Sempre Fidelis

The new military museum off I-95 is a bold statement and a metaphor of the landing and victory at Iwo Jima. The Scale of the project and the tribute to those alive and fallen are equal. It is impressive on the inside with a grand skylight court which is seen in the photo above. The majority of the building is underground and is surrounded by patriotic displays and exhibits. While the building is a bit monumental, it delivers a bold statement as one approaches form either or North or South. The Architects from Denver, Colorado, took care to provide a fitting reminder that those who have sacrificed will not be forgotten.
The structural system is uniquely fitted with a large pylon to careful support the planes which hang from the roof. It will probably last many years.

Who Rah!

The Church Saw nothing but action

What appears to be outpost for the French Foreign Legion is actually the remains of a gun gallery at old Fort Monroe, Virginia, which will be soon be a national park. Used during world war I and II as part of the coast defenses shells fired from the guns could travel almost 15 miles. Ironically it was call the  "Church".

Most of the speculation in this military base has been in the land. Most of the infrastructure of this facility remains in tack and abandon. What the years hold for this one stalwart facility for the Army Artillery School will soon be at the hand of developers.

S.O.M. does it again

Inside an urban Cathedral in Oakland California. This may or may not be germane but the access to the doors at the rear of the church is rather hidden. As I approached the back of the church to enter a Hispanic  American Asked me in Spanish "where is the doors so that I can go in?"
Once inside the stunning use of wood is an experience. The use of common material (i.e. concrete) brings the design down to earth.

It is interesting that the building is on a raised platform visible from the parks turned away from the water and entering from the office buildings site of the complex. remarkable from the outside and in for the technical application of light and material.

Materialism

In this age of masterful departures from the historic materials, new and innovative discussions about design are promoted through the dialogues created by the fabrication of new materials. The photo is three dimensional representation of the pixels taken from a photo of the tree canopy at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The image has been used in copper to transform an otherwise mundane metal into a texture which arrests the eye.
It is a new avenue for designers to explore both the materials and the way traditional cladding has been used and proposed new applications and forms with these new applications.  If their is anything characteristic about our current crop of new buildings it is the exploration of materiality as an expression of architecture.

Bye Mr. Jobs

I took this picture while walking in the neighborhood of Mr. Jobs Home. While I was not very sure where it was located the streets are a common cross section of middle American sans Palo Alto. I was amazed at how pleasant the street were with rose bushes and flowers of every kind. The stone house of the 30's mixes with the clapboard siding of other more modest houses. Mr. Jobs actually lived in a Spanish colonial house with very simple furniture and embellishment, somewhat like a Buddhist Monk. In any event the innovator that imagined to dream has come to an untimely (56yo) end. And where will the next innovator come from? We can only hope our society is fertile enough to generate someone with as much or more immagination and stamina as Mr. Jobs. He acted like a wizard and spoke like an oracle and lived in humility. Can we not all hope for this to happen before we are overtaken by death? Rightly so our dreams if cared for and nurtured will project us and leave to others a small token of humanity for the next generation.


It is clear that the young follow what is here today, the baby boomers if you will. The creativity that each of us has and contains within ourselves is an expression of our powers to truly be. I sense it is true with technology, just as it is with building.

My backberry went to the fritz the day after Mr. Job passed away.......maybe in heaven he pulled the server on the system???

Ice Baby Ice

The Apple Store near central Park in Manhattan

The New York Times Building-Italian Ice

The city of New York is making a glorious attempt to regain prominence as a center of finance and Commerce. These two examples are places from my last trip which give hope of many of the negative aspects of urbanism being converted to more responsible designs. It is with gradual efforts such as these above that designs will be a legacy for posterity and an example for those in current practice.

Oakland Curves

Cathedral of Light by SOM

steel sulpture by Richard Serra

The above similarity of the building and the sculpture created about the same time is remarkable. Both make a statement in the use of form and shadow.

