Living and Working in Budapest

After the recent birth of our new little baby, my wife Krisztina and I flew our boys Christopher & Benji for an extended stay to Budapest - where my wife grew up and her relatives now live.

It's wonderful to experience daily life with them in an intact cosmopolitan European city built largely before the automobile.

Budapest achieved much of its current "UNESCO World Heritage Site"- designated built form during a dramatic expansion that occurred between the 1870s and the onset of World War I.  During this period Budapest was a twin capital, along with Vienna, of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Of note for those interested in urban design:

• The city is comprised almost entirely of 4 to 6 story mixed-use courtyard buildings with apartments and offices on upper floors, and street-facing commercial on many of the ground floors.  
• Most buildings have no front setback and are built right to the edge of the sidewalk.  
• Gorgeously proportioned and articulated architecture ensures that street spaces feel good, and not "canyon-like".  
• Wider streets tend to have regularly-spaced trees.  
• Narrower street achieve their shade from the adjacent buildings and typically feature only occasional trees.  
• This relatively intensely built transit-served city functions well with virtually no parking other than on-street parking.

My Daily Commute from Home to Work:

We found a great little apartment on the top floor of one of the many courtyard apartment buildings in the city's historic core close to the Danube.  I'm working every day in a nearby co-working office about a half kilometer away.
 

What follows is a brief photo journey of my daily 10-minute walking commute to work:

1. Just stepping out our front door onto the walkway around our courtyard.  I love the light and airy feel of the glass canopy and intricately curved metalwork:

2. Looking back toward our front door.  The subtle modeling of the stucco surfaces gives the walls of the courtyard a more intimate sense of scale:

3. The double door across the courtyard in this view leads to a grand stairway (and tiny elevator) to the ground floor:

4. Budapest's beautifully-detailed historic courtyard buildings provide a wonderful standard of living while achieving an astonishingly efficient use of land.  Historically, the designs of Budapest's courtyards were closely regulated to ensure they were dimensioned to provide plentiful access to light and air.  Budapest's courtyard buildings were conceived as a way to build humanely at city densities, and were partially a corrective reaction against the older notoriously dark and unhealthy historic tenements of New York City.  These courtyard buildings in Budapest were considered the architectural state-of-the-art at the time they were built:

5. Our elevator lobby at the top of the grand wrought iron-railed staircase.  That's Krisztina with Christopher in the front-carrier.  Benji's already on the elevator.  (A woman living in the building told us the story of how the beautiful original wrought iron and wood elevator was unfortunately bought by a collector renovating another apartment building.  He replaced the historic elevator with this fairly bare bones modern one - which we were told is slower than the original!):

6. Broad steps, large windows, lovely iron scroll work and sculptured stucco details make using the staircase a grand experience:

7. The floor of our courtyard.  Elegantly carved masonry brackets support the walkways encircling each floor above:

8. Virtually all of Budapest's historic courtyard buildings feature a grand vaulted passageway leading to the street entrance:

9. Looking from the main street entrance back down the passageway into the courtyard:

10. The gorgeously articulated architecture of the street outside our front door:

11. A few steps to the corner unveils a view of the stunning Vigszinhaz theater across the street:

12. Our block has an amazing diversity of business facing the street.  In just this view are a convenience store in the far left shopfront, a youth hostel and the entrance to one of Budapest's biggest nightclubs in the center doorway, and the corner of a Thai restaurant visible in the foreground:

13. Continuing down the street, this same block face also accommodates two coffee shops, a vintage book shop, a couple of additional small convenience stores, a pharmacy, an art gallery and a seller of historic military collectibles!:

14. The historic buildings of Budapest are beautiful from far away, and also up close.  These architectural details are 'visual gifts to the pedestrian' and play a critical role in making such an intensely-built urban environment so pleasurable to walk through:

15. The Szent Istvan Korut - a four lane urban arterial with on-street parallel parking / bus stops on the sides, plus two dedicated center lanes for light rail.  Building-to-building width across the street is about 125 feet.  The street is well-shaped with street-oriented architecture fronting onto wide sidewalks.  Street trees help separate pedestrians from the vehicular travel lanes.  It all adds up to an environment so comfortable that my 3-year-old son Benji (in the tan vest) is confident strolling along looking at the fruit for sale, without having to hold his mother's hand.

