The business of architecture
What is it? Parking garage by Swiss architect, Peter Kunz. The concrete structure is partially buried into the side of a hill, with the individual spaces projecting out like warmly-lit jewel boxes exhibiting their precious contents. Kunz states that "each spot is like a private cubby with a large glass panel, so you can park and... Continue Reading →
What are they? Thermal baths located in the remote Swiss alpine village of Vals, designed by Swiss architect and Pritzker Prize winner, Peter Zumthor. The building programme is organised via an interconnected series of open baths wrapping around large "stones" containing smaller, more intimate bathing rooms. The walls of the baths are built from precisely cut... Continue Reading →
The recent earthquake, tsunami and aftershocks that have (and are continuing to) hit Japan are tragedies surpassed only by what now appears to be the real possibility of a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Images of containment chambers on fire, video footage of radioactive water vapour pouring into the atmosphere and discussion of... Continue Reading →
What is it? First seen on My Modern Met, here, this is a project by Swiss-based photographer, Corinne Vionnet, that explores the complex associations between tourism and visual culture by superimposing tourists' photos of significant landmarks one over the other. The result is a fascinating collage series of elusive yet immediately identifiable monuments and places that exist somewhere... Continue Reading →
What do we think? Having now spent a considerable time living in and travelling around Italy, we have been able to observe an unsettling pattern amongst Italian cities. Their centres are, without doubt, amongst the most beautiful and humane in the world. Even Milan, normally understood to be the ugly cousin of knockout cities like... Continue Reading →