Architectoid

A great documentary on Louis Sullivan that takes a look at the legacy and work of the man who truly started a new American Architecture. Finally a full feature on Louis Sullivan that pans through his work as it progresses through the story of a legend. Not well known to all, but known in the Architecture world and even the design fields for being the originator of " form follows function " phrase. The full quote is: It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, Of all things physical and metaphysical, Of all things human and all things super-human, Of all true manifestations of the head, Of the heart, of the soul, That the life is recognizable in its expression, That form ever follows function.  This is the law His work is prolific and as most artist he was misunderstood, and nearly broke towards the end of his life. His philosophy however lives on, and caring the flame most bright from the source was Frank Lloyd Wright . Thank you Mr. Sullivan.

Steve Jobs has bought up 100 acres of former HP buildings and parking lots for his plans to build a euphoric office headquarters in Cupertino, CA . These plans have unveiled a design by Architect Sir Foster for a wheel shaped structure inside a park. It certainly is a nice thought to take a giant swath of hideous office buildings and make one round one. I suppose all the additional open spaces acts as a refuge for the 12,000 employees with desk jobs (hopefully the grounds will include an epic disk golf course otherwise the building would be a sad daily reminder). It certainly is a dream project for any Architect. The project is set to break ground in 2012 and be finished by 2015, just in time for a new series of "i" gadgets to be unveiled. I've read the comments associating it with Saruman's evil lair from Lord of the Rings, but I'm not on the doomsday band wagon. I prefer to think of it as a simple concept that will undoubtedly be finished with

In 1972 Architect Oscar Newman wrote a book entitled Defensible Space that drew conclusions from statistical analysis of crime rates from different low income housing. The main conclusions reached was that residents would take a personal responsibility and create a sense of community if buildings and grounds were designed properly and therefore crime would be reduced. The separation and sequencing of movement transitioning from public to private can be as simple as surface texture or grade level that provide different levels of territorial recognition. These and many other details can be used to help define and restrict zones of spaces. Here is a list of mechanisms for defining territory use of: Fences and high walls Landscaping and hardscaping Positioning of Lights Windows Electronic Interview Systems Locked Gates and Doors Buildings with own characteristics distinguishable from other buildings Smaller Family Groups (Dividing areas so that neighbors know one another an