( ° _ ° ) minushabens' scrapbook

Klong Toey Community Lantern is a Multi-Use Sustainable Social Center in the Heart of Bangkok

2012-01-29T23:33:00.000+01:00

Klong Toey Community Lantern is a Multi-Use Sustainable Social Center in the Heart of Bangkok:

Read the rest of Klong Toey Community Lantern is a Multi-Use Sustainable Social Center in the Heart of Bangkok

* please visit original post site *

AI WEIWEI: Evolution of a Dissident

2012-01-29T22:58:00.000+01:00

AI WEIWEI: Evolution of a Dissident:
I am not stupid, you know. Of course I know what I am doing.

* please visit original post site *

Temple Of Diana / José María Sánchez García

2012-01-27T22:52:00.000+01:00

Temple Of Diana / José María Sánchez García:

Architects: José María Sánchez García

Location: Mérida, Spain

Project Team: Enrique García-Margallo Solo de Zaldivar, Rafael Fernández Caparros, Maribel Torres Gómez, Laura Rojo Valdivielso, Francisco Sánchez García, José García-Margallo, Marta Cabezón López, Mafalda Ambrósio, Carmen Leticia Huerta, Marilo Sánchez García, Julia Ternström

Structural Engineer: CDE Ingenieros, Gogaite S.L

Services Engineer: ARO consultores

Project Year: 2011

Project Area: 2,158.19 sqm

Photographs: Roland Halbe

The project retrieves the environment of the Temple of Diana in Merida, which was the forum or the city center in Roman times. The challenge of acting in a place with such historical and archaeological relevance has meant to work with the existing trace since the beginning, so that the finished work would recover this space from Roman times through modern language. This situation has led to conceive the architectural design not as something closed or completely defined before starting to run. On the contrary, we worked in a more flexible way, defining the rules and guidelines on how to act in this place, that is to say, the syntax of the project itself, in order to absorb all the irregularities and changes due to the archaeological findings, without losing the initial concept of the proposal. All this has been developed during five years that, with the archaeological works, the project definition and execution of the construction overlapping in time.

The project is solved with a perimeter piece L-shaped, with its own syntax, sewing its edge with the city and creating a large square around the temple. This “L” is the union of the platform or high walk (which at the same level of the podium liberates the archaeological level at ground floor, allowing visitors to have a new relationship with the temple) and the structural wall (which puts in Temple value by framing and abstracting it from adjacent buildings). Between the perimeter L piece and the city, a volume in the form of hanging boxes occupy interstitial spaces accommodating commercial and cultural uses. Thus, the project, rather than a building is a raised platform, a floating structure capable of generating a new layer of city full of program.

Section

To recover the Roman trace on ground floor, the perimeter structure is placed on the edge of the site, away from the temple, thus giving the largest possible surface to the public square. The original sacred area is recovered, respecting the Roman archaeological features that are part of the sacred space: the temple, two side ponds, the cryptoportico and the Roman wall, which are now incorporated into the plaza.

The platform stands at about the same height of the podium of the temple to allow visitors to watch it as they were inside, while projecting a shadow over the square. This way the temple environment gets “geometrized,” making the understanding of the space clear and not interrupted by the particularities of the back part of the existing buildings. At the rear part, a volume system, flexible to changes in the perimeter, will occupy the interstitial spaces, shaping light patios that rhythmically fragment the platform´s shadow. It defines a new order of light and shade in the square by the patios between the boxes.

The materialization of the elements that build the new spaces has been studied by a contemporary interpretation of the materials that were part of the Roman space. The whole square will have an earth finishing, as it was originally. The piece in L is defined as an artificial stone, made of lime and aggregates characteristic of the place with the granite-like color of the podium of the Temple. We don´t talk about concrete as such, but a warmer artificial stone made using materials found in the surroundings.

Floor Plan

Temple Of Diana / José María Sánchez García originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 25 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

bellomo architects: house arc

2012-01-27T22:17:00.000+01:00

bellomo architects: house arc:
the 150-square-foot dwelling can be flat-packed and shipped in a box that is 4x10x3 feet in size.

read more

* please visit original post site *

Original Wooden Boat House On The Hunte River

2012-01-27T12:14:00.000+01:00

Original Wooden Boat House On The Hunte River:

Once we received photos of this amazing boathouse, we had to share the project with you, so that you benefit from amazing inspiration. Created by designer Flo Florian and architect and designer Sascha Akkermann of Confused-Direction Design, the second model of floating home, named the Silverbeaver, features modern design details that fabricate a comfortable and stylish appeal. Located in Oldenburg, Germany, on the Hunte River, the boat house displays a sleek design, dressed in a wood skin that integrates the structure into the surrounding environment. Three main characteristics can be recognized in each space and define all the rooms, materials and textures – clear, warm and bright.

The challenge of designing a stylish, modern boat house ensured the architects and designers used the best materials for this project, like the locally resourced larch-wood, combined with carefully chosen high tech-materials. Two terraces, one of which is on the roof, invite family and friends outside, where they can enjoy summer nights and days. Light materials were combined with modern furniture and contemporary furnishings and the pet cats have comfortable beds right in the living room, where they can participate in the family get-togethers. Flo Florian and Sascha Akkermann have chosen smart details for the interior, like the old model switches from the 40s, rebuild by Berker and Rosenthal.

You're reading Original Wooden Boat House On The Hunte River originally posted on Freshome. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Freshome on Twitter, Facebook and Google+

* please visit original post site *

25Hours Hotel HafenCity Interior by Stephen Williams Associates

2012-01-27T00:26:00.000+01:00

25Hours Hotel HafenCity Interior by Stephen Williams Associates:
Stephen Williams Associates designed the interior of the 25Hours Hotel HafenCity in Hamburg, Germany.

