Professor Ann Pendleton-Jullian speaks at Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University

Knowlton School of Architecture; photo credit SAL

It 's hard to begin this post by not showing an image of the exterior of the Knowlton School of Architecture. The School hosts a Baumer Lecture Series both in the Fall & the Spring where many professionals are invited to come and offer cutting-edge lectures about their work & what is going on in the field of architecture.

Pendleton's Images of Guizhou, China

Ann Pendleton-Jullian's lecture was entitled, "new era, new frames," in which she describes what she believes to be the hot issues of our current year of existence/design both in the U.S. and in the World. In particular, I note current issues this "year" because Pendleton made an emphatic statement that the world is changing rapidly.

Pendleton's Image of a home she designed

Pendleton began by discussing the topic of "emergence," She began by describing a bit of what emergence is and then continued to state that planning for a world of emergence now is, what she calls a very "wicked problem." Wicked in the sense that every time you make an effort to solve the problem, the problem itself presents more issues/ and the problem becomes much more complicated.

Images of Pendleton's Numerous Projects

The best description of "emergence" she gave was the idea of the bird murmurings where you see flocks of birds traveling together in a complex, inter-dependent mode. Perhaps interdependency is one of the key topics Pendleton discussed. She showed a student project, that of Tom Brock, where he designed a community that had a set of "rules" that were then applied to the people who lived in the community and to those moving into the community. The most interesting aspect of his rules was that your personal home may or would need to change when your neighbors moved into the vicinity. A radical concept.

Pendleton's Image of Tom Brook's Project Regarding Regional Design & Carbon Capture

When Pendleton talked about emergence, she also noted that this conceptual idea influences a great many parts of our quotidian life. In particular, she observed that "you can now have more agency - you can now be your client." You can be your publisher, realtor, investor, media expert; you name it. The fact that she points this out, to me, is quite significant. We do need to, as architects, look at how roles are changing in our society. We are no longer so dependent on each other as we used to be. Each person has more power to make a change. How do you design for the individual who has more power than ever to map out their destiny?

Pendleton's Image of Tom Brook's Project Regarding Regional Design & Carbon Capture

I loved how Pendleton also talked about the layers of civilization as described by Stewart Brand. It takes a long time for "fashion" to make its way through society to invoke a cultural change. It took a long time for Martin Luther King, Jr. and all those who worked with him to make cultural changes. Perhaps Pendleton brought up this topic because she believes that the successful architect will even be able to make a prediction about what future generations will want/need in a building? If we can see what is going on now on the front lines of research, perhaps we can see what kinds of social change will occur?

Pendleton's Images of Venice & Le Corbusier's Hospital in Venice, designed in part by her late husband, Jullian

Pendleton was married to the late Jullian who was one of Le Corbusier's architects. She talked about how Le Corbusier ingested Venice before he began to design the hospital in Venice. He made numerous sketches, spent lots of time in the city before designing, and even made studies and observations about the lighting in this great city. LC explored the native city planning as well and paid attention to the San Marco Campanile and how it was not axial. LC then patterned his building after the city itself to make the building completely meaningful for the public who would use it later.

Pendleton's Images of bird murmurings about the concept of "emergence."

This blog barely scratches the surface of all that she had to present in approximately an hour and a half at the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University. What an excellent addition to the team Pendleton has become for the architecture department.

jože plečnik's courtyard divine

Plecnik's Courtyard in Ljubljana by SAL

On my last day in Ljubljana, I sat down at this cafe to try to use up the rest of the money I had withdrawn from the ATM, as I stated in the last blog. Unbeknownst to me, I sat within a courtyard that, again, was designed by Jože Plečnik. It was easy to spot his work. As you can see in the background, the oval/pear-type sculptural shapes on the stairs are stone representations of evergreen shrubs. Most architects would focus on the design of the stairs themselves and not spend any time thinking about how those steps should be decorated with objets d'art. Such a fun, wacky design.

Plecnik's Courtyard in Ljubljana by SAL

I don't know about you, but I became mesmerized as I began to explore the courtyard after finishing an incredible meal. The slender spaces decorated with a baroque-type decor in the photo above is divine. It reminds me of images of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon (built by King Nebuchadnezzar II in 600 B.C.). In fact, Plečnik likely did study the Hanging Gardens of Babylon because excavation began in the 19th Century, after which artist renderings became prolific. The most exquisite detail, I believe in this photo are the stone vases encased in the building's facade at the farthest point in the photo.

Plecnik's Courtyard in Ljubljana by SAL

This is a wider view of the building and courtyard including the miniature Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the right and the cafe to the left. I love the play on the Italianate Renaissance Palatial style on the building. Plečnik studied in Vienna with Otto Wagner. Wagner's influence is also apparent in the ornamentality of the building's facade. The calamari I ate that day for lunch was the best I have ever had and the view was more than delightful.

jože plečnik's intellectual style in ljubljana

Plecnik's Sluice Gate, 1939, at Ljublijanica River by SAL

To take classical architectural forms and to play games with the precepts that command their forms is a baroque idea that Jože Plečnik perfected by 1929. My favorite architect of all time has been Le Corbusier since my first year of architectural history studies at Sarah Lawrence College. However, my love for Plečnik's work is taking a close second threatening to overhaul Le Corbusier's throne.

munich pedestrian passageways

Neue Pinakothek (Contemporary Art Museum), renovated in 1981, in Munich by SAL

The dramatic overlay of light coming in through two different sets of windows adds to the gorgeous stairway leading up to the main floor of the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. (The first level of the building is not used as a museum.) A long, somewhat narrow stairway that has radiating walls, sets up the visitor for a theatrical entrance to the museum. Then, leaving by the same stairway completes and frames the art museum visit experience. The combination of rough-cut versus smooth stone also gives this postmodern entryway another layer of texture emphasized by the natural lighting.

berlin - all of it

Social Housing in Berlin by SAL

Berlin by SAL

On a walking tour through Berlin, we had an opportunity to see many great examples of social housing buildings. It is so nice to see the incredible detail, creativity and care shown in the design and construction of all buildings in Berlin. I do not believe there was a single building that did not have something innovative about it. At a minimum, high levels of technical knowledge were employed for each design. I loved seeing hundreds of examples of fantastic details throughout.

berlin quotidian architecture

Home in Berlin by SAL

To be honest, I do not know where this home exists in Berlin. If you know, please comment. On an architectural tour, I apparently snapped a shot of this detail in the home. I believe it was a common home that we likely walked past while on our 12-hour long day tours.

elegance parisien

Simone Beck and Julia Child in the kitchen. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

I am not sure why my 4-year old daughter loves so very much to watch old clips of Julia Child, but I am so very happy that she does. We enjoy these times together. I find it so very interesting that while I am trained as an architect, I am finding that I may have nearly as much enjoyment in life out of cooking, and finding great recipes, and then enjoying them ever so much the same.