Launch – Architizer – "A new online professional and social networking platform for the architectural community"

“October 27, 2009 (New York, NY) – Co-Founders Marc Kushner, Matthias Hollwich, Ben Prosky and Alex Diehl announce the beta launch of Architizer, a free tool with an open platform that provides a professional, cultural and intellectual place for architects, curators, clients, critics and fans to interact. Personal, firm and project profiles all link to each other to reveal the dynamic connections that shape today’s great architecture.

On the site, architects and firms can easily upload information and tag photos of their most recent projects. A curator can announce a new exhibition or event. A developer can hire an architect based on their work. A client can show off a new building, and fans can share photos of projects they have visited. Every profile is featured on a global map, and advanced search tools let users locate and discover projects.

Created by architects for architects, Architizer’s design is predicated on giving credit where credit is due. A single project may have dozens of contributors and Architizer links them all, from the intern to the construction manager. This linking allows Architizer to grow exponentially as new projects are added and contributors credit collaborators and staff. Some of the founding members include: The Office of Metropolitan Architecture (Rem Koolhaas), Studio Daniel Libeskind, Steven Holl Architects, Jurgen Mayer H, MVRDV, BIG, Asymptote and SHoP.

Architizer will also feature an interactive job board, a competition page, design school profiles and guest contributors to comment on the latest profiles. Strategic media partnerships already include international design magazines: Surface, Abitare and Face B. The University of Pennsylvania School of Design is the site’s academic launch partner.”

To continue reading the official press release…

To read the presentation document…

To visit the website…

(Source: Ryan Quinlan, Architizer and Nicolas Marier)