About Entasis 2020-09-21T22:03:14+00:00

ABOUT ENTASIS

Entasis Architectural Tours is for architects and those who love architecture. Los Angeles and Southern California have many wonderful examples of fine design from the historic Spanish era missions to early 21st century modern to visit and enjoy. I’ve structured my tours thematically, so that certain architectural types or architects’ works are shown together: Greene & Greene/Craftsman era, Wright/Neutra/Schindler, as examples. My aim is to put your feet on the ground, and, when possible, over the threshold of these buildings, minimizing car time and giving you time and opportunity to understand their design, detailing, historic and contextual significance.

If you are a photographer, as I am, my goal is to deliver you at a significant site at the most advantageous time of day for a well-lighted, well-composed photograph. With rare exception, all photographs on my website are views you will have on the relevant tour. If you wish we can plan your picture-taking for a booklet to commemorate your Los Angeles or London architectural experience, using one of the many on-line Web sites for this purpose.

What Does the Entasis Logo Mean?

The Parthenon is a marvel of proportion and rectilinearity. Or so it appears. The Greeks in their wisdom gave the columns an outward curve to compensate for the visual perception that they are thinner in the middle when viewed from below. Likewise, the plinth on which the mass of the building stands bulges slightly upward in the middle, making it appear level. This is Entasis, a technique for correcting an illusion.

The Greek letter phi – φ – is used to symbolize the Golden Mean of pleasing and aesthetic proportion (backed up by complicated mathematical equations, which I’m sure you’d rather not know). I have turned and rotated phi to transform it into an “e” or .

Why is the name of my tour business “Entasis Architectural Tours”? Architecture is about many things, but proportion when combined with illusion is something that has always been important to me, hence the logo.