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28 Feb, 5 tweets, 3 min read
“Living in a traditional urban environment is much more enjoyable, not more expensive to build than the usual contemporary developments. In order to achieve the highest social qualities it should become the general standard for new developments.” —Count Léopold Lippens, 1941-2021 ImageImageImage
Count Léopold Lippens was the mayor of Knokke-Heist, Belgium, until his death on February 19th, 1979-2021.
“We found an ideological commitment to Modernism, at any cost.” — DPZ's Jeff Speck, AIA, the project manager.

“Contrary to prevailing opinion, however, the Lord Mayor of Knokke-Heist preferred classical architecture for the project.” ImageImage
“En 1998 Léon Krier et Duany-Plater-Zyberkont élaboré un projet de cité jardin pour 1000 habitants sur un terrain de 26 hectares à Knokke Heist.” — Column Mulhern, Architecture Traditionnelle colummulhern.lu/fr/maisons-uni…
New social housing in Knokke-Heist, 35 apartments, and the buildings they replaced. Flanders is healing. ImageImageImageImage

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Wrath Of Gnon Profile picture
1 Mar
This beguinage in Courtrai occupies two acres and could comfortably house a hundred people. Add an acre for food fish, aquaculture and greenhouses, and you could feed them as well. People in the 13th century built this with hand tools as a charitable endeavor. It'd be easy today. Image
The U.S. have 17 or so active infantry divisions. It would be peanuts for each one of them to get the money and personnel needed to build a three acre self-sustainable "veteran's village" and just let homeless veterans of each division live in them for free in perpetuity. Image
What veteran, either bachelor or with a small family, would not want to live here for free? Welcome to the 3rd Infantry Division, Georgia, Veteran Village. Hand made with only natural materials. Jobs included, unless you already have one. ImageImage
Read 6 tweets
Wrath Of Gnon Profile picture
27 Feb
The Venetian Well is a clever way to collect and clean rainwater for household use in dense urban areas without usable groundwater or nearby springs, such as on rocky islands or reclaimed land. The name comes from the technique having been the principal way Venice got its water.
A square or courtyard—the bigger the better but any size works—is dug out to a depth of six meters, filled with sand and gravel, one or more drains are installed to collect rainwater which is then allowed to filter down to the bottom and seep into the well made of porous brick.
Naturally a construction of this size and complexity was a huge undertaking and could only be accomplished collectively. The Venetian Republic cooperated with private sponsors to install over 6000 of these wells from the late middle ages to the end of the 18th century.
Read 14 tweets
Wrath Of Gnon Profile picture
22 Feb
Kyoto urbanism. This two story lot was recently renovated to three units in front and two in back, with a central miniature courtyard, accessed via two small alleys (one covered). 300m²/3230ft². Homes or businesses bringing in about $7600 in monthly rents, about $25/m². Not bad.
It might not beat London's skinniest home in terms of worth but it is probably more productive in terms of jobs, tax incomes, etc. Things are better fine grained.
The only way to get returns like this is to build to the human scale. Even then Kyoto has trains connecting it to Osaka (a city that alone has a similar GDP as New Zealand), a bus network, and a subway. Very little space is wasted on parking lots and highways, access ramps etc.
Read 4 tweets
Wrath Of Gnon Profile picture
17 Feb
Kitayama Village is probably the most amazing village in Japan that most people have never heard of. Population is a mere 432, 97% forest, it is the only place in the world that grows the citrus fruit known as Jabara, which contains unique natural anti-inflammatory compounds.
That this fruit even exists is a miracle. When the feudal system was abolished in 1871, the isolated village was forgotten and ended up an enclave between Nara and Mie Prefectures. The villagers promptly decided to join Wakayama Prefecture, as that was where their market lay.
The forests surrounding the village is home to wild monkeys, who would conduct raids on the local orchards and fruit trees. Nothing was spared. Except one tree that grew an odd seedless yuzu-esque fruit that the monkeys for some reason hated. So the villagers started growing it.
Read 7 tweets
Wrath Of Gnon Profile picture
15 Feb
The self sufficient town of the short lived Kamei Castle near Hiroshima as it might have looked in 1610, pop. 500-1000. The castle, built in 1608, was ordered torn down in 1611. Beautifully painted by @mazegenta, one of the best painters of historical reconstructions in Japan.
You can see the individual villas belonging to the higher ranking samurai families, complete with defensive walls, gates, guard posts. Like miniature castles themselves, but built in walls. Closer to the water are the homes of craftsmen, fishermen, merchants, farmers, etc.
To the south over the highway is where the main defenses are located: fortified guard houses, town wall. To the north, over the road towards Hiroshima, is a smaller gatehouse, customs house, and probably an inn or two.
Read 4 tweets
Wrath Of Gnon Profile picture
11 Feb
Without the clever, handmade bamboo fences, called “magaki”, life in the cliffside fishing villages of the Noto peninsula on the north coast of Japan would be practically impossible. Up to five meter tall, they effectively protect the villages from fierce northern wind and brine.
Every November locals repair and rebuild the bamboo fences where necessary, using materials that grow naturally a few hundred meters away. In a market economy this would be impossibly expensive, but with volunteers it is cheap, fun and easy.
Although not strictly necessary in spring and summer, most people leave the magaki up as it helps to protect against the harsh Western sunlight. These all year fences are called mannengaki. I also imagine it helps in attracting tourism.
Read 4 tweets

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