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Shortly after moving to New York I read (and re-read) Rem Koolhaas’ Delirious New York. He wrote it as a retroactive manifesto for the city that needed one and didn’t have one, but to me it reads like this really poetic and at times existential critique of the absurdity of NYC. The scale, the numbers and statistics, the unprecedented “grid”, why the city is the way it is, what lie beneath, and so on. Dave and I work in historic building restoration and getting to see the intricate inner-workings of how these old wooden structures are built is both deeply fascinating and horrifying.
Dec 11, 2023
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buildings are sentient and evil MF, if ykyk. Associated by a tangent only but there’s a great essay by Kenneth Frampton (towards critical regionalism) about what postmodern architecture is reg. the flattening and fracturing of deconstructionism and monoculturalism.
Jan 16, 2025
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https://archis.org/volume/smooth-city-is-the-new-urban/
oldie but new to me
Mar 12, 2024
Recc'ing this book on Twitter got a lot of interesting pushback and argumentation which is how you know we're onto something
Anyway this is a truly excellent study evaluating the failures of the modern architecture legacy specifically for large public spaces and housing projects, written lucidly so anyone can understand. Found through one of Paul Rand's old syllabi for design students. Buy em up so we can canonize
Feb 8, 2024
Top Recs from @ryan-west
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there is a simplicity that is missed in burgers when a bar tries to gussy them up and sell them for upwards of $15. All they really need is American cheese and some onions pressed into the patties as they cook. Shout out to White Mana.
Dec 11, 2023
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I love walking and will walk nearly anywhere. The mind goes further than the feet. Steven Wright says anywhere is walking distance if you have the time. A dancer friend once told me something one of their instructors told them - there is no walking, only constant falling.
Dec 11, 2023