Phiculator.

Surely this is a must have (free) tool for any architect, graphic designer or landscape architect? Feel serene and always in proportion by using the Fibonacci series everyday.

[Postscript: Yes, yes, I know. You can just use an ordinary calculator but doesn't everyone like collecting little useless widgets like me?]

Today, the iconic Tempelhof International Airport in Berlin - once described by Norman Foster as “the mother of all airports” - will close forever.

Tempelhof in 1962 with aircraft on the apron (source: Berliner Flughäfen/Archiv)

Although the airport has been operation in some for over 80 years, it is the absolutely huge scale and striking form of the terminal building, conceived by German architect Ernst Sagebiel between 1934-1936 (based on Albert Speer’s masterplan), that resonates with me. The audacity of the 50+ metre cantilevered roof arc over the terminal and the clarity of the functional diagram are still, despite of any Nazi undertones, to be applauded architecturally. Templehof is the forerunner and exemplar of today’s super-sized terminal buildings designed by Foster, Piano and Rogers et al. Hugh Pearman points out:

(Tempelhof) was designed to last until the year 2000. Somewhat surprisingly, it has. It is the only major airport in the world to have remained virtually unchanged over more than 60 years. What can it teach us? ¹

The airport was iconic for a number of reasons - not the least of which was it’s intended position as an international gateway in Speer’s masterplan of Welthauptstadt Germainia - it was also one of the world’s largest buildings (for a while), in 1927 it became the first airport with an underground railway station, and was the hub during the Berlin Airlift.

An aerial view of Tempelhof terminal and apron (source: Günter Wicker/Photur)

Tempelhof in the urban grain near Platz der Luftbruecke (source: Berliner Flughäfen/Archiv)

The last charter flight will take off from the huge concrete apron at Tempelhof and fly to Mannheim - coincidentally the birthplace of Speer - with another two symbolic flights leaving just before midnight (local time). One of these planes is a Junkers Ju 52 that saw both civilian and WW2 military service, the other a DC 3. Both planes reminiscent of the airport’s pivotal period.

Unfortunately, only ever arriving in Berlin by ICE or bus, I’ll never get to experience a “Tempelhof arrival” but still say “Auf Wiedersehen” and hope a new life can be found for Tempelhof by the Berliners.

Further Reading

• “Lunch at Tempelhof” by Hugh Pearman (1999)
• “Board now, gate closing” by Jonathan Glancey (2004)
• “The Mother of all Airports” by Reinhard Mohr (200

Critical Visions, 2008 RAIA National Conference

With little knowledge of Brigitte Shim’s work, apart from the early-1990s publication of a compact house on a tight site in The Architectural Review, it was with some interest that I waited for her to speak, hoping to gain a better understanding of her design process and seeing more of her portfolio. The design of that compact dwelling - the Laneway House as it is known - was very tidy in plan and section, and it was obvious that the architects had deeply considered the program, site and construction detailing.

Brigitte Shim, one half of the respected Canadian firm, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects hailing from Toronto, introduced her keynote by outlining the three organising themes; The Constructed Landscape, The Canadian Shield and The Toronto Ravine. She continued that all her projects are guided by the maxim “specific, particular and local” and that they establish a “dialogue with the context”.

Across the meadow to the Island House at Thousand Islands

The Constructed Landscape
The first project was a house on an island (above) in the St Lawrence River that was a series of orthogonal volumes of different heights and dimensions covered by green roofs with low flowering plants. A hydroseeded clover meadow surrounded the house entirely and reflected the “agricultural cycle”. After sunset, the house glowed like a paper lantern in a meadow. Shim commented that a water body - almost as large as the house it surrounded - filled with water lilies and fish was intended to create a “metaphor of an island”. Another “constructed landscape” project was the Corkin Shopland Gallery located within a heritage distillery, characterised by a series of close-spaced brick vaults and vats. Shim created spaces by selective removal and insertion. Brick walls were removed to create new spaces and stairs were inserted within the brick arches. Not sure where the “landscape” was on that project though…

The Canadian Shield
At first, the Canadian Shield didn’t make much sense to me as my knowledge of the Canadian landscape is very limited but as Shim explained, The Shield is a very large zone of igneous rock in northern Canada located close to the surface which influences the overlying landscape. Here, the project was a summer camp dining hall located in an isolated setting within a pine forest on the edge of a lake - a typical Shield landscape. The timber/steel hybrid structure of the pavilion is flooded with natural light via a standard greenhouse glazing system and although the structure is rigourous and repetitive (lower cost, easier to transport to the site), the sensitive detailing of the timber adds a distinctive character.

