Comments | max_j: in the (architecture) news

max_j

in the (architecture) news

Jan 12, 2006 23:47

1. An article directly relating to my thesis. The author makes a point that supports the way I've been going about my design. Interestingly enough, there's another thesis project this year studying context, but taking the historical angle.
2. The Canadians have started a sustainability school.
3. It is hard for me to take this guy seriously.

architecture, news

Comments 4

wileypeter January 13 2006, 16:20:18 UTC

Yeah, King's writings are often on the money. The Bay Area's lucky to have a good full-time architecture critic. Now I have to go to SF & see these buildings for myself...

max_j January 13 2006, 16:31:17 UTC

If you do go see them, I'd like to see pictures, of course.
You are lucky to have a good arch critic on your coast. The NY Times had Herbert Muschamp forever, and his writing was very biased. He also didn't seem to know what the hell he was talking about. It really annoyed me.

wileypeter January 13 2006, 17:24:06 UTC

As for Mr. Unfettered Sprawl Is Beautiful, well, as an environmental/sociological type from Berkeley you can count on me to disagree with the man. As sprawl continues one sees increased property values, eventually resulting in a less-than-democratic expulsion of anyone anywhere near the poverty line. The Bay Area can be seen as a model of the future, where "middle class" housing sells for $500,000 and a typical family has three to four jobs to make ends meet.

The guy sounds like another laissez faire capitalist sounding all the old, hoary saws about the market being the ultimate arbitrator of the greater good. I no more trust that attitude than I would a wholly governmental system.

max_j January 13 2006, 17:47:56 UTC

In the development in NJ where I used to live, a suburb of, well, nothing, my mom bought a house in August 1995 for $90,000. It was in pretty terrible shape, and we had to put a lot of time and money into it to make it a decent place to live. Over the course of the time we lived there, the area became much more of what you'd think of as a development, as large, ugly, photocopied houses on postage-stamp lots proliferated. The woods surrounding our block disappeared in favour of manicured sod lawns (grass won't grow in sand - at least, not pretty grass). Between the improvements we put into the house and the increasing property values all around us, my mom sold the house in August 2005 for $300,000. Our house, at least, was one of the unique ones. The ones around us were starting to be sold for 400, 500, even more. Waterfront properties are well over a million now.

And if you saw these houses, you would cry. I worked for two residential firms in Jersey, and the last summer I worked there (2004), I felt as if I'd sold my soul to the ( ... )