Mound, hearth, enclosure, roof, and column. The way we see it, Gottfried Semper and scholars already figured out what makes honest tectonic form. We're looking for the element that satisfies our primitive urge to value architecture that's good.

November 29th 2010

record roof
by: matt glassmeyer
in: nashville, tennessee

350 damaged records repurposed as shingles for a covered porch.

Posted at 12:39pm and tagged with: roof, records, united states,.

record roofby: matt glassmeyerin: nashville, tennessee 350 damaged records repurposed as shingles for a covered porch.

October 24th 2010

7 notes

patio
by: Thom Faulder 
in: san francisco, california

“I wanted someone to barf when they look at it.”

Not really a statement that most designers strive for, let alone utter, but you’ve got to hand it to client Jeff Dauber and architect Thom Faulder, this patio almost makes you want to loose your lunch in a memorized, why couldn’t I think of that, kind of way.  The concept of pattern is pushed to the extreme, calling upon tricks of the eye that date back to the Renaissance.  However, rather than traditional painted or drawn methods of forced perspective, plywood tiles were designed, manufactured, and hand installed on the small patio to create a vortex centered around an existing maple.  Ultimately, what could have been a banal plane for gathering became an unique piece of art for the house.

While fascinating, projects like this do present a problem with the desire for hyper-customized design.  The patio can really only be viewed in its intended state in a few spots, and even then only at the the eye level of the client.   To create something similar for a mass audience would be a challenge, if not almost impossible… But in the case of vomit enducing architecture? That’s probably not such a bad thing. 

Posted at 10:35am and tagged with: mound, residential, landscape, united states,.

patioby: Thom Faulder in: san francisco, california “I wanted someone to barf when they look at it.” Not really a statement that most designers strive for, let alone utter, but you’ve got to hand it to client Jeff Dauber and architect Thom Faulder, this patio almost makes you want to loose your lunch in a memorized, why couldn’t I think of that, kind of way.  The concept of pattern is pushed to the extreme, calling upon tricks of the eye that date back to the Renaissance.  However, rather than traditional painted or drawn methods of forced perspective, plywood tiles were designed, manufactured, and hand installed on the small patio to create a vortex centered around an existing maple.  Ultimately, what could have been a banal plane for gathering became an unique piece of art for the house. While fascinating, projects like this do present a problem with the desire for hyper-customized design.  The patio can really only be viewed in its intended state in a few spots, and even then only at the the eye level of the client.   To create something similar for a mass audience would be a challenge, if not almost impossible… But in the case of vomit enducing architecture? That’s probably not such a bad thing. 

October 24th 2010

2 notes

Tye River Cabin
by: Olson Kundig Architects
in: Skykomish, Washington

Here’s a slick looking cabin described by the designer as a “wooden tent on a platform that opens to the forest and the river.”  Located east of Seattle, Washington, the small  building has a cast in place concrete core with a wood/glass panel wall system .  It emphasizes all four of Semper’s elements.  The building responds to the context, ultimately blurring the threshold between indoors and outdoors, which is an elegant way to create a large space while maintaining a small footprint.   Though we wonder how often the cabin is experienced that way, especially given the frequently rainy and cold months in the northwest. 

Posted at 9:22am and tagged with: mound, hearth, enclosure, roof, residence, united states,.

Tye River Cabinby: Olson Kundig Architectsin: Skykomish, Washington Here’s a slick looking cabin described by the designer as a “wooden tent on a platform that opens to the forest and the river.”  Located east of Seattle, Washington, the small  building has a cast in place concrete core with a wood/glass panel wall system .  It emphasizes all four of Semper’s elements.  The building responds to the context, ultimately blurring the threshold between indoors and outdoors, which is an elegant way to create a large space while maintaining a small footprint.   Though we wonder how often the cabin is experienced that way, especially given the frequently rainy and cold months in the northwest. 

October 1st 2010

johnson chapel
by: butler rogers baskett architects
in: new york, new york

Often time places intended for quiet meditation and prayer are guilty of loud ornamentation and excessive design.  These spaces easily (and like Gothic cathedrals, often intentionally) become a display of people, procession, and form in their own right.   The Johnson Chapel at Trinity School aims to focus on “subtraction, refinement and integration”, where a simple material pallet coupled with daylight creates a dynamic space without over stimulation.  Maple woodwork becomes a place for seating, storage, and sound.   A low supply - high return mechanical system is integrated into the room, hiding grills under the riverbed rock and within the edges of the floating ceiling.

The 1,000 square foot chapel is a beautiful display of clean lines and use of materials that embodies the intention of the program.  The detailing is simple, but elegant, which is by no means simple to achieve in practice.  The pictures alone instill a vibe of tranquility, one can only imagine how peaceful it is to actually be there. 

Posted at 12:00am and tagged with: enclosure, united states, worship,.

johnson chapelby: butler rogers baskett architectsin: new york, new york Often time places intended for quiet meditation and prayer are guilty of loud ornamentation and excessive design.  These spaces easily (and like Gothic cathedrals, often intentionally) become a display of people, procession, and form in their own right.   The Johnson Chapel at Trinity School aims to focus on “subtraction, refinement and integration”, where a simple material pallet coupled with daylight creates a dynamic space without over stimulation.  Maple woodwork becomes a place for seating, storage, and sound.   A low supply - high return mechanical system is integrated into the room, hiding grills under the riverbed rock and within the edges of the floating ceiling. The 1,000 square foot chapel is a beautiful display of clean lines and use of materials that embodies the intention of the program.  The detailing is simple, but elegant, which is by no means simple to achieve in practice.  The pictures alone instill a vibe of tranquility, one can only imagine how peaceful it is to actually be there.