16. Benji loves discovering the different architectural sculptures on each building facade!:

17.  The light rail system in Budapest is called the "Villamos", pronounced [villa-mosh].  As we reach the end of the block I drop Krisztina, Benji and Christopher off at the stop for the Villamos line that they'll take to go visit some friends.  They'll ride past the beautiful Hungarian Parliament building whose dome is visible in the distance:

18. Turning  from the Villamos stop, I can see the embankment forming the approach ramp of the Margaret Bridge that crosses over the Danube.  The way the bridge meets the city's edge is quite seamless for pedestrians and cyclists:

19. A small park at the foot of the Margaret Bridge:

20. Looking across the Szent Istvan Korut toward my office, I can see what must be in the running for 'Most Beautiful McDonald's in the World'!  It's in a gorgeous 6-story mixed-use building with no parking, built right up to the sidewalk. The transit stop in the foreground is for the Villamos line that runs down the Szent Istvan Korut and crosses the Margaret Bridge over the Danube:

21. Before I cross the street, I step into a bakery and grab a coffee and a snack to eat at the office:

22. Crossing the Szent Istvan Korut.  Rossmann is a drug store which is the European equivalent of a CVS or Walgreens in the United States.  Here, like McDonald's, it sits quite happily in the ground floor of a 6-story mixed-use courtyard building with no parking or drive-through:

23. Looking down the Szent Istvan Korut, the fences in the foreground are construction barricades that are in place while the tracks of the Villamos line are being repaired:

24. More gorgeous, people-friendly urbanism:

25.  Walking down the wide tree-lined sidewalk in front of the Rossmann drug store:

26. One more view down the Szent Istvan Korut before I turn the corner to my office.  This is one of the biggest, busiest thoroughfares in the entire city, but its thoughtful combination of design elements makes it completely comfortable for mothers with strollers - civilization!:

27. More sculptural 'visual gifts to the pedestrian'!:

28. Budapest is famous for its sidewalk flower vendor kiosks, overflowing with colorful merchandise:

29. The Secession-style building housing my co-working office fronts another small park on this side of the approach ramp of the Margaret Bridge:

30. The small park on this side of the Margaret Bridge has a docking station for Bubi, Budapest's bike sharing network:

31. That's a protected bike lane or 'bike track' up on the sidewalk behind the bollards, leading to the Bubi bike share docking station:

32. Finally, after 10 minutes of walking, I arrive at the entrance to my office!  Kubik is a great co-working facility here in Budapest:

33. Kubik's main work space.  My desk is in the far corner at the window.  Its always fun to see all the interesting things everyone is working on:

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of commuting on foot from home to work in beautiful Budapest - thanks for joining me!

BTW: If you're interested in finding out more about the fascinating urban and cultural history of Budapest, I just read and highly recommend the very well-written book (in English) Budapest 1900: A Historical Portrait of a City and Its Culture (by John Lucacs) available on Amazon. 

The Mid-Block Pedestrian Passages of Carmel, CA

The City of Carmel, CA was incorporated in 1902.  From its start, the beautiful climate and stunning oceanfront topography attracted fine artists, writers and craftspeople from nearby San Francisco and beyond.  Over the ensuing decades, these early artistically-minded residents built a City of beauty.  

One of the whimsical features they included was an extensive network of intimate pedestrian passageways and courtyards winding through the middle of many of the downtown blocks:

Some of the most beautiful mid-block pedestrian passages in Carmel can be found in the area south of Ocean Ave. along Dolores St:  

Here, sidewalks around the block perimeter lead pedestrians to a striking number of mid-block passageways:

Architecturally, this particular area of downtown Carmel features wonderful examples of 1920s California Spanish Mission Revival style, which was intended to to evoke a connection to the City's historic 1770 Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.  (The original Mission buildings are some of the best restored in California, and are still visible today on the southern edge of Carmel).

The following is a photographic walk down the mid-block pedestrian passage that connects from Dolores St. to Ocean Ave. (visible in the upper left of the plan diagram above).

