Esoteric Survey

Fiber Ettore Sottsass It was a slow weekend

You would think that if a house like this, by an architectural master like Richard Richard Neutra, were for sale, the seller might want to mention it. Source: Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10) In this case, it isn't. This is also the only photo of the house shown on the MLS. Unfortunately, this is another case of expensive real estate and a small home. The property is being marketed as a $10.5 million "development opportunity."  Source: Redfin The zoning is LAR1 and the slope is something fierce, so development is limited to one dwelling unit and would be very tricky.  Source: Google via  Redfin However, this view has me nervous about the fait of the little architectural gem.  Source: DNA  ( This is from an old listing of the property) That listing actually showed the house, which appears to be in excellent condition. Source:  DNA The house was bu...

The Steel Pavilion by Kunio Maekawa is one of the few original Expo 70 buildings still standing. It now houses a museum dedicated to Expo 70.  A piece of the Expo 70 Tower by Kiyonari Kikutake (below) sits near the building. Expo 70 Tower Kenzo Tange's vision for the Expo master plan was a futuristic aerial city that was based on the Metabolism movement. He worked with a dozen architects; including Fumihiko Maki, Noboru Kawazoe, Koji Kamiya and Noriaki Kurokawa. Takara Pavilion by Kisho Kurokawa Source: Archpaper Toshiba-IHI Pavilion by  Kisho Kurokawa A model is on display. Those planters look like the same ones used at Kisho Kurokawa's  Nakagin Capsule Tower . I have no idea what this is.  Takeshi Otaka designed the  cherry blossom used as the symbol of the Expo. The identity guidelines were on display. Sori Yanagi stools are used in an area playing period footage of the expo. Despite the music,...

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In 1970, the World Expo was held in Osaka, Japan.  The theme of the Expo was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." The symbol was Tower of the Sun, by Taro Okamoto, which still stands. Most of the buildings and pavilions have been demolished.  The main reason for me going to the park was to see Nine Fountains by Isamu Noguchi. He was invited by Kenzo Tange , who was in charge of creating the master plan for the Expo. The fountains are still there, but they don't seem to be functioning.  Source: arch2o Nebula and Comet You better believe that I took a paddle boat out to get a closer look. Spaceship Noguchi also designed a model for the U.S. Pavillion, but it wasn't built. Source:  The Isamu Noguchi Foundation However, some other forward thinking structures did get built, like the Expo 70 Tower. As mentioned earlier, most have been demolished.  Unlike some former expo sites, such as New ...