St Ignatius

Bottles of light, craftsmanship and distinctive auxiliary spaces define the mood and feel of a small building in Seattle that is one of Steven Holl‘s seminal projects. Built in 1997, one is struck by how contemporary it still feels – there is a real sense that this retake on a quiet spiritual gathering place will not age ...

Taking Stock

Exit A

Whites

Huddled Masses

Takes The Cake

I’ve seen some pretty incredible architectural solutions over the years, mostly in European cities. Modern amenities were never part of the grand scheme of things in buildings that are often centuries old; coming across a wall that veers wildly off-axis, or stairways that require mountain climbing gear were always tolerated, even if borderline dangerous. Having said that, ...

Nuts And Bolts

Portal

When I first saw the Weather Project at the London Tate back in 2003, I was immediately struck by the all encompassing architectural nature of Olafur Eliasson’s work.  The 2007 retrospective of his work, shown at the SFMOMA, included further explorations by Eliasson: a dark padded corridor; a mist chamber with a rainbow; an assortment ...

Barragan

The Luis Barragan house, located in Mexico City, is deservedly appreciated but somewhat underwhelming. I wasn’t very enamored with the low freestanding bookshelves organizing the large open living/work area of the house; these furniture elements were quite reduced in relation to the very tall ceilings, yet oddly claustrophobic. Secondary areas, such as a central stairwell and studio, ...

Earth House

Further expanding on a recent post describing the house made out of sandbags, some additional images for your viewing pleasure. .

Walk, Don’t Run

Sandbag Construction

A few weeks ago on a recent road trip I came across a fascinating residential construction, made almost entirely out of sandbags and plaster. After pulling over and driving a little closer to get a better look I approached two people who were working on the site. Unlike most experiences involving me satisfying my curiosity ...

Light Is King

A series of benign and mundane concrete columns illuminated by an exciting palette of vertical color planes.

Mexico City Bellas Artes

The dome of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, located in Mexico City, is as expansive as the city in which it is located. I haven’t seen too many dome-on-dome type of constructions at this scale before, except in the Hagia Sofia or Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The experience in the space does not disappoint, and ...

Lello Bookstore

Lello Bookstore, located near downtown Porto, features a fantastic staircase as an architectural centerpiece.

Gare de Oriente

Photographs of a Santiago Calatrava designed train station in Lisbon, Portugal.