SMALL AT LARGE

THE NEXT SURPRISE WAS WE WERE TO DO THE FINISHED PRESENTATION WITH JZMK OF IRVINE CALIFORNIA. A MIDSIZE OFFICE THAT TDIC WAS DOING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WITH IN ABU DAHBI .

NATURAL PATTERNS

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BACK IN OREGON I DID A NUMBER OF HEAVY PAPER MODELS OF DESIGN IDEAS.   THE THEME WAS TO MAKE THE BUILDINGS APPEAR TO BE SAND DUNES COMING OUT OF THE BARREN TERRAIN. AND REINFORCE THE DESIGN  PATTERN OF THE BUILDINGS BY MOUNDING  OF SAND FROM  DREDGED  INLETS AND MAKE ROLLING WEAVING HILLS WITH NO LANDSCAPE PLANTING.

FORM STUDIES

THE INTERIORS OF THE BUILDINGS WERE POOLS WITH LUSH PLANTING AND WATER FALLS FROM THE CEILINGS INTO POOLS. THE OASIS PRINCIPLE, A COMPLETE CONTRAST TO THE OUTSIDE. LEE SHOWED SUPPORT AND GOT BEHIND THE THEME. Continue reading →

IN THE LATE SPRING OF 2007 I GET THIS VERY UNEXPECTED PHONE CALL OUT OF THE BLUE FROM MICHAEL ROTUNDI. ROTUNDI AND I GO BACK TO CAL POLY POMONA IN 1971 WHEN HE WAS A STUDENT AND I A PROFESSOR. HE LEFT POMONA AND WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL STUDENTS AT SCI-ARC AND FIRST TO GRADUATE. HE BECAME A PARTNER WITH THOM MAYNE AND DIRECTOR OF THE SCI-ARC GRADUATE PROGRAM AND DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL IN 1987. RAY KAPPE CHOSE HIM TO FOLLOW HIM VS. THE HARDER EDGED THOM MAYNE. I EVEN VOTED FOR HIM WITH KAPPE HANDLING MY VOTE WHILE I WAS IN NICARAGUA. THE FIRST LUNCHEON WE HAD, HE TOLD ME TO TRUST HIM. WELL, GOOD TURNED TO BAD AND ROTUNDI WAS THE FRONT MAN TO GET RID OF ME AS A PROFESSOR, WHICH EVENTUALLY CAME TO PASS IN 1990 AFTER A BITTER BATTLE. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW SHOCKED I WAS TO HEAR FROM HIM.

LEE TABLER AND GLEN HOWARD SMALL IN OREGON

MICHAEL TOLD ME HE HAD JUST BEEN TO DUBAI FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE, AND HAD BEEN TOLD BY A FORMER SCI-ARC STUDENT TO MAKE CONTACT WITH ANOTHER FORMER SCI-ARC STUDENT LEE TABLER, NOW A BIG-TIME DEVELOPER. MICHAEL WENT TO VISIT LEE IN HIS HOUSE, AND ALL LEE COULD TALK ABOUT WAS GLEN SMALL HIS FORMER PROFESSOR. MICHAEL GAVE ME LEE TABLER’S E-MAIL AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT HIM. IT WAS KIND AND MUTURE OF MICHAEL ROTUNDI TO DO SO. Continue reading →

MOST PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE WORLD OF ARCHITECTURE THROUGH PRINTED PICTURES, NOW WITH THE INTERNET, YOU CAN SEE THE MONUMENTS ON LINE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING BUILT IN THE PAST , EXISTING TODAY, AND WHAT IT COULD BE IN THE FUTURE IS ALL RUNNING TOGETHER TO FORM THE WORLD OF ARCHITECTURE.

GREEN MACHINE, GLEN HOWARD SMALL, AIA ARCHITECT 1980

TRADITIONALLY THE ONLY BUILDINGS THAT COUNTED WERE THE BUILT BUILDINGS. ONE OF THE LOVES OF ARCHITECTS IS THE LARKIN BUILDING IN BUFFALO BY FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT. A MAIL ORDER BUSINESS THAT FLOURISHED. IT WAS TORN DOWN TO CREATE A PARKING LOT. MOST OF US NEVER SAW IT IN REALITY, BUT FEEL WE HAVE BEEN IN THE GRAND INTERIOR SPACE AND HAVE WALKED AROUND THE OUTSIDE. WE SAT AT THE DESKS AND HEARD THE CLATTER OF TYPEWRITERS. Continue reading →

A FACADE

I HAVE DONE THE FULL GAMUT FROM THE BROOKS BROTHERS LOOK TO THE HIPPIE MULTICOLOR, ROCK AND ROLL.

