tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89354502423153076492024-02-20T08:01:41.557-08:00WOWchitecture Architecture Outside the Box Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-54597625835054687202017-02-25T07:31:00.000-08:002017-02-26T03:10:49.605-08:00<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">43. Six Buildings that Will Rock your World in 2017</span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn4CYFJzb4Q/WKtLMUHYEQI/AAAAAAABtUc/sQsJgAakPfUHh9wsokJD-IT2HcQa7e-JQCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn4CYFJzb4Q/WKtLMUHYEQI/AAAAAAABtUc/sQsJgAakPfUHh9wsokJD-IT2HcQa7e-JQCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Kazakhstan World Expo (via AS+GG)</span></span></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's that time of year again. Yes, today we release our list of structures that we believe will rock your world in 2017. This year the list can be summarized in one four-letter word: A-S-I-A. And not just China - although that country will contribute the lone Megatall - but also Kazakhstan, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. Only one building outside this region has made it onto our list.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We readily admit that this is the shortest and least global list we've ever produced. With good reason. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dubai and other petro-economies are feeling the pinch of declining oil prices and are slowing down.</span></span> London and New York, after a brief period of experimental design, have settled back into the comfy confines of banal boxes and tall matchsticks. Chicago is emerging from a long and hard recession and just beginning to build tall again. Beijing's harsh and humourless leadership has ordered an end to out-of-the-box design. And while some developers are building taller than ever, the process is taking longer than ever.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's the background against which we present the best-of-the-best for 2017. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Rocketing to the Sky</b><br /><br /><i><b>Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill (AS+GG)</b></i> may be two of the world's most accomplished, yet least acclaimed, architects. But that's the way it is when you spend much of your career toiling for a global megalith like <i><b>Skidmore, Owings, Merrill (SOM).</b></i> It's the corporate execs, not the architects, who get the lion's share of the credit.<br /><br />Had Smith and Gill formed a partnership earlier in their careers (as they eventually did in 2006) they would be known worldwide as the STARchitects who designed the world's tallest building (Dubai's 162-storey <i>Burj Khalifa</i>) the world's future tallest building (the 167-storey <i>Jeddah Tower</i>) and a cornucopia of giants like Chicago's 92-storey <i>Trump International Hotel + Tower</i>, the 89-storey <i>Nanjing Greenland Financial Center</i>, and Shanghai's 88-storey<i> Jin Mao Tower.</i><br /><br /> In the year ahead, <i><b>AS+GG</b></i>'s reputation should soar as high as their tallest skyscrapers. The small firm will complete not one, not two, but three works of <i><b>WOWchitecture</b></i>. The largest of these will be the 127-storey <b>Wuhan Greenland Center. </b>By the end of 2017, the tower will be the third-largest in China and fourth-largest in the world:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VLILxM_7ScQ/WKtLMY7LhNI/AAAAAAABtUc/QsUTAlAWy_guP61P_pQ1QziQeCuwX7LfgCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VLILxM_7ScQ/WKtLMY7LhNI/AAAAAAABtUc/QsUTAlAWy_guP61P_pQ1QziQeCuwX7LfgCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> (<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image via AS+GG)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <b>Centre</b> incorporates four key design features: a tapering body that gives the building the look of a giant spaceship; softly rounded corners that reduce wind resistance; a domed top above which is an arched tip; and concave sides that create a unique aesthetic.<br /><br /> <b>From Unknown to Unknown</b><br /><br /> If there's one thing that's even less well-known than <i><b>Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill</b></i>, it's that Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, will host a World Expo later this year. Coincidentally, the lead architects for the Expo are <i><b>AS+GG </b></i>How good was their design? Consider that they beat out more than 49 companies, including <i><b>Zaha Hadid Architects</b></i>, <i><b>Snohetta</b></i>, <i><b>HOK</b></i> <i><b>and Coop Himmelb(l)au.</b></i><br /><br /> The centrepiece of the Expo will be a 25-storey sphere, the <i><b>Kazakstan Pavillon</b></i>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e3YW1Seqvlc/WKtNFP8v_mI/AAAAAAABtVI/ZhK8GHwAMakcVdtVyh48iRbHP90bVva0QCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e3YW1Seqvlc/WKtNFP8v_mI/AAAAAAABtVI/ZhK8GHwAMakcVdtVyh48iRbHP90bVva0QCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image via<i><b> </b>AS+GG</i>)</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The sphere will be clad in double-curved glass made in Italy. The building will go zero-energy one better - it will actually produce energy. By scooping out a gouge at the top of the sphere, the architects will enable Astana's brutal southwest winds to enter a channel on the interior skin of the sphere, and from there it will be steered to energy-generating turbines.<br /><br /> <b>Mr. Foreman, Your New Grill is Ready</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xrV9aJU4_fg/WKtLMYlXQZI/AAAAAAABtVA/eBFJATO2y8cBPkbadlaGFXRKncrkqxGtwCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xrV9aJU4_fg/WKtLMYlXQZI/AAAAAAABtVA/eBFJATO2y8cBPkbadlaGFXRKncrkqxGtwCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Image via AS+GG)</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I first saw the above image, I thought it had to be a new prototype for the George Foreman Grill. It had just the right amount of flatness on top and curves down the sides. But the more I looked at it, the more it reminded me of a flying saucer. In actuality, it was inspired by Kazakhstan's national symbol, the sleek golden eagle. In a way that's sad. There are lots of buildings that resemble flying saucers and birds (see post #6) but not many that look like a George Foreman Grill.<br /><br /> The building is the <b>Astana Congress Center,</b> another space-age contribution to the Expo by <i><b>AS+GG</b></i>. It will feature a 3,000-seat auditorium and secure VIP and VVIP areas to host world leaders who are expected to show up for the Expo. It will host significant events during the Expo and act as a hub for post-Expo legacy events.<br /><br /><b>You're Never Too Old to be Young</b><br /><br /><i><b>Moshe Safdie</b></i> is now in his 50th year of being an architectural wunderkind. OK, so maybe 78 is a bit old for a wunderkind. But <i><b>Safdie</b></i> is still every bit as unique, provocative, and controversial as he was when he launched his Habitat onto the world scene at Expo '67 in Montreal.<br /><br /> This year, his arrow in the heart of the conservative architectural establishment is <b>Altair</b>, a two-tower, mixed-use development in Sri Lanka: </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04w1w1Kjfos/WKtLMf0b9VI/AAAAAAABtUc/KonXZzcAN7Yb_bSBJz8ATK0N4Wxw71puwCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04w1w1Kjfos/WKtLMf0b9VI/AAAAAAABtUc/KonXZzcAN7Yb_bSBJz8ATK0N4Wxw71puwCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> (Image via:Safdie Architects) </span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One tower will rise 69-vertical storeys into the air. The other, looking as if it is tired and needing support, will lean at an angle onto the first. Sri Lanka has the kind of tropical climate where just about anything will grow just about anywhere. So, a dramatic stepping of the balconies will ensure that a network of gardens will open to the sky.<br /><br /><b>The Torsos Keep on Turning</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /> Ever since <i><b>Santiago Calatrava</b></i> stunned the word in 2005 with his 52-storey <b>Turning Torso</b> in Malmo, Sweden, architects have been trying their best to refine and redefine the look. This year's contribution - and wildest interpretation yet - comes courtesy of <i><b>Vincent Callebaut. </b></i>The Belgian ecological architect designs futuristic projects which take into account the many aspects of sustainability.<i><b><br /></b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b> </b></i></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V5LdXli_wSY/WKtLMQdqgdI/AAAAAAABtUc/MbRvgED3WusiyNnQ5rCam3wfAc-oQ4BCQCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V5LdXli_wSY/WKtLMQdqgdI/AAAAAAABtUc/MbRvgED3WusiyNnQ5rCam3wfAc-oQ4BCQCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image via: Vincent Callebaut Architects)</span><i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <b>Agora Garden</b> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">in Taipei, Taiwan </span></span>will have two key distinguishing features. First, the 21-storey building will look like a strand of DNA, with its iconic double helix twisted around a central core. Secondly, the building's exterior will feature a cascade of suspended gardens that will cover the entire building and include 23,000 trees and shrubs. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Residents will also be encouraged to grow their own fruits and vegetables. </span></span>This urban forest will absorb 130 tons of carbon dioxide. It's a small drop in the bucket of global warming, but as <i><b>Callebaut</b></i> told CNN, "The tower presents a pioneer concept of sustainable residential eco-construction that aims at limiting the ecological footprint of its inhabitants." The design includes natural lighting and ventilation as well as rainwater recycling and rooftop solar panels. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Definitely NOT Made in China</b><br /><br />One building on our list - the only one not in Asia - is being eagerly awaited by adults and children alike. It's the <b>LEGO House </b>experience centre in the company's hometown of Billund, Denmark. And why not? Who among us hasn't owned a LEGO set or reasonable facsimile at some point in our lives. The folks at LEGO obviously believe in their product. The building will look as if it has been constructed from 21 giant LEGO bricks:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upP4ob1QVfs/WKtLMbco8AI/AAAAAAABtUc/Ra6I8C_9EGIc1jqJrU06MpwU86btKDz0QCPcB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upP4ob1QVfs/WKtLMbco8AI/AAAAAAABtUc/Ra6I8C_9EGIc1jqJrU06MpwU86btKDz0QCPcB/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image via BIG)</span></span></span></div>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Designed by the red-hot Danish firm <i><b>BIG</b></i>, <b>LEGO House </b>will be 30 meters high, with public access</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> from the outside</span></span> to several rooftop gardens. Inside, visitors will experience exhibition areas, a cafe, and LEGO store. At the laying of the <b>House</b>'s foundation brick, BIG founder <i><b>Bjarke Ingels</b></i> gave the children's toy his seal of approval. "For me the LEGO brick embodies the notion of systemic creativity - that the rigour and rationality of the LEGO brick allows children of all ages infinite possibilities to create their own worlds and to inhabit them through play." Perhaps Ingels was one of those kids, since many of his buildings have that distinct child-like imaginative quality.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-42843111589257104972017-01-11T12:35:00.000-08:002017-01-13T04:07:47.875-08:00<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>42. When Searching for Treasure, Any Treasure will Do</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tR1LIy5HX08/V8MiONDKIHI/AAAAAAABmA8/ZJwjq35dVU8bOCQWiySSfHmHXn_y-OsFgCLcB/s1600/DSC02411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tR1LIy5HX08/V8MiONDKIHI/AAAAAAABmA8/ZJwjq35dVU8bOCQWiySSfHmHXn_y-OsFgCLcB/s640/DSC02411.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Main Entryway to Pinang Peranakan Mansion</i></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of our favourite hobbies, besides appreciating great architecture, is walking urban streets photographing street art. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>(Please see our other blog, streetsmart319.blogspot.com)</i> We often do this in tropical countries, where survival requires le</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">arning a few tricks of the trade. The alternative is putting unnecessary wear and tear on your feet while melting away beneath the baking heat and humidity of an unforgiving sun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's not to say Heather and I always practice what we preach. Like mad dogs and Englishmen we usually begin stalking our prey under the noonday sun. A morning start would, of course, be so much smarter, but we're just not morning people. Hey,we're barely afternoon people. So, the biggest challenge to our photography is keeping the sweat out of our eyes long enough to frame a good shot and press the shutter button. That, and grabbing enough shade and liquid to keep from keeling over from sunstroke or dehydration. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While we may not play by all the rules, we've learned to compensate by sniffing out the quickest routes between ourselves and the street art. Every city offers its own shortcuts. In</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">George Town</span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">,</i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> the capital city of Penang, Malaysia, we discovered that the key</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> is to seek out four-way intersections. There, you gaze in every direction at the rows of Chinese shophouses -- the city's iconic form of architecture. If you don't spot a break in the houses (as in the renovated stretch below) there's no point in walking up the street. Your only reward will be rows of blisters.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBBgltKfxKmtPp904te0FyraJHXiqgb_3E-n69qJRSiz9-IsPjJZ2JsYeAkf1_vHdiJzfycYS0iYRJ3mckAr9EPGgYxt7sIeVCZzDOHDNm9VSMQ4roGn-gXFc4ZcVV8023dHTj_vFLg_R/s1600/DSC04032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBBgltKfxKmtPp904te0FyraJHXiqgb_3E-n69qJRSiz9-IsPjJZ2JsYeAkf1_vHdiJzfycYS0iYRJ3mckAr9EPGgYxt7sIeVCZzDOHDNm9VSMQ4roGn-gXFc4ZcVV8023dHTj_vFLg_R/s640/DSC04032.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>A row of Chinese shophouses in George Town</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You're more likely to find gaps in areas where older shophouses have been torn down -- or just given way to the forces of gravity -- making room for street-level parking lots. On either side of the lots, the remaining row house walls present artists with large, deep and inviting concrete canvases. Indeed, some of the best murals in George Town can be found adjacent to parking lots.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8k-WxgL9Kp4/WHZyuaQ5xBI/AAAAAAABroI/_3ydCgUIg1oz4m-xh__1f8i7NnLqz5tQwCLcB/s1600/DSC02405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8k-WxgL9Kp4/WHZyuaQ5xBI/AAAAAAABroI/_3ydCgUIg1oz4m-xh__1f8i7NnLqz5tQwCLcB/s640/DSC02405.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i> Mural by 4Some Crew</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDELFrfik3gQwJbcpjeH4gns-4_sZMxJ0yo4ehPWzfsOnC7ZcECqijBxZFBuD2B_UyiQuFmhU9wAWvlisQqZkpJwKp1eXaE5ji2pDUgnINq0StjWM7CJNO0U0d11kguVvAiqRkUrS6p7Z_/s1600/DSC04084_e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDELFrfik3gQwJbcpjeH4gns-4_sZMxJ0yo4ehPWzfsOnC7ZcECqijBxZFBuD2B_UyiQuFmhU9wAWvlisQqZkpJwKp1eXaE5ji2pDUgnINq0StjWM7CJNO0U0d11kguVvAiqRkUrS6p7Z_/s640/DSC04084_e.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Symbiotic by Addison Karl</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One day - a typical George Town afternoon of 33C+ with blanketing humidity -- we were sauntering around an area of row houses when we spotted a break in the pattern and a large, open, setback. We knew that we were onto something. But little did we know what. Instead of finding a parking lot with great street art, we walked smack dab into the outer courtyard of the </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Pinang Peranakan Mansion</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, a Unesco World Heritage Site.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <i>Peranakans</i>, also known as the <i>Straits Chinese</i>, emigrated from China and settled in the British Straits settlements of Penang, Melaka and Singapore -- collectively known as Malaya. They were largely traders and the Pinang mansion was built in the late 1800s as the home of successful magnate <b>Kapitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee</b>. It was, and is, an eclectic (but opulent) arrangement of Chinese carved wooden panels, English floor tiles, Scottish ironworks, mother-of-pearl furniture, gilded mirrors and Rose porcelain. It also houses over a thousand pieces of antiques and collectibles.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Walking through the <i>Mansion</i>'s wooden front doors, we entered the ornate reception hall -- a two-story, open-air atrium. It was our lucky day as a festive event was in the offing and the room was festooned with flowers and Chinese-patterned umbrellas. It all made for a spectacularly colourful scene, whether viewed from below:</span>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A8v72vtVusM/V8W6tSPVgyI/AAAAAAABmIE/9kAXvLPfs0QhEOn-zFFcMX_FEuDpRGJDQCLcB/s1600/DSC02560b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A8v72vtVusM/V8W6tSPVgyI/AAAAAAABmIE/9kAXvLPfs0QhEOn-zFFcMX_FEuDpRGJDQCLcB/s640/DSC02560b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> above: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQjlEE-ij18/V8W651SLHsI/AAAAAAABmII/lP6DfmWIAuQ_tpaNg3IRM75A4VQZs-zsQCLcB/s1600/DSC02566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQjlEE-ij18/V8W651SLHsI/AAAAAAABmII/lP6DfmWIAuQ_tpaNg3IRM75A4VQZs-zsQCLcB/s640/DSC02566.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">or at eye level:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WSLKFS4JsXw/V8cCqs8X3gI/AAAAAAABmJQ/E82H1HYUWMwgJyjtqd2jGWiVb0Ixn_n8wCEw/s1600/DSC04286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WSLKFS4JsXw/V8cCqs8X3gI/AAAAAAABmJQ/E82H1HYUWMwgJyjtqd2jGWiVb0Ixn_n8wCEw/s640/DSC04286.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Two main family rooms ran off the Reception Hall. They were primarily used by women and were separated off by gilded doors with lavishly designed lattice work. The doors were called "spirit doors</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">" <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">since </span>the lattice was meant to confuse malev<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o</span>l<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e</span>n<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">forces and keep them from entering <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the main house.</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9EWQVPrbkrxU-HAWx14X4DdxO_zQlhsDMwznK5sit5kXuWZv-PhvsH2Sz-hgkXgSH0R9tlj2hTHIa4OqBBeXCLmMyTSM7h2gOyT8yeGZfDu5lju2sVq_cpchQIzZVL8NQH5DTD-jkQOp/s1600/DSC04290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9EWQVPrbkrxU-HAWx14X4DdxO_zQlhsDMwznK5sit5kXuWZv-PhvsH2Sz-hgkXgSH0R9tlj2hTHIa4OqBBeXCLmMyTSM7h2gOyT8yeGZfDu5lju2sVq_cpchQIzZVL8NQH5DTD-jkQOp/s640/DSC04290.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the rooms is a dining hall, used primarily for hosting European guests:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsXLAGdeBNpxkYlZSkx5Ul7ftrvQii-PdX3tV9rnSE3ouiMfpPmklIA9WLxk9uYPXq6N-UIj7P69lDLBhg1DFAMJFwHhgCnGckvJ9jyop5PhRmLTq1JUu1miJCds-4uxgiAgaQx1dw8kv/s1600/DSC04277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsXLAGdeBNpxkYlZSkx5Ul7ftrvQii-PdX3tV9rnSE3ouiMfpPmklIA9WLxk9uYPXq6N-UIj7P69lDLBhg1DFAMJFwHhgCnGckvJ9jyop5PhRmLTq1JUu1miJCds-4uxgiAgaQx1dw8kv/s640/DSC04277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The remainder of the first floor is divided into galleries showcasing the <i>Mansion</i>'s treasures, including furniture:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiTY83k758gFnmo58tsKPCGehrmX-0X4b1tGyVWhHlqOUUI-DGj3HtJ5uZ7rRf2Xay_1RxzyK6KHzq0lJTNjWzUL6IZOAgU2eCqsRMc-2BnTzMLThGwEuxmEuHh3dm5pwE0I3tyIvWINy/s1600/DSC02554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiTY83k758gFnmo58tsKPCGehrmX-0X4b1tGyVWhHlqOUUI-DGj3HtJ5uZ7rRf2Xay_1RxzyK6KHzq0lJTNjWzUL6IZOAgU2eCqsRMc-2BnTzMLThGwEuxmEuHh3dm5pwE0I3tyIvWINy/s640/DSC02554.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BvtLvfyC1jE/WGv4oKIkb3I/AAAAAAABrHc/uHjJazXSQbguPpXykYcXKRLdMop_C_AYwCLcB/s1600/DSC02550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BvtLvfyC1jE/WGv4oKIkb3I/AAAAAAABrHc/uHjJazXSQbguPpXykYcXKRLdMop_C_AYwCLcB/s640/DSC02550.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0mz5_FLWhqDzoB1Mi046ujC3DCsL0ce4n9ec8bvctKQoTHNEJc6WHYN1apyX6AN7u2ZZj2IEZWs75_vFLmTzHechYMyksHPJWzYky78FSudjxk5RNFQd2-JwkOv0YBwGj_zoLeNlSOSe/s1600/DSC04270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0mz5_FLWhqDzoB1Mi046ujC3DCsL0ce4n9ec8bvctKQoTHNEJc6WHYN1apyX6AN7u2ZZj2IEZWs75_vFLmTzHechYMyksHPJWzYky78FSudjxk5RNFQd2-JwkOv0YBwGj_zoLeNlSOSe/s640/DSC04270.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Decorative ceramics:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizE2W_81HTinfNYYluSQloKIKO5nfYUoG-ad8eOygCcVwTU2GHkGXjSOKM1WRebiJj6kNSMIt1J_S1cchg-h6349mgRSmg2qJ8Op3zsT3hxEzLfKxH_a0b8ZxePOJjVP3uqjkVA5_JBeHc/s1600/DSC02556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizE2W_81HTinfNYYluSQloKIKO5nfYUoG-ad8eOygCcVwTU2GHkGXjSOKM1WRebiJj6kNSMIt1J_S1cchg-h6349mgRSmg2qJ8Op3zsT3hxEzLfKxH_a0b8ZxePOJjVP3uqjkVA5_JBeHc/s640/DSC02556.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxplvORm0m8epBAHGy5DoZmp-Tr7VQs9R8Zeuhyh9Pd8uGQ0bUeSri0bgxXpXbb2fa7EFDeCTt2FwexYiToKJRrH7Qtu5XmN8pt-SsSLWsHYfUZT5TQ2ElKV2OmY85Ah6UIpDIiFcbFDw/s1600/DSC04288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxplvORm0m8epBAHGy5DoZmp-Tr7VQs9R8Zeuhyh9Pd8uGQ0bUeSri0bgxXpXbb2fa7EFDeCTt2FwexYiToKJRrH7Qtu5XmN8pt-SsSLWsHYfUZT5TQ2ElKV2OmY85Ah6UIpDIiFcbFDw/s640/DSC04288.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fabrics:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvaJchyphenhyphenDGEg5wFnaLknabdnOfKJ2n88cDWQ-3tfCUTri6aj_wGGrd7BZKle8pIvUSjNClOPB2WSiwW57VpPuFb9PBoL4IZN3v2NlEouoA2xhULIdsNoZEODs_2hyphenhyphenfYrMvOE9RZmJJ6muw/s1600/DSC04263_e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvaJchyphenhyphenDGEg5wFnaLknabdnOfKJ2n88cDWQ-3tfCUTri6aj_wGGrd7BZKle8pIvUSjNClOPB2WSiwW57VpPuFb9PBoL4IZN3v2NlEouoA2xhULIdsNoZEODs_2hyphenhyphenfYrMvOE9RZmJJ6muw/s640/DSC04263_e.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0s0NVEAipg/WGwCpccddpI/AAAAAAABrIM/3suFmisKF0c-mNyCMzQK8Z76vX-GB_75ACLcB/s1600/DSC04265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0s0NVEAipg/WGwCpccddpI/AAAAAAABrIM/3suFmisKF0c-mNyCMzQK8Z76vX-GB_75ACLcB/s640/DSC04265.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beautiful glass lamps, collectibles, and period kitchen ware:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSL2f3kN2IKElG7gBbBLkPJhkzjSubwT0A96kwIj6hPitreRYDM_fj4J3RHHui9HRAWY8vPKd77XlvdDxrOlNFs23XsK8VAW01AvGIkakFfx_KzHzamgtaG2LCA9uXXggPPM0zayrnt_EA/s1600/DSC04289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSL2f3kN2IKElG7gBbBLkPJhkzjSubwT0A96kwIj6hPitreRYDM_fj4J3RHHui9HRAWY8vPKd77XlvdDxrOlNFs23XsK8VAW01AvGIkakFfx_KzHzamgtaG2LCA9uXXggPPM0zayrnt_EA/s640/DSC04289.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6T9YRTRjWes/WG0PZu5qHoI/AAAAAAABrLU/uidPH6GcHPYWV5_2uvgXsqRmP7MA_e1nQCLcB/s1600/DSC04261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6T9YRTRjWes/WG0PZu5qHoI/AAAAAAABrLU/uidPH6GcHPYWV5_2uvgXsqRmP7MA_e1nQCLcB/s640/DSC04261.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1tSQi0ThqlxnO4WblIwEeBeQUra8K-5RXsJSXKLLXWb27YfQ32IL25YRDoIm8Yty6IBr6to7ZIza3nKwCfyp3MVFK-7Z1jgL3xvGoY3UyEAG6igoGULvt_e8XTTnwCwIWgekqxJZAQyi/s1600/DSC04268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1tSQi0ThqlxnO4WblIwEeBeQUra8K-5RXsJSXKLLXWb27YfQ32IL25YRDoIm8Yty6IBr6to7ZIza3nKwCfyp3MVFK-7Z1jgL3xvGoY3UyEAG6igoGULvt_e8XTTnwCwIWgekqxJZAQyi/s640/DSC04268.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The doors to the annexes were beautiful displays in and of themselves:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvURfiDjdqx7SNjEGcrPHxBmx1urrtsvU0q_C91KgMgUVs9qHEJErybUpiXpGozL_Kn6W8Mwrb7UQCmeC8OqTqkM_2HUo9uN0r3_HgqfzDHbD2mxHtPA7DYN5phRzkcvKgbl5ciCNPlK8/s1600/DSC02557b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvURfiDjdqx7SNjEGcrPHxBmx1urrtsvU0q_C91KgMgUVs9qHEJErybUpiXpGozL_Kn6W8Mwrb7UQCmeC8OqTqkM_2HUo9uN0r3_HgqfzDHbD2mxHtPA7DYN5phRzkcvKgbl5ciCNPlK8/s640/DSC02557b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And overall the house had such an elegant feel to it that even the washroom signs were classy:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjln3JHMzw0ghtSK6FzZZKxrAFXDodCCCReEb2KWwqMiKqS_suI-pbr4zgwTL5btJfmEjhCjwNhfH8Jltx-CnK35I-Duv9DfydcG9kJ0CEzGi0KukGXFwjD7fwmAxgJPl0I9x8F4_saw5tX/s1600/DSC02552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjln3JHMzw0ghtSK6FzZZKxrAFXDodCCCReEb2KWwqMiKqS_suI-pbr4zgwTL5btJfmEjhCjwNhfH8Jltx-CnK35I-Duv9DfydcG9kJ0CEzGi0KukGXFwjD7fwmAxgJPl0I9x8F4_saw5tX/s400/DSC02552.jpg" width="305" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKLkvK-E8JqxM5skN3saekT5vMOdwRH-_0uhYFvwfUxd2q-2rWKANNAIc4fBvWasGmrRd4M4qrXrwHK7LMuDNkKWn0PLZRlc4V1iQ0SsswF_DfPq59zHB_JoUi9c8T7vomcmFTS-nAMUk/s1600/DSC02553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKLkvK-E8JqxM5skN3saekT5vMOdwRH-_0uhYFvwfUxd2q-2rWKANNAIc4fBvWasGmrRd4M4qrXrwHK7LMuDNkKWn0PLZRlc4V1iQ0SsswF_DfPq59zHB_JoUi9c8T7vomcmFTS-nAMUk/s400/DSC02553.jpg" width="280" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-fQcDyh2LeZkRUZ9AaRTAir_DIWV2c797shM5aOj5quv0-UxGzPV4v8xKYXBT-RZXETx5L_5ZKZeti71Z-Ll3zzjXzPBuCs_yrLd2DZCQu7yFc3w-0n7Ka0LXC0MbC7r-2rJgm1uWiG1/s1600/DSC02555b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-fQcDyh2LeZkRUZ9AaRTAir_DIWV2c797shM5aOj5quv0-UxGzPV4v8xKYXBT-RZXETx5L_5ZKZeti71Z-Ll3zzjXzPBuCs_yrLd2DZCQu7yFc3w-0n7Ka0LXC0MbC7r-2rJgm1uWiG1/s400/DSC02555b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kYXQL4pILcY/WG0eyMFnkJI/AAAAAAABrMg/yOp6prdstkskw6ocC92wtxrWUttT4f3cwCEw/s1600/DSC02555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kYXQL4pILcY/WG0eyMFnkJI/AAAAAAABrMg/yOp6prdstkskw6ocC92wtxrWUttT4f3cwCEw/s400/DSC02555.jpg" width="283" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Doubling back to the main Reception Hall, we climbed the <i>Fleurs-de-Lys</i> stairway:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl-IF079CGK4tIyD-Whbnf5Dr2hChgOPXHjNz_-bSTlILP77fFXeUrc2Q7VIlgQRLRUR7yaJreDtSW7__CxHrny8CdjzWyNfNfd4zqmf9zX_KskJfGXKFo5eQyOuNAVyVK5R6NYwtO9v_/s1600/DSC02568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl-IF079CGK4tIyD-Whbnf5Dr2hChgOPXHjNz_-bSTlILP77fFXeUrc2Q7VIlgQRLRUR7yaJreDtSW7__CxHrny8CdjzWyNfNfd4zqmf9zX_KskJfGXKFo5eQyOuNAVyVK5R6NYwtO9v_/s640/DSC02568.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to the <i>Mansion</i>'s second-floor:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I2zTS7UH7MU/WG0jGGpvfbI/AAAAAAABrM0/72SjcP98ci8JxlvlLqLmcNEJ5dcBH6-6gCLcB/s1600/DSC02564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I2zTS7UH7MU/WG0jGGpvfbI/AAAAAAABrM0/72SjcP98ci8JxlvlLqLmcNEJ5dcBH6-6gCLcB/s640/DSC02564.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being the family's private area, the second floor wasn't quite as glitzy as the first. But the bedrooms still contained some beautiful objects:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveGHIZECj_9vQIGNu3R_H8pGnSQ7bt0zcfFHWZcQB6bZrCbugBWJ1fcvHocm1v9yBP8lqdDUb0s-3uaZwOoAOir5ovKM-IiLY166FXdWGWJ0CYkG-s80u899T1w6bcikzQH6cI-3XQlvU/s1600/DSC04290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveGHIZECj_9vQIGNu3R_H8pGnSQ7bt0zcfFHWZcQB6bZrCbugBWJ1fcvHocm1v9yBP8lqdDUb0s-3uaZwOoAOir5ovKM-IiLY166FXdWGWJ0CYkG-s80u899T1w6bcikzQH6cI-3XQlvU/s640/DSC04290.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1AidX1KTnSqAsnjKm7H7PVAHY62RBrfZWhR3VmOuBwyoZOrL9SPJ-KZnLgXqTSMFOUjoWvD-KBWWpHsWy8lI1KQdbPuwv6oCCe1jA7eDWcmR6iyUA8EJcgL3zNfXJnPwvYG_nPPQ9dxP/s1600/DSC04291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1AidX1KTnSqAsnjKm7H7PVAHY62RBrfZWhR3VmOuBwyoZOrL9SPJ-KZnLgXqTSMFOUjoWvD-KBWWpHsWy8lI1KQdbPuwv6oCCe1jA7eDWcmR6iyUA8EJcgL3zNfXJnPwvYG_nPPQ9dxP/s640/DSC04291.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">including display cases filled with finely crafted flowers and bowls of crystal and glass:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-elzUCy5qwxE/WG6JHVYz4CI/AAAAAAABrSc/ngCTm1jKmc44j4DXR5WZiUziOSdS7bIgwCLcB/s1600/DSC04294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-elzUCy5qwxE/WG6JHVYz4CI/AAAAAAABrSc/ngCTm1jKmc44j4DXR5WZiUziOSdS7bIgwCLcB/s640/DSC04294.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNY08897KGm3GEB5cm3h5FtalaLftTrxHaWM_gMz1KsF5pZsEKbXpfawgqAWy85c85R4eEMI46ZTsGaNwrOQ8vWLlcIpnMIPLvQtRPd3jHKDmKMvid4wmCWDPYGL6mC6dDE8_clDamVjgD/s1600/DSC04293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNY08897KGm3GEB5cm3h5FtalaLftTrxHaWM_gMz1KsF5pZsEKbXpfawgqAWy85c85R4eEMI46ZTsGaNwrOQ8vWLlcIpnMIPLvQtRPd3jHKDmKMvid4wmCWDPYGL6mC6dDE8_clDamVjgD/s640/DSC04293.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As well as an attractive woman who was still learning that if you aim your camera at a cabinet with a mirror in it, you're going to be in the picture!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb3eJI16OXIY_y1OeznPhVOcdoYjLw6kx1rzSmLiV0mpnacPpCclndBP29eBQJvCHuzdn9LiFWLaxFVJlqpP5nuwKi1kGoqWeAyX_tjF_yjHRYSRTJPls0J40GtHfIJyURUp5OuIaTyj0/s1600/DSC04292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb3eJI16OXIY_y1OeznPhVOcdoYjLw6kx1rzSmLiV0mpnacPpCclndBP29eBQJvCHuzdn9LiFWLaxFVJlqpP5nuwKi1kGoqWeAyX_tjF_yjHRYSRTJPls0J40GtHfIJyURUp5OuIaTyj0/s640/DSC04292.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a few minutes of wandering about the second floor, we went back down to the Main Reception Hall. There we discovered the real reason why the <i>Mansion</i> was so fancied up that day. A local couple dressed in traditional garb was using the <i>Mansion</i> as a backdrop for their wedding photos.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznE5sFY-j6NAdUCs7XJOdaEPDcQ_SUN8vXG7_4YYVCV1RlMFEHHb3Au-tJLrTxQOiBbHj5IVQ9jQ5JIX4KyG0dJvnf0ccvLc0hkg69oxkpuCmHEl8bcO3N0WtBTPmxQFzktYRRhZeTr0Y/s1600/DSC02572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznE5sFY-j6NAdUCs7XJOdaEPDcQ_SUN8vXG7_4YYVCV1RlMFEHHb3Au-tJLrTxQOiBbHj5IVQ9jQ5JIX4KyG0dJvnf0ccvLc0hkg69oxkpuCmHEl8bcO3N0WtBTPmxQFzktYRRhZeTr0Y/s640/DSC02572.