Architecture | Architectural Drawings

Monday, Monday

<a href="http://www.archidose.org/main.html">My weekly page</a> update: This week's dose features <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Apr10/05/dose.html">One Shelley Street</a> in Sydney, Australia by Clive Wilkinson Architects: <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Apr10/05/dose.html"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://www.archidose.org/Apr10/05/image01sm.jpg" title="One Shelley Street in Sydney, Australia by Clive Wilkinson Architects" /></a> The featured past dose is <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Aug05/080105.html"> The Art Wall</a> in Surry Hills, Australia by Dale Jones-Evans Architects: <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Aug05/080105.html"><img alt="featured past dose" src="http://www.archidose.org/Aug05/artwall1sm.jpg" title="The Art Wall in Surry Hills, Australia by Dale Jones-Evans Architects" width="200" /></a> This week's book review is <a href="http://www.archidose.org/books/evolo2.html">eVolo #02: Skyscrapers of the Future</a> edited by Carlo Aiello: <a href="http://www.archidose.org/books/evolo2.html"><img alt="this week's book review" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/evolo2.jpg" title="eVolo #02: Skyscrapers of the Future edited by Carlo Aiello" width="200" /></a> Some unrelated links for your enjoyment: <blockquote><a href="http://drawingarchitecture.tumblr.com/">Drawing ARCHITECTURE</a> A collection of drawings that Nikita, an architectural student, likes. (added to sidebar under blogs::architecture) <a href="http://www.student-showcase.org/">Student Architecture and Design Inititative</a> (SADI) "A non-profit organization that will inventory, recognize, celebrate, and promote the outstanding work of student architects and designers around the globe." (added to sidebar under architectural links::organizations) <a href="http://overcommaunder.tumblr.com/">over,under</a> The "collective random thoughts" of Boston-based multi-disciplinary studio for architecture, urban design, interiors, graphic identity and publications <a href="http://www.overcommaunder.com/">over,under</a>. (added to sidebar under blogs::offices) <a href="http://www.photography-colleges.org/50-most-amazing-architectural-photography-blogs/">50 Most Amazing Architectural Photography Blogs</a> Lists like this seem to pop up every other week, featuring the same old sites in a ploy to drive traffic to a site. Usually I shy away from linking to them, but there's a number of sites here that I'm not familiar with, so I'm breaking my own rules. </blockquote>

Monday, Monday

My weekly page update: This week's dose features One Shelley Street in Sydney, Australia by Clive Wilkinson Architects: The featured...

8:30 AM

Today's archidose #406

Here are some photos of the Manhufe Parking Lot in Matosinhos, Portugal by <a href="http://www.guilhermemachadovaz.com/">Guilherme Machado Vaz</a>, 2009. (<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/03/todays-archidose-297.html">Previously</a>.) Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/89707735@N00/">z.z</a>. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/4484591374/" title="Matosinhos, Parque de estacionamento de Manhufe. Guilherme Machado Vaz by z.z, on Flickr"><img alt="Matosinhos, Parque de estacionamento de Manhufe. Guilherme Machado Vaz" height="333" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4484591374_fb69b8a01f.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/4484139857/" title="Matosinhos, Parque de estacionamento de Manhufe. Guilherme Machado Vaz by z.z, on Flickr"><img alt="Matosinhos, Parque de estacionamento de Manhufe. Guilherme Machado Vaz" height="333" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4484139857_c05e1d94d1.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/4483916043/" title="Matosinhos, Parque de estacionamento de Manhufe. Guilherme Machado Vaz by z.z, on Flickr"><img alt="Matosinhos, Parque de estacionamento de Manhufe. Guilherme Machado Vaz" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4483916043_fe52286e43.jpg" width="333" /></a> To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or :: Tag your photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></blockquote>

Today's archidose #406

Here are some photos of the Manhufe Parking Lot in Matosinhos, Portugal by Guilherme Machado Vaz , 2009. ( Previously .) Photographs are by ...

9:00 PM

28 days to go...

...until the unveiling of some wild and wacky architecture at <a href="http://en.expo2010.cn/">Expo 2010 Shanghai</a>. The theme of "'Better City, Better Life,' represent[s] the common wish of the whole humankind for a better living in future urban environments." Regardless of the theme, most of the country pavilions are explorations of architectural innovation, like <a href="http://www.heatherwick.com/">Thomas Heatherwick</a>'s <a href="http://www.ukshanghaiexpo.com/">UK pavilion</a>: <img alt="expo2010-1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/expo2010-1.jpg" title="UK Pavilion" /> [UK Pavilion, detail | image <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/shanghai_prepares_for_expo_201.html">source</a>] The general idea of expos is that the national pavilions are expressions of the country, their culture, innovation, knowledge, etc. So what does the <a href="http://www.usapavilion2010.com/">US pavilion</a> by Canadian architect <a href="http://clivegrout.com/">Clive Grout</a> say (besides "who the heck is Clive Grout?")? <img alt="expo2010-2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/expo2010-2.jpg" title="UK Pavilion" /> [US Pavilion, rendering | image <a href="http://www.usapavilion2010.com/usapavilion2010/paviliondesign.html">source</a>] A number of sustainable features are included, though they don't seem to impact the form of the building as much as symbolism. According to the pavilion's web page, the "bold and simple shape of the USA Pavilion shadows that of an eagle with open wings, a creature that is uninhibited by boundaries. ... the eagle has been designed with its wings open as a gesture to welcome guests into the Pavilion." So the pavilion is rhetoric over architectural innovation, business as usual, even in regards to the private sourcing of a very public project, as described in <a href="http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=3399">this Architect's Newspaper article</a>. Its location near an entry gate, and the fact its the US pavilion, will guarantee a high number of visitors (projections call for 60 million), but the design hold little promise in impressing them, especially in regards to the <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/shanghai_prepares_for_expo_201.html">other pavilions</a>.

