Week #15
ASH FINDS THE THIRD ROOM
Yep that’s right. I made it.
30 times around the sun. To the third level? or Thirtieth floor? I can tell you for sure that the view is much better.
~
This week’s entry is a culmination of everything that’s been going on over the past few months. I hope you enjoy.
And like every other week, shenanigans are at the bottom. Ash xx
LET’S GET OLD OLD SCHOOL!
Your classical tune is performed by the amazing Amalia Hall! She’s a kiwi and she’s awesome. Here she is performing Mozart’s Concerto No.5, 3rd Movement.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE LAST POST…
1.0 COMING IN HOT WITH…
EUROPE’S FIRST UNDERWATER RESTAURANT
ARCHITECT: snØHETTA
LOCATION: BÅLY, NORWAY
A sunken shaped periscope -like form, now sits off the coast of Norway has become Europe’s first underwater restaurant. World renowned Norwegian architects, Snøhetta have created a fully immersive experience to take you into the wilderness of the North Sea. Despite the rough weather you can sit peacefully inside.
The main stair/walkway cuts through diagonally across the plan as it leads you down to the large window and dining experience. During non-restaurant hours the space is used by marine biologists to study fish behaviour and how they react to light.
2.0 free no more!
i’m not a charity.
Hot off the press is the recent scrutiny architecture firms have come under regarding interns. Well to be frank, “free” interns. In New York City minimum wage is now $15.
But this aside, who cares, if you’re contributing to a business you SHOULD be paid. Many firms are disguising their unpaid internships as “rites of passage” or “invaluable experience”, using firm reputation and prestige to patch over the money issue.
Junya Ishigami’s office in Japan was the start of this conversation. His Serpentine Pavilion in the UK harbored the skills of many unpaid interns… What are your thoughts? Comment below!
3.0 guess who’s back… Patrik schumacher!!
architecture schools fail at building 101
Yes Schuey is back again making scathing comments about architecture schools and their lack of professional aka “Real World Training” in architectural education. Dezeeners and the like are saying “for once we agree with Schumacher”. But let’s be honest Schumacher is talking more about lecturers pushing their own agendas to get industry street cred. A petty battle at what I personally think is missing the mark at what is the crucial problem.
So let me take this one step further, as I’ve often thought about this and voiced this. Architects complain about how messed up the industry is, how poorly we get paid, and how terrible our hours are. 100% fact. Schumacher is by no means right, architecture schools as a massive generalization DO NOT adequately prepare their padawans for the real world. Sink or swim. But really what use do they have to the industry apart from making pretty pictures? Architecture school teaches us to undo Albertian perspective, in lieu of pastel cartoons, some token panelisation and professional bullshitting. For too long architects and architecture schools have placed themselves on a pedestal as designers and “builders”. Builders? Yeah Right. In my opinion architects could claim back their fair share of the construction budget if they actually knew how to put things together and took back some of the responsibility that now all contractually falls on the General Contractor (who get’s paid a lot).
If architects actually drew drawings that you could build from, if architects could actually have constructive (no pun intended) conversations with trades about sequencing, tolerances etc. and what is actually possible, perhaps we can start buying back part of that territory and putting that in our savings. But we need to get taught the basics; and our schools fail in almost every portion of this. Maybe if we spent longer in school learning how to build, learning how to manage and talk to contractors and trades and got off our high horses we could stop being the designer and start being an architect.
We could stop being the fancy dressed person in the room who’s earning the least, but working the longest hours in the conference room. And if we knew more about how to build things, we could understand what details will cost more, and where we’d like to focus our budget instead of designing in the dark. Ok thats enough. See the link if you’re interested in agreeing with Patrik.
4.0 when architecture looks like something banal…
I love it when non-architects look at a building and give it a colloquial name. Oh yeah don’t you think it looks like? Or oh you know the one, its got bits sticking out of it… Let’s look at a few of my favourites. This is one I overheard on the ferry back from Rockaway.
one manhattan plaza
aka. the cheese grater
architect: adamson associates (new york, usa)
Yea, I guess I see it… the view from the ferry was a bit more obvious.
56 leonard aka. jenga tower
architect: herzog and de meuron (new York, usa)
I do love these architects and I don’t mind this building at all. But one really can’t resist.
Wow this is crazy accurate.
15 hudson yards
aka. the four-sided butt crack or four leafed clover
architect: diller, scofidio + renfro (New york, uSA)
the new museum…
aka. stacked boxes minus the handtruck
architect: sanaa (New York, USA)
and finally my favourite… the vessel
aka. the shawarma
architect: heatherwick studios (new york, USA)
It’s also been called… the pineapple, a corn cob.
And of course A pinecone!
5.0 architecture underground and by that i mean
subway toilets
new york, usa
So earlier this year, I remember reading a New York Times article about some highly unglamorous water closets. MMMM delish. Subway toilets. At present they have been public saunas, filled with a fresh stench of urine, rubbish and during flash flooding, unplanned water features.
But the toilets are something else altogether. I’ve often seen them during my commutes, and have NO DESIRE to use them. And really hope I never have to. Nevertheless, someone designed them, someone installed them and people actually use them. So why not give them some attention…
It’s pretty gross. Use caution.
6.0 fun-architecture
topiary tango
A couple of weeks ago, friend (Mike Ma)’s friend Mark Zlotsky presented his European Topiary findings at a lecture at the Center for Architecture.
