Architecture By Material
Architecture classified by its use/choice of materials.
Cheers to Bacardi – Historic Designation Awarded
In what is a big win for preservationists in young Miami, the City of Miami Preservation Board voted to award the Bacardi Building on Biscayne Boulevard with a historic designation. The building, north of Downtown Miami is a unique interpretation of the MIMO style (Miami Modernist) typical of Miami in the middle of the twentieth century.
The Neon Lights, Billboards, and Signage of Tokyo at Night
During the day, the streets of Tokyo are dominated by what could be described as a jumble of ugly and drab concrete buildings. At night nevertheless, the streets of the city lighten up in an array of colors as generic modernist buildings come alive with colorful, flickering neon lights. Massive commercial billboards and signage, which in the day seem to overpower the buildings they occupy, [...]
San Sebastian Balcony
The balcony is an identifiable element of the architecture of San Sebastian, Spain (Donostia). Almost every building in the city is covered with a variety of types and styles of balconies. Whether made with a stone balustrade or a wrought iron rail, the cantilevered balcony is a beautiful and identifiable feature of the city.
Tokyo Tower and City Skyline
The Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower located in Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At 333 meters (1,091 ft), it is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world and the tallest artificial structure in Japan.
Architectural Evaluation of Miami Performing Arts Center
This piece is written as an attempt to analyze the influence that the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (formerly Carnival Center for the Performing Arts Center) (PAC) has had on the urban fabric of Downtown Miami, its architectural ability up to date to serve as an urban generator in the [...]
New York City Fire Escape
The New York City fire escape is an identifiable element of the New York City urban landscape. Everywhere one turns, the steel fire escape dominates the architecture of older buildings in the city. Today nevertheless, the fire escape is rarely seen in new construction.
Colors and Windows of Charleston
I was especially amazed by the liveliness of the buildings and colors that make up this fabulous urban environment. Tropical and pastel colors cover many of the stucco buildings in the urban core of Charleston — from pink to blue these building colors serve as identifable elements of the city. Along East Bay Street, appropriately named Rainbow Row is an excellent example of the importance of colors to this city — featuring a variety of brick and stucco exteriors painted in a spectrum of pastels. Arched doorways, gambrel roofs and quoins on some Rainbow Row exteriors are matched in beauty by paneled wainscoting and architrave moldings inside.
Le Corbusier in the USA – The Carpenter Center in Harvard
The Carpenter Center in Harvard University is the only building on the North American continent designed by the famous architect Le Corbusier — one of the fathers of the modern movement (international style). Despite the controversy over the wisdom of placing a building of such modern design in a traditional location, Le Corbusier felt that [...]
Interactive Facade – La Vitrine
I was emailed a clip of this awesome interactive LED wall installation in Montreal designed and programmed by Moment Factory called La Vitrine. The installation includes tracking devices and low-resolution LED displays that are capable of showing many different visualizations based on the presence and movement of people. Enjoy!
Broken Tiles of Dreams – Isaiah Zagar in Philadelphia
During a recent roadtrip, I stumbled upon the work of Isaiah Zagar in “South Philly”. Isaiah Zagar is a long-time mosaic tile artist who has created murals and art pieces that graze the streets Philadelphia. Store fronts, alleys, and even entire buildings throughout South Philly are covered in his imaginative and fantasy-like artwork.
Brick and Stone Use in Squirrel Hill
Just like the front porch, brick and stone is an identifiable element of architecture in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1450 Brickell Hurricane Testing
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the hurricane resistant curtain wall system for 1450 Brickell Avenue — the office tower rising at the south end of Brickell Avenue will have the nations most wind-resistant “Curtain Wall System”. Combined with a LEED Gold pre-certification, this new building is pushing the envelope in sustainability within South Florida.
Value of Quality Architects – Frank Lloyd Wright in San Francisco
I was thinking about the debacle over in Miami Beach regarding the Frank Gehry designed park– Miami Beach commissioners have essentially fired Frank Gehry, one of the worlds most respected architects, from the design of the park for the New World Symphony campus.
Historic Bacardi Building
The Miami Herald is reporting that talks are under way to pursue historic designation for the unique Bacardi Museum Building on Biscayne Boulevard near Downtown Miami (Midtown Miami). Designed in the International Style and outfitted with tropical and caribbean decorations — the site, comprised of three components, is a unique interpretation of the MIMO style (Miami Modern).
