PIECE OF THE DAY: its all about nature...naturally

It is the same in architecture as in all other arts: its principles are founded on simple nature, and nature's process clearly indicates its rules.

Laugier, Essay on Architecture

This picture is of Thomas Balsley Associates' Capitol Plaza in New York, NY.  This public space intrigues me because of the discussions that we have been having in my Poetry of Architecture seminar.  The study is focused on nature and architecture, and in this case its the integration of nature into the architecture of a public space.  

Public spaces is one of my obsessions.  The design of a public space is crucial for its functionality.  A space an be pretty but not function as a place for the public to be in.  There are many plazas in New York that lay barren because they physically deter the public because of poor design.

Recently there was one dead plaza that was redesigned and is now a prominent hot spot in NYC.  Yes I'm talking about the 5th Avenue Apple Store.  Originally a dead sunken plaza, it is now a top tourist destination and a eye catcher indeed. [BCJ]