats, woodsy scenery, and echoes of Mad Men, what with the commuters drinking out of brown paper bags. To get around, Uber might be your best bet, but most pins on the map are within close proximity. Around for over 100 years, The Playhouse was restored in 2024 under Cinema Lab, and boasts an on-site restaurant called The Pub. Courtesy The Playhouse The movie theater will be screening Modernism, Inc., a documentary about architect Eliot Noyes, this October. Courtesy The Playhouse What to do in New Canaan One could easily spend a half day exploring the 49 acres that make up Philip Johnson's Glass House, one of two modernist structures available for public viewing in New Canaan. Johnson—along with Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, and Eliot Noyes—was a member of the 'Harvard Five,' a group of architects from Harvard's Graduate School of Design who flocked to New Canaan in the 1940s and introduced the International Style to the United States. The Glass House stands as a prime example of modernist design tenets—flat planes, open floor plans, large windows, etc.—that redefined New Canaan's built landscape. Take the Glass House + Galleries Tour, which includes Johnson's repoussoir, the Brick House, as well as the surrounding galleries, each veritable attractions in their own right. It's a surreal walk-through, imagining figures like Andy Warhol staying as a guest, or the Velvet Underground performing in the field where Johnson liked to put on 'happenings'—to the neighbors' dismay. Over 100 modern homes were built in New Canaan between the years of 1949 and 1973, but only 80 or so remain due to demolition. The goal of the Modern House Day Tour is to preserve these vestiges of American glamour amidst a rising tide of McMansions and renovations, attracting visitors from Canada to Australia. This year's tour will feature five houses instead of the usual four, including a more recent build, with designs by John Johansen, Philip Johnson, and William Bimel Kehm. 'This tour was started in 1949 to promote these houses, fell off in the 70s, and then was resurrected by a woman named Laura Pla and brought to the Historical Society because she was noticing that the houses were being slated for demolition,' says Nancy Geary, executive director of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society. 'We know of at least two houses that have been saved because people that were on the tours then bought them. Right now, I think modern houses are like shrines.'
Fast Company
09-07-2025
- General
- Fast Company
The power of circular philanthropy
In 2018, Sharon Prince served on the jury of the American Institute of Architects' Honor Awards. Among the winning projects was the Gohar Khatoon Girls' School in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, which earned plaudits for its design aesthetic and social impact. During the selection process, Prince posed a simple yet provocative question: Were any of the building's bricks made by children? It was a question the jury members hadn't considered. In fact, it even took Prince by surprise. 'All of a sudden, the light bulb went on for me, too,' she says. 'I thought, Wait a minute, I don't know where all of my own building materials come from.' Prince is the CEO and founder of Grace Farms Foundation, a nonprofit that operates an 80-acre cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut. The previous year, Grace Farms had won an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honor Award for its striking River building, a winding, multipurpose structure that world-renowned architecture firm SANAA gently wove into the property's natural landscape. Prince's question to the AIA jury sparked more questions, this time for her partners on the River building, as well as the AIA's president and several other leaders in the building materials industry. None had ever questioned how the copper, concrete, lumber, and other products they used were made—or who was making them. These conversations were the genesis of Design for Freedom, an initiative launched by Grace Farms in 2020 that aims to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain. The movement engages industry stakeholders—from architects and engineers to manufacturers and contractors—to more closely scrutinize their supply chains. 'Until we can actually have transparency and know whether or not there is forced labor subsidizing our buildings, then there is a high risk that it is,' Prince says. BRINGING COMMUNITY TOGETHER At Grace Farms, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, thoughtful design and humanitarian work have always been at the center of its operating philosophy. The center in New Canaan gives the public opportunities to experience nature, admire the architecture of the River building, and enjoy the ever-changing public programs. They can visit the center to attend a workshop on starting a beehive, listen to a celebrated jazz musician, or simply join in a community gathering. Grace Farms' work doesn't stop at the borders of its 80-acre property. In 2021, the organization launched Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a Certified B Corp that gives 100% of its profits to support the work of Design for Freedom. The company grew out of the tea and coffee that Grace Farms served to its visitors, which was all ethically sourced from sustainable growers around the world. Grace Farms started getting calls from out-of-towners who had visited and wanted to know where they could buy the beverages they'd tasted. Then, the pandemic hit, and Grace Farms saw an opportunity. 'When Grace Farms couldn't be open to the public, we were doing other humanitarian work in the community,' says Adam Thatcher, cofounder and CEO of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee. 'But a big part of [our mission] is bringing community together. So, we said, 'What if we bring this to the community?' ' The tea and coffee sourced by Grace Farms is certified organic. The company is the only U.S.-based tea company to partner with Fairtrade International, a nonprofit that aims to support farmers and growers worldwide through fair-trade practices. Meanwhile, Grace Farms' coffee comes from women-led growing co-ops based in Ethiopia, Colombia, and Indonesia. That was an important criterion for Prince and Thatcher, in large part because their research showed that women are disproportionately represented among ownership or management positions in the global coffee supply chain. 'One of our goals was to not only make a delicious product but also make a product that aligns with our values and can demonstrate ethical and sustainable supply chains,' Thatcher says. A CIRCLE FOR GOOD None of Grace Farms' initiatives exist in a vacuum. At the New Canaan property, visitors might sip a cup of tea while learning about fair-trade practices and directly supporting the work of Design for Freedom. 'This is an illustration of circular philanthropy,' Prince says. 'We are creating a link between a non-profit organization and a for-profit Certified B Corp that is an engine for good. This connection creates impacts on the entire supply chain—from the farmers to the manufacturers to the public—and supports the foundation's work to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain.' Even thoughtful design plays a role in Grace Farms' approach to circular philanthropy. Whether it's the River building or the Design for Freedom pilot projects—which range from a public library in Montana to a monument to Harriet Tubman in Newark, New Jersey—good design draws more people to hear the movement's message. 'Beauty becomes an invitation for people,' Thatcher says. 'It's like a flower: Flowers are beautiful, but their real purpose is to attract bees and pollinators that then go out into the world and continue pollinating and making the world a more green, beautiful place.'
