Monograph

Canal houses, read from the water

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:08:14 +0000

The question

Why does a row of houses that never repeat itself still read as one street?

Gables, window heights and colours change from one canal house to the next. What stays constant is the narrow width of each front and the line along the water. The variety sits inside a strict rule.

Seen twice

Still water doubles the row. At dusk the reflection repeats every gable upside down, so the facade is really composed for two views at once.

Canal houses at dusk. Photograph: Cernadas Valiño Marcos, CC0.

What we kept

When a place is made by many hands, fix the width and the edge, and let everything else vary. This is a reference study of a photograph; the houses are not our work.

A portico in parts

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:08:14 +0000

The question

What does a portico look like once it stops being one object?

Traced from a photograph, this curved portico breaks into Corinthian columns, an entablature, a balustrade and a line of chimney stacks. Numbering each part slows the eye down enough to see how they depend on one another.

Round the curve

On a curved front the columns seem to change their spacing as you move. The balustrade above keeps one steady rhythm and ties them back together.

A curved Corinthian portico. Photograph: silviamaringiraldo, CC0.

What we kept

The smallest repeated part often carries the whole facade. Here it is the baluster, not the column.

A reading room in the round

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:08:14 +0000

The question

How do you make one large room feel like several small ones?

In this library the shelves stand in a ring instead of along the walls. The books become the partition, and every opening in the ring becomes a threshold between a busier outside and a quieter centre.

A lower ceiling

Pendant lights hung at one height give the eye a plane to rest on beneath the steel roof. Plants along the tops of the shelves soften the ring without closing it.

Shelving in a ring under a steel roof. Photograph: Rachel Cortés Torres, CC0.

What we kept

Furniture can divide a room better than walls can. The library is not our work; we keep it as a reference.

A stair hall, looking up

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 00:08:14 +0000

The question

What happens when a stair hall has no corners?

Seen from below, the balconies of this interior wind upward in one continuous white line. There are no landings to stop at and no visible fixings, so the eye keeps climbing.

Edge as guide

A curved balustrade tells you where to go without a sign. Each turn is already visible from the one before it.

Curved balconies in a tall interior. Photograph: Beryl, CC0.

What we kept

Draw circulation as one line first. Break it only where people need to stop.

One window, repeated

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 00:08:14 +0000

The question

How does a public building look open without looking like a shop window?

This library answers with repetition. Rows of large windows run along a beige elevation at one steady width. No bay is singled out, so every room behind the glass reads as equally important.

Wall and glass

Redrawn as an elevation, the balance of solid wall to opening becomes the main decision. Here the wall holds its own against the glass and keeps the facade calm.

A public library facade. Photograph: The Sri Lanka, CC0.

What we kept

A long facade needs one good opening more than it needs variety. This is a reference study; we had no part in the building.

What the ivy leaves clear

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:08:15 +0000

The question

What does planting do to a facade that was designed without it?

On this museum wall, dense ivy covers most of the surface. From a distance it reads as one green mass, and whatever detail the masonry had is gone.

Openings and edge

The windows stay dark and precise within the green. Above them, the decorative roofline stands bare against a grey sky.

Ivy on a historic facade. Photograph: Wiktoria Kędracka, CC0.

What we kept

Planting simplifies. It hides fine detail and strengthens clear openings and a strong top edge.

Balconies with rounded edges

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:08:15 +0000

The question

How much can a single balcony design do for a housing block?

On this white residential building, rows of balconies with rounded fronts stack floor above floor. The curve catches the light and throws a soft shadow below, so the elevation reads as layered rather than striped.

At street level

Palm trees and planting stand between the building and the street, a second layer before the first balcony begins.

Rounded balconies on a residential block. Photograph: Mac Grover, CC0.

What we kept

Draw the balcony edge in section before choosing its material. It is the line most people will see.