The Shadow House is a newly-built private house on 38 sq m piece of land in London. Architects from Liddicoat and Goldhill created this Victorian house in order to test their ideas on living with less interior spaces with maximum emotional effect. Instead of using different construction materials, this house is made up of dark bricks. Privacy, comfort and silence are the major aspects we like about this house. Also, the Victorian buildings nearby provide a beautiful view. You might be wondering how the architects tackled the problem of lighting that is common to such tiny buildings. The obstacle has been overcome with the creation of an open space with clear straight lines and glass walls. No wonder it has won the Best Small House Of The Year Award at the British Homes Award 2011.


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This video shows a lecture by Arnout Van Vaerenbergh on the occasion of TEDxEutropolis. Van Vaerenbergh is a young Belgian architect and a co-founder of Leuven-based design practice Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. The speaker and his partner Pieterjan Gijs have been creating projects together since 2007. The projects are realized in the public spaces and without doubt they show architects’ architectural background. In spite of architecture, these projects also clearly display an artistic intention. Van Vaerenbergh’s work consists of site-specific interventions, installations and constructions that generate a mutual reaction with the environment. As such, their projects do not always originate from the customary commission and carry a large degree of autonomy. Their primary concerns are experiment, reflection, a physical involvement with the end result and the input on the viewer. In their art they manipulate the public space with minimal means and maximal impact. During the lecture Van Vaerenbergh talks about 3 very innovative projects which were invented and realized by his practice. 


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Van Vaerenbergh recalls the beginnings of his partnership with Gijs. He explains that they studied architecture together and after graduation they decided to create a design practice. What is interesting, from early beginnings they did not want to run a traditional design practice. They wanted to create a practice which will deal not only with traditional architectural projects but also with those one that will have more proactive approach to the architecture. In another words, they wanted to have opportunities for realization their own projects. The architect describes 3 projects which were born thanks to Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. These project are an effect of their desire for doing something that could adds a new meaning to the public place.

After realization of these projects, architect found out that they took the same four steps in every project. The first step is to make a really good image of a particular project in the purpose of more efficient work with the next steps. The second one consists of the identification of actors that could help in the realization. After gaining these actors they take a third step. With the help of the photo from the first step, they convince actors to support and finance the project. Afterwords, they document the project through feedback and comparison of the final result photo with the one taken on the start of the project.

Photo from pytr75.blogspot.com

The first project presented by Van Vaerenbergh was called Spin Off and it was realized in 2008 in Brussels. Over the course of two days, two cherry pickers were placed on both sides of the Dansaertstreet by the Vlaamse Poort (Flemish Gate) in the centre of Brussels. At random moments during the day and evening, the cherry pickers were conducted to execute a choreography of which the passers-by were the spectators. In doing so, the two machines took on different positions, causing several figures to take shape, ranging from a literal ‘gate’ to insect- or spiderlike forms, with the arms of the cherry pickers as legs and the joined buckets as head. 

Photo from weheart.co.uk

The second project was called The Upside Dome and it took place in 2010 in Leuven. The 16th-century Saint-Michael’s church in the city centre of Leuven was never fully completed: during the building process, the structure turned out to be not strong enough, and the construction of the dome was stopped. Inspired by this fact, Gijs Van Vaerenbergh yet constructed a new dome. Using the well-known principle of the chain line, an inverted dome was constructed, which formed the mirror image of an imaginary one that has never been completed. In total, two kilometers of chain was hung up on a superstructure above the brick vaults. In entering the church, this installation gave spectators the impression of a fine, transparent net — an unstable image that in walking through the church made place for other impressions.


Photo from leveninleuven.be

The last presented project is called Skylight and it was realized in Leuven in 13th February 2012. This project literally sheds a different light on the railway station of the Flemish city of Leuven, which is the most important gateway to the city, and since its recent transformation the second centre of Leuven. At the end of the tower crane, that is currently being used for construction upon music centre ‘Het Depot’, a series of lamps were attached. Through this intervention, at night the crane transforms into an enormous street light that makes the station area bathe in a bright white light. From afar, Skylight will become a landmark in the city. This intervention reflects the cultural dynamics that will characterize the city during the art festival Kulturama.

An old garage has been turned into a modern private art studio by photographer Natalie Wright, who thought of doing the undoable. She, in fact, wanted to renovate her old garage into a place that would be ultimately photography-friendly. As she went about giving the garage a change over, she understood all that was needed to make the space a modern day studio. And she did. She added more charm on to the walls by throwing in a handful of quirky elements such as some amazing artwork and wall décor so that the space warmed up to turn the studio space she wished for.


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The garage looked this way before aesthetic make over.

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Not every Starbucks coffe shop looks the same. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma proved that is true. He has designed the interior of a Starbucks in Fukuoka, Japan. His innovative design gives a new and very interesting look to the interior of the coffe house. The design is also quite brave because not everyone will feel comfortable in this kind of interior. What do you think about it? Do you want to dring coffe in this kind of coffe house?


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via contemporist.com

Imagine a life where you would feel more comfortable and entertained at work than at home. Well, probably Google’s employees in Zurich are quite near to these dreams in a real life. They have occasion to work in extraordinary and colorful spaces in Google’s Zurich Headquarters. On 12,000 square meters of space they are able to explore carefully designed interiors which allow to play and feel relaxed. Designed by Swiss architecture studio Camenzind Evolution, these informal spaces surprise you at first sight with a wide array of things to enjoy, like the slide, pool tables, gym or urban-inspired taxi cabins. Bold colors and modern inspiration have played a huge role in the interior design and the fact that each space gives a certain vibe shows how intuitive and tolerant they are with their staff. What part of these spaces you like the most?


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This 3070 sq ft single family residence with detached garage is located on a 42 ft wide lot in the Dunbar neighborhood of Vancouver. The gently graded site has oblique views to Pacific Spirit Park, and distant views to the city core. The Dunbar Residence explores the potential for diversity of spatial experience in a home with a flexible plan that accommodates changes in everyday family life. In response to the owners‘ love of nature interior-exterior relationships are established with outdoor patios and gardens at all levels. Spatially light is used to define scale and intimacy within the home.


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Designed and oriented for passive solar usage the project also employs ultra high efficiency windows, solar hot water heating and a high performance heating / cooling system, including heat recovery that allow the home to operate with low energy consumption. The careful selection of appliances, plumbing fixtures, and lighting also reduce energy and water consumption. Interior elements, such as flooring and millwork, include recycled materials and low/no emission finishes. Planters on the roof reduce heat reflectance and rainwater runoff. Landscape design makes use of native, drought tolerant plant species and reclaimed stone.

The home was built by Natural Balance Home Builders Inc., a construction company that specializes in green building.

via contemporist.com

The open mouth of this steel-clad house in Fukuoka, Japan, by architects Case-Real reveals its interior to anyone strolling by. Red and grey galvanized steel envelops the exterior of the House in Saitozaki, which is single-storey on side but has two storeys on the other. A pitched roof with exposed eaves shelters living and dining rooms on the single-storey side, while utility rooms are located opposite beneath three first-floor bedrooms.


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These photos show small apartment’s interiors designed by Architect Flavio Castro. Thanks to the “magic touch” of Mr. Castro this apartment exhibits very inspiring design and layout. The project called Apartment Putti and it is a home for a young couple who probably will be the family soon. According to the project description, the premise for the reduced space (60m2), was to define a functional layout and gain further detailed control of the sizes of furniture, without invading areas of minimal movement. Do you like the interiors?


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This breathtaking house was designed by Guadalajara Studio Elas Rizo Arquitectos and it is located in Porto Vallarta, Mexico. Probably everyone who will have the occasion to see this beautiful building would be shocked because of the attention to detail in this five-bedroom contemporary villa. Even though the residence has a total of four levels, only one is visible from the street, as the rest descend dramatically, yet harmoniously, towards the ocean, on the opposite side. Thanks to wooden panels on the facade of the building the residents are able to dissociate themselves from the surrounding environment. When they are in better mood, the outdoor terrace allows them to enjoy relaxing swimming with amazing view. Similar beauty of view residents can enjoy through the large windows which every room has. The interiors is very warm and original mostly thanks to materials that were used in this building. Among others stone and tropical wood add uniqueness into this tastefully-designed modern home. I know that could be difficult, but if you had to choose what would be your favorite part of this project?


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Designed by Australian firm BKK architects, this project has been undertaken for a couple and their children of varying ages. It includes alterations to an existing Edwardian House and a new separate studio to the rear of the site. The house is designed so that the spaces within and around the house will be adaptable over time to suit the changing needs of the family. The possibility for the studio space to be converted into an office has been considered as has the basement entertainment area conversion into a gym or multi-purpose play room. A central courtyard contains a pool and landscaped areas.


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This film presents an interview with Paul Finch on the occasion of World Architecture Festival 2011 that took place in Barcelona. Finch is a very famous British architect. Moreover, he has been the editor of almost all of Britain’s architectural titles: first Building Design, then The Architects’ Journal and The Architectural Review. He became the chairman of CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) in December 2009. what’s the most relevant, he is also the programme director of the World Architecture Festival. During the interview, we are about to find out more about the procedure of winners’ selection and the organization of the festival.


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Finch says that the goal of this festival is to reward excellence. The jury tries to find the best building in the whole series of categories i.e. the best future project or the best structure. He emphasizes that all the architects that are shortlisted have to present at the festival live in front of delegates and in front of a jury. If a contestant wants to win a really big award, it is not enough to present his project only one time. He has to do this again in front of a super jury. Finch compares it to a dog show. For the first two days the judges are looking for the best for breed and in a final day they are choosing the best in show. He thinks that the contest is conducted in a very good spirit.

Photo from architektura.muratorplus.pl

He explains that all architects are used to presenting their work; this is what they do from the time they were students and throughout their professional career so to some extent they’re professional presenters. At the festival they send their presentation in advance so they have time to think their presentation through, they know how long they’ve got. He points out that ten minutes for each presentation is enough to show what’s really important in a particular project. However, he admits that in a way a presentation lasts not ten minutes but thirty, because the jury consists of three people that are listening and looking at works very carefully. In his opinion, the competition is quite fair, because everybody has the same time for a presentation.

According to Finch, everyone can enter the festival and, unlike any other architecture event of this sort, every single entry is exhibited and every entry has the same amount of space as every other entry. He says that they are very anxious that everyone who enters knows that all entries are exhibited. Moreover, all the entries have been recorded and archived on a website for four years, so this is like a permanent archive of contemporary architecture. He thinks that form that point of view this is a very democratic procedure. The organizers of the event don’t mind whether an architect is famous or not famous, rich or poor, from what country he is, everyone is welcome. 

If you are an architecture freak, what we are about to tell you would excite you big time. The Japanese destination of Fukushima now sports a house wrapping three voids. Designed by Kanagawa-based architects No 555, this unique building exhibits a simple and solid exterior with a dark metallic cladding. Transparent horizontal stripes break the monotonous surface, and also provides fleeting views of the inside courtyard. High level privacy is secured for the inhabitants as the exterior has been wrapped around the outdoor space.


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via decoist.com

This set of beautiful photos was taken by swedish photographer Bruno Basic. These photos show a full view of a very unique and contemporary home in Sweden. This is the story behind the inspiration and a few details about the materials and owner:“In 2011, I had the honor to photograph a house that was “modern” as my clients described it. What I saw at the driveway to the house I noticed that this house was a little different than regular houses that I see around me. This was more square and appeared to be incredibly well designed. I had never been in contact or met the owner of the house and honestly, I thought it lived a young design-interested couple there. But I was wrong. The house was owned by a middle-aged businessman who had exquisite taste for design. He had designed the house himself and was very proud of it. The house has magnificent view over the city of Kalmar and the sea that surrounds it. Everything in the house was exclusive and the materials came from local producers. The floor was made only a few miles away. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do.” What do you think about the photos and this apartment?


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This Modern Hollywood Hills Dream Home in LA’s Hollywood Hills shelters a stunning collection of features ranging from architectural details to vivid colors and exceptional views. Gathered in a 13,699 square feet floor plan, entertaining and private spaces offer luxurious amenities for the inhabitant’s enjoyment. With 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, this splendid steel, glass and wood architectural estate also features a gourmet kitchen set in a dramatic open floor plan extending into the panorama, over the infinity pool. The great room features a stone fireplace and the master suite pampers the owner with a soaking tub overlooking the city in the distance. Breathtaking views of Los Angeles offer a moving picture of the surroundings, while the extensive walls can be used to showcase an art collection. Custom built fixtures and European cabinetry adorn the modern spaces, while the outdoor dining pavilion pushed the limits of private luxury to the maximum.


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House construction, these days, has turned even more interesting. Homes built in different designs for special purposes sport absolutely charming visages, thanks to the fun element the architects and designers find in the whole process. The Local Rock House in New Zealand is one such wonderfully built structure. As the name indicates, the apartment is developed using rock. Pattersons Associates have designed the house with local stones available in the plot itself, thereby giving an awesome appearance to the whole building. The natural home situated highly above a pohutukawa canopy, is surrounded by the white, sandy beach.


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This video shows an interview with Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero who are Chicago artist duo called Luftwerk. By merging video and light with material, surface, and structure, they shape content into an immersive sculptural experience. Their work illuminates the realm of special events, stage, gallery and public venue. Both artists are graduates of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and have worked together for over ten years, forming Luftwerk in 2007. During the interview they speak about the newest project called “Luminous Field”, which takes place in Millennium Park, Chicago from 10 February.


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Gallero explains that “Luminous Field” will transform Chicago’s Millennium Park into a digital canvas of light and geometrical form with its first-ever site-specific video and sound installation. The installation will illuminate Cloud Gate – known by many Chicagoans as “The Bean” – and its surrounding AT&T Plaza with dramatic images and colors set to music composed by Owen Clayton Condon, of the local avant-garde classical ensemble, Third Coast Percussion.  

Bachmaier describes that ten projectors mounted on four towers looming 15 to 21 feet above the plaza will beam five minute-long loops onto an 80-feet-by-30-feet rectangle on the east side. At the same time more patterns, including one that resembles a disco dance floor and another that suggests an animated Slinky, are projected to the west of and beneath the shiny sculpture. As the lights reflect off the sculpture’s curves and the ground, Chicagoans and visitors should see this popular attraction and the public space surrounding it in a new light.

Gallero says that their major goal was to take a space, a situation in architecture and transform it and then bring it back to where it was before. In his opinion it will be a “triply” experience. He convinces that visitors will be looking up into this vortex of Cloud Gate, and they would be basically immersed in this flashing light and geometry undulating. Bachmaier adds that Luftwerk perceives it as something that people can interact with. She also explains that they really want people to go in and play with it. Because like the whole concept of the video, we buylt it for people to move with the light.

Gallero sums up with the sentence: “The viewer became the performer. The viewer became immersed, and for us that is the most magical element with our art”.

“Luminous Field” runs Feb. 10-20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Free family programming will take place in a heated tent to the north of Cloud Gate.

Here are the latest visuals by architects OMA of their designs for a performing arts centre that broke ground today in Taipei, Taiwan. This building will be a new icon of the town, mostly because of one of the three auditoriums. Named the Proscenium Playhouse, the auditorium will have a spherical form and will be able to merge with the slightly asymmetric Grand Theatre to create a performance venue with a 60-metre-long stage.


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Here’s some more information from OMA:

Construction begins today on the OMA-designed Taipei Performing Arts Center in Taipei, Taiwan. President Ma Ying-jeou, together with Mayor Hau Lung- pin, representatives from the Taipei City Government, OMA, and local design partner Artech Architects will take part in the groundbreaking ceremony. TPAC is a new kind of venue with a 60m stage Super Theatre and highly adaptable, efficient, and intimately connected with the urban fabric.

The design of TPAC, comprising a 1,500-seat theatre and two 800-seat theatres, is the result of investigation into the internal workings of theatre. Plugged into a central cube clad in corrugated glass, each theatre shares backstage space and mechanical facilities. Two of the three theatres can be combined into a Super Theatre with a 60-metre long stage for experimental new forms of performance.

Lifted from the ground, the central cube allows the street to extend both under and up into the building, drawing people into a public loop where backstage workings that are normally hidden from view – rehearsals, technical spaces – are made visible. TPAC aims to let the audience experience new elements of theatrical production at the same time as inviting a broader public to engage with the performing arts.

OMA’s Partners-in-charge of the project, Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, will be present at the groundbreaking together with Managing Partner Victor van der Chijs. The entire TPAC team, led by Associate-in-charge Adam Frampton, will also be at the ceremony, joined by Artech Architects Founder – Architect Kris Yao, Senior Partner – Architect Willy Yu, and the Artech team.

Rem Koolhaas comments: “The flexible configurations of the theatres allow unimagined scenarios, incessantly stimulating theatrical experiments.”

David Gianotten remarks: “TPAC engages a wide public not only by providing spaces for performances, but also through exposing parts of the backstage to the public. The general public will have a glimpse of performing arts production and a new theatrical experience.”

Associate-in-charge Adam Frampton notes: “The premise of the design is to combine three theatres into more than the sum of their parts. Similarly, the collaboration between the Taipei City Government, international and local architects, engineers, and specialists has yielded a collective result exceeding individual potential.”

OMA won the competition for Taipei Performing Arts Center in January 2009 after beating 135 entries from 24 countries. Completion of the project is expected in 2015 with an estimated construction budget of 5.4 billion Taiwan dollars (about €140 million).

Currently, OMA’s offices in Hong Kong and Beijing are also overseeing the completion this year of CCTV’s new headquarters in Beijing and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange; Chu Hai College of Higher Education in Hong Kong will be completed in 2013.

via dezeen.com

Eccentricity is this structure’s main characteristic – a Corbusian – inspired study on the relationship between interior and exterior spaces – named Wall House 2 and located in Groningen, the Netherlands. The original design of this unconventional building was completed 28 years ago, it was designed by John Hejduk who died a sudden death one year ago. After unexpected sad information Netherlands-based studio decided to finish this project. Many details changed during this time – location, budget, details – but the 2,500 square feet residential structure took on the task of presenting John Hejduk’s vision. Surrealist sculpture merged with cubist paintings and architecture shape a series of public, semi-public and private quarters – as compartmentalized by the owners.


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Future inhabitants of this special residence wanted to have two homes in one. Stuttgart-based architectural practice Alexander Brenner Architects had achieved this goal. They designed a MIKI 1 residence which appears to be a single villa, nevertheless behind the facade there are two individual homes, with two different layouts. Here is more from the architects: “While the villas have almost the same floor area, the western half of the duplex has a multi-room plan suitable for a family, whereas the eastern half was designed with an open, flowing room concept. The generous stairs with twelve steps leads from the road to the en-trance level. The entrances are invisibly integrated into the surface structure of the ground floor. Additionally, the eastern half of the duplex offers direct access via the garage.


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For the spacious two-storey room on the ground floor the architect designed a detached concrete kitchen counter and a dining table, whose concrete base supports a seemingly hovering timber tabletop, which is illuminated from below. The living area, the lounge zone and the work-space on the gallery are flooded with light entering through the glass facade on the south side, facing the view“. Have a look at the architecture plans at the end of the post for a better understanding of the project and tell us what you think.

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This wonderful Lovelli Residence has been designed by Studio Word of Mouth, and is a modern residence located on the west coast of Bali.The concept idea of the architects was to create an enjoyable and airy space, very bright and modern that would answer the entertainment needs of the owners and provide different functions that interact in an original way. Now, the thing about interaction between different spaces can be found everywhere around the house, for example the dining area flows seamlessly into a lounge, while the living area interacts in a natural way with the pool area. Each bedroom opens to the green terraces through the use of some huge sliding doors, that also helps to maximize the natural light and enhance the perception of the size of the space.


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The exterior of the house is all clad in white and its overall aesthetic represents a tribute to the Mediterranean architecture, a clean and modern aesthetic that uses a transparent platform creating a smooth connection between the living space and the pool space. Just looking at it, the white of the house combined with the green from the plants placed on the upper level and around the pool, takes your thoughts to summer memories of time spend in the cool, feeling the breeze of the threes in those hot summer evenings.

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This video shows an interview with Richard Rogers, a British architect who is well-known because of his modernist and functionalist designs. He is the 2007 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, recipient of the 1985 RIBA Gold Medal and the 2006 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (La Biennale di Venezia). In 1995, he was the first architect to be invited to give the BBC Reith Lectures and in 1998 was appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister to chair the UK Government’s Urban Task Force on the state of our cities. His most well-known projects are among others: Centre Georges Pompidou, Lloyd’s building, Millennium Dome and European Court of Human Rights. During the interview, Rogers talks among others about a housing issue in England or about eco-friendly and sustainable cities in the Europe.


