JUNE 21ST, 2010
By BUILD LLC
Ever heard of Mark Bennett? We hadn’t until recently, but here’s 3 things we know about him; 1) He’s brilliant. 2) We’re 90% inspired and excited by his work. 3) We’re 10% green with envy that we didn’t think of it before he did.
Bennett, an L.A. artist, takes the residences of our childhood television memories and drafts up the floor plans with surprising accuracy. His work has been on display around the Northwest in the past and we love that the hand drafted prints are reproduced with the authentic method of blueprints – genius. Did we say 10% jealous? Make it 20. Here’s a primer on Bennett’s work with some supplementary information we rounded up to help jog your memory.
Brady Residence
Location: Los Angeles
Owners: Mike & Carol Brady with children Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Greg, Peter, Bobby and housekeeper Alice
Architectural style: Suburban Ranch
Read more »
JUNE 18TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
Lately team BUILD has been working on an exciting project that will be released later this fall. Not too long ago we were contacted by Arcade Magazine to be the guest editors on the first issue of their 29th volume. That’s right Arcade will be turning 29 years old this year – a huge kudos for that. We’re honored to lead the charge on this issue and we’ve been hard at work rounding up an exceptional group of design conscious thinkers and do-ers. You might not have heard of some of these sharp-shooters… but you will. They’re already leading the charge not just on design, but in defining our culture.
Alex Calderwood is a cultural engineer and owner of the incredibly successful Ace Hotels. Anyone who’s stayed at an Ace Hotel in New York, Seattle, Portland or Palm Springs knows that the design experience starts at the front door, continues with a cappuccino at the coffee shop and keeps right on course all the way to the vintage record player in the room and the subtle signage on the lobby stair reminding us all that “everything is going to be alright”.
Read more »
JUNE 7TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
We’ve got a rock-star buddy who, at the drop of a hat, will go climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, navigate the crowded streets of Mumbai or, in this case, head to Haiti to help with the earthquake relief efforts. Team BUILD was fortunate enough to be able to financial contribute to his trip and in return he brought back images and a first-hand account of the work being done in Haiti. As a structural engineer with HSV Engineers here in Seattle, Aaron Pambianco was flown into Léogâne to assess the structural damage to homes and buildings and he was generous enough to get the scoop for the BUILDblog.
Read more »
MAY 6TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
Recently, we got a hot tip about an art exhibit currently installed in an abandoned, and soon to be demolished, building in south Seattle. Having just watched Banksy’s new film Exit Through The Gift Shop we were as fascinated as ever to experience some midnight street art and The Strangers article on Tomb only wet our appetites. There are three known authors behind the show; Dan Hawkins, an artist who goes by the name NKO and another referred to as No Touching Ground. Apparently the artists worked late at night, moving materials down the street and up to the second floor of the building, a previous condiment factory.
Read more »
APRIL 30TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
APRIL 9TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
[Dry Sewer in Queens, photo by Steve Duncan]
If you’re the type who’s curious about what’s underneath your feet when walking around a city, then fasten your seat belt; today’s post covers the work of Steve Duncan, urban spelunker and guerrilla historian of infrastructure. That a piece of the urban realm might be considered off-limits is simply an invitation to Duncan, who’s fascination with the mechanics of a city has taken him from the top of the Manhattan bridge to underground aqueduct tunnels and everything in between. And we mean everything. Along his explorations he hauls the necessary camera equipment for the long exposure images required of the dark abandoned subway tunnels, sewer lines, steam pipes, and underground rivers. Combine a tenacious interest in the workings of a city with a keen eye for the captured image and you get photos that jump off the page and arrest you.
Read more »
MARCH 15TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
With St. Patty’s day coming up on Wednesday, we figured we give a shout-out to the Irish. Today’s post is entirely made up of firms from Ireland and it should give you some pleasant images to enjoy while you’re putting down a stout or two. We’ve got a lot of respect for the Irish Architects out there – they excel at many of the same things as we do here in the northwest; keeping the water out during the damp rainy days, keeping the heat in during the long gray winters, and keeping their heads up high amidst all the rain and gray. So here goes. Let us know what you like and we’ll cover it in greater detail sometime.
A2 Architects
Read more »
FEBRUARY 19TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
What is it about the work of ODOS architects that is so fascinating and attractive? Even after pouring over their website with a discerning eye, we still can’t quite put a thumb on what makes their projects so mesmerizing. It’s hard to comment on the “design” because what makes for such elegance and beauty in the finished work would appear to be the lack of design. Rather, the finished photographs communicate a system of planes divided into simple geometric formulas. The built-form almost seems to relate more closely to mathematics than architecture – and wonderfully so. Using a system of formulas in which the sum of the parts amounts to an architectural solution is thought-provoking and desirable to us.
Read more »
JANUARY 21ST, 2010
By BUILD LLC
Our 5th in the series of hot-shots doing some really nice work around the globe and making a significant contribution to the design world. Thanks to everyone who contributed names, projects and ideas.
Jan Gleason, U.S.A.
We’d like to start out by acknowledging the loss of a true hero here in the Northwest. Founder of Environmental Works, a non profit firm in specializing in child-care centers, homeless shelters, low-income housing and community centers, Gleason believed everyone deserves good design. In addition to acting on that belief, she played soccer, was a cellist in the Cascade Symphony Orchestra and even put in time for other non-profits. She set an outstanding example and she’ll be missed.
Read more »
JANUARY 14TH, 2010
By BUILD LLC
Several weeks ago the New Yorker published a piece on Zaha Hadid, the talented 60 year old Iraqi architect known for her forward thinking designs and jet-setting lifestyle. In addition to covering several of her recent projects the article focused a great deal on her personal life. The article noted her multiple cell phones constantly ringing, the frazzled side-kick assistant attempting to keep pace with Hadid’s ridiculous schedule and needs, and the fact that she can’t even finish breakfast without frantically running off to the next order of business. Maybe it was show for the journalist, maybe the New Yorker exaggerated a bit for effect; maybe it’s an accurate snapshot of her life. Who knows. Regardless, our question is this – do we really want to glamorize the profession of architecture like this? Is this really what we want to uphold as an example of world class professionalism in design? Would you find these same traits appealing in parallel professions, your lawyer or accountant running around like a chicken with their head cut off, or your doctor perhaps? It made us stop and scratch our heads a bit – why is such an existence idolized in the design profession?
Read more »
