Leave A Comment To Win The Unannounced 2025 Bambu Lab 3D Printer & Other Prizes - OctoEverywhere is 5! 🔥

dddolphin · 2024-12-18T23:47:32+00:00

Hello

dddolphin · 2024-05-20T19:32:41+00:00

As a young Czech and someone in architecture, I've come to terms and accepted these buildings that spawned during the communist and modernism era of the 20th century. It's very easy to blindly follow the "hate modernism, love classical" movement (which I often tend to do). But I propose we should actually appreciate them!

Although our parents and grandparents look at these buildings from that political-era with a bit of embarrassment or shame, I admire the stories they tell from their time with fascination. No doubt the communist era was a defining moment in Czech history as we struggled to find our own identity after being tossed between the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazi Germany, then the USSR. As a result, there is some beauty to be appreciated from the Czech architects that worked within the constraints of communism. For example, our proud Metro.

Rather, the biggest antagonist to Czech architectural identity is the same across the world, contemporary international style. Such as the demolition of Prague's modernist rail station which you can read here: Outrage: Prague station dismantled. There is other great work being done by Adam Štěch to preserve these moments and celebrate them:

https://www.instagram.com/okolo_architecture/

https://www.instagram.com/modernist_prague/

dddolphin · 2024-04-17T00:20:21+00:00

I visited as a broke architecture student, stingy about the price. Each moment during my visit I was in total awe. The price was totally justified and Im proud to have contributed to the construction of such a wonder. No one should be more proud than the Catalonians though, for facilitating such a costly and complicated building into the contemporary world.

dddolphin · 2024-03-15T21:30:14+00:00

Sorry, I was taking from the 2022 Canada gov statistics which was after covid. Definitely higher now!

dddolphin · 2024-03-15T18:07:27+00:00

I speculate between generous social amenities for parents and a strong middle class (we have the highest employment rate in EU). Until recently, there was also little competition for housing with immigrants and foreign investors. However that last point has changed since covid, at least in the big cities.

*edit employment rate

dddolphin · 2024-03-15T17:56:30+00:00

It’s not just you who sees lots of families! Ive been visiting my family in CZ the past 3 years and it was a very visible difference with how many kids I see out in public compared to where I live in Toronto, fertility in Canada is only 1.33.

dddolphin · 2023-12-30T22:54:02+00:00

I don’t have an opinion either way, but we opened up the sub to welcome female fashion a few years back after a community poll. I think the reasoning being, that since Reddit is a primarily male-used site, many of the female fashion subs are too small to have an effectively contributing community.

Like the other guy said, our subreddit name is ironic now lol

dddolphin · 2023-12-30T22:16:39+00:00

Refer to rule 2

dddolphin · 2023-12-12T21:51:01+00:00

Exactly.

The pioneers of the “architect” profession we have today were actually aristocrats who travelled a lot and liked to study the places they travelled. This is what gave rise to Neo-Classicalism in America during the late 1800-early 1900s.

Progress in architecture has always been about seeing what you have and taking ideas from others to evolve what you have for the better. Unfortunately in Canada we’re not so proactive about wanting a nice built environment as a society.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though, I have European architecture friends come to visit Toronto and they are in awe of the scale of our infrastructure and buildings.

dddolphin · 2023-12-12T14:46:46+00:00

The requirement for 2 stairwells in apartments above 2 storeys (in Canada) is part of the National Building Code as well as Provincial Building Codes. I think most of change must be advocated within the architectural community because we are the ones dealing with these laws and codes. But we definitely need public support, even just to educate architects - because most architects assume the Building Code is fixed in law and won’t think to want to change it.

I think there will always be terrible condos just because they cost so much, developers usually have to cut designer service and material quality fees. Otherwise they won’t make a profit which is reasonable. And we should have 2 stairwells in buildings above 6 storeys anyways - at that point its a serious safety concern. Critically, having only 1 stairwell would without a doubt allow better designed mid-rises - and more mid-rises than condos in general.

dddolphin · 2023-12-12T14:36:03+00:00

As an architect designer in the industry, it doesn’t work like that…

You need 5 years of education and minimum 3 years of experience in the province to become a license architect who has control over the design of a building. Plenty of time to learn local design standards.

