Architecture: Korean Pavilion, 'Complex' Patterns

Lately I've been researching patterns a little. Well, I'll call them patterns. But what I'm really interested in is those things which rest exactly on the line of not exactly being a pattern anymore. That is to say it's clear that there is some kind of organizing principle, a logic which is generating the pattern. But it's on the verge of becoming so complex that we can't immediately decipher what it is. Below is an example that I came across recently which I think is perfect to illustrate the point. And also simply, an amazing building to look at.

While it's clear that there is an organizational idea that creates the facade treatment, you can't immediately decipher how it is working. This is the line or verge which I'm talking about. I suppose the question then becomes, when is a pattern not a pattern anymore? What is the point of complexity within which we don't consider it a pattern? Or regular like a grid?

So this is the Korean Pavilion from the World Exposition in Shanghai, 2010. The facade really rests on this line or verge. And that's why I love looking at it. Generally I think patterns that are crossing this line tend to be exceptionally beautitful.

Thomas-Michael1

e-architect.co.uk

Architecture, Patterns On The Verge And The Korean Pavilion, World Exposition, Shanghai.

korean-inspiration.blogspot.com

Architecture, Patterns On The Verge And The Korean Pavilion, World Exposition, Shanghai.

arqa.com

Architecture, Patterns On The Verge And The Korean Pavilion, World Exposition, Shanghai.

korean-inspiration.blogspot.com

Architecture, Patterns On The Verge And The Korean Pavilion, World Exposition, Shanghai.

Pictures Of Paris

With The Tour De France coming through on Sunday, some inspiring photographs of Paris I found. I always love how photography of Paris often immediately sets some kind of implicit mood.

Thomas-Michael

flickr.com

Travel, Photography, And Paris.

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Travel, Photography, And Paris.

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Travel, Photography, And Paris.

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Travel, Photography, And Paris.

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Travel, Photography, And Paris.

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Travel, Photography, And Paris.

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Travel, Photography, And Paris.

flickr.com

Travel, Photography, And Paris.

Bubble: Luxury 'Camping'

Until today, I was pretty much sure I had seen it all in the past year or so. But alas, I remain constantly surprised. This is the Cristal Bubble by BubbleTree. Designed by Pierre Stephane Dumas. I'm not sure I can even call it a tent but it assumes the same function. And must I would imagine represent the highest end luxury tent you could find. Quite chic, isn't it. For people who want to get as close to nature as humanly possible without breaking a nail, I think your dream just came true.

Let's get into a few logistics. It runs about $9,000-$17,000 USD. Apparently there are a few bubble options and bubble combinations available. For instance you could have a multi bubble. For those of you thinking what I was thinking about the interior temperature, there is an air movement system for controlling it. So it doesn't get too hot, or too cold. And if you don't want to own your own personal bubble, you can rent one for events. To date I've seen weddings, nightclubs, and corporate gatherings. Yes, all with bubbles.

Now, the bubble also made me think. In an increasingly transient and non locational world, isn't the bubble is a perfectly contemporary object? I can imagine setting up a computer in the bubble and working from one of the below locations for a few weeks.

Where would you bubble?
Thomas-Michael

bubbletree.fr

High End Luxury Camping Tent, The Crystal Bubble By BubbleTree.

bubbletree.fr

High End Luxury Camping Tent, The Crystal Bubble By BubbleTree.

bubbletree.fr

High End Luxury Camping Tent, The Crystal Bubble By BubbleTree.

bubbletree.fr

High End Luxury Camping Tent, The Crystal Bubble By BubbleTree.

bubbletree.fr

High End Luxury Camping Tent, The Crystal Bubble By BubbleTree.

Fashion And Architecture: (Woven)

Akin to the post on lace a month or so back Fashion And Architecture, Lace, today is all about woven. It always starts with the fashion. Maybe I should try it the other way around one day.

It's interesting how these two disciplines relate to each other. As in my view, the ultimate goal of architecture to imitate the architecture of the body itself. Thus I always love looking at these similarities between the way the body and the building are being addressed. Or, dressed that is.

Thomas-Michael

herveleger.com

Fashion And Architecture, Woven. Herve Leger Spring Summer 2011.

www.studiobanana.tv

Fashion And Architecture, Woven. Toyo Ito, Barcelona, Sea Wave Facade.

blog.lazerian.co.uk

Fashion And Architecture, Woven. Thomas Heatherwick, London, Guy's Hospital Facade.

John Hejduk: Victims

Today is a slight trip into the academic world of architecture with John Hejduk. For those of you who don't know him, he was an extremely influential American architect. And as I know of him from being an alumni, the long standing dean of The Cooper Union School of Architecture. And that is a brutally short version of his biography.

Through colliding architecture with poetry, he extended it. Extended the understanding of it in an ontological sense. And in my mind extended the possibilities for it. This was often, and I'm being very general here, accomplished through themes of the mythical, the pathos of history, narration, and anthropomorphism. As in the case of this project where there are 67 architectural structures or victims proposed for Berlin. Or rather perhaps, proposed to inhabit Berlin. Though the project is not built, it is complete in the sense that it is also a book, a text, and a record. It provides allowance for architecture to be something other than casting a shadow.


