Out of the Way

Green Architecture: COR 2.0?

2012-03-13T04:34:00.001+08:00

If you are into sustainable architecture, chances are you've already seen Oppenheim's COR Tower in Miami. At 27 stories high, the wind turbines will generate electricity from the breeze off the ocean, complemented by the giant solar photovoltaic panels.

Now what if we add a brim defuser to each turbine on COR, making them into "wind lens", as developed by Kyushu University in Japan. This would double or even triple the output of these wind turbines.

The Little Black Dress

2011-12-16T00:55:00.000+08:00

I simply heart little black dresses -- simple, elegant, some are good for work as well as happy hours, formal receptions. These are a few ones on my shopping list this season:

Akris Punto，Embellished Dress

Dolce & Gabbana，Lace Dress

Tadashi Shoji，Ruched V-Neck Dress

And of course, I just got a couple pairs of black high heels to match them with!

Happy holidays!!!

"Greenest" Office Building

2011-09-03T09:06:00.003+08:00

What does it take to be the greenest office building in the country?

Construction has begun on the Bullitt Center in Seattle, its goal -- net-zero water and net-zero energy, using only its own rainwater and power generated by itself. It's expected to use less than half as much energy per square foot as what is required for LEED platinum "green" standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. (L.A. Times)

Here is what it takes:

A triple-glazed curtain wall system
Windows that open and close automatically depending on outside conditions
A closed-loop geothermal system
Radiant floor heating and cooling
Extensive daylighting thanks, in part, to taller than average ceilings and windows
Rooftop solar system designed to generate 100 percent of the building’s energy needs

The Only Thing I Will Say about Milan Fashion Week

2011-03-02T08:29:00.000+08:00

Gold!

Bottega Veneta

My favorite, though, is the always breath-takingly gorgeous Luisa Beccaria. Enjoy!

If you missed their Spring 2011 collection, here they are: ethereal, romantique, graceful - honestly, I stop breathing for five seconds when I first saw them.

Tip of the Day

2011-02-06T10:45:00.002+08:00

quote-book:

Photograph by: Mikey Burton

Tip of the Day

2010-10-02T09:06:00.000+08:00

via environminimalist

Beauty of Imperfection

2010-07-12T02:03:00.000+08:00

Josh Olins shoots Magdalena Frackowiak for Dazed & Confused’s February 2010 edition. Wardrobe from the elegant Viktor & Rolf!

Harrier and Jaguar, 2010

2010-07-09T05:26:00.000+08:00

Tate Britain 28 June 2010 – 3 January 2011

Fiona Banner, talented young British artist, was awarded the Tate Britain Duveens Commission 2010. Here's a peak at her work:

Harrier, 2010, BAe Sea Harrier aircraft, paint 7.6 m x 14.2 m x 3.71 m © Tate Photography / Andrew Dunkley and Sam Drake

London, where roses bloom in city hall

2010-07-06T07:11:00.001+08:00

photo by mergana

Designed by the great Norman Foster, London City Hall may be the most beautiful modern city halls in the world. This egg-shaped building is installed with solar PVs that provides green energy. When you visit London next time, put the City Hall on your visit list! They are open to the public on Mondays to Thursdays from 8.30am to 6pm and Fridays from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

photo by J.Salmoral

Commencement 2010

2010-05-28T06:55:00.003+08:00

Harvard Commencement 2010. It'll be my turn soon (hopefully)!

Congratulations to this year's graduates!

The Design School and their lego bricks and mortar.

Law School and their gavels.

The Kennedy School of Government and mini-globes.

Dentistry and their broomstick.

Meryl Streep receiving Honorary Degree.

Tip of the Day

2010-05-20T06:37:00.000+08:00

Roses are pink

2010-05-18T10:16:00.003+08:00

Christian Dior's new resort collection is just absolutely fabulous! I'm loving it!!!

See a slideshow of Christian Dior's complete 2011 resort collection.

