1. The ability to set priorities, to separate the relevant from the irrelevant.
2. The ability to get the job done fast, to execute quickly.
Tag Archives: archdaily
These “Spite Houses” Are the Ultimate Lesson in How to Hate Your Neighbors
There are many good reasons to build a house: shelter, economics, or self-expression. But spite? In this article, originally published on Curbed as “Spite Houses: 12 Homes Created With Anger and Angst,” Patrick Sisson delves into the “small but ignoble tradition” of people who constructed houses to enrage their neighbors, family members or the authorities.
Boston “Skinny House”
The Boston “skinny house” was supposedly built by a Civil war vet to get back at his brother, who had erected a massive home on land they were supposed to share. The smaller home was deliberately created to block the light going into the larger home.
Richardson Spite House
In 1882, clothier Hyman Sarner wanted to build homes on property he owned near Lexington Avenue in New York City, but noticed a small strip of land between the street and his proposed building. He made an offer to owner Joseph Richardson, who felt he was being low-balled and refused. Sarner went ahead anyway, building apartments with windows overlooking Richardson’s land. This incensed Richardson who, in response, built a tiny, five-foot wide apartment building on the seemingly worthless parcel to piss off Sarner. The resulting building, which was torn down in 1915, was so narrow only one person at a time could use the stairs, and when reporters came to check out the oddity after it was built, one became caught inside and had to be rescued.
Tyler Spite House
When Dr. John Tyler discovered the government of Frederick, Maryland, planned to build a road that would cross through recently purchased property, Tyler wouldn’t have it. Inspired by a law that said the city couldn’t build a road if a substantial structure was in its way, he erected a foundation overnight to prevent the city from extending the road. The building is currently being used as a bed and breakfast.
O’Reilly Spite House
Francis O’Reilly built this 308-square-foot tiny home in 1908 when a neighbor refused his offer to buy his odd parcel of land in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It’s currently occupied by an interior decorator.
Alameda Spite House
When the city of Alameda, California, appropriated land that Charles Froling intended to build upon, he took revenge by creating this odd-shaped building that looks more like a bookmark than a home. The 10-foot-wide home on Crist Street supposedly has the word “spite” inlaid on the front stoop.
Crowdfunding Campaign Begins for Homeless Shelter Pods
After winning the 6th annual Space for New Visions competition by FAKRO last month, James Furzer of Spatial Design Architects has begun a crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo for his project, “Homes for the Homeless”. The project proposes a series of modular pods which attach to existing buildings, providing a safe space for a night’s rest for the homeless. Extending beyond mere habitation, James Furzer hopes to change the way that the public sees the homeless – of which there are over 750 on any given night in London alone.
The campaign goal is £15,000, which will be put toward the construction of a prototype. Development will require a series of construction drawings by both Furzer and collaborating parties. A series of rewards, including limited edition postcards and prints are available to those who donate. Recognizing that he cannot end homelessness, Furzer’s aim with the project is simply to address its immediate effects and generate more positive public awareness of the homeless. It is also a channel for those who wish to give to the homeless but worry that their money is not being used to aid them directly.
“For those of you who are not in a position to be able to contribute, please please please share this page and the news of the scheme.” Says James Furzer, “If we can get a buzz around the homeless, and begin treating them like the human beings they are, just like ourselves, then the campaign is a success.” As the project is being funded via Indiegogo, if it does not reach its goal of £15,000, all money will be refunded to its donators.
50 Projects Shortlisted for World Interior of the Year 2015
INSIDE World Festival of Interiors has announced the 50 nominees being considered for the World Interior of the Year 2015 award. Running concurrently with the World Architecture Festival, INSIDE comprises of the most original and exciting interiors from the last 12 months.
Nominations have poured in from 16 countries that span four continents across the nine diverse categories that make up the awards. Among those competing are two dentistries, a music arena, two cinemas and a global TV studio. All nominees will compete in the form of live presentations and debates to a distinguished jury during the festival in November. Read on for a complete list of the shortlisted projects.
The “Future of Vertical Housing” in Vancouver
Büro Ole Scheeren has envisioned a “future vision for vertical living.” Designed to serve as an “urban pivot” on one of Vancouver‘s main avenues, 1500 West Georgia Street, the multifaceted tower features a system of vertically shifted apartment modules and outdoor terraces that branch out horizontally to “engage the space of the city and activate Vancouver’s waterfront skyline.”
