dod:

Naoshima 2 (Japan)

2009-02-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

Naoshima 1 (Japan)

2009-02-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Kyoto 2 (Japan)

2008-12-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

Kyoto 1 (Japan)

2008-12-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

Tochigi (Japan)

2008-12-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Yokohama (Japan)

2008-12-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Tokyo 2 (Japan)

2008-12-07T16:57:00.001-08:00

Tokyo 1 (Japan)

2008-11-30T16:03:00.000-08:00

Helsinki 2 (Finland)

2007-09-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

Helsinki 1 (Finland)

2007-09-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Stockholm (Sweden)

2007-09-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Fjaerand - Bergen (Norway)

2007-08-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Fjord - Aurland (Norway)

2007-08-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

Oslo, Hamar (Norway)

2007-08-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

[ descriptions coming! ]

Copenhagen 2 (Denmark)

2007-08-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Close to the Amager Strand Beach was the Maritime Youth House by PLOT (now BIG). In line with their belief that architecture should be neither "naively utopian or petrifying pragmatic," Bjarke Ingels and group sought a solution that reached a middle ground of "fertile overlap." Here the site was polluted with heavy metals and initially 1/4 of the budget was earmarked for a clean-up operation to remove contaminated materials. Taking advantage of the fact that the pollutants (heavy metals) were stable if left undisturbed, PLOT instead put a wooden deck over the entire site and recommissioned the extra budget into the building itself, which was faced with its own programmatic challenges. Namely being that there were two clients with different needs: a youth club needed a gathering space and room to play, while a sail club needed space to moor boats. PLOT used the contradictory demands to creatively inform a solution by raising a mesh of deck boards into a hill-like landscape, creating a wavy and winding play surface above while providing for boat storage below. It seemed to be wearing well, much better than the Harbor Bath. Overall we thought it was a practical and creative solution.

Jorn Utzon, most known as the architect for the Sydney Opera house, was born in Copenhagen in 1918. One of his lesser-known projects is the Bagsvaerd Church situated in Copenhagen. It is a long, slender building which opens onto several internal courtyards and its exterior faces are closed to the streets. Natural light was treated as the most important feature of the church, highly placed sidelights span the body of the building and the full length of the corridors connecting different rooms. All walls and ceilings were painted white to maximize the reflectiveness of Copenhagen's limited daylight. Most memorable was the ceiling above the main gathering area, which is shaped with a series of thin curved cylindrical shells forming a sensuous and lyrical space of light. Part of Utzon's inspiration for this space came from clouds. The clarity of this project made us think of Kahn and Aalto, whose projects express a similar feel of humanistic, unpretentious, utilitarian design. A few details we found interesting were the many exposed light bulbs and the custom fonts (numbers, see photo).

20 minutes train journey from the center of the city brought us to the Ordrupgaard Museum addition, by Zaha Hadid. Hadid was one of 7 architecture firms (including MVRDV and Dominique Perrault) invited to participate in a 2001 competition to design a 1150 sq. meter expansion of the existing museum. In addition to more gallery space, the program required a new foyer, a cafe, and a multi-purpose hall. The building is a sinuous topological form made primarily of site-poured black lava concrete and glass. The shape has a strong dialogue with the landscape, it appears to gracefully emerge and then melt back into the ground. The open sides of the museum magnetically pull-in views of the landscape. Zaha's intent for the project above all was for it to be seen as "an opportunity to explore new formal relationships between the architecture and landscape, history and innovation." Her core design strategy, which has been utilized on the majority of her projects, abstracts, interprets, and translates geometries from the existing site to generate building forms. (more on the design process for Ordrupgaard here)

We felt the siting of the project was strong.. it sat comfortably next to the existing 100 year old museum without taking on a competitive feel. Being low and sunk in the ground, and responsive to the surrounding context, the form seemed to have a symbiotic relationship with the landscape. Aya felt this was the first project by Hadid where the level of innovation on the interior was on par with the exterior form. The folding walls presented an extremely complicated concrete pour... two concrete shells with a layer of insulation between them where no two walls were the same and each had a unique geometry. Was the effort worth it? We'd say yes.

"Create the future or it will create you". At the DCC (Danish Design Center) there was an exhibit on fashion design, it was a nice break to discover a different form of media. The power of media and the idea of brand is having a huge influence on what we see most, we were reflecting on the difficulty of generating ideas that are purely innovative and quality forms of work. Downstairs in the basement was an unexpected exhibit, "FLOWmarket. "Every time you spend your money you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." -Anna Lappe. Aisle after aisle of 'products' were for sale. "clean tap water" in bottles. "symptom removers" in medicine canisters. "inner calmness" in a can. All white grocery aisles filled with row after row of generically packaged products. All items in the exhibit were actually for sale, which added a great ironic aspect. One American family there was caught in disbelief "Mom, who would be stupid enough to buy any stuff like this?" Oh yeah, most of us buy products like this all the time. Check the FLOWmart website here.

Last but not least, we visited a project by Arne Jacobsen, Denmark's most well-known modernist architect. His furniture and lighting designs are prevalent throughout the city. At the Radison SAS Royal Hotel, Copenhagen's first skyscraper, Jacobsen designed every detail from the the aluminum mullions on the exterior facade down stainless steel cutlery used in the restaurant. We found the lobby to be most impressive, with an elegant spiral staircase.

Malmo (Sweden)

2007-08-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Oresund Bridge (built in 2000) connects Copenhagen with the Swedish city of Malmo. At more than 7,800 metres in length, the combined two-track rail and four-lane road is the longest of its kind in Europe. Crossing by car isn't cheap (290 Swedish Kroners, or $43 dollars), but a train ticket is more affordable ($13). We spent only a day in Malmo, not nearly enough.

There's something about the Turning Torso that is very alluring... it continues to capture your eye from all angles. The overall form is very graceful, gently rotating as it reaches into the sky. The 54-floor skyscraper (second highest apartment building in Europe) was designed by Santiago Calatrava, construction was completed in 2005. It was reminisent of the Lyon-Santolas Aeroport Railway Station in the way it draws attention as a free-standing sculptural element. Strangely kinetic and emotionally engaging. Being the only tower in the context here, it works really well, setting the tone for Malmo. The building was inspired by Calatrava's 1999 white marble sclulpture, Twisting Torso. (sketch here) The tower rotates a full 90-degrees as it climbs upwards over nine blocks of 'cubes,' each containing 5 floors. The facade of the tower is made of curved aluminum panels. Following the concrete perimeter column is a steel spine that provides attachment for horizontal and inclined tapered steel tubes that reach back to steel anchors embedded in shear walls. This exoskeleton of steel provides wind resistance and dampens building vibrations, while the concrete perimeter column resists vertical loads. Contrary to popular belief, the tower does not have twisting elevator shafts.

No word on what the spaces within are like, the tower is locked-down at the base, surrounded by a 'moat' filled with water and accessible only through a walkway that leads to a glass vestibule. Adjacent to the tower was the Turning Torso "Experience Center," where for 30 swedish Kroner you can view styrofoam models and watch a "making of" video on a flatscreen. (We declined, having already seen the "Extreme Engineering" Discovery Channel special). There were also several galleries in the complex showcasing Turning Torso inspired art. (Hmmn.)

Adjacent to the tower in Malmo's newest district, "The Western Harbor," was an open promenade with inspiring views of the Oresund Sound. The sky cleared up and the weather was perfect... we sat in the sun for the afternoon and took it all in. The area was built for the Bo01 "City of Tomorrow" (link here) expo in 2001, and development appeared to be expanding, with several interesting case-study houses and apartment complexes under construction.

On the walk back towards the train station, we went in the direction of some live music we heard playing earlier and came into a concrete skate park, the Stapelbaddsparken, filled mostly with kids. We were impressed with their skating tricks... and the fact that many of them seemed less than 10 years old! There were many industrial buildings and remnants scattered around Vastra Hamnen and next to the more recent developments, echoing Malmo's roots in shipbuilding.

Copenhagen 1 (Denmark)

2007-08-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

We flew into Copenhagen from Amsterdam, opting to avoid a 14+ hour train ride. Flights were surprisingly competitive with trains in this instance. Our hotel was 2 blocks from the central train station, so getting around was no problem. We noticed in a recent copy of the magazine Monocle that Copenhagen was listed as #2 on their list of Top Twenty Livable Cities, and after a few hours of walking around we could see why. Similar to Amsterdam, large numbers of the population bicycle in dedicated lanes. The derived meaning of Copenhagen is "commerce harbor," the city is vibrant with countless shops, museums, sights and a strong design culture. One drawback: it's very expensive.

After renting a couple of bicycles near the train station, we headed for the Islands Brygge neighborhood. First stop was the Harbor Bath, a public swimming harbor by PLOT architects (now BIG). The project is comprised of several swimming areas, a prominent lifeguard tower, and a boat-prow-like-shaped stepped diving platform all set in a terraced landscape of deck boards. The layout of pools was clearly thought out and the form of the diving platform was exciting. However, the diving platform was not wearing well, with many boards cupping apart. We decided against taking a jump off the platform since it was only 17 degrees Celsius out, which was much cooler than usual for this time of year. Also the lifeguards chased us away... no cameras allowed! Which was surprising because spare a few children in the kiddie pool behind us, the swimming areas were empty. Oh well.

Further south along the waterfront was an MDRDV project, "Frosilos." Here a pair of former seed silos had been converted to residential towers. Instead of placing the apartments within the silos, the architects attached them around the exterior perimeter to maximize panoramic views. They also sought to maintain what they refer to as an "exciting emptiness" inside the silos, by keeping a large central atrium space and grouping support elements (lifts, stairs, ducts and pipes) on the inside perimeter. The building was inaccessible but you could get a good view of the lobby from the entrance doors. The lobby was white and futuristic, reminiscent of THX 1138 and the NYC Guggenheim interior with a series of minimal ringed balconies.

Later that afternoon we biked into "Freetown Christiana," a controversial self-governing neighborhood of about 800 residents. Cars are not allowed in the city, large stones had been placed at the main entrances. Photographing is also not permitted... we saw a few residents waving their arms and yelling "No photo!" The main road inside Christiana is called Pusher Street, famous until 2004 for openly selling hash and skunk weed at merchant stands. There were a few cafes, a bike shop, what looked like an art gallery, and a lot of colorful murals on buildings. Mostly it felt like a hippie commune.

We biked further north towards Holmen, and saw the opera house by Henning Larsen. We were joking that its form looked like the offspring of Jean Nouvel mating with LMN architects. Nearby was the DAC (Danish Architecture Center), a center that disseminates architecture with "a focus on the future." The current exhibit was "Copenhagen Changing"on the topic of the many recent building developments around the city. It was a great find for us, we even picked up several free architecture tour bicycle route maps. It also housed a great bookstore.. we spent an hour just browsing through their collection. Across the water was the Skuespilus, by Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitektfirma, a still-under-construction theater hall with a striking stage tower that soars above the horizontal structure. We tried to get a closer look but it was fenced-off, under construction until 2008.

After a picnic lunch of kippers and sardines on crackers along the beautiful Christanshavns Kanal, we bicycled to the Royal Library. The "Black Diamond," as it has been nicknamed, is a giant monolithic structure that sits at the water's edge, right in front of the historic library building. Designed by Schmidt, Hammer & Lassen, the seven-floor extended wing is comprised of library rooms, a restaurant, a bookstore, a concert hall, and a large central open atrium (29m in height). The "Diamond" is covered with 2500 sq. meters of Zimbabwe-mined absolute black granite. The entire facade at the water's edge is slightly canted, emphasizing a nautical feel. Inside the atrium, the hard surfaces of the concrete platforms and the tall glass facade with its system of steel push rods and traction cables was balanced with a warmer oiled maple flooring on the balconies, walkways and corridors. Upstairs on the third floor were two walkways glazed with fluorescent pinkish glass with super graphics that connected the Diamond with the older Preben Hansen's building (1968) and the H.J. Holm's library (1906). Overall we were impressed with this building.. it sat comfortably in its context, the absolute black facade was sharp, and the minimal interiors provided a calm environment that was easy to navigate.

On a different afternoon we bicycled out to Amager Strand, a 2km beach with a lagoon on one side. Along the running/biking trail was a series of concrete comfort stations, reminiscent of bunkers with their low profiles and canted concrete walls. Designed by Haslov & Kjaersgaard Arkitectfirma, the buildings house toilets and refreshment kiosks, and also provide elevated lookout and vantage points which were helpful to get a good view of the Oresund Sound. Also set in the landscape was a series of lifeguard lookout boxes, minimal in form and painted orange... they looked great in the context.

Utrecht (Netherlands)

2007-08-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

We took an early train to Utrecht to visit more projects and catch part of a music festival. A city bus delivered us to the De Uithof campus of Utrecht University, the master plan of which was designed by OMA. This campus holds a hotbed of interesting projects, however surprisingly there is no architecture curriculum.

Our first stop was the University Library by Wiel Arets (2004). The composition of this cubic building is a series of closed volumes (which hold books and light-sensitive materials) that divide a larger more transparent volume into zones of open spaces that provide naturally lighted areas for students and researchers. This solution of black opacity and lightness is the defining concept for the building. Vegetal patterns are an overall theme, they are silk screened onto glass and figured into cast black concrete panels. These patterns were selected to evoke a sense of 'being in a forest', to reduce the amount of direct sunlight coming through the glass, and to also recall the depths of time behind the knowledge contained within the library by appearing as fossilized branches in the solid panels. On the East side of the library an open-air courtyard offsets the adjacent 5-story parking garage to preserve natural light entering the building. The parking garage is also clad with the silk-screened glass panels to unify it with the Library building. The open spaces between the opaque 'book depots' on the interior are further defined by interconnecting stairs and ramps (additional photos here).

