BarCode Building by Vitruvius & Sons

Yes, Vitruvius. This building is expressive of function. Literal references connect with the public, and convey messages more efficiently and directly than abstract imagery. Depending on context, this can be very useful. [more...]

Bball-ing

This project is by one of the leading mockitecture firms in the world, NL Architects. The basketball hoop is also the building's only window. The WOS 8 was designed to grow into a public space in the new part of Utrect, Leidsche Rijn. This building addresses the issue of applied vs. integrated ornament. This ornament is integrated, and serves a very useful purpose. This is when ornament is at its strongest. This building accepts the inevitablilty of the object, and embraces, even didacticizes the potential of the users' experience of said object. More to come on this great firm.

Strange Architecture

Here is a video someone sent me. Some good stuff in here. Very goofy.

Early Eclecticism: A Bizarre Bazaar

Credit the beginning of mockitecture to a mother in London from the 19th century named Frances Trollope. Leaving her children behind, she traveled to America, staying in Cincinnati, Ohio - a hub in the westward expansion of America during the Industrial Revolution. Ms. Trollope critically denounced Cincinnati as a city built of "architectural sameness." In response, an entertainment and shopping center was commissioned as a business venture for her son. This building was conceptualized by Trollope, and French painter, Auguste Hervieu, to be a "distinctive, light-hearted" building.

"The Bazaar was an amusing concoction of Moorish, Egyptian, and Gothic elements. It was one of the first examples of the spirit of Eclecticism - drawing upon historic styles from various exotic cultures - which came to dominate American building for the remainder of the century."

"Cincinnatians and visitors, who were accustomed in public buildings to the simplicity of the vernacular [...] delighted in attaching what they regarded as the tastelessness of the 'bizarre bazaar'."

The Trollopean Bazaar was designed by Seneca Palmer in 1829. He was one of Cincinnati's only architects (mockitects?) at the time and the designer of several significant architectural landmarks in the city. For more information, see Cincinnati the Queen City by Daniel Hurley (Cincinnati: Cincinnati Historical Society, 1982). This article references excerpts from chapter 1 of that text.

Mockitecture on Accident

One of the questions posed more irregularily about mockitectural theoros is the question of "Should a building make you angry?" I would condonate to say no, however a number of the highest level protopro contemporary mockitectural thinkers say oh heck yes. SO as this debate rages, here is an example of a building that accidentally sets a precifidentalness for buildings that as the author of this arcticle says "is like a bad dream" Enjoy!

Notablier... Notwithstanding, this is not good mockitecture. It is bad mockitecture. Bad mockitecture is bad architecture, expressively badly aestheticizationalled usually commercial architecture. So if bad mockitecture is bad architecture, then good mockitecture has to be... do the analogy. its logic.

I especially like the part about the street that has no room to walk along. At an outdoor shopping mall. Classic mockitecture! Another term i have just stumbled upon is "faccadity" it is ancient roman or something for odd facade, and is one of the greatest and possibly first terms to be associated with mockitecture.

Even bad mockitecture has some theoros apparently. phenominimalism... "Actually, I thought H&H wasn't so much of an ugly building as it is an ugly experience."

(image via Hollywood and Highland)