“To see the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine finally open is emblematic of Lower Manhattan’s storied future and defining past,” says Santiago Calatrava, the architect who designed the structure. “I hope to see this structure serve its purpose as a sanctuary for worship but also as a place for reflection on what the city endured and how it is moving forward.”

Calatrava and his eponymous firm also designed and rebuilt the WTC’s “Oculus” transportation hub, which opened in 2016. The station’s arched wings “symbolize a dove released from a child’s hand,” or a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The Saint Nicholas church design is similarly intended to evoke the ideas of strength, resilience, and light, according to Calatrava. “Architecture can have an intrinsic symbolic value, which is not written or expressed in a specific way but in an abstract and synthetic manner, sending a message and thus leaving a lasting legacy,” he notes.

Taking architectural cues from another well-known Greek house of God, the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the new church features four stone towers that support and surround a large inner dome. Calatrava also chose to sheath the towers in Pentelic marble, the same material that makes up the Parthenon in Athens.

The ridged dome is constructed from thin stone and laminated glass panels. Thanks to the lighting inside the church and behind the stone, “the entire church appear[s] to glow from within, invoking the feeling of being a beacon of hope amid the night.”

The interior includes more Byzantine-influenced design, with 40 windows and structural ribs and a glass painting of Christ in the center of the dome’s ceiling. In between the ribs is iconography of 20 prophets in traditional Byzantine colors.

In addition to the worship spaces, the church also has two “community” rooms on the second and third floors, areas that are open to the public for meetings and other activities. Calatrava feels “these spaces are a significant component of the building’s program as they accentuate the church’s open and welcoming relationship with the greater World Trade Center Memorial site, as well as the community of Lower Manhattan.”

The church leaders are grateful to have their physical structure restored, but they’re even more excited for what its return symbolizes. “This Shrine will be a place for everyone who comes to the Sacred Ground at the World Trade Center, a place for them to imagine and envision a world where mercy is inevitable, reconciliation is desirable, and forgiveness is possible,” said His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in a statement. “The National Shrine…will stand as witness not only to the vitality of Holy Orthodoxy, but for America’s commitment to religious freedom. The Shrine will be a defiant symbol of opposition to the forces or intolerance around the globe.”

The post 20 Years After 9/11, the World Trade Center’s Only Church is Reborn first appeared on Dornob.

As part of the £9 billion (roughly $11 billion USD) Battersea Power Station revitalization project, Gehry’s Prospect Place building is the first residential structure the Canadian-American architect has ever created in the UK.

“I love London. It has culture, history, and diversity and the buildings we have created at Battersea Power Station are designed to stand artfully on their own amongst all of that, whilst also framing an internationally recognized icon,” said the 93-year-old starchitect. “It is important we create social places for future generations, and our goal from the start has been to create a neighborhood that connects into the historic fabric of the city of London but also has its own identity and integrity.”

Located south of the power station — which gained worldwide notoriety in 1977 when it appeared on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals album — the complex comprises 308 homes, including a variety of studios, multi-bedroom apartments, townhouses, and penthouses. The open plan units start around £510,000 ($635,000 USD).

The exterior’s white-washed curves and ripples were inspired by the traditional bay window, but their peculiar angles were intentionally designed to allow as many residents as possible views of the adjacent historic power station. Those random-looking twists also ensure that no two homes are identical here, though all of them do have access to either a winter garden or terrace.

Inside, residents have a choice of two color palettes: the “London” or the “LA.” While the London is characterized by metal finishings as a nod to the area’s industrial past, the LA embraces natural wood and light colors for a more relaxed vibe.

Because the entire project was intended to foster community and interaction, the residents of Prospect Place are also allowed access to the neighboring Battersea Roof Gardens, designed by Foster + Partners. The building itself boasts an enormous private Sky Lounge, gym, lounge area, workspaces, sunset bar, and theater room. They also have use of the exquisite rooftop gardens conceived by James Corner and LDA Design.

The 42-acre former industrial site also includes a children’s playground, restaurants, retail spaces, and will soon have a unique tourist attraction called the Battersea Power Station Chimney Lift. Visitors can venture into a glass elevator inside one of the station’s obsolete chimneys for a 328-foot ride up to the top, where they can enjoy 360-degree views of London.

The power station developers had high praise for Gehry’s Prospect Place construction. “Frank Gehry and his team have gone above and beyond in the delivery of world-class buildings at Prospect Place,” said Chief Executive Officer at Battersea Power Station Development Company, Simon Murphy. “It’s an honor that Frank’s first UK residential project is at Battersea Power Station, and its completion marks an important milestone in the development.”

Even though this is his first residential design in the UK, Gehry’s work is well known around the world. He founded his eponymous architect studio in California in 1962 and quickly became famous for his avant-garde style, designing Spain’s Guggenheim Museum, Prague’s Dancing House, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. His firm is currently working on the projects like Facebook Campus in Menlo Park and a new Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.

