SCOD Urban Architecture Notes

American architecture has ‘plurality and duality’. We have a variety of expression with scales of space and attitude, for the rich and poor. We have a modern design duality of rectilinear and organic architecture. Rectilinear modernists have been influenced by: Gropius, Loos, Corbu, Mies, Meier, Kahn, and Johnson. Organic modernist heroes are fewer, and there are fewer of us: Wright, Moss, Gehry, Solari, and Predock.

New Urbanist sprawl still faces the problems of commercialism vs community. Their planning principles have helped us to have more mixed-use zoning, but we still have the problems of Capitalism in decline, with an expanding lower class, destroyed middle class, and imperial upper class. New developments in Maryland and West Virginia seem to ignore the problems of population debt infrastructure, ecological devastation, agricultural decline, and transportation congestion all for the sake of profit.

Moynihan said our cities were ‘soulless’, like Diogenes he was holding a lamp for architectural self-examination. Cities are not as safe as we would like, and we should always remember their epitaphs are too often ‘military target’. Violence and migration are the main problems of our ‘urbane’ urban design. We have so often been wrong in our problem solving, it is clear we need to learn more from our past patterns of tradition. The corruption in politics that creates bad planning, can only be countered by an aware and active population willing to conspire and protest more than the elites can bribe, to bring attention to values which cannot be bought. 

‘A Pattern Language’ by Chris Alexander explains how architecture is about relationships. There are many cultural associations and historical traditions that can be better than soulless sterile machines for living. Architecture is sculpture for living, and we should not ignore sociology and heritage for the sake of industrial convenience to serve a consumer society that is destroying our global environment for profit. Yes we should have standards for structures that are able to shelter us without collapsing, but sustainability must also include the arts and nature.

 

References:

‘American House Now‘ by Doubilet & Boles

‘Better Places‘ Chapter in ‘Geography of NoWhere’

‘Pattern Language’ Relationships by Chris Alexander

‘New Urbanism, Second Generation‘ by Beth Dunlap

‘The Soulless City‘ by Moynihan

 

 

 

 

Architect Antoni Gaudí

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) was a Spanish Catalan artistic architect of the Modernista movement. Most of Gaudi’s work is located in Barcelona Spain. Gaudi studied skeletal anatomy, color theory, Art Nouveau, and sculptural arts to inform his architectural designs. His architecture integrated trade-crafts like ceramics, stained glass, wrought iron, masonry, and carpentry. Gaudi’s ‘trencadís’ technique used scrap ceramic pieces in organic mosaic forms. Gaudí preferred building scale models, rather than drafting drawings. Gaudí’s masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família Cathedral, is said by Wikipedia to be the most-visited monument in Spain. Seven of his works are World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

*photos belong to whoever they belong to, thanks for taking them whoever did!

 

 

 

 

NIKE: Nuclear Incidents Kindle Enlightenment

[Essay for NIKE T-shirt design]

N uclear

I ncidents

K indle

E nlightenment

Davros lives! The Cold War was over, and the archetypal design war was on! The underground silos for NIKE nuclear missiles were flooded and silently waiting on the outskirts of campus. The technicians of NIKE became genetically cultivated to be a new breed of outcast architects. They marched forth from the icy North Lot, bent on extermination and rule of the Earth. Davros sent seekers to comb the Jetty, searching for model supplies. The white-caps had multiplied, spawning sports fans like a vast sea of soapy dish water. The white-caps became a grey race of skippies. NIKE is removed from time, held in suspension in a parallel dimension; perched on the edge of oblivion. We watch for survivors and plan our thought crimes. The day will come when we will storm forth again from the snowy North Lot like a cloud of ice locust, and commence the dawn of a brave new world of double-think.

Book Reviews for “Harpers Ferry Houses”

These are a collection of book reviews from various people for the book Harpers Ferry Houses, by Walton D. Stowell II.

January 2010 email from a Harpers Ferry neighbor

Walton,

Loved your book! What I loved the most brought a smile to my face …. things that you said that were completely noncomformist and unexpected and true

like:

“… have weekly sacrificial garbage days. Trash is placed publicly & symbolically outside, to show how many material items have been wasted …”

” … it was difficult to understand how the NPS was really saving the town … other buildings were demolished like the Scottish Castle …”

(BTW i wld have loved to have SEEN that house)

“… colleges are over-priced but depend on expendable under-paid adjunct professors …”

“… if one is hired it’s usually because they have bribed a connection to support another obedient slave to the System …”

I liked your definitions of Self Education, and of Tourism. Your comments are trenchant —

Well, thanks again for sharing the book with me.

And keep on doin what you do!

Neal

_

From Amazon.com reviews:

A Historical Memory Lane, January 21, 2009

Kip and Walton Stowell have provided an incredibly extensive collection of photos of Harpers Ferry houses.
In addition to being a historic town, Harpers Ferry is also home to its residents. It remains “home” to many of us who have left. As a former resident, the book took me down memory lane. I am so impressed with Kip’s and
Walton’s foresight to have started this collection of photographs and I am judging that it is a culmination of more than 30 years work. Congratulations and thanks to Kip, Walton, and Nena.

By Pat H. Long

_

Over 300 B&W photos and drawings!, November 24, 2008

Authors Kip and Walton Stowell have spent many years living and designing in the Town of Harpers Ferry at Stowell Galleries. Anyone reading the book is invited to journey into the history, landscape and architecture of Harpers Ferry’s houses. Pass through Colonial, Federal, Victorian, and various Modern periods and styles in order to get a better understanding of the National Treasure that is Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is a street by street tour of the Town, complete with a unique Harpers Ferry architectural classification guide. The scope of this book transcends conventional architecture with essays on applied philosophy, a glossary of regional terms, and artistic images not found in other books. Plus, it’s a really cute little book!

By Noel L. Tavano