Do you know any of the most famous fictional architects?
The first name that comes to mind in our generation is probably Ted Mosby of How I Met Your Mother. We all wish we could have Ted’s life: regular bar nights, a building commission in New York, awesome friends like Barney, Robin, Marshall, and Lily. We have the right to criticize that they usually reflect easy fun parts of our profession, not the.. other parts. But also the all Arcadian storyline was about struggles at architect’s dilemmas and office conflicts. We may never be like Ted, but at least we can try to be legen… wait for it… dary!
The others are Mike Brady from the Brady Bunch, Michael Newman from the movie Click, Tom Hansen from the 500 Days of Summer.
Bonus: George Constanza from Seinfeld has no architectural training, but whenever he wanted to impress someone, he referred to himself as an architect named Art Vandelay.
Did you know? Bauhaus artists held legendary costume parties.
Although the Bauhaus is associated with minimalist design, students and teachers invested an unsuspected amount of energy in creating surreal costumes for parties, as reported by Farkas Molnar in his 1925 essay, “Life at the Bauhaus.” The parties began as improvised events but were later turned into large-scale productions, such as Oskar Schlemmer’s “Triadic Ballet” from 1922.
Did you know? Mondrian’s name is an anagram.
Piet Mondrian has experimented with his name almost as much as his artistic style. Like his forms, Mondrian reduced his name from Pieter Cornelius Mondriaan to Mondrian, distancing himself from his Dutch roots. Although still occasionally referred to as “Mondriaan,” the artist officially dropped the second “a” from his name in 1911, rendering it a very appropriate anagram; “I Paint Modern.”
Did you know? The Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall is always kept at 22.5 degrees Celsius.
The Sydney Opera house is one of the world’s most famous structures, mainly due to its architectural beauty. It’s also one of the world’s most premier performing arts venues, and it defines the Sydney, Australia skyline. And there is a lot to learn about this extensively amusing building, like the temperatures inside of the house have to stay at precisely 22.5 degrees Celsius in order to ensure that the instruments for the orchestra stay perfectly in tune.
Did you know? Casa Batlló is the Pioneer of recycling.
Trencadís, a type decoration with of broken mosaic, is a fundamental element in Gaudí’s work, especially on the façade of Casa Batlló. Created through pieces of broken glass and tile, it was one of the architect’s preferred techniques due to its sustainability and aesthetic value. At the House, it is one of the main decorative elements resulting in the light and color emanating from the façade. Gaudí, a visionary, sought beauty in balance with nature.
Feeling fully-informed? Right?
If you also have some trivia, leave a comment!