preservation architecture special edition

This is a picture of the interior of the Faneuil Library in Brighton that I took last night. It was built in 1932 and from what I could observe, no major alterations or renovations have been done. The lighting and windows have been updated, and the vinyl floor dates from the 1980's, but in all other respects, the mundane art deco glory of the place is intact. It has one bathroom--in the basement. It is not accessible in any way. Its egress components are obsolete, but it appears to be of mostly fire resistant construction--aside from being filled with books (another obsolete gesture, perhaps).

I do not think that this building will see its 100th anniversary. I am glad to have seen it as it is now. I felt transported back in time.

truth and the news cycle

I'm running out of blog titles. I'll have to crowdfund something to get better titles. Another thing for the to do list.

In today's Globe, Paul McMorrow pointed out that Boston has lagged other cities in housing creation. We're even behind San Francisco. He didn't cite his statistics in per capita format, but I think his argument is sound. Boston doesn't have enough housing because the city, and more importantly, the surrounding communities,can't build it fast enough because of local zoning restrictions.

My wife and I drove through Revere and Lynn a few days ago. We wish we hadn't, but we were trusting the logic of our GPS. Live and learn. We drove past the Suffolk Downs (former) racetrack. To me, it looked like a bit of nothing, near nothing, and worth almost nothing. I'll be proven wrong about the last part.

functional

Conceptually, I know that this will work. But, I don't know how well it will work. There is no way to eliminate all risk from design. Low risk design can perpetuate annoying failures that people adapt to because they don't want to invest in something new. The cycle of error and dissatisfaction is robust and infinite. My declaration that this design is functional is a statement of hubris, not fact. If you want facts, seek blogs other than towers of ilium. Happy Monday.

oddly topical for once

Keene, N.H. is not technically my hometown, but it is close by. When I heard of the incidents at the annual Pumpkinfest yesterday, I was inappropriately amused. Now that I've had some time to reflect, and read some scattered news reports, I have two unoriginal observations to make:

-The Keene police were geared up, quite literally, for a fight. They made a deliberate plan to over-react to a situation, knowing that this would escalate things and justify their initial over-reaction. I suspect they did this due to political pressure.

-The college students were acting in a disorganized fashion. There were no ring-leaders, no plans, and no sense that they would be the target of violence. Most of the worst things done were probably done by a small handful of drunk assholes.

No one will be held to proper account for this. The real battle is probably between the city political leaders who are somewhat frustrated by the hard-partying of the college students, and the administration of the college. I am sure that a useful and constructive dialogue will result.

picture friday

This project has been completed for over a year now and it's still not finished. There was nothing false in that statement. Architecture only appears complete in photographs, but buildings are dynamic objects. Stillness with movement. Solid voids. Still air with a breeze. Poetry without words. Frozen music. Oh heck, this post is getting out of control and drifting into plagiarism.

I walked through the Bay Village this morning. Falling leaves had made soft, yellow blankets on the streets. The scale and detailing of the buildings was perfect. There was a graceful dilapidation and sense of calm to everything. Even the man pawing through the trash for cans seemed relaxed. I wonder if Hong Kong has places like this.

the precast revolution continues

Based on what I observe around Boston, the use of precast concrete as a cladding system for highrise buildings is robust. I want to believe that modern precast will outlast the older systems. If I were a betting man I would assign modern panels a 75 year lifespan before cosmetic failure starts to evolve into comprehensive failure.

I'm also starting to rethink my attitude towards cavity walls as the be-all and end-all of enclosure systems. If panelized, barrier systems are the preferred method for large scale structures, then they must be okay. Right?

irish architecture

It's two post Wednesday.

This link is worth checking out: http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/27/an-eerie-look-at-irelands-suburban-ghost-towns.php

And now, for towers of ilium pontificating. The Irish really screwed up--even more than the U.S. did. The mentality of "build it, and they will come" falls apart more quickly when your country is small. I feel that the burden of responsibility is not on the developers or the local officials, but on the lending agencies. They are the people who are supposed to assess the risk of the loans, and they obviously failed. And yet, none of them are in jail. So it goes.