Historical

Bricks and Their Uses in Design by Kim Kunasek

There is more to the idea of a block of clay.

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Bricks have emerged in a range of shapes and sizes, depending on the materials used and the methods used to make them. Today's most common clay bricks are formed of soft mud that has been baked to make them more resilient. Ceramic bricks are a type of brick that originated in the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe, and have been used to build monumental constructions. Not only do they make construction very efficient, they can become a main feature of style, form, function and earthy beauty. Here are a few ideas how bricks influence design:

Pattern Repetition

Modular brick design

Modular brick design

Function

Open view screen and/or green wall

Elemental Features

Mid-Century form detail

Mid-Century form detail

Form

Structural shape and soundness

There are also other forms of decorative bricks that can add a unique touch to a project such as glass blocks, screen blocks, brick planters, etc. Wonderfully, the earth is rich in wonders and although naturally beautiful in design, man can use what is dirt to enhance the way in can be used. Find ways to incorporate bricks into your next design project.

Best Buildings In Olympic History by Kim Kunasek

1. Panathenaic Stadium

City: Athens, Greece

Year of Games: 1896

Architect: Lycurgus

2. Olympic Shooting Venue

City: London, U.K.

Year of Games: 2012

Architect: Magma Architecture

3. Oval Lingotto

City: Turin, Italy

Year of Games: 2006

Architect: Populous, Studio Zoppini Associati of Milan and Buro Happold.

4. Athens Olympic Velodrome

City: Athens, Greece

Year: 2004

Architect: Santiago Calatrava

5. Water Cube (Beijing National Aquatics Center)

City: Beijing, China

Year of Games: 2008

Architect: PTW Architects, CSCEC, CCDI, and Arup

6. Salt Lake City Olympic Flame

City: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Year of Games: 2002

Architect: WET Design (cauldron), Arrow Dynamics (frame), Western Glass (glass pieces)

7. London Velopark

City: London, U.K.

Year of Games: 2012

Architect: Hopkins Architects

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8. Olympic Arena

City: Tokyo, Japan

Year of Games: 1964

Architect: Kenzo Tange

 

9. Bird’s Nest (Beijing National Stadium)

City: Beijing, China

Year of Games: 2008

Architect: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Stefan Marbach, Ai Weiwei, Li Xinggang

10. Munich Olympic Stadium

City: Munich, Germany

Year of Games: 1972

Architect: Günther Behnisch

5 Most Significant 2016 Olympics Architectural Buildings by Kim Kunasek

1. Amazonia Arena

Location: Manaus
Opened: 2014
Architect: Gerkan, Marg and Partners

2. Estádio Olímpico João Havelange (Engenhão)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Opened: 2007
Architect: Carlos Porto

3. Future Arena

Location: Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
Opened: 2016
Architect: Lopes, Santos & Ferreira Gomes Arquitetos

4. Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha

Location: Brasília
Opened: 1974, renovated in 2013
Architect: Castro Mello

5. Youth Arena

Location: Deodoro
Opened: 2016
Architect: Vigliecca & Associados

Art Deco buildings by Kim Kunasek

Now home to the consulate of Indonesia, this Art Deco building was designed as the headquarters and opulent showroom for custom-built luxury Auburn-Cord automobiles.

Owner E. L. Cord demanded polished marble floors, hardwood finishes, thirty-foot ceilings, and dramatic display windows facing onto Wilshire.

Upstairs were four levels of service departments reached by inside ramps. The top floor housed radio stations KFAC and KFVD, which had their broadcast antennas on the roof.

Cord later owned Century Airlines (precursor to American Airlines) and Checker Cab, as well as extensive Wilshire Boulevard frontage in the priciest section of Beverly Hills, where he built the Cordhaven estate. He left California abruptly in the 1950s for a new life as a rancher and politician in Nevada.

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