2005.01.21
intermediate 'to do' list
Start incorporating chronological lists of the architectural designs at Quondam. No single list will be complete in and of itself, nor will any single list be making a specific point, but as the lists multiply, their combined information is the point of the exercise. I could start with dating all the architecture within Seroux.
2005.02.15
ideas
Test Wacko House II as the new Barnes Foundation; see how the design fits (if at all); new/more drawings/dbs for Romaphilia.
The notion of reenacting the acropolis on the various building sites along the Benj. Franklin Parkway may be the new paradigm for "Parkway Interpolation"; the notions of towers and temples raised on a high plinth may be very fecund, (at least virtually).
Test the House in Laguna as the new Calder Museum; see Calder sculptures raised on the grand staircase.
Porticus documentation at Quondam; should be part of Encyclopedia Ichnographica.
Place all the Campo Marzio porticus within Romaphilia and juxtapose with immediate Philadelphia context.
Have a series of City Hall towers marching up the Parkway.
Superimpose Gerusalemme model and the Cathedral wireframe.
Model Love Park; superimpose the intercourse building.
Place the Bye House (model) and the Villa Savoye (model) on the Dominican Convent site.
2005.03.22 10:26
church and synagogue
Since learning that Le Corbusier's St. Pierre at Firminy-Vert is again under construction and slated for completion 2006, I had been thinking about the 3D CAD model of this building design in Quondam's collection. I was reminded of (a set of 1998 Quondam web pages that exhibited) how the plan of St. Pierre fit very nicely into the sanctuary of Louis Kahn's Hurva Synagogue.
Yesterday, I placed the model of St. Pierre inside the model of Hurva Synagogue, and started rendering images of the results. I thought I was really just playing until I thought about the architectural implications of designing a Roman Catholic Church within a Jewish Synagogue. Would such an architecture speak to how Christianity is more or less wrapped in Judaism? And, given the nature of the Hurva design, there is every evocation of St. Pierre being "wrapped with ruins."
2005.03.23
idea
A new breed of architecture after St. Pierre/Hurva Synagogue merged.
2005.03.23 13:47
Forms and Functions of 20th Century Architecture
Yesterday's post delivered Forms and Functions of 20th Century Architecture.
I remember these books from my student days in the 1970s, but haven't looked through them since then. I kind of remember thinking these books were not "inspirational" enough (for me) back then. After seeing them so cheaply available at eBay, I went to the library to look them over again, and decided I definitely want these book. I found them to now be very inspiring! They very much manifest what Brian wrote about above.
It's also interesting to compare these four heavy 1952 volumes ("prepared under the auspices of the School of Architecture of Columbia University") with the slim 2003 Index Architecture: A Columbia Book of Architecture.
Where in 1952 there are lengthy and well illustrated topics beginning with "The Elements of Building: Introduction" through to "The Architect and Urban Planning" and a whole volume dedicated to "The Principles of Composition" and vols. 3 and 4 fully devoted to addressing the designs of a great variety of building types (including Catholic Churches, Protestant Churches, and Synagogues), the 2003 Index Architecture curtly covers topics like 'abstraction' 'film' 'form' 'multiple' 'real' 'style and symmetry' etc.
Over a year ago I wrote (at archinect) that a lot of Index Architecture is pretty much useless and more like sophisticated advertising copy than anything else. Now, relative to Forms and Functions..., I see Index Architecture as not just a missed opportunity to 'build' further upon architecture, but a sign of how overly pretentious the study of architecture can be(come).
What I particularly like about Forms and Functions... is how lessons from architecture's past are well integrated with newer architecture design practice up to the mid 20th century.
[Of course, I get a kick out of the fact that the first building illustrated in Forms and Functions... is the Basilica of Constantine in Rome, which began construction under Maxentius, and was finished (I believe) under the design supervision of Eutropia (Maxentius' mother) and Helena (Constantine's mother).
Plus, there is this great little diagrammatic drawing demonstrating a scale comparison with the Sphere and Pylon of the 1939 New York World's Fair--from left to right: the Great Pyramid, Parthenon, Pantheon (which looks to me a bit bigger than it actually is), Santa Sophia, Constantinople, St. Mark's Venice, Chartres, St. Peter's Rome, the Sphere and Pylon.
Forms and Functions of 20th Century Architecture really should be a free online resource now, and the volumes might just begin positively informing Quondam's overall agenda.
Anyone have any personal experience utilizing Forms and Functions of 20th Century Architecture?
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2005.03.24 14:32
Re: Preserving listed buildings - on computers
I probably shouldn't give away too many of my ideas, but what the hell. I few years ago I thought I could offer virtual dream mansions on eBay. The gist of the idea was for me to advertise virtual architectural design services and the prospective client would receive a set of drawings/rendering of a fantastic house design. The client could then frame the drawings and tell all their friends they've had a mansion designed specifically for them. Of course, once a winning bid was had, I'd then further tempt the clients with extras, like a 'royal' bathroom suite or a 5 car garage cum carwash. Every mansion would have a room-size vault though.