28 days to go...

...until the unveiling of some wild and wacky architecture at Expo 2010 Shanghai . The theme of "'Better City, Better Life,' re...

8:45 AM

Today's archidose #405

Here are some photos of the Mesa Del Sol Town Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico by <a href="http://www.predock.com/">Antoine Predock Architect</a>, 2008. Photos are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/37515532@N00/">jarrod_arq1</a>, who has many more photos in his <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37515532@N00/sets/72157623604015137/">flickr set on the building</a>. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37515532@N00/4474071954/" title="32 mdstc & 6102 029, on Flickr"><img alt="32 mdstc & 6102 029" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2792/4474071954_6958264d86.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37515532@N00/4473292225/" title="31 20090402 034, on Flickr"><img alt="31 20090402 034" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4473292225_e676111403.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37515532@N00/4473283171/" title="27 P1010362, on Flickr"><img alt="27 P1010362" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2683/4473283171_318ac7a961.jpg" width="500" /></a> To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or :: Tag your photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></blockquote>

Today's archidose #405

Here are some photos of the Mesa Del Sol Town Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Antoine Predock Architect , 2008. Photos are by jarrod_ar...

8:30 AM

Candide Round Table

A week from today I will be participating in <a href="http://sce.parsons.edu/2010/03/22/candide-journal-for-architectural-knowledge-round-table-discussion-at-sce-8-april-2010/">a round table discussion</a> timed to the launch of <a href="http://www.candidejournal.net/">Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge</a>. The panel focuses on knowledge, writing, and architectural publishing, among other things. I'll be alongside <a href="http://www.306090.org/">306090</a>'s Emily Abruzzo, Yale's <a href="http://ninarappaport.com/">Nina Rappaport</a>, and Columbia's <a href="http://varnelis.net/">Kazys Varnelis</a>. Between now and then I need to work on de-jangling my public speaking nerves, come up with a brief slideshow on why I do my blog and weekly web page, and think about the questions posed in the press release below. If you attend the discussion be sure to say hi! <img alt="candide_titel_3.gif" src="http://sce.parsons.edu/files/2010/03/candide_titel_3.gif" title="Candide Cover" /> <blockquote>8 April, Thursday, 6-8pm The Glass Corner, Room 206 25 East 13th Street In an age of seemingly ubiquitous information, data and networks: What is knowledge?In an age of self-publication and blogs: Can peer review ensure quality? Why should architects write when what they do best is design? Hosted by William R. Morrish,  Dean, Parsons, School of Constructed Environments Moderated by Susanne Schindler,  Editor, Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge Panelists: Emily Abruzzo, Editor, 306090, Frequent SCE visiting faculty. John Hill, Writer and Editor, A Daily Dose of Architecture Nina Rappaport, Publications Director, Yale School of Architecture, Frequent SCE visiting faculty. Kazys Varnelis, Director, Network Architecture Lab, Columbia University – <a href="http://candide.arch.rwth-aachen.de/">Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge</a> is a peer-reviewed German-English language periodical edited by the Department of Architecture Theory, Faculty of Architecture at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. For questions or review copies, contact Susanne Schindler schindler@theorie.arch.rwth-aachen.de</blockquote>

Candide Round Table

A week from today I will be participating in a round table discussion timed to the launch of Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge ....

