My Dad just sent me this interview of Rahul Mehrotra, an architect practicing in Mumbai, India . He presents some of his ways of helping to connect society, “soften thresholds,” and bridge the gap between rich an poor in a very economically stratified place. In case you don’t have time to read the article, here is one excerpt from the interview that I found meaningful:
“This idea—how architecture can deepen social divides, depending on how it is used—is a major theme in your work, and obviously something you care deeply about. Do you ever have a private client who wants to build a very ostentatious house? How do you handle that?
I try to steer my wealthy clients toward “introverted worlds”—marble floors, nice fixtures. Ostentation on the inside rather than the outside. Polarization occurs when wealth is flaunted, and architecture can get co-opted in that process.”
I am so excited about this bench that I can’t wait for better photos. I’ll add some later. My friends Jim and Treacy Malloy bought it for me at an auction at the YWCA. It is originally from the Oakland YWCA, designed by Julia Morgan and completed in 1915. It is perfect in my rustic kitchen. You will see this better when I add some photos not taken with my phone. (although this photo does have my cat Frodo’s tail, which is hard to beat.)
This project is the opposite of my last post. 14000 SF of beautiful space is very nice if you want to fabricate things. No need to squeeze in storage space in every nook and cranny! We are working on improvements to the space for a technology start-up to use it for fabrication and testing of their prototypes.
Built into a valley with steep hills all around, Bisbee has very interesting sectional properties (archi-speak for lots of level changes and three dimensional relationships between structures and spaces.) Every view is slightly different and the absence of significant trees makes the effects of the topography more dramatic. In addition to the elevation changes the curving streets make things even more picturesque.
These are “sketches” of a cabinet upgrade. This existing deep cabinet will get glass doors and translucent glass back so that light from the stairwell skylight behind the cabinet will light up the glassware and shine through into the dining room. I’ll post a photo when its built.
I am going to treat you to a few days of pictures of this creative and historic town in Southeast Arizona. I climbed the hills in the late afternoon and enjoyed stunning views of the coppery mountains with houses in sun and shadow. This first series captures some of the colors. As you can see, turquoise and green are popular colors. Warm, rich reds, yellows, and oranges also are common choices. Even the hills are many different colors. Some are vivid rusty red-orange, and others are a less flashy brown with green shrubs dominating the pallet.
Its a long walk up to this colorful hillside enclave. The late afternoon sunlight lights up the hillside and brings out the warm colors
This outdoor dining area is very festive with its colored lights and faded red painted fence. This color reminds me of an ancient pickup truck faded by the desert sun.
You should zoom in to see the intricate details of these copper entry gates. What a nice tribute to the history of Bisbee and its copper mines.
This slightly faded USPS mailbox nicely complements the green bench. Again, the desert sun quickly adds a nice patina to painted objects.
muted red and yellow house and walls with a sharp accent of bright yellow porch chairs
We saw a US Sailing sticker on the side window of this house. Clearly these people miss the ocean. I'm not sure the yellow and blue really jive with the surroundings, but perhaps that is intentional.
Green house with rusty roof looks good against the orange hill
deedsdesign 