highly disputed 51 park: the ground zero mosque by soma architects

renderings of the park51 community center, aka ground zero mosque, as prepared by the architectural design consultants soma architects

who ever knew this is what those “evil-doers” were planning all along? as much as the “playground of the devil”, manhattan, is a non-religious city as a whole, and more than that, a godless city for that matter, i must say that if this center is to be designed properly, as some of the fabulous churches and synagogues in the city that are more than holly, then its a welcome site indeed. ironically i was sent this clip from CNN which is pertinent to this issue, and although we don’t dabble into politics on tomorrow started, this post is as much about urban planning and architecture as the lady gaga is about her music… not to mention that we cant resist but to oppose bigotry and malinformation of any kind and will find a way to do so.

from CNN: a synagogues reborn in beirut lebonan. by xy

Richard Meier: the Rachofsky house-Dallas Texas

“a visit to the rachofsky house unfolds as a kind of procession through a series of zones, taking one from the outdoors to indoors, and then back outdoors again. all of the spaces of the house, works of contemporary art, and vignettes of the surrounding landscape combine to animate the interiors of the house. grass, trees, pond and sky are visible from every angle of the house.

the heart of the house is the second floor living room. secrets of the entire site are revealed through the double-height plane of windows that serve as a permeable membrane between nature and home. whereas the front façade of the house is reserved and opaque, the back façade dissolves and allows constantly changing plays of light and silhouette to amaze people within and outside the house. ultimately, the purpose of the rachofsky house is to provide a place of residence and respite. the potential of the house as a work of architecture is as a catalyst for further contemplation of nature and art, and the science of bringing them together in harmony.” richard meier by dd