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Galbraith Hall auditorium by Kevin deFreitas. Photo ©Darren Bradley Local San Diego architect, Kevin deFreitas , was recently asked by the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) to put a new auditorium into one of the first buildings on the campus, Galbraith Hall. What he created with a meagre budget has literally transformed the space - while still managing to respect its mid-century modernist roots -and almost makes me wish I was still a student.  The original exterior by Deems Lewis Martin, along with the new canopy entry by Kevin deFreitas. Photo ©Darren Bradley Galbraith Hall, by Deems Lewis Martin Architects, was built in 1964 as the original library for the UCSD campus. It was named for the second chancellor of UCSD, John Galbraith.  There's even a photo by Ansel Adams, taken in 1966, showing students studying in the space. At the time, the waffle concrete ceilings and skylights made for a beautiful design with lots of natural light.  Photo by Ansel Adams of ...

UCSD Central Library (aka Geisel Library) by William Pereira & Associates (1970). Photo ©Darren Bradley I have been on the campus of UCSD quite a bit lately, shooting several other projects (including several of the original campus buildings by Risley & Gould).  Like many universities that were built in the late 60s and early 70s, there are many examples of concrete brutalist structures. Like most people, I once hated concrete brutalism for its seeming drab, dreary exposed concrete and simple, oppressive, heavy forms. It's probably the reason most people will tell you that they dislike modernist architecture today. But I've now come to love this largely misunderstood style, and so should you.  Weaver Office Building (HUD) in Washington, DC, by Marcel Breuer. Photo ©Darren Bradley The term “Brutalism” in modern architecture comes from the French béton brut , or “raw concrete”. But most people today find the term to be completely appropriate from the English sense of th...

The breezeway connecting Mayer and Bonner Halls in Revelle College, University of California at San Diego, was designed by Risley & Gould (1968). Photo ©Darren Bradley The LA-based architecture firm of Risley & Gould designed a number of projects on the campus of the University of California at San Diego (primarily at Revelle College). Their breezeway (above and below), is my favorite structure on campus ( along with the library ).  Photo ©Darren Bradley Photo ©Darren Bradley Keith York of Modern San Diego recently asked me if I had any photos of the Risley & Gould projects, as he has just established a web page for them on his site. Since I only had the breezeway, he asked me to take a few more when I got the chance.  Bonner Hall by Risley & Gould (1964) is one of the first buildings on the UCSD campus.Photo ©Darren Bradley As it happens, I'm currently shooting another project on campus for the architect Kevin deFreitas (more on that later). Since I was alr...

The Copenhagen Opera House opened in 2004 to much controversy, and has been widely panned by critics and the design community. Photo ©Darren Bradley I just learned that the architect Henning Larsen died on the 22nd of June of this year, just a few weeks ago. He was 87. This gave the the opportunity to think about his work and legacy. Larsen will likely be most remembered for his opera house in Copenhagen. I'm sure he would have preferred it otherwise.  Photo ©Darren Bradley First, a bit of history. Shipping magnate A.P.  Møller (who founded Maersk) did what fabulously wealthy and powerful men have been doing since time began - he turned to philanthropy and decided to focus on leaving a legacy (and monuments!). So he bought a plot of land on an old Navy base, and announced that he would donate it and a new opera house to the State, in exchange for complete design control. He also dictated the architect: Henning Larsen.  Photo ©Darren Bradley Larsen was already one of Denma...

A stolen moment . I caught a glimpse of this girl peering out a window of Corbusier's Villa La Roche, making a sketch of something across the alley. Photo ©Darren Bradley It's probably impossible to talk about modernism in France without bringing up Le Corbusier... in the same way that it's pretty much impossible to avoid mentioning Frank Lloyd Wright in any discourse about modern architecture in the US.  Villa Savoye in Poissy, France. Photo ©Darren Bradley Swiss-born architect  Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (aka "Le Corbusier"), who became a French citizen in 1930, is one of the founding fathers of the modernist movement. A lot has been said about him by far more knowledgeable people than I, so I won't attempt to say much here.  Elevated courtyard at the Villa Savoye. Photo ©Darren Bradley All of the photos in this first batch are from the same house, the Villa Savoye. It's quite a famous house, and most of you probably know it already.  Lego even did a vers...