Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age,Doonamoe, County Mayo Ireland. Town of Belmullet. The Thin Places are Irish places where time past, present, and future converge. This project envelops a 100 ft deep blowhole by the Atlantic Ocean. The waves are thrusting up over a 100 ft into the air and the thin place walk is aligned to the equinox. Image

Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age,Tale of the Tongs: Inishturk Island, County Mayo, Ireland. This project on a remote Irish island was a celebration of the Gathering of the Irish to come home and water their roots. The tongs are used to handle the hot coals of burning peat in fireplaces. The sad moments in Irish history when someone left on a coffin boat to America or an English coal mine reflects on the act of taking ones last burning coal to one's family or friend's home to place the coal in their fire. One then left one's tongs by that fire on the hopes that one day when and if you might return, you would take back your tongs with a hot coal from the family fire to relight your home fire once again. The project at the island's common celebrates this tale and with it the six remaining clans on the island. Image

Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age,Kalevalakheto -- Seurasaari Island, Helsinki, Finland -- The epic poem of the Kalevala pervades all of Finnish Epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey of the Baltic. So inspired was Tolkien that he moved to Finland to write his masterpiece the Tolkien Trilogy based on the Kalevala. The hero, Vainaimoinen, is the primary musician, mystic and king who is modeled as Gandalf. The Kalevalakheto is the quiet, timeless place to journey into oneself and the deepest history of Finnish character on one of its most historic islands, Seurasaari. The project was a launching event for Helsinki, World Design Capitol 2012. Image

Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age,Hoban, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Desart, near Callan. This is the birth site and memorial to James Hoban, Irish immigrant and the architect of the White House. Chosen by George Washington over Thomas Jefferson, Hoban designed and built the White House in 11 years while siring 11 children and his own militia. The project celebrates his struggle, perseverance, and triumph. The original White House drawings are etched in the glass canopy while accolades in English and Gaelic cast etched shadows and tales across the grounds. Image

Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age

Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age

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Against Sprawl, Mall, & Tall: Soulful Architecture in A Soulless Age