'Sublime et architecture' by Didier Laroque

I have found this book 'Sublime et architecture recherche pour une esthétique' by Didier Laroque that interests me very much. I will read it as soon as I get my hands on a copy.

Didier Laroque is an architect, writer and is a Doctor of philosophy in urban studies.

The book was published in 2010 and has received a lot of criticism as well as praise, I am eager to find it out for my self.

I would love to go back to studying for the sake of philosophy. Would I ever decide to get a Ph.D.

Hooray that know french.

Bruder Klaus chapel by Peter Zumthor

The local farmers helped with the construction of this very silent place of worship, built for the saint Bruder Klaus on a wide field in Mechernich in Germany. 

The shape of a tower derives from the story of Bruder Klaus first vision as a teenager, worshiping in a tower.

The farmers made the outer walls by pouring 50 cm of concrete around 112 tree trunks every day for 24 days to create different layers, varying in and color and texture. Afterwards, the structure was slowly burnt out, leaving a charcoal black surface impressed with the markings of trees.

They simple calm and the poetic position of this concrete tower on the field as well as the humble approach speaks to me. It is a intriguing example of how a construction method can enrich and be a part of the built. It is something about the processus of the built and the contrast between the sleek yet textured outside to the dark core with an opening to the sky.

I would love to experience snowflakes slowly falling from above in this place.

Giorgio de Chirico

'The anguish of departure'  Giorgio de Chirico, 1913

Ever since I was a kid Giorgio de Chirico's paintings have fascinated me.
The atmosphere of the fateful, the deserted. The ominous skies and long dramatic late-afternoon shadows of strong architectural elements.

It is the dreamlike, enigmatic and deserted that captivates me in the very same way what I am trying to point out that I find in some architecture. The architectural experience stays different as it has a strong physical presence in space.

mys·ter·y

I have been thinking for a while of what to write about next.
That maybe I should try not to go into too existential subjects, to keep it more logical.

It is not easy, because it gets personal and that is often the way I think about things and the subject is connected to feelings and experience.

However, what I have been thinking about is that the sublime in buildings that amaze me has to include some kind of mystery.

I found this definition of mystery at thefreedictionary.com

1. One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma: How he got in is a mystery.

2. One whose identity is unknown and who arouses curiosity: The woman in the photograph is a mystery.

3. A mysterious character or quality: a landscape with mystery and charm.

4. A work of fiction, a drama, or a film dealing with a puzzling crime.

5. The skills, lore, or practices that are peculiar to a particular activity or group and are regarded as the special province of initiates. Often used in the plural: the mysteries of Freemasonry; the mysteries of cooking game.

6. A religious truth that is incomprehensible to reason and knowable only through divine revelation.