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Frank Gehry: Nice building. Then what?

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:31:20 +0000

http://www.ted.com In a wildly entertaining discussion with Richard Saul Wurman, architect Frank Gehry gives TEDsters his take on the power of failure, his recent buildings, and the all-important Then what? factor.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes — including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

Duration : 0:22:0

Technorati Tags: architecture, arts, business, creativity, culture, design, frank, Gehry, invention, Talks, TED, TEDTalks

Frank O. Gehry, Architect

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:35:01 +0000

Frank Owen Gehry (1929- ) has become one of the most celebrated and one of the most criticized architects of our time. He found notoriety in the 1970’s with his cardboard furniture and the renovations to his personal residence (Included in video). The only music that seemed appropriate was Jimi Hendrix.

Duration : 0:3:51

Technorati Tags: architect, architecture, building, construction, frank, Gehry, hendrix

So you want to be an architect – Part 2

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:21:59 +0000

Hi. My name is Doug Patt. And this is So You want to be an Architect? A seven part series exploring the architect. This is lesson two. What does an architect make? On the surface this sounds like a dumb question. An architect makes buildings. But if you look below the surface youll see that the answer is much more meaningful. Ralph Waldo Emerson (who lived from 1803 1882), was a well-known writer, philosopher and poet. He said of Greek architecture, it is the flowering of geometry. Translated, Emerson was referring to the Greek architects elaboration and mastery of shape and form. Anne Louise Germaine de Stael (who lived from 1766 1817) is a little known Swiss author who lived in Paris and abroad. She is quoted as saying architecture is frozen music. In simple terms her comment means that architects make a kind of static harmony of sound. Philip Schaff (who lived from 1819 1893) was a Swiss born, Protestant theologian. He said, architecture is a handmaid of devotion, a beautiful church is a sermon in stone. Elaborating a bit on Shaffs comment we can imply that architecture, like a sermon, is also a kind of message or story. And finally John Ruskin an author, poet and artist (who lived from 1819 1900) said of architecture that the mere sight of it, may contribute to (his) mental health, power and pleasure. In other words architecture is an Inspiration. So, lets move beyond the specifics of what each person what referring to and draw some general conclusions. In simple terms, these four individuals tell us then that an architect makes form, stories, music and inspiration. So lets take a look at a couple examples of each. When I think of architecture as shape or form I think of Frank Gehry, famous for pushing the limits of modern technology while creating monuments to modern engineering and form making. Some examples of this are his museum in Bilboa, the Stata Center or his Disney concert hall. When I think of architecture telling me a story I think of Frank Lloyd wrights Guggenheim museum that tells a story from the outside about how one moves through the spiraling galleries on the inside. Or the Pompidou center in Paris that tells a color-coded story from the outside about the mechanical inner workings that make this machine like building function on the inside. When I think of architecture as beautiful music I think of the buildings of Eero Saarinen whos work resembles naturally soaring forms as they strain to hit the high note or the way Frank Lloyd Wrights falling water harmoniously blends into nature and almost sings with the waterfall it sits above. When I think of architecture as an inspiration I think of the great cathedrals of Europe & the US or the great skyscrapers of our cities. So while some may think that architecture is just about making buildings you know that making architecture is about making much more than just a box with windows. Its about making form, story, music and Inspiration. And that concludes the second part of our video series so you want to be an architect. Im Doug Patt. See you next time on how to architect.

Duration : 0:3:46

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So you want to be an architect – Part 4

