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Knowlton School of Architecture (Marc Syp)

 

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    Portugal - Spain - France - Belgium - Netherlands

    By mpsyp
    Sep 19, '06 1:07 AM EST

    So, at long last, I'm catching up with everything that happened this last year. Three days after the last final exam, 40 of us packed up and headed to Europe for an INTENSE architecture road trip. It was absolutely unbelievable. I'm not sure that there is any travel opportunity like this at any other school. I certainly hope so, because this was one of the most valuable experiences of my life, despite the fact that I have traveled widely in the past.

    The trip happens every year and alternates basically between Western Western Europe and Eastern Western Europe... next year's trip will be Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic.

    Anyway, our group included mostly graduate students in architecture (from all 3 years) and a handful of 3rd- and 4th-year undergrads. There was one landscape graduate student as well. We had a chartered bus for the whole trip, which was a fantastic way to travel. Comfy seats and a window seat overlooking the majestic European landscape, from the mountains of portugal to the fields of the Netherlands. The bus became a second home. Most of our hotel stays included meals, and there was always breakfast included.

    We had done research in advance. Each person on the trip was assigned 1 city and 5 buildings to research, and the results were compiled into two separate books. A city book, with historical and practical information, subway maps, etc. And a building book, with plans, sections, background info, design intent, and other things that are not naturally apparent while at the site.

    We received grades on our research, our presentations (city and buildings), our sketchbooks (reviewed regularly), and our attitude. That's right, points off for being late, complaining, or being a pain in the ass. Luckily none of that was necessary. Professor Gargus ran a pretty tight ship, and even the hardest-core partying didn't prevent the kids from arriving on time, even if it meant one poor soul barfing by the side of the bus on a particularly rough morning.

    Our days were packed, with everybody on the bus or hitting the streets at 8am every morning, traipsing around looking at architecture all days until about 7pm. Then it was time for group dinner, and then out to explore the city. We stayed at a couple 4-star hotels that were unforgettable. Like the hotel on the top of the cliff in San Sebastian, with every room with a balcony overlooking the ocean and the downtown bay. And like the Chateau Rochecotte in the Loire Valley.

    Portugal was great. It was clean and friendly. Most everyone spoke English (unlike Spain, for instance). Porto was absolutely fantastic, with its intact medieval charm and its superclean new transit system. Watch out for Sandeman, the black-cloaked figure that lurks among the skyline, urging you to drink more Port. The little mountain towns of Portugal are quaint and exhilarating, with their 18th century castles and medieval forts.

    We saw a modern jazz-classical concert at OMA's Casa Musica in Porto and a Spanish pop concert at a baroque theater in Barcelona. We went to countless museums. MUSAC in Leon, the Serralves Foundation (loved this, discovered the painter Magnus Plessen), Picasso Museum in Barcelona, Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre, the 5-story Victor Horta Museum of Musical Instruments in Brussels (where you wear a headset that plays the instrument as you approach it)... plus science centers, oceanariums, you name it. I spent an extra 5 days in Madrid and Lisbon and went to the Prado and Reina Sofia.

    Copied a number of Picasso drawings. I saw Guernica, the Mona Lisa (I blocked out the crowd and it gave me the chills), David, and of course memorable works by Juan Miro, Dali, Monet, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rodin, Mapplethorpe, Anish Kapoor, Robert Motherwell. Only wish I had run across a complete works of Gerhard Richter. None to be found.

    We beat the Japanese tourists to the Sagrada Familia and had the whole place to ourselves. We debated whether the cathedral should be finished. I think it should, following in the tradition of all the great cathedrals that took more than 100 years and 3 construction managers to complete.

    We visited the abandoned Barcelona Olympic Park. We arrived in BCN for the festival of St. John, which is celebrated through an unreasonable display of fireworks on the part of every single citizen of the city, young or old. I felt like I understood better what it was like to be in a war zone.

    Our first day in France we watched France beat Spain in the World Cup. Our driver for that segment, was a Spaniard and cursed our cheers for the French. I was a bit of commodity in France, being pretty fluent in practical French.