The post UK Gets First Frank Gehry Residential Design at Battersea Power Station first appeared on Dornob.

Located on the border of Cypress Park and Glassell Park just north of downtown Los Angeles, the historic former rail yard was identified as an ideal opportunity for both river restoration and new public green space. It’s the largest undeveloped parcel on the river and also happens to be a strategic location where the riverbank could be naturalized, even with the rest of the concrete channel remaining as it is today. The parcel is part of the larger 250-acre Taylor Yard, currently owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

Mayor Eric Garcetti oversaw the purchase of the property for $60 million after the project was unanimously approved by the Los Angeles City Council. Plans for the parcel include one mile of direct riverfront access with views of the Griffith Observatory, downtown, and the iconic Hollywood sign. It will also unite the surrounding Rio de Los Angeles State Park and the state-owned G1 parcel, forming 100 acres of open space along the LA River.

“We’ve always considered G2 to be the crown jewel in our vision to revitalize the L.A. River, and that’s why I have been committed to fighting for the resources to finally return this land to the people of Los Angeles and the wildlife that call it home,” Mayor Garcetti said in a press release. “We got it done, and now this vast site can transform how Angelenos connect with the natural world — because it will allow for habitat restoration, and open more than a mile of direct access to the river for local communities that have been cut off from it for too long.”

The massive cost increase of the Taylor Yard G2 River Project mostly comes down to a single word: contamination. An updated study by the Bureau of Engineering found that cleaning and removing contaminated soil will cost about $231 million alone, in addition to the cost of the parcel itself, the infrastructure, and the expected operating costs of at least $6 million per year. The city will have to work with California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control to remediate the site. The good news for locals looking forward to the park’s completion is that it’s almost certainly still moving forward, despite the price tag.

Last month, a major milestone in the plan was achieved as the Taylor Yard Pedestrian Bridge was completed. Designed by SPF:architects, the bright orange bridge connects an area north of Dodger Stadium known as Elysian Valley to the neighboring Cypress Park district. It features a 400-foot box-trussed span referencing the area’s industrial heritage. Two cantilevered central viewing platforms form a “handshake” meant to symbolize peace between two neighborhoods once known for public fights and gang violence.

The post The Cost of LA’s “Crown Jewel” River Park Skyrockets to $1 Billion first appeared on Dornob.

Designer and collector Lisa Perry takes up that mantle with her restoration of the iconic Scull House in the Hamptons. Originally designed by architect and urban planner Paul Lester Wiener, the Scull House was designed in the early 1960s for Pop Art collectors Ethel and Robert Scull. It’s a modernist’s dream dominated by sharp lines, stark aesthetics, and plenty of glass — a Wiener signature seen in many of his glass pavilions of the era (many of which were also built in the Hamptons).

Wiener himself had a strong connection to the Hamptons, summering there often before his death in 1967. It’s this history that inspired Perry to take the plunge after seeing the home on Instagram, along with with the fact that “it made me feel like I was home,” as she explained in a recent interview with New York Magazine.

The home was in need of serious restoration, but Perry was definitely up for the challenge. “The qualities of the design, the provenance, and [the house’s] history” made it a worthy endeavor for the creative designer, who ultimately decided to keep much of the original structure intact while still incorporating her own updates for a hybrid of past and present that honors the original while creating a livable space for the future.

This is especially true of the home’s former laundry area and storage room, which Perry has converted into a gallery and artist-in-residency space for women creatives. Dubbed Onna House, the space is yet another way to connect the house to its past as a midcentury haven for Hamptons artists and creatives. Though the Hamptons art scene was a boys-only club in the 1950s and 1960s, Perry’s space is devoted exclusively to celebrating the work of women — women whose voices would not have been heard in the Scull House and Hamptons of the past.

With her creative reimagining of the former Scull House in the Hamptons, designer and collector Lisa Perry has found a way to revitalize an important cultural space almost lost to the pages of history. By forging a connection to the past, she’s also found a way to build a better future by providing a space for women artists to flourish within a former modernist masterpiece that’s been given new life.

The post Lisa Perry Reimagines an Artistic Past With Hamptons Scull House Restoration first appeared on Dornob.

Situated along a narrow street in the coastal town of Arenys de Mar, this three-story house has faced some significant challenges over the years. For starters, it had been forgotten by the municipal planning in the latest update, standing as a ghost of a former city plan. Then the owner’s tenant had to abandon the space to move to a nursing home, leaving it totally vacant for over a year. To top it off, leaks in the roof allowed water to filter through the three stories during this time until it all but destroyed the first floor’s wooden structure.

When the architects of Barcelona-based Twobo studio took on the refurbishment of the five-by-five meter home, they actually let these damages guide their design process.

“The water paved the way for us,” the team explains. “Sunlight filtered through the hole left by the collapse of the structure. Could it be that the solution for this small house was precisely to ‘lose’ more meters?”

