SMALL AT LARGE

THE HONG KONG PEAK COMPETITION 1982. GLEN HOWARD SMALL AND JOE MADA ARCHITECTS,  ASSISTED BY RALPH MURSINNA, SUHEIL SHATARA, ERIC CHAVKIN, PAT KONRAD, AND CHARLIE BROWN.

GLEN HOWARD SMALL AND JOE MADA. HONG KONG PEAK COMPETITION 1982

RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN CARGO CONTAINERS AND ALL THE POSSIBILITIES THEY CAN DO,  PLUS A NUMBER OF BUILT EXAMPLES. Continue reading →

SUN FLOWER ABODE

IN MANAGUA, NICARAGUA IN 2009 ARCHITECT MARIO SALINAS THE MINISTER OF TOURISM, SLAPPED DOWN ON HIS OFFICE COFFEE TABLE A DREADFUL ARCHITECTURAL PLAN DONE BY SOME LOCAL ARCHITECT OF A THREE BEDROOM HOUSE FOR ROSARIO MURILLO AND SAID, “CAN YOU DO BETTER THAN THIS?” Continue reading →

IS THIS THE BEST WE CAN DO? SECOND TOURIST ATTRACTION IN THE US. LAS VEGAS IS THE FIRST

JUST UPSET MY NEIGHBOR BY A MINOR CRIT OF HER HOUSE. INTERPRETED AS A MAJOR SLAM TO HER LIFE. I COUNTERED WITH AN APOLOGY AND PRAISING HER LIFE, BUT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE.
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I AM NOT A JOINER, OTHER THAN THE AIA WHICH I DID YEARS AGO , BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A REGISTERED CALIFORNIA ARCHITECT AT SCI-ARC THE ACCOUNTANT,AFTER KNOWING ME FOR YEARS ASKED, ” WHEN WAS I GOING TO BE AN ARCHITECT?” I REPLIED, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? HER RESPONSE WAS YOU ARE NOT AN AIA.  IN OTHER WORDS BEING IN HER MIND AN ARCHITECT MEANT YOU WERE AN AIA. JOHN LAUTNER WAS AN AIA AND I ASKED HIM WHY HE HAD JOINED. HE SAID TO GET THE AWARDS. WHICH THE AIA GAVE HIM ON A REGULAR BASIS. ERIC MOSS AND I JOINED THE AIA AT THE SAME TIME. ERIC I AM SURE GETS AWARDS, I GOT MAYBE TWO WHILE BERNARD ZIMMERMAN WAS ALIVE. HE KNEW MY TALENT AND WHISPERED IN OTHER PEOPLE’S EARS.

STANDING ON THE CORNER TALKING TO MY BUDDY ENGINEER. PHOTO BY YASMINA DEDIJER-SMALL

ALL A MOOT POINT FOR ME, SINCE I AM OF AN AGE WHERE THE AIA LETS ME BE A FREE MEMBER, BUT THEY STILL DO NOT GIVE ME AWARDS. I THOUGHT WHEN ONE IS CLOSE TO DYING, AND NO THREAT TO ANYONE, THEY GIVE YOU AWARDS. NOT SO WITH ME YET, SO MAYBE I AM STILL A THREAT AND I HAVE A FEW MORE YEARS TO LIVE.
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IT ALL STARTED OUT WITH MY FIRST HOUSE THAT I DREW THAT LOOKED LIKE AN IGLOO WITH A CAT GOING UP THE SIDE.

THE FIFTH GRADE WHERE I WAS SELECTED TO DO A MURAL OF THE SPANISH EXPLORATION OF AMERICA. I NEVER COULD MAKE THE FIGURES LOOK RIGHT, WHERE AS JERRY THE CLASS ARTIST COULD DRAW ANYTHING, I THINK HE ENDED UP AT ART CENTER AND THEN ON TO THE FLINTSTONES . MY RESEARCH WITH MY GRADE SCHOOL CRONIES AT WEST WOOD GRAMMAR SCHOOL, DENNIS AND TOM, PRODUCED ONLY JERRY’S FIFTH GRADE CLASS PICTURE. THE POINT BEING DRAWING REALISTIC OBJECTS TO A LARGE DEGREE IS IN THE GENES, SURE YOU CAN LEARN IT LIKE ME, BUT THE BLESSED ONES WITH THE NATURAL TALENT ARE THE REAL ARTISTS.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON REQUIRED SOME LIFE DRAWING AND I TOOK IT AT UCLA ONE SUMMER. I WAS QUITE GOOD AND CAPTURED THE AGING OF MY FATHER JUST BEFORE HE DIED.