    We swam under the Pont du Gard, some doing flips off the 5m rocks and some being content just to jump feet first.

    We were in Paris for the quarterfinal win over Brazil. We marched to L'Arc to Triomphe with 4000 Parisians and got tear-gassed by the police, who were holding off the masses surging toward the monument. We were on the front lines. People were dancing, singing, climbing trees, traffic came to a standstill. Unbelievable.

    We left the Paris Opera at the Charles Garnier to watch France beat Portugal (our professor was outraged). More celebration. We left Paris and watched the finals at Rochecotte, in our marble clad suites. I'm convinced that our disloyalty to Paris is the real reason behind the loss, not the Zidane head-butt.

    We stayed the night at La Tourette, we each had our own monk's cell. It was a beautiful experience. Very reflective. We watched the sunset over the village of Eveux below, and they served us fishsticks for dinner. We ate breakfast with the monks and attended their service and listened to them sing.

    Villa Savoye dispelled any disbelief I may have had in the genius of Le Corbusier. I had expected it to be bigger, probably out of some clumsy idea of how the ramp would be proportioned. In real life its scale was perfect. Every detail is just right. I also loved the rarely published Brazil Pavilion, which has a crazy sloped ceiling and weird spirally courtyard and is just great.

    Loved the Victor Horta in Brussels. Blew away Guimard, made him look like he had no taste. Did like some of the Guimard furniture at Orsay.

    Everybody was charmed by the bike lanes in the Netherlands. Rotterdam was a blast, I went out and met a guy who claimed to be the youngest man ever elected to the Rotterdam City Council, at 24. We went to a club and drank and talked about politics and development in the NL.

    Amsterdam was a weird little city. Weird in that way that any city whose economy is predicated on sex and drugs is weird. But then, I have to say it is clearly not Las Vegas (that's a good thing). Loved walking everywhere, and the buildings and houseboats and canals and everything are charming. Learned about the difference between a Café and a Coffeeshop, of course. Our hostel was a nightmare, you could barely open the windows and it was sticky hot. A really bad hotel to end with, after a string of much more successful stays. But oh well.

    I basically learned how to sketch on the trip. It was difficult and frustrating at first, not having drawn much as a kid or in school. The sketching TAs were really helpful, though. I'm pretty happy with my progress. It was a really great experience to be forced to sketch. I learned, most of all, that it's more about learning to see than it is about learning to draw.

    I stayed the extra 3 days in Madrid and 2 days in Lisbon. This is where my story takes a dark turn. 15 hours before my flight back home, after nearly 6 weeks of travel, I boarded a train to the beach and discovered that my brand new iPod video had been stolen right out of my bag, while I was wearing it. It contained all 6500 pictures that I took on my trip.

    I managed to salvage a few days worth from my professor's laptop, and my classmates will be generously donating portions of their archives to me. It won't be the same, but all is not lost. I still have my memories and my 130 pages of sketching. I'll come back to this in a little while and put some pictures into this post. In the meantime, here is the partial list of buildings. We visited probably 85% of these buildings, with a host of others that we saw but never made the list.