The tall, skinny dwelling shares walls on three sides with other buildings, with the front facade opening onto a street less than 10 feet wide with almost no sidewalk. Adding a skylight on the third floor and expanding each stairwell allowed in more light, helping the roughly 256 square feet of each floor feel bigger than it really is. The ground floor also got boost of sunlight when the Twobo architects punched out a larger hole in the facade, lining the entire entry with oversize windows and creating a threshold that “transforms the street into part of the house.”

Next came the addition of other permanent features. A compact kitchen was installed on the lower level, with room for cooking essentials and a table with a room-wide tiled-bench that forms a banquette. The existing ceiling beams were left exposed in here to show off all their aged and well-worn glory. Patches of a former blue paint also retain their spot of honor on the ceiling as a nod to the home’s long history.

A sink was added on the second floor and the water closet was cleverly hidden in what looks like a large set of cupboards. The rest of the space on that level houses a full-size bed near a window overlooking the street. Above that, the third floor is reserved for storage, with two oversize wardrobes hung on the wall over the stairwell. The entire home was painted white, with the light, natural wood and tawny floor tiles providing accent color for a fresh and minimalist vibe.

The Twobo architecture studio was formed over a decade ago in Spain by family members Pablo and Alberto Twose and María Pancorbo. Their work has covered technical architecture, interior design services, and landscaping, as well as furniture and fixture design. Their ultimate goal is to find the “apparent simplicity” in each creative project.

The post “History of Abandonment” Guides the Restoration of This 5×5 Barcelona Home first appeared on Dornob.

That’s what Cavejastudio and Denara have pulled off with the restoration and renovation of a historic apartment in Cesena, Emilia Romagna, Italy. The home measures a modest 1400 square feet (about 130 square meters), but feels almost palatial in scale thanks to visual tricks cooked up by the designers. Take cues from what they’ve done here, and you might be able to do the same with a much tinier space.

The designers wanted to preserve the historical elements of the flat, which is named “Lelefante.” They maintained the original envelope with its cross-shaped wall system and 12-foot ceilings, but in addition to adding a loft (one of our favorite space-saving design tricks), they also brought in a plethora of mirrored surfaces that manipulate the viewer’s sense of where rooms start and end, “an attempt in the wake of the best Baroque tradition to capture the infinite,” as Cavejastudio explains.

The star of the show is a “technical piece of furniture,” a new built-in element that contains a walk-in closet and pantry and provides the basis for the loft. This element is “covered with mirrored panels interspersed with regular joints that dematerialize their presence, making it light and mysterious, but at the same time capable of reflecting light in the space less naturally illuminated by the sun throughout the floor.”

Even in photos, the effect is remarkable. Despite taking some of the living room area away to create the new closet and pantry, the space feels enormous, visually expanded by the mirrored panels. The room’s most beautiful elements like the gorgeous hand-painted doors are thus multiplied. You almost can’t tell which ones are the real doors and which ones are an illusion.

The black frames of the mirrors in the living room are visually repeated in the glass wall separating the bathroom from the bedroom. In the kitchen, frameless cabinetry painted a muted gold achieves a similar minimalist and graphic effect that contrasts beautifully with the soft ornamentation of the original tray ceilings.

“Both in the living room and in the respective bedrooms, it is the furniture itself that becomes the spatial regulating devices; in particular, the position of the kitchen block on the platform emphasizes the entrance-living room axis typical of the noble floors, while the wardrobe for the daughters’ bedroom is modeled on the ceiling beams, becoming a divider of the intimate space,” the designers say.

“The chrome plating of the furnishings follows a palette derived from the colors of the existing frescoes, in order to establish a dialogue with them; [this] relationship is taken from the spotlight lighting system which, by illuminating from the bottom upwards, emphasizes and enhances its presence.”

The post Mirrors and Spatial Illusions Make a Historic Italian Apartment Look Bigger Than It Really Is first appeared on Dornob.

Petr Janda of Brainwork Studio is the principal architect of the three-phase project, which starts with the renovation of 20 vaults set into the Rašín and Hořejší embankments in the area known as Náplavka. These hollowed-out spaces are referred to by the Czech government as “dungeons,” and in the past likely served as storage spaces for ice and goods arriving and departing in ships along the river. Now, they’ve been converted into shops, galleries, cafés, workshops, and public restroom facilities with curving walls and ceilings made of sandblasted concrete.

Six of the vaults have the stunning 5.5-meter (18-foot) pivoting windows in place of doors, which open at an offset angle and allow customers to step within their plastered minimalist interiors. Stepped stone details at the base of each arched doorway disguise elements like air conditioning ducts and flood prevention features. The rest of the vaults on the Hořejší embankment boast sculptural blackened steel doors. Each one has a multipurpose freestanding furniture unit that can function as a reception desk or bar counter, and the individual businesses occupying them are free to customize them as they like. At night, when the glass-fronted vaults are aglow, they draw in curious passersby who come to the area for farmers’ markets, exhibitions, concerts, and theater performances.

