Public Dinner Parties

At long tables in pubs, in traditional food courts, or at local diners with affordable food, sharing meals makes a community strong. Rather than each household having to always cook a full meal by themselves, people can enjoy the company of their neighbors.

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A Vision for Notre Dame

 

B4place rendering of view from the south

A trio of architects based in Atlanta, GA have outlined a beautiful vision for the restoration of Notre Dame.

Reinaldo Hernandez, Jacques Levet, and Rene Salas have proposed an elegant design that allows the public space around the cathedral to continue to serve the public during the 10+ years of the reconstruction process. 

In their proposal, they advocate for:

  • The Heart: A full restoration of the cathedral as it was before the fire.
  • The Mind: An immediate place for people to continue contemplation and worship in a new ‘Ephemeral Cathedral’.
  • The Hand: An area for the craftspeople involved in the rebuilding efforts to share their traditions with the public.

You can check out the details of proposal, along with their lovely images, here

Here at B4place, we know that respect for historic architecture is the basis of an enduring public place. We were so inspired by the trio’s proposal that we created some quick 3D visualizations based on the plan. These renderings show their proposed temporary structures (indicated in orange for visibility) within the context of the existing square in front of Notre Dame. 

B4place rendering: overview from the southeast
B4place rendering: view from Rue d’Arcole into the northeast corner of the square in front of Notre Dame
B4place rendering: view from the corner of Quai de Marche Neuf and Rue de la Cite looking east to Notre Dame.

A Place to Stroll

Promenades lined with cafes, shops, and bars are common especially in fair-weathered parts of the world. Under the mid-day shade of an alley of trees or the deepening evening sky, people intuitively love to casually stroll amongst family, friends, and neighbors.

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Building Technology Heritage Library Adds 10,000th Item to Free Archive

Welcome to your next rabbit hole!

The Building Technology Heritage Library, a project of the Association for Preservation Technology, is a fascinating and informative collection of American and Canadian historical architectural trade catalogs, house plan books and technical building guides. Recently, the association added the 10,000th document to the free online repository hosted on archive.org.

Sourced from various library, museum, and private collections, these vintage gems give a window into the thinking and styling around building and construction over the years.

While the publishing dates range from the late 18th century to the early 2000’s, the majority of the titles are from the early-to-mid 20th century.

The Path to Suburbia

Browsing the titles from these eras, you can see suburbia taking form, with lots of plans and catalogues related to the new ideals for single-family home living rather than dense cities, towns, or villages.

But even still, there’s an old-school durability trying to hang on for awhile through the years, with many books about using materials like structural masonry and brick. However, as the publication dates move closer to the 1950’s, the industry-wide pivot to disposable construction and development becomes evident. 

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