Glacier Skywalk

From the moment I saw Glacier Skywalk attraction on the internet I knew I want to visit it. I have been craving for experiencing some contemporary architecture that for some strange reason seems to be lacking in this part of the world. I wouldn’t know what is the reason for that, obviously the money is here, so is the knowledge and talent, and if there was a lack of talent, at least in today’s world that shouldn’t be a problem –bring an architect from different part of the world.

Let me talk you through my skywalking experience … It was a sunny day in Jasper, started with eggs benedict and just a little too buttery Hollandaise sauce. But the ambience was nice and the company even better, so there shouldn’t be room for any complains. It takes you one hour or about 95 kilometers to get from Jasper to Glacier Skywalk, even though it seemed to me like it was much longer. On our way we took a couple of stops to take some pictures and enjoy the scenery, and on a hot day there’s nothing better than experiencing a bit of a water splash from Athabasca river falls. Previous day there was a lot of rain so the water was white instead of emerald green and crystal clear, but that hardly stopped us from enjoying the view.

After driving a little while and spotting no bears or mountain goats whatsoever, we finally reached the Glacier Skywalk. It is located on highway 93, and after reaching it, you have to drive 6 more kilometers to reach the Glacier Icefield Centre, where you can purchase tickets for a few attractions. That day was super busy and standing in line for half an hour wasn’t the highlight of my day. After that you’re waiting for the first available bus to take you back to the Skywalk, and I found this process a little too “touristy”. As the pictures are saying the same thing was when we came to the actual spot. A bunch of tourists waving with selfie sticks is not the experience I had in my mind, but there’s no point in complaining. Possibilities to take the picture alone on the Skywalk are very poor, maybe in the winter time, on a non-busy day. I have to admit that I liked how they nested a concrete and rusty metal snakelike structure in the rocks, it complimented the landscape. By walking through you’re passing by a few stands where the guides can explain to you about the wild life of the Jasper national park or geological evolution of the Canadian Rockies… There’s also a small theatre made of wood where people can gather to hear lectures about the place, how it was built, who created it, etc. However, we missed the last lecture, so I couldn’t tell you much about it, however, here’s a link to ArchDaily article about the whole structure:  http://www.archdaily.com/505500/glacier-skywalk-sturgess-architecture  

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Architect superstar

Šta je mjera uspjeha u današnjem svijetu? Da li se ona mjeri godišnjim prihodom, materijalnim blagostanjem, ostvarenjem na privatnom planu, brojem godišnjih putovanja...? I da li je biti uspješan isto što i biti srećan u životu? U današnjem svijetu vladavine medijske kulture, uspijeh se često poistovjećuje sa brojem pojavljivanja u različitim medijima. Andy Warhol je još 1968. godine izjavio „In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”, predvidjevši na taj način blisku budućnost XXI vijeka.

Svijet arhitekture, baš poput svijeta muzike, filma, umjetnosti i sam ima svoje superzvijezde. O životima nekih od njih snimljeni su dokumentarni filmovi, koji imaju različite teme, počev od njihove poslovne etike i pristupa stvaranju, pa do njihovih privatnih života. Slijedi spisak nekih od najpoznatijih dokumentarnih filmova o čuvenim ličnostima svijeta arhitekture.

1.       Reconversao (režiser Thom Andersen) – o životu čuvenog portugalskog arhitekte Eduarda Souta de Moure.

Vimeo trailer

2.       The world of Buckminster Fuller (režiser Robert Snyder) – o tvorcu čuvene Fullerove kupole.

3.       Frank Lloyd Wright (režiseri Ken Burns i Lynn Novick) – biografija jednog od najčuvenijih američkih arhitekata, uključujući i pojedinosti iz njegovog privatnog života.

4.       Antonio Gaudi (režiser Hiroshi Teshigahara) – se bavi jedinstvenim stvaralaštvom ovog poznatog katalanskog arhitekte, baveći se njegovom inspiracijom i asocijacijama.

5.       Maya Linn: A strong clear vision (režiser Freida Lee Mock) – film o arhitektici kineskog proijekla, koja se proslavila izgradnjom Vijetnamskog memorijalnog zida, i svim preprekama na koje je na tom putu nailazila.