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Rogers asked for his opinion about a current situation of houses in a smaller scale answered that a housing is now the most critical problem that we have to face. In UK about one hundred forty thousand  houses a year are built  while three hundred is needed. He thinks that this is a real political and economic crisis which the government must to deal with. He explains that in terms of design it is difficult to create a project because there is no much land. It is a good situation from a perspective of sustainability because it is better to build in the city than outside the city. Nevertheless, young architects are in a quite difficult position.

Photo from inhabitat.com.

Rogers asked about the future of England housing development says that there is nothing to worry about. England has many more brown fields than any country in western Europe, mostly because of the industrial character of the country. Now, there is a vast number of houses that need to be upgraded. He explains that building in a compact city is five times more efficient than building outside the city. As a confirmation of his words he quotes results of a American study which shows that if you even have the most perfectly eco house outside the city, it uses more energy than the one inside the city. According to these results, he thinks that in terms of climate change it is crucial to build within the city.
 
The architect asked about an example of a sustainable country convinces that, without any doubt, Holland is ahead in Europe or even in the world. He also points out Finland, Sweden and Denmark especially because of its public spaces. He considers Portland, Seattle and Vancouver as the best examples of eco friendly cities.
 
Rogers explains that in the future of England’s sustainable architecture the most important part will be played by the government, because the government’s approach to the eco-friendly buildings is mostly positive. However, it usually ends when financial matters are being discussed. As a good sign for the future Rogers regards the fact that more and more people find  the suitable design as valuable. More and more people are also interested in developing the concept of sustainability. 

BMW‘s new home in Dominican Republic is all about showcasing masterpieces in the most perfect way. Designed according to the new BMW Group Identity Guidelines, it has been completely renovated to the new standards of what a BMW Showroom should be. The process to convert the old showroom involved a complete strip down of the existing building, leaving only its raw roof structure(warehouse A-frame apex roof) and columns. The concept of its appealing and striking profiles is placing the automobiles in centre stage. Powerful straight lines of interaction between rectangular walls and hovering roof slabs give it a clear sense of direction and dynamic linear alignment.


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Walking in a pharmacy means instinctively thinking about health or health problems. But this unique Oaza Zdravlja Pharmacy was designed to offer a different view on health issues and describe the “beautiful intricacies of the human body and healing process” through its contemporary design. Those living in Belgrade, Serbia, can easily admire the superb interiors of this inviting pharmacy. Designed by the well-known industrial designer Karim Rashid, the Oaza Zdravlja Pharmacy conveys a feeling of hope and the interior design was created to help with the healing process.


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via decoist.com

With a grand opening the world-famous French fashion house has opened a new luxury destination, the first Louis Vuitton Island Maison, at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. This truly first ever luxury island features the complete Louis Vuitton offering, from men’s to women’s collections, to jewelry it even hosts a unique bookstore. Besides the famed architect Peter Marino who designed the project, the building itself presents art from fifteen internationally recognized artists from the likes of Richard Deacon (who created a magnificent sculpture specially for the maison) and the famed illustrator Ruben Tolledo.


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via designboom.com

It definitely would be worth it to do everything to get one of these unusual furniture and lamps. They were designed by Russian designer Tembolat Gugkaev and they certainly are the best example of creative design. Designer writes on his websiteL “Tembolat Gugkaev is a Russian designer, which surely goes to the world level. Working with plants and enterprises around the world, he won fame in the design industry. His works are distinguished by the originality and freshness of the decisions and have already received their fans in many countries in Europe, America and Asia.


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Tembolat Gugkaev was born in North Ossetia-Alania, learn many creative professionals, has long worked as a jeweler in the world-famous jewelry company. He currently lives and works in St. Petersburg. Many travels around the world. “

Wha Cabinet

Cutshelves

Crazy Lamp

Tectonic Bookcase

Hemispheres Lamp

“Softa” Outdoor Bench

Buulbs Lamp

Infinychair

Tonto Cabinet

Propellerlamp

Tatic

Omlamp

Tablighter

Band-On

Zincum Cabinet

Lampolamp

via demilked.com

This video is a first part of euromaxx series about young and successful architects from around Europe. This episode presents German architect Jürgen Mayer H. who is a rising star not only in German architecture world. He studied at Stuttgart University, The Cooper Union and Princeton Universtiy. His work has been published and exhibited worldwide and is part of numerous collections including MoMA New York and SF MoMA. He was also awarded in many architectural competitions including the Mies van der Rohe Award, Winner Holcim Award Bronze 2005 and Winner Audi Urban Future Award 2010. Jürgen Mayer H. has taught at many reputable universities including Princeton University, University of the Arts Berlin, Harvard University and the Architectural Association in London. Thanks to this movie, you have the occasion to get to know better this great architect and also you are able to see and hear about his very unconventional projects. 


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Mayer H. set up his office in Berlin, Germany in 1996, since that time the studio has focused on works at the intersection of architecture, communication and new technology such as urban planning schemes and buildings, installation work and objects with new materials, the relationship between the human body, technology and nature, the background for a new production of space. Mayer H.’s buildings are mostly surprising. It was not differently in the case of ADA 1 Office Complex which is located in Hamburg, Germany.

Photo from cubeme.com

Mayer H. explains that there is a pleasing tension in ADA 1. Its structure was clearly defined into the city context, however the building site is situated at the intersection between the Hamburg’s lively downtown and its urban landscape rich in water and mature trees. Because of that the building is at the transition from city to nature, and the gateway to the bustling metropolitan core. The horizontal striped facade with its floating ‘eyes’ celebrates the view onto this unique context. A public park in front of the building continues the design strategy of the facade into the landscape. The ‘eyes’ in the facade and the platforms in the park form places to meet and contemplate.
 
The architect convinces that the interior of the building is simple and elegant. The dominant color is white and it transforms the interior and exterior into a single unit. Mayer H. explains that the office spaces serve both a generic spatial layout and specific moments related to the ‘eyes’. Large spans provide various office layout configurations in combination with balconies and climatically tempered outdoor spaces of the ‘eyes’.
 
Mayer H. experiments with new forms like in the case of the Museum in Nordborg, Denmark. He likes to describe this building as “activated” because it brings the new energy and the new type of development in the city district. In his opinion, architecture is generally connected to the future, and it must be the bright future otherwise he would not invest. For Mayer H. architecture is an art with endless scope of creativity.

If you are looking for some extraordinary holiday destinations during the winter months, then you might wanna take a look at this magical Glass Igloo Village in Finland. Located in the wilderness near Urho Kekkonen National Park, the Igloo Village of Hotel Kakslauttanen offers a crystal clear view of the Northern lights and starry sky, all while comfortably relaxing in your warm room.


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It is an excellent place to see the Aurora Borealis, one of the world’s seven natural wonder, or in other words, the burst of colored light caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere.

via demilked.com

Ever imagined a house that can be uprooted and planted again anywhere in the woods? Or even meadows and mountainsides? Sounds like a dream, we know. Not really, we have managed to set sights on such an amazing house in Bozen, Northern Italy. Named Fincube, the structure stands at a height of 4,000 feet above sea level , and thereby provides a magnificent view of the Dolomite mountains yonder.

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The modular home can be easily taken apart and rebuilt in a new location. Designed by Berlin-based studio Aissilinger, the Fincube is made of local wood. With a minimum design and material having gone into its making, the house connects with nature awesomely well.

via decoist.com

Prepared to have your mind blown. Filip Dujardin‘s set of structurally impossible architecture photographs will have you looking at every detail in search of those details that are basically implausible. Working with a set of photos of real buildings in and around Ghent, Belgium, and using digital collaging techniques, the photographer created a mind-dazzling collection of photos entitled “Fictions“. Filip Dujardin studied history of art at the University of Ghent, specializing in architecture and now works as an independent photographer. His work on this project expresses the intricacy of architecture while pushing the limits of reality well beyond the immediate visual effect. Transforming existing buildings into fictional structures, Filip took out details and added some unusual ones instead. How many can you spot?


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via freshome.com

“BIG♥NYC,” a 10-foot tall glowing heart sculpture consists of 400 transparent, LED lit, acrylic tubes donated generously by the Austrian lighting company Zumtobel. The transparent tubes refract the lights of Times Square, creating a cluster of lights around the heart. The hovering heart will appear to pulsate as its tubes sway in the wind. When people touch a heart-shaped sensor, the heart will glow brighter and beat faster as the energy from their hands is converted into more light.


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“What better place for couples to celebrate love and public art than in the heart of Times Square – this year, we’re inviting couples from across America and New York to come to Times Square and publicly declare their love in front of the beautiful “BIG♥NYC” which will glow brighter on Valentine’s Day as a symbol of our month-long celebration of love.” Tim Tompkins, President, Times Square Alliance.

Photo by David Sundberg ESTO

Over the last four years, the Times Square Alliance has hosted an annual public art sculpture to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This year’s 2012 Times Square Valentine is on display at Duffy Square from February 6 –29.

Photo by David Sundberg ESTO

“The heart reflects what Times Square is made of: people and light – the more people, the stronger the light,” Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Partner, BIG.

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

“Like a daisy chain of human contact, the more people who hold hands or make contact with others while touching the heart, the brighter and faster the heart will pulse. The “BIG♥ NYC” is an indicator of human energy in one of the most energized places on earth.” Daniel Kidd, Project Leader, BIG.

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

Photo by by Ho Kyung Lee

PROJECT INFORMATION:

NAME: BIG ♥ NYC
CLIENT: Times Square Alliance
LOCATION: Times Square, At Duffy Square (46th St. and Broadway)
COLLABORATION: Flatcut, Local Projects, Zumtobel
FURTHER INFORMATION: www.big.dk/vvv

Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels
Project Leader: Daniel Kidd
Project Engineer: Robert Silman Associates
Team: Jeremy Siegel, Julian Liang, Chris Falla, Sören Grünert

This video shows a lecture by Lehna Malmkvist who is an ecologist and the founder of Swell Enviormental Consulting Ltd. Malmkvist works in multi-disciplinary teams for low impact/green development projects, watershed planning, rainwater management and ecological restoration. She ensures an innovative, whole system approach which is integrated into her projects. She also shares her expertise by teaching workshops and lecturing at professional, community and university events, helping to educate a new way of thinking about our connection to our immediate environment. During this lecture Malmkvist speaks about the importance of environmentally friendly design. 



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Malmkvist explains that currently there are number of ecological interactions that take place in natural systems. Nevertheless, she deplores the changes that happened around the world. She talks about unplanned buildings and vast areas which are cleared in purpose of development. In her opinion, currently people create a dysfunctional habitat for themselves and it can be observed on a global scale. She convinces that we need a solution for this problem. First of all, she thinks that we can change the way that we contract and build our built environment. What’s the most important, we can use nature as the design criteria for this.

Photo from flickr.com

Malmkvist convinces that we need to move from one-way systems where materials, energy water are used only once. She thinks that we need to create “circles of reuse” in which there will not be any waste. A product from one process should become a material for another one because that is what happens in eco systems and that is what we need to do in our habitat. As an example of this way of designing Malmkvist shows a project which took place in Canada and is called Dark Side Green.


To sum up, Malmkvist says that human is creative, smart and adaptable species and she thinks that we need to use these attributes. We have the responsibility for our own habitat and because of that we need to change that enormous built environment. We can do this not only with the help of cultural and political support but also of our individual work. Malmkvist thinks that each one of us can make the difference. We can do things that we know we supposed to do, for example we can take a public transportation, build a rain garden, instal solar hot water. Then we just have to look at the effects that we have made.               

This contemporary duplex in New York displays elegance and luxury in every detail. The interior was designed by Pulltab Design, it has 2,400 square foot of space and it provides an elegant living space, filled with inspiring details. Here is a short description from the designers: “In the schematic design phase, initial conversations revolved around modern masters such as Geoffrey Bawa, Carlo Scarpa and Richard Neutra. Based on these conversations, it became apparent that the new design should strive to create a warm and open living environment with unique handcrafted detailing. Materials such as stained concrete, American black walnut, bronze and steel were selected along with modernist finishes, including hand applied active patinas, true pigment paints and high gloss lacquer surfaces“. Which decorative detail from this modern apartment you like the most?


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via freshome.com

This stunning modern home located in the northern part of Madrid, Spain. The residence has a total living space of 9,421 square feet (875 square meters) and accommodates no less than seven bedrooms. No matter what the standpoint, the exterior of this contemporary Madrid villa is unusual, some might say even picturesque. A large pool swimming pool mirrors the landscape gardens and the colorful exterior of the main building, providing a great setting for outdoor activities. Near the pool, there is a lovely dining area, fit for various family events. The interiors are defined by floor to ceiling windows, each of the rooms benefiting from unobstructed views of the lush green environment. The ground floor of the villa includes a guest suite with direct access from the exterior, a staff apartment, home cinema projection room, gym and garage. The residence is currently up for sale here, listed at USD $10,333,781.


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via freshome.com

PH Loft Arias is a modern container home designed by HM.A Architects and located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The construction was organized according to a very specific program requested by the owner, who wanted the residence to accommodate an office space, a playroom, a guest area and an outdoor zone for various activities. According to the architects, the morphology and positioning of the container was the result of a search for tensions applied to parts of the container, as well as to to the entire unit. Masonry walls, concrete and insulating fire bricks were further used to maintain the position of the container and provide insulation. The interiors are modern and originally designed, inspiring elegance throughout. The home is structured on two floors and is built around a large central living area. Not a bad use of space for a container shell, don’t you think?


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via freshome.com

This video shows a lecture by Inga Saffron who is an architecture critic and also an architectural writer. She writes about urban design issues for more than a decade. As the architecture critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has reviewed some of the most memorable new projects of the era, but her primary interest is in writing about the less-heralded places that people encounter in their daily lives. As a 2011-12 Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Saffron is exploring how cities can retain their distinct identities in the globalized, interconnected world, while remaining viable places to work and live. During the lecture Saffron challenges cities to shift focus and look beyond skyscraper fantasies and dreams of increased tourism.


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Saffron explains that when Americans visualize a city they almost always imagine skyscrapers. As a culture they love the idea of skyscrapers. American cities started to measure their worth by the number of skyscrapers that they have and how tall they can build them. Americans invented the skyscraper but lately the form has been appropriated by emerging nations like China, India or UAE. Especially the last country has numerous examples of ultramodern skyscrapers. Dubai just has broken the high record with a twenty seven hundred foot tall skyscraper. Saffron thinks that for these upper-coming societies skyscrapers are a way of showing their ambition. They also have millions of people to house and skyscrapers are a great way to do that. Nevertheless, not everyone loves the fact that the world is becoming more an more urban.

Photo from flickr.com

Saffron thinks that skyscrapers are a good idea, but like many good ideas they could be taken to extremes. In her opinion, skyscrapers have become a “one size fits all” solution to sprawl. Tall buildings are not the only way to achieve the world’s goal of density and sustainability and she thinks that sometimes they are not even the fastest way. Saffron gives an example of Philadelphia which has not a lot of skyscrapers but it is one of the densest cities in USA with eleven people to square acre.
 
Saffron thinks that different cities need different range of densities. She explains that we cannot implement solution from USA into for example Asia environment. In her opinion, Asian cities are like adolescents who grow a foot in month because in China a new skyscraper is built in every five days. In this way of thinking she treats American cities as mature adults because they have essentially stopped growing. 

It is obvious that people today pay much more attention to interior design than couple years ago. People look for design ideas and design solutions that will make their homes even more comfortable and unique. Nevertheless, not everyone is enough brave to put in own home very unconventional ideas like some of these below. Scroll down the list and then tell us which one of these creative chairs you would like to have and which not and why. Are you brave enough?


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1. Puzzle-Like Inception Chair

Taking the chair archetype and placing within it chairs that are progressively smaller. The simple mechanism allows the chairs to be taken apart and put together with ease. (Designer: Vivian Chiu)

2. Suitcase Chair

Blue vintage suitcases, which we don’t come across often, recreated into comfortable classic suitcase chairs. Steel reinforced internal structure, upholstered in 100% white linen with deep button detail and whitewashed timber turned legs. (Designer: Katie Thomspon )

3. Skull Chair

“Souviens toi que tu vas mourir” (remember that you will die) chair by Pool, from the “Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), the New French Domestic Landscape” exhibition at the Milan Design Furniture.

4. ReLegs Chair

A chair that is able to go down to its knees. This causes a very special way of interaction, since the chair is able to act in two different positions. The upright position is meant for a regular sitting attitude, whereas the other position is more relaxed and comfortable for the user, but not for the chair, that has to prostrate for its owner. By twisting the rear legs you can change to the one or the other attitude. (Designer: Jennifer Heier)

5. The Democracy Rules Chair

The Democracy Rules chair is a laugh in the face of opulence and hierarchical systems that is sure to turn heads and be an immediate conversation starter. (Designer: Lina Saleem)

6. Flip Chair

Flip is designed to look as if it has been made from the tops of two chairs. It uses the wall to support it and when flipped over can be adjusted in height. (Designer: John Caswell)

7. All In One

This puzzling design by designer Sanjin Halilovic isn’t your average shelving unit. It is, however, a modular furniture collection that become a table, chair, or lounge when broken down from the completed arrangement. The set’s four elements are constructed of wooden plaques fixed together with drvofix adhesive and finished in acrylic mat paint in fitting primary colors. (Designer: Sanjin Halilovic)

8. Cactus Chair

Cactus chair is an experimentation to investigate the effect of visual data to the user’s experience. The existence of the Barrel Cactus gives a temporary discomfort, even though the user knows that the cactus behind the glass is not a real threat. (Designer: deger cengiz)

9. Random 8 Chair

Random8 shines in every color of the rainbow and changes its colors from morning to night, from season to season or with a simple change in perspective. (Designer: Pitaya Design)

10. Affinity Chair

Born out of an attempt at the impossible, the Affinity chair explores our relationship with light and space. When alone, the chair merges into the background becoming almost invisible as it cloaks itself in its environment. However when approached, the chair wakes, becoming transparent, revealing hidden depths and creating an almost infinite space beneath. As the sitter comes closer to the chair, the chair’s heart rate increases reminding us that even though it wants to escape, it is firmly and almost painfully stuck in front of us. (Designer: Ben Alun-Jones)

11. The Cradle

The chair provides a safe, relaxing environment for them to calm their senses but the solution seemed applicable to anyone looking to escape the rigors of a 9-5 life. The entire piece is flatpack ready and all materials are sourced from environmentally friendly resources, right down to the glue that binds the initial plywood layers. (Designer: Richard Clarkson)

12. Chair Inside A Chair

Chair inside a chair is a very comfortable and versatile sitting. When closed, it reduces storage space when opened it becomes a comfortable sitting and useful side table when open , it aims to be totally independent from other elements. (Designer: Flavio Scalzo)

13. The Biker Chair

Just when you had gotten used to straddling the motorcycle seat- now you’ve gotta switch to sitting in a big comfy chair!? What a pain in the ass! OK – so that’s not an actual problem… but if it was this would be the solution! More aesthetically charming than practical, the Biker Chair reinterprets the seating position on a bike to a woven leather chair that’s sure to be a conversation starter. (Designer: Jang Woo-seok)

14. Hangchair

Combination of a chair and a hanger. (Designer: Niels&Sven)

15. Bunny Chair

Bunny is a fresh interpretation of the classic ear chair. The chair’s cheeky and playful design is further emphasized by the tightly-strapped strings wrapped around the soft, upholstered body. (Designer: normann copenhagen )

16. The Nest

Combining modern and age-old technique, NEST is constructed of a free form combination of round pegs that are bent and then drilled in a CNC milling machine for a precision fit. The pegs share an identical cut, making production easy and straightforward without sacrificing style. (Designer: Markus Johansson)

17. JiuJie Chair

Made from an eco-plastic that Jamy developed in 2010. In order to reduce waste, Jamy wove the chair’s skeleton with the cut-off eco-plastic to create a colorful and comfortable ‘nest’ of sorts. Sitting inside the egg-shaped hood which hangs over one’s head will force users to think about how we should face the degrading environment surrounded by increasing waste. (Designer: Jamy Yang)

18. The Nest Made of Stainless Steel

Handmade from stainless steel, the chair is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. (Designer: Pawel Grunert)

19. The Beehive Chair

Constructed from Lakepine Zero low emitting MDF, Beehive has beeswax polish to the edges, and uses Warm White Formica high pressure laminate to the vertical faces. (Designer: Graham Roebeck)

20. Nest Chair

Influenced by the spring and of nature, this chair is inspired by a bird’s nest. (Designer: Nina Bruun)

21. bOne Chair

The ‘bOne’ chair was created by JDF Raum and Kunst and was awarded the “Good Design 2011 Award” by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design. The concept is simple. The chair is designed around the concept of an actual bone’s microstructure– the shell being somewhat porous like a human bone. Within those pores go the “cells” which are individual cylindrical upholstered pieces whose composition in the chair is entirely up to the user to determine, thus creating the best fit for the user. The chair comes in various colors and combinations with a selection of 10 in both the cushions and the chair frame. (Designer: JDF Raum and Kunst)

22. The Cut Chair

The “Cut Chair” has only one unbroken leg, and creates an optical illusion that it’s about to fall. However, a plate concealed by a thick carpet allows a robust cantilevered seat. (Designer: Peter Bristol)

23. Animal Chairs

The Animal Chair collection constitutes a diverse range of species, from mammals to reptiles. Each creation retains the animal’s natural vitality whilst being totally biological accurate in their appearance. This collection is homage to these animals and the whole animal kingdom which inhabits our planet, as an attempt to reflect and capture the beauty of nature in each living thing. (Designer: Maximo Riera)

24. Pencil Chair

Chair made from hundreds of pencils. (Designer: Anon Pairot)

25. The Empty Chair

For the campaign “The Empty Chair”, designer made the symbolic empty chair, to support Amnesty in their fight for freedom of expression. (Designer: Maarten Baas)

via demilked.com

This video presents a speech of Professor Robert Stern, the Dean at Yale School of Architecture during India Urban Conference. The 2011 year edition of the conference took place in Delhi on 22nd November. During his speech, Stern takes part in the discussion about perspective on research methods and approaches and, more importantly on how far we might go in building institutions and partnerships to address the challenges and opportunities that urbanization poses for India. 


