Basel, Switzerland

Our last town on this field trip was a day trip to Basel, Switzerland. Here in Basel we saw a few really great contemporary buildings. As we pulled into the Basel train station, still on the train we saw the Train Switching Station by Herzog de Meuron. We then made our way through the town to see an addition to the University of Basel and two townhouses. One townhouse (just a little before in location to the University of Basel), had a glass façade which was bent. The restrictions were kept in the means of keeping the facades flush, but there was a sort of “wave” like affect that was evident in the panels on glass that constructed the façade. The next townhouse was even more interesting. The entire façade was composed of these metal shutters that could be extended to cover the set back façade or opened like an accordion to expose it. As we went on exploring the different contemporary architecture in Basel we slowly understood their approach and method: a simple box with a profound façade. Whether it be a box volume with smaller volumes subtracted from that larger volume or a box with a delicate layered glass façade; the underlying concept was a box volume. We sketched at Renzo Piano’s Foundation Beyler for a few hours, analyazing the simple concept parti that Piano used in this building as well as how he conquered getting lighting into the building.

PS. ALWAYS, always have an umbrella on you! It can be sunny one minute and a downpour the next!

Zurich, Switzerland

After Vals, we took another three hour bus ride through the mountains to the city of Zurich, Switzerland. In the two days we spent in Zurich we saw the Stadelhofen Railway Station by Santiago Calatrava which was really interesting. In Calatrava’s bridge there are no right angles, everything occurs on some kind of slant, appearing to be leaning heavily in one direction. Our next stop was to the Heidi Weber Pavillion by Le Corbusier, an interesting piece of work nestled in to the outskirts of town. The last major contemporary building we saw in Zurich was the Rietberg Museum by Afred Grazioli and Adolf Krischanitz. The museum was home to the temporary Japanese Exibit but the main attraction (especially for architects) was the delicate glass volume which served as an entrance to the Rietburg Museum. Here we spent time looking at the different pieces of Japanese art as well as analyzing and detailing the structure and form of the glass volumetric entryway. We stayed in a hostel while we were in Zurich which was decent. Besides the iffy lunch we had the first day and that one cold shower I took the first morning, it turned out to be an okay place to stay. It was more of a “college environment” with pool tables and video games. Sheila and I dominated every guy in pool one of the nights (and it was my first time playing, I was pretty darn good!!) Swiss army knives and chocolate. We have all become obsessed. Enough said. I think I have enough chocolate to last me awhile!! The architecture in Zurich was awesome, it reminded me a lot like that in Prague, Czech Republic.

Bridge at the Train Station, Santiago Caltrava

Pavilion, Le Corbusier

Note: Get the hot dog! It’s amazing! It’s a HUGE sausage looking hotdog with a chunk of bread and ketchup and mustard!

Vals, Switzerland

A four hour bus ride through the Alps was an experience in itself, I witnessed some of the most amazing views I have ever seen in my life. It was a little scary at times, being in a huge coach bus driving through the mountains on a windy single lane road with a 1000 m drop just a foot away and a slinky wooden rail acting as a guard to “stop” anything from getting off the trail. Clearly safe. But, as I tried not to think of that aspect of it, I focused on the breathtaking views of the Alp Mountain Range in Switzerland. After the bus ride we arrived in Vals, Switzerland to see the Thermal Baths by Peter Zumthor. A once in a lifetime opportunity and experience I am so grateful to have gotten the chance to do. Already about half way through our field trip, we really lucked out with PERFECT weather! In Milan and Como, the weather was GORGEOUS, sunny and warm! When we arrived in Vals, to our surprise it was snowing!! We settled into our hotel rooms, changed quickly into our bathing suits and ran right to the Thermal Baths. It was awesome! The design of the baths is based on the different senses, so to make sure we got the full experience we had to experience EVERYONE, including the COLD bath! It was absolutely freezing, but a bunch of us withstood the freezing water and then ran right into the hot bath making our bodies tingle! My favorite part of the thermal baths was relaxing in the outdoor pool while it was SNOWING! Everything panned out perfectly, the warm bath mixed with snowy weather!! It was one of the most relaxing things I have ever partook in! In addition to this, the views while we were in the baths were amazing!! Laying in the outdoor pool with snow capped mountains! Nothing could have been better than that!!

Thermal Baths, Peter Zumthor

Vals, Switzerland

NOTE: I highly suggest everyone to go here for a vacation! It is an incredibly relaxing experience that everyone should have the priveledge of doing! Note to get a massage… but book in advance!!

Switzerland is awesome.

Como.

Como was by far the most beautiful city I have ever been too. Como is a small city which is mainly built around the gorgeous Lake Como and into the mountain range. As we walked the city of Como we stopped at a few places to admire the contemporary architecture. One of our first stops was at the Casa Giuliani-Frigerio built by Giuseppe Terragni. After analyzing the exterior, we were given the opportunity to go into the apartment complex and see the inside! The all white apartment was so simple, consisting of the traditional hallway with three rooms branching off. The most fantastic part of this building was the view of Lake Como (especially from the rooftop!). Another favorite part of this apartment was the entire bookshelf wall completely overfilling with books (the owner of the apartment was a writer)! Before we went to Casa Del Fascio, we stopped at the Monumento ai Caduti (a momument dedicated to those who died on the cruise ship that sunk in Lake Como) and Palazzo Novocomum.