6:00 AM

Book Review: Storefront Newsprints

<a href="http://www.storefrontnews.org/book_dete.php?bookID=15" style="font-style: italic;">Storefront Newsprints: 1982-2009</a> by Storefront for Art and Architecture Storefront Books, 2009 2-volume paperback with slip case, 1,000 pages <img alt="book-storefront1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/book-storefront1.jpg" /> Anybody who has visited the <a href="http://www.storefrontnews.org/">Storefront for Art and Architecture</a> has probably walked away with a folded piece of newsprint with details on the exhibition on display. Since my first visit in 1997 I've amassed quite a few, storing them in a shoebox with pamphlets from other museums and venues I've visited in New York City and beyond. The Storefront newsprints have a way of standing out from the rest, in large part from the material they are printed on as well as the monochrome graphics employed. They are anachronistic without being reactionary. They recall a time before ink-jet printers and digital publishing, a time of literal cut-and-paste graphic design and printing in local copy shops. Yet the newsprint is a consistent medium in the nearly 30-year Storefront history, spanning a time of great changes arising from digital technologies, be it graphic design, publishing, or architecture. That Storefront continues to use the format points to a desire to keep in mind the organization's origins, even as it grows in scope and influence beyond the confines of 97 Kenmare Street. <img alt="book-storefront2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/book-storefront2.jpg" /> Storefront Newsprints collects over 150 of the newsletters from its early days on Prince Street to last year, reprinted in two volumes nicely packaged in a black slip case. This is book as historical artifact, focused on what could be considered Storefront's unintentional archive. Not all of the text in the reprints is legible (essays by Lebbeus Woods, Michael Webb, and Vito Acconci are reprinted in easy-to-read format), but it is the images, layouts, and most of all the subject matter that rises to the fore while perusing the collection. Storefront Newsprints comes at the end of Joseph Grima's three-year directorship. Heading for Italy and <a href="http://www.domusweb.it/">Domus</a>, he followed Sarah Herda, who is now at the helm of the <a href="http://www.grahamfoundation.org/">Graham Foundation</a> in Chicago after her eight-years at Storefront. Before them founder Kyong Park directed the space's exhibitions, and Grima's interview with him is particularly revealing about the organization and its newsprints. As the Storefront searches for Grima's replacement, the past tenuousness of its existence seems to have given way to a widespread appreciation of the organizations, its space (restored in 2008), and its place within the broader architectural community. The influence of its programs reaches beyond its <a href="http://www.storefrontnews.org/newsletter/StorefrontDrawings.pdf">868sf home</a> (PDF link), but the newsprints are unique artifacts for those able to visit the gallery in person...and now for those <a href="http://www.storefrontnews.org/bookstore.php">willing to spend $49</a>. US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984361707?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0984361707" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan.gif" /></a> or at <a href="http://www.storefrontnews.org/book_dete.php?bookID=15">Storefront Bookstore</a>

Book Review: Storefront Newsprints

Storefront Newsprints: 1982-2009 by Storefront for Art and Architecture Storefront Books, 2009 2-volume paperback with slip case, 1,000 pag...

8:30 PM

Extracts of local distance

<a href="http://www.localdistance.org/">Extracts of local distance</a> is a project by Benjamin Maus, Frederic Gmeiner and Thorsten Posselt. "Countless fragments of existing architectural photography are merged into multilayered shapes. The resulting collages introduce a third abstract point of view next to the original ones of architect and photographer." Take a look at the project video: <object height="281" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9202755&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9202755&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="281"></embed></object><a href="http://vimeo.com/9202755">Extracts of Local Distance</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/stoeseltntpro">STOESELTNTPRO</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Now take a look at one of the finished pieces: <img alt="extracts1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/extracts1.jpg" title="elberg campus" /> <img alt="extracts2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/extracts2.jpg" title="elberg campus" /> [Elbberg Campus, top with detail below | image <a href="http://www.localdistance.org/project.php?p=8">source</a>] The project, Elbberg Campus by <a href="http://www.brt.de/">BRT Architekten</a> was <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Jul04/070504.html">featured on my weekly page</a> in 2004: <img alt="brt1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Jul04/brt1.jpg" title="elberg campus" width="500" /> <img alt="brt2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Jul04/brt2.jpg" title="elberg campus" width="500" /> <img alt="brt4.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Jul04/brt4.jpg" title="elberg campus" width="500" /> The original photographer is <a href="http://www.klaus-frahm.de/">Klaus Frahm</a>, though I'm not sure if the three photos from my feature are the ones used for manipulation. Pieces of the wood louvers, curling metal facade, and wood decking can be seen in the collage, taking the space between the buildings and making it 100 times more dynamic. The image recalls <a href="http://zahahadid.vm.bytemark.co.uk/sports-and-leisure/2008/07/10/the-peak">Zaha Hadid's paintings</a>, but it also makes me think of <a href="http://arc202.blogspot.com/2008/02/drawing-examples.html">exploded diagrams</a>, where pieces are pulled away from their final location for ease of understanding. In a sense these collages do the same thing, they extract information from the architectural photography and isolate individual pieces for regrouping into something new yet still recalling the original. Do the technique and its result have the potential to reorient how architects design space? Or are they just a commentary on the fairly consistent world of architectural photography today? Whatever their influence, they are striking images that I'm sure most architects would love to have gracing their walls. (via <a href="http://pytr75.blogspot.com/2010/03/extracts-of-local-distance.html">PYTR 75</a>)

Extracts of local distance

Extracts of local distance is a project by Benjamin Maus, Frederic Gmeiner and Thorsten Posselt. "Countless fragments of existing arch...

2:30 PM