A block away was Rem Koolhaas' Educatorium, OMA's first University building designed in 1997. We had heard a lot of positive things about this project from friends who had visited years ago and were excited to see it for ourselves. The building is comprised of lecture halls, a cafeteria, exam rooms and large public spaces. The most defining characteristic of the building is an elevated curved concrete plane that wraps the North end forming the roof and providing a gathering space for students. The edges of all sloping concrete floor planes and ramps are exposed through the glazing on the North and South facades, clearly defining the layout of spaces within. Unfortunately, as we approached closer, parts of the building that are not wearing well came into view. Most prominent was the exterior of the curved concrete plane... badly stained with running lines of moss and muck the worst of the problem was below where the canted wall of glass housing the cafeteria met the underside of this concrete plane. Water infiltration was apparent, and long runs of black window gaskets were hanging from the ceiling where the glazing touched. Not a good sign for a project barely 10 years old. This somewhat diminished our overall opinion of the building, though we did like the concept, layout, and modest choice of materials. The 'idea' seemed to be there, but the execution was lacking.

A few blocks west of the Educatorium was the Minnaert Building by Neutelings Riedijk Architecten (1997). This building was created to offer shared facilities for departments of physics, astronomy, earth sciences, mathematics and information studies. The building exterior is distinguished by its reddish colour, rough texture, and a series of worm-like forms that are raised on the surface of the exterior. (No word on the function of these worm-like forms, other than creating interesting shadows and collecting grime on the underside). Also prominent was the over sized letters that spell out the name of the building, support the Southeast edge, and form a covered arcade where students can park their bikes. The central interior characteristic is a large open hall concentrating "requirement-free space" where water is collected in funnels on the roof and splashes down slanted walls, where it collects and forms a pool off to one side. (see interior photos here) The building has several environmentally conscious aspects, including a natural heat exchange system, where heat built-up during the day is conveyed to a rain-water buffer on the roof via conducting ceilings and then is released to the colder night skies.

Unfortunately our visit to the campus was on a weekend (Saturday), so the majority of buildings were closed or inaccessible.

Part of the reason we visited during the weekend was to see some of the ROCKIT open air festival to catch a dj set by Ricardo Villlalobos. The Chilean-German producer / dj was one of the few that we didn't get a chance to see at Mutek or the MELT! Festival. Thankfully this was a daytime show, as we were still a little burned-out from the MELT! all-nighters. This festival was set around a lake with 6 stages and more than 70 artists. We came only to see Villalobos and also Ellen Allien, who had a set earlier in the day. After a long, sweaty line and 45 euros each (ouch!), we made it inside. While eating a slice of pizza under a tree a short time later, two golf carts pulled-up right in front of us... we were surprised to see it was Ellen Allien and Ricardo Villalobos being dropped-off at their stage-tents. Ellen's set was a little too 'poppy' for our likes and the ipod-ad-like shadows of figures dancing behind white screens on either side of her became distracting after awhile. (Part of the 365mag sponsored stage get-go). Around 6:30PM Ricardo Villalobos emerged on the 'TWSTd' stage, wearing a t-shirt printed with "IT'S HAWT IN HERE." It took a while for him to get going, but his material quickly began to move people. He was tag-teaming with the Swiss dj 'Melon,' which was also a surprise. It was decent, but compared to the many other shows we'd seen over the summer it really didn't stand-out. (video here)

As a 'drive-by' during the return bus commute from the festival we saw the Acoustic Barrier by ONL (Oosterhuis_Lenard) (2005). This barrier is an organic and geometric form that smoothly stretches 1.5 km along the A2 highway in Utrecht. The parametric design permitted an integration of the design and production process, making the manufacturing literally thousands of unique parts a less-daunting task. Also included in the design is the Hessing Cockpit, a display and sales space for Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley, and Rolls Royce cars. The cockpit is described by Oosterhuis as being inspired by the smooth body of a Starfighter. (cockpit photos here) The barrier was designed to have a smooth appearance when passed on the highway at speeds of 120km / hr, where is slowly raises and then sinks back into the ground.

Amsterdam 2 (Netherlands)

2007-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

A long tram ride to the Western Garden Towns brought us to an MVRDV housing complex named "Oklahoma" (also called "WoZoCo"), built in 1997. The most striking aspect of this building was a series of cedar-wrapped, cantilevered apartment house boxes that seemed to defy gravity. The effect was further-emphasized by a full-height glass walkway that the apartment houses disappeared into (along with the fact that all the steel structure supporting the feat was concealed). This inventive design was born through a zoning challenge: because only 87 of a required 100 apartments would fit in the restricted site footprint MVRDV cantilevered the remaining 13 out on the north facade. The south facade was marked with a random assemblage of balconies with guardrails of varied and brightly colored glass that is referred to by the architect's as "small talk."

Back downtown we stopped by the Sarphatistraat Offices.. behind them along the canal was a Steven Holl designed a pavilion used for public and community events. The sponge-like building was clad in perforated copper with square and rectangular openings that formed interlocking volumes. The copper was not wearing consistently, with some panels green and others washed out... this did not seem to be intentional.

Renting bicycles in Amsterdam is essential! They opened up the city and brought many good times. There are a lot of places that offer rentals... we decided to avoid the tourist tag of bright red Mac Bikes, and instead picked up a pair of black Gazelles at Het Zwarte Fietsenplsn. After adjusting our seats we loaded up our list of projects to see outside the city on the GPS. We were a little over-ambitious starting out... the first project was 20km away from downtown.. which felt much longer than we were expecting because it had been a looong time since we rode and these were 3-speed "omafietsen," not touring bikes.

It took us a while to find the first project due to a rogue GPS coordinate we followed (entered back in Seattle, located on a Google satellite map), but luckily only a kilometer away we found what we were looking for. Built by Asymptote in 2002, the Hydra-pier sits like an aircraft poised to take-off into the sky. The project is sited on an artificial lake near Harrlemmermeer, built for a once-a-decade horticultural fair. Originally a viewing platform, the pavilion is sadly now closed, surrounded by video-surveillanced gates, and beginning to show wear. Most noticeably a large glass bubble at the rear of the pavilion, sagging below a canted wing, was filled with mucky water, no longer able to drain. It was interesting to come across such a highly photographed and published building in somewhat dire conditions.. only 5 years old. The project is loaded with theory. Hopefully it will be restored soon.

Nearby, in the small city of Hoofddorp, was NIO Architecten's pretzel-like bus station, set in the middle of an oval round-about. Reminiscent of stretched taffy, the sculptural form is made of factory cut polystyrene foam wrapped with a polyester skin. We were expecting it to be white in color, but it had been re-painted a sparkly orange... at least partially due to accumulating grime and a reported green color emerging from the polyester (photos here ). The fluid form was compelling sculpturally, it added interest to an otherwise empty void. The architect's own description of the form is nebulous: "Like the white face of a geisha, every opinion and image can be projected onto the building and it has no answers of its own."

After another 20km chug back downtown, we made a stop at Mercator Sportsplaza by Venhoeven CS, an example of a Dutch response to the green building movement. The whole facade of the building is clad with a patented system called "Wonderwall" that combines an automatically regulated feeding and irrigation system into a black mesh fabric that supports 50 different types of plants. Along with a green roof, the whole building blends into the grassy hills of adjacent Rembrand Park. The building houses a fitness club and... get this... a drive-through KFC. Colorful and a little strange.

Amsterdam was a beautiful city, we could have easily spent another month exploring the many canals, streets and outskirts... we will return someday.

Amsterdam 1 (Netherlands)

2007-07-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam... a city center laid out like a spider web, with more canals than Venice, Italy. This 'water' city life seemed well-hydrated and healthy... most people were walking or biking to get around. Because of its slower pace and segmented street scape, it created the opportunity to be lost and discover unexpected shops, parks, cafes and beautiful views.

We settled here for 8 days, the longest period staying in one place for the entire trip. We rented a studio apartment instead of sleeping at a hotel, to help escape the feel of being a tourist all the time. (If anyone's looking, City Mundo is great source to find such an accommodation at a budget price).

Our apartment was located in the neighborhood of de pijp, just a block away from the Albert Culyp market where over 300 vendors have set-up their shop every day since 1904. You have to try the pickled herring when you go there, a real treat if you can handle raw fish.

Our first stop was Zuiderkerk, the first church ever built in Amsterdam. The space is utilized as an exhibit space / information desk, where you can find valuable information on current architecture/neighborhood developments in Amsterdam. The people there were really helpful with looking up addresses for projects... one gentleman even gave us his reference copy of a book on projects in the area, joking with us that we could photocopy the plans and use them when we return home.

A half-hour walk brought us to Arcam, Architectuurcentrum Amsterdam, designed by Rene van Zuuk. The thumb-looking building consists of three stories, clad with silver-colored Kalzip, which has been folded over the roof, right down to the ground. The sculptural form reveals interesting detail and shadow on all sides. Inside, voids and openings connect all rooms to each-other, keeping the interior feeling very open. This institute has published numerous pocket architecture guides, and their site has a well-organized information about architecture in the area.

From here, we walked to Nemo, (not to be confused with Pixar's fish) a ship-looking science center designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. We decided against going inside after seeing long lines and mounds of kids jumping and screaming on the roof terrace... though the views of the city from the roof terrace were great.

A bridge away from Nemo, we happened to come across a brand new central Library, Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (OBA) designed by Jo Coenen, which just opened on 07-07-2007. A somewhat classic approach in terms of material selection, stone tiles clad a cube box, carved away at the center and open through all the way to the top terrace overhang. The insert of a rotated wood box was more reminiscent of an office building from the exterior. However, upon entering the building, the bold Dutch finishes kicked-in, offering a varied experience to the senses; from a felt textured wall in the foyer, to illuminated white escalators, playful "jacks" light fixtures in a high volumed reading room space, and fluid, free-formed furniture, bookshelves and seating selections. They all had a playful and inviting feel. This sensitivity to the environment recalled our home town Seattle Public Library designed by OMA.

From there we decided to take a rather long walk along the pier development to see Silodam, a housing complex by MVRDV in 2002. This building takes a appearance of stacked shipping containers reflecting the harbor neighborhood, with a graphic color layout identifying "mini-neighborhoods" of apartments, offices, and public spaces combined in a ten-story-tall rectangular block envelope. They have successfully provided not only a sense of uniqueness by giving variety in color and layout for each section of the block, but they have constructed the complex to allow future relocation of interior walls per the user's need. They additionally have created shared spaces, void, terraces, etc. to reinforce the neighbor hood experience within the given perimeter.

Last but not least, we made a stop at droog design, the dutch design collective who has been generating some of the most innovative and inspirational furniture and design installations in recent years. They also started the Design Academy Eindhoven where many talented designers come out each year to display their works. They were featuring academy students work from the master's program, 'conceptual design in context."

Rotterdam 2 (Netherlands)

2007-07-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

Rem Koolhaas started his career in Rotterdam, first as a journalist and then as a screenwriter (one of his unrealized scripts was actually for American soft-porn king Russ Meyer) before moving to London to study architecture and then founding OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in 1975.

The Kunsthal was OMA's first large project, built in 1992. The museum has no stagnant permanent collection, instead opting for a number of revolving temporary exhibits spread over more than 3000m of gallery space. Lots of architecture students were here, combing the premises with cameras and sketchbooks... it didn't take us long to join them. Inside, above one of the circulation ramps was a surreal and humorous picture of Rem (see photo), adding a chuckle to the underlying awareness that this space was frequented by loads of archi-tourists. Regardless, this was a great building. The gallery spaces felt light and open, and the transition along the meandering ramps offers a variety of bright and colorful rooms, each finished cleanly with budget-conscious materials (plywood, acrylic panels, florescent strip fixtures, etc.) Under the sloped concrete slab of the auditorium was an inviting cafeteria. The building sat well in the context of the surrounding park and appeared to be wearing well.

The strongest exhibit in the museum was Visionary Power - Producing the Contemporary City, which was effective in delivering strong visions and a 'wake-up call' on some of the realities of enlarging cities. With an estimated 150,000 people in the world leaving their rural existence every day, their numbers together could form a city the size of New York every three months. Along side this expansion there is increasing evidence that the world is ruled solely by economic forces... part of which is a conglomeration of flashy architecture trying to embody an image of wealth and economic power that seems to show little concern for residents quality of life. (read: China) The exhibit raised the question of whether or not architecture can form a resistance against such multinational powers.

Later in the afternoon we visited the Erasmus Bridge or "Erasmusbrug" by Ben van Berkel (1996), a cable-stayed bridge with an asymmetrical pylon. Nicknamed "The Swan," for its graceful form, the bridge felt very light and was reminiscent of a diving board. Next to this was KPN Tower by Renzo Piano with its leaning light square that "communicates with the square and the city." 40m wide and 90m tall, it is the largest light screen in Europe. The building was intended to be a reflection of its surroundings, which at least partially explains the large mast that punctures the screen (er.. sail).

In the same neighborhood was the Inholland University Ichthus College building by Erick van Egeraat (EEA). A building covered entirely in glass, unique for its use of horizontal fins on the facade that vary in density according the functions within. (i.e., there are more in front of private spaces, such as offices, and fewer in front of public spaces like the foyer).

We walked many blocks to find the Unilever Office Building (JHK Archiecten (2005)), a 130m long rectangular mass that 'floats' above an old factory (Blue Band factory) that was inspired by a nearby lifting bridge. We found this project to be impressive from a distance, but somewhat dis-embodied from its context up close. Maybe it was just our tired legs talking.

Rotterdam 1 (Netherlands)

2007-07-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Rotterdam is home to Europe's largest port and widely known for being the hometown of famed Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. After being almost completely destroyed in 1940 by the German Luftwaffe, Rotterdam began to make a comeback in the 1980's with a new architectural policy that started an innovative and adventurous period of building that continues through today. Our introduction to the city was from a 10th floor hotel room that had a balcony opening to striking views of the port... a rain storm and subdued sunset brought impressive shows of light.

The NAi (Netherlands Architecture Institute) is housed in a strange building with a cage-like exoskeleton designed by Jo Coenen. One of the exhibits was a comprehensive collection of Le Corbusier models, drawings and digital animations including rarities such as the Phillips Pavillion from the 58' World's Fair in Brussels (collaboration with the greek architect / music composer Yannis Xenakis) and the never-realized Palace of the Soviets.

On the top level of the building was NAi's library, an impressive collection of modern era books on international architecture and design related fields. Access to a lot of out of print monographs (Zumthor, Herzog, etc.)... save some time to browse if you're planning a visit.

