Showing posts with label Architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Architecture. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2018
Sunday, April 29, 2018
let there be dark
The “Guardian Angel” switchplate has been comforting children for at least four generations.
This female-angel version has been in production for well over 50 years.
But then the design morphed into full frontal.
And then they did a Jesus version.
Bad move.
Bad move.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
license to kiln
Terra cotta (literally “burnt earth”) enjoyed a rennaissance in Northern Italy in the 15th century.
It spread to England in the early 1800’s
and to New York City by the late 1800’s.
Our 1886 ClockTower is a great example.
But this building, Casa Manzoni is in Milan, in northern Italy.
It was built in the 1700’s but restored to terracotta glory in 1864.
The American stonecutter’s union was not happy when this trend landed in New York.
“It will not endure in New England winters!” was their battle cry.
(But it does.)
(But it does.)
All over our city terracotta is as sharp and crisp and clean
as the day it came out of the kiln.
as the day it came out of the kiln.
In Italy, too.
Monday, March 26, 2018
behold the lowly bar joist
The Manhattan Bridge was built from 1901-1912 using a device
known as the Warren Truss.
That “W” design dawned on British engineer James Warren
way back in 1848.
If he alternated triangular supports, the resulting truss was very light, and remarkably strong.
It worked well in big planes, too.
Today it’s called a “bar joist” and it is still used
in all kinds of buildings.
So of course they tried a bridge.
Worked great.
In fact our Manhattan Bridge is the first ever to be based
on the Warren Truss.
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