Dusk at Moorelands Camp Dining Hall on Lake Kawagama

The Toronto Ravine
Shim’s third theme, the Toronto Ravine, again revealed a part of the Canadian landscape unknown to me, yet a distinctive geographic feature of downtown Toronto. The ravine system is a network of deep cuts (20 metre drops are common), often with waterways, that weave though the city and are mostly undeveloped or parks. Within this context, Shim introduced an early project for external pavilion that rests on the edge of the ravine and provides a calm, tranquil place to reflect.

Another aspect to Shim’s work is the consideration of the seasons (which are very clearly defined in Canada) and this is exemplified by the Weathering House which is clad in COR-TEN steel. Also, the functional requirements of a designing such a building in a climate that ranges from -40ºC to 40ºC are not ignored, as Shim-Sutcliffe typically engage envelope specialists to collaborate on the facade and ensure energy targets are met. The last project Shim presented was the Integral House, also sited on the edge of the ravine, for a very wealthy client who is a calculus scholar and musician (which explains why the program includes a 150 person concert hall!) The 1,600m2 house is a series of curvilinear volumes - somewhat like an Aalto Vase - built on the edge of the ravine with a sinuous glazed facade broken by the syncopated rhythm of timber fins. Shim described her affinity with Aalto, apparent in the organic form of the Integral House, which she “synthesised” to the local conditions.

Weathering House

Integral House (by livinginacity)

Integral House (by livinginacity)

Shim is fortunate enough to have clients with seemingly endless budgets - the Integral House and the amazingly detailed bespoke door hardware and interior lighting are some examples - but Shim-Sutcliffe seem to remain grounded nonetheless. Their sense of fun and inventiveness is reflected in their approach to a suspended luminaire made from Mason Jars, mylar and phosphor, that Shim called “fireflies in a jar”. Very witty but only part of the reason why Shim-Sutcliffe are an architectural practice to follow closely!

Projects Presented (in order)

• Island House, Thousand Islands (2002)
• Corkin Shopland Gallery, Toronto (2004)
• Ledbury Park, Ontario (1997)
• Muskoka Boat House, Point William (1999)
• Garden Pavilion and Reflecting Pool (1990?)
• Weathering House, Toronto (2001)
• Moorelands Camp Dining Hall, Lake Kawagama, Dorset (2001?)
• Integral House, Toronto (200

Additional Shim-Sutcliffe Resources

• “A Solution to Urban Density” - about the Laneway House (with plans and sections)
• Details about the green roof at the Island House
• Shim-Sutcliffe Architects entry in the The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Ledbury Park entry at The Archi-Tourist
• Project data and product information on the Island House
• Corkin Gallery
• “New ideas for a modern residence” - about the Integral House
• “The Sum of Its Parts” about the Integral House design process (with model photos and other diagrams)
• Two articles by Lisa Rochon (1, 2) about the Integral House appeared in The Globe and Mail but unfortunately are both pay-per-view and are unpreviewed. A text copy can be read for free at the Urban Toronto Forum however.

Also in this series… Billie Tsien: Resistance, Chris Wilkinson: Exploring Boundaries

Critical Visions, 2008 RAIA National Conference

From the moment Chris Wilkinson walked on stage and then (unusually) proceeded to sit down on a lounge for his keynote address, I thought he would be an interesting speaker. It turned out, however, the reason he was sitting down was his bad back but it suited his laid-back yet confident delivery nonetheless. Established over 25 years ago in London, the firm of Wilkinson Eyre are probably best known for their iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge but there is a greater breadth to the practice “striving for the beautiful idea” as Wilkinson presented.

Gateshead Millenium Bridge, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (by Xavier de Jauréguiberry)

Wilkinson said he strives for “aesthetics, atmosphere and meaning” in projects where there is an ambiguity between art and science. And as Wilkinson noted, in order to make the art, you have to understand the science.