In Rotterdam's historic Maastunnel we came across Dune 4.1 by Studio Roosgaarde, an interactive landscape installation commissioned by the 2007 Rotterdam City of Architecture. Comprised of a 40m run of black cable 'reeds' capped with fibre optic lights that responded to the sounds and motions of people walking by. It added some interest to the otherwise desolate run of tunnel... we really liked the interactive aspect of the obscure sounds and somewhat unexpected reactions to movement. (video here)

There is an interesting vernacular in Rotterdam, the use of vibrant colors with some restraint on many buildings. Bright panels of reddish-orange behind perforated metal panels, a drab building was kept crisp with patches of orange window coverings and operable canvas awnings, etc. (see photos). The Dutch are not afraid to use color on their buildings, and manage to do it in good taste by not going over-the-top. (From what we've seen so far anyway).

One of the most iconic buildings in Rotterdam is the Shipping and Transport College by architects Neutelings & Riedijk. Set in a former harbor overlooking the Maas River, the sculptural form is reminiscent of marine cranes and ships. The silver and blue zig-zag pattern on the facade appeared as stacked shipping containers, and obscured the floor lines which muted the sense of scale. The architects took a contrasting approach to the many light and transparent buildings we've seen in Europe by opting to utilize a solid and heavy-feeling facade made of partially perforated corrugated metal panels. Topping the building was a congress hall inside a periscope-like cantilevered mass faced towards the north sea. At the base, a long rectangular tube held a student cafeteria that countered the lookout above with a long set of windows that overlooked the river. Strangely, not a soul was there when we visited... school must be out.

Strasbourg (France)

2007-07-19T02:07:00.000-07:00

The end of our car lease brought us to Strasbourg, France. We made a stop at the Terminus Hornheim Nord Station by Zaha Hadid, a tram station and car park made of linear folded planes of concrete which were formed by a study of overlapping fields and trajectories of trams, buses, cars and pedestrians. Another engaging and dynamic sculptural work, the concrete planes emerged gracefully from the ground and provided a shelter with seemingly impossible projecting cantilevers. The linearity of the station was reinforced with flush rectangular slot lights and canted steel pipe supports. Between these supports were some graffiti tagged-up cantilevered concrete benches, a bicycle cage surrounded with fixed horizontal metal louvers and a run down water closet. Adjacent to the covered station was a 700-space car park, characterized by slightly radiating painted white lines on black asphalt and a field of inclined steel poles.

Downtown was a new high-speed TGV train station addition under construction (will provide a 2hr20min connection to Paris), marked by a worm-like tube made of reflective and transparent glass. Instead of moving the station to the periphery, it was decided to integrate it with the historic railway station in the heart of the city. The curved glass form stands in front of the existing station building, forming a glass atrium that will group public transport facilities. Architect unknown. (anyone?)

Being in France again afforded the opportunity of much-improved cuisine; we decided to try something new and went out for some escargot. Sauteed in garlic and butter, they were surprisingly delicious (though 3 each were plenty).

Returning the car the next morning was kind of a sad departure... the Peugeot 307 was a great little car... it brought us a lot of autonomy and the ability to cover great distances quickly. It will be trains, boats, bicycles, planes, buses and our own feet from here out.

Osnabruck 2, Duisburg (Germany)

2007-07-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Another project we visited in Osnabruck was the Fenix-Nussbaum-Haus, the "Museum without Exit," by Daniel Libeskind. Dedicated to the revered German Painter Fenix Nussbaum, the building form challenges visitors with disorienting rooms and forms to physically empathize feelings of loneliness and hopelessness that Nussbaum suffered from Nazi persecution. Organized in three separate parts (bridge, main section, corridor) each rendered with different materials (zinc-plating, German oak boards, raw concrete), the layout of the building is based on a system of lines that point to places of significance in the artist's life (Libeskind used a similar method of layout for the Jewish Museum in Berlin). Oblique-angled walls lined with non-linear groupings of Nussbaum's paintings, sloping windows, grate-covered holes between floors and structures cutting into rooms define the interior. Libeskind's buildings are engaging, but seem to always be caught in turmoil and tension, which tends to dampen spirits. (Again, this was intended... Libeskind's "Architecture as a communicative art.") Adding to the seriousness was a band of camera-chasing museum attendants. Outside there was a peaceful courtyard with angular views of the sky, each side framed by a different material.

We spent the night in Duisburg to visit a Herzog & de Meuron project, the Kuppersmuhle. Set in the harbor area, the project is a museum conversion of an early 1900's monumental brick warehouse building that houses the Grothe Collection (post-war German art). H&dM's design approach respected the existing warehouse, while adding subtly integrated moves that indicated the change of use (alongside other functions). Vertical slots of glazing have been carefully added along the edges of existing window openings in an asymmetrical array, bringing in light and opening-up views. These slots give a singular intensity, bringing a new dynamic life to the existing warehouse. A terracotta stair tower was added, also incised with slot windows, to connect the exhibit floors. Most of the existing load-bearing structure of the monolithic building was retained, though some floors were removed to accommodate taller gallery spaces (5m). For some reason the gallery doesn't open until 2pm on Wednesdays, sadly because of this we missed seeing the interior of the museum.

Osnabruck 1 (Germany)

2007-07-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

A wooded context set the tone for the final Gigon / Guyer project on our itinerary, the Varusschacht Museum and Park Kalkriese. Once off the main road, a reddish-orange lookout tower came into view, its block form and sharp lines contrasted with the surrounding landscape. A tension was created with the tower's appearance of an "impossible lightness," large 15mm thick weatherproof steel panels (WT-ST 37... similar to Cor Ten (WT-ST 52)) were supported by slender H-beam stellae touching lightly on the ground, anchored in only a few locations. With this posturing, a respect for the existing context was emphasized, and the clear shapes of the museum and park were used to depict historical events as an artistic interpretation (as opposed to display plaques with naturalistic images).

The museum grounds mark the final phase of the 9 A.D. Varus Battle, or "Battle of the Teutoburg Forest" when Germanic tribes led by Arminius ambushed and destroyed 3 legions of Roman troops (imagine a stretch of troops 9 to 12 miles long) led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The roman losses in the battle were so great (15-20,000) that they are reported to have caused fits of semi-insanity by Emperor Augustus, who allegedly banged his head into marble colums yelling Quintili Vare, legiones redde! ('Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!'). Plans for conquesting Germania were given up and the 3 legion numbers were never again used or restructured, ending a period of triumphant expansion for the Roman Empire.

The interior exhibit installation was enlivening, meshing seamlessly with the architecture. Sense was key.. there were expressed sounds of battle, projected moving images, text imprinted on display case glass and steel panels, all piecing together a feel for the times of the great battle. Steel also played a major role on the museum interior. Untreated stainless steel panels for the flooring, cold-rolled steel panels for the foyer hallway, and matte lacquered hot rolled steel panels in the exhibit hall. Surprisingly, the museum didn't feel cold with all this steel use with the clever use of bright colors and warm casework. (Verbal descriptions don't do justice, see the photos!) The lookout tower gave breath-taking views of the surrounding park.

Outside on the park grounds weatherproof steel was also the most eye-catching construction material. The characteristic use of this steel was employed because it (1) demarcated the contemporary addition from the existing grounds (i.e., it is a modern material, widespread use of steel has only been possible since the industrial revolution), and (2) because it was fitting for the site, corroded steel is common in archaeological finds. Steel plates in the landscape, some engraved with text, marked the Roman's death march path and were reminiscent of shields and gravestones. A line of iron poles marked the location of the historic rampart and rusted iron sheet piling cut into the landscape to reveal a reconstruction of an improvised fortification created by the Germanic tribes. Three "box" pavilions of corroded steel set in the grounds offer open-ended views into "Seeing" "Hearing" and "Questioning " as they relate to the historic battlefield, with a relevance that applies to war through modern times.

The clarity achieved by the metaphorical execution of dialogue between architecture, history and landscape along with construction detail transparency have our vote for this being most impressive project in Germany!

Dessau, Wolfsburg, Kassel (Germany)

2007-07-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days in Dessau while attending the MELT! Festival. Dessau holds several significant buildings of the Bauhaus, Germany's renowned school of art and architecture in the 20th century. Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Hannes Meyer, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and many other architects and avant-garde artists taught at this school before it was shut down by the Nazi regime in 1933. It was good to revisit the Bauhaus aspirations of "uniting arts, crafts and architecture training within a single institution and reforming living and housing conditions," though paradoxically the most profitable product of the Bauhaus was its wallpaper. Regardless, the Bauhaus has had a major impact on design, architecture, and fine arts around the globe.

Walter Gropius designed the Bauhaus Dessau School in 1925-26 . Separate buildings were designed according to function and use. Three main buildings (workshop, vocational school, studio building) were connected by two asymmetric wings (administration department, "festive" area) (model here) . Characteristic to the building was the use of glass curtain wall with exposed structure behind, overlapping glass edges at corners to emphasize lightness, and the use of light tones, which contrasts with the window frames. We walked through the school and were impressed with the color schemes, custom hardware and custom lighting fixtures throughout.

Gropius also designed a series of Master's Houses in Dessau (1925-26) in a pine tree wooded area, three semi-detached homes and a Director's home all rendered in white with dark frames. These cubic houses aimed to embrace the efficiencies of standardization utilizing prefabricated construction elements and the floor plans for the (3) semi-detached homes are nearly identical, just mirrored and rotated 90 degrees. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed a fifth building in 1932 "Trinkhalle" (refreshment kiosk) that was sadly demolished in 1970, all that remains today is a pavement inlay showing the building outline.

We took a day trip to Wolfsburg, a small town planned by the Nazis in 1938 for the workers of Volkswagen factories. As we approached the train station almost every car on the streets was a Volkswagen, we felt very much in the minority with our Peugeot. Adjacent to the train station was another exciting form by Zaha Hadid, phaeno, an experimental science center. The sensual and dynamic form of the building is reminiscent of a spacecraft, a realized vision of the future. The main concrete shell form is lifted off the ground by sleek cone-shaped columns, allowing pedestrian traffic circulate below. The concept for the exhibits of phaeno (phenomenon) was to reawaken the desire for genuine discovery with interactive exhibits (gyroscopes, fire tornadoes, visible sounds, etc.) instead of presenting second-hand knowledge that has become the norm in our media-dominated world.

Also in Wolfsburg was a somewhat run-down 50's cultural center by Alvar Aalto, attractive in form but falling apart. On the back side there were actually thin stone panels that were cupping off the facade. We didn't see the interior as it was closed.

Off a tip from a friend (thank you Jefferson!) we drove to the city of Kassel to see some of documenta 12, an exhibition of modern and contemporary art that takes place every 5 years. It was a sprawling exhibition of countless art works set side by side in a number of different venues. It asked more questions than it answered, i.e., Is modernity our antiquity? What is bare life? What is to be done? There were some impressive large-scale installations. One was a lyrical assemblage of curved plastic panels affixed to swooping stainless steel tubes by Brazilian sculptor Iole de Freitas that filled an entire room and actually crept outside a window onto the facade. Also some strong photography, Nigerian George Osodi’s series Oil Rich Niger Delta captured a view of the harmful effects of the Nigerian oil boom, which has devastated the environment and ravaged the lives of local residents. Some interesting performance art as well, a supported grid of rope and clothing with women hanging from it, changing positions every few minutes. Overall it was a mixed experience... at times we felt weary from allll that art crammed in the same space. We were thinking back to the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria, with an entire floor dedicated to a single Matthew Barney piece... so much more powerful.

Many works were self-indulgent and vapid. In the first room we entered there was a cage filled with floor pillows, video cameras, and (4) monitors. "Would you like to participate in an artistic experience?" Thank you, no.

MELT! Festival 2007 (Germany)

2007-07-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

1.5 hours SW of Berlin brought us to Ferropolis "City of Steel," the remains of an abandoned strip mining operation and the grounds for MELT!, an annual outdoor music festival. Advertised as "Electronic meets Rock," we came for the incredible line-up of electronic musicians.

Many rusting hulks of machinery brought an industrial aesthetic to the experience of the site, their silhouettes always marked the surrounding skyline. Most of them were washed in projected light, adding more dimension. Both nights were clear and the sky was filled with stars.

With 6 stages playing simultaneously we had to pick and choose; most of our time was spent at the Gemini & Big Wheel stages. Some of this year's highlights (click names for video):

Friday:

Mathias Kaden vs. Onur Ozer
Alex Smoke (killed it)
Apparat & Band (short set we missed most of :(... were over at the Big Wheel Stage) Video of Apparat, Alex Smoke, and Troy Pierce
Troy Pierce
Autechre (amazing.. their performance is hard to describe... percolating and rumbling sounds / beats that build in asymmetric rhythms... very imaginative... brought waves of associations when listening with closed eyes)
Tiefschwarz
Marc Houle
Dizzie Rascal (hilarious and energetic "imma champion and a victor prick ya!" "he's jus a rascal, Dizzie Rascal!... he's jus a rascal!..,"
Magda
DJ Koze (Germans love their Koze... he rocked the stage!)
Ritchie Hawtin
Wighnomy Brothers (after seeing them at Mutek in June, we decided to ditch their 5AM set ;)

Saturday:

Booka Shade (Body Language, anyone?.. great live performance... lots of energy, seemed like everyone was dancing!) see video here
Michael Mayer (always puts on a good set... this one was almost 3 hours!)
Trentmoller Live (incredible stage presence.. varied between tranquil melodic pieces and more intense dancing)
Digitalism (MAD!!)

We really dug this festival... there was a lot of focus on great electronic musicians and the crowd seemed to be in it for the music and dancing (and drinking of course!). Maybe it was just being in Germany. We couldn't remember the last time we stayed up until sunrise listening to music.

Berlin 2 (Germany)

2007-07-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Treptow Crematorium is one of Berlin's best kept secrets. The approach was through a tree-lined symmetrical courtyard to a concrete block building faced with horizontal metal louvers. Passage through a heavy rolling metal door led to an amazing enclosed space. The rectangular 'Hall of the Dead' was marked with a series of circular concrete pillar supports that were irregularly placed around a round pool of water in the center of the room. The grove of pillars rise and disappear into circular shafts of daylight that break through the ceiling. We sat in silence and enjoyed this powerful effect for some time, as passing clouds altered the intensity of the light. The building was designed by Axel Schultes with Charlotte Frank.

