Tea at Trianon: Edwardian And Modern Architecture Side-By-Side

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Edwardian And Modern Architecture Side-By-Side

From Habitus Living:

The clients were interested in adopting passive design principles where possible. As the rear extension was north facing, WALA proposed a tiled floor over a concrete slab in order for it to function as thermal mass. The shape of the concrete eaves on the rear façade was custom designed to maximise the sunlight during winter. “The concrete eave is intentionally designed to align with the same sun angle during the winter solstice so as to maximise the amount of direct sun hitting the tiled floor on slab, thereby storing as much heat as possible in thermal mass during the colder periods in the year,” says Weian.

The residents have enjoyed the house in its full glory since practical completion in September 2019. However, having lived in the house during construction (this was staged in order for them to do), the finished product is twice as nice. As intended, “This space has become their sanctuary in the city,” concludes Weian. (Read more.)

Sansa said...: I like how it was designed and renovated. Not over the top and not too modern. Classy and elegant.; March 14, 2021 at 6:44:00 PM EDT