Fashion & Architecture work together to rebuild an iconic British brand

I am a firm believer that all forms of art inform and enhance one another. Architecture and fashion are incredibly similar, and possibly inseparable – both are based upon the idea of constructing an image, both require layering, finesse, taste, and attention to detail. Most importantly, both serve a higher purpose than their physical, designed output. Fashion and architecture are meant to inspire, push boundaries, test the "new" and "un-heard -of", communicate with their audience, and, of course, make money.

Flagship stores are an intriguing example of how fashion enhances the relevance of architecture, and architecture does the same in return for fashion. The flagship store gives tangible presence of a brand in a city. It acts as an advertisement for the brand, a reminder to the consumers, and a landmark within the city. As a fashion landmark, the flagship helps define a certain location as a “fashion district” thus enhancing that city’s global identity as a fashion destination (and therefore a travel and consumer destination).

 Sometimes, architecture can do even more than just enhance a brand. It can help revive, rebuild, or redefine one. The following photos and short video depict the Burberry flagship store in London, on Regent St. While the building is old, from 1820, Burberry opened this location in 2012, coinciding with a massive re-invention, basically a resuscitation, of their brand. The structure of the building was restored to its classic beauty, while modern technologies were integrated into the space as interactive shopping guides as well as public art installation. In prior years, Burberry was losing it's image as a cutting edge fashion house. Luckily or rather, strategically, with new leadership in the form of Christopher Bailey, the brand quickly jump started itself into the twenty first century with more avant garde designs, while also honing in on the classic pieces and patterns of their brand, and “iconizing” them as staple pieces. The design of the London flagship mirrored this brand transformation perfectly. Burberry, as a British brand, knew the interior, the exterior, the location, and the vibe of the flagship all had to work together to construct a specific image that Burberry wanted to project. This flagship for me, is the epitome of how reliant these industries are upon one another, as well as how powerful they can be together.

Video of Regent St. Flagship: 

chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?t=21&v=pBnz8NBpEDc

Vitreous cities

I never quite realized how much architecture affects our lives. For me, architecture was always something to admire especially when looking at a particular structure’s history. I never quite dissected how much of a part it plays in areas related to our health, the economy, and even government. In this week’s readings, I was intrigued with Simpson’s article and his ideas on glass and its relationship with capitalism. Glass first became a commodity. Venetian artists took this material and created beautiful, fine hand-blown glass to be sold to the richest aristocrats. Only those with money could afford such things. According to Simpson, thus began the role of glass in what he deems capitalist development. With the technological advancements made in during the Industrial Revolution, glass than became a building material, soon replacing brick in newly built buildings. Glass architecture became a metaphor for transparency and honesty. There is no hiding behind glass! Call me cynical, but I find this a bit ironic given that many of the corporations that occupy many transparent buildings have engaged in dishonest deeds that almost destroyed an economy.

Looking at the skyline of some major cities today, it is impossible to not find at least one building wrapped in glass. These buildings reflect the city back to itself, perhaps providing a brutal honest look at its congested streets and its disparate cultures and making it nearly impossible to bear witness to what goes on behind that glass. Yet many of these buildings have helped to rebuild and rebrand cities. As we have seen with Dubai, New York, Shanghai and now Macau, just to name a few, the construction of an iconic building made of glass, and the buzz created, can help create new identities for their cities. This brings capital in the form of rental income from the individuals and corporations, tourism, etc. Yes, architecture builds cities, not only in the sense of the built environment, but also in the economic sense. 

        In the Jones article, we also see how architecture is used to rebrand a government and push its ideology. Sometimes this involves stripping the original identity in order to create a new one. I wonder how feasible and moral this is in a region with many different cultures and steeped in various histories. How do you begin formulating this new identity under the guise of diversity and inclusion? And how honest would it be? Can a single architecture truly reflect a nation of various cultures living together under one flag? We have architects selling us a vision, one that may be dictated by those who hold the purse strings and we are left to accept it without much discourse. As Rem Koolhaas said, “the architect was expected to do things for the public benefit. Now we are expected to broadcast the interests of individuals and corporations.” 

Photo Essay | Second Chances for Historic Cathedrals + Churches

From the world’s oldest and grandest cities to tiny towns tucked away in obscure hills, the center of town has often revolved around the place of worship. Ornate cathedrals and simple churches were the nucleus of a given community – hosting anything from religious ceremonies to town hall meetings and even acting as the community safe haven. When Paul Jones mentioned the world’s shift to pluralistic societies I thought about how I don’t think I’ve seen or heard of a nearby church/cathedral being built from the ground up in my lifetime. There have been plenty of renovations, sure. But the ceremonial church-raising and years of devout planning and construction seem to be traditions of the past.

Although new churches/cathedrals don’t seem to be going up with as much fervor as years ago, there does seem to be a commitment to preserving a lot of these iconic gems and giving them new life. For my photo essay, I explored the restoration and renovations of old churches and cathedrals throughout the world. These 'second chances' include homes, restaurants and retail stores. 

Restaurant Mercat, Netherlands

Residence, English Countryside 

Waanders In de Broeren Book Store, Netherlands

Modern Dutch Apartment

Modern Bookstore, Maastricht

Modern Apartment, Europe

Cultural Auditorium, Spain

Cultural Auditorium, Spain (continued)

Countryside Home

Modern Home, Australia

Piet Boom Studio, Antwerp

Modern Mansion, London

Traditional Home, Spain

Photo Essay: The Twenty Year Collaboration of Philip Johnson & John Burgee

Philip Johnson is known for his work on the Glass House, but by and large his most productive years were during his partnership with John Burgee from 1967-1987.  During their twenty year partnership, Johnson/Burgee Architects focused primarily on large high-rise projects. 

