Managed to see some of the progress on some buildings being constructed right now and they're coming along very nicely, and took a couple of pictures of a couple of my favourite new buildings here also. There's a few I didn't get to see though.

https://i.imgur.com/QdJGFOb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2sTwYw5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DH1cHiy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/51Jadg7.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/P8jI4WS.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DyAbkAi.jpg

Woah. The bottom half of that John Lewis building looks crazy. Eye of Sauron!

Cheers mate. There are three 'media eyes' on this. It's New Street Station, but is a shopping centre as well (Bullring Grand Central). It's really, really bright :D

Yeah it looks crazy bright. I was wondering if the camera caused some sort of bloom effect, because it looks like one big bright white light. Either there must be lots of smaller lights up close, or maybe it's lights behind some large white plastic surface.

It's loads and loads of little lights I think, pretty sure anyway. It has advertisements and tourist information on it.

That's a bunch of nice pictures, Fluff, all on the theme of buildings illuminated at night. TBH it's not my favourite way to look at buildings, as a fair bit of colour and detail is lost. Still, a well designed building should look good in all circumstances, and in your photos at least, the buildings you chose past the test.

^ I think these first two were my favourites; the second, not so much for the building as for your very well-composed photo, which has caught a canal boat and the reflections of elec light in the water. Nice.

https://i.imgur.com/51Jadg7.jpg

^ There's something very satisfying in the way this building goes round the corner without any break in the pattern of the facade. It works the same way that a slatted place mat can either be flat on the table or rolled up. That's good design; simple but effective for the purpose in hand.

I wasn't quite so keen on the JLP building tbh. It seems like a lot of glare, a lot of electricity to illuminate what? A drab staircase that you might find in any Underground railway station...

Cheers for the comments Lisna :)

It was that building I was most excited about, the one that goes round the corner without any break. Well there are several buildings going up here, it's a big development, that building in particular is nearing completion now and it looks fantastic in real life. I did want to see the skyscrapers but as they're still in the early phases, you can't see anything at night time as they aren't lit up and that was the earliest I could get there.

Re: JL, I like the media eyes, I have always liked Piccadilly Circus in London and the advertising there and felt we should have more of that and this is a start. This is what it looks like in the daytime - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Sept_2015.jpg

Thanks! Now I understand what that panel of light really is - I though it was an illuminated ceiling!

Walking through the Elephant and Castle area of London as a child, this is the building that first made me realise that modern buildings can be exciting. It had a silvery finish and no windows, which made it unlike anything I'd ever seen before:-

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...4EMHQc4A6ofbJt

It was only by writing this post that I learned that it is an electrical substation (hence no windows) and includes a neat bit of design that can only be appreciated from above:-

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...ZyfPhA2TJm7SeA

( In case the two pictures don't make sense, one of the four black legs in the bottom picture is seen on the left-hand side in the top picture, ok?)

Very cool exo-structure Lisna. A creative approach to lessen the impact of an otherwise bland industrialized form. I drew up a few sub-stations in my time with a well known power company here in the states. Seems like a lifetime ago. They were tucked back away from the sprawling metropolis's so they were just cookie-cutter, more-function-than-form style. I've been drafting for so long and with so many different companies, I forget exactly what I've done sometimes (all the drugs I've done doesn't help either lol). Looking into this thread sometimes helps jar the memories, so thank you for that.

Edit: I should be thanking Fluff, actually.

I live about 20 miles from Columbia, MO. This is what stands in front of their City Hall. It has different colored lights inside of it that light up at night.

^ That's a nice addition to the streetscape, [MERIT]. In England we often give irreverent nicknames to bits of architecture: as I think as Fluff has mentioned we have the Gerkin and the Walkie-Talkie among others. In the same spirit, I wonder if people in Columbia call your structure "the Keyhole"?


^ Thanks Plankton - you make me wish I'd thought of "exo-structure" myself.
You and me both on the drafting! Although I've stopped now, I spent 13 years man and boy at the drawing board. So many projects and buildings that I've forgotten most of them. Not that I was doing grand design stuff: looking back it seems that I was usually put in charge of sorting out staircases or toilets, though I did have a few more challenging responsibilities too.
__________________________________________________ _________________________

In this thread, I keep coming back to Plankton's Arch as one of my favourite photos here:-

It's very pleasing, with its modest size, its mix of styles and the warm, contrasting colours of the roof and stonework. I also like the fact that it's an entrance arch that leads nowhere, so that we are forced to see it for what it now is: a piece of Art for Art's sake. For structures of equal or greater charm, it's worth going back to Fluff's OP photos as well.

