August 2011

There were 28 posts published in August 2011 (this is page 1 of 1).

Villa Muller by Adolf Loos

Müllerova vila, (“Villa Müller”) by Adolf Loos in Prague, Czech Republic. Loos’ raumplan at its finest.

“My architecture is not conceived in plans, but in spaces (cubes). I do not design floor plans, facades, sections. I design spaces. For me, there is no ground floor, first floor, etc…For me, there are only contiguous, continual spaces, rooms, anterooms, terraces, etc. Storeys merge and spaces relate to each other.”

Stoa of Attalos

Stoa of Attalos in the ancient Athenian Agora in modern-day Athens, Greece.

We had a discussion on the reconstruction of ancient ruins in order to experience them in their former glory. My notes on the topic read:

“Original ruins vs reconstruction

-value of space vs value of building

-Buddhism/Taoism-constant rebuilding

Agora-change of occupation; cultural change Greek>Roman>Modern Greek

-What is the most important artifact?

-digging through stratigraphy of historical layers

-reconstruct Greek ruins? Byzantine?

Notes on ancient ruins and cities: Corinth vs Delphi vs Mycenae

Notes on ancient ruins and cities: Corinth vs Delphi vs Mycenae.

My ramblings comparing the ancient cities of Corinth, Pompeii, Delphi, and Mycenae. I don’t know how interesting this is, but I’m posting anyway!

It reads:

“Corinth vs Delphi vs Mycenae

-‘apples to oranges’ argument of comparison.

-clear procession up hill (Mycenae) / flat of Corinth

-Corinth as Nolli map-great piazza!

-layers of history

-Delphi, Mycenae, & Pompeii “frozen in time” vs Corinth & Athens which were continuously inhabited

Athens, Rome, Venice, London

-keep historical cities from becoming museums

notion of ground plane

-small changes in section can have a big impact

-plane of ground, water

-anything on Delphi’s site would be good

Athens-history of city is walled off from locals (Acropolis museum, the Acropolis itself, etc)

-Temple of Herculean Zeus walled off-could be great park

St. Peter’s

‘Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano’, the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, Italy by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Gianlorenzo Bernini, et al. 

Here it is, the big mack daddy of all Christian churches. It didn’t impress me nearly as much as the Pantheon. I think it had to do with the way in which you enter and experience the building; like cattle. St. Peter’s has to deal with so many tourists every day that even simply getting through the front door is a huge airport-TSA-line-like affair. Once you are inside it’s fine, and you’re free to explore, but the procession they’ve set up is hell in the Italian sun. I spent most of my time inside gawking at Michelangelo’s Pietà than actually looking at the building.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa (and rebuilt by Domitian, Trajan, and Hadrian), in Rome, Italy. Today known as “Santa Maria dei Martiri” (“St. Mary and the Martyrs” or “Santa Maria Rotonda”.

The inscription on the front of the building reads, “M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIUM.FECIT” (“Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, having been consul three times, built it”). Agrippa’s house-for-every-god is home to only one these days, but fewer ethereal tenants has not diminished its splendor. Septimius Severus and Caracalla repaired the Pantheon and left another inscription “Pantheum vetustate corruptum cum omni cultu restituerunt” (With every refinement they restored the Pantheon worn by age) for a good reason.

It is absolutely amazing.

Our hotel was just around the corner from the Pantheon (down the alley from Santa Maria sopra Minerva), though we didn’t see it when we arrived. It was only later when we were out exploring that we popped around and suddenly were in Piazza della Rotonda. I instantly got goosebumps, and without any conscious volition, began to weep. It was an incredible, genuine somatic experience. This incredible building, which you’ve heard about, read about, studied, watched documentaries on the History channel, and seen in pictures your entire life was suddenly real; standing right in front of you. Full of people, birds flying around, musicians, cafes, street vendors selling squashy rubber tomatoes; the Pantheon is alive and well.

The interior was equally, if not more, impressive. You can’t help but be humbled by that dome. You’re happy to get a crick in your neck from staring upwards for far longer than you should, just to examine every cranny of coffering and of course, the oculus. You feel kind of bad for the people that attend church service there. It must be basically impossible with the gawkers milling about, bringing their pagan-respecting awe filth in your holy space.

When you’re in an intact building which has been around for nearly 2000 years, it’s hard not to be filled with a little awe.