architecture Archives | Page 4 of 11

3D

YEZO Retreat Looks Like Something Out of a Fantasy Movie

March 5, 2021 3D

Though still in concept form, this home is a fascinating study in design, relying on algorithms to create a one piece flowing roof that resembles a toadstool or a complex seashell.

It’s a beautifully complex design, one that took months of study and engineering to plan. Hong Kong-based LEAD design is known for exploratory architecture, and have shared a video of the home’s planned engineering.

Nestled in the mountains of Hokkaido, Japan, the home should be an engineering marvel when it is completed.

Via DesignBoom:

Architecture

“Little Island” Takes Shape in New York, Promising a Refuge from the Big City

January 5, 2021 Architecture

New York City is full of energy and movement, but could always use more green space and parks to escape the hustle and bustle.

Little Island promises just that, with a fascinating design that is suspended off of the water outside Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the unique design is another feather in the cap for this star architect, whose firm keeps creating new and innovative ways to improve the built landscapes around us.

132 massive planters rise like tulips out of the water, supporting an undulating landscape that will play host to walking paths, small wooded areas, as well as a performance space. Over 100 species of trees will inhabit Little Island, which adds 2.4 acres of greenery to the Big Apple.

We think it’s an amazing design, one that will bring a small bit of nature to the city that is generally defined by steel and glass. And far from just a concept, Little Island is well on its way to completion, with a finished timeline of fall 2021.

Via Dezeen:

“It’s a joyous feeling to see Little Island rise up in the Hudson River, and now I can’t wait for New Yorkers and its visitors to cross the bridge, leave the boisterous city behind, and play, lay back and be stimulated every which way by the Island”

– Barry Diller, co-founder of Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, project partners

Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Armstrong Dune House For Sale in Indiana

November 9, 2020 Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses rarely go up for sale. And when they do, they’re often in the multi-million dollar range. Highly sought after by architecture lovers, his homes have a style that is immediately recognizable and remarkable.

We’ve been fans of his Prairie and Usonian Style architecture for as long as we’ve been familiar with it.

This particular home, the Armstrong Dune House, has a beautiful flow, and embodies some of his best design thinking. Set in a desirable area on the very southern tip of Lake Michigan, it’s for sale for $1,195,000, which is quite a steal, considering its lineage and location on the lake. See details below.

Our only ask: If you buy this home, invite us over for a drink! 😉 Via Uncrate:

Magnificent, historic Frank Lloyd Wright home in the coveted lakefront community of Ogden Dunes!Feast your eyes and your senses on this beautiful, one-of-a-kind 2-story masterpiece! Set on multiple landscaped, wooded lots, this beauty offers 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, a large inviting living room, open dining/kitchen area, spacious rec room for entertaining, 2 fireplaces (for those cozy winter nights), master bedroom suite, sauna, large screen porch, roomy detached garage with 4-car capacity, and carport.

Architecture

Little Peek, a Charming and Beautiful Home in Maine

October 20, 2020 Architecture

Little Peek is the name of a charming and beautifully designed home in Maine. Full of unpretentious style and some really unique architectural details, it’s the work of Berman Horn Studio.

We appreciate the restraint put into the aesthetic, versus many architect-designed beach homes that are over the top and feel stuffy or unlivable.

From the Berman Horn:

The house is a contemporary reinterpretation of the New England connected farmhouse. Organized as a long bar that faces the water to the west, the Camden Hills to the north and untouched ledges to the east, it includes a main house, a small guest cottage, and a custom designed fully screened porch that links the two. This porch, which creates a shared exterior room and frames views to the landscape, extends the profile of the roofline to tie the two houses together. Along its length the house transforms from cape to saltbox to create the traditional “Ell” found in historic buildings in the area. Within the whitewashed interior, the decision was made to limit the visual presence of wood to give nature the chance to enter uncontested through the large industrial windows and bring focus onto the textures and colors of the stone, huckleberry, bay and lichen that surround the house.