CLOTHES ARE POWERFUL.

BUILDINGS ARE EXPENSIVE AND COMPLEX. THERE IS A COMMITMENT OF MONEY THAT IS NEEDED FROM THE CLIENT. OH SURE THEY WANT A SIGNATURE PIECE THAT WILL BRING ATTENTION, BUT ALSO THEY WANT A BUILDING THAT DOES NOT LEAK , DELIVERS ON THE PROGRAM AND DOES NOT RUN OVER BUDGET.

MY UNIFORM WITH FIRST WIFE JOANNE WOOD, 1958

ARCHITECTURE IS A SERVICE PROFESSION THAT DEPENDS ON OTHERS PEOPLE’S MONEY. SO THE CLIENT NEEDS ASSURANCE THAT THE UNIFORM OF SUCCESS AND TECHNICAL ABILTY IS WORN BY THE ARCHITECT. IT REPRESENTS A CONFORMITY THAT THEY CAN DEAL WITH.

ONE OF THE BOYS.

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IN FALL OF 1961 FRESH OUT OF UNIVERSITY OF OREGON I WENT IN SEARCH OF WORK FOR THE IDEAL ARCHITECT IN LOS ANGELES. JOHN LAUTNER’S OFFICE GAVE ME A TIP THAT ENDED AT NIGHT IN FRONT OF A GLOWING RED PLASTIC DOOR AT THE END OF A CANTILEVERED CARPORT . THE PORTAL OPENED TO A TWO STORY PANORAMIC KINETIC FREEWAY INTERCHANGE VIEW, A SPIRAL STAIR, STEEL AND CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION, COUNTER BALANCED DOUBLE HUNG GLASS WALLS, A CANTILEVER BED AND MAGENTA ICE PLANT LANDSCAPE. THE RAIN CASCADED DOWN A VERTICAL WALL TO AN INTERIOR POND. I FELT LIKE GOING DOWN ON MY KNEES, ARCHITECTURAL HEAVEN. ALLYN MORRIS WORE ASCOTS, DROVE A RED LINCOLN CONVERTIBLE AND HAD A BEAUTIFUL CLINGING DANCER WIFE MARY. HE DESIGNED, ENGINEERED AND BUILD HIS BUILDINGS. A STAR STANFORD QUARTERBACK THAT WAS THE TOTAL IMAGE OF HOWARD ROARK.

ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO HOME, 1956

ONE DAY HIS WIFE MARY TOLD HIM A TRUCK WAS RELUCTANT ABOUT DELIVERING SOME LONG STEEL DECKING UP THE NARROW HILLSIDE STREET TO THE JOB SITE NEXT TO HIS STUDIO. Continue reading →

IF EVER THERE WAS A MANDATORY CLASS NEEDED IN ARCHITECTURE THIS IS IT.

COCKTAIL PARTY OLE! SCHMOOZING, SUCKING UP , NETWORKING.

WINE, COFFEE, CIGARS, GOURMET FOOD, GOLF, TENNIS, DESIGNER LABEL CLOTHES, BLACKBERRY, IPOD AND SOME ADVENTURE SPORT LIKE YACHTING, MOUNTAIN CLIMBING, FLYING ETC. A KNOWLEDGE OF ART AND JAZZ.

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN SCHMOOZING

IF YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THIS STUFF AND PURSUE IT WITH VIGOR YOU CAN CHAT IT UP ALL NIGHT TO MAKE CONNECTIONS TO GET COMMISSIONS AND PUBLICITY. THERE IS A COMFORT THAT TAKES PLACE WHEN EVERYONE IS TALKING COMMON INTERESTS . THE CLUB IS SECURE.