Visit the Stephen Williams Associates website – here.

* please visit original post site *

The Stork Nest Farm / SGL Projekt

2012-01-26T15:27:00.000+01:00

The Stork Nest Farm / SGL Projekt:

Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

Architects: SGL Projekt s.r.o.

Location: Dvůr Semtín, Olbramovice, Czech Republic

Project Team: 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.

Project Year: 2010

Photographs: Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

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. Since 1926 storks have lived on the chimney. It became the main reason for buying this farm.

Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

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. At the end of the 80′s the farm was 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 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.

cross section

These birds also fascinated us by their endurance in building their nest. After decades they construct 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.

Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

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.

Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

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.

Courtesy of SGL Projekt s.r.o.

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.

The Stork Nest Farm / SGL Projekt originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 25 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

Clearly Cool: 15 Amazing Glasses, Sunglasses & Frames

2012-01-26T14:34:00.000+01:00

Clearly Cool: 15 Amazing Glasses, Sunglasses & Frames: [ By Steve in Architecture & Design & Gadgets & Geek Art & Various Uncategorized. ]

Now see here! The ayes may have it but now you can too, thanks to these amazing eyeglass and frame designs that cornea the market on out-of-this-world eyewear. It’s a pity, really, that you only have two eyes with which to make a spectacle of yourself but at least there are other options for living a life made in the shades.

Ketevane Maissaia Eyewear

(images via: Cherry Gal Blossoming, Slamxhype and Fresh Train)

Who is Ketevane Maissaia, and why is he/she foisting these maximalist eyeglasses on us? According to HypeBeast, the concept for the sunglasses was “inspired by Soviet architecture”… which tells you just about everything you need to know. Oh, you can pick up a pair (don’t strain your back) at the Think Silly Store in Hong Kong.

Pierced Bridge Frameless Specs

(images via: ChooseUrFun and AnswerBag)

Tired of eyeglasses constantly sliding off the bridge of your nose? Sure you are, but wanting to screw the darned things on and actually doing it are two different things – both of them kinda nutty. This “edgy” implanted eyeglasses mounting may look like a clever, creepy photoshop but as much as you’d like to believe that, pierced bridge glasses are as real as the pain of installation.

(image via: All About Colored Contacts)

The concept was originated by James Sooy working with Oliver Gibson. Tiny magnets in the frames attach to flat areas on the bridge implant for a secure and exact fit. They aren’t available to paying customers just yet but one thing is certain: people will want it done if only for the shock value.

Staffan Preutz “SP” Temple Glasses

(images via: Jeremiah Owyang, JoselinMane and Polaris Eyewear)

Staffan Preutz “SP” rimless frames don’t actually monitor one’s brainwaves via implanted electrodes, they just look that way.

(image via: Only Ideal)

The unusual design relies instead on an ultra-lightweight (2.2 grams) springy titanium alloy frame that grasps the temples by way of a soft pad on either side. Borg nanoprobes not included.

Stix Eyeware Chopsticks Glasses

(images via: UberReview and Yanko Design)

“Don’t leave home without it,” cautioned Karl Malden in those old American Express ads, and if you’re on your way to a swanky Japanese restaurant for dinner you don’t want to forget your eyeglasses or chopsticks either. What to do? Wear a pair of Stix Eyeware, of course! Brad Gressel‘s curious combination of glasses and chopsticks melds the best features of both, solving your little problem in one fell swoop… unless you forget to wear them, I guess, thereby doubling your trouble.

Ann-Sofie Back’s Dripping Sunglasses

(images via: Anna Ter Haar and Incredible Things)

These “dripping” sunglasses look like the product of a glassblower in a hurry but not to worry, they’re not all that hot… and we mean that in a good way.

(image via: Your Vogue Glasses)

Debuting on models strutting high-end fashion runways back in 2009, the ghoulish & gothic sunglasses originally designed by Anna Ter Haar were subsequently made mass-marketable by designer Ann-Sofie Back, and are now available in your choice of Smoke or Red… more like Smoke or Fire, hmm?

Linda Farrow’s Beak Sunglasses

(images via: Sunglasses Fashion and Trendhunter)

Say hello to my leetle friend with the beak sunglasses… and thank fashion designer Linda Farrow for these and other eye-popping (sorry) designs favored by Lady Gaga and the like. Of course, the Poker Face hitmaker (gah, can’t believe I wrote that) can get away with wearing oddball eyeball covers while you most likely can’t.

(images via: BapeTalk)

One exception is (are?) the Beak Sunglasses above, which are ideal for sunbathing and beach-combing as they sport a built-in nose shade. The hoi polloi can use zinc oxide.

Black Bars Sunglasses

(images via: Stupididiotic and StuffToTweet)

What was unseen, cannot be seen… or something like that. Seize your very own day of infamy with Black Bars, the censor bar privacy specs (dis)approved by paparazzi everywhere.

(images via: Art-Of-Noise and I Hate Your Fashion)

Stupididiotic Black Bars (that’s their name, not our judgement) will, in the words of the ad copy, make you “immediately popular with the “IN” crowd” and are “great for webcams and MySpace photos”… not to mention, they coordinate perfectly with a Three Wolf Moon t-shirt.

Look Left Glasses

(images via: Robot Nine)

“BokitoKijker” glasses can’t be bought; they’re free with your paid admission to the Rotterdam Zoo’s gorilla exhibit. It seems that the great apes get anxious, annoyed and angry when rude humans stare directly at them… and they respond by jumping over the wall and attacking the tactless onlookers. OK, only ONE gorilla (a silverback named Bokito) attacked a visitor but that was more than enough to get the point across.