Architecture

Cape Town Tree House

September 29, 2020 Architecture

Amongst the eucalyptus trees of the beautiful South African city is the Cape Town Tree House. The stunning home is made of four steel “trunks” that form the structure, with another central core within. The vertically oriented house provides great views of Table Mountain, Cape Town’s famous peak. Designed by Malan Vorster, the house is made of steel and western red cedar, and has a wonderfully airy interior flow. Steel elements that makeup the trunks create a tree-like experience inside the home, and the 360 degree views of trees and nature give this home a very special experience. If you happen to know the owners, please let us know. We’d like to spend a weekend there. For those of you wanting more options for treehouse rentals, check out The 6 Coolest Airbnb Treehouses You Can Rent, posted by AllTheRooms.com. Via Uncrate:

Architecture

Stunning Omakase Restaurant

September 15, 2020 Architecture

Looking straight out of a science-fiction movie set, this beautiful and sleek restaurant has a design stays true to its futuristic vision. Architectural Decoration Design Co. is the firm that pulled it off, and the mirrors, sleek flowered panelling, and beautifully spare seating makes for an unforgettable dining experience.

Named Omakase, it’s located in Shanghai, but pays great respect to the design and motifs of Japan. Via The Cool Hunter:

The surroundings in this new 160 square-metre restaurant are also surprising, taking the guests on a visceral journey to the romance of Sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom festival and all the romantic stories and even computer games that it has inspired.

Rain, pink cherry blossoms and the extensive and clever use of glass create a magical vibe. Everything feels airborne, weightless and transparent, just like the magical spring time of the cherry blossom festival.

Architecture

Corten Steel House Deep in the Ukrainian Forest

August 24, 2020 Architecture

There’s something enchanting even about saying “deep in the Ukrainian forest”. Indeed, this stunning home is set far from civilization, and nestled halfway underground in a pristine forest. The sprawling home is clad in Corten steel, which weathers and rusts to a beautiful finish that gives it an organic look. A perforated mesh make up the wall and floor panels, allowing the native wild grape and ivy to weave their way through the surfaces in warm months. Designed by Sergey Makhno Architects , the three story home has floor to ceiling windows and an enormous glass roof to allow the natural beauty and light to pour in. Not necessarily a warm and cozy feel to this architecture, but surely a cohesive and impressive design and execution. Almost like the lair of a villain in a James Bond film, with good taste. Via DesignBoom:

ukrainian forest house moss and fog 13 — A beautiful rock and water garden framed by the home’s own structure.

Corten steel home deep in the Ukrainian forest. — Nestled deep in the forest, with a full level underground.

A modern home in the Ukrainian forest by Sergey Makhno Architects — Sculptures located around the property give it a museum-like quality.

Architecture

Office Design in Portland Merges Old and New in Exciting Ways

August 21, 2020 Architecture

Though offices have been largely abandoned in the wake of the global pandemic, there have been some notable architectural examples in the last few years. Many startups and technology companies have put considerable effort into creating compelling and inspiring workplaces, and this Portland example for Expensify is a great standout.

Taking over the 1916 First National Bank Building, ZGF Architects kept the 100 year-old architect intact, while adding modern workspaces within that take advantage of the huge interior height and natural light.

While initially shocking, the design cleverly merges a 21st century aesthetic with a traditional one, creating a unique, memorable, and invigorating working environment.

Via The Cool Hunter:

Architecture

Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda’s Charming Architectural Photography

July 6, 2020 Architecture

Spanish duo Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda make everyday architectural wanderings seem special and magical. Their fun approach to pattern, props, and color make seemingly ordinary moments feel fun.

Below are a collection of bright, pop moments from the couple’s Instagram pages that really caught our eye. Their sense of fashion, adventure and joy is infectious. Take a look, and get inspired.

Images used with artist’s permission.

Architecture

What Happens When a World Famous Architect Designs a Chicken Coop?

June 24, 2020 Architecture

Chicken coops are generally a very simple design and operation. We do occasionally see quirky and flights-of-fancy designs, but we’ve never seen a world famous architect tackle such a project. Kengo Kuma is a world-renowned Japanese architect, having designed corporate headquarters, office towers and award-winning gardens.

The Casa Wabi arts foundation in Mexico is a non-profit that aims to promote social commitment and collaboration through art. It is a place of creativity, and also has roots in architecture, having recruited another famed designer, Tadao Ando, to create a compelling campus of sorts.

