Peter Cook on How Drawing Enables Architects to Learn, Communicate and Experiment

The computer does things correctly, and I think it’s very important in architecture to also have the incorrect. – Peter Cook

In connection with the exhibition “Peter Cook. Retrospective” currently on view at the Museum for Architectural Drawing in Berlin, the Tchoban Foundation has released a video of the architect discussing the importance of drawing in the architectural world. Cook compares drawing to new computer-based techniques, arguing that while software can do amazing things (including being instrumental in realizing his own Kunsthaus Gratz), drawing allows the architect to learn, communicate and experiment in a way that is irreplaceable. Watch the teaser to the Tchoban Foundation’s video above, or read on for the full discussion.

Cook cemented his place in architecture’s firmament in the 1960s with the architectural drawings and media collages he created as part of Archigram, creating some of the most recognizable and influential “paper architecture” in the history of the profession. However, despite being best known for these early works, Cook has continued to explore architectural ideas in his drawings throughout his career. The exhibition at the Tchoban Foundation’s Museum for Architectural Drawing is on view until February 12th, and showcases the evolution of this these ideas from start to finish.

Exhibition: “Peter Cook. Retrospective” at Tchoban Foundation

Find out more about the exhibition here.

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js

http://ift.tt/2hA2NSj

Times Square – New York City – New York – USA (by Thomas…

Times Square – New York City – New York – USA (by Thomas Richter

Thompson Exhibition Building / Centerbrook Architects and Planners


© Jeff Goldberg

© Jeff Goldberg


© Jeff Goldberg


© ESTO Photographics


© Jeff Goldberg


© Jeff Goldberg

  • Construction Manager: A/Z Corporation
  • Kohler Ronan: MEP/FP
  • Structural: DeStefano & Chamberlain Inc.
  • Lighting: George Sexton Associates
  • Landscape: Kent + Frost Landscape Architecture
  • Civil: Stadia Engineering Associates
  • Code Consultant: P.R. Sherman Inc.

© Jeff Goldberg

© Jeff Goldberg

The Thompson Exhibition Building was designed for Mystic Seaport, Museum of America and the Sea, as a keynote building for the 19-acre riverfront campus. The project’s mission was to transform the north end of the Seaport to greatly enhance the quality of exhibition space and to offer a more robust year-round experience for visitors.


© Jeff Goldberg

© Jeff Goldberg

The building is located where the Seaport’s previous indoor-oriented exhibit spaces were concentrated, and forms the new Donald C. McGraw Gallery Quadrangle. This sociable greensward, with a panoramic view of the Mystic River, provides an appealing venue for activities ranging from outdoor concerts to impromptu picnics.


Site Plan

Site Plan

In addition to a 5,000-square- foot exhibition gallery with a high ceiling for displaying boats, the building features visitor reception and events space, a retail shop, a café and outdoor terraces overlooking the Mystic River. Energy-efficient components and geothermal heating and cooling are also incorporated in the design.


© Jeff Goldberg

© Jeff Goldberg

The flexible exhibition space features soaring ceilings and demountable walls to accommodate objects of varying size and installations of all types, from watercraft to priceless works of fine art and gallery-based educational programs. A riverfront gathering room graces the west side of the building and can be reconfigured for conferences, additional gallery space, or educational programs, adding to the new building’s versatility.


© ESTO Photographics

© ESTO Photographics

The Thompson Exhibition Building incorporates a wraparound deck that allows visitors to enjoy the riverside setting and serve as a covered overlook to the Quadrangle green.


Section

Section

Section

Section

Overall, the building stands for what we came to regard as “the geometry of the sea” – the spiral shape of sea life, the kinetic movement of ocean swells, the crash of waves on the shore, the billow of sails, and the faring of wooden hulls. Wood was the ideal material for these purposes because it can economically enclose a large clear-span space while forming complex organic geometries.


© Jeff Goldberg

© Jeff Goldberg

The intention overall was a wooden structured volume that would suggest a hull’s interior architecture. To support a long porch along the north edge of a new quadrangle, wooden columns and struts give the effect of sailing vessels’ masts and spars. Railing cables and turnbuckles provide detail around the deck to conjure ship’s rigging.