The next two phases of the restoration project, also spearheaded by Brainwork Studio, will include a floating pool (echoing the historical placement of swimming pools along the Vltava embankment) and a terminal for cruise ships. The floating pool facility is supported by a structural system of steel ribs, and the deck “appears boundless, thanks to its infinite water surface,” with a variety of depths suitable for different users and types of swimming. Floating restroom facilities that visually complement the pool will also be included in the design, accessible directly from the riverbank promenade.

The terminal will function as an amphibious intersection between the bank and the river, its appearance drawing from the visual character and traditional shapes of shipbuilding.

“Its predominant feature is the balance between the (in)visibility of the terminal and its strong architectural design derived from the nautical morphology, as well as the visual mimicry connecting the terminal with its native environment,” says Janda. “Thanks to the optical effect created by the deck edges tapering into cutting edges, it dematerializes more on both sides, which is emphasized by the reflection of the water and sky on both surfaces of the terminal wings. The basic shape is based on the spatial rotation of three propeller blades, which was further shaped with regard to the functional arrangement of the building.”

The post Prague’s Vltava River Vaults Feature Giant Pivoting Hobbit Doors first appeared on Dornob.

Now, Anderson has brought those same sensibilities to a real-world environment, a 1950s-era Cygnus carriage that’s one of eleven aboard the Belmond British Pullman train that operates from London’s Victoria Station. This train, initially made famous by Agatha Christie in her 1934 book Murder on the Orient Express and the subsequent 1972 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave, is made up of Pullman coaches dating from the 1920s to the 1950s. Anderson was given free rein to transform the Cygnus carriage into his personal ideal, no doubt a treat for someone who’s so clearly enamored with old trains.

In fact, as Anderson exclaimed in a press release, “I love trains! I have often had the chance to invent train compartments and carriages in my movies – so I was immediately pleased to say ‘yes’ to this real-life opportunity, and very eager to make something new while also participating in the process of preservation which accompanies all the classic Belmond train projects.”

The carriage was already practically begging for Anderson’s touch, given that it’s named for the Greek god of balance, often signified by a swan. Anderson’s design incorporates angularity, symmetry, and intricate motifs to the Cygnus, including a pastel pink ceiling, a complement of jewel-like green tones, and ornate marquetry work like wood panels featuring sunbeams, clouds, stars, and waves. Little swans can also be found throughout the carriage in reference to its name.

“Guests can ride in Cygnus on any journey on the British Pullman, a unique travel experience that rumbles across the rails all over England,” reads the Belmond website. “Whether a murder mystery lunch through the Kent countryside or a sparkling dinner hosted by an up-and-coming guest chef, a ticket in Cygnus means you can experience the Golden Age of Travel while appreciating the beauty of modern design. With two private four-seat coupes or seats in the open carriage, the choice is yours.”

If you’re hoping to book a ride on the Belmond yourself, expect rates for an open table to start at $545 per person. Or, you can book one of two private coupes with seating for four guests, who’ll also enjoy unlimited champagne at a price of $2,455. You can even book the entire carriage for a private event hosting up to 26 guests (price upon request).

Occupying a space designed by Wes Anderson himself is certainly a rare experience, but you can also visit places that were explicitly inspired by his aesthetic, but designed by other people. The Budapest Cafe by Melbourne-based firm Biasol is one of those places, itself an eatery located in Chengdu, China that aims to capture Anderson’s visual flair. And if you dream of making over your own interiors in Wes Anderson style, we have some fun tips to try out.

The post Wes Anderson’s Restored 1950s Train Carriage Looks Like a Scene Straight Out of His Films first appeared on Dornob.

Hundreds of decorative drinking fountains – or “pyaus,” as they’re called in Hindi – were erected in the middle of markets and along tram routes by wealthy Indian philanthropists during the British colonial era. Many of these were donated to their surrounding communities as gifts and often constructed as tributes to the patron’s family members.

At the time the fountains were built, water would flow freely and continuously from the city’s underground pipes. However, Mumbai’s 20th-century population explosion taxed the available water supply so much that by the 1960s, fountain use was restricted to just a few hours a day. The inconsistency and lack of upgrades even caused some of them to dry up completely.

As indoor plumbing started to become standard for middle and upper-class residents, public reservoirs were further strained. Bottled water also gained popularity as a drinking option. Subsequently, most of the pyaus have been forgotten and fallen into disrepair.

As access to water remains a constant problem for Indian’s poorer residents, city officials and activists are currently leading an effort to restore the public fountains. Back in 2008, BMC, Mumbai’s municipal corporation, commissioned architecture firm Vaastu Vidhaan, led by architect Rahul Chemburkar, to restore two pyaus, including the Keshavji Nayak fountain, named in honor of its original sponsor from the 1870s. It’s a grand edifice to be sure, towering over the market square with its 30-foot columns and ornately carved canopy. The base is adorned with statues of sacred Hindu bulls, which point visitors up to stone pots containing the life-giving liquid (which today comes from a municipal connection installed in 2015).