CNA
03-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
SANAA by city: Where to see this award-winning Japanese architecture firm's iconic works
Twenty years ago when I was an architecture student, SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) started gaining prominence. Helmed by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishisawa and founded in 1995, the Japanese architecture firm's works were discussed, dissected and used as case studies for their new ways of thinking about spatial design, human interaction and material application. Over the years, SANAA has gained international prominence with projects all over the world. These include Grace Farms in Connecticut, Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion in Ohio and the New Museum in New York. The firm was also invited to design the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion in London's Kensington Gardens, an annual commission for top architects to showcase their ethos via a temporary structure. In 2012, the duo was awarded the architecture world's highest honour, the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Kazuyo was only the second woman to claim the prize since it started in 1979. In February this year, she and Nishizawa claimed yet another prestigious prize – the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for architecture, which recognises a person or group of people who have made significant impact on the advancement of architecture through their lifetimes. His Majesty the King, Charles III presented the award on May 1. Since it started 177 years ago, the RIBA Gold Medal Award has highlighted the works of many luminary architects. Past medallists include Frank Lloyd Wright, Norman Foster, the late-Zaha Hadid, Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi and Oscar Niemeyer. The 2025 RIBA Honours Committee cites the ability of SANAA's works 'to reshape the global design landscape, creating spaces that bring simplicity, light, and elegance to the fore.' They are both bold yet sensitive to their local environments, and have the ability 'to shape a universal language of architecture that resonates with people everywhere.' 'We are delighted and very honoured to receive the Royal Gold Medal. We have always believed that architecture can transform and repair environments, helping us. to relate to our surroundings, nature and each other. Throughout our careers, we have tried to make spaces that bring people together, inviting them to imagine new ways of living and learning collectively,' said Kazuyo and Nishizawa in a press statement upon hearing about the win. Kazuyo was born in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, in 1956 and studied at Japan Women's University. She worked at reputed architecture firm, Toyo Ito Architect and Associates for six years, which provided ample inspiration for her future work. Kazuyo is a virtuoso in combining materials like glass, aluminium with light and reflectivity, enlivening flat, plain surfaces. Apart from SANAA, she also runs her eponymous firm, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. At the age of 44, Nishizawa was the youngest recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize when he received it in 2010. Like Kazuyo, he also runs his own firm, Office of Ryue Nishizawa. Some of its experimental projects include the much-photographed Teshima Art Musem on the island of Naoshima and House No.03 for Shishi-Iwa House – a cluster of boutique hotels in Karuizawa designed by several Pritzker Prize architects. Sejima is designing SSH No. 04 that is scheduled to open in Hakone, Japan later this year. The progressive nature of SANAA's celebrated works makes them interesting places to experience. Here we highlight nine cities with a SANAA project that you can easily add to your travel itinerary. TOKYO, JAPAN View this post on Instagram A post shared by 牧童製作所 (@shephotoerd) Tokyo's famous shopping street is known for many iconic boutiques with landmark architecture, such as the Prada flagship by Herzog & de Meuron and Tod's by Toyo Ito. Another one is Dior, with a shell by SANAA and interior by American architect Peter Marino. SANAA's architecture is given a light demeanour with a two-layered facade made of a clean clear glass outer skin and a translucent wavy acrylic inside layer. These are sandwiched between horizontal white bands, reflecting the building's differentiating interior heights. Each level features a different level of translucency, which gives the building a dynamic character, especially at night when it glows like a lantern. KANAZAWA, JAPAN 21st Century Museum of Art Located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa is known for its well-preserved Edo-era architecture and art museums. It is also a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. One of its most popular attractions is the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art that showcases an original way of viewing and enjoying art, one of which is Leandro Erlich's famous 'swimming pool'. Placed in a park, the low-rise building is a 112.5m diameter circular building capped by a thin roof. Within, boxy volumes of various sizes and heights define exhibition halls and other museum functions. The leftover space becomes public areas to meander around in. The unusual layout allows for flexible museum programming while the 360-degree perimeter glass walls intertwine views of the park with the interior. NAOSHIMA, JAPAN Naoshima Port Ferry Terminal View this post on Instagram A post shared by Finding Naoshima (@finding_naoshima) Naoshima is a pilgrimage hotspot for art lovers who come here to experience spaces and works such as Tadao Ando's Chichu Art Museum and Yayoi Kusama's Yellow Pumpkin site-specific sculpture, poised against the sea. SANAA created