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DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
It has been cynically noted that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Yes, it can be complicated and difficult to express the beauty and passion of one art form through another. But when it works—ahhh!
There was a big "ahhh!" in Chicago this past summer. — Published 2000.0920
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JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE?
Pick up a typical architecture magazine and you become transfixed by images of new buildings and newly renovated spaces from all over the world. In our media culture, these images express the latest stylistic trends and new perceptions of space.
The media thrive on images of beautiful objects, but at what cost? While the magazines enthrall their readers with photographs of captivating objects, they may be neglecting the buildings' experiential qualities. — Published 2000.0906
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TWO BAUHAUS BUILDINGS: A PARADIGM SHIFT
The Bauhaus School buildings at Weimar and Dessau in Germany capture the dichotomy of an early 20th century debate about the impact of technology on architecture. The underlying issue was whether creativity or technology should be the stronger design determinant. It is interesting to revisit these two famous buildings, by Henry Van de Velde and Walter Gropius respectively, in light of this debate. — Published 2000.0830
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BUILDING WITH THE BREATH OF LIFE
Throughout history, cultures have acknowledged the existence of a subtle life-force energy, or chi, underlying and connecting all material existence. The universe of chi is both new and timelessly ancient. It is a vision of the energy—rather than material—basis of all Creation, of the intimate interconnectedness of all life.
Some manifestations of this energy, as seen in cities all over the world, serve to illustrate the concepts and make us aware of the emotions that urban settings can evoke. — Published 2000.0823
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"GREENING" A PROFESSION
The architecture profession is experiencing tremendous pressure to change the ways it perceives and shapes the built environment. A growing awareness of environmental issues by both architects and owners is fueling this change. In five years, I predict, today's perception of "best practice" will be a source of amusement. — Published 2000.0816
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IS THERE A PR CONSULTANT IN YOUR FUTURE?
Editor's Note: Even if you run a small firm, you might consider hiring a public relations consultant to give your practice a boost. How do you find a PR consultant? What questions should you ask in hiring one? And how do you know if you're getting what you pay for? ArchitectureWeek contributing editor Michael J. Crosbie quizzes public relations consultant Jane Cohn. Illustrations are by the architecture, engineering, and interior design firm of Fletcher-Thompson, Inc., one of Cohn's clients. — Published 2000.0802
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A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON FORMING THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE
Book Review: Organization Space: Landscapes, Highways and Houses in America by Keller Easterling. MIT Press, 1999, ISBN 0-262-05061-7.
Some books about architecture are concerned primarily with individual buildings, or individual architects, or with architectural style. These are all interesting enough subjects, but often far from the built things that most people experience every day. — Published 2000.0726
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PALLADIO'S FOUR BOOKS ON ARCHITECTURE
Editor's Note: In the 16th century, the great architect Andrea Palladio wrote "I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura." The influence of "The Four Books on Architecture" is still felt by professionals four centuries later. Octavo, a publisher of rare books in digital formats, has recently issued a CD-ROM reproduction of a first edition of this classic of architectural literature. The following is excerpted from a commentary by architectural historian Robert Tavernor, which is part of Octavo's publication. — Published 2000.0719
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TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY URBANISM
Book Review: E-topia: "Urban Life, Jim—But Not as We Know It" by William Mitchell. The MIT Press, 1999. ISBN 0-262-13355-5. — Published 2000.0712
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WHAT IS THE CULTURE OF BUILDING?
With its curved metallic forms, the new Guggenheim Museum in Spain has been widely acclaimed by architecture critics as the unique and original product of a highly creative architect. Like nothing the city of Bilbao had ever seen before, it caused at least one critic to remark that the twentieth century, at its end, had finally produced a building worthy of the times. — Published 2000.0628
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