I've been doing some sightseeing with Google Maps Satellite and decided to share some of the architectural places I've been and photographed (or want to go at some point) in the West Coast of the United States. This could be useful to those who are interested in visiting the west coast and enjoy photographing modern/contemporary architecture. Most of the buildings listed here are done by more famous architects and firms. Perhaps future renditions will include lesser known works. So, without further ado, we'll start from the north and work our way south...
Been to location
Have not been to location


Seattle, WA:

Experience Music Project Frank Gehry [satellite]
With the bright colors and twisted shapes, this could be Gehry's most expressive (or obnoxious) design to date. The building form was to reflect a smashed Jimmi Hendrix guitar, and Gehry actually bought several electric guitars to dice up for study. From the satellite image, you can see the building as the smashed body, rail line is the neck, and the rail station is the headstock. The satellite image is too small to see, but there are veins of glass that crawl across the top of the building and down to street level that represent broken guitar strings, and also contextually reflect the roller coaster to the building's west. Personally, I feel that design metaphor is very reaching, especially since satellite images or an arial photo is the only way the general public can see it. I feel the design style is appropriate, given the fluid nature of music and its park setting at the base of the Space Needle.



REI, Seattle Mithun Partners, Inc. [satellite]
A major retail chain as an architectural point of interest? It kind of sounds like traveling to visit a Target or Walmart, but this sporting goods store was designed extremely well. Nestled alongside a major highway, this store features a wall climbing room, outdoor mountain bike track beneath the building, and artificial trails to test shoe tractions. The building is set in heavy timber framing and attention is paid to even the most minute details, like the axepick doorhandles and a compass embedded into the hardwood flooring. The design of this store is brilliant from a shopper's standpoint, business standpoint, AND an architectural standpoint.

I don't have any pictures posted, but you can see some images at the architect's website: [link]

Seattle Art Museum Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown [satellite]
Five words come to mind with this building: "What a piece of crap." I severely dislike Robert Venturi's work and style, and this building is no exception. The building from the satellite image isn't much to look at (it's the one where the south corner is curved...southwest of the one where the whole side is curved). Don't worry, it doesn't really get any better. The worst part is that the scheme really has the potential to make it a tremendous work of architecture, but the lack of detail and total lack of interest by the architect destroyed the execution of a good scheme. The southern entrance was poised to be fairly promising, as was the first step into the building. But when I got to the base of the stairs escalating along with the slope of the street, I was speechless. The placement of the stairs I liked, but what the hell was up with the fake Disneyland finishes? There were comiclike statues and fake flimsy bright orange plastic arches like the architect thought something was missing and decided to cut up some cones at a road construction site and hang it up on the ceiling. When I actually ascended the stairs, I found myself looking at the small secondary entrance. For something so grandoise and dolled up, what happened to the destination point like architecture schools teach in the first year? It only gets worse. At the gift shop at the top of the main stairs, there were a few more stairs up into the first gallery. Curious where the accessible ramp was, I walked around and found it on the other side of the gift shop. What a lazy afterthought solution to the problem. That ramp turned at LEAST six times as it tried to wrap around the gift shop. Already disgusted, I decided to just run upstairs to take a glance and come right back down. It wasn't a couple minutes later that I realized, after that grand staircase, the only way to ascend further was to take the firestairs or the elevator. What a goddamn clusterfuck. Thank god they're building an addition. Too bad they're not tearing down the current one.

I don't have pictures, but there's one of the exterior here: [link] A rendering of the expansion: [link] Sorry, I couldn't find any images of the interior of the staircase.

Seattle Public Library Rem Koolhaas, OMA [satellite]
I've never been there, and Google doesn't appear to have satellite images recent enough to include this building (I believe it's that lot under construction). I try to reserve judgement until I've actually visited a building, but I'm not optimistic. It seems to have an interesting shape, but seems to also be very arbitrary.

Some photographs from *wynterforde's gallery:

More images and a 3d diagram here: [link]

Frye Art Museum Olsen Sundberg Kundig Allen [satellite]
There wasn't anything that really stuck out in my mind about this museum, except that the entrance is done well with the thick cylindrical tower and the accessiblity ramp along the side of the building with the water element. The rest of the building is pretty ordinary, but hey, the admission is free.


Their site has some non-abstract images of the building.

The Chapel of St. Ignatius Steven Holl, Miller|Holl Architects [satellite]
Just a few blocks east exists a chapel at Seattle University. It's fairly ordinary in the satellite photo (right in the center, left of the big parking lot), but the way the interior captures the light in a dazzling array of colors is quite brilliant. This, combined with the unique textures of the walls create stunning washes of light that is mentioned frequently in architecture lectures. Although the exterior wall below the top plate is quite plain and minimalist (it gets to the point where the human scale gets thrown off a bit), the roof forms explode out towards the sky.