(images via: Urkobold and Circus No Spin)

The glasses are designed not to offend the gorillas, while still allowing humans to gawk at their leisure without the fear of sudden onset ape attack syndrome – SOAAS, for short. Perhaps they should distribute them to the gorillas as well so everyone involved can just chill out.

Unibrow Shades

(image via: I Hate Your Fashion)

Back in the day, folks imagined a future where men shaved their heads and wore strange, inscrutable, single-lensed sunglasses. Now that the world of tomorrow is here today, men do indeed depiliate their noggins. Those psycho hipster shades, on the other hand, just didn’t pan out… and someone forgot to tell the dude above.

Sexy Legs Sunglasses

(images via: Goggles and Glasses and Freaking News)

Sexy Legs Sunglasses are said to be inspired by the Can Can Girls of Paris. Funny, I never noticed any of the Can Can Girls wearing glasses but then, I didn’t notice if they have eyes. In any case, these novelty shades are ideal for parties where you want to get a leg (or two) up on your fellow partygoers… or just want to look like Bono.

Pixel Frames

(images via: Dzmitry Samal Eyewears)

I see your 20/20 vision and I raise you… eight bit frames! Inspired by the early days of video arcade games and the primitive digital imagery of our misspent youth, Dzmitry Samal‘s pixel frames add a dash of nostalgia to any eyeglass-wearing experience. That’s Dzmitry himself above top, doing some self-promotion.

(image via: Dzmitry Samal Eyewears)

Samal’s choice of contrasting colors for the lens holders and earpieces serves to enhance the retro look. Pixel frames can be used with prescription clear or color-changing lenses, tinted lenses for sunglasses, or just wear the empty frames if you don’t actually need eyeglasses and are only out to make a fashion statement.

Slanties Eyewear

(images via: StyleKandi, Trendhunter and NNSL)

When you’re trudging across the permafrost and need to watch out where the huskies go, do what the Inuit do: whip out your trusty pair of Slanties!

(images via: eStrip/Paul, Johns Hopkins News-Letter and Farmland City)

This ancient, tundra-tested sunlight dimmer amounted to a technological breakthrough north of 60 so it’s sad that the no-nonsense design of Slanties (a questionable term, btw) has lately been co-opted by hipsters. The modern version is reinforced with fiberglass to ensure they won’t snap, shatter or splinter (ouch!) on your next PBR run.

Silhouette Futura 570 Shades

(image via: BapeTalk)

Sick and tired of those “Hey four-eyes!” taunts? Cut ‘em down to size by wearing a pair of Silhouette Futura 570 shades. This rare tour de force of 1970s design provides the ultimate in UV eye protection, which is saying something since “UV eye protection” wasn’t on anyone’s agenda 40-odd years ago.

(images via: Silhouette, Luxury Vintage Sunglasses and Adventures and Ramblings)

Style being subjective and all, the odd “treye-ball” design of Silhouette Futura 570 sunglasses has aged remarkably well regardless of their suddenly fashionable UV-fighting prowess… or maybe it’s just that the deeply tinted wraparound design was a forerunner to those deeply tinted wraparound sunglasses favored by today’s senior citizens.

“YURI” Sunglasses from Mykita Eyewear

(images via: High Snobiety, ThisNext and If It’s Hip, It’s Here)

Inspired by the late Soviet cosmonaut and space pioneer Yuri Gagarin, Mykita Eyewear’s “YURI” Sunglasses were designed by Romain Kremer to protect the wearer… from alien attack, perhaps? If you’re not convinced these sunglasses are weird, look who’s wearing them: yep, Lady Gaga (again). Now you too can emulate the newsworthy pop star or look like an interplanetary insect queen, or both!

(images via: If It’s Hip, It’s Here)

When asked the reason for the unusual styling, Romain Kremer explained the sunglasses are “made to protect the 3rd eye and the brain, reinforcing the idea of a new type of man, with a sci-fi warrior touch.” Alrighty then! The ultra-oversized frames come in your choice of black or red-orange, and they’re a limited edition item so you’d best order early and often.

Kim Jong-Il’s Vintage Courreges Sunglasses

(images via: Louis Marino and Zone7style)

The late and lamented (in his country) Kim Jong-Il was North Korea’s “Dear Leader”; was it asking too much for him to be a fashion leader as well? KJ wore a variety of prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses but his favorites appear to have been a pair of vintage Courreges Sunglasses straight outta the Eighties.

(images via: Huffington Post and Linde Gallery)

Kim Jong-Il left North Korea to his son but, more importantly, did he leave him his outsized shades as well? Kim Jong-Un has yet to be spied sporting any eyewear but as the weather warms he may find the Courreges to try on a pair. Junior had best be advised, however, that should a new pair (or pairs) be required, he’ll find them priced at €445.00 each at Linde Gallery’s Women’s Wear page… ooh, awkward.

* please visit original post site *

Blind Cut

2012-01-25T19:03:00.000+01:00

Blind Cut: Two young curators contemplate deception through a range of works that question reality

In magic, a blind cut refers to when the illusionist appears to shuffle a deck of cards, but in reality, hasn't actually shuffled them at all. This sleight-of-hand trick is also the befitting title of the forthcoming exhibition at NYC's
Marlborough Chelsea gallery, a group show curated by Jonah Freeman and Vera Neykov. Tapping revered Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers as its thematic anchor, "Blind Cut" explores the concept of deception in regards to identity, authenticity and originality, through his works and others', each questioning what is real and what is fictional.

After living for decades as a struggling poet, in 1964 Broodthaers set in plaster 50 copies of a compilation of his poems entitled Pense-Bête, and put them on display at Galerie St Laurent. In the catalog for the exhibition, the Surrealist poet boldly stated, "I, too, wondered if I couldn't sell something and succeed in life...The idea of inventing something insincere finally crossed my mind and I set to work at once."