Carlo Scarpa
One of the most enigmatic and underappreciated architects of the 20th century, Carlo Scarpa (June 2, 1906 – November 28, 1978) is best known for his instinctive approach to materials, combining time-honored crafts with modern manufacturing processes. In a 1996 documentary directed by Murray Grigor, Egle Trincanato, the President of the Fondazione Querini Stampalia for whom Scarpa renovated a Venetian palace in 1963, described how “above all, he was exceptionally skillful in knowing how to combine a base material with a precious one.”
Born in Venice, Scarpa spent most of his early childhood in Vicenza, before his family moved back to Venice after the death of his mother in 1919. Scarpa studied architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, and from 1932 until 1947 he was director of the Venini Glassworks. It was here that he first displayed his appreciation for craft, often working with the Venini glassblowers late into the night to perfect new designs.
It was not until after World War II that Scarpa began to be recognized internationally for his architecture. This recognition led to a series of commissions in and around Venice – many of them involving the renovation of existing buildings, which became something of a trademark for Scarpa. Perhaps most famously, Scarpa’s renovation for the Museo Castelvecchio completed in 1964 carefully balanced new and old, revealing the history of the original building where appropriate. A revelation at the time, this approach has now become a common approach to renovation, perhaps most notably exhibited by David Chipperfield’s Neues Museum.
Are Computers Bad for Architecture?
“So are computers bad for architecture? Nicholas Carr dedicates a whole chapter of his book to this question. There’s no doubt that computers have become essential to the practice of architecture. BIM and CAD software has made firms more efficient and has sped up the construction document process. I don’t think anyone wants to return to the days of hand drafting and ammonia blue-line machines.
However, what happens when we give more control of the design process over to the computer? As Carr states, “… the very speed and exactitude of the machine may cut short the messy and painstaking process of exploration that gives rise to the most inspired and meaningful designs.” Can tweaking parameters in a 3D model provide the same kind of dialog with a design as sketching or building a model? Carr references British design scholar Nigel Cross who states that “Sketching enables exploration of the problem space and the solution space to proceed together”. Simultaneously thinking through the problem and the solution is intricately tied to the medium you’re using.
Design is a crucial activity that can’t be reduced to an algorithm, or if it is (a la Google Flux), it shouldn’t. It’s too important a task to leave to the machines. As Carr states in The Glass Cage, “When automation distances us from our work, when it gets between us and the world, it erases the artistry from our lives”. I think we could all benefit from a little more artistry.”~Michael Kilkelly
Stereotank’s HeartBeat Transformed into Times Square HeartSeat
Stereotank’s HeartBeat filled the air in Times Square this past Valentine’s Day. Now that the love season is over, the Brooklyn-based practice has turned their clever installation into a welcoming “HeartSeat” by simply opening up their heart-shaped sculpture to the public and transforming it into a bench. The installation will remain on view through Sunday, March 8th. See a video of HeartSeat, after the break.
Winners of the 2015 Building of the Year Awards…
Fogo Natural Park Venue/OTO (Cultural Architecture)
Cultura Bookstore/Studio MK27 (Commercial Architecture)
Nine Bridges Country Club/Shigeru Ban Architects (Hospitality Architecture)
Twin Stations/sporaarchitects (Public Architecture)
Livsrum-Cancer Counseling Center/EFFEKT (Healthcare Architecture)
Farming Kindergarten/Vo Trong Nghia Architects (Educational Architecture)
Sambade House/spaceworkers (Houses)
Wieden+Kennedy NY/WORKac (Interior Architecture)
The Building on the Water/Alvaro Siza+Carlos Castanheira (Offices)
Carozzi Production+Research Food Center/GH+A|Guillermo Hevia (Industrial Architecture)
Sancaklar Mosque/Emre Arolet Architects (Religious Architecture)
Arena do Morro/Herzog & de Meuron (Sports Architecture)
The Iceberg/CEBRA+JDS+SeARCH+Louis Paillard Architects (Housing)
The Number 6/Building (Refurbishment)
The Power Of The Plan: Drones and Architectural Photography
What is the draw of the aerial view? Whereas architects and designers often find solace in this particular spatial perspective there is a more inclusive, universal appeal to this way of seeing. The ease of access to online mapping services has increased our collective reliance on understanding our world from above.
Maps condense the planet into a little world inside our pocket, the commodification of which has universalised the ‘plan-view’ photograph. The question of whether or not their ubiquitous availability, having now been assimilated into our collective consciousness, is a positive step for the status of the plan is a discussion ongoing. Yet, in the face of this dilemma, architectural photographers are pushing the boundaries of drone technology in order to find new meaning.
Read Full Article on ArchDaily.com
Studio William Hefner 