Late last month I arrived in Gdansk, Poland for the second time in a couple of years. Besides it being an old Polish port city, I couldn’t wait to see the redesigned Solidarity Museum.
I was a bit hesitant to see how the remake turned out. I feel that… Read more…
The Fryderyk Chopin Museum is located in the 17th century Ostrogski Palace in downtown Warsaw, rebuilt after being completely razed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. It’s off the beaten path, so you’ll really only find it if you are recommended. And it is a sight to see, depicting the… Read more…
When one finds an amazing building amidst mediocrity it’s a joy. The Tokyo International Forum building by Rafeel Vinoly is such a building.
The Japanese are proud of wonderful craft. This can be seen in every aspect of this building. It was built in 1996 as the… Read more…
Last month I gave a talk at Hong Ik University in Seoul. Prior to going to the venue I noticed that this relatively non descript campus–architecturally speaking–had a great series of paving experiments up to the design building. The materials were wood, rough granite, cut granite, hewn wood, and more.… Read more…
EWHA Women’s University in Seoul invited me to speak to their design students last month. This treat was made doubly sweet because their new student center building by Domenique Perrault was recently completed.
It’s essentially two subterranean buildings split by the stairs and ramp (the landscape above ground was left as-is).… Read more…
I went to a great traditional Korean restaurant in Seoul a couple weeks ago. It was ultra yummy in addition to being very textural in its visuals.
From the entrance one sees the ground plane, the kimchee jars all over the front and the hidden wonderful restaurant beyond. The… Read more…
Hong Kong is a confluence of modernism, nature, and markets. I was there a few weeks ago to give a talk at Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s graduate program in design. I was absolutely blown away by the energy, excitement, and, although I should have expected it, the sheer number of… Read more…
As I travel around I look for faces in places and architecture. I notice cultural images that show happiness, or sometimes perplexity like the Portman building with a smug-looking face. I don’t know of you guys these faces, but those who know me well eventually begin to see them, too.… Read more…
I enjoyed watching this interview of New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger by Steven Colbert of the Colbert Report. He spoke with him about his new book ‘Why Architecture Matters.’
Colbert is one of the finest interviewers on TV today. Although he usually focuses on lampooning politicians, he can… Read more…
For a country whose government didn’t recognize the people’s right to free speech, Poland certainly had a great tradition of beautiful book covers in the 20th century. I recently found a collection of Polish book covers from last century that are so much more simple and beautiful… Read more…