(July 2016) Blog Question:
What
Is your favorite architectural masterpiece? Or
your favorite design element? & Why?
BOB (Partner
Emeritus):
Fallingwater
is the architectural masterpiece created by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed
between 1936 and 1938. UNESCO has recently voted to include it as a World
Heritage Site, along with several other FLW buildings. Some consider this to be
the most important work of architecture of the 20th Century. This
house completely changed the concept of residential architecture. A house no
longer needed to be a box one lived in for protection from the elements, it
could be a way to live as part of nature, to live naturally in the environment,
not separated from the environment. It became the precursor to the
environmental movement in the latter half of the 20th Century. As we are now witnessing the rapid decline of our
culture, Fallingwater represents the high water mark of the architectural
accomplishments of western civilization.
JERRY (Partner):
I do not have 'one' favorite. I have
many!
I admire many great works of
architecture going all the way back to ancient times. I love the beauty
in the simple geometry of the pyramids, yet I love the beauty in the Greek
temples and the design and ability it took to construct them. I also love
the Gothic cathedrals (French over English) and their sheer magnitude to the
human scale. But I also love the elegant beauty in
the contemporary lines of Falling Water.
So I prefer not to put myself into a
corner and simply say that is my favorite building, style or iconic image. I enjoy
many in their element.
JEFF (Partner):
Faye Jones's Thorncrown
Chapel.
Fay Jones was a disciple
of Wright, except I think he took the nature discipline further and did it
successfully.
Thorncrown was done down
a long path. All materials were carried
to the site and assembled without impact to the environment. He took nature, and turned it into a gothic
cathedral. The building is now an
American icon, that inspires all visitors.
With a simple donation box in the worship space, the building
construction, all maintenance, and upkeep are fully self supported thru
donations of visitors. It has also weathered time unlike many other projects
that are design icons, but poorly constructed.
DAVID (Director of Construction Administration):
Agrees with Bob.
AMY (Intern Architect):
My favorite building in the world is currently the
Butaro District Hospital in Rwanda. It is the most thoughtfully-approached
building project, carefully considering the needs of the community to be
served. The design team did not only consider the functions of the hospital,
but also the opportunities to engage local labor and building materials. This
not only cut the cost of the project by a third, it provided jobs and skills
training for 4000 people. I love this project because it represents the potential
for human-centered design, creating so much more than a pretty building.
CHRIS (Intern
Architect):
I like brutalist concrete buildings probably
because of five years in the University of Tennessee’s Art and Architecture
Building, which is also my favorite example. One of my favorite things about it
is what I like to think was a joke on UT’s obsession with football. The
structure grid is in 30’ bays and it is as long and wide as a football field. The
building is bisected by an atrium with art classrooms on one side and
architecture studios on the other, and faculty offices cantilever into the
atrium (a test of faith maybe?). It is also the only building on campus that is
not covered in orange brick or revivalist styles. Its atrium space with art and
building projects on display (and stores) is a common path of travel for anyone
just passing through. I like that a building having no pretense of good looks
operates better in function than it does in appearance.
JACQUELINE (Intern Architect):
I
have always loved art deco architecture.
As a child, my dad would always plan our summer vacations around
architectural monuments. This included
everything from going to Virginia to see Monticello to going to Los Angeles to
see the Getty Museum. My favorite
vacation spot was South Beach, Florida, because of all of the Art Deco style
hotels. Even in New York, I was
surrounded by Art Deco architecture such as the Chrysler Building and the
Empire State Building. To make a long
story short, my favorite architectural buildings are the strip of Art Deco
hotels on South Beach.
DELANE (Intern
Architect):
My favorite style of architecture is based on my
residential design background. I am partial to the American Craftsman
style. My favorite feature is the deep
porches.
JENNIFER (College Intern):
Guggenheim
Museum, Bilbao
Being
absolutely honest, this was a pretty hard question for me, since I don’t
consider myself very knowledgeable yet about all the types of architectural
designs and buildings out there. I started doing some research to look for
something that I would find somewhat appealing. I realized that every time I saw
buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, I was drawn to their
out of the ordinary design and their contemporary style. I find this interesting and exciting.
LISA
(Office Manager):
I’ve
always been intrigued by The Sydney Opera House. It’s visually stunning and I was awe-struck
when I first saw pictures of it. Its
roof is shaped like “peaked shells” and its interior was made for superior acoustic
sound. I’m sure it’s perfect for Opera
and theatre. It’s earned its reputation for being a world class performing arts
center. Even though construction began
on the Opera House in 1957, it still keeps a modern look even today. This is definitely on my bucket list as one
place I’d like to visit.
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