'how is switzerland?' so many of you ask.
well, switzerland is just great. beautiful weather, greener and greener every day. most days are now 'no sock' days! its still crazy expensive, grocery stores still close at 7 and i still can't really speak french beyond 'oh, its [washing machine] broken? oh, ok, maybe... um'. looking forward to getting out more, especially when visitors start to arrive, to explore more of this quirky country.
loosely related, today is my laundry day! so i've taken the goal of catching up on lots of recent activities to start off a week of blog posts. i hope to update you on some of my recent adventures and little 'projects' i've been working on. honestly, i've been lacking the energy lately to be blogging, but hopefully a relaxing day spent going up and down the lift to the creepy laundry room will help me be energized for our upcoming weekend in the Lugano area. (italian part of switzerland!)
ciao!
April 19, 2011
April 6, 2011
Studio Mumbai
the EPFL is just a short metro ride away from home, and luckily they host one of the larger architecture programs in switzerland, behind ETH in Zurich of course. perhaps they are the largest in Romandie (french speaking part of switzerland.) almost one month ago i attended a lecture there. it reminded me of being back at the u of m with students packed into the back of the lecture hall and many of them sneaking out early to get at the free wine and treats downstairs. it was their first week back at school- lets just say i was feeling very good that it wasn't me!
being a "process" gal, his lecture was very inspiring. Studio Mumbai has developed a process of design-build that creates a true architecture of place. the studio employs many local craftsmen as an integral part of the design process, creating meaningful spaces that take advantage of traditional crafts that leave minimal traces on the earth- hand labor is favored over large machinery. in a way, it is a return to traditional methods but also creating something new and unique... "a rediscovery of their tradition" rather than creating copies of western architecture that are truly place-less.
in addition to the lecture, Studio Mumbai has many objects from their studio on display in the work-place gallery at epfl. that night was the opening and it was amazing to view many working models, full scale prototypes, material samples and tools. this room made me want to get my hands dirty!
in searching for some video clips of the studio's work i ran across a 'related video' about Teronobu Fujimori, a japanese architect who has a similar working process using traditional japanese methods of craft.
this plaster replication of an "in-between space"from a mumbai neighborhood was constructed for the venice biennial. a beautiful representation of how magical these tiny neighborhood spaces can be. in one part you are actually walking through someone's living room...
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| Palmyra House [Helene Binet] |
i knew the lecture would be in english when i read the bio: "... architect Bijoy Jain studied and worked in the U.S. and Europe before returning to his native India to open Studio Mumbai..."
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| Palmyra House [Helene Binet] |
being a "process" gal, his lecture was very inspiring. Studio Mumbai has developed a process of design-build that creates a true architecture of place. the studio employs many local craftsmen as an integral part of the design process, creating meaningful spaces that take advantage of traditional crafts that leave minimal traces on the earth- hand labor is favored over large machinery. in a way, it is a return to traditional methods but also creating something new and unique... "a rediscovery of their tradition" rather than creating copies of western architecture that are truly place-less.
in searching for some video clips of the studio's work i ran across a 'related video' about Teronobu Fujimori, a japanese architect who has a similar working process using traditional japanese methods of craft.
this plaster replication of an "in-between space"from a mumbai neighborhood was constructed for the venice biennial. a beautiful representation of how magical these tiny neighborhood spaces can be. in one part you are actually walking through someone's living room...
April 4, 2011
BERN part 2.
some highlights of the old town include a series of fountains, large clock tower, and a fancy bus stop.
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| the Kindlifresserbrunnen fountain (child-eating ogre) |
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| be your own fountain. |
stop #3: bern munster
gothic cathedral completed 1421, with tallest tower in switzerland and an amazing 'dance of death' stained glass window. most impressive to me is how its perched on the hill of the old town with giant buttresses below. also, the 'platform' behind the cathedral is a unique feature.
i don't remember all of my terminology, and left my gothic books at home, but the ribbing shown on the vaults is part of the later gothic period, where the ribbing patterns became more complex and decorative.
April 3, 2011
BERN part 1.
i was a little "BERNt out" on lausanne and needed to get the heck out of here. perhaps it was being sick and staying in my apartment for 3 days straight. but one of my goals has been to take advantage of being in europe and to see as much of switzerland as i possibly can during the year.
i had the urge and felt like spending the day by myself, so i took an early train to Bern. there were two museums of interest- both recently built, as well as the old town. i'm sure there's more to see there, but it was a perfect agenda for a pretty cold wintry day.
stop #1: zentrum paul klee (renzo piano)
it was a longer walk than i thought, but i'm very glad that i walked. i wandered through some residential areas, quiet on a wednesday morning, and eventually found some farm fields and then spotted the highway and with paul klee center right behind it. no wonder they never show that view in the magazines!
honestly, the outside is sort of hideous. looks like a giant alien emerging from the ground. but the lobby spaces are gorgeous... and ooh the models!
stop #2: historisches museum bern (:mlzd)
this museum has a recent addition that i had to check out. by the time i got there i was too tired (still getting over a cold) and had spent too many CHFs at the paul klee museum to go in. next time i have a visitor maybe i'll drag them along... the einstein exhibits look cool! anyway, what is great about the exterior of this building is the interesting concrete mix they used giving it a very yellow/sandstone look. also the formwork they used is very evident, you can see the plywood sheet seams and texture.
