SEPT 26 NATURE NURTURE
With temperatures slowly descending, autumn and all its glory will soon abound. No more beautiful a scene is a grove comprised of birch trees nestled against on another’s shadow all vying for the limelight. Yet, as a collective, their beauty is just as stunning. Add the dramatic backdrop of leaves turned golden from a night's first frost and you have the setting dreams are made of. There is much comfort in “groves” of trees; they offer a unified canopy, abundant oxygen, not to mention anonymity when viewed as a group. A grove can be experienced as one… while each birch tree can also be examined up close displaying its own unique personality. Design and architecture that mimics a tree grove can provide stunning imagery while satisfying “Nature Nurture” yearning. We may not all be able to leave our offices in large cities for the forest’s edge but the following creative endeavors provide a meaningful respite and some interesting concepts along the way.
The simplest and strongest of structures can still be achieved by three sturdy branches forming a tripod or teepee. Instant structures that transcend generations and are as elegant today & practical as dotted along past prairie landscapes erected by native Americans.
(Below) The 20-year-old design of Denver International Airport by Fentress Architects mimics the backdrop of Rocky Mountains - or a row of Native American teepees, depending on your vantage point. Still as fresh a design as the original practical use.
Photography: Ellen Jaskol
http://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/now-boarding-fentress-airports-and-the-architecture-of-flight/5931#66248
Photography: Ellen Jaskol
http://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/now-boarding-fentress-airports-and-the-architecture-of-flight/5931#66248
It's the fusion of almost primal materiality that seems to calm both our nature and nurture need to connect. Why is that? Why is it we feel so familiar almost at peace when we are in the presence of basic almost raw-materials such as tree limbs? At the same time we tend to be fascinated almost drawn to the light like a firefly when the two collide and do so seamlessly and beautifully as in (below), organic tree limbs are encouraged to embrace the hi tech stainless steel railing.
Both appealing and more so when joined.
http://www.thecoolist.com/treehouse-designs-10-treehouse-masterworks/growing-tree-architecture_2/
Both appealing and more so when joined.
http://www.thecoolist.com/treehouse-designs-10-treehouse-masterworks/growing-tree-architecture_2/
Residential or retail below, the use of natural wood left unfinished in "grove like" application via vertical or horizontal adds not only an element of surprise but unadorned elegance.
Creativity of use is evident when stopping for a moment to study the unique characteristic of each limb and tree diameter. Amazing uses of species that grow rapidly or are in danger of disease can be re-purposed to unlimited uses as seen in residential use or in a children and adult's play scape below. That said, birch trees outer bark if damaged can easily be subject to bug access if peeled or torn leading to disease and even death of the tree. Birch trees above all must be respected, they are far more fragile than most species.
Blue tree grove art installation:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/boulders-that-bowl-over/
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/boulders-that-bowl-over/
"The Ekoda Sugamo Shinkin Bank (below) is playful, bright and open. There is a clear sense of grove like/playful forestry through contemporary interpretation.
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ekoda-sugamo-shinkin-bank
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ekoda-sugamo-shinkin-bank
"The Tote is a restaurant/bar in Mumbai (below) designed by UK architects Chris Lee and Kapil Gupta of Serie Architects.
The brief was to transform disused colonial buildings on Mumbai’s racecourse.
The architects took their inspiration from the surrounding rain trees. So very beautiful."
http://wolfeyebrows.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/the-tote-mumbai/
The brief was to transform disused colonial buildings on Mumbai’s racecourse.
The architects took their inspiration from the surrounding rain trees. So very beautiful."
http://wolfeyebrows.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/the-tote-mumbai/
Bradley Basso glass artisans below) have found a way to translate the effect of walking through a fall day yet it down a corridor vs. outside. The breathtaking creative provides visual movement sparking a reflective opportunity as one walks though the common corridor during a busy day.
http://www.bradleybasso.com/
http://www.bradleybasso.com/
Taking a moment to study nature and its seasonal colorway yields colors that in further single panel use breakdown can create not only harmony with its natural surrounding but "camouflage" the architecture to become one at the same time. (below) the "Camouflage" house by: http://www.johnsenschmaling.com
http://www.grahamfoundation.org/grantees/4895-form-idea-resonance-thirty-years-of-architectural-league-emerging-voices
http://www.grahamfoundation.org/grantees/4895-form-idea-resonance-thirty-years-of-architectural-league-emerging-voices
Whether limb inspired teepee like in design or exposed ends of trunks and tree limbs, creative uses are endless and all adaptable to any environment contemporary or home spun in feel.
http://www.azuremagazine.com/article/2014-design-trends-stick-figures/
http://adoquinarios.blogspot.com/2014/06/wood-logs-for-decoration.html
http://adoquinarios.blogspot.com/2014/06/wood-logs-for-decoration.html
Even newer materials w/o original origin yield a familiar yet practical end result.
One can simply respond..oh...brilliant! okay..and a little why didn't I think of that!
Kudos & bravo(a) none the less.
http://jdsa.eu/jtr/
One can simply respond..oh...brilliant! okay..and a little why didn't I think of that!
Kudos & bravo(a) none the less.
http://jdsa.eu/jtr/