Author: KURT

The visual input of Catalonia is pure and direct.   The patterns, from the clear light, is almost too much to process.  The visual input nearly melts your mind.

The visual theme of the photos above is what we call Infinite Horizontal.  A vernacular response in Catalonia is to extend forms horizontally.  As you stand there looking at the landscape, the forms do appear to extend infinitely.

From top to bottom, 

-tree nursery

-aquaduct

-cemetery

-agricultural enclosure

-planted field

-wall

The common denominator is that these forms are the result of human intervention, they are horizontal, and they are not buildings.  The best way to experience this is on a bicycle.  And you have to ride on the back, dirt and gravel roads to have revealed to you these amazing constructions.   

Girona.  

Barns in Nova Scotia typically have a small appendage, which is located near or at the center of the longitudinal elevation. As we were riding our bikes thru the countryside, the preponderance of these small appendages became more evident. We ended up dubbing this typology Barnacle: Barn (Barn) + Acle (Appendage) = Barnacle.

We think that the function of the Acle must be entry, given that they are located in the center. Some are very small, like the top right photo. Others seem to have space for other needs. What continued to fascinate us is the:
-relatively very small proportion of the Acle to the rest of the barn
-the on center placement within the overall form
-and the preponderance.

For barns in Otsego County, most Acles were added to the short end, were placed off center at a corner, and their function was for the milk processing equipment; they are called milk houses. Quite possibly, architectural historians have a name, or a word, for the Acles in Nova Scotia.

First, the Halifax Salt Shaker, and now the Nova Scotia Barnacle. Will there be any end to these architectural bon mots? If you happen to be reading along, you can only hope.

We just got to Halifax, Nova Scotia. And during our first bike ride thru the neighborhood we are staying in, a new housing typology, at least to us, came immediately into focus. This house form has the following characteristics:
-rectangular plan
-VERY low slope gable roof
-the ridge runs transversely, rather than longitudinally
-two story

The top left photo shows the purest example that we were able to find. And then, as the other photos show, there are all sorts of variations that have been applied, including:
-front porches
-back shed extensions
-bright colors
-stucco cladding
-bay windows
As the bottom right photo shows, the form lends itself to contemporary materials. In this cladding, it looks quite sleek and modern.

What we really like about the form is the efficiency. It is a sleek box with no wasted volume for the roof segment. We only hope that on the second floor, the ceiling follows the roof slope, rather than having the typical flat ceiling.

We did a brief search into Halifax housing types, and a compendium did not immediately surface. We are sure that historians have given this type a name. The basic form has the same purity of a New England Saltbox. So, we have given this typology the at least temporary moniker, Halifax Salt Shaker.

One of the instructions for our trek in Peru was to bring along sets of colored pencils and pads of paper for the local kids. We were told that we were going to stop by a school or two, so as to give these tokens of good will. Well, it turned out that most of the schools in the very small villages were open sporadically.

As we were resting right after lunch, there were a few children hanging around: their mom was selling her weaving nearby. So the idea occurred, let’s give the pencils and paper to these kids. Then Kurt said, let’s break out the pens and paper and start drawing! And that’s what we did. Our guide served as translator, and everyone got busy drawing the tent that was just in front of us. And as you can see, those are drawings with great knowledge. The drawing on the left even has, dare I say it, transparency!

The universality of drawing continues to astound us. As we get older, we all loose the innocent freedom that drawing offers. But who knows, with any luck, these kids will keep putting lines on paper with a pencil.

In our days in Peru so far, we have visited numerous Inca sites. Machu Picchu, of course, is the ne plus ultra of the Incas: it is truly a wonder. But there is a site nearby, named Wiñay Wayna, that to us at least, is just as captivating. Built in the 15th century, it is cut into the steep, concave hillside. The curving terraces feel as if you have been floated into space. The environmental harmony with which the Incas lived is manifest.

The purpose was agricultural, so the housing was for the middle class workers who tended the terraces. This is in contrast to the function of Machu Picchu, which was a palace for the king, which then excluded everybody else.

Wiñay Wayna is on the Inca Trail. And the only way to get there is on foot, up or across challenging mountain terrain. Which means that there are blessedly few tourists. Maybe the real reason we liked it so much was because there were no fleets of tour buses idling in a parking lot below.

One of the many delights of traveling is to become aware of vernacular building typologies. Many local building traditions can pass by unnoticed. Until you tune into them. Then you realize they are all over. Yesterday, upon landing in Arequipa, Peru, we were awakened to a delightful building tradition: let’s give this the inelegant name, Glass Box On Heavy Masonry.
As the photos below show, the visual effect is stunning. Very light, glassy, and thin structures are built over massive concrete and stone buildings. These glass spaces function as living spaces, as well as the enclosure of stairways. And they are all over the city. The glass structures are wonderful to be in, as we have one on the roof of the Airbnb that we are staying in.
These compositions are done surely without architects. Yet any one of these beat close to the heart of most any architect. The challenge is to be awake to the vastly rich and varied kaleidoscope of images that pass by.

This is a photo of our son Hans, flying his Navy F18E Super Hornet, in a training exercise taken only a few days ago by a fellow pilot, who was flying an F16. With the world at levels of tension that we have not seen in decades, we can only hope that cool minds will ultimately prevail to de-escalate the Ukrainian conflict, as well as all conflicts. We offer this sentiment of peace in light of all of our sons and daughters, from Cooperstown to the rest of the world, who are on deployment. We are in the business of visualization, and we are visualizing Peace.

Another Otsego County springlike feature is what happens to the roads. This is what Sibley Gulf Road looked like yesterday. It is difficult to believe that the innocent, small stream of water there on the left managed to take out an entire road swath. Just another springlike condition.

We call this Springlike Conditions. This has been a family joke for nearly 30 years. In the beginning, when we were taking our kids up to Lapland to XC ski, there was always a message board outside the ski hut. The owner at that time was Olavi Hirvonen, former US Olympic skier. And when it got to be late winter / early spring, he would always write, in big letters SPRINGLIKE CONDITIONS!!! At it really is true. There is a springlike smell in the air. Birds are chirping. Geese fly over. Springlike.

This is a beautiful sight. We were only able to start skiing yesterday. All the conditions came together: it was cold enough, it didn’t start raining immediately after the snow fell so as to wash it away, etc. We have never had to wait until January 16 to start the season’s skiing. Now that it looks like the snow will be here for awhile, winter, for us at least, has finally started.