Stephen, etc.

May 26th

Metropolis Magazine: Not-So-Newbie

“…The non-architect architectural critic, while under pressure to defend the discipline, is not obliged to do so. When no longer writing to laud the glory of the architect, the critic is free to study the relationship between architecture and context (site, economics, politics, culture) on its own terms….”

A new architectural critic for the NYT, pointing out why is it important and beneficial that he is not an architect himself.

storyboard:

Moby on Strange and Beautiful LA Architecture

He lives — literally — in a castle in the sky. It is a sprawling structure, with a gatehouse turret, nestled under the Hollywood sign, high in the hills of Beachwood Canyon. It has a speakeasy in the basement, and the Rolling Stones once lived there.

It’s a new way of life for Moby, who spent decades in a one-bedroom apartment in the Lower East Side — with his recording studio in his bedroom and his bedroom in his closet. And yet, as it turns out, the musician is something of an architecture buff — captivated by the landscapes of urban geography. For the past year, Moby has been documenting the wild and beautiful ways of LA architecture on his blog, Moby Los Angeles Architecture. We asked him what makes LA architecture so baffling and unique.

— Jessica Bennett

228 notes

Apr 29th

What’s that look on Eduardo Souto de Moura’s face? That’s the look slowly gathering fear as the Pritzker Prize winning architect finds it more and more difficult to get projects. The article at ArchDaily.

Apr 28th

192 Shoreham St.
By Project Orange (2012)

There has been a recent trend of stacking extremely modern additions on top of historic structures. Some sort of statement about old and new, I guess, but I rather like the effect here, as if the acute angles tie everything together.

Le 2-22 By Ædeficia (2012)
I love the contrast - materially, compositionally - between the two envelopes, as well as the depth of layers they create.

Apr 27th

14 notes

Le 2-22
By Ædeficia (2012)

I love the contrast - materially, compositionally - between the two envelopes, as well as the depth of layers they create.

Apr 26th

City Hall Harelbeke
By Dehullu & Partners (2012)

A rather nice link between two formally disconnected town hall buildings. Feels boldly contextual and subtly distinctive.

Buildings on the Road By Nigel Peake (2012)

Apr 19th

876 notes

Buildings on the Road
By Nigel Peake (2012)

(via ummhello)

Convent at Ronchamp By Renzo Piano Building Workshop (2012)
The NYT now has a review of Piano’s addition to Le Corbusier’s celebrated chapel. This was a project that generated a lot of controversy, but I always felt that, if it had to be done, Renzo Piano is as good a choice as any to do the job. It would seem that the final addition is sensitive, discreet, and enhancing.

Apr 18th

1 note

Convent at Ronchamp
By Renzo Piano Building Workshop (2012)

The NYT now has a review of Piano’s addition to Le Corbusier’s celebrated chapel. This was a project that generated a lot of controversy, but I always felt that, if it had to be done, Renzo Piano is as good a choice as any to do the job. It would seem that the final addition is sensitive, discreet, and enhancing.

onsomething:

Alvar Aalto | Finlandia Hall - Carrara marble cladding

From what I have read, the curving of the marble may be accidental, a result of a material unsuited for the harsh conditions of Finland. The marble has already been replaced once, in 1998, for thicker pieces, but the curving reappeared in 2006. This may be problematic from a practicality standpoint, but aesthetically I find it beautiful.

Apr 17th

238 notes

onsomething:

Alvar Aalto | Finlandia Hall - Carrara marble cladding

From what I have read, the curving of the marble may be accidental, a result of a material unsuited for the harsh conditions of Finland. The marble has already been replaced once, in 1998, for thicker pieces, but the curving reappeared in 2006. This may be problematic from a practicality standpoint, but aesthetically I find it beautiful.

(Source: dailyfotojournal, via omasuarz)

White U-House By Toyo Ito (1976)
A house built out of mourning. When I learned the story behind the house, the architecture, and this image in particular, evoked surprise, melancholy, and a little bit of fear. Expressed is the Japanese aesthetic of stark impermanence. This was an incredibly personal piece of design, and it seems fitting that it should be demolished twenty-one years later.
“The story, as told by Toyo Ito, reaches its conclusion twenty-one years after the completion of the house, when the family was ready to re-establish its links with the outside world. The older daughter who moved out first later claimed she had never thought of whether or not it was comfortable to live in the house, although she refers to the house as a coffin. The mother also moved out, but being a musicologist she had enjoyed the music echoing on the bare walls in the old house. The youngest daughter was the last one to move out. She felt she had developed certain sensitivity for aesthetics in this house and later she became a museum director. The house was demolished in 1997.”

Apr 11th

1 note

White U-House
By Toyo Ito (1976)

A house built out of mourning. When I learned the story behind the house, the architecture, and this image in particular, evoked surprise, melancholy, and a little bit of fear. Expressed is the Japanese aesthetic of stark impermanence. This was an incredibly personal piece of design, and it seems fitting that it should be demolished twenty-one years later.

“The story, as told by Toyo Ito, reaches its conclusion twenty-one years after the completion of the house, when the family was ready to re-establish its links with the outside world. The older daughter who moved out first later claimed she had never thought of whether or not it was comfortable to live in the house, although she refers to the house as a coffin. The mother also moved out, but being a musicologist she had enjoyed the music echoing on the bare walls in the old house. The youngest daughter was the last one to move out. She felt she had developed certain sensitivity for aesthetics in this house and later she became a museum director. The house was demolished in 1997.”