Favorite architectural quotations/references

[Hugo]

Whether buildings can actually quote or not other buildings (like a text would do) isn't really the question here. I think we can all agree that references to other projects, styles or architects are a pretty common thing, even when they're not quite acknowledged by the architect himself. It was actually (to me atleast) one of the few bright spots of postmodern architecture.

So anyway, let's see what we can come up with! I'll start with a couple of easy ones.

Philip Johnson - Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston (1985)

[url]http://www.pritzkerprize.com/sites/default

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, House of Education (project), 1773-1779

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/laserdisk/0244/24452.JPG

James Stirling, Engineering Building - Leicester University, 1959

http://quintinlake.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/leicester-engineering-building-james-stirling-17.jpg?w=500&h=766

Konstantin Melnikov, Rusakov Club, 1927-29

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qukqnTo2uYc/TgYJj2etSZI/AAAAAAAAI_k/K91nP_je198/s1600/konstantin-melnikov-klub-rusalkovovd18dch-zd0b1vodov-1928.jpg

[THE BIG APPLE]

My favorite written architectural reference is by Frederick Law Olmsted who said 'nature first, second, and third; architecture after a while'.

But OFCOURSE buildings are recycled by architects. I could easily look at a building and know it wasn't original (except) the Chrysler Building.

[Bedhead]

LLoyds Amphitheatre - Bristol by tombream07, on Flickr


Royal Crescent, Bath by smin, on Flickr

One of my favourite references - the Lloyds Bank regional headquarters in Bristol, and the Royal Crescent in Bath. Modelling the Lloyds building on the Crescent gives a great backdrop to the public space (which is often a lot livelier than in that photo). The familiar pattern of the columns give a great clue that this is a public space, and breaks up the monotony of a standard office block.