Architecture in the Movies (LotR)

   As part of a larger theme of exploring imaginary architecture, i'd like to spend some time examining movies in which architecture plays an important role.  I'll avoid the obvious and rather boring choices of The Fountainhead or Towering Inferno, which really don't have nearly as much to do with the setting as one might be lead to believe by the premises.
   Instead, i'd like to link to a production video for the Lord of the Rings.  More about this below the video.

   It goes without saying that a good flick on the silver screen needs to have a good script and quality actors, but the extra details that go into set design and sound are the difference between "good" and "important".  It's not just that elves are slender, graceful and sing haunting melodies whereas dwarves are stocky, tough and drink heavily.  Consider the difference between Rivendell, Moria and Minas Tirith (no links, i don't have rights to film stills -- you could spend 11 hours in a lot worse ways than rewatching the trilogy).  There's an implied difference in the way each race LIVES, not just their aesthetic style.
  The real trick though, is in creating a used universe.  These sets don't define the aesthetic of the movie -- the backstory of the setting defines how the aesthetic must be.  This is the difference between Star Wars IV, V and VI and the more recent I, II, and III.  The juxtaposition of the sleek and the grungy is part of the appeal of The Matrix.  To make my point with another behind the scenes video: Joss Whedon.

  Watching these making-of films are making me nostalgic for worlds that never existed.  The sideways point i'm trying to make is that these worlds are lush with details that aren't thrown in haphazardly but are intentional and part of the larger story arc.  This is how all design should be.

   

   More on this during the week (or next Tuesday, as time permits).  Also, Facebook fans should stay tuned for some design work i've been tooling around with for the past few weeks!  I'm pretty excited about it.

Three Factory Floors I'd Sleep On

After that last post i thought we might relax a little bit and look at some neat renovation projects.  This one, in downtown San Francisco, used to be the Smitty Knitting Factory.  Remodeled originally in 1998 by Abrams and Milliken, it is once again on the market.  In fact, all of these projects are currently for sale.  I've presented them with the barest minimum of commentary, so you can make up your own mind what you think of them.

75 Lansing St. Unit 3

San Francisco, CA

Vital Stats:

3 Bed

2.5 Bath

~3,100 sq. ft.

$3.25M

All images credit: Realtor.com

208 212 New St.

Philadelphia, PA

This building was once the annex to an 1850s brewery (which is itself now condominiums), and was renovated in 2001.  The price per square foot is barely a quarter that of the previous home.

Vital Stats:

? Bed

1 Bath (2 half)

5825 sq. ft.

$1.499M

333 W. Willis St. Unit 405

Detroit, MI

I had a hard time finding any information on if this was actually a Willys-Overland motors station.  What i do know is that Willys (that's will-is, not will-ees) opened in 1908, and this building was constructed in 1900, so it must have been something else for a decade or two before being the service station.  In any case, it's a condominium now.

Vital Stats:

2 Bed

2 Bath

1,400 sq. ft.

$0.269M