Railway Models.

image by Faller, Images used with permission of Gebr. FALLER GmbH

Miniatures models have terrible scales for architectural models: track gauges go from H0 (scale 1:87), TT (1:120), N (1:160) and Z (1:220) - absolutely non-standard scales. Typically, model makers avoid the kitschy appearance of miniature railway models. They rather go for abstraction than for realism. Although, who does not want to live in the model railway idyll?

The Random Stimulation Method.

image from flickr, by Kroks Corner

Sometimes we are stuck in a problem and unable to escape from our "main track" of thinking. But there are many ways to escape - the random stimulation method is the easiest method of all.

The random stimulation is provided by a random object or word or person or magazine or exhibition. The main thing is that it cannot be chosen because if it is chosen then it si chosen through its relevance to current ideas and therefore will reinforce rather than change them. It is a matter of exposing oneself to a random influence or deliberately producing one. (source: Edward de Bono's Thinking Course, Powerful Tools to Transform your Thinking, p. 62f, see the book on google books)

The most simple form is the random word. Just test it (Random Word Brainstorming).

Alex MacLean - Aerial Photography.

Detail of Cul-de-Sac Sub-Division
Honolulu Area, Hawaii © 2009 Alex S. MacLean - www.alexmaclean.com Images used with permission of the artist.

"Pilot and photographer Alex MacLean has flown his plane over much of the United States documenting the landscape. Trained as an architect, he has portrayed the history and evolution of the land from vast agricultural patterns to city grids, recording changes brought about by human intervention and natural processes. His powerful and descriptive images provide clues to understanding the relationship between the natural and constructed environments" (Source: Alex MacLean)

Book recommendation (via amazon): Over: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point

Cleared Housing Lots on Cul-de-Sac Miami Area, Florida © 2009 Alex S. MacLean - www.alexmaclean.com Images used with permission of the artist.

The image of the "real estate bubble"?

Postopolis! LA. Meet the Bloggers.

I wish I could attend Postopolis! but LA is about 6,096 miles to far for me.

Postopolis! LA is a five-day event of near-continuous conversation about architecture, urbanism, landscape and design. Six world-renowned bloggers from New York, Paris, San Francisco, Santiago and Sydney will convene to host a series of live discussions, interviews, slideshows, presentations and panels that speak to issues of architecture, Postopolis! LA announces location at The Standard, Downtown LA and Featured Guests 2 landscape, urbanism and the built environment–fusing the informal and interdisciplinary approach of the architectural blogosphere with the energy and immediacy of face-toface interactions.
More information at: www.foryourart.com or www.storefrontnews.org.

So if you're unable to attend, you can still follow the event through Twitter:

Postopolis! LA: http://twitter.com/postopolis
BLDGBLOG: http://twitter.com/bldgblog
Arch Daily: http://twitter.com/dbasulto
City of Sound: http://twitter.com/cityofsound
We-Make-Money-Not-Art: http://twitter.com/wmmna
Mudd Up: http://twitter.com/djrupture
Subtopia: http://twitter.com/subtopes

Postopolis! LA
5–11pm, Tuesday, March 31 – Friday, April 3
5–9pm, Saturday, April 4, 2009
Rooftop of The Standard, Downtown LA (during Los Angeles Art Weekend),
550 S. Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

11th International Bauhaus Colloquium.

image by twocentsworth, from flickr

"In today s globalized world, star architects are frequently given their most spectacular commissions by states and regimes that do not have to adhere to democratic rules or committees. [..] Progressive architecture seems to flourish most in countries with repressive regimes and questionable human rights records. Still, contemporary critics tend to ignore economic, political, social and moral issues that pervade any globalized architectural practice, focusing instead on aesthetic aspects of design, such as ornament, atmosphere and mood , explains Prof. Dr. Kari Jormakka, one of the chairmen of the colloquium."

(source: uni-weimar.de)

People on the panel: Philip Ursprung, M. Christine Boyer, Wolfgang Pehnt, Stanford Anderson, Philipp Oswalt and Bill Hillier.

11th International Bauhaus Colloquium,
April 2-5, 2009
full conference: € 200, student: € 60
one day: € 50, student € 15

more about the Bauhaus: Ninety Years of Bauhaus - The Manifesto, 1919

The Illegal Building. Hotel El Algarrobico.