“It’s like a cultural oasis,” Chemburkar told NPR in an interview, estimating that about 50 people an hour come to the fountains for a drink. And most importantly, the water is available to anyone, no matter their religion or caste.

“In wide contrast, all over the country you see a lot of discrimination over the ownership of water,” he adds, pointing out examples of minority Muslims and Dalits being physically attacked for trying to drink from public wells. He says these pyaus come with an implicit understanding, though, that they are open to all.

Greater access is needed more now than ever, with the pandemic intensifying water inequalities among Mumbai’s 18.4 million residents. A November 2020 study from the NGO Committee for the Right to Water found that the city’s poorest residents were spending more on the essential liquid than they were before COVID hit, as their normal sources (places like schools and workplaces) were locked down. Today, many of those low-income inhabitants are forced to pool their money just to pay for water from private tanker-trucks.

“Even as public service announcements were issued reminding people to wash their hands regularly with soap, at least 2 million people in Mumbai wondered how to follow such recommendations without regular, adequate, and affordable water access,” the study adds.

Even though Mumbai has installed many water ATMs at railway stations as a means of making it more affordable, they still charge a fee. That’s why one of the study’s biggest recommendations was to build more pyaus, even if they are less ornate, to provide totally free H2O.

The BMC has also identified 30 existing pyaus to be restored over the next few years as part of a sweeping public works project. “[The decorative elements] give a lot of dignity to the simple act of drinking water,” says Chemburkar. “Today we … miss aesthetics in public architecture.”

The post Mumbai’s Historical Fountains Get a Revamp, Giving Indians More Access to Free Water first appeared on Dornob.

Today, the castle also known as “La Tossa” has reclaimed its position as the “salta de la donzella,” or the “maiden’s leap,” the highest point in the vicinity. Architect Meritxell Inaraja stabilized the ruins and transformed them into a lookout providing the public with the same views once enjoyed only by royalty and nobles. Given the castle’s historic and cultural value, Inaraja took a delicate approach, preserving the experience of the original medieval architecture while also making it safe to climb.

Before starting on the renovation, Inaraja carried out a historical study that revealed the existence of a slab roof on the structure’s first floor. Based on the layout of similar buildings from the same time period, she determined that the original staircase ran along the now-collapsed western wall. The interior was divided into two floors and a basement, with the entrance on the eastern facade, which is itself about 33 feet tall (10 meters). It’s no wonder this building was used as a fortress, given that the walls are six feet thick.

“The restoration proposal is based on these historical findings and the available information about the tower’s original construction,” Inaraja says. “The project proposes reinforcement of the existing walls and the construction of specific elements referencing historical details, which will allow us to climb to the highest part of the tower, offering a view of the region and the other frontier castles.”

With its original roof missing, the upper levels are now open air, turning the ruins into a sort of pavilion. Instead of enclosing the building, Inaraja maintained this openness, inserting a new floor and a staircase with several viewing platforms that go all the way up to the highest point of the remaining walls. Visitors can gaze out the original arched windows, taking in the landscape from all sides.

Inaraja adds that “the level corresponding to the original roof is reached by the stairs that consist of the west wall and recovers the idea of a possible original staircase located within the thickness of the walls, as is typical of many towers of this time. The sloping shape of the staircase also makes it possible to respect the unfinished appearance and the memory of the ruins. The same idea of uniting function and historical explanation is used in the construction of a small section of slab corresponding to the original level of the main floor of the tower as a balcony-viewpoint from the opening of the north sector, possibly the original access to the tower from the outside.”

With smooth modern materials that match the color and texture of the original irregular stone, Inaraja’s additions complement the original structure without trying to update it or achieve a faux-historical effect that matches. The result pays respect to the Castello’s historical importance and restores it as a functional landmark, drawing tourists from all over to the area.

The post Crumbling Italian Castle Transformed Into a Modern Lookout Tower first appeared on Dornob.

Set in a country scene above a bank in Palencia, Spain, the peasant woman’s face has been disfigured into an absurdly freakish lump. Eyes in a farcically-high position are marked by two indentations, a protruding knob makes up the nose, and the lips, once pleasantly pursed, now open into a pucker.

The spoiled 1923 statue was brought to light by a Facebook post by local artist Antonio Guzmán Capel, who said it “looks like a cartoon character.” He says that after the original head fell off the statue, someone made this “masterpiece.” Whoever commissioned the restoration should be ashamed, he adds.

Guzmán Capel says the maimed face has actually overlooked the city for more than a decade, but no one seemed to notice it. Even though he lives near the office building, the resident only recently became aware of the peculiarity himself when a florist on his street mentioned it.

The newly-observed facade has drawn Twitter criticism from the Madrid-based ACRE, an organization of professional restorers and conservators, tweeting that “this is no restoration” and emphasizing that this was not a professional intervention.

Back in July, ACRE’s vice president Maria Borjas told Spanish news outlet Europa Press that these types of mutilating renewals happen all too often. “They are unfortunately much more frequent than you think,” she said. “Spain’s cultural heritage is in a fairly vulnerable situation.”