    14-Jun LISBON anon old church Senhora de Saude
    14-Jun LISBON old 1515-21. Belem Tower
    14-Jun LISBON anon old Praça do Comercio - palace square
    14-Jun LISBON Ambasz site plan 1998 PARQUE DAS NACOES (SITE EXPO 98)
    14-Jun LISBON old 1496, Monastery of the Hieronymites
    14-Jun LISBON Siza 1992 - 1998 Baixa/Chiado Underground Station & Urban Redevelopment
    14-Jun LISBON Sousa Byrne 2001 Harbor Control Tower
    14-Jun LISBON R. Cruz / SOM 1998 atlantic pavilion
    14-Jun LISBON R. Mesnier du Pontard 1902 Santa Justa Elevator
    14-Jun LISBON P. Chermayeff, Cambridge Seven 1997
    14-Jun LISBON Siza 1998 Portugal pavilion
    14-Jun LISBON Dias & Vieira 1998 porta do Mar (old oil refinery tower)
    14-Jun LISBON Calatrava 1997 train station
    14-Jun LISBON Foster 1999 Repsol gaz station
    15-Jun SINTRA anon old National Palace (10-17:30)
    15-Jun SINTRA anon old Monserrat palace
    15-Jun SINTRA anon old Sintra: Moorish castle (open 9 - 20)
    15-Jun SINTRA anon old Monastery dos Capuchos (open 9 - 20)
    15-Jun SINTRA anon old Pena palace (10-18.30) (1828 Disneyesque revival)
    16-Jun EVORA Manueline old University of Évora, 1559, (Mon. to Fri. 8am-7pm).
    16-Jun EVORA Roman really old Roman temple
    16-Jun EVORA Roman really old acquaduct
    16-Jun EVORA Siza 1977 - 1992 Quinta da Malagueira residential complex Siza
    16-Jun EVORA Manueline old Cathedral ( 9-11.30 am & 2-4.30pm, exc. Monday)
    16-Jun SETUBAL Siza contempt Setubal Training Center
    17-Jun LECA de Palmeira Siza contemp Ocean Swimming Pool (1996)
    17-Jun AGUEDA Siza contemp Agueda Revigrés Building***
    17-Jun AVIERO Siza contemp Aviero Library, University
    17-Jun PORTO Koolhaas contemp Casa de Musica (concert 21:00)
    17-Jun LECA de Palmeira Siza contemp Boa Nova Tea House and Restaurant, Leca dP, 1963 - 1991
    18-Jun PORTO Siza contemp Serralves Foundation (1999)
    18-Jun PORTO Siza contemp Faculty of Architecture
    18-Jun PORTO Souto de Moura contemp Casa das Artes
    18-Jun Marco de Canaveses: Siza contemp Santa Maria Church
    18-Jun Vila do Conde Siza contemp Borges & Irmao Bank
    18-Jun PENAFIEL Siza contemp Kindergarten
    20-Jun BRAGA Souto de Moura contemp Stadium
    20-Jun BRAGA baroque old Santuario do Bom Jesus do Monte
    20-Jun SANTIAGO d.C Romanesque old Santiago de Compostela church
    20-Jun SANTIAGO d.C Siza contemp Faculty of Information Sciences1993-99
    20-Jun Barcelona Miralles/Tagliabue 2005 Torre Mare Nostrom
    20-Jun Durango Hadid under construct EuskoTren
    21-Jun Barcelona Miralles/Tagliabue Parque Diagonal Mar em Barcelona,
    21-Jun SANTIAGO d.C Siza contemp Centro Galiziano
    21-Jun Laguardia, Álava, Spain Calatrava contemp La Rioja, Bodegas Ysios
    21-Jun Barcelona FOA (Forerign Office) 2004 Southeast Coastal Park
    21-Jun LEON gothic old Leon Cathedral,
    21-Jun LEON Tuñion & Marsilla 2001 MUSAC-Museum of Contemporary Art
    21-Jun Barcelona Nouvel contemp Torre Agbar
    21-Jun LEON Tuñion & Marsilla contemp Auditorium of City of Leon
    21-Jun Barcelona Miralles/Tagliabue contemp El Mercado de Santa Caterina,
    21-Jun Barcelona NOUVEL 2001 STADIUM
    21-Jun SANTIAGO d.C Eisenman contemp City of Culture of Galicia 1999/
    22-Jun BILBAO Calatrava contemp Sondica Airport Terminal Building (2000)
    22-Jun BILBAO Gehry contemp Guggenheim Museum: hours Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
    22-Jun Barcelona Martinez Lapeña - Torres Arquitectos 2004 Forum 2004 Esplanade and Photovoltaic Plant
    22-Jun BURGOS gothic old Burgos Cathedral
    22-Jun Barcelona Miralles/Pinós Cemitério de Igualada,
    22-Jun ELCIEGO Gehry contemp Marques de Riscal Vineyard/ lunch
