Author Archives: Aventinus

The Role of the Humanities in Design Creativity

Eamonn Canniffe recently participated in the above titled conference at the the University of Lincoln, hosted by Professor Nicholas Temple. Keynote speakers included Karsten Harries, Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and author of “The Ethical Function of Architecture”, Dalibor … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Name Dropping, Research | Comments Off on The Role of the Humanities in Design Creativity

Yesteryear in Milan

The small Archaeological Museum on Corso Magenta in Milan hosts a new model of the ancient city of Mediolanum which helps explain the spider’s web of the present urban form. A general view of the model, with north to the … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Italy, Milan, Travel | Comments Off on Yesteryear in Milan

Manchester, so much to answer for

Continuity in Architecture Year 5 students anticipate their arrival in Milan with a series of short films exploring their home city and its different development zones. Spinningfields Manchester (above). City Centre Manchester. Castlefield Manchester. New Islington Manchester.

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Manchester, Student Projects | Comments Off on Manchester, so much to answer for

Homage to the square…

CiA were saddened to hear of the death of the German architect Oswald Mathias Ungers in Cologne aged 81. Ungers exploited a controlled use of geometric form, particularly the square. His work represented a severity which redeemed classical order from … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Mitteleuropa | Tagged | Comments Off on Homage to the square…

Another crack of the whip?

The media furore surrounding Doris Salcedo’s installation in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern has tended to remark on the originality of its gesture. Yet in its scale and pseudo-naturalness it would appear to be indebted to the generation of … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Interiors | Comments Off on Another crack of the whip?

Sharp Intake

CiA staffers Eamonn Canniffe and Andrew Crompton recently attended the conference “Town and Townscape: The Work & Life of Thomas Sharp” at the University of Newcastle. The University Library has an archive of Sharp’s personal papers detailing his campaigns for … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Research | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Sharp Intake

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Museum

The long awaited rehousing of the Ara Pacis Augustae in Rome, by Richard Meier is a sensitive solution to the problems of a difficult site and a precious historical object. Although slightly heavily handled in parts the sense of durability … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Italy, Rome, Travel | 3 Comments

De Carlo’s Il Magistero

De Carlo’s Il Magistero: a case study in continuity? University of Manchester Ph. D candidate Hacer Basarir’s project concerns the conservation of walled cities and their key elements through reuse. Her research includes three case-studies, and she has just completed … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, Italy, Precedents, Research, Students | Comments Off on De Carlo’s Il Magistero

Ten Years After

September 2007 marks ten years since the death of Aldo Rossi. The continuous process of urban history was a theme which was developed in Rossi’s The Architecture of the City. Published in Italian in 1966 and translated into English in … Continue reading

Posted in Aldo Rossi, Aventinus, CiA, Milan | 1 Comment

Continuity loves Comper

A recent biography of Sir Ninian Comper reasseses the career and reputation of this prolific church architect. The book ‘Sir Ninian Comper’ by Anthony Symondson and Stephen Bucknall is published by Spire Books, and you can read a review (from … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, Churches, CiA, Practice | Comments Off on Continuity loves Comper

Royan, France (not Royan, Iran)

From Wikipedia: During the Second World War, two German fortresses defended the Gironde Estuary: Gironde Mündung Nord (or Royan) and Gironde Mündung Süd (or La Pointe de Grave). These constitued one of the Atlantic “pockets” which the Germans held on … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, Churches, CiA, Travel | 1 Comment

WZB

James Stirling’s relationship with his clients and end users is no better demonstrated than the pride with which the architect and his work is presented on the site for Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (Social Science Research Centre) in the Kulturforum. The eclectic … Continue reading

Posted in Aventinus, CiA, James Stirling, Mitteleuropa | Comments Off on WZB