Frank Llyod Wright - Fireplaces

“The hearth is the psychological center of the home.” Frank Lloyd Wright

as the mercury plummets and the days are left short. there is no better way to spend an evening then to curl up to a fire. and what better fire place to cosy up to then those of Frank Llyod Wright.

ecologically inspired art - animal wall

animal wall - a site-specific ecological artwork by Gitta Gschwendtner

"Animal Wall" is part of a 50 metre long wall, running along the south-western edge of ‘Strata’, a new residential development in Century Wharf, Cardiff Bay.


Through consultation with an ecologist, four different sized animal homes have been developed, which have been integrated into a custom-made woodcrete cladding to provide an architecturally stunning and environmentally sensitive wall for Century Wharf. The animal wall also transcends the barrier between the private and the public, with the wildlife roaming freely between the two areas. via safle



Artist Gitta Gschwendtner said: “Following the decline of the natural habitat in Cardiff Bay over recent years, I was very interested in exploring ways to introduce nesting places in my artwork for Century Wharf. I have loved the opportunity to match the number of flats created in the housing development with the number of bird and bat boxes in my design for the Animal Wall.” Century Wharf’s architect, Jonathan Vining of WYG Planning & Design, said: “It has been a real pleasure collaborating with Gitta on this project and her site-specific design not only helps to enhance Century Wharf’s already strong sense of place, but also provides a modern echo of William Burges’s animal wall at Bute Park just up the river.”

www.gittagschwendtner.com

www.safle.com

bridges eh - spanning canadian waters part 2

conceptual design competition - st. patricks bridge, calgary

“CMLC [Calgary Municipal Land Corporation ] has been charged with the responsibility of implementing public infrastructure improvements that will be the catalyst for private and public sector development in the Rivers District with a focus on East Village. The design and construction of a pedestrian/bicycle bridge - St. Patrick’s Bridge - is an important component of the infrastructure improvements in the Rivers District. CMLC has initiated a competitive process for the conceptual design of the pedestrian/bicycle bridge which crosses the Bow River and provides crucial links between the communities on the north and south of its banks with city attractions, amenities and pathway systems." Source: Nicolas Marier

There were 35 submissions, here are my top 5.

RFR (Paris, France) and Halsall (Calgary)

ARUP North America Ltd. (San Francisco, CA) and Kasian architecture and Interior Design and Planning ltd. (Calgary)

Endres Ware (Berkley, CA) and Amman & Whitney

ARUP with Falco Schmitt Architects (London, UK)

thank you to my mate Andrew G at
DeJong Design Associates Ltd. for forwarding me the competition details.
see below for the proposal prepared by DeJong + KTA Structural Engineers (Calgary)









For a closer look at all 35 submissions please visit the
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation

Leona Drive - A Public Access + LOT Project

While reading Saturday's Globe and Mail I spotted this article and thought it warranted a closer look.

The Leona Drive project - An installation of site specific artwork in houses slated for Demolition.

"This landmark project brings together Canadian artists, high school students, developers, curious neighbours and local politicians to open up dialogue around urban planning and city life." via leonadrive.ca

images by Charla Jones via The Globe And Mail

The Leona Drive Project runs to Oct.31, open daily, 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. with artist talks each day at 1 and 6 p.m.
for a more in depth look at the project please visit leonadrive.ca
+ be sure to check out LOT Project + Public Access Collective

New York City Parks in Use, 1912 by Charles Downing Lay

Charles Downing Lay (1877-1956) was the first student to receive a degree in Landscape Architecture at Harvard.

"The modern landscape park, as we know, is a result of modern urbanization and its immediate predecessor was the royal hunting park, which, gradually surrounded by an urban population, was gradually appropriated for its own uses. In this country where all is new the parks were created abruptly because it felt that some sight of rural scenery was necessary for dwellers in a large city." Lay, Excerpt from Charles Downing. "Park Design and the Preservation of the Park Idea." Landscape Architecture (January 1921, Vol. XI, no. 2) 76-83.

Thomas Jefferson Park, School Gardens 1912

Central Park, Skating Lake, 1912

Central Park, Concert on the Mall, 1912

Additional Central Park images created between 1880-1912

Central Park, plan (Olmsted Bros. Dec. 1901), Louisville, KY

F. Law Olmsted was also responsible for layout of the Uplands, Victoria BC.

Central Park, aerial view, New York, NY

Central Park, aerial view, looking south, New York, NY

Central Park, The Mall, New York, NY

Central Park, bridge, New York, NY

Central Park, ball field, New York, NY

all of the images above are courtesy of
The Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University

contours + cross sections

Fondness for contour maps, sketching, and the discipline of Japanese design and architecture may be why I am so partial to these hand drawn prints by artist Momoko Sudo.

Momoko sudo @ subjectiveart.com