Posts tagged Architecture
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A bicycle but no racks at Benning Library
Thursday is the final public meeting for the Benning Library. Below are the latest architectural renderings: Keep reading…
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On the height limit
Richard Layman and Ryan Avent write more about their opposition to the height limit. Layman’s commenters are more mixed. NBM’s May 13th lecture on the topic with architect Witold Rybczynski should be interesting. Keep reading…
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Architecture as culture, not art
Last week, I wrote that “I’d like architecture critics to write about a building’s influence on the street as much as they write about the ‘chiseled setbacks and crisp vertical lines’” beloved by Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff. Well, the Post’s Philip Kennicott did just that, in a very pro-urbanism piece praising the new convention… Keep reading…
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No, architecture is not (just) art
A building can be a beautiful object in its own right. A building is also a component of a larger whole. It fits in with the surrounding environment, whether other buildings in a series of row houses or the natural landscape in a more pastoral setting. It interacts with the humans who go in it and those who walk around it. Keep reading…
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Church exemption from historic designation?
While I was debating parking zoning regulations, Councilmember Jack Evans announced a new bill that would exempt religious institutions from being designated as historic sites against their will. This is clearly aimed at the Third Church landmarking. Keep reading…
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Jacobs & Locke smack down Pascal & Corbu
Today, the community and creativity of cities—a consequence of many people interacting in all aspects of life—is widely recognized as one of cities’ greatest strengths. Naturally, then, Jane Jacobs’ celebration of the vibrant city seems obvious and Le Corbusier’s vision of the isolating city of huge towers and empty spaces seems ridiculous,… Keep reading…
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Why buildings aren’t better
Boston’s architecture critic gives his reasons: care, cash, and consensus. I agree with some of the points and disagree with others—I don’t think architectural disagreement is a new thing, and there were plenty of bad cookie-cutter buildings in the past that are gone now. Keep reading…
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Architecture criticism: the good and the bad
Washington Post architecture critic Ben Forgey drove and walked around downtown Washington giving his opinions about the best and worst of the city’s buildings for Washingtonian. Unlike too many architects, many of his comments focused on the interaction between buildings and the people around them:The Federal Triangle is a planning mistake of huge dimension because… Keep reading…
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DC keeps getting blank walls
Two new developments in Washington, DC continue the disappointing trend of creating buildings that present blank walls to the street. Just as New York did in the 1970s and sometimes still does, and just like much of today’s downtown DC, developers create fortress-like apartment buildings, offices, and even churches that isolate their residents from the neighborhood… Keep reading…
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HPRB landmarks Third Church
I attended the Historic Preservation Review Board meeting last Thursday, which was a special meeting to discuss the landmarking of the Christian Science Church on 16th and I. After hearing from architectural historians and church representatives, the board members affirmed their belief that the church met the criteria for landmarking, while also qualifying their votes… Keep reading…