“We only know the cases that society denounces through press or social networks, but there are many situations where the works are intervened by people who are not trained,” Borjas continued. “The works suffer from such non-professional interventions and may cause irreversible change.”

One of the most infamous botched Spanish reclamation experiments was the 2012 repainting of Elías García Martínez’s Ecce Homo fresco in the town of Borja. Dating back to 1930, the image of Jesus in a crown of thorns had started to seriously deteriorate, prompting Cecilia Gomez, an 81-year-old parishioner, to attempt a repair. Her unfortunate mangling of the art has made it world-famous as the “Monkey Christ,” so unbelievably dreadful that the image is now sold on t-shirts and mugs, an even as a cross stitch on Etsy.

In 2018, a local handicraft teacher similarly endeavored to revitalize a 500-year-old sculpture of St. George housed at St. Michael’s Church in northern Spain, turning him into a “toy soldier” rather than a legendary dragon slayer. Thankfully, after the city’s $34,000 culture department project to “un-restore” the art, it has regained most of its earlier look.

Earlier this year, a private Valencia-based art collector allowed a furniture restorer to clean up a copy of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s 17th-century The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial. Displeased with the outcome, the owner insisted it be fixed. As a result, the Virgin Mary’s face is now unrecognizable from the original.

After so many instances of irrevocable art damage, ACRE’s Maria Borjas hopes that regulation regarding who can perform “cultural assets” rehabilitations will make it onto the Spanish government’s agenda soon. The one law currently on the books “does not specifically require or recommend that interventions be carried out by professionals trained in conservation-restoration. This lack of legislation leads to disastrous interventions… especially when it comes to Romanesque carvings or high-value Renaissance images.”

The post From Pleasant Peasant to Potato Head: Another Bungled Spanish Art Restoration first appeared on Dornob.

If you love all things vintage, chances are high you’ve dreamed of restoring the old appliances you’ve spotted at yard sales and antique stores before. But if you aren’t particularly handy, getting (and keeping) these items in working condition might seem beyond your skillset. The good news is that the older an appliance is, the easier it probably is to repair. On top of that, many of them might already be ready to plug in and use, even if you do need to give them a good cleaning first.

Without further ado, here are some tips for buying, repairing, and maintaining vintage kitchen items and appliances.

Shopping for Vintage Items

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On the r/BuyItForLife subReddit, users post examples of durable, quality products that are made to last, including a whole lot of kitchen appliances. Browse the many threads posted by the subReddit’s 822,000 members, and you’ll find great recommendations for specific products and brands that are still going strong after 30, 50, 70, or even 100 years. This is a great starting point for shopping, whether you’re going for an antique farmhouse vibe or splashy “atomic” midcentury style.

With some patience and determination, you can probably find great vintage and antique kitchen items at thrift stores, flea markets, vintage malls, and online on sites like Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay. If you can’t find a brand name but like the look of a find, look at the details to make sure it’s an original rather than a knock-off. Things like real wood, dovetail joints, and obvious patina let you know it’s probably true vintage, and you should probably pass on anything that looks shoddy or feels cheap in your hands.

Here are some of Buy it for Life’s top recommendations:

MagicChef Stove

You can still find these classic 50 to 100-year-old stoves all over the United States. Some are gas powered, while others are wood-burning. Other recommended brands include Garland, Hot Point, and Gaffers & Sattler. Best of all, models made in the 1970s or earlier are likely to have simple replaceable or repairable components.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Still considered a necessity for any wedding registry all these years later, the classic KitchenAid stand mixer is a workhorse built tough enough to withstand daily use for decades on end. If you want, you can follow u/will3675’s lead and give yours an update with some fresh grease and a new coat of paint.

Pyrex Percolator Coffee Makers

Stovetop percolators like this stunning 1960s David Douglas model will never let you down. In fact, true vintage Pyrex of any sort, including dishes, are virtually indestructible and still widely available secondhand. If you prefer something a little more contemporary, Bunn plug-in drip coffee machines from the 70s and 80s get good marks, too.

Sunbeam Toaster

These old Sunbeam toasters are cute, easy to find, and extremely reliable. They lower your bread slices automatically after you drop them in and still offer a dial to fine-tune your preferred level of toasting.

Refrigerators

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One thing you might want to avoid buying vintage is your refrigerator. Not only are older models inefficient, but their door latches are also generally considered unsafe due to the risk of kids trapping themselves inside. If you really want a vintage-style fridge, there are lots of new models available in cute era-appropriate colors, including the Chambers Fun Fridge at Lowe’s, the Classic Retro 22” Energy Star Refrigerator at Wayfair, and virtually anything made by Smeg.

Repairing and Maintaining Vintage Appliances

When you can, ask the shop to plug in the item in question to see if it works. If it doesn’t, inspect it for obvious problems like signs of electrical meltdowns and excessive rust (in which case you should always pass). Electrical cords and heating elements, however, can often be replaced easily as a DIY project.