the best part of this addition for me was the outdoor public space which features a huge glass wall reflecting the historic part of the museum as well as the streetscape.
i had the urge and felt like spending the day by myself, so i took an early train to Bern. there were two museums of interest- both recently built, as well as the old town. i'm sure there's more to see there, but it was a perfect agenda for a pretty cold wintry day.
stop #1: zentrum paul klee (renzo piano)
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| walking approach |
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| main entrance to the museum |
it was a longer walk than i thought, but i'm very glad that i walked. i wandered through some residential areas, quiet on a wednesday morning, and eventually found some farm fields and then spotted the highway and with paul klee center right behind it. no wonder they never show that view in the magazines!
honestly, the outside is sort of hideous. looks like a giant alien emerging from the ground. but the lobby spaces are gorgeous... and ooh the models!
 |
| museum cafe- the wood makes this space a warm contrast to the exterior |
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| the sun finally came out and created a more dramatic view. |
stop #2: historisches museum bern (:mlzd)
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| maybe not the most beautiful formwork, but a great display of process |
this museum has a recent addition that i had to check out. by the time i got there i was too tired (still getting over a cold) and had spent too many CHFs at the paul klee museum to go in. next time i have a visitor maybe i'll drag them along... the einstein exhibits look cool! anyway, what is great about the exterior of this building is the interesting concrete mix they used giving it a very yellow/sandstone look. also the formwork they used is very evident, you can see the plywood sheet seams and texture.
the best part of this addition for me was the outdoor public space which features a huge glass wall reflecting the historic part of the museum as well as the streetscape.
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| new addition and old museum |
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| subtle asymmetric stairs. beautiful! |
April 1, 2011
bike season opener!
it all happened so quickly...
i have been researching my options for purchasing a bike since mid-January. i was a little frustrated by the lack of a used bike market here... there is one nearby shop selling used bikes but the guy told me that the Swiss love to buy new things. not old things. there was another option i explored: www.ricardo.ch which is sort of the craigslist of switzerland, however items are sold by auction which makes it difficult to test ride a bike before purchasing. of course i thought about buying another bike, but the thought of having to move 2 bikes after this year (potentially from different countries) was overwhelming, as were the prices. (its switzerland!)
i put it on the back burner for a while.
i'm not exactly sure how much time my dad spent packing up the bike, but surely i owe him for doing such a great job packing it. on monday i received a giant box in the mail with this inside:
i was able to pick up a bit of grease from a local motorcycle shop. a few hours later, as some of you might have been following the progress on facebook, and saw the final result:
i realized i didn't have a water bottle, and with a ride scheduled for wednesday, i decided to take a little ride to a nearby bike shop i read about on english forum, (a great resource for all things Swiss) The Bike. it is true that the owner is not only an english speaker, but is from wisconsin as boldly displayed by his gb packers sweatshirt. hopefully soon i can join their thursday night ladies rides- need to get my biking legs back first!
the past two wednesdays i've been lucky to bike with a couple of the gals here, marieke and chantal, for some rides along lake geneva. hopefully we can be ready for some alps rides soon. (yikes! i realized i've never biked in mountains!)
until next time, here's a glimpse of the lovely lakeshore near morges. (we also biked past the medtronic facility just outside of morges)
i have been researching my options for purchasing a bike since mid-January. i was a little frustrated by the lack of a used bike market here... there is one nearby shop selling used bikes but the guy told me that the Swiss love to buy new things. not old things. there was another option i explored: www.ricardo.ch which is sort of the craigslist of switzerland, however items are sold by auction which makes it difficult to test ride a bike before purchasing. of course i thought about buying another bike, but the thought of having to move 2 bikes after this year (potentially from different countries) was overwhelming, as were the prices. (its switzerland!)
i put it on the back burner for a while.
i'm not exactly sure how much time my dad spent packing up the bike, but surely i owe him for doing such a great job packing it. on monday i received a giant box in the mail with this inside:
i was able to pick up a bit of grease from a local motorcycle shop. a few hours later, as some of you might have been following the progress on facebook, and saw the final result:
i realized i didn't have a water bottle, and with a ride scheduled for wednesday, i decided to take a little ride to a nearby bike shop i read about on english forum, (a great resource for all things Swiss) The Bike. it is true that the owner is not only an english speaker, but is from wisconsin as boldly displayed by his gb packers sweatshirt. hopefully soon i can join their thursday night ladies rides- need to get my biking legs back first!
the past two wednesdays i've been lucky to bike with a couple of the gals here, marieke and chantal, for some rides along lake geneva. hopefully we can be ready for some alps rides soon. (yikes! i realized i've never biked in mountains!)
until next time, here's a glimpse of the lovely lakeshore near morges. (we also biked past the medtronic facility just outside of morges)
March 18, 2011
before/after
speaking of catching up... some things have been getting out of control! since the price of a men's haircut is 35 CHF (~$35+) and experiencing the inability of the swiss to cut asian hair (even when english speaking) we decided to invest in some new hair clippers, and a new look for Howie. of course we waited until the 'fro' was in full effect:
and voila:
looks nice and clean, and most importantly, so easy!! now if only i could do the same for myself...
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