Wilkinson Eyre’s understanding of the “science” is apparent in many of the projects presented, especially the series of bridge projects. Starting with the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Wilkinson explained that the curved deck, acting as a horizontal arch, met the brief requirement of not establishing foundations on the banks of the river as well creating an accessible promenade. Two arches, one spanning the river vertically and the other is a horizontal arch, supported a series of cables, is the promenade deck. Both arches pivot around a pin joint which makes the structure look like an eyelid or helmet visor. This architectural metaphor reflects the art/science blend Wilkinson mentioned earlier.

The big eyelid, aka. the Gateshead Millennium Bridge (2001)

Cultural Destinations
Wilkinson explained that he aimed to create cultural buildings that people wanted to go to rather than have to go and on basis he presented a trio of projects to meet that objective; the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, Wales, the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth and the speculative the House of Human Rights in Milan for Amnesty International.

Facade detail, National Waterfront Museum, Swansea (by chilledoutdude)

Window and stacked stone cladding detail (by chilledoutdude)

Of these, the most intriguing is the project to display the Mary Rose - Henry the VIII’s flagship from 1511- to the public. Subject to 25 years of archeology and restorations, only half of the ship’s hull was preserved in river mud and Wilkinson’s proposition is to create a virtual mirror hull from (hopefully) cast glass. Over 18,000 objects pulled from the river will be displayed in this glass hull where the exhibition aims to capture a specific moment in time of Tudor England. The “composite” hull is enclosed by a large span shell-like shed which is clad in black timber panelling.

Model of the Mary Rose Project (by galuppi)

Light & Geometry
Wilkinson presented a range of bridges, of which the practice is justifiably well-known, including the Floral Street Bridge, London, the University of Limerick “Living” Bridge and the interactive “Challenge of Materials” Bridge at the Science Museum in London. Each bridge is a characteristic blend of art and science in response to context. The Floral Street Bridge provides a discreet connection between the Royal Ballet and the Opera House for dancers and employs a square frame rotating using spiral geometry. Pre-fabricated entirely offsite, the bridge elegantly resolved the misaligned (in plan and section) heritage building openings. Wilkinson called it a “bridge of aspirations”. Indeed.

Underside street view of the twisting Floral Street Bridge (by ly wylde)

Ballet Dancer on the Floral Street Bridge (by cybele_skydancer)

Whilst the Floral Street Bridge responds to context, the Challenge of Materials bridge responds directly to the user(s) by adjusting hundreds of 1mm wires supporting the 6mm laminated glass-on-edge deck according to the load imposed. The wires are connected to a stainless steel baseplate attached to a computerised load monitor. This amazing bridge paved the way for the Tensegrity Bridge, in collaboration with Cecil Balmond, proposed for the National Building Museum in Washington.

Wilkinson ended his presentation discussing the “Complex Geometries” of the Liverpool Arena & Conference Centre, and the (unfortunately named) Guangzhou Twin Towers in China but neither of these large scale projects quite managed to elegantly blend the art of architecture and the science of structure as well as Wilkinson Eyre’s bridge portfolio.

Facade detail, Liverpool Arena & Conference Centre (by johnybes)

Projects Presented (in order)

• Gateshead Millennium Bridge [PDF], Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2001)
  
• The Magna Project [PDF] (Science Adventure Centre), Rotherham (2001)
• National Waterfront Museum [PDF], Swansea (2005)
• Mary Rose Museum [PDF], Portsmouth (ongoing)
• House of Human Rights, Milan (project)
  
• Floral Street Bridge [PDF], London (2003)
• University of Limerick Living Bridge [PDF], Ireland (2007)
• Challenge of Materials Bridge [PDF], Science Museum, London (1997)
• Gardens by the Bay [PDF], Singapore (ongoing)
• Tensegrity Bridge [PDF], Washington (ongoing)
• Liverpool Arena & Conference Centre [PDF] (200
• Guangzhou Twin Towers [PDF], China (2009)

Additional Wilkinson Eyre Resources

• Official site of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge
• Structural analysis case study of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge
• Primer of 21st century steel bridge design (inc. Gateshead Millennium Bridge)
• Gateshead Millennium Bridge on Galinsky
  
• National Waterfront Museum (official site)
  
• Architectural Record’s Building Types Study on the Floral Street Bridge
• More details about the University of Limerick Bridge on e-architect
• Details and photos of the Challenge of Materials Bridge
• Gardens by the Bay visualisation by Squint Opera
• A so-called “virtual flythrough” of Liverpool Arena & Conference Centre

Also in this series… Billie Tsien: Resistance, Brigitte Shim: Site/Situation

Critical Visions, 2008 RAIA National Conference

A series of evocative, slightly abstract images marked the start of Billie Tsien’s keynote address at CV08. Described by Tsien as “objects of beauty and use” in the folk art tradition, these images set the tone for the address that touched on six Tod Williams/Billie Tsien (TWBTA) projects focussing on her particular approach to each architectural problem.

Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, as partners in work and love, have created a truly enviable architectural practice. Tsien spoke about their 16th floor Carnegie Hall apartment of over 30 years - apparently at the urging of Williams - is a compact, light-filled space, characterised by traditional art collected over the years. By revealing this personal space upfront, she set the tone for the projects that followed.

American Folk Art Museum (2001)
Part of New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) family, the American Folk Art Museum is a compact, vertical building, characterised by large stair that winds a path through the building. Tsien affectionately called it the “jewel in the belly button of MOMA”. As an infill building, the verticality of the form was generated in response to the context and site plan constraints, where the site is only 12 x 30 metres and accommodates a 2,800m2 program.

The 53rd Street facade of cast white bronze panels (American Folk Art Museum, 2001)

Typically for TWBTA there are subtleties in the design, such as the angled sections of on the main facade in order to catch morning and afternoon sunlight which reveals surface detail, that highlight the depth of their design process. The surface detail apparent in the main elevation is the result of a exploratory prototyping process involving cast white bronze to create richly furrowed panels that add a layer of detail to the facade. Extensive research and reinterpretation of materials, not often employed in architecture, is integral to all their projects and, to me, distinguishes TWBTA’s portfolio from other US architects.

As the galleries are stacked vertically, the museum is a “circulation rich experience” according to Tsien where the main stair in the core of the building and becomes a “basket that holds the light” from a skylight overhead. The internal spaces are idiosyncratic as Tsien says she is searching for buildings that are slowly discovered - not one liners - where there is a possibility of a dual reading of the architecture.

We are community. We as architects are leaving our mark on the world.
[Billie Tsien, 12 April 2008]

Cranbrook Natatorium (1999)
Within the context of a Eliel Saarinen designed campus with subsequent buildings by Moneo and Holl, the Cranbrook Natatorium, Michigan is a naturally ventilated pool with occuli (circular openings) in the roof allow light and air to circulate, sometimes even snow! Tsien described it as a “bent arm” building with walls in the landscape rather than terminating the grass courtyard on the site axis. Similar to Shim-Sutcliffe’s re-appropriation of greenhouse skylight systems, Tsien used mining industry technology for the window and roof opening control mechanisms.

View along the bent arm of the Cranbrook Natatorium (1999)

A huge ceiling opening at Cranbrook Natatorium (1999)

Starr East Asian Library (200
The result of a 13 year gestation, the Starr East Asian Library, University of California at Berkley was completed earlier this year. Responding to the neo-classical existing library, the 6,317m2 building is “a box for books” that is set into the slope of the site with a “face” (facade) fabricated from granite panels and a bronze screen cast in China. This screen filters natural light to the interior like a veil. Internal spaces were influenced by the Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin. Without the benefit of actually visiting the building, the interior appears far more successful than the relatively bland (for TWBTA) exterior envelope.

Diffuse natural lighting (Starr East Asian Library, 2008)

Outlook from the Reading Room (Starr East Asian Library, 2008)

Tata Consultancy Services Campus (2010)
In a similar fashion, the Tata Consultancy Services Campus in Mumbai, India incorporates a modern interpretation of a “jali”, a traditional stone carved screen used for centuries as both sunshade and ventilated wall. Interestingly, the construction process has commenced and Tsien explained the need for full-size prototypes of various facade elements to ensure quality and that the material detail is clearly understood. Close work with handcrafted materials and artisans was apparent in most of the buildings presented in the keynote and the Tata Campus, despite it’s sheer size, is no different for TWBTA.

