My Design Notes

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24 Jun 2011

Rome - an enchanting city with a challenge
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I’ve been to Rome many times, and I’m always enchanted, like last week. Some critics say that Rome is an open-air museum, but that’s not fair. Sure, there are lots of tourists around, but that has been the case with Rome for over 2000 years.

What makes Rome so enchanting is its humanity. The scale of the streets and buildings is human; people work and live there, and visitors feel welcome. The structure of the old center of Rome is organic, as you can clearly see on the Nolli map from 1748.

Some parts of Rome are a bit worn-out, and would need investments, like the metro. It is interesting to see how modern structures seem to be much more prone to wear and tear than the ancient ones. There are around 100.000 tourists visiting Rome every day, and the number is increasing. Tourism has a negative effect on the built and natural environment, but surely a positive effect on economics. I hope that Romans know how to balance the equation so that we can visit Rome in the future - without ruining it.

Part of the Nolli Map from 1748.

Photo: Aarni Heiskanen.
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16 Apr 2011

Why we build exuberantly
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Deyan Sudjic was trained as an architect, but became a critic, curator, and writer. He is now director of the Design Museum London. In this interview he talks, among other things, about why people really build things.

While writing his book The Edifice Complex, he discovered that the reasons for building tall have not really changed. People build to make a mark, show who's powerful, to create a sense of national identity, and to create reflections of ego. What he doesn't mention are the business drivers for exuberant projects.

Sudjic also claims, that this is a landmark moment for architecture, design, and culture. A generation of architects is used to insane growth, development and huge projects. Their successors will have to understand how to survive in a very different climate, he envisions.

Video credit: Studio Banana TV
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1 Apr 2011

Miró at EMMA
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EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art is exhibiting works of the Catalonian artist Joan Miró (1893-1983).

Many know Miró from his signature graphic style. But Miró was versatile; he was a painter, a sculptor, a ceramic and textile artist, and so on. This was the first time that I had a chance to see so many of his sculpture in one place. You can say that his works are surrealistic and humorous, but he had definitely an eye for form and space. He said that there is no non-figurative or abstract art. Every line and form has a meaning.

The exhibition has an interesting extension featuring works from seven Finnish artist who seem to have been inspired by Miró. A friend of mine, Kari Huhtamo is one of them.

EMMA's building used to be a printing press in the 1960s. It was altered to house a cultural center and was opened in 2006. EMMA is the largest museum in Finland.

Here are some snapshots from the exhibition.

(download)

Click here to download:
miro-at-emma-hslHcDiIyjsHABCIotJp.zip (1.75 MB)

Photos: Aarni Heiskanen, with permission of EMMA
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19 Sep 2010

Modern architecture guide for travelers
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Are you interested in modern architecture but find it difficult to locate the projects? MIMOA is a guide that might help you. If you are interested in contributing to the guide, that's also possible. Quoting from the MIMOA site:

"MIMOA is an online architecture guide. It is the best source of information for your city trip with all Modern Architecture in one view. MIMOA shows Modern Architecture on a map with the address and all additional information you need to actually find and visit interiors, parks, public places, buildings and bridges.

MIMOA is specially designed to take the whole database with you while traveling. You can select projects to create your own personal architecture guide and even browse projects and locations from different mobile devices.

MIMOA is a user generated website. This means all information is published by the visitors. It is a great way to help others to find the projects you've visited or build. The growing database is free and open for everyone to contribute: publish your projects, posts comments and ratings, define your personal favorites and keep track of the projects you’ve visited. All this personal information, reviews and opinions, define the current architectural trends.

MIMOA is intended for anyone interested in Modern Architecture, design, culture, photography, cities, travelling, visiting buildings, knowing how to get there, whether the project is public and what the opening hours are."

http://www.mimoa.eu/
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3 Sep 2010

Where are all the people in architectural photos?
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Professional architectural photographs have one thing in common: they almost never have people in them. Browse any architectural magazine and you'll notice this, rather weird thing. Why is that?

I've come up with some explanations for the lack of humans:
- Architectural photographers are expected to present the architecture at its best. People are not in the leading role this time.
- Architectural photos have long exposure times. People should not move a bit unless you want to use fuzziness a special effect.
- It takes time to come up with a good composition. People should be at the right place at the right time, and that's not easy.
- People steal the attention. Look at any picture with an individual in a built environment. Do you admire the architecture first?
- Are passer by ready to be shown in published photos? You could use models, but it might look a bit fake.
There are, of course, reasons why people should definitely be in these photos:
- Architecture is for people, not the other way round
- A person is a good yardstick, making the dimensions of the building comprehensible
- People demonstrate how the building or environment actually works
It is interesting to see that computer-generated 3D visualizations of buildings often include people. It is much easier to use virtual persons since you can place whoever you want, wherever you want. In real life that's more challenging.

Photo: iStockphoto
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16 Aug 2010

Wonderful scenes from old Europe
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Here are awesome photos the I've picked from the Flickr collection of the Swedish National Heritage Board. They are from 1880s onwards and present scenes from Europe.

