The Bruno House

On an architectural day trip, my classmates and I drove out to Ransom Canyon, a bit outside our usual campus life in Lubbock, Texas.  Ransom Canyon is home to more than one unique house, including The Steel House.

The Steel House, or the Bruno House as it is often referred to as, took many, many years to construct.  Thirty-four, in fact.  It was designed and built by architect and sculptor Robert Bruno, with design beginning in 1973 and construction finishing in 2008, just months before the artist passed away.  His family still enjoys the home today, when they decide not to open the home up to tours and exhibits.

The interior of the home, reached by crossing an entrance bridge, is not especially large, but is spacious with structural openings in unexpected areas, such as between the bedroom and living room.  Detail on the stairs includes stained glass, which allow diffused light to warm the space.

The exterior  of the house is not only unique in shape and material, but also cantilevers over the edge of the canyon and lake it sits upon.  The house overlooks the tree-lined lake, allowing for a peaceful, secluded and private feeling.

The house seemed to incompliance the artist's entire vision, and I can imagine Mr. Bruno was very pleased with the finished product.

For more information, please visit http://www.travelintelligence.com/travel-writing/a-tour-of-the-steel-house-in-lubbock-texas

Pictures of the construction can be found at http://www.robertbruno.com/

Cincinnati: Union Terminal

Cincinnati is an older city, developed along the river, with great architecture and a rich history.  One of Cincinnati's most prominent buildings, Union Terminal, now called Cincinnati Museum Center, happens to be one of my favorite buildings downtown.
Built in 1931 and opening in 1933 under an art deco style of architecture, Cincinnati's Union Terminal has undergone many changes in its 75+ years, but through the renovations much of the original building has been preserved or restored in some way.  One of the building's greatest features is the giant rotunda of mosaic tiles telling the story of Cincinnati's history and evolution as a city.

The large fountain outside the entrance makes a grand statement.  Once inside, the large, open lobby eludes a feeling of prestigious power, while still offering small lounge chairs and tables for those wishing to get away from all the hustle and bustle for a bit.  The walls are painted to resemble the original color and style of the building and original "arrival" and "departure" stations surround the outer limits of the space.

The building, although no longer a major train station, still has much to offer.  Inside the Union Terminal are multiple educational museums as well as traveling exhibits at times.  The museum center includes a library and IMAX theater.  Entertainment is not lacking!
I encourage everyone who visits the city to stop by and participate in one of the many museum exhibits the Union Terminal now offers.
I believe the Union Terminal successfully integrates history and education into one notable, architecturally admired building, and a special landmark for the city.

For more information, visit their website: http://www.cincymuseum.org

Airport Relationships

In the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer, the young boy said, "I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone."  This passage was about the boy observing people at an airport, and the reunions that occur.  Airports really do show people coming together, whether it be for a happy occasion such as a wedding or a vacation, or a sad occasion such as a funeral.  Airports bring separated people, together.

We normally think of airports bringing two or more family members, or friends together, but it can also bring strangers together.  How many of us have ever gone to an airport or flown on a plane, and within an hour, know someone's life story?  I know I have.  Many people sitting inches away from a complete stranger will introduce themselves, and  get to know that stranger; the bringing together of two people.  I love going to airports for this reason, you get to hear so many incredible stories about people you don't know.  Even though you will probably never see any of these stranger again, for an hour or two, you get a chance to open yourself up and be true to someone, without fear of judgment.  I am not the type of person who will normally reach out to others and start a conversation with them, but there is something comforting about knowing the raw and open emotions of a person, even if they are a complete stranger.  You feel connected instantly.  And even though you know very little about them, you will forever be a part of their joy or sorrow; their reason for flying that day. 

I was once on my way home after orientation at my college as an entering freshman when I was seated next to a women who was on her way to a funeral of a family member.  I shared bits of my excitement with her, and brought a smile to her face.  I like to think that, in some way, I may have brought comfort to her.  Here is a women who lost a dear member of her family, but next to her is a prospective, first generation college student, beginning the start of their own life.  As one life ends on Earth, another life is just beginning to reach for their highest potential, and I think that the thought of this can bring happiness to every stranger in every airport, every day.

Before you know it, the plane ride is over, and you each go your separate ways, but every day, people are united across the world, and lives are being changed.

Storytelling

Statistics show that a grandparent is more likely to die during the midterm or final portions of a semester, because it is then that they begin to worry most about their college-age grandkids, and the pressure that comes from the students having big tests that affect their grades.   This statistic is scary, especially considering that I have a grandmother who has been recently admitted into the hospital.  I hope that she can recover before I start to have midterms or finals.

How can we help avoid this unfortunate event?  We can avoid telling our grandparents about our finals.  What they don't know won't kill them, right?  Literally.  But this does poise an interesting question.  How well do you know your grandparents?  Given that they can pass away at any time, maybe now is the right time to get to know them.