The DeYoung in San Francisco

Truly one of the memorable museums of the United States. Designed by French/Swiss Architects Herzog and de Meuron. $202 million dollars at 203,000 square feet. A wonderful setting and a wonderful environment to display and view art. The copper panels have a design taken from a digitized photograph of the surrounding tree canopy. From the tower one sees San Francisco and the Hills of the City. On a pleasant day this can be a feast for the eyes!

Albert Frey, Architect

I ran across this photo of the first Aluminium House designed by Swiss Architect Albert Frey (1930). He like many architects of his time was captivated by the movement which LeCorbusier started was a proponent of the new internationalism.....................sounds like the movement to global economy? Anyhow, I was able to see the original sketch done for this building which was in pencil. I will try and post it for those interested in how designed evolved from concept to reality. The end results was remarkable. The art of transitioning from idea to structure was very close to one another in this case. Simple yet artistic, we sometimes think that the time the designer spends playing with form is irrational, yet it was a way of thinking before computer visualization became a heavy favorite to those who would remove the human imagination from the public realm.

Digital Self Portrait

Which new software takes real-time sketches  and uses the image to enhance the  image? This software follows and articulates the intuitive decision making process. One uses mirrors to capture the viewers' likeness and chooses the most interesting and distinctive details.

New Golf Club takes shape

The new club house will serve as temporary pro shop and marshal's office as well as have a small canteen until the restoration is complete. The small building on the right in the photo will be added before work begins on the historic clubhouse. the property has remained in the same propoerty since 1909!

Historic is not necessarily a ticket for development!

The possibilities of developing older stock of structures is very tempting. The thinking that funds are "waiting" for someone to find a building with a  a new or reusable function can lead one down a long pursuit toward hope which doesn't exist.
The building above indicates a 1909 clubhouse which was modified in the 60's and has some very interesting architectural features. I am told by architectural historians at Williamsburg that historic designations, especially around the historic triangle, are part of a fifty year sliding scale. In other words, if a building today wanted to be considered it needed to be built before the 1960's for consideration. With That being said, many buildings will only gain partial or no designation if they meet  strick requirement, while other sturctures in better shape will have a much more cost effective chance of gaining funds for renovation. In any event, it may be of more worthwhile effort to pursue private funding.

In the building above many characteristics are design features which are nice but do not represent design innovations. In this particular case historic preservation may be the last course to pursue. Wonderful place and wonderful people can have high hopes that lead to good intensions.

Cranbrook Thesis Projects

When I was in Boston Working on my Masters of Architecture these students were not even in college at Crandbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The photos are some of the interesting projects and all created by students for their Thesis Finals. The Show ended May 8, 2011, but the work was an indication of the quality.
I was pleasantly surprised at the innovation but sorry I missed the entire show. The Third project(bottom) was floating in the reflection ponds created by Saarinen and is outside his apartment. Not a lot of curved surfaces.
Considering that the school only accepts 70 students a year, room is limited for display of projects. Most attempted interesting displays of common (i.e. pipes, wire, topography) materials. Most came in two parts bolted together, perhaps patterned on the Solar Decathlon it has to be portable?

Condominiums on the Chesapeake Bay

The image here is a view looking down the "main street" of a new development in Norfolk. The vision of high density in the landscape seems to be an area of no little consternation among the locals. In this and other new developments around the country, the lack of usable land requires higher standards in this recession.

While this development is being passed among the politicians, the real issue here is if the military which has a base close by will even allow a tall building close to an ACUZ zone. The final vote comes up in March. It is a process which has taken almost five years and was reported earlier but was reduced in priority because of the recession. People want quality, "Green" buildings and they do not want to spend a lot! It is conditions like this which make our profession so volatile and require real effort to a solid design solutions.

This is one of many views of this mixed-use development . The proper mix is necessary in today's economic climate. My only question in this entire process  is "Do we spend enough time with the 'mixed use ' to make it an asset to the inhabitants and the community. A community needs to blend and not send a message of exclusiveness to the entire city. In Europe people who live in apartments feel that they are part of the City, while in America we have the idea of home ownership to initiate this cause. Do we need a different idea of home ownership in these times?