One negative criticism on the selection of color... all metal louvers, movable furniture, fixtures, etc. were painted a ugly blue tone (see photos). It felt out of place and looked like it was taken from a corporate office from the 1980s.

The Bauhaus archiv museum of design by Walter Gropius, planned in 1964 and built in the 70s. It was great to re-visit the ideals of the Bauhaus, its aim of uniting arts, crafts, and architecture within a single institution of learning has had an international impact. The building by Gropius had a characteristic silhouette with the quarter-circle shaped light wells that lined the roof. Unfortunately the building has not been maintained well and was run-down. A design competition with plans for expansion has been awarded to SANAA.

A few blocks away was the Embassy Complex of the Nordic Countries in Berlin, an impressive complex of five national embassy buildings with an open common building, all enclosed by green copper louvers. The overall complex was designed by the Austrian/Finnish architectural firm Alfred Berger and Tina Parkkinen, with each individual embassy buildings designed by a different firm (most notably Snohetta A/S, Oslo designed the Royal Norwegian Embassy).

On Bernauer Strasse was another Berlin wall memorial, this one designed by Stuttgart architects Kohlhoff & Kohlhoff. The memorial preserves sixty meters of the former border strip in their original depth as a physical reminder of the Wall, captured at either end by tall steel 'bookend' walls, stainless steel on the interior faces, and rusty cor ten on the exterior faces. On one side you can peek through sections of the wall to get an idea of the feel for and impression of the width of the border fortifications.

Across the street was the Chapel of Reconciliation designed by Berlin architects Reitermann and Sassenroth, a memorial over the old reconciliation church that was blown up by the GDR border troops in 1985. The open-air chapel is made of rammed-earth walls encirlced with a skin of vertical wood louvers.

Next was the Royal Dutch Embassy by Rem Koolhaas, best viewed at nighttime. The eight-story glass cube was wrapped with a terrace and set at the waterfront. The space appeared welcoming with its "Dutch Openness,"(perforated metal screens, cantilevered glass boxes, transparency, etc) but was inaccessible and closely guarded, an interesting dichotomy.

A week in Berlin was not enough.. we will be back!

Berlin 1 (Germany)

2007-07-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

We found Berlin to possibly be Europe's most livable city. Rents are cheap, there's a great music scene (especially if your into minimal techno!), good food is affordable, and there are all kinds of museums. With a population of 4.3 million in the metropolitan area spread over 12 districts, its also very diverse. Our stay was in Mitte, a historical district (formerly the nucleus of East Berlin) lined with shops and cafes. We stayed at Lux 11, a 4 star design hotel for only 88 euros / night. This was the first city we felt at home in, attracted by the lively personality and energy.

Driving wasn't as bad as we thought, as the streets were wide and the hotel had a covered parking garage... however we were rear-ended by a cabbie within 15 minutes of arriving downtown. Luckily more a scare than anything else, the Peugeot was barely scratched (same for the Mercedes). The cabbie spoke English so we were able to resolve it without unnecessarily police involvement.

The first building stop was Rem Koolhaas' Checkpoint Charlie. The roof form was engaging... an angled mass (wing) with punctured oculi that peeked over the street below. The facade was rather plain and beaten-up, further disguised by a handful of faceless retail shops at the street level. Hoards of tourists flocked the streets, many in line to pay 5 euros to have their passports stamped at the Checkpoint Charlie guard post, a former crossing point between East and West Germany.

A few blocks away was Erweiterung GSW-Hauptverwaltung, by Sauerbruch Hutton Architekten. Colorful louvers behind a clear glass facade enlivened the massive tower form. A curved wing on top of the roof softened the feel, it also kept the scale from feeling overbearing.

Daniel Libeskind's landmark project, the Jewish Museum, was a series of zinc-plated shafts set in the landscape, each ripped and torn with narrow slots and punched openings. The direction of these lines connect different sites on a Berlin map that are important to Jewish History. Materially, the building is very cold with its use of zinc and concrete, and the seemingly random and chaotic slots exude a feeling of violence and doom. Visually the building complex seemed disorienting... there was no entrance at the anywhere around the building and it was impossible to capture a view of the exterior in its totality, which folded around endlessly. This was further compounded by the cut lines and slots that capture your eye and lead it along them, never reaching a conclusion. The building was as much a work of sculpture as it was architecture, its form and feel clearly expressed and identified it as a memorial to the horrible atrocities of the Holocaust.

Back by Checkpoint Charlie we visited the Topography of Terror, the demolished site of Gestapo, SS, and Reich Security main offices where the genocide of European Jews and systematic murder of other sections of the population were planned. Chunks of the Berlin Wall remained above a partially covered trench that housed a permanent exhibit of descriptive boards attached to remains of excavated prison cell walls from the demolished building. Peter Zumthor won the 93' design competition for a documentation center at this site which was scrapped after 12 years of planning and 18 million euros spent on construction (full story here). Unfortunate. A second competition was launched in 2005, won by Ursula Wilms, however, little progress seems to have been made.

We caught up with our friend Jeff Samuel who moved to Berlin from Seattle about a year ago to pursue music full-time, which is going really well. He's booked out of town almost every weekend and his records continue to sell well. He and his roommates invited us over for dinner... it was great to mix-up the travel dynamic and take a break from the restaurant setting for a change. They have a spacious, high-ceilinged apartment in the Friedrichshein-Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin.

On a rainy afternoon we visited Peter Eiseman's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a vast interruption in the landscape comprised of a grid made with 2,711 concrete stelae, each slightly inclined in different directions. The project takes up an entire city block, with the blocks receding at the perimeter that get increasingly taller as you approach the center. Interestingly, no symbolic forms are used, it is purely the same rectangular block forms. It can be walked through on all sides, with no set path. This concept had a strong impact on us, especially as the vibrant city was edited away, along with daylight and sounds, as we sunk into the middle of block, around endless turns and axes. Beautiful, gloomy and peaceful.

If you are planning a visit to Berlin, be sure to stop at Konnopke's Imbis for some currywurst... don't ask us what it is, but it was delicious!

Prague (Czech Republic)

2007-07-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

The drive from Munich to Prague was our first true German "Autobahn" experience, with the disappearance of speed limit signs and a constant stream of BMWs and Audis bombing by at 200km/hr+.

We arrived in Prague late in the afternoon and spent hours walking along the Vltava river until nightfall. It was a clear day and the colors of the dense building blocks lining the streets were vibrant under the late afternoon sunlight. The scale of buildings and their components was larger in general (reminiscent of Rome in this way), with incredible detail on the many Art Nouveau facades and hundreds of spires that escaped the bombings from 20th century world wars.

Not many recent projects in Prague, but we did stumble across a few:
Frank Gerhy's iconic and overly-photographed Dancing House (Tancici dum) or "Fred & Ginger." The building meshes well with its surroundings and is an interesting sculptural form.
Under the Prague Castle ("THE" tourist trap... visit during the summer and you'll know what we mean!) was an oval-shaped, vertically oriented brick-lined pedestrian tunnel by AP Atelier. High-level craftsmanship and imaginative lighting. Rather hard to find it was outside and under the castle.
Hotel Josef, by Eva Jiricna Architects. An impressive facade with a characteristic fixed-awning sunscreen system.
The strangest encounter was the metallic Telivision Tower Zizkov (by Vaclav Auilcky and Jiri Kozak), a modern landmark with strange, over sized babies crawling up and down it (see photos!)

Beer consumption in the Czech Republic is second to none, with the average person consuming more than 280 pints annually. (And a bargain at 1 euro for a Pilsner Urquell in some areas!). We ate and drank well!

Munich (Germany)

2007-07-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

A few days in Munich...

We originally planned to return the rental car at the Munich airport but decided to keep it for a few more weeks because of how much it has extended our reach. There is no way we could have reached many of the sights with the limited time in each city. And at 25 euro/day, it was affordable.

We visited (3) Herzog & de Meuron projects in Munich.

The first was the Kunsthalle in den Funf Hofen, an art museum addition in the heart of the city, with characteristic use of perforated copper operable vertical shudders, and an interior hanging garden. The museum cafe ceiling was lined with translucent 'droopy' lamps, which gave the feel of sitting under a strange pond. There were some beautiful courtyards within the mall complex (along the Salvator Passage) lined with more perforated copper panels and some minimal sculptural pieces.

Next was the Goetz Art Gallery, a small cube form white-timber-panel building, with a band of clerestory windows wrapping the top. The building was on private grounds (only accessible by private appointment which we did not have) so we could only view it from the street and over the fence.

The final Herzog & de Meuron project was the Allianz Arena, an iconic-in-form football stadium clad with several thousand air-inflated plastic-foil panels. The arena appears to be white from a distance but the panels are actually clear with thousands of little white dots silk screened on them. The arena can be lit to red, white, or blue (respective home team colors), but we didn't see this because we visited during the day. The designer seats on the interior are slick, but there have apparently been some complaints about comfort. We were impressed with the form of the arena under the skyline.. the panels were very dynamic. Up close, they almost appeared as shiny glass and gave curved and stretched reflections. From a distance, the pure form seems to hover lightly above the ground, almost as an alien craft. The many weather balloon shaped parking garage posts complemented this feel.

We met up with our friend Chika who recently moved from Osaka to Munich. She showed us around her new neighborhood and we caught-up over lunch at an outdoor cafe. She even burned some new cds for us to listen to in the car, a great gift as we were getting tired of the few we brought along!

Bregenz, Innsbruck (Austria)

2007-07-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Kunsthaus Bregenz first appeared as a gleaming cube of ice. Floor plates and stair treads are subtlety revealed on the entry facade, their definition blurred by rows of angled and overlapping frosted glass panels.

Peter Zumthor's projects (thus far) have a high level of coherency in terms of space, use, and form. They make an impact in the first few seconds and sustain their composure through the duration of the experience, supported by well thought-out and constructed details. Clarity in concept, use of materials, and use of lighting are some of his greatest strengths.

The current showing was "Mythos." Entire floor levels were given to each individual artist, something rarely seen in the majority of museums. Most impressive was the 3rd floor gallery dedicated to Matthew Barney. Filling the room was his large scale sculpture "Cetacea," created on the Japanese whaling ship "Nisshin Maru," one of the settings from his latest film "Drawing Restraint 9." (If you appreciate Matthew Barney's work and have not yet seen the film, we recommend checking it out!) Made of cast polycaprolactone thermoplastic, self-lubricating plastic, and vivac the mass appeared to be suspended in a state of animation, frozen while melting. (More photos of the installation here.)

A long drive through many tunnels brought us to Innsbruck, capitol of the federal state of Tyrol. After checking in to our hotel, we walked towards the center of the town and came across several tram station construction sites from Zaha Hadid's forthcoming Nordkettenbahn (aerial tram). The sculpted forms of the stations were dynamic and fluid, seeming to be from the future.

The next morning we drove to the outskirts of Innsbruck to see the MPREIS im centrum.odor by architects Froetscher Lichtenwagner, a sleek complex combining a grocery store, kindergarten, auditorium, living apartments and underground parking garage.

The afternoon led us to another project by Zaha Hadid, the Bergisel ski jump. Another dynamic and exciting design, we continue to be impressed by her ability to sculpt forms that defy convention. However, this project was less impressive in close proximity.. the coherency of the form was diluted and some of the details were not wearing well. The sights from the viewing platform were breath-taking!

Umspannwerk Mitte by UN Studio. From the exterior this project looked like a high-tech generator, sleek and seductive in form, it also felt cold and nihilistic. (and empty).

Adambrau was an old Austrian brew house converted to a museum / architecture resource center by Rainer Koberl in a style reminiscent of Bauhaus.

We visited several other small projects in and around Innsbruck, and left feeling like we had only scratched the surface of Austria.

Sumvitg, Flims, Appenzell (Switzerland)

2007-07-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

A winding steep road led us to Caplutta Sogn Benedetg, a small chapel by Peter Zumthor set high in the mountains, overlooking picturesque Swiss valleys below. The chapel is a wood shingle clad oval-shaped cylinder that rises to a keel-shaped roof form. The building felt taller than it was, emphasized by the steep slope of the mountains and enhanced on the interior by a series of thin wood pillars that encircle the walls of the space, light peering in from a narrow band of windows above. The quality of detailing is sustained throughout. We were taken by the beauty of this chapel in this context, and allured by its form that was not quite definable.

On the drive back from Vals we stopped in Flims to see Valerio Olgiati's Das Gelbe Haus [The Yellow House]. The museum was actually white, a converted greengrocers/house with the plaster knocked-off, revealing layers of the old stone walls which were reworked with a hammer. This gave an archaic feel, with strong shadows and textural character. We arrived in-between the two seasonal exhibits so the space was empty.. which we didn't mind at all!

A rainy drive brought us to the quaint town of Appenzell, and the Liner Museum by Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer. Dedicated to the painters Carl August and Carl Walter Liner, the museum is a series of ten simple gallery spaces flanked by a spacious lobby at the entry end and a small reading room adjacent to a slide room at the north end. Poured concrete floors and natural light illumination throughout, the latter coming in through windows set in the gabled roof overhead.

The entire building is wrapped in sheets of sandblasted chrome steel. The gray color and overlapping cladding calls reference to the weathered shingle facades in traditional Appenzell architecture. The characteristic zig-zag shape of the museum also recalled the sawtoothed roofs of industrial and agricultural architecture in the region.

Vals (Switzerland)

2007-07-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

We walked through a black painted corridor, slowly towards the light. We were wearing thick soft white bathrobes and slippers from the hotel room, feeling a bit fancy at first, but being in them gave a sense of belonging in this place.

We passed by the check-in desk, where it seemed like you'd normally stop during the day to get information, but tonight it was empty. We arrived at the Thermal Vals on Sunday evening, when they were having a "hotel guest only" bath time between 10pm to midnight. All that we were informed was that it was an "Absolute Silence" program reserved for "adults only."

We continued to walk down the hall towards the sound of trickling water. We arrived at the long dimmed concrete hallway. One side had a series of mineral water sprouts, reacting with the concrete surface, creating a beautiful rustic natural corrosion on the wall and floor below. The other side was a series of changing rooms with lockers, separated by black rubber drapes. We realized quickly this was the zone to prepare yourself for entering the baths. Since there was no signs or maps of the facility, we followed a few other guests to see where to proceed next.

