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a'top The Hancock Tower, Chicago, IL
Me & Rob (my boyfriend)
a'top The Hancock Tower, Chicago, IL
Blog Archive
Person . Place
- kschommer
- Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States
6 comments:
Kate,
I am intrigued by your posted images. What projects are these referring to? And where were they built (If built)? Were they successful sustainable buildings or did they fall short in some "green" aspects? The only reason I ask the latter question is that I have found two problems with green building that happen more often then not. The first is that the best sustainable elements of a building have a high degree of getting Value Engineered out of a project for budget reasons. The second is that sometimes the green elements don't perform as well as promised.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately you saw my "test" blog without the correct "components" and any text. I was just checking to see how the images laid out on my page. I encourage you to revisit it and I'm sure that some of your questions will be answered.
The buildings that you saw are examples of my "living" component. Yes, this means that the buildings are sustainable or green, but much more than that. They incorporate basic design principals that are often forgotten when laying out a building. I prefer for these principals to be thought of more as our responsibility rather than "sustainable" Some of these practices include: solar orientation, site topography consideration and natural ventilation.
In regards to your value engineered comment, the point is that the basic steps I mentioned above can't get value engineered out because they don't cost additional money. That and they are just the right things to do.
In regards to the green elements comment, none of these buildings use any unproven/practiced techniques. They simply combine a lot of basic methods to make a bigger impact. The IslandWood project is a living success. I have seen it and it is remarkable. The Living Home is a prototype and only time can tell if it will defend its rank as the greenest home on earth. As mentioned in my blog, A Convenient Truth is not a "built" project. However, when designing it my colleagues and I collaborated with engineers on all of our concepts to make sure we weren't just dreaming them up.
I like your theory on a building becoming a living component, and not just a mass of material. You have great examples. I particularly like the last image under inspirational. Who, what, and where is it?
I definitely like your categories. All though, the Glass House under the category of respectful could have its down falls if the client forgets to put clothes on when he goes to the kitchen to get a drink at night. However, I do understand what you are getting at. Being respectful to the surroundings, the design, and the history of what is being designed.
The “tree leaves” design that you were referring to on my blog… It is actually a spa over in Switzerland at the Tschuggen Grand Hotel. The architect is Mario Botta. The spa is in a hotel. If you want to spend on the cheap side of $350 a night you can experience it yourself. Not including the spa probably. Here is a link to the hotel:
http://www.tschuggen.ch/en/23/spa_-_tschuggen_bergoase.aspx
Check it out; the interior is just as powerful as the exterior. Check out the ‘concept’ section, they have some sketches from early on. You can also go to Mario Botta’s website to see more sketches.
Kate,
I think you have come up with a neat mini-theory on architecture: You advocate buildings that are intertwined with their physical and cultural sourroundings and yet stand out to be "inspirational"in a way that transcends the context. You do not elaborate on the last aspect, but looking at the photo you provided I guess this inspiration has to do with materials and the play of light and shadow.
If you have time, strengthen this aspect with more images and some thoughts on how the effect is achieved. It makes for a good foundation when we'll discuss this in Boston.
See you soon,
Enno
Chad,
The last image is the Weisman Art Museum (the University of Minnesota's) by Frank Gehry. It is located in Minneapolis on the bank of the Mississippi River. It has been said that with his design Gehry reflects the industrial qualities of the riverfront and portrays the movement and reflection of the water. I've been there several times and it was one of my favorite buildings to sketch while on campus. Especially since its appearance changes so drastically due to the time of day and light/shadow.
The first image of the house (in the original post) is fantastic. I think it at least gives the appearance of semi-qualifying for all of your categories simultaneously.
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