We have Cloud Gate, otherwise known as The Bean.

https://afar-production.imgix.net/up...719&q=80&w=954

The city built this HORRENDOUS art piece outside of the city's library. What is it, you ask? Your guess is as good as mine. A gigantic waste of tax dollars comes to mind.

http://www.visitcolumbiamo.com/wp-co...2-1024x683.jpg

<< <<<<<<

I'd only fault its placement.

^ Yes, rostasi, you're right. The sculpture itself isn't so horrendous imo, in fact I rather like the bright yellow colour. The problem is that it's right in front of a complicated, mildly interesting bit of facade.

Here's a worse case of blocking the view of a building: for decades, this London station had an uncluttered entrance yard, so that even though it was set back from the road, it was clearly visible, as a station should be. At a glance you could take in the symmetry of the facade with its 3 arches, and the bit on top, with all its references to classical architecture. It may not be spectacular, but it has a lot of carefully worked-out details in terracota and stone:-

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/J2A3FA/eas...ion-J2A3FA.jpg

In the 1980s, the station was refurbished by an arrogant architect, and his idea was to dump a clumsy post-modern kiosk right in front of the old building:-

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...k_-_938248.jpg

You can no longer appreciate the old facade in full, and from the street it takes a second to realise that there's a station trying to peek out from behind a florist's shop. The whole space is dominated by a graceless building with zero finesse which is little more than a disproportionate roof stuck on disproportionate columns. It doesn't have a single detail of any interest, charm or "art" imo, unless you want to count the gutter that's already bent out of shape at the left-hand corner. Furthurmore, selling flowers is traditionally accomplished by an old lady standing to one side on the pavement, surrounded by buckets. Now she has been awarded a shop that obscures the actual reason that people are there at all - to catch a bl**dy train, you stupid architect.

And now I am angry enough to sympathise with [MERIT] - the unneccesary waste of public money that actually makes our environment uglier. :(

St. Peter's Seminary, in Scotland, when it was built in 1966 and how it looks today:-

Lovely contributions Lisna.

I'll be posting Tottenham's new stadium soon.

^ Thanks for the comment, Fluff, and congrats on your new avatar. One of the best ever from anyone imo.

I'll be interested to see your photos, and in the meantime I'm waiting for Plankton: anytime now he should be posting a seminary built entirely of shipping containers.....

Not quite a seminary, but close.

https://i.imgur.com/8W7fLjp.jpg

Get well soon fluff.

Nice pics of New Haven, mindful, and especially Davenport; a city by a river is always more interesting than a city without natural water imo.

^ Thanks, Plankton! Is that the building you designed for fire fighters? All you have to do is swap the stars and stripes for a cruxifix, and voilá! it's a seminary. It's a very trim building, which indicates that some careful thought has gone into its design. I like the way the landings of the tower are all equally spaced, and two of them extend out to become roof terraces - that's one great virtue of using modular units I suppose (at least when you are using them right). I also like the bit on top, which I'm going to call a widow's walk, just so that I can post a pic of a genuine old widow's walk:-

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/c3...786a782a8f.jpg

PS: Just noticed that the overhang of your widow's walk is the same distance at each end: Nice!

It is, yes. It's more function than form, which I feel I always have to stipulate with these since they're industrialized repurposing. Tactical and technical training facility designs are the majority of my job on the CAD side. That facility is one of the larger ones (6000 sq. ft.) and the inside is packed with plenty of training props that simulate residential fires. If you've ever been to a haunted house, or even a fun house at a carnival, it's very similar with the exception that they're on fire with a controlled burn at certain burn areas. Floors that drop, walls that move, ceilings that pull down, and a host of other simulations built to both NFPA and OSHA specifications. One of the key components is the ability to change the layout from evolution to evolution using modular systems, so trainee's have more realistic training when they go through multiple times. The rendering also depicts night time training with the exterior lighting, since most home fires happen during the evening hours. Training for real life situations is key to saving lives, so it's designed with that in mind.

Seminary for fire fighters.

^ That makes it a very special building then, Plankton, and to get all that done within Building Code restrictions must've been a nightmare. All I can offer in terms of working on buildings with moving parts are some removable access panels to ducts, and a retractable ladder - ooh and doors too! They move don't they? I often worked on projects that needed a hundred or so purpose-made doors, which meant sorting out a whole bunch of types, dimensions, jamb details etc.
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The merits of Old vs New is an endless battle in architectural theory, and the battlegrounds are our cities.