Re-framing his poetry as tangible works of art, Broodthaers continued to explore word-object relationships and the meaning of language throughout his short-lived career, often recontextualizing the work of his mentor, Réné Magritte. His diverse oeuvre now spans paintings, sculptural installations, photogrpahy, books and film, but with each medium he muddled the truth in order to expose the truth. "Blind Cut" also looks to another quotation by Broodthaers, which states "A fiction allows us to grasp reality and at the same time that which is veiled by reality."

A contemporary reflection of this ideology may be found in the work of sculptor
Robert Lazzarini, who poetically distorts the familiar by toying with perception. Interested in phenomenology, Lazzarini uses real materials to create fabricated objects which sharply remind the viewer of their mundane existence.

Showing other introspective artists such as Matt Johnson, Anne Collier, Ed Ruscha and more—as well as works from influential movements like Dada and the radical architecture agency Superstudio—"Blind Cut" looks at a perpetually relevant topic with fresh eyes. In the digital age—one where Twitter verification is a measure of authenticity and bloggers post images without any concern for copyright—questions about identity, originality and reality feel like a natural part of conversation, but Freeman and Neykov have compiled a range of works that make the audience reconsider what they see.

"Blind Cut" opens 19 January 2012 at Marlborough Chelsea and runs through 18 February 2012.

More images of work from the show after the jump

* please visit original post site *

Invisible Edges: 15 Death-Defying Infinity Pool Designs

2012-01-25T18:35:00.000+01:00

Invisible Edges: 15 Death-Defying Infinity Pool Designs: [ By Steph in Architecture & Design & Travel & Places. ]

The edges of these pools seem to just drop off into space, threatening to whisk swimmers off a cliff, into the sea or over the edge of a skyscraper. Infinity pools, also known as zero-edge pools, use glass walls or waterfall-like overspill troughs to achieve this sometimes vertigo-inducing effect. These 15 particularly scenic infinity pools will have you daydreaming about booking summer vacations.

Cliff-Hanging Home with Cantilevered Pool

(images via: marc gerritsen)

Talk about dream houses – this jaw-dropping ultramodern residence in Thailand not only perches on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, it’s got a shimmering cantilevered infinity pool that seems like it extends out forever into the sea. Designed by Original Vision, the home features stacked levels that lift the living spaces high above the tree level, providing the best views possible.

Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel, Bali

(images via: freshome)

Swimming pools don’t get much more scenic than this. The Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel in Bali has a towering, multi-leveled infinity pool that looks like a natural cliffside and was in fact designed to mimic the surrounding hills. In addition to the two main pools, each of the 38 guest rooms at Ubud has its own mini infinity pool with views of the nearby Pura Penataran Dalem Segara temple.

Hill House with Amazing Edgeless Pool

(images via: malik architecture)

With views of both the sea and the city of Mumbai and a stunning wrap-around rooftop-deck infinity pool, this unusual geometric house design has it all. While the exterior of the house is a bit eclectic to say the least, the pool more than makes up for it. Lifting the pool above ground level must give the sense of swimming in the sky, especially given the house’s location on top of a hill.

Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

(images via: jademountain.com)

Another tempting resort with an infinity pool for each room is Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, where the views are almost too gorgeous to be believed. The pools are referred to as ‘sanctuaries’ and are classified as ‘stars’, ‘moons’, ‘suns’ and ‘galaxies’ according to size. A night experiencing one of these pools for yourself will range between $950 and $2,700.

Villa Mayavee, Phuket, Thailand

(images via: inspire first)

A private modern residence in Phuket, Thailand, Villa Mayavee has a beautiful slatted wood exterior and lots of glass for looking out at those enviable views of the ocean, but more importantly, check out that pool! Situated between floors, the large infinity pool seems to spill out of the house itself.

Hotel Caruso, Ravello, Italy

(images via: citalia.com)

Renowned for its spectacular rocky cliffs overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, Italy’s Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world. At Hotel Caruso in Ravello, guests can enjoy these views from a heated infinity pool on a clifftop 1,000 feet above sea level. The modern pool is a stunning contrast beside the historic 11th century hotel, a former palazzo.

Astarte Suites, Santorini

(images via: freshome)

What better way to contemplate the natural beauty of Santorini than from a sparkling pool with cliffside views? The Greek island’s Astarte Suites mimics the blue of the ocean and the rocky landscape with its pools and stone pillars.

Langham Place Miora Resort & Spa, Phuket

(images via: phuket-miora.langhamplacehotels.com)

One of Thailand’s prettiest pools is at Langham Place Miora Resort & Spa, located in Phuket. Overlooking the ocean as these resorts typically do, the pool wraps around the exterior of the resort – on the second floor. Each of the 78 designer villas also has its own private plunge pool with retractible floating dining tables.

Huvafen Fushi, Maldives

(images via: only exclusive travel)

Studded with submerged lights and extending out right over a private lagoon in the Indian Ocean, the Huvafen Fushi Resort’s zero-edge pool is a fantasy swimming experience. Just like many of these other high-dollar resorts, Huvafen Fushi’s 43 private bungalows each have their own smaller pool, as well. The resort also has an incredible underwater spa with glass walls that give relaxed patrons dreamy views of passing marine life.

Hemeroscopium House Rooftop Infinity Pool

(images via: home-designing)

Few homeowners can boast not only of a conventional in-ground swimming pool, but also a rooftop infinity pool that cantilevers out over the grass. Hemeroscopium House by Ensamble Studios is a prefabricated concrete house built from three huge I-beams, two segments of an irrigation canal and two steel girders for a highly unusual look. It took just a week to assemble.

