…the sad deserted wastelandish no-mans-land 1988 iconic civic center with town hall, theater, housing project, and modern piazza elevated on a parking podium by renowned Italian architect Aldo Rossi (with whom I did my thesis project at the I.U.A.V. in 1991) is what I happened upon on my way out of town today – while ..
Tag : architecture
…a massive architects gathering in it’s first year in Perugia – is where I headed this morning to hear from a few of the endless list of design world personalities partaking in a four day series of talks, events and conversations including Aaron Betsky, Petra Blaisse (who described some recent garden and curtain projects), Stefano ..
…is the illuminating well-written 1977 book of this well-trodden utopian territory by Robert Fishman – which gives a super great overview of the political and philosophical underpinnings of Howard’s Garden City, Wright’s Broadacre City, and Corbusier’s Radient City – continuing my recent reading list of titles growing out of my fascination with the way in ..
…was a surprise highlight for me (since it was a hometown project from 2009) tonight at the American Academy in Rome shoptalk by architect fellow – and fellow Angeleno – Joshua Stein of Radical Craft, which proposes a visionary 20-30 year plan for mass transit in L.A. by turning the urban area into a mega-hub ..
…whose ceiling is laden with the most sumptuous depictions of all variety of fruit and vegetable was painted by Raphael at Villa Farnesina (1510), and was the highlight of a day that began with the third in a series of talks by Leonard Barkan at the American Academy in Rome on “Food Culture and High ..
…Fountain is what we attempted to see pre-tourist-mob this morning (first stop on today’s familial Roman highlights tour), at an early enough hour that we might have it to ourselves, which was almost the case by the time we finally made it there – and having just finished reading Grant Heiken, Renato Funiciello, and Donatella ..
…whose distant dome I have become used to seeing from my desk, was a first stop with family in town touring Rome’s greatest hits, what mo..
…(the vast circuit of Roman city walls hastily built from 271-275 AD) is bursting with all variety of weedy green plant life after months of cool rainy weather, and they are looking very perky basking in today’s bright..
…(from the Italian ‘balcone‘) is the private domestic outdoor space available to most Romans, which they try to make the most of – usually full of plants and laundry (which I am also starting to consider for my Roman rooftop homestead as we head into Spring with more sun an..
…the Milanese architect, teacher, and magazine editor spoke tonight (being much more gracious than I would have been when the projector didn’t work and he wasn’t able to show his images) at the opening of the British School at Rome show BioMilano featuring six of his unbuilt projects, “Six ideas for a bio-diverse metropolis; six ..
…is the Italian school of architecture – with a building just north of Piazza del Popolo (whose suggestive nature from certain points of view was recently pointed out by my friend John) which I biked down to this warm sunny morning via Passeggiata del Gianicolo (in just 20 minutes!) – where I gave a two ..
…or grotta in Italian, following up on yesterday’s thoughts on rustication, is another example of the thrilling primitive architectural underbelly of the Florentine Renaissance – today seen at Grotta del Buontalenti, one of the most famous examples, but sadly without all of the dripping water and cool spongy green-stuff to be found in the really ..
…the roughly hewn stonework often used on the lower floors of palazzi as an expression of fortification and solidity – which I recall studying in college classes on Florentine Renaissance architecture – is something I have a new love for today (as I find myself back in Firenze, the city I lived just outside of ..
…are the unique pleasures of this city which you can traverse from one side to the other within the sheltering vaults and alongside the rhythm of the columns which are constantly changing style from one arcade to the next – and how super that the most superlative architectural space of city is comprised of almost ..
…greeted me as I was passing through Michelangelo‘s Piazza del Campidoglio this morning – Castor and Pollux, or Dioskouroi, twin cavalieri son..
…in Rotterdam is mostly closed for renovations (at least their bookstore is still open in the form of a trailer out front) with the vast reflecting pool now a muddy construction site, but an attractive duck couple seemed to be making the most of it this afternoon, looking very much at home – or maybe ..
…(or Cube Houses) especially the inviting central courtyards (featuring small retail spaces occupied by nail, massage, hair, and waxing salons) which I think were meant to feel like an abstract forest interior – were the highlight of a gloomy Dutch afternoon, where I find myself in town for a few days of meetings about a ..
…the ancient burial pyramid of Caius Cestius built circa 8-12BC originally located in the open countryside and later integrated into the expanded Roman fortifications of the Aurelian Walls ensuring is preservation through the ages – is what I was biking around today, taking advantage of the warm sun and blue sky, and what a cool, ..
…is just below me, on Gianicolo hill, with a commanding view of the city, made with stone and marble taken from the ancient Forum of Nerva and granite columns from the original St. Peter’s Basilica, commissioned by Pope Paolo V Borghese (1605-1621), marking the terminus of the Roman aqueduct Acqua Traiana and still receiving it’s ..
…or EUR, originally known as E42, the vast development south of Rome initiated by Benito Mussolini in 1935 designed by a collaborative of Italian architects is where we went today in search of some adventures in fascist Roman architecture – which first fascinated me (to the horror of my Italian classmates and teaching assistants) while ..
Recent Comments