© ESTO Photographics

© ESTO Photographics

For the building’s structure, curved glued-laminated wood ribs were utilized to imply a sailing ship’s top timbers, the curving members that delineate a hull’s shape. Wood purlins between the ribs bring to mind planking that forms the skin of a hull. Douglas Fir was specified for the glued-laminated structural members as it was the species New England ship builders preferred after the Civil War once the western forests had been opened up.


Axonometric

Axonometric

The building’s overall form was also designed to recall natural phenomena, too, like a wind-driven wave crashing onto the shore. On its interior, the curled the structural ribs at either end inward all the way down to the floor to suggest the spiraling vertebrae of marine creatures.


© Jeff Goldberg

© Jeff Goldberg

http://ift.tt/2htx6F8

Images and Quotes about Love, Life, Humanity, and Living a Meaning Life by His Holiness Dalai Lama

World’s Highest Bridge Opens to Traffic in Southwest China


Image <a href='http://ift.tt/2imgO5v India Live Today</a>

Image <a href='http://ift.tt/2imgO5v India Live Today</a>

Today China inaugurated the world’s highest bridge, opening the new crossing to traffic after the structure was completed in September, reports China Central Television (CCTV). Crossing the Nizhu river canyon at 565 meters above water level the Beipanjiang bridge spans 1,341 meters to connect the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou in the Southwest of the country. The 4-lane bridge is part of a network of new highways around Yunnan and Guizhou that allow access across rugged terrain that was previously largely inaccessible.


A rendering of the bridge showing its height above the Nizhu river. Image Image <a href='http://ift.tt/2iidaHx highestbridges.com</a>

A rendering of the bridge showing its height above the Nizhu river. Image Image <a href='http://ift.tt/2iidaHx highestbridges.com</a>

Costing around 1 billion yuan (US$144 million), construction of the bridge began in 2013, and had to be carefully designed to deal with the extreme wind conditions caused by the Beipanjiang Valley. “Where to place the bridge piers was a problem,” explained Liu Bo, deputy chief engineer of CCCC Highway Consultants, to CCTV. “The gorge here is over 500 meters deep, so how are we going to design the structure of the bridge to deal with the strong wind field problem?”

In recent years, China has become a hot-spot for record-breaking bridges. The mountainous terrain in the western regions of the country has recently given rise to the world’s longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge, the world’s first all-glass suspension bridge, and the world’s longest glass skywalk, all of which enable tourists to take in the dramatic landscape.

http://ift.tt/2hwZHg6

News via CCTV, India Live Today and highestbridges.com

http://ift.tt/2hwXD84

Amsterdam, The Netherlandsphoto via michael

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

photo via michael

Ben and Nicole Roe Design a Private Residence in Clifton Hill, Australia

How To Develop Awesome Eating Habits Without Failing And Binging

This is my story of how I was finally able to develop healthy eating habits.

Emptiness enveloped me once again. Visions of chocolate cake and double cheeseburgers ran through my head. As the stress and sadness of the day took over, it compelled me to binge once again destroying any hopes I had that the day would be a healthy eating day.

I remember feeling like this for years. I would wake up from overeating (pizza, cheeseburgers, and cake) the night before feeling horrible. I constantly had diarrhea and low energy. I also could not lose weight no matter how many times I went to the gym. Emotional pain and despair ruled my life. I knew there was a way to improve my life I just did not know what or how.

How you can stop this vicious cycle

We, as humans, need to be connected with one another. Living in an emotionally isolated desert for so many years, I am proof that this is true. Having a support system and network to help you meet your goals and intentions is the only way that you can succeed with living a healthier life.

You have already decided to make your health your number one priority. Now all you have to do is to surround yourself with people that take their health seriously as well. While no one but you can control what you put in your mouth, you are more likely to eat healthy if you feel loved and supported.

For many this may be the missing link

I remember when I first started out in trying to take control of my life and my health. I was so confused. Everything was so new and I did not know where to start. I would be frustrated and hungry. I was afraid to “lose” my lifestyle change.

Some of my coworkers would say, “Are you one of those gluten free freaks now?” This would make me feel and respond defensively at first. Then I began to say, “Not having gluten has really made me feel so much better. I’m not so sick all the time.”

