As a philosophical architectural and heritage practitioner I am starting this blog to share information regarding events and concerns involving the built environment, but will probably be more partial to its poetic qualities than its quantitative value.
raymond smith, architectural and heritage practitioner
Veldhuis cranked-roof ridging detail (2015)'
'God is in the detail'
by Raymond Smith, February 2022
A well-known axiom, quoted by both Friedrich Nietzsche – a 19th century German philosopher who had a profound influence on modern intellectual history – and the German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the last director of the prestigious Bauhaus School of Art, Design and Architecture in the 1930's and who is regarded as one of the pioneers
"Less is More", the well-known quote by German-American architect Mies van der Rohe, has gained greater importance for reasons not part of his agenda during the modernist project, namely sustainability.
There is something comforting and soothing about the honest use of materials and feeling the texture of wood, glass or metal under your fingers. A sense of surety and truth is perceived when we connect with material.
A well-designed home's position on the stand allows for future additions, enjoys good connectivity with the garden and is constructed of quality materials and finishes that stands the test of time.
What does "sustainable architecture" really mean? How does it translate practically in the build environment today? Raymond Smith explains in his video the different kinds of approaches and how various laws manages the impact of development on rural or natural resources.
Maybe the correlation between a quality environment and a sense of contentment explains why city dwellers choose the Betty's Bay coastline as their terra firma to hibernate in winter and make hay in summer. Kindred spirits are attracted to Betty's Bay where you will find no fences that divides nature and architecture.
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