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From my Ugly Architecture post – This scene of neglect
Photo Friday – Neglect
Ugly Architecture
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Wyn has posted a series of “bad” architecture pictures on his site and encouraged other bloggers to do the same. While it is acceptable that there is a lot of bad architecture out there, especially in retail and industrial. Defining it is problematic.
Why? Because architecture, like all forms of artistic expression, is an art, and while a lot of it lacks imagination, there is also a lot that inspires.
Here in Perth there was furious debate regarding one of the cities earliest “skyscrapers”. Built in 1963 the Council Chambers was abandoned due to asbestos leaching. A lot of the population suggested it was a good time for this eyesore to be demolished, where as others were in favour of restoration.
The fact is, while it wasn’t a hugely attractive building, and totally out of date, it was a very interesting building aesthetically and the finished project looked great.
On the other hand, there are plenty of buildings with minimal appeal. (Click on thumbnails for larger Images)
The “Unfinished” Award
The Westralia Square project (Hartley Poynten Centre) was started in 1988 with plans to have a multi towered complex.
Work was completed on the first tower, while the area set aside for the second tower is a large hole in the ground.
Rusty steel reinforcement juts out from the concrete footings where the second building was supposed to attach to the first.
The pit, cleared for the lower level parking area is now overgrown with trees and a stagnant pool.
The “Setting Bad Trends” Award
The AMP building is a 30 level 70’s influenced tower that is way too brown for its own good. If you look at this photograph upside down you will not notice much of a difference. Other Buildings that look similar to this include the AXA centre, the Governor Stirling Tower and a number of smaller buildings
The “What Were They Thinking” Award
I’m sure there is a good reason why the Western Australian Museum looks like this, I can’t for the life of me work out what it is!
This building replaced the museum but in recent years the original building has been expanded and left this one obsolete.
The “Residential Uglyfication” Award
While I don’t want to be critical of residential architecture, an increasing trend in “home security” is to put shutters on all the windows thus eliminating the risk of window break entry.. or natural sunlight.. or aesthetics..
Ironically, my current home includes such shutters!
The “Global Yawning” Award
Not happy with making their product the same across the planet, Multinational corporations have their outlets looking pretty much the same where ever you go. The exceptions to the rules are where local zoning laws don’t allow the usual structures.
Thankfully there have been more recent shifts to having stores look a little different.
Photo Friday – Morning
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I thought, just for a change, that I would get my Photo Friday entry up fairly early, 90 minutes after posting in fact!
This weeks entry was easy. For me, the most important thing in the morning is my cuppa. On a workday when I am pressed for time I make it the night before and then reheat it in the microwave. Not the best way to have your tea, but then, because I drink it black, it takes too long to cool down and there is no way that I am getting up any earlier than I have to.
I took this photo on the leap day. I was contemplating doing a “Day in the Life” thing that involved taking photos of your day as it occurred on the 29th February and then submitting the link to a website (much the same as Photo Friday). I did end up taking quite a few photos that day, but because I was so busy with that damn cart, I never found the time to adjust and optimised the images, write a page etc. etc.
So when I saw the challenge was Morning.. “Too easy” I thought!
Autons
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It didn’t take long to get through the Troughton era in Doctor Who. I thought they were going to play the 10 episode “War Games” story which was Patricks final story (unless you count the Three Doctors.. oh and the Five Doctors … and the Two Doctors… can you see a theme?) but they didn’t.
I’m not sure why. I didn’t find any of the episodes listed as missing in the archive that I used to research my Who viewing guide showed it as intact. I really must find that link and double check it… But I digress
Tonights Doctor Who is the classic Auton story “Spearhead from Space” It introduces Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and is shown in colour bringing the show into the 70’s.
Photo Friday – Clean
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I haven’t really been lazy, just busy. My latest project has caused me a few headaches, however I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime here is this weeks Photo Friday – Clean
Photo Friday – Perspective
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I had a response from someone I know on IRC regarding my bumpersticker post, in particular the “No Fat Chicks” sticker.
She says that it is an advertisement for being a total loser. I had to conclude that her assumption was indeed correct as the chances of them having a sticker on the back of the car that proclaims their ineptitude was unlikely.
On a completely different matter, this weeks Photo Friday is up, and the subject is Perspective. A lot of people have taken shots of things from a different perspective. I like to think of perspective as the lines in an image disappearing to a vanishing point. Conveniently enough, I took just such a photo last week while I was doing Industrial
Photo Friday – Industrial
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This weeks Photo Friday is Industrial, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do.
Down in East Perth, near a spot where 20 years ago I used to regularly go fishing is an old power station. It is pretty much a derelict shell these days and I have been wanting to take photos of it for some time. This was the perfect excuse to take the kids for a walk.
I think it is fair to say we probably walked a mile this afternoon. I’m basing that guesstimate on the fact that the freeway bridge near the power station is about 400 metres long, and we were parked at least that far away from the bridge. We crossed to the other side of the river and then back again making 1.6 kilometres, which is indeed a mile on the old scale.
The bridge is fairly new. Maybe 3 or 4 years old at the most, and it certainly made crossing the river much easier than the last time i did it. I would have been 15 or 16 and I decided to swim across
I learned two things.
One, it is further across than it looks and two, the jellyfish get vicious towards the centre!
Status – Low power
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Sorry. I will get my shit together this week, I promise.
Photofriday is up for those of you who are interested. This weeks topic is status.
The biggest story locally last week, or maybe the most contentious, was the total incompetence of the Government run energy company Western Power. While we sweltered through days that only got as cool as 27°C before climbing back up to the 40°C mark. The Government decided to ban the use of air conditioning.
It was a pretty dismal failure as far as I can see. Most people kept their air on despite the ban. I did turn mine off when I got home from work, but then put it back on an hour later so I could have a sleep. I would say that 75% of places I went into on my delivery round had their air switched on, and of the ones who had theirs off, at least one of them shouldn’t have.
That one place was a child care centre. When I went in, all the kids were screaming and crying. It was stiflingly hot in the building and the poor kids were uncomfortable and miserable.
I noticed on that day I got quite a lot of hits from google and the likes on “Western Power” and “restrictions” from my previous article
Photo Friday – Status
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Fire Warning Status