Projects Presented (in order)

• American Folk Art Museum, New York (2001)
• Cranbrook Natatorium, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (1999)
• Lakeside Centre (skating rink) at Prospect Park, New York (2011)
• Starr East Asian Library, University of California Berkley (200
• Tata Consultancy Services Campus, Mumbai, India (2010)
• The Snow Show, Finland (2004)

Additional TWBTA Resources

• About the building materials for the American Folk Art Museum
• A walkthrough (with plans) of the American Folk Art Museum
• Cranbrook Complexities - an article from The Architecture Review from 2001
• A slideshow of Cranbrook Natatorium
• Starr East Asian Library opening day promo video
• Timelapse video of the construction of the Starr East Asian Library
• A slideshow of the Starr East Asian Library

Also in this series… Chris Wilkinson: Exploring Boundaries, Brigitte Shim: Site/Situation

To me, the Moscow Metro of the 1930s, the London Underground of the 1930s and the New York subway form a subterranean “public transport troika” (excuse the Russian pun) of sorts. The station architecture and infrastructure of each system is fascinating in their own right; characterised by flamboyance (Moscow), modernism (London) and just plain urban grit (New York).

Remember - a keen interest in the architecture of underground metropolitan rail systems doesn’t mean you’re a train-spotter! Let’s have a look at Moscow first.

Sumptuous Moscow Metro (Part 1)

Undergoing a bit a refurbishment phase of late, the Moscow Metro is a stunning example of architectural and engineering public infrastructure. Here’s a video introduction, for those who haven’t had the benefit of visiting Moscow yet…

Commencing in 1931 with preliminary tunnelling, the construction of the system overcame adverse geological conditions (massive variations in soils and groundwater issues) under Moscow by either deep tunnelling or using “cut and cover” method of excavation.

The majority of the system was constructed in five stages from 1933 through to the late 1950s, although the period of most interest to me is the first two stages from 1933 to 1938. Opening in 1935, with the Sokolnicheskaya line, the stand-out stations are Sokolniki (notably by a female architect, Nadezhda Bykova) and Lubyanka found on the segment between Sokolniki – Park Kultury. Also completed in 1935 was the Zamoskvoretskaya line, where the segment between Sokol – Teatralnaya began operation - the most stylish stations are Aeroport and Mayakovskaya. Lastly, within this period, the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line opened in 1938.

The concourse of Mayakovskaya Station featuring profiled columns clad in stainless steel

Aeroport Station platform that emphatically says "Welcome to Art Deco. Have a nice day!"

Behind the ornament, the public spaces of the Moscow stations have a scale appropriate to the level of Metro use and reflect the importance a Communist government placed on public transport. Vast vault-like public halls clad in rich marble with granite floors and indirect lighting, connect station platforms to the surface. Art is integral to the architecture with mosaics, enamel panelling and bronze sculptures featuring throughout.

The First Line, built in the early 1930’s, possesses an invigorating modernism that is a high-water mark of the Soviet avant-garde. With the Second Line, built in the late 1930’s, a program of monumental sculpture and art was introduced that signaled Stalin’s stranglehold on the ideological goals of the Soviet state.
[Moscow Metro: The Underground Dream]

The Moscow Metro is unique for other reasons; over 9 million passengers a day ride the Metro (the heaviest usage in the world and over twice as many passengers as New York’s subway system), many stations (eg. Park Pobedy) are very deep underground (up to 86 metres) and the maximum speed is up to 90km/h - although the average is closer to 40km/h.

Lately, the Moscow Metro is undergoing an expansion program with new lines, stations and refurbishment (particularly Mayakovskaya and Elektrozavodskaya opened in 1944) of some of the classic stations to improve access. Whilst not in the same design league as the stations of the 1930s, some of the new stations are striking enough; for example Strogino, opened in January 2008, is characterised by a beautifully top-lit monolithic reinforced concrete caisson.

Soffit detail of the new Strogino Station designed by architects Orlov and Nekrasov

Now if they could just do something about those pesky commuters that actually use the system. Here are some current photos of the Moscow Metro in action. Oh dear.

