Tag Archives: architecture

Amazon Spheres

When Chris and Sam visited, Sam had a list of things she wanted to do. I have to admit that one of those things I had no idea existed until she mentioned it. Having been here eighteen months and also having been through the area involved a couple of times, this was a bit embarrassing. The subject is the Amazon Spheres. Amazon seems to control a lot of territory in Seattle these days but, while most of this is in traditional office space, the Spheres are something different.

They are an environmental space that encompasses a wide range of plant life. It is designed to be used by employees as they have meetings or not to work alone for a while. They can relax in these spaces. At the weekends, though, it is sometimes made available for the public to visit for free. You just have to book a slot. We didn’t know about this when Sam and Chris were here so we only saw them from the outside. However, we did then know a little more and were able to plan a visit when Tom and Lenore came to stay.

The interior of the Spheres is something that you can guess at when you are looking from outside but being inside is totally amazing. The huge diversity of plant types throughout the space is incredible. The engineering of the spheres themselves and of the stairs and walkways within are very cool to someone with that sort of background like me. The ability to sustain the plants and keep them fed and watered is impressive and every turn takes you to something new and interesting. Couple that with some cool workspaces for the staff to use for meetings and you have a unique building complex. I would happily go back there on another occasion just to hang out and relax while possibly photographing more of the plants. I could probably have multiple posts of shots from this place but I shall make do with a combination of architectural shots and some of the plants for now. If you are planning on coming to Seattle, try and time it to coincide with one of the open weekends and give yourself enough time.

Tokyo Station

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I briefly saw Tokyo Station last time I was in Japan. This time I wanted to take a better look. While the station has been significantly redeveloped over the years, the west frontage that looks towards the Imperial Palace has retained the brick structure designed and built over 100 years ago (although some rebuilding was necessary over the years). I think it is an interesting looking building and an interesting contrast with the high-rise developments around it or even the old buildings that can still be found in the city.

I got there in mid-morning and my brain was obviously not firing on all cylinders. The front was in shade with the sun quite high in the sky and I thought for some reason I had left it too late. I ended up taking a bunch of pictures of the building, none of which I was terribly happy with given the shadow on the front and the bright overall conditions. I did shoot some of the details around the hallways and overhangs which were fine.

It was only later when I returned from the Palace grounds that I realized which way the building was facing and that the sun had now come around to the front of the station, not retreated. Consequently, things were a lot more brightly illuminated. Let’s not kid ourselves. Midday sun is not the greatest thing for shooting but, for getting snapshots for the trip, this was a significant improvement. With such a wide and low structure, a panorama was obviously going to be tried!

Abandoned Weyerhaeuser Headquarters

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When we visited the Pacific Bonsai Museum, the parking lot was by a large office building that seemed pretty strange. It was settled in a valley between two ridges with multiple levels with much greenery attached. I was curious about it when we arrived and decided to look further when we came back. It appeared that you could almost see through the building on some levels. When we got closer, it was clear that the building wasn’t in use – at least on the level we were.

When we got home, Nancy did a little more research on it. It used to be the headquarters of the Weyerhaeuser company. It was considered quite a cutting edge place when it was built but the company has moved downtown and I am not sure whether anyone is using it now. It does appear to be maintained and there are security patrols but not much seems to be going on. We debated whether it would be a nice place to work or a bit far from stuff and isolated.

MOPOP Color Intensity

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The building that is MOPOP is both an interesting shape and a mixture of finishes. When the light is right, the red metallic section really pops. I took a piano of the building to show the three different finishes. It is an interesting place.

Flatiron Building for Real

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When I worked in Oakland, I got some images of the building on Broadway and Telegraph that slots into the narrow wedge shaped plot of land. In my post on that building which you can read here, I talked about the Flatiron Building in New York. Finally, on a work visit, I got to see the original (assuming it was built first). It happened to be right next to the place I was meeting a colleague for dinner. Couldn’t resist taking the camera along for that.

