Sometimes you don't really see and understand something until you've photographed it. I find this is particularly true of buildings. Take today's photograph. I took several photographs of the Vodafone Corporate Headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, recently. I liked the blocky surface that the architects, Arquitectos Associdos, specified for some of the elevations.
On first looking at it the wall covering appears to be completely random, but close study of the photograph shows this not to be the case. There are three horizontal bands of blocks with a pattern that repeats. Each group of three bands is separated from the next by a band of windows. It is here that the random element is introduced because the shutters are flat projections when light is being admitted but fold out then into a flat position when deployed. Since each window's shutter is operated separately the surface of the elevation is randomised by the people working behind each one. It is unusual, visually interesting and, I imagine, works well in controlling the light and the heat generated by solar gain.
photograph and text © Tony Boughen
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 18mm (36mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec
ISO:200
Exposure Compensation: 0EV
Image Stabilisation: On