Last time I visited this location I was without a camera, so I have no pictures of the place. I hope to go back someday to photograph it, but for now, there are images here: [link]

Bellevue Art Museum Steven Holl, Miller|Holl Architects [satellite]
Although it has an interesting street facade, this museum doesn't have too much else going for it. The design of the entrance is horrible, especially considering it's a corner entrance. You are greeted by a large atrium with the first step into the building and just when you think the building might redeem itself, it all goes downhill. The arrangement of the spaces isn't thought out well and the feel is pretty inconsistent throughout the building. This is not the type of work I'd expect from someone who designed the Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle.

Like St. Ignatius, I didn't have a camera when I was here. You can catch a glimpse of it here (note the entrance): [link]


Tacoma, WA:

Museum of Glass Arthur Erickson [satellite]
In an effort to revitalize the life of the city, a pedestrian walkway (pretty obvious in the satellite image) was constructed to span from the reviving downtown, over an otherwise impassable highway, to the museum, which is planned to be a catalytic piece in creating a unified waterfront. The entrance of the building is located on the opposite side of downtown and the street of arrival. Currently, this may appear to be counter-intuitive, but when the waterfront is established, the entrance on this side will be far more effective. There are a number of glass exhibits in the exterior of the museum, including the span of the pedestrian bridge (you can see one of the pieces on the bridge in the second thumbnail below) to create further interest for recreation in the location. Perhaps the most striking feature, the giant cone houses its glass ovens, where the public can watch the staff create some glass pieces, and learn how by supervised hands-on experience. It is yet to be seen whether this urban renewal project will be effective, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.


More objective images can be viewed in the architect's portfolio here: [link]


Portland, OR

Portland Building Michael Graves [satellite]
This is yet another travesty in the seemingly never-ending saga of populist architecture. Perhaps this style, which both Graves and Venturi are fans of, is appropriate for buildings such as Graves's Disney Hotels, but not for a non-entertainment venue. What I dub "The Gift Box Buidling", is highly superficial in its design. It is essentially just a box with some decorative elements on the exterior. In a classic example of form over function, the office windows are tiny little squares that barely lets in a sufficient amount of light. Although, it can easily be argued there wasn't much form to have been gained out of such a move, I cannot find any other reason for that design decision. I've said that I like to reserve judgement until I've been to a location, but for this building, it's hard do so.

There is an image here: [link] and another one including the copper statue in the front here: [link]


St. Benedict, OR

Mt. Angel Abbey Library Alvar Aalto [satellite]
This is the last building designed by, in my opinion, the most brilliant modernist architect, Alvar Aalto (though that's not saying much). When we approached the site, it took us a while to actually realize the building. Aalto created the exterior to be very subservient to its surroundings and we played right into his hands. While the exterior still reeked of the modernist philosophy of bare functionalism, I applauded his humbling design strategy, acknowledging that the library was not to be the most important building on the campus. Like a good book bound by a bad cover, once inside, I was dazzled by the extremely well lit fan shaped stack space Aalto was so famous for. Even on cloudy days, the place remains to be well lit naturally, and many days they can even leave the electrical lighting off. Almost all the libraries are programmed so the stacks are parallel to one another in seperate rooms, but Aalto's fan shaped design radiates the stacks from a central location, so that the staff's desk at the vertex can see down every aisle for increased security and assistance. Not only does this work in plan, but it also works in THREE dimensions. There is actually a lower floor, designed such that the staff desk can gaze into every aisle on that floor as well as the ground floor.

I have no pictures posted, but there are a lot of images on their website.


San Francisco, CA

Ferry Building [satellite]
If there was one good thing about the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake of San Francisco, it was the destruction of the incredibly divisive barracade of a freeway on the Embarcadero. Once again connected to the city, the owners of the Ferry Building decided to undergo major adaptive reuse. Originally a hub for ferries, this landmark's use faded into obscurity since the Bay Bridge was built. It was then converted into an office building which didn't see much use. Now the owners have painstakingly restored the exterior and the inside was turned into a upscale marketplace. The foresight of this building's owner should now be sparking development all along the Embarcadero which will, in turn, revive the waterfront.


More images, including the exterior, can be seen on their website.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Mario Botta [satellite]
Currently, this is one of the astoundingly few buildings designed by a contemporary famous architect in San Francisco. The museum is situated in a very culturally rich part of the city, right across from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts by Fumihiko Maki. Any person studying architecture can instantly spot Botta's signature of brickwork and the cylindrical, diaganolly sliced skylight. Although a bit cold and scaleless from the exterior, the atrium inside is well lit and the skylight is an interesting element to progress towards.