Casa Giuliani, Guiseppe Terragni

After spending a few hours sketching at the Casa Del Fascio building, we were given some free time to explore the city! While the majority of the boys decided to hike up one of the mountains (they were nuts), we decided to take the tram up to the top of one of the surrounding mountains! It was so HIGH!! We got a few panoramic views of the entire city of Como and the lake in the center of it all. Seeing Lake Como and the snowcapped mountain range at sunset was incredibly breathtaking!! I highly suggest visiting Lake Como, it is one of the most beautiful places in Italy!! The seafood here is something to rave about too (and I don’t even eat seafood!).

Casa del Fascio, Guiseppe Terragni

Views from on top of the Mountain!

Torino.

From Milan we took a day trip to a smaller town called Torino. The architecture in Torino was more of a mixture between modern contemporary architecture and older styles. However, the same techniques were evident in both, especially the use of arcades. From the train station to the Piazza San Giovanni, the urban fabric was diligently planned to benefit both the pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The simply arcade had a modern twist to it, making it appear to be clean, simple in appearance, but bold in statement. We walked throughout the city seeing the different squares and buildings Torino had to offer those including the Palazzo Carignano di Guarino Guarini, the Duomo and the cappella della Santa Sindone in the Piazza San Giovanni, and the San Lorenzo di Guarino Guarini. The Duomo in Torino holds the famous Shroud of Jesus Christ, which was so interesting!! A replica of the Shroud was on display with enlarged negatives to better see the image. To actually see the blood stains of where the wound marks were on “the man” was pretty incredible. We took an elevator to the top of the Mole Antonelliana, which was a Islamic Temple transformed into a film museum. From here we got a panoramic view of the city of Torino and the surrounding urban context.

Arcaded Streets in Torino

Palafuksas, Piazza della Repubblica

Mole Antonelliana

The Duomo, held the Shroud of Jesus Christ

Milano.

The first city we visited on our second field trip was to Milan, Italy in the north eastern part of the country. Our first day there we explored the main attractions in the city including The Duomo (beautiful gothic cathedral!), Piazza del Duomo, and the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II. The ornate details of the Duomo in Milan were absolutely breathtaking, the church clearly screams gothic architecture both inside and outside. We walked through the Galleria Victorio Emmanuele II which is technically a glass enclosed street. The covered arcade was a great asset to the space, providing shelter from the weather and creating an aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The new class enclosure compliments the existing classic ornate façade of the buildings that line the street. The Galleria creates an urban space that is frequently used for shopping (the big stores like Prada and Louis Vuitton are located here), grabbing a quick bite or even listening to live music!

The Duomo.

Our last stop on the first day was the new Universita Covooni by Grafton Architects. This new university was a great example of contemporary architecture. The interesting thing about this building was the use of suspended volumes, how the architect introduced light into the space, and really creating an open space within the site. On our last day in Milan we went to see “Il Sole 240re” by Renzo Piano and the Alfa Romeo and Subsidized Housing al Portello by Cino Zucchi.

Universita Covooni, Grafton Architects

Subsidized Housing al Portello

“Il Sole 240re” by Renzo Piano

TIPS WHEN IN MILAN:

1. When in the Piazza del Duomo, foreign men will approach you very forcefully trying to get you to take seeds to feed the birds. They will actually get to the point where they will try to grab your hand for you to take the seeds.

2. When in a restaurant, foreign men will come in and interrupt your dinner by shoving flowers in your face. It is okay to make rude comments, they do not understand and will continue to smile. Best though to just ignore them.

3. WHAT TO DO FOR DINNER IN MILAN!? Go to an aperitivo! They are simply amazing!! It is hard to find a reasonably priced dinner in Milan, everything is so expensive! One drink will allow you to feast on two plates of food in the bar’s buffet. Yea, the drinks are a little expensive, but the authentic Italian antipasto filled with cheeses, pastas, meats, breads and olives will fill you up! It’s a definite recommendation!!

Project 2 Urban Fabric

BASE SITE CONDITION

BLOCK GRID DIAGRAM

CONTINUATION OF STREETS

DESIGN PROPOSAL 1

DESIGN PROPOSAL 2

DESIGN PROPOSAL 3

DESIGN PROPOSAL 3

FINAL DESIGN

Saint Peter's Cathedral

Museum

Spring Break 2009

Paris, France

I can sum up Paris in one word... Unbelievable! Paris is one of the most AMAZING cities ever! It is definitely one my top three favorites!