Habits to form once you are on your healing path

healthy eating

Now that we have talked about all of this change and getting support in our lives, how can you start?

I recommend just taking one small step.

This may mean having more veg than starch on your plate for dinner or skipping dessert all week and just eating it on the weekend. Whatever change you want to implement, make it small enough to manage but big enough to create a result.

Another suggestion would be cleaning out your fridge. Freeing it of junk food will make your food decisions easier. We humans tend to take the easier path. So if it is easier to eat a steak and an arugula salad ( which you now have on hand), than walking to the burger place or waiting for delivery, 8 times out of ten we will take the easier option. If you design your life so that healthier food is easier to get when you are hungry, more than likely, that is what you will go for.

Putting a system into place where healthy food is more accessible is a great place to start. You will be amazed at the results. You will lose weight and have more energy in a short period of time. Eating whole and unprocessed foods that appeals to you is the best way to accelerate your success.

See Also: How to Find Time to Cook Healthy Meals 

Feedback you may receive as you transform

Before I fully committed to constantly improving my health, I would receive a lot of negative comments.

I remember working out really hard for 3 months. Then my mother would put me down saying, “wow Jerome your cheeks are so plump”! and my aunt telling me, “Your shirt is waaaaay too small. You need a large, not a medium. Look how your stomach sticks out.”

You can only imagine how those words made me feel. I felt so small and insignificant. I felt terrible about myself.

After I fully committed to better health, the feedback I would get went more like “omg Jerome, every time I see you, you look better and better” and “Jerome, you are like disappearing!”

I was not really disappearing or starving myself. I just had more energy and was less inflamed. I was evolving into my true body weight and overall look. My happiness skyrocketed and my stress plummeted. This continues to this day. You can never stop improving.

Being kind to yourself is the fastest way to rapid progression

Since you are reading this article, I know that you are on the warpath to make immediate changes. Just remember that you have spent years and years eating and behaving one way and now you are completely doing the opposite.

You will experience setbacks. Try to not let this upset you. Having setbacks is a normal part of the growing process.

Remember that you are fully committed. Insignificant setbacks will not ruin the whole process. Time is your friend. Over time you will see massive positive results from all of your hard work.

People may judge you and put you down

men ruining healthy habit

You have complete control of your destiny. If anyone tells you differently, have awareness around how they made you feel then make a rational decision about how you will proceed with the relationship.

You absolutely deserve to be around people that fully support you and your lifestyle changes. You will more than likely face opposition from other people, but just remember that they’re really just projecting their own insecurities onto you.

It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. People can be quite hurtful and you may feel as though you want to give up. Every time you rise and go forward, you just get that much stronger.

Only you have the power to take action

As I mentioned earlier, support is key in starting your journey towards your healthiest self. Let your support network know that you are excited about the changes you are making. The challenges ahead may require more support than you are used to or may expect to need.

If you are having difficulty with some aspect of your transformation, try to not keep it bottled up. This may jeopardize your success making you feel isolated again. Remember, there are always people out there willing to support you.

I never knew how fast and far I could go in just a few years with improving my health. I now know it is possible to live my best life on this plane. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. With support, lasting change will come easily and naturally for you.

Remember, I am always here to provide you with support in your goals.

I would love to hear your stories. We can all grow by sharing each other’s stories towards absolute greatness!

See Also: Four Simple Ways to Teach Your Kids to Say “NO” to Junk Foods

 

The post How To Develop Awesome Eating Habits Without Failing And Binging appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2hzJvfz

Hole 14 House / Javier Muñoz Menéndez


© David Cervera

© David Cervera


© David Cervera


© David Cervera


© David Cervera


© David Cervera

  • Architects: Muñoz Arquitectos
  • Location: Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
  • Architect In Charge: Javier Muñoz Menéndez
  • Area: 876.33 m2
  • Project Year: 2013
  • Photographs: David Cervera
  • Other Participants: Gareth Lowe Negrón, Celine Monteagudo, Iza Pérez Jaramillo, Javier Ceballos Cabañas
  • Construction: Taran – Lae. Esteban Muñoz Castillo, Eduardo Muñoz Medina

© David Cervera

© David Cervera

For this project we had the opportunity to work on an irregularly shaped, 1,708 square meter plot, with 21 trees, in an exclusive golf club development in the north of the city of Merida. 