    22-Jun BILBAO Foster contemp “Fosteritos” for the Bilbao Metro (1996 -)
    22-Jun BILBAO Calatrava contemp Zubi Zuri Pedestrian Bridge (1996)
    23-Jun ZARAGOSA gothic old Zaragosa Cathedral
    23-Jun S. COLOMA de CERVELLO Gaudi modern S.Coloma Gaudi chapel
    23-Jun BARCELONA gothic old Barcelona Cathedral
    23-Jun SAN SEBASTIAN Moneo contemp Kursaal
    24-Jun BARCELONA Calatrava contemp Montjuic - television towe
    24-Jun BARCELONA Mies vd Rohe modern Barcelona Pavilion
    24-Jun BARCELONA Gaudi modern Casa Battlo (open 9:00 -14:00)
    24-Jun BARCELONA Gaudi modern Casa Mila (open 10:00 - 20:00)
    24-Jun BARCELONA Gaudi modern Palau Guell (open 10:00-13:00; 15:00-19:00)
    25-Jun BARCELONA Gehry contemp Fish
    25-Jun BARCELONA Gaudi modern Sagrada Familia (open 9:00 - 18:00)
    25-Jun BARCELONA Moneo contemp Moneo Auditorium and Music Centre - check for tickets
    25-Jun BARCELONA Meier contemp Museum of Contemporary Art/ lunch
    25-Jun BARCELONA Herzog & deMeuron contemp Forum 2004
    25-Jun BARCELONA Matteo contemp Forum 2004
    25-Jun BARCELONA Siza contemp Meteorology Center
    27-Jun ARLES anon old Roman Theatre
    27-Jun ARLES Roman really old Triumphal Arch
    27-Jun NIMES Foster contemp Carrée d'Art
    27-Jun NIMES Roman really old Maison Carrée
    27-Jun ARLES Roman really old Pont du Gard
    27-Jun ARLES Roman really old Arena
    28-Jun EVEUX Le Corbusier modern La Tourette
    28-Jun MARSEILLE Le Corbusier modern Unité
    29-Jun FIRMINY Le Corbusier modern Church
    29-Jun FIRMINY Le Corbusier modern Unite
    29-Jun LYON Coop Himmelblau contemp Musée des Confluences - under construction
    29-Jun FIRMINY Le Corbusier modern Espace/ Youth Center
    29-Jun LYON Calatrava contemp Gare TGV Lyon-St. Exup?ry (1994)
    29-Jun Lyon Piano 1985-98 Cite International
    29-Jun Lyon Piano 1996 Museum of Art
    29-Jun LYON Nouvel contemp Opera
    30-Jun FONTAINEBLEAU anon old Fontainebleau chateau & gardens
    30-Jun VAUX-LE-VICOMTE Le Vau & Le Notre old Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau & gardens
    1-Jul PARIS Boffrand old Hotel Soubise
    1-Jul PARIS anon old Place des Vosges
    1-Jul PARIS Piano & Rogers contemp Centre Pompideau
    1-Jul PARIS Tschumi contemp Park la Villette
    1-Jul PARIS gothic old Notre Dame de Paris
    1-Jul PARIS gothic old Ste Chapelle
    2-Jul PARIS Hausmann 19c Paris Boulevards
    2-Jul PARIS Le Mercier / Daniel Buren old & new Palais Royale
    2-Jul PARIS Harduoin-Mansard old Place Vendome
    2-Jul PARIS Pei contemp Pyramid
    2-Jul PARIS Chalgrin old Arc de Triomphe
    2-Jul PARIS Perrault et al. old Louvre
    2-Jul PARIS Gabriel old Place de la Concorde
    2-Jul PARIS Eiffel modern Eiffel Tower
    2-Jul PARIS Labrouste 19c Bib.Nationale
    3-Jul Paris anon Parc du Monceau
    3-Jul paris Vignon, 1806-42 La Madeleine
    3-Jul Paris von Spreckelsen 1989 Arch Defense
    3-Jul Paris corb brazil pavilion
    3-Jul Paris Ledoux old Barriere de la Villette
    3-Jul PARIS Le Vau old College of 4 Nations
    3-Jul Paris, France Jules Hardouin Mansart 1676 to 1691 St. Louis des Invalides
    3-Jul Paris 1992 Parc André-Citroën
    3-Jul PARIS Guimard modern Metro Stations
    3-Jul Paris old & aulenti old Musee d'Orsay
    3-Jul Paris various Passages: Choiseul 1827, des Panoramas 1800, des Princes 1860-98, Verdeau 1846, Jouffroy 1845, Galerie Véro-Dodat 1822, Vivienne, Colbert
    3-Jul Paris, France Portzamparc 1995 City of Music, La Villette
    5-Jul PARIS Perrault contemp Biblioteque Nationale
    5-Jul PARIS Chareau modern Maison de Verre
    5-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Maison Plainex,
    5-Jul PARIS Labrouste 19c Biblioteque Ste Genivieve
