selophane.blog » Modernism

Farnsworth House 0 Global Warming 1

spencer — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:41:44 +0000

Due to unusually heavy rains and flooding caused by the remnants of Ike and Lowell, Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House has 1 foot of standing water in it, according to the National Trust's Blog PreservationNation. The house is built 5' off of the ground, so that means there 6' of flood water. Hopefully, when the water subsides, the damage will be able to be repaired.

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Farnsworth House 0 Global Warming 1

An open letter to the Municipal Government of New Orleans

spencer — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:32:35 +0000

As a former resident of New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture alumni, a preservationist, and as a future architect I implore you to stop the destruction of modernist buildings in New Orleans. Ever since the Vieux CarrÃ© Commission stood up to Robert Moses and the original planned route for I-10, there has been an understanding in New Orleans that its buildings are the presents physical link with the cityâ€™s history, and that history and tourists desire to explore it and embrace it has been the economic engine that has allowed rebuilding to be a possibility. If there has been one place that preservation has failed in New Orleans, it is in regards to Modernist architecture. The city was done a historical and architectural disservice with the destruction of the Rivergate, a building that was unique in New Orleansâ€™s architectural landscape. We now stand on a precipice, the bulk of the schools scheduled to be closed and demolished are some of the few examples of southern regional Modernism in New Orleans. With their destruction we stand to lose a huge part of our architectural and cultural history. In addition, by demolishing the schools we are only contributing more waste to the [...]

Post from: selophane.blog

An open letter to the Municipal Government of New Orleans

Flat packed boxes made of ticky tack all look the same

spencer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:43:01 +0000

This Sunday the Washington Post ran two different architecture/design articles, one about the MoMA prefab housing exhibit - "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling" and the other about IKEA's new catalog and its pastiche of Modern and Classic styles. Both articles dwell on the nature of consumerism and mass production in our modern world, but from highly different angles. Philip Kennicott is quite deliberate in his discussion of the evolution of manufactured housing, from the early portable emigrant cottages through the era of Sears and Roebuck to the famed Modernists (with a capital "M") Le Corbusier and Moshe Safdie and on through a contemporary piece designed by Richard Horden and Haack + Hoepfner Architects. Through this history lesson he also grapples with the two sides of pre-manufacturing/pre-fab, the mass produced bland utilitarian home and the architectural object d'art democratized and brought within the public reach. In the end he ends up questioning whether pref-fab can ever really be the answer to the Design like you Give a Damn movement, or if it will be the next wired-tired-expired status symbol.

Post from: selophane.blog

Flat packed boxes made of ticky tack all look the same

NOMO

spencer — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:22:30 +0000

I just found a great blog focusing on New Orleans mid century modernism. Check it out! Regional Modernism :: The New Orleans Archives Post from: selophane.blogNOMO

Post from: selophane.blog

NOMO