Prize winning architecture

[jayem]

Any architecture junkies like me out there? The Pritzker Architecture Prize was awarded today. It's considered to be the Nobel Prize of architecture. It went to Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta--3 Spanish architects who have a firm in Olot, a village in Catalonia. (Unusual for a world-class architectural firm to be based away from a metropolitan area.) Most of their work is in Spain, but they also have projects in Belgium and France. They've done some very cool buildings, often in a Brutalist style. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but I like it.

Announcement: Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta | The Pritzker Architecture Prize

A row house in their home town of Olot:

A museum in Soulages, France:

The Europa Office Square in Barcelona:

 

[essentialsaltes]

I'm not that big an architecture buff, but I'm a sucker for some of the Art Deco piles in Los Angeles.

Like the Eastern Columbia Building.

Or the Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House:

 

[essentialsaltes]

Detail from the Atlantic Richfield Building (demolished in 1969)

 

[Desk trauma]

I enjoy art, and I'm including architecture in that, but often find myself at a loss with contemporary art. I can tell that meaning is there and they are trying to convey it to me but it's as if they have written it in kanji. I can appreciate the grace of the brush strokes but am left with no idea of the content of them.

 

[jayem]

The Cincinnati Union Terminal, now a museum, is the best Art Deco train station in the country, and maybe the world.

The interior rotunda, with the murals and painted ceiling, is tremendous.

 

[durangodawood]

...A museum in Soulages, France:

Reminds me of Herzon De Meuron's DeYoung museum in San Francisco, which is a an excellent building imo.

 

[jayem]

Or the Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House:

Very cool. I'm a big FLW fanboy. I've been to a number of his works around the country that are open to the public--Fallingwater, the Robie House, his home and studio in Oak Park, both the Wisconsin and Arizona Taliesens, the Dana-Thomas House, the Guggenheim, and several others. One of his lesser known projects that I like is the Community Christian Church in Kansas City. It dates from 1940. An almost 80 year old design, that still looks totally modern:

BTW, this Thursday, June 8, is FLW's 150th birthday. It's hard to believe that such timeless modern architecture came from a man born 2 years after the Civil War.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The genius of Frank Lloyd Wright was his liberal use of horizontal lines, which resulted in horizontal rather than vertical visuals, and a feeling of spaciousness. While others thought in terms of 'portraits' he thought in terms of 'landscapes'. Even the unbroken spiral lines of the Guggenheim reveal this.

 

[Chesterton]

Any architecture junkies like me out there?

Where's the last place you'd expect to find fine architecture?

Spoiler

Las Vegas!

I don't care, I love the look. I think it's elegant.

 

[Desk trauma]

Where's the last place you'd expect to find fine architecture?

Spoiler

Las Vegas!

I don't care, I love the look. I think it's elegant.

Not quite as elegant as its successor with the death ray.

 

[Chesterton]

Not quite as elegant as its successor with the death ray.

Obviously that was an intentional smart move. The less time you spend in the pool, the more time you spend at the tables.

 

[jayem]

Where's the last place you'd expect to find fine architecture?

Spoiler

Las Vegas!

I don't care, I love the look. I think it's elegant.

Very nice. I like it. It's reminiscent of the Century Plaza hotel in L.A. But taller, sleeker, and updated. The C.P. was built in the mid-60s, and designed by the same architect who did the Twin Towers.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Very nice. I like it. It's reminiscent of the Century Plaza hotel in L.A. But taller, sleeker, and updated. The C.P. was built in the mid-60s, and designed by the same architect who did the Twin Towers.

My mom's office is on Avenue of the Stars, and I always loved Century Plaza. It's currently undergoing a massive revamping and is closed during construction, but it should be awesome when it reopens with the towers.

I love the CAA building across the street. Pictures of it really don't capture the majesty of actually seeing it in person on a clear day when the building sort of forms this picture frame of the city. You can see the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory.

I love the Annenberg Space for Photography which is on the same campus. The exterior isn't special but it's captivating inside.

Century City Mall has also undergone a transformation. I avoided it for ages because of the confusion and cacophony of the construction, but it's nearing completion now and pretty nice.

I have to jet now but when I pop back on I'll share some pictures of Frank Gehry's house he designed for himself in my old neighborhood because I'm curious to know what you think of it. The shame of it is that he tore down this really lovely house from the 1930s and even took out the pool in order to build on the lot, but unfortunately that's the trend for the street. Basically the only houses that haven't been demolished and won't be are the couple that are designated as historical homes and cannot be torn down. I haven't really decided yet if I like his house or not. It's still not finished, but it's nearing completion.

Do you live in LA?

 

[Resha Caner]

There is a very interesting movie called "Sidewalls" about a guy trying to find love in Buenos Aires. Architecture plays a huge role in the movie, so if that's your thing, you should check it out.

 

[Chesterton]

Not many pop songs about architecture, but there's this one:

 

[jayem]

My mom's office is on Avenue of the Stars, and I always loved Century Plaza. It's currently undergoing a massive revamping and is closed during construction, but it should be awesome when it reopens with the towers.

I love the CAA building across the street. Pictures of it really don't capture the majesty of actually seeing it in person on a clear day when the building sort of forms this picture frame of the city. You can see the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory.

I love the Annenberg Space for Photography which is on the same campus. The exterior isn't special but it's captivating inside.

Century City Mall has also undergone a transformation. I avoided it for ages because of the confusion and cacophony of the construction, but it's nearing completion now and pretty nice.

I have to jet now but when I pop back on I'll share some pictures of Frank Gehry's house he designed for himself in my old neighborhood because I'm curious to know what you think of it. The shame of it is that he tore down this really lovely house from the 1930s and even took out the pool in order to build on the lot, but unfortunately that's the trend for the street. Basically the only houses that haven't been demolished and won't be are the couple that are designated as historical homes and cannot be torn down. I haven't really decided yet if I like his house or not. It's still not finished, but it's nearing completion.

Do you live in LA?

I don't live in LA, but I've been there a number of times. And I've stayed at the CP. I had dinner with some associates at a restaurant in the mall. The layout is confusing. Century City is certainly upscale, but not very pedestrian friendly.

 

[essentialsaltes]

LA doesn't do pedestrian friendly very well, I'm ashamed to say. But we're working on it -- just two more years, and I'll have a Metro stop near my house.

But yeah, the heart of Century City is like a freeway interchange with buildings in it. Loops and ramps everywhere.

Coincidentally, I have a meeting with a client today in one of the Century Plaza towers.

 

[jayem]

Not many pop songs about architecture, but there's this one:

It's not the subject of a song, but the Battersea Power Station in London was used as the cover art for a Pink Floyd album. It's a very impressive Art-Deco building. No longer a power plant, but it's been re-purposed for commercial use. I think I heard that Apple will use it for their London HQ.

 

[Chesterton]

It's not the subject of a song, but the Battersea Power Station in London was used as the cover art for a Pink Floyd album. It's a very impressive Art-Deco building. No longer a power plant, but it's been re-purposed for commercial use. I think I heard that Apple will use it for their London HQ.

That's interesting. I never knew that was a real building. Didn't really think about it but in the back of my mind I think I assumed it was just artwork, what with their reputation for surreal cover art. Yeah that is impressive. Almost looks like some kind of giant war machine, but that might be influenced by the overall color and shadows and stuff.

 

[JCFantasy23]

The Cincinnati Union Terminal, now a museum, is the best Art Deco train station in the country, and maybe the world.

The interior rotunda, with the murals and painted ceiling, is tremendous.

Now this is pretty! I'm not a fan of the other examples posted. Not a big contemporary architecture fan apparently.