Many items have been sitting in storage for years and will need to be deep-cleaned and/or degreased. If the prospect of disassembling an item like an old stove is beyond what you’re willing to do yourself, see if an appliance repair shop near you has experience with vintage and antique items. With gas appliances, it’s also essential to have them tested for safety before installation. And when it comes to anything you’ll be eating or drinking out of, make sure to do your research before use. Some older items like teapots can contain hazardous substances, including heavy metals that can leach into your food and make you sick.

Top image via Elle Decor

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A new collaboration between architects and marine scientists at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is using modern technology to make it happen. Their new method of 3D printing specially designed reef tiles could boost coral’s chance at survival by providing an anchor for “corals of opportunity,” which are dislodged coral fragments that might otherwise just float away and die.

The Marine Park is home to more than three-quarters of reef-building corals in Hong Kong, as well as more than 120 fish species. Mass mortality events, coral bleaching, and bio-erosion all put them at risk. Offering the coral a structurally complex foundation for attachment prevents sedimentation, which is when sediment run-off from the shore either directly suffocates coral reefs or gets mixed into shallow coastal waters, reducing the available light coral need to photosynthesize.

In July 2020, marine scientists deployed the 3D printed terra-cotta “reef tiles” made by the HKU Robotic Fabrication Lab and seeded them with coral fragments at three key sites within the Marine Park covering about 40 square meters total (about 430 square feet), including Coral Beach, Moon Island, and a bay near the WWF Marine Life Center.

The 3D Printing Media Network reports some fascinating details on the project:

“Three coral species historically common in the Marine Park, namely Acropora, Platygyra, and Pavona, were selected for the study. They have different growth forms, representing the branching ‘staghorn,’ massive ‘brain’, and foliose ‘plating’ colony forms, creating a diverse habitat for other marine species. Marine scientists at SWIMS will investigate the success of restoration using the mono-, mix-, and polyculture of the three coral species, while researchers will monitor the performance of corals on the tiles for the next one and a half years.”

“The 128 pieces of reef tile with a diameter of 600mm were printed through a robotic 3D clay printing method with generic terra-cotta clay and then fired at 1125 degrees Celsius. The design was inspired by the patterns typical to corals and integrated several performative aspects addressing the specific conditions in Hong Kong waters.”

The use of environmentally friendly terra-cotta instead of plastic is particularly interesting here, especially since it’s usually associated with architecture and design. In fact, the tiles look like decorative art pieces you might have as a sculptural element in your garden. Fired in a kiln, the 3D printed tiles are durable enough to withstand underwater conditions. Hopefully we’ll get an update from the researchers once the coral attach — it’ll be interesting to see whether the patterns of the tiles affect the formation of the coral, or if they disappear altogether under a blanket of new marine life.

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The Schlumberger Research Center Administration Building, located in Ridgefield, Connecticut, was completed in 1952. Known locally as “The Philip Johnson Building,” the single story structure housed research scientists and the executive team for an oil and drilling equipment company. It’s set atop an underground garage, and designed in a style architecture fans will recognize as quintessentially Johnson.

It’s a shame we don’t have before-pictures. If we did, we could take in the full transformation of the building, which sat empty for a decade and required extensive restoration. It took BassamFellows eight years to complete the historic renovation, keeping all of the steel, glass and brick bones that make the building so special and accenting them with contemporary elements for a fresh update on midcentury modern style.

If there’s one defining feature of the space, it’s the abundance of natural light streaming into the glass and bricked-in spaces. The result is a feeling of connection to the natural world while remaining protected from the weather, traffic, and activity outside. There’s something serene about the simplicity of the pale gray bricks combined with warm wooden trim. The simple lines and stylish furniture from the firm’s collection reinforce this peaceful vibe.

The central courtyard, with its showcased curving evergreen tree, grounds the structure, and gives it a dash of extra personality. Operable panels allow free air circulation when the weather is nice, so adjacent lounge areas almost feel like they’re outdoors.

BassamFellows uses the building as their headquarters, design studio and showroom. To make sure they did justice to the original structure and its primary architect, they researched the building’s original ratings at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library of Columbia University.

From the architects: “By converting areas that were originally designed as secretarial pools, BassamFellows created large lounge areas that serve as collaborative spaces. This minor change gives the building the perfect mix of private vs. public space and feels completely in step with contemporary ways of working. It’s a wonderful testament to good design that the building is as relevant today as it was radical then. The restoration project recently received a preservation award from Docomomo US.”

Prior to renovation, this building was “virtually unknown” as an example of Philip Johnson’s work. Now, it’s a fitting tribute to the American architect best known for his “Glass House” in New Canaan, Connecticut (1949), sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1953), and Johnson building at the Boston Public Library (1972).

Led by Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows, BassamFellows is a multidisciplinary firm producing architectural projects, modern interiors and high end furniture.

