More from a brief lunch-walk around the neighborhood. I need to bring my better camera, these are pretty crumby. =/

The close-knit and often stark juxtaposition of industry, commercial, and residential really makes the west side of Berkeley a site to behold, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Within a reasonable walking distance from where I work, I can find at least 15 architecture firms, an exquisite antiques import shop, a greasy machine shop with engine blocks piled 5 or 6 high, a Saki factory, a steel foundry, high tech business, low tech businesses, stinky businesses, businesses that smell wonderful, photovoltaic retailers, landscape architects, painters, sculptors, 150 year old houses, photography studios, highest end retail, Indian food, Mexican food….

Ok, I’m starting to see illustrative value in building a definitive list of the places within walking distance of my job, so I’m going to stop listing these for now, and find a more authoratative source to help build this list. Help me out here Mark! =)

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UC Berkeley, with a visit to the place where they teach architecture…

This walk, like all of our walks so far, was a random and spontaneous path of discovery. Part of the testament to the character of this area is the fact that we can walk just about any direction ‘into the hills’ and have a journey of discovery, surprise and inspiration. There is such a magnitude of visual density that each footstep could easily be accompanied by a new photograph of unique urban, architectural and landscape character.

These photos aren’t intended to be high quality in composition or resolution, but are brief ‘walk-by’ shots – often taken, literally, while walking.

So far, we’ve been seeking random destinations and trying to get lost. Our route twists and turns, and we take short-cuts pathways between buildings, walkways cutting through parks, etc.

These photos describe a 45 minute journey through the Thousand Oaks, Arlington area in the Berkeley Hills.

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Everywhere we go in the Berkeley area, phenomenal architecture surrounds us. I sincerely hope my photos of residences doesn’t invade anyone’s privacy, or be perceived as invasive. My goal is to honor and document the diversity of quality and detail found in this area. Also, please keep in mind that the purpose in posting these is not to showcase photography skills. My handheld camera doesn’t have the best resolution, and I want to be as quick and descrete in taking them as possible.

My goal is simply to assemble a collage of photographs which capture the architectural and urban essence, or fabric of the Berkeley or East Bay area. As a new resident of this area, I want to explore this incredible city-scape, using this blog as a way of documenting my journeys, and sharing those experiences with anyone else interested.

Check out our new website: http://www.crescendodesign.com

Slideshow HERE

This area features a juxtposition of residential, high end retail, heavy industry, warehouses, offices, etc. You name it, its on 4th between Allston and Pierce.

Hi! With this blog, I hope to document the architectural and urban fabric of the Berkeley area.

Today, we walked the neighborhood surrounding Barklay’s, near the border of Berkely and Oakland (and Emeryville I believe), followed by a walk down Solano in Albany.