The Scientific Folklore Hallucinations of Dimitris Pikionis

Been looking at the drawings of Dimitris Pikionis recently, like this perspective study for a garden entrance, which I actually used to visit as a kid. I never knew the garden and what you saw in it was so precisely planned, though I could sense that the place was slightly spooky, and as kids we were told that this was the work of an important architect.
Pikionis was what we would call a Critical Regionalist, which means he updated modernism with a heavy dose of folk.
His seemingly simple folk landscape arrangements, were carefully, if not hysterically studied.

or were just entirely revolutionary, like this pavilion for the expo of Neo Faliro in 1938

private home

monument

super famous path towards the Acropolis

the magnificent drawings have a life of their own, they form a strange world of scientific folklore hallucinations.
Like this house that seems to have become one with an out of focus tree.

another garden

another gate

the Pourris residence (1953) of the first garden drawing.

BYOB

Last night in Berlin
http://bringyourownbeamer.tumblr.com/

INGOT

Wikipedia says that "An ingot is a material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further

processing."


This is Ingot Coffee Bar in Kitakyushu, Japan by Shoei Yoh architects, from the late 70s.

I'm guessing it was called Ingot because it looks like a diamond? or some type of mineral?
And in the color picture, it almost looks like there is somebody on a laptop in there.












Anyway, loving the unexpected corporate miniature cafe with the classic Pila chair and the infinity mirror w/ plants, and these images have been patiently waiting to be blogged for months, so I guess today was the day.

Fragments of a Road Trip

Some Siza

Naturally while driving around Portugal we visited a bunch of Alvaro Siza buildings

first off was the 1956 Boa Nova tea house

otherwise know as Casa de Chá

dark wood and leather interiors

lookout to fabulous rocks and atlantic waves

instead of tea, great cocktails

slashed view

a bit further down the coast, also in Leça da Palmeira area of Matosinhos

We visited the iconic, legendary 1966 Swimming pools, a project I have been looking at in books for ever.

The entrance is typical spooky Siza, with ultra low ceiling (I mean almost-you-dont-pass low)

long corridors and weird hangers of the dressing rooms area

walls to turn corners around
peeking out to the pools

   

formed by connecting rocks with concrete walls

just the best hangout for seagulls wanting to cross over to New York

Then, more realistically, the great Serralves foundation, with another spookily aggressive low entrance

and fantastic play of light between volumes

The Museum at Santiago de Compostela was closed, 

though we got to see the funny steel supported stone wall.