SPANISH COLONIAL AND MORE

 The striking thing for me about the shopping centre was it's resemblance to Westgate in Harare, Zimbabwe. That was a project in the office of Clinton and Evans during the early days of my employment there. My own involvement was quite minor, but I remembered that the client was inspired by a shopping centre in Florida and that they employed American concept design architects for the basic layout, theming and signage.

I still have some low-res pictures taken from the booklet they produced some years later when I acquired a digital camera. I doubt that it was the same firm. I'm sure there are several design practices in Florida that use this idiom from time to time. But it stirred up old memories from 30 years ago.

 

 

To my mind this kind of scheme is preferable to the rectangular parking layout with shops around the perimeter which is so common here. This brings me back to the topic of the relentless pursuit of efficiency which is such a marker of "the American way" On the one hand this has produced great wealth and launched a spirit of remarkable innovation.

On the other? Well there seems to be something in the older European cities and the way of life they represent that strikes a deep emotional chord. It's there in spades in a place like Volterra, and in a small way it's echoed in "the Shops at Wiregrass".

 

 A weekend jaunt to St Augustine. an ancient historic town by American standards. And it does have a special feel, a depth of layering and a walkability that is very appealing. Of course this makes it a tourist magnet, which is what we are, honestly.

It's not the ideal way to see a town. Surely it would be better to come in the off-season and book a room for a couple of months. Not going to happen though so I accept this brief cameo for the gift that it is.

Two styles stand out at first glance. I will call them "Early Settler" and "Spanish Mission" (in my ignorance) The Spanish is all clay roof tiles, broad round arches, generous ground floor arcades. Meanwhile the Settler look has timber balconies at the upper level, sliding sash windows with external shutters, weatherboarding and timber shakes.

 

No two buildings are the same but there is a harmony to the whole. This is a place with character and those few crass-models structures that were inserted perhaps 50 years ago offend the senses. Perhaps they are a useful reminder of how lacking in "life" the average American suburb is. I mean no offence. I have great admiration for the many great blessings this country has brought to the world.

But life is full of irony. No solutions, only trade-offs. St Augustine has made some good ones.

 

 

What could be more fun than playing tag team on a Revit model with Paul Aubin? I have done a couple of posts recently about the San Giusto model that I started in 2018,while attending the Reality Capture workshop in Volterra. This week I have been checking out the updates that Paul made to that model, leading eventually to a 3d printed version that was part of the Volterra display at hashtag#AU2024 in San Diego.

I think it's fair to say that my forte is diving in with "no fear" and quickly mapping out a new project. AKA the broad brush approach. Paul on the other hand is a master of taking things to the next level and especially of using Family Editor to represent historical detail.

 

 

At this stage we are maintaining two models, one on the Volterra hub (Paul) , and one on the Way We Build hub (me). Paul's version is based on the current state of the building. Mine is an imagined earlier version of the church, before the clerestory windows were blocked up, and before one of the lean-to structures was built at the east end.

So I've been going through the families that Paul built and copying them back into my model where appropriate. In the reverse direction I have added more notes and photographs to the sheets in Paul's model. This morning I also did an upgrade to the window at the west end and applied that to both models (additional detail to the internal surround)

White compiling the text for this post, I have been using a new pair of reading glasses. They are super minimalist and slot into a sleeve on the back of my phone. Not a complete replacement for normal reading glasses, (which are the best option when working at a desk) but definitely a useful complement. (ThinOptics)

 

TAMPA TIME

 

Street furniture in downtown Tampa. Two with a curvilinear / organic aesthetic. The third rigidly tied to the minimalist logic of straight lines, evenly spaced. You could be forgiven for preferring the freedom of curves to the tyranny the rectangle. Irregular = natural = healthy right?

In practice however that third option is the only one to offer me meaningful back support. So that's the one I chose to sit in for a while. It works despite being strictly rationalist. Perhaps the designers of the other two didn't want people to linger too long. "Go sit in a proper chair and spend some money! " Who knows?