The Azata del Sol hotel, source: greenpeace

Recently, Greenpeace activists covered the hotel El Algarrobico, Spain with a giant green fabric, demonstration against the illegal construction of the building. It has been built on protected land. “The Azata del Sol hotel on El Algarrobico beach in Spain is a symbol of the uncontrolled urban development and destruction of the Mediterranean coast. The company owner of the hotel continued the construction despite a local court ordering it to be stopped.” (source: Greenpeace)

Who might be the architect of that beauty?

Greenhouse.

Greenhouse by Jantze Brogard Asshoff

Buildings account for more than 40% of energy consumption - how can we illustrate this? See the Greenhouse by Jantze Brogard Asshoff. At least a way to dump our waste.
[via swissmiss]

Zero Yen House - Kyohei Sakaguchi.

Kyohei Sakaguchi, A Zero Yen House with Solar System, photo courtesy of The Banff Centre

In 2004, Kyohei Sakaguchi published "Zero Yen House" - a book of homeless housing in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. The publication provides an intriguing examination of the different construction methods and materials used by homeless people. It shows the efficiency and resourcefulness of these structures: Ironically, a surprising form of temporary architecture.

Kyohei Sakaguchi, A Zero Yen House with Solar System, photo courtesy of The Banff Centre

(more on the topic “Quiet, Homeless Sleeping”)

Yes.

Architects tend to say yes. Yes, the deadline is no problem. Yes, we meet the budget. Yes, we can easily change that.

"It’s so easy to say yes. Yes to yet another feature, yes to an overly optimistic deadline, yes a mediocre design, yes, yes, yes. We all want to be loved.
But the love won’t keep you warm for long when you’ve taken on yet another obligation that you don’t whole-heartedly believe in. You very quickly become trapped in a pit of guilt when the stack of things you’ve said yes to loom so high that you can’t even see the things you really should be doing." (source: 37signals, by Jesus A. Domingo)

Join the discussion on 36signals: "The most powerful word is no."

Portals I. The Medusa Entrance.

portal at Zedlitzgasse 11, by architect Josef Eggenfellner

At Zedlitzgasse 11, in First District, Vienna: Medusa, originally a beautiful woman, behead by the hero Perseus. A building’s portal, from the fifties (architect Josef Eggenfellner), showing similarities to contemporary "line-patterns".

Architects _______ _______ !

Activities architects could be doing. A poster by John Snavely for Volume Magazine.

Deadline Today! Wonderland Exhibition.

Wonderland - Platform for Architecture is proud to present its new project “Deadline Today! - 99 stories on making architectural competitions”. The project’s ambition is to provide a comprehensive overview of European architectural design contests, focusing on the role they play for architectural practices.

An exhibition in June 2009 in Architekturzentrum Wien (Az W) in Vienna/Austria will be the showcase of the research on the topic, accompanied by 99 individual stories. Success or scandal, the rise of your office or the take-over of a concurrent one – if you have a prize-winning competition and a story to tell, the questionnaire below is your entry to exhibit!

Beside individual stories, a selection of physical models will depict the experimental, innovative thinking of architectural competitions – make sure to send us the photos of the model with your application to be in the few selected!

Application deadline: 25th March 2009!

100 % Earth House. "House Rauch".

The use of rammed earth is a fascinating fusion of modern technology, ancient knowledge, and innovative construction techniques, and is increasingly attracting attention. It’s a sustainable building materials and natural building methods: Once a building is obsolete, it returns to earth.

House Rauch, image by Beat Bühler, House Rauch by Roger Boltshauser and Martin Rauch

At "House Rauch", a newly erected residential house in village of Schlins in Vorarlberg (Austria), the architects Roger Boltshauser and Martin Rauch have only used the excavated earth from the building site to build the house. Walls, floors and plastering are made from earth.

Earth buildings are costly in terms of labor. The silt and earthen mixture is compressed periodically in horizontal layers and compressed with air compression beaters and vibration rolls. In case of “House Rauch” 41% of the house's volume is under earth, which results in some subterranean cave-like spaces. The building's foundation is made of 60cm trass cement - the traditional roman cement, the ceilings are "Dippelbaumdecken" (beam ceilings) and the interior thermal insulation is made from rush mats, which is also a perfect underground for the finishing coat.

samples of rammed earth walls. image by Martin Rauch

Likewise, rammed earth is suitable for pre-fabricated walls. The elements get produced in a workshop and get mounted on site. The benefit to concrete: because rammed earth wall aredampish (moisture content of about 6-7%) and joints can be closed easily.

