the art of architecture & urban design
MARCH 2010
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Architects, wannabe architects, urban designers, inspirers, artists, structurists, physicists, ANTONI GAUDI complicatists, perfectionists, and directors alike
this zine is all yours this is about finding the best of
architecture and urban design and
IN YOUR STUDIO, 10 providing life, art,
placing it in your fingertips.
and design to city artists and architects.
COLUMBIA exploring it’s streets
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glimpse of NYC
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BLDG PRODUCTS for the home studio
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“arcishthite leaerncedtuGAreME, correct and magnificent, of formsassembledin the light.�
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Antoni Gaudí was born in the province of Tarragona in southern Catalonia on 25 June 1852. While there is some dispute as to his birthplace – official documents state that he was born in the town of Reus, whereas others claim he was born in Riudoms, a small village 3 miles (5 km) from Reus, it is certain that he was baptized in Reus a day after his birth. The artist’s parents, Francesc Gaudí Serra and Antònia Cornet Bertran, both came from families of coppersmiths. During his youth, Gaudí suffered many times from the rheumatic fevers that were common at the time. This illness caused him to spend much time in isolation, and it also allowed him to spend lots of time alone with nature. It was this exposure to nature at an early age which is thought to have inspired him to incorporate natural shapes and themes into his later work. As an architecture student at the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura in Barcelona from 1873 to 1877, Gaudí was not particularly outstanding, but did excellently in his ‘Trial drawings and projects’. After five years of work, he was awarded the title of architect in 1878. As he signed the title, Elies Rogent declared, “Qui sap si hem donat el diploma a un boig
o a un geni: el temps ens ho dirà” (“Who knows if we have given this diploma to a nut or to a genius. Time will tell.”) The newly-named architect immediately began to plan and design and would remain affiliated with the school his entire life. Buildings form the majority of his works, many of which can be found in Barcelona. Gaudí’s first works were designed in the style of gothic architecture and traditional Catalan architectural modes, but he soon developed his own distinct sculptural style. French architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, who promoted an evolved form of gothic architecture, proved a major influence on Gaudí. The student went on to contrive highly original designs – irregular and fantastically intricate. Some of his greatest works, most notably La Sagrada Família, have an almost hallucinatory power.
“Who knows if we have given this diploma to a nut or to a genius. Time will tell. ”
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original drawing of the Casa Batllo by Gaudi
“Because of this, originality consists in returning to the origin. �
Casa Batlló is a building restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, built in the year 1877 and remodelled in the years 1904–1906; located at 43, Passeig de Gràcia (passeig is Catalan for promenade or avenue), part of the Illa de la Discòrdia in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Spain. The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed for a middleclass family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona. The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudí designed, only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the façade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís) that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre,
terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the sword of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon. He once said on the subject of gothic architecture: “Gothic art is imperfect, it means to solve; it is the style of the compass, the formula of industrial repetition. Its stability is based on the permanent propping of abutments: it is a defective body that holds with support... gothic works produce maximum emotion when they are mutilated, covered with ivy and illuminated by the moon.”
City lights reflecting off Casa Batllo in Barcelona, Spain
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exploring the history of it’s streets
COLUMBIA
a view of Columbia’s wide street system
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Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 116,278 according to the 2000 census (2008 population estimates put the city at 127,029). Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into Lexington
County. The city is the center of a metro area of 728,063. The city’s name comes from a poetic synonym for America, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus. Located just 13 miles (21 km) northwest of South Carolina’s geographic center, Columbia is the primary city of the Midlands region of South Carolina, which comprises several counties in the central portion of the state. At the confluence of two major rivers, Columbia is a kayak and canoe destination. CNNMoney.com named Columbia as one of America’s 25 best places to retire and US News & World
Report ranked the city 6th on its 2009 “America’s Best Affordable Places to Retire” list. From the creation of Columbia by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1786, the site of Columbia was important to the overall development of the state. The Congarees, a frontier fort on the west bank of the Congaree River, was the head of navigation in the Santee River system. A ferry was established by the colonial government in 1754 to connect the fort with the growing settlements on the higher ground on the east bank.
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THE RIVERS Like many other significant early settlements in colonial America, Columbia. The fall line is the spot where rivers usually become unnavigable
“columbians still enjoy most of the magnificent network of wide streets.” when sailing upstream, and is also the spot farthest downstream where falling water can usefully power a mill. State Senator John Lewis Gervais of Ninety Six introduced a bill that was approved by the legislature on March
22, 1786 to create a new state capital. There was considerable argument over the name for the new city. According to published accounts, Senator Gervais said he hoped that “in this town we should find refuge under the wings of COLUMBIA,” for that was the name which he wished it to be called. One legislator insisted on the name Washington, but Columbia won out by a vote of 11-7 in the state senate. The site was chosen as the new state capital in 1786, due to its central location in the state. The State Legislature first met there in 1790. After remaining under the direct government of the legislature for the first two decades of its existence, Columbia was incorporated as a village in 1805 and then as a city in 1854. Columbia received a large stimulus to development when it was connect-
ed in a direct water route to Charleston, by the Santee Canal. This canal connected the Santee and Cooper Rivers in a 22-mile (35 km) section. It was first chartered in 1786 and completed in 1800, making it one of the earliest canals in the United States. With increased railroad traffic, it ceased operation around 1850. THE STREETS The commissioners designed a town of 400 blocks in a twomile (3 km) square along the river. The blocks were divided into half-acre lots and sold to speculators and prospective residents. Buyers had to build a house at least 30 feet (9.1 m) long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide within three years or face an annual 5% penalty. The perimeter streets and two through streets were 150 feet (46 m) wide. The remaining squares were divided
by thoroughfares 100 feet (30 m) wide. The width was determined by the belief that dangerous and pesky mosquitoes could not fly more than 60 feet (18 m) without dying of starvation along the way. Columbians still enjoy most of the magnificent network of wide streets. The commissioners comprised the local government until 1797 when a Commission of Streets and Markets was created by the General Assembly. Three main issues occupied most of their time: public drunkenness, gambling, and poor sanitation. GROWTH As one of the first planned cities in the United States, Columbia began to grow rapidly. Its population was nearing 1,000 shortly after the turn of the century.l The 1990s and early 2000s also saw revitalization in the downtown area. During this
period, there was also much controversy over the flying of the Confederate banner over the state capitol. The flag was seen as a symbol of racists and human rights violations and was eventually taken off the Capitol but flown prominately in front of it. The Congaree Vista district along Gervais Street, once known as a warehouse district, became a thriving district of art galleries, shops, and restaurants. The Colonial Life Arena (formerly known as the Carolina Center) opened in 2002, and brought several big-named concerts and shows to Columbia. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center opened in 2004, and a new convention center hotel opened in September 2007. The Central Midlands Council of Governments is in the process of investigating the potential for rail transit in the
region. Routes into downtown Columbia originating from Camden, Newberry and Batesburg-Leesville are in consideration, as is a potential line between Columbia and Charlotte connecting the two mainlines of the future Southeastern High Speed Rail Corridor. MAIN STREET Still today, Columbia is South Carolina’s booming metropolis, with a constantly growing population and more attractions for tourists over time. Main Street, which ends at the State Capitol Building, has a mix of big business, small boutiques, and good food. The Columbia Museum of Art attracts many visitors and soon will be neighbors with the Nickelodeon independent film theater, and a General Mast Store.
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NYC NYC
without an architecture weof ourhave no without an architectureof of ourour own weown have no soul own civilization.�
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