rss feedWith the new, there’s the old: Architecture in Beijing, Seattle and Kandovan
It’s really easy to do – and I do it all the time: Glom on to the new, the sleek designs of architecture, furniture, automobiles and ships.
These designs, as epitomized by the blueprint from Rem Koolhaas for the new CCTV building in Beijing, amaze. Just take a look at the video introduction of the landmark building in China’s capital.
The designs show how an architect envisions a building relating to its place on the ground and against the sky and surrounding structures.
Sharp angles stick out, lines bend and others flow seamlessly for what appears to be endless continuity. People like it.
At least, I do.
In a way, they serve as forerunners of what the future might bring – new ideas, convention reinterpreted, better technology and not-seen-before levels of productivity. Or so goes the thinking.
Even interiors and colors can influence. Take, for example, these shots of the boxy, ultra-modern Central Library in downtown Seattle. Yes, Koolhaas was a key architect on the project.
The bright yellow helps bring people's eyes up the escalator, making for a more inviting feel at the Central Library in Seattle. Photo source: Seattle Public Library
Various elements, including red, a circle and the patterned exterior, at the Central Library in Seattle give visitors an open, modern feeling. Photo source: Seattle Public Library
The Central Library's angles and exterior prompt visitors to study the structure and its relationship with its surroundings. Photo source: Seattle Public Library
It’s all good, as the saying that’s occupied much time in the English language in the United States, goes.
But what also is important – or good – is remembering that the human brain has been working outside the box – if I may use that phrase – for thousands of years.
Yes, Beijing has its famous century-old places, including traditional alleys, known as hutong in Mandarin.
But let’s consider the question asked at the beginning of the above video introduction:
Today, what makes a landmark?
Are homes that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old and carved out of the side of a mountain in Iran a landmark?
I’d argue, yes.
Similar to the sleek, modern lines and soaring skyscrapers of a large city, they amaze.
These fantastic photographs below, found on flickr, are from the Kandovan area of Iran. They apparently were carved from volcanic rock, at the base of Mount Sahand.
What do they show in the context of modern architecture?
At least for me, they prove that while humans have the ability to push boundaries and create in a contemporary context, they’ve also been doing this for thousands of years.
If that basic definition of classic still holds – that something over a long period of time can still be appreciated by future generations – then, I’d say these homes fit that description.
I’ve never visited Iran. Again, this area is another I’d like to see in person down the road.
But I have traveled in modern and remote parts of China.
I recognize there is a difference at admiring a place as an outsider and actually living there. They can be two different experiences.
This area in Iran actually has the Laleh Kandovan International Rocky Hotel, which a writer for the Telegraph chronicled earlier this year.
The hotel apparently features heated tile floor.
These images captivated me so much that I’ve included many that I saw on flickr. If you’re interested in seeing all the posted Kandovan pictures on flickr, here’s a link.
You can find all the photographers who took the images below by scanning the flickr pages.
Of course, I thank them for sharing what they saw with the public. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to this part of the world. So, flickr is my online passport for now.
The cave homes of Kandovan in Iran still intrigue centuries after their creation. Photo source: anton.it's photostream on flickr
In terms of natural beauty and what the human mind can achieve, the Kandovan cave homes are a place to visit. Photo source: anton.it's photostream on flickr
These stairs obviously lack the bright yellow of the Seattle library's escalators but the natural flow to the lines to them, as well as the person walking up, remind viewers that humans have been thinking, creating and building for centuries. Photo source: Theobald Gloom's photostream on flickr
Finding the right moment in life to document natural and human-made beauty takes talent. This photographer who visited Kandovan in Iran waited and found that moment. Photo source: Lloyd's photostream on flickr. See link in text for his work because he uses a Chinese character in his flickr title.
On flickr, one person who posted images of Kandovan noted that life runs through this mountain. Photo source: Eliza_Tasbihi's photostream on flickr
This image taken in Iran reminded me that rich, deep colors can be found in many places in the world - not just in the new. Photo source: anton.it's photostream on flickr
I should note that there’s much about Kandovan and its history that I don’t know about.
As a former journalist, I have this habit of saying what I know – or what I think I know at a specific time.
So, if you have time, please let me know if you find out more details about the place, people and the history.