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a scene that had no doubt played out hundreds of times before. But today there was one difference. At least two of the photographers had started their day thinking that they were going to be shooting street art.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-13442348137283107042016-06-10T03:08:00.000-07:002016-06-10T03:08:19.743-07:00<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">41. Paris' Castel Beranger: Delightful or Deranged?</span></b></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnMoxV2Q-JdWkQNwAHqJN-xOmNSgaXiqfr9kB2SooYGBiy7GwxcIkcC5Wfcdwk87PxBa04NsYU5MPeiB-ryIdM55VtNcdgdm18w6dpVmev7vhy9v_9Nt2UrA3wWmaAdj5uGmFfGvSU_Si/s1600/036-Paris--Guimard+Apartment-Gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnMoxV2Q-JdWkQNwAHqJN-xOmNSgaXiqfr9kB2SooYGBiy7GwxcIkcC5Wfcdwk87PxBa04NsYU5MPeiB-ryIdM55VtNcdgdm18w6dpVmev7vhy9v_9Nt2UrA3wWmaAdj5uGmFfGvSU_Si/s640/036-Paris--Guimard+Apartment-Gate.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When architect <b>Hector Guimard</b> put his finishing touches on <i><b>Castel Beranger</b></i> in 1898, Paris had its first <i>Art Nouveau </i>apartment. Some of his critics called it deranged, but I think the building is completely delightful. So, either tastes have changed considerably over the past 118 years - or else I'm deranged too. I suspect the jury is still out on that one!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Art Nouveau</i>, which was inspired by nature and its round, sinewy and elongated forms, was considered a "total art style". <i>Guimard</i> was involved in every aspect of the building's design, including, structure, furniture, ornamental ironwork, carpets, glass, wallpaper, door knocks and doorknobs. He designed each of the apartments individually - no two were alike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Castel Beranger's</i> front gate (pictured above) may be the single most beautiful piece of metalwork I've every seen. It has all of the curvy, swervy lines and hints of musical notes that <i>Guimard</i> learned from his mentor, Brussels architect, <b>Victor Horta</b>. The pairing of bronze and blue, an unusual coupling to say the least, was pure inspired genius.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The fluidity of motion in the gate, carries on through to the entrance hall and inner door, where ceramics and stained-glass add to the blend of materials. The ceilings and the tops of the walls are covered with polished copper plates with metal motifs. The metalwork looks a little more green than on the outside, owing to the hallway's yellow lighting:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9gP_y9x1LeE/V1MMJYKccCI/AAAAAAABh8k/o33HWEgw66kV-i1M9WmhfqHEhLA3Iur6QCLcB/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9gP_y9x1LeE/V1MMJYKccCI/AAAAAAABh8k/o33HWEgw66kV-i1M9WmhfqHEhLA3Iur6QCLcB/s640/image1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo via: Jean-Pierre Dalbera, Wikipedia)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pattern continues on into the vestibule:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ho_Alg_XgKc/V1MMf05-AQI/AAAAAAABh8s/AU65s4Xx0pUJ2LrWdmA0VZ0CPkDYg7uGgCLcB/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ho_Alg_XgKc/V1MMf05-AQI/AAAAAAABh8s/AU65s4Xx0pUJ2LrWdmA0VZ0CPkDYg7uGgCLcB/s640/image2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Photo via: Jean-Pierre Dalbera, Wikipedia)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And to the main stairway where a relatively new innovation - blown-glass bricks - were used to bring in light and add beauty to the stairwell:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w69kReEBw-4/V1MNdnR8CCI/AAAAAAABh88/hr_lNKqzXsQrQMqzPHnR14Q423xcaQOLQCLcB/s1600/image3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w69kReEBw-4/V1MNdnR8CCI/AAAAAAABh88/hr_lNKqzXsQrQMqzPHnR14Q423xcaQOLQCLcB/s640/image3.jpg" width="373" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Photo via: Jean-Pierre Dalbera, Wikipedia)</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The outside facade of the building - with the exception of the gate - is a bit more whimsical, featuring wrought-iron sea horses, and masks said to bear a more than striking resemblance to <i>Guimard's </i>face:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-pf8Z-0Fkj6VRf6jK8vXIL-YEBJ04GwyiBxUi_Wp-GTYfovcfT0EbbLCZJfgT1CRGzgtYNMTJaR8AiWgRVPOfYQ29T86jKd_uaPaCDun2THhoZJkUm4CxVyui0LqaZCvENOUcenzxnOL/s1600/032-Paris--Guimard+Apartment-Balcony+Close-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-pf8Z-0Fkj6VRf6jK8vXIL-YEBJ04GwyiBxUi_Wp-GTYfovcfT0EbbLCZJfgT1CRGzgtYNMTJaR8AiWgRVPOfYQ29T86jKd_uaPaCDun2THhoZJkUm4CxVyui0LqaZCvENOUcenzxnOL/s640/032-Paris--Guimard+Apartment-Balcony+Close-Up.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwNi8Kuzc5ME87jyGq99gXn15nth8QSJ0Y2LV3GSQN7OD03pPCm7NbTx1rW8fEjo03yCP66EoAWOykzWt2PmAtdKQiQ1ULMhmH2QbiDXrJEK6uf4hZ7VKZVe5H1K8z23h4Rt3tYMEz5_U/s1600/image13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwNi8Kuzc5ME87jyGq99gXn15nth8QSJ0Y2LV3GSQN7OD03pPCm7NbTx1rW8fEjo03yCP66EoAWOykzWt2PmAtdKQiQ1ULMhmH2QbiDXrJEK6uf4hZ7VKZVe5H1K8z23h4Rt3tYMEz5_U/s400/image13.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosMCIhsfTU_wuu66JjzYvt5xNtGHTndhgP4PgNTi_ljj0ZjOrEHcnbdNZj1mLx2em1dmMYwYpHo2d8RqtdIZYFE7R-NPWEG6UMUCS42b6-PkHcFnShpzVnaQp1VjDE_TpFQjI9KGplPtx/s1600/035-Paris--Guimard+Apartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosMCIhsfTU_wuu66JjzYvt5xNtGHTndhgP4PgNTi_ljj0ZjOrEHcnbdNZj1mLx2em1dmMYwYpHo2d8RqtdIZYFE7R-NPWEG6UMUCS42b6-PkHcFnShpzVnaQp1VjDE_TpFQjI9KGplPtx/s640/035-Paris--Guimard+Apartment.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But it wasn't all fanciful. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Guimard</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> also used the project to develop and advance his <i>Art Nouveau</i> design technique:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xK7Q1D-mzoI/V1MTpeT0H_I/AAAAAAABh9g/NoBcNHwEQwIBP2QkDrjz9ohEKT1v9ISdACLcB/s1600/033-Paris--Guimard%2BApartment-Corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xK7Q1D-mzoI/V1MTpeT0H_I/AAAAAAABh9g/NoBcNHwEQwIBP2QkDrjz9ohEKT1v9ISdACLcB/s640/033-Paris--Guimard%2BApartment-Corner.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Castel Beranger</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> may not have pleased the more conservative elements within Paris' society - avant-garde design rarely does - it earned enough friends to see the building's frontage designated as Facade of the Year in the 16th arrondissement in 1898. It also played a major role in winning its designer another commission, without which Paris would be missing one of its most recognizable icons:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X8iPP4VTr3o/V1MUTRwLn2I/AAAAAAABh9s/4XqdugLEiG4VPSeD5Mf6t-dkE5ddlpMJACLcB/s1600/041-Paris--Imitation%2BGuimard%2BSubway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X8iPP4VTr3o/V1MUTRwLn2I/AAAAAAABh9s/4XqdugLEiG4VPSeD5Mf6t-dkE5ddlpMJACLcB/s640/041-Paris--Imitation%2BGuimard%2BSubway.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes, the <i>Hector Guimard </i>who created <i>Castel Béranger </i>is the same <i>Hector Guimard </i>who created dozens of Metro entrances across Paris' extensive subway network. And really, where would the romance of the <i>Art Nouveau</i> period be, and where would the beauty of Paris' <i>Belle Époque</i> era be, without <i>Guimard's</i> uniquely delightful Metro entrances?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-48081676494707555152016-04-10T12:10:00.000-07:002016-04-11T05:44:47.111-07:00<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">40. Zaha Hadid: An Appreciation</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4XVitjajaznYtvlQtL1lz3QAdlB-q9W6oswr6mox3D0hjdvVA31XwBqAmY1LCHUtVGf9EX_WYOnCZjFfYKCyDls5TJP_aevNgohuKwQq4dXQHDEHlzCiBy4QmtuwlKrXTKMZRp4YXORO/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4XVitjajaznYtvlQtL1lz3QAdlB-q9W6oswr6mox3D0hjdvVA31XwBqAmY1LCHUtVGf9EX_WYOnCZjFfYKCyDls5TJP_aevNgohuKwQq4dXQHDEHlzCiBy4QmtuwlKrXTKMZRp4YXORO/s640/image1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">New Century City Art Centre, Chengdu, China </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(All renderings via ZHA)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Architects aren't supposed to die at 65. They really aren't. From<strong> Sinan Mimar</strong> the builder of Istanbul's great mosques (who died in 1588 aged 99) to <strong>Oscar Niemeyer</strong> who created the magical jungle city of Brasilia (and lived to within 10 days of his 105th birthday) architects have been renowned for living long, fulfilling and productive lives. Let's also not forget<strong> Philip Johnson</strong>, who reached 98, <strong>Frank Lloyd Wright</strong> 91, <strong>Jorn Utzon</strong> (Sydney Opera House) 91 and <strong>Buckminster Fuller</strong> 87.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Among the living and still going strong are <strong>I.M. Pei</strong>, who will turn 99 later this month, <strong>Cesar Pelli</strong> 91 and <strong>Frank Gehry</strong> 87.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finding an architect who died at 65 or younger took me all the way back to the Finnish duo of<strong> Eero Saarinen</strong> (St. Louis Gateway Arch) and <strong>Viljo Revell</strong> (Toronto City Hall). The former died while undergoing surgery for a brain tumour in 1951, aged 51. The latter in 1964 aged 54.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span id="goog_377320425"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then came Thursday March 31, and the shock heard round the architectural world. The news, when it arrived, was swift and stark, bare and brutal:<b> Zaha Hadid, Dead at 65</b>. Like a nuclear explosion it arrived unexpectedly, unmercifully, and with soul-crushing finality. Like a thief in the night it robbed us of an invaluable treasure, one we are helpless to replace. We had expected so much more from her -- like at least another couple of decades of transformational work, lifting the bar higher and higher to worlds unimagined -- and unimaginable by other architects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are, by now, familiar with the broad brushstrokes that shaped her life's work: a woman in a "man's profession"; an Iraqi Arab in a world dominated by the West; a new face in England, a country often more comfortable with Empire than immigration; and a prodigious mind that designed structures that were often deemed too spectacular to bring to life -- even in envelope-pushing Emirate Dubai:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL5_4pERqff887cM8_yLv6Ojx0PBuPSZDARKxAOmSoo2e7xZ_sJ5Kj9A9eJCRO2gU-XZM7uvQP60yeafsHbC4O8repXfBFv8jHnUEANS5oCI3knUurEZG2_mX2-X5ypoV7EfkWkY3ySag/s1600/image4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL5_4pERqff887cM8_yLv6Ojx0PBuPSZDARKxAOmSoo2e7xZ_sJ5Kj9A9eJCRO2gU-XZM7uvQP60yeafsHbC4O8repXfBFv8jHnUEANS5oCI3knUurEZG2_mX2-X5ypoV7EfkWkY3ySag/s640/image4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Signature Towers</span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27In8NmqYe5tHR0DnvDz0BUdyKsW78Lkp22sgoe1hKznMhxK0X3xjRgfjhyzsvoT_YH8ivJtAQc5eXK1YvwzZ3TEvNaHzisQsRXy-miBii6CDyBCdZiJ0G8OjT2-losTdf42ggkv_ityr/s1600/image10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27In8NmqYe5tHR0DnvDz0BUdyKsW78Lkp22sgoe1hKznMhxK0X3xjRgfjhyzsvoT_YH8ivJtAQc5eXK1YvwzZ3TEvNaHzisQsRXy-miBii6CDyBCdZiJ0G8OjT2-losTdf42ggkv_ityr/s640/image10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Dubai Opera House</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Where others might have been blinded by the glare of the public spotlight, or crushed by the weight of expectations, <b>Hadid</b> shone. The greater the challenge, the more she rose to it. To the Pritzker Prize -- often referred to as the Nobel Prize or Academy Award of the architecture profession -- the first woman to do so. To two consecutive RIBA Stirling Prizes. To a multitude of other awards and accolades too numerous to mention.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid, DBE </b>to give her her full due, was a complex and multi-talented person who always chose the road not taken. She didn't understand words and phrases like "normal", "ordinary", "status quo", "fitting in", or "running with the crowd". Her buildings, like her personality, were outrageous, audacious, flamboyant, singular, provocative and iconoclastic. She simply set out to create a new type of architecture, and she succeeded marvelously. She didn't work outside of the box, she destroyed the box completely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We live in a world today which, unfortunately, privileges brevity over profundity. Thoughts, even paradigm-changing ones, are expected to be expressible in 120 characters or less. And so, many have sought to encapsulate <b>Hadid's</b> work in a single word: organic, futuristic, visionary, curvy, swervy, free-form, undulating. Each on its own is inadequate; all together, they still come up short.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I were to accept the fool's errand of summing up <b>Hadid's</b> work in a single word, that word, as self-serving as it may be, would be WOWchitecture. There simply wasn't a single thing that she created -- buildings, bridges, pavilions, artwork, furniture, jewelry, even yachts....to name a few -- </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that didn't make you go WOW! She was the ultimate WOWchitect and on most days my favourite.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eedMtkM0YkM/VwlJBui3s8I/AAAAAAABezs/8PkLLt-_zOcIuLib7l1-xxeBY9h4ypKWw/s1600/image12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eedMtkM0YkM/VwlJBui3s8I/AAAAAAABezs/8PkLLt-_zOcIuLib7l1-xxeBY9h4ypKWw/s640/image12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Hadid-designed Yacht</span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those of us who were fans of her hyperimaginative style, each had our favourite buildings. Her best-known structure was the white concrete and glass (nearly all of her buildings were white concrete and glass) <i><b>London Aquatics Centre</b></i> built for the 2012 Olympics. <strong>Hadid </strong>called it "a concept inspired by the smooth geometry of water in motion":</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnbghgsfeXoaMaV5-O_RUO6el0TRCyBmm33l9bJ4MC7njZunhInJXtKPoVnKd_-1YM0vx9Ghjho8rBvhxeforaUnGrfIeRT-cwuoFTccuLICXQC8awyOSqCHEPsh2UXq3VbTI0T7aYz0I/s1600/image15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnbghgsfeXoaMaV5-O_RUO6el0TRCyBmm33l9bJ4MC7njZunhInJXtKPoVnKd_-1YM0vx9Ghjho8rBvhxeforaUnGrfIeRT-cwuoFTccuLICXQC8awyOSqCHEPsh2UXq3VbTI0T7aYz0I/s640/image15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For me, her creme de la creme included the <b><i>Heydar Aliyev</i> </b><span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Center in Baku, Azerbaijan:</b></span></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></em></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ81uuEZtVLVhH8zkQjCJevSQbqZiFPOovbvY0HaRwhLsoPdayCBQ9E-B9CBBiWr4oGocLxORItR4MHoxJMTEuYd5NqW1zueoLFLbZtWPc55FniiP_RTi6MFEW4amvUvEt5wO4hyphenhyphen4Iyvo1/s1600/image8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ81uuEZtVLVhH8zkQjCJevSQbqZiFPOovbvY0HaRwhLsoPdayCBQ9E-B9CBBiWr4oGocLxORItR4MHoxJMTEuYd5NqW1zueoLFLbZtWPc55FniiP_RTi6MFEW4amvUvEt5wO4hyphenhyphen4Iyvo1/s640/image8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Guanzhou Opera House</b>:</i></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_Iroc3yt9g/VwlKMCBsH8I/AAAAAAABez8/2FLRYBh7QNA7lne1bO1Lds-1XuBrn_MVQ/s1600/image5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_Iroc3yt9g/VwlKMCBsH8I/AAAAAAABez8/2FLRYBh7QNA7lne1bO1Lds-1XuBrn_MVQ/s640/image5.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></em><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wanjing Soho:</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGDr1Cep474/VwlLtPzAAbI/AAAAAAABe0U/WUgHGVSbCL0pLMh1nZ5g-owrjJVc7L8PA/s1600/image2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGDr1Cep474/VwlLtPzAAbI/AAAAAAABe0U/WUgHGVSbCL0pLMh1nZ5g-owrjJVc7L8PA/s640/image2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
<b><i>Regium Waterfront:</i></b></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></em></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq58KEPqY-V0aDR_rA1daGgtHMhrorQvUloKP6-gO39dJ_9zHYvxHdH1DA71rqyNTFBAolL1tupNVwifTyAJGcM9kFf24U-4jQzE-fBHn4yjFqG1Js-PCjWe2Ko6dX0IgchNPzdM5AxUoL/s1600/image6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq58KEPqY-V0aDR_rA1daGgtHMhrorQvUloKP6-gO39dJ_9zHYvxHdH1DA71rqyNTFBAolL1tupNVwifTyAJGcM9kFf24U-4jQzE-fBHn4yjFqG1Js-PCjWe2Ko6dX0IgchNPzdM5AxUoL/s640/image6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These are already built. Others are underway and will soon join the parade of spectacular structures. Like the metro station at the <i style="font-weight: bold;">King Abdullah Financial District </i>in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52nfnpJdLsOGLJ60-VGnE0cZ-mGvYZ1sxhDw4CJ8cYgCNRX_TmHypInl-qL5GnwFjXPLnMDjWuw3hiHpAklkBXkO4W-74F2KY29GAV-SyDM2f0xGjrnyY5VqxWmVLPCCKs0H6PJ2QnXA2/s1600/image7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52nfnpJdLsOGLJ60-VGnE0cZ-mGvYZ1sxhDw4CJ8cYgCNRX_TmHypInl-qL5GnwFjXPLnMDjWuw3hiHpAklkBXkO4W-74F2KY29GAV-SyDM2f0xGjrnyY5VqxWmVLPCCKs0H6PJ2QnXA2/s640/image7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And <i><b>Port House</b> </i>in Antwerp:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qzok5rbxrqE/VwlL9SXpjxI/AAAAAAABe0c/2cQj-5D6ZVkwBshNC60yuAr9rYA84JXtQ/s1600/image3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qzok5rbxrqE/VwlL9SXpjxI/AAAAAAABe0c/2cQj-5D6ZVkwBshNC60yuAr9rYA84JXtQ/s640/image3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Somewhat further down the road, we should see the construction of the <i><b>Sleuk Rith Institute</b></i>, a memorial in Phnom Penh to Cambodia's h</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">olocaust:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoFCdUcYhU73DckbnK6B5JuEHzY18vKbgjGXJtjPvaRImsTinJKfTXyG_kA-D_RWs33E4SjeMKLt2cdpv6WlPyGTNvdC3KGf-H5Nhrw7pZ17LtUBjhUkd66Umr98rIkPLhlWSeVIYri7K/s1600/image9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoFCdUcYhU73DckbnK6B5JuEHzY18vKbgjGXJtjPvaRImsTinJKfTXyG_kA-D_RWs33E4SjeMKLt2cdpv6WlPyGTNvdC3KGf-H5Nhrw7pZ17LtUBjhUkd66Umr98rIkPLhlWSeVIYri7K/s640/image9.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to whether her greatest design will ever see the light <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of day </span>-- an Abu Dhabi arts centre so bold and futuristic that it can only be compared to the <em>Starship Enterprise:</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5vZTOybGYGr5Qn5PuqX7mWOPywaAUbg9mcZMhvhUuMs_2CSbF5MbOGL89vWexxPcKlB1VcHCRy86uBAJ3yqTeUwIlZTOO_RmBtS5GXCqIEiKtvH0iNDZCHatIpPmUc1CLFEZOgfusIox/s1600/image14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5vZTOybGYGr5Qn5PuqX7mWOPywaAUbg9mcZMhvhUuMs_2CSbF5MbOGL89vWexxPcKlB1VcHCRy86uBAJ3yqTeUwIlZTOO_RmBtS5GXCqIEiKtvH0iNDZCHatIpPmUc1CLFEZOgfusIox/s640/image14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While her creations may have been close to perfect, <b>Hadid</b> herself had her share of flaws. Frailties are, regrettably, part of the human condition. Some of hers were small ones. She could, for example, be prickly. A reporter arriving for an interview could never be certain as to which version of the lady would show up. Then again, the same has been said of <b>Gehry</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She could be flush with the arrogance of success, but not as badly as <b>Lloyd Wright</b>, who designed his first wife's clothes so that they wouldn't clash with the house they lived in. She didn't suffer criticism well -- who amongst us does -- to the point where she denied the obvious. She bristled when her design for the <b><i>Al Wakrah</i></b> stadium in Qatar was criticized for resembling a woman's private parts. And yet I would defy any reasonably intelligent person to look at a rendering of the stadium and deny that what they are seeing is anything other than:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Tjafm-Z4t_BDIfLIWB34wmRveJlXSB7r9Wla4QngQ7_9cuehH-48JiKVuo05ldlapuGSQUvAYVcRmJmoGHydOu8ISx5Rs3bBLcdNKTGrHkOKg6EmssVnutnPUqaY6mqrZNUbChWcaZg4/s1600/image13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Tjafm-Z4t_BDIfLIWB34wmRveJlXSB7r9Wla4QngQ7_9cuehH-48JiKVuo05ldlapuGSQUvAYVcRmJmoGHydOu8ISx5Rs3bBLcdNKTGrHkOKg6EmssVnutnPUqaY6mqrZNUbChWcaZg4/s640/image13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A GIANT VAGINA!!!</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Small sins are forgivable. But she committed large ones as well. Like embracing dictatorships: in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Libya...in Azerbaijan...in Russia...in China...in China again...and again...and again... Seeing her </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">designs built always seemed more important to her than promoting human rights. She argued (never persuasively) that good </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">architecture could help open up closed societies. She could also be dismissive about the deaths of low-paid, immigrant construction workers in the countries where she built. She didn't pass up jobs or advocate on their behalf. "It's not my duty as an architect" she proclaimed to </span><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Guardian </em><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">in a quote that would earn her the enmity of much of the architectural community</span><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">.</em><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Such are the complexities and dualities of creative genius: brilliance and instability; iconoclasm and arrogance; advocacy and denial; creating new worlds while toadying to the worst values of the old.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end of the day -- and sunset arrived much earlier than we had expected -- <strong>Zaha Hadid</strong> was a woman who knew her own mind, listened to her own heart, set her own path and followed her own dreams. She lived, perhaps unknowingly, the mantra of another brilliant (and flawed) star who shone brightly for a while before flaming out, also too soon, <b>Steve Jobs:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition...Everything else is secondary.<em>"</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-51383008242851050382016-03-26T03:49:00.000-07:002016-03-26T03:49:33.679-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">39. The Great Mosque of Córdoba: The Sacred and the Profane (Part II)</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoRIpK-oK0K2XCGRnazJMgXCxeEtFojOEfGU8qs3fJOA6yFBhlDC7DCu9bHSmUTEAABOeCtCojyga971XFnS6KvhxHn9SlZ6SEeF-eQI1YsSc6lfuAMgKjoPS0O6p_tIt1tX2G-6H7Q2n/s1600/P1010102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoRIpK-oK0K2XCGRnazJMgXCxeEtFojOEfGU8qs3fJOA6yFBhlDC7DCu9bHSmUTEAABOeCtCojyga971XFnS6KvhxHn9SlZ6SEeF-eQI1YsSc6lfuAMgKjoPS0O6p_tIt1tX2G-6H7Q2n/s640/P1010102.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nothing says "mosque" quite like a wooden Jesus on a cross. Or an ostentatiously gold-framed painting of an angel smiting a heathen:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X1_ej41WlQY/VucNFV9pkhI/AAAAAAABdZU/bhggO1_pxD0CgGbm127X0UVrQxMC-MvRA/s1600/P1010104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X1_ej41WlQY/VucNFV9pkhI/AAAAAAABdZU/bhggO1_pxD0CgGbm127X0UVrQxMC-MvRA/s640/P1010104.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Actually, pretty much everything says "mosque" more than a wooden Jesus or a smiting angel. But when the Spanish Christians recaptured Córdoba from its Muslim occupiers in 1236, the last thing on their minds was preserving the <i><b>Great Mosque </b></i>as an Islamic monument.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still, if there's one thing I've learned about Roman Catholic Church leaders, it's that they have tremendous respect for religion -- as long as it's their own. Anyone else's is fair game for persecution, degradiation, desecration, and a dozen other nasty things brought to you by the same fine folk who would later launch the Spanish Inquisition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDYqMdiP5PT_Vo4Ou9YqZr5ta0kbWzqVIJvG_jH9K7GpMs6HtgMkit_B8QC1uKGbZQA3mNpvTCdr4IkK5M6E7ctLWVNDm8mKjLAolZuZuZQPXZuK1imPKyHRGYeuwUA8EJxX9q0A-k_9r/s1600/KeepCalm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDYqMdiP5PT_Vo4Ou9YqZr5ta0kbWzqVIJvG_jH9K7GpMs6HtgMkit_B8QC1uKGbZQA3mNpvTCdr4IkK5M6E7ctLWVNDm8mKjLAolZuZuZQPXZuK1imPKyHRGYeuwUA8EJxX9q0A-k_9r/s400/KeepCalm.png" width="341" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A tip-off as to the architectural rape that the Mosque would endure under the so-called "custodianship" of the Catholic Church, can be found in the official name of the building: the <em><strong>Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. </strong></em>No one actually calls it that, of course, except for the Vatican and the Spanish Church. Your average Cordoban just refers to it as "the Mosque-Cathedral".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Mosque was re-consecrated as a cathedral after the reconquest, and the DIY crew started in almost immediately. Under muslim rule, the Mosque had been enclosed only on three sides. The fourth, opened out into the <i>Patio de los Naranjos</i> (Patio of Orange Trees). The net effect was two-fold. The orange trees aligned with the Mosque's red and white arches, creating the image of a large forest. And the sun pouring in made the Mosque a very light and open place to be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the Catholics took over, they built a fourth wall and sealed the windows, making the cathedral a rather dark and gloomy place, which it still is today. But then the Catholic clergy prefer their flock to be in the dark -- both literally and metaphorically.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The most visible sign of the desecration of the Mosque -- one that can be seen from the other side of the city across the Guadalquivir River -- is a baroque belfry that was built to cover up the former minaret. It serves as a beacon signalling to the world that the Mosque is "Under New Management". Not that it's an ugly belfry. It's actually quite an attractive 16th-century structure:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EcuzXfQyMRlfjXRr8I0drjeYJLmykE5_N9q2uyQ8gq0aZqloulj2whubLKnfSbrg2XdYqL73RuW6zChPWpbP3bKZUK065kMdIuNWH4HdgijQarw_8FcAwaFRBn4A0iywIYS1AqkGFMWC/s1600/P1010124b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EcuzXfQyMRlfjXRr8I0drjeYJLmykE5_N9q2uyQ8gq0aZqloulj2whubLKnfSbrg2XdYqL73RuW6zChPWpbP3bKZUK065kMdIuNWH4HdgijQarw_8FcAwaFRBn4A0iywIYS1AqkGFMWC/s640/P1010124b.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But -- and this is a crucial point -- MOSQUES DON'T HAVE BELLS!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other crimes against architecture committed by</span> the Church pretty much fit into the same category as the belfry: eye-catching, in a gaudy sort of way, but wholly inappropriate. Perhaps the greatest abomination -- both in an architectural and religious sense -- was the 1523 insertion of a Renaissance cathedral smack dab into the middle of the Gothic mosque. This was, of course, facilitated by first tearing out the heart of the Mosque and then sticking in a very random-looking selection of naves: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rOTHWmi0aiE/VuhArI2sIBI/AAAAAAABdec/SSMLqSdRiNojFmjP6wB9N-cFaLEa-i1gA/s1600/P1010073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rOTHWmi0aiE/VuhArI2sIBI/AAAAAAABdec/SSMLqSdRiNojFmjP6wB9N-cFaLEa-i1gA/s640/P1010073.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">chapels:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvnS-7CUYLvMYG61PZntVuEqAD55kmELGiGKz1oPc1x9IJN8P2Sm971NTekd1S2NfpbNTXi42cI3Ptiw2Ar9f4PyNN9ku6Vp1GRI4qFHync65JyA8mF8WaeULdGCzsU7hK8R5vfLwnQ3p/s1600/P1010101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvnS-7CUYLvMYG61PZntVuEqAD55kmELGiGKz1oPc1x9IJN8P2Sm971NTekd1S2NfpbNTXi42cI3Ptiw2Ar9f4PyNN9ku6Vp1GRI4qFHync65JyA8mF8WaeULdGCzsU7hK8R5vfLwnQ3p/s640/P1010101.jpg" width="404" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">and altars:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ukUHIgG6Lww/VuhIDUMylYI/AAAAAAABde0/VS6MJZQjSNU0jmtn-UbjQwPQsTO7Yz_2A/s1600/P1010074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ukUHIgG6Lww/VuhIDUMylYI/AAAAAAABde0/VS6MJZQjSNU0jmtn-UbjQwPQsTO7Yz_2A/s640/P1010074.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There were, however, some attractive additions like the beautifully crafted mahogany choir stalls, pilfered...err...liberated... from the finest trees that the American rainforests could provide:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNHnerDyS2IGTMQ3bMyQ7Gzxm77h4ixVzs8kF-G-MVC1i1-y5E9Ee69yikXP5TzU_2JYYztMOO8BXmZKKJYB9rD5WKcIaNR7RQZyBkHF37gPN-VCpJ_vap-LkY1mCMJfTd04O0MPuJa8N/s1600/P1010076b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNHnerDyS2IGTMQ3bMyQ7Gzxm77h4ixVzs8kF-G-MVC1i1-y5E9Ee69yikXP5TzU_2JYYztMOO8BXmZKKJYB9rD5WKcIaNR7RQZyBkHF37gPN-VCpJ_vap-LkY1mCMJfTd04O0MPuJa8N/s640/P1010076b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the lovely organ just above the choir's heads:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cq3klxm7n4E/Vursl9H_laI/AAAAAAABdjQ/HCR7jbTE0rUr0Ggm7dNCWv_CqEGNPaYjw/s1600/P1010076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cq3klxm7n4E/Vursl9H_laI/AAAAAAABdjQ/HCR7jbTE0rUr0Ggm7dNCWv_CqEGNPaYjw/s640/P1010076.jpg" width="409" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Both would look splendid in a building of their own era, instead of being thrown in to survive amongst a mish-mash of architectural styles and a handful of ornamental do-dads that would look more at home in a pagan temple than a Catholic Church:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yFCJjascy5zXFuEVH_Vrog7S_Naw5PHv3e3LebZYL0s2HwFMTa0HvYuc-l5eZK9aV_QL8FWnTm3FknaJ7jihJxLdwsuxX5Ma3yNZ-6tmgrgEdG4rNG5nnbgPocvwEkOdBub0CaLyhwgC/s1600/P1010075b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yFCJjascy5zXFuEVH_Vrog7S_Naw5PHv3e3LebZYL0s2HwFMTa0HvYuc-l5eZK9aV_QL8FWnTm3FknaJ7jihJxLdwsuxX5Ma3yNZ-6tmgrgEdG4rNG5nnbgPocvwEkOdBub0CaLyhwgC/s640/P1010075b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I knew, for example, that eagles were regarded as birds of "pr<strong>e</strong>y". But I didn't know that they were also considered birds of "pr<strong>a</strong>y".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Adding insult to injury, the Spanish Diocese banned Islamic prayer within the building -- an edict that remains intact to this very day -- despite appeals all the way up to and including the Pope. To make doubly sure that no Islamic prayers were offered, the Muslim <i>Mihrab</i> (prayer niche) and nearby chambers were blocked off by metal fencing. And to make triply sure, the Spanish monarchy, which had so enjoyed turfing out the country's Jews in 1492, also gave the boot to Spain's Muslims in 1609. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still, I wouldn't want to make it sound as if the Muslims were all pure-as-the-driven-snow good guys. There is the story of <i>Al-Mansur</i>, the fearsome warlord who led a bloody raid in the late 10th-century that penetrated as far into Christian territory as <i>Santiago de Compostela. </i>There, he rode his mighty steed into the cathedral and let it drink from the font of holy water, both quenching it's thirst and pissing-off the Catholic Fathers no end. <em>Al-Mansur</em> proceeded to have the Church's bells carried 500 miles southwest to Córdoba where they were melted into lamps for the <i>Great Mosque</i>. But don't expect to see them if you visit Córdoba -- following the re-conquest of the city, the Castillian King Ferdinand III had the lamps carried back to the shrine of St. James, where they were converted into molten form and again shaped into bells.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let's give the final word on the Mosque-Cathedral to King Carlos V. It was he who gave the final order for the big 1523 renovation/desecration, without ever having been to Córdoba or understanding the impact it would have on one of Islam's greatest monuments. When he finally saw the damage that had been committed by his minions in his name, he is said to have proclaimed,<b> "You have built here what you or anyone else might have built anywhere else, but </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>you have destroyed </b><b>what was unique in the world."</b></span><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-3709019322066420212016-03-03T11:17:00.001-08:002016-03-04T06:06:37.501-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">38. The Great Mosque of Córdoba: The Sacred and the Profane (Part 1)</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9NKv4inOGNI/VsneOBZ_6kI/AAAAAAABZ1o/X9g6_e8Dd28/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9NKv4inOGNI/VsneOBZ_6kI/AAAAAAABZ1o/X9g6_e8Dd28/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
