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Balloon + Saucer = Needle

July 22nd, 2008 @ 1:16 am by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildingsborder
During my “day job” as a game designer, one of the first steps we take in creating spaces is to whip up a few rough concept sketches. Architects use the practice as well, as these early Space Needle design sketches illustrate. I found these in an old ‘62 World’s Fair book I was flipping through last night. While definitely not as stunning as the set over at the Architecture of the Pacific Northwest Database, they do show a nice progression of ideas. The final design is said to be a compromise of Edward Carlson’s cabled balloon idea and architect John Graham’s flying saucer. Click on the thumbnails for a higher-res look. [see also: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 of "Erecting The Needle" photo feature]
needle_sketches_01
Early cabled balloon design; flying saucer on a spire. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc.
needle_sketches_02
Revolving restaurant with planetarium dome; cruciform shaft and disk first called the “space needle” from Art Edwards. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc.
needle_sketches_03
Bennett’s crossed cables sketch; Ridley’s tripod in plastic form. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc.
needle_sketches_04
Steinbrueck’s later sketch; Ridley’s new tophouse detail sketch. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc.

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6 Responses:

  1. Derek L. wrote:
    July 22nd, 2008 @ 8:07 am

    I can’t quite put my finger on it - but many of those designs have an oddly 30’s vibe, especially the first (cabled balloon) sketch. Maybe it’s the art style of the first four, which I always thought was archaic by the 60’s.

  2. Scott wrote:
    July 22nd, 2008 @ 8:38 am

    Hi Cliffe,
    What game company do you work for?

  3. Cliffe wrote:
    July 23rd, 2008 @ 12:38 am

    We make Shoot em ups.

  4. Seattle Sketcher wrote:
    July 23rd, 2008 @ 11:26 am

    it’s nice to see these Cliffe, great post!

  5. bobcat wrote:
    November 27th, 2008 @ 3:40 pm

    love the first sketch, and especially love Left 4 Dead - go Valve!

  6. Jason Carpp wrote:
    February 20th, 2009 @ 10:29 pm

    Awesome website. As a native of Seattle, Washington, I’ve always been interested in historic parts of Seattle. While I’ve never lived IN the city of Seattle, I’ve visited more times than I can count. My favourite parts of Seattle are Capital Hill, Queen Anne Hill and Downtown Seattle. I love looking at pictures of Seattle that go back 50+ years

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