1. The journey begins as an innocuous gap between buildings on Dolores St:

2. The pedestrian passages of Carmel often feature dramatic spatial contrasts, such as the transition from the broad space of Dolores St. to the high degree of enclosure felt at the entrance to the mid-block pedestrian passage:

3. As one moves further down the passageway, occasional doors and windows overlook and enliven the intimate space:

  
4. An archway frames a window at the end of the view, beckoning one onward:

5. While Carmel's mid-block pedestrian passages are typically high quality pedestrian experiences, occasionally mundane service items such as electrical boxes can be seen encroaching into view, when they are not concealed:

6. Arriving at the window, the passage turns 90 degrees to the left and opens up into a larger courtyard space:

7. A framed opening leading out to Ocean Ave is visible in the distance, again drawing one forward:

8. A second courtyard space with cafe seating then opens into view, just prior to entering the spatial compression of the framed opening leading out to Ocean Ave:

9.  The enclosed passageway out to Ocean Ave. is enlivened by shopfront windows on both sides:

10. Turning and looking back, the entrance archway to the pedestrian passage from Ocean Ave. also cleverly accommodates a staircase to the second floor:

11. Another beautiful Spanish Mission Revival building facade fronts Ocean Ave:

The winding, fairytale mid-block pedestrian passages of Carmel, CA form a whimsical network of spaces evoking the intimate charm of European villages.  The City is richer for the forethought of its early builders to include such magical places.

Perkins Park - Pacific Grove, CA

Pacific Grove, CA is blessed with a public waterfront of astounding beauty.  The value of this treasure is made available to the entire community through thoughtful design.

Pacific Grove was founded in 1875 by Methodists as a meeting camp.  Instead of dividing the waterfront up and selling the views off with private lots, the waterfront was from the beginning designed to be fully public, to enrich the lives of all residents.  The benefit of this early decision to preserve the stunning water views for the public continues to be felt to this day.

Buildings front the water across Ocean View Boulevard which parallels a park and trail system that winds its way continuously along the edge where the Pacific Grove abuts the Monterey Bay.

The waterfront green space is called Perkins Park, named after local citizen and world traveler Hayes Perkins (1878-1964).

Born in Oregon, Hayes Perkins "retired to Pacific Grove in 1938 after leading an adventurer's life which took him around the world eight times.  He spent 22 years in Africa.  In Pacific Grove. he began pulling out the poison oak that was rampant along the coast and replaced it with plants he was familiar with from South Africa.  All of this work was performed as a volunteer."

Read more about the exotic globe trotting adventures of Hayes Perkins, and his extensive travel diary titled "Here and There".

Sketch of Mars - after a terracotta by Guillaume Coustou

I drew this small pencil sketch during a 2011 visit to the sculpture gallery of the Louvre in Paris.

My model was an exquisite terracotta maquette sculpted by Guillaume Coustou the Elder (1677-1746).  Coustou produced the model during his work on a commission for a monumental pair of bronze sculptures of Mars and Minerva flanking the north entrance of the Parisian hospital and retirement home for war veterans - the Hotel des Invalides (photo by Daniel Vorndran / DXR):
  

Coustou was employed in the Courts of both Louis the XIV and XV.  His work exhibits the mastery of classic themes, dynamic compositions, and deep knowledge of anatomy characteristic of the French Baroque as refined in the Academies under the patronage of the Sun King.  

I find myself particularly attracted to the tautly energized form silhouettes - including the shadow shapes - found in the sculpture and painting of this genre.  

Coustou’s work can still be seen gracing many of the greatest architectural and landscape compositions of the time including Versailles, the Chateau de Marly, and the Tuileries Garden.

Summary Part 5: Articulation of Building Massing - Architectural Composition by John Beverley Robinson

This week, we continue our series examining the classic book Architectural Composition, 1908, by John Beverley Robinson.

(Here are links to previous posts summarizing Robinson's discussion of fundamental architectural design principles):

1. Unity

2. Individuality and Continuity

3. Similarity

4. Hierarchy and Subordination

   

Today, we explore Robinson's discussion of important and universal principles for creating powerful architectural compositions using clear Articulation of Building Massing. 

To begin, Robinson postulates that:

Building compositions may be comprised of three hierarchical categories of forms: primary masses, secondary masses, and details.

1. Primary masses are the largest forms in a composition.  They are perceivable at a glance as the main body of a building, to which other smaller secondary masses and details may be added.
2. Secondary masses, or appendages, may either project horizontally from primary masses or may project vertically from primary masses.  A secondary mass connecting two primary masses is called a link.
3. After primary / secondary masses and links / appendages, comes a third level of forms: details i.e. doors, windows, chimneys, columns, brackets, arches, panels, cartouches, smaller turrets, and dormers.

