Strictly Design

Exterior Lighting

2012-08-08T19:08:00.001-07:00

LED Floating Pool Illuminations

Modern Landscaping

2012-08-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

Modern Exterior Landscape Design Ideas

Zombie Proof House!

2012-08-08T16:41:00.002-07:00

Polands Zombie Proof House

Somehow, ritual drunk-conversation concerning team captains for the apocalypse has become a major part of the lives of 20-somethings. Having been matured in the Grandaddy-crowned masterpiece film (put “A.M. 180” on and forget that you have a job) 28 Days Later and the best-selling Zombie Survival Guide, we’re all a little too ready to deal with the 2012 of our dreams.

“The Safe House,” designed by KWK Promes, starts to get eerily close to something I could work with, if say 200 bludgeoned members of the undead army came over to eat their way into borrowing some sugar.

“The most essential item for our clients was acquiring the feeling of maximum security,” begins the designers’ website in the summary of the structure. Who wouldn’t feel safe in a concrete rectangle that folds in upon itself to become completely sealed? Even the windows are covered with a slab of concrete when the structure is on nap time. The house, with its movable walls, has only one entrance, which is located on the second floor after crossing a drawbridge. Seems like the perfect opportunity to use a flamethrower and defend the life of your family, while stylishly nesting in a piece of architectural elitism.

German Engineering

2012-08-08T16:31:00.001-07:00

2013 BMW M5 Twin-Turbo V8 Revealed

Practically every automaker has an R or a GT or a V or an S or a Spec-Something-or-Other sexing up its catalog. But nobody commits to the job with the fervor of BMW’s M division GmbH. Granted, the gulf between track and street that opened up years ago means that BMW’s speed shop no longer puts motorsport specials on the road with detuned race engines. But that doesn’t mean new M’s are nothing more than Big Macs with barbecue sauce. Okay, maybe the 1-series M sort of is. But take the example of the new 560-hp “M TwinPower Turbo” M5—Bimmer-nerd code: F10—that goes on sale in the U.S. late next summer as a 2013 model.

Shopping Tools Advertisement INSTRUMENTED TESTarrow VIEW PHOTOS (32) | COMMENTS (316) 2013 BMW M5 With its new top sedan, the M division continues to tip its own sacred cows. NOVEMBER 2011 BY AARON ROBINSON Building factory hot rods must be a good business. Practically every automaker has an R or a GT or a V or an S or a Spec-Something-or-Other sexing up its catalog. But nobody commits to the job with the fervor of BMW’s M division GmbH. Granted, the gulf between track and street that opened up years ago means that BMW’s speed shop no longer puts motorsport specials on the road with detuned race engines.

But that doesn’t mean new M’s are nothing more than Big Macs with barbecue sauce. Okay, maybe the 1-series M sort of is. But take the example of the new 560-hp “M TwinPower Turbo” M5—Bimmer-nerd code: F10—that goes on sale in the U.S. late next summer as a 2013 model. In the F10 M5, you get: a unique engine [see sidebar]; a unique, reinforced and re-ratio’d, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission; and a unique, electronic limited-slip differential with a unique aluminum horse-collar mount for added rigidity.

There’s a unique suspension with forged aluminum components and nary a part number shared with any other BMW; a unique variable-ratio steering gear with hydraulic instead of electric boost as in other 5s; unique, iron-and-aluminum brake rotors clamped by unique radial-mount, monoblock front calipers housing six asymmetrically sized pistons per wheel; and a unique front crossmember, stiffened and attached by two additional bolts because somebody thought that was important.

A unique rear-suspension cradle is rigidly mounted to the unibody to eliminate the weight and flex of rubber bushings, unique stiffening rods and shear plates underneath serve as extra bracing, and the car runs enough special software to land it on an asteroid. You may scoff upon learning the M5’s price, expected to fall near $92,000.

To that prodigious sum we say: How can BMW possibly sell a couple thousand copies per year so cheaply? What does the dedicated tooling cost, anyway? How much is it to change 10 things about an engine, including the induction system and compression ratio, and then recertify it? It’s a lot of Big Macs. Maybe not as many Big Macs as creating a bespoke V-10, as in the previous E60, but a lot. The new M5 will assuredly be profitable. But whether it is spectacular or merely great—many people would put a 4300-pound luxury sedan that hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds firmly in the former category—it’s definitely no parts-bin badge job.

Sea Cave

2012-08-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Sea Cave Restaurant in Southern Italy Tucked away in a cavernous sea grotto in Southern Italy is one of the Grotta Palazzese Hotel’s fine cuisine restaurants. Open only during the summer months, this romantic and exclusive restaurant is illuminated by dim glowing lights and the glimmer of light reflecting off the waters of Polignano a Mare. Wood floors and simple furnishings balance well with the natural limestone texture of the cave. Seaside dining tables overlook the breathtaking views of the ocean while a small railing is the only barrier between the expansive sea below and the ancient rock within. [via inhabitat]