At the end of hall, we turned around the corner, and arrived at the upper level of a grand ramp, pin pendent lighting in the background marking a way. The ramp led down to the main bath floor. We looked around for a few minutes, trying to observe before entering into the pools... and were amazed to realize that the entire facility was made out of one type of stone....gray, green granite quarried locally. Peter Zumthor, architect, carefully layed out the stone pattern along the walls, floors, and ceilings, using a different scale of tile and applying different textures / finishes to create variety and a harmonious expression within. The stone also had a rich quality to reflect the surroundings. The sound of water hitting against pool edge, the illuminated water surface reflecting onto the wall creating movement within the wall pattern, and the darkened color of stone recording where people walked with wet feet.

The large central indoor pool was formed with 4 large rectangular pier-like full-height elements, as if to prevent your eyes from seeing the entire pool at once. Views were particularly thought-through... each location in the baths afforded a framed view (reminiscent of the way Mies Van de Rohe framed views at the Barcelona Pavilion). A slow walk down deep generous steps led into the water . The ceiling had deep squares formed into the concrete work filled with blue glass, bringing down a light that varied with intensity according to the conditions of the sky. Where the walls met the ceiling, a gap was often left to let light come through, which illuminated the texture of the wall and created a line for the eye to follow. The place was lit by mostly underwater lighting, which caused the entire pool surface to glow. The water itself was extremely clean, with small soda-like bubbles that would stick to your skin surface. The water level was at just about shoulder height, keeping most of the body submerged... which created a rather surreal landscape of heads moving across the water surface.

A side pool along the edge of the ramp surprised us by connecting to the outdoor pool directly. It was warm enough even at night, and gave fresh mountain air to breathe. There was a constant rise of mist from the water surface, as if reflecting fast moving mountain clouds. The night we were there it was lightly raining... it was wonderful to visually capture the rain as it fell to the water surface, each drop creating a small wave, almost becoming hundreds of minuscule candle lights floating on the water. Beautiful.

There were four other small scale baths inside, warmer water, colder water, floral aroma water, and a sound and light chamber... each gave a cozy setting to enjoy different temperatures and contexts.

The room we stayed in was called 'selva stucco', a recently added room type that Peter Zumthor redesigned from their old 1970s selva room stock. In this room he used red stucco for all walls and ceilings (venetian plaster). He also used hand-painted Koho-dyed curtains, and a beautiful dark beech wood floor. The shower floor was heated limestone. Furniture was all high end, many pieces designed by Zumthor.

Chur (Switzerland)

2007-06-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Peter Zumthor is arguably one of the most respected and talented Swiss architects. His works speak for themselves, especially in terms of detail and craftsmanship. He carefully chooses materials and expresses them in an honest form. We visited his hometown of Chur to see a handful of his projects.

The first stop was the Roman Excavations, a carefully enclosed open-air archaeological site, surrounded by a screen of thin wood fixed louvers. A steel box with an inset panel of dark glass intersects the street-side facades of the main rectangular volumes, allowing a view from the outside into the ruins. (A light could be activated from the exterior for better and night viewing.) We obtained a key for access to the interior from the visitor information center at the train station. The transition from the exterior to the interior is carefully thought out. You enter from a portal that cantilevers from one end of the complex that starts as blackened steel and transitions through an accordion-like portion lined with black felt to a steel door. After entering the interior, it becomes clear that the space and form of the building are clearly informed and shaped by the existing ruins. A thin-member galvanized steel bridge bisects the rooms at the same floor line as the previous roman house stood. On either side of the bridge were deep light wells in square form made with thin gauge steel, bringing down deep pools of natural light onto the gravel floor of the ruins. At the center of the bridge in each room a folded metal stair descended to the ruins below touching lightly (floating just above the ground). A series of fixtures housing artifacts and a row of benches behind a steel book with interpretive panels are also carefully detailed. All wood structural frames utilize hidden kerf joints and specific nailing patterns. Very much art of the craft.

In the center of the city we visited the Bunder Kunstmusuem, which was having an opening of H.R. Giger gallery exhibit. Chur is actually the birthplace of H.R. Giger, the artist behind Necronomicon and other-worldly creations like Alien (from the film). Many full-sized canvases of his original works were on display, dark, serpentine, reptilian, anatomical visions from worlds beyond. His delicate attention to detail and interaction of organic with mechanical forms demonstrates an incredible imagination. Strong emotional messages and perspectives were projected through his works in many forms of media (airbrushed canvases, sculpture, pencil drawing, ink, furniture, masks, etc.)

The museum itself was a century old, with renovations by Zumthor. Most interesting was a bridge connecting from one gallery to another, with a sloped floor plane and flat roof. Windows were meticulously detailed, almost too much so.

Later in the afternoon we visited a Home for Senior Citizens designed by Peter Zumthor. A long slab contains two rows of apartment housing that looked like it could be a series of lofts. The exterior was a combination of concrete, tufa and glass, with larch wood used for window frames and the guardrails.

In the outskirts of Chur we drove through a very small town filled with old buildings and narrow streets. We were navigating to a house project that seemed to be an incorrect address, when a simple, gabled-roof form wood house caught our eyes. We got out of the car for a closer look and realized it was Studio Zumthor, marked by the conspicuous metal plaque next to the door. We quietly walked around, imagining what it might be like working on projects in this place.

All seemed picturesque... with the exception of our hostel. On the surface, JBN (Just Be Nice) was slick and new, with full-size photographs enlarged on the walls, and an aesthetic similar to the Ace hotels in Seattle and Portland. The only catch was that the hostel sits on top of the owner's club. Awful, throbbing disco, bad techno, and loud michael jackson riffs literally shook our room until 4am each night. It was impossible to sleep. Earplugs and alcohol did little to dampen the effects.

Thusis, Savognin, Davos (Switzerland)

2007-06-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

We welcomed the cooler temperatures and fresher air as we ascended back into the Swiss Alps towards Thusis.

In the Viamala Gorge we parked along side the road, and hiked down a muddy footpath to the Hinterrhein River to the Suransuns Footbridge. Designed in 1999 by structural engineer Jurg Conzett, the footbridge was impossibly thin in profile and set in a beautiful context of rushing greenish waters carving through dark rock, surrounded by trees, with the great Viamala bridge arching overhead.

The bridge was comprised of rectangular slabs of greenish granite suspended by staggered slats of stainless steel. Vertical stainless steel guardrail pickets pierced the ends of each granite slabs clear through the stainless slats, holding the structure together. The granite slabs were weathering beautifully in color, the greenish tones complementing the waters below and the reddish ends (algae?) contrasting subtly with the context. We stood in the misty rain in awe of this bridge for 30 minutes, absorbed by the beautiful aesthetic of this high-level engineering work.

We spent a day in the resort town of Davos, to visit (4) more projects by Zurich architects Anette Gigon and Mike Guyer. First was the Sport Zentrum Davos, a complex adjacent to a track and soccer field, with exterior bleacher seating, a restaurant, and offices. Essentially a rectangular box painted with bold colors and supergraphics, clad with alternately spaced vertical boards. It was clean and crisp under the surrounding mountains.

Adjacent to this was the Werkof, a city works and tourist bureau. A wood slat clad box with a cantilevered upper story on the street side, faced with alternately sized horizontal wood boards, which enriched the texture.

Third was the Kirchner Museum, a series of interconnected rectangular volumes made of concrete, glass, steel, and wood. This was Gigon/Guyer's first major commission. The exterior had textured glass panels spaced in front of horizontal running cement boards which created a diffused glow of light. The interior gallery spaces had a ceiling comprised of white translucent glass. The exhibit was being rotated while we were there, so entrance tickets were half-off. Also, there was a group of architecture students from Tulane University (New Orleans) visiting that had been granted access to the ceiling cavity above... they were kind enough to let us crawl up as well. The space above was a deep light well surrounded with glass backed by manual louvers. Teamed with a light meter, the curators could adjust the natural light levels to what was appropriate for each exhibit.

Last was the Restaurant Vinkus Um- und Neubau.. which we had trouble finding.. because it had closed. The new owners had completely changed the look of it, wiping out the supergraphics and adding painted italian motifs. It was unrecognizable. Eliminate it from your itinerary if you plan a visit.

Onward past St. Moritz to the ski resort town of Savognin, we checked into the Cube Hotel (by architects Baumschlager + Eberle (2000)). Designed to be a haven for "extreme sports" kids, each room is accessible from the lobby by mountain bike via a wide concrete ramp. The center of the Cube hotel is a large courtyard, open to all four levels and encircled by the long concrete ramp. In the ground floor lobby was a 24-hour bar, a cafeteria, playstations, and loads of lounge sofas. Below was a game room with more playstations, a climbing wall, and a relaxation room with a dank sauna. Sadly, the common areas on the bottom two levels of the building were plagued with aggressive flies and a musty sweat sock stench.

The exterior stands-out as being a reflective ice cube at the base of the mountains, with large staggered panels of glass reflecting the context beyond. At night time a series of lights and projectors make the cube glow.

Each room has an entry alcove where you can store bulky jackets, climbing gear, mountain boards, helmets, skis, bikes, snowboards, etc. These alcoves were faced with fritted glass panels and doors, with different colors on each floor, pretty slick. The rooms were minimally designed, with exposed concrete ceilings, base-less walls, and bold 2-color schemes. There were a couple big detailing mistakes... first, the shower room and toilet rooms were faced with back painted glass panels... these panels were attached to the gypsum wallboard behind with big messy globs of silicone, which were completely visible through the glass. Oops. Next the glass door of the shower had no threshold, just a gasket flap along the edge, so water would quickly puddle-up on the adjacent carpet when showering. Views were somewhat limited, as there was no deck from the room and the staggered glass panels were fixed. Not to pick on the cube, as overall we enjoyed our stay and appreciated the emphasis on design they strived for.

Ticino 2 (Switzerland)

2007-06-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Santa Maria degli Angeli Chapel in Monte Tamero by Mario Botta.

San Giovanni Battista in Mogno by Mario Botta

Castlegrande (Restoration) in Bellinzona by Aurelio Galfetti

[descriptions coming soon!]

Ticino 1 (Italy / Switzerland)

2007-06-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

A long tunnel through Mont Blanc left one world behind and delivered us to the next region of the trip, the Italian region of South Switzerland, Ticino. We stopped briefly in the Italian city of Como for gellato, and walked along the crowded shoreline. Steep hills descended down to the edges of the lake, densely packed with houses and hotels. We drove north to Lugano, where we stayed at a youth hostel, one with some of the most beautiful grounds we've seen (even a swimming pool). Being so close to Italy, the food quality improved drastically.

We headed to the University of Lugano to check out a handful of buildings. The first was an addition to an existing library by Michele e Giorgio Tognola. The project was comprised of several floors of study alcoves for students above a new entry and arcade. The board-formed concrete work was beautiful, with sharp edges and precise angled corners. Each study alcove is expressed on the exterior facade, set between a concrete frame and wrapped in steel. The modules were glazed with an inset metal panel, that has two smaller slots which could be adjusted from interior study desks to control lighting levels. The interior spaces were minimal and warm, with generous natural light. One detail that appeared to not be wearing well were flush acrylic caps that covered recessed linear fluorescent fixtures at the face of supportive concrete fins, especially at exterior locations.

Adjacent to the library addition was a Galfetti building, the Aula Polivalente. The building was locked-up so we couldn't see the interior, but the exterior plaza was accessible. More sharp concrete work... unfortunately some of the benches had beer bottles and garbage stuffed inside the free space below them.
Inside a newer campus engineering dept. building clad with fish scale like metal panels (architect unknown) we found a "free" hi-speed internet connection, so we took the opportunity to upload photos and download email.

North of Lugano we spent three days in Bellinzona, a city known mostly for its three UNESCO castles, most recognizably Castlegrande. The first night we arrived it rained so intensely that at one point the surrounding streets appeared to blur (see photo). We walked by the entrance of the Castlegrande at nighttime, a glowing tall keyhole shaped cave. (More on the Castlegrande restoration in the Ticino 2 posting).

A short distance from Bellinzona was the tiny city of Giornico, set deep in a valley surrounded by mountains with large swaths of exposed granite, water seeping along the face of them. Here we visited La Congiunta, a museum for the sculptor Hans Josephsohn designed by Peter Maerkli. The museum was off a narrow road, sited next to a vineyard along a river. The concrete building has a series of 3 main rooms with varying heights, each displaying a range of sculptural works. The raw texture from the board formed concrete walls absorbed the light from the long, creating a feel in-tune with Josephsohn's works. The space was very quiet and peaceful. To access the studio we had to borrow the key from a local restaurant, where there was a sign-in book filled with many recognizable names (architects) from all around the world.

Chamonix / Mont-Blanc (France / Italy)

2007-06-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

The jagged Alps carve into the sky with a power and scale that is humbling. They conjure up dreams and aspirations, and their silence is deeply contemplative. We felt that if we could choose a place to walk around before leaving the planet at the end of life, this would be it. (Hopefully this wasn't just the low oxygen speaking).

The day began with a tram ride from the French resort town of Chamonix (1036m). The lift is faster than expected... our ears almost immediately felt the pressure change as trees began to fly by... then rocks, then snow. After a station switch at 2308m, the near vertical ride disappeared into a cloud of fog.. then emerged atop a blanket of clouds in an entirely new world. The Aiguille du Midi station stands at 3842m, and was crawling with climbers in full-gear and tourists. Mont-Blanc (4807m, 15,781ft), the Alps highest point, lurks quietly in the near distance, encrusted with massive snow drifts.

Next, we crawled into a tiny red gondola destined for the Italian station of Hel-Bronner, for the most amazing ride of our life. A 40 minute glide over glaciers, through beds of fog, and with incredible views of the Mont-Blanc range and Italian Alps. The sights in all directions are breathtaking and the ride was completely silent....our thoughts were definitely free-flowing in this context. We brought aboard a can of "Leffe" beer, that added to the overall experience.

Following the return journey, we descended halfway down from the Aigulle du Midi station to the Plan de l'Agulle station, and left the tram for a hike. The trail, which began at the foot of the Aiguille du Midi needles, led towards the Mer de Glace glacier in the next valley, below Grandes Jorasses (4208m). It was great to experience the mountains on foot. The views of Chamonix valley below and the alps above were unrivalled.. crossed many mountain creeks, and fields of vivid wild flowers. After 3 hours and a picturesque lunch break, we boarded a cog train and descended back down to Chamonix.

