Competitions
Every winter Rivers Barden Architects takes time to draw, sketch, and/or model a Christmas Card image to send to family, friends, clients, and colleagues. Seen here is a collection of these in one place.
Drawing and Photography
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel stands in the landscape of the Eifel region of Germany. Images are not allowed inside the chapel, however, through small holes from the outside a glimpse can be caught of the atmosphere within. The chapel was designed by Peter Zumthor and completed in 2007.
Writing
In 1985, Swiss architects Michael Alder, Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, and Peter Zumthor sat down with Archithese to discuss building with wood; the continued traditions of its use as well as the possibility of developing new traditions. All four architects articulate a specific interest of the material and offer a critical eye to the others’ work. While Alder is concerned with the aesthetics of wood, Zumthor is attentive to the material from a cabinetmaker’s…
Competitions
“The Site Dwelling, located on the cliff of the bay, in the village of Salir do Porto, aims to create a secluded destination, a place of retreat to engage with the landscape while providing shelter from the natural elements. This is a place to stay and inhabit for a few days, offering visitors a unique experience in a very special setting; visitors must leave the space as they found it, empty.” Rivers Barden Architects was…
Writing
The emergence of digital and virtual technologies in the past decade has flourished exponentially giving academic environments and professional practices a newfound basis for collaboration between process and product. This essay proposes that we cannot lose sight of the underlying sources which drive a good process (whether digital, virtual, or manual) and lead to the opportunity for a great product. In his paper for the 101st Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, New Constellations New…
Drawing and Photography
In the Fall of 2009, Kevin visited the Czech Republic for two weeks. Traveling by train, bus, and foot, various sites ranging in time, material, and typology around Bohemia and Moravia were observed, explored, and studied. This sketch essay captures a handful of the moments and experiences from the trip.
Writing
In an essay entitled The Hedgehog and the Fox, Isaiah Berlin quotes the Greek poet Archilochus, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing” (Berlin 7). The essay was written as a commentary on Leo Tolstoy’s view of history, however, the text can offer an understanding for how one might practice architecture as well. For us, this understanding reveals itself in perceiving the environment as a fox and believing in it as a hedgehog.
Drawing and Photography
In the summer of 2008, Kevin visited Sicily for two weeks. Traveling by train, car, and foot, various sites ranging in time, material, and typology around the island were observed, explored, and studied. This sketch essay captures a handful of the moments and experiences from the trip.