These were taken a lonng time ago, as you can tell from the lack of skill. There are more (though low contrast) images here: [link]

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts / Gardens Fumihiko Maki [satellite]
Okay, I never actually went inside the Center for the Arts, but I've walked through the Gardens a few times. With the Sony Metreon capping the southwestern side and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts alongside the Center of Arts on the other, the gardens link the two with a large tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. on the southeastern side. The water element interwoven in the tribute make for an interesting walk between the buildings as well as a much used edge condition on the site. The Center of the Arts building itself has interesting multi-layered facades and is lit nicely at night.


This image only shows a small part of the building at the top side of the image. The water feature contains the MLK tribute. The only other image I was able to find after a quick search was the header on their website: [link]


Los Angeles, CA

Getty Center Richard Meier [satellite]
With a one billion dollar budget, this gigantic complex houses a museum, educational facilities, research facilities, as well as a garden. What you see on the satellite image isn't even the whole complex. To find the entrance, you need to pan north a bit (follow the tram line until the end). That location contains a parking structure and the head of the tram line that takes the visitors up the hills along the highway, to the primary complex. Despite all this, admission is free, though there is a fairly steep price for parking. Just after the lobby, there is a rectilinear courtyard that leads the visitor straight to a viewing platform of the LA valley. Tons of travertine were shipped from Tivoly, Italy to clad this beast. While I think the buildings have a nice texture, the polished travertine on the floors give a harsh glare from the sunlight. There are some smaller nuances I question, such as anorexic columns supporting a large travertine room, but the layout of the complex is exemplary.


More pictures here (have to wade through a few splash screens): [link]

Diamond Ranch High School Thom Mayne, Morphosis [satellite]
This is currently one of his most renowned works and the catalyst for his firm. Even if you haven't been here, you may have seen this building on television, in movies like The Cell and the backdrop in several commercials. Though the formulated spaces appear to be random, the chaotic and expressive forms actually combine to form ordered spaces. It may not be transparent in photographs, but the floor plans and satellite imagery show the regularity of the plan and the duality of the governing lines in the scheme.

I didn't think any of my photos were worthy to post, but here's some images (and some plans): [link]

Disney Concert Hall Frank Gehry [satellite]
I didn't go inside this building either since it was still under construction when I last visited. I don't really know much about this one, except that its construction was delayed and the cladding reflects a lot of sunlight into nearby office buildings, causing tremendous solar gain. If I recall correctly, the cladding wasn't sandblasted properly per the plans and the problem has since been rectified.


Photos from =rotorblade's gallery:


Culver City Office Complex Eric Owen Moss [satellite]
Although this is a complex, it is actually multiple expansion projects that occured in the same location, and it shows. The lack of cohesiveness and randomness seems to be one of the only shared attributes between these buildings. Much of his cosmetic additions are extremely arbitrary, like random abstract sculptures commissioned for other locations and glued in select places around the site. To his credit, the condition of the site before his projects were already abysmal, littered with buildings that translated perfectly what the owners/clients were: cheap, budget, penny-pinching, and all its synonyms. In the end, I suppose Moss didn't make the sitation worse, but he didn't do it any favors. Although the architecture of the place is severely lacking, photographic opportunities for abstract architectural photographers are high. His most famous projects in this complex are The Box, The Umbrella, and 3535 Hayden.


Photos from =rotorblade's gallery:

More images can be found at Eric Owen Moss's website: [link]

Caltrans District 7 Headquarters Thom Mayne, Morphosis [satellite]
Morphosis's knack for fusing simplicity and expressiveness is displayed yet again in the Caltrans Headquarters. Appropriately designed to reflect he movement of the highways, Mayne uses some techniques and materials familiar to his other work to achieve his metaphor.

Photos from =rotorblade's gallery:



La Jolla, CA

Salk Institute Louis Kahn [satellite]
Consise. Strong. Perhaps a bit stark at times, but hey, can't expect to have everything. From the street, the entrance into the courtyard with flanking buildings is definitely breathtaking. The hardscape is guided by a single water element flowing in a line down the courtyard, seemingly emptying out into the Pacific Ocean.


Their website's root page has a few images of the complex set on randomize.


Up and coming

Seattle, WA: Expansion to Seattle Art Museum Brad Cloepfil, Allied Works Architecture

Eugene, OR: US Federal Courthouse Thom Mayne, Morphosis anticipated summer 2006

San Francisco, CA: The Contemporary Jewish Museum Daniel Libeskind anticipated 2007

San Francisco, CA: Expansion to de Young Museum Herzog & de Meuron anticipated Oct. 2005

San Francisco, CA: Expansion to Academy of Sciences Renzo Piano anticipated 2008

Left off the list is the Sundial Bridge by Santiago Calatrava in Redding, CA. Google Satellite does not have any high res images of that area yet.