Tyson's Blog Posts Tagged 'architect' (24)

Often, the addition and subtraction of light is not paid it's due attention. After all, the entirety of our visual experience occurs due to the reflection of light. Simply inserting light strategically into an architecture or landscape can redefine the…

As an architect, space is often a luxury we can't afford. We are asked to make do with little. It may seem confining at times, but I've often found myself grateful for these types of constraints. I would term this the dilemma as that of Life, the Universe and Everything. There must be a point of focus…

When you find a place of peace and tranquility, my initial instinct would be to leave it alone. Although this isn't an exciting prospect from an architectural point of view, I think architectural interventions can have a detrimental effect on some of these places. This…

In order to understand any project takes a bit of self introspection. Since architecture is a somewhat subjective art, you can't expect someone to understand it if that person can't also internalize it. One of the first thinks I look to when I observe a project is the title. A title…

One of my passions through the years has been the art of film. I used to go to movies growing up and we would see two or three films in a row on the weekends. When I went to school to become an architect I was amazed to find that there were classes on the…

Gehry Partners were chosen to design the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington D.C. I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about divided interests in architecture.  Whenever you have a monumental site, not to mention the memory…

I wrote an article a while back titled Every Architect Needs A Hero, which is one of my favorite topics to theorize about. It's not a terribly new idea. I would say it's fairly dated,…

The A-Frame is an interesting typology in architecture. It has a utilitarian foundation, but I've found that its architectural significance has to do more with its symbolism than its utility. Part of the reason I believe…

I studied the classical orders in college just like every young architect, and I'm sure like many others, I found it a little monotonous. The one aspect of classical architecture that I still find very refreshing is the skill and craft required to bring them to…

#1 - Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

If you wish to support this site, please click on the cover image below to purchase:…

This brilliant museum makes a not-so-subtle point that every architect needs to confront at some point. Sometimes you just need to flip architecture on it's head to make sense of it. While this project by GMP Architekten is the most literal iteration of…

#10 - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

If you wish to support this site, please click on the cover image below to purchase:…

Any architect worth his/her salt will take into account how a building will be experienced by a variety of users.  This is what intrigued me about this factory redesign by Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates.  The building is a laboratory for testing medical devices,…

This is an interesting little project by J. Mayer H. Architects.  It's in a place I've never been to, created by an architect I've never heard of before today, two things that make it difficult for me to grasp onto the project.  I do, however, find myself inspecting it in detail. …

I think every architect should have one of these. Not this house, per se, but a laboratory for their ideas. This project is built on a plot of land owned by Randy Brown (of Randy Brown Architects) and intended this architecture…

Sometimes as an architect the best way to further your design is to forget what you know. Design Initiatives proposed this little stand alone hotel room to stand atop Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.  This elegant little structure really makes me…

This is a lovely house by Pitzo Kedem Architects. Although the images are very compelling, I'm sad to say it's the latest addition to the many projects I will probably never get a chance to visit in my lifetime. That's not to say it's not worthy of a visit, merely that an…

#4 - How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

If you wish to support this site, please click on the cover image…

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to start a series of posts that remind us to give thanks for some of the great predecessors that came before us. I said in another post that no architect is an island. In addition to depending on each other, we also depend on past inspiration to develop present and future designs. Past architects have given us a foundation with which to build. So we start with a…

Not the common image of a mixed-use development, this project by Bakers Architecten has a very sleek and unique feel in both the interiors as well as its urban context. While most mixed-use buildings have a more gentle transition from ground floor up, this architecture seems to be placed directly on the curtain wall, placing an interesting visual balance between the two geometric…