Lyon 2 (France)

2007-06-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Central Media Library by Dominique Perrault utilized alternately inverted perforated metal panels/channels behind glass, breaking down the scale of the facade and creating texture, while simultaneously screening the interior from direct sunlight. From the interior, the screens were transparent (see photo). All functions on the interior were pulled in from the perimeter which was used for circulation.

Next was the Balloon Box, by Rue Royale Architects. This addition appeared to be budget-driven. A super graphic of pixelated ivy was printed onto large sheets of plastic laminate, with multiple layers of a clear coating to allow for exterior application. You might have seen an advertisement in a magazine from the plastic laminate manufacturer showing this, it was widely published. Upon getting a closer look it was disturbing to see that the top layer of plastic coating is peeling off severely in many corners of the panels. In some instances there are bubbles or pockets created by the combination of sun and rain. Although it was conceived as a creative solution, it unfortunately is not weathering well, which detracts from the overall vision.

The Lyon-Santolas Aeroport Railway Station by Santiago Calatrava... or "bad-ass monster" for short. This has to be one of the greatest examples of what Calatrava is capable of. The combination of thin rib-shaped and bone-like concrete forms along with steel arcs and frames shows his pure engineering genius. Walking around it and through it was exciting, the light and shadow had us trigger-happy with our cameras... see the photos they speak for themselves!

Lyon 1 / Firminy / Eveux (France)

2007-06-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

After a several hour drive from downtown Geneva, we checked into a small room in Ecully, a 5-minute drive from downtown Lyon.

After fumbling miserably with physical maps, we decided to 'bite the bullet,' and invest in a cheaper GPS unit, the Tom-Tom One, confident that Garmin will honour a full-refund under the warranty. (By the way the Garmin Nuvi 370 was less than 3 months old when it died). The interface on the Tom-Tom was great in France, graphically showing sequences of upcoming round-abouts, and verbally directing us down side streets that would have taken us hours to find. (All with a heavy female British accent). We realized that GPS is essential for auto travel... there's no argument over turns (makes a smoother ride for us! ;).. it compares routes in relation to cost (tolls for highways, etc), calculates times to arrivals... it also has a built in traffic fm receiver which can navigate around traffic jams. When you take a wrong turn it calculates the next fastest route or tells you to turn around. It lists the closest gas stations, hotels, museums, etc. And of course you can load on your own preset locations with coordinates derived from google maps. We think devices like this will be the next ipod... likely paired with cell phones similar to the new iphone. Try one out if you haven't already.

Monday night we witnessed an amazing thunder storm, something rarely heard in the Seattle area. The rolling rumble and crackling of thunder through the Lyon valley was incredible... several times during the night it was so loud and shaking that it awakened us, hearts pounding. The light show was equally impressive, purplish glowing nebulae-like cloud formations flickering about... it was daunting and beautiful.

Being in France, we knew it was an opportunity for the best food during the entire trip, and our first lunch in Lyon didn't disappoint. Delicately grilled salmon on top a bed of baby potatoes, encircled with small portions of zesty tapenada and fresh pesto. Aya had a beautiful grilled ravioli salad, with generous portions of mixed field greens and fresh tomatoes. Paired with Lager, we were in heaven.

South of Lyon we visited Firminy, which has the largest single-site collection of Le Corbusier buildings in Europe. The highlight of these was the recently completed (11.2006) church of Saint-Pierre de Firminy, finally finished after decades of challenges (design began in 1961, construction in 1971, 5 years after his death). Its difficult to describe his work in words, but if you have visited Notre-Dame-Du-Haut in Ronchamp, you've seen how Le Corbusier can create a spiritual place with imaginative form and natural light. We were lucky to visit when the chapel was completely empty. If you talk in the space, the sound is very diffused, but if you sing the higher notes of your voice are illuminated by the form of the space, echoing beautifully and extending through the entire chapel. Glass inserted in small circular holes in the concrete on the east side of the chapel create a constellation of pinpoints of light, varying in intensity as clouds move in front of the sun. We were amazed with the depth of color reached with only 4 colors of paint reflecting into the space with natural light. Beyond the overall form, the concrete details were equally impressive. Corbusier always made an effort to express captured rain water on the surfaces of his buildings, the gutter forms on this project are functional and playful (see photos).

Due east of the chapel is the somewhat-dilapidated Sports Stadium. It bears an impressive concrete cantilever and hundreds of steps for seats. Each seat has a spray-painted stenciled number in the Corbu font, most were wearing away. At the other side of the Stadium, is the Maison de la Culture (Cultural Center). Set atop a large rock formation, the building has a steep cant and a sweeping roof plane that are unforgettable. Unfortunately, this building is leaking badly. As we walked through the different spaces, there was an ensemble of rain drops falling into buckets and garbage cans (one room had 20+). Our final stop in Firminy was an Unite d'habitation, one of Corbu's massive housing unit 'habitat densifications,' with 414 homes and topped with a school on the roof at +56m. The building looked to be about 3/4 full of residents.

We had hoped to spend a night or two at Couvent de La Tourette in Eveux, unfortunately it was closed for extensive renovations. However, the exterior grounds were still accessible, so we made the drive. The context around the monastery is a peaceful south france landscape of rolling hills and vineyards. (Reminiscent of the Aalto Mt. Angel Library context in Oregon). The strangely shaped forms looked amazing in the late afternoon sun, we could only imagine how beautiful the light must be within the spaces.

Botch-day! June 19

2007-06-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Traveling always brings with it the unexpected. So far the trip has gone really well in terms of planning, finding architecture sights, hotels, and good places to eat, etc. However, the winds can shift quickly in this climate..

Tuesday, June 19th:

For the past few days the Garmin GPS had been acting up... losing signal frequently... jumping around the screen... repeating "left turn ahead" over and over. Today it completely lost the ability to locate any satellites. "Tits up." Done. Oh no. At first we were in denial, thinking the Swiss Alps might be blocking the signal. At an internet cafe we even checked to see if there were any problems with the navigational satellites. Haha! Wrong.

We did plan for this and had a back-up physical map.. but navigating the unfamiliar streets became a whole new ballgame taking a lot more time.

2pm.. had a late start for the day after fumbling with the GPS, turning it on and off, etc. and getting sucked into 'free internet' time at the Paul Klee museum.

3:30pm on a side road on the way to Neuchatel a car had caught fire and completely blocked both directions of the road, while firefighters unsuccessfully tried to put it out. We waited for a while as traffic stacked-up, and finally turned-around after a police officer cleared some space in front of us.

5pm.. finally arrived at the Freiedrich Durrenmatt Center (Botta Museum) after many wrong turns.. only to find it closed. On top of that, the exterior really wasn't impressive (spare the amazing view).

5:30pm... to get to Lyon, where we had a hotel reservation, we determined it would take until about 9:30pm. Thinking this was too late, we instead went to Lausanne, hoping to find an affordable room in a quiet setting by the lake. In attempt to take it all in stride, we decided to wing it, do it "Rick Steves-style," impromptu and without hotel reservations.

7pm .. That was a mistake... Lausanne turned-out to be a big tourist town... we checked 3 hotels... but they were all full.

8pm.. We finally found one other hotel in Lausanne, it had one very sad-looking hotel room left for 120 CHF. While deciding on it down on the street, a group of twenty kids showed up in the lobby... we decided to drive-off.

9:30pm... We decided to drive along the lake to Geneva, through a series of small lake-side cities, rumored to have more available rooms. This was the wrong assumption... there were so few hotels (one we drove up to looked to be open... but was actually abandoned). At this point, unsure we were going to find anything, we decided to power through the 2-1/2 hours and get to Lyon where we had a reservation. We could have been there by this point if we stuck to our 'plan.' Hungry and grumpy now, we resorted to the McDonalds drive-through for some much needed 'nourishment.'

10pm... Right after getting on the freeway, ready to make the final push, we read the map incorrectly and ended-up exiting right into the downtown of Geneva. On the exit ramp there was a flash informing us we just got tagged for a speeding ticket.

Now its dark, we have no city map, and we're tired.

11pm.. We walked into a large, 20-story hotel, thinking they must have a room. They were completely booked, spare a suite they offered to us at the bargain rate of 720 CHF(!). After seeing the look of shock on our faces, they gave us a map, and sent us in the direction of the train station.

11:45pm... Tried two more hotels... both were booked, but the kind hotel manager made a phone call to his buddy, who had "one last room" for 205 CHF. We sensed that they knew they could charge what they wanted at this hour. Why didn't we go for the 120 CHF room at 8pm?! We decided to go for it, and he pointed-us around the block. On the way there, we came across a youth hostel sign... at this point a 30 CHF shared dorm room bed sounded great... so we decided to give it a try.

11:55pm... Right before midnight as they were closing reception, we asked if they had anything... and somehow our luck turned. They were fully-booked but there was one reservation that turned out to be a no-show... he offered it to us... a private double-room with a sink and toilet for 80 CHF! Salvation.

Winterthur-Lucerne-Bern-Neuchatel-Geneva (Switzerland)

2007-06-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

We spent the night in Winterthur to visit the Kunstmuseum by Gigon/Guyer. This museum addition is an elevated box made of glass channels spaced in front of horizontal bands of cementicious boards. The roof line is capped with a sawtooth-shaped galvanized sheet metal skylight run. Below, the box is supported by opposite-faced, offset glass channels that house an open-air parking garage within. Detailing is 'no-fuss,' all downspouts and gutters are concealed neatly.

Under the sunlight the greenish-blue channels form a light band around the gallery space that softens the surrounding sheet metal. The simplicity of materials and clean detailing is carried to the interior, with broad swaths of concrete used for floors, a lack of door frames & wall base, and minimized fire-suppression and lighting-control systems (see small holes within between skylights in photos). After dark the glass channels below are lit from within the parking space, emanating a cool glow.

In Lucerne we came across a slick apartment building (architect unknown) that utilized a shading system supported by an array of offset vertical dowels, additionally adding texture and depth to the facade. Downtown Lucerne we visited the Migros shopping center and club school by Diener & Diener, skinned with acid-etched metal panels and swaths of textured-greenish glass interrupted with slim, vertical sweep awning windows. The modern building was a nice contrast in the more historic context, but was severely beaten-up at the base with kicked-in and scarred-up metal panels, further damaged by cleaning solvents to remove graffiti and glued-up signs. Damn kids!

At the waterfront was the Nouvel congress center, with its impressive cantilevered roof that draws attention to the beautiful surrounding alps along the horizon. The building mass below it seemed to be comprised of too many moves on the exterior (we could not make sense of the alternately colored and offset carved masses, with their skewed and punched openings). The interior was hyper-detailed, with metal grills, stairs, glass elevators throughout the lobby. Across the street was an eye-catching addition to the Swiss railways terminal by Santiago Calatrava that also felt overly detailed. (Redundant 'artful' supports, excessive steel trusses, etc.)

The Bern Train Station (Architect?) had some undulating glue lam beams that carried a thin metal roof up from the streets down to the tracks.. very cool. On Sunday we visited the Zentrum Paul Klee museum by Renzo Piano, an organic three-peak 'wave' of steel that emerges from a field of wildflowers. Consistent with other Piano projects, the spaces were well-thought out and the building carried a "lightness" that was appealing.

In the small Swiss town of Wichtrach, we searched out a small gallery by Gigon/Guyer, the Kunst-Depot. From a distance it looks like a storage barn of made of corrugated metal, but as you get closer the level of detail begins to reveal a highly sophisticated building. Perforated corrugated steel sheets forms a screen around the perimeter of the gallery, lifted approx. 1m off the ground and is offset 1m from the exterior walls, hanging like a drape. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the gallery is the way in which the steel sheets of the roof are folded over at the short ends of the building, almost as if done with origami paper. Gutters and downspouts are concealed along the building profile edge and behind the perforated screen, contributing to the overall 'tightness' of the project. A very impressive project, we strongly recommend checking-out Gigon/Guyer's work.

Interlaken, Grindelwalt (Switserland)

2007-06-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

A day off from architecture... into the Swiss Alps

Interlaken >> Grindelwald.

Basel 2 (Switzerland)

2007-06-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Our time in Basel coincided with Art Basel, an annual art gallery opening festival with hundreds of showings from artists around the world. There were many related happenings in the streets, from decorated cars, scantily clad women, sculpture, and "art graffiti" walls by zmik designers. We followed a red carpet from a plaza into an old transportation warehouse and were led up several escalators leading to an entire floor filled with installations from the "Swiss Art Awards." It was mixed overall, but there were some compelling architectural exhibits that experimented with form and presentation (see photos.)

In the southwestern outskirts of Basel near Biel-Benken we visited some apartments designed by Peter Zumthor, an almost entirely flush-when-closed set of buildings clad with gray-painted plywood panels over a concrete structure. The concrete work was very sharp, and detailing was simple and clean. It felt very warm and lived-in with generous outdoor yards and personalized touches such as individual addresses written in chalk, plants, etc. A great introduction to the many Zumthor projects we look forward to seeing on this trip.

On Friday the 15th we bused out to the aiport to pick-up our rental car, a brand new peugot 307 (diesel). Actually for cost reasons we decided to lease a car, so we own it until they "buy it back" in July. (That should "keep it real" in downtown Lyon and the curvy single-lane roads high in the Swiss Alps). Driving was surreal for the first few hours, and lets just say the GPS paid for itself by the time we made it back to the Hostel.

Saturday we drove to the Vitra campus and several other projects in Weil am Rhein. The Gehry building on the campus housed an exhibition of future perspectives on the home called "Home Stories," with installations by Hella Jongerius, Greg Lynn, and others. Hella's entry was an unusual three-dimensional construct made of colored shelving, furniture and accessories, encirled with textile drapes slowly moving on aluminum tracks.. her message seemed to be a plea for more conscious use of color in the home environment. Greg Lynn's installation was a chaotic room filled with wild, geometric shapes and colors seemingly from the pages of a comic book on one side, and three-dimensionally designed furniture pieces and a series of manga robots he claimed to be the inspiration source for his forms on the other (side of the room).

