Monday, December 14, 2009

A Seasonal Triumph

Mrs. and michael5000 are proud to announce their second-place finish in the third annual gingerbread house party hosted by occasional L&TM5K commenter, seasonal dynamo, and bicycle hoarder Vida!!!


Where more conventional gingerbread builders prefer simple residential buildings festooned with layers of sugary decor, the 5000 team opted for a sleak, modernist approach on a grand scale, refusing to hide the essential structural elements: gingerbread, graham cracker, and pretzel sticks.


There is some disagreement on what the building IS exactly, but it clearly has parking on the second level, a heliport, a cantilevered terrace garden, a free-standing replica of the 1939 World's Fair Trilon, and a killer central atrium. Inspired in equal measure by Wright and Corbusier, this is one gingerbread house (or office complex) that says "no thank you" to gingerbreading!


(Personally, I think we were totally overrated. But it was fun!)

The L&TM5K Advent Calendar
December 14

From the In-Laws5000 family postcard collection.



Fourth Night

10 comments:

Rebel said...

While I appreciate the architechtural ambitions represented in your submission, it shows a serious lack of icing and peppermint candies. Good effort though.

Michael5000 said...

That's kind of what I thought, too.

mrs.5000 said...

It wouldn't have been quite so neo-Brutalist, except I forgot the frosting gun at home.

Also, I have such an aversion to hard, gummy, and unnaturally colored candy things that I have a hard time accepting them even as building materials. M5K gets credit for all the decorative fluorishes such as the gumdrops and garden sprinkles.

Aviatrix said...

I'd have to see the competition to comment on whether your efforts were overrated, but I must say that any gingerbread architecture that includes an aerodrome is all right by me. You also get points for the lack of burned edges.

Elaine said...

I can't believe you were not docked for using professional services! It looks like a medical clinic, eh? with a heliport for transporting the mistakes?

I just wanted to drop in and say how much I'm enjoying your Advent Calendar. Today's postcard is especial pretty! Thanks for doing this :0)

Michael5000 said...

@Aviatrix: Please note the somewhat overscaled red lights on the vertical surface -- there to keep the pilots safe!

@Elaine: A lot of our competition was nursing students, and they thought it was pretty hospitally too.

Thanks for your nice words on the Advent Calendar; it and the Hanukkah celebration were a lot of fun to put together.

gl. said...

it seems terribly unfair to have an architect in a gingerbread house competition. having said that, i think this is awesome. i want to see more frank lloyd wright-inspired gingerbread heliports.

Jenners said...

Kind of looks like an air traffic control tower.

sister jen said...

Okay, so I'm apparently the only one who on first glancing at the gingerbread -- er -- structure, thought, "There's a ramp you can drive on right up to Stonehenge??"

And I just want to add that it has ever been true that when I think of Bro5000 I think "gumdrops and garden sprinkles." He's that kind of guy.

sister jen said...

P.S. It's well known that Stonehenge at one time had a flying saucer land on it, as depicted in this gingerbread recreation.