6.       Rem Koolhaas: A kind of Architect (režiseri Markus Heidingsfelder i Min Tesch) – o arhitekti koji je stekao status pravog celebrity-ja van krugova svoje profesije.

7.       REM (režiser Tomas Koolhaas) – film o čuvenom arhitekti, koji je snimio njegov sin Tomas i o odnosu otac – sin.

Zvanična stranica

8.       Philip Johnson: Diary of an eccentric architect (režiser Barbara Wolf) – prati čuvenog arhitektu u njegovom procesu stvaranja.

9.       How much does your building weigh, Mr Foster? (režiseri Carlos Carcas i Norberto Lopez Amado) – o inspiraciji i preispitivanjima arhitekte koji konstantno izaziva postavke sistema.

10.   Infinite space: The architecture of John Lautner (režiser Murray Grigor) – o arhitekturi umjetnika koji se trudio da stvori arhitekturu koja nema početka ni kraja.

11.   American masters: Sketches of Frank Gehry (režiser Sydney Pollack) – čuveni režiser je napravio film o prijatelju i poznatom američkom arhitekti.

12.   Visual acoustics (režiser Eric Bricker) – dokumentarac o poznatom arhitekti Juliusu Shulmanu, u filmu se, između ostalih, pojavljuju Tom Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Frank Gehry i drugi.

13.   My architect (režiser Nathaniel Kahn) – još jedna priča koja prati sinovljevu priču o ocu arhitekti, Louisu Kahnu, o njegovom dvostrukom privatnom životu i nespornom talentu.

14.   Architects Herzog and deMeuron: The alchemy of building & Tate Modern (režiser Beat Kuerf) – o poznatom švajcarskom arhitektonskom dvojcu.

Trailer

15.   Loos Ornamental (režiser Heinz Emigholz) – prikazuje neka od najznačajnijih djela Adolfa Loosa.

O filmu

16.   Schindlers Häuser (režiser Heinz Emigholz) – o poznatom austrijskom arhitekti Rudolfu Schindleru.

O filmu

17.   First person singular: I.M.Pei (režiser Peter Rosen) – film je propraćen monologom arhitekte koji se bavi inpiracijom iza nekih od njegovih najznačajnijih ostvarenja. 

Trailer na vimeo

Kalatravin potpis u Cirihu / Calatrava's signature in Zurich

U Cirihu se mogu pronaći tragovi još jednog poznatog arhitekte današnjice. Španski arhitekta Santjago Kalatrava dizajnirao je biblioteku Pravnog fakulteta i željezničku stanicu Stadelhofen.

Biblioteka Pravnog fakulteta nalazi se na adresi Rämistrasse 74 i potrebno je da ju upamtite ukoliko poželite da se divite ovom djelu, jer ulična fasada ničim ne naslućuje grandioznost savremene dogradnje u srcu objekta. Spolja je to objekat sagrađen 1909. godine i kako biste vidjeli Kalatravinu virtuoznost u oblikovanju prostora, potrebno je da se uputite u unutrašnjost objekta, koji je nekada sačinjavao unutrašnje dvorište. Kontrast između starog objekta i dogradnje je izuzetno oštar, ali baš on i doprinosi stapanju ova dva objekta u skladnu cjelinu. Ovalni objekat dogradnje priljubljuje se za konstrukciju starog zdanja na samo 4 mjesta. Prostor biblioteke je definisan zakrivljenim elipsastim ogradama terasa u toploj boji drveta iza kojih su smještene čitaonice na 7 nivoa, a cijeli prostor je natkriven impozantnom staklenom kupolom organskog oblika. Kupola sa poprečnim rebrima odaje utisak lakoće i lebdenja, a ima i ugrađen mehanizam zaštite od sunčeve svjetlosti. Na suprotnim krajevima dužeg prečnika elipse nalaze se dva panoramska lifta. Iako izgrađena 2004. godine, i dalje plijeni svojom funkcionalnošću i estetikom.

In Zurich you can find traces of another well-known architect of today. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava designed the library of the Faculty of Law and the railway station Stadelhofen. 