New on campus was a slick stainless steel bus stop with Bertoia wire mesh chairs by Jasper Morrison... we also came across a model of an upcoming Herzog & de Meuron building, a series of intersecting rectangular tubes in an almost crystalline structure.. straight from the diagrams of the AMO journal Content. The air at Vitra was a little thin.. the parking lot was filled with almost all BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis. Entrance fees were high and the feel of all the hyper-designed 'test-tube' buildings left something to be desired. Complaints aside, Vitra should be recognized for thier efforts of encouraging a heightened design-awareness.

A few kilometers away we visited a small photography studio designed by Herzog and de Mueron. An addition to an existing house, the studio is clad with lapped stained exterior plywood spaced with square runs of trim, creating strong shadowlines. Three diamond-shaped light wells skinned in zinc paneling (or aluminum?) peer upwards from the roofline.

The Zaha Hadid LF One pavillion in Weil am Rein is exciting in form, but seems to be quite run-down. Over-run with weeds and tagged-up with spray paint, it felt somewhat beaten. The cafe below was closed for a wedding, but we still managed to get in to see the restrooms.

Zurich (Switzerland)

2007-06-16T01:41:00.000-07:00

Thursday the 14th we took an early train to Zurich. Swiss trains are a smooth ride and seem like they are always on time.

First stop was the Erdgenoessiche Technische Hochschule (ETH) campus, the university that has an architecture program which has graduates such as Le Corbusier, Herzog & de Meuron, and Santiago Calatrava (to name a few). The campus was 'ho-hum,' but the Law Library by Calatrava was a surprise, an impressive ellipse-shaped 6-story atrium space structured within an existing building's courtyard. Ellipse rings are clad with precise arrays of wood slats. Elevators at either end are wrapped in clear glass, giving view to the space going up or down, almost as if being swallowed down a throat (see photo). Natural lighting is choreographed delicately through a dynamic metal screen structure at the top, which was closed while we were there to control the amount of direct sunlight from exterior.

It was hot and muggy out, so we took a tram to the waterfront for a picnic. One of our 'best friends' in Switzerland has been the numerous COOP grocery stores, they have a decent selection of salads, sandwiches, and chocolate at reasonable prices. Also pint cans of cold beer for only CHF 1.80 (approx $1.50 USD). The lakes in Switzerland seem so clean... in Zurich we could see the bottom up to about 5m from the shore.. many fish and swans.. people swimming, etc. Much cleaner than the Thames anyway.

After lunch we walked a few blocks to Calatrava's Stadelhofen Train Station, another project that seems like it will rest comfortably well into the future. The organic steel forms are reminiscent of Terradactyl bone structures and centipede legs. Thin steel cables are stretched through supports on the elevated walking platform, encouraging ivy to grow out on them to provide shade. Half of the station is set into the hill, and there is a shopping court below the train rails in a concrete sculpted corridor.

When we were resting in a student lounge at the ETH earlier in the day, we noticed a poster advertising an art installation by Carsten Nicolai, "static fades" at the haus konstruktiv gallery. We first discovered Nicolai at the Mutek Festival in Montreal in 2004, during a mind-blowing performance from SIGNAL, the brain trust of the German music label Raster Noton. ( SIGNAL is comprised of Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto), Olaf Bender (Byetone), and Frank Bretschnieder (Komet)). The experimental and minimal music from the label is very pure in expression, and frequently, if not always, integrates their sound with a symbiotic visual component. Stumbling upon an installation by Carsten Nicoli is by no means a common encounter, we were very excited to have the opportunity to experience his first large solo exhibit is Switzerland first hand.

STATIC FADES. 'haus konstructiv' is a rather hidden gallery. When we arrived there was nobody there (spare 2 staff members), this was great knowing we'd have the gallery to ourselves, as his work embodies many acoustic subtleties that can be washed away by loud crowds (sound and light frequencies and electromagnetic fields). The exhibit was structured as (4) installations, each in a separate room. As the content has a lot of depth, we'll limit to commenting on only the first (2). The first installation was called 'static balance.' In a generous, high ceiling gallery space there were +/- 3m tall parabolic mirrors facing each other, spaced at either side of the room. It was both sculpture and a sound-channeling system, as an audible oscillating signal could be experienced in different depths as you walked around the space. The second installation was titled 'fades.' We were escorted down a dark (very dark) corridor into a rectangular room which was filled with a foggy mist. It was not possible to orientate at first. A funnel of mutating white light was being projected onto a far surface, creating a 3-dimensional dynamic light sculpture reflected by the mist. After a minute or so, a subtle sound frequency was noticeable, it seemed to fluctuate in sync with the forms, as if the two were inseparably meshed together. We stood silently absorbed for 30 minutes. 'Minimal' is often thought to be 'blank' or 'empty.' We found this work to be very imaginative and emotional. By editing so well, it provided a node of powerful contemplation... the forms were not recognizably defined which stimulated imagination. If you are in Zurich before August 1st be sure to make a stop!

A final stop was the Freitag Store... made entirely of shipping containers (9 containers tall!). It was quite a sight from a distance, the industrial feel and colors looked beautiful against the late afternoon sky.

One disappointment... a long time goal of ours was to make it to buro discount, the 'official' store for buro destruct, an atelier of Swiss graphic designers. (check out their books from the publisher Die Gerstalten Verlag). After mapping the location months ago and making sure we arrived at a time they were open during normal business hours, our efforts were greeted with a 'closed-early today' sign on the door. Haha! Oh well, less to carry.

Basel 1 (Switzerland)

2007-06-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Basel, Switzerland... a tall glass of fresh water!

We arrived after an early easyjet flight that ended-up being delayed on the runway several hours. En route to the gate the reality of allowable carry-on baggage sizes in Europe came to light at the security cue: "ya've got too many bags mate... yer only allowed ONE... go back to check-in."

A few blocks from the SBB train station in downtown Basel was the YMCA youth hostel. It seemed more like a 3-star hotel than a hostel... sleek and minimal finishes, a large, naturally lit dining room next to a courtyard, free wifi, and a top notch espresso machine... we were impressed. With check-in we were given a mobility ticket that was good on all public transportation in Basel and its surrounding areas.. thank you Swiss Government!

Walking downtown later that night we stumbled upon the Architekturmuseum, which was coincidentally open for a new gallery showing, "Instant Urbanism." We readily took advantage of the free admission and champagne. Inside there were some 'urbanism experiment' exhibits. In one, several downtown city blocks were completely carpeted (see photo... it is not photoshopped) to make them a more humane environment. In another titled 'Delete,' some German designers applied a 2mil yellow film over all advertisements on a city block to quantify the areas given to capitalistic promotion. Upstairs INSTITUT FUER FEINMOTORIK performed a live-act with an 8-turntable set-up.

Tuesday morning we embarked on our search for 'Swiss boxes." First up was the Jakob Burkhardt Haus by Zwimpfer & Partners, a sharply detailed project clad in undulating aluminum panels. The interior reflected the exterior's feel of clean finish and detailing... from the bold use of simple graphics and signage to flush base, minimal hardware and fixtures. Adjacent to this was the Peter Merin Haus (also by Zwimpfer & Partners), a similarly-scaled building clad with textured greenish glass panels spaced in front of cement panels. This provided a transparency to the building and a sculpted play of light.

Next was a revisit to the Zentralstellwerk, or Central Signal Tower by Herzog & de Meuron. Pragmatically it is a simple box, but through their clever use of gradational folds of twisted copper slats the form is boldly expressed.

We then took a tram to the Sportspark (H&dM also), which is undergoing a substantial addition to be completed by 2008 for international soccer tournaments. Arrays of bubbled translucent acrylic panels form the outer covering of the sportspark within and join disparate forms (An angular stack of offices over an entrance to a shopping mall at one end, and a large, transparent inflated signage structure at the other). Some of H&dM's earlier experimentation with injection molded forms can be seen in the concrete panels that clad the office mass.

The Schaulager Museum by Herzog & de Meuron is a deceivingly simple box from the exterior. Upon approach, varied textures and materials begin to reveal the sophistication within. Upon passing through rippled mesh-metal doors (reminiscent of sea water, see photo), the entry procession leads through a small terracotta aggregate clad concrete room, punctuated with natural lighting through (3) port holes above. Passing though another set of rippled metal doors, the procession then leads through a void space down a sloped floor plaza to a pair of smoked glass entry doors. Greeted by a large open atrium draped in stillness, the quiet beauty of the space begins to set in. Gallery exhibits comprise the entry-level and basement-level floors. Upper levels are seductively revealed through the atrium, but are inaccessible. (They are exclusively dedicated to housing 70 years work of art collection from the Emmanual Hoffmann Foundation in carefully monitored temperature zones).

As far as contemporary art museums go, we feel like this is one of the if not the best. One measure we use for gauging art exhibits and installations is how surreal and unexpected the works seem (how they resonate), along with the level of craft and care taken in expression. We were not familiar with Robert Gober, and were surprised to find that the entire gallery space was dedicated to some of his works (from 1976 to 2007). From internal struggles with sexuality (a glowing male torso in a fireplace giving birth to a clothed child's leg), utopian visions (a room surrounded on all sides with a lifesize paintings of a forest and lined with sinks on either side, faucets circulating water), and manifestations of portals to other worlds (most notably drains... drains in walls, drains in hairy male legs, drains in sinks). We could write pages about the individual spaces. Though the installations really need to be experienced in person, this video clip gives some feel of the works. A theme that seemed to permeate all of his installations was transition. Most moving for us personally was a recent (2003) permanent installation comprised of a centrally located concrete statue of Sister Mary gored through the torso with a circular drainage pipe. Behind was a wooden staircase ascending to the ceiling, with water cascading down the treads. The statue sat atop a large steel street drain. Below the floor was a stream of water running over stones, sea anemones, over scaled coins reflecting in the light. Flanked on either side of the Sister Mary approx. 15m away were open suitcases on the floor, more street drains within revealing the utopia below. By crouching behind the suitcase and peering into the drain, the legs of a man that appear to be holding an infant over the stream partially comes into view. Unbelievable!

We knew the Basel posts would be long, but realize this is pushing it. Hopefully a few souls out there are reading this!

As for the remaining projects in this photo set, the alternately canted and angled facade is the office of Morger & Degelo (note the multitude of cables used for exterior screens... very slick). the green box is a less-impressive H&dM campus building (in our opinion... glass was too green, and garbage had collected in some areas between the suspended glass panels and metal frame behind), and finally, the Elassertor (also H&dM), with its impressive facade of alternately angled glazed panels, best viewed during sunset.

London 2

2007-06-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

The fabric of London is transportation, the main network being the 'tube'.. with a 5.10 pound day-pass the city is opened-up. You don't have to wait more than a few minutes (countdown monitors when you're feeling impatient) and the routes are extensive. The day-pass is also good on the double-decker buses, no need to pay for a tour. One tube station worth mention is Canary Wharf, by Foster + Partners. The smoothly sculpted spaces feel futuristic and the level of refinement and detail is comparable to Calatrava's work.

The interior of Embassy of Iceland by Arne Jacobsen was not accessible as we didn't have an appointment, but we enjoyed the exterior. The base is tough with cement block and concrete walls with a geometric mural, while a modular of tube-like spaces wrapped in greenish-gray metal (with signature Jacobsen rounded corners) and glazed at the ends protrude from above. The break-up of the residential suites at the street level on the 'back' side were a great example of how all systems (lighting, mail, hardware, glazing, materials, etc.) can be integrated effectively.

A highlight of London for us was the Peckham Library by Will Alsop. Sited in a vibrant eastern suburb of London (Peckham, described by some as 'undesirable'), the library at first glance seemed run-down. There were some smashed glass panels on the back facade, and the metal screen that wrapped the front facade and underside looked like an afterthought from a distance. The scale was smaller than expected. It seemed appropriate for the neighborhood, and was comfortable upon entering and circulating through a brightly lit stair (colorful glass panels added personality). The library in general is very playful with: materials, range of color, an amorphous form peeking from the roof line, and alternately canted tube steel columns. On the top floor in the main library space (3) wood pods (children's library, meeting room, and study-centre) distinctively stand on tapered concrete columns. Below are study desks and computer stations, and the perimeter is lined with stacks and additional study tables. Most were occupied when we visited.

The British Museum Great Court is another good example of Foster + Partners strong vision, craftsmanship, and execution. In a sea of museums, this space stands out. The original buildings are cast in a new light with a mesh of thin shadows created by the canopy's unique geometric form. Originally built in the mid-19th century, the courtyard was an open garden that was taken away with the addition of a round reading room in the center. The new canopy spans that gap, provides cover in adverse weather, and reduces solar gain.

Others we visited:
The B&B Italia showroom by John Pawson was beautifully detailed (especially the stone tile, 3/4" guardrail panel glazing at the stair stringer and mezzanine edge, and main level ramp (if you don't trip like I did!).
30 Finsbury Square by Eric Parry Architects was a somewhat straightforward office cube with alternating apertures cut into the stone facade... deceivingly simple.
And finally the Barbican Estate, a massive and strange corbusian-esque living community (spans 2 tube stops!) Thank you J.S. for the recommendation... we were dumbfounded.

While food may not be London's strong suit, British pubs in general have an excellent selection of beer. Grolsch (Dutch brewery founded in 1615!), Kuppers Kolsh, Leffe, and Kronenbourg 1664 were our top picks.

We finished our London visit with a night at the Fabric club ( record label under the same name). There were artists playing in (3) differently-sized rooms simultaneously and the mood and feel varied from stage to stage. The highlight was Cassy on stage 1, and some Clone Records djs on stage 3. It was really crowded around 3AM when some Italian guys started moving in on Aya, so we called it a night.

London 1

2007-06-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

We're getting good at taking red-eye flights... 8AM Tuesday the 5th we arrived in London in a dazed state... being channeled through the airport, buses, customs, and the london underground (tube) felt like going down a sink drain. London is dense... and feels very transient at its core... reminiscent of Tokyo in that sense. Though this is our first time here, the city seemed familiar with all the recognizable historic and iconic landmarks. One recent landmark that has become a strong icon of the city is the London Eye, rumored to be the largest observation wheel in the world. We found it to be a great introduction to the city.. offering an overall perspective and orientation to the many different districts.

