Designing around the world. (Profile of the week: Ismael Leyva, Principal, Ismael Leyva Architects, P.C.).In the Costa rican jungle, he's designed a glass house beside a waterfall. It's remote, as it should be--even the water closet is behind glass. Closer to civilization, the skyscraper he most esteems is the Chrysler Building Chrysler Building, in midtown Manhattan, New York City, at Lexington Ave. between 42d and 43d St. The ultimate art deco-style skyscraper, it was commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler, designed by William Van Alen, and built in 1926–30. , gargoyles gargoyles medieval European church waterspouts; made in form of grotesque creatures. [Architecture: NCE, 1046] See : Ugliness and all. These are a few tidbits TidBITS is an award-winning electronic newsletter and web site dealing primarily with Apple Computer and Macintosh-related topics. Internet publication TidBITS has been published weekly since April 16, 1990, which makes it one of the longest running Internet publications. about Ismael Leyva, a 50-year-old, Mexican-born architect. Leyva was known for his interior work prior to 1996, the year that he established his own firm. The work he's done since is diverse, embracing myriad uses in sundry locales. In an age of specialization, Leyva's philosophy is all-purpose, seemingly unlimited. It's hard to pigeon hole A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house See Pigeonhole. An old English game, in which balls were rolled through little arches. See also: Pigeon Pigeon Pigeon the man's work, as tempting as such a goal is with any architect. He studied architecture growing up in Mexico. Upon moving to the United States, Leyva began working with several famous architects such as Philip Johnson, Robert A.M. Stern and Costas Kondylis. His resume includes work on the AOL (A division of Time Warner, Inc., New York, NY, www.aol.com) The world's largest online information service with access to the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and a variety of databases and services. Time Warner Center The Time Warner Center is a mixed-use skyscraper developed by The Related Companies in New York City. Its design, by David Childs and Mustafa Kemal Abadan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, consists of two 229 m (750 ft) towers bridged by a multi-story atrium containing upscale retail , the new Penn Station and the Trump International Hotel & Tower. Like most architects, Leyva speaks of his work philosophically. Some of the words he peppers the discussion with are "functional" and "efficient". Yet he brings an aesthetic to bear on his designs, if not his conversation--his residential buildings are sleek and contextual, with artful setbacks. His work seems to duplicate elements of various 20th century architects but there is nothing derivative about the projects. His latest project is the Post Toscana, a 31-story rental building on East 89th street. The $97 million project is expected to open next year. "The Post Toscana features living spaces that are atypical of rental buildings in this area of Manhattan. Residents get a sense of space and visual privacy that is unique," said the 50-year-old architect during a recent interview at his midtown offices. Luxury amenities such as granite kitchens, marble baths, wood floors and highspeed telecom service are status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. at the Post Toscana. Leyva readily admits that his work is a collaboration between he and the client. "There's no question that when the client listens to you and respects your opinion, the design benefits. It's also important for the architect to listen to the client," said Leyva. |
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