Intercontinental Hotel, Hong Kong

(images via: intercontinental hotel, designsxtra)

And now for something completely different: an infinity pool that overlooks not some tropical paradise, but the bustling urban metropolis of Hong Kong – from a third-floor deck. This glass-walled pool still has the feel of a luxury vacation, of course, not just because of the pool itself and the hotel’s many amenities but because of the stretch of water that separates the hotel from the city.

Hotel Joule, Texas

(images via: urban fabric, lost at e minor)

Swim out to the glass end wall of the cantilevered rooftop pool at the 10-story Hotel Joule and you’ll feel like you’re about to spill out into the streets of downtown Dallas, Texas. The pool juts out eight feet beyond the exterior walls of the hotel, enhancing the experience.

Manava Suite Resort, Polynesia

(images via: tripadvisor, lax magazine)

The sound of waves hitting the sand? Check. The sound of a waterfall just below you, as the infinity pool you’re relaxing in spills over into a decorative fountain basin? Check. All the incredible sights of tropical Tahiti? Check, check, check. If you’re lucky enough to stay in a place like this, even for a night, you’re lucky enough.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore

(images via: swag like me, kiwi collection)

From WebEcoist: “When most people envision a pool with an incredibly scenic view, they most likely think of tropical beaches, not skyscrapers – yet there’s no denying that the scenery at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel pool is absolutely breathtaking. Not only is this nearly 500-foot-long pool set into a rooftop skypark, 679 feet above the ground, but it’s an infinity pool, giving swimmers the feeling that they could swim right off the edge of the building. The pool looks out onto one of the world’s most modern cities, which is brilliantly illuminated once the sun goes down.”

Natural Infinity Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey

(images via: dreaming traveller)

As if man-made infinity pools weren’t cool enough, there are also natural edgeless pools that will take your breath away with their beauty. Perhaps the most stunning example is the cliffside hot springs of Pamukkale, Turkey, where falling mineral water rich in calcium has carved basins and stalactites into the rock and turned the entire area snow-white. Visitors are no longer allowed to swim in the pools, as the site is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

* please visit original post site *

POMO PROMO

2012-01-25T18:21:00.000+01:00

POMO PROMO:

“You must be joking!”

Postmodernism is dead and buried.

“But what have we got HERE?”

A Resurrection, or

a remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD….

.

For more from beyond the grave: http://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/reconsidering-postmodernism/

LW

* please visit original post site *

Embassy Ethiopia / Bjarne Mastenbroek and Dick Van Gameren

2012-01-25T17:18:00.000+01:00

Embassy Ethiopia / Bjarne Mastenbroek and Dick Van Gameren:

Architects: Bjarne Mastenbroek and Dick Van Gameren
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Design: Bjarne Mastenbroek, Dick Van Gameren
Assistants: Lada Hrsak, Wilmar Groenendijk, Jack Hoogeboom, Jeroen van Mechelen, Matteo Fosso, Miguel Loos, Michael Davis
Client: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Completion Date: 2005
Photographs: Christian Richters

The compound of the Dutch Embassy consists of a five-hectare wooded area that slopes steeply towards the city. The design task was to situate the five individual buildings in the compound while retaining and enhancing the quality of the site’s landscape. The strict horizontal volume of the main building cuts into the hill with the sloping terrain naturally dividing the building into two programmatic units; the ambassador’s residence and the chancellery.

The Embassy roof is a shallow pool, an element that combines Dutch tradition in water management and landscape technology, with the natural craggy countryside of Ethiopia. As in the Netherlands everyone lives and works under water. The building is visible at both ends and as the landscape slopes gradually upwards it disappears temporarily, transforming into a pool among the eucalyptus trees.

elevations

The other elements of the programme are articulated in a similarly ‘camouflaged’ way; the gatehouse peeks above the entrance wall, wrapped in the colours of the Dutch flag, the extension to the house of the deputy ambassador is slid underneath an existing villa and the three staff houses are built between the north double-wall of the compound.

Embassy Ethiopia / Bjarne Mastenbroek and Dick Van Gameren originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 13 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

MINO garden gnome \ Giovanni Tomasini

2012-01-25T16:29:00.000+01:00

MINO garden gnome \ Giovanni Tomasini:

The MINO garden gnome takes care for your plants.

The garden dwarf tradition is older than what is commonly believed. Originating in XVII century Germany, garden dwarfs were exported by an English nobleman to decorate his garden, and they have now become the globally widespread kitsch ornaments that we all know. Despite its jazzy colours, the modern dwarf is a melancholic figure, condemned to a purely decorative function within a domesticated and artificial environment. Mino on the other hand lives in a garden full of life, destined to survive for one season only to then die with pride by feeding the surrounding vegetation.

100% biodegradable, Italian design by Giovanni Tomasini.

MINO garden gnome by Giovanni Tomasini | image © Claudia Brijbag

MINO garden gnome by Giovanni Tomasini

+ About designer

GIOVANNI TOMASINI was born in 1985 in Brescia – ITALY. He graduated in Design at the LABA in Brescia 2009, he won several design awards and exhibited in Milan “fuorisalone circuit” in 2010 and 2011. Is included in the annual talent of young Italians in the World 2010 “YOUNG BLOOD”. In September 2010 he joined the Machinalmpresa: a group of 12 young designers, selected by criteria of excellence. Experts in the field of Design, Fashion, Communication and Marketing.