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Stern explains that today the pressures on training an architect are much more complicated than they were thirty years ago. He thinks that it’s true because of two major functions. The first one is connected with the arrival of digital technology. It is transformed from a very long history of architecture which involved conceptualization in mind and a hand drawing to highly complex algorithmic and parametric performances. This technology allows architects to create designs of an extraordinary shape that sometimes get built. The second major function is connected with the issue of a global practice. Until almost yesterday the exchange between architects from around the world was relatively non-existent. Currently, investors expect from architects not only high professionalism but also readiness to take long trips and work in places which they barely know.   

Photo from asiatatler.com

Stern describes that a teaching process at his university is devoted to education in design and it uses two principal strategies which are inspired with problems in today India. He explains that currently many people in India must fight with painful reality. There is lack of a very basic accommodation and sanitary provisions and he hopes that this problem will be solved in the near future. 
 
Professor recalls the time when he arrived to India for the first time. During the very first visit he noticed that there are two great traditions that have happened in the 20th century of urban visions in this country. He thinks that these traditions should be reassessed and be put into the context of future architecture in India. One of these traditions is a great garden suburb which is located near to the conference place. He explains that it is the internationally respected model and it could give some valuable lesson to the future development in Indian cities.

Soho House Berlin is Soho House Group’s first outside-the-UK European property. Located in the famous Mitte district of Berlin, the property boasts a design that mixes hard angular visual language with padded velvet lush and the 1930s’ glamor. Designed by in-house designer Susie Atkinson and London based Michaelis Boyd Associates, the Soho House is a must-visit destination.


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via decoist.com

All of us have dreams about a special place that we would like to visit and spend our vacations there, a place so beautiful that looks unreal and feeds our imagination. Well, I have to say the next villa and its location it’s really something to dream about. This is a Alila Villas Hadahaa, which is an island resort in the Maldives and represents the definition of a mesmerizing place for a relaxing vacation. It features 16 Island Villas, 20 Island Villas that provides a private pool, and 14 Aqua Villas. This beautiful resort has been designed by SCDA Architects, and is the first luxury resort in the Gaafu Alifu (North Huvadhoo) Atoll in the Maldives’ new southern frontier.


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Everything is just so dreamy, the interior design is exceptional and exudes a warm and cozy space, and opens to a terrace located just above the beach providing everything you need for some incredible relaxation moments.

via fancycribs.com

This minimalistic family home was designed by Barcelona-based architectural practice Hidalgo Hartmann Arquitectura and it is located in Girona, Spain. The project called Casa Pocafarina and it turns to seek the views and avoid contact with neighboring buildings while accompanying the curving street which borders the plot. The four volumes were therefore built in order to provide different perspectives on the surrounding landscape. According to the architects, the bottom floor hosts the garage and entrance porch, while the upper level accommodates a central, open plan living space and the bedrooms. The interior design is contemporary and minimalist, designed to respect the connection with the outdoors. Casa Pocafarina was constructed using various materials, yet concrete defines its appearance, both inside and out. The monochromatic home inspires soberness and uniformity. Do you find this type of home design appealing?


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via freshome.com

The VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre creates a harmonious balance between architecture and landscape—from a visual and ecological perspective. Inspired by the organic forms and natural systems of a native orchid, the1,765-square-metre building is organized into undulating green roof ‘petals’ that float above rammed earth and concrete walls. Designed to exceed LEED Platinum status, the Visitor Centre is pursuing the Living Building Challenge—the most stringent measurement of sustainability in the built environment. The facility uses on-site, renewable sources to achieve net-zero energy on an annual basis; sequesters enough carbon to achieve carbon neutrality; uses filtered rainwater for the building’s greywater requirements; and treats 100% of blackwater in an on-site bioreactor.


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via contemporist.com

This video is a presentation of Carnegie Mellon University’s Pre-College Architecture Program. This program is structured to introduce students each of basic areas of architecture and also give them the experience of studying architecture in a university setting. During this video, you will be able to hear professors who lecture there. They will describe how many advantages this project has. Apart from professors, students will have also a chance to share with us their opinion about this Pre-College Program.


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The study of architecture is an exciting multidisciplinary activity that combines design creativity, historical perspective, technical excellence, social responsibility, and global and environmental leadership. Future architects learn all this principles during their architectural studies. Nevertheless, now they have an opportunity to feel on their own skin how it is to be an architecture student. Pablo Garcia, Assistant Professor of Architecture in this program says: “If you come a here for six weeks, you are getting a small, appetizer-size version of what you will get in your first year”.

Donald Jognson, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture convinces that people who go to the Pre-College Architecture Program generally have much higher success rate because they know that they are able to do it even before they have started it. Garcia adds that apart from valuable experience, students get an unique portfolio. In his opinion, students can send it to the world and said “I have already done some architecture work”.   
 
Garcia convinces that all the faculty who teach into the Pre-College Program have taught in the first year program for many years. He also mentions about the student-professor relationship which allows to create a good and effective dialog. Garcia thinks that is very important because thanks to one-to-one meetings the relationship between faculty and students is transformed to be more informal.   
 
In spite of the mix of seminars, workshops, drawing and digital media, students are able to meet people from around the world. The group is incredibly diverse and aspects like gender, race or ethnicity don’t matter to them. The experience of working in the studio environment is quite different from the traditional classroom that we used to. The program gives students an opportunity to begin to develop their own design sensibility and work iteratively through the creative process.

This building is certainly one of a kind, its shape is more similar to geometrical model than to a normal house. The project is located in Tilburg, Netherlands and it was designed by Dutch architects Bedaux de Brouwer. This five-storey building with an exterior of dark glazed bricks called Project Duikklok and it contains two apartments. Do you like this unique form?


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Here’s some more explanation from Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten:

First half of 2011 an urban pavilion by Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten has arisen in the Primus van Gils Park in Tilburg.

Until now, this area in the city center had been characterized by an exceedingly patched up urban condition.

This pavilion by Jacq. de Brouwer intends to reconcile its parts.

Standing firmly in the middle of the park and being clearly visible from all angles the pavilion’s key ambition is to become a spatial conductor.

Dynamic connections to the surrounding greenery and the cityscape are forged.

Two apartments stacked on top of a shared entrance level make up a circular-shaped five level structure.

Rooms of both apartments that require privacy are grouped together on the third and fourth level.

The rooms are made introvert and are kept within the core.

The second and fifth level contain outward looking spaces.

Large sweeping window bays provide maximum panoramic views and have the advantage of allowing the use of large sliding window panes that open up the façade.

The window bays spiral upwards as if to actively search for optimum orientation.

Privacy and engagement are caught in a whimsical display of twisting and turning. Like a combination lock the bays latch into their final position.

By rendering the whole building in a dark glazed brick the impression of an amassing edifice is amplified. The suggestive weight grants the sweeping gestures tectonic forcefulness.

A distinctive brick-laying technique of recessed bed joints and omitted head joints makes the masonry at times appear almost like textile.

In its staged setting, this pavilion will be continuously at play to attune the space of the city.

Project info:
Name: Duikklok
Address: Bisschop Zwijsenstraat 62, 5038 VB
Client: Interfour B.V., Berkel-Enschot

Design: Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten
Project-architect: Jacq. de Brouwer
Team member: Ingeborg Dankers
Structural advisor: Adviesbureau S. v. Boxtel – Tilburg
Contractor: Aannemersbedrijf Riebouw B.V.
Gross floorspace: 576m2
Gross Volume: 1853m3

via dezeen.com

This beautiful and also very modern building is an effect of transformation from 1960′s split-level house. This unique contemporary residence was designed by Moore Architects and it was called Lakefront Residence. As described by the architects, this home is organized according to the owner’s needs while taking into account the existing building: “Saving the bones of the front to back split-level, the architects sought to use this basic organization to an advantage: exploiting the street side / water side split personality of the residence, but acknowledging that the fun is in the modern connection of the two worlds.


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The landscaped street face of the house, containing the entry, office, garage and guest rooms, recalls the reserve and scale of the original house. The rear of the house, with the living and dining rooms, and master suite, explodes into the woods, opening views to the steep hill that plummets to the water below.” Spreading over 4,900 square feet, the remodeled house is located in Falls Church, Virginia, USA. Overlooking the private Lake Barcroft, this unique L-shaped home provides the inhabitants with a fantastic back terrace and a landscape adorned with mature maple trees. Indoor and outdoor merge in a successful effort to bring a sense of living alongside nature, but having all the modern comfort needed by urban dwellers.

via freshome.com

Ready for some holiday vibes? The soothing Yemanja resort is nestled high on a beautiful hill, overlooking the Macaroni Beach on Mustique island, in St Vincent and the Grenadines. It consists of a main villa, a three-bedroom cottage and bunk houses for children. According to the official resort description, the main 5 bedroom residence is filled with an eclectic collection of Brazilian and African artworks and charming ethnic pieces which contribute to the authenticity of its design. The building revolves around a Mexican “palapa”, with an alluring palm fringe and a lovely infinity pool. Private terraces, pool access and hammocks are just some of the features of the bedrooms that can be rented in this villa. Yemanja resort also accommodates a tennis court, a media room, and impressive indoor and outdoor dining spaces. If you are curious about the rates for this retreat, the renting costs begin at $22,000 for 5 bedrooms (10 guests, May to December), and go up, depending on the season, number of guests and type of services required. Price tag aside, do you find it inviting?


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via freshome.com

You come home, throw your shoes away anywhere you see s free spot and then grab a bite in the kitchen and hit the couch. And then you’re upset seeing with all those shoes lying around in disorder. Sounds familiar? You obviously need a shoe storage cabinet. Here you can find some inspiration for the future.


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Mataro Large Shoe Cabinet in Walnut

This large shoe cabinet below is part of the Mataro range of contemporary hallway furniture. With a visually appealing design that oozes modernity, the Mataro shoe cabinet will give that perfect first impression in your home. It’s perfect for everyday use, delivers excellent practicality and makes for a beautiful hallway storage solution. The cabinet mounts on the wall. It has a Walnut foil finish, chrome handles and 2 wide tilting drawers. It’s all about refined styling, and Mataro does that.

Fancy Shoe Rack Pull-Out

Shoe racks aren’t as functional as we may have thought. Everything entangles in there and you can’t see exactly what you should wear for your dinner date. Check out this shoe pull-out (it hides nicely inside this custom traditional cabinetry) allows you to browse your entire shoe collection in one painless peek.

IKEA Shoe Cabinets

Furniture from IKEA is easy to assemble, cheap, durable and has a Scandinavian simplicity that goes right to your heart. Here are a few ideas for shoe cabinets from IKEA.

Fashion shoe cabinet

Look to the left. Ignore the beautiful luxurious furniture and the lavish sofa, and the fancy rug. Just ignore all these and to the left you’ll see a great shoe cabinet. Right?

Entry-way Luxury Shoe Cabinet

How about this setup? A shoe cabinet with mirrors, a minimalist clothes and umbrella hangers, and a stylish wall clock. Definitely spells luxury for anyone visiting your home. You may want to choose this setup to awe your guests. Perfect even for small space entrances, this mirror covered cabinet is part of the Sirio Collection by Italian manufacturer Arredokit.

Shoe Cabinet Doubles Up as Fancy Stool

I think the title says it all. It’s great to have a place to sit when you have to put your boots on, or when you need to take things off and you’re not wearing just a pair of sneakers or high heels. Totally love this sleek wooden stool that can be home for my shoes whenever I come back from work.

Glossy Shoe Cabinets

And while we’re at it, talking about Arredokit and their great ideas, how about a collectionof shoe cabinets that get the eye with their glossy appearance.

Box Base Shoe Cabinet

No rocket science in here, with all these high gloss white shelves, right? But it’s not the shelves that complete a crisp, modern environment , it’s the customizable bright colored boxes. While this wasn’t designed for shoes in particular — more like a piece of furniture to help keep things stored effectively in your own individual style — we do feel like it’s perfect to accommodate your stylish high heels or your leather boots.

Red painted shoe cabinet

Having a shoe cabinet is all about keeping things organized. It seems like this one does this exactly, adding some color to your whole interior at the same time.

Wood finished shoe cabinets

It doesn’t have to be glossy, or lavish to make a good impression. Simple lines and fine touches are just as good. Here’s a great example. The AD collection from Arredokit (same company as the one above), with wooden-finished cabinets that will hide your fancy pair of shoes, in style.

Color Splash

If you want your shoe cabinet (actually your whole home interior, your furniture) to speak your personality and you’re a bubbly person with loads of energy, I guess it’s time for adding all sorts of accents to your home. These are all made in China, by a furniture company called Donguan houjie Jiafeng furniture, and were found on yfff. Totally awesome!

Bedroom wardrobe for shoes

Yes, your love for shoes could be that big, that you’d “sacrifice” your whole bedroom wardrobe to store them close to you while you’re sleeping at night. It’s not a disease guys, that’s just the way women are. They love shoes

Bonus: Skyline shoe rack

I know this isn’t a shoe cabinet, it’s a shoe rack, but it’s so cool that I had to add it to this list. It’s made of wood, and given by its looks, you can definitely build this yourself at home. Florian Schmidt is guilty for coming up with that design. He says that “Skyline is a shoe rack inspired by the “Sky-line” of the Shoes. After some fancy ideas how to create a show rack, the key visuals came easily into my mind while laying on the floor and observing the shoes, wich were standing in the row. Instantly i realized the opportunities of combination of the shoes and their height.”

via decoist.com

This video shows an interview with Charles Jencks who is an American architectural theorist, landscape architect and designer. His books on the history and criticism of Modernism and Postmodernism were widely read in architectural circles and beyond. He first studied English Literature at Harvard University, later gained an MA in architecture from the Graduate School of Design in 1965. He also has a PhD in Architectural History from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College, London. During the interview, Jencks shares with us his thoughts about theoretical site of architecture. He describes his view of new architecture paradigm and also explains what architecture will look like in the nearly feature.  


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Jencks asked about the new paradigm in architecture answers that it comes out from science. In his opinion, the complexly paradigm was formulated in nineteen eighties around the understanding of self-organizing systems. He convinces that now we know that the opposition between mineral things like crystals and life is closer together than we thought. He thinks that even dead things like architecture and life are somehow related. According to Jencks, the complex paradigm of architecture is a late stage of Postmodernism. This second stage reabsorbed the way of architectural thinking on a completely new scientific level. Thanks to that, now we can say that we understand the universe as a complex and self-organizing system. 

Photo from swiatrezydencji.pl

Jencks is convinced that we are getting to feel this commonality which under modernism was suppressed. In modernism there was a deterministic system which made a very clear distinction between living and dead. This difference separated the creation from the automaton. Jencks thinks that current architecture and the new paradigm represent a completely fresh view on some fundamental aspects of complexity and self-organizing systems.
 
The interviewer also asked Jencks is there any possibility that an architecture book influences ordinary people who are non-architects. He wondered if is it possible that the book will encourage these people to deal with architecture and demand better urban environment. Jencks thinks that it is very hard to predict how it can be done. In his opinion, on the one hand architectural books are not suitable for general public but on the other hand general public is changing. Nevertheless, he thinks that a book unlike film is a static way of thinking and looking at architecture. He convinces that a book is more like a “frozen diagram” while the film and the other media are able to create an animation. Thereby he thinks that the perfect book of architecture does not exist. However, he can imagine a book which allows readers to press a button on a page and see the animation – that would be it.       
 
The last question concerns the description of the contemporary architecture in time of the financial crisis. The interviewer wants to know whether the global economic problem could be an opportunity for everyone to reconsider the ways they design and construct buildings and urban environment. Jencks confirms that an economic downturn always gives an opportunity. During the last ten years we have lived throughout a very complex mixture of late capitalist inflation. Thanks to that time, several iconic buildings have been made. In Jencks opinion, it wouldn’t be possible in another period. He also thinks that most of them are very questionable if not terrible, but still there are great buildings that have been created in this difficult time. He thinks that never in the history of the world so much volume has been built on a such great scale. That is incredibly negative for him, because buildings are too big and the natural landscape disappears.     

It is really hard to indifferently pass by this building. Its ultra modern form certainly will be look fresh for a long time. Ministry of Design says about this project: Designed as a permanent show gallery and tourist information center for China’s largest developer Vanke, MOD’s dramatic design for the TRIPLE V GALLERY has become an icon along the Dong Jiang Bay coastline. Despite its obvious sculptural qualities, the building’s DNA evolved rationally from a careful analysis of key contextual & programmatic perimeters – resulting in the TRIPLE V GALLERY’S triangulated floor plan as well as the 3 soaring edges that have come to define its form.


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The client’s program called for 3 main spaces: a tourist information center, a show gallery & a lounge for discussion.

Requiring their own entrances, the tourist center and the show gallery are orientated to separate existing pedestrian pathways and can be operated independently.

An extension of the show gallery, the lounge area is where discussions are conducted. This space takes advantage of the panoramic views of the coastline and comprises a sculptural bar counter.

Tectonically, the building responds to the coastal setting and is finished in weather-sensitive corten steel panels on its exterior and timber strips on the interior walls and ceiling for a more natural feel.

via contemporist.com

This addition was designed and implemented by Martin Holub Architects and it called Lake Drive House Addition. It consist of a 600 square feet space which was added to an existing house located in Rhinebeck, New York. The new and very modern space includes a bathroom, a meeting room, a laundry room, a large hot tub and a lounge area connected to an outdoor patio. According to the architects, the owner hoped that the new building would be “an integral part of the house, rather than an obvious slap on. He also hoped that the addition would significantly enhance the design standard of the house.“ Architects surely achieved customer’s goal, the building represents a minimalist architecture approach. The materials used- glass, concrete, stone and western red cedar- contribute to a modern looking construction that can host a variety of activities. What do you think about the overall concept of house addition.


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via freshome.com

This stunning wellness retreat is a perfect example of the natural beauty of Bali. Look at it and I’m sure that will get your heart racing. The retreat called COMO Shambhala Estate and it is located near Ubud, Bali. The building consists of picturesque villa-style accommodation units with terrace rooms, garden rooms and various types of suites. Even though visitors are sure to be overwhelmed by the comfort and papering of their accommodation unit and the services provided here, few of them will remain inside for a long period of time, during their stay in this tropical paradise. What do you think about it? Do you want to go there in the next summer?


