Adolf Loos (1870-1933) was born in what is now the Czech Republic, but much of his influence was felt in Vienna, Austria. He scandalized the city in 1909 by situating the bare-bones Goldman and Salatsch Building (Looshaus) across the plaza from the ornate Imperial Palace.
Author: Jackie Craven
Falling in Love With Fallingwater
Some people say the rooms are cramped and the built-in furnishings as hard as the stone walls. And doesn’t the sound of all that water make you wanna peeeee? But Frank Lloyd Wright wasn’t thinking of comfort when he designed the famous Fallingwater house in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.
Belgium’s Castles Offer Cozy Comforts
When my editor asked me to check out castles in Belgium, I conjured images of opulent palaces and imposing châteaux. Instead I found something better.
Above: Château de Waleffe, Belgium. Photo Jean-Pol GRANDMONT
Discover the World of Jean Nouvel
Architect Jean Nouvel designs with a painterly eye, working with color, light, and shadow.
Discover the World of Shigeru Ban
Eastern philosophies and a respect for nature inspire Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.
The Tao of Taos
So many stories surround Taos, New Mexico, I felt a bit trembly when Highway 518 emerged from the evergreen Carson National forest and looped down into the remote New Mexico valley. According to legend, people who enter Taos are destined to remain there forever…
Shown Above: Organ Mountains Desert Peaks, New Mexico. Photo by Lisa Phillips, Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces District Rangeland Management via Wikimedia
Experience the EXPERIENCE Music Project
Architect Frank Gehry uses computers to help design and build his famous wavy, shiny, psycho-structures. The EMP in Seattle is a museum of rock-and-roll, but even if you don’t like rock music, you’ll want to see Gehry’s rebellious design for the building.
Learn more > Frank Gehry, Architecture Portfolio of Selected Works
Visit the UN
The tall Secretariat Building overlooking New York’s East River is the centerpiece of the United Nations complex and a symbol of the quest for peace between nations. The smooth glass facade is also a landmark example of the International Style, a mid-twentieth century movement toward simple, geometric design. The architects included Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, and Wallace Harrison.
The United Nations officially came into being October 24, 1945. The Secretariat building was completed in 1952 and renovated in 2012.
Learn about the International Style >> Modernism – Picture Dictionary of Modern Architecture