Luca
January 15th, 2007, 04:20 AM
Some holiday snaps? More like some thoughts on urban form in a different country.
Puerto de la Cruz (Formerly Puerto de la Orotava), is an old shipping/fishing harbor that became a tourist destination, largely post-war. By way of introduction here are some typical building styles.
A vernacular house (with some modern additions, not least the spiffy paint job).
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/357102680_64e39586e2_o.jpg
A typical Belle Époque building in the town center (there are a couple dozen of these left).
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/357102673_57184c7574_o.jpg
NOW, ABOUT THAT URBAN FORM.
From Punta Arena beach you can look East-North-East and see this:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/357102691_dff28a2bb6_o.jpg
"Corbu sur Mer", or: Bulgarian slabs to house the masses of sun-seekers. These sorts of buildings went up from the 1950s up to the early 1990s. Were it not for the pitch-black volcanic rock sand, you could be anywhere. There is a sense of business but no, of complexity. Yet buildings are plopped down like pods from outer space.
Looking West-South-West (i.e. 180 degree opposite) the view is very different. Here we have a local construct. This is purely local in character but tourists are beginning to buy/rent here. They wouldn’t have dreamed of it 10-20 years ago.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/357102697_93a1cf4ccf_o.jpg
The key aspects that captivate me here are 1. The organicity and complexity of the urban form
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/357112872_4c80a52521_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/357112875_675c843339_o.jpg
and 2. The Barnacle-like nature of the buildings, clustered on a rock, bashed by the waves but presumably ok with it.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/357112877_23bd2ac04c_b.jpg
Certainly, this is not faux nautical, it’s the real thing, warts and all
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/357112881_ff4f0f2a19_b.jpg
It’s interesting how complexity (almost fractality) can produce such an organic feel given that the micro-geometry is all orthogonal.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/357112882_e93d029ddb_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/357112887_35777dfc82_b.jpg
Puerto de la Cruz (Formerly Puerto de la Orotava), is an old shipping/fishing harbor that became a tourist destination, largely post-war. By way of introduction here are some typical building styles.
A vernacular house (with some modern additions, not least the spiffy paint job).
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/357102680_64e39586e2_o.jpg
A typical Belle Époque building in the town center (there are a couple dozen of these left).
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/357102673_57184c7574_o.jpg
NOW, ABOUT THAT URBAN FORM.
From Punta Arena beach you can look East-North-East and see this:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/357102691_dff28a2bb6_o.jpg
"Corbu sur Mer", or: Bulgarian slabs to house the masses of sun-seekers. These sorts of buildings went up from the 1950s up to the early 1990s. Were it not for the pitch-black volcanic rock sand, you could be anywhere. There is a sense of business but no, of complexity. Yet buildings are plopped down like pods from outer space.
Looking West-South-West (i.e. 180 degree opposite) the view is very different. Here we have a local construct. This is purely local in character but tourists are beginning to buy/rent here. They wouldn’t have dreamed of it 10-20 years ago.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/357102697_93a1cf4ccf_o.jpg
The key aspects that captivate me here are 1. The organicity and complexity of the urban form
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/357112872_4c80a52521_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/357112875_675c843339_o.jpg
and 2. The Barnacle-like nature of the buildings, clustered on a rock, bashed by the waves but presumably ok with it.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/357112877_23bd2ac04c_b.jpg
Certainly, this is not faux nautical, it’s the real thing, warts and all
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/357112881_ff4f0f2a19_b.jpg
It’s interesting how complexity (almost fractality) can produce such an organic feel given that the micro-geometry is all orthogonal.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/357112882_e93d029ddb_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/357112887_35777dfc82_b.jpg