The Holocaust Memorial Project to the Murdered Jews of Europe at the site of the gardens of the former Reich Chancellery in Berlin by Architect Peter Eisenman, opened in 2005. “The ‘real architecture’ only exists in the drawings and the ‘real building’ exists outside the drawing. The difference is that ‘architecture’ and the ‘building’ are […]
INTERPRETING WHITEREAD’S HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL USING C.S. PEIRCE’S THREE TYPES OF SIGN- SYMBOL, ICON, INDEX The Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial also known as the Nameless Library stands in Judenplatz in the first district of Vienna, Austria. It is the central memorial for the Austrian victims of the Holocaust and was designed by the British artist Rachel Whiteread […]
LE CORBUSIER AND ‘TAMING TECHNOLOGY’ LE CORBUSIER’S MACHINES FOR LIVING Unlike most architects, Le Corbusier did not simple accept the new technological advancements. He ‘tamed’ technology with architectural techniques entrenched in tradition so it becomes elegant in form and function. The concept of objet-type also signals the fact that a functionally determined object can be […]
This week’s two texts are the chapter ‘At Home in the Neon’ from Dave Hickey’s Air Guitar, and ‘Sand Fear and Money in Dubai’ by Mike Davis. Las Vegas VS Dubai, the desert playground. What is neoliberalism? Even though the word isn’t even recognized in spellcheck yet, the conclusion is as always, the rich will […]
THE NINGBO MUSEUM Philosopher Hegel in his “Lectures on Aesthetics” (1818 and 1820-1829), regarded by many as one of the greatest aesthetic theories to have been produced since Aristotle argued that aesthetics of all great architecture presents a truth about the culture in which it appears, which otherwise might remain hidden. Architecture as a medium […]
RESPECTING VICTORIAN DESIGN. Despite the fusty, excessive, old, impractical, self-indulgent, snobbish, aloof architecture, the embellished mania of Victorian Architecture, I must admit – I love it. Soft spot for the 19th century architectural replicas of Arthur, Camelot, and Knights marvels. The synthesis of architecture and technology_ Case Study: Crystal Palace. Designed by Joseph Paxton (renowned […]
THIS WEEK’S TEXT IS “THE BEAUBOURG-EFFECT: IMPLOSION AND DETERRENCE” BY JEAN BAUDRILLARD (SPRING, 1983) JEAN BAUDRILLARD ON THE POMPIDOU CENTER Jean Baudrillard (1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher, cultural theorist, political commentator, and photographer. Frequently associated postmodernism, more specifically post-structuralism and he is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary […]
FROM SALT WORKS TO IDEAL CITY. LEDOUX’S FIRST DESIGN FOR CHAUX VERSUS HIS SECOND DESIGN. CLAUDE NICOLAS LEDOUX (1736 – 1806) Ledoux was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He was architect to Madame Du Barry (Louis XV’s mistress and former prostitute), numerous Parisian clients, to royal tax collectors, Ferme Générale. Accused […]
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, (1886 – 1969) worked as an architect, like many of the famous designers of the 20th century and is well known for his designs of exhibition pavilions and his chairs received the most attention and acclaim. A modernist Classic: the Barcelona Pavilion The Barcelona Pavilion was the German Pavilion for […]
Aldo Rossi’s Monument of the Resistance in Cuneo, 1962 (unbuilt). Italian architect and designer who achieved international recognition in four distinct areas: theory, drawing, architecture and product design. Aldo Rossi (1931-1997), was the first Italian to receive the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1990. His inspirations were derived from the world around him, since he […]
Speculative Cities 