    5-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Swiss Pavilion
    5-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Salvation Army
    5-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Atelier Ozenfant
    5-Jul PARIS Soufflot 1755-92 Pantheon,
    5-Jul PARIS Nouvel contemp Cartier Foundation, Paris
    5-Jul PARIS Nouvel contemp Arab Institute
    5-Jul Paris Garnier old Opera
    6-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern LaRoche -Jeanneret
    6-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Villa Savoie
    6-Jul PARIS Guimard modern Castel Beranger
    6-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Vaucresson
    6-Jul Paris Corb modern Jaoul
    6-Jul Marne la Vallee, FR Tschumi 1999 Marne School Of Architecture
    6-Jul PARIS perret modern Rue Franklin
    6-Jul PARIS Le Vau & Le Notre old Versailles
    6-Jul PARIS Le Corbusier modern Garches
    6-Jul Nick Aalto mod maison louis carre
    7-Jul REIMS gothic old Cathedral Notre-Dame, Reims
    7-Jul LAON gothic old Laon Cathedral
    7-Jul REIMS gothic old St-Remi, Reims
    7-Jul PARIS/ Saint-Denis gothic old Saint-Denis Cathedral
    8-Jul LOIRE VALLEY gothic old Chartres Cathedral
    8-Jul LOIRE VALLEY old Chateau Chambord
    8-Jul LOIRE VALLEY old Blois Chateau
    9-Jul LOIRE VALLEY old old Donjon Loches
    9-Jul LOIRE VALLEY old Amboise Chateau
    9-Jul LOIRE VALLEY old Chenonceaux Chateau
    10-Jul NANTES Le Corbusier modern Unité
    10-Jul NANTES Anselmi contemp Town Hall
    10-Jul NANTES Nouvel contemp palais de Justice (Law Courts) 2000
    11-Jul Lille Nouvel 2002 Grimonprez stadium
    11-Jul Rouen Tschumi contemp Rouen Concert Hall
    11-Jul Lille Nouvel commercial center-Eurolille Building-Le Corbusier St
    11-Jul ROUEN gothic old St. Maclou
    11-Jul ROUEN gothic old Cathedral Notre-Dame Rouen
    11-Jul LILLE OMA contemp Eurolille
    11-Jul BRITTANY gothic old Mont St. Michel
    12-Jul AMIENS gothic old Amiens Cathedral
    12-Jul LILLE NOX contemp Maison Folie de Wazemmes , 2004
    12-Jul TOURCOING Tschumi contemp Le Fresnoy Art Center
    13-Jul BRUSSELS Horta modern Hotel van Eetvelde
    13-Jul BRUSSELS bus modern Atomium
    13-Jul BRUSSELS Horta modern Hotel Solvay
    13-Jul BRUSSELS Horta modern Musée Horta
    13-Jul HOOK of HOLLAND Oud modern Housing, Hoek of Holland
    13-Jul BRUSSELS Horta modern Hotel Tassel
    13-Jul BRUSSELS Hoffmann modern Palais Stoclet,
    13-Jul BREDA Erik Egeraat contemp Poppodium MeZZ
    13-Jul Breda Xaveer de Geyter Chassé Park Apartments
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM Mecanoo contemp Maria of the Angels Cemetery Chapel
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM Brickmann & v.d. Vlugt modern Spangen Housing
    14-Jul DELFT Bakema modern Bakema Building-University
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM OMA contemp Kunsthal
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM P.Blom modern Cube Houses
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM Brickmann & v.d. Vlugt modern van nelle Factory
    14-Jul Rotterdam Korteknie, M. Stuhlmacher 2001 maison Parasite
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM west 8/ Geuze s 1997 Shouwburgplein & Theatre
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM Coenen contemp NAI Architecture Museum (open 10:00-17:00)
    14-Jul DELFT Mecanoo contemp University Library
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM UN Studio contemp Erasmus Bridge
    14-Jul Rotterdam Bolles - Wilson 1997 Bridge Watcher's Control Center
    14-Jul Rotterdam  Erick van Egeraat, 1996 Natural History Museum
    14-Jul ROTTERDAM Mecanoo contemp House
    15-Jul Haarlemmermeer Asymptote 2002 Hydra Pier
