Ellen Himelfarb

5 days ago | thespaces.com | Ellen Himelfarb

Try as we might, society has not yet eradicated the existence of the public library, the last bastion of analogue community activity. Instead, the library framework has gradually adapted to society — an increasingly disconnected society where a world of resources can be accessed from a single gadget. The Hazel McCallion Central Library in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga is Exhibit A.

1 week ago | thespaces.com | Ellen Himelfarb

Even a lifelong Londoner could never be quite sure how to enter the National Gallery. There was the main Portico, overlooking chaotic Trafalgar Square, obscured by flags, pillars and its sheer height. To the right is the lesser Getty Entrance, and a disused door to the other side. Then, in 1991, came the Sainsbury Wing, designed by postmodern pioneers Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, famously derided by the then Prince of Wales.

2 weeks ago | thespaces.com | Ellen Himelfarb

Lisbon’s Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande is many things: an art museum, a sumptuous five-star city hotel and a palace by the great River Tagus for the region’s count, per its name. It’s a survivor of Lisbon’s devastating 1755 earthquake. And it’s a superlative example of adaptive reuse in a city filled with sensitive conversions — one worth travelling for, which is a rare thing.

2 weeks ago | thespaces.com | Ellen Himelfarb

Canada’s maritime city of Halifax has taken the concept of the amusement pier and given it a sophisticated upgrade. Since the launch of the Queen’s Marque complex two years ago, centred on the city’s 18th-century dock, it has revitalised the downtown waterfront with hotels, restaurants and public art. The latest is Mystic, a 75-seat restaurant perched on the edge of the harbour, fused to the kinetic sculpture Tidal Beacon, by artist Ned Kahn.

3 weeks ago | thetimes.com | Ellen Himelfarb