(title in 45 letters or less)
WHEN A REAL HOUSE JUST ISNT ENOUGH GO VIRTUAL
I thought Neuschwanstein would look different inside. It looked too new or something.
Linderhof seemed cramped inside due to the overabundance of ornament.
Aalto's Baker House seemed cramped inside too, but that was because it was.
Le Corbusier's Carpenter Center was fun to see, but it also reminded me of a lot of models of student designs I've seen. Does a building up on columns somehow have an instant appeal?
The WWII bunker at Cape May Point actually does it all for me.
Now, there are a whole bunch of buildings that I've constructed in CAD and hence visited virtually which haven't disappointed at all.
To be honest, I hope everyone goes crazy over the prospect of "preserving listed buildings - on computer" because I believe everyone should get what they deserve.
Hey, does anyone else think it would be cool to see a reenactment of the 1939 New York World's Fair Sphere and Pylon at Ground Zero?
2005.09.08 12:04
are the origins common ? can we prove it ?
I was yesterday thinking of the Villa Savoye as a museum, perhaps specifically a museum of Modern architecture even?
2006.04.27
Ichnographia Ottopia
Ichnographia Ottopia ... a gigantic virtual museum of architecture.
...put the plan of Whitemarsh Hall into the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and then use other plans as indicative of period rooms. ...ultra-modern "hyper buildings" by collaging the surface forms and standard office block shapes--"infringement complex" plus "surface shapes".
2006.05.21
idea
Use the models (bases at least) of other buildings models as the base of the developed designs of the Houses for Otto. The older models are to be used at a reduced scale. I visualized this last night and it seems promising--Dominican Convent site as base for the triangle House for Otto, etc.
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2006.06.05
model play
I thought of playing some (more) with the Bye House model:
1. replace the wall with a dtm surface.
2. distort the model in x and y scale while the model itself is rotated at odd angles.
3. have the Bye House sticking out of St. Pierre at Firminy-Vert.
2007.02.23
ideas
Piranesi, Kahn, Hejduk - and more architect combinations. ...utilize the Quondam collection freely.
2007.06.26
the working title musuem
... write an architectural novel entitled "the working title museum". ...all the titles and something about them. ...there could be images/plans too.
2007.06.29
filling in the "gaps" of the Ottopia plan
...inspiration regarding how to go about filling in the "gaps" of the Ottopia plan--create the boundary of the gap and fill the resultant (strange) shape with some existing plan data. I tried the process for behind the Altes Museum, filling the shape of the site with the Chandigarh/Governor's Palace site plan, and the outcome is nice--I'm going to treat it as a mat building with "sculptural" buildings on top.
I also did some strange 'scale and rotate' experiment with the Islamabad complex plan, using complex windows, and a kind of deconstructivist/Libeskind type of plan resulted. I'm not sure if more experimentation will result in better, more provocative or satisfying results. I wonder what would happen if the exercise were applied to a model instead of a plan?
On Quondam's front page I published images from the Ichnographia contiguous elements database. I just removed all line work apart from the (white) walls. The resultant drawings are a bit reminiscent of Hejduk's masques. I don't know if I'll ever use such data for any kind of design idea or implication.
Campo Rovine
John Hejduk @ Campo Rovine
2007.07.13
work at Quondam
With regard to Appositions, start creating a whole bunch of plan appositions, really just do them...
...also create interesting drawing compositions in the process. And I want the notion of scale comparisons to be evident as well. This might turn out interesting, especially with inclusion of the mesh and surface models (in plan).
And generate a whole bunch of new plans via creating perspectives of the plans.
2007.07.17
Le Corbusier plans, etc.
In starting to do some cad apposition play tonight I found myself stifled by not knowing how to start. It seemed that the "right" plans were not at hand, and/or the scale of plans did not mix. In thinking about it now I should have just started with whatever was available and continued generating apposed plans one after another. As a result of not knowing what to do, I started to compile plans of Le Corbusier designs in the collection. I suppose I could start with apposing Corbusier plans, but I need to incorporate other (architect's) plans as well.
...the point of the appositions is to create whole new plans.
...utilize the cad data in a way that is original and/or unexpected and/or contrary to standard convention. First I should start with straight scale comparisons--via at least three plans--and from there begin the appositional compositions.
I was thinking that a 200 ft square quadrant could be the common denominator of all the scale appositional exercises, and then any exercise can easily relate/display with any other exercise.
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2007.07.31 20:28
Necessary architecture books
As to books, I had and still have many, and at this point I'm seriously thinking of taking a lot of them apart and then mixing and rearranging all the various pages into a series of new books. Maybe I'm foolish, but I anyhow imagine there's a great untapped realm beyond the status quo.
