The Crane

 

 

Village

 

by Michele Leonardi architect ©

April 2007 - concept; January 2014 - reloaded

design and renderings

all rights reserved © Michele Leonardi architect

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Below are some references of the collective imaginary regarding projects that have characteristics similar to the "Crane Village" concept. 

Actually, when I imagined Crane Village in 2007, but also when I reworked it in 2014, I didn't have any of the following projects in mind. In fact, I had started from something completely different.

That is I started from the idea of a wooden building, on a much, much smaller scale, intended for a Scandinavian location in Northern Europe. I was thinking about the Vikings, blacksmiths and shipwrights, and about the Russian Orthodox churches. A building as tall as six men stacked on top of each other, or a little more. And wooden. So nothing to do with the excellent, intelligent and "DIY" children's games of Meccano and Lego (miniaturized systemic constructions to play). Nor with certain representations of simplified skyscrapers present in the magnificent works of Mordillo. Nor could I have thought of certain skyscrapers near Central Park in Manhattan, New York, that did not exist at the time. Nor did I even think of the time to the following fabulous, visionary, eternal projects and realisations, who tell us that the way is already open. "Alea iacta est", the die is cast.

 

To say another, in particular on the horizontal photovoltaic panels depicted in the Crane Village renderings: still in 2014 there was no similar commercial product, as far as I knew then and still, but a few years later exactly the panels came out on the market horizontal photovoltaic systems, while before to achieve their purpose they had to be installed inclined and towards the south. In short, it didn't take much to imagine that there would have been a subsequent improvement of this technological energy production system, an efficiency improvement, which currently allows them to be oriented almost as desired: horizontally, vertically, etc.

 

 

 

 

"Horizontal Skyscrapers" in Moskov, Russia, by (Lazar Markovich) "El" Lissitzky architect, 1923-1925
Model of the "Horizontal Skycrapers" by El Lissitzky, 1923-1925
Project for "8 Horizontal Skyscrapers" in Moskow, Russia, by (Lazar Markovich) "El" Lissitzky architect, 1923-1925
Model of the "Horizontal Skycrapers" by El Lissitzky, 1923-1925

 

 

  

I also discovered this incredible realization later, a few years ago, maybe in 2016:

"The Georgia Bank Headquarters" in Tiblisi, Georgia,

by Giorgi Chakhava and Zurab Jalaghania architects, 1974:

 

 

 

Since there is no mention of it in the most important texts on the history of modern and contemporary architecture, thanks to the Internet and the website of the "Piero Portaluppi Foundation", recently, in retrospect to my conception of "Crane Village" (still only a concept), I discovered the existence of following project by the Italian and Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi (1888-1967), id est his "Hellytown", 1926:

A project which in turn brings to mind the later Torre Velasca (1958) by the Milanese Architects B.B.P.R.:

 

 

 

Always in retrospect, one of Kenzo Tange's (1913-2005) most futuristic and "strange" architectures comes to my mind: The Fuji Television Building in Tokyo by a master of modern and contemporary architecture like Kenzo Tange, 1996 (I have to admit that at the time I did not understand this work of Tange's, and it seemed to me almost a regression of him from the whole of his works, which are magnificent): 

 

More references:

1) The "Lego Technic" components, a perfect example of "systemic constructions". 

2) The skyscrapers in the famous drawings by Guillermo Mordillo (1932-2019).

3) And more recently the new skyscrapers in the Midtown Manhattan, near Central Park, New York, like the "432, Park Avenue" Condominium, a residential skyscraper (start 2011, foundation-2015 end):

( 1 )

 

 

( 2 )

 

( 3 )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more time, let's review "The Crane Village",

only a concept of course, by Michele Leonardi Architect, 2007, 2014:

T  H  E     M  A  R  I  N  D  U  C  T

THE MARINE WATER AQUEDUCT

 

D  E  E  P     B  L  U  E

SEAWATER  FOR  OVER  200,000 POOLS OF

L  O  S     A  N  G  E  L  E  S

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D    U    N    E    S

THE MARINDUCT OASIS SYSTEM

 

T H E   P E N S I L E   P O O L S

BY BRIDGE-POOLS

WATERFUN & SPORTING BATHS

 

THE ROLLER COASTER OF STAIRS

A  LABYRINTH OF STAIRS

FOR SEAWATER FUN PARKS

 

 

 

F O R   H U M A N   B E I N G S

N O T   F O R   C L O N E S

 

 

 

S T A I R S   I N   T H E   W A T E R

A SEAWATER SPORTING & FUN PARK

 

T H E   N A U T I L U S

A VILLAGE IN THE DESERT

 

T H E   B L U E   S H E L L

A HOME WITH A THERMAL 

SHIELD OF SAND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T H E   Z E B R A S

CHAIRS & TABLES BY POLYCARBONATE

ALUMINIUM TUBES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Even the longest journey begins with a first step! Systemic Habitats is on line since the 18th of May 2012. This website was created to publish online my ebook "Towards another habitat" on the contemporary architecture and urbanism. Later many other contents were added. For their direct or indirect contribution to its realisation strarting from 2012, we would like to thank: Roberto Vacca, Marco Pizzuti, Fiorenzo and Raffaella Zampieri, Antonella Todeschini, All the Amici di Marco Todeschini, Ecaterina Bagrin, Stefania Ciocchetti, Marcello Leonardi, Joseph Davidovits, Frédéric Davidovits, Rossella Sinisi, Pasquale Cascella, Carlo Cesana, Filippo Schiavetti Arcangeli, Laura Pane, Antonio Montemiglio, Patrizia Piras, Bruno Nicola Rapisarda, Ruberto Ruberti, Marco Cicconcelli, Ezio Prato, Sveva Labriola, Rosario Francalanza, Giacinto Sabellotti, All the Amici di Gigi, Ruth and Ricky Meghiddo, Natalie Edwards, Rafael Schmitd, Nicola Romano, Sergio Bianchi, Cesare Rocchi, Henri Bertand, Philippe Salgarolo, Paolo Piva detto il Pivapao, Norbert Trenkle, Gaetano Giuseppe Magro, Carlo Blangiforti, Mario Ludovico, Riccardo Viola, Giulio Peruzzi, Ahmed Elgazzar, and last but not least Warren Teitz.  M.L.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 L ' I N G E G N E R

M A R C O   T O D E S C H I N I

c .   1 9 5 6 .

 

 

 

 Links to external cultural websites :

C I T Y   O F   K N O W L E D G E

 v i s i o n s   o f   l i f e

 

T H E  L A R G E   B A T H S

 a   s i g n   o f   l i f e   o n   t h e   e a r t h

 

f o r   h u m a n   b e i n g s

 

 

 

 

 

N E W !

TOWARD A DIFFERENT HABITAT, Voll. 1 & 2

625 pages, Print Edition, Lulu Press, Inc., 2024:

 

R e a d   i t   n o w  !

N E W !

LUIGI PELLLEGRIN E IL LAB.!

L e g g i l o   a d e s s o  !

  Number  of  visits  from  2012:

              Thanks for your visit !

 

M.L.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O F F I C I A L   S P O N S O R   O F

S Y S T E M I C   H A B I T A T S