</div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em> Interior of a Mosque in Cordova</em> by Edwin Lord Weeks </span></div>
<b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a devout atheist, maybe I shouldn't be tossing around terms like "sacred" and "profane". But I do so in a purely secular sense. To me, the closest thing to "sacred" is a great work of architecture - architecture that is so powerful and spectacular that it rises above everything else created in its time. "Profane", I reserve for actions that destroy or degrade the grandeur, beauty and architectural integrity of a great structure.</span><br />
<i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
<i>The<b> Great Mosque of Córdoba</b></i> displays both of these elements. In this post I'm going to focus on the "sacred" aspects embedded by its original Moorish builders. In the next, I'll show you the "profanities" inflicted on it by the Catholic Church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Moors, largely Muslim Berbers from Morocco, invaded Spain in 711 AD as part of the great Islamic expansion that followed the death of Mohammed in 632. They would occupy parts of the Iberian Peninsula for the next 750+ years. Construction of the <em>Great Mosque of Córdoba</em> began in 784, taking more than 200 years until it reached its current dimensions in 987. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This massive undertaking - a symbol of conquest and empire - required the efforts of thousands of artisans and labourers. As the <em>Mosque</em> grew in size and importance, so too did Córdoba. At its height, it was the most populous city in the world, and the most advanced centre for science, medicine, education, culture and finance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Given the general temper of the times, the <i>Mosque's</i> powerful outer walls more closely resemble those of a fortress than a house of worship:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1_jeNa8rfM/Vsnqj_9ixjI/AAAAAAABZ2M/BnUIIACdYbI/s1600/P1010157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1_jeNa8rfM/Vsnqj_9ixjI/AAAAAAABZ2M/BnUIIACdYbI/s640/P1010157.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A fortress with really powerful, tall bronze doors:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mZCyFfb71SE/Vs323Ny8vqI/AAAAAAABamw/5P623MCslJ4/s1600/P1000960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mZCyFfb71SE/Vs323Ny8vqI/AAAAAAABamw/5P623MCslJ4/s640/P1000960.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqh9LOl4oYHR4inlOyX3TqqKb0ziOzPITTca-pYkACfz9wf0QLsNMBpIm39KTp97geu86rUxO72hcCMbGJjZSe5n1NGoDaxy6Z0dTyH09cwLh7MCaJNid4NaKjjbWNHMqTViutk98-DGHl/s1600/P1000966b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqh9LOl4oYHR4inlOyX3TqqKb0ziOzPITTca-pYkACfz9wf0QLsNMBpIm39KTp97geu86rUxO72hcCMbGJjZSe5n1NGoDaxy6Z0dTyH09cwLh7MCaJNid4NaKjjbWNHMqTViutk98-DGHl/s640/P1000966b.jpg" width="470" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bqvj05zCUHo/Vs340GdImoI/AAAAAAABam8/4ARa924h9Rs/s1600/P1000968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bqvj05zCUHo/Vs340GdImoI/AAAAAAABam8/4ARa924h9Rs/s640/P1000968.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amazing door knocks:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6oKiMo59gSo/Vs377lV_x7I/AAAAAAABanI/2475NuUqMWw/s1600/P1000962b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6oKiMo59gSo/Vs377lV_x7I/AAAAAAABanI/2475NuUqMWw/s640/P1000962b.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMzJQQGVLlIzx1q-9ZG2tIT67IoCLztGnzI66rncEgDI0mSWPsyxrD8R8_RGg7duqyYqhtFaAprymV8tSYjm4gjabGvs_4aNJ-mhsOSX2-SqouCE0aJok3kCg9imz1xzWxAq8VNDXsh2Z/s1600/P1010162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMzJQQGVLlIzx1q-9ZG2tIT67IoCLztGnzI66rncEgDI0mSWPsyxrD8R8_RGg7duqyYqhtFaAprymV8tSYjm4gjabGvs_4aNJ-mhsOSX2-SqouCE0aJok3kCg9imz1xzWxAq8VNDXsh2Z/s640/P1010162.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And large sections of wall with crenelated tops, arched windows adorned with geometric and floral patterns, and red and white decorative stone and tile:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd_Uigbsx6c/Vs9j_fLjjpI/AAAAAAABa1Q/NRKXhzoLTDs/s1600/P1000964c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd_Uigbsx6c/Vs9j_fLjjpI/AAAAAAABa1Q/NRKXhzoLTDs/s640/P1000964c.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Inside the <i>Mosque </i>it's all pillars. Pillars, pillars and more pillars. Pillars of jasper, pillars of onyx, pillars of marble and pillars of granite - 856 in all - the largest number of pillars in one building in the history of the world. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pillars support red and white arches of just about every style, size and design. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Double arches support the <em>Mosque's</em> high roof:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB11M1UxPpQWwisqItJkrbXOUQBAjihTmDmx-ZMREXs7YRdRV4AnRv7dlYG3d-HTMXKDI-kbyt9KS31KrEEAEt-U4NAAHgCxviJtI5RzYSgDOY8RX3VERBZv6Kpu7cjmRFhNCPN3jXMkRR/s1600/P1010120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB11M1UxPpQWwisqItJkrbXOUQBAjihTmDmx-ZMREXs7YRdRV4AnRv7dlYG3d-HTMXKDI-kbyt9KS31KrEEAEt-U4NAAHgCxviJtI5RzYSgDOY8RX3VERBZv6Kpu7cjmRFhNCPN3jXMkRR/s640/P1010120.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYqLZiTz4qm6Qr8BqapgxLcCO0n4ksE9gUXb14H6BSZZhxyk97yb4DSD9YPMYh8jWSWz_W0I23m4DPdsaL67ZwCvOGCRP-zpyy6djcXOzCtTKfL8ZzZgtvVJZHLrW5jqnlL2ZkmMfgJ8a/s1600/x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYqLZiTz4qm6Qr8BqapgxLcCO0n4ksE9gUXb14H6BSZZhxyk97yb4DSD9YPMYh8jWSWz_W0I23m4DPdsaL67ZwCvOGCRP-zpyy6djcXOzCtTKfL8ZzZgtvVJZHLrW5jqnlL2ZkmMfgJ8a/s640/x.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Interlacing arches:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2r1210GYc-CgHhYldZFb6QzXK28iz2ayty83SEsdlIgPsryzKwfXaovManikRFwbFgVwR4dXyHukIE5smDaHL8HbuF5LvN4ZSwOLSgAGMMBkztJPK5Dhdz0thLxiCaHFT6joqx9Zd-b6U/s1600/P1000938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2r1210GYc-CgHhYldZFb6QzXK28iz2ayty83SEsdlIgPsryzKwfXaovManikRFwbFgVwR4dXyHukIE5smDaHL8HbuF5LvN4ZSwOLSgAGMMBkztJPK5Dhdz0thLxiCaHFT6joqx9Zd-b6U/s640/P1000938.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Polylobed arches:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1M2E9_6mBFE48tNcxKIu7BlnT3pjti0JH7ggvQ5uw-UxOTHE9mH93VcWMNX-7_i-BHhQ1gj26NosY6Upv2hpAchOnyX5aWTQGts8PRp8nOKjqQaA5pXCRnjTYVOeS3wEcpYshsWkd4IT/s1600/P1000949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1M2E9_6mBFE48tNcxKIu7BlnT3pjti0JH7ggvQ5uw-UxOTHE9mH93VcWMNX-7_i-BHhQ1gj26NosY6Upv2hpAchOnyX5aWTQGts8PRp8nOKjqQaA5pXCRnjTYVOeS3wEcpYshsWkd4IT/s640/P1000949.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And special arches denote the space reserved for the Caliph's family:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfXOQNRa-02Jw3ZB2vlxuP55qixuA7w274ltA6PgFgQL2Yjt_oZdWT18V8yUW3i2xQCui23r4rC_BSDQmKqSMNFpWaWZhjDjIAiq0UHtV2taHe72lW6gUp91CiXFwPoN77th3Fsldgeen/s1600/P1010079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfXOQNRa-02Jw3ZB2vlxuP55qixuA7w274ltA6PgFgQL2Yjt_oZdWT18V8yUW3i2xQCui23r4rC_BSDQmKqSMNFpWaWZhjDjIAiq0UHtV2taHe72lW6gUp91CiXFwPoN77th3Fsldgeen/s640/P1010079.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The arches can be a photographer's best friend, offering some nifty ways to frame your shots:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmOc2glOVR5QQCUgQ2HxZkS9u-6V1YpMU15H6a43i7WfRLN6WZz9KqOpqnlLle64sKxRgyWYfWm9XuxZpYoM7Qe63nVVEp_ZM3rjn1n9s1HtQMkiO-Y_M-QxZ1lay6GjIP5RWgeXXw3PQ/s1600/P1000944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmOc2glOVR5QQCUgQ2HxZkS9u-6V1YpMU15H6a43i7WfRLN6WZz9KqOpqnlLle64sKxRgyWYfWm9XuxZpYoM7Qe63nVVEp_ZM3rjn1n9s1HtQMkiO-Y_M-QxZ1lay6GjIP5RWgeXXw3PQ/s640/P1000944.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Running the length of the prayer hall are beautifully crafted lamps:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eo431ir20FKNy2U3Q7BgWU4TQMorYW-9AoKQO4g0MeVExWSJ-hoXOQXBbHVSucvk_X8uzXMB3UYhYF7B_uX8p2f9m6U5erO9Oaoqz73OzB1wdzQiUjpwKQe3yTWCTvAgfM76c-K1YXhP/s1600/P1010070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eo431ir20FKNy2U3Q7BgWU4TQMorYW-9AoKQO4g0MeVExWSJ-hoXOQXBbHVSucvk_X8uzXMB3UYhYF7B_uX8p2f9m6U5erO9Oaoqz73OzB1wdzQiUjpwKQe3yTWCTvAgfM76c-K1YXhP/s640/P1010070.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and elsewhere in the Mosque as well:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cwej-PRolpY/VtMRJ8AWa6I/AAAAAAABbKE/gIzs12blnJg/s1600/P1010113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cwej-PRolpY/VtMRJ8AWa6I/AAAAAAABbKE/gIzs12blnJg/s640/P1010113.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The most important feature of the <i>Mosque</i>, or, for that matter, any mosque is the <i>mihrab or</i> prayer niche. In the case of this mosque the "niche" is the size of a room, and it's quite magnificent: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hdDjW_2tLPU/VtXtyNgpW5I/AAAAAAABbtM/iOAfIHZ0D98/s1600/P1010090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hdDjW_2tLPU/VtXtyNgpW5I/AAAAAAABbtM/iOAfIHZ0D98/s640/P1010090.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Its opening is framed by coloured mosaics made of small pieces of glass (tesserae) that create rich bands of dark blue, reddish brown, yellow and gold: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA-8Xg64QVFyJnclHvfyUgYfNnpqJTaHrc4stzBA6bYtYLYaGGw4wPjVCOsN_meIjjN-c0nvlrFAXWBmT_cxPOxIaG8tc6LxFyk3m8oq2oovNwW6GdANd6s9RJCVkzZtZwKLOYuvedU0_/s1600/P1010093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA-8Xg64QVFyJnclHvfyUgYfNnpqJTaHrc4stzBA6bYtYLYaGGw4wPjVCOsN_meIjjN-c0nvlrFAXWBmT_cxPOxIaG8tc6LxFyk3m8oq2oovNwW6GdANd6s9RJCVkzZtZwKLOYuvedU0_/s640/P1010093.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Guilded Koranic caligraphy crawls around the square frame:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UcxJ8JX3ko4/VtMbescv8LI/AAAAAAABbK4/YUgSV0Own5A/s1600/P1010095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UcxJ8JX3ko4/VtMbescv8LI/AAAAAAABbK4/YUgSV0Own5A/s640/P1010095.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But there's something very unusual about this m<i>ihrab</i>. By tradition, <em>mihrabs</em> point toward Mecca and show the faithful in which direction to pray. Mecca is southeast of Cordoba. Yet the Mihrab is aimed due south. Why? Because Damascus is due south. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Ummayad dynasty, which built the Córdoba mosque, had once ruled in Damascus, then the centre of the Islamic world. They built the <em><strong>Great Ummayad Mosque</strong> </em>- still standing today and largely intact despite the civil war. It is believed that when the Ummayads (involuntarily) relocated to Córdoba, they wanted their new mosque to acknowledge its older Damascene brother as the holiest mosque outside of Mecca.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost stealing the <i>Mihrab's</i> thunder is its spectacular shell-shaped dome, carved out of a single piece of marble and lavishly coloured with gold mosaics.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtSGcexbLIQ0dkSMeDN5tH-4-r1bGe5mZcYH1xYxxUEC_cG29imD8uu_fY5nbE0hmMGuSZp76XLxWLpB25ZwjCbcMwO7MiTrLtxDY74BDQwcHAC4-jfoMZBT63SZyYvMSaKj5t8e71CeU/s1600/P1010085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtSGcexbLIQ0dkSMeDN5tH-4-r1bGe5mZcYH1xYxxUEC_cG29imD8uu_fY5nbE0hmMGuSZp76XLxWLpB25ZwjCbcMwO7MiTrLtxDY74BDQwcHAC4-jfoMZBT63SZyYvMSaKj5t8e71CeU/s640/P1010085.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The<strong> <em>Great Mosque of Córdoba</em> </strong>is truly quite massive. If you're just interested in a cursory look at the major highlights, it will probably take you 1-2 hours to see them. If, like us, you'd like a more thorough and detailed look with some serious time devoted to your photography, you'd better budget a half-day. On the other hand, if you're a total architecture and mosque geek who has to examine every pillar, arch and chamber, there's probably enough to keep you busy for a day-and-a-half - although you'll have to make it back to your hotel for the overnight stay!</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But sooner or later you're going to have to leave this great wonder of the medieval world, and rather than doing it with a heavy heart, let your spirits soar as you walk past the stained-glass windows en route to the exit: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QqglYunQ2Js/VtXrOuWI5EI/AAAAAAABbs8/SNOvEDi2gXA/s1600/P1010118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QqglYunQ2Js/VtXrOuWI5EI/AAAAAAABbs8/SNOvEDi2gXA/s640/P1010118.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oSehiXTu_X930YsZWcOD470BypvaxveVVTYN8h5uwWayEVh-LL1LeH0ETup3uvjJOpUQ0JbHvuTscVOKiKXHdBjg7r-ei98-VQ2ViLpNzjaHIB0cA2rUS1HcawNBeZ_Tk64XGHBtMr0y/s1600/P1010121b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oSehiXTu_X930YsZWcOD470BypvaxveVVTYN8h5uwWayEVh-LL1LeH0ETup3uvjJOpUQ0JbHvuTscVOKiKXHdBjg7r-ei98-VQ2ViLpNzjaHIB0cA2rUS1HcawNBeZ_Tk64XGHBtMr0y/s640/P1010121b.jpg" width="504" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-45851555107799880092016-01-18T11:06:00.001-08:002016-01-19T05:42:29.326-08:00<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">37. Eight Buildings that will Rock Your World in 2016</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QGlpd-HWOhA/Vo_BLeOUUtI/AAAAAAABTt8/3qFGF9_Yy5c/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QGlpd-HWOhA/Vo_BLeOUUtI/AAAAAAABTt8/3qFGF9_Yy5c/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><em>Pingtan Art Museum, by MAD Architects, image via MAD Architects</em></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's that time of year again, the one that many of us have been eagerly awaiting. Christmas is over, along with its insufferable carols, jingles and commercials. New Year's hangovers have disappeared, as have most New Year resolutions. Post-gorging diets are in high gear, as we atone for seasonal overindulgences.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Far more importantly, it's time for our annual look-ahead to the futuristic, envelope-pushing structures that will rock our world in 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Falcon Soars</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2TPMJmmXQ0/Vo-_zAaFtII/AAAAAAABTss/6hbbFDfR98Q/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2TPMJmmXQ0/Vo-_zAaFtII/AAAAAAABTss/6hbbFDfR98Q/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image via Foster + Associates</span></em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></b> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lord Norman Foster</span> </strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";">may be 80, but he continues to show the young Turks how the future will look. This year will see the completion of his <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Sheikh Zayed National Museum</i></b> in Abu Dhabi, with a design said to represent the wing tips of a falcon. It's part of the (supposedly) huge Saadiyat Cultural District. I said "supposed" because there are strong rumours that <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Frank Gehry's <i>Guggenheim </i></b>will be shelved for a much cheaper military installation; meanwhile there has never been any indication that <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Zaha Hadid's</b> <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Performing Arts Centre </i></b>will move ahead to construction. To date, <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jean Nouvel's </b>flying-saucer shaped <i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Louvre</i> is the only cultural project completed. That's what happens in a petro-economy when the price of oil takes a dive. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Discs</b> <b>have Landed</b></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vG9HoWyb5PI/Vo-_yZdHKjI/AAAAAAABTss/5s5NJTNT_9E/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vG9HoWyb5PI/Vo-_yZdHKjI/AAAAAAABTss/5s5NJTNT_9E/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Image via Atelier Jean Nouvel</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Speaking of </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jean Nouvel,</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> the French master builder will see his vision of the</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> Qatar National Museum</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> come to full fruition this year. Sticking with his space vehicle motif, <em>Nouvel</em> has shifted from a single giant flying disc to a couple dozen intersecting smaller ones that look like they've been randomly scattered across the desert floor. The new structure will be built around an existing palace. According to the Qatar Museums Authority, "the tilting interpenetrating disks that define the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">pavilions’ floors, walls and roofs, clad on the exterior in sand-colored concrete, suggest the bladelike petals of the desert rose, a mineral formation of crystallized sand found in the briny layer just beneath the desert’s </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">surface."</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's Raining Silver</b><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-10vqZ17FHnk/Vo_BKiwcFfI/AAAAAAABTt8/--bChYyn0iU/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-10vqZ17FHnk/Vo_BKiwcFfI/AAAAAAABTt8/--bChYyn0iU/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Image via Snohetta</span></em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you were to drop giant molten silver ingots from the sky, what you'd you get - besides a hernia and very burned hands - would be something that looks a lot like the <i><b>King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture,</b></i> in Dahran, Saudi Arabia. The facade of the flowing metallic structure, designed by Norwegian company <b>Snohetta</b>, will be made from stainless steel tubes that will be intricately and individually formed and bent, then wrapped around the building. The structure is said to mirror the flowing dunes and sculpted rock formations of the Saudi landscape. The Center will house an auditorium for the performing arts, cinemas, a 200,000 book library, museum, exhibition hall and archive.</span></div>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Quarry to Gem</b><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-avarz0NgHRQ/Vo_BNHCydfI/AAAAAAABTt8/z1Lkae7DGxA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-avarz0NgHRQ/Vo_BNHCydfI/AAAAAAABTt8/z1Lkae7DGxA/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><em>Image via Coop Himmelb(l)au</em></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Put an abandoned Chinese cement quarry in the hands of alchemists like <b>Coop </b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Himmelb(l)au</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Austria's most innovative architecture firm, and what you'll get </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in return is a magical winter gem. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Deep Pit Ice and Snow World</b></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> will be located in the Dawang Mountain Resort area near the city of Changsha, capital of Hunan province. The project will combine an entertainment Ice World with an indoor ski slope, a water park, restaurant and shopping facilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The complex will consist of two sculpted buildings. The dominant horizontal one will span 170-metres from cliff-to-cliff over a sunken and hanging garden, creating a new leisure space of islands, water, cliffside pathways and ramps connecting the building to the surrounding natural heritage. A cantilevered swimming pool will be part of the water park attractions, with a 60-metre high waterfall dropping into the former quarry pit. A separate sculptural 100-meter tower will host a five-star hotel and will be connected to the Ice World via a grand garden Plaza.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Art Museum or Rorschach Test?</b></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GTs7dmGHpCc/Vo_BHoRTDzI/AAAAAAABTt8/zVywfYjz0fA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GTs7dmGHpCc/Vo_BHoRTDzI/AAAAAAABTt8/zVywfYjz0fA/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Image via Mad Architects</span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ever since <b>Santiago Calatrava </b>and <b>Zaha Hadid</b> created the template for futuristic arts buildings, the formula has been pretty straightforward. The structures have to be white, weird, wavy and sufficiently organic or abstract to lend themselves to the interpretation of the observer.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Pingtan Art Museum</i></b>, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">on an island off the coast of China near Taiwan, may reflect these </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">qualities </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">extreme. From some perspectives, like the one at the top of this page, it looks like a </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">giant stingray. From others, like the one just above, it resembles a mousepad. Some have compared it to a pile </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of sand dunes. Whatever your perspective, there's no denying that <b>Yansong Ma's</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">creation will be the largest privately funded art museum in Asia - housing a collection of more than 1,000 Chinese artworks and objects </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in a 40,000 square-metre structure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Latin Heat</b><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NZII0WJ77n0/Vpqbbr3XnFI/AAAAAAABUNg/XemntDQNUNs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NZII0WJ77n0/Vpqbbr3XnFI/AAAAAAABUNg/XemntDQNUNs/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Image via Fr - EE</span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The city of Miami continues its transformation from time-worn tourist hub to urbane arts centre. The latest addition to the creative scene will come in a few short months when the <b>Latin American Arts Museum </b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(<i>LAAM</i>) </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">opens its doors for the first time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The building, which will consist of four white platforms, each rotated </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at a different angle to is central axis, has a touch of </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Zaha Hadid</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in its soul. But in reality, it's all the brainchild of Mexican architect </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fernando Romero</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and his company </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FR - EE. </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">generous-sized terraces, <em>LAAM</em> will have a fair amount of outdoor garden space and sculptures. The museum's opening exhibition will feature the work of world-reknowned Colombian </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">artist/sculptor </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fernando Botero</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, signalling its strong intentions to become one of the great </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latin American arts centres in the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">world.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like a Fine Wine....</span></b><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0H99llxPd7U/Vo_BN776nCI/AAAAAAABTt8/UzG3mHwT1Bs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0H99llxPd7U/Vo_BN776nCI/AAAAAAABTt8/UzG3mHwT1Bs/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><em>Image via Moshe Safdie</em></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>...Moshe Safdie</b> just keeps getting better with age. The Israeli-born, Canadian-raised, U.S.-educated architect made his first big international splash with his <b><i>Habitat</i></b> building at Montreal's Expo '67. He was, at</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> the time, celebrated as a 29-year-old wunderkind. But Safdie, now 77 has probably done his greatest work since he turned 70. In 2010, his <b><i>Marina Bay Sands</i></b> hotel in Singapore - the one with the three 57-storey towers topped by a boat-shaped infinity pool - opened as one of the most stylish and spectacular hotels in the world. The following year, he further adorned the marina area with his equally imaginative <b><i>Museum of </i></b></span></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Artscience</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, whose design is supposed to resemble a lotus flower, but which most</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> people agree resembles a bunch of bananas with the ends cut off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOPcjMsA1BznYSpKyCUsO-XAl4Dfuo9uzMTvH7VJ28DIl30eaEYp4Vre9BdKRB_KCcwxvOrp3yyLvpGFAN51rUje7hSGC9Tjec95kU2iSRpNIEzBu_9kL2e-TdDmNl17kfptNNd9QiNvg/s1600/P1000746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOPcjMsA1BznYSpKyCUsO-XAl4Dfuo9uzMTvH7VJ28DIl30eaEYp4Vre9BdKRB_KCcwxvOrp3yyLvpGFAN51rUje7hSGC9Tjec95kU2iSRpNIEzBu_9kL2e-TdDmNl17kfptNNd9QiNvg/s640/P1000746.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><em>Photo by Seymour Kanowitch</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>Safdie</em> seems to have found new life in Singapore. His next contribution to the city-state, </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Sky Habitat</i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (a rethinking of his original </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Habitat</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">?) is preparing to open in just a few months.</span><strong> </strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sky Habitat</span> </em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">will, in fact, consist of two 38-storey residential towers, identically (wedge-) shaped but facing each other in opposing directions. The towers will be connected at three levels. The bottom two bridges above ground will be, essentially, walk-through gardens. The third will connect the buildings at rooftop level and is a more modest version of the infinity pool at </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Marina Bay Sands</em></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>.</em></span> By 2017-18, Safdie will be adding a massive glass dome with gardens and a 40-metre waterfall to Singapore's Changi Airport.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Colombian Colossus</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bogota's <b>BD Bacata, </b>a complex of three towers,<b> </b>is going to be a project of "firsts". The first skyscrapers built in Colombia in 35 years. The first skyscrapers in the world financed by crowdfunding - with $145-million supplied by 3,000 investors. And the tallest of the towers will be the no.1 building in Colombia, with 66 storeys soaring 853-ft high. In two of the the three buildings, the floors will be grouped in rectangles with increasingly wide setbacks as the buildings climb. The project was designed by Barcelona-based Alonso-Balaguer y Arquitectos Asociados. It's worth noting that the firm's design is infinitely superior to a later one created by the much-celebrated BIG architects for World Trade Centre No. 2.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ggbugBWeOmY/VpKylTezWDI/AAAAAAABT4Q/1gUzo2TUj6A/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ggbugBWeOmY/VpKylTezWDI/AAAAAAABT4Q/1gUzo2TUj6A/s400/image.jpg" width="355" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r7pUAVJABBU/VpKylwNsbHI/AAAAAAABT4U/8MEKgRcpOoY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r7pUAVJABBU/VpKylwNsbHI/AAAAAAABT4U/8MEKgRcpOoY/s400/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Images via Alonso Balaguer y Architectos Asociados</span></em></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="synopsis" data-url-title="synopsis" id="synopsis" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; height: 672px; line-height: 21px; position: relative; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 1024px;">