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:28:03 +0000

Hi. I’m Doug Patt and this is So you want to be an architect, Part 4. What does an architect use? Aside from the wide variety of items an architect uses to physically create the drawings, specifications, models, and paperwork necessary to make buildings the architect uses elements of style to create buildings. Narrowed from a gamut of items I believe you could say the elements of style, when it comes to buildings are scale, form, complexity, and material. Lets look at examples of each. Much has been made throughout the history of art and architecture over proportion from DaVincis canon of proportions to Le Corbusiers modular man. How buildings reflect & accommodate human scale is a key component of architects work. From the beginning architects like Palladio used ratio and proportion found in nature to create harmonious buildings. From Frank Lloyd Wrights cozy interiors to the grand palace of Versailles. to the Hancock skyscraper of Boston who’s scale overwhelms the famous trinity church but was designed to reflect it’s beauty nonetheless building can be scaled to the human figure or scaled in a more ambiguous manner. Ambiguity is key for Jean Nouvels Arab world institute where the elements of the elevation make scale extraordinarily vague. So scale is one way architects relate a building to the user. In the last few decades architecture has increasingly been able to take advantage of advanced technologies that have allowed them to build with incredible freedom of form. From Norman Fosters Hearst tower in New York city or his Gherkin skyscraper in London to the Millau viaduct in France, from Rem Koolhaas seattle central library to his CCTV building in china. From Santiago Calatravas Milwaukee art museum to his Hemispheric in Spain. With Herzog and de Meurons birds nest arena in China or Renzo Pianos Nemo museum in Amsterdam, architects today work within a realm of form perhaps never imagined before. A buildings aesthetic complexity is also an element that portrays a certain idea or ethos. From the classicism of Bernard Maybecks palace of fine arts, or Louis Sullivans intricate ornamental stone detailing, the work reflects the spirit of an era. Theres detail that might emphasizes verticality as in Raymon hoods Chicago tribune building or Cesar Pellis Patronis towers in Malaysia, or horizontality as in Frank Lloyd wrights prarie style homes. A building can also be ornamental in a unique way like Antonio Gaudis buildings or simplified to only steel and glass as in Mies Van Der Rohs aesthetic. They can also be free of detial like Le Corbusiers La tourette or Louis Kahns Salk institute. Lastly, every building ever made is made from something. The material an architect chooses to build with is affected by both cost and intent. From IM Peis Louve pyramid and Hong Kong towers of steel and glass to the concrete work of Zaha Hadid, from the cold steel exteriors of Sir Richard Rogers in the Lloyds of London to the cool white porcelain tiles of Richar Meier or the stone facades of Herzog and de Meuron. Architects continue to work with great freedom in the realm of material, which only promises to become even more advanced and unlimited. Its up to the architect to take the meaning and intent of their commission and have the architecture reflect that in some way. Using scale, form, complexity and material the architect creates a framework for style. And that concludes the fourth part of the video series so you want to be an architect. Im Doug Patt. See you next time.

Duration : 0:4:8

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So you want to be an architect – Part 3

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:17:01 +0000

Hi. Im Doug Patt and this is So you want to be an architect. A seven part series about the profession of architect. This is part 3. What does an architect learn? Architecture is an amazingly complex field and an incredible education in itself. Theres a lot that goes into any building and the architect should know their way around every inch. The architect also needs to understand people and for that matter society. So lets take a look at some interesting opinions about the spectrum of subjects an architect learns about in a lifetime of practice. Plutarch, a greek historian and writer once said, Philosophy is the art of living. Architecture surrounds us all and in a way dictates or reflects our way of life. Weather its a TeePee or a mansion, buildings represent what we believe is truth. Mark Twain said, clothes make the man. Naked people have no influence in society. This is funny but also true. Just as we need clothing, we need buildings that clothe us. The sociology of man is reflected in our buildings in what we believe, how we work and how we live. Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965) once said, Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile. Now we all know weve got good sides and bad, but the reality is the psychology of man is manifest in architecture from prisons to massive stadiums. We make what we need to accomodate who we are. Stephen Nachmanovitch a musician, author, computer artist, and educator once said, Creative work is play. It is free speculation using materials of one’s chosen form. Material Science is a critical part of the architects repetior. Were free to choose our palate, but it must be chosen wisely. From the challenges that natural forces impose to the possibilities of all things unique. Henry G. Stott once said. Enineering is (the art of organizing and directing men and) controlling the forces and materials of nature for the benefit of the human race. Although architects dont have to be engineers they must think like one as well as understand in the engineering principals behind the calculations. Albert Einstien said, Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater. This is no doubt true when it comes to the calculations of an architect. That being said, all buildings are described in numbers in order to be constructed, making mathematics a cornerstone of architecture. George Croly, an irish preacher once said, All history is but a romance, unless it is studied as an example. The quote implies that one must truly understand history in order to make it more than an idea. architects must also know their history of both art and architecture. They do this in order to make it a part of the work they are doing as well as part of making great work. Noelie Altito once said, The shortest distance between two points is under construction. Simply put, Most of the architects career is spent during construction and this is where the architect can learn the most. And finally, Frank Zappa (1940 1993) said, Art is making something out of nothing and selling it. While the quote is a bit tongue in cheek this is what architects do. Only their art is architecture and at the end of the day its all about making something out of nothing. Using their creative skills to sketch, draw, paint, model, render, create and design. So, if your wondering what you might learn as an architect, its probably about Philosophy, Sociology, psychology, material science, engineering, mathematics, History, construction, and in the end making something out of nothing. So thanks for checking out so you want to be an architect, part 3. Im Doug Patt. See you next time. Also be sure to check out www.abirdfeeder.com for the most unlikely invention created by this architect.

Duration : 0:4:35

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