SMALL AT LARGE

QATAR STADIUM – ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

A HUGE SIGNIFICANT DEATH FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL WORLD,

I AM CRITICIZED AS NOT GIVING PRAISES TO OTHER ARCHITECTS.   YES, I AM CHOOSY ABOUT WHO I EMBRACE,  AND EVEN THOSE I PRAISE HAVE THEIR FLAWS. Continue reading →

GLEN HOWARD SMALL , ARCHITECT SEAL ROCK RESIDENCE. 2000

ANDY STRICKER, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

GARY STEVENS, CONTRACTOR ERIK DEDIJER SMALL, ASSISTANT

IT ALL STARTED BY DEFAULT AND ENDED WITH DEFAULT. MY SALE OF THIS LOT WAS BLOCKED, SO I HAD NO CHOICE OTHER THAN TO DEVELOP THE LOT MYSELF. THE IDEA WAS TO BUILD A SPEC. HOUSE TO SELL. IT WORKED OUT FOR THE BEST, SINCE I ENDED UP LIVING IN A FANTASTIC HOUSE FOR TEN YEARS. WHAT A THRILL TO EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST HOUSE I EVER LIVED IN THAT WAS MY DESIGN. IT UPLIFTED MY SPIRTS, LIFE WAS GREAT A BLOCK AWAY FROM A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEACH. CHRISTIAN MY 3RD WIFE LOVED THE PLACE AS WELL. SO ALL WAS POSITIVE. IT REAFFIRMED FIRST HAND THAT ARCHITECTURE IS A HUGE POSITIVE FORCE TO ENRICH ONE’S LIFE. Continue reading →

CONTINUATION OF: SURVIVING IN JOSHUA TREE

I FEEL LIKE A USED CAR SALESMAN PUSHING THE BEST BUY FOR THE BUCK, JOSHUA TREE OASIS WEB.

THIS IS NOT SOME MIRAGE THAT CAN BE SHRUGGED OFF. THIS CAN HAPPEN. CALTRANS, THE ROAD BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT FOR CALIFORNIA, CONTROLS WHAT HAPPENS WITH HWY 62 THROUGH JOSHUA TREE. HAVING A HUGE COMPLICATED CHECK OFF LIST FOR ANY PROJECT AFFECTING THE HWY. THIS IS A LONG PROCESS THAT TAKES TIME, BUT A TOP CALTRANS DESIGN PLAYER SAID, HE FELT THE SCHEME WAS GREAT, BUT COULD ONLY HAPPEN BY OUTSIDERS . Continue reading →

MAYBE IT IS A BLESSING OR MAYBE IT IS A CURSE, BUT WHERE EVER I GO, I LOOK AT A SPACE OR PLACE WITH THE INTENTION OF REMODELING IT. IN A REDWOOD GROVE I FEEL CONTENTED . THE DESERT IS NOT MY FIRST CHOICE. AS A BOY OF 13 IN 1952 I CAME OUT TO JOSHUA TREE WITH MY FATHER, WHO HAD TB, TO SCOPE OUT A PLACE WHERE HE MIGHT RECOVER. Continue reading →

LAST FEBRUARY I WAS SET TO DEVOUR THE WORLD WITH JUMP START BIOMORPHIC OASIS IN JOSHUA TREE. WELL, AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, CONTRACTOR JOHN DEMURS, MY FORMER STUDENT AT SCI-ARC AND I HAD A FALLING OUT. TWO STRONG PERSONALITIES WANTING IT THEIR WAY. JOHN BOUGHT ME OUT OF THE LAND WE OWNED. LEAVING ME LANDLESS AND WITHOUT HIS LOCAL CONSTRUCTION EXPERTISE.

MY SPONSORS THAT FINANCED THE PURCHASE OF THE LAND HAD DONE SO WITH CONFIDENCE OF CONSTRUCTION INVOLVEMENT WITH JOHN DEMERS. I WENT LOOKING FOR NEW LAND, BUT NEEDED TWICE AS MUCH MONEY TO BUY SIMILAR PROPERTY. Continue reading →

HOLLYWOOD SIGN

HOLLYWOOD HAS BEEN IN MY LIFE FOREVER. IT SEEMS SO RIPE FOR MY QUEST TO SHOW THE WORLD ANOTHER WAY OF LIVING. SO WHY HAVE WE NOT CONNECTED? WE ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER.

MY FATHER HAD A FURNITURE STORE IN BEVERLY HILLS AND I WAS RAISED ON VETERAN AVE BETWEEN OLYMPIC AND PICO IN WEST LOS ANGELES.

1945 AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II MY FATHER TOOK THE FAMILY TO HOLLYWOOD BLVD, TO CELEBRATE

GRAUMAN’ S CHINESE THEATRE ON HOLLYWOOD BLVD.
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1994 LIVING IN CONSERVATIVE PARADISE WALDPORT OREGON I GAVE A LECTURE AT OUR FARM HOUSE TO LOCAL FRIENDS. IN ATTENDANCE WAS QUIRINA KRYGER A SILICON VALLEY TRANSPLANT AND HER HUSBAND BERNARDUS SMITZ . Continue reading →

kruger

BY THE DRIFTERS IN 1962 SUMS UP HUMANITY.  LISTEN FOR FREE ON “YOUTUBE”,   IN MY CASE KICKING BACK ON MY PILLOW IN THE DESERT AND CLICKING IPHOTO ON  MY COMPUTER AND VIEWING MY DESIGN IMAGES .  THE ONLY THING THAT SEEMS TO CALM ME DOWN WHEN CONFRONTED WITH SOCIETY.  SURE I HAVE MY DESIGN HITS THAT ARE AS RELEVANT AS EVER,  BUT I HAVE ALL THOSE IN-BETWEEN THE CRACK STUFF THAT I HAVE SPENT THE BETTER PART OF MY LIFE DOING WITH REAL CLIENTS:  THE AQUATIC PARK IN NEWPORT OREGON A PERFECT EXAMPLE:

VIEW FROM HWY 101 ,  I CLAIMING, EXTREME SKID MARKS  ON HWY 101 DUE TO DRIVER REACTIONS.  NOTHING ON THE  PACIFIC COAST TO MATCH.  WHERE IS THAT DEVELOPER WITH VISION TO IMPLEMENT THIS BEAUTY?

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OLYMPIC COMPLEX, FREI OTTO AND GUNTHER BEHNISCH ARCHITECTS 1972

FREI OTTO WAS A HUGE POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON ME AS AN ARCHITECT.

AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH MY STUDENTS AT COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE WERE DOING A HYPERBOLIC PROJECT THAT FREI USED TO GET MAXIMUM CURVATURE FOR HIS TENSION STRUCTURES, DERIVATIVE FROM HIS SOAP BUBBLES STUDIES. ANOTHER STUDENT DOING A REPORT ON FREI OTTO.

SO TO HEAR OF HIS DEATH WAS A TRAGEDY AND SHOCK, BUT HE LEFT A WEALTH OF PUBLISHED INFORMATION AND A LIFE TO EMULATE. Continue reading →