<div class="synopsis-slideshow" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: border-box; height: 379px; min-height: 525px; padding-bottom: 205px; position: relative; width: 615px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="sections-wrapper" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 50px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="sections-wrapper" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 50px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<section class="project-module content-module module-module_text" data-type="module_text" data-url-title="text49" id="text49" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased !important; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; padding: 75px 50px 0px 150px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 1024px;">
</section><em></em><br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-57942409280833839952015-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:002015-12-15T06:17:29.726-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">36. An Art Nouveau Gem in Valencia</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fRgZfmwIJK0/VmiSPCNqUXI/AAAAAAABQB8/El5l3wfQ3Qc/s1600/Modernista-Casa%2BFerrera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fRgZfmwIJK0/VmiSPCNqUXI/AAAAAAABQB8/El5l3wfQ3Qc/s640/Modernista-Casa%2BFerrera.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those of you who regularly read my blog have undoubtedly noticed that I've been writing a lot lately about WOWchitecture in Southeast Asia. That's what </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">happens when you spend four months in one of the most beautiful parts of the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">world. Today, though, I'd like to return to my hometown of the past two years, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Valencia, Spain and share with you a relatively unknown <i>Art Nouveau </i>gem </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">called </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Casa Ferrer.</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <em>Art Nouveau</em> movement swept across Europe and America from about 1890 until </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the beginning of WWI in 1914. It went by many different names and stylistic variations, depending on the location: Modernisme (Spain), Jugendstil </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Germany) and Stile Floreale (Italy) to name a few.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the movement hit Valencia near the end of the 19th century, the city was more than ready for it. With an urban area of 100,000 people, Valencia was bursting at the seams. The city's medieval walls had just been knocked down, leaving all kinds of new lands ripe for development. And Valencia, as one of Europe's largest trading ports, had the money for a grand renewal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In 1907, Valencian architect <b>Vincente Ferrer, </b>was ordered by his high-society father, to build a family home on a prime corner lot in the heart of the new city. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The style he chose was the <i>Art Nouveau</i> variant called Viennese<em> </em>Secession. Why </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Viennese Secession? No one really knows. Maybe he liked their motto, "To every age it's art. To every </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">art it's freedom." In plain English (actually, plain German) it meant that </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">architects no longer wanted to keep recycling classical designs; they wanted to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">create new designs that matched the spirit and energy of the age. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or maybe <i>Ferrer</i> just liked the influence on the movement of Glasgow architect </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Charles Rennie Mackintosh,</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> who embraced symmetry and repetition of geometric forms, usually squares. (Yes, I know that Glasgow isn't in Austria). Then again, maybe he just wanted to hang out with the hip and fun guys in the Secession movement, led by the already famous </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Gustav Klimt</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (seated):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOl5vI_bMkM/VmSsoH3qEJI/AAAAAAABPqw/5-DoiHgqSGk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOl5vI_bMkM/VmSsoH3qEJI/AAAAAAABPqw/5-DoiHgqSGk/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo via: theviennesesecession.com</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whatever the reason, <i>Ferrer</i> accomplished what he set out to do: borrowing various elements from the Secession movement, combining them with his own fertile imagination, and delivering something the likes of which Valencia had never seen before. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Like curved rooflines with oculus (rounded) windows:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDoMxMunpAkFyZWWM8F1RRfmP4QPtvbaC93zG-e6Ni5qynuh4kbJTupzBBjUh7PZaxi6weSGRxXUco90YTvMT39BNZamjRmdrC8ejnJTD0zNCnim6zZfsYh1YX9Dva4KsuId38DA_PcP1/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferreraa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDoMxMunpAkFyZWWM8F1RRfmP4QPtvbaC93zG-e6Ni5qynuh4kbJTupzBBjUh7PZaxi6weSGRxXUco90YTvMT39BNZamjRmdrC8ejnJTD0zNCnim6zZfsYh1YX9Dva4KsuId38DA_PcP1/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferreraa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Garlands of roses underscored by checkerboard patterns linking ceramic roundels and triglyphs:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3R1JUXJPpjiz7RiC2mJIe-7mXQV-zqBz_E-JYcEOPW_MyzAu0FKLKINBCnsOkW39I0Df5Ex4w37-p-KtrWG-mRwxxuGk2faZ7YqhGTWTiUgbXUaJS6fo0VODzowIOOP3287_QeDxbMjY/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerjj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3R1JUXJPpjiz7RiC2mJIe-7mXQV-zqBz_E-JYcEOPW_MyzAu0FKLKINBCnsOkW39I0Df5Ex4w37-p-KtrWG-mRwxxuGk2faZ7YqhGTWTiUgbXUaJS6fo0VODzowIOOP3287_QeDxbMjY/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerjj.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More roses connecting the three sections of the façade:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VuomihXUvxnXfISQiIY9Y1gWUalyNeK5RJHP2blnbroSFFjpoaB-wIfheDnIROVI68Tn3FpM2W-RedqepmteauaWGES0h-1WP5LOT10mQXEI1k8hnmalTFbt22iXMx9LqNYXMOzW0sc_/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VuomihXUvxnXfISQiIY9Y1gWUalyNeK5RJHP2blnbroSFFjpoaB-wIfheDnIROVI68Tn3FpM2W-RedqepmteauaWGES0h-1WP5LOT10mQXEI1k8hnmalTFbt22iXMx9LqNYXMOzW0sc_/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And tiled Ginkgo leaves creating art forms in the usually vacant space separating window levels:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hyk9NIU1nRI/Vm1wKj2DZUI/AAAAAAABQx8/jCC-QK9BgTU/s1600/Modernista-Casa%2BFerreri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hyk9NIU1nRI/Vm1wKj2DZUI/AAAAAAABQx8/jCC-QK9BgTU/s640/Modernista-Casa%2BFerreri.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like most of the <em>Art Nouveau</em> masters, <em>Ferrer </em>took some of his design work from the outside of the building and carried it through to the interior, albeit in a more subdued and understated form. All you have to do is walk through the gingerbread-house main door:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDEkRxR52BUOkTRnne8HLkgBpds2h83i4KVggSx7QPZeYLfB3d6ZR7T-LbW74SrcVeABpC5phgRDhbDH2LQEHhe64PWf-NvJZrJAxotbHNRbf9-soDQnsBx9LLYa6J2mCLMVFDPp11zxl/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDEkRxR52BUOkTRnne8HLkgBpds2h83i4KVggSx7QPZeYLfB3d6ZR7T-LbW74SrcVeABpC5phgRDhbDH2LQEHhe64PWf-NvJZrJAxotbHNRbf9-soDQnsBx9LLYa6J2mCLMVFDPp11zxl/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerk.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pass through the lobby where lights mirror the ceramic patterns outside:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt88zKtvKipEnfyz0biWBJ7WGkv-mehVy-3kgzSw8YsFF6QB4Fb6NTHhWK2ImjYLvGE5qAXbiMBHJgctastrL9a0BE71VmgeSXEJhDVkVNarOXiYoKenc2iV_HVolLZSSkvMVZ_frxlyl4/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt88zKtvKipEnfyz0biWBJ7WGkv-mehVy-3kgzSw8YsFF6QB4Fb6NTHhWK2ImjYLvGE5qAXbiMBHJgctastrL9a0BE71VmgeSXEJhDVkVNarOXiYoKenc2iV_HVolLZSSkvMVZ_frxlyl4/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerc.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mirrors mirror the roses on the outside door:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLDF3s9viumJbpVr9pDp10Qgn86TS9-0bfaVPt3FWNSp24dTXb8oF9QFrfMooT1jPvycjsEtVSZa0bWUUU19K5krmm3qQDI3P000cMX3zVvUEhPvnrrDoDuWCLP3b7qX_e5Ggi6ZJz6U2/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferrere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLDF3s9viumJbpVr9pDp10Qgn86TS9-0bfaVPt3FWNSp24dTXb8oF9QFrfMooT1jPvycjsEtVSZa0bWUUU19K5krmm3qQDI3P000cMX3zVvUEhPvnrrDoDuWCLP3b7qX_e5Ggi6ZJz6U2/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferrere.jpg" width="352" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And painted tiles add a floral display to the ceiling:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNMqpJpRaHFeAjSQDy_oxu5PXu-aDvzRFoc578EsLM5SvZe_Crnr7IFjuynqLZsQAKAvPeJPraRyojzgnCMN2gcWyCGbWF3JoxXrikOT0PzpNCBNxcsbKYWuiJZ9DSwFYmND3n9a1VR8e/s1600/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNMqpJpRaHFeAjSQDy_oxu5PXu-aDvzRFoc578EsLM5SvZe_Crnr7IFjuynqLZsQAKAvPeJPraRyojzgnCMN2gcWyCGbWF3JoxXrikOT0PzpNCBNxcsbKYWuiJZ9DSwFYmND3n9a1VR8e/s640/Modernista-Casa+Ferrerf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And before you know it, you'll be scooting past the inner doorway:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LlhI1-sjY9Y/Vm13wppyh5I/AAAAAAABQy4/6dd8vcq5VNw/s1600/Modernista-Casa%2BFerrerh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LlhI1-sjY9Y/Vm13wppyh5I/AAAAAAABQy4/6dd8vcq5VNw/s640/Modernista-Casa%2BFerrerh.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And walking up the leaf and rose-laden wrought-iron stairway:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nLexFVNJDNs/Vm2GXoq4_kI/AAAAAAABQ04/KpIFYxekMRQ/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="564" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nLexFVNJDNs/Vm2GXoq4_kI/AAAAAAABQ04/KpIFYxekMRQ/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo via: rondom1900.nl</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to the inner sanctum of the <em>Ferrer</em> family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Speaking of whom, neither <em>Ferrer's</em> father, nor much of high-society Valencia were exactly thrilled by his artistic vision. It was too avant-garde. Too fanciful. Too foreign. But <em>Ferrer</em> was a man of strong will and determined direction, and he continued adding his <em>Art Nouveau </em>flourishes to the Valencia skyline<em>. </em>Perhaps one of his most refined works, a cinema, was built in 1910, just a year after <em>Casa Ferrer</em> was finished. Regrettably, only a part of the façade remains today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JK5lQDNjvinbP-_eWjyHGvs5q6WTNW4_fCaf_46J8GV5g8lsWeK4r38SpB6QUJgWxNQY4qcdDY8ttd1OjZxsRwpTNR7YtfitUBuD1Rx1EFspks2Ygwmt06QkDd_DdoFdVTI-7-gs8aQP/s1600/P1000948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JK5lQDNjvinbP-_eWjyHGvs5q6WTNW4_fCaf_46J8GV5g8lsWeK4r38SpB6QUJgWxNQY4qcdDY8ttd1OjZxsRwpTNR7YtfitUBuD1Rx1EFspks2Ygwmt06QkDd_DdoFdVTI-7-gs8aQP/s640/P1000948.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4jz3paVebaxF7dBxX7B1sfyJz3NgI880KM6h-HY2DXPKz64JE5-myi2c0SS2PKVvVghcloglxE61lOgOi7jTRXV1Pvl0AhCblbgZiIR4LnPg32W3FCN7NY9f6dJmXl1gL4mFl5uc4w5h/s1600/P1000949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4jz3paVebaxF7dBxX7B1sfyJz3NgI880KM6h-HY2DXPKz64JE5-myi2c0SS2PKVvVghcloglxE61lOgOi7jTRXV1Pvl0AhCblbgZiIR4LnPg32W3FCN7NY9f6dJmXl1gL4mFl5uc4w5h/s640/P1000949.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, <em>Ferrer's </em>colleagues like <strong>Demetrio Ribes </strong>kept<strong> </strong>turning out wilder and more whimsical <em>Art Nouveau</em> designs, like Valencia's train station, <em>Estacio del Nord</em>, finished in 1917:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoESHQfaf0TNXbhPhxO8wxr2sc_RoK52jL69Hyn15j_zIUwb8cdET30-lBZKBLBJW9tem3ZWFmkquZjmMDPbd3NGX4A2UzJCNLGtD0PkvxgNMmT2ZIxyp9X0h1HUIaPBcpKGaEswoOOAdZ/s1600/Modernista--Train+Station-Outside+%2528main+entrance%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoESHQfaf0TNXbhPhxO8wxr2sc_RoK52jL69Hyn15j_zIUwb8cdET30-lBZKBLBJW9tem3ZWFmkquZjmMDPbd3NGX4A2UzJCNLGtD0PkvxgNMmT2ZIxyp9X0h1HUIaPBcpKGaEswoOOAdZ/s640/Modernista--Train+Station-Outside+%2528main+entrance%2529.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>But that's a story for another day....</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em></em></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-18634766412633707832015-10-31T11:22:00.000-07:002015-10-31T12:29:12.120-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-size: large;">35. The Petronas Twin Towers - As You've Never Seen Them Before</span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8cpXeQozcyO0H_l81thRecLvq8E8G_UJPqwUQQEuFhYiQhe4lHqREAZuIsu_V3qNYQyRTymJV_wWobD1AdGQkYXlCq_ad8o_sqeLu_9r-cHVsB7hWhSWIbEw2BBafiCmS9NyMnwDef6F/s1600/DSC02138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8cpXeQozcyO0H_l81thRecLvq8E8G_UJPqwUQQEuFhYiQhe4lHqREAZuIsu_V3qNYQyRTymJV_wWobD1AdGQkYXlCq_ad8o_sqeLu_9r-cHVsB7hWhSWIbEw2BBafiCmS9NyMnwDef6F/s640/DSC02138.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mention the term "Twin Towers" and people in North America and Western Europe will assume you're talking about the late, though not entirely great, former giants of south Manhattan. But use the same words in Asia and everyone will believe you're referencing the <b><i>Petronas Twin Towers</i></b>. Soaring 88-storeys into the the sky over Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the identical towers topped out in 1988 at 1,453 ft. - then the tallest towers in the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <i>Petronas Towers, </i>named after the country's state-owned oil company<i>,</i> immediately captured the global imagination. Argentinian designer <b>Cesar Pelli</b> became an instant "Starchitect" by shrugging off the boxy international style dominating the skyscraper scene at the time, and creating beautifully angular towers that reflected Malaysia's history. I can't describe them any better than <em>skyscraper.org</em> did, so I'll just quote their words.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Pelli's design answered the developer's call to express the 'culture and heritage of Malaysia' by evoking Islamic arabesques and employing repetitive geometries characteristic of Muslim architecture. In plan, an 8-point star formed by intersecting squares is an obvious reference to Islam; curved and pointed bays create a scalloped facade that suggest temple towers. The identical towers are linked by a bridge at the 41st floor, creating a dramatic gateway to the city." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to being among the most magnificent towers in the world, the <i>Petronas Towers</i> are among the most frequently photographed. You may not know their name, but you've probably seen them dozens - if not hundreds - of times. You've seen them by day: </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFlivALkqCNKtiONbSjBU_lFxWP24lrulxRYGjAaZ3yFc2IVdQy0JbHuzaNprzMyDytlwrm49i5uBvDzC29CtxQw_hxpFnWzlGaqk0su5k2ZouPIcfoajkkkH2n7oc08zWOn0odTulRHy/s1600/DSC01994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFlivALkqCNKtiONbSjBU_lFxWP24lrulxRYGjAaZ3yFc2IVdQy0JbHuzaNprzMyDytlwrm49i5uBvDzC29CtxQw_hxpFnWzlGaqk0su5k2ZouPIcfoajkkkH2n7oc08zWOn0odTulRHy/s640/DSC01994.jpg" width="476" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> You've seen them by night: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NgzIqOl1yZs/VjEZUqklLUI/AAAAAAABLZ8/7hVHbUVr8zE/s1600/DSC03784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NgzIqOl1yZs/VjEZUqklLUI/AAAAAAABLZ8/7hVHbUVr8zE/s640/DSC03784.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may have even seen them during what photographer's call "the blue hour":</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXUTVhyphenhyphennHb-xmMxszsrj3TEq0Cvq4OxFHdGzfY-O0k07N7DCjt1RGV61bHaszE1kC3vPnbyeu5qL3YXarbgSejpJ3_Rs-Etb1sOOPNaaRYA0Y5yzOmlghajeHCuKUfNbaXaKEDoCWMd8c/s1600/DSC02132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXUTVhyphenhyphennHb-xmMxszsrj3TEq0Cvq4OxFHdGzfY-O0k07N7DCjt1RGV61bHaszE1kC3vPnbyeu5qL3YXarbgSejpJ3_Rs-Etb1sOOPNaaRYA0Y5yzOmlghajeHCuKUfNbaXaKEDoCWMd8c/s640/DSC02132.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But my goal isn't to show you what you've already seen. There's already enough déjà vu in the world. When I spotlight an internationally renowned work of WOWchitecture, my aim is to present it to you in a way that you've never seen it before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So let me ask you this: have you ever seen the <i>Petronas Towers</i> from up close? Real close? So close that if you held your position for more than 30 seconds you'd need to see a chiropractor the next day? </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3kRJsy92ZI/VjEMBhT3-mI/AAAAAAABLZo/Mb1W53oGUhQ/s1600/DSC01984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3kRJsy92ZI/VjEMBhT3-mI/AAAAAAABLZo/Mb1W53oGUhQ/s640/DSC01984.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sure, you've seen a zillion photos of their tapering minaret-shaped tops:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB7uQ4iftytgUa0lgGqhNSRjwRZLg6pi2d3TQWsIJWerVViYCSBRC_viHIlrwF2OfWpRArdAVl8Y9G6MUhqgOF2QC8LMRmZbIwLrW_MiWBXyTQNl4Gw9w3G1FoT6X3jN_rE22Qw3R9Vbk/s1600/DSC02134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB7uQ4iftytgUa0lgGqhNSRjwRZLg6pi2d3TQWsIJWerVViYCSBRC_viHIlrwF2OfWpRArdAVl8Y9G6MUhqgOF2QC8LMRmZbIwLrW_MiWBXyTQNl4Gw9w3G1FoT6X3jN_rE22Qw3R9Vbk/s640/DSC02134.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But how about their shiny silver-pillared entryway?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKokDSN2PKkv1hI5MPkO_2o-5vTwH-ubeEUEPdJbfshMnfGfjzLwNpDZGEOd4rpCscc5-6g4K_8B5-pUm-TH08aneh8gIP_T0e4Z3qnpWNt7Wpm5oKs123dJo-DFWACdhUzJBOB6DwpAvU/s1600/DSC03593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKokDSN2PKkv1hI5MPkO_2o-5vTwH-ubeEUEPdJbfshMnfGfjzLwNpDZGEOd4rpCscc5-6g4K_8B5-pUm-TH08aneh8gIP_T0e4Z3qnpWNt7Wpm5oKs123dJo-DFWACdhUzJBOB6DwpAvU/s640/DSC03593.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or their beautiful and futuristic - kind of neo-deco - ceiling lamps in the reception area?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2GUMmK30LM/VjJ8IlYQU-I/AAAAAAABLjc/uRrNVcDdmVw/s1600/DSC02004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2GUMmK30LM/VjJ8IlYQU-I/AAAAAAABLjc/uRrNVcDdmVw/s640/DSC02004.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Maybe you have been to the towers and even gone inside for a personal eye-balling. I'll bet you haven't seen them in the full bloom of a three-week long Chinese New Year celebration:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJK90PMXlAY/VjOdwAFiAAI/AAAAAAABL0I/JpxpQlt_eT4/s1600/DSC03609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJK90PMXlAY/VjOdwAFiAAI/AAAAAAABL0I/JpxpQlt_eT4/s640/DSC03609.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWlJNsZjIT8/VjOdkIhBgbI/AAAAAAABL0A/EM_oxbNgH7A/s1600/DSC03611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWlJNsZjIT8/VjOdkIhBgbI/AAAAAAABL0A/EM_oxbNgH7A/s640/DSC03611.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cj3VBwSsgAY/VjOd3w5uQoI/AAAAAAABL0Q/ywdS6pyFLPw/s1600/DSC03612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cj3VBwSsgAY/VjOd3w5uQoI/AAAAAAABL0Q/ywdS6pyFLPw/s640/DSC03612.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The above three shots are not from the actual towers themselves, but from the shopping mall that connects them. Still, the <em>Petronas Towers</em> complex is made up of much more than just a couple of connected skyscrapers, however magnificent. There is also, for example a park that sits at their base, with an artificial pond where children cool off during the always baking afternoon sun, parents watch the nightly light show, and kids of all ages admire the marine -themed metal sculptures:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQFmoYZpY9GRRxqrLgV5R0_e7sroMo76vUOArvKdR0QX3MViOvDBBWsgCOsBiyob_qyDMEztj8a6mBSzHsAeqxipgDDEUCKe2gg5gfq0aMpn1supkEoUgRm15eJs1vVFg4wxZVQY4rxQj/s1600/DSC02006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQFmoYZpY9GRRxqrLgV5R0_e7sroMo76vUOArvKdR0QX3MViOvDBBWsgCOsBiyob_qyDMEztj8a6mBSzHsAeqxipgDDEUCKe2gg5gfq0aMpn1supkEoUgRm15eJs1vVFg4wxZVQY4rxQj/s640/DSC02006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhCgbUk5uB2Ll8jWmpDtcvD-NoepljXpGIPUGIo9sAyc_kWRE6q9sxAwBM-Ts-UnUgpou7zvVOYpN9mF3WxsgMqfG2UH4VM_xmAs2tLMeHHO_fTbsTLLH2bFS8a56b_KcU1SXH077pCug/s1600/DSC02007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhCgbUk5uB2Ll8jWmpDtcvD-NoepljXpGIPUGIo9sAyc_kWRE6q9sxAwBM-Ts-UnUgpou7zvVOYpN9mF3WxsgMqfG2UH4VM_xmAs2tLMeHHO_fTbsTLLH2bFS8a56b_KcU1SXH077pCug/s640/DSC02007.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my money's worth, the <em>Petronas Twin Towers </em>is one of the three greatest skyscrapers in the world - or two of the four greatest - depending on whether you count them as one building or two. The others on my list are <em>The Chrysler Building</em> in New York and the <em>Burj Khalifa</em> in Dubai. None holds a fixed spot in my mind - on any given day any one of them could be my favourite. Of the three, the only one I haven't seen in person is the <em>Burj</em>. I'm still hoping to get there one day, and maybe then I'll be able to give you a more definitive answer as to which is my absolute favourite.<em></em></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the mean time, all I can say for certain is that while other individual towers may have soared past them in height, the <em>Petronas Towers</em> remain the tallest identical twins in the world. That's a record that's held for 27 years, and I see nothing in sight that's going to challenge it.</span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-22281505883022492652015-09-27T14:47:00.000-07:002015-09-30T23:35:41.538-07:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">34. Angkor - As You've Never Seen it Before (Part II)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirspkVVx0NAmExQCfam8qZ7j8cmR7T1M3017z7tl37-dgqb_fqdbLwMk6oFVyx1HaxkSH2mVWrA5RnP3QSWsGmsTa2Uv-80jCI9yjnnVeXA0KJOO3NeRFqt_yPYiNyNZgxO9aDbOkGqAVV/s1600/DSC01895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirspkVVx0NAmExQCfam8qZ7j8cmR7T1M3017z7tl37-dgqb_fqdbLwMk6oFVyx1HaxkSH2mVWrA5RnP3QSWsGmsTa2Uv-80jCI9yjnnVeXA0KJOO3NeRFqt_yPYiNyNZgxO9aDbOkGqAVV/s640/DSC01895.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My last post seemed to draw a lot of interest from WOWchitecture readers. Clearly, there is a sizeable demand to see beyond the cliched views provided by media, movie makers and promotional materials. That's not surprising. <strong><em>Angkor Archeologial Park</em></strong> is 400 square miles, and there's so much more to see than just <em><strong>Angor Wat</strong></em>, <strong><em>Angkor Tom</em></strong>, 900-year-old celestial nymphs, and trees devouring buildings. So let's carry on for another post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can tell a site is really beautiful when even the behind-the-scenes repair work looks artistic. Check out the temporary supports propping up buildings awaiting the installation of something more permanent by UNESCO:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfMqQh2dfVBS_aAJGPTbgkXYONrIP9ThCIryeQFTyhz7ioM97tS2UrmUgbshhiSmlI_ewV0goDO9mbCqMFAJ9QhnfcCMFm13uSgxKpAFo0LZc69q-mtvbRDp8gcxRgWggOkp01fNdDNyE/s1600/DSC01914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfMqQh2dfVBS_aAJGPTbgkXYONrIP9ThCIryeQFTyhz7ioM97tS2UrmUgbshhiSmlI_ewV0goDO9mbCqMFAJ9QhnfcCMFm13uSgxKpAFo0LZc69q-mtvbRDp8gcxRgWggOkp01fNdDNyE/s640/DSC01914.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This close-up of the window looks even more artistic:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlbVUuZgVLDP2jKi_2XQubGGHG9zRfQONQjbg2D7mR2u0DZXul-pcJ57ZtlfEVgNPEWgP67KyRcZq9Lqe201AjkTwkdysD_i3B8VwqcLA3dEh43ktLa1JabuEbF4xd3Mfxmvw_OwjIM-F/s1600/DSC01915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlbVUuZgVLDP2jKi_2XQubGGHG9zRfQONQjbg2D7mR2u0DZXul-pcJ57ZtlfEVgNPEWgP67KyRcZq9Lqe201AjkTwkdysD_i3B8VwqcLA3dEh43ktLa1JabuEbF4xd3Mfxmvw_OwjIM-F/s640/DSC01915.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the most under-promoted and underrated features at <em>Angkor </em>are its doors. For most ancient cultures living at the same time as the Khmers - like the Maya of Central America and Mexico - a doorway was just the empty space in between archway supports. But look at this gem at <strong><em>East Mebon</em></strong>:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ucu_8bjk2o/Vga1ec1o8QI/AAAAAAABGYM/TsTKGjpeCCc/s1600/DSC01801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ucu_8bjk2o/Vga1ec1o8QI/AAAAAAABGYM/TsTKGjpeCCc/s640/DSC01801.jpg" width="466" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or this amazing jewel of an entryway at <strong><em>Banteay Srei</em></strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j3DrUSaId-RwNQSNx3a9qxaGbvcqph4KrUbZKUUMyLP7ggDteT_b7QZzGGYU-EkHHjKwyEMgXcmGTeZutXrObM9IPsr8IPI4EmshepBa0BLKcV78ld9tG6dgC8l8RM4MSWzFoD54qXyE/s1600/DSC01885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j3DrUSaId-RwNQSNx3a9qxaGbvcqph4KrUbZKUUMyLP7ggDteT_b7QZzGGYU-EkHHjKwyEMgXcmGTeZutXrObM9IPsr8IPI4EmshepBa0BLKcV78ld9tG6dgC8l8RM4MSWzFoD54qXyE/s640/DSC01885.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seen here in it's full glory:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_AOlidcwmnHme5Z-LGW7a2WtCrAE710zPhV6gi_hd8X400mMjRQG49p6SP3PTRFObbJKID-AoxlaZFXybzkx4vibKACXqIJ1SxtjwuQmTsvs9m3-2pw0XATC8UY1K_-aIuWd5cCZnQvS/s1600/DSC01887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_AOlidcwmnHme5Z-LGW7a2WtCrAE710zPhV6gi_hd8X400mMjRQG49p6SP3PTRFObbJKID-AoxlaZFXybzkx4vibKACXqIJ1SxtjwuQmTsvs9m3-2pw0XATC8UY1K_-aIuWd5cCZnQvS/s640/DSC01887.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where the portals, when open, reveal even more fascinating treasures:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJoYHBqSf9T1f1HQvPV9gtGIqzBd6iriua10iVEt-q0xyqudkhQpGywP002M5Wambi6kHZW0C_8YgayiO47jsDZpWfyM3G8ZB4Q42wtGOrtCiaA_goh6q3t_kN0im0M-FHHCVdFC_OCpB/s1600/DSC01890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJoYHBqSf9T1f1HQvPV9gtGIqzBd6iriua10iVEt-q0xyqudkhQpGywP002M5Wambi6kHZW0C_8YgayiO47jsDZpWfyM3G8ZB4Q42wtGOrtCiaA_goh6q3t_kN0im0M-FHHCVdFC_OCpB/s640/DSC01890.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Banteay Srei</em> (Citadel of Women) is both special and unique within the <em>Angkor</em> sphere of influence. It is the only major complex not built at the behest of a king, but rather by one of his advisors.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Construction was completed in 967, some 200 years before <em>Angkor Wat</em>, and it is said to reflect the most Indian-like style at <em>Angkor</em>. It's on a much smaller scale than <em>Angkor Wat</em>, and Tourism Cambodia likes to refer to it as, "an exquisite miniature; a fairy palace in the heart of an immense and mysterious forest."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Most significantly, whereas most Angkor structures are covered in laeterite - a hard and difficult material to carve - <em>Banteay Srei</em> was built of soft, pink sandstone which gives way to an artisan's tools like a knife going through wood. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By any yardstick, <em>Banteay Srei's</em> buildings - its temples, towers, libraries, lintels and pediments, are the most ornate in the entire <em>Angkor</em> empire:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X7p81oPDQ-Q/VgggjL5bnUI/AAAAAAABGhc/Ir-m7QpMRgI/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X7p81oPDQ-Q/VgggjL5bnUI/AAAAAAABGhc/Ir-m7QpMRgI/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EVvCircAf8o/VgglD86vudI/AAAAAAABGho/5wmPQ_ukWOk/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EVvCircAf8o/VgglD86vudI/AAAAAAABGho/5wmPQ_ukWOk/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-aWrw076-M/VggoBT6YxCI/AAAAAAABGh0/CsRB6quBiMU/s1600/DSC01894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-aWrw076-M/VggoBT6YxCI/AAAAAAABGh0/CsRB6quBiMU/s640/DSC01894.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><em>Banteay Srei</em></strong> is dedicated to the Hindu god <strong><em>Shiva</em></strong> (aka "The Destroyer) and draws on the panopoly of devils and demons that populate Hindu mythology:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Oj_YW5gpkb-FSIIbVKGle5hb-XY4j8Vn_jWq7UUlI-mZKNxiO-CDfaMlFQ0pM91lWct9rEO1Sq8twYR1ni0NwWXFQ66jbqdr0jMki6pdzr9e14TtV2eUiJh2QSIc41ohMpg0u0RFlVbm/s1600/DSC01878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Oj_YW5gpkb-FSIIbVKGle5hb-XY4j8Vn_jWq7UUlI-mZKNxiO-CDfaMlFQ0pM91lWct9rEO1Sq8twYR1ni0NwWXFQ66jbqdr0jMki6pdzr9e14TtV2eUiJh2QSIc41ohMpg0u0RFlVbm/s640/DSC01878.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hf2_Y04DNOM/VggqrFlaB_I/AAAAAAABGiM/wQY9jrb9x9w/s1600/DSC01884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hf2_Y04DNOM/VggqrFlaB_I/AAAAAAABGiM/wQY9jrb9x9w/s640/DSC01884.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite all this splendour, if you show up at <em>Banteay Srei</em> first thing in the morning, you'll probably have the place all to yourself for the couple of hours it takes to see it. Why? Because it's about 23 miles north of <em>Angkor Wat</em>. And in the heat and humidity of the Cambodian jungle, that's about 45 more tushy-jarring minutes on a tuk-tuk than your average tourist is willing to put up with. Their loss. Your gain.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-11669689164864862132015-09-16T07:52:00.000-07:002015-09-25T06:33:10.738-07:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">33. Angkor - As You've Never Seen it Before (Part I)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-II9f7BVAuA4/Vfg2mI8LxXI/AAAAAAABEKU/3ZSzhPsUCvY/s1600/DSC01865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-II9f7BVAuA4/Vfg2mI8LxXI/AAAAAAABEKU/3ZSzhPsUCvY/s640/DSC01865.