Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently spoke at the American Institute of Architects’ 2017 annual meeting. She urged that people who design and build in cities must think about all parts of the city, not just the “important” buildings downtown, but also the communities where children live and play. She also suggested that we – teachers, parents, adults […]
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A Small ABC Book about Architecture
A is for Architecture is a book by Eric Heuler. With a hand drawn image on each page and a single sentence describing the words from A to Z, the book is a nice introduction to the terms of architecture, from Dome, to Masonry, to Oculus. (An oculus, by the way, is a circular window […]
Happy May Birthday, Walter Gropius!
May 18. 1883. The day that Walter Gropius was born. Let’s see, how many years ago was that? 134 years. Gropius was an architect. He was not very good at drawing but he had BIG and NEW ideas. His first job was with an industrial designer, followed by starting his own firm with a partner, […]
Paper Walls So No Need for Wallpaper
There is an office in Sweden with interior walls made of paper – piles and piles of paper. These “paperwalls” are stacks of magazines that are tightly bound and piled on top of each other. You can see the edges of the magazines and the string that binds them, and it looks like a random pattern. […]
What is a Chicago Window?
There are all sorts of windows that an architect might select for a building. Chicago Window A grouping of 3 windows, where there are two double hung windows on the sides of a picture window. These windows were used way back when in Chicago, in buildings like The Marquette Building, one of the earliest skyscrapers built. […]
Z is for ZIGGURAT
Ziggurat. What a goofy sounding word, right? What is a ziggurat and how does it relate to architecture? A ziggurat is a a stepped pyramid. Usually a four-sided structure. There were ziggurats in ancient Mesopotamia and also in ancient pre-Columbian Meso-America, Asia and Europe. Ziggurats are built out of stone and although they are found all […]
Teaching Kids about Architecture in Spain
This program has it all – hands-on learning, skill-building, and FUN. Architecture for Kids, or Architectura Par Ninos, is the name of the program, and gives us another case of “darn I wish I lived in Spain” The program is spelled out on the website, where they build structures both big and small, they learn […]
Draw in 3D? Sounds AMAZING!!!
A new toy/tool/art supply called a 3Doodler is available so you can draw a 3D object. And this gizmo looks pretty great. It is not inexpensive, a roundabout way of saying that it costs a pretty penny, and it looks like a whole lot of fun. Feed some plastic tubing into a pen-like tool, and […]
Modernism among Palm Trees
Modernism is a style of architecture built in the 1950’s. It is recognizable for straight lines, geometric shapes, lots of windows and light, and little decoration. Palm Springs, California is home for a great deal of modernist homes and structures. Architect William F. Cody designed many of these buildings. A film titled, “Desert Maverick,” uncovers his prolific […]
I Can Build it with Seven Pieces
Can you really build this building with only 7 geometric shapes? This is called a tangram and it is a shape that is built out of a series of other geometric shapes. In this case, it is made of” 1 square 5 triangles (different sizes) 1 parallelogram Can you figure it out with just that much […]