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via freshome.com/

This video shows an interview with Adéle Naudé Santos, FAIA, who is an architect and urban designer. Her career combines a professional practice, research, and teaching. She is currently Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a principal architect in the San Francisco-based firm, Santos Prescott and Associates. In the interview, Santos discusses her concerns for rapid urban development and the future of urbanism. 


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Sontos explains that she is keenly concerned about few processes which have place on our planet in recent decades. Firstly, about the fact that we are building “mega-cities” in India or China and that the pace of development is speeding up while environmental pressures are increasing. Secondly, about a climate change agenda which we have to take very seriously. Thirdly, about the need to reduce our carbon footprint, which has an influence on a pressure of reducing the energy use. She admits also that the scale of environmental devastation on planet Earth is crucial.

Photo from web.mit.edu

Santos convinces that combination of these few processes creates a new ecological agenda. Nevertheless, the agenda has also economic constraints, because we cannot build the infrastructure that we have built in the past. We have to re-think these solutions and do more or less to implement particular changes. Santos convinces that now we have new IT possibilities which can help designers in managing complexity. In spite of IT, we have also some very interesting new social agendas, involving activists who, without doubt, will be helpful.
 
Unfortunately, the major part of architects from around the world doesn’t realize the importance of the new ecological agenda. Santos describes that for example in China there is only one housing typology, which is high-rise, according to results of MIT study which concerned the energy use of different housing typology in China. The research team discovered that the high-rise towers are the most energy wasteful solution. In that case most of China’s architecture is built in wrong way.
 
Santos thinks that kind of places are unlivable and in the end we will need to go back and ask the question about the quality of life. If we don’t change the kind of environment that we are building right now it will affect our lives. Santos convinces that contemporary architecture should go in the direction of mixed-used buildings and architects should work out density in a better way. The major goal should be around independency from cars, because we need to deal with our mobility and this solution must be clean. She finally thinks that it is time to re-think all of mentioned agendas because if we will not, our planet could not handle this.   

This video shows an interview with a world-renowned bridge architect Kevin Peterson. He is a specialist in conceptual and preliminary design of urban, transportation facility and infrastructure improvements. His experience is extensive, ranging from planning new cities to small unusual transit improvements, and he has contributed to hundreds of transportation projects around the globe. During the interview, the architect gives his opinion on planned Columbia River Light Rail (CRC) project. This edited four-minute version of a six-part,70-minute interview showcases Peterson’s “straight” bridge design as compared to the sprawling (CRC) design.


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The CRC is an ambitious bridge, highway, and a light rail project that would require over $1 billion in federal highway and transit funds, $1 billion in tolls, and $900 million in funding from Oregon and Washington. Alternative bridge designs may still be considered, because final approval to fund the current CRC version requires the unanimous approval from the Washington and Oregon state legislatures, as well as the governors.

Photo from couv.com

Peterson explains that he quickly realized that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) failed to come up with a viable design to handle the complexity of the project. Instead the CRC, an expensive solution was put forward that leaves a large freeway footprint, obtrusive freeway noise, and does substantial harm to downtown Vancouver and Hayden Island.
 
A major factor for this failure was that the CRC’s initial planning constraints hampered designers in delivering the best solution. In analyzing the CRC design, Peterson identified mistakes the designers made early on, among them an incorrect FAA glide slope criteria, ultimately forcing the designers to choose a single-level one-size-fits-all freeway with too many huge and closely spaced interchanges. Challenged to find a better solution, Kevin Peterson used the correct glide slope as well as the collector-distributor method to design a two-level straight aligned light rail bridge.
 
Peterson created a viable, in his opinion, alternative for what this crossing could look like. His solution is straightness than old freeway and it also brings 20 city blocks back into the urban use. The architect explains that in case of putting a freeway into the urban environment the fundamental choices that designers have are the collector-distributors. His proposition has two levels where the upper one is dedicated to long distance, an interstate movement while the lower one collects local, short distance traffic. 
 
Peterson’s plan also preserves Hayden Island as a place to live and work. He explains that existing freeway basically occupies an unnecessary big footprint and it also creates a noise footprint that blocks the majority of this area development. In his opinion, the current project takes Hayden Island off the map relative to viable urban place for people to live and work. Peterson thinks that the best solution for this problem is a steel and glass sound wall. It looks similar to a deciduous forest and contains freeway noise. Thanks to that solution, 6 new city blocks could be created, what will keep Hayden Island as a livable destination. 

New killer tool for architects and designers. You will not believe that it actually works! It definitely will be a breakthrough in architecture and in whole building industry. Find out why!


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Co-sketch is an innovative web-based visual communication tool developed by Arcilook and launched in 2010. Thanks to this application members can communicate both using graphical elements and in writing. It has never been so easy and non-time-consuming to discuss all project matters in real time. Finally users will not waste so much paper troubling themselves to print so many draft copies of just one project. What is more members do not have to visit eg. constructor for never ending project consultation. Using it is possible not only from your office but also from any place that has the access to the internet.

Screenshot taken from arcilook.com main page

Co-sketch is a part of Arcilook’s Workflow which is a virtual desktop, the core of arcilook.com. Thanks to this feature our members can comprehensively manage projects online. It lets you work on a few projects at the same time with full visibility and control over them. The components of this software provide a wide range of possibilities such as estimation and planning, scheduling, managing tasks and time.

Screenshot taken during creation of Co-sketch session

Our members are able to use Co-sketch in two versions depending on the type of their account. There are two main differences in Co-sketch possibilities between the paid and free version.

Screenshot taken during creation of Co-sketch session

The first one concerns the number of people in one Co-sketch session. In non-paid version member can invite to cooperation only one person while in the paid version the number of people is unlimited.

The second difference concerns Co-sketch save possibility. When member have a Silver (or upper) account he can save any session at any time. In case of free account save possibility is unavailable.

Silver (or upper) account allow you to:
- Invite to Co-sketch as many people as you want! Communicate with all your co-workers.
- Save your Co-sketch session at any time you want! You will never lose any important information.

Screenshot taken during Co-sketch session

The video below was added by one of our members and it shows how to use Co-sketch.

You can try Co-sketch demo for free! You can also create a free Workflow Account to explore whole potential of arcilook.com.

A laundry room doesn’t have to be that dull, boring place where you only go to throw your dirty socks and t-shirts. You don’t need to be afraid of it. It needs to be comfortable, cool and pleasant and at the same time, highly functional. So if you’re looking for design ideas to decorate the perfect laundry room, the list below should be of great help.


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Laundry room cabinets & storage

Bright Modern Laundry Room

A small chair to reach the upper cabinets, stylish countertops, matching flooring and a desk office facing the yard. Not sure about you folks, but it looks like a dream room — if a laundry room can be one.

Classic laundry room

Classic meets modern. There’s plenty of counter space, cupboard space, and the washing machine setup is sleek. The only think you should worry about is if your mom will ever come out of the laundry room again. Just make sure there’s no TV.

Fashionista’s Laundry Room

A great example of a laundry room done right. With plenty of cabinets and plenty of storage space, this setup gets the eye for breathing stylish from every little corner. Totally appreciate the elevated washer and dryer so that you don’t have to bend over too much. Love the bright light (thanks to the window) and the orderliness.

Traditional Laundry Room

The things we love about this traditional setup are the storage spaces for the laundry sorting baskets, the open shelf, and the hanging bar over the machines. The contrast between the color of the washing machines and the walls and furniture, is just as cool

Sleek Basement Laundry Room

Some of you will call this their favorite laundry room, some would be amazed by the cabinets; “what type of finish or metallic paint is it?”. The sink is close to the dryer and the washer, and there are two different levels of counter space. On top of that, the different counter heights and the lights under cabinets add to the overall stylish feel of this basement laundry room.

Wash and dry space

Good lighting is key to keeping away from a messy room. This one has plenty of it, and on top of that it’s been outfitted with personalized features that accommodate any size family. Also, there are cabinets, shelves and baskets to keep everything within reach.

Soft White Laundry Rooms

The next two designs you’ll see are all about cleanliness and being well organized. There’s plenty of storage space in those cabinets and a minimalist feel — if you can call it that way.

Custom-designed laundry room

Shane Inman is the guy behind this custom-designed laundry room that features granite countertops, an undermount sink and sweet cabinetry design for endless storage.

Spacious Laundry Room Solution

When you have too much space to organize a laundry room it can be problematic. Use this as inspiration and it won’t. Totally in love with the wooden cabinets, the closets and the hanging bar for the clean stuff.

Blue Laundry Room Ideas

Luxury Laundry Room

And when we said too much space, we never meant this. Because really, who has that much space to store pillows, one by one. That’s probably one of the most expensive setups so far, but at least it’s inspirational.

Laundry room with island

Why is there an island inside of this contemporary laundry room? For folding your stuff when you get it out of your washer. Just so you know, the sleek countertops are Carrara marble. Perfect, right?

Stylish Laundry Rooms

Storage, storage, storage and … storage

I think we gave you enough words about this one. It’s all about storage. You can never have too much storage, right?

Office Laundry Room?

Contrasting Laundry room

Absolutely gorgeous cabinets doing well against the white dryer and washer, with plenty of shelves for storage. But the cherry on the cake here is given by the orange accents on the grey-inspired furniture.

ClosetMaid Laundry Room

What have we here folks? A stunning laundry room that is extremely well organized with ClosetMaid MasterSuite in white. I totally dig the open drawers and the elegant flooring.

Fantastic laundry room

Laundry room themes

Large laundry room

Definitely a good idea having a coat/shoe closet in your laundry room. The cabinets up there, look delicious as well.

Tuscan Beauty

A laundry room made simple. We fancy the shelf above the washer and dryer for folding, the light under cabinets and the raised counter over washer. Sleek!

Willowgrove Laundry Room

Laundry room curtains

One of the reasons why you cover up your basement doors is to suggest the feeling of an above-ground room. It seems that all furniture pieces balance out the room’s sweet look. Sold!

Pink laundry room

You’re either a Hello Kitty fan and your parents allowed you to decorate one room of the house (that will stay shut when not doing laundry), or you’ve been a pink lover your whole life and everything you’d do to your home involves the color. We’re not yet sure why you’d make your laundry room pink, but I guess it’s the same with having a bathroom pink.

Laundry room wallpapers & tiles

Thibaut Laundry room wallpapers

Thibaut is renowned for their wallpapers. This one is said to be named Laundrette. It comes in many colors and it’s nothing short of cute.

White/Purple Laundry Room

White seems to go so well with purple and floral designs. Don’t you think?

BUbblicious Tiles Laundry Room

White walls, white furniture and a contrast — bubblicious blue tiles. Totally awesome for a laundry room. Don’t you think?

More ideas

Small laundry rooms

It’s not easy to fit in everything you need for a laundry room, when you only have a few square meters to deal with. But it’s possible and all these images below should give you plenty of inspiration to do the same for your home.

via decoist.com

The luxury lifestyle house is a contemporary residence with comfortable interior design which is simple and functional. Built in Queensland, the simple yet functional home exudes the ‘al fresco’ lifestyle. And being within a safe environment comes as an added luxury, along with the fabulous amenities inside this exceptional executive residence to cater to your every luxury.


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via decoist.com

For those who longed to add some Apple-inspired design to a bathroom, the iPoo Toilet might just be the ultimate home addition! For the “to-the-core” Apple fans, here’s the iPoo, the prestigious designer toilet will provide you with the most technologically advanced bathroom experience you’ve ever had.


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This brilliant concept by Milos Paripovic, Serbian designer was designed with the basic functionality of a toilet in mind, but mixed with the elegance and price tag of Apple products. As the designer jokes, it’s compatible with iPod, iPad3, iPhone and MacBook Air 5. The material is same as for these iProducts. This latest and most popular toilet design is very slim fit for any model in your bathroom and is shaped exactly like an apple with a leaf as the water tank. You could even brag to your friends that you are using the iPoo at home. The cool factor is alone worth the money.

via decoist.com

Bored of the same grey office walls? Need a creative and inspiring workspace? Then check this out. The Infinite Campus in Blaine, Minnesota, which is the brand new corporate headquarters of an information management firm, is a great example of imaginative and wonderful office design. The 100,000 square foot office designed by Finn Daniels Architects uses the latest technology and methods, along with sustainable measures, to bring out the maximum potentials of the employees working in the office.


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via decoist.com

This very characteristic building was designed by Spanish architect José Javier Gallardo of ///g.bang/// and it is the new youth facility in Zaragoza. The buildings is a psychiatric centre and it is connected to the existing Nuestra Señora del Carmen Neuropsychiatric Centre through an underground tunnel. This is certainly one of the most original example of this type of buildings. The red powder-coated zinc sheets cover the entire exterior, interrupted only by frameless windows. What are your opinions about this building? Do you think that this brave architecture is suitable for this kind of activities?


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Here’s a description from architects:

ONE CONCEPT, ONE COLOR AND ONE MATERIAL

The assignment is motivated by the need to expand the Neuropsychiatric Center Our Lady of Carmen, in Zaragoza. In the first phase there is a new support center for youth with behavioral problems, and currently sharing facilities with the geriatric section and, by the nature of their treatment and pathology, was necessary to become independent.

In a second phase will be built the “Module for Occupational Workshops.

PROGRAM

It has 10 single bedrooms and 8 double rooms, with toilets. The common areas of the internal are two living rooms and dining room.

The program is completed with, reception room, two offices, laundry, office, control room toilets, storage and utility room.

GEOMETRY

The floor plan is rectangular, dimensions 15.5 x 65 m. The facade has no cantilevers , but reflects the emptying of the building volume in the direction north, creating a courtyard to capture sunlight and allow controlled the patients to stay there in the summer.

The roof, for the most part, sawtooth shape, with variable slopes – very steep at some points – reflects, from the outside, the degree of internal mental activity in relation to the type of rooms they occupy: the resting or sleeping area with a slope of 60%, common areas or with maximum activity have outstanding peak of 240%.

The treatment of the spaces occupied by the medical staff and caregivers has been dealt with flat roofs.

MATERIAL/COLOR

Façade and roof are covered with red zinc coated sheet. Historically, these centers, known as asylums were unrecognizable and hidden by society. But Hospital, “hospitare” in Latin, means “to receive as a guest” and together with the values of the Congregation and its founder, “Hospitality between people who suffer mental impairment” and “integrating the patients into society as far as possible” where the main goals… The red color is a symbol that makes them visible… that robs us of prejudice… that emphasizes the social work… makes us more sexy! The material… the shape of this whole “scene” had to be modeled nobly!

Project info:

Architect: José Javier Gallardo Ortega ///g.bang///
Client: Nuestra Señora del Carmen Neuropsychiatric Centre | Hermanas Hospitalarias del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús

Type: Medical Facility
Location: Camino del Abejar – Zaragoza, 50011, Spain
Building status: built in 2011
Number of stories: 1 (+1 underground connection with the existing buildings)
Site size: 12000 m2
Site type: Suburban
Building area: 1000 m2
Budget: 1500000 USD

via dezeen.com

“Mohawk Bend opened its doors on August 1, 2011 in the eclectic neighborhood of Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA. Owner Tony Yanow hired Kristofer Keith of Spacecraft Group to completely transform the 100-year old Vaudeville Theater into four custom designed rooms. Keith remodeled the space with exposed plywood, extensive metal work and brick interior throughout the 10,000 square foot restaurant. One would find themselves entering through the “quad” beneath cathedral ceilings into a dining area filled with comfortable booth seating and mirrored walls. At the center of entertainment, stands a communal table positioned between dual bars that serve 75 beers on tap. Next to it, you will find an open kitchen boasting a custom-built Woodstone oven serving vegan and traditional food.


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Further in towards the end of the restaurant, Keith installed a 20ft mosaic glass wall separating the brew pub area from the Ramona Room. Named after the original vaudeville theater, the Ramona Room is a beautiful concealed dining area featuring a high ceiling, skylights, brick walls, and a cozy fireplace. The space is versatile in that it can be completely private with the curtains drawn or with them open making it an ideal place to host events. So far, Mohawk has held intimate gatherings, a wedding reception and are in the processing of planning a large scale network television show wrap party. The natural light, plants and trees also add to the outdoorsy ambiance”
Official press release.

via freshome.com

Desert conditions often call for unconventional solutions – this concept home certainly ventures off the beaten (sand) path in its attempt to resolve the beauty of cracked-earth California with its harsh climate. Titled after a dish of seaweed-rolled fish, one can see the source of inspiration in the shape. The idea is to use this cocoon to control light and deflect heat, with selective perforations in an otherwise-solid skin.


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“To sustain its challenging structural stance, a carbon fibre truss frame underneath the exterior material holds the entire architecture [together]. Hydraulic … doors and security system [are] used for [the] main entrance door, which allows [for] less spaces [needed] to operate the door mechanism.” Design by Christopher Daniel of Violent Volumes.

via dornob.com

This video shows an interview with well known American architect Robert Stern. His architectural work is generally classified as postmodern, though a more useful classification would be a particular emphasis on context and the continuity of traditions. He may have been the first architect to use the term “postmodernism”, but more recently he has used the phrase “modern traditionalist” to describe his work. Despite the architectural practice he is also a Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture. Recently he was chosen to be the principal architect responsible for the design of the new building of the LeBow College of Business. Exactly the last part of his activity is a reason of this interview. Interviewed by George P. Tsetsekos, Ph.D, Dean of the LeBow College of Business Stern answers the questions which comes from students, faculty and alumni. He also describes his philosophy of architecture and the way that in his opinion LCB should go with the building that already he has design.


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Stern asked about the impact of the architecture on the city skyline and developing the urban centers answers that architecture is extremely important in cities. He convinces that we define our cities by the great collections of buildings. In the context of campuses he thinks that they are like a microcosm of the city but they are very important. In case of the second part of the question he thinks that in developing urban centers it is crucial to have lively collection of buildings and then try to tie some of them together. The aim of all these interventions should be individual identity.

Photo from artslibrary.wordpress.com

Stern explains that during design this particular building for LCB he mostly focused on creation of open space of the campus. He wanted to create as much as possible of public spaces in order to contribute the life of campus. Thanks to that people actually will be able to see what is going on in this building. Apart from public spaces he wanted to bring people together even more so mostly thanks to the triangular nature of the site he was able to create a very dramatic atrium in the centre of the building. He thinks that this solution will contribute to a new stage of the LCB evolution.

The listed Sølvgade School built in 1847, close to King Christian IV’s famous historic naval barracks, Nyboder, in Copenhagen, has for many years been lacking space and modern facilities. C. F. Moller has carefully renovated the school and done an extension which in its form and colors is true to the surroundings, but also adds a modernistic twist to the school.


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“The idea has been to create a building that speaks the language of the children – colorful and musical. At the same time the building should correspond to and integrate with the historic surroundings,” says architect and partner Lone Wiggers.

via archinnovations.com

This is probably the most expressive and unique project that i have seen. This is a design called Keret House, which will be the thinnest house in the world. It will be located in a narrow void between the buildings on 22 Chlodna Street and 74 Zelazna Street in Warsaw, Poland. The project was designed by Jakub Szcz of Centrala and was specially build for Isreali writer Etgar Keret who strongly believes that this type of house can provide great work conditions. The idea is based on a bold concept that will occupy a total area of 14,5 square meters, but with an interior between 122 centimeters and 72 centimeters. How many of you would try to live in this building?


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via fancycribs.com

This extraordinary Copenhagen Flat represents magnificent artistic sense. Each room has different style thanks to beautiful murals and artistic strokes. In the dining space you can find a scary black panther painted on the wall and accentuated by the rest of the mural painted in vivid colors that we can also see in the furniture and home accessories. This unique apartment is located in a residential building in Nørrebro, Denmark. It has 93 square meters of space and it was designed by by interior designer Katrine Martensen-Larsen of KML Design. This apartment is a great example for every one who are looking for some design inspiration. Details like the peacock feather patterned button on the dining room chairs make the space inviting, while the carefully chosen details or the paintbrushes give us a hint about the artistic endeavors of the inhabitants. Would you like to use any solution from this apartment?


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via freshome.com

Keeping an aquarium may be a good therapy for the ones of you who have a stressful life, high blood pressure or insomnia. Studies going back as far as the late 80’s have shown that watching those beautiful fish going about their daily business can make you feel calm, reducing stress levels and your blood pressure. Although researchers have shown that the greater reduction in blood pressure occurred when there were fish in the tank, vs pleasingly decorated, but fishless, tanks – having a cool aquarium can at least make your friends jealous!


