MIES - Eisenmann's Cidade da Cultura

Eisenmann's use of designing from contours isn't anything new. But his method is quite sophisticated. This is one of his better designs and watching the unfolding design process is a treat.

Hint: start this video somewhere around the 4:19 mark if you want to witness a really, really cool modelling process. And take the Galician for what it is: something you probably won't understand and something you probably wish you did.

MIES - The Woodwork of Jim Cutler

One of the more amazing things about Jim Cutler is his firms relative recluse. Working from Bainbridge Island, Cutler Anderson produces some of the most elaborate wood detailing in the Pacific Northwest. His designs are simple; his response always harmonic to the site of choice. According to Cutler, the goal is to "reveal what is true about the circumstances of a project" and it is self-evident that the Edwards Residence exemplifies this same credo masterfully. Located just out of Seattle, Cutler designs with glulam construction and (as one can see in the second photo) reflects fluorescent lighting under wood floor paneling, which is a wonderful way to highlight craftsmanship in a building. Also of note are the selected areas for drywall construction and how Jim singles out only a few walls for emphasis (none of which are partition walls).

Overall, this is probably not Cutler Anderson's signature piece, but it is a darn good one. Cutler Anderson's work, along with OSKA and Miller Hull, have truly helped to give Seattle, WA a better sense of place and cultural relevancy in the last ten to fifteen years, and it's why visiting the area is a must for architects desiring to work with wood and modern methods for detailing wood with steel and concrete.

MIES - Renzo's New Project

One of the things I like most about Renzo Piano is the art. Very few architects possess the dramatic spatial flair in their finished perspective renderings, and this, I feel, is a lost art. This (also from ArchRecord.com) is the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Greece. And now, when Piano designed it, he didn't have Paris Hilton in mind either. Although, given recent incidents, that could possibly be the legacy of the Niarchos family...

The construction of the $803 million Center will start later in 2011 and will finish by 2015. It will be situated along the Saronikos Kolpos waterfront in southern Athens and will showcase many of landscape elements from Stavros Niarchos Park, which covers a 42-acre parcel of land.

Part of the building will showcase a 1,400-seat theater for the Greek National Opera as well as a 400-seat experimental performance space. There will also be a library in the facility, which will be a renovated extension of an 1832 National Library which previously occupied the lot under construction.

MIES - More Architectural Content

Lately, I haven't had much time to devote to this blog, but in the time I have had I've realized one grave mistake I made: this is an architectural blog, and frankly, it lacks architectural design content.

Fortunately, that is about to change. After spending a couple of weeks to recollect my own spirits after a grueling two years worth of piling up on engineering leveling courses, I feel somewhat ready to tackle this problem. In a way, it's kind of illuminating, how when one is so focused he/she may lose focus of what initially was very important to them. The month-long break, which was truly needed, brought this to light in many ways.

One of the ways was just by uncovering old sketchbooks I had used in Italy. Another way was by just landscaping in my own backyard. But perhaps the best way was just by talking with old friends who I hadn't seen since college and who, themselves, were very much involved in the architectural community in Los Angeles. Even in a down economy, they were managing fairly well, and given their effervescence I was reminded of how truly great a good design can be.

So, overall, this blog is going to change a little. And while it will still remain a compendium of everything architectural information, it's also going to showcase how the best architects out there put this stuff together. And I will do my best to showcase architects doing architecture and not designers doing architecture, as I feel the latter probably has little to do with the soul of this blog.

So sit back, read, and enjoy the ride. Things are about to change.

MIES - Montanan Design

Montana is a place for big dreamers. The sky overwhelms. The hills are magnificent, particularly in the west near Glacier National Park, and the sun, for all of it's transience, never seems to die.

This particular design (aptly named Stone Creek Camp) issued by Andersson-Wise Architects in Big Fork, Montana emphasizes the grandeur of Big Sky country by accenting the simple things: piled rock and chopped wood, to name the obvious. Also of importance is the relative layout of the plan, which unfolds like a pinwheel, with a nicely designed kitchen at it's core. The master bedroom, deservedly, gets not only the optimum view, but also the premium location in the house, and the exterior adequately depicts what a modern lifestyle in Montana should be like, with the roughness of Montana's poor past colliding with the grace of a newfound wealth. Overall, this is a very lovely design and for more information on the house, check out ArchRecord.com.

MIES - Designing the Hangzhou Gateway by JDS

Here is the design process used by JDS in designing new office complexes at the Hangzhou Gateway:

The initial footprint is laid out for the building.

Rhino is used to cut away existing transitions JDS wants to maintain at the base of the building.

The circulation diagram through the development.

A translucent exterior is chosen.

Vertical transportation is situated toward the ends of the facility.

Visual pathways are kept in line for those working above.

Visual pathways are also maintained perpendicularly to the main visual pathway. Given the site's location, near the middle of town, this respects the grid layout of the city.

Solar considerations are examined for the upper floors, which will channel an increased albedo content due to their positioning and terraced glazing.

Roof gardens are added to absorb some of the excess heat and energy.

The finished project at night.

MIES - Pankow Foundation Project

Currently, I am working with Dr.'s Pessiki and Sause at Lehigh University on a project that may significantly improve America's chances at withstanding prevalent seismic activity on the west coast. After the tsunami in Japan (and even before that the tsunami off the coast of Indonesia in 2004), a group of geologists convened in the northwest at the University of Washington and discovered that it was highly likely that Cascadia (the environmental heart of the Pacific Northwest) would be rattled by a quake of similar magnitude. The only unknown was when it would hit.

But after careful research upon the soils near the Columbia River, a range was determined: anywhere within the next 50 years. When I heard that, I knew I had to act fast.

Any architect will tell you his foremost passion is his home. In many regards, vernacular architecture is the peak artform for a building because it is architecture in it's natural state. And there is no nature I like more than that of the Pacific Northwest - from the lush green and purple flower valleys to the overcast and yet ever-changing skies. It's somber but beautiful, just like a Raymond Carver short story or a Ken Kesey novel.

So when this information was put before me while I was watching a video at Portland State University, since I knew I was going to apply elsewhere (I was paying for classes while not enrolled at PSU) I looked for projects with a NEES affiliation that could bolster my engineering credentials while improving my architectural acumen for this kind of disaster. Over the course of a year, I looked at Rensselaer Polytech, SUNY at Buffalo, Virginia Polytech and Lehigh. I ended up at Lehigh before I could view either SUNY or Rensselaer.

So I am here, in Bethlehem, PA, blogging for the school and working on a shear wall which will not deform even when confronted by the sudden impact of a tsunami. We call it "elastic architecture" - it bounces back - but it is only in a primitive state of design. What I can say is that rather than simple longitudinal reinforcing at the base, it uses more lateral reinforcing throughout a concrete member with a singular steel rod (thicker than rebar) post-tensioned through the wall on a certain interval. Because of the singular rod, the unloading phase along the stress-strain curve acts in the exact opposite direction of the loading curve, allowing the concrete to move without permanent strain/deformation.

When the design comes further toward completion, I shall blog again. But until now, it is just a dream. And fortunately, it looks like I've finally got the tools for the job.