Now, there are a million places to go with the above paragraph and this project. Too many for this blog post. So I'm going to excuse myself with a direct quote which is far better than I could write.

'I believe in books and the written word, therefore I fabricate works with the hope that they will be recorded in books. I am pragmatic and believe in keeping records. I believe to record is to bear witness. The book I wrote, Victims is to bear witness and to remember. I believe in the density of the sparse. I believe in place and the spirit of place.'
-John Hejduk

The below drawings were performed in a course by architectural theorist K Michael Hays at The Harvard University Graduate School Of Design by me, about five years ago. They represent to my knowledge some of the first 3 dimensional investigations into the project as a whole.

Thomas-Michael

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Example Page From The Original Publication Showing The Mask Repairman, The Watch Repairman, And The Plumber

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Original Site Plan

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Plan Recreation

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Plan And Parallel Projection Study

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Plan And Parallel Projection Study

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Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Detail

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Detail

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Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Detail

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Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Site Elevation

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Site Elevation

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Site Elevation

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Site Elevation

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Site Plan And Elevations

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Site Plan And Elevations

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Iceman, Ice House

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. The Dead, The Dead Cry

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Children, Merry Go Round

tmds1.com

Architecture And The Poetic, John Hejduk, Victims. Poem, No More

4th Of July And The American Home: Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water

Told you I was going to get thematic. So today is all about Frank Lloyd Wright. Because even though it's difficult to imagine that you could distill the entire history and every instance of the American house into one building, it's true in the case of Falling Water. In my opinion it has to considered as the very definition of the American house.

But why?

While modern European architecture had been putting houses on stilts and pedestals, Wright was locking it into the landscape. Architecture wasn't an abstraction lifted above nature. But rather a system of integration within it. It's a theme which plays out in Wright's utopian green cities which are self sustaining, and which are further historically indicative of Jefferson's grid. Which rather than seeking to dominate nature, sought to organize it for efficiency. In general it's this integration with nature and it's metaphoric relationship to the notion of an agrarian nation which I think is so powerful and so American in Wright's work, and in this house in particular.

Stylistically the horizon is the obvious theme. His obsession with the horizontal to me always more broadly implied the westward expansion. Not surprising where he ended up. You could say he's draping the horizon over the landscape here or that he's shattering it. And as such representing it more completely in a cubist sense. The finish materials inside are well, the landscape itself. There's almost no inside and outside definition. Interior staircases lead to outside water. Which essentially runs through the middle of the house. Corners are negated in glass, and the prior existing site boulders beneath the house are allowed to pop through the floor on the inside. But what I always forget before looking at it again are the furnishings. Again they are locked into the house architecture. Built in. And thus transitively to the outside as well. But they are also distinctly American in style. Always the autumn colors. It's difficult to imagine them anywhere else in the world. But I also love them, because I could see taking inspiration from them today. They basically look in style now.

Now, if you haven't been I highly recommend going to visit it. I can't stress that enough. You will be impressed. It's just outside of Pittsburgh, and it's one of those buildings that is about a thousand times more powerful in person.

Thomas-Michael

wikipedia.org

American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

flickr.com

American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

home-designing.com
wikipedia.org
paconserve.org

American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

flickr.com

American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

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American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

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American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

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American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

rescy.com

American Architecture, The American Home, Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water.

Luxury Travel Destination: Lake Como, Italy

I wanted to get a destination in as I haven't done one yet. And as I'm sure there are many of you out there looking for somewhere new to travel these summer months. So today is all about Lake Como which is just north of Milan. It's one of my favorite places on Earth. You can fly to Milan and train or drive to Como. It's very quick and easy.

Broadly it's a series of small towns, all beautiful and all at the foot of the mountains just along the edge of the lake. For the Type A people out there, there is lots to schedule yourself with. Including swimming, shopping, hiking in the mountains, biking from town to town. As well there is often music at night in the squares. And for the Type B people it's an entirely ideal place for what else. Drinking coffee and wine all day, getting a tan, and wandering aimlessly. Yes please.

Now, it's obviously an excessively beautiful place which is bordering on magical. But that's not what I like most about it. The towns around the lake have an odd manner of feeling open and private at once. It doesn't feel like a tourist trap. And you can use it to unwind in a mental sense and get away from things. It's probably one of the few places I've been to where you can be reflective and have a rendezvous all at the same time. What more can I say.

Thomas-Michael

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy.

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy.

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy.

marthastewartweddings.com

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy.

bellagiolakecomo.com

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy. A silk boutique shop in Bellagio.

luxist.com

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy. The former Versace villa.

luxist.com

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy. The former Versace villa.

b2c.im

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy. Villa Passalacqua.

daughterofdesign.blogspot.com

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy. These last two photographs are from a gorgeous destination wedding designed by Daughter Of Design. You should definitely check out the link to see loads of great pictures from the wedding, and of Lake Como in general.

daughterofdesign.blogspot.com

Luxury Travel Destination, Lake Como, Italy. These last two photographs are from a gorgeous destination wedding designed by Daughter Of Design. You should definitely check out the link to see loads of great pictures from the wedding, and of Lake Como in general.