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1. Duplex Aquarium / Bird Cage

2. Aquarium Sofa

3. Aquarium – Coffee Table

4. Old TV Aquarium

5. iPond

6. Aquarium Office Table

7. Infinity Aquarium

8. Telephone Booth Aquarium

9. Fish N Flush

10. Aquarium Sink

11. Artistic Aquarium

12. The Air Aquarium

13. Pipeline Fish Tank

14. Labyrinth Aquarium

via demilked.com

This video shows an interview with Baldur O. Svavarsson who is an architect and also a guide in Kjarvalsstadir – Reykjavik Art Museum. Kjarvalsstadir is mainly devoted to paintings and sculptures made by well established Icelandic and international artists. Nevertheless, the museum also shows exhibitions that explore various thematic and historical aspects of Scandinavian art. This kind of view is shown in Snøhetta – architecture, landscape, interior exhibition, which takes place from 14 January to 4 March 2012. During the interview, Svavarsson speaks about projects and historical background of the Snøhetta architectural practice.


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Svavarsson explains that Snøhetta is well known architectural firm from Norway with its offices in Oslo and New York. He also thinks that Snøhetta is probably the best known architectural company from Norway ever. It is so, because the international recognition that  Snøhetta has received is quite unique in a Norwegian context. Nevertheless, the firm has won two open, international competitions: Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Oslo’s new Opera House, which became landmarks in their countries. A major exhibition opened in Oslo’s new National Museum – Architecture on the firm‘s 20th anniversary in 2009. This exhibition at Kjarvalsstaðir displays highlights from the original exhibition. The exhibition is made up of eight units which present the company and its work in a varied and a vivid way.

Library of Alexandria (Photo from liberdade-cultural.blogspot.com)

Svavarsson describes the early beginnings of the Snøhetta which was 22 years ago. Briefly after the start of its activity, owners decided to take part in the competition of Bibliotheca Alexandrina. A project was organized by Egyptian Government, UNESCO and other international organizations. The whole history started when group of five architects went to Los Angeles to take part in this competition and unexpectedly won it. This helped them to stand on their feet. 
 
Svavarsson shows a model of the Alexandrina project which is well known for its architecture and craftsmanship. Thanks to the exhibition visitors are able to see the details or to get more about this project. In the exhibition there are several other projects from the 22 years’ activity of Snøhetta. He admits that smaller projects are especially interesting because they show capability of dealing with art and architecture at the same time. As an example, he shows some Snøhetta’s projects from around the world.
 
Svavarsson convinces that all Snøhetta projects point an exiting future and show the ability and willingness of Snøhetta to innovate and develop as an architectural practice. In his opinion, they also show how architecture will be used in the future.              

Not only extreme building could be taken as an example of unconventional approach to architecture. Sometimes architects are able to create some abnormal buildings without thousands tons of steel and glass. Sometimes a genius idea is enough to create project which is innovative and uncommon. This gallery shows 10 most bizarre architectural endeavors. Brace yourselves for most bizarre architectural creations in the world. But make no mistake by taking ‘bizarre’ in a negative way. Unusual and creative is always great!


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Royal Ontario Museum, Canada

Founded in 1912 the museum has grown into a large institution with rich galleries and collections. The original building was designed in Neo-Romanesque style while the wings and other buildings were designed and constructed later. The building that interests us a crystal-shaped building that was opened in 2007 and has a main entrance to the museum, seven galleries and gift shop along with cafe and restaurant. The structure made of 25 per cent glass and 75 per cent aluminum looks very modern with its more traditional counterparts. And although it looks like it’s going to devour the building next to it the Crystal doesn’t touch the other buildings.

House in Highgate Cemetery, England

Now the house itself doesn’t look bizarre, on the contrary it’s very modern and all except it’s overlooking a Highgate cemetery. This is an example of how a location of your house wraps it with an atmosphere. The house was designed by Eldridge Smerin firm of two architects Nick Eldridge and Piers Smerin.

Hole House in Texas, USA

“Hole house” or “Tunnel” house was a creation by Houston-based artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck who decided to transform a soon-to-be-demolished house into a work of art. Creating a wormhole that goes through the house and ends at the backyard the artists achieved the effect of the house being sucked in by it. Unfortunately the installation was demolished in 2005.

Friendly Alien, Austria

Graz Art Museum or “Friendly Alien” was built in 2003 to honor European Capital of Culture celebrations. The creators Peter Cook and Colin Fournier have called the building “Friendly Alien” for an obvious reason. It’s form and materials are very different from it’s baroque-looking surroundings as well as it’s much different from “traditional” modern architecture, which often work in the concept of the so-called “White Cube”.

Gangster House, Russia

The tallest wooden house in Russia was built in 1995 by a millionaire Nikolai Sutiagin. This 12-story building was 38 meters high and had a separate 3-story bathhouse. There was a billiard room, dance room, and a number of lounges. When Sutiagin was asked why he has to build this “castle” he said he wanted to see the sea. One could really see the line of the White Sea that locates 40 km from Archangelsk, where the house was built. In 2008 the house was demolished by decision of the local court. The building was constructed without any engineering calculations since Sutiagin was he’s own designer and constructor.

Hang Nga Guest House (Crazy House), Vietnam

Hang Nga Guest House was designed by Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga inspired by legendary architect Antoni Gaudí whose unconventional approach to architecture has given the world many beautiful strange buildings. The Hang Nga Guesthouse design incorporates curves, unconventional shapes and forms and angles. The building was also inspired by the organic surroundings so it also reminds a tree.

Wonderworks, USA

Wonderworks is an attraction of science exhibits that cover math, physics, space and other. The educational programs and exhibitions are presented in a recreational way. The Wonderworks sites are located in several different places and each feature various courses and entertaining things like laser tag.

Stone House, Portugal

This amazing building Stone House was built in Fafe mountains in Portugal. Two stones connected together have made a strange but beautiful-looking house.

Errante Guest House, Chile

There’s not much info about this bizarre Errante Guest House built in Chile but it looks absolutely amazing and unusual.

Torre Galatea, Spain

Torre Galatea is the Dali Theater and Museum named in honor of his wife and muse Gala. The original building housed a theater in hometown of Salvatore Dalí and it was one of the first places where Dali’s art was exhibited. The theater was ruined during Spanish Civil War and stayed in ruins until it was rebuilt into museum.

via interiorholic.com

This building is an effect of a tasteful remodel that transformed the residential building into a dream oceanfront house. Its residents has over 2,470 square feet of modern space to enjoy. The Laguna Beach Residence – as the glass oasis was named – is located on a promontory, overlooking the huge stretches of water from behind transparent glass walls. The sloping landscape allowed the architects to construct half-floors that give the impression of a larger, brighter space, separated into interesting horizontal planes, as we can see in the dining/cooking /contemplating space. Zig-zag terraces give the ocean facade a fun twist when looked at from the roof. Offered at $5,995,000, this magnificent oceanfront home could be more than just inspiration – it can become your own dream beach house if you budget permits it. Do you agree?


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via freshome.com

Swedish studio Råk-Arkitektur have won a competition to design a cultural centre for a north London site believed to have once been the legendary realm of King Arthur. The proposals comprise a 36-metre-high mirrored and faceted building, intended to resemble the stone that the king is said to have pulled a sword from in the 5th Century. Do you think that this building will confirm the history?


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Here’s some more text from Råk-Arkitektur:

With Trent Park being once the home of King Arthur and Camelot we drew inspiration for this project from the story of him drawing the sword Excalibur from a stone.

The 36 meter high stone shaped structure will have a surface that reflects its woodland environment, creating a less imposing structure whilst rendering the inside with an impressive airy void.

A 7m glass structure in the shape of a swords tip will let in light from outside and during the night a light will beam from the hole, illuminating the night sky, becoming a beacon for Trent park.

With the sites rich historical and mythological past we suggest that the future for Trent Park and this site will hold a multi faith meeting place and cultural centre. With London being known for its religious diversity we want this place to act as a spiritual sanctuary were people of all faiths and beliefs are welcomed alike. The building will also be able to host events such as theatre, opera and other cultural happenings.

via dezeen.com/

This could sound unbelievable but recently China’s Broad Corporation built a 30-story hotel prototype using prefabricated materials in 360 hours. This project could completely change the way buildings are constructed now, and what is the most interesting it could change the entire industry. This prefabricated building system works thanks to completely wired, plumbed, tiled and drywalled prefabricated sections which are dropped on top of the columns that come complete with diagonal bracing, and then another column is stuck on top. Do you think that is a breakthrough in architecture and construction industry?


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via treehugger.com

This video shows an interview with Professor John E Fernandez, the coordinator of Singapore University of Technology and Design’s curriculum for Architecture and Sustainable Design pillar. This curriculum is part of a collaboration between SUTD and MIT which is developed to nurture technically-grounded leaders and innovators that will serve societal needs. During the interview, Fernandez gives a wide description of what Architecture and Sustainable Design pillar will look like.


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Fernandez explains that teaching in ASD will comprise of a hands-on, industry-oriented approach that treats all design situations as opportunities for a cutting-edge creative approach that is thoroughly rooted in the economic, technical, and social frameworks of a contemporary society. He convinces that especially active learning with strong emphasis on learning-by-doing will fill in every class offered. Students will be introduced to the latest architectural technologies and systems for resource efficient buildings and ecologically responsible urban design. This will include the latest development in smart and environmentally responsive materials as well as passive and low energy building systems. It is important, because the urbanization of the world in the next several decades will add 3 billion people to urban populations, an amount equal to all city-dwellers today.

Photo from web.mit.edu

ASD has targeted teaching and research in the urban context for special attention. Several classes will be offered that address the need for educating an architect to be able to deal with the important issues of future cities including critical resource constraints, the need for energy efficient and humane housing, rapid urbanization, transportation planning, and land use transformations. Students in the latter terms of their studies in ASD will be introduced to the work of the SUTD International Design Centre with the intent of providing them opportunities to be actively involved in researchers and on-going research work. 
 
Fernandez points out that the pillar structure at SUTD promotes a direct interaction between many disciplines at the university in several ways. First of all, the first three terms at SUTD are structured such that all students are engaged in the same experiences, even if they have already chosen their pillar. In the end of their education, students from all pillars will come together during capstone classes. These classes will directly engage students to collaborate with others from other pillars. Finally, students will be actively exposed and strongly encouraged to engage themselves in active research with the promotion of the faculty and researches from SUTD.
 
Fernandez expects that students of SUTD will be required to apply what they understand under the relationship between markets, valuation and the evolving notion of value in a resource-constrained world. He also expects students to consider themselves as real “change-agents”. That is, the aspirations that result from their education at SUTD should be rather more radical than becoming a good employee or filling a non-creative position in a company. The intent to introduce and engage students in other disciplines besides those traditionally found in architecture should give them more diverse tool kit for addressing the complex and multi-disciplinary issues that they will encounter in the decades. Adapting to climate change, understanding changing financial frameworks, utilizing technology in productive and creative ways will be something normal for their students, and they will take that out into the world. 

This stunning loft occupies the entire fourth floor of a residential building on Hubert Street, features 3,428 square feet of gorgeous living spaces. The effect of a great design was created by a great arrangement of several details and elements putted together. In spite of magnificent design solutions Tribeca Loft provides a state of the art security system which includes for example locked elevator. There are also a few high-tech features such as programmable lighting system, screening facilities, sound system or electric blinds, all of them specially designed to offer a comfortable lifestyle to the inhabitants.


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The loft includes two bedrooms, one full bath with a 10 foot shower and a secondary half bath, and the last but not the least a great entertaining kitchen featuring top-of-the-line appliances with two coolers that can hold more than 700 bottles of wine, now I know you can’t afford to buy 700 bottles of wine just to fill the coolers, but just in case, it never knows!

All the rooms features Brazilian Walnut hardwood floors that works beautifully with any kind of furniture and for almost any interior design. The loft features some amazing details and elements that are highlighted by the natural light that’s coming from outside through the large arched windows overlooking Tribeca.

via fancycribs.com

These photos present a new office interior for Unilever headquarters in Switzerland designed by Zurich-based architectural studio Camenzind Evolution. Interiors completely do not look like regular office spaces. There are plenty of colors and many interesting design solutions. Probably it is a great pleasure to work in this place, what do you think?


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via contemporist.com

We have noticed that you are interested in beautiful places of relaxation. That is why we collected 15 most stunning resorts from around the world. This gallery shows the best examples of place where you can go to a dream holidays. If you have been in one of this places, please share with us your opinion.


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#1. The luxurious 5- star Pimalai refuge blends with the natural environment creating unforgettable experiences for the tourists who decide to spend their holidays here. This boutique beach resort occupies 100 acres of tropical vegetation with direct access to a 900 meters stretch of pristine sandy beach and offers 121 accommodation units. Click the photo below and tell us if it manages to bring the inner serenity it promises.

#2. Southern Ocean Lodge is a luxury resort located along the cliffs of Kangaroo Island, Australia, within a fascinating natural landscape. The interiors of the villas feature lavish King beds, sunken lounge, dramatic glass walled bathroom featuring Southern Spa amenities and outdoor terrace with occasional seating and daybed.

#3. Como Uma Ubud Resort is located in Bali, Indonesia, overlooking the Tjampuhan Valley, in the cultural town of Ubud. The resort has a total of 29 rooms, some of which are terrace rooms with comfortable four-poster bed draped in white voile, garden rooms with access to the fish pond and seating area and suites. An incredible 25-metre pool offers a chance for guests to be surrounded by green lawns and tropical trees.

#4. Who has not heard of the romantic sunsets in Santorini? Mistique Resort is actually the name for eighteen suites and villas located in this Greek island, overseeing an amazing landscape. We particularly enjoyed the fact that this hotel is not an opulent and extravagant one, but a piece of architecture perfectly integrated in the spirit and sceneries of the island.

#5. The Taj Exotica Resort and Spa Maldives is a five-star exclusive resort, surrounded by lush tropical plants and crystal clear blue waters. Located in one of the largest lagoons in the area, the accommodation units spread idyllically along a mesmerizing beach, providing a lovely relaxation setting for its visitors.

#6. The Residence Zanzibar was designed by design firm HBA / Hirsch Bedner Associates and is a fascinating resort located on a remote corner of the island of Zanzibar. Stretching over 80 acres, the 66 villas designed by HBA boast a colonial theme and draw inspiration from the Swahili, Omani, British and Indian cultures present in Zanzibar.

#7. Located where mythology tells us the God Apollo was born, the luxury resort called Mykonos Grand Hotel offers 32 square meter ground floor garden view rooms in blue or orange with spacious mosaic bathrooms, 33 square meter rooms overlooking the Aegean Sea – adorned with Greek marble and typical Mykonian arch separating the bedroom from the sitting area and 37 square meter superior sea view rooms with Spa bathrooms.

#8. The Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel is a man-made attraction in Bali. The most striking of the hotel’s design features is a large, multi-leveled infinity pool, with curves that are said to copy the shape and beauty of the hills nearby. Guests can swim at the edge and enjoy peaceful vistas of the ancient Pura Penataran Dalem Segara temple, located on the opposite hillside.

#9. The Jade Mountain Resort in St. Lucia is a place where each room has its own infinity pool. Architect owner Nick Troubetzkoy has expanded upon his philosophy of building in harmony with Caribbean nature. The resort is characterized by the bold architectural design – individual bridges leading to exceptional infinity pool sanctuaries and rugged stoned-faced columns reaching towards the sky.

#10. Casa de la Flora Resort is located in a secluded ambiance near Phuket, Thailand. Featuring a series of differentiated beachfront pool villas and suites and a presidential suite, the resort offers luxurious interiors for the perfect holiday Designed by VaSLab Architecture, the resort features exceptional facilities, gathered on a 4,900 square meter property in Pangnga.

#11. Astarte Suites is a spectacular 9-room complex designed by Aygoustis Krousis and located on a cliff on the beautiful Santorini Island in Greece. Small, but with impeccable services, infinity pool, and unforgettable views, the hotel is perfect for a romantic getaway.

#12. This fascinating place of retreat is called Ayada Maldives and is located on the island of Maguhdhuvaa, in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll district. The resort consists of 112 luxurious villas and was recently open. The accommodation units have a beautiful warm and traditional feel and are fully-equipped, providing comfort beyond expectations.

#13. Composed of 8 modern resort units, Villas Finestre is a simple yet imposing beachfront vacation complex made of separate 500 to 1000 square meters villas. Nestled on a cliff’s edge overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the villa units are located in a small beach resort named Ixtapa, in Guerrero, Design studio CC Arquitectos constructed this welcoming set of villas as a natural response to the growing desire for privacy and luxury.

#14. Whether you are looking for fabulous vacation destinations or just browsing for interior design inspiration, this next resort can offer you both things. Located in Aghios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece, the fabulously luscious coastal resort Out of the Blue, Capsis Elite Resort awaits guests with intriguing interiors and contemporary facilities.

#15. The Alila Villas Hadahaa island resort in the Maldives promises a relaxing vacation. Designed by SCDA Architects, the retreat welcomes its guests with a surprising collection of inside and outside spaces. Featuring 16 Island Villas, 20 Island Villas with a private pool, and 14 Aqua Villas, the retreat complex is the first luxury resort in the Gaafu Alifu (North Huvadhoo) Atoll in the Maldives’ new southern frontier.

via freshome.com

Working for the LEGO company must be really fun. I’m not saying that those people sit around and play with LEGO all day but just knowing that what you do will eventually result in the creation of some of the most fun toys and elements ever invented should be enough to get them started. And since it’s LEGO we’re talking about, they should have a really fun workspace. In fact, we now have the change to take a look at this particular project.


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This is LEGO’s development department, LEGO PMD. The designers of this place were Rosan Bosch & Rune Fjord. LEGO PMD is located in Billund, Denmark and was created in 2010. It covers a total area of 2000 square meters and has a really fun design. It’s a very playful space, mostly inspired by LEGO. It’s a space where adults can feel like children while working. There, working is fun.

via decoist.com

This video presents a lecture by an architect Tobias Ell. The speech took place on 20th January 2012 on the occasion of PechaKucha Night in Maastricht. The concept of PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Now it has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world. The presentation format of PechaKucha Night is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds which makes presentations concise. During the presentation of Tobias Ell we are able to hear about the importance of knowledge in contemporary architecture.


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Ell thinks that there is definitely impact of knowledge on architecture. As an example for this statement he gives results of a research by Professor Thomas J. Allen from M.I.T. Allen proved that 90 percent of all innovative ideas brought to the market in the last 10 years arise from face-to-face communication or even dreaming. Ell convinces that it is not about thinking, it is all about either dreaming or communication. In his opinion, our society is on the way to be a knowledge-based society and the knowledge and creativity will be the most important resources of this society.

Photo from carpus.de

How then architecture can influence on the society like this? Ell thinks that there is a dualism between architecture and society. In his opinion, architecture has always formed society and also society has always formed architecture. He gives historical examples of this way of thinking. He also shows how architecture should change nowadays to be suitable for a new type of society. As a proof of this kind of architecture he introduces some of his projects. 
 
To sum up, Ell quotes Churchill: “We shape the buildings. Afterwards, the buildings shape us”. What means that there is definitely dualism between architecture and knowledge. Nevertheless, this architecture of knowledge is calling everyone of us to transform it to the reality. It is possible, because architecture of knowledge is all about creativity and thinking. 

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Peggy and James Mitchell sheltered 40 New Orleans evacuees in their two-bedroom house in Baton Rouge, La., even after a falling tree demolished one of the bedrooms. When the dust settled, a family friend directed the good Samaritan couple to the design/build firm +one design and construction, which took on the task of providing a replacement dwelling at a cost they could afford. The result is this fresh, efficient, and livable take on a traditional local model.


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Named for its somewhat rough exterior and cool, open interior – optimizes the layout and orientation of its site. In keeping with the traditional imagery of the neighborhood, the house is a modern interpretation of the shotgun house, built for a mere $98 a square foot. The guiding design philosophy for the Kiwi House can be broken down into three principles. Respond to the site to allow the structure to bolster an existing sense of community, tread lightly on our natural resources minimizing consumption and waste and finally plan for efficient energy use and reduction of energy loss.

via archinnovations.com

This recently built modern villa includes an inviting pool and great views of the Stockholm inlet. The plastered facade along with the numerous windows give a sober modern impression to the exterior of the residence. With a total living area of 227 square meters (five bedrooms and three bathrooms), this place is perfect for a large family. The interiors all give away a feeling of space, while the generously sized windows allow natural light inside and connect the house with the outdoors. Sophisticated lighting details, modern furniture elements and subtle color accents that do a great job contrasting the plastered white walls set the tone for this elegantly-designed villa.