* please visit original post site *

The Cube / Park Associati

2012-01-25T16:18:00.000+01:00

The Cube / Park Associati:

Architects: Park Associati , Filippo Pagliani, Michele Rossi
Location: Milano, via Foscolo n.1 (Piazza Duomo), Italy
Client: Electrolux Home Appliances Emea N.V
Design team: Lorenzo Merloni (project leader), Alessandro Rossi, Alexia Caccavella, Alice Cuteri, Fabio Calciati_Rendering
Contractor:Nüssli AG, Hüttwilen, CH, Frieder Braun, Maurizio Ledda, Maik Rauch
Event Concept and Project Management: Absolute Blue
Area: 140 sqm
Photographs: Andrea Martiradonna, Carol Kohen

In 1972, Ettore Sottsass came up with a grand architectural scheme that took in the whole planet and was called “The Planet as Festival”. It was a highly utopian, highly visionary, highly radical project, as were many other projects from that time, known as the age of radical architecture. In the description of the project he highlighted the basis for which it was necessary to overturn conventional rules and go on to imagine a better (not only) architectural world….. there was nothing left for me to design, solitary, not group artist that I am – child of an era worried about the future – a degenerate child for I am not engrossed in the destinies which generated me, which political parties, armies and suchlike threateningly point out to me.
I thought there was no architecture left for me to draw, I mean there is no architecture left to propose, either as Andrea Branzi aptly says “as a model for society” or to put in the hands of society “as a psycho-motor activity” ……… Therefore I designed these projects as if they had been proposed by someone else – someone far removed from the trajectory of thought concerned with the city, since it considered that thought concerned with the city has up to now, only projected, wherever it comes from and wherever it goes to, the insane, sick, dangerous and aggressive idea that men must live only to work and must work to produce and then consume.

With my projects I imagined that something has been changed in the moral of the man “worker-producer” and that it is thought that men can live (if they want to) for the sake of living and work (if perchance they want to) to come to know, by means of their bodies, their psyche and their sex, that they are living………I know all this very well – not because I have invented it myself but because I have heard it all over the place, from young people, from poets, from many people who really work, from the oppressed, the alienated, the tired, Indian chiefs, Gurus, children, prisoners….that freedom can only come from the possible knowledge that each of us is living and that very slowly each of us is dying too. (taken from Casabella n° 365 May 1972).
Clearly the project had no consequence other than publication in Casabella that, however, influenced many generations of architects and designers. In the planet as festival, various elements of architecture appear, designed like kind and friendly objects sitting here and there on the planet, on the top of volcanoes, on craggy cliffs amid the rocky walls of the Grand Canyon, floating on the ocean or transported on placid river streams. The Cube project seems to have its roots right in that metaphorical world of Ettore Sottsass and is reminiscent of those amusing yet serious utopias of fifty years ago.

The idea is to build a small piece of architecture, a cabin, perhaps a nest, on high, at the top of a cliff, on a monument, on a public building, it doesn’t matter where but in a beautiful place and with a beautiful and original view. The idea is then to create a restaurant and welcome clients in an enchanting, unique place with sophisticated dishes cooked in Electrolux kitchens. The idea is to keep it open for six months and then change location, change city, nation, continent and reinstate this restaurant-type object on some other roof for new surprises, new menus, new clients.

It is one of those projects that open things up: in fact too often solutions resolve but do not leave space for the imagination, for innovation, for evolution. This ‘Cube’ that is not actually a cube, has a great proactive force and immediately presents itself for what it is: defying the paralysis of thinking and the imagination. Not only that, it also defies the immobility produced by the continual growth of bureaucracy in requiring the consent from the government, council, safety officers, heritage organisations, fire brigades etc. etc. If indeed standards are necessary and useful for ensuring better architecture, it is also true that standards have spread into all design choices to the extent that schemes are increasingly often an interpretation of the current regulations rather than a conscious creative act that gives continuity in the history of architecture.

The Cube / Park Associati originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 12 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

Princeton School of Architecture / Architecture Research Office

2012-01-19T01:41:00.000+01:00

Princeton School of Architecture / Architecture Research Office:

Architects: Architecture Research Office
Location: New York, USA
Project Team: Principal-in-charge: Adam Yarinsky; Project Manager: Megumi Tamanaha; Project Team: Jennifer Park, Tina Hunderup, Adrian Wu, Arthur Chu
Completion: August 2007
Photographs: Paul Warchol

A strategic intervention, this Addition re-centers the Princeton School of Architecture. Enclosed in glass and steel, the Addition links the School’s two-story south wing, where its administrative offices and library are located, to the three-story north wing’s studios and classrooms. Princeton students have nicknamed the building the “Hyphen”.

drawing 01

The Addition contains a new lobby, student lounge, elevator, and cantilevered steel stair. Plan and section take their dimensions from the existing 1963 building: the Addition aligns with the existing floor levels and, on the exterior, translates the rhythm of the existing building’s window bays. Large glass panels, with varying ceramic frit patterns overlaid like folds in a curtain, comprise the Addition’s envelope. The frit pattern affirms formal characteristics seen in the building, uniting the glass and steel Addition with the existing building, while also providing solar shading for the third floor lounge. The elevator shaft, painted shades of blue, forms the background against which the stair and the frit pattern are seen.

drawing 02

The project scope also included renovations throughout the existing building to update the School of Architecture with a new model shop and facilities for a three-dimensional printer.

Princeton School of Architecture / Architecture Research Office originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 13 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

VertiCrop Processes 10,000 Plants Every 3 Days Using Vertical Hydroponic Farming

2012-01-19T01:40:00.000+01:00

VertiCrop Processes 10,000 Plants Every 3 Days Using Vertical Hydroponic Farming:

Vertical farming is one of the most innovative solutions for lowering the amount of energy, space, and water needed to grow food, but Valcent Products has taken the practice to a whole new level with their revolutionary VertiCrop technology. By applying Henry Ford’s super-efficient assembly line concept to vertical hydroponic farming, the Vancouver-based firm can produce the same amount of produce on a standard sized residential lot that most farmers would be able to grow on a 16-acre plot. Their stacked, mechanized, produce-laden plastic trays are already a hot commodity, with orders coming in from every corner of the globe. Step in for a closer look at how this technology is completely changing the way we grow food.

