(via brain pickings)
Build a Gingerbread Brownstone
Here is a long back story inspired by the link:
One of my most memorable moments in architecture school was getting some hipster lady as a studio coordinator in my first year. It was before I had heard of the term 'hipster', but I think the gal had it all; affection for indie art films, wears vintage dresses, probably listens to bands I've never heard of, makes up huge long words in her speech, makes art sculptures with her artist friend who comes in the studio every now and then...
We didn't call her hipster back then, but she was the woman we hated. Hated, because we didn't learn anything to do with architecture in her studio, and possibly other things like her pretentiousness. There were lots of A3 exercises in pencil we had to do, some sounding as banal as 'draw a section of a pork dumpling'. There was also the project which required us to design a multi-purpose building with the program of a karaoke bar with a blood bank. I almost tried to implement a program where the blood donors could listen to the karaoke singers, and the donors had the ability to decide which of the singers was a bad singer. If the singers were crap as voted by the donors they were ejected into a pit of fake blood (since the real thing would be too precious to waste). But that idea was probably borne from my frustration in trying to understand what the fuck I was doing in studio.
Anyway, I was sick from youth camp as always so missed the first few weeks of studio, but got my friend to fill in on what was going on. Apparently for the first project they were making gingerbread houses. I didn't know whether to be horrified or excited. When I eventually was well enough to make it to studio, groups were presenting their already made gingerbread sculptures. One was a gigantic huge one of the Stockholm Public Library by Gunnar Asplund (pictured). It was so big, it couldn't fit into the studio and had to be left outside. Miss Hipster got the group to explain the design concept and their opinion of the Stockholm Public Library. She was looking around the gingerbread, and told the group that it was certainly too big. Then one of the girls anxiously explained that according to what she read, the building had a very warm quality to it. Miss Hipster however, coldly dismissed her comments. On what basis does the Stockholm Public Library have a warm quality? She then asked the class on their opinion, and that was when I knew, Miss Hipster was a lady to be feared, if you didn't agree with her.
Since then, any mention of gingerbread houses among us belonging to Miss Hipster's studio is met with exasperated sighs, or laughter. As a disclaimer (not saying this as if Miss Hipster accidentally finds this incriminating testimonial about her. If this is you, I apologise) I don't think the studio was as awful as people made it to be, and I made good friends in that studio, and actually learned a bit or two about design that I wouldn't care to admit if in the company of said friends.
This pastry chef girl didn't have to go through all of that mess I almost went through, save my sickness, to go build a lovely gingerbread house that would have kicked all the asses of people who attempted to design a gingerbread house in my studio. She even has a detailed description of how to build architecturally accurate gingerbread houses! If only she wrote it up a few years ago, it could have been a lot of help. Makes me want to make gingerbread architecture
Also, the renovation of the Stockholm Public Library is sweet.
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