From about 8:30 PM to 11 PM in the evenings we have been enjoying walking though the city and photographing.. colors seem most alive right after sunset and we have had better success isolating subjects in reduced-light conditions. This was partially due to the overcast grayness during many of the days.

The small GPS unit we have packed along (Garmin Nuvi 370) has been a great resource... its easy to walk in circles when trying to find obscure buildings and museums... especially at the end of the day when wandering has lost its charm. Though we pre-loaded many points of interest before leaving the States, the best feature has been its ability to cue addresses from keyword searches. There were several museum installations we saw posters for and were quickly able to plot a route.

Throughout the city there are subversive-esque stenciled tags by Bansky.. the first we noticed on the way to the Millenium Bridge (see photo). They offer some comic relief from the thousands of CCTV monitors and British royal-ness.

At 2 million pounds over budget the Millienium Bridge (Foster + Partners with Arup) opened with some unexpected lateral vibrations, earning it the nickname "Wobbly Bridge.". Concerns with unexpected driven harmonic motion (read: Tacoma Narrows) required the bridge to be closed for a year while 52 'tuned mass dampers' were installed at a cost of 5 million pounds. (You can locate the dampers in the photos where swaths of paint color vary). Despite the initial problems, this is a very beautiful bridge and an impressive structural feat... the suspension cables lighten the overall mass to the form of a string instrument. While we walked over it the sun was out causing the aluminum deck to gleam. The bridge is cut off abruptly at the Tate side of the Thames which was inconsistent with the attention to detail and fluidity present with the rest of the structure. (Note the massive bank of cables... tensioned to resist 2000 tons on either side).

The Tate Modern museum, which was converted from an old power station by Herzog & de Meuron in 2000 did not disappoint. The 5-story expansive turbine hall that once housed generators is breath-taking. The character of the power station is retained while the integrated moves by Herzog provide clear circulation paths, observation spaces, galleries with natural light, and an overall feel of 'sleekness.' The museum appears to be wearing well, with the exception of large clumps of dust bunnies collected behind frosted glass at the ceiling above lower banks of escalators.

We took a ferry to the Millenium Pier (Marks Barfield), it's stealth-like form and wood slat interior were unique to the London landscape. While this might seem out of place on the streets, we thought it worked well as a pier, separated by water and joined by a truss-encased walking bridge.

Montreal - Mutek Festival 2 - Piknic

2007-06-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Mutek Piknic series takes place at Parc Jean-Drapeau under a large and unforgettable sculpture by Alexander Calder. The surrounding grounds are littered with old pavillions from the 1967 World Expo, including the U.S. geodesic dome entry from Buckminster Fuller. The scene was very relaxed, with people sprawled-out on the perimeter picnicing, eating, drinking, smoking, sleeping... kids running around and so on. In the middle under the sculpture was the stage and a dancing area that was active for the duration.

Saturday was the microhouse acts... strong across the boards starting with Claude von Stroke, then MY MY, then Chic Minature, and concluding with a great set by Audion (Matthew Dear).

Sunday was the techno finale kicked-off with a dj set from Jesse Somfray, followed by live acts from Digitaline and Heartthrob. Sutekh then came on with a wildly varied set plush with new material which was a great lead into the final and possibly most anticipated act of the festival, a dj set from the famed Wighnomy Brothers. The brothers were hilarious... definitely sauced but somehow delivering a lot of great material none-the-less. Though hazy both days, the temperature was ideal and the lack of direct sunlight kept our stamina up.

Montreal - Mutek Festival 1

2007-06-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons we enjoy going to Mutek is because the festival puts an emphasis on what is next, as opposed to exhasuting what is already popular. It gives us a chance to discover new artists and music. Additionally, much of the aesthetic of Mutek is devoted to the visual expression of sound. This was the eighth edition of the Mutek Festival and more than a hundred artists from around the globe performed. Our good friend Kyle from Portland joined us for the adventure this year, adding a lot of laughter and deeper conversations to the experience.

Day 1: "A/Visions 1 - Cinema Alive" The first act Clinker eased us into the mood of Mutek with his layered drones and delicate textural imagery. Next our friend Randy Jones from Seattle performed "Six Axioms," a dynamic and vibrant live painting of sounds. The highlight of the night, and possibly the best visual presentation of the festival was performed by Semiconductor from the UK. They worked with NASA scientists and engineers to gather amazing rare video footage of solar flares that they then infused with their live sound performance by emphasizing / de-emphasizing and changing the exposure of the video and images.
"Nocturne 1" From the first night, one particular act to note is Gangpol & Mit from France. They brought back an energy that we thought had faded with wacky Sonig artists like Wang Inc. Mr. Bungle also comes to mind when thinking of a comparison. If they come through your town, you should see them live. Their costumes, toys, amazing and hilarious visuals, and performance energy was one-of-a-kind. Following them was a crazy act by Candie Hank from Germany... this year's Donna Summer.

Day 2: "A/Visions 2 - Classicism in the Digital Age" Mutek has taken another unique angle, focusing on artists that use string instruments to create electronic music. In this set of acts, many artists performed acoustic instruments live and edited them electronically in real-time. Overall the performance felt a little raw and drawn out... beautiful at times... tense at others. It was humbling to realize the effort that went into performing these sounds live.
"Nocturne 2" The focus was on dub and dubstep, with mixed results. Kode 9 and Spaceape put on a great set, but we were wishing it was in an outdoor venue with more space as the SAT (venue) was a little too crowded. We decided to take off for a while and check out Magda and Ritchie Hawtin who were playing at a different club (not affiliated with Mutek). After a long line cue, we entered to what will most likely be the most crowded venue we'll ever attend. Packed with sweaty youthful bodies, almost the entire crowd was intensively dancing. Hawtin sounded great, but we didn't make it through his entire set as it really started to get hot.. there were actually beads of condensed sweat dripping from the ceiling above. We took off and headed back to the SAT, where we caught the final few songs of Rhythm & Sound.

Day 3: "A/Visions 3 - The particles of sound." Atmosphere was the theme given to this set of performances. First was Jamie Drouin & Yann Novak (another seattle resident, check out dragonseye recordings). Followed by German Robert Henke (Monolake) and his presentation of "Layering Buddha." The stage was set at the middle of the room, surrounded on all sides by the audience, and their deep bass sound would boom through the space like thunder. Imagine rain droplets falling into a calm distant lake. Lighting was kept to a minimum (no visuals). You almost have to close your eyes to listen to every sound which begins to articulate imagery within. These masters of sound design share a different (hidden) realm of expression. The live performance was far more compelling than recorded works from the same artist.
"Nocturne 3" A lot of smooth techno tonight: Detalles, Matt Dear's Big Hands, The Mole, and Mathew Jonson w/ Cobbletone Jazz were all solid. Also, it was Aya's birthday and we had our first blowout of the trip... that's always fun. The details aren't important, but lets just say Aya has a mean right hook when she needs it.

Days 4: "Nocturne 4" While it's hard to choose a "best," Gui Boratto from Brazil put on an outstanding set. We like his sound because it is great to dance to and complex enough to simply listen to as well. Beautiful layerings of energetic rhythm and sound... check out his latest album chromaphobia. Michael Mayer put on a solid set that started at 3am, and Miskate brought some variation and light visuals in the auxiliary hall.

Montreal (Canada)- Architecture

2007-06-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Grande Bibliotheque by Patkau Architects was a breath of fresh air. Clad in sleek green-tinted glass channels, the library greets visitors with a large, four-story open foyer space. The main library spaces within peer-out into the foyer through openings in screens made of maple-veneered horizontal wood slats. Circulation of the library is clear and intuitive, anchored by a central atrium occupied with glass elevators and 'floating' stairs hung from the ceiling. The main stacks of the library are located centrally around three sides of the open atrium. High-ceiling spaces for seating, circulation, and tiered study-desks are grouped around the perimeter.

Patkau articulates transitions smoothly. For example, instead of stopping the glass guardrail panels at the code-minimum required distance from the floor plane as is common practice, they carried them several inches below the floor plate (see photo) giving a more integrated and cleaner solution (fewer connections / material changes). They were also careful to hold all materials a few inches back from each-other, such as the ceiling soffits from surrounding beams, avoiding the near-impossible feat of flush material transitions.

One fundamental flaw with the project is the attachment design of the exterior green glass channels mentioned earlier. At the ground level, a temporary gate has been erected around the entire exterior perimeter of the building a few feet from the facade. This is because some of the channels have been coming off the building and crashing onto the concrete below during severe wind storms and from dramatic temperature changes. The channels appear to be secured in place with some steel angles and gaskets. No through-connections that we could see.

In addition to the library we visited the off-beat post-modern archaeology museum (great views above from the "Belvedere"), a sleek unknown institutional building on St. Denis, and a convention center downtown that scored well in terms of use of color and lighting schemes. The visit overall felt a little light in terms of architecture, but that's only because there were so many good shows to catch!

New York 2

2007-05-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

The green-tinted glass on the facade of the 40 Bond Condominiums by Herzog and de Meuron looks to be yet another unique and well-thought out solution from the Swiss masters. There appears to be a mirrored finish behind the air space of the glass, which affords a spectrum of depth in color as it is hit by differing lighting conditions throughout the day. The base is still boarded-up for construction, we look forward to seeing the injection-mold formed fence (Anyone know what it is made of?)

The facade of the Austrian Cultural Forum (Abraham) was slender and pronounced, though a bit tough on the interior (lots of stainless steel and somewhat cramped public gallery space)

The facade of the new MOMA was somewhat underwhelming... the response of aligning mullions with the adjacent (existing?) building seemed well-intentioned, but flat and strained. We didn't get a chance to see the interior (closed on Tuesdays). Tod Williams and Billie Tsien stole the block with the American Folk Art Museum. The exterior facade is clad with rich and textural angled copper panels.

The Renzo Piano projects (Morgan Library and New York Times Building) were a quiet surprise... we were impressed with the careful attention to detail and transition along with the overall feeling of "lightness."

There is an interesting theme with some of the recently built projects in NYC... utilizing white on the exterior. The Gehry ICA, Piano Morgan and Times bldg... Luis Vitton, etc. We were joking that it is an attempt to rise from the grimy and unshockable part of society.

We finished the NYC experience Tuesday night at club Cielo. A rare U.S. appearance of Luciano and he didn't disappoint. His set brought near-always danceable melodic structures spaced with smooth vocals and plenty of variation. They party hard in New York... Digitaline went on after midnight and Luciano began his set after 2am.

New York 1

2007-05-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

The redeye from Seattle delivered us to NYC at 8am EST on the 26th... Jon and Mara greeted us in the Cobble Hill area of Brooklyn. The first day was spent wandering the hood... eating, drinking and crashing. We met up with Rie at a rooftop bar in Williamsburg (great mojitos)... she and Sam are getting married this week.. congrats!
Sunday brought us to Lower Manhattan, where we toured a number of small projects. We were lucky to catch the Ini Ani Coffee Shop (LTL Architects) on it's final day of business (closing). Other highlights were the interior of Buddakan restaurant, drinks in the garden at "The Park," and Ando's Morimoto restaurant. The lighted glass-bottle wall in Morimoto stairwell was impressive... and those toilets had to be the best in town! The overall scale of new ICA by Gehry was smaller than expected... a good thing. The use of transitioning white film on the glass as the exterior skin softened the vertical breaks nicely (and was a much-welcomed change from his signature metal panels) ...the expression is an interesting one to compare to the Louis Vuitton boutique by Jun Aoki. The Porter Condominiums (SHoP architects) was a strong composition of new integrating with old, without relying on simple alignments and neoclassicism. (However note there have been waterproofing issues). The linear vertical slots of light after dusk brought a unique character and glow to the mass.

beautiful magma

2007-05-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

maui (photos above)

2007-05-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Maui was beautiful and mystical...and pricey. Its hard to imagine that these islands started out as a mounds of molten rock rising from a hot spot in the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Or that human discovery came only after a group of Polynesians watched the direction of incoming and outgoing birds migrating from Alaska, and decided set out in wood boats, confident that dry land must be somewhere in the opposing direction.

Our families met up with us for seven days together. We spent time snorkeling after large green sea turtles in the shallow bays of South Kihei, BBQing ahi tuna on the beach, floating in the Olivine pools in West Maui, winding endlessly along the beautiful Hana highway, and walking through other-worldly botanical gardens. The lighting in the afternoons and early evenings was incredible.. especially atop the 10,000' summit of Haleakala during sunset. It was refreshing, relaxing, and energizing... find a way to Hawaii!

seattle departure party

2007-05-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

We are finally here. We have been busy getting our life organized, purged and prepared for our trip for the past few weeks. It was great to see everyone who made it out to our party tonight.. thanks for all the travel advice and positive feedback for our adventure. We couldn't have made this trip happen without your support, inspiration, and sharing of your perspectives of life over the last few years.

We are excited to see, hear and feel so many things.... and absorb and charge them into our future.
Cheers
P.S. Berg Nixon rocked it @ Krakt!

pdx send-off party...

2007-05-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

good times in portland last weekend... thank you mike, winney, kevin, jen, and kyle for setting us up at the ace hotel! the room was slick.. complete with turntable and drapes for bathroom doors. We went to bluehour for cocktails.. it was packed inside but two tables were open outside... better than the bar! delicious brunch sunday at the screen door... though they ran out of the famed 'fried chicken and waffles' before we arrived.

BY ARCHITECT

2007-01-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

Daniel Libeskind
Gigon Guyer
Herzog & de Meuron
Le Corbusier
MVRDV
OMA/ Rem Koolhaas
Patkau Architects
Peter Zumthor
Santiago Calatrava
UN Studio
Zaha Hadid

BY COUNTRY

2007-01-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

ASIA

Japan

EUROPE

Austria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Italy
Netherland
Norway
Sweden
Switzerland
UK-London

AMERICA

US-New York
US-San Fransisco
US-Seattle
Canada

BY EVENT

2007-01-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

*we recommend following events/festivals to check out if you are traveling in these countries.

MUSIC

decibel (seattle-USA)
mutek (montreal-CANADA)
melt (near berlin-GERMANY)

DESIGN

basel art (basel-SWITZERLAND)
design tide + 100% design + designer's week (tokyo-JAPAN)