A Matter of Taste

2010-05-17T12:27:00.002+08:00

- from the extraordinary photographer / designer Fulvio Bonavia

FULVIO BONAVIA Website

Tip of the Day

2010-05-06T23:21:00.000+08:00

Tip of the Day

2010-04-17T22:44:00.000+08:00

You can buy the journal at Amazon :)

Fernando Pessoa - Before I Had You

2010-04-12T17:11:00.002+08:00

One of Fernando Pessoa's masterful love poems, written by his persona Alberto Caeiro, recommended by my dear friend Ivanna.

Before I Had You

Before I had you
I loved Nature as a calm monk loves Christ.
Now I love Nature
As a calm monk loves the Virgin Mary,
Religiously (in my manner), like before,
But in a more heartfelt and intimate way.
I see the rivers better when I walk with you
Through the fields to the rivers' banks.
When I sit next to you and watch the clouds
I see them much more clearly.
You haven't taken Nature from me,
You haven't changed Nature.
You've brought Nature closer.
Because you exist I see it better, though the same as before.
Because you love me I love it in the same way, but more.
Because you chose me to have you and love you
My eyes gaze at it
More than at anything.

I don't regret what I was before,
For I am still what I was.
I only regret not having loved you before.

What I'm Reading

2010-03-27T02:57:00.003+08:00

A Glimpse of the Eternal

Just now,

a sparrow lighted

on a pine bough

right outside

my bedroom window

and a puff of yellow pollen

flew away.

After Years

Today, from a distance, I saw you

walking away, and without a sound

the glittering face of a glacier

slid into the sea. An ancient oak

fell in the Cumberlands, holding only

a handful of leaves, and an old woman

scattering corn to her chickens looked up

for an instant. At the other side

of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times

the size of our own sun exploded

and vanished, leaving a small green spot

on the astronomer's retina

as he stood in the great open dome

of my heart with no one to tell.

From the delightful collection of poetry by US Poet Laureate - Ted Kooser

Tip of the Day

2010-03-25T00:42:00.003+08:00

(by EM!LYY)

The Wings of MAM

2010-03-15T13:38:00.001+08:00

The Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Musuem, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava brought MAM back to fame. And when you see these photos, it's not hard to understand why.

Exterior

photo by woodsm

Detail: Window

photo by o palsson

Wing

photo by numstead

Interior: Corridor

photo by multisanti

Horsetail Firefall - Another Reason to Believe the World is a Wonder

2010-03-14T19:59:00.000+08:00

Horsetail Firefall: "

This photo was made by Rob Kroenert on February 18th 2010 in the Yosemite National Park. Every year during the month of February, the Horsetall Falls turn golden around sunset. Amazing.

Marie Antoinette on ads for Zoya, Bombay

2010-03-09T06:10:00.001+08:00

Sarah Klassen/Haute Design: Oh so Marie Antoinette

who wouldn't like a pinky glorious glow?

Villa Moderna, Tokyo

2010-02-20T20:36:00.000+08:00

Villa Moderna, Tokyo

designed by Sakakura Associates, 1974

Tip of the Day: V-Day

2010-02-14T16:26:00.002+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

via http://www.gapingvoidgallery.com/

徒然草 (Tsurezuregusa)

2010-02-12T11:33:00.006+08:00

ふたつ文字
牛の角文字
直ぐな文字
歪み文字
とぞ君は覚ゆる

-- 徒然草　第六十二段 - 徒然草 (吉田兼好著・吾妻利秋訳)

The letter in two strokes,

The letter like an ox's horns,

The straight letter,

And the crooked letter too

All spell my love for you.

-- Princess Ensei (1229 - 1332)

where did the ducks go?

2010-02-10T05:23:00.003+08:00

snowpoclypse impending

seeing this photo

reminds me of the late J.D. Salinger and only then I felt sadness

"where did the ducks go?"

"I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away." -- Catcher In The Rye

photo by © Alexander Gronsky