Additional Resources

• Moscow Metro Photographs by Bee Flowers (surely not his real name?!) has the most stunning photographs of the Moscow Metro through some 450 photos and 27 wide-angle panoramas. Alternatively, his photos are linked to a map of the system at Moscow Metro Map.
• More photos on each Moscow line at Metrowalks. Start here.
• Moscow Metro Timeline in Russian. Use the slider on the right side of page to interactive view the changes to the Metro over time from 1935 to 2008.
• KartaMetro is an interactive map with all the Moscow Metro lines, stations, and exits overlaid on Google Maps imagery of Moscow. Select your station using the pulldown menu in the top left of the page. A bit slow to load but worthwhile, especially if travelling to Moscow anytime soon.
• Original Moscow Metro Station Maps 1931-2008 (translated version, original here)
• A full list of architects, engineers, designers and artists of the Moscow Metro stations (translated version, original here)
• More details on the Moscow Metro Expansion Program.
• Metro is an unofficial site in Russian but stocked with with a huge amount of interesting information on the system. Those not fluent in Russian (ie. me) should try the machine translated version of Metro.
• Also try the huge UrbanRail site for information the Moscow Metro (with links galore) and most other metro systems around the world.

[* the title is a deliberate reference to the 1980 classic song "Going Underground" by The Jam]

In celebration of the big prize (actually the 2008 Pritzker Prize) being recently awarded to the irrepressible Jean Nouvel, here’s a selection of projects from the amazing portfolio of Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

(Click-through to reveal high resolution versions)

The New York Times also has a slideshow with some excellent photos. Or, if you’re looking for some critical commentary (there isn’t much) on why the Pritzker Prize shouldn’t be awarded to an individual try “Architecture Is a Team Sport“ in Slate by Witold Rybczynski.

Related Article: 3 Degrees of Jean Nouvel

Exactly one year ago today, I sat down and wrote my first “proper” article (oddly not on the subject of architecture) for Arkhitekton. Since then, the posts have not necessary arrived thick and fast - intermittent would be an apt description - but they have all been well considered and, hopefully, worth reading.

Apart from the feeling that after 10 years of rampant Internet consumption it was time to give something back, the main reason to write here was actually to accrue Continuing Professional Development (CPD, aka Continuing Education in the US) points as part of my requirement as a registered architect.

Anyway, here are some highlights of the past 12 months at Arkhitekton:

• The most popular post was 3 Degrees of Jean Nouvel.
  Which was “a thinly-veiled attempt at a thematic post set out in three parts; The Architect, The Botanist and The Photographer.” and proved to be a successful attempt. Now Nouvel has (deservedly) won the prestigious 2008 Pritzker Prize, I have another excuse to run a few photos from his portfolio (see http://arkhitekton.net/2008/04/15/jean-nouvel-big-prize/).

• The least popular post was Holiday Reading (Part 2): Michael Arad.
  Although the link was to an absolutely fascinating article about Michael Arad’s struggle with his design for the World Trade Centre memorial, it seems that either (a) everyone’s read it already, or (b) everyone’s over 9/11 architecture sagas.
• The most valuable linkage was with John Hill’s Archidose. Always something of interest there, definitely worth visiting and, unlike Arkhitekton, he maintains a regular publishing schedule.
  
  
• Over 5,000 unique visitors dropped by in the past year. Not bad for a new architecture blog. Thanks for visiting… and reading! Subscribe to the RSS feed (more info). That way you’ll never miss anything - no matter how slack I am at posting something new.

You’ve heard of “convergence” in gadgets, now we have the humble toilet (uncomfortably) converging with the hand basin! All in the spirit of saving precious water. A good thing, I hear you say. Well, it definitely is a good thing unless the environmental objective conflicts with a basic functional requirement.

Witness the “Profile™ 5″ toilet suite from Caroma.

Let’s check the specs:

• Saves water, tick
• Affordable, tick
• Proven performance, tick
• Ergonomic design, umm… no.

This is where all Caroma’s claims come unstuck. Really, who wants to straddle a toilet bowl to wash their hands in something that ugly?

Henrik Fisker on Aston Martin, Ford & General Automotive Design

A interesting (but perhaps overly long) interview with Henrik Fisker, the designer of the stunning Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage. Fisker’s comments on where his design inspiration comes from would be familiar to most architects:

But where do I get the idea for the design? Whenever I’m awake, I think about cars. It’s not really something that’s from 9 to 4, and it’s not even exclusive to the 5 days a week; it’s 7 days a week.

Any decent design professional understands what he is saying. Design is not just a job, it is all-encompassing.

Interview, Part 1 | Interview, Part 2 | Interview, Part 3