In Europe, Martin Rauch is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern technical and creative applications for traditional adobe construction. Together with his partners he has founded three businesses: the architecture workshop "Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH", the construction firm "Erden" and "Lehmo", a firm producing a rammed earth furnace. Martin Rauch is architect and entrepreneur.

See Martin Rauch's book on amazon.com:
Martin Rauch: Rammed Earth / Lehm und Architektur / Terra cruda (German Edition)

Winter of Machines.

"As we all know, it is not machines which employ machines but humans who build and use machines. Therefore it can no longer be accepted that machines increasingly worsen our living conditions although they were originally intended to improve them. Even in the richest countries one can no longer perceive much improvement of everyday life through technology."
[..]
"The essay Machine Winter risks being a literary polemic and speculative fantasy on how to make history with technology."

Dath, Dietmar
Winter of Machines. Knowledge, Technology, Socialism. Arguing a Case
(for German speaking reader: Maschinenwinter. Wissen, Technik, Sozialismus. Eine Streitschrift)

Bogdan Bogdanović. The Doomed Architect.

Flower at the memorial site for the victims of the concentration camps (1966), Jasenovac, Croatia, Bogdan Bogdanović

'Bogdan Bogdanović, born in 1922 in Belgrade, is not only the leading architect of memorials in the former multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia but also an unconventional urbanist, essayist and writer who "built to be able to write, and wrote so that he could build".' 'Between 1951 and 1981 Bogdanović completed over twenty memorials throughout Yugoslavia to commemorate the victims of fascism and anti-fascist resistance fighters. Free from ideological insignia, these archaic feeling architectural ensembles invite visitors to linger in contemplation.'

Exhibition:
Architekturzentrum Wien
Mar. 05, 2009 - Jun. 02, 2009
Opening Hours: Daily from 10:00 am - 07:00 pm

Test illustration for Zaludna mistrija (The Futile Trowel), Bogdan Bogdanović

Louis Soutter. Corbusier Secret Second Cousin.

Louis Soutter - Souplesse, 1939. Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne

Louis Soutter (born in 1871, Switzerland, his mother was the grandaunt of Charles Edouard Jeanneret – Le Corbusier) came from an upper middle class family. He studied architecture and music, without receiving a degree, took drawing lessons and moved in 1897 to the USA (Colorado Springs) where he led the art department of Colorado College. He married Madge Fursman.

After his divorce he returned to Switzerland and lived a vagrant life. He was put under tutelage (at the age of 52 and against his will) and spent the rest of his life in a retirement home.

Louis Soutter’s early work was influenced by Roman mural paintings. In the retirement home he underwent a radical change. Due his visual impairment Louis Soutter started finger painting sometimes by using his entire body.

His second cousin Corbusier declined Louis Sutter’s work with a lack of understanding and rejection. After his death, however, his work gained recognition. Louis Soutter is considered to be one of the pioneers of Art Brut.

picture from Art / Brut Center Gugging

Urban Camouflage.

Urban Camouflage deals with the question how to camouflage oneself and one’s identity in the urban space. Our costumes are inspired by the "ghillie suits", the military camouflage suit. It was an adventure to wear the suit in the stores because of the conflicts with the employees, the reaction of the customers and also to see the pretty well camouflage effect in a real situation.[VIA swissmiss]

18,8 Million Buildings.

Image of the action plan "Energie für Morgen" by the German Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung

The German government plans to cut CO2 emissions for the existing built environment. They focus on about 17,3 million residential - and 1,5 million nonresidential buildings. The modernization of existing buildings saves money, energy and reduces the carbon footprint.

Architects, however, tend to deny the potential of renovation and restoration commissions.

The following remedial actions get funded:

• improving of roof, exterior walls and basement ceiling insulation
• renewal of windows
• renewal of heating systems
• installation of a solar heating system

Maybe they do not sound sexy - but we can’t breakaway our cities because of inefficient buildings? The website of the government department features a "remedial action assistant": a tool that shows what you can possibly save (German content).