Here's a photo of Cardiff, where imo the win goes to the old. Despite everything that can be done with steel and cladding the soaring shapes and planes of the modern make for a drab, confused backdrop to the real star of this pic - the brick municipal building in the middle:-

https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/bu...diff-view3.jpg

I'd say the old won there too ^. Stark contrast indeed.

That's one of almost 1000 designs in the 13 years I've been doing these, but they're all very similar. There isn't much variation in the doors/windows too, so the schedule isn't riddled with a lot of details like most of them are. I worked for a couple arch firms, and it was a bit insane in comparison.

To give you a better idea of what they are...

[removed images]

They look great. I especially liked the first photo and the two pics demonstrating a practice exercise with escape ladder. You must feel very proud to have masterminded their construction, Plankton, and you clearly create a real niche for yourself if you designed 1000 of them.

I wish I'd created a niche for myself, telling architects how to design new buildings adjacent to old buildings. I could've flown to this city, for instance, to advise against this building, which seems to be playing a cruel joke on the older building underneath:-

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5716/2...fa818190_b.jpg

^Interesting cantilever, but thats just... not really sure what.

I actually like that.

We just finished a LiDAR scan of a firehouse on campus they are planning to repurpose into a conference center. I'm modeling it now in Cyclone. You got some nice details in there, what program did you say you use?

Just plain AutoCad 2017 (v.21).

I just updated to AutoCad 2019 and it comes with AutoDesk ReCap and ReCap Photo, which has been around for a few years now. I've been living under a rock. Really cool ****. Most of the designs I do are from the ground up, but I really wanna play with this now and see what the benefits/limitations would be.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBXfEII8uw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJoGPHi0lAg

Reminds me a bit of this.

https://architexturez.net/data/style.../castles-0.jpg

^ Well that's two against one then as DWV liked it too.

^ This new plus old gets "not-too-bad" from me: it makes the old building look a bit like a museum exhibit, but perhaps the ruin was in danger of collapse anyway.

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/D1XGHK/mai...ton-D1XGHK.jpg

^ And talking of museums - Maidstone Museum, UK. I would've been happier with the modern infill if they'd just lowered it a bit so that the new roofline tucked in under the old gutter level.

https://comps.canstockphoto.com/iron...csp7049817.jpg

^ At first glance I liked this juxtaposition of old and new, but now I have a complaint: why didn't they make the glazing bars of the new line up better with the horizontal and vertical lines of the old facade?

------------------------------


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5WUH47fhOI

^ That's interesting, Mindfulness. Nice terrace and pool, but I didn't like the style of the interior: too much shiny opulance, and a living room suite that looks like an offshoot of space technology.

^ HaHa, very nice [MERIT] ! In fact, as a building material, Lego has a lot going for it: easy to clean, bright colours that never need repainting. That particular house is clearly a bit cramped, though its appearance would be improved if only Lego Man would park his car in the garage.

Buildings, they say, should look nice from a distance and invite you to get closer to explore them in detail. This building, called Innovation Curve, does that imo. It's in a tech park in Palo Alto:-

https://www.bdcnetwork.com/sites/bdc...?itok=KEWR7mzo

https://www.worldarchitecturefestiva...tion_curve.jpg

^ Looks to me like it's been repainted recently - the cost of that should be down to architect for not using Lego.

^ I don't know about you, but with a body like mine I don't have to be shy by the pool. Knowadahmsayin?

Chicago's Water Tower:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/77/2f...3760241ead.jpg

A little history behind it:

...and something that hits close to home for me about the Architects use of materials:

https://i.imgur.com/JC5vpVQ.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofSzVHKPABo

^ Quality post, Plankton :clap:

That water tower makes a very interesting contrast to the blank facade of the building behind. At ground floor level, I counted twelve turrets on a building smaller than many regular houses. Also, the corner turrets have turrets on them - so there is some justification for the word "overbuilt" in your attached explanation.

It was interesting to read about the why and how of the tower and its survival, and I liked the unexpected connection to your obsessi -er- your hobby and the Joliet Prison. ;) Great drone footage of the prison too!

lol

I'm experiencing mild DT's. Haven't been able to get out in a while.

You can really get a better sense of the contrasting element it sits in with Google 3D view (I hope this link works as expected):
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ch....6244153?hl=en

Tip: Hold down shift (or Ctrl) and at the same time, press and hold your left mouse button (and move it) to orbit around it. The larger buildings might 'pull' you out of scope as you pass through them.

My son and I looked up giant LEGO structures over the weekend on YouTube. We like to build things together. It makes for great father-son time!

LEGOs are the greatest parent-child bonding tool.