a small passenger terminal on the Japanese island for passengers waiting to disembark the island, or park their bicycles or motorbikes. The firm designed the giant cluster of white bubbles as a landmark that can be easily spotted by visitors heading to the terminal or approaching the terminal by ship. Modelled on a cumulonimbus cloud, it is made of intersecting, fibre-reinforced plastic spheres and a timber grid structure. TSURUOKA, JAPAN Shogin Tact Tsuruoka Located in Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka is a great destination for visitors to Japan wishing to seek out lesser-known areas. It has both natural and manmade beauty – towering mountains, open farmland, stretches of coastline. The Kamo Aquarium that has the largest aquarium display of jellyfish in the world, as well as historic and modern architecture. Tsuruoka is also Japan's only UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, guaranteeing filled tummies. Tsuruoka is home to the Dewa Sanzan (Three Holy Mountains of Dewa). The roof of the SANAA-designed Shogin Tact Tsuruoka mimics their undulating forms. The building is a community hall promoting cultural and artistic activities in the traditional farming town. Made of sheet metal, plastered concrete and curved steel framing, the multiple pitched shapes lower to a one-storey height along the road to harmonise with the surrounding cityscape and historic structures. The New Museum was founded in 1977 to showcase emerging artists. Its original location was in a SoHo loft but in 2003, SANAA was commissioned to create a new home for the museum to establish a strong visual presence and reach a wider audience. It was the first, purpose-built contemporary art museum in New York City. SANAA's architecture is known as being diagrammatically clear and simple. Hence, the New Museum is a series of 10 stacked, staggered boxes rising up the Bowery neighbourhood. The stacking brings natural light into the galleries through skylights through the differential gaps between each 'box'. The exterior, clad in two layers of industrial aluminium mesh, has a shimmering, textured effect that elevates the commonplace construction material. PARIS, FRANCE La Samaritaine La Samaritaine is a late 19th century "Les Grands Magasin" in Paris' first arrondissement. Among its many programmes is the Cheval Blanc Paris hotel. Started by Ernest Cognacq, the department store grew from a small corner shop in 1870 to a 70,000 sq m block combining Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. In 2012, SANAA, together with Francois Burgel Architectes Associes, LAGNEAU Architectes and SRA Architects, completed a renovation of the building. SANAA carved an internal passageway through the length of the existing building to connect three full-height courtyards. These function as social cores, surrounded by commercial activity. Outside, a new facade for the Rue de Rivoli building stiches together panels of undulating glass that shimmer in the sunlight and reflect its context in a most nuanced, romantic manner. Louvre-Lens Opened in 2012 and located in Lens, 200km north of France, Louvre-Lens is the Musee du Louvre's sister gallery, designed by SANAA in collaboration with New York studio Imrey Culbert. It aims to make art institutions more accessible to people living outside Paris. Lens is a former mining community devastated by both World Wars and the Nazi occupation, and it was hoped that the museum would bring rebirth to the city. Similar to some of SANAA's other 'transparent' buildings, Louvre-Lens features a thin, barely-there roof. A 360m-long glass facade dissolves boundaries between the internal and their external environments. The building, which also comprises an aluminium structure, showcases a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions and art from the local neighbourhood. LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND Rolex Learning Center Completed in 2010, the Rolex Learning Center is both architecture and landscape. Among its programmes are a learning laboratory, library, cultural spaces and is an international hub for the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lusanne) where the Center is located. The building is open to the public. Its experimental architecture was conceived as a continuous, undulating structure spread over 22,000 sq m. The architects thought of it as one 'big room'. The rising parts of the wavy form create openings that allow people to walk underneath, harmonising it with the park despite its large mass. Inside, the raised portions are used as study spaces and the restaurant as they offer good views – some of the Alps. The building reinvents the conventional campus building and connects deeply with the surrounding landscape. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Sydney Modern Project Completed in 2022, the Sydney Modern Project is SANAA's first work in the continent. The A$344 million (S$286.77 million) project transforms the 151-year-old Art Gallery of the New South Wales into a "museum campus" with and old and a new building connected by an Art Garden. SANAA's contemporary building juxtaposes against the original gallery's 19th century neoclassical facade, and mitigates a potentially massive volume with a series of interlocking pavilions stepping down the sloped land. An environmental case study, this is the first public art museum in Australia to achieve the country's highest environmental standard for design, a 6-star Green Star design rating by the Green Building Council of Australia. Some highlights include a gallery dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the modern extension, as well as an impressive underground exhibition space converted form a World War 2 naval fuel bunker called the Tank used for large-scale, site-specific commissions.
