Photos from a 2019 trip to Algeria, specifically part of a day trip from El Bayadh to Ain Sefra and back, stopping in the Ksar de Boussemghoun (more links here) on the way. The city dates back over a thousand years and played host to religious conferences in the middle ages. The following images are... Continue Reading →
The term 'contextual' can be used in a number of ways to describe a piece of architecture. Material choice, scale, type of program, essentially any shared aspect between two buildings becomes the frame with which they are compared. During a study abroad semester in Barcelona I had to look at a public library designed by... Continue Reading →
In 1930 the French government celebrated the French Algerian Centennial, marking 100 years of colonial occupation. As part of the event, architect Leon Claro designed the Indigenous House of the Centennial based on a standardized version of the courtyard house found in the Casbah of Algiers. This description is from Dr. Zeynep Celik from her... Continue Reading →
A few months ago a video rendering made the rounds on the internet showing what the Sagrada Familia would look like in 2026. Back in 2009 I was fortunate to get a tour of the site. I feel conflicted about the completion of the project. Gaudi's plans are followed like scripture, with interesting decisions and... Continue Reading →
Inspired by yesterday's art deco, here are a few photos of Asheville, North Carolina from a trip I took there in August 2012. One building of interest was Grove Arcade, a public market which opened in 1929 and was renovated in 2002. In the Spring of 2012 I took two very different classes which both touched... Continue Reading →
Yesterday's post about Camp Nou and today's victory in El Clasico made me think back on my semester in Barcelona and the traveling I got to do while there. Here are a few of the highlights from the sketchbook:
Third class travel has certainly improved in a hundred years time. I am seated in the back of the first level of the double decker Airbus, a swollen and oddly proportioned plane with some 600 seats but I would wager less than 400 passengers. Maybe far less. My section seems less than a third full.... Continue Reading →
I didn't get any sleep before my bus up to New York but I sleep incredibly soundly along with most of the other passengers of the full DC to NYC red-eye. It took me a few minutes to remember where I was and where I had to go. The subway trip was long but I... Continue Reading →
I catch a Megabus to New York in a few hours then make my way to JFK for a flight to Dhaka by way of Dubai. The week started with snow delays, had a last minute trip to DC yesterday to pick up my passport and visa, a mid term exam yesterday and a mid... Continue Reading →
Adam Achrati 