Let me tell you. It was great. It was so wonderful having an in-depth discussion about a playful and interesting topic! In addition the illustrations are perfect. Whilst I’m not a fan of the whimsical nature some recent architectural representation has taken, Mark’s work speaks honestly with the subject matter. For me, I think the lightbulb moment was definitely Mark’s idea that looks at the building as being a sort of skeleton or infrastructure that the topiary can morph around. So many possibilities! (Mark’s exhibition is far more exciting than the dry exhibition of the maniacal New York City Departments and how the tangled mess “works”).
7.0 top of the house
425 park
architect: foster + partners
location: 425 park avenue, new york, ny, usa
Check out another irresistible skyline shot.
8.0 is this real life…?
GulbENKIAN BY: MIR
ARCHITECT: KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES
“Expansion of the gardens of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon and the new entrance of the Modern Collection of the Gulbenkian Museum” blurb from Mir.no.
So this is a render. Or is it a photograph? I don’t know. You tell me.
Real life? Or is it?
9.0 bringing it back.
10.0 architectural spotlight. this is…
i.m.pei
(April 26, 1917, Guangzhou, China - May 16, 2019, Manhattan, New York, USA) Of course, the obvious ode to the world famous I.M.Pei. RIP. This man put away 102 years at the helm of an architecture firm. Wowweeeee.
So let’s see what he’s accomplished.
Pei grew up in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He then moved to the United States to study architecture. During World War II, Pei was not able to return home, and instead discovered the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he worked alongside Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.
Mr Pei began his career through founding his own practice in 1955, called I.M Pei & Associates. Over the course of six decades, the firm has changed from Pei & Partners in 1966 to Pei Cobb Freed & Partners in 1989. In 1983, Pei took home the Pritzker Prize, with the jury stating how he has “given this century some of its most beautiful interior spaces and exterior forms."
Despite falling in the Modernist bucket, Pei’s work was well known for large simple geometric gestures, in the form of triangles, squares and circles. He rejected the concerns of “globalization” and the “international style” claiming that architectural variation in design was achieved through context - time, place and purpose.
So let’s see his built achievements. Starting with his most famous built work. The Louvre. If you don’t know where this is. I have no words.
Next up is the Bank of China Tower, built in central Hong Kong. Completed in 1990, the BOC Tower is designed as an ode to the aspirations of the Chinese culture but also goodwill towards the British colony. The tower is 70 stories tall and is comprised of four vertical shafts. The four shafts help to resist high velocity winds, whilst also eliminating the need for vertical supports.
He is also responsible for…
The Luce Memorial Chapel. It was originally supposed to be an entirely wooden structure, however due to humid and seismic concerns, the chapel is constructed out of reinforced concrete. The multi-planar surfaces of the chapel are composed of lattice beams which thicken at the base of the building.
Shenanigans
1.0 a canine friend
Look at this fabulous girl!
2.0 babe
Shailene Woodley! Inspired by the Big Little Lies seasons 2, which just recently finished. Big Little Lies is great, and one of those shows where you can only watch in order. It will not disappoint. Shailene was propelled to fame by the Divergent movie series. Can’t personally say I was a fan…
3.0 boy
Spoiler alert. No just kidding. I won’t say anything in case you’ve not send Avengers Endgame already. But Robert Downey Jr’s campaign as Iron Man is over. After a tumultuous ride through substance abuse, Mr Stark is completely sober. Marvel was reluctant at first to give Robert the role of Tony Stark due to his prior history but look at the empire he has now created.
4.0 stair porn
Herzog & de Meuron’s Caixa Forum Stairs in Madrid.
5.0 art
A couple of weekends ago Dean, Steph, Nikki and I went to the New Museum. Seeing as I still had not been I thought it was worth a shot. Typically with some of these exhibitions I’m thoroughly underwhelmed, wondering how my $20 (USD) was well spent. It’s art I guess.
However, this current exhibition at the New Museum was on point! Mika Rottenberg’s work was by far my favourite. And I think it was the first time ever I had been compelled to watch two art films from beginning to end. The sounds, the abstraction and the haptic qualities conveyed were extraordinary. Rottenberg explores the idea of female labour and captures it in a unique, surreal format which is truly mesmerising.
6.0 lost in translation
predrink (NZ/aus/uk?) = pregame (US)
Same same but different. Yes cheap drinks before going out for drinks is referred to as pre-drinking. So going out is a “game” huh?
7.0 harsh realities
Again? Oh America.
8.0 meanwhile…
My friends (Jacky, Mal) and I recently discovered that there is a movie named Cloaca. If you don’t know what a cloaca is you can safely google it.
9.0 doodle
A design that never came into fruition, but it’s probably just as well haha.
10.0 nom nom nom.
To be honest, there hasn’t been a new place that I’ve tried that’s “knocked my socks off” so to speak. So I give you an insta favourite, which is deeply rich and delicious. Get the small. Trust me on this one!
11.0 and that’s a wrap! here’s some ‘new’ music
So this summer has been filled with a number of concerts. Whilst I’d love to spout about how freaking amazing John Mayer was at MSG last weekend. I’m going to give these guys (The Dip) some publicity. If you’re into some big band, swinging 60s styled music you’ll love these guys from Seattle, Washington. I’ve seen them twice. (Once by myself and the second time on a boat).
_
Till next week my friends.
I hope that I have credited everything. If not images are not mine unless stated, please click on the images and hyperlinks to their original sources :)