Library of the Faculty of Law is located in Rämistrasse 74 and you should remember that if you would like to admire this piece of art , because the street facade in no way hints the grandeur of modern extension in the heart of the building. Outside is a structure built in 1909 and to see Calatrava's virtuosity in shaping the space, it is necessary to make it to the interior of the building , which once constituted the inner courtyard. The contrast between the old building and its extension is very sharp, but that is exactly what contributes to the fusion of these two buildings into a harmonious unity. Oval building extension clings to the construction of the old structure in only 4 places. Library space is defined by a curved elliptical terrace fences in the warm color of the wood, behind which are located Reading Rooms on 7 levels, and the entire area is covered with an impressive glass dome of organic form. Dome with transverse ribs gives the impression of lightness and floating, and has a built-in mechanism to protect from sunlight. At opposite ends of the longer diameter of the ellipse, there are two panoramic elevators. Although built in 2004 it is still captivating with its functionality and aesthetics.

Dosta stariji objekat je željeznička stanica Stadelhofen, koja datira iz perioda 1983/84. godine. Ona predstavlja jedno od prometnijih čvornih stanica ciriškog željezničkog prevoza. Kalatrava je i ovaj put dobio zadatak da djeluje na mjestu već postojećeg objekta. Radilo se o 300 metara dugačkom objektu terminala duž zakrivljene željezničke pruge. Bilo je potrebno dograditi treći par šina, te je u tu svrhu Kalartava potkopao dio brda na koje se stari objekat naslanjao i tu smjestio neophodni sadržaj. Ovaj dio stanice je natkriven, a objekat u presjeku neodoljivo podsjeća na Gaudijev park Guelj. Gornja galerija koja natkriva prostor izvedena je u betonu sa čeličnim nosećim elemntima koji su ankerovani u beton. Nasuprot nje nalazi se galerija sačinjena iz čeličnih stubova i nosača prekrivena staklom i na taj način joj svojim transparentnim izgledom kontrastira. Vanjsko stepenište izvedeno od armiranog betona organskim oblicima podsjeća na pariske objekte Art Nouveau stila. Podzemni dio objekta je izveden takođe u betonu i pruža prostor za smještaj brojnih lokala ugostiteljskog i trgovinskog sadržaja. Čitav objekat ostavlja snažan utisak konstruktivnosti. Posebno je zanimljivo oblikovanje snažnih čeličnih nosača koji do detalja ostavljaju utisak mehaničke mašine. Peta fasada građevine je pretvorena u park, odakle se zelenilo u vidu gustih puzavica prenosi i na otvorenu galeriju koja se nalazi nivo niže. 

Uprkos funkcionalnosti objekta, estetici građevine i blizini prirodnog okruženja za ovaj objekat vezana je urbana legenda o velikom broju samoubistava koji se ovdje počine...

A lot older building is Stadelhofen railway station, dating from the period 1983/84. It is one of the busiest node cells of Zurich railway transportation. Calatrava has once again been tasked to act in place of the existing structure. It was a 300 meter long terminal building along the curved railway track. It was necessary to add the third pair of rails, and for this purpose Calartava undermined part of the hill on which the old building was leaning, and placed there the necessary content. This part of the station is covered, and the building in the intersection is very reminiscent of Gaudi's Park Guell. The upper gallery, which covers the area was built in concrete with steel carrier elements which are anchored in concrete. Opposite to it is a gallery composed of steel columns and beams covered with glass and thus it contrasting its transparent appearance. External staircase made ​​out of reinforced concrete with organic shapes remind of Parisian Art Nouveau style buildings. The underground part of the building is also constructed of concrete and provides space to accommodate many shops, catering and commercial facilities. The whole object leaves a strong constructive impression. Particularly interesting is the design of the strong steel beams which give the impression of the mechanical details of machine. The fifth facade of the building was converted into a park, where the countryside in the form of thick creepers is transferred to an open gallery, which is the level below.

Despite the functionality of the object , the aesthetics of the building and close to the natural environment of this object, there is an urban legend about a large number of suicides that are committed here ...