AT OREGON DRAWING WAS HARD FOR ME, IT WAS ALL SO TORTURED AND STIFF. BUT WHEN I GOT IN ARCHITECTURAL OFFICES I REALIZED TO SELL MY WILD IDEAS I HAD BETTER START TO LEARN THE CRAFT OF DRAWING TO PITCH MY IDEAS. I GOT SERIOUS, BUT STILL JUST DREW THE PEOPLE FROM THE BACK, BECAUSE IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT DRAWING FACES. I WAS WORKING IN ALAMEDA CALIF. ON TEMPORARY LOAN FROM ANOTHER ARCHITECT IN A ONE MAN OFFICE THAT WAS PITCHING SOME CIVIC BUILDING. I WAS DRAWING PEOPLE FROM THE REAR AGAIN AND THE PRINCIPLE SUGGESTED I COPY THEM OUT OF MAGAZINES OR THE PAPER. THAT WAS ALL SO FOREIGN, COPYING, STEALING SOMEBODY’S ELSES SKETCHES. TO MY AMAZEMENT IT WAS EASY TO DO, AND IN NO TIME I HAD A FOLDER OF PEOPLE AND ANIMALS THAT I USED TO TRACE FROM.

RENDERING BY HOWARD BACKEN AND GLEN SMALL 1965

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MATHEW AU

I FLEW DOWN TO LAX FROM OREGON , MET BY SCI-ARC STUDENTS JUSTIN ROTH AND RYAN EKSTROM, A COUPLE OF SPIRITED BEACH DUDES THAT RECEIVED MY ENDLESS DIALOG OF LA AND LIFE. THE SAVVY AGED PROFESSOR RETURNING TO HIS CITY OF YOUTH AND DREAMS, AND THE SCHOOL HE FOUNDED.

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PHOTO JAN MARDIAN

I WATCHED A BIOGRAPHICAL FILM ON BOB DYLAN DIRECTED BY MARTIN SCORSESE FIVE TIMES. WHAT STRUCK ME WAS DYLAN INITIALLY JUST WANTED TO PERFORM, HAD AVERAGE TALENT, WAS A MUSIC JUNKIE, AND HUSTLED PEOPLE OF IMPORTANCE. Continue reading →

OUT OF THE JUNGLE AND BACK IN THE USA. IGNORED BY THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION IN NICARAGUA, PRESIDENT ORTEGA AND HIS ALL POWERFUL WIFE ROSARIO. MARRIAGE WITH MY NICARAGUA WIFE CHRISTIAN LUGO HAS RUN ITS COURSE. SHE CHOOSES NOT TO LIVE IN THE USA AND I CHOOSE NOT TO LIVE IN NICARAGUA. TWO DIFFERENT CULTURES. THE ERA HAS COME TO AN END. PARTING LOVING FRIENDS.

NOW WHAT?

GETTING IT RIGHT

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WAKE UP GLEN. HISTORY IS FILLED WITH LAVISH CASTLES, PALLADIO VILLAS, MANOR ESTATES, AND FANTASTIC HOMES. WITH SLICK FINISHES . WITH THE MODERN MOVEMENT THERE WAS AN INTEREST IN NEW ARCHITECTURE FOR THE WORKING MAN. CORBU, BAUHAUS, IRVING GILL, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, NEUTRA, GREGORY AIN, BUCKMINISTER FULLER , EICHLER HOMES AND MANY MORE. NOW ARCHITECTS LET THE BUILDERS CALL THE SHOTS AND THE RESULTS ARE ENDLESS PSEUDO-STYLE BOXES THAT VARY WITH THE AMENITIES. CARTER’S HOUSES FOR HUMANITY PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP THE SOPHISTICATION OF CRUDE DESIGN FOR THE POOR.

DANIEL HAFID RESIDENCE, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA 1990 7,000 SQUARE FEET

WHERE IS ARCHITECTURAL SIMPLICITY, COST EFFECTIVE DESIGN FOR THE MASSES? Continue reading →

SERVING THE RICH -

THAT IS WHAT ARCHITECTURE IS ABOUT.

IN MY DAUGHTER’S MOVIE, “MY FATHER THE GENIUS”, I AM SEEN STOMPING AROUND IN THE BACK YARD OF THE NELSONS’ NEW HOUSE COMPLAINING ABOUT SERVING THE RICH. THE NELSONS ARE SAINTLY COMPARED TO THE RUN OF THE MILL RICH. BUT THEY DEFINITELY HAVE THEIR LIMITS.

MY WIFE SAYS, WHY ARE YOU SO OPPOSED TO THE RICH? THEY PUT IT TOGETHER TO GET THE MONEY, DO NOT BE NEGATIVE TOWARDS THEM.

NELSON'S POOL AND HOUSE IN THE BACKYARD, SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA, 2000

IN ARCHITECTURE THE RICH ARE THE CLIENTS, THEY CALL THE SHOTS. BEING REJECTED BY THE RICH HAS LEFT ME A DAMAGED SOUL. THE MAIN REASON IS THAT THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD THAT CAN BE BUILT WITH THEIR MONEY TO BETTER THE WORLD. I READ IN TIME MAGAZINE THAT ARCHITECT PIANO, THE RICH DARLING OF WHAT IS CORRECT IN ARCHITECTURE, WANTS TO DO PUBLIC HOUSING, BUT HAS NOT. A TALENTED FORMER STUDENT OF MINE, THAT SPECIALIZES IN PUBLIC HOUSING FOR YEARS CANNOT IMPLEMENT GOOD DESIGN, BECAUSE OF THE RICH DEVELOPERS CALLING THE SHOTS. THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN WHAT COULD BE AND THE RICH.
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