    15-Jul ROTTERDAM Foster contemp Seefahrt Simulator
    15-Jul ROTTERDAM Egeraat contemp Ichthus Hogeschool
    15-Jul UTRECHT Herzberger modern Music Hall
    15-Jul UTRECHT MVRDV contemp Double House
    15-Jul THE HAGUE OMA contemp Dance Theatre
    15-Jul Haarlem Mecanoo contemp ToneelschuurTheatre
    15-Jul THE HAGUE Meier contemp City Office Building
    15-Jul ROTTERDAM Oud modern De Unie Café
    15-Jul UTRECHT Rietveld modern Schroeder House
    15-Jul rotterdam JHK Architects 2005 der Brug/ Best Foods
    15-Jul Rotterdam foster 1998 World Port Center
    15-Jul Huizen (35 HM E of Amst) Neutelings Riedijk Architecten 2004 Sphinxes - housing
    16-Jul UTRECHT UN Studio contemp NMR Facility
    16-Jul The Hague MVRDV contemp Hagen Island Housing
    16-Jul Rotterdam Egeraat contemp IHR InHolland College
    16-Jul Hilversum MVRDV contemp VPRO office building
    16-Jul AMSTERDAM MVRDV contemp WOZOCO Elderly Housing
    16-Jul UTRECHT Mecano contemp Faculty of Economics and Management
    16-Jul Hilversum Dudok modern Town Hall
    16-Jul Rotterdam Bolles Wilson 2001 New Luxor Theatre
    16-Jul UTRECHT OMA contemp Educatorium
    16-Jul UTRECHT (Uni) Neutelings Riedijk 1997 Minnaert Building
    17-Jul Amsterdam Neutelings-Riedijk 1998 Brazilie
    17-Jul Amsterdam UN Studio/ Van Berkel & Bos,   1997 Piet Hein Tunnel Buildings/Bridge Master's House
    17-Jul Hilversum, Koen van Velsen contemp Commissariaat Voor de Média Building
    17-Jul Utrecht Miralles 2001 Utrecht City Hall
    17-Jul Utrecht (Uni) Egeraat contemp ABC-academic biomedical cluster
    17-Jul AMSTERDAM Holl contemp Sarphatistraat Offices
    17-Jul AMSTERDAM UN Studio contemp Borneo Sporenburg Housing
    17-Jul Amsterdam Egeraat/ van Dongen 2000 The Whale/ Sphinx
    17-Jul Hilversum Duiker modern Zonnestraal Sanatorium
    17-Jul AMSTERDAM Piano contemp New Metropolis Museum
    17-Jul Amsterdam Meyer & Van Schooten 2002 ING Group Headquarters
    17-Jul Amsterdam UN Studio 2003 Living Tomorrow House
    17-Jul AMSTERDAM de Klerk modern Eigen Haard Housing/Zaanstraat Post Office
    17-Jul Utrecht Wiel Arets 2004 UBU - University Library Utrecht
    17-Jul Rotterdam Piano 2000 KPN Telecom Building
    17-Jul Utrecht, The Netherlands NL Architects / Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse, Mark Linnemann 2001 BasketBar
    17-Jul AMSTERDAM Hertzberger modern Montessori School
    17-Jul AMSTERDAM MVRDV contemp Silodam
    18-Jul Amsterdam OMA 1991 Byzantium
    19-Jul AMSTERDAM Duiker modern CINEAC
    19-Jul AMSTERDAM Duiker modern Open-air School
    19-Jul AMSTERDAM Rietveld & Korakowa modern Van Gogh Museum & addition
    19-Jul AMSTERDAM van Eyck modern Amsterdam Orphanage
    19-Jul Amsterdam Berlage modern Stock Exchange
    19-Jul AMSTERDAM Cuypers 19c Rijksmuseum
    19-Jul UTRECHT Egeraat: contemp Vaktechnisches Lyceum 1997
    20-Jul Amsterdam- near Schiphol NIO Architects 2003 bus (blob) station at Spaarne Hospital (Spaarne Ziekenhuis)
    Amersfoort UN Studio 1992 Karbouw Office
    delft UN Studio contemp Waste Disposal Building
    amsterdam UN Studio 2002-2006 Mahler 4 Buidling
    The Hague OMA contmep Souterrain
    Hilversum/ Heide vant'Hoff modern Villa Henny/ House at heide
    Paris Gehry 1994 American Center
    Paris Le Pautre old Hotel Beauvais
    Barcelona Gaudi modern Park Guell
    Rotterdam Neutelings-Riedijk Scheepvaart en Transport College
    Barcelona Calatrava contemp Mont Juic TV Tower
    Netherlands Nio Cylclops Apts
    Paris suburb PERRET mod SM le Raincy
    Marseille Alsop Hotel du Departement
    Paris HdM contemp Housing
    delft UN Studio contemp Waste Disposal Building
    amsterdam UN Studio 2002-2006 Mahler 4 Buidling



