Architect Design

Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland

As part of the Cleveland Uptown development urban-revitalization project, London based architects FOA (Foreign Office Architects) has proposed a new 34,000 ft² home for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The striking geometry of the museum was inspired by the site whilst the mirrored black façade will seek to reflect the context & urban surroundings, altering with the changes to the light and weather. FOA has partnered with local architects studio Westlake Reed Leskosky

House of the Week 80: Sugarbowl

Located in the old village at Sugarbowl, California sits a cedar-clad house with a simple bent planar roof. The residence designed by architect John Maniscalco (m-architecture) is perched on a concrete plinth to take in views to the mountain are captured through framed openings.

The Neptune Pool

The most well known (and beautiful) spaces at San Simeon are the pools. While the Roman Pool was abandoned by guests, the Neptune Pool , seen here, was the epicenter of the estate and continues to be used by staff!

My favorite shot of the pool - the shaded loggia which surrounds the pool with views of the ocean, the mountains and up the Big Sur. Can't you just see yourself here with a stack of magazines and cool drinks?

In the background, notice the lights on concrete 'terms' which I discussed in my post on lanterns. I love those ionic columns!

This pool was known as the temporary pool, built originally for the visit of Hearst's semi-estranged sons in 1924 who were living with his wife in NY and eventually rebuilt 3 times by 1936 into what we see today.

The focus of the pool is the temple, pieced together from Hearst's extensive collection of Roman antiquities. The entire estate feels like one big jig-saw puzzle at times! The parts which were missing were simply recreated to finish off the building.

Above you see the pool filler, a bit fancier than yours at home?

Another beautiful marble pool ladder.

The white marble glows blue, as you can see, due to the blue tilework. We need more blue pools like this today, so refreshing!

The ceilings of the loggia were also marble with a light fixture in each coffer.

This grouping of statues depicting the birth of Venus in the corner against the hillside was not antique but rather carved in the 1930s by Italian artisans.

As you can tell from the shot below, the estate is located 5 miles on the top of a huge hill from the base at the ocean (and route 1). The 'camp' of houses exists further up the hill from the pool.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Neptune Pool, just what we need in this record heat!

Museum of Bond Vehicles and Espionage - Q4G562ZV4DCK

The museum of Bond Vehicles and Espionage designed by Gensler architects will showcase the entire collection of James Bond vehicles and the culture that surrounds them & hopes to be catalyst for the revitalization of the historic and once-vibrant city of Momerce, Illnois. Scheduled to open in 2012 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first Bond movie, Dr. No.

house of the week 84: Leavitt Residence

This 3 story residence in Chicago, is a conversion of a 1920 mercantile building by architects Miller Hull and Studio Dwell, and took a little over 3 years to complete. Much of the original brick walls and timber beams were retained and sit comfortably amongst the finished industrial aesthetic of the house.

on the boards: London Business School

Sheppard Robson has won an international design competition to develop world-class facilities for the main campus of the London Business School at Sussex Place. The winning submission valued at £69.0m proposes to develop the space between two listed buildings to create one 30,000 m² school.

wunderlust

I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies.

Le Corbusier

An evening at the Kennedy Center

Last night at the Kennedy Center, I couldn't help but think how the building has grown on me in the last 8 years since I've moved to DC. When I moved here I thought it was the most hideous building in Washington, but now, I sorta like it! I've ALWAYS loved these Lobmeyr fixtures in the opera house, above. They look like jewelry in a box against all of that red velvet.

I also found out that the gold and red curtain at the stage, with its distinctive pattern, was a gift from Japan. First cherry blossoms, and then a 5 story tall gold curtain; Japan has been good to DC!

The Grand Foyer is enormous, but the scale of the architecture is so large that one doesn't even notice. Apparently it's one of the largest rooms in the world and I heard the Washington Monument would fit in here laying down with room to spare; really just insane!

Again, great glamorous mid-century chandeliers are really the jewels of the room. Generally I prefer a more classical space for concert venue, but maybe this modernism stuff isn't so bad?

all photos taken with my (unincredible) droid incredible phone.

on the boards: San Michele open air museum

A proposal for an open-air museum in San Michele, Italy by architects C+S Associates

Cypress Inn, Carmel

After leaving San Francisco, my next stop was Carmel where I spent the majority of my vacation. Yes, this is the week of hotels at ArchitectDesign!

I stayed at the Cypress Inn, one of the better known hotels in Carmel, partly owned by singer & actress Doris Day.

The board-formed concrete building dates from 1929 but has had many lives, mostly as an assisted living residence, believe it or not! It was built as the Hotel La Ribera by Dr. Rudolf Kocher and Hugh Comstock, the most well known developer of Carmel.

The Spanish / Mediterranean style architecture fits well in the moderate climate and besides the fairytale styled cottages by Comstock throughout the village, the style tends to dominate the area.

Part of the development lies further up the hill and is not part of the hotel. Notice how it is taller up the hill to catch views of Carmel Bay.

Around the side is a courtyard garden for guests, where visitors can take tea, breakfast or just relax. The hotel is known as being extremely pet friendly and nearly everyone you see has a dog or two with them.

Because of this, it has become the hangout of many locals, who were so incredibly friendly that within an HOUR of arriving I had made a few friends I spent time with throughout the week: all at the bar of the Cypress Inn!

More photos of the courtyard.

In this detail shot, you can see the board formations in the concrete: a look the architect in me LOVES. Notice how thick these walls are, the hotel is really quiet inside.

As a nod to Doris Day, this small planting area had a sign referring to one of her movies 'please don't eat the daisies'! LOVED THIS!

The lounge behind the lobby was constantly buzzing with locals and guests. Doris Day music is the continual soundtrack in this public area and posters from her movies line the walls.