Three Mountain Kings

Lingering Delicately Alongside the Crag

Sits a kingdom made for Mountain Kings

and their Royal Gems of Light

Lonely waiting for their Queens

To return with the Foils of War

And Serenade the Poor souls to Bed

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A mountaineer dangling from a wee piton lodged within a crevasse holds many secrets. Three buildings in the Alps-- architecture of the mountains needs not struggle for propriety. He stands alone; far from the world he gazes across the wondrous terrain. The obtuse buildings is unlike others--he is strong. He is detailed to last to be affirmed by the public. It is the end of the world and he knows it. The site is not for the weary nor the frightened. If architecture truly is designed for a people, this is proof.

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People of the Hills

On the Edge

The Lines of Gold

Tip Top

Equip Before Departure

Drawing Near

Three on a Stripe

La Terrasse

Entrance

Captivating Windows

Curved Mullions

A Stool for a Few

The Details

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A penultimate end to Art Nouveau; La Terrasse Bar in Chamonix relishes the supreme and prime. Localized Chamonix architecture concatenates a desired mountain feel whilst supplying a lavished frosting imbued upon the periphery of materiality. Lingering diligently and grasping the few omnipotent moments, I shuttered to imagine a photo-less structure. With a quick wink of the finger I froze the fourth dimension.

This lovely and obtuse piece finds itself nestled within a mountain. La Terrasse sprouts delight with pink tassels and curved wood bulwarks. Immaculate detail drives any aficionado mad with lust. This beast of felicity charms with its odd location and separatist's appeal. The new is implied and quaint but peculiarly fitting. The site does it justice.

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Architecture Models

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The virtue of the Architect. The model is a tool for discussion, explanation and exploration. Without the delicate nature of a model one is unable to bring forth life into the world of the third dimension. We can describe and colour with drawings but something is indeed missing. The model is experiential. It speaks to the client and to the architect. Nothing can hold the place of a model.

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Medieval Architecture

New & Old

Concept of Venting

Fortifying with Nature

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The fact remains that architecture has passed through countless years of change. Searching for some oddity in the face of time is but difficult to do. Once found though, a myth starts that morphs architecture into something most unique and raises the bar for others. This is the form of design. A revitalization continuously bubbles to the surface. Architecture spans space, time and society and Medieval Architecture is not end nor the beginning. The obtuse is the degree of technological evolution. Designing Medieval buildings were only completed by three traits.

1: Pointed Arch & Ribbed Vaulting Exceptional Diffusion of Forces for extended Spanning Spaces

2: Flying Buttress Floating Ceiling and Clerestory Opening

3:Iconographic Imagery Teaching the Illiterate

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Boats, Ships & Islands

A Refurbished Hotel

Stable Arches

White Kitchen

Gold laced Table

Chairs to Die for

Caste Iron Leg

Asymmetric Brick Flooring

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A lovely example of my hobby in reusing old architecture. A small hotel building most likely once used as a stable for horses now houses people. This building in Marseille, France accentuates the love for brick, stone and old fashioned furniture. Using history is a wonderful way to show materials, inspiration and a homage to the past. This is a beautifully obtuse antiquated building.

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Door Handles

Rebuilding Lille

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Bridging past the trains of departure
To the land of shaped silence.
For once buried deep beneath the surface
Is a poor and desperate wall.
It begs to but uncovered,
And feigns death
But lives in history,
Under a veil of modernism.

--a poster for our Lille design Charrette--
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A Music Experiment

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The bland, the bustle and the boring hold our society in a prison of ample dread. We wander about with some point of interest but find ourselves only waiting for the end: the dues ex machine. What if we could find a way to entertain our dull periods? Well, many have with certain items: food, games, books and the like.

I was on the metro filled with a transparent emotion. The simple monotony of waiting bears down hard. The visual images, the people swaying forth and the flashing lights all form an image deep in the mind. This image perpetually forms an associated emotion drugging-up each and every time the action is commenced. The emotion, most importantly, is linked to a space. Architecture completes this feeling.

So I decided to experiment with a certain rigor.  A movie is but limited without its soundtrack. The music produces powerful emotional connections which stimulate endorphins that flow throughout our brain. The idea of producing a new emotional association to the common day life sounds exciting with music. While this is blatantly obvious and done often, it is indeed exciting to develop.

I presented a deep-heartened soundtrack from Hans Zimmer to the entrance of the metro. The gaping chasm filled my periphery. The solemn sound produces a gloom cohesively with the rainy atmosphere. The song changed to that of movement and blundering objects. The people in the metro-train moved with the piece. The emotion suddenly became that of adventuring excitement. I looked around and watched people as they entered. They became main characters to the plot. They started fulfilling the dream. The experiment was certainly successful. It produced a new emotion to a dull atmosphere. The space was experienced in a new way.

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