Architecture is one reason we Travel |
Many people schlep thousands of miles just to look at a
building. Is it worth the journey? Why do we travel? What makes us yearn to
visit Europe or Asia or New York? As often as not, we journey to far off places
so that we can see monuments, cathedrals, shrines, historic homes, and other
great works of architecture. Traveling offers a chance of seeing and
experiencing fascinating buildings first-hand, in ways that cannot be
replicated through photos or videos.
This new section offers a glimpse to world locales with
architectural eye candy. |
A (very brief) Guide to Prague
Known as the “golden city of spires,” Prague in the Czech Republic has architectural splendors that span a thousand years. This post is an introduction to the Medieval, Baroque, and Renaissance buildings you will see when you travel to Prague.
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A-frame (1957 – Present)
Triangular and tee-pee shaped homes date back to the dawn of time, but architect Andrew Geller turned an old idea into a revolutionary concept in 1957 when he built an “A-frame” house in Long Island, New York.
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Swiss Miss (1958 – 1960s)
Swiss Miss is an informal name given to a variation of the A-Frame house style. Created by draftsman Charles Dubois, a Swiss Miss house resembles a Swiss chalet with tropical, Tiki details.
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Mies van der Rohe (1886 – 1969)
The United States has a love-hate relationship with Mies van der Rohe. Some say that he stripped architecture of all humanity, creating cold, sterile and unlivable environments. Others praise his work, saying he created architecture in its most pure form.
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Nautilus House, Mexico
The shell-shaped Nautilus House in Mexico City hardly looks like a home. But even though the inside is just as unconventional as the outside – with carpets of plants, stone walkways and entirely curvilinear surfaces – a couple and their young children actually live there.
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Errante Guest House, Chile
The word ‘unusual’ doesn’t quite cut it when describing this extremely odd building, which hardly looks habitable with its sloping surfaces. Details on this structure are fuzzy, but it’s certainly an eye-catcher.
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Caryatid
This Greek column design is taken from the Erectheum in Athens (450 B.C.). The women of Carya refused to be taken as slaves by the advancing Greeks. For this they were immortalized in the columns that support the porch. Since then, any column with robed women can bear the same name.
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Castellation
Any decoration on a building to make it look like a castle, usually a notched or indented parapet originally for protection so inhabitants could shoot through the openings in combat. See also crenellation and battlement.
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Ortner Design Newsletter - Issue 15 - January 24, 2011 (310)592-5566 - ortnerdesign@gmail.com |
