Architectoid

Golden Gate Bridge Under Construction - 1937 Amazing engineering and construction for its time the Golden Gate Bridge was the largest span ever attempted (the center span is 4,200 ft. long). The bridge designer and chief engineer  Joesph Strauss  was an American Structural Engineer that not only conceived, but also oversaw the construction feat. Construction Workers on the Golden Gate Bridge As soon as the magnificent bridge was complete it became an instant draw for suicide jumpers from far away places. Sadly it is now also know as a destination of death. Sign on the Golden Gate Bridge a last hope for the problematic cases of suicide. Suicide statistics documented on the Golden Gate Bride by year. Also another interesting engineering fact is that the human live load versus car live load is much larger. The human live load is figured on the average weight of 150 lbs for a person to occupy 2.5 square feet. When you put enough people side by side on the golden

Here is my list and countdown of what I think are the top ten books of Architecture that every student and friend of Architecture should read. Obviously the list could be much larger and include many additional books, but please comment and let me know what book you think should have made the top ten list. 10. Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius. 9.   The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 8.  Suburban Nation  The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck.  7.  The Architecture of Happiness  by Alain de Botton. 6.  Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture  by Robert Venturi. 5.  Why Architecture Matters  by Paul Goldberg. 4.  Towards a New Architecture  by Le Corbusier. 3.  Kindergarden Chats  by Louis Sullivan . 2. The Natural House  by Frank Lloyd Wright. 1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Related Articles: 10 Best Architecture Videos on Netflix 10 B

Info taken from the summary published on youtube by Getty Research Institute Homeowner John McIlwee discusses the details of his arduous restoration of the Garcia House, a modern masterpiece completed in 1962 by famed Los Angeles architect John Lautner. Photographs: John Lautner Archive and Julius Shulman Photography Archive, courtesy of the Getty Research Institute, © J. Paul Getty Trust and © The John Lautner Foundation.© J. Paul Getty Trust This video is part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., a Getty initiative that brings together local cultural institutions for a wide-ranging look at the postwar built environment of Los Angeles, from its famous residential architecture to its vast freeway network, revealing the city's development and ongoing global impact in new ways. Related Articles: Goldstein Residence Architect John Lautner

Six Tower Houses built and unbuilt that I found interesting. Does anyone have any other tower houses that I should include on the list (maybe I can make this into a top ten tower house blog)? 1.  Chemosphere  --  Architect John Lautner 2.  Keenan Tower House  -  Architect Marlon Blackwell 3.  Naomi Campbell Residence  -- Architect Zaha Hadid 4.  Tower House  --  Gluck Plus Architects Gluck Plus Architects photo by Paul Warchol 5.  Sky Tower (Oblivion 2013)  -- Director Joseph Kosnksi 6.   Roost Tower House  - Artist Benoit Challand Related Articles: Oblivion Skytower Zaha Haded Tower House Top 10 Podcast

Aerial view of the Crippled Children's Society Rehabilitation Center by Architect John Lautner There may be a limited amount of time to contact city of Los Angeles staff (Jordann.Turner@lacity.org (213) 978-1379 Case No.: ZA-2014-0463(ELD)(ZV)(SPR)) to prevent another John Lautner building from being demolished. There is a public hearing that is happening today to review a request by the current property owners want to demolish the historic building and build a senior living center. It is very unfortunate that the new architects can't work with the existing building that was originally designed for a children's crippled rehabilitation center which have program similarities as a senior living facility. To learn more about the proposed demolition and what you can do to help visit the LA Conservancy website here . Interior View of  the Crippled Children's Society Rehabilitation Center by Architect John Lautner Interior photo of tension ring by Jessica Hodgo

