Category Archives: Materials

Tales From My Privileged Youth

by John Massengale Posted on June 18, 2020

I WAS LUCKY. I was sitting around with friends during the spring term of my senior year in college. “I want to go to Europe,” I said. “How can I get a job there?” “Call Franco at the Red Garter … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Classical, Craft, Culture, divine, Education, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Materials, My Privileged Youth, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on Tales From My Privileged Youth

God is in the details

by John Massengale Posted on December 22, 2015

I’m working on a project in Connecticut where the team is proposing a “Slow Zone” in the center of town. An engineer on a project is a little worried about some of the details I’ve proposed. He wrote, “I think we … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Bicycle, Craft, Culture, Current, Good Kind, Materials, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Street Design, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on God is in the details

V&V Redux: The Most Beautiful City of the Twentieth Century

by John Massengale Posted on September 8, 2015

Santa Fe, New Mexico is the most beautiful city of the 20th century. This simple statement requires some explanation. First of all, it’s not the equal of Renaissance Florence or Baroque Rome—but neither are any other American cities built in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Culture, Good Kind, Local, Materials, Pedestrian, Urbanism, Veritas et Venustas | Comments Off on V&V Redux: The Most Beautiful City of the Twentieth Century

New Building for New Orleans

by John Massengale Posted on June 17, 2015

MANY ARCHITECTS will call this design “kitsch,” “pastiche,” or “nostalgic.” Pastiche means “an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period,” so it’s not really a criticism, although they mean it to be. For that matter, … Continue reading →

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Craft, Beauty, Materials, Local

by John Massengale Posted on March 25, 2015

Craft, beauty, materials, local — these are all words of the moment — but we rarely see them in media stories about architecture, which emphasize shiny glass curtain walls assembled from thousands of identical pieces as mechanically as possible. The walls, … Continue reading →

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