Posted on April 25th, 2020 by Winston Smith
(1) I’ve clipped the blog post title from a chapter in the excellently written British Rail Architecture 1948-97 by David Lawrence. “For centuries architects have used miniature versions of their designs to communicate their ideas to emperors, oligarchs, magnates, civil servants and audiences who must be engaged to ensure a project is approved for development. […]
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Posted on December 3rd, 2019 by Winston Smith
(1) This Is Why Your Holiday Travel Is Awful (Politico) “Penn Station is the second most heavily trafficked transit hub in the world, trailing only Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station. The station serves more daily passengers than the region’s three huge airports (Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark) combined. More people pass through Penn each weekday than live in […]
Filed under: Architecture, Mass Transit, NYC, Railroads, Transportation | No Comments »
Posted on October 23rd, 2019 by Winston Smith
“To attempt to gain happiness, except in this way, is a labor lost; it is building on the sand; the foundation will soon give way, though the house looks fair for a time.” — Gain after Pain “Decaying and dilapidated architecture resonates as loss, as evidence of the irreversible passage of time, yet architectural ruins […]
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Posted on August 11th, 2018 by Winston Smith
I was in São Paulo last week for work. It was a quick trip, with a packed agenda, so the opportunity for exploration was limited. I have a top ten list though… (1) Cargo Bikes (Copenhagenize Design Company) (2) Eisenbahn Pale Ale (BeerAdvocate) (3) Estação da Luz “Ever since this station was completed in 1901, […]
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Posted on December 21st, 2017 by Winston Smith
(1) Belmont Arena Renderings (NHL) (1a) Statement from NYRA President & CEO Chris Kay regarding Belmont Park and the New York Islanders (NYRA) (2) Belmont Park from the Limestone Photo Archives (Flickr) (2a) My reaction after the press conference (YouTube) (3) TWA Hotel (4) Queens Museum (Adopt A Building) See what I did there with […]
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Posted on October 15th, 2017 by Winston Smith
(1) Quality, variety and surprise. How Walt Disney created a very real fantasy (Blooloop) (2) Quotes from The Man in the Castle by Philip K. Dick: “They want to be the agents, not the victims, of history. They identify with God’s power and believe they are godlike. That is their basic madness. They are overcome […]
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Posted on February 5th, 2017 by Winston Smith
(1) Frank Lloyd Wright’s unbuilt Trinity Chapel is realised in images by David Romero (dezeen)
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Posted on March 6th, 2016 by Winston Smith
(1) The Archigram Archival Project (2) A quote from Walt Disney and the Quest for Community by Steve Mannheim: “Although the EPCOT concept was never built, its prototype transportation systems continue to influence the way millions of people around the world think about mass transit of the future. Disney, Roger Broggie, Bob Gurr, and their […]
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Posted on October 14th, 2015 by Winston Smith
“An illustration of how this desire for publicity can influence the architect’s work can be found in comparing two air terminal buildings designed by the same architect, the late, extremely gifted Eero Saarinen. One of these buildings, the TWA terminal at Idlewild, New York (now John F. Kennedy International Airport), obviously was based on the […]
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Posted on September 6th, 2015 by Winston Smith
(1) On September 13, You Can Ride the 7 Train to Hudson Yards (2) ÖBB Headquarters / INNOCAD Architecture (ArchDaily) (3) More quotes from The Heart of our Cities by Victor Gruen: “There is a saying that the best things in life are free. Those best things are hard to come by in the sprawling […]
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Posted on July 22nd, 2015 by Winston Smith
A Gruen inspired renaissance? (1) The Mall Rises Again: How to breathe new life into America’s much-maligned indoor shopping centers. (City-Journal) (2) A related quote from Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler Imagineers said that when they were planning Tomorrowland, Walt would carry books around on city planning and mutter […]
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Posted on August 16th, 2014 by Winston Smith
Pegoretti was one of the six craftsmen featured in Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle at the Museum of Arts & Design in 2010. (1) Robin Williams and Dario Pegoretti: The Comedian and the Bike Builder (WSJ) (1a) A.N.T. Part 1 (2) McDowell + Benedetti’s Footbridge and Rail Station Underway in Terni (ArchDaily) (3) ‘Like a Singing […]
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Posted on August 2nd, 2014 by Winston Smith
(1) Architect Lord Norman Foster on Good Design and Collectible Cars: The sought-after British architect reveals what he’s seeking, riding, collecting and coveting (WSJ) “The best way to quickly transform a space is: by light and shadow. Light it, open it up to a view, provide a glimpse of the sky, orient it, close it […]
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Posted on January 25th, 2014 by Winston Smith
(1) A Good Book Is a Good Friend (The Huffington Post) (2) How Real is Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’? Artificial Intelligence Experts Weigh In (WSJ) (2a) Tech Time Warp of the Week: In 1959, a Fitbit Weighed 2,000 Pounds (Wired) (3) Learning to Love Life on the Downslope (WSJ) I know there shall be enjoyments for […]
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Posted on December 27th, 2013 by Winston Smith
(1) These 20 Pictures Of Expo 67 Will Leave You Speechless. There Are No Words (1a) ‘Norman Bel Geddes: I Have Seen the Future’ (WSJ) (2) As City Cycling Grows, So Does Bike Tax Temptation (3) Horst Brandstätter My Last Meal: The octogenarian head of Playmobil shares lunch at the staff canteen of the company […]
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