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via freshome.com

Designed by Prague studio SGL Projekt, the Stork Nest Farm is located on the site of a former farmstead and distillery that now accommodates hotel, conference and leisure facilities. The Stork Nest Farm was both inspired by and named after storks that resided in the roof of the distillery long after it fell into disuse. An eight-metre-wide skylight at the roof’s peak lets natural daylight down into the centre of the timber-framed building, while concrete-framed entrances lead visitors inside.


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Here’s some more text from SGL Projekt:

In 2006 we were asked to design the revitalization of a farmstead for congress, company presentation, holding of corporate events and leisure activities.

For this purpose our client bought 19th century farmstead located at a large pound. The farmstead included a distillery with it’s chimney. From 1926 there have lived storks on the chimney. It became the main reason for buying this farm.

The farm is located 50 kilometers to the south from Prague. The surrounding landscape reminds piedmont area with large forest complexes, vast meadows, wetlands and a great network of ponds.

Since the end of the 80′s from the 20th century the farm has been abandoned and the buildings quickly decayed.

The only solitary residents who remained were the storks on the distillery’s chimney. The Stork’s Nest became a symbol for us, which affected the conception of the riding arena and thinking about all the objects of this project.

It wasn’t a formal symbol for us. We were fascinated by stork’s fidelity. Almost 90 years generations of storks are returning from Africa to the farm and we tried to design the farm in order to bring back people here again.

These birds also fascinated us by their endurance in building their nest. After decades They construct still the same, no doubt about the shape and material, still in the same place and with no desire for originality, which bother all architects and builders nowadays. Storks don‘t look for exceptional places. They don‘t want to distinguish themselves and compete with others. Storks became a symbol for us in the approach to construction. Our design of the farm was led in humility to these bird architects.

The old farmstead consisted of an enclosed yard of an almost square ground plan and addition of a piggery. The yard contained two dwelling houses, a distillery, a barn and a stable. Valuable objects were preserved and buildings of poor quality we demolished and replaced by new ones.

The residential yard consist of a reception, a hotel, conference hall, restaurant, pool and bowling and house with private garden for VIP guests. Beside this residental yard we have built another new yard for the animals.

In this section we have placed a circular riding arena in the shape of a stork nest. It has an external diameter of 34 meters and height of 12,5 meters. The building is used for riding or for a variety of presentations, cultural and social events. Riding arena is located near the stables, and is directly connected to restaurant. The supporting structure is made of glulam timber beams. The external cladding is made of translucent polycarbonate. The oak logs, give the structure an expresive appearance and also provide shading. They were fixed to the building at the total amount of 200 tons at the length of 7, 9 and 11 meters.

At the top of the building there is a central sky-light with a diameter of 8 meters. It serves for intensive ventilation of the internal space by natural air flow. The natural ventilation of the arena provides a good climate.

The arena´s riding surface is made of sand with capillary irrigation for equestrian sport. It can be covered with plywood boards during other sorts of events. The riding area is surrounded by a protective barrier and a stand for approximately 200 people. There is VIP stand upstairs.

The Stork nest farm was completed in 2010. The riding arena became a landmark in the area of the farm and an element which attracts attention in wide neighbourhood. Later, our firm designed the center for protection of fauna to the farm and recently a large rectangular riding arena.

Location: Dvůr Semtín, Olbramovice, Czech Republic
GPS: 49°41’04.71″N, 14°39’05.51″E
Date completed: 03/2010
Lead architect: SGL Projekt s.r.o.
Ak. arch. Jiří javůrek
Ing. arch. Jaroslav Malý
Ing. arch. Irena Kozáková
Ing. arch. Jan Bouček
Ing. arch. Jakub Žák

Client / Developer: Farma Čapí hnízdo, a.s.

Civil Engineer: Ing. Jiří Starý, Starý a partner s.r.o.
Environmental Engineer: Ing. Miroslav Kučera
Lighting Consultant: Ing. Michal Kozak, Etna Guzzini s.r.o.
Structural Engineer: Němec Polák s.r.o.
General supplier: BAK a.s.

via dezeen.com

These photos presents designs of two very interesting lamps designed by the same talented product and lighting designer Giles Godwin-Brown. The first one, named Nepa Lamp, is described by its creator as a “two-dimensional lamp silhouette that seamlessly transforms into a fully functioning three-dimensional task lamp.” The wall-mounted 6 ft high lamp was built out of conventional materials – birch plywood with stainless steel and aluminum details – with the help of computer-controlled technologies. It uses friction hinges along with a pivot in the base to enable a full range movement and utilizes high-powered LED lighting to spread its functional light. Last September, the Nepa Lamp was exhibited at Designersblock London.


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The second one, named Candor Lamp, is also a wall-mounted lamp, designed for commercial and industrial use. LED technology was incorporated into a cotton and timber design, with a transparent strip that creates a halo-like effect of light on the surrounding wall. Both lamps feature original details and are a fun alternative to common lighting systems. Giles Godwin-Brown describes his work: “Inspiration was taken from previous classics of the lighting industry combined with my fundamental design principles that require my products to be in their most simple form, whilst always ensuring this does not inhibit their intended function.”

via freshome.com

This video shows an interview with Brain Foster, an interior designer, the founder and owner of the design studio Brian Foster Designs. During the interview, Foster presents his own project in his own house in Rancho Mirage, California. The interiors of this home got a special mention in the TV show Million Dollar Rooms which presents the most expensive and sophisticated interiors from around the world. 


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Foster’s house has about 5000 square feet and he convinces that the style of the house is ultra modern. It includes a lot of unique features and elements that are, in his opinion, unlike anything that you could ever see anywhere else. Foster thinks that the kitchen is the most unique part of the house. Particularly, because of the fact that every detail is completely custom made. What also makes the kitchen so exclusive is that it’s opened up to all the major rooms in the house. 

Photo from californiabeachresorts.com

Foster explains that the kitchen was not designed only for everyday use. It also has enough space to have a party for two hundred people. The overall purpose of this space was to create a room that each time you are in, leaves a smile on your face. The kitchen has two ovens, a large cook top with six burners and a big commercial type exhaust hood. On the walls we can find iridescent glass which fades into different colors depending of the time of the day. Nevertheless, the most conspicuous item is an incredibly big island in the middle of the kitchen. Foster explains that a typical island becomes a centerpiece during a party so he wanted to make this place very large. Actually because of the size the island needed to be supported by special construction. 

The designer says that there is one thing that he really doesn’t like in homes. He abhors houses which are divided up with walls and all kind of things that create barriers. Because of that he decided to create one dynamic room that has connections with different parts of the home. Without a doubt, the most interesting part of this space are two dining areas. Especially one of them is really uncommon because it has a water feature and a custom made furniture and lightening.

Foster convinces that he is really proud of the space that he created. He admits that when he has guests, he loves their reaction and how comfortable they feel. It is satisfying to see how they enjoy the space.  

This is a residence which should be takken as an example of luxury housing building. This project called Carpinteria Foothills Residence and it has been designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects. The design team made every effort to create a place which beautifully defines the concept of a tranquil and luxurious living. The building is located on a ridge in the foothills of Carpinteria, ten miles down the coast from Santa Barbara, and offers some magnificent views of the panoramic coastal ridge. The architects mostly focused on creation of place to live without disturbing the root systems of those beautiful oak trees that surround the residence. The structure can be defined by the use of glass walls framed between large stonewalls constructed of the local Santa Barbara Sandstone.


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The connection between the interior and the exterior landscape is made via a huge opening with an inviting forced perspective effect that frames the natural panorama. The interior design is very modern and elegant, and features simple and modern elements, carefully chosen to create a relaxing environment. The greatest features of this house are expansive operable glazed walls which provide some amazing views from every part of home.

via fancycribs.com

Putted on a hill Bali’s Valley of the Kings, Viceroy Bali Resort&Spa offers accommodation units that combine comfort and privacy. All 25 villas of the Viceroy Resort are integrated within this scenic landscape, allowing each of the guests here to enjoy exquisite views from the comfort of their cottage-like dwelling. In spite of their partially-rustic appearance, the apartments come with the latest electronic amenities, as well as a pool and private outdoor spaces for relaxation.


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via freshome.com

This stunning example of modern and well connected to the surroundings architecture was designed by Foster + Partners. The building was added onto the side of two renovated 1920s buildings in Vancouver’s financial district. This 35-storey tower stands alongside the restored Ceperley Rounsfell Building and the retained facade of the Royal Financial Building. Jameson House provides 23 floors of apartments above offices and shops on the floors below. Does this kind of building fits to the architecture from the beginnings of the century? What do you think?


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Here’s some more information from Foster + Partners:

Jameson House is a new 35-storey mixed-use tower in the heart of Vancouver and includes the first residential development to be completed by the practice in North America – completed at the end of last year, already the building is now almost fully occupied. The project combines the restoration of heritage buildings with new construction: the lower level offices and shops knit with the existing streetscape to reinvigorate the downtown neighborhood, while the apartments above face dramatic views of the bay and create a new landmark on the skyline.

Fusing old and new, the site connects the city’s financial centre with its emerging creative hub, and the scheme integrates two 1920s Beaux Arts structures: the entire internal double-height volume of the A-listed Ceperley Rounsfell Building has been returned to its original configuration and the facade of the B-listed Royal Financial Building has been retained.

The development comprises eleven storeys of offices and shops, topped by twenty-three storeys of apartments. The tower’s form articulates these different functions: the first two storeys continue the row of shop units at street level, while the uppermost office floor aligns with the cornice line of the adjacent building. Contrasting with the flush facade of the offices, the residential floors curve outwards in four wide bays, which are staggered to allow daylight to reach neighbouring buildings and oriented to provide uninterrupted views of the landscape.

The tower’s flexible plan supports a variety of apartment types, with interiors by Foster + Partners and living spaces in the deep curve of the window bays. At the top of the tower are two-storey penthouse apartments and landscaped roof terraces.

The design was developed in response to the local climate, seasonal sun paths, prevailing winds, humidity levels, air temperatures and precipitation rates specific to Vancouver.

Foster + Partners’ in-house engineering group – formerly PHA Consult – has been involved in the project from the outset, in a fully integrated approach to environmental engineering and architectural design.

This has led to innovations such as chilled floors and a mechanised valet parking system, which reduces the number of parking levels and associated excavation, lighting and ventilation requirements.

Lord Foster said:
“Vancouver has a spectacular location, surrounded by mountains and the sea. The design makes the most of the city’s fantastic natural setting, with balconies and deep bay windows looking out towards the landscape. Jameson House further develops a number of key themes that have been integral to our work for many years. The project combines restoration with new construction; it is high-density and mixed-use, offering a sustainable model for urban living; and it demonstrates innovation, both in its evolution of the high-rise building and its progressive environmental agenda.”

Nigel Dancey, a senior partner at Foster + Partners, said:
“Jameson House was the result of a team effort: we worked closely with environmental engineers, as well as the city, from the outset. This collaborative approach led to innovations, both in the tower’s design and in our interrogation of the brief – we were able to significantly increase the density of the scheme to create a highly sustainable mixed-use development. And by combining these different functions within a compact footprint, we can further balance energy usage with the mixture of daytime and night-time activity.”

Colin Bosa, CEO of Bosa Properties:
“Foster + Partners has created a unique building for Vancouver, which combines high-quality finishes and a strong design sense with a clear commitment to sustainability. We are most pleased with the architectural legacy that Jameson House offers to our city.”

via dezeen.com

These photos show a fabulous transformation from a mid-century house into contemporary residence. The home was originally built in 1967 and recently received a complete renovation. Having been built as an entertaining crib by an eccentric Northwest Hills builder, the fascinating mid-century home in Austin, Texas, displays a carefully studied collection of spaces. This fantastic modern facility displays exquisite features like the roundly shaped floating lava rock fireplace that seats 8-12 people for dinner, the kidney-shaped outdoor pool or the lava and fossil walls seen in many of the rooms. If you could, would like to buy it?


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via decoist.com

The Miele Gallery has been designed by Gonzalo Mardones Viviani and is located on an important commercial and cultural street full of art galleries, restaurants, banks and shops. Because of that reason the design of this building had to be innovative and eye-catching. The site houses residences in low, medium and high density, surrounded by parks and squares in Santiago, Chile. This project represents the culmination of ongoing dialogues between client and architect, essential to our way of seeing and understanding the architectural design process. In this as in many cases the client story allows many inspirations and ideas that integrate into the architecture.


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Description from the architects:

Nueva Costanera Avenue is an important commercial and cultural street full of art galleries, restaurants, banks and shops.

Our architectonic proposal is a building that opens to the corner (the most public place) in a play of façades of concrete and inclined crystals. This façades permits light to reflect, and the transparency of the building creates a large display window for the street, both people and vehicles.

The interior result of the idea permits the connectivity of all the levels. Spaces are architectonic labyrinths paths that are even penetrating the underground spaces, a unique possibility of light and natural ventilation.

A permanent in our work (sixth façade) is a double purpose: increase the land (scarce resource) and increase offices and exhibition area around to open and semi open spaces that combine intimacy and openness. Burying and open to the underground and enable a new landscape which highlights the compressed presence of near walls as a doorway to the sky.

The circulation path into the entire building was created in red steel (red is the Miele corporate color) leaving a contrast to the materiality of the building, white concrete with titanium dioxide incorporated. This red strip distinguishes over the white as a fauve and runs over all levels to the roof.

The roof is conceived as the fifth façade creating a big terrace with a bar, a meeting place in the height of the foliages. From there can see the immensity of the Andes Mountain, the hills and the green of the neighborhood.

As in all our works, also we insist in the use of dividing walls as architectonic support (seventh façade). In this case the walls of both streets characterize a new panorama, making a new landscape possible and a new place for the building.

Photography by Nico Saieh

via contemporist.com

This video shows an interview with Ali Rahim, an architect and the co-founder of New York City-based firm Contemporary Architecture Practice (CAP). His company gains increasing recognition in architectural world mostly because of cutting-edge projects which receive more and more architectural awards. During the interview, Rahim talks about his recent project which took place in Tokyo, Japan. The project is called IWI Orthodontics and it is a orthodontics clinic which specializes in a new innovative form of treatment based on an implant system patented by its head doctor. The building receives several architectural awards including, “Record Interiors 2010″.


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Rahim explains that IWI is true innovator in its field, and they have demanded that the design for their clinic needs to be innovative and it should bring forward new ambitions for architecture in Japan. He recalls that he and the IWI’s head doctor from the first e-mail talked about innovation. It was interesting experience for him because usually he has to slowly bring the clients along and then he tries to do one or two innovative things in the project that add value for them. This time was different because Dr. Itsuki said right at front: “we have to do something innovative” and these words were fantastic for Rahim. They both found that they have very similar interest in innovating in their own disciplines and very similar taste. 

Photo from archrecord.construction.com

The overall variation of the project is guided by elegance, which allows for proportionality and the magnitude of variation to be maintained within this aesthetic sensibility. Rahim imagined that in terms of design the building will be like jewelry, but it will not only hold a stone but the whole clinic itself. Because of that everything around supports how the clinic operates in precise way like in jewelry. The space of the building compresses, the patterned glass with different opacities shimmers and develops an atmosphere from adjacent spaces, which helps animate the space through reflection and transmittance. The atmosphere is cutting-edge and comfortable, with green glass used for interiors, and with incandescent lights that soften the experience and remind the patient that the fitter still brings with it usefulness. 
 
Rahim thinks that the attributes of the project are very important. The most important aim was to create a connection between the outside and inside space. The crucial aspect was the way that light animates all the panels on the outside of the building and reflected in the interior in the purpose to extend the space of the interior to the outside. Another kind of reflection also happens between the ceiling, walls and sofas which makes whole continuity experience. So when you go to the clinic you are able to see that every ceiling is different. Nothing repeats and nothing is exactly the same in this project, but everything together give stunning continuity experience. Thanks to that people are able to understand the space and feel warm, calm and comfortable. Unique white interiors which reflect colors of the environment produce a great atmosphere which clients enjoy.

This colorful and magnificent project was made from 1,000 reused doors by South Korean artist and designer Choi Jeong-Hwa. This ten-storey public art installation was built in Soeul, South Korea. I must honestly say that I would be scared just navigating inside it – one wrong door and you could end up flying . What do thinks about it? Do you like it?


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Choi Jeong-Hwa in his interview to The Creators Project:

“In 1989. I couldn’t really draw so I didn’t think I could become a painter, but I really liked walking. So I used to walk between streets and narrow alleys and discover garbage piles and construction sites. I realized that “normal” people built and created things better than artists or professionals. Plus, what they were making was more natural. I decided against becoming an artist and decided instead to be an ordinary person who thinks like an artist”

via demilked.com

These photos present renovated by an architect Sergi Pons Barcelona apartment. The architect explains that the owner spends a lot of time ironing, so he created a large aperture facing out from the laundry area into an open-plan living and dining room. Another innovative solution is a spinning mirror which separate the bed from the yellow doors and screens that conceal the bathroom behind. Would you fell comfortable in such apartment?


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Here’s some more text from Sergi Pons:

This project sets out to alter and improve an apartment situated facing away from the road in a 1980’s building on carrer Casanova, on the left side of the Eixample in Barcelona. In defining the new use of space in accordance with the client’s needs, attention has been given to maximising the entry of daylight and the visual interrelationships between the different parts of the house, each with its own identity.

The aim is to give the occupant a permanent awareness of the entire space from each part of the house. The visual space flows in the same way as does the layout.The heart of the house is the ironing area where the owner spends a lot of time. An effort has been made to freeze this moment of intimacy and to use a large window to frame an undervalued yet daily activity.

Pine is used for the floors and some of the walls, and the colour yellow for the movable objects.The clean, well-defined design is intended to work without ornamentation. The functional objects, such as folding tables, hangers, portable mirrors, etc. give the space life, meaning and a sense of domesticity. These objects are the decor of the space.

Architect: Sergi Pons
Collaborators: Anna Giralt
Situation: Barcelona, Spain
Project year: 2011
Photographs: Adrià Goula

via dezeen.com

This waterfront home was designed by Scott Allen. The architect proved that it is possible to create a modern building with harmony to the surroundings on the one hand, but on the other the home with comfortable conditions for its residents. The building called the Cliff House and it is stands with its back against a natural cliff and its front opened to the stretch of calming water. Cliff House was built in a place where an old guest house just to be. and its form was designed as a response to the tough terrain.


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“The design solution makes the roof of the new structure an extension of the upland lawn, with a glass-enclosed elevator providing access to the two levels below. To the south, an outdoor living space is set between the house and a new boathouse. Stairs lead down to the water and are incorporated into a series of decks, terraces, and bridges that create spaces for living and entertaining. This area also features a wood-burning pizza oven and an outdoor fireplace.” explanation from Scott Allen Architecture.

via freshome.com

“The architecture of Trump Tower Manila is something that is going to be prominent on the Manila skyline for years to come”, said Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of Development and Acquisitions of the New York-based Trump, shown below with Century Properties Managing Director and Trump Tower Manila Project Head Robbie Antonio and Century Properties Chairman Jose E.B. Antonio in a meeting at the Trump offices in New York City.

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“Its architecture will be truly iconic”, explains Robbie Antonio, the development’s Project Head and Managing Director of Century Properties, owner and developer of the iconic 56-story skyscraper. “As a symbol of power, achievement and modern grandeur, Trump Tower Manila is a dramatic architectural marvel of steel and glass. The building’s exterior is designed with a lustrous curtain wall that maximizes the city’s spectacular panoramic views, and is one of the very few residential buildings in Manila to carry such a thoroughly detailed design.”

The building’s façade expresses a distinctive “peeled” aesthetic that accentuates a powerful and dynamic form. The façade also performs an environmentally responsive function, wherein light shelves and shading systems are designed to react to the building’s orientation in relation to where the sun is facing at different times of the year.

Trump Tower Manila will rise at Century City, the flagship development of Century Properties in Makati City that comprises luxury residential skyscrapers, a shopping complex, and a world-class health and wellness centre. Situated in the Philippines’ foremost financial district of Makati, “this project will be the finest by far in the league of premiere residential properties in the region,” Antonio said. “To stay close to this vision we made sure that every architectural detail of the project was thought of with the Trump customer in mind.”