From the firm: “BassamFellows’ pioneering Craftsman Modern aesthetic, which marries architectural authority with a minimal-artisanal philosophy, was introduced with the debut of the iconic BassamFellows Tractor Stool at the 2003 Salone del Mobile in Milan. From its inception, the company has focused on building relationships with some of the world’s leading craftspeople, whilst forging innovative and intelligent collaborations across the worlds of architecture, branding and design.”

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Massive quantities of the toxic substance, which was present in the cathedral’s spire and roof, are said to have been dispersed into the air and deposited on the ground. Environmental groups in France have banded together with a top labor union to demand that the Notre Dame be covered and sealed while lead concerns are addressed.

“The 440 tonnes of lead that went up in smoke during the fire represent more than four times the annual lead emissions in the atmosphere for all of France,” said Annie Thébaud-Mony, a researcher and spokesperson for the environmental health group Association Henri Pézerat during a press conference outside the 850-year-old cathedral.

Lead is a neurotoxin, and its effects include decreased intellectual capacity in children, male fertility, and transmission to new generations. It’s stored in the bones for decades, too, and can be released back into the bloodstream during pregnancy, greatly endangering the fetus.

The proposed process would involve enveloping the entire building in airtight plastic sheeting draped over a metal scaffolding, which would drop the air pressure within the tent to keep lead particles from leaking inside while decontamination work is carried out.

Under pressure from the groups, the City of Paris has temporarily paused decontamination work to do an assessment of the cathedral. It was initially said that work would resume this week, but even that start date has now been postponed while more drastic decontamination measures are considered — despite Deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire’s insistence that there is no risk around the damaged landmark.

Some of the techniques that could be used include spreading a gel on the ground that absorbs the lead, which has to sit for three days before it’s removed, or using high-pressure water jets with chemical agents to decontaminate the soil.

At the end of July, two schools southwest of the cathedral, which were downwind of the fire, were closed over lead fears. About 175 children were tested, and so far, two have been found to have high levels of lead in their blood, while another 16 are considered borderline and require monitoring.

Workers, police officers, firefighters, street cleaners, and staff at the hotel across the street are also at risk, says Benoit Martin, leader of the Paris CGT Union. He urges all responders, clean-up crews, and people who live and work nearby to get blood tests.

“If the calendar for Notre-Dame’s reconstruction is delayed a few months, that isn’t a problem to us,” Martin said. “What’s important to us isn’t the calendar some people want to go quickly. One has to take the time to treat the problems one after the other: contain, decontaminate, rebuild.”

Gregoire says the sites will be “rigorously cleaned” before the school year starts in September, and that children will only be allowed to return if the schools are deemed safe by health authorities. Still, he rejected the idea of containing the cathedral in plastic, calling it unnecessary.

The public can view updates on lead test results at the City of Paris website.

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Lost to a devastating fire, the iconic spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral can never be recaptured exactly as it once was — nor can any other damaged parts of the 856-year-old structure. Built over a period of nearly 200 years beginning in the middle of the 12th century, Notre Dame represents countless hours of skilled labor, and the forests that supplied its massive old growth oak frame are long gone. Felled sometime between 1160 and 1170 and coming from trees thought to be up to 400 years old at the time, these timber beams simply can’t be replaced with trees from today’s forests, which are much younger and smaller.

But long before the fire broke out, Notre Dame already represented how even our oldest and most significant architecture can evolve over time: its 300-foot spire was only added in the mid-19th century during a major restoration project by architect Eugéne Viollet-le-Duc. This spirit of adaptation and survival will likely guide many of the proposals to revamp the cathedral, as President Emmanuel Macron has promised the nation of France that Notre Dame will be rebuilt “more beautiful than before” within five years’ time.

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced a competition to reconstruct Notre Dame almost as soon as the blaze was extinguished, telling reporters that the building will receive “a spire suited to the techniques and challenges of our time.”

“The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc,” says Philippe. “Or, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, whether we should endow Notre Dame with a new spire. This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility.”

Preserving the remaining portions of the cathedral will be a challenge, as the Paris fire service has reported that many elements, including the gables that hold the building’s renowned rose windows up, are “no longer supported by the frame.” A new design will have to find a way to strengthen this frame without the use of old-growth wood.

Architects have noted three main areas of damage, including the hole where the spire once stood, the transept, and the vault of the north transept. To make matters even more complicated, the wooden structures that previously supported the ceiling are waterlogged from efforts to stop the fire, and 210 tons of melted lead from the roof’s shingles poured into the cathedral’s interior, causing additional damage. While most of the stone structure was saved, much of it remains dangerously unstable.

In light of all this, any calls to recreate Notre Dame as a true replica of its former self may not be entirely realistic, reigniting a common debate around efforts to rebuild historic structures. Should architects use new technologies to reproduce the cathedral as faithfully as possible, or come up with a new design that honors its past while acknowledging what it’s been through, potentially incorporating a few contemporary elements? It will be interesting to see what architects entering the competition come up with, and how the public will react to their ideas.

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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