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These days we're often multitasking to such an extent that we can find we walk everywhere looking down at our phones. We're accustomed to scrolling continuously on our smartphones wherever we are. However, like the art, fashion and technology we see on our Instagram feeds, the architecture around us also has it's own trends and phases of design. Through periods of austerity, these are often pared down, simple. Through periods of opulence, we see grandeur, money and ostentation. As we run low on space to keep up with expansion and growth, we see the results of those designs side by side. Today's post allows us to look at some aesthetically jarring juxtapositions that we might miss in our day-to-day lives.
dublin // trinity college
When trinity college commissioned a new humanities research building, the Long Room Hub was a diversion from the traditional old university style buildings. The ambitious but renowned piece of design from McCullough Mulvin Architects sits across Fellows Square from the Thomas Burgh Library. Dating back to the 1700s, the name sake 'Long Room' in the old Library holds many rare and first volume books.
The Long Room hub however was featured in many architectural magazines. The architect's description:
"A slim rectangular building, four stories high with higher rooflights penetrating the volume with shafts of light creating zones and double-heights for work and research. The site in Fellows Square is perched on the end of the Arts Block [...]. The building is seen as a powerhouse of ideas; the honeycomb granite surface is crisp and detailed to create deep window embrasures in the manner of a tower house. Internally walls are lined with walnut to create seats, desks and bookshelves." [1]
frankfurt // skyline
A city of opposites which immediately springs to mind is Frankfurt. With the full name 'Frankfurt-am-Mein', the European epicentre of all things finance has been nicknamed 'Meinhattan'. Pre-war Frankfurt was the largest medieval centre in Germany. This is reflected in the Bavarian style wooden constructs left standing. Against the backdrop of the endless skyscrapers of the financial district, these little quaint buildings look inconsequential. They are the perfect setting for the christmas markets in winter though, giving a glimpse into the gothic architectural style of the historical city.
paris // the louvre
The Louvre is famed mostly for its miles of hallways full of wonders of the art world. Lesser touched upon is its contrasting architecture. The main building was originally a medieval fortress built next to the Seine.
Throughout its rich history it was destroyed and rebuilt in a few iterations. It was transformed into a royal palace, before becoming the Musée de Louvre in 1973. Now, after the Grand Louvre project spanning the 80s and 90s, hundreds of thousands of instagrams are taken at the museum each year. This is largely due to its unusual late addition - the grand entrance. The square fills with tourists in front of the unique modernist glass pyramid we all know as synonymous with Paris.
valparaíso // plaza sotomayor
The city lies 120km north of Santiago, and was once known to sailors as 'Little San Francisco' and 'The Jewel of the Pacific'. It historically has a strong bond with the sea, and the most historic plaza of Valparaíso is no different.
Throughout its development, it has been home to Customs House, Courthouses, and even the shipwrecked Esmerelda at one stage (the remains of which can be seen at the museum below the square). Now the square houses the Navy, the Council of Culture and Arts and the building of CSAV - the largest shipping company in Latin America.
"The Ionic columns and fluted pilasters of this classic façade compliment the architecture surrounding Sotomayor Square. Attached to it, however, is a modern high-rise with blue glass cladding. Both are part of the CSAV headquarters." [2]
The addition was reportedly built when the interior was damaged in a fire, but Chilean building regulations prevented the demolition of the historical façade.
images // max pixel, eric salard, stones ingrained,
Jul 28, 2017
take time to look up
These days we're often multitasking to such an extent that we can find we walk everywhere looking down at our phones. We're accustomed to scrolling continuously on our smartphones wherever we are. However, like the art, fashion and technology we see on our Instagram feeds, the architecture around us also has it's own trends and phases of design. Through periods of austerity, these are often pared down, simple. Through periods of opulence, we see grandeur, money and ostentation. As we run low on space to keep up with expansion and growth, we see the results of those designs side by side. Today's post allows us to look at some aesthetically jarring juxtapositions that we might miss in our day-to-day lives.
dublin // trinity college
When trinity college commissioned a new humanities research building, the Long Room Hub was a diversion from the traditional old university style buildings. The ambitious but renowned piece of design from McCullough Mulvin Architects sits across Fellows Square from the Thomas Burgh Library. Dating back to the 1700s, the name sake 'Long Room' in the old Library holds many rare and first volume books.
The Long Room hub however was featured in many architectural magazines. The architect's description:
"A slim rectangular building, four stories high with higher rooflights penetrating the volume with shafts of light creating zones and double-heights for work and research. The site in Fellows Square is perched on the end of the Arts Block [...]. The building is seen as a powerhouse of ideas; the honeycomb granite surface is crisp and detailed to create deep window embrasures in the manner of a tower house. Internally walls are lined with walnut to create seats, desks and bookshelves." [1]
frankfurt // skyline
A city of opposites which immediately springs to mind is Frankfurt. With the full name 'Frankfurt-am-Mein', the European epicentre of all things finance has been nicknamed 'Meinhattan'. Pre-war Frankfurt was the largest medieval centre in Germany. This is reflected in the Bavarian style wooden constructs left standing. Against the backdrop of the endless skyscrapers of the financial district, these little quaint buildings look inconsequential. They are the perfect setting for the christmas markets in winter though, giving a glimpse into the gothic architectural style of the historical city.
paris // the louvre
The Louvre is famed mostly for its miles of hallways full of wonders of the art world. Lesser touched upon is its contrasting architecture. The main building was originally a medieval fortress built next to the Seine.
Throughout its rich history it was destroyed and rebuilt in a few iterations. It was transformed into a royal palace, before becoming the Musée de Louvre in 1973. Now, after the Grand Louvre project spanning the 80s and 90s, hundreds of thousands of instagrams are taken at the museum each year. This is largely due to its unusual late addition - the grand entrance. The square fills with tourists in front of the unique modernist glass pyramid we all know as synonymous with Paris.
valparaíso // plaza sotomayor
The city lies 120km north of Santiago, and was once known to sailors as 'Little San Francisco' and 'The Jewel of the Pacific'. It historically has a strong bond with the sea, and the most historic plaza of Valparaíso is no different.
Throughout its development, it has been home to Customs House, Courthouses, and even the shipwrecked Esmerelda at one stage (the remains of which can be seen at the museum below the square). Now the square houses the Navy, the Council of Culture and Arts and the building of CSAV - the largest shipping company in Latin America.
"The Ionic columns and fluted pilasters of this classic façade compliment the architecture surrounding Sotomayor Square. Attached to it, however, is a modern high-rise with blue glass cladding. Both are part of the CSAV headquarters." [2]
The addition was reportedly built when the interior was damaged in a fire, but Chilean building regulations prevented the demolition of the historical façade.