More information on the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/swedish_heritage_board/.>
(download)

Click here to download:
wonderful-scenes-from-old-europe-IhCawCisskyAqdkIjFHn.zip (3.61 MB)
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10 Aug 2010

Architect Santiago Calatrava talks
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This is an interview of the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. In this short interview he talks about many topical and historical issues around architecture, economy, and humanity.
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5 Aug 2010

What is fake in design and does it matter?
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Clients sometimes have awkward requests. An architect told me a story about his one family house project. The client was as lady who wanted her interior to have a certain rural look. She definitely had to have wooden roof beams on her living room ceiling. The only problem was that the ceiling was already made and the structural elements were hidden.

The architect was not too orthodox and agreed to have wooden beams made and attached to the ceiling. Everything was all right until the lady wanted to open one of the large windows for cleaning. They opened inwards and the ends of the beams were blocking them since they were lower than the upper frame of the windows. But the resourceful architect had a solution. He had the ends of the beams cut and hinges installed to the stubs. Now the ends of the beams could be folded aside for window cleaning!

Should designers refrain from fake solutions? In the history of design fakery has been almost prevalent. Cheaper wood has been painted to look like marble or more expensive wood. Traditional Nordic wooden houses were painted with red ochre to mimic brick. The tradition lives on: now you can have the ceiling of Lance Armstrong's kitchen easily with faux wood beams made of foam, resin, or dense polyurethane.

During the modernistic period architects and designers were strongly against any fakery. Even if the iconic Le Corbusier used brick walls that were made to look like concrete. The so-called postmodernism changed the scene. Fake became fun.

Today the question of real materials and truthful constructions is complex. It is really hard –even for professionals– to define what is real or fake. Perhaps what feels right is more important than what looks real.

Solid travertine blocks? No, actually a thin travertine cladding, quite common in modern architecture.

Photo: Aarni Heiskanen
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2 Aug 2010

Why designers develop a signature style?
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Designers most often try to develop a distinctive signature style for their work. A style becomes a part of the designer’s brand. Here are some thoughts about the pros and cons of having a highly personal style:

Clients

Clients have a tendency to choose designers whose work shows consistency. Clients want a solution that is in line with their goals and values. A designer’s style reduces client’s risk of getting totally unexpected results.

Consumers

A small number of consumers are actually interested in designers or their styles. There are some names in apparel, furniture, and appliances that the most avid buyers recognize. In most cases, however, consumers are interested in things that fit their own style and needs.

Competitions

Design competitions with anonymous entries are perfect demonstrations of the value of a signature style. The judges can recognize the designer and link the entry with his/her previous work. Other, less known designers are judged by the quality of their entry alone.

Design business

A signature style is a kind of a language. It is a codification of ideas and meanings. As a code it can be taught and systematically applied. That is why many great designers have a team that, using the language, can become very productive.

The famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto developed a distinctive style in the 1950s and 60s. All who worked for him over the years learned to use the style, and continued to use it, even after the master’s death. The styling was especially noticeable in details and the use of wood.

Not all designers want to limit their expression to a certain style. Finnish-born American architect Eero Saarinen was like that. Some say that the key to his popularity was in his complete lack of interest in developing a signature style. Saarinen approached each project with open eyes, respecting the requirements and needs of the client and the site of the building. Other architects, academics, and critics dismissed him as eclectic and unprincipled (see the Boston Globe article).

I think that a personal style is mostly a positive thing unless it starts to dominate how a designer approaches his/her work. A style should not be static or limiting but an enriching factor in design.

Dulles Airport, architect Eero Saarinen

Photo: XYZ+T
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26 Jul 2010

The amazing Japanese joinery
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I’ve always admired traditional Japanese carpentry. The way the artisans are able to join beams and posts firmly –with no metal fasteners– is amazing. I even bought a handbook, The Complete Japanese Joinery, to learn more about the age-old principles and methods of the art.

Japanese carpentry and architecture are the product of 1500 years of cumulative knowledge that was passed from teacher to disciple. I don’t know if anywhere else in the world the art of joinery reached such a high level as in Japan. Japanese artisans got influences from China and the Western countries, but they developed their own, unique language of wooden construction.

Building a traditional house starts from understanding the characteristics of wood. Wood is alive even after the tree has been cut. Wood continues to respond to environmental conditions, which has to be taken into account in structures.

Working with wood requires a set of good tools that are constantly maintained. The work area should be clean and orderly, covered with carpeting or tatamis. Japanese carpentry involves lots of physical movement, squatting and bending over. Workers’ clothing must therefore be unrestrictive, allowing free movement of arms and legs.

Traditionally, Japanese buildings were prefabricated in a shop. The parts were numbered and moved to the actual building site for assembling. There are hundreds of different ways to join wood in Japanese carpentry. Some of the joints look really difficult to make and require good three-dimensional perception to understand. One reason for their complexity was that they added prestige to carpentry and in a way protected the trade from outside competition.

Japanese carpenters and builders have demonstrated how beautifully wood can be used for construction. I wish that Western architects and residential contractors could learn from them and start using wood more imaginatively than what they do today.

Here are some books about Japanese woodworking for those interested (affiliate links to Amazon.com):

Art Of Japanese Joinery

The Complete Japanese Joinery

The Genius of Japanese Carpentry: The Secrets of a Craft

Zen Architecture: The Building Process as Practice

Photo: iStockphoto
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