My maternal grandmother aspired to be a part of the Radio City Rockettes in New York.  She had been a dancer her whole life, and was comfortable on the stage.   As great as it would be to say that my grandmother was a Rockette, I would not be here if she was.  The only way her parents kept her home was by allowing her to marry my grandfather, whom she met while dancing in a Veterans parade that he was also a part of.  Had she not caught his eye, my grandmother may have been living out her dream in New York, instead of living out a new dream, with a handsome young man.

My paternal grandmother grew up in Beverly Hills, California.  She lived down the street from actors and actresses, though was not a fan of the spotlight herself.  She started off living a glamorous life, but when her father died and the bank "couldn't find" the money he had, and her mother moved them to Ohio with family.  As a young girl, she went to work in Panama City.  While she didn't stay long, she had experiences that we will probably never know of, having lived a much different life.  While I have never left the country, my grandmother has lived an extraordinary life of travel and glamour.
My paternal great-grandfather was a first generation American.  He had older siblings born in Italy and younger siblings born in America.  He was the first to be born in a America after his mother spent her pregnant months on a ship bound for The Land of Opportunity.  What an amazing experience.  While I am grateful to have lived my entire life in America, I can only imagine the excitement of a young child, growing up in a land that is foreign but offers so many possibilities.  He went on to play professional baseball for one season only, but had the opportunity to meet extremely famous baseball players from decades ago.
If these changes, moving to America, moving to Ohio, and so on never happened, I would not be here today.  Life for my relatives could have turned out so much differently, had my great-grandfather been a professional baseball player for years and become famous, or had my grandmothers father not died and she continued to live a life of fortune and fame.

Things change in life, some good and some bad.  But for every change in life, there is a reason, and those reasons lead to you being born and living your life the way you do.  So while your grandparents may be family that you see every weekend, or family that you only see twice a year; they are family.  And they have gotten you to the place you are at now.  When this semester becomes stressful and you start to think about the statistics, take the time to talk to your grandparents about their life, rather than your big test coming up.  The stories they tell you could be startling.

Michael Rotondi

I recently saw Michael Rotondi, co-founder of SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) and co-founder of RoTo Architecture firm based out of Los Angeles lecture about his position on architecture.  One of the most important aspects of architecture lectured about was the visual imagination aspect, and taking time to take in the space around oneself.  Being a good architect means being about to put yourself in the position of the client and being able to imagine how the space will be used once completed.

In the book "Point Omega" by Don DeLillo the character is highly captivated by the slowed down viewing of "Psycho".  The character starts to notice so many more details that would have otherwise gone unnoticed and forgotten.  This heightened sense of  awareness is just what architects need to have as they design spaces.

In the book "The Look of Architecture," Witold Rybczynski speaks on this issue as well.  When architecture is photographed, it is often absent of people.  Author Rybczynski argues that architecture and people are not unrelated.  Because architecture is built for people, we should see the space being used by people in photographs, rather than a purified art piece.  If the piece really is as artistic as the architect claims it to be, the space should be able to be photographed and appreciated for the artistic space it is, while being used for its intention, to serve humans.  Using Michael Rotondi's rule of putting yourself in the space, it is important for architects and photographers to start showing spaces in use, so that people can more easily imagine themselves in the space.

Resurrecting Chruch

In recent months, I have had the pleasure of attending mass at a church in Lubbock, TX called St. John Neumann's Catholic Church.  One prominent belief in the Catholic religion is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, three days after his crucifixion.  This church's architecture resembles this core belief by being partially built underground and displaying a large chapel which seems to "resurrect" or rise out of the ground, resembling Jesus Christ's resurrection.

There are many benefits and reasons for designing buildings halfway underground, including energy savings due to the Earth's natural temperature controlling the space underground.  By being partially or completely underground a space can help to protect inhabitants from numerous natural disasters.  Although both of these reasons were probably taken into consideration when the design of the church was drawn up, as well as site and local building regulations, I believe that the connection between the scripture and the faith of the religion the church would be serving, was the most important consideration of all, to the client.

Earthscraper

With more and more structures being built, less and less ground space is available for new structures, and with a growing population this problem becomes even greater.  But what if there was a way around all this?  What if you could build more structures for the growing population, while conserving ground space?  That is just what architects in Mexico City are proposing.

It's called an "Earthscraper".

An online article speaks of the proposed plan and all the pros that could come from this underground structure.  Not only is space limited in Mexico City, but height regulations limit new buildings to a mere eight stories.  Architects feel as though building down is not only a logical option, but the only option they have, needing to fit retail, housing, and office space within a somewhat small square of the city.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048395/Earth-scraper-Architects-design-65-storey-building-300-metres-ground.html

This idea reminds me of an article in BULDBLOG, called Mine Plug.  In areas where structure is difficult to build due to less than perfect conditions, such as in Picher, OK, architects are looking at digging into the earth to use underground space, rather than aboveground space.

http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/mine-plug.html

Whether or not this structure will actually get built at this point is up for debate.  The article does not address the cons of building a giant "earthscraper" yet, but it is important to remember that it is only in a proposed state at this point and many questions still need to be worked out.  The fact that this option could possible become a reality proves how far we have come in the world of architecture.  Architects are good at pushing the limits and designing seemingly impossible structures, only to be later built and used.