3 Curious Things About Small Scale Architecture
Since I’m reducing the overall number of posts for this blog going forward, one of the things I want to do is make this part of the blog more robust. Obviously, it’s easier to pull together some links than it is to write 800 words on a topic, but my plan is build each of these posts around a common theme. Themes are great because I can tie some different, yet related, subjects together, but they can also be limiting. Here we go!
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What do British beach huts, American rest stops, and Russian traffic booths have in common? All of them are small-scale buildings where a single purpose building has been designed and built in multiple ways, resulting in a mix of architectural styles that when taken as a group have their own charm.
In England, beach huts are part of the seaside experience. These temporary structures lend themselves to a rainbow of colours and designs that add to the beach-goer’s experience.
Like beach huts, rest stops are designed for a specific, short-term activity. Photographer Ryann Ford documented different mid-century modern rest stops across the southern US and uncovered a myriad of design styles, including these two very different designs:
Charming in style, but less so in purpose, Russia’s traffic booths also come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Although reportedly used more for police criminal activities than for motorist safety, these small buildings are now mostly abandoned. (Image source linked in Twitter post.)
Whatever their original purpose, these one-of-a-kind small-scale buildings add character and personality to the landscape. Many of these designs come from a mid-century modern aesthetic and have undoubtedly survived because of their uniqueness. Perhaps something to keep in mind in our current era of cookie-cutter design?
