"Entrance": Collage, digital photo.

Want music?

Click: Jacob Collier, Here Comes the Sun.

2GN2S

A Chinese Village’s Breezy New Library Uses Traditional Construction Techniques for Social Impact

Photographs by Sai Zhao

Modeled after a traditional Dong timber house, a new local library designed by Chinese architecture firm Condition_Lab highlights the region’s architectural heritage through elegant, contemporary details. Pingtan Book House is located in the village of Pingtan, Tongdao Province, Hunan, and nestles into the courtyard of a primary school that serves 400 children. The studio saw an opportunity to complement the school—a 20-year old blocky, concrete construction—with an addition that was more empathetic to its cultural and natural surroundings.

Condition_Lab conceived of the idea for a pitched, tiled roof and mortise-and-tenon construction from the local vernacular, drawing attention to the region’s disappearing historic construction. “Entire villages built over centuries from a single sustainable material, indigenous China Fir, are rapidly losing their identity,” the studio explains in a statement. “Dong’s cultural DNA is being challenged by contemporary living and the quest to modernize.”

Connection and interaction within the space and with one another is an important facet of Condition_Lab’s ethos. “Social impact does not require large amounts of financial investment, design is not limited to high-end projects, and architecture must have a purpose,” the studio says. To make the interior space inviting for children to explore, sit, and read, the designers devised a unique plan: instead of rooms and doors, the layout consists of two staircases that wrap around one another in a double helix. Landings between staircases provide wall space for books and top-to-bottom windows that peer out into the surrounding landscape. The steps provide seating for the children, with views up and down the three-story structure through airy balustrades.

Condition_Lab focuses on purposeful design as a vehicle to make change, and you can explore more of the studio’s work on its websiteand Instagram.

Another Family Birthday...

"Uncle Skete": old photo, digital collage.

When I think of Uncle Skete, I smile. I really do.

His real name was Russel, but I called him Uncle Skete? He was third born in a family of 10 children. He began farming as a very young boy.

"Uncle Skete, old photo

His Dad gave him young horses to break and
use as his own. He drove a horse/buggy 7 miles
to Lebanon High School each day.

not sure?, Uncle Owen, Uncle Jerry, Uncle Skete, Uncle Pete & Grandpa

5 years older than Aunt Fern, my Mom's eldest sister, he was out of high school before Aunt Fern started

Uncle Skete, Aunt Fern, Aunt Pauline, Uncle Owen, Aunt Martha, Uncle Jerry & Grandpa

Uncle Skete and Aunt Fern were sweethearts

for many years before marrying in 1925.

Wedding day, 1925

Aunt Fern finished her first year of teaching

and they were married the next day.

She went on to be a Principal and poet.

They had one daughter, my cousin, Katha.

There were married over 50 years.

Personally, when I think of Uncle Skete,

I can hear his laugh as I picture him in his chair ...

after a long day working his farm.

3 year young WW with Uncle Skete on the farm, 1977

Special memories of a wonderful man.

Today is his birthday.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Skete!

A 2 minute video, Made with Love, here

Just because ...

Great Curassow

Sunday's Smiles ...

"Things to Consider": junk collage & watercolor.

Want music?

Click: Luther Vandross, Dance with My Father

2GN2S

Sandwiched Between Two Buildings, “The Chapel” Fills a Tiny Urban Gap in Bucharest

Wedged between two fairly conventional residential buildings in Bucharest is an unexpected gem of a cafe. “The Chapel,” a single-story, contemporary structure with a steep triangle roof line and sleek fixtures, is extremely narrow—a characteristic it celebrates through proportion, materials, and a lot of windows.

Designed by Ștefan Păvăluță, founder and principal architect of Romanian studio Vinklu, the unique building is home to a local coffee shop called Boiler. “The Chapel” has enough room for a barista and a few customers, while benches outside provide a little bit of seating.

A large, mature tree along the street was instrumental in designing for context. To achieve harmony in the small space, Păvăluță emphasized streamlined materials and height with timber finishes for a sense of airiness, bringing the outside in through large panes of glass and highlighting the serene setting beneath the tree.

In its function as a coffee shop, “The Chapel” is a place for people to connect. “It is a bold statement about urban ingenuity, the beauty of the intimate, and the transformative capacity of design to unlock the hidden potential of our cities,” says a statement. The studio’s website. (via Dezeen)