Looking up!

Whenever I’m outside I find myself looking up. I’m attracted to the way buildings interact with the streets, with each other and with the sky. I remember wanting to be an architect since I was eight years old. I don’t remember the exact moment I made that decision but I always found myself down the street, playing in front of a house own by an architect.

It was the best looking house on the block, and I wanted to live in it. By playing in front of it, I thought somehow I was part of it. Perhaps it was more than that, I think it was the expression of forms and shapes that fascinated me the most.

The picture below is of three buildings I walked by for two years on my way to work. I always thought these buildings were interesting. Not because they are obviously different in style and materials nor because they are not that “pretty” looking. It is that there is something eye-catching about them. The deep red brick, light beige stone and the reflective monolithic grid glass somehow work together. This picture only depicts a small portion of the relationship and context between these three very different buildings, their connection with one and other, their surrounding architecture, the people of Boston and the sky.

Next time you are outside remember to look up!



Simple Idea = Great Architecture

One of the greatest things about Design; of “Good Design” it’s the minimal spark that comes from a simple idea that can be converted into great architecture. In the case of Mansilla + Tuñon Architects’ design for the Toletum Visigodo Museum, the idea on a simple fold of a flat plane, it’s suddenly transformed into a three-dimensional space, which evolves into a cluster of inhabitable places forming the galleries for Museum. Enjoy!

 

I first came across this video on a great blog, Architechnophilia.

FUN - Changing our behavior

Stairs are one of those things that a lot of people don’t really care about. They’re just the method of going from one level to the next; most people avoid them at all cost, and escalators have become the better option. The stairs don’t seem to be worth the extra work.

However in the field of architecture, stairs are one of the most difficult things to draw, detail and construct.  But what if we could change the way people feel about stairs and make this activity fun?

Well, this is exactly what the company “The Fun Theory” did! They installed giant piano keys on the subway stairs, surprisingly “66% more people chose stairs over escalators”, how great is that! See video below.  “The Fun Theory” does a great job looking for daily use things that by having fun can change our behavior. This awesome stairs installation should be required in all subway stairs.

Every time I have the chance I use the stairs, not only because sometimes is the only workout I can get into my day, and escalators are more hustle since they’re always packed with people. For some strange reason I like to count the steps while going up and down the stair.

My twice a day STAIR



Casa Once Mujeres by Architect Mathias Klots

The first thing that attracted me to this article was the name, Casa Once Mujeres, “House of Eleven Women” it’s a pretty catchy name. The owners of the house are a divorced couple, combined the couple has eleven children, all women.

The house is located on a side hill in Zapallar, Chile built in 2007 by architect Mathias Klots. The house has amazing vistas to the Pacific Ocean as well as open and airy interior spaces.

Original article from Plataforma Arquitectura

Colorful & Silent Architecture -Luis Barragan

In Fall of 2009 I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico with an amazing group of people to study Architecture, here are some of my favorite photos of Luis Barragan's Architecture. 

Casa Gonzalez Luna, 1928

Casa Galvez, 1954

Torres Satelite, 1957

Casa Egerstrom, 1968

Casa Gilardi, 1977

Casa Gilardi, 1977