John Lautner Photo in front of Portrait by Kira Od I've seen many photos of the Architect John Lautner at his desk in his office with a larger than life self portrait and have always wondered if there was more of a story.  Luckily I was able to find detailed photos and an explanation from the artist Kira Od on her website . She has an extraordinary and original technique of painting that drew Lautner's attention and requested the life size portrait. I have included the following description as an excerpt taken directly from her website : "JOHN LAUTNER: PORTRAIT OF AN ARCHITECT"   Oil on Panel, 1984 42" x 66" (112 cm x 168 cm) I spent 1983 and 1984 in the Hollywood office of  John Lautner , painting his portrait. It was an honor and a privilege. I was chosen because John saw my unique painting technique and saw me -- at 22 or 23 -- and said something like,  "Jesus Christ, kid, you're the Real Thing! You invented this technique yours

Schwimmer residence kitchen remodel photo taken by Dick Minium Kitchen Remodel in the Schwimmer Residence described by Architect Duncan Nicholson : This fall (2012) I finished remodeling the kitchen and adjacent laundry room of John Lautner’s Schwimmer house in Beverly Hills, California. My client had definite ideas about how and what she wanted to build both aesthetically and materially and I agreed since they reinforced the nature of the architecture. I had ideas regarding adjustments to the Plan in order to prefect the circulation and she agreed. Lautner designed the home in 1982 to be a modern castle and two of the seven circular stone turrets flank the view end of the kitchen, enclosing pantries. The original Pirelli black rubber floor was ripped out, the framing structurally reinforced to support both a new stone floor along with a 12’ long island and a new 7’ cantilevered dining table of 2” thick stone. Walnut was chosen as the cabinet material and all sta

Designed by Norman Foster Architecture Office these are 4 insanely large panes of glass that leave open all four sides of the above ground structure and support a reflective white ceiling. The aesthetic openness is achieved first by eliminating the framed glass and all visible glass hardware on the elevation and then fabricating full sheets of glass to reduce all joints to only miter glass corner conditions. Norman Foster seems to be a new go to architecture firm for apple since they are the same Architects that were awarded the commission for the  apple headquarters  by Steve Jobs. Much of the success of the Apple Stores has been there ability to further push the boundaries and then showcase the full capabilities of the glass. Referenced Links: http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2014/04/06/curious-crowd-fills-first-istanbul-store-waiting-line/ http://www.macnn.com/articles/14/04/03/cuboid.above.ground.uses.huge.panes.of.glass.hides.two.full.floors/ http://www.desig

The author Erik Larson has created an excellent and detailed non-fiction account of the events of the ambitious 1893 World Fair in American History. The fair was called the World's Columbian Exposition as it celebrated the 400 year anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovery of the new world. The story follows along with the famous Architects like Daniel Burnham, John Root, Louis Sullivan, Richard Hunt, Charles McKim, and landscape architect Fredrick Olmstead. The book describes the immense events that had to be overcome for the event to happen in Chicago and in time for the opening day. The goal of the Architects that were involved in the design was to create an ideal design of what a city like Chicago should be. The story also revolves around a charming sociopath serial killer that would make the famous killer of the time Jack the Ripper look like an amateur. I think this a wonderful account of the Architects that created an exposition that would forever change Ame

The Jules Salkin Residence  originally built in 1948 designed by Architect John Lautner in Echo Park goes on the market for the first time in 65 years since it's construction. The house is currently in some disrepair and looks to have had several remodels that do not match the archive photos from the original model, drawings, and exterior shots. The original design of the home is a simple yet interesting structural solution using angled columns to support inverted (standard) wood roof trusses that opens the interior spaces to large glass openings to the outside. The home is a great example of an affordable unisonian designed home that Lautner predecessor Frank Lloyd Wrigh t would be proud of. There may have been an addition without proper Lautner supervision that now extends into the original carport. The original and well proportioned glass seems to have been defaced and replaced at some point by some standard size sliding glass doors that can be pi

Today, I got a great chance to tour Arto Brick Facilities a concrete and clay tile factory. The company is amazingly open to doing custom tile and concrete tile designs 2d surfaces and 3d reliefs to your specifications. I was able to see the process in action and learn some techniques and detailing limitations to help create a design. Looking forward to working with them to make some beautiful repeating one of a kind patterns for a new project! Here is some samples of there concrete tile relief work: Related Articles: American Artisan Tiles Making Concrete Tiles Making Concrete Furniture