Philip Johnson was born in 1906 in Cleveland, Ohio. Before beginning his career as an architect, Johnson acted as the founding Director of The Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) Department of Architecture and Design. He graduated from Harvard University’s School of Design in 1943 and began his notable career in architecture. At the age of 99, Johnson passed away at his beloved Glass House retreat, after a prominent and, at times controversial career characterized by his minimalism and dynamic choice of materials.

Born in 1933, John Burgee graduated from the School of Architecture at Notre Dame in 1956 and began his career as an architect. He joined forces with Philip Johnson in 1967 to create Johnson/Burgee Architects. 

Johnson is best known for the Glass House, a project completed years before his partnership with Burgee began. Completed in 1949, the Glass House in New Canaan, CT is notable for Johnson’s choice in materials. The exterior consists of 18’ wide glass panels and black steel piers. Contrasting with the levity of the glass walls is the brick cylinder which houses the residence’s only bathroom as well as a fireplace. Additionally, a herringbone brick floor anchors the glass walls. 

Their first collaboration in 1973, Johnson & Burgee designed the Niagara Falls Convention Center which operated from 1973 until 2002. The center had an arched design which reflects the rainbows often seen at the Falls. 

Johnson & Burgee built Pennzoil Place in downtown Houston in 1975. The building is Houston’s most award-winning skyscraper,  designed to be an optical illusion. Pennzoil Place is known for ushering in the era of postmodernism.

One of the largest glass buildings in the world, the Crystal Cathedral was completed in 1980 by Johnson and Burgee near LA. It is comprised of over 10,000 glass panels.

Johnson partnered with Burgee to create the “crown jewel in Pittsburgh’s skyline” through the use of a glazed curtain wall system made of mirrored glass. Completed in 1984 and clad in nearly one million square feet of glass, PPG Place was the first Gothic-inspired skyscraper to be made entirely of glass. 

The AT&T Tower in New York City was completed in 1984 by Johnson & Burgee and was immediately controversial. The building’s ornamental top was mocked for its “Chippendale” style, but was largely accredited for popularizing postmodern architecture. 

Known as the Lipstick Building, Johnson & Burgee completed 53rd at Third in 1986 in New York City. The building’s façade is comprised of faceted horizontal bands of polished red granite and stainless steel glass. 

Another Johnson-Burgee collaboration, Momentum Place was completed in 1987 in Dallas. Sheets of glass, which descend from the building, were used to conceal the skyscraper’s setbacks.

Completed in 1996, Johnson & Burgee’s Puerta de Europa in Madrid were considered the first inclined skyscrapers to be built. 

One of Burgee & Johnson’s last collaborations, One Detroit Center was completed in 1993 and is the tallest office building in the state of Michigan. Another example of Johnson & Burgee’s postmodernism, the building is topped with neo-gothic spires in order to blend in with the city’s historic skyline. 

Photo Essay- Architectural Photography: Where are all the people?

Architectural photography is a powerful tool used in architecture today.  Photographers and architects often like to capture the “spirit” of the architecture, rather than a realistic portrayal of the space.

As a graduate student in interior architecture at Endicott College, I had the opportunity to attend field trips to a variety of well-known buildings throughout the east coast such as Phillip Johnson’s Glass House.  While touring these buildings with my classmates, I often heard, “this isn't how I pictured the building” or “this isn't how I imagined the building to be like”.  It seemed as though the pictures we saw before we toured, in a way, skewed our perspective of the buildings.

Architectural photography is often portrayed in perfect weather conditions, with little usage, and no people interacting within the space.  Why should architecture be removed from everyday life?  People give architecture life, without them the buildings seem stale and detached.  Perhaps if we saw people in the pictures we would have a better understanding of the buildings.  After all, architecture is designed for the use of the people around it, so shouldn't the people be captured in the pictures?  

 Farnsworth House

MIT Chapel

Simmons Hall

The Glass House

Guggenheim Museum

Beinecke Library

Photo Essay - Design Signature or Recycled Vision

The inspiration behind this photo essay springs from my current job position as a graduate design assistant for Endicott College. Endicott’s campus is vastly expanding, with two academic building renovations, three new campus buildings within the past 3 years and a handful of new design projects developing, I have had the opportunity to explore and research the field of educational design. The focus of this essay is to explore what could be a recurring element within a handful of interior spaces and architectural designs as well as to ignite a conversation of a potentially larger issue designers face today; the incorporation of a design signature or recycling design vision.

After resonating on this subject, I came to the realization that this is not an unfamiliar occurrence. The compiled images below show a handful of architects, designers, buildings, and interiors whose work may prompt the question of signature vs. recycled vision. 

*Project names/designers/architects have been left out on this post intentionally. Credits will be provided in class.

Frank Gehry - Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Frank Gehry - Walt Disney Concert Hall

Frank Gehry - Davis Studio & Residence

Frank Gehry - Center for Brain Health

DS+R - ICA

DS+R - Alice Tully Hall

Daniel Libeskind - Denver Art Museum

Daniel Libeskind - 18.36.54 House

University Dining Hall

College Dining Hall

University Dining Hall

College Dining Hall

College Dining Hall

College Dining Hall

University Academic Building

University Residence Hall

University Dining Hall

Private Residence Kitchen

Private Residence Kitchen