My name is Matthew Frommer and I am a 2010 graduate of the Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. On this website you are able to explore some of my favorite architecture from around the world as well as some of my own projects.
Arab flea market just after sunset
Architecture in its simplest form. This tent consists of only a single surface of canvas that traps the light beautifully and defines a thin boundary between the bright and lively market below and the cold desert sky above.
Architecture in its simplest form. This tent consists of only a single surface of canvas that traps the light beautifully and defines a thin boundary between the bright and lively market below and the cold desert sky above.
Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem (Moshe Safdie 2005)
Located at the very end of the museum, this tranquil view serves as a healing moment for the visitors as they escape from the horrific memories and artifacts confined within the museum and collect themselves emotionally. This open end of the museum remains visible as you proceed through the museum and traverse through the giant central hallway to the 10 different exhibitions. The angled disposition of the linear museum on the site also directs the view toward the old city of the Jerusalem, which symbolizes the delivery of the Jews to the land of Israel following their relentless persecution in the previous centuries. The smooth site-cast concrete slabs form an elegant triangular prism with an open top, which suggests a feeling of ascension.
Located at the very end of the museum, this tranquil view serves as a healing moment for the visitors as they escape from the horrific memories and artifacts confined within the museum and collect themselves emotionally. This open end of the museum remains visible as you proceed through the museum and traverse through the giant central hallway to the 10 different exhibitions. The angled disposition of the linear museum on the site also directs the view toward the old city of the Jerusalem, which symbolizes the delivery of the Jews to the land of Israel following their relentless persecution in the previous centuries. The smooth site-cast concrete slabs form an elegant triangular prism with an open top, which suggests a feeling of ascension.
Interior of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (Antonio Gaudi)
Like all of his work, Gaudi looks to nature for formal and structural inspiration in designing La Sagrada Familia, the biggest church in Barcelona. The inside of the church features a forest of towering columns, which vary in thickness and material depending on the load they have to support. The largest red columns are porphyry, the strongest stone, because they have to support the heaviest loads. At the second and third levels, the columns branch off like trees to hold the canopy of star-shaped ceiling plates above. Not only did Gaudi draw inspiration from the aesthetics of nature, but he also explored the more intangible elements of nature such as gravity. In order to calculate the perfect catenary arches for La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi constructed the structure of the building upside down using weighted sandbags hung on strings of varying lengths. The massive ceiling heights and glowing spectrum of colors make this space especially powerful for any visitor, no matter what their religious affiliation might be.
Like all of his work, Gaudi looks to nature for formal and structural inspiration in designing La Sagrada Familia, the biggest church in Barcelona. The inside of the church features a forest of towering columns, which vary in thickness and material depending on the load they have to support. The largest red columns are porphyry, the strongest stone, because they have to support the heaviest loads. At the second and third levels, the columns branch off like trees to hold the canopy of star-shaped ceiling plates above. Not only did Gaudi draw inspiration from the aesthetics of nature, but he also explored the more intangible elements of nature such as gravity. In order to calculate the perfect catenary arches for La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi constructed the structure of the building upside down using weighted sandbags hung on strings of varying lengths. The massive ceiling heights and glowing spectrum of colors make this space especially powerful for any visitor, no matter what their religious affiliation might be.
Barcelona Pavilion (Mies 1929)
The Barcelona Pavilion is a testament to the potential purity of architecture in its ideal simplistic form. The placement, dimensions, and materiality of every single line on the pavilions plan is carefully considered as the buildings interior slowly reveals itself, framing an incredibly peaceful and intimate experience. The choice of material includes travertine from Rome, beautiful symmetrical marble stone, and the reflective water and glass surface. The pavilion is particularly interesting because it avoids traditional architectural function. Rather than housing a typical societal function like an office or a residence, this piece exists purely for artistic purposes.
The Barcelona Pavilion is a testament to the potential purity of architecture in its ideal simplistic form. The placement, dimensions, and materiality of every single line on the pavilions plan is carefully considered as the buildings interior slowly reveals itself, framing an incredibly peaceful and intimate experience. The choice of material includes travertine from Rome, beautiful symmetrical marble stone, and the reflective water and glass surface. The pavilion is particularly interesting because it avoids traditional architectural function. Rather than housing a typical societal function like an office or a residence, this piece exists purely for artistic purposes.
Parc de Diagonal Mar in Barcelona (EBMT)
Playful steel tracks loop and dive through the park like flowing rollercoaster tracks. Gigantic mosaic potters are dispersed throughout the park, some of them tangled in the tracks and hanging in mid-air.
Playful steel tracks loop and dive through the park like flowing rollercoaster tracks. Gigantic mosaic potters are dispersed throughout the park, some of them tangled in the tracks and hanging in mid-air.
Reading room in the Amsterdam Bibliotheek (Jo Coenen)
Venezza, Italy
A tree-lined street in Amsterdam
The trees lean inward, their branches extending over the middle of the street to form a kind of barrel vault. This photo defines a living architecture with material in its organic and unmanufactured state. The semi-transparent layer of leaves suspended at the level of the rooftops diffuses the light while providing shading for the pedestrian and street traffic below.
The trees lean inward, their branches extending over the middle of the street to form a kind of barrel vault. This photo defines a living architecture with material in its organic and unmanufactured state. The semi-transparent layer of leaves suspended at the level of the rooftops diffuses the light while providing shading for the pedestrian and street traffic below.