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <strong><em>Angkor Archeological Park</em></strong> (henceforth referred to as <em>Angkor</em>) is a massive, 400-square mile complex of Hindu-Buddhist buildings, forests and wetlands created by the ancient <em>Khmer</em> people between the 9th and 15th centuries. You'll note that I did not use the more familiar term "<strong><em>Angkor Wat</em></strong>". That well-known temple constitutes just a tiny - albeit magnificent - part of the kingdom of ruins. It would be like referring to the entire city of Agra as the Taj Mahal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is no doubt that <em>Angkor</em> is one of the world's most popular archeological sites. It receives over two-million visitors annually, and that number is growing by 20 percent a year. It will accelerate even faster in coming years as China's bourgeoning middle-class grows in size and wealth, and enjoys its freedom to travel. Another boost will no doubt be provided by Hollywood, which has discovered that <em>Angkor</em> makes a powerful backdrop for its blockbusters like <em>Laura Croft: Tomb Raider</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet to judge by the small range of photos published in media and showcased by photographers (over and over again) you'd think that <em>Angkor </em>was a relatively small place with a few beautifully carved buildings, some of them with huge Buddha-like heads, others a with long, meandering, gnarled roots covering and crushing their structures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether or not you've been to <em>Angkor</em>, you've no doubt seen this photo or similar ones of the great Hindu temple of <em>Angkor Wat</em> - with its five soaring towers shaped liked lotus buds, and fronted by reflecting pools - the largest religious monument in the world:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7rJEelC4dZqpyzF2cBrOA9ueTkD1mXEksr-VGJG9xbbMvx4O-OwGOl5pYFQt_Zf4OhFT17aZOPUoAQes53rO6D_ouyYOXeYuuK-TVX39TVqhUFMsp90evwnC1isHc4e7_QXB9AdW0hzV/s1600/1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7rJEelC4dZqpyzF2cBrOA9ueTkD1mXEksr-VGJG9xbbMvx4O-OwGOl5pYFQt_Zf4OhFT17aZOPUoAQes53rO6D_ouyYOXeYuuK-TVX39TVqhUFMsp90evwnC1isHc4e7_QXB9AdW0hzV/s640/1b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is, in fact, the most recognized face of Cambodia and sits prominently on the country's flag. Contrary to popular myth, <em>Angkor Wat</em> has been in continual use since its construction in the 12th century, and has never been "lost to the jungle". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You've also more than likely seen the many heads at <strong><em>Angkor Thom</em></strong>, each showcasing the hybridized face of the <strong><em>Buddha</em> </strong>and <em><strong>Khmer King Jayavarman VII</strong>.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYZmUJuFljs/VfRu5XxcR9I/AAAAAAABDl8/617m4JXbwmE/s1600/DSC01855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYZmUJuFljs/VfRu5XxcR9I/AAAAAAABDl8/617m4JXbwmE/s640/DSC01855.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the silk cotton tree roots that are either holding together or spreading apart (archeologists are still arguing this one out) this building at <strong><em>Ta Phrom</em></strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLP9txn847TInESHspO3ajqBbXppMyft0QjglhJASLCVvnERxJeU99goOMNYRRinsf1wDhT6a1CeWbS2koqguSnm4dzUAa527fc9311QvvfxM6mO8LW7ICVEOISAkoGkcJgMx7POYjcw5/s1600/DSC01872b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLP9txn847TInESHspO3ajqBbXppMyft0QjglhJASLCVvnERxJeU99goOMNYRRinsf1wDhT6a1CeWbS2koqguSnm4dzUAa527fc9311QvvfxM6mO8LW7ICVEOISAkoGkcJgMx7POYjcw5/s640/DSC01872b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or the even much larger tree roots at <strong><em>Preah Khan</em></strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaXPzJcyX5K7MpgcCtcxtJN9VbyYt_CU3TNquaq4Ju2QbLAIgrZwa2JpOC9UzDWQe7M4rPWkVHdqFA4fdvqVI9VsfIG1k8rmgI1jY70jM8JzxvCPyTLCfSxfySnITDxH78cirilufCEi-/s1600/DSC01772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaXPzJcyX5K7MpgcCtcxtJN9VbyYt_CU3TNquaq4Ju2QbLAIgrZwa2JpOC9UzDWQe7M4rPWkVHdqFA4fdvqVI9VsfIG1k8rmgI1jY70jM8JzxvCPyTLCfSxfySnITDxH78cirilufCEi-/s640/DSC01772.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may even have seen some of the beautiful carvings <em><strong>Devatas</strong></em> (minor deities) and <em><strong>Asparas</strong></em> (celestial nymphs) like this one:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuTea6VTK1Y/VfWJlg-rFmI/AAAAAAABDnQ/u_rAZJkf9KE/s1600/DSC01805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuTea6VTK1Y/VfWJlg-rFmI/AAAAAAABDnQ/u_rAZJkf9KE/s640/DSC01805.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's pretty much what everyone sees of <em>Angkor</em>, either in person or by photo. But now I'd like to show you some images of <em>Angkor</em> that I guarantee you've never seen. Like the mist-shrouded palms you'll view as you approach <em>Angkor Wat</em> at seven in the morning - the only time you should be arriving unless you want your <em>Angkor</em> moments dotted with busloads of Chinese tourists.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9axmmUoCRuI2tcI_ppnrygvAusMejCpHJ4moTFYG_UIl4Sk0t28T4Lwar4zGCueIXWtPJPebXrFwVMHOJY-k7dowkDmCeQKE28PZ1nS2uQKBgmlNuY_WKc1gkWgW5paxiveyEKQjrmJsW/s1600/DSC01873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9axmmUoCRuI2tcI_ppnrygvAusMejCpHJ4moTFYG_UIl4Sk0t28T4Lwar4zGCueIXWtPJPebXrFwVMHOJY-k7dowkDmCeQKE28PZ1nS2uQKBgmlNuY_WKc1gkWgW5paxiveyEKQjrmJsW/s640/DSC01873.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As much as <em>Angkor</em> is about stone, it's also about water. Without an enormous system of canals, dykes and reservoirs, the heart of the Khmer empire would not have lasted 60 years, much less six centuries. Yet I'm sure you've never seen images of the isolation and desolation in which some of the water is set: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQedv2fiyxiN_7Fgz7cKequVYnF9FNqZATwKFNy92pG_p3o7OEY__IWk52jvFBAAOdwZKNx8UHor2kYeBQvaVaTECy-MAnmeC1aRkpgCnh5wLxgrndLnsD_o217AnkME9WXRf_oLghPVA/s1600/DSC01776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQedv2fiyxiN_7Fgz7cKequVYnF9FNqZATwKFNy92pG_p3o7OEY__IWk52jvFBAAOdwZKNx8UHor2kYeBQvaVaTECy-MAnmeC1aRkpgCnh5wLxgrndLnsD_o217AnkME9WXRf_oLghPVA/s640/DSC01776.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And yet, what better location than an empty and eerie swamp for those treasured wedding photos. <em>Angkor </em>is the Central Park of Cambodia:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTDpC-Fn3VQRarcNSCdTwS7Vc8C9J2gqAAL0wsd_-3k6EDND9JoEfQURLlFtskIeTRy4R6YtK9v8qXHJceyeTaklQYqfQ339M1yG5-SsFF1m0SQMCdeHfd9rSUH3uFD-VZUkqbiaJODVl/s1600/DSC01780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTDpC-Fn3VQRarcNSCdTwS7Vc8C9J2gqAAL0wsd_-3k6EDND9JoEfQURLlFtskIeTRy4R6YtK9v8qXHJceyeTaklQYqfQ339M1yG5-SsFF1m0SQMCdeHfd9rSUH3uFD-VZUkqbiaJODVl/s640/DSC01780.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this case, the bride was very calm and cooperative - it was the "fluffer" who was throwing hissy fits about her hair and dress, the lighting and the photo angles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Angkor</em> is also about red sandstone columns, carvings and windows:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9m4JdWjtJDUIw3qACx41MTVb4XjrK4tNYrrVcDyAGX_oYIhxeioraEdCBzRjrIIBSRFfaYY5rLT4lYLVZs9aTaYHOIVVLe0jpmWx71SgjFlhXNLvHUTJpJKUtsFJ5yQRSLWdFvLDKfGo/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9m4JdWjtJDUIw3qACx41MTVb4XjrK4tNYrrVcDyAGX_oYIhxeioraEdCBzRjrIIBSRFfaYY5rLT4lYLVZs9aTaYHOIVVLe0jpmWx71SgjFlhXNLvHUTJpJKUtsFJ5yQRSLWdFvLDKfGo/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and the light that passes through them to dance its way onto shadowed walls:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sP0zUlN9tA4/VfcegXZVacI/AAAAAAABD-Q/SgVMCy4Kok4/s1600/DSC01879b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sP0zUlN9tA4/VfcegXZVacI/AAAAAAABD-Q/SgVMCy4Kok4/s640/DSC01879b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Angkor</em> is about multi-terraced pyramids crowned by multiple towers like at <strong><em>East Mebon</em></strong>, which was built in the 950s and pre-dates <em>Angkor Wat</em> by some 200 years:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SLlYfFraEPg/Vfg_HaCWX5I/AAAAAAABEKs/ba_FF_Jn5GI/s1600/DSC01796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SLlYfFraEPg/Vfg_HaCWX5I/AAAAAAABEKs/ba_FF_Jn5GI/s640/DSC01796.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each tower houses a vault protected by a stone lion and a rather strong-looking door:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjXunUADoaU/VfhB76etV9I/AAAAAAABEK0/wMD-7VIsx_o/s1600/DSC01802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjXunUADoaU/VfhB76etV9I/AAAAAAABEK0/wMD-7VIsx_o/s640/DSC01802.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today's guardians of <em>Angkor</em> like to promote the site as a complex of peaceful temples. But as you might expect from a place with an entryway called "<em>The</em> <em>Gate of Death</em>" <em>Angkor </em>was as much about war as it was about peace - perhaps more so. The bas reliefs on the walls of <em>Angkor </em>provide a vivid illustration. Below, soldiers accompanied by war elephants and war horses head out to battle:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BTOhorObFCsxQ4QVAIWEVkVkxGG_jKZ3HDV6ZZYIylQkQ-kF3y8m_2eoqOPhpqpPam4UpPoP_qSoo9mwVD00X7FaVIla2Urcp1saVxJKkoSiG5fChNcfRNDIiYtSsfu8dqJd5EHzgiBO/s1600/DSC01837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BTOhorObFCsxQ4QVAIWEVkVkxGG_jKZ3HDV6ZZYIylQkQ-kF3y8m_2eoqOPhpqpPam4UpPoP_qSoo9mwVD00X7FaVIla2Urcp1saVxJKkoSiG5fChNcfRNDIiYtSsfu8dqJd5EHzgiBO/s640/DSC01837.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here they are coming back with prisoners:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyon13a_w7b2dnK87tjp4A4a88lsSpGRWUDUj1CMlEdZ8uP4OlnVUygEXpZz-ncAXPAtdQWgqL2xzOcdKt4HR37qPOYkkUX_-AOP_U04hOCFNGcpC5hhD9z89ruzrYsxuZrH9q2PsfLp4/s1600/DSC01839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyon13a_w7b2dnK87tjp4A4a88lsSpGRWUDUj1CMlEdZ8uP4OlnVUygEXpZz-ncAXPAtdQWgqL2xzOcdKt4HR37qPOYkkUX_-AOP_U04hOCFNGcpC5hhD9z89ruzrYsxuZrH9q2PsfLp4/s640/DSC01839.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But as the old saying goes, he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. The great <em>Khmer</em> empire that was born in <em>Angkor </em>in 802, went to its death in 1431 in a final siege by Thai invaders. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-25260992349600305132015-08-15T10:36:00.001-07:002015-08-15T16:04:30.489-07:00<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">32. Zaha Hadid's Cambodia Genocide Museum: A Preview</span></b><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R8-tMjhQxXU/VctLhrAebdI/AAAAAAAA9xA/nbkkPWmt1mM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R8-tMjhQxXU/VctLhrAebdI/AAAAAAAA9xA/nbkkPWmt1mM/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image via Sleuk Rith Institute)</span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's now been 36 years since the genocidal Khmer Rouge were toppled off their perch in Phnom Penh. It will be at least 40 before the country gets its memorial museum.</span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's not a particularly long time. It took 52 years for a memorial to the Armenian genocide to be built in the country's capital, Yerevan:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhaUiYfzjho/VctXVx1RdxI/AAAAAAAA9xw/SKUThf-yL5Y/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhaUiYfzjho/VctXVx1RdxI/AAAAAAAA9xw/SKUThf-yL5Y/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
</div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Armenian Genocide Memorial</span><br />
<em>(Photo via KatieAune.com)</em> </div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Daniel Libeskind's</b> Jewish Museum in Berlin wasn't finished until 54 years after the WWII holocaust:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5MFmYsztw0/VctXYww0qNI/AAAAAAAA9xw/n5oX-t4Scp4/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5MFmYsztw0/VctXYww0qNI/AAAAAAAA9xw/n5oX-t4Scp4/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">From the air, Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum looks like a fractured Star of David.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(Photo via Studio Daniel Libeskind)</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Genocide has a way of shocking societies into numbness and immobility. It can take decades to recover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The architect chosen for the Cambodian project is the incomparable, Pritzker Prize winner <strong>Dame</strong> <b>Zaha Hadid</b>. That choice has upset a number of people - mostly Cambodian architects - who feel that the prestigious project should have gone to one of their own. After all, <em>Libeskind</em> is Jewish and was born in Poland, one of the main theatres in which the holocaust played out. His parents were holocaust survivors. By contrast, <em>Hadid</em> was born in Baghdad and is based in London.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The counter argument is that there aren't any Cambodians who can design at <em>Hadid</em>'s level. As counter arguments go, it's a pretty darn good one. There aren't many architects in the world who are at <em>Hadid</em>'s level. I mean, who even thinks about designing a subway station that looks like this one:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qrDq1jqW-4M/Vc5IillhqeI/AAAAAAAA-X0/DbhQDYaviIQ/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qrDq1jqW-4M/Vc5IillhqeI/AAAAAAAA-X0/DbhQDYaviIQ/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Metro Station at King Abdullah Financial District, Riyadh Saudi Arabia <em>(under construction)</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image via Zaha Hadid Architects)</span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The name of the memorial will be the <b>Sleuk Rith (Power of the Leaves) Institute.</b> Cambodian religious leaders and scholars have historically used dried leaves to document history, disseminate knowledge and preserve culture during period's of harsh rule and grave peril. The Institute is the brainchild of <b>Youk Chhang</b>, the Executive Director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, and a survivor of the killing fields himself.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like his antecedents, but using more up-to-date technology, <em>Chhang</em> has documented the three years, eight months and 20 days of barbarity that claimed nearly two million Cambodian lives. His "dried leaves" include 600,000 pages of documents, maps of 20,000 mass graves and 4,000 transcribed interviews with former Khmer Rouge soldiers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of <em>Chhang</em>'s key goals is to transform the whole notion of a memorial. Like traditional memorials, the <em>Sleuk Rith</em> will </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">document and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">institutionalize the horrors of the past. But <em>Chhang</em> also wants to focus on future reconciliation. "In the context of genocide and mass atrocity" he has said, "we were keen to create a forward-looking institution that deviates from the distress-invoking quasi-industrial harshness of most existing genocide memorial models....in light of Cambodia's rich cultural and religious traditions, we must move in a different and more positively oriented direction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A change in concept demanded an equal transformation in architectural style, and <em>Hadid</em> was more than up to the task. The architect best-known for her long, undulating, free-form structures built of white concrete:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1eN-n6o0qU/Vc3cG5N7ZUI/AAAAAAAA-W8/VS23w3Vtzoc/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1eN-n6o0qU/Vc3cG5N7ZUI/AAAAAAAA-W8/VS23w3Vtzoc/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku Azeraijan</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>(Photo via Arcspace)</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">replaced her signature material with tall, tree-like forms of wood. The overall effect is that of clumps of forest rising to varying heights: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CvhW_g87qWM/VctLso-lfWI/AAAAAAAA9xA/D34MpzuSOjY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CvhW_g87qWM/VctLso-lfWI/AAAAAAAA9xA/D34MpzuSOjY/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(Image via Sleuk Rith Institute)</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The irony here is that Cambodia's forests are experiencing their own genocide. The country is the third-most deforested country in the world. The operation of illegal logging (and not all of it is illegal) is being done with the collusion of government and military officials, with all of the wood going to China. Many species are losing their habitats, forced to walk further along their own path to extinction.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <em>Sleuk Rith</em> building will sit atop raised terraces - testimony to the floods that often spill over onto the sight at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Visitors will approach on causeways above reflecting catchment pools:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3robvaX5-I/VctLrXLlxlI/AAAAAAAA9xA/-XUvWqYFJIA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3robvaX5-I/VctLrXLlxlI/AAAAAAAA9xA/-XUvWqYFJIA/s640/image.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em> (Image via Sleuk Rith Institute)</em></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From a distance it will appear to be one building, but the <em>Institute</em> will, in fact, be composed of five buildings, separated at the tapering bottom:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QnmymGuIMVE/VctLcGIKS0I/AAAAAAAA9xA/b98GjRYR_E0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QnmymGuIMVE/VctLcGIKS0I/AAAAAAAA9xA/b98GjRYR_E0/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em> (Image via Sleuk Rith Institute)</em></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but interwoven through a series of indoor and outdoor spaces that widen and square off as they rise to heights ranging from three <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to eight storeys:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gdxSKmag7uQ/VczwDaV6-UI/AAAAAAAA-H0/z6hwImU6slg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gdxSKmag7uQ/VczwDaV6-UI/AAAAAAAA-H0/z6hwImU6slg/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(Image via Sleuk Rith Institute)</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each building will house a different function: a library with the largest collection of genocide-related materials in Southeast Asia; a graduate </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">school; a research centre; and a media centre and auditorium. The <em>Institute</em> is intended to be a true community resource, both outside and in. It will include a 68,000 sq. metre memorial park with sport fields, urban vegetable garden and fruit orchards, meadows and a forest displaying modern Cambodian sculptures, many of them commemorating the women who helped rebuild the country.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's an amazingly ambitious vision. The question is will it ever be realized - and realized in a form consistent with <em>Hadid</em>'s vision? There are reasons for doubt. Construction of the building has been approved but not all of the needed funds have been raised. Originally, groundbreaking was supposed to take place in 2014 (then in the first </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">half of 2015) with the building finished in 2016. Meanwhile, it's now the second </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">half of 2015 and not an inch of ground has been broken. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Assuming the funds are raised, will they end up where they're targeted? Cambodia currently ranks 20th on the global list of corrupt countries, and there are plenty of generals, politicians and businessmen with extensive experience in diverting well-intended money into their own pockets. Meanwhile, the sustainably harvested timber with which <em>Hadid</em> has promised the building will be constructed, has yet to be sourced.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps the greatest obstacle is the character of the Cambodian people themselves. Cambodians have not shown an overwhelming desire to seek punishment and justice for war criminals. Only three members of the Khmer Rouge have ever been convicted of genocide. Cambodians even allowed the Khmer Rouge to hold onto the country's western frontier bordering on Thailand until 1996. In fact, the Khmer Rouge refused to fully relinquish the lands until Pol Pot died - unbloodied and unbowed - in western Cambodia in 1998.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is yet another irony at play here. Westerners are completely baffled as to why Cambodians remain largely uninterested in pursuing justice against the war criminals who perpetrated genocide. Yet in the late 1970s it was the Cambodians who wondered why the west was so uninterested in stopping the atrocities in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Good luck <em>Dame Zaha</em>, we wish you all the best in bringing the world another one of your magnificent creations. We hope you don't get bogged down - like so many others have before you - in a quagmire called Cambodia.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-40472316306088368552015-07-16T03:39:00.000-07:002015-07-16T03:39:59.268-07:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">31. Art Deco and Post-Modern in Phnom Penh</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T5ZDqLNbLW0/VaJ9N_r_BXI/AAAAAAAA3mo/1yplFyUSwU8/s1600/DSC01742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T5ZDqLNbLW0/VaJ9N_r_BXI/AAAAAAAA3mo/1yplFyUSwU8/s640/DSC01742.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You won't find any 600-year old temples in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The place didn't even exist back then. Nor will you find any 300-year-old palaces. The Thais completely torched the town in 1874. And the Khmer Rouge didn't exactly contribute to the cause of urban development when they captured the capital in 1975. Their first act was to drive its entire population out of the city and into the killing fields.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With a history like that, it's perhaps surprising to discover that Phnom Penh has at least a couple of pretty spectacular buildings. The older of the two is the massive, Art Deco, <b><i>Psar Thmei</i></b> or central market set in the heart of downtown. It was based on a design by little-known French architect <b>Louis Chauchon</b> and built from 1935-37 on reclaimed land over a former swamp.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The market has a symmetrical layout. It's centred on a yellow dome that is 50-metres high, with four wings radiating outward from the dome, each 50-metres in length. The ochre colour is typical of the shading given to French colonial buildings throughout Indochina.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJdhQNDAgDe3vICXHgCIBX7PMkZ41gA1g8tvzesVBldfNwoKQmrd8uYGuPDzDNiPC9WRaYPQ7QB7NfaMBbfcHzKokKJoigXwYsbwJCS5yKRRFCDVmnM87yRicF4rgVIV-jdNLP_rKmDz7/s1600/DSC01743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJdhQNDAgDe3vICXHgCIBX7PMkZ41gA1g8tvzesVBldfNwoKQmrd8uYGuPDzDNiPC9WRaYPQ7QB7NfaMBbfcHzKokKJoigXwYsbwJCS5yKRRFCDVmnM87yRicF4rgVIV-jdNLP_rKmDz7/s640/DSC01743.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Psar Thmei</i> is every bit as impressive inside as out. The soaring roof gives an impression of airiness and, indeed, its open windows create a coolness and airflow that are absent outside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-jtoy2FttFDJwvKtLhvB9nhEEU2SLfHj8uqYenbaq9YfXm_TLZCwsVubVImHt0RfOR4dr2p8kJc1SFu5w0TzIyc_R7ocZKsGIyU6ipTS3-7rMF7Jn6r1BAlemeQWy_gg_rVQj7CcnLDL/s1600/DSC01746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-jtoy2FttFDJwvKtLhvB9nhEEU2SLfHj8uqYenbaq9YfXm_TLZCwsVubVImHt0RfOR4dr2p8kJc1SFu5w0TzIyc_R7ocZKsGIyU6ipTS3-7rMF7Jn6r1BAlemeQWy_gg_rVQj7CcnLDL/s640/DSC01746.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside the wings, row upon row of concrete arches lend both structural support and aesthetic appeal.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0pWiTp_gShCTX01UFzBuTmi3XitSyxN5WWzTC9-viWAs3F9PTpv8Na8rUj1vbCkLIl9NdU6JlWPgTngligWRmoh0RBIiGD4jinF0skWe2mZjKi0AqQidzyAvq8g8I-9W084kosl5i-4Y/s1600/DSC01748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0pWiTp_gShCTX01UFzBuTmi3XitSyxN5WWzTC9-viWAs3F9PTpv8Na8rUj1vbCkLIl9NdU6JlWPgTngligWRmoh0RBIiGD4jinF0skWe2mZjKi0AqQidzyAvq8g8I-9W084kosl5i-4Y/s640/DSC01748.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The interior has some nice Deco touches. Like the central clock:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzfieI-r8kXbDZYQN6teldqMqHTnTVfJiSaEksz51AtVeADOrG2XhyAlaoBqEfgnNuC8P0d37Y49o1bKOj_Gz2t3WcLNPUWsWHaawQvqOUC2DHCurLQo1RSEzMWLERO2OWI_ta5-MQz6j/s1600/DSC01749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzfieI-r8kXbDZYQN6teldqMqHTnTVfJiSaEksz51AtVeADOrG2XhyAlaoBqEfgnNuC8P0d37Y49o1bKOj_Gz2t3WcLNPUWsWHaawQvqOUC2DHCurLQo1RSEzMWLERO2OWI_ta5-MQz6j/s640/DSC01749.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this elongated lamp:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnT618yyS95WxDXtg8yBXqpDuQAn-8fjviyxoW4PMjkeQZSpUxvoIuoILcahXLCtDjw4nbcRWoyE9tTUW3QRsvbIs4rf-PGvKajVhHKVdn6j6jDovJ4_PL8unfQZFRfoQj1CkNZMtSzP6/s1600/DSC01750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnT618yyS95WxDXtg8yBXqpDuQAn-8fjviyxoW4PMjkeQZSpUxvoIuoILcahXLCtDjw4nbcRWoyE9tTUW3QRsvbIs4rf-PGvKajVhHKVdn6j6jDovJ4_PL8unfQZFRfoQj1CkNZMtSzP6/s640/DSC01750.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You're probably wondering about the glass structure peering over the top of the central market. Wonder no longer. It's Phnom Penh's other piece of Wowchitecture - the city's version of a post-modern L-Tower. It's not officially called the "L-Tower" although it really does look</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> like an "L".</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axtKPQ1fz6Q/VaP_gmlnwZI/AAAAAAAA3oQ/bE8XDb0IwG4/s1600/DSC01751a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axtKPQ1fz6Q/VaP_gmlnwZI/AAAAAAAA3oQ/bE8XDb0IwG4/s640/DSC01751a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is in marked contrast to Toronto's version, which<strong> is</strong> officially called the "L-Tower" although in reality it's shaped like the letter "I".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J2j77WDiZH4/VaQQ3WbmZoI/AAAAAAAA3o4/A8mBrDVRPD4/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J2j77WDiZH4/VaQQ3WbmZoI/AAAAAAAA3o4/A8mBrDVRPD4/s640/image.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><em>(Via Studio Daniel Libeskind) </em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I digress. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cambodia's building is called the <strong>Vattanac Capital </strong>after the bank with the same name. It consists of a 39-storey (189-metre) glass tower, slightly arched backwards, with a protruding point in front. A second cube-shaped building sits on the large tower's extended lap. The tower houses offices, luxury retail and a five-star hotel. The smaller structure is called a "lifestyle cube" with cinemas, fitness facilities and medical floors. The project was finished in 2014.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Like the Art Deco market, <em>Vattanac</em> pays a lot of attention to small details. The protrusion on top that looks like the spout on a salt box, is actually a cantilevered sky-bar. The main tower extension that supports the cube, is made of strong but attractive overlapping steel:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpLLiXv9mow2DgOHjoNwEwFze42qU-37uBA9noNg2qmd3EIWVH3hv_M7JFp5y2gcQtiSnFVSX1_YFA_y0vTB07s4XzZpJzq0wTYjxn9gRcV-ZSt6LB7i0WcCtSPNAgGLAWM7s4pjfvivg/s1600/DSC03257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpLLiXv9mow2DgOHjoNwEwFze42qU-37uBA9noNg2qmd3EIWVH3hv_M7JFp5y2gcQtiSnFVSX1_YFA_y0vTB07s4XzZpJzq0wTYjxn9gRcV-ZSt6LB7i0WcCtSPNAgGLAWM7s4pjfvivg/s640/DSC03257.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The glass in the cube is decorated with traditional Cambodian motifs:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMLWcTnsF4VglEAd1kHOamIcZl2ZxuvZecnPKRqCLiAn3RvVyL_WLPaynN-yXmVQVzxVs4QmPp2_jMiTlNaBci0sUStxTflKMQDVdRad5I6ghPtEhI-xWDEoLXZUuu1i4WAD_syT3D1rd/s1600/DSC01752c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMLWcTnsF4VglEAd1kHOamIcZl2ZxuvZecnPKRqCLiAn3RvVyL_WLPaynN-yXmVQVzxVs4QmPp2_jMiTlNaBci0sUStxTflKMQDVdRad5I6ghPtEhI-xWDEoLXZUuu1i4WAD_syT3D1rd/s640/DSC01752c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It all looks great by day -- or by night:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1UJp-bLusQ/VaU9kSgsTZI/AAAAAAAA33Q/i0-1HqhNOwY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1UJp-bLusQ/VaU9kSgsTZI/AAAAAAAA33Q/i0-1HqhNOwY/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