Plan -Outdoor Assembly area for Lodge/church

Completely demountable and able to be stored this facility would be able to be transported to any location on the carriage of a semi-trailer.

The movement of the facility which sits on a lot shared by both a church and a Lodge is a attempt at resource reduction for both organizations.

Solar Harrisonburg

This is an attempt at providing south facing solar collectors for hot water. This building sits on a hill on the north side of town. It is in a urban setting but has not provided a sufficient overhang and glare blocking fins for this southern climate. The interior partitions are all wood studs while the exterior walls are structural studs which use Styrofoam on the exterior and batts on the interior. The first floor sits about 30 inches below the top of the hill. The front, which is the opposite side from this view, is of conventional mortar less thin set stone. It is characteristic of builders to utilize new technology, however, without the proper direction it is moneys ill spent.

Urban Garage

A six story garage in a downtown area uses minimalism to express fundamental issues of protection and fire safety. The tube like fenestration also serves to reduce the solar gain. The dual facility is linked by a fifth story walkway. One of the exterior walls is also a shear wall without major openings.

What is an architect-Education vs. Experience

During recessions and slowdowns in the national or global economy the general public takes a rather critical eye as to what we do as architects. I often feel that when something gets built it is the result of many people who care nothing about architecture and more about getting something built.

Recently I made a comment regarding a renovation project which I was familiar to someone who was trained in architecture. This person was obviously educated. They were not directly involved in the construction of new buildings . Their area of expertise was  as a historic researcher which was in the business of providing information to restore a building. My remark that the architect  for my family home was, let say , Mr. Architect "X". Their response "yes I know who he was but all the details and research was done by Mr. Y, and while not a licensed architect was the real designer!" In other words, the architect in this persons mind was relegated to being a technician who could could only do the contract drawings and meet with the client. This conversation I am sure is repeated many times today in our country and what we have is that 70% of all buildings are done without the benefit of an architect.

Although the research and investigation of historic buildings takes talent from many specialties, it is the architect which should be the leader. Lately we have moved away from the personality of the Prima Donas. The dichotomy which I believe has never been clarified since the death of Frank L. Wright, LeCorbu, and Mies is the fact that the creativity which an architect brings to a project is a spirit. If you will "an Elan". 

 Even for architects it is a difficult walk to produce buildings and spaces  in which the greatness of the effort is measured by future generations. We would all want our effort to be enduring. However, everyone who puts six years of schooling, three years of apprenticeship and take an exam needs and should receive the respect of the public. To diminish this effort is to let the novice do the heart surgery. I would hope the society of this country and others would be willing to recognize the unique and contributory affect of experience and education combined in a professional. I find it difficult to accept the interpretation of our profession by those that would want to diminish our creative and careful efforts to make the environment a place which design can enhance the lives of so many people.

Contemporary top

Notice the changed brick work from the large masonry to the smaller stones above the small niches and window.

Sacred Spaces and Historic Places

This cast bronze map is in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. It is a reproduction of how the building  or "Mission" looked in 1836 while the defenders were busy with Santa Anna's Army. Interesting enough the compound was not inhabitant when the alteration occurred. And I say mission because it was never really roofed until the U.S. Army purchased and used it for storage many years after it became part of the United States. The characteristic facade was only complete above the window of the second level. The rounded portion of the parapet over the entry was added by the U.S. Army to hide the gable roof which was later added in the later years.


What makes this structure not just a building but a sacred space is the meaning it in our culture. It represents sacrifice for those who, beyond the immediate peril and their own comfort, strove for what is decent and moral. A worthwhile endeavor and something that makes this place like no other in the United States. It is not the comfort but a noble endeavor and the tribulations that ensue, which lifts a place above the confines of daily endeavors. I must admit the space is rather small for a modern church and the infirmary building which was originally two stories is now a one story space. It all seems larger than life as we walk through the spaces ,where if the walls could talk ,would say that men and women of all races did something that elevated this place to a sacred complex.