Tag Archives: Modern Architecture

“Up from Ugliness” at NYT

Here is what I wrote about a New York Times column before learning it was published not recently but in 2011. Sigh. Well, the points do remain valid. * * * Ross Douthat, a regular columnist at the New York … Continue reading

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To Corb or not to Corb

I am at this moment watching a Swiss video called Le Corbusier: Why he is adored and detested. The screenshot from the video atop this post captures his pitch to build another of his machines for dying in (yes, that’s … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Embarrassing screen shot

Above is a screen shot part way down into the online print version of an NPR interview with Renzo Piano, “The Future of Europe’s Cities Is In Their Suburbs.” In it, the interviewer says that “Piano believes it’s the architect’s … Continue reading

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Petition the mossback AIA

John Massengale has a great post called “I am not a fashionista” on his blog. At its conclusion is a link to a petition to ask the American Institute of Architects to diversify the architects and architecture it promotes. At … Continue reading

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Parsing fraud and timidity

Two examples of modern architecture in deep perspiration came across my desk today. First came Robert Ivy‘s tremulous three minutes of AIA video advice – “Hello, everyone. This is Robert” – to rattled architects, and second came Norman Weinstein‘s fraudulent … Continue reading

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Another sharp eye . . . ?

Here’s a comment that just came in to the TradArch list by Andrès Duany. He helped found and has been the most active leader of the New Urbanism movement. Today, after winning the Driehaus Award of 2009, he is writing … Continue reading

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A sharp eye into classicism

Bruce Donnelly, an urban planner and design theorist from Cleveland, had two very interesting posts on the TradArch list yesterday. In the first passage, he is referring to comments from others about how classical architects can learn from modern architecture. … Continue reading

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Mod church or Red crib?

Hats off to my friend Bill Patenaude for sending this test of architectural erudition courtesy of ChurchPOP.com. Some you will know. Others will knock your block off.        

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Column: Yes, alas, we have modernism in R.I.

“God will provide,” my editor Bob Whitcomb used to say. This morning, as I struggled to find a column topic, He placed one right before my eyes, occupying the very space where my regular Thursday column in the Providence Journal … Continue reading

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Fundamentally insecure

After reading my blog post on the destruction of Mecca, Nikos Salingaros sent me Chapter 9 from his book A Theory of Architecture, in which, writing with Michael Mehaffy, he describes modern architecture as a phenomenon parallel to religious fundamentalism. … Continue reading

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