The Invisible Element of Place: The Architecture of David Salmela,

The Invisible Element of Place: The Architecture of David Salmela, Thomas Fisher with photographs by Peter Bastianelli-Kerze

Books are architects are not abundant, nor are they on most people’s reading lists, but this may be a big oversight.  The places you live, shop, work are products of architectural skills and the city that you visit is a combination of architectural design like the combination of trees that fill the forest.  It is the diversity of design that gives the city its attitude and sense of place.  But few of the people who do architecture are recognized with a study of their creations; yet for them, this is an art form, design, texture, color must match personalities and place and each artist/architect creates a unique entity.

We know of the Prairie architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and the exploded cans of Frank Gehry are two of the people who are recognizable by their style, Minnesota has another person who has developed a style that stands out from the buildings.  This book attempts to give the reader a sense of both design and designer.  Black and white photographs seem a little too dark and I would prefer colored photographs, but Salmela uses black siding and white elements regularly which allows the black and white photographs to have effectiveness – especially in the interior shots.  Outside the blending of building and environment makes the elements more difficult to observe.

David is a north country – Finnish artist who lives and works in one of his own creations.  It seems as if each architect designs according to a pattern and Salmela has specialized in incorporating the basic box – a simple element that he then uses to meet the needs of the owner and the landscaping so that there is simple lines and clear lines.

As the book states – “for him, design involves simplifying, reducing, and distilling things down.”  The author states “He believes the simplicity of the box is a sustainability strategy, as well as a cost-saving one.”

The book looks at trailers, cabins, homes.  There are designs for father and son, clusters, and other challenges that he took on.  The author, professor and dean at the College of Design at the University of Minnesota presents each location with his interpretation and the elements that made it important to understand the architect and the photographs and designs provide visual support.

http://www.salmelaarchitect.com/