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IN THE FALL OF 1983 THERE WAS AN LA CITY WIDE STUDENT-PROFESSOR COMPETITION BETWEEN UCLA, USC, CAL POLY POMONA AND SCI-ARC WITH DIFFERENT SITES ACROSS DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. OVER THE YEARS AT SCI-ARC I HAD RUN A SERIES OF PROJECTS THAT DEALT WITH ZONING. OUR CITIES ARE PRODUCTS OF ZONING LAWS. WHAT IS LACKING ARE ZONING LAWS THAT PRODUCE VIABLE CITIES. DEVELOPERS, BUILDERS, AND ORDINARY PUBLIC BUILD WITHIN THE RESTRAINTS.

WHEN I WAS DESIGNING IN 1969 AND 1970 FOR DEVELOPERS, I WOULD FIGURE OUT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF VOLUME AND UNITS THAT I COULD GET ONTO THE PROPERTY AND HOW THE BEDROOMS COULD BE BROKEN AWAY TO MAKE MORE UNITS.. THE LAND WAS EXPENSIVE AND THE DEVELOPER WANTED ALL HE COULD GET. I FELT THE UNITS WERE INTERESTING AND CONTROLLED BY TYPE FIVE WOOD CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS LIMITED TO TWO STORIES. I WAS TOLD THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT KEPT A MODEL OF WHAT MY TWO STORY CONSISTED OF. IN REALITY IT WAS FIVE STORIES HIGH, THE LAW ALLOWED TO BUILD UP GRADE ON THE SIDE YARDS, TO BURY THE PARKING ON GRADE AND HAVE MEZZANINE LEVELS THAT WERE 1/3 THE FLOOR AREA OF THE ROOM THAT THEY WERE OPEN TO AND ACCESS TO A SPLIT LEVEL ROOF. I COULD JUST AS WELL HAVE BEEN DESIGNING WITHIN A SET OF CRITERIA THAT PRODUCED ROOF GARDENS, RECYCLING OF WATER AND GARBAGE, SOLAR ENVELOPS, FOLIAGE GREEN WALLS ETC.

LOS ANGELES INFRASTRUCTURE COMPETITION 2009 GLEN HOWARD SMALL AND ORHAN AYYUCE LOOKING WEST ON PICO TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

THE SITE, THE OLYMPIC PARK AREA WAS AN AREA OF LOS ANGELES THAT WAS A TYPICAL GRID IRON STREET PATTERN THAT IS FOUND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS SELECTED FOR ITS LACK OF CHARACTER AND UNIMPORTANT CONTEXTUAL BUILDINGS ON THE SITE. ALSO IT OFFERED A CHANCE TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND OTHER CITIES.

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SOMETIMES IT IS WORTH GETTING A LETTER. I HAD MY DOUBTS LATELY, BUT NEDJMA MADE ME A BELIEVER IN THE MAIL AGAIN.

WISDOM FROM THE YOUNG

SHE CALLED ME HOWARD, WHICH IS MY MIDDLE NAME AND JUST HAPPENS TO BE HOWARD ROARK’S NAME AS WELL.

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JOHN LAUTNER’S  DEATH BROUGHT A FINALITY TO ME ABOUT , YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO GO TO A FUNERAL.  I WAS LIVING IN OREGON, AND THE COST OF GOING TO THE FUNERAL WAS A MAJOR CONCERN TO ME.  BUT REPORTS ABOUT THE FUNERAL REVEALED, NOBODY GETTING UP AND TELLING THE JOHN LAUTNER STORY WITH CONVICTION AND UNDERSTANDING.  HIS WIFE WAS NOT EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH HIS GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROFESSION OF ARCHITECTURE.  I COULD HAVE SAVED THE DAY BY POINTING TO HIS GREATNESS, BUT I WAS IN OREGON.

I DID SOME AFTER THOUGHTS ON HIM IN THE LA ARCHITECT, BUT THAT WAS THAT. HE WAS GONE.

JULIUS SHULMAN PHOTOGRAPHER

ARANGO RESIDENCE, ACAPULCO, MEXICO, 1973

PHOTOS FROM THE BOOK:

JOHN LAUTNER, ARCHITECT

PUBLISHED BY ARTEMIS LONDON LIMITED

THE PROFESSION JUST WOKE UP THE LAST FEW YEARS  WITH  MAJOR INTERESTS OF HIS WORK, TRAVELING MUSEUM SHOWINGS, NEW BOOKS AND DOCUMENTARIES.