Robinson goes on to explain that:

All buildings of character may be categorized into one of a limited number of combinations of single, double and triple primary masses, and associated secondary links and appendages:

Robinson then proceeds to delve more deeply into the important characteristics of these massing variations:

One Single Primary Mass:

A building consisting of a single primary mass possesses unity in the highest degree.  When it is possible to simplify a composition to a single mass, such as the Boston Public Library (below), do not give up the opportunity lightly:

Note: When designing very large buildings of a single primary mass, beware of imposing artificial vertical breaks in the composition if they are reveals of 8 inches or so (or even less) for the sake of visual variety.  The articulation gained is usually outweighed by the loss of unity caused by breaking the horizontal lines and fragmenting the mass.

Two Primary Masses:

Two primary masses connected by a linking form will typically read as a single building form.  The double primary forms must be combined via a visible link, otherwise the resulting duality is troublesome like two doors, exactly alike, placed close together.  The two primary forms must be similar, or discord will result.  The two primary masses must be similar in shape, but need not be similar in size to achieve unity, as seen with the Collegiate Gothic building (below) on the Yale University Campus in New Haven, CT:

Bilateral symmetry of two identical compositions is called “double composition” and requires great care to pull off well.  In order to unify a double composition, a single object, either a secondary mass or a detail, is often placed on the link between the two primary masses, usually at the center, such as porch and dormers of this apartment building (below) in Baldwin Park, FL:

Three Primary Masses:

Examples of compositions of triple primary masses, all the same size and all alike, almost never occur however examples where the central mass differs from the side masses are innumerably common.  Most commonly, the central primary mass is larger than the two flanking primary masses, as seen in the civic building example (below) on Tbilisi, Georgia's scenic Rustaveli Avenue.  Compositions of three primary masses tend to read simultaneously like two separate compositions welded together: one of two masses joined by a link and a single mass with appendages:

In general, the more similar the three masses are in size, the more similar they should be in appearance.  On the other hand, no matter how great may be the difference in size, it is always possible to use a substantially similar treatment (i.e. the Taj Mahal)

Beyond three primary masses, the mind fails to grasp a group of objects as a unit and only perceives plurality.  Groupings of four primary masses tend to coalesce into subgroups of two or three.

Secondary Masses:

Secondary masses must not be randomly applied, but must be composed with careful attention to number, size, shape and dimensions.  The form which is intended to be primary and the form which is intended to be secondary should clearly read as such.  Secondary masses that possess individuality (vertical expression) fit most naturally on primary masses that also possess individuality, like the gabled forms of this academic building example (below) from Michigan State University's campus in East Lansing, MI:

A single secondary mass maximizes a sense of unity just like a single primary mass.  A central classical portico or porch is the most common form of a dominant secondary mass, such as demonstrated by this house (below) on Beaufort, SC's Bay Street:  

When grouping two or three secondary masses together, all masses should be alike (if three masses, the central one can be larger) like the porticos of the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood in DeFuniak Springs, FL (below): 

Secondary subordinate masses may also be composed in balanced asymmetry, as seen in the example (below) from Boston's Back Bay.  This is one of the favorite motifs of the Richardsonian Romanesque and Victorian styles:

Secondary masses generally follow the same rules as primary masses.  An exception, three secondary masses of the same shape and size may be freely used.  Four or more equally sized and shaped secondary elements are aesthetically pleasing, especially when evenly spaced.  They can be jarring if unevenly spaced.  Four or more elements express unity through continuity rather than through individuality, as seen in the Collegiate Gothic Buildings (below) on Yale University's Campus:

Details:

Details are minor architectural objects such as windows, door openings, panels, niches, columns, arches, etc.  The rules for the number and composition of details are the same as for secondary masses.  As with secondary masses, a single detail properly placed will often be sufficient to give unity to a whole composition, as in the example (below) from the North End of Boston.  A single primary organizing detail is just as effective if placed asymmetrically or symmetrically:

 

When grouping multiple details, such as columns in a colonnade, avoid changes in spacing.  

Arrangement of details follows the same principles as the arrangement of secondary masses.  Division of a mass into two parts by details gives an impression of continuity.  Division into one or three parts gives an impression of individuality. 

Endlessly creative combinations and variations are possible!

Amazon: Architectural Composition, 1908 (by John Beverley Robinson)