Paris. Wow. Where do I even begin? There was so much to see and do in Paris, we (myself Anna and Sheila) tried to do everything! Thankfully Sheila has been to Paris in the past so we were lucky to have some grasp on what to do and when. The architecture in Paris is gorgeous! It honestly reminded me of the movie Mary Poppins! The details in the façade and even the architecture of the buildings as a whole just screamed elegance and beauty. The three of us met up with a few friends from the Barcelona study abroad crew which was so great to have the chance to be able to meet up and hang out! Our first full day there we walked up the Eiffel tower (YES! walked up to the second floor observatory level. 680 STEPS!) The view from this level was amazing (thankfully we had amazing weather so it was a clear sunny day)! From here we had to take an elevator up to the tip of the Eiffel Tower, I honestly felt like I was on top of the world! It was pretty cool to see the urban fabric of the city from above, the streets pan out in a spider web affect!

Eiffel Tower

The View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

After the Eiffel Tower we continued to walk through the streets of Paris making our way to the Avenue des Champs Elysees, one of the most famous streets in Paris that connects the Arc de Triomphe to the Palace de la Concorde. Making our way down the Avenue des Champs Elysees we saw some familiar stores such as HAGAN DAZ (!) and STARBUCKS (!) woo! We stopped in the original Louis Vuitton store (the design of this store was AWESOME!) and some other stores along the way.

Arc de Triumphe

Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals I have ever seen! The detail that was evident on the exterior and the interior was amazing, must have taken forever to build something with such great detail in that time of day! Seeing architecture like this makes you appreciate it that much more. After the Notre Dame Cathedral we walked along the river stopping at these little side venders that sold hundreds of postcards and Art Nouveau posters. Following the river we found ourselves come to the Louvre! I never thought I would ever have gotten to see these places, especially not when I was 21 years old! It was incredible to see the structure designed by I.M Pei. As we made our way into the lobby to much of my surprise (I actually forgot about this!) was the famous spiral staircase. To me it was amazing to see because I had used this as a precedent for my ARCH 302 studio project Urban Townhouse for an Artist. Of course we saw Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (I think she’s smiling!), Madonna of the Rocks also by da Vinci, Raft of medusa, and the Wedding Feast at Cana. It was so interesting to see the pieces of art that I studied way back in high school and that have also played a great role in my love for art and architecture. After the Louvre we pass the Pompidou Center and made our way to Moulin Rouge to see the windmill.

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Louvre

The Pompidou Center

Moulin Rouge

Our last day in Paris we went to Versailles for the day to see the Palace and the gardens! The Palace was home to the famous Louis XVI and Marie Antoniette. We toured the Palace with cool (emphasis on the cool) hand held audio guides, seeing the king and queen’s chambers, the chapel, and the Hall of Mirrors. The gardens I am sure are gorgeous in the spring and summer time, however being the last week in February/first week in March, they weren’t as spectacular as they are known to be (the grounds of Versailles is MASSIVE though!!) After Versailles, we did not make it to see Villa Savoie, however we did stop to see one of the last standing famous Art Nouveau metro stops by Hector Guimard. It was adorable! It was small, unique and screamed Art Nouveau!

(!) TIPS: France is known for their crepes, get one a day ATLEAST or ten (like Anna), its really okay we don’t judge... but really, they are amazing!! Paris is a city of love, you will see many couples expressing it publicly! Chinese tourists never fail to go where you go, you will always see them!! Paris really is a great city, there is so much to see: the architecture is fantastic as well as the gardens dispersed throughout the city. Thankfully I do have the opportunity to travel back to Paris with Anna after the program is over. I hope to see a side of the city (in the spring time!) that we may not have really seen when we went in February!

Naples. Sorrento. Pompeii

On one of our free weekends, we took a trip down to southern Italy. We stayed at a hotel on the waterfront overlooking Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius and the Castle. The city of Naples is not as nice as we anticipated, however the waterfront was gorgeous. We walked around Naples and visited the Museo Nazionale, which holds many artifacts and intact mosaics actually from Pompeii. After this we decided to hike to the top of the hill to the Castel Nuovo. The views from the top of this hill were amazing! We each purchased a cameo here. The cameos were hand carved in Naples but the actual shell was imported from Africa. We zigzagged our way down the hill where we sat and watched the sunset over the Naples Bay.

Mount Versuvius, Naples

On Saturday we took a local train to Pompeii, an ancient city that was completely preserved after its burial from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii was incredible! It was like an enormous maze and you had to find your way out! It was actually a lot bigger than I thought. The views of the ancient architecture and the mountain ranges behind it were incredible! Being able to see the actual streets of the city and columns of the buildings was really great.

Pompeii

After Pompeii we took another local train down to Sorrento. It was a smaller quaint town on the hillside off the Bay of Naples. We walked around the small town, bought some limoncello (!) and went into a few authentic Italian shops. We walked down to the waters edge to take a few pictures, the views were amazing. From here you could see Mount Vesuvius in the distance and also the island of Capri. We settled ourselves on a bench overlooking the Bay of Naples and watched the sunset. It was a perfect ending to a perfect weekend!

Sorrento hillside cliffs

Sunset in Sorrento!