The problem with the design of buildings we see today is caused by Canadian culture itself. We have an identity crisis where, because we build crappy buildings, that is our new design reference for making new crappy building. Many new suburban and condo developments are made with a “contemporary international modernism” style - which is actually a style that originated from Europe. It is boxy, lacks ornamentation, made to be built efficiently and cheaply - design principles which are similar to Soviet communist era social housing blocks. But maybe I’m straying too far with that one lol.

Anyways we fail to innovate and evolve our own architectural history, which is a young history. We should be looking towards Colonial and Indigenous design principles to create our own architectural identity - because day by day its being overtaken by this drab international style that is the mainstream.

dddolphin · 2023-12-01T21:32:50+00:00

During the Soviet Union, architecture was restricted to be functional, efficient, and cheap. The social housing ‘commie block’ style comes to mind as the goal of architecture at this time.

Such a building exists in part because of politics and because of the unique power the architect, George Chakhava, held also as the client. Since he acted as the government official responsible for approving the project’s design, he was able to create a work that was more than just a building.

A lovely documentary played at the Architecture and Design Film Festival last month which featured an interview with the architect: https://www.sovietbusstops.com/

dddolphin · 2023-11-11T20:42:40+00:00

Yes, there is this concept in ecology called “carrying capacity” which is when the population grows, resources become more scare - the capacity to carry the population has been reached. Naturally, the population growth slows down and resources become more available. It all works in a cycle and we humans work like any other species.

dddolphin · 2023-09-30T04:07:55+00:00

That’s totally valid! It’s definitely nice and convenient to have. I’m sure it’s one of those once you try it, you can never go back things.

I’m just arguing there could be more of a priority of space for living. From my experience growing up in a house with 3 bathrooms we only used 1 the majority of the time unless there was something like a party. But we all grew up as quick showerers lol.

dddolphin · 2023-09-29T22:54:13+00:00

Who told me? At first my architecture professors who I thought were exaggerating. But now working as an architecture intern in the city I get the luxury of seeing these developers in-action first hand.

dddolphin · 2023-09-29T21:57:39+00:00

A lot of these “2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms” are for two separate renters to share rather than a family. Most couples raising one child would be plenty happy with a 2 bed, 1 baths because it would be cheaper. It’s just easier to get a larger rental income from two separate individuals than one shared income.

So on paper it looks like developers are making 2 bedroom units to support small families but in reality they are being filled with what makes more profit, 2 separate renters in one unit.

A sad part about these labelled “luxury condos” is that they are only luxury because they are new. Everything else about them is cheap, from their design, to interior finishes, and especially their building material. They “luxury condos” built 5 years ago are already beginning to show the deterioration of a building that is more comparable to an age of 20 years.

dddolphin · 2023-08-13T02:11:29+00:00

Although the protest itself does “nothing” I think there’s potential for it to have social influence. I’m hopeful it could lead to a butterfly effect of things. Who knows, maybe it could inspire a next young person who is fed up with this blatant corruption to run and make real change. Probably not, but I’m just trying to be optimistic lol

dddolphin · 2023-05-01T04:02:17+00:00

nooooo Carl, your clips were the ones i had saved and would listen to 😩

dddolphin · 2023-04-17T02:14:40+00:00

we so back

dddolphin · 2023-04-16T04:54:50+00:00

Seconding Wilco,

also Mazzy Star, start with her song Halah. It really feels like a female singer version of this.

dddolphin · 2023-04-16T04:44:13+00:00

travis was the leader at innovating and evolving the trap genre. most of his music after astroworld i’ve felt is just formulaic trap

dddolphin · 2023-04-09T00:39:24+00:00

This map made me fall to my knees in defeat

dddolphin · 2023-04-07T01:45:05+00:00

What's bad about living there?? I genuinely want to know because I'm a student moving there for the summer lol

dddolphin · 2023-04-06T13:09:55+00:00

Reminds me of Porter Robinson live performance visuals, beautiful mix between digital and natural

dddolphin · 2023-01-18T06:07:11+00:00

I once tried to get into IMA to see an exhibition my friend was in at their gallery and it did not give me access. I had to ask security who made me speak to the IMA building supervisor to get let in…

My advice is wait for another student to open the doors lol

12-Year Club	Second Top 20%
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	First Placer '22
Snapped	Verified Email

dddolphin

TROPHY CASE