2007.09.13
Quondam ideas
Fill in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (blank) plan with excerpts from other museum plans. Do this for three levels above ground, and also do a series of below ground plans (a la the new Gehry project/expansion). This will be the Museum within Ichnographia Quondam (along with Parkway Interpolation and the Bilocating Barnes and Calder Musuem).
Get the Mies Courthouse with Garage model executed... ...the model will be a fecund "play thing". ...a couple other Mies court houses...
...pages that organize the cad database collection into specific sets.
2007.11.05
CAD ideas
Take some of the sophisticated surfaces and intersperse a series of floor/ceilings; no columns. Perhaps enclose the "building" with simple geometric shapes (transparent surfaces).
Generate multi-colored transparent surfaces; e.g., put a 2D perspective on the facade and fill the drawing with various colored transparent surfaces.
Create exhibitions of architectural 2D drawings by putting the drawings (etc.) on series of wall surfaces.
Experiment with extruding 2D drawings, e.g., a perspective drawing as a facade screen brise-soleil, the extrusions might also go rotate.
Apply 2D drawings (like elevations) to different/new surfaces that are not on the same plane.
2008.06.28 09:21
the Miller House (should be more famous)
Looks like late Le Corbusier style as Composite Order--Villa Shodham meets Heidi Weber Pavilion meets Chandigarh tapestries.
What was the year of construction?
Evokes some memories of Graves' Syndermann House.
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2008.06.30 15:24
the Miller House (should be more famous)
"Ah, Detailotheca, the nimiety of detail museum."
"If only all architecture were so self-evident."
"I know. It never really was a house, was it?"
"True, but it's actually two museums."
"Ah yes, the Reenactment of Late Le Corbusier Style Museum as well."
2008.07.14 08:06
bored with modern & contemporary, yet?
gemmating decorated shed/skeleton of paradigm shift: infringement complex II
2008.07.14 10:06
bored with modern & contemporary, yet?
"Then I thought, might it not be interesting if homes were treated/designed like BIG BOX stores."
It could well be argued that the Villa Savoye is a fitting representation or acme even of the paradigm shift in residential architecture toward overall minimalism. The skeleton of a minimalist building is even more minimal (or see Farnsworth House). Then came the decorated shed with minimalist decoration. And in the virtual present gemmating decorated sheds infringing upon minimalist remains.
2008.08.26 12:41
"wildly influential" or really only virtually influential?
Perhaps cities are just becoming more and more incoherent.
2008.12.19
Durand plans and New Not There City
I've decided to start placing the to-scale-yet-still-raw Durand plans into "position" within New Not There City [originally IQ], and the new line work will follow from there. The point being to use the data right away creatively. The first things to learn are scale comparisons (like Versailles is turning out to be not so super big, more just extensive). Anyway, with all the more plans, New Not There City [originally IQ] will become much more interesting.
2009.01.29
Lost's ending
I now suspect, after seeing the third episode of Lost season 5 last night, that Lost will end with all of its original cast alive and together. This is how I see the current time traveling coming to a conclusion. It will be like Finnegans Wake and like Il Campo Marzio. Too bad Bloomer didn't make this vital connection.
So now it's exploration of the possibilities of the space-time continuum. Like Proust was a neuroscientist, was Piranesi, with the Ichnographia Campus Martius, a scientist of the fourth dimension? (Here is where I have to review Dixon's "Ichnographia as Uchronia".) IS IQ also a study / experiment of architecture (and urbanism) in the fourth dimension? For IQ the time continuum connection is the Axis of Life/Parkway connection, which comes after Piranesi's own Porticus Neronianus/St. Peters connection.
Are the recombinant, appositional buildings of Quondam studies/experiments of architecture in the space/time continuum? Is that what they always have been? (Here is perhaps where I reread Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension.)
And what of The Odds of Ottopia? Did it all have a sense that even I did not fully understand? Bilocation was a significant part of the story. A step beyond Theatrics Times Two? What is Bilocation2 or Bilocation3, etc.--the studies of further powers within 2 = odd.
Quondam and Museumpeace as bilocation theaters? And all my posting activity over the last 12 years as writing / existing within the continuum as opposed to just within reality itself. Just looking now at the Virtual Domain collages I again see an architecture within the space-time continuum--the theme is widely present throughout my work, and I can now see on what foundation my further work rests. Is Quondam (and Museumpeace getting there) impenetrable because of its space-time existence? its slippages in and out of various time frames? (Do I write a comment at things.net?)
This is a great note because a breakthrough into understanding my (design) work is abundantly more clear. There is much here for me to elaborate on further, and I could formerly write about what Quondam is all about and indeed explain my work as a further approach to architecture. Does this also explain my further approach to art?
And now, before I go to read Dixon's text (Uchronia), I'll end by mentioning that I now have to think about the relationship of reenactionary architecturism to traveling in the space-time continuum.
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