Failings of Modernism

And to think, the Modernist movement was touted and intended to raise the standard of living for everyone - albeit through the virtues of industry. In my education there was a certain nostalgia and notion that the general public just didn’t get Modernism because of its abstract qualities and essential forms. Though a little radical this begins to make a lot of sense as you walk through desolate Boston City Hall Plaza.

“The messes we’ve made of places where we live and work is not solely the result of bad buildings, though there are plenty of them. But that hardly lets architects off the hook. Rather, with the hubris of religious zealots, they set out on a great purifying mission that damaged the whole physical setting for civilization of our time. The dogmas that guided them went by the name of modernism. Heretics and skeptics were anathematized as systematically as the opponents of the fifteenth–century Vatican.
Modernism did its immense damage in these ways: by divorcing the practice of building from the history and traditional meaning of building; by promoting a species of urbanism that destroyed age-old social arrangements and, with them, urban life as a general proposition; and by creating a physical setting for man that failed to respect the limits of scale, growth, and the consumption of natural resources, or to respect the lives of other things. The result of Modernism, especially in America, is a crisis of the human habitat: cities ruined by corporate gigantism and abstract renewal schemes, public buildings and public spaces unworthy of human affection, vast sprawling suburbs that lack any sense of community, housing that the un-rich cannot afford to live in, a slavish obeisance to the needs of automobiles and their dependent industries at the expense of human needs, and a gathering ecological calamity that we have only begun to measure.”

The Geography of Nowhere
James Howard Kunstler

We're on Apartment Therapy!

One of our favorite design blogs, Apartment Therapy, is expanding its coverage to Boston and we're trying out! We've made it to the finals and our first article is up for voting now. Check it out here, vote and leave some feedback for the judges. We'll be posting two more articles over the next two weeks so keep reading and keep voting!

A little more about what Apartment Therapy is all about and why we would love to be part of their fantastic blog:

Mission
Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online.

What We Believe
A calm, healthy, beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world. Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it. The basic elements of good home design can be learned and achieved by all.
Simplicity and luxury are not mutually exclusive.

Our Goal
To connect people to the resources they need to improve their homes, while reducing their reliance on stuff.

Primary & Pastel

I'm currently working intensely on a brand new Children's Hospital. When one imagines a color palette for children, one inevitably focuses on the very basics of the color wheel; when imagining a palette for a hospital, colors tend toward muted, pasty pastels. Presumably, primary colors are identified with children because they are bright and simple and pastels work well in hospitals because they're non-offensive - though I would argue that I've experienced a few nausea-inducing shades.

So when it is time to introduce color into this Children's Hospital where does one look for inspiration? The architectural firm Sauerbruch & Hutton have nailed it. Somehow balancing on the edge of playful yet sophisticated, colorful but not loud their work is a shining example of what color can do in the hands of the right people.





More here
Official Website here

Inanimate Objects

I sit here typing this post on my brand new Macbook Pro while my five year old Powerbook is sitting on the coffee table running though diagnostic tests. I unpacked my new computer, gave it a once over and turned it on. OsX asked if I would like to port my documents, settings, and applications from my old computer and I said yes. What a huge time saver. I closed all my files on the old computer, plugged in a firewire cable and pressed restart. The new computer waited a minute and then said: "please plug in a volume with OsX installed." I unplugged the firewire cable and restarted the old computer only to have the apple come up for a minute and then it just shuts down... every time I restart. Not a happy Apple.

I'm reading The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain De Botton and just finished a short section titled Consolation on Frustration describing the philosophies of Seneca. It goes on to talk about the idea of inanimate objects and that one may believe they do things to purposefully cause pain and aggravation. Blaming a wall or chair when you stub your toe or feeling that your computer is intending to disobey your commands when you ask it to give up it's files and retire. Good timing I guess, now what about inanimate objects having feelings of abandonment and neglect?

Oh, to not be Latin...

I am of two minds when it comes to letters: on the one hand, I love our alphabet and the world of Western typography in which I reside (clearly, I teach it), but sometimes that same world can feel incredibly unimaginative. I first saw non-Western, calligraphic writing when I was 16 during a tour of the Alhambra in Cordoba, Spain. Every inch of the Moorish palace is hand-carved with ancient Arabic writings, most from the Qur'an. 

I think the wonderful texture and fluidity of that typography have been in me ever since.

I have my students designing a magazine spread, dealing with grids and heavy text coverage but also integrating hand-drafted elements into their design. Its a effort to keep the grid from controlling their design and turning it into a rigid, lifeless mess. I was starting to actually question my decision (about the relevance of hand-drafting in the world of heavy text) when I ran across this article on the Hoefler & Frere-Jones blog.

Its all about the world's last handwritten newspaper, The Musalman. What a wonderful reminder that hand-drafted type is not only alive and well but still considered highly applicable, in some parts of the world, for the design of heavy text. I forwarded it on to my students, we'll see what they make of it. In the meantime, I'll continue dreaming about the day I'm able to write in a non-Latin language... 

Unintended Uses

Originally conceived as a simple replacement to an unsightly Kwansit tarp hut, The Shed, as it has come to be called, has taken on many additional functions beyond simply shielding the tractor from the elements. Much of the design was based on the fact that the entire structure had to be built by two people - my dad and myself - with very basic tools, and to reduce as much labor and waste material as possible. Even the detail of the rafter tails with sloping V's was based on the fact that our circular saw could only cut halfway through the beam. Two cuts were required and if they weren't straight it would never line up. 

Polycarbonate roofing was intended to not only bring natural light into the space but was a labor saving decision. The plastic roofing was much easier and safer to handle and cut than traditional metal roofing. Adding clear siding restored the clear view from the front of the house to the garden. All this light made the space an ideal workshop and now the back third of the shed is an officially that, complete with concrete pavers providing a hard floor and additional benches built into the simple wood frame walls. In the summer the space is used so much that the tractor is rarely parked inside. The overhang in the back created a small porch that became a place to sit and view the garden as well as a place to keep garden tools out of the rain. 

My first attempt at creating real built architecture will now make an ideal altar for *girl's and my upcoming wedding.

Maybe we'll move the garden hose and bucket for the big event...

A Shed for All Seasons

Although we haven't yet made many decisions about our Big Day, "location" can be checked off the list. Weather permitting, the shed's porch will serve as our altar.

Summer




Sunset


From the Garden


Winter








Fall, Season of choice for the Big Day