</div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><em>(Via ARUP)</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The complex was deigned with <em>Feng Shui</em> principles in mind. The architect, <strong><em>Terry Farrells</em></strong>, and the bank say that the tower calls to mind the silhouette of a dragon or serpent deity called a <em>Naga</em>. Here's what a <em>Naga </em>looks like<em>:</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDs1hY_m088_I5CcRw_upaTh-bIkc-ZKGhk21tgM3PeY-0cz4W9dQj-esbyGIy22nfFs58-R3Hpn0I9I9_60leVPJpyUJdCIE2_rgZchTpyUczXFydA1OlVOAmPe3zg9wYoLgs2Ry0sABo/s1600/DSC01558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDs1hY_m088_I5CcRw_upaTh-bIkc-ZKGhk21tgM3PeY-0cz4W9dQj-esbyGIy22nfFs58-R3Hpn0I9I9_60leVPJpyUJdCIE2_rgZchTpyUczXFydA1OlVOAmPe3zg9wYoLgs2Ry0sABo/s640/DSC01558.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't know about you, but I don't quite see the resemblance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Still, maybe that's what good architecture should be: a Rorschach test which we interpret through the lens of our own cultural perspective.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-25655120157054456752015-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:002015-06-06T10:59:28.750-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">30. Getting Lucky in Chiang Mai</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DClBmmFdbLJdfFcywPf5Gaa1wnBjZzkKzm_35RNFC4yApi_5Xtv3ZWSkBjSeEhllu_tNMVc9XF1Pvbgun9x41Eucqa5ljTprd91ugp1-pUL-ufUebLbC_XoGsHvOdm8tyI_0sm1AH36g/s1600/DSC01595c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DClBmmFdbLJdfFcywPf5Gaa1wnBjZzkKzm_35RNFC4yApi_5Xtv3ZWSkBjSeEhllu_tNMVc9XF1Pvbgun9x41Eucqa5ljTprd91ugp1-pUL-ufUebLbC_XoGsHvOdm8tyI_0sm1AH36g/s640/DSC01595c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes you're good, sometimes you're lucky. Sometimes you're both, but I don't have much experience in that area. Sometimes you're neither - a situation I'm more familiar with. But if I have to choose between the two, I'll take lucky every time -- even if it's disguised as bad luck as it was on our recent trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand's tourist magnet in the north.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most visitors to Chang Mai book themselves into a hotel or guest house inside the old city walls. That's where most of the 300 ancient Buddhist temples are. It's also where you'll find the dozens of travel agencies that will book you on the exact same tours as every other travel agency: glide on a river raft; see a waterfall; ride an overworked elephant; visit a hill-tribe village and pose with a colourful-looking native. And it's where you'll find the most pubs, reggae bars, jazz clubs, pizza parlours and Indian restaurants - all those authentic experiences that brought you to Thailand in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, I can't claim complete innocence in this affair. We did, after all, try to book a room inside the old city ourselves. It was just our misfortune that it was during the Christmas-New Year season and everything was booked up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or was it misfortune? We ended up booking in for 10 days a few blocks outside the city's northern wall. On our first day there, we shunned the inner city, following our own path outside the wall. In the process, we discovered three amazing temples.Best of all, since the inner-city residents rarely strayed outside the wall for their temple-gazing, we practically had all three to ourselves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><strong>Wat Montein</strong></i> aka the "dragon temple" was built by Laotian monks. It's not particularly old, but it's hard to miss with its very large outdoor Buddha, multi-tiered roof, and gilded front door:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidML8gM51DoSR7eDhTc7-SfOmb7B_CuJ3N0dmV9OPl5iPsH-worA_HJTeyFIoeRAy3apT3__CUIHZBspfHCwBGVW8AKRMFfq740JWrzn0uP8mRb_rCZeTOtNOCH_HZ_QZ1A9579LrPhU2X/s1600/DSC01507b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidML8gM51DoSR7eDhTc7-SfOmb7B_CuJ3N0dmV9OPl5iPsH-worA_HJTeyFIoeRAy3apT3__CUIHZBspfHCwBGVW8AKRMFfq740JWrzn0uP8mRb_rCZeTOtNOCH_HZ_QZ1A9579LrPhU2X/s640/DSC01507b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHD_WiXNrJctIwEWmrWAtgCrI8GFTqdZxElWGc8blgPVe0UWvGoPNGBlt4RPidM7HI3dDY1e5UnB4p9086nITguORFg4U0MQUUgAM5_oqVp4Z8q0AdfK9x_d0TuYCQTeH4lae1vIaWd60/s1600/DSC01508a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHD_WiXNrJctIwEWmrWAtgCrI8GFTqdZxElWGc8blgPVe0UWvGoPNGBlt4RPidM7HI3dDY1e5UnB4p9086nITguORFg4U0MQUUgAM5_oqVp4Z8q0AdfK9x_d0TuYCQTeH4lae1vIaWd60/s640/DSC01508a.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">as well as what may be the most lavishly ornamented exterior outside Bangkok's Royal Palace:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-XgqYUfpI8/VW2zD99lY6I/AAAAAAAAwAI/xvTTSKZAiOo/s1600/DSC01513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-XgqYUfpI8/VW2zD99lY6I/AAAAAAAAwAI/xvTTSKZAiOo/s640/DSC01513.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Inside, the <em>Wat </em>was no slouch either, with its beautiful Buddha shrine:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tl34tCFcMLc/VW26p_mrKiI/AAAAAAAAwAk/dBCuMLLw8NQ/s1600/DSC01511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tl34tCFcMLc/VW26p_mrKiI/AAAAAAAAwAk/dBCuMLLw8NQ/s640/DSC01511.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Immediately next door was another temple, <strong><em>Wat Kuan Ka Mah</em></strong>, which - for reasons that might be obvious - we referred to as Wat Horsey:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt9kWepGDrgWDm4TX3WhFahC47Pom8rOljFYe362sShObxIh8GMdBj01m3dLu9KnP_RldgsORFXWboaLTPv9ODoayAhfxZ6HIzL6DMDB2KUpoign1tXEAjZbKr_2UH5LSQH8pWnbLbDp3/s1600/DSC01516a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt9kWepGDrgWDm4TX3WhFahC47Pom8rOljFYe362sShObxIh8GMdBj01m3dLu9KnP_RldgsORFXWboaLTPv9ODoayAhfxZ6HIzL6DMDB2KUpoign1tXEAjZbKr_2UH5LSQH8pWnbLbDp3/s640/DSC01516a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">None of the prayer halls or reception rooms were open, but what we saw from the outside was more than impressive:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ93lLhvUmN1XlpZpt4_blTdryzVV0EQ4UtAyncFN3LlGRh8HHN_52O14s-vvAL4AF5xA59hAaB2e0fHUDOFmiA3m-_Nc9DBu-8W4SuKGqsv4BWu7epLkNmw3nI_aD6gdTFGPN2F-_AkKU/s1600/DSC01516b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ93lLhvUmN1XlpZpt4_blTdryzVV0EQ4UtAyncFN3LlGRh8HHN_52O14s-vvAL4AF5xA59hAaB2e0fHUDOFmiA3m-_Nc9DBu-8W4SuKGqsv4BWu7epLkNmw3nI_aD6gdTFGPN2F-_AkKU/s640/DSC01516b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBwypOAO3fOin0epAV87DMrs89tmML_JgtMBtNHvtHRhnDJFqqqpDMA2ZSWrcEEkxTL4Ae-hByUn88uu7TL39benSydCbVTK2Ctr0RBq6QUOXv0DnMDKlGvFD5e3EmG8Rj-fh0ubSTWE1/s1600/DSC01517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBwypOAO3fOin0epAV87DMrs89tmML_JgtMBtNHvtHRhnDJFqqqpDMA2ZSWrcEEkxTL4Ae-hByUn88uu7TL39benSydCbVTK2Ctr0RBq6QUOXv0DnMDKlGvFD5e3EmG8Rj-fh0ubSTWE1/s640/DSC01517.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVBIo4rNohs/VW3BQnIFrSI/AAAAAAAAwBU/wtCi2DW2Q0M/s1600/DSC01519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVBIo4rNohs/VW3BQnIFrSI/AAAAAAAAwBU/wtCi2DW2Q0M/s640/DSC01519.jpg" width="486" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ1dfdT-o3zypK7f9o24TiGsburqoPwPzFG3kBwkhkewffJTVWUTjE9Lb48YbmYlzZk9JUTdhH67usX-GCgcVkuxOIhk6qWIlusMQv1Enj_9abjXw_ZIuYHq3z_NEB81fcVE6MojjgWQZ/s1600/DSC01523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ1dfdT-o3zypK7f9o24TiGsburqoPwPzFG3kBwkhkewffJTVWUTjE9Lb48YbmYlzZk9JUTdhH67usX-GCgcVkuxOIhk6qWIlusMQv1Enj_9abjXw_ZIuYHq3z_NEB81fcVE6MojjgWQZ/s640/DSC01523.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As it turned out, we had saved the best for last. Across the moat from <em>Wat Montein </em>and<em> Wat Kuan Kah Ma </em>(i.e. even further away from the old city) was <strong>Wat Lokmolee. </strong>Unlike the other two temples, <em>Wat Lokmolee </em>was genuinely ancient. So ancient, in fact, that no one knew when it had been built. Its name first appeared in historical documents in 1367.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The <em>Wat</em> was a splendid vision both outside:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl-age9hDSicMq_nF_CwlmMzBCGmLDXktLPqGcav4dyicAMxhqms1QvFmXoF7KnIARdHRqVPXJ4ZTStrSxTZQcZgeBLuJoWqdVrMOhyphenhyphenrRpI_6WT9Zcvsg7xupeQAOWHR7xmJ5Y1gV-9Lu/s1600/DSC01595b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl-age9hDSicMq_nF_CwlmMzBCGmLDXktLPqGcav4dyicAMxhqms1QvFmXoF7KnIARdHRqVPXJ4ZTStrSxTZQcZgeBLuJoWqdVrMOhyphenhyphenrRpI_6WT9Zcvsg7xupeQAOWHR7xmJ5Y1gV-9Lu/s640/DSC01595b.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQA5WS3EIkCoE77yZg9n8hq6eA7x5B7PXMkiMhroSIIC46rKn5sNyNcD5z0UD6Z-3AROMJdWyVMZRRrDDZf7wtCHgsbiVtw_z1En1x8aADmbkQpC_3U-6WO-0b6j3g3Z30QrND8bQFJHP/s1600/DSC01595d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQA5WS3EIkCoE77yZg9n8hq6eA7x5B7PXMkiMhroSIIC46rKn5sNyNcD5z0UD6Z-3AROMJdWyVMZRRrDDZf7wtCHgsbiVtw_z1En1x8aADmbkQpC_3U-6WO-0b6j3g3Z30QrND8bQFJHP/s640/DSC01595d.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and in:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kXbxLT111dU/VW9MUTBembI/AAAAAAAAwXg/Qkx8iMubLN8/s1600/DSC01611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kXbxLT111dU/VW9MUTBembI/AAAAAAAAwXg/Qkx8iMubLN8/s640/DSC01611.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with the principal Buddha, wooden columns and decorated ceiling being particularly spectacular:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yw1dyjYcfhc/VW9NkV8zGZI/AAAAAAAAwXs/IUzmALz-Dzo/s1600/DSC01613a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yw1dyjYcfhc/VW9NkV8zGZI/AAAAAAAAwXs/IUzmALz-Dzo/s640/DSC01613a.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The temple grounds were full of shrines to a panoply of gods, many of which originated in Hinduism but were later embraced by Buddhism. Like <em>Brahma</em>:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvt-J21hCJ7W4hNqYXkPxviM9OXkr9H15zJGjH7ts42Ym-UsE_G-M-u-X-l8DI5qDQvEH7PDhkxIsXtVd5yLzOnc8jjtroJqG_TcaODtY33mQURDM7tEB8EPXgtt5VcGWEGCeEmuMfdSZ/s1600/DSC01597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvt-J21hCJ7W4hNqYXkPxviM9OXkr9H15zJGjH7ts42Ym-UsE_G-M-u-X-l8DI5qDQvEH7PDhkxIsXtVd5yLzOnc8jjtroJqG_TcaODtY33mQURDM7tEB8EPXgtt5VcGWEGCeEmuMfdSZ/s640/DSC01597.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lord <em>Ganesha</em>:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMFbGdW5wijxFxt5GZwkF85mw820eqxx3QzOWb1mODBRVvwsi5ThPr-ZXsu17yRJ-JobXcUZGW-4r7NbZFvfdLjSPbH1yaz9-u1EBZly6lOwdhQcza3ShKN_8avZRrkMYtUJ1GVAlQgMn/s1600/DSC01607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMFbGdW5wijxFxt5GZwkF85mw820eqxx3QzOWb1mODBRVvwsi5ThPr-ZXsu17yRJ-JobXcUZGW-4r7NbZFvfdLjSPbH1yaz9-u1EBZly6lOwdhQcza3ShKN_8avZRrkMYtUJ1GVAlQgMn/s640/DSC01607.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Chinese Goddess, <em>Kuan Yin</em></span>:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGuU-Y61Ubq9q6bE-49XjavJn8589Pnn6e3sCd9eVLf5Ev-K00UUQzMeg2hmWIVdXO2TIxaVOAyLKM1i3PuD8wldKRM1BeC1HRy7JvnuVp0_AzQ5q6vcKG76iCquf5yh5EvKGbouVWde_/s1600/DSC01598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGuU-Y61Ubq9q6bE-49XjavJn8589Pnn6e3sCd9eVLf5Ev-K00UUQzMeg2hmWIVdXO2TIxaVOAyLKM1i3PuD8wldKRM1BeC1HRy7JvnuVp0_AzQ5q6vcKG76iCquf5yh5EvKGbouVWde_/s640/DSC01598.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, of course, those omnipresent denizens of Buddhist temples, the <em>Nagas</em> or serpent deities, shown here in exquisitely carved detail:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uP9dMvvVyrE/VXGlVCtkpAI/AAAAAAAAwuM/_PjdVTW0TuU/s1600/DSC01619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uP9dMvvVyrE/VXGlVCtkpAI/AAAAAAAAwuM/_PjdVTW0TuU/s640/DSC01619.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the moral of the story is, as it usually is for travellers -- as it often is in life -- don't follow the herd; don't run with the pack. Or as the poet, Emerson once said "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." You might just find something more interesting lies there.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">FOR A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON CHIANG MAI, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR OTHER BLOG: <a href="http://www.streetsmart319.blogspot.com/">http://www.streetsmart319.blogspot.com</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-64757685585823608442015-05-13T09:29:00.000-07:002015-05-13T09:29:03.693-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">
29. The Most Beautiful Temple in Thailand?</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvJJ0SiS8O2br2ihUXauOCj1uEr-BXG5w_V2GhmLovUo30E6QvM45tAE8MxiJN8f_77VDWXuIE1HcgVGA5hLdh5of98Ps7Ne_VSdd9z17z_5f-0mvWyFAsYgiyxUTUFcgH-pX46bOvRyz/s1600/DSC01413b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvJJ0SiS8O2br2ihUXauOCj1uEr-BXG5w_V2GhmLovUo30E6QvM45tAE8MxiJN8f_77VDWXuIE1HcgVGA5hLdh5of98Ps7Ne_VSdd9z17z_5f-0mvWyFAsYgiyxUTUFcgH-pX46bOvRyz/s1600/DSC01413b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chances are, you've never heard of the town of Phitsanulok. Odds are even greater that you can't pronounce it's name. And, if you've ever been there, it was probably just to break up the 12-hour train ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai; or, as a base for exploring the nearby ruins of Sukhothai, one of Thailand's (many) ancient capitals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />That's unfortunate, because Phitsanulok houses several beautiful and important historical sites of its own - not the least of which is the magnificent and sprawling <strong><em>Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahatat Woramahawihan</em></strong>. And no, I can't say it five times quickly or pronounce it correctly even once. I just do what the locals do and call it <strong><em>Wat Yai</em></strong> (Big Temple). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Wat Yai</em> was built in 1357, with numerous renovations since. Its most important Buddha figure, the <em><strong>Phra Phuttha Chinnarat</strong></em> (<em>Victorious King</em>) is considered to be the most beautiful in Thailand. It's also regarded as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the second-most important, out-venerated only by the emerald Buddha (which is actually made of jade and really small) in Bangkok. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-egzu3YtSX1ZOVksWa25g4kvcZO4krGS2efdAxjOIAcsB4yt8VIjs2wsDwAvzD5lCJV9noCL8HRW_2vSVe4AUf05aBlbxebZUpvYBsYgvVo23shfMx2BSST9Tc6SkI_j_YWGHJ6Wb5Ws/s1600/DSC01414b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-egzu3YtSX1ZOVksWa25g4kvcZO4krGS2efdAxjOIAcsB4yt8VIjs2wsDwAvzD5lCJV9noCL8HRW_2vSVe4AUf05aBlbxebZUpvYBsYgvVo23shfMx2BSST9Tc6SkI_j_YWGHJ6Wb5Ws/s1600/DSC01414b.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
The Buddha's beauty is said to spring from the halo that surrounds its body, radiating holiness.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The statue was originally cast in bronze but later plated in gold, giving it an extraordinarily bright sheen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For those who envision Buddhist temples as retreats of near silence and peaceful contemplation, <em>Wat Yai</em> should cure that illusion. Just past the entry to the compound, you'll be confronted by a cacophony of sounds - amplified broadcasts asking for donations, a strip of vendors hawking everything from herbs to temple offerings, lottery tickets and framed posters of the Buddha. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Past the hubbub is the entrance to the main sanctuary. It was smaller than I had imagined, but extremely ornate:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinwEEQUzpIX2Fm6vfDYED63_dv46c_QygZT1oxw7cs-zp5spU5qsUqD7knXXFOuHPLuL5ZyTVHdYZDoxoGD8jhRqHK3F7ZmzAfXTzBjNiLX4ubHd0fendwgHqFO3kxJMfoRdpwaGt-6fZ/s1600/DSC01413a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinwEEQUzpIX2Fm6vfDYED63_dv46c_QygZT1oxw7cs-zp5spU5qsUqD7knXXFOuHPLuL5ZyTVHdYZDoxoGD8jhRqHK3F7ZmzAfXTzBjNiLX4ubHd0fendwgHqFO3kxJMfoRdpwaGt-6fZ/s640/DSC01413a.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside, the <em>sanctuary </em>proved to be somewhat of a Tardis. The hall was quite deep:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMYo-V5o61wCNf-jeYYRa8BgGaqNCbEyQTWEwA-1r9oluDG6qUznO58RY4eT7419un8180iE4faLPO_gkL-AMWCQFg0EslWq3YDaVeypb9N6uVsJauK_QYpqcOdbB7WVdOyo_sIOsviZb/s1600/DSC01414a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMYo-V5o61wCNf-jeYYRa8BgGaqNCbEyQTWEwA-1r9oluDG6qUznO58RY4eT7419un8180iE4faLPO_gkL-AMWCQFg0EslWq3YDaVeypb9N6uVsJauK_QYpqcOdbB7WVdOyo_sIOsviZb/s640/DSC01414a.jpg" width="472" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And also high, with pillars and ceiling adorned in gold and lit by crystal chandeliers:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRcd0zPR_ecn_UBzz1arAAB1pzi8Zb7xBCU7zbzGQumWWkKdMo0NSZbISyHBN4l2YgXK0xDuK-UchrPXzEwA2bDz9LC5wsG2z7nED_6hTlqxyIWiDyIRyflaer9uCLblXHmOTOHzHzcTR/s1600/DSC01415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRcd0zPR_ecn_UBzz1arAAB1pzi8Zb7xBCU7zbzGQumWWkKdMo0NSZbISyHBN4l2YgXK0xDuK-UchrPXzEwA2bDz9LC5wsG2z7nED_6hTlqxyIWiDyIRyflaer9uCLblXHmOTOHzHzcTR/s640/DSC01415.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Amazingly, this was just one of a number of sanctuaries dotting the <em>Wat Yai</em> compound. Behind it was another featuring gloriously framed doors and windows:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V1NTc5zFTGk/VU46eRkhYEI/AAAAAAAArVY/M8WBJ6FmvlU/s1600/DSC01420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V1NTc5zFTGk/VU46eRkhYEI/AAAAAAAArVY/M8WBJ6FmvlU/s400/DSC01420.jpg" width="283" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qKGGFZ68LUw/VU44-zwwrQI/AAAAAAAArVM/ANsTi7Qt-OM/s1600/DSC01425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qKGGFZ68LUw/VU44-zwwrQI/AAAAAAAArVM/ANsTi7Qt-OM/s400/DSC01425.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">another imposing Buddha:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55jHVHaeZZhtMuRRyoCovWbSugcWPS3hLFkjk4ihumOcF970VhzqBT5qPexFiXEaPt5qH8RUb0cV1QoKckRvM2wgBg7oIQO-66DYCAfDeo94QkxeIWRgcFc9vldpBVMIkgu9C5RHhQXo8/s1600/DSC02865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55jHVHaeZZhtMuRRyoCovWbSugcWPS3hLFkjk4ihumOcF970VhzqBT5qPexFiXEaPt5qH8RUb0cV1QoKckRvM2wgBg7oIQO-66DYCAfDeo94QkxeIWRgcFc9vldpBVMIkgu9C5RHhQXo8/s640/DSC02865.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">and a set of paintings that told the story of <strong><em>King Naresuan the Great</em></strong> who, in the 15th century, personally led his army on elephant back to free central Thailand from Burmese rule:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j4jBt30r5xY/VU-BrYLR4cI/AAAAAAAArbI/OBIc4kf-VhQ/s1600/DSC01429a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j4jBt30r5xY/VU-BrYLR4cI/AAAAAAAArbI/OBIc4kf-VhQ/s400/DSC01429a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xUXEA0sdbbn__d4NL_gWIw5kC-MpDV18atVWb_37BZy8fdpO7Yd8GkJi1tjqK1olgTDKA1g_97L3vtZ9Ch8CRcwg292JerW-C7Ut0Ugll2eE-PgIRGG9IHiYuNMtuPUaAIZ7WndKX5K4/s1600/DSC01428a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xUXEA0sdbbn__d4NL_gWIw5kC-MpDV18atVWb_37BZy8fdpO7Yd8GkJi1tjqK1olgTDKA1g_97L3vtZ9Ch8CRcwg292JerW-C7Ut0Ugll2eE-PgIRGG9IHiYuNMtuPUaAIZ7WndKX5K4/s400/DSC01428a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For me, the most fascinating part of <em><strong>Wat Yai</strong></em> was the cloisters, now serving as a display area for ancient Buddhas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysk8PoN-qiA/VU-EA-RSm5I/AAAAAAAArbc/k0IFSAJIGjI/s1600/DSC01447c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysk8PoN-qiA/VU-EA-RSm5I/AAAAAAAArbc/k0IFSAJIGjI/s640/DSC01447c.jpg" width="443" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were lots and lots of Buddhas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xahMvkvsyNE/VU-FltFKXkI/AAAAAAAArbo/nq0ZKRPAxbQ/s1600/DSC01447b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xahMvkvsyNE/VU-FltFKXkI/AAAAAAAArbo/nq0ZKRPAxbQ/s400/DSC01447b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Big Buddhas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PFUJc2_XHBVF_m5T6KSvyXe7RO_VfG5lZGn2oSnNLeWfSnicYADvX_6ElhJJTkV-LXds0dYIKKExmYpU1CgD23kToqDzP6-XD94XDjztmF_kAwBKdEUTVjPGRpkzCKX4q200KeLJBURk/s1600/DSC01450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PFUJc2_XHBVF_m5T6KSvyXe7RO_VfG5lZGn2oSnNLeWfSnicYADvX_6ElhJJTkV-LXds0dYIKKExmYpU1CgD23kToqDzP6-XD94XDjztmF_kAwBKdEUTVjPGRpkzCKX4q200KeLJBURk/s400/DSC01450.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Small Buddhas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhper0RkRWvNk56-ousUE5_UWhzbvmDWTjbwimbL8-ke10Q6FsWoy5jPI-DYq5SbBlv9sg4n2nzPr_8UdZuTFmpulIRFXE_xQiMfgUbruBiCfVCRNJ3tB3_pO5TcB5hcbbCBzCf4R-bGyzR/s1600/DSC01451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhper0RkRWvNk56-ousUE5_UWhzbvmDWTjbwimbL8-ke10Q6FsWoy5jPI-DYq5SbBlv9sg4n2nzPr_8UdZuTFmpulIRFXE_xQiMfgUbruBiCfVCRNJ3tB3_pO5TcB5hcbbCBzCf4R-bGyzR/s400/DSC01451.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And just outside the cloisters (probably because he couldn't fit in), this unusually chunky Buddha:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWke67dQr44dmcfIoUweFAhMBoIgLCuiJFyQuCcItacku8XyJ5-6vPbQdxijVhHKOIuHnST_R0sIxolB2McXYiYvsLciJIoZBVwg-pNckdEOHxEhmwrwbkkNSTvkDv8I2HIgRSAn7iZj2/s1600/DSC01461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWke67dQr44dmcfIoUweFAhMBoIgLCuiJFyQuCcItacku8XyJ5-6vPbQdxijVhHKOIuHnST_R0sIxolB2McXYiYvsLciJIoZBVwg-pNckdEOHxEhmwrwbkkNSTvkDv8I2HIgRSAn7iZj2/s400/DSC01461.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Wat Yai</em> offered many WOW moments, but one thing that really surprised was the way people dressed. Having travelled through many Buddhist countries over the course of 27 years, I was well aware of the advisories, admonitions and strictures requiring visitors to dress respectfully, i.e. arms and legs covered. Apparently the locals weren't quite so aware. Many wore short-shorts, tank tops, muscle shirts, t-shirts, miniskirts, flip-flops etc. Guess they hadn't read the same guide books.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-40061401800033007432015-04-06T09:17:00.000-07:002015-04-10T06:05:32.153-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">28. Bangkok: Hotel or Art Gallery?</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oudV5oW81A/VSAcXAbV53I/AAAAAAAAnRU/AIoFcVMyOZI/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oudV5oW81A/VSAcXAbV53I/AAAAAAAAnRU/AIoFcVMyOZI/s1600/image.jpg" height="408" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="right">
</div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mural by Lisa Mam and Peap Tarr</span></div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: xx-small;">(photo via Lisa Mam)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Generally speaking, I try to keep this blog distinct from the one in which Heather and I showcase street art from around the world, <b>STREETsmArt</b> (<a href="http://www.streetsmart319.blogspot.com/">www.streetsmart319.blogspot.com</a>). After all, architecture is architecture and street art is street art. The two are completely different. Or are they?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I highlighted in an earlier post on this blog (<i>23. The Newest Architecture Feature?</i>), architecture and</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> street art are increasingly converging. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nowhere is this more visible than at </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Cacha </i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in Bangkok, which we had the pleasure of visiting on a recent swing through Southeast Asia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A first glance at <em>Cacha </em>suggests you're looking at either some kind of arts building or maybe a boutique hotel. But there aren't any obvious clues as to which. You certainly wouldn't guess that it was once a Chinese shophouse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AWCdYAq2JiA/VSAcTdOe1wI/AAAAAAAAnRU/r2ntUzt_Chg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AWCdYAq2JiA/VSAcTdOe1wI/AAAAAAAAnRU/r2ntUzt_Chg/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (Photo via Cacha)</span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entering <em>Cacha, </em>the mystery only deepens. Your eyes and brain struggle to take in all of the colourful patterns and images that sweep across this open-concept level.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjnn45sdEliXy5y6f4Gtl3-0whlT7qzfFCw8FNLcrYzrw1uS6nRaz1FZCxNubyqfVY1GkVtvo50FBoPIzRuObQXym8j2txkv8u9hJi-Yb1ufsE3QvX1NEYs7XOsSpj7BoSgIlKmI97dZx/s1600/DSC01406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjnn45sdEliXy5y6f4Gtl3-0whlT7qzfFCw8FNLcrYzrw1uS6nRaz1FZCxNubyqfVY1GkVtvo50FBoPIzRuObQXym8j2txkv8u9hJi-Yb1ufsE3QvX1NEYs7XOsSpj7BoSgIlKmI97dZx/s1600/DSC01406.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The task of designing the ground floor was given to two of Cambodia's hottest street artists, <i><b>Lisa Mam</b></i> and <i><b>Peap Tarr.</b></i> Lisa was Cambodia's first female Khmer street artist, and may well be the world's only dentist/street artist. Here's a detail from one of her pieces in <i>Cacha's</i> lobby/restaurant area:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G4qn5zZVAYI/VSAmsFGVfQI/AAAAAAAAnR0/dKkFSlI50dc/s1600/DSC01407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G4qn5zZVAYI/VSAmsFGVfQI/AAAAAAAAnR0/dKkFSlI50dc/s1600/DSC01407.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Peap has his roots in the graffiti culture, but has created his own unique style by synthesizing his two heritages - New Zealand and Cambodian. He says his art "exists in a world where lightness and darkness battle, yet co-exist..." Here's one of his contributions to <em>Cacha's</em> lobby:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N16DEL2rJPo/VSArU3AxHgI/AAAAAAAAnSA/mhriur3blvE/s1600/DSC01404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N16DEL2rJPo/VSArU3AxHgI/AAAAAAAAnSA/mhriur3blvE/s1600/DSC01404.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As this mural suggests, elephants are the dominant motif at <em>Cacha</em>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tWIkPBFDUY80TGc3jciVvSKi0G62NvQAL_SW_Zt9XpeXX1BjRIKimSv70iXSsZXmsr3FfSJLFHhZpLHaQXi2Du4sQwv0h4Ep_fH4Y9EDiJXzo2wuNi4hqVWA1BwFTuCE1k4g9hi7LXXr/s1600/DSC01405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tWIkPBFDUY80TGc3jciVvSKi0G62NvQAL_SW_Zt9XpeXX1BjRIKimSv70iXSsZXmsr3FfSJLFHhZpLHaQXi2Du4sQwv0h4Ep_fH4Y9EDiJXzo2wuNi4hqVWA1BwFTuCE1k4g9hi7LXXr/s1600/DSC01405.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">That's not such a big surprise, given that "Cacha" is a poetic Thai word for "elephant".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Still wondering what <em>Cacha </em>is? The answer lies above the first floor floor. There, you'll find comfortable and colourful overnight rooms for paying guests. The rooms feature bold, modern and somewhat edgy murals created by a highly acclaimed five-artist collective called <strong>Death of Black (DOB)</strong>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If you find yourself headed to Bangkok, you might consider booking a few nights at - to use its full name - the <em>Cacha Art Hotel</em>. You could end up sharing a room with a masterwork by the likes of:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">New York graffiti star <em><strong>CHIP7:</strong></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em><strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zpsZVMKAr0w/VSBHaYiRv5I/AAAAAAAAnTA/7Dq0ZfyyjU8/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zpsZVMKAr0w/VSBHaYiRv5I/AAAAAAAAnTA/7Dq0ZfyyjU8/s1600/image.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em><strong>
</strong></em></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thai illustrator and street artist <strong>P7</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6s0uMMAK34/VSBHaX2_-vI/AAAAAAAAnTA/14ObiyXYnUE/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6s0uMMAK34/VSBHaX2_-vI/AAAAAAAAnTA/14ObiyXYnUE/s1600/image.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or Thai illustrator and graphic designer, <strong>Rukkit</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqh7HG7tcVc/VSBHaifHMtI/AAAAAAAAnTA/emMBqba6Ugw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqh7HG7tcVc/VSBHaifHMtI/AAAAAAAAnTA/emMBqba6Ugw/s1600/image.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(last three photos via Cacha)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">While you're at it, get used to seeing street art in many more places than just construction hoarding, abandoned buildings, dark alleys and modern art galleries. It is, after all, the fastest-growing art movement in the history of the world! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And if you'd like to learn more about street art, please check out our other blog: <a href="http://www.streetsmart319.blogspot.com/">www.streetsmart319.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-48537720412983399362015-03-07T07:14:00.000-08:002015-03-07T07:24:31.721-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">27. The Qutb Minar: Delhi's First WOWchitecture</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I first set eyes on Delhi's<b> Qutb Minar</b> about three years ago, it was like peering back into a millenium of Indian history.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dmq4w1tmTck/VPiexy37YVI/AAAAAAAAjfw/ultRDnYLEaY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dmq4w1tmTck/VPiexy37YVI/AAAAAAAAjfw/ultRDnYLEaY/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Construction of the tower's first and largest storey began in 1193 - a time when it didn't take hours to wend your way through Delhi's traffic-choked streets to reach the site. By the time it topped out in 1368, the <em>Minar</em> stood as the tallest all-brick tower in the world. If that doesn't amaze you, consider this: it still is!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xFBOBhFYCMA/VPiewMfjeBI/AAAAAAAAjfw/Ipma9vv1K9E/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xFBOBhFYCMA/VPiewMfjeBI/AAAAAAAAjfw/Ipma9vv1K9E/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <em>Qutb Minar</em> was built as a giant political and architectural exclamation point. It symbolized the conquest of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi by </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Qutbu'd-din Aibak, </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">soon to</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> become the first Sultan of India. And it proclaimed the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beginning of Muslim rule on the subcontinent.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The five-section sandstone and marble Minar - which is in considerably better shape for its age than I am for mine - is a masterpiece of Moghul construction. Here's the "tale of the tape", as they say in the world of pugilism. It rises to a height of 72.5-metres or 238 ft. It has a diameter of more than 14-metres at the bottom and tapers to just 2.75-metres at the top. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Climbing the <em>Minar </em>requires going up 379 steps. But don't worry about your knees - the powers that be haven't let anyone climb it since 1981 when an electric outage blacked out the stairwell and the subsequent stampede killed 45 people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <em>Minar's</em> beautiful red and buff sandstone is ornamented with quotes from the Koran in elegantly flowing Arab calligraphy.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KpTUn9mKOTA/VPifKHuDDBI/AAAAAAAAjfw/GGtcZufacNg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KpTUn9mKOTA/VPifKHuDDBI/AAAAAAAAjfw/GGtcZufacNg/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9gO0ba0779o/VPifKXDHRGI/AAAAAAAAjfw/xtvp2BBPiVw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9gO0ba0779o/VPifKXDHRGI/AAAAAAAAjfw/xtvp2BBPiVw/s1600/image.jpg" height="446" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <em>Qutb Minar</em> is part of a complex of buildings that includes a number of ancient monuments, many in partial or near-total ruin. T</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he<b> Alai Arwaza</b> is the main entry gate and is decorated with red sandstone, inlaid white marble, Arabic script, and latticed stone screens, all designed by the finest Turkish artisans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NR2_f9NNysA/VPie03iWWPI/AAAAAAAAjfw/mB1zNmdIc6M/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NR2_f9NNysA/VPie03iWWPI/AAAAAAAAjfw/mB1zNmdIc6M/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The gate leads to the <b>Qubbat-ul-Islam</b> - the first mosque in India, with construction starting in 1192. To clear land for the mosque, the Muslim invaders enacted an ISIS-like scorched-earth policy, plundering the 27 Hindu and Jain temples that stood on the site. They also used some of the remaining materials to build the mosque. Ironically, this effort to destroy Hinduism resulted in a mosque with Hindu ornamentation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wTZvfs45WX0/VPifJ5zky_I/AAAAAAAAjfw/wkpm3C2m82I/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wTZvfs45WX0/VPifJ5zky_I/AAAAAAAAjfw/wkpm3C2m82I/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="472" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other buildings on the site show off more of the brilliantly carved and densely arrayed sandstone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6XgbxI64WU/VPie3C8JMZI/AAAAAAAAjfw/M-4_1V7XlA0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6XgbxI64WU/VPie3C8JMZI/AAAAAAAAjfw/M-4_1V7XlA0/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not only is the <em>Qutb Minar</em> complex a treasure trove for history and architecture buffs, it's a veritable goldmine for photographers. Here's what I brought back from the motherload by saving some shooting until just before sunset. