San Concreto - Part I: Wurster Hall

Here are some interesting concrete creations I had a chance to explore while walking around San Francisco.

That's right - walking.

First is the notorious Wurster Hall that houses Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, locally known as the ugliest building on campus.

Wurster Hall is visionary in a way, although the vision is unfortunately that of the Third World War aftermath and of nuclear fallout. That, however, is where the building holds appeal for me - it is an exercise in exageration, a tribute to weather and time, a celebration of material. Each surface is as rich as the years it saw and the abuse it endured. The interior does not disappoint either. ;)

Year: 1964

Architects: DeMars, Esherick, Olsen.

Location: Berkeley University campus, Berkeley, California, USA

-- Andrey Y.

Outtakes

Just some outtakes from the photoshoot we did for the Shift Issue 4.1 cover. Special thanks to Yi, Sara, Jessie, and Shaun for helping me make this possible.






-- Matt S.

Klein Bottle House by McBride Charles Ryan

This vacation home located just outside Melbourne, Australia is an intricate play between line, shape, and depth. Designed by McBride Charles Ryan, the Klein Bottle House coincidentally applies the logic of the Klein Bottle. The design consists of a structure that folds into itself to become one continuous volume.

According to Eric W. Weisstein The Klein bottle is a closed non-orientable surface that has no inside or outside.





-- Fred