The ultra-exclusive tower is limited to more than 220 units, with one to six units per floor ranging from suites of approximately 57 square meters (614 square feet) to penthouses as spacious as 435 square meters (4,682 square feet).

Trump Tower Manila residents will enjoy elite amenities within the building, including a fine dining restaurant at the ground floor; and a library, business center, lounge and video room on the third level. Breathtaking views will be enjoyed halfway up the tower on the 29th and 30th floors, where the spa and fitness center, as well as the juice bar, sun deck and lap pool are all located for the exclusive use of residents.

The building will use a selection of luxury branded home furnishings for its amenities and common areas, and these will be showcased in Manila in early 2012 when Century Properties opens the Trump Tower Manila showrooms at The Pacific Star Building in Makati.

Rising as one of the Philippines’ tallest skyscrapers at 250 meters (820 feet), the building’s design was carefully studied to ensure utmost structural integrity. Century Properties’ engineering team incorporated structural adaptations into the design that will address high wind loads. It will also apply Performance-based Design that meets and exceeds different levels and ranges of seismic performance for super high rise buildings around the world.

Trump Tower™ Manila is not owned, developed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates. Century City Development Corp. (a member of the Century Properties Group Inc), the owner and developer of the property, uses the “Trump” name and mark under license from Trump Marks Philippines LLC, which license may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.

This video shows an interview with the famous french architect Edouard François during Vis-à-vis Architecture conference. He studied at the Academie Des Beaux Arts in Paris, and later Architecture at the UP1 in Paris and at the Architectural Association in London. François has become one of the protagonists of green architecture on an international scene. His work focuses on matter, context, use, economy and ecology, following the preoccupations of sustainable development. François became known to the public in 2000 with “The Building That Grows”, built in Montpellier and widely publicized by the Ministry of Culture’s campaign on quality in architecture. He emphasized his fame by the ‘Flower Tower’ in Paris – a building, bordering a public park, completely veiled in white bamboo. During the interview, François talks how he become an architect and also he speaks about his inspirations, projects and his stay in the capital city of Canada.


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François asked about his path of becoming an architect, hasn’t any straight answer. He guesses that it was an idea of his mother. Because he comes from an influential polytechnic family, he started his education from mathematics. He was also interested in art and after that he finally decided to study architecture and then urbanism. Nevertheless, he confesses that he does not like architecture so he also studied landscape architecture. In his opinion, because of the great knowledge and quite unconventional approach as the architect, he is not exactly like the others. 
 

Photo from architonic.com

When he speaks about his inspirations, he firstly indicates nature as the strongest source of his visions. He admits that art is very important for him to understand what will happen, because art is an anticipation of what will arrive tomorrow. Thanks to that art gives him a big advance. He is also very involved in cooking and he considers it as a very important and problematic area. He explains that in cooking you can find many different aspects like geography or health.
 
François convinces that his work is always connected with the nature. He talks about his recent project. He explains why this building is problematic in the context of Paris. He also mentions about his current project – a first tower in Paris. It is very important because Parisians do not have a good approach to that kind of buildings. However, from the reason of big density they have to change their way of thinking. From his point of view, this project contributes to the grater popularity of high buildings.               

Architects of this stunning project were very modest because of its name. The name is not gives back even a half of its uniqueness. Named Landscape Fence is elegantly designed structure and it was created with the purpose of providing privacy for the residents of the home. Vienna-based architects heri&salli completely shows wide possibilities of a usable and experienceable surface. What do you think about this solution? Is not the form too dimming, ormaybe that was the goal of the owner?


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via archdaily.com

This unconventional project is an idea of Endemico Resguardo Silvestre and it was realized by San-Diego based firm Gracia Studio. 20 EcoLofts are placed on a cliff above Valle de Guadalupe, a village, which is known as ‘Mexico’s Wine Country’. The project is located in Baja California, Mexico. The twenty independent rooms sized twenty square metres each are managed by Grupo Habita, and are set up within a surface of 99 hectares, as part of the Encuentro Guadalupe development.


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via decoist.com

The destination of a life time can be an adjective that can be attributed to Villa Escudero. The AERA Memorial Museum, being the most important place to visit there was founded by Arsenio and Rosario Escudero. Housed in a replica of a long-gone church in Intramuros with painted trompe-l’oeil ceilings, the building opened for public in 1987. The core of the collection is its trove of colonial religious art. After the museum visit, you can have lunch from Labassin Waterfall Restaurant if we want to have food beneath a massive waterfall. Lunch is served on bamboo dining tables set in a few inches of crystalline running water from the falls. The experience of dining on delicious local dishes with the sparkling waterfalls as a backdrop with clear spring water running over your feet is a truly singular and memorable experience only Villa Escudero can offer.


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via decoist.com

This surfers’ dream house was designed by Australian architecture studio Chenchow Little. It has 3 000 square feet of space and it called Freshwater House. Unique volumes separated into a podium base, a garden and living space, and a bedroom volume make up the main characteristics of this contemporary Sydney home. The entry vestibule and garage on the basement floor are integrated in the natural topography of the site, while the social spaces were placed on top of the podium, allowing the interiors to be exposed to the surrounding views through many glass doors and walls.


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Beautiful views of the beach below can be enjoyed from this floor and the next one, where the bedrooms are located. The architects explain how the operable shutters on the bedroom volume protect the inhabitant’s privacy and help define the overall design: “The top bedroom level floats above the landscaped living level and is veiled with custom- made external bi-folding shutters anodised dark bronze. The shutters are constructed of vertical battens to maintain views to the beach below. The shutters provide privacy, enclosure and dappled light to this level. The detailing of the shutters is purposefully simple such that the building reads as an abstract sculptural form in the landscape when viewed from the beach. When the shutters are open the appearance of the building, and the experience of the interior, transforms. The client’s occupation of the dwelling registers in the operable facade of the building.”

via freshome.com

ArchMedium have just launched the new architecture competition for students under the name of “Aurora Borealis Arctic Observatory”. ArchMedium would like to propose a project that will help to rediscover our primitive instincts. They want to create a bond again with Mother Nature. They also want to reestablish the ancient connection between Man and the glories of His planet. This is an experience that too frequently eludes us in our contemporary, urban lifestyles. What they want to create is a Northern Lights observatory located in one of the most extreme latitudes inhabited by Man, surrounded by lush, endless forests and nature in its purest form. A place where one can retreat for a few days to completely disconnect from the daily routine and plunge headfirst into a world of observation, relaxation, and learning.


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This project counts with the direct collaboration of the Architecture School of Barcelona and the Aalto University of Helsinki. Here is more specific information about the competition:

Jury:

The Jury will be formed by:

President of the jury: Josep Llinás
Architect: Pere Joan Ravetllat
Architect: Mara Partida
Architect: Celia Marín
Invited Architect from Helsinki: Philip Tidwell

Prizes:

5000 Euros in Chash
Publication of the project in the TC Cuadernos magazine and WA+wettbewerbeaktuell.
1 year subscription to the ON Diseño magazine.
Exhibition at the Architecture University of Barcelona (ETSAB) and the Aalto University of Helsinki.

Calendar:

January 15th 2012 Registration period begins

May 31st 2012 Submision deadline

More information on archmedium.com

This video shows an interview with Bjarke Ingels who is the principal of Copenhagen-based architectural practice BIG. Ingels is an alumnus of Rem Koolhaas’ OMA practice, he also takes a similar approach as his teacher: “experimenting with pure space, but never losing sight of the building as a solution to a real-world problem”. His manifesto “Yes Is More” takes the form of a giant cartoon strip, 130 meters long, that reminds people to keep thinking big — to see all our modern problems as challenges that inspire us. Through a series of award-winning design projects and buildings, Bjarke Ingels has created an international reputation as a member of a new generation of architects that combines shrewd analysis, playful experimentation, social responsibility, and humor. During the interview, Ingels shares with us his design philosophy.


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Ingels explains that modern buildings mostly look like giant carton boxes. Because of that reason all qualities that make the space inhabitable must be supported by the work of different machines. These tools pomp air and light into the building and without them living in modern buildings is becoming less comfortable or even impossible. Ingels and his coworkers are interested in “engineering without engines”. This enigmatic expression means that they use contemporary technology to simulate and calculate performance of the building. Thanks to that they are able to put the right solutions into the actual design of the building.

Usually it is really difficult to implement a wind building idea even if it has a number of innovative and needed solutions. Ingels explains that with growing wildness of designer ideas, his approach at the same time should be more rational, professional and rigorous. The designer could not be lazy if he wants to make designs which are something more than standard solutions. If the designer wants to go even a little bit beyond the conventional path he really needs to try hard. Otherwise, he won’t be able to convince whole series of authorities and also clients, investors and neighbors. 

Ingels thinks that our cities, buildings and architecture could be made in one way. There is no universal law which says what modern architecture should look like. Our buildings look this way because that far designers went when the last time they tried. In Ingels’ opinion architecture is an ongoing experiment which takes place on planet Earth. This experiment is constantly evolving and because of that our cities and buildings should also undergo a continuous change. 

Ingels sums up with the sentence which says that architecture should be about the need of change. It should try to make our world more similar to our dreams. Designers should ask themselves what they would create if they are able to do anything. They should think about things that they would like to do but they cannot and make them happen. 

Not for everyone modern and luxury house architecture is what they want. Some people think different about green buildings and this house is a great example of this way of thinking. Residents of this house do not have to spend thousands of dollars in order to do something good to our planet. Those people simply create something beautiful from trash and called their work Junk Castle. This building is located in Washington and it is constructed from many different items, including washing machine parts, miscellaneous housings, sheet metal, dryer doors, bedsteads and even a door from a 1952 Oldsmobile. The Junk Castle symbolizing the reusability of junk as well as showing off the designer’s creativity. The building was created by former art teacher Victor Moore and his wife Bobbie.


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via decoist.com

In spite of its exceptional location and stunning modern architecture, this dream home includes also an interesting array of wonderful features. Casa Diaz is located in a sloping lot in an upper class neighborhood in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. With an beautiful location on a corner lot with trees protecting the privacy and guiding the views towards the lake, Casa Diaz was built as a series of three elongated rectangular volumes stacked in a zigzag pattern that help better capture panoramic views from the terraces and framed views from behind the glazed walls. Mexico City–based practice Productora worked on this challenging residential project. Do you liked Productora’ work and do you want to live in home like this?


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via freshome.com

This innovative zigzagging solution allows to get into the top level of the roof straight from the ground. This unconventional roof is a part of the Inca Public Market which was recently completed by architects Charmaine Lay and Carles Muro. The market is located in Inca, Majorca. The building and new plaza replaced an older market hall that formerly occupied the site. The building also accommodates small shops and council offices plus an underground supermarket and car park that are located beneath the public square. Do you think that is a safe roof solution?


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Here’s some more information from Charmaine Lay:

The demolition of the old market building has offered the opportunity to rediscover a new public space in the heart of the city of Inca, just a few metres away from the Main Street and the Town Hall.

The proposal tries to obtain the maximum possible amount of public space while accommodating the different requirements of a varied programme: car park, supermarket, retail shops, council offices and public market. A public space that aims at supporting the present and future activities of this place.

The car park and the supermarket are located underground, while the rest of the required programme rises from the ground reaching its maximum height with the council offices.

Beginning at one end of the site, the wooden paving detaches itself from the ground in order to cover the entrance to the car park. This wooden strip continues as a kind of pergola that runs parallel to the street, wrapping the main public space of the square, before transforming itself once again –unfolding into three sloped planes– to become the roof of the market.

A final horizontal stretch covers the building containing the retail spaces and the council offices. This strip will become the main element of continuity throughout the project and reflects upon the surface the hidden structural bays of the car park beneath.

The market is understood as a covered plaza that is continuous with the public space surrounding it. The folds of the market roof allow for the natural light and ventilation desired.

Architects: Charmaine Lay, Carles Muro
Collaborators: Miquel Mariné (Project Architect)
Susana Aristoy, Juan Carlos Castro, David Domínguez, Raphaël de Montard, Alfredo Peñafiel, Gisela Planas, Anna Tantull, Ferran Vizoso
Structural engineers: GMK Associats [design stage] / BOMA (Lluís Moya, Xavier Aguiló) [site]
Services engineers: Instal·lacions Arquitectòniques (Albert Salazar, Cristian González)
Quantity surveyors: Forteza Carbonell Associats (Jordi Carbonell, Xavier Arumí)
Site surveyor: Héctor Fernández

via dezeen.com

This extraordinary and extravagant Spa House was designed by Metropolis Design. It is located in Hout Bay, coastal suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. The project consisted of a multi-functional building with living, recreational and spa features, annexed to a larger residence, integrated in a delightful mountain setting. According to the architects, “the house is conceived of as a hovering set of elements, suspended over a large waterscape, which forms an extended terrace on the mountainside. Water constitutes the primary experience of the building. The floor planes are arranged to provide contrasting experiences of water, and the underwater spa with large viewing windows into the pool has a sense of stillness and mystery.Formally, the building comprises a number of separate sculptural forms in a dynamic composition. The base of the building, incorporating pools, relaxation rooms and guest accommodation is entirely of concrete. The superstructure is of steel construction, which is clad in afromosia shiplap boards on timber studwork.” What do you think about this example of modern architecture?


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via freshome.com

This unconventional but at the same time very beautiful project called Kayu Aga house. The building was designed by Indonesian architect Yoka Sara and it is located in Canggu, Bali. The house has a great semi-circular terrace, thanks to that solution it is quite transparent. Its form also is well connected to the surroundings but the major question is…do you want to live in that kind of house?


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via cuded.com

This uncommon building called ‘Villa BH’ and it is located in Burgh-Haamstede, The Netherlands. The villa has a 2,874 square feet of space designed by Whim Architecture. The almost transparent structure predominantly stands on glass walls with white frames and natural wood cladding to the roof edge. Though the garden facade and between a body of still water, a wooden jetty passes that leads to the glass rear entrance and the garden house.


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via decoist.com

This video presents a lecture by Chad Oppenheim, the architect who is an emerging architecture star launching onto the national and international architecture scene. He has received distinguished design awards at the national and international level. He is the 1994 recipient of the KUME Fellowship in Japan, a two time winner of the Chicago Athenaeum’s American Architecture Award, and has won numerous design awards between 1999 and 2005 from the Florida and Miami Chapters of the American Institute of Architects. During the lecture, Oppenheim takes us on a journey from Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained and shows us that today architects must go beyond building “green” to rebuild Earth’s ecosystems.


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Our ancestors’ relationship with the nature was more utopian. We had a more hostile coexistence and we used to live with the land. Unfortunately, now we recklessly dominate, manipulate and exploit the natural world. In Oppenheim’s opinion, we are going further and further away from a paradise. Thankfully, despite that kind of behavior the paradise still exists, but nobody knows for how long. Under the pretext of technological development and progress we are devastating our natural home. It is in our nature to build, innovate and consume and it is a beautiful thing and should not be punishable. Nevertheless, if we do not create countermeasures, the future will be less habitable for our species. 

Photo from architecture-page.com

On the example of Miami, Oppenheim shows that the only remaining ecosystem there is Simpson Park. It is a small area downtown that is actually a hammock park. He designed there a wonderful entry pavilion which harmonizes the build form and the natural form. He explains that architecture designed in his practice is about love and respect for the nature. His company uses sky, water, atmosphere and light as a materials that hopefully will enhance the existence of all species. In projects in urban areas they create tropical rain forests and in more remote desert climates they create a communities that use ancient technology such as cave building. 

Like many architects from around the world he was drawn to the incredible limitless possibilities in the Middle East. Unfortunately, the paradise promise was not necessarily the paradise delivered. His office had a unique opportunity in neighboring country to create their own version of paradise. The aim of the project was to develop the plans for city for hundred fifty thousand people in the area that has been recently destroyed by the same dredging machines that created the wonderful shaped islands in Dubai. 

They decided to create an incredible natural habitat. They started with simulations of what the nature would do and accelerated the processes of erosion, wind, sand deposition in the purpose of creating the most optimal habitat for all species. They used a structure of mangrove to construct the basis for a new habitat and with help of higher biologists they found out what kind of animals should live there. They also found out how create the optimal environment to bring them back. They have managed to create a new natural city which exists in the harmony with the planet. The city reconsiders the way that we have involved and built as a civilization to recreate the optimal natural habitat. With great power comes a great responsibility and we must learn how to appreciate the nature before we recreate it.       

This modern apartment in Brussels is part of an old industrial building from the beginnings of 20th century recently transformed into a residential structure. Its three floors including the penthouse level feature five bedrooms and three bathrooms, beautiful social spaces, an elevator to move around elegantly and large, beautiful terraces. Complete with an indoor swimming pool and six-car garage, the stunning residence is offered at $2,802,428.


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via decoist.com

This stunning building was designed by Swatt Miers Architects and is located in well known area of Silicon Valley, California. Owners of this house wanted to have a casual, barefoot feel, like a holiday destination, with strong indoor-outdoor connections. Here is more from the architects: “The design that evolved is based on a simple “L” shaped plan with two wings. The east wing includes the kitchen and family room on the ground floor, with children’s bedrooms located on the upper level. The south wing consists of an office, media room, and guest suite at the lower level, with the master suite located on the second floor. Connecting the two wings is a living / dining ‘great room’, fully glazed on the north and south sides. Under a low, cantilevered overhang, a solid mahogany pivoting entrance door opens to the dramatic ‘great room’, a beautiful two-story volume pierced by a floating glass bridge that runs east-west, connecting the two wings at the upper level“. Do you think that architects fulfilled owners’ dreams?


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via freshome.com
Photography by Tim Griffith

New York City – Following an invited international competition in 2006, Allied Works was selected to design the Clyfford Still Museum, a single- artist institution devoted to the life and work of the 20th-century painter. Opened to the public on November 18th, the museum houses 94 percent of Still’s total creative output, spanning nearly six decades of work. It is one of the most comprehensive single-artist collections in the world.


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Allied Works’ design provides visitors with an intimate environment to experience the art of Clyfford Still. The building is a dense, cantilevered two-story building of richly worked concrete. Featuring nine light-filled galleries on its second level, as well as a library, educational and archival resources, a conservation studio, and collection storage on its first floor, the 28,500-square-foot museum creates a compelling environment in which to view and appreciate Still’s work and learn about his life and impact.

“This new building for the work of the artist Clyfford Still provides an intensely intimate and introspective relationship with his art,” said architect Brad Cloepfil. “The building is conceived as a nearly geologic experience, one that firmly holds both visitor and art in spaces amplified by natural light. The sequence from city, to park, to building creates a ceremony of repose that prepares the visitor for a personal and very physical relationship with this incredibly important body of drawings and paintings— whose power and presence are revealed in natural light for the first time.”

In spring 2012, Allied Works, in collaboration with Berlin-based publisher Hatje Cantz, will release a new book that presents the vision and realization of the museum from initial concepts to completion.

Text comes from architects, photos by Jeremy Bitterman.

This amazing result was possible due to the collaboration between German architect Sergei Tchoban and Egyptian designer Karim Rashid. Located on the East Port of the Spree, the NHow Berlin stands at the crossborder between the Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg artistic districts. The boutique hotel captures design, art and music in its vivid lifestyle. Overlooking the river, the hotel offers inciting views of the a perfect view of the Molecule Man metal sculpture, designed by American artist Jonathan Borofsky, so you can experience both the surrounding public art scene and the fascinating interiors of the welcoming establishment.


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via decoist.com

Can a building ever be compared to a human, particularly when a person is so characteristic as Lady Gaga? You will probably say no, but you obviously have not seen the New Museum in New York. Author of this video thinks that this is one of the best looking museums ever made and it also has a lot of resemblances to the well known pop singer. Play the video and find out the source of this way of thinking. 


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Photo from raroika.blogspot.com

The New Museum, founded as the New Museum of Contemporary Art by Marcia Tucker in 1977, is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to presenting contemporary art from around the world. In the opinion of the authors of this video, the main reasons of similarity between the building and Lady Gaga are a massive steel facade, a powerful influent design and also a “poker face” in the bottom of the building. 
 
The building was designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa from New York-based architectural practice SANAA. It is expressed as a series of six asymmetrically stacked aluminum-clad rectilinear boxes shifted off-axis around a central steel core. Sejima + Nishizawa’s inspiration came from the traditional set-backs exhibited by some of the city’s earlier skyscrapers.
 