 

 

The skewed egg-crate is a popular motif in 21st century architecture. If we'll done it decieves the eye into seems more irregularity than is actually there. You get the structural and economic benefits of a regular grid while keeping the casual onlooker guessing. Balcony space and sunshading thrown in for good measure.

I have to say the streets of downtown Tampa, close to Harbour Island, are very pleasant at this time of year. Not too hot. Not too busy, but people and dogs enough to feel alive. I enjoyed being left to my own devices here for a couple of hours.

 

I have to repost this article about the practice where I have worked for the past 20 years.. What a tribute to my boss Brian Johnson who founded the firm 35 years ago. There are a couple of projects in there that I am very proud to have worked on, developing most of the Revit content used during detailed design.

Those were great teams to work with, from the lead designers down to the document controllers. Our office has always felt like a family. There were times when I worked very long hours under pressure to deliver, but I don't regret a moment of it.

Special memories. Special projects. Special people

 

https://www.commercialinteriordesign.com/business/design-legacy-godwin-austen-johnson-marks-35-year-milestone

 

 

Chatting with Mark and Paul at AU, the idea of scanning some Trulli came up. These are traditional dwellings found in a particular part of Italy and very distinctive in appearance and construction. I first came across them as an undergraduate at the Bartlett school in London, liste to an illustrated talk by Paul Oliver. What a fascinating guy he was.

He had parallel lives as writer and researcher in two different topics that have also held a special place in my heart for more than 50 years. He wrote several books about Blues music, a style that I have come back to repeatedly in my own playing and singing. Apart from anything else, it allows you to play straight from the heart and to remain extremely loose and flexible so that no song need ever come out the same way twice.

 

 

His other are of research and expertise was indigenous architecture or rather the way people build houses for themselves following certain evolved traditions, without the interference of college-trained professionals. That talk more than half a century ago was probably the beginnings of the personal project I now call "The Way We Build"

These sheets are from a Revit model that I began way back in 2008 when I first got the idea of using BIM as a research tool for my own investigations into the history, culture and technology behind all the wonderful buildings around the world, be they past or present, individual or typical.

It's all about the process. Hands-on modelling driving the asking of questions and gathering of data. Journeys of the mind and journeys around the world. It never ends. 🙂

 

BIM BUDDIES AU

 

From the Vision of Volterra exhibit at Autodesk University. This is the church of San Giusto. I began the Revit model in 2018 while staying in Volterra.

More recently Paul Aubin has taken over and upgraded various elements prior to digital printing. It also features in the splendid film that the guys have put together.

Really proud to be associated with this project and the formidable group of people that has coalesced around it.

 

 

Continuing the BIM buddy series. That suave gentleman of impeccable taste, Phil Read was hanging out at the Chaos /Enscape stand as you would expect. After a bit of arm twisting, he consented to a selfie.

Great to see Phil again and to catch up a little.

Meanwhile my favourite salt-of-the-earth Aussie, Adam Sheather was dashing across the Expo floor in search of his next commitment but paused for a brief catch up when he spotted me lumbering into his path.

Impossible to convey what it means to me to encounter these two stalwart of the BIM and digital construction community once again. Just all round good guys without a doubt

 

BIM buddies continued. On day two I had the unexpected pleasure of "observing in ignorance" while Paul Aubin and Chiara C. Rizzarda chatted in Italian. Kudos to Paul and wonderful to see Chiara. Paul and I have been hanging out with the Volterra group all week of course.

Day one, I bumped into Tom Whitehead who reminded me that we met at my first ever Revit Technology event in Atlanta. Doesn't that seem like a long time ago!

 

 Back in Tampa after a wonderful three days in San Diego. I got up at 5am for my flight, just to be safe, so a very American breakfast at the gate was a fun way to fill in the extra time.

Disgorging at Tampa arrivals I was greeted by construction barriers with my name on them. I looked them up today. "Demolition Done Right" Offices in Chicago and Tampa. Random fact. 

 

In the "mail" a couple more BIM buddy pics. Great to chat with the Chaos / Enscape team here about their latest plans. Then towards the end of the conference David Fink came along to say hi. We first met at BIM Show Live back in 2013. When I was young and handsome (and fat) 🙄 🤣🤣🤣