Read the rest of VertiCrop Processes 10,000 Plants Every 3 Days Using Vertical Hydroponic Farming

* please visit original post site *

Singapore’s Supertree-Sprouting Gardens by the Bay Set to Officially Open This June

2012-01-17T13:31:00.000+01:00

Singapore’s Supertree-Sprouting Gardens by the Bay Set to Officially Open This June:

Singapore’s sprawling supertree-sprouting Gardens by the Bay are rapidly nearing completion – and two of the three indoor gardens, Bay East and Bay Central, have already opened to the public with rave reviews. Designed by Grant Associates, the gardens are currently gearing up for their grand opening this June – hit the jump for fresh new photos of this amazing project!

Read the rest of Singapore’s Supertree-Sprouting Gardens by the Bay Set to Officially Open This June

* please visit original post site *

6 Luscious Living Vertical Gardens That Bring A Breath Of Fresh Air Indoors

2012-01-17T13:05:00.000+01:00

6 Luscious Living Vertical Gardens That Bring A Breath Of Fresh Air Indoors:

Read the rest of 6 Luscious Living Vertical Gardens That Bring A Breath Of Fresh Air Indoors

* please visit original post site *

GC Prostho Museum Research Center / Kengo Kuma & Associates

2012-01-17T13:04:00.000+01:00

GC Prostho Museum Research Center / Kengo Kuma & Associates:

Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Location: 2-294 Torii Matsu Machi, Kasugai-shi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Client: GC Corporation
Site Area: 421.55 sqm
Built Area: 233.95 sqm
Total Floor Area: 626.5 sqm
Cooperation for Design: Design Department of Matsui Construction
Structural Design: Jun Sato Structural Design
Photographs: Daici Ano

This is architecture that originates from the system of Cidori, an old Japanese toy. Cidori is an assembly of wood sticks with joints having unique shape, which can be extended merely by twisting the sticks, without any nails or metal fittings. The tradition of this toy has been passed on in Hida Takayama, a small town in a mountain, where many skilled craftsmen still exist.

details

Cidori has a wood 12 mm square as its element, which for this building was transformed into different sizes. Parts are 60mm×60mm×200cm or 60mm×60mm×400cm, and form a grid of 50cm square. This cubic grid also becomes the grid on its own for the showcase in the museum.

elevation

Jun Sato, structural engineer for the project, conducted a compressive and flexure test to check the strength of this system, and verified that even the device of a toy could be adapted to ‘big’ buildings. This architecture shows the possibility of creating a universe by combining small units like toys with your own hands. We worked on the project in the hope that the era of machine-made architectures would be over, and human beings would build them again by themselves.

GC Prostho Museum Research Center / Kengo Kuma & Associates originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

House S / Keiji Ashizawa Design

2012-01-17T00:00:00.001+01:00

House S / Keiji Ashizawa Design:

Architect: Keiji Ashizawa Design
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Project architect: Keiji Ashizawa, Rie Honjo
Structural engineer: Akira Suzuki
Photograph: Daici Ano

House S is located in a quiet residential area in a center of Tokyo. The site is of the house is a cul-de-sac, removed from the main thoroughfares, and was once a samurai residence, so their are old pine and zelkova trees in the area.

Such surroundings, even in the midst of the city, significantly impacted the design. The house includes many gardens on each floor of the house, to bring the surrounding landscape into the house. In the end, the house will be part of this larger landscape, and in the meantime the green surroundings will help with privacy.

The clients wanted to insure that they could enjoy this larger landscape, as well as the art and furnishings that they have collected. We extensively discussed both their life style and a setting for these furnishings – and how to mold materials, light, air and space to fit this broader goal.

east elevation

All materials, lighting and space are in constructed within the house to work with art and furniture, as well as function. Details and colors are considered for these things. They should be silent, but should have an identity.

first floor plan

Most of the design details were developed specifically for this house, with this overall purpose in mind, down to handles, steps and windows.

second floor plan

The structure is complex, but we tried not to make this visible. The space was considered first in terms of the light from the outside, the flow of air, and the planning of art. Enjoyable to see or feel each in the space, and on each level, showing four clear seasons with different light and feelings.

House S / Keiji Ashizawa Design originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

HP Designjet Color 3D printer

2012-01-13T00:10:00.000+01:00

HP Designjet Color 3D printer:

HP Designjet Color 3D printer..

* please visit original post site *

Intriguing Playground Pavilion in Copenhagen: Mirror House

2012-01-12T23:59:00.001+01:00

Intriguing Playground Pavilion in Copenhagen: Mirror House:

Danish architects MLRP have completed Mirror House, an original looking playground pavilion in Copenhagen, Denmark. Charred timber and polished steel were the materials chosen for the exterior finishes. But this building comes with a little extra: convex and concave mirrors are mounted on the backs of doors, reflecting the surrounding playground. According to the architects, the project “ is a play with perspective, reflection and transformation. Instead of a typical closed gable facade the mirrored gables creates a sympathetic transition between built and landscape and reflects the surrounding park, playground and activity. Windows and doors are integrated in the wood-clad facade behind facade shutters with varied bent mirror panel effects”. During night time, the shutters are closed, making the building “common”. But during the day, the pavilion opens up, attracting the children who love to watch their reflections in all directions. We find this to be an interesting approach for a children’s pavilion and believe you will share our opinion. [Photography by Laura Stamer]