Atlanta Marriott Marquis Architecture

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I was in Atlanta on work for a few days and the Marriott Marquis hotel was the center of a lot of the events I was involved with. I had not been to this hotel before and I had no idea what it looked like. Externally, it looks a little different but not particularly interesting. However, the interior is a very different story. For a while when I was first in there, I didn’t realize just how dramatic it is. Then I looked up!

The atrium runs the height of the hotel and the floors gradually taper in towards the top. The curved patterns of the floors look like the ribs of an animal. From the ground looking up, it is amazing. There is an area in the lobby with a small roof so you can be under there and have no idea. Then you step out and have a “wow” moment. From the top floors, looking down is just as incredible. If, like me, you are not partial to heights, it is rather scary. I did have to look though.

The Navy Had Good Architects

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At the bottom end of Lake Union is the Museum of History and Industry. It is located in a building that used to be a Navy facility. I think the Navy had a building spree in a short time as a lot of their building have a similar architectural style. The buildings on Treasure Island in San Francisco that I covered previously here seem to have some similar styles.

The museum looks to have some interesting exhibits but, we were there on a sunny day and enjoying the outside. I shall return to check things out on a more rainy day. Do they have those here?

Portland Station

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I took a trip to Portland for work. Rather than drive, I took the train down. It wasn’t as quick but it was a far more relaxing way to travel. With wifi on the train and no need to pay attention to where we were going, I could get on with things or, occasionally I assure you, stare out of the window at the scenery. A lot of the journey was along the shoreline and it was very pretty. (They are building a more direct route to bypass some of this which will reduce the journey time but probably make it a lot less attractive.)

I arrived at Portland at the Amtrak station. It was a rather striking building. A lot of the older stations are more architecturally individual as they were built at a time when railways were competing for business. This one made me think of a European style. For some reason, it made me think of Germany. I can’t quite pin down why but there was something Germanic about the design.

I arrived in good weather but didn’t have time to get a shot. The following morning things were rather murky but, when I came back for my trip home, the skies had cleared and I grabbed a few shots. I rather like the message on the tower. Pretty clear what they are driving at!

Oakland Architecture

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This is a piece that will probably lead to me having another go at something. In this case, these pictures were all taken with my phone. It was an opportunistic thing but I shall make the effort to go back with some more camera options at some point before too long. Oakland is one of those cities that has been around for quite a while so it has some interesting architecture mixed in amongst the more boring city center buildings. A short walk from the office at lunchtime takes you passed a few of them.

There is a great art deco feel about some of the buildings. The intricacy of the carvings and the colors of the stone make for some great looking places. Also, a couple of the theaters are really old school and they just look great. Very close to the office is a split where Broadway and Telegraph go their separate ways. The difference in angle is not substantial and you can be a few blocks further up and they really haven’t diverged much. Consequently, Oakland has its own version of the building fitting in to a tiny plot. New York may be famous for this but I think Oakland’s version is even more extreme. See what you think. Now to come back with more time and better lens options…

Oak Park

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Just west of downtown Chicago is an area called Oak Park. This is a pleasant enough suburb but it is a popular place if you are a fan of architecture. My sister was recently visiting and she is a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright. He was responsible for a lot of buildings in the Oak Park area and had a house there himself which is now a museum to his work. Since she was in town, a trip out to take a look at the buildings seemed worthwhile.

There are a great variety of interesting houses in Oak Park with only some of them being Lloyd Wright creations. Some are obviously copying his prairie style and others are just funky in their own right. A stroll around certainly shows off some great houses. You will not be alone if you take this trip. There are plenty of visitors wandering around looking at the houses, most of whom have stopped off at the visitor center and rented the audio tour. I felt quite unusual to not have headphones on as I walked around!

The weather was quite friendly the day we were there. Some of the houses are painted colorfully so a sunny day really brings out the different hues. Making the trip either earlier in the day or later would certainly make the light a little less harsh but this wasn’t a photo tour for me but a trip for my sister. Getting some pictures as we went along was just a side benefit. I should probably try and plan another visit to suit photo taking but we shall see whether that ever squeezes its way into the schedule.