     
    • 13 Comments

    • wow - what a trip! talk about architecture overload.
      and that really SUCKS about your Ipod being stolen - really sorry to
      hear that.

      Sep 19, 06 5:01 am  · 
       · 
      Medit

      wow indeed... what an amazing -and exhausting- architectural overdose!
      the Interpol should do something about your iPod, such a graphic document must be found immediately!

      Sep 19, 06 5:06 am  · 
       · 
      Gonzalo Herrero Delicado

      It's incredible, I have lived both in France and Spain and I have not visited so much places in whole my life I lived there, amazing!!!

      Sep 19, 06 5:08 am  · 
       · 

      While the trip was great, I disagree that The Bus was "a fantastic way to travel" - I feel that there's something inauthentic about popping out in front of Chartres Cathedral: one could argue that in order to experience the place properly, you'd need to be a pilgrim. This is extreme, of course, (and impossible) but I really do feel that by travelling by bus, we got a kind of rapid-fire scrapbook architectural tour, which lacked something essential.

      While it may be a cliche to say the essence of travel is in the journey, I think this trip was all about destinations, as evidenced in the list above. It seems to me that any work (be it art or architecture) becomes subjectively more valuable in proportion to the effort of the hunt.

      Then again, maybe I just like being a contrarian, and perhaps the incredible number of great buildings we saw makes up for any perceived lack of context.

      Sep 19, 06 9:27 am  · 
       · 
      jonathanharper

      amazing experience! wowzers!

      hate to ask but i really do have to.. how much?

      Sep 19, 06 10:48 am  · 
       · 
      mpsyp

      $800 program fee + plane ticket + $2000-4000 summer tuition (but this part is waived in full or in half for students with GA appointments, which is about 80% of grad students)... students who do TA work go for free.

