Modernity v. Modernism II: Materials

The "future" that architects dream up always seems to be made of some colorbody (white, always white) composite material... there are no scratches revealing that the white gloss is merely a paint finish. Until we invent such a material (and put it to practical, economical use), such "futuristic" design (Zaha in Cincinnati comes to mind) will always ring hollow (literally) as merely stagecraft.

Truffles Tribeca in the New York Times

Povero&Company's work at Truffles Tribeca (with David Cafiero) is a subject of an article in "The Appraisal" in the Times. Basically our work designing the Lobby, Club and Roof Terrace keeps the tenants coming - and staying.

Have a look!

Docomomo

A question for DOCOMOMO (documentation and conservation of the modern movement):

Since it's de rigeur in preservation circles that additions to historic buildings should be modern so that "we can tell what's old and what's new," should additions to mid-century modern buildings thus be, say, Georgian Revival?

Dogma

Design is hard enough, without adding the arbitrary restrictions of stylistic dogma.

Conflict

Design that merely expresses conflict without attempting resolution isn't helpful and is fundamentally narcissistic.

Hippocratic Oath for Architects

We should have a Hippocratic oath for architects - and it's the same as for physicians... Do no harm. At the VERY least, any new work that we add to an environment shouldn't cause a decline in local conditions.

The Avant Garde

Challenging the status quo hasn't shocked anyone for at least 30 years. Architecture has got to be more than that.

Modernity v. Modernism I: Style

There exists a chasm between what we thought the future would be like and the reality of our present. In design, perhaps the greatest miscalculation by Modernists predictions was the tenacity of tradition. For the single-family home, even the mildly radical ranch house has fallen out of favor, replaced by various revival-ish styles.

What we've learned about modernity is that it doesn't matter what it looks like... Your iPad works just as well in a Greek Revival house as one by Rem Koolhaas.