Marina City

Seeing the buildings downtown brought back all I had learned about the evolution of high-rises back in architecture school. I saw the whole spectrum of history, from the Monadnock Building (the tallest building built without steel) to the famous Marina City and John Hancock Center to the shiny and new Trump Tower.

Having returned home, I find myself still thinking about all of the stone and terra cotta ornamentation that I saw. The terra cotta is a great example of the “material of the times,” and it’s prevalent use can be attributed to the need for fire protection and the availability of clay and labor. As beautiful as the terra cotta is, it’s a mass produced product.

Terra cotta facade

Stone engraving

Stone engraving

FLW Studio Sign

I also had a chance to go out to Oak Park and see some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, which was a true pleasure. I could see the influence of Wright and Lewis Sullivan (his mentor) throughout Chicago.

Arthur Heurtley House

Detail of Nathan Grier Moore House

Of course Mies Van Der Rohe had a huge influence in Chicago as well:

Kluczynski Federal Building

I was also struck by the amount of money and Power in Chicago. This project appeared to be an abandoned pedestrian bridge that easily cost millions of dollars.

Bridge to nowhere.

Lastly, while in the Windy City I visited the neighborhood where my grandfather grew up. This is me on the front steps of one of the apartment buildings he lived in.

My grandfather’s home.

Evan at the new Group Main Stream Home. Photo by Tim Greenway for MaineBiz

“Unforgettable Designs.” That’s the title of the new article by Darren Fishell now in the printed version of the MaineBiz this week. The on-line version of the article is called, “Architects embrace new designs for memory care facilities.”

No-matter the title, Darren does a great job connecting the practical and visceral considerations for why we at Bild are so impassioned about life-long design, design for memory loss, and design for affordable housing.

In other news:

• Check out the Prezi for a recent talk I gave called “The Aging of Mainers and Their Buildings.” I have not yet figured out how to add the audio that I recorded when I made the talk.
• We’ve got some new photos of the Group Main Stream Home.

The branding of these images is to me, a clear example of what good architects will create for their clients. While design itself embodies values and ideals so does it’s presentation. The rendering of the Apple HQ is ultra-realistic and the building has an almost god-like aura. The effect makes you feel as though the Apple Company is an institution that will last forever.

On the other hand, the Google rendering looks hand-rendered and is playful and colorful. This style suggests a design that is in flux and a company that is constantly evolving. The designs themselves support the rendering styles. One is pure and unbroken while the other is fragmented and serendipitous.

I have a bias for the experimental over the refined myself, and that shows in my own renderings, which tend to include a hand-rendered quality and are less often photo-realistic. This varies of course, with each client.

Vanity Fair, on Google

New Yorker, on Apple

We are excited to announce that Sasha Salzberg has been selected as the Portland Society of Architects’ Featured Member for September and October 2012! Hope you enjoy the article linked here. As always, we love to hear your feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us at sasha@bildarchitecture.com.