      It's actually really cheap. All museum and monument and site admissions are included, as well as hotels and most meals. Not bad, eh?

      Sep 19, 06 12:00 pm  · 
       · 
      mpsyp

      Yes, Evan, you're a contrarian. But that's why we love you. The fact is, what you ask is completely unreasonable and you know it. There is no great lazy susan of architecture, so you have to get out there and see it.

      Any mode of travel will have its pitfalls. Hell, a pilgrimage would be great. We could have walked to every one of those buildings, it would have only taken 5 years. What about trains and planes across Europe? Imagine lugging our luggage in and out of stations and airports, trying to arrange public transportation or taxis to out-of-the-way sites, etc. Not likely. Perhaps we could have had 20 rental cars? Great environmental decision. Killer insurance policy. Really convenient parking at the top of mountain in Cintra. Bicycle? Great in the Netherlands, that's true... but for a 5-country tour is 6 weeks?

      I agree that the schedule could use some pruning. There were some buildings that I loved and wanted more time to experience. But really, is there any way to meaningfully prune the list without sacrificing the breadth of spatial experiences we were offered? Maybe. But I loved having the bus, I'm not afraid to admit it. A lot of people slept on the bus every opportunity they had. That certainly contributes to the sense of placelessness you describe.

      I did my fair share of sleeping but I also paid attention to the where we were going and how we were getting there. I remember a lot about the countryside of each country and I took a lot of pictures (that are now lost, of course). When we were in cities that could sustain an architectural walking tour, we did it, and that was a good antidote to the laziness of the bus. For everything else, the bus rocked.
      Sep 19, 06 12:13 pm  · 
       · 
      mpsyp

      P.S. Keep burnin' that Lamp of Sacrifice... we know how hard you labor! :-)

      Sep 19, 06 12:18 pm  · 
       · 
      AP

      thanks for the retro-blogs, mpsyp. ...


      i'm with you on this, evanchakroff...the bus has its purpose, and from mpsyp's description, this tour is and must be a bus-tour...but...as you suggest, something essential is lacking from this type of fly-by.

      ...although Knowlton is on my not-so-short-list of grad school options, this specific opportunity doesn't add any intrigue for me (nor does it take any away, i suppose)...

      nevertheless, it's quite something to see all of those projects. I'm also very sorry to hear about your i-pod. the pictures can't be replaced....bummer.

      Sep 19, 06 2:15 pm  · 
       · 
      mpsyp

      AP> What can I say, it was an amazing experience, either way. Something is lost by being on a bus, to be sure. My point is that something is lost no matter what. It is a balancing act. Perhaps there was too much on our schedule. It is a valid question. Would I love to live and work in these cities I visited, getting true immersion and appreciation for their urban and architectural spaces? Sure. Would I like to go at a more leisurely pace, spending more time in each locale? Sure. I guess I feel that there's time for that later. I have dual citizenship with the EU and I plan to live there some day not far off.

      We didn't just pop in and pop out of every site we visited. Evan's description of Chartres (and the cathedrals) is one example of fly-by-ism on our trip. But we did actually spend substantial time at certain buildings and in certain cities... there were compromises.

      Sep 19, 06 2:57 pm  · 
       · 
      aml

      wow, very intense... sorry if it's in the post, but i can't find it... how long did the trip take?

      liked your description very much, it gives a good idea of the 'rush/overload with some reflective pauses' of the trip [or at least that's how i understood it]

      Sep 19, 06 3:37 pm  · 
       · 
      Schnurrbart

      These trips have been some of my most valued grad school experiences. No matter how briefly one pauses at or inside a building, the immediacy of the exerience conveys something about scale and context and materiality that can never be had from glossy money shots.

      Sep 19, 06 4:19 pm  · 
       · 
      mpsyp

      Well said, Tadpole.

      aml> 5 weeks + 5 days extra on my own...
      Sep 19, 06 4:56 pm  · 
       · 

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