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Minar silhouetted against a modern airliner:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9JxQ7PO7_qc/VPifLG_xKkI/AAAAAAAAjfw/fg4ENuFHdPY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9JxQ7PO7_qc/VPifLG_xKkI/AAAAAAAAjfw/fg4ENuFHdPY/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The setting sun "captured" by one of the mosque's archway ruins:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TxyshcvgJnw/VPifLvbxf3I/AAAAAAAAjfw/8A3cGpVqxHo/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TxyshcvgJnw/VPifLvbxf3I/AAAAAAAAjfw/8A3cGpVqxHo/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the contrasting colours and forms of the ruins and the glowing sunset:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3s_hrFVL5Z8/VPifMATG10I/AAAAAAAAjfw/nogH__zKD3A/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3s_hrFVL5Z8/VPifMATG10I/AAAAAAAAjfw/nogH__zKD3A/s1600/image.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-37552787989067835402014-12-09T10:49:00.000-08:002014-12-09T10:49:40.504-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">26. Seven Buildings that will Rock your World in 2015</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About a year ago I wrote a post called <i>"Six Buildings that will Rock your World in <b>2014</b>." </i>It turned out to be my second-most popular post of the year. Far be it from me to argue with success, so let's do it again for <b>2015</b>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the buildings that <b>WOWchitecture</b> believes will have the greatest impact on the global architecture scene in 2015. They're bold, they're daring and they'll carry architecture to new heights - sometimes literally.</span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The New York Trio</span></h3>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pyramids had a great run during Egypt's <i>"Let my people go" </i>era. The Mayan's brought them back a millennium or two later and also had good success. But when Britain's <i>Lord Norman Foster </i>built a 62-metre pyramid in Kazakstan (<b>Palace of Peace and Reconciliation</b>), it was derided as an act of folly by a country that just had too much oil money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then along came Copenhagen's free-thinking architecture firm, <b>BIG</b>, with a plan to place a 32-storey pyramid in New York. And not just in New York, but on the very visible bank of the Hudson River. Known officially as <b>W57</b> for its location on 57th Street, the pyramid has also been dubbed "Magic Mountain". And oh what magic architect <i>Bjarke Ingles</i> has conjured up. The white building slants back at a steep angle. It has slit-like terraces cut out of its facade. A huge cutout just off centre allows for a football-field-sized plaza whose greenery visually aligns with that of the Hudson River Park.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PFugmRqDbKM/VINfuS7g5uI/AAAAAAAAcVs/lvL5lb-ugXs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PFugmRqDbKM/VINfuS7g5uI/AAAAAAAAcVs/lvL5lb-ugXs/s1600/image.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Via BIG</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of magic, one project that could certainly use some fairy dust is the World Trade Centre. <i>David Childs and SOM</i> certainly didn't imbue it into WTC1 - a monolithic structure that conveys strength and power at the expense of innovation, aesthetic appeal, and grace. Nor did <i>Foster</i> and <i>Richard</i> <i>Rogers</i>, two brilliant British architects whose WTC tower designs suggest they were on auto pilot. As for <i>Fumihiko Maki's </i>already finished WTC4, the less said, the better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The one bit of WTC magic is coming courtesy of unconventional, organic architect <i>Santiago Calatrava</i>. Calatrava - arguably the world's greatest architect without a Pritzker Prize - just happens to hail from my adopted hometown, Valencia. For the WTC he's designed the ultimate <b>Transportation Hub. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At its core is a giant white oculus - the eye-shaped structure that Calatrava has relied upon successfully in the past. Springing out from the oculus on both sides are </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">long graceful wings. On a sunny day the oculus will </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">open, allowing warming rays to bathe those in the mall below. The net effect is </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that of a huge graceful bird </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">getting ready to take off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwzAsavEiFk/VINfsoAX5UI/AAAAAAAAcVk/ZGesAcz3IO0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwzAsavEiFk/VINfsoAX5UI/AAAAAAAAcVk/ZGesAcz3IO0/s1600/image.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Via Santiago Calatrava</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes, just by using boxes you can come up with something entirely out-</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">of-the-box. At least you can if you're Swiss architecture firm </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Herzog and de </i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meuron</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, the folks who created the splendid </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bird's Nest</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> stadium for the Beijing Olympics. Their latest project, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>56 Leonard St</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>.</b> consists of a series of rectangles piled one on top of the other. The materials couldn't be simpler: concrete floors, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ceilings and support pillars, with floor-to-ceiling windows giving every owner a priceless - actually, an incredibly expensively - view of the incomparable New York skyline.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where the genius comes in is in the way </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Herzog and de Meuron </i>have arranged the rectangles. Sometimes the floor plates are identical and sit evenly on top of each other. Sometimes they're not and they don't. Floors cantilever out over the ones below or beneath the ones above. The jagged edge creates a look unlike any skyscraper in New York. At 57 storeys, <b>56 Leonard St</b>. may not be one of the taller buildings in New York, but it sure will be one of the more unusual.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yKVIIN5LYA/VINfwezqwzI/AAAAAAAAcV0/D_JzJ4L_h_4/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yKVIIN5LYA/VINfwezqwzI/AAAAAAAAcV0/D_JzJ4L_h_4/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Via Herzog and de Meuron</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Flying Saucer</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If Jean Nouvel's <b>Abu Dhabi Louvre </b>looks a little familiar, it may be because it appeared in </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">one of my earlier posts, <i>"My 8 Favourite Buildings that Look Like Flying Saucers." </i>A<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>branch of the more famous gallery in Paris, the Abu Dhabi version is part of a massive planned cultural project on Saadiyat Island. IF completed - and that's by no means certain - it will be the largest collection of cultural buildings in the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9G0FhVyx-Y/VINgfsGbndI/AAAAAAAAcWI/rdCV1pPwmiA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9G0FhVyx-Y/VINgfsGbndI/AAAAAAAAcWI/rdCV1pPwmiA/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Atelier Jean Nouvel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new <b>Louvre</b> is a dead cert to finish, with opening scheduled for the end of </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2015. The next </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to follow will be <i>Foster's</i> </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Zayed National Museum, </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">scheduled </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for completion</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in 2016, but not likely since they've just chosen a construction company. Meanwhile <i>Frank Gehry's</i> <b>Guggenheim </b>hasn't even gotten that far </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">yet, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and the only constant about <i>Zaha Hadid's </i><b>Performing Arts Center </b>is that it's </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">constantly being postponed. The building is no longer mentioned on the cultural district's website.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sure, Let's Save al-Qaeda the Trouble</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't usually post buildings I don't like. In fact, this may be the first time. But I have to admit that the <b>Maha Nakhon </b>in Bangkok is going to get a lot of "WOWs". The 77-storey glass tower was designed by <i>OMA</i> - home to Starchitect <i>Rem Koolhaas</i>. When finished, it will look like it was hit by a couple of planes and instead of repairing the damage they just put new cladding over the crushed in areas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-APn5Bjv_1Z0/VINghV46-VI/AAAAAAAAcWQ/2mrepPzs6Q0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-APn5Bjv_1Z0/VINghV46-VI/AAAAAAAAcWQ/2mrepPzs6Q0/s1600/image.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Via OMA</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Technically, this tower qualifies as WOWchitecture. But in the wake of September 11, I wonder how many people will react like I did and say "Wow, how insensitive! Wow, what a shot at New York! Wow, how inappropriate!" Now, I'm not one of those sensitive types who gets all teary-eyed at the mention of 9/11. Heck, I'm not even American (although I do compete as a member of Beard Team USA - but that's another story). Yet even I'm offended by the design of this building.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>China Rising</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's no great secret that when it comes to 100-storey supertalls, China is the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">global leader - and picking up steam by the day. The bad news is that the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">emphasis on speed and height is resulting in far too many big, boring, blue-clad</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> glass boxes dotting the country. The good news is that there are exceptions to this rule, like the 128-floor <b>Shanghai Tower</b>, which was on last year's <i>Rock your World </i>list, and the 115-floor <b>Ping An International </b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finance Centre</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in Shenzen, which is on this year's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Ping An, </b>designed by American-based <i>KPF</i><b>, </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">resembles</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> a giant silver rocket ship. It flares a bit at the bottom creating the impression of rocket fins. Then for most of its body it rises straight up, it's height underscored by vertical lines. Near the top, the futuristic building tapers radically on all sides until it reaches a point. Extending from the point is a long thin spire much like those seen in 1950s science fiction movies. Get ready for blastoff in 2015.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zrjllO-jiBw/VINgqrtgMoI/AAAAAAAAcWY/fu9ceRXwfYM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zrjllO-jiBw/VINgqrtgMoI/AAAAAAAAcWY/fu9ceRXwfYM/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Via KPF</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Apparently they <u>can</u> Build a Supertall</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Within the architecture community, Seoul is known as a city that loves to announce bold and imaginative skyscrapers, even entire new districts of soaring skyscrapers - and then fails to build them. It seems that anytime someone gets even the faintest thought of designing a skyscraper, it gets announced as if it's a sure thing. Then dawn breaks - the dawn of fiscal reality, technological reality and structural reality, and the projects ends up in the ashcan of architectural history.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Lotte World Tower</b> will break the pattern. The 123-storey tower is simply </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">too far along (91-stories and counting) not to happen. Like the <b>Ping An</b>, the </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seoul Lotte</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was designed - and elegantly so - by <i>KPF</i>. It too starts off straight, but the tapering begins earlier and proceeds more gradually. Rather than coming to a point, the 555-metre building squares off at the top. If that's where it ended it would look quite weird, but the glass cladding rises beyond the core structure, bringing the building to a more stylish conclusion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-75AafsTOUCg/VINguZVbLSI/AAAAAAAAcWg/eCXQJM5HbeI/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-75AafsTOUCg/VINguZVbLSI/AAAAAAAAcWg/eCXQJM5HbeI/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Via KPF</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's my list of the seven buildings that will rock your world in 2015. They'll all be finished (at least on the outside) sometime in the year ahead. If you think you know of any that will get a bigger "WOW", just leave me a note at the bottom of this post and I'll consider adding your suggestion to my list.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-62948744839750270112014-11-24T10:08:00.000-08:002014-11-25T02:29:00.305-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">25. Barcelona: the Ninth Building</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A couple of months ago, I wrote a post called <em>"</em><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Barcelona: 8 Wildly Colourful Buildings <u>not</u> by Gaudi."</em> It should have been "<b>Nine</b> Wildly Colourful..." but one building was so unique, so idiosyncratic, so absolutely delightful, that I had to give it it's own spotlight. That building is <i>Casa Comalat:</i></span></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx3tATrIfOXlkDE11-IdiwoLlykrUEjuLRP2UST17UW6WlnQaYeV4XWarvIPGPzaM2fmRfhOZL1Aq9ufyPVnsbw4zq5-uxcbEuWTN5mIJqGZgBb3xmlaeUdC_gqb7b1lZ95pkweF9XzyE/s1600/DSCO1149a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx3tATrIfOXlkDE11-IdiwoLlykrUEjuLRP2UST17UW6WlnQaYeV4XWarvIPGPzaM2fmRfhOZL1Aq9ufyPVnsbw4zq5-uxcbEuWTN5mIJqGZgBb3xmlaeUdC_gqb7b1lZ95pkweF9XzyE/s1600/DSCO1149a.jpg" height="640" width="468" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Casa Comalat</i> displays all of the quintessential characteristics of an <b>Antoni Gaudi </b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">building. It has Gaudi's playful colours, parabolic arches, curved lines, wavy tile patterns, oversized windows and balconies, joyful exhuberance - and just about everything that makes a building scream out <strong>"GAUDI"</strong>. There's just one thing. The architect who designed it wasn't Gaudi. It was </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Salvador Valeri i </strong><strong>Pupurull</strong><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Valeri Pupurull </i>was part of the generation of <i>Modernista</i> (Catalan Art Nouveau) young turks who succeeded Gaudi. His work on </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Casa Comalat </i>took place from 1906-11. While owing much to Gaudi's ground-breaking style,<i> Valeri Pupurull </i>went the Catalan grandmaster one step further by giving the building two different facades!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you stand outside the front facade on the busy main street Diagonal, what your eyes take in is a relatively sober building made of heavy grey stone. And yet there are hints of a hugely creative mind at work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like a magnificent wood and iron front door with an ornamental stone-surround:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q1VEpZUuE_niTyr9KNg-a4Ts3dC0z_jOAchOQEWp8XDbecEhZ4U8V_wNPpQPRafQ2fh7lKwsof8HwGOsn6413v3e1nNUgcp3E2T3I68moUYg47GqSJ7_3h36VxWOpbHOoM581d-Bks4L/s1600/Barcelona-Casa+Comalat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q1VEpZUuE_niTyr9KNg-a4Ts3dC0z_jOAchOQEWp8XDbecEhZ4U8V_wNPpQPRafQ2fh7lKwsof8HwGOsn6413v3e1nNUgcp3E2T3I68moUYg47GqSJ7_3h36VxWOpbHOoM581d-Bks4L/s1600/Barcelona-Casa+Comalat.jpg" height="640" width="466" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beautiful wrought-iron balconies with decorative stone supports:</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGjBTm5-Wm0/VHIMf7oYc5I/AAAAAAAAaDA/ILY7p3qqXAA/s1600/DSC01179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGjBTm5-Wm0/VHIMf7oYc5I/AAAAAAAAaDA/ILY7p3qqXAA/s1600/DSC01179.jpg" height="640" width="474" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">stained-glass windows with double pillared stone-surrounds:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ocjtcciTDWSacjjGGp2Dygfv1IvlpwAGR4ovbTmkX5543UfOaqsiY1d845XsxNImhr1kEm1Xxzhe6tOEB55Nc-W7A0AE1Z221ifJJUfFZt1FZYpsDge_4aFv-267xPYJvsHDj40e9jk9/s1600/DSC01178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ocjtcciTDWSacjjGGp2Dygfv1IvlpwAGR4ovbTmkX5543UfOaqsiY1d845XsxNImhr1kEm1Xxzhe6tOEB55Nc-W7A0AE1Z221ifJJUfFZt1FZYpsDge_4aFv-267xPYJvsHDj40e9jk9/s1600/DSC01178.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and a harlequin-hat roof made of green glazed tile:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6PDjxykTLp8/VHIodbuPpcI/AAAAAAAAaGk/Ehx4O4WrnQk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6PDjxykTLp8/VHIodbuPpcI/AAAAAAAAaGk/Ehx4O4WrnQk/s1600/image.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">reminiscent of Gaudi's greatest work, <em>Casa Batlo</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The front façade usually draws a small crowd of amateur photographers. When they're finished taking their shots, many just drift further down Diagonal assuming that the rear facade is more of the same. Big mistake. BIG MISTAKE!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because it's only when you go around to the quieter backstreet that you'll see the architect's kaleidoscopic imagination in its full, glorious form. To appreciate the Alice-in-Wonderland hallucinogenic vision that presents itself, you really have to study <i>Casa Comalat's </i>rear facade section-by-section.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The top, with its circular aperture and curved roof is amazing in it's own right, but also provides a sneak preview of what is to come....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_p2dSxIOlw/VHIx46GfHQI/AAAAAAAAaG8/wUX5lrsQWY0/s1600/DSC01149c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_p2dSxIOlw/VHIx46GfHQI/AAAAAAAAaG8/wUX5lrsQWY0/s1600/DSC01149c.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....more polychromatic porcelain tiles arranged by ceramicist <em>Luis </em><em>Bru I Salleles</em> to create organic forms, wooden terraces enclosed by stained-glass windows, green wooden window frames, and brown wooden blinds (seen as somewhat of an affectation at the time).....</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelC9k9Fg7MLGfCrDRy_H2xaYs9JFXwkRBRQw0lqDbzS0XYZ1I_nldoy55h2Vt8LoRk5uu55gzzh9TDjHwjhbOKKd-Ye6mu1VaAuBzf6WVx2dcOaeZ3aXYUPLko8ooZpFqR3ePwPSaIox5/s1600/DSC01164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelC9k9Fg7MLGfCrDRy_H2xaYs9JFXwkRBRQw0lqDbzS0XYZ1I_nldoy55h2Vt8LoRk5uu55gzzh9TDjHwjhbOKKd-Ye6mu1VaAuBzf6WVx2dcOaeZ3aXYUPLko8ooZpFqR3ePwPSaIox5/s1600/DSC01164.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Below the terraces, <em>Bru Salleles, </em>already regarded as the top ceramicist in Spain, created panels of tiled mosaics the likes of which Europe had never seen:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhHfhno1cSBAh2Fk5XhpSDUK6asMTyNk6bjh0CQt53QsFXMAhyQvBYv4w48pTXD_sI8-h79bRZ19WvBbJhe5R8L48NxdE0xH7HRQxMMQMtQHkRVuRxQ6d_RgQ5bWHhxl7ufh7aCb8ahcZ/s1600/DSC01160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhHfhno1cSBAh2Fk5XhpSDUK6asMTyNk6bjh0CQt53QsFXMAhyQvBYv4w48pTXD_sI8-h79bRZ19WvBbJhe5R8L48NxdE0xH7HRQxMMQMtQHkRVuRxQ6d_RgQ5bWHhxl7ufh7aCb8ahcZ/s1600/DSC01160.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zcjICw36GLk/VHI6EqPIlgI/AAAAAAAAaHc/t3b4sLtGDCM/s1600/DSC01154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zcjICw36GLk/VHI6EqPIlgI/AAAAAAAAaHc/t3b4sLtGDCM/s1600/DSC01154.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Supporting it all are two pairs of twin parabolic arches. The arches also protect more stained-glass windows and green window frames and shutters.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIZDtHCyqTrkRnzX7Ath6OimBrLegagKOMt45i2a8u8nL3raxEklDrSicEskJiP1pzZ37EPhNZbdqyyspEXtnbPTqjKrxJ7rV4ebihTVA5xoBvmgh0z4I7oazkMwgM5hfrgsoZkRxvP5U/s1600/Barcelona-Casa+Comalat-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIZDtHCyqTrkRnzX7Ath6OimBrLegagKOMt45i2a8u8nL3raxEklDrSicEskJiP1pzZ37EPhNZbdqyyspEXtnbPTqjKrxJ7rV4ebihTVA5xoBvmgh0z4I7oazkMwgM5hfrgsoZkRxvP5U/s1600/Barcelona-Casa+Comalat-3.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By now you're probably wondering which version of <strong>Valeri</strong> <strong>Pupurull </strong>designed <em>Casa Comalat's</em> interior - the grey, sober, orderly one, or the wild, wavy, polychromatic one? Unfortunately, the building is private - largely housing investment companies - and not open to the public.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Fortunately, one of those companies <em>Q-Renta Agencia de Valores, </em>has made<em> </em>some<em> </em>interior shots available. I think they'll quite handily answer your question!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSa4DvGmGvc/VHM-UYEQIuI/AAAAAAAAaMY/SzJHXVSAH9s/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSa4DvGmGvc/VHM-UYEQIuI/AAAAAAAAaMY/SzJHXVSAH9s/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XIKNLQdDZjc/VHM_FQ_DjfI/AAAAAAAAaNE/FW6PSoE0LRA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XIKNLQdDZjc/VHM_FQ_DjfI/AAAAAAAAaNE/FW6PSoE0LRA/s1600/image.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-74050095190562469972014-11-07T07:16:00.003-08:002014-11-07T07:19:39.582-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">24. Eclectic Architecture at its Best </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been a while since I last showcased a building in my adopted hometown of Valencia. Let me remedy this right away lest you think we <em>Valencianos</em> are WOWchitecture-challenged.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favourite places in the city for building-watching (sort of like people-watching, but the buildings don't care how long you stare) is the <i>Plaza del Ayuntamiento </i>or Town Hall Square. The square is named after this rather Baroque-looking building, scene of many a football celebration and political protest:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ytSft77XX7Q/VFueKM9otjI/AAAAAAAAW44/ghWvrkLkq_s/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ytSft77XX7Q/VFueKM9otjI/AAAAAAAAW44/ghWvrkLkq_s/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In case you're wondering, that's a football celebration. So is this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-HfulHe6-g/VFueDRb7UjI/AAAAAAAAW4w/bLUx74LyXD0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-HfulHe6-g/VFueDRb7UjI/AAAAAAAAW4w/bLUx74LyXD0/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Really. They don't call this city's biggest festival <em>Las Fallas</em> (The Fires) for nothing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the heart of the square (which, this being Europe, is actually triangular) is a cascading fountain that serves as a focal point for many a photo-op:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zgiwxwKiwzg/VFud4S7VNXI/AAAAAAAAW4o/kSXvIcGf13c/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zgiwxwKiwzg/VFud4S7VNXI/AAAAAAAAW4o/kSXvIcGf13c/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More recently, an artificially chilled skating rink has been added - a rather expensive act of folly that allows <em>Valencianos</em> to pretend for a couple of months that it actually gets cold around Christmas. Never mind that daytime highs are usually in the 18-20 C. range.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The square itself is surrounded by leafy plane trees and stately palms. It's also dotted with kiosks selling herbs, orchids and fresh-cut flowers. Circling the square (or should that be triangulating the triangle) are elegant buildings in a variety of architectural styles, largely erected in the first third of the 20th century. This was, of course, before Franco and his jack-booted storm troopers stomped all over the heart of socialist Spain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This blending of architectural styles often results in an ugly urban mish-mash, but in Valencia's case it actually works. The harmonious assembly of structures includes curved and pricey Art Nouveau apartment buildings:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SwZoc3zOrQw/VFufPrZXpeI/AAAAAAAAW5U/IRNOHhR0sXE/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SwZoc3zOrQw/VFufPrZXpeI/AAAAAAAAW5U/IRNOHhR0sXE/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="474" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An Art Deco movie theatre:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fFit2AMuNmSB7KsoLIuc-vaO-UYntt5XHQFHVt0bbENUF7sN8bRbAVYWJWxALJN2XAwctYyDWpStal2vsPGYSSPk-QaoPhZQmA03504Djttsg0Nk4KNsF4JOKf52S807wk9HavX2dxn5/s1600/Plaza+Ayuntamiento-Art+Deco+Theatre+(close-up).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fFit2AMuNmSB7KsoLIuc-vaO-UYntt5XHQFHVt0bbENUF7sN8bRbAVYWJWxALJN2XAwctYyDWpStal2vsPGYSSPk-QaoPhZQmA03504Djttsg0Nk4KNsF4JOKf52S807wk9HavX2dxn5/s1600/Plaza+Ayuntamiento-Art+Deco+Theatre+(close-up).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moorish-inspired low-rise buildings:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MB1wcWq8Brs/VFuf6dbyI6I/AAAAAAAAW5k/zwHMm89zbMk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MB1wcWq8Brs/VFuf6dbyI6I/AAAAAAAAW5k/zwHMm89zbMk/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And other interesting buildings just trying to fit in:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wTrWmjQ5mM0/VFufsxRJ-8I/AAAAAAAAW5c/vSzzDI49mZw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wTrWmjQ5mM0/VFufsxRJ-8I/AAAAAAAAW5c/vSzzDI49mZw/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favourite building on the square is the <em>Central Post Office</em> by <strong>Miguel Angel Navarro </strong>and architect to whom I cannot attribute a single other building. Its architectural style has been described as "truly eclectic" and that, if anything, is an understatement. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The exterior is a melange of Moorish-style cupolas, six Baroque winged figures, a 30-foot high Art Deco-ish metallic replica of a once-functioning communications tower - and that's just on the roof:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_7LrIsjkEuM/VFujbLGMdsI/AAAAAAAAW6M/BYoRYUzYsWg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_7LrIsjkEuM/VFujbLGMdsI/AAAAAAAAW6M/BYoRYUzYsWg/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The main entry facade showcases architectural Classicism in the form of four gigantic Ionic columns. A smaller set of six columns supports a platform on which sit five figures representing the continents and symbolizing international communications.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And yet, the real WOW factor doesn't even present itself until you enter the building. There, you are welcomed by two naked golden goddesses, each carrying two lamps in their hands and balancing one on their heads, as well as by a richly carved wooden ceiling, and wood-trimmed windows - all done in the Art Nouveau style:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3IxhclvxuaU/VFzYWGh7CBI/AAAAAAAAXBc/i94OhWSaHuI/s1600/Valencia-2012%2B007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3IxhclvxuaU/VFzYWGh7CBI/AAAAAAAAXBc/i94OhWSaHuI/s1600/Valencia-2012%2B007.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Walk through to the Main Hall, an elliptical space where the city's postal business is still being transacted on a daily basis. Look up, and you'll see an exceptional domed-ceiling featuring 3,500 pieces of stained glass:<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsaO8_qSu07vCMHJkuhSrUzcA7VzSL6I1G8SIAK_hp85kbZvuwFcBJpHAVwDUcOtAmAF2N3yZmpIkbNmrw4uR66TQ00zhPGViW11LXnMWe4K_f64N9cQhLxjcuJxq8rjzc7_msmVfQ_PW/s1600/Plaza+Ayuntamiento-Post+Office-Stained+Glass+Ceiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsaO8_qSu07vCMHJkuhSrUzcA7VzSL6I1G8SIAK_hp85kbZvuwFcBJpHAVwDUcOtAmAF2N3yZmpIkbNmrw4uR66TQ00zhPGViW11LXnMWe4K_f64N9cQhLxjcuJxq8rjzc7_msmVfQ_PW/s1600/Plaza+Ayuntamiento-Post+Office-Stained+Glass+Ceiling.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <em>Valencia Central Post Office</em> is, in short, a microcosm of the many architectural motifs that make up the <em>Plaza del Ayuntamiento. </em>The <em>Plaza</em>, in turn, is a microcosm of the city's diversity of built form. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to walk around 700+ years of architectural history - starting with the 14th century gates and bridges to the city and finishing with the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences - you'd be well served by a visit to my adopted hometown.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Who knows, you might even want to move here. I know Heather and I did!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-11077808408703539062014-11-01T05:19:00.001-07:002014-11-01T05:19:14.108-07:00<br />
