Bienvenue à Paris!

Paris One | Notre Dame de Paris

After a rather interesting experience boarding the Easy Jet flight from Berlin, our small group arrived in Paris at dusk.  We were delightfully surprised to realize that our hostel was only blocks away from Notre Dame de Paris and many other Parisian delights.  In a haze from the days travels, we made our way to the cathedral.  Up to this point I had only imagined what Paris would be like, and was all at once in love with its romantic beauty.  My first encounter with the Paris of my imagination was one of the most iconic and breathtaking structures on Earth, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction.     

Hamburger Bahnhof

Berlin Four | Museum für Gegenwart

Here, I believe, the images can mostly speak for themselves.  Above is from instillation db by Ryoji Ikeda.  In a stark white room, prints of pi are hung on the walls, as a speaker emits a high toned sound.  Images alone are not able to capture the experience of the space, but the clean, simple arrangements of objects in the room are only complimented by the monotone ring that accompanies them.  The following images are of miniature light models that were only accessable through openings in a wall.  

click through for more photos.  

Atelier Katharina Große

Berlin Three | Atelier Katharina Große

One of the keystone projects of the Spring 2012 semester was a case study in the city of Berlin.  My partners and I chose the private residence/studio of artist Katharina Große, designed by augustin und frank architekten, completed in 2007.  The building anchors the corner of an historic industrial neighborhood, and is surrounded by established Prussian brick buildings.  The site was once occupied by a tailor shop, on which the current building's foundation now rests; while the atelier itself hovers over the remaining exterior brick wall of the shop that stood there before.  

While in Berlin we were able to make a site visit to the building that we had spent weeks modeling at 1:50 scale (photos after the break) and see it in its full glory.  And my how glorious she was.  Not only were we able to get a much more intimate viewing of the building we had studied so deeply; but we were also fortunate enough to meet Katharina Große herself!  Unfortunately, we were not able to take a tour of the building, but she was gracious enough to come to the door and politely turn down our request. 

Click through for more photos

A House for All

Berlin Two | Nordic Embassies

Designed by Alfred Berger and Tiina Parkkinen, the Felleshus/Pan Nordic Building was completed in 1999 and houses the embassies of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.  Felleshus in Danish translates to a house for all, apropos for a building harmoniously connecting the delegations of the Nordic region.  The embassies' spatial arrangement is consistent with their geographical positions, all of which are contained within the serpentine copper wall which surrounds them.  The entrance facade of the building is a composition of maple and glass, which opens to reveal an interior of concrete and glass details.  The Nordic Embassies are are a rich space of texture and light, and among the more intriguing spaces to explore in Berlin.

Click through for more photographs of the Pan Nordic Building.

Interbau '57

Berlin One  | Hansaviertel IBA '57

Boldly responding to the socialist developments of the GDR and East Germany, West Germany celebrated democracy and modernity through the International Building Exhibition Interbau.  Opening July, 1957, the IBA brought together world renowned architects for housing in the Hansaviertel neighborhood; which was nearly destroyed during World War II.  With designs from Oscar Niemeyer (above), Fritz Jaenecke and Sten Samuelson, Alvar Aalto, and more; Hansaviertel became a destination for over one million visitors.  With a chairlift meandering through the projects, the IBA was a spectacle of the modernization of the west.  

More photos of the Oscar Niemeyer project after the break, as well as projects by Jaenecke, Samuelson, and Aalto.

Five Minutes and an Egg

This little piggy went to market... in Europe!  My very first trip across the pond and destination one was Vienna, Austria.  Sent overseas to research Berlin for our spring architecture studio, I was able to visit Austria, Germany, and France during a two week manic sight seeing expedition.  This first set of documented experiences follows adventures in Viennese food and represent the small amount of photo editing I have been able to do at the end of this semester.  Starting with the breakfast above which is known as 5 minutes (the toast) paired with a boiled egg and grapefruit half, through a small street market, where there were far too many tasty looking treats.  Click through for photos, with more adventures from Europa to come soon.