You're reading Intriguing Playground Pavilion in Copenhagen: Mirror House originally posted on Freshome. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Freshome on Twitter, Facebook and Google+

* please visit original post site *

Free Online Course: Making Green Buildings

2012-01-11T22:56:00.000+01:00

Free Online Course: Making Green Buildings:

Join Professor Martin Fischer in a free online course on Making Green Buildings. Starting this month, the class will focus on improving sustainability within the built environment. In this course, you will learn how to manage project teams in order to better design and construct sustainable buildings. The free course aims to spread the knowledge of the sustainable building process so everyone may participate. “Such integrated and holistic project management approach requires a new mindset and novel methods, which are taught in the class.”
Continue reading for more information on the professor and the course.
Martin Fischer is globally known for developing virtual 4D (time plus 3D) modeling methods to improve project planning, increase team productivity and progress sustainability of the built environment. His award winning research, which has been used by multiple organizations worldwide, focuses on modeling, predicting, measuring and improving the life-cycle performance of the building environment. His certifications include a Diplome d’Ingenieur from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, a MS in Industrial Engineering-Engineering Management and a PhD in Civil Engineering form Stanford University. He has teaching experience in Europe, South America, North America and Asia.
The online, entry-level course will start January 2012, consisting of a class format made up of short lecture videos and quizzes in which you may watch and complete at your own leisure. There will be approximately two hours of video content per week, broken up into eight to twelve minute sections. A Q&A forum will be available to answer all questions. There will be no textbook and no cost required. Participants will not receive any college credit. Basic knowledge about the design and construction process, engineering economy and accounting is suggested.
Follow this link to sign up!

Free Online Course: Making Green Buildings originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 07 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *

Timelapse of 30-Story Building Constructed In Only 15 days

2012-01-11T20:53:00.000+01:00

Timelapse of 30-Story Building Constructed In Only 15 days:

Timelapse of 30-Story Building Constructed In Only 15 days, China..by Broad Group

* please visit original post site *

Architectural Photographers: Thomas Mayer

2012-01-11T19:43:00.000+01:00

Architectural Photographers: Thomas Mayer:

This time we are presenting you Thomas Mayer, Swiss architectural photographer who works for some of the worldʻs finest architects such as Frank Gehry. He learned photography in Zurich and came to Germany in 1968 where he worked until 1974 as a specialised photographer for car advertising in studio and on location. In 1974 he started to do editorial photography for Germanyʻs finest magazines such as GEO, Stern, Merian, ZEIT-Magazin, Der Spiegel and more. In cooperation with famous designer Otl Aicher he worked for companies like BMW, Lufthansa, West-LB and started to do architecture features for ERCO Lighting from 1977 until today. A long term documentation about Frank Gehryʻs Neuer Zollhof Dusseldorf 1989 – 1999. A documentation on the development of the world heritage site Zeche Zollverein 2002 – 2007 includes the development of the Zollverein School from competition til finalisation of the building.
Thomas Mayerʻs work has taken him to many places in the world and has been published in magazines, books, exhibitions and Calenders. Besides his craftmanship and strong sense of composition, his work can broadcast a visual sense of humor. He is a storyteller who does not need to resort to pathos or trickery but finds beauty in man and structures and in light and shadow instead.

1. When and how did you start photographing architecture?
I learned photography in an apprenticeship with a fashion and advertising photographer in Zurich from 1964-67. After my first, 6 years long career as a car photographer (1968-74) I switched to editorial photography. Since 1974 I have worked for the best magazines in Germany as Zeit- Magazin, Merian, Stern, GEO magazine and others. 2 different situations brought me to architectural photography: first is the continuous work for ERCO lighting company since 1977 up to now in showing the daily life in architecture in the light of ERCO in their reference projects. Second was the ten years long documentation of the development of the Neue Zollhof in Dusseldorf, first with competition winner Zaha Hadid, then from 1994-1999 with Frank Gehry, documenting the design period, construction and finished buildings. After worldwide publications of this project I was established as architectural photographer.

2. Are you an architect?
No, but if I would have studied, it would have been architecture.

3. Why do you like to photograph architecture?
I was always fascinated by urban development and have followed with a critical eye the changes in Germany, where I live, and in metropolitan areas like Paris, New York, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan and in Scandinavian countries. I was never a pure architectural photographer. I am a “reportage architectural photographer” and approach to buildings and sites in a journalistic way in showing the design and the life in it.

4. Favorite architect?
Very difficult question, most of the time after visiting a new project I have a new favorite architect, but when you force me I want to name 4 architects:

Rem Koolhaas for his thinking in urban development
Frank Gehry who brought joy and fun into modern architecture
Peter Zumthor who works very careful, very slow, very thoroughgoing
Rudolph Küppers, who built our home where we love to live and work since 20 years

5. Favorite building?
Most difficult question, I could give you a list with at least 20 buildings, but beside our home I want to point out 2 favorites which are very different in design but similar in mind:

The Chapel Ronchamp by Le Corbusier
The Brother-Claus-Field-Chapel by Peter Zumthor

6. How do you work?
I work alone and freelance since 1969, have assignments by magazines, architects, designers, advertising agencies, industrial clients and others. When doing architectural photography I like to visit first the site together with the architect, learn hers/his thoughts and develop my own view to it. Since 2004 I provide clients and the architectural press with images from my website www.thomasmayerarchive.com

7. What kind of equipment and software do you use?
As a reportage photographer I use 35mm camera on tripod, now digital (actually Nikon D3X), software is Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

Architectural Photographers: Thomas Mayer originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 09 Jan 2012.

* please visit original post site *