One of the reasons why The New Museum is also interesting is because of its interior space. You are actually able to feel the space inside. Exposed ceilings, cutting-edge lighting or even colorful bathrooms make a better experience for visitors. They can absorb new designs on multilevel area with 58 000 square feet, including a 188-seat theater in the basement of The New Museum.    

This 3,756 square foot contemporary home called Beach House and it was designed by BKK architects studio. The house is located Victoria, Australia and according to the architects, the overall design of the residence was inspired by the art of origami, defined as: “Folding of spaces over and upon each other: There are a number of these folded spatial sequences within the house that allow for playful discovery and encounter as well as opportunities for varying connections between spaces. The large masonry wall forms an organisational spine to the house whilst also anchoring the various elements firmly into the landscape. This home offers various readings and differing options for occupation to the owners. It is intended that living in the house will be an unfolding series of moments, linked closely to climate and site that will continually delight and surprise.”


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via freshome.com

This stunning building called Fraser Residence and it was designed by Christopher Simmonds Architects. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the house was awarded Best Custom Urban Infill – 2011 Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association (GOHBA) Design Awards and we can see why this particular home was the winner – its architecture and interior design place it in the Dream Houses folder. According to the architects, the house displays interesting features that help the inhabitants live a comfortable, modern life: “Juxtaposed volumes define the exterior appearance of this modern home while interweaving special volumes define the expansive interior. The house takes advantage of its sloping site by inserting the garage into the lower level. This allows the elongated porch and glazed projections of the living spaces to define the home’s character in the streetscape. Subtle earth-toned brick, stained cedar siding and dark bronze aluminum glazing systems form the neutral exterior palette. Dark oak floors and cabinetry contrast the white surfaces of the gallery-like interior.”


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via freshome.com

This uncommon building was designed by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat and it is located in Hamburg, Germany. The building was named ‘Sumatrakontor‘ and it has 37.000 sq-metre of space, ten story – multifunctional building houses a variety of inner-urban functions such as; a five-star Hotel, Offices and Conference rooms, retail, high-end housing and an underground parking garage. Below you can read more information from architects.


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The office and conference spaces maximize the variety in use due to the flexible structure offering units from 400 to 4.000m2. The retail in the lower floors ensure vitality in use and dynamics throughout the day. Erick van Egeraat’s design refers to the richly detailed existing red-brick harbor buildings of the ‘Speicherstad’ but does so in a contemporary manner. The large volume appears to be ‘cut’ in 4 different volumes and this is underlined by a specific dialectic play between glass, aluminium and red natural stone slabs for each of the different volumes. The inner courtyard on the other hand emphasizes on the calm comfort of the traditional white plastered facades in the city center of Hamburg.

“I wanted to elaborate on the existing quality of this historic waterfront in a contemporary manner, so the Sumatrakontor needed to combine a number of qualities in both function and appearance. In this way the building really becomes an attribution in the activation of the city“ says Erick van Egeraat.

Whilst the original Masterplan set out to develop the ‘ Hafencity ‘ with simple building blocks, Erick van Egeraat’s interpretation is an evolution. In a playful manner the Sumatrakontor evolves upon the urban-rules set out in the masterplan, but it also leaves room for chance, for interpretation. One of the ‘cuts’ in the northern façade creates a void which in itself is the access to the inner courtyard. This courtyard is the inhabitants private garden in a environment which is largely dominated by stone.

The Sumatrakontor was initially developed by property investors ING REim, SNS property finance and Gross + Partners the latter was recently acquired by real estate investor Pramerica.

On an urban scale, the building’s shape allows a semi-public space and stimulates social interaction, while its architectonic appearance strongly relates to the character of Hamburg. The new building designed by Erick van Egeraat and his team is therefore a perfect example of the specific theme Erick van Egeraat introduced in his design for the Überseequarter: connecting the inner city with the revitalized waterfront and making the Überseequartier an integral part of the new and dynamic 21st century Hamburg.

via dezeen.com

This interesting project was designed by David Giammetta. Here is some description from the designer:“When people hear the Italian word Vespa, it’s instantly associated with Piaggio scooters. The word actually means ‘wasp’ and was used by Enrico Piaggio for his scooters when they first appeared in 1942, because of their appearance and the buzzing noise that the two stroke engine created. Tougher emission laws and the push to “go green” have made it increasingly difficult for classic automotive owners to maintain their pride and joy on the roads of today. Instead of sending rusty Vespa’s to the trash pile, I have found a more creative solution: turn the iconic scooter into functional pieces of designer furniture! The donor for my furniture project was a 1968 Vespa sprint that was beyond restoration, making it the perfect candidate. I feel that this was a more honorable fate than the scrap metal yard. I have tried to retain the traditional characteristics of the classic icon by converting the back half into a functional work station, complete with adjustable laptop stand. My aim was to deliver the feeling of riding a Vespa without the helmet hair. Anyone want to take it for a spin?”


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via freshome.com

Children’s rooms should be a space where your child play, learn new things, be comfortable and safe at the same time. The most important period in a person’s development is the first seven years, when their minds and personalities are formed. Children’s rooms should be thought of as a room dedicated to them and to its needs when he grows up.


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via designlike.com

The project challenges the common residential typology, aiming for a hybrid between a single family home and an urban residence. To this end our approach responds not only to the specific zoning and programmatic criteria, but also takes as a point of departure the natural landscapes of the island, in particular El Yunque Rainforest (Forest in the Clouds). It also glances across notions of aerial gardens particularly those mythologized in the sketches of [KM] ancient Babylon. Puerto Rico is historic and cosmopolitan, beautiful and engaging, exotic and accessible and the design is ultimately a fulcrum of everything pleasurable on the island. In an attempt to veil the density commonly associated with urban living, lush gardens have been provided on all the exposed surfaces of each unit. This enables levels of privacy and seclusion usually associated with sub-urban settings, while being positioned at a point of critical mass within Puerto Rico’s growing urban fabric.


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This topography of tropical gardens will contain 165 residences wrapped around a lush central courtyard (bio-climatic lung), arcaded ground level retail, pristine pools, fully equipped gym, restaurants/cafés, and above ground and underground parking. Numerous environmental imperatives have been integrated into the design that serve to reduce energy consumption, sustain natural resources and provide for the most healthy and pleasurable living environment.

Text above comes from architects.

via designbuzz.com

This unique building is The Kanayama Community Center designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. One of the earmarks of the structure is the unique façade, which was modeled after the stone wall that protected Kanayama Castle – a landmark site of the region – from numerous invasions during the 1570s and 1580s. The large entrance helps neutralize the protectionist feel projected by the walls. The geometric pattern is also reminiscent of family crests such as the Mitsuuroko, the crest of the Hojo Clan, who actually took ownership of the castle in the late 1500s.


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via spoon-tamago.com

This video shows an interview with Álvaro Siza, a well known Portuguese architect. He graduated in architecture in 1955, at the former School of Fine Arts from the University of Porto, the current FAUP. He is a lecturer of several reputable universities and a laureate of many international architectural awards including Pritzker Prize in 1992. During the interview, he talks about architecture in the context of transforming reality.


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Siza thinks that architects do not invent anything. In his opinion, they transform reality, and the notion of transformation is more powerful than creation. He explains his thoughts through the history context of Portugal. He recalls his first years in industry when most of his colleagues wanted to create buildings with a new form. They wanted to create a new world with innovative techniques and materials. It turned out that these young architects’ dreams were very difficult to implement. We have over 2000 years of building history and almost every idea was used in the past.

 
Siza in his begins of architectural work made many connections with tradition. He does not treat architecture as w way of creating a new world and new language. He thinks that everything has happen in the past. All elements which are used in architecture have already existed, so for him it is very clear that nothing is a result of invention. Architecture is more about a new way of using already invented things.          

American architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have won a competition to design a skyscraper for China with proposals that incoprorate a 30-storey-high opening window. The 358-metre-high Suzhou Center will be the sixth building the architects have designed for Chinese property developers the Greenland Group and is to be located beside Taihu Lake in Wuijang. Offices, apartments, shops and a hotel will be housed across 75 storeys behind the tower’s curved and tapered exterior.


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Here’s the full press release from SOM:

SOM Chicago Wins Competition to Design the Greenland Group Suzhou Center

The Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) proudly announces that it has won an international competition to design the Greenland Group Suzhou Center, in Wujiang, China. The 358-meter supertall tower will become the defining visual landmark for both the new Wujiang lakefront development and for the city as a whole.

Ross Wimer, SOM Design Director states, “This design is the result of a serious interdisciplinary collaboration in our Chicago office. Like a high performance car, the digital modeling of aerodynamics was critical to the shaping of the building. The design team included structural and mechanical engineers from the very beginning and their input helped to define all aspects of the tower.”

The 75-level building is designed to accommodate a complex mixed-use program including office, service apartments, hotel and retail on a 37,000 sm site. Sited prominently along Taihu Lake in the Jiangsu Province of China, the building’s curved, tapered form unifies the office, hotel and residential uses within a single volume. The tower features a 30-story tall operable window corresponding to the hotel and residential floors, that helps drive the environmental performance of the development.

The tower’s form is optimized to harness natural forces in and around the site to maximize its performance. High performance design engineering has been integrated into its design.
Bill Baker, SOM Structural Engineering Partner, comments, “This unique tower expresses the strength of the building in a way that is both interesting and structurally functional.”

he Wujiang Greenland Tower’s composite core and outrigger structural system use proven cost-effective construction techniques, while its unique split-core configuration of the upper floors increases the efficiency of the building structure. By placing half of the building core program on each side of the lobby and interconnecting them with structural steel braces, the combined core becomes more effective than a typical center core system while also creating a dramatic tall lobby space within.

The atrium is a key design feature of the building. It maximizes daylight penetration, facilitates mixed mode ventilation in the lobbies and public spaces, and acts as a fresh air supply source for the tower. The building is oriented to harness both the stack effect and prevailing winds via the east and west façades of the atrium.

Major high performance energy saving strategies include a high performance façade, utilizing cooler outside air at higher levels for natural ventilation of the atrium, natural light harvesting using daylight responsive controls, lighting energy optimization using efficient fixtures and occupant controls, energy recovery systems, demand controlled ventilation, and an onsite energy center with combined heat and power plant to capitalize on the overall load diversity of the development.

Luke Leung, SOM Director of Sustainable and MEP Engineering, adds, “The design of the Greenland Group Suzhou Center utilizes an atrium as the ‘lung’ of the building to provide ventilation and will incorporate a series of high efficiency measures with the objective to achieve a 60% savings in energy consumption compared to a conventional US high rise and a 60% reduction in potable water use.”

SOM Managing Partner Jeffrey McCarthy states, “This exciting new commission embodies SOM’s interdisciplinary commitment to elegant high performance design. The Greenland Group Suzhou Center is designed not only for efficiency of construction and operation, but to make a strong skyline statement about Wujiang and its bright future.”

The Greenland Group Suzhou Center is SOM Chicago’s sixth project with the Greenland Group. The firm’s work began with Zifeng Tower, formerly Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, in Nanjing, China and was completed in 2009. Five additional supertall projects designed by Wimer for the Greenland Group are the 56-story Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza in Zhengzhou, China, the 59-story Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza, Parcel A in Nanchang, China, the 56-story Nanchang Zifeng Tower in Nanchang, China and the 55-story Greenland Dawangjing Supertall Project in Dawangjing, China.

via dezeen.com

The “Pixel Building” by Studio 505 Architects may look like one of the craziest architectures you have ever come across, but the new Carlton Brewery office embodies all the ingredients of green construction required to sustain the environment. Claimed to be the first carbon neutral office building of its type in Australia, and possibly the world, the $6 million building integrates numerous sustainable features, including PV panels, wind turbines and carbon offsetting, enabling it to produce more energy than it consumes.


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“Any carbon emissions used in the building’s ongoing operation will be offset by renewable energy from large photovoltaic panels on the roof, as well as wind turbines.”
Daniel Grollo, CEO of the Grocon development company

Among the most important parts of the house is the bathroom. In this place we spend very intimate moments and people spend money and give special attention to their bathroom looks. In the foreground is good looks, a very well thought out interior design and a clean clear which we can notice at any time.


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An important place is the bathroom decorating and bathroom accessories design combining them all, to give us the perfect atmosphere we want in our bathroom.If we want our bathroom to have a separate issue in a modern style, storage of various items we have in the bathroom should be very well thought out, this space can be specially designed cabinets, but also in specially designed from the start, embedded in the interior design of bathroom.

via designlike.com

Waterfront villas are fabulous not only because of the interior design, architecture and beautiful landscape but also can offer you the relaxation you need. An example is the Luandra Gard Manor villa located on the Lake Mälaren, Sigtuna small town, situated between the cities of Stockholm and Uppsala.


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This impressive villa design can be an ideal place to spend your holidays because it is a place away from the noise and tumult of the city, which at certain times of the day suffocate you like. Magnificent property with an area of ​​49,019 sqm grounds and impressive half-kilometers long shoreline on Lake Malaren has its on beauty. The main house construction covers an area of ​​281 square meters, which allows an overview of the lake which will surely impress. Main house as can be seen in the images presented below has a nice hippes mansard roof, big windows allowing the natural light to come in the house, plastered facades. Luanda Grand Manor villa has also an entrance hallway, a nice living room, a wonderful veranda, spacious country kitchen with AGA stove and 4-5 bedrooms., and of course a large dining room.

via designlike.com

Dublin-based practice A2 architects (Caomhan Murphy, Peter Carroll) has completed ‘Seaside House’, a single family residence in Louth, Ireland. The project, which won first prize in the ‘Best House’ category at the 2011 RIAI Irish Architecture Awards, is modest in size and proportions, drawings from the scale of the neighboring travel trailers that dot the beach front.

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floor plan
(1) entrance
(2) hall
(3) living area
(4) dining area
(5) kitchen
(6) bedroom
(7) bathroom
(8) terrace
(9) access to beach
(10) beach

via designboom.com

This video shows an interview with German architect Meinhard von Gerkan, a co-founder of the international architectural practice von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, a lecturer and honorary professor of many universities. He has been also awarded with numerous awards, including Fritz Schumacher Prize and BDA Prize. During the interview, von Gerkan speaks about the responsibility of international architects. Apart from his projects, he talks about the role that architects play especially in non-developed countries. He also answers some difficult questions connected with his work in China, Vietnam and Pakistan. 


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Von Gerkan’s practice is well known because of many successful stadium projects. The interviewer asked him which special feature causes that big popularity. Von Gerkan answers that it is certainly not because of German punctuality. The most obvious reason is connected with the 2006 World Cup Finals held in Germany. His firm was responsible for three stadiums for this event. The team confounded all the naysayers including UEFA who claimed that it could not be done on time and in a planned budget. None of that happened and the event was a huge international success. That gave the company a good reputation abroad, and the effects of this reputation are new projects in Eastern European countries with the occasion of European Championships. 

 
Von Gerkan agrees with the interviewer that an iconic building which defines a city is a dream of every architect. He admits that representatives of other professions do not have opportunity to display their work so prominently. He is very proud of his works. It is also very nice feeling for him when people recognize his buildings and then write about them, respect them and finally come to visit them. The another aspect of his designs is the fact that in the consumer world everything sales better when it has a good package. 
 
Von Gerkan’s company besides the stadium projects has currently over 50 projects in China. That big amount of works in this specific country has been subjected to criticism by von Gerkan’s colleagues and the media. They say that he builds for dictators, nevertheless von Gerkan thinks that they are hypocrites. In his opinion, there are no crystal, pure democracies in the world, and they all have their blemishes. He thinks that this is impossible to work only with “good” governments, because there will not be almost any work to do. He admits that he does not build for dictators but for the people who live in those countries. He also thinks that there is a line which he will not cross. The line exists between buildings that people use for work, leisure, residence or education and buildings that are hostile to human needs. He will never build a facility which will harm world’s peace.   

When it comes to interior designing, it’s always easier when you get to deal with larger spaces rather than small apartments to stuff everything you have. However, interior specialist Tori Golub is here to assure us that with a little creativity and imagination, even lofts with limited space could look nice and cozy. All you have to do is pay much attention on the furniture you buy and the furnishings you apply. Some can make the room look larger, some will add the modern twist it needs and some will just make you feel comfortable when you step inside. I for one, definitely love the bed close to the window with a street view. Must be amazing in the morning and at night with all the lights, don’t you think?

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via freshome.com

Designed by architects Chapman Taylor, the development with its eye-catching undulating roof visually compliments the iconic Selfridges building close to it. The scheme which comprises of top restaurants is also situated next to one of the city’s historic landmarks, St Martin’s Church, giving visitors magnificently contrasting traditional and contemporary views.


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The complex geometry design reflects modern architecture at its best. Wintech developed the working design using parametric design principles that now form the main stay of complex geometry engineering. The roof is composed of a series of flat beams laid across a set of firrings, designed by Wintech in varying sizes, creating the required wave-form surface solution which scales the length of the set of new restaurants.

via wintech-group.co.uk

Designed by Japanese architect Kazuhiko Kishimoto of Acaa, the ‘Wind-dyed House’ is perched midway upon a cliff overlooking the ocean in Yokosuka Kanagawa, Japan. Embedded within the contours of the sloping terrain, this residence is surrounded with groupings of trees, encompassing and framing the building within the landscape. the low profile intervention minimally impacts the environment, along with a sensitive and light appearance. deep roof eaves cast shadows which recede the visual prominence of the structure.


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floor plan / level 0
1. approach
2. garage
3. entrance
4. kitchen
5. dining room
6. toilet
7. storage
8. engawa
9. terrace

floor plan / level -1
6. toilet
7. storage
10. living room
11. japanese-style room
12. washroom
13. bathroom
14. bedroom
15. dry area
16. corridor

floor plan / level -2
7. storage
17. hobby room

Project info:

Architecture: Kazuhiko Kishimoto / Acaa
Photography: Hiroshi Ueda
Location: Yokosuka Kanagawa
Date of completion: july 2011
Principal use: private house
Structure: rc, steel
Site area: 454m2
Total floor area: 286.93m2 (54.86m2/b1f, 131.22m2/1f, 100.85m2/2f,)
Structural engineer: Takahiro Suwabe

via designboom.com

Robert Majkut has completed the interior design for PKO Bank Polski Private Banking in Poland. Majkut said a few words about this project: The starting point for this project was Bank’s corporate identity developed by White Cat Studio, above all the modernized logo of PKO Bank Polski in its elegant color version for Private Banking sector – black, white and gold, which created a set of basic colors for the interior. Other graphical elements were also inspiring – in particular one decorative motif consisting of a grid of elegant, sinusoidal lines, consistently applied in the graphic design for the PKO Bank Polski Private Banking.


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The theme of delicate grid was treated in a very innovative way – a bi-dimensional pattern was completely transformed by introducing an additional dimension: it was made spatial by being projected on the tri-dimensional model of the interior. To achieve this effect special software for parametric design was used, which allowed for the creation of a complex and ordered structure formed as a transformation of the subtle grid of lines converging in one abstract point. This complicated geometry setting has become a model to be filled with interior design solutions.

As a composition it is coherent and complete, being a real challenge at the stage of realization. The final effect is a balance between purely aesthetic choices and a mathematical order, accepted by the designer, yet generated by software that was treated not only as a tool, but as a creative factor. It is a kind of metaphorical code which presents the character of the institution and its services, being a mix of mathematical analyses and human element of experience, knowledge, and decision making process.

via contemporist.com

Ever thought about building a home dark on the outside and filled with light on the inside? The Lake House is a perfect example of how these two elements can be successfully joined to shape a fantastic contemporary residential building. Designed by San Francisco-based Mark Dziewulski Architects, the home was initially called the Cliff House, but the current owners refers to it as The Lake House. The 8,694 square foot home is made out of three main building materials: concrete, steal and glass. It took four years to complete this stunning residence and the architects designed the five stories in such a manner that the light-flooded interior spaces get the best views from the nearby Lake Tahoe. The four bedroom, four bathroom home, resting on a half acre property benefits from exciting moments spent by the private pier. Exceptional details like the glass elevator and stairwell make the home more than a comfortable collection of modern spaces – they transform it into a breathtaking contemporary home. Located in Incline Village, Crystal Bay, Nevada, the luxurious waterfront home is offered at $43 million, but its architectural and design details offer inspiration for free. My favorite space in this house is the pure white laundry room with the bicycle table in the middle.


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