the world forgetting, by the world forgot.

'How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;'

Eloisa to Abelard
Alexander Pope

dutch

Building in Utrect, Holland.

light bench

I have some glow chairs from Ikea that provide great quality of light
on a dark patio. This bench is a classier version of my chairs.

miami art museum

Miami Art Museum
Herzog & de Meuron.

I'm not sure if this is the final design. I've seen some more recent
elevations that look quite a bit different than this.

structural triumph

23 E. 23rd Street
Once again, OMA pushing the limits of structural engineering.

up close and from afar

New Renderings of 56 Leonard, by Herzog & de Meuron.

Paris soulève l'interdiction.

Herzog & de Meuron
Le Projet Triangle
Port de Versailles
Paris, France

Hotel and Conference Center
scheduled for completion in 2012

A ban on building height was recently lifted in Paris. This will be the
first tower constructed in the inner city since 1977.

america's greenest tower

One Bryant Park.
Cook & Fox.

I've been watching this building as the construction nears completion.
Visually, I find it to be a bit of a bore. However, this is the first
tower in New York City to receive LEED platinum certification.

Read More Here: WorldArchitectureNews.com

dogs need windows too

Available through SkyMall. Pretty Clever.

'duplicated plane'

Health Department Headquarters
Bilbao, Spain
Daniel Gutiérrez Zarza

The duplicated plane wrapping this building serves to meet the energy, acoustic and fire codes of Bilbao. Dual walls have long been implemented in European architecture. Europe clearly has a greater concern for resources than the United States. With rising energy costs, we will soon see this technology here. There are some buildings in the U.S. with dual walls. The Walker Art Center, in Minneapolis has a a feature dual wall on Hennepin Avenue. Comcast Center in Philadelphia has a dual wall surrounding the winter garden.

layout issues.

I'm having some layout issues. Apparently, postings will not publish in the same format in which they are created. I'll work on this. Please pardon the mess in the meantime.

concrete, glass, concrete, glass, concrete, glass, concrete.

56 Leonard.

Herzog & de Meuron

Enclos Corp, my employer, is the contractor for the exterior wall system on this project. I refrain from using the term "curtain wall," because technically, this is not one.

This is a window wall system - floor to ceiling glass sandwiched between slabs of concrete.

The spans of glass are high - especially at the top of the building, where the fragmentation becomes more pronounced.

I've been waiting for months for these renderings to be released. We have them in our office, but it was not my place to leak them to the public.

Sculpture by Anish Kapoor.

Designed to create the perception that the building is being held up by this pillow-like sculpture.

tree house.

Tattoo House.

Designed by Andrew Maynard.

I've always loved the quality of light through a canopy of leaves.

A simple application of UV stable stickers provides that effect, while fulfilling the council requirements of 75% opacity on second stories.

Narrow trunks provide ample light to the living space and full branches provide privacy to the sleeping area.

etfe buildings

Click here to see buildings that have utilized ETFE.

ethylene tetrafluoroethylene

ETFE. Ethylene tetrafluoroehylene.

The building material of the future.
1% the weight of glass.
Transmits more light.

Lightweight =
Cheaper to install.
Cheaper to transport.
Cheaper to structurally support.
Able to span large lengths.

EFTE can be formed into sheets or inflated into pillows.
Stability and thermal properties provided by semi-continuous air supply.

Stretches three times its length without a loss of elasticity.

Highly resilient.
Self cleaning.
Unlike tempered glass, recyclable.

Invented by DuPont in the 1970's.

scale

Perspective of scale.

the eden project

Construction Details.

the eden project

The Eden Project.

Botanical Gardens.

Located in St. Austell, England.

Designed by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners.

Housing International Species.

Intersecting Geodesic Domes.

Structural spans over 400 feet.

Drew 500,000 visitors during the Construction.

Prefabricated with plug-in joint system.

Delivered to site in a series of small components.

Glazed with ETFE cushions.

The soil below has poor load bearing qualities.

The weight of the structure is less than the air it encloses.

palm house

Palm House, Bicton Gardens.  1830's.

the greenhouse

The greenhouse. The beginning of the glass envelope. A quarter inch between here and the other side. A new expression of the wall. A twist on the preconceived notion of private and public space. Well, I'm going a bit far. In the beginning the all glass enclosure was to serve a purpose: provide sunlight to plants, a progression in horticulture. What I find most fascinating about the birth of this major movement in Architecture are the culprits involved: gardeners and engineers. It's not that I'm surprised - form is to follow function, and those requiring functions that are not fulfilled will pursue alternative methods. It's human nature - we constantly re-create, modify, reform, refine, redefine. In essence, it is instinctual for us to design the world around us. So, the gardeners of 1800's decided to solve a problem. Of course, this was during the Industrial Revolution. The technology, and more important, the mindset was in place to utilize prefabrication. An example of this progression is the Palm House in Bicton Gardens, constructed around 1830 in Devon, England.

introduction

desire for illumination.  A phrase that I recently read in a book on building skins - on curtain wall, the current focus of my professional endeavor.  Curtain wall, by definition, is a non-load bearing wall that encloses space; hanging from the structure rather than providing structural support.  Versions of the current have been seen through the history of Architecture.  This journal will serve as an avenue for exploration in the evolution of enclosures; the transition between inside and outside; from the first wall, or rather - fence, to today's smart walls:  responsive skins that serve to meet increasingly high technical requirements.  I will also explore the evolution of mankind and our built structures; from a 'true love of the dark, the mystic' to a 'desire for illumination.'