Wait, Architecture Was Once A Competition in the OLYMPICS?!?

First modern Olympic stadium for the 1896 Games in Athens by VangelisB (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Over the course of the first 40 years of the modern Olympic Games, at least 150 medals were awarded to participants in the categories/competitions of sculptures, painting, literature, music, and (yes) architecture. After he resurrected the modern games after the demise of the original Olympic games and establishing the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Baron Pierre de Coubertin opined and strongly supported the stance that art be an important part of the competition. To be in medal contention however, every submission in those varied artistic field were REQUIRED to be sports-related.

Montez McCraryDecember 14, 2020December 13, 2020Leave a comment

Architecture, Art

Cincinnati’s Bunk Spot Gallery is Showcasing Disheveled, Deteriorating Architecture…

Should you happen to be in the Cincinnati area this coming Friday, November 29th and wish to take a break from (or completely avoid) the Black Friday rush, locals Jim Swill and Ben Brown will be presenting a free (yes, I said FREE) joint show at Bunk Spot Gallery, titled “Total Facade”, focusing on deteriorating and damaged buildings. Continue reading “Cincinnati’s Bunk Spot Gallery is Showcasing Disheveled, Deteriorating Architecture…”

Montez McCraryNovember 27, 2019November 26, 2019Leave a comment

Architecture, Art

How Do You Celebrate the Louvre Pyramid’s 30th Birthday? OPTICAL ILLUSIONS!!!!

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of IM Pei’s Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France, artist JR created a large-scale collaborative art piece, titled ‘The Secret of the Louvre”, that takes up the entirety of the Napoleon Court. The reason for the Pyramid’s creation was to ease down the congestion from museum’s thousands of daily visitors. The artwork was made with the assistance of 400 volunteers, resulting in the aforementioned optical illusion of Pei’s pyramid sinking into the ground.

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Montez McCraryApril 3, 2019April 2, 2019Leave a comment

Architecture, Video

TEDx: Mark Foster Gage, Architect, Innovator, Possible Bender of Design Realities…

Mark Foster Gage is not only an architect and the
current Assistant Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, he’s also known to be quite an innovator of the practice with his design methodology merging advanced technologies (interactivity, virtual reality, robotics, 3D printing, spacial social media, etc.), philosophical speculation and interdisciplinary collaboration (with musicians, technology companies, clothing lines, media outlets, etc.).

Montez McCraryFebruary 27, 2019February 26, 20191 Comment

Architecture

The Barcelona Pavilion Just Installed Some Freakin’ Lasers…

I thinks it’s fair to say that Dr. Evil had a point, and now Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich’s legendary 1929 Barcelona Pavilion will be reaping the benefits. This new laser light installation, titled Geometry of Light, was created by Luftwerk and Iker Gil, and aims to use light and sound to showcase the building’s architectural elements and materials. Since the structure is a shining example of the modernist/international style of architecture, its gridded/open plan and vertical planes allow the installed lights will develop a interpretive layer that re-imagines the pavilion through highlights, animates and traces along and past the travertine floor and steel-framed glass walls.

Montez McCraryFebruary 12, 2019February 11, 2019Leave a comment

Architecture

Someone Put a HOTEL in a QUARRY in China!

We’ve seen this done with football stadiums, amusement parks and shopping complexes (with the last two examples having already happened in San Antonio), but architect
Martin Jochman and his studio JADE + QA had gone ahead and designed a hotel in a quarry. In fact, the International Shanghai Wonderland Hotel (a.k.a. the Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental) — located in Songjiang, Shanghai, China and opened on November 15th of last year — is the world’s first hotel to be designed and built in a quarry, in which only two levels are above ground, while the other 16 levels rest among and into the quarry below. The building’s international award-winning design (which won said award all the way back in 2006) includes amenities such as an underwater restaurant and aquarium (located in the two lowest underwater levels), all set within a form aiming to minimize its impact on the local environment.

Continue reading “Someone Put a HOTEL in a QUARRY in China!”

Montez McCraryJanuary 29, 2019February 7, 20192 Comments

Architecture

Are You Worthy of Entering DKO Architecture’s Queens Domain?

From the Architects, DKO Architecture:

Queens Domain is located on Melbourne’s Queens Road. Queens Road together with St Kilda Road are Melbourne’s preeminent residential boulevards lined by buildings from various eras and different styles. When Queens Road is viewed from Albert Park, one can see a narrative of Melbourne’s architectural history emerge. Amongst them are some proud contributions by Frederick Romberg a renowned Modernist architect. The Stanhill and Newborn Flats are beautiful functionalist buildings with sweeping open balconies and fine glass detailing. Queens Domain takes up the next thread in this story, re-interpreting existing elements, whilst embracing design and construction techniques of our time.
DKO Architecture

Montez McCraryJanuary 15, 2019February 7, 2019Leave a comment

Architecture

The Salariyeh Residential Building by Heram Architects is just…plain…lovely to look at…

Located in Qom, Qom Province, Iran, the Salariyeh Residential Building — designed by Heram Architects — opened this year, and aspects of the region’s religious beliefs include “privacy” and “lack of visibility from the exterior into the building.” Both of those guidelines are used in the decisions made in urban planning and creating relationships in the local neighborhood. In addition, usually when projects are built in this region … Continue reading The Salariyeh Residential Building by Heram Architects is just…plain…lovely to look at…

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Montez McCraryDecember 4, 2018December 3, 2018Leave a comment

Architecture, Tech

Wanna See Six Destroyed British Castles Rebuilt Digitally?

Sorry, not a dead body this time, y’all. But this is still awesome, and much less graphic, smelly and vomit-inducing; I PROMISE! Onward and NoeMan Studios have come together to digitally rebuild some of the most historic castles in the United Kingdom. Why? Well, at one time, these structures were strong, proud monoliths — ranging from castles, churches, stately houses, etc. — that commanded the … Continue reading Wanna See Six Destroyed British Castles Rebuilt Digitally?

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Montez McCraryNovember 21, 2018November 20, 2018Leave a comment

Architecture

Check out this Small Home in San Jose; it’s Currently Going For $798K…

This small, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom Spanish bungalow located in northeast San Jose, California — located at 759 N 19th Street — is pretty tiny in square-footage, but its character is ten-fold. Originally built in 1928, this 759-square-foot structure retains its old-school charm — original wood flooring, a big fireplace, and stained-glass windows — while containing modern upgrades — exterior solar panels and an electric vehicle charging station. The outside environment isn’t too shabby, either; the front patio has plenty of room for outdoor furniture, and a large backyard with fruit trees and drought-resistant landscaping, a pergola for outdoor dining, and even a hot tub. Continue reading “Check out this Small Home in San Jose; it’s Currently Going For $798K…”