A comment about Russian izbas–a sort of country cabin–from commenter AJP Crown on Language Hat has led me on an interesting visual digression into grain elevators and Modernist Movement architect Le Corbusier. The links are listed below.
Modernism is all right, I guess, being a sort of cousin to Deco. But Le Corbusier is a bit troubling as a supporter of the now discredited urban sprawl. He also originated the concept of slablike high-rises like Cabrini Green. These public housing projects used to litter Chicago’s south side and are in the process of being demolished. Any visitor to Chicago who took a drive south on the Dan Ryan Expressway would always comment on the old smoke stains rising from the windows of one huge dilapidated building after another.
Still, some of Le Corbusier’s other projects are visually interesting. These would be great buildings to have somewhere in the neighborhood as a destination for walks. I wouldn’t care to live in one, though–there’s something soulless about them.
I much prefer the 1940’s style WPA projects. A lot of these, like the Starved Rock Lodge in Illnois built by the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, were built by quite good craftsmen who were tickled pink just to have work. They poured all of their skill into massive lodges with stone fireplaces and solid furniture made with quarter sawn oak and mortise and tenon joints. Walking into this type of building just gives me a comfortable feeling–maybe reminiscent of being spoiled by grandparents. It feels like the kind of place where you don’t have to wipe your feet.
Izbas
High rise izba in Russia with disturbing proportions.
Russian museum izbas.
Le Corbusier
Four minute film–montage of Le Corbusier buildings.
List of links to photos of Le Corbusier architectural works.
Photographs of grain elevators
Some great photos of cylindrical grain elevators on rivers.
According to comments on this landscape architecture website, “Le Corbusier was completely fascinated by them, by their simplicity, honest use of material, and the fact that they were mostly conceived through function. In fact, according to Lisa Mahar-Keplinger in her slim volume on grain elevators (see link in post), he and along with Erich Mendelsohn and Walter Gropius had ‘no difficulty adopting it, both formally and symbolically, as a model for their international vision of architecture.'”
Typical midwestern grain elevators from a historical society here, here, and here.
A Canadian grain elevator being rescued–and appearing to move by itself in a Monty Python-esque manner across the screen.
Interiors–Photo of large granary here, 2 minute video of small granary here.
New uses for old grain elevators
Interior of grain elevator power station as museum.
Grain elevator as hotel-the Quaker Square Inn at Akron, Ohio.
“The Granary”–office space in Philadelphia here and here.
Rock-climbing gym in Bloomington (?), Illinois.
Student housing in Oslo, Norway. (photo on right by saipal)
The Silophone–a weird art/sound project in Montreal (click “about Silophone” circular target logo then click “concept”):
Silophone makes use of the incredible acoustics of Silo #5 by introducing sounds, collected from around the world using various communication technologies, into a physical space to create an instrument which blurs the boundaries between music, architecture and net art. Sounds arrive inside Silo #5 by telephone or internet. They are then broadcast into the vast concrete grain storage chambers inside the Silo. They are transformed, reverberated, and coloured by the remarkable acoustics of the structure, yielding a stunningly beautiful echo. This sound is captured by microphones and rebroadcast back to its sender, to other listeners and to a sound installation outside the building.
Condos from grain elevators at Lake Calhoun–Minneapolis, Minnesota. Exterior sketch from architect here (scroll down to last page of photos at end of article); interior here (scroll down).
Camel's Nose 