© David Cervera

© David Cervera

In common with our previous projects, the challenge  -which also constitutes one of our firm beliefs- was to respect the existing trees, as they are tenants which have more right to continue living there than the new habitants. 


© David Cervera

© David Cervera

Ground Floor Plan

Ground Floor Plan

© David Cervera

© David Cervera

The house is fragmented in order to respect all the trees on the property. A white volume contains all the house’s services and is supported by the stone walls that frame the entrance. A main entrance –an open, gardened space- has two trees and creates a hallway before you reach the house itself. The circulation continues when entering the public space that consists of the living room, dining room and kitchen, which is also shaded by two other trees. 


© David Cervera

© David Cervera

The house has three volumes and two intermediate patios which contain the existing trees. The first volume combines the entrance and top-floor services; the second includes the double-height public areas; and the third boasts the main living area and open-air swimming pool on the ground floor, while the bedrooms and terrace are located on the top floor.


© David Cervera

© David Cervera

From the moment you enter the house, each space you pass through offers spectacular views of the golf course. 

http://ift.tt/2hwSKM3

The Spaniard Who Spent 50 Years Building a Cathedral With His Own Hands


© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

A huge cathedral with tall towers and a magnificent dome rises slowly in the municipality of Mejorada del Campo, 20 kilometers from Madrid. It seems like a common occurrence, but it is not. The building has been under construction for 50 years – brick by brick – by one man: Justo Gallego Martínez, farmer, ex-monk and a self-taught architect of 88 years of age.

Learn about his life’s work (literally) after the break.


© Wikipedia user: JMPerez, licensed under Public Domain


© Wikipedia user: Javier Carro, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0


© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0


© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Without any previous knowledge of architecture or any experience in the construction industry, Martínez has spent five decades collecting garbage and leftover building materials to build the 50 x 25-meter surface structure with a 60-meter high tower.


© Wikipedia user: Dirección General de Turismo, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

© Wikipedia user: Dirección General de Turismo, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

After working as a farmer and bullfighter, Martínez spent eight years in a Trappist monastery – the Cistercian convent in Santa María de Huerta – which he was forced to abandon when he was struck by tuberculosis in 1961. In honor of the Virgin Mary, he began the construction of a chapel that he describes as his great act of faith. The former monk says that if it wasn’t for his faith he would never have had the strength to try to build a cathedral.


© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Despite the skepticism of the inhabitants of the city, Don Justo – as the neighbors call him – has managed to progress the construction considerably without using even a crane, his only help was from some friendly workers. The process began without any kind of permission – because he was sure he would not get it – the plot of land is 4740 square meters inherited from his parents that today is worth more than one million euros.


© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

© Flickr user: santiago lopez-pastor, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

The Cathedral

The large columns of the structure are made from empty oil drums, while the lining of one of the domes is made of discarded food tubes. The arches are tires from trucks and buses, the rest of the building consists of woods and bricks collected from other demolished works. He has received gifts such as iron doors and glass cutouts to close the openings. Its design inspiration comes from St. Peter’s Basilica, with its huge central dome in sight, in addition to inspiration from European castles and churches. 


© Flickr user: gmalon, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

© Flickr user: gmalon, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Some years ago Martínez told the BBC: “When I see what I have created, I am overwhelmed and I thank the Lord. If I could live my life again, I would like to build this same cathedral but twice as big, because, to me, this is an act of faith.”


Los planos. Image © Richard Morley

Los planos. Image © Richard Morley

The church has never received permission to be build and although it may never be worshipable in it, the authorities have allowed it to go ahead as it has become a tourist attraction for the city. Recently, Martínez has received donations from German organizations and advertising sponsorship from the energy drink Aquarius, who paid him 40 thousand euros to tell his inspiring story, as well as organizing a campaign to raise funds through text messages.

The building has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Justo Gallego Martínez has been interviewed by the world’s largest television networks.

News ViaDaily Mail UK, BBC
Images Via: Flickr, users Guillermo MalonSantiago López-Pastor

http://ift.tt/2ibY6x6