ZUMTHOR WEEKEND IN THE ALPS

On Halloween weekend, thanks to the organizational effort of Jon Jones, seven Clemson students took the long and winding road up to the Swiss and Austrian Alps to see four indescribably beautiful works by Peter Zumthor. Zumthor, having recently won the Pritzker Prize, is at the height of his career and is on the mind of most architecture students in the states and in Europe. And while it was hard to squeeze this trip into an already densely packed semester of work and travel, we knew the experience would be invaluable.

Alps from road

Caravanning in two small rental cars, the weekend began late Friday night with a long and foggy drive through the Alps to get to our first destination, Bregenz, Austria. Bregenz is a small city that rests on the shores of Lake Contance surrounded by the Alps. The timing was perfect for this trip, as the peaks of the mountains were snowcapped and the leaves were in full autumn colors.

Open-air opera in Bregenz

INDEPENDENT TRAVEL

We started off Independent Travel with a group trip to Berlin with our personal tour guide, Professor Sill. Some of the places visited the first day included the Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind, Martin-Gropius-Bau, the Berlinische Galerie and the German Historic Museum with additions by I. M. Pei. On day two we saw Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Hans Scharoun’s Philharmonie, the Reichstag and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe designed by Peter Eisenman. The third day we visited the studios of three architects, von Gerkan Marg und Partner (gmp), Hascher Jehle Architektur and the student group Die Baupiloten lead by architect Susanne Hofmann. We also went to the engineering firm of Schaich Bergermann und Partner.
After three days in Berlin, the group split up and headed off on the second leg of Independent Travel week. Other German cities visited included Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Münster, Dessau, Hamburg and Hannover. The Netherlands was a popular destination with trips made by several students to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven. Other sites visited were Paris, Marseilles, Lille, Bilbao, Zurich, Prague, Budapest and Helsinki.

Berlin Hauptbahnhof by gmp. (Audrey Sloan)

TRAVEL TO ROME, SIENA, AND FLORENCE

Our final travel trip of the semester proved to be a busy one. The trip began with a 4 hour train ride to Rome. Arriving in the late afternoon, we hit the ground running visiting two contemporary museums and exploring the city.

Ara Pacis exterior

Ara Pacis

DAY TRIP TO CARRARA

On October 22nd the Clemson group embarked on a trip to the town of Carrara. Our first stop on the trip was the Museo Civico Del Marmo (the Marble Museum). Here we learned a little bit about the history of the relationship between Carrara and the surrounding mountains. Carrara is an ancient marble mining town. The town was first made into a large scale mining operation by the Romans, who more or less constructed Rome from the marble. From that time on Carrara has remained as a home to both marble suppliers and marble sculptors. In the courtyard of the museum there were a great number of mining remains, left behind by the Romans, from large blocks to small personal sculptures made by the miners in their free time.

Courtyard of the Museo Civico Del Marmo

Next we visited one of the best marble yards in the world, owned by the Barattini Group. There we got to see how the marble is brought in from the quarries in the mountains and cut into blocks of all sizes depending on the needs of the clients.

TORINO DAY TRIP

We began our study and exploration of Torino by making our way to the Fiat Lingotto factory, where we were fortunate enough to have a tour reserved. The building features a test track on the roof for the finished cars, which were built on an assembly line going up throughout the building. Walking around on a track designed for cars atop a building was an interesting experience, and many of us found it difficult to keep our balance when traversing the banked turns.

Panorama of the rooftop test track

After the factory closed in the 70s, Renzo Piano rebuilt it as a public space with shopping, a hotel, a concert hall, a theater, and a convention center. The addition of the “Bolla” was part of the renovation.

The “Bolla”

PORTS, BOATS, AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS

We began this trip by taking a boat tour through the harbor of Genova. The view from on the water brought the full composition of the sea, harbor, city and landscape into a single dynamic view.

View from boat up to the hills.

Shipping cranes in Porto Antico.

MILAN DAY TRIP

The day trip to Milan began with another early morning for the Clemson group. Leaving the villa at 6:00, we boarded the train for a quick ride to Milan Central Station. Our fearless Leader (and tour guide), Professor Giuditta Poletti, quickly herded us through the busy Milan metro system to Santa Maria delle Grazie church, current Home of Leonardo’s famous “Last Supper”.

Santa Maria delle Grazie

Maria delle Grazie stained glass window

2009 GROUP PHOTO

THE VILLA GARDEN

The villa garden is a source of respite and reflection during a hectic semester filled with design projects and travels near and far. In this post are a few photos of our garden.

The villa as seen from the garden.

Oranges basking in the sun.

VILLA PARTY 2009

The buzz and excitement lasted all week, but it was finally Friday, and we had to get ready for a party!! While Angela was cooking an amazing feast in the kitchen, most of us were assembling the field sketch gallery, arranging furniture, or putting tablecloths and skirts on the tables. As the sun went down, we started getting ready. Everyone looked amazing! Everything was set and the first guests started to arrive. Audrey and Allison rocked the bar like professionals, and we all took turns working the door.

All the guys lookin' fly!

Best bartenders in town!