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<br />
<h2 style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></h2>
<h2 style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
We hope you will visit and enjoy this site for as long as you like. We also hope you'll consider looking at our new blog: http://streetsmart319.blogspot.com We think you'll like it.</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-91921461721092961442014-10-11T03:06:00.000-07:002014-10-11T03:06:41.992-07:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">23. The Newest Architectural Feature?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The discipline of architecture doesn't, technically speaking, include street art. Or colloquially speaking.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or any way of speaking, for that matter. And yet, neighbourhoods and even individual buildings are increasingly being judged by their street art.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, many neighbourhoods, homes and buildings are perfectly beautiful the way they were built. You wouldn't, for example, want to further adorn the Burj Khalifa, Chrysler Building or Petronas Towers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But if you happen to be the owner of a relatively modern, but somewhat banal building, street art can </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">add a distinct dash of splash:</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5pT473n50JJm2skaKjgAYrnXGCwaILQd2GdMsJqHC9cFZzapOs3j2tsnnzsyd8vDeU15JxHwyy7Pn2VMI0Yxwik31aH4xW_1-dYA9wU0jvh3i7qnfNWnt0hQS4tcH5dJ1hx7MR58MgGI/s1600/0049-Valencia+(Carmen).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5pT473n50JJm2skaKjgAYrnXGCwaILQd2GdMsJqHC9cFZzapOs3j2tsnnzsyd8vDeU15JxHwyy7Pn2VMI0Yxwik31aH4xW_1-dYA9wU0jvh3i7qnfNWnt0hQS4tcH5dJ1hx7MR58MgGI/s1600/0049-Valencia+(Carmen).jpg" height="400" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Apartment in Valencia, Spain. Artist: <strong>Julieta</strong>.</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zREvEaVrRMY/VDfY7P9nqLI/AAAAAAAATwo/3frlKLopI2Y/s1600/Rocket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zREvEaVrRMY/VDfY7P9nqLI/AAAAAAAATwo/3frlKLopI2Y/s1600/Rocket.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Apartment in Gdansk Poland.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em> photo via mrpilgrim.co.uk</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A little street art here and there can be the first step in renewing an impoverished area and boosting neighbourhood pride: </span><br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jFSBLifUncQ/VDfdCI54faI/AAAAAAAATw0/nCEXhVd_mnE/s1600/0356-Barcelona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jFSBLifUncQ/VDfdCI54faI/AAAAAAAATw0/nCEXhVd_mnE/s1600/0356-Barcelona.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Apartment in working-class Barcelona district.</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aho7RM4bTPs/VDgrioGDNUI/AAAAAAAATx4/jsyaosLEnVQ/s1600/0014-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aho7RM4bTPs/VDgrioGDNUI/AAAAAAAATx4/jsyaosLEnVQ/s1600/0014-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Building in gentrifying Valencia neighbourhood. Artist: <strong>Ericailcane</strong>.</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And it won't even cost cash-strapped governments a nickel. In some cases, landlords commission the work; in others, artists (not exactly wealthy themselves) pick up the tab for materials and contribute their time. In a better world, community funding would underwrite both craftsman and supplies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">That may not be as direct as tackling the root causes of poverty, but you have to start somewhere. Besides street art can act as a community revenue stream, flowing tourists dollars to local stores, galleries and restaurants; and attracting investment dollars with which to create better facilities.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Street art can do big things, like promoting a country's cultural identity:</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H_YkLpblf3g/VDgiB1CA2xI/AAAAAAAATxY/N4PcWBMqGeg/s1600/0032-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H_YkLpblf3g/VDgiB1CA2xI/AAAAAAAATxY/N4PcWBMqGeg/s1600/0032-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a><br />
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dancer on the outside wall of a Valencia Flamenco restaurant.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Artist: <strong>Paloma Cort</strong></span></em><br />
<em></em><br />
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or small things, like offering up a bit of humour to someone having a bad day:</span></span></span></div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-43K562AH-Tw/VDgqQqLI36I/AAAAAAAATxs/YAH9CGT96k8/s1600/0290l-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-43K562AH-Tw/VDgqQqLI36I/AAAAAAAATxs/YAH9CGT96k8/s1600/0290l-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gentrifying Valencia Neighbourhood.</span></em></span></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Artist: <strong>Luis Montolio</strong></span></em></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As Banksy once said, <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.”</span></span> </span></div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Now let's be truthful, not all street art is beautiful or attractive. Just because some idiot knows how to buy a can of spray paint and write his name on a wall doesn't make it art, or make him Picasso.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div align="left">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> By the same token though, I can take you into just about any art gallery in the world and show you paintings worth millions that I wouldn't hang on my bathroom door. Yes, I'm talking about you <strong>Barnet Newman</strong> and your $1.8 million con job on the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcNsfwZz9cLUXt00eBSMXC_PNBzA9QMTVr1eV1xsOjpQxohQc8EFTg3N6vnIjRLNOCsS67L3mDwc9hnoQ4fp3s1E2OQErMSfoq1wEF3NGxu2eKwDEetQlBv7UdEaI0f7Q9S8fFRot6KOE/s1600/Newman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcNsfwZz9cLUXt00eBSMXC_PNBzA9QMTVr1eV1xsOjpQxohQc8EFTg3N6vnIjRLNOCsS67L3mDwc9hnoQ4fp3s1E2OQErMSfoq1wEF3NGxu2eKwDEetQlBv7UdEaI0f7Q9S8fFRot6KOE/s1600/Newman.jpg" height="400" width="222" /></a></div>
</div>
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Voice of Fire</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div align="left">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> Now, don't get me wrong. I like modern art as much as the next guy. In fact, probably more than the next guy. Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Dali, Warhol they're my main men. When I see a masterpiece by one of them I get positively stoked. (Wait a minute, I'm 62-years-old - I gotta stop talking like that!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">But let's face it, if you could only look at one piece of art for the rest of your life, which would you choose? This one by <strong>Mark Rothko:</strong></span><br />
</div>
</span><div align="left">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YJmK1Ij1OutHbwao5g4GIXJrpw_P__vLbU962ngR-32AA4EnUkVdM0fDNHKexovQtTiRxsvvg1FlJIcIFfO9q6YQCzVuWCibJJPJWRYI5soTU_KreX73dDjTzWkHiEFNUhpA0yYSWbHN/s1600/Rothko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YJmK1Ij1OutHbwao5g4GIXJrpw_P__vLbU962ngR-32AA4EnUkVdM0fDNHKexovQtTiRxsvvg1FlJIcIFfO9q6YQCzVuWCibJJPJWRYI5soTU_KreX73dDjTzWkHiEFNUhpA0yYSWbHN/s1600/Rothko.jpg" height="347" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Or this one by <strong>Julieta</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLVTuULMn1A/VDhI62E3SMI/AAAAAAAAT0I/yWD_bvBrTzQ/s1600/0273-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLVTuULMn1A/VDhI62E3SMI/AAAAAAAAT0I/yWD_bvBrTzQ/s1600/0273-Valencia%2B(Carmen).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To me it's a no brainer.</span></span></div>
</span><br />
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="quoteFooter">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-81836817097835817542014-09-24T08:27:00.000-07:002014-09-25T04:46:52.970-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">22. The Great Houses of Chicago</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chicago has long been one of my favourite cities in the world. How can you not love a city that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">invented the skyscraper:</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6pD2HMfJ8U/VCBxLnOKo7I/AAAAAAAARa4/4lkEGDUBgbE/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6pD2HMfJ8U/VCBxLnOKo7I/AAAAAAAARa4/4lkEGDUBgbE/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Re-imagined the idea of an urban park:</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7GKsuNhIQuY/VCBxxtEm29I/AAAAAAAARbI/a1rOmT-CtAI/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7GKsuNhIQuY/VCBxxtEm29I/AAAAAAAARbI/a1rOmT-CtAI/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made "the blues" go electric, and spotlights it every year at the world's largest free outdoors blues festival:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlcJK0z_SNg5Jx3ENH6Oim9DBQe39PWh4WA9EXF3N1he06rRf429ZQQkMYgCgYNtLAduaCd2qkP3mfeQ_n2U0JGdFHznXtdL2XYtwc_4hlIxSU0N4_KlCLdZMUOgGLsuowJ5vuEuXE0x_/s1600/DSC00300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlcJK0z_SNg5Jx3ENH6Oim9DBQe39PWh4WA9EXF3N1he06rRf429ZQQkMYgCgYNtLAduaCd2qkP3mfeQ_n2U0JGdFHznXtdL2XYtwc_4hlIxSU0N4_KlCLdZMUOgGLsuowJ5vuEuXE0x_/s1600/DSC00300.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>
</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And created the only pizza in the world worth eating - the deep dish pizza:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6txWZum7RPs/VCBx-VfBw0I/AAAAAAAARbY/xmrLG1tqT-8/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6txWZum7RPs/VCBx-VfBw0I/AAAAAAAARbY/xmrLG1tqT-8/s1600/image.jpg" height="433" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yup, Chicago is my kind of town!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the best features of "ChiTown" (as the locals call it) is its magnificent historic houses. First among the best are those designed by the 20th century's best-known architect, <b><i>Frank Lloyd Wright</i></b>. Mr. Wright - as the good people of Chicago still refer to him - used the suburb of Oak Park as his residence, experimental lab, and showcase to the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<b></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before he designed his signature Prairie Houses, Wright experimented with a variety of styles. One of the standout creations of his early career was the 1893 <b>Walter Gale House </b>- built about a block away from Wright's own home and studio on Chicago Street. Its key feature is a beautiful rounded-wood turret that dominates the front of the house:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-ru9P3PCaY/VBg1PGQ5vjI/AAAAAAAARMo/DEPELHmM4XU/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-ru9P3PCaY/VBg1PGQ5vjI/AAAAAAAARMo/DEPELHmM4XU/s1600/image.jpg" height="490" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Gale House</strong> is considered one of Wright's "bootleg houses" because it was designed while he was under contract to another great Chicago architect, Louis Sullivan, and forbidden to work on his own projects. Following rules was definitely not Wright's strong suit. Nor was tolerating disobedience Sullivan's. Before you could say "I'm an arrogant son-of-a-bitch who listens to no one" Wright was out on his rear.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wright later experimented - very successfully, and to great acclaim - with high-pitched roofs and wide, thin chimneys as at the <strong>Nathan G. Moore House</strong>:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apdAti1rEOs/VCB2o4TDweI/AAAAAAAARbo/bGKJiIlVaIw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apdAti1rEOs/VCB2o4TDweI/AAAAAAAARbo/bGKJiIlVaIw/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And indeed his own home and studio:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVE5WhQ8oWs/VCB3DOAlGhI/AAAAAAAARb4/XSMaavd5Cr4/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVE5WhQ8oWs/VCB3DOAlGhI/AAAAAAAARb4/XSMaavd5Cr4/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eventually, Wright went on to perfect his Prairie House design with its characteristic horizontality - flat roofs, oversized eves, and square windows with leaded glass. He built them all over Oak Park, including t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he <strong>Edwin R. Hills</strong> House:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_PKx4hDSmu8/VCCUOgC5hXI/AAAAAAAARcQ/dMdhkogKA0A/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_PKx4hDSmu8/VCCUOgC5hXI/AAAAAAAARcQ/dMdhkogKA0A/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And <strong>Arthur</strong> <strong>B. Heurtley House</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i0qP05EvYhI/VCCUo1wsy6I/AAAAAAAARcg/BqDsKoDI1Bg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i0qP05EvYhI/VCCUo1wsy6I/AAAAAAAARcg/BqDsKoDI1Bg/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another neighbourhood that I love for its historic houses is Wicker Park, a west-end area that has been developed by numerous immigrant communities since the 1870s. My favourites include </span><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hermann Weinhardt House:</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkrIw45W-Zc/VCGWMJAM9UI/AAAAAAAARjM/Px690Loco9Q/s1600/DSC00337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkrIw45W-Zc/VCGWMJAM9UI/AAAAAAAARjM/Px690Loco9Q/s1600/DSC00337.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
And three other historic homes that, despite their grandeur, were not named after their owners but just given addresses:<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0oGqdEOelvG7Oizi3S2ENM6cyCZ2SFGwfTVs27I_R50fYaZ6JFndajCrFdA6TOLIrgwTikadOj8EWO-u7gTiFXPECNV0tVxTfhFGNbnO4ev-em9jLMCGOuKLRvcTZn4L9k2ckC8Ztm0Q/s1600/DSC00335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0oGqdEOelvG7Oizi3S2ENM6cyCZ2SFGwfTVs27I_R50fYaZ6JFndajCrFdA6TOLIrgwTikadOj8EWO-u7gTiFXPECNV0tVxTfhFGNbnO4ev-em9jLMCGOuKLRvcTZn4L9k2ckC8Ztm0Q/s1600/DSC00335.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MunJfIDqTdofZJ-2hMQ7FiiSZOjBjrht9OPiS7aeDmDgSd_ahIIrlczDsCMQBJvxxvhmK5LnVI494p_9XMtqfnuVpBlj2LJnPNRloKRlYVn-PVfc1Wg4uxVfH8mKQDuqu2RJlVKQyud-/s1600/DSC00336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MunJfIDqTdofZJ-2hMQ7FiiSZOjBjrht9OPiS7aeDmDgSd_ahIIrlczDsCMQBJvxxvhmK5LnVI494p_9XMtqfnuVpBlj2LJnPNRloKRlYVn-PVfc1Wg4uxVfH8mKQDuqu2RJlVKQyud-/s1600/DSC00336.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRU5EuDiEAIQ1UmpPkbIDV0y98pdTiGAI3Y2DbhMcF8fFDARMsV4th6QU6jZMbsr8w-DygZ3Mvd8wU490KoR3epTDvQu7x5KdDk-T9XEJ-7adRpUNlwFsIHoV2Kmzr9yEaaI-AMUNys5T0/s1600/DSC00339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRU5EuDiEAIQ1UmpPkbIDV0y98pdTiGAI3Y2DbhMcF8fFDARMsV4th6QU6jZMbsr8w-DygZ3Mvd8wU490KoR3epTDvQu7x5KdDk-T9XEJ-7adRpUNlwFsIHoV2Kmzr9yEaaI-AMUNys5T0/s1600/DSC00339.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet another Chicago area that I love to walk around is the Gold Coast, particularly North Astor Street. Here you'll see some highly enviable mansions, starting with the residence of <strong>John Wellburn Root,</strong> near the south end of the street:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BrFKNjSPayo/VCG1-OjRAcI/AAAAAAAARkg/PfynQOFxqwk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BrFKNjSPayo/VCG1-OjRAcI/AAAAAAAARkg/PfynQOFxqwk/s1600/image.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And finishing up with the <strong>Charnley-Persky House</strong> to the north:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IesSVIW9XCJgezTdtPjBya7Pe9N-4pZGUHuwCn8CKr6aFAOpgIXo3ECHHAxeFe3VCLR65EsFNUMgsX4XYUU14wv9zj7zHIZr3_E-ER6CiIAwKiboEDnndvsjkNLRRjlSLCxzAWrGSpoB/s1600/DSC00716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IesSVIW9XCJgezTdtPjBya7Pe9N-4pZGUHuwCn8CKr6aFAOpgIXo3ECHHAxeFe3VCLR65EsFNUMgsX4XYUU14wv9zj7zHIZr3_E-ER6CiIAwKiboEDnndvsjkNLRRjlSLCxzAWrGSpoB/s1600/DSC00716.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CGea4WfZerFjuF-vMf221zxt5IUcdtMjM-hv-ggLySnlTFmLEK0HG1GJk3s5dfmcpdzytX2ne8A8Aue5M6LuFLe_uAg8kc7Rb-NxHbh2EdjCN244P6s7JUVSOnIX5O5EIJ36wTpeASeB/s1600/DSC00709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CGea4WfZerFjuF-vMf221zxt5IUcdtMjM-hv-ggLySnlTFmLEK0HG1GJk3s5dfmcpdzytX2ne8A8Aue5M6LuFLe_uAg8kc7Rb-NxHbh2EdjCN244P6s7JUVSOnIX5O5EIJ36wTpeASeB/s1600/DSC00709.jpg" height="640" width="450" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The house was co-designed by Sullivan and Wright before their big breakup - which kind of brings us back full circle to the beginning of our story. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Charnley-Persky</strong> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">is open to the public, so go see it if you can and have fun trying to figure out which parts were designed by Wright and which by Sullivan.<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-85962000977817349312014-09-02T09:18:00.000-07:002014-09-02T09:48:11.163-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">21. Damascus: Azem Palace Still Standing</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the past three-and-a-half years, Syria has been ripped apart by the centrifugal forces of war. Two hundred thousand people have been killed; cities like Aleppo and Homs have been reduced to rubble; and with at least four heavily armed factions fighting for control of parts of the country, there's no telling what Syria will look like at the end of the war - or even if a single country called Syria will emerge intact. Hopes grow dimmer and slimmer by the day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the midst of all this, the <b>Azem Palace</b>, built for the Ottoman governor of Damascus (Assad Pacha al-Azem) in 1750, as well as much of the rest of the old city centre, stand relatively unscathed. In historical terms, the Palace is still a youngster. Damascus has been continuously inhabited since about 6000 BC. The monumental wall surrounding the <i>Grand Mosque</i> was built during the Roman occupation, and the mosque itself was started within 75 years of the Prophet Mohammed's death:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgkC40ZtG1Y/VAS4m3KX9iI/AAAAAAAAPU4/jlEM9qkNy7A/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgkC40ZtG1Y/VAS4m3KX9iI/AAAAAAAAPU4/jlEM9qkNy7A/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Damascus' Grand (Ummayad) Mosque</strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <i>Azem Palace</i> doesn't look like anything a westerner would recognize as a palace. There are no fancy gates, turrets, long driveways or red carpets out front: </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eaAO_UOIlpg/VAS5KHJ_eBI/AAAAAAAAPVI/FAZIRigdT3Q/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eaAO_UOIlpg/VAS5KHJ_eBI/AAAAAAAAPVI/FAZIRigdT3Q/s1600/image.jpg" height="464" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The Main Building of the Azem Palace</strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead, it's main feature is a series of rectangular black and white striped buildings, the black being basalt and the white, limestone. The buildings are placed around a courtyard dotted with fountains and orange trees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The compound is divided into <em>Haremlek</em> (private family areas) and <em>Selamlek </em>(visitor quarters). The WOWchitecture begins inside the opulent rooms with their gorgeously painted wooden ceilings and every manner of chandelier descending from them:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZZVt6Tq70Q/VAS5rbqgjII/AAAAAAAAPVU/jZNI-xkW6eg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZZVt6Tq70Q/VAS5rbqgjII/AAAAAAAAPVU/jZNI-xkW6eg/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eo1bTzxUQBw/VAS6Nn_u8eI/AAAAAAAAPVg/yX23VRMJB0w/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eo1bTzxUQBw/VAS6Nn_u8eI/AAAAAAAAPVg/yX23VRMJB0w/s1600/image.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gAF2-HPgUcc/VAS66EE6sxI/AAAAAAAAPVs/XCE6t4hbnLM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gAF2-HPgUcc/VAS66EE6sxI/AAAAAAAAPVs/XCE6t4hbnLM/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="438" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KaRqTORNYgQ/VAS7YSuyWyI/AAAAAAAAPV4/e9z0EgC0WrY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KaRqTORNYgQ/VAS7YSuyWyI/AAAAAAAAPV4/e9z0EgC0WrY/s1600/image.jpg" height="464" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rooms house numerous cabinets with valuable antiques:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZuzq1Lviqc/VAS7_cABGAI/AAAAAAAAPWE/Lyg1gUmPBqk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZuzq1Lviqc/VAS7_cABGAI/AAAAAAAAPWE/Lyg1gUmPBqk/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl-9bCNKjI0/VAS8rFs3YEI/AAAAAAAAPWQ/-l_oIs9QyOs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl-9bCNKjI0/VAS8rFs3YEI/AAAAAAAAPWQ/-l_oIs9QyOs/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the Ottoman Empire being one of the casualties of the First World War, the Palace was converted into the <b>Museum of Arts and Popular Tradition</b>. There are many dioramas throughout the rooms showing what everyday life in the Palace was like. Since Heather was quite taken by them, we have far more photos than I'm going to show here:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bpo2Wd63on0/VAS9bj_bpdI/AAAAAAAAPWc/o57ihs8RLxY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bpo2Wd63on0/VAS9bj_bpdI/AAAAAAAAPWc/o57ihs8RLxY/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahK0nZJJ0fM/VAS-Gn6yKFI/AAAAAAAAPWo/lgiie3TVBaE/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahK0nZJJ0fM/VAS-Gn6yKFI/AAAAAAAAPWo/lgiie3TVBaE/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-coQOOfYWsZE/VAS-hR8-KnI/AAAAAAAAPW0/YYEW5cScGM4/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-coQOOfYWsZE/VAS-hR8-KnI/AAAAAAAAPW0/YYEW5cScGM4/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We wouldn't have minded arranging similar accommodations for ourselves, but not being royalty, that wasn't going to happen. Still, I have to say that considering the Ottoman mansion/hotel we did stay in, we didn't do too badly:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KZ9NdAbxo7Q/VAXlbEYUcvI/AAAAAAAAPZM/AztwLjm2Wjw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KZ9NdAbxo7Q/VAXlbEYUcvI/AAAAAAAAPZM/AztwLjm2Wjw/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, after a while, I did start to develop a certain feel for the place.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2zAophIL9lw/VAXlvZGeOFI/AAAAAAAAPZc/nNZ3bF7Mvqk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2zAophIL9lw/VAXlvZGeOFI/AAAAAAAAPZc/nNZ3bF7Mvqk/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8935450242315307649.post-26378239892306203662014-08-07T08:59:00.001-07:002014-08-07T08:59:11.817-07:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>20. Barcelona: 8 Wildly Colourful Buildings not by Gaudi</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The city of Barcelona is choc-a-block with the wild, colourful and fantasy-filled forms that sprung from the furtive mind of Antoni Gaudi. He may have been a genius - and my all-time favourite architect - but let's not give the eclectic Catalan all the credit for Barcelona's polychromatic cityscape. It took the efforts of many other bold, visionary, risk-taking, and often unrecognized architects to complete the task.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of those was <i>Gaudi</i> contemporary and fellow Catalan <i>Joseph Puig i Cadafalch, </i>who in 1889 began renovating a house for chocolate <i>Baron Antoni Amatller. </i><b style="font-style: italic;">Casa Amatller, </b>with its step-up roof covered in ceramic tiles looks like it just waltzed out of 17th-century Amsterdam:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EBi6hMzFgNY/U-Kvdq0s2YI/AAAAAAAAMr0/zpvJ9ajy16s/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EBi6hMzFgNY/U-Kvdq0s2YI/AAAAAAAAMr0/zpvJ9ajy16s/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To see it, you won't even have to stray from the Gaudi route - it's right next door to Gaudi's masterpiece, <b>Casa Battlo</b>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNaeGBPvMOY/U-KvnQ1GaxI/AAAAAAAAMsE/Ia3Cgp-15uM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNaeGBPvMOY/U-KvnQ1GaxI/AAAAAAAAMsE/Ia3Cgp-15uM/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="497" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amattler didn't just reinvigorate Barcelona's chocolate industry. He also rewrote the rules of the the marketing industry. He hired some of the best-known artists of the day, notably <i>Alphonse Mucha</i>, to design posters marketing his chocolates:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gMHqOaeqLLg/U-KGdeCXBPI/AAAAAAAAMpo/-XFo3QdhfTs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gMHqOaeqLLg/U-KGdeCXBPI/AAAAAAAAMpo/-XFo3QdhfTs/s1600/image.jpg" height="265" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another Catalan architect and contemporary of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gaudi's, </i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lluis Domenich i Montaner, </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">designed so many wildly colourful buildings in Barcelona it's hard to even say which is his best. Many will put up a strong argument for the</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> Hospital de Sant Pau</b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, started in 1901 and built in stages until it became the largest Art Nouveau complex in the world: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj7l-gqoTzQ/U-KvwfwfTvI/AAAAAAAAMsU/iccVBDHGw5g/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj7l-gqoTzQ/U-KvwfwfTvI/AAAAAAAAMsU/iccVBDHGw5g/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other Montaner lovers will argue for his <b style="font-style: italic;">Palau de la Musica</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Catalunya, </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">built at the height of the Art Nouveau movement 1905-08. The concert hall<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>features dayglow-coloured tiles on the outside:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIDm2ENbnW0/U-KGeEiNDMI/AAAAAAAAMps/4DGzPRBIesI/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIDm2ENbnW0/U-KGeEiNDMI/AAAAAAAAMps/4DGzPRBIesI/s1600/image.jpg" height="640" width="457" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Photo via The Nicest Pictures)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But is much more sophisticated - though no less colourful - on the inside:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7dW4Sxrj7Y/U-KGfqAVlzI/AAAAAAAAMp0/E6F5kdXDMnY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7dW4Sxrj7Y/U-KGfqAVlzI/AAAAAAAAMp0/E6F5kdXDMnY/s1600/image.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Photo via Jiuguang Wang)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years later, in 1912, Architect </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Josep Graner i</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prat </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">came along and built </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">an apartment building officially called </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Casa</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Fajol</b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (Buckwheat House). For six stories it's about as plain-Jane as buildings come. Then, bursting out of the roof, is a multi-coloured butterfly as wide as the building itself:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-57ObtcbHggM/U-KzBjh3REI/AAAAAAAAMtU/ww_n8Sx_B3w/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-57ObtcbHggM/U-KzBjh3REI/AAAAAAAAMtU/ww_n8Sx_B3w/s1600/image.jpg" height="470" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, the apartment is now commonly referred to as <i><b>Casa Papallona</b></i>, or Butterfly House.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of you will recall that a couple of posts ago (No.18), I showcased what I called "T<i>he Craziest Building in Valencia, Spain."</i> It was certainly the most colourful. The architect, Juan Francisco Guardiola, had created only one other building in a similar mode, </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Casa Xina</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (China House) which he built in 1929 for his brother in Barcelona.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Heather and I were in the Catalan capital a few weeks ago, we were determined to track down and photograph the building no matter how long it took to research its whereabouts and travel across the city. As it turned out, it took exactly six minutes - one to Google its location, and five to walk the one block from the apartment we had rented weeks before we even knew where the <b>Casa</b> was located. A very convenient coincidence. It was hard to miss:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GWkfPbJCl7M/U-Ky_HnYL_I/AAAAAAAAMtM/kr72jyYiKAM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GWkfPbJCl7M/U-Ky_HnYL_I/AAAAAAAAMtM/kr72jyYiKAM/s1600/image.jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barcelona's love affair with colour didn't end with the death of these great architects - creative minds who stretched Art Nouveau to its extreme limits and then went a little bit further. Today, however, it's largely being carried out by international architects like Japanese Pritzker prize winner <i>Toyo Ito</i>. Ito's amorphous red hotel tower and it's adjacent office tower with a wavy red torso in the middle (known as the <b>Toyo Ito Towers</b>) make for an unusual coupling on the Barcelona skyline:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mhFjKtW1xTU/U-KYcEJzq8I/AAAAAAAAMqY/4KOsR3gxIFk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mhFjKtW1xTU/U-KYcEJzq8I/AAAAAAAAMqY/4KOsR3gxIFk/s1600/image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Photo via Wurfel)</span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But then, "unusual" is what Barcelona architecture has always been about.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17963226907729660270noreply@blogger.com0