The latest addition to Casa Wabi is the large chicken coop by Kuma, which retains his trademark criss-cross style. We aren’t necessarily in love with the design, as it looks rather dark and imposing, yet we’re fascinated by the concept, which brings a unique rectilinear quality to the build. We also appreciate the significant airflow, to keep air clean and fresh inside. The big question is, how do the chickens like it? 😎

The renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma conceives the chicken coop as a representation of collective housing and their relationships. In order to recreate the colourless and ascetic world on the faraway seaside of Mexico, the wooden boards were charred; a method widely practiced traditionally in the western part of Japan. The system also allows walls and ceilings permeability and a constant flow of ventilation.

-Casa Wabi

Architecture

The Grand Egyptian Museum Nearly Ready to Open

June 23, 2020 Architecture

Billed as the world’s largest archaeological museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum, or GEM is nearly finished after almost two decades of construction outside Cairo.

Delayed over the years due to budget, a fire, and the worldwide pandemic, the massive complex will open later this year, and will be home to over 50,000 preserved artifacts, including the full tomb collection of King Tutankhamun.

Located just two kilometers from the Giza pyramids, the museum will take center place for a new master plan of the entire region.

At a cost of $800 million dollars, the GEM is a big deal for Egypt, and we’re excited to see the amazing history brought to life in this impressive new space.

Architecture

Epic Modern Home in Hawaii by Olson Kundig

June 12, 2020 Architecture

Olson Kundig is one of the premier modern home architect firms working today. There are many working in a similar style, but we find their clean lines, attention-to-detail, and overall grace to be the very best.

One of their latest homes is a family retreat in Hawaii, entitled ‘Hale Lana’, is a large, sweeping house, with expansive rooflines and dramatic overhangs, covering a mostly glass interior.

We can’t get over how the dramatic cantilevered roofline gives character to the home, a clean linear quality that is continued throughout the profile of the home.

More than just looking impressive, the extended roof allows for covered outdoor seating while preventing solar gain, so that the glass walls can be opened to the ocean breeze without the Hawaiian sun baking the interior.

In a way, the home’s perfect lines frame the natural beauty like a picture frame, fading into the back and letting the beauty of the tropics take over.

With a tasteful interior and a host of other beautiful features, this home’s elegance stands apart from many huge and garish houses that we’ve become accustomed to see.

See more on DesignBoom:

Architecture

A Sleek and Modern Prefab Mountain Retreat

May 18, 2020 Architecture

Designed by Gnocchi+Danesi architects, this prefab mountain retreat is sleek and minimal, with expansive ceiling height and echoes of a traditional alpine shelter.

The 258 square foot design is compact and can be site-delivered by helicopter, allowing it to be placed in the most remote of locations. With layouts starting at $40,000, it’s an affordable modern option for people seeking a natural retreat.

Architecture

Zaha Hadid’s Dramatic ‘Opus’ Building in Dubai

May 15, 2020 Architecture

Zaha Hadid swung for the fences in the world of design and architecture. Her work always seemed ahead of its time, almost sci-fi, like it came from an alien planet.

She died a few years ago at the peak of her career, which was especially tragic, as women architects of her stature are rare. Luckily, her work will live on for generations, and there are still number of new buildings from her firm that are just opening now.

One of these new openings is the dramatic ‘Opus’ building in Dubai, a sleek glass cube with an organic void that spans the entire center of the structure.

Indeed, the shape is so complex and unique that it’s almost hard to describe, a free-flowing negative space that forms the identity of the structure.

The double glazed glass on the curved surfaces are also embedded with computer-controlled LEDs, creating a one-of-a-kind lighting experience at night.

Home to the ME Dubai Hotel, the building adds to the city’s opulent flair, but with a signature style only Hadid and her team could pull off. Read more about the building’s architectural style and eco-friendly features on Design Boom:

3D

Dreamy Surrealist Renderings

May 5, 2020 3D

There’s something very calming and dreamlike about these architectural renderings that take us away. Created by a range of talented artists and designers, they transport us to a new and visually freeing place, free of distraction.

We especially love the sunken living room couch, luxurious in its deep green, set into a field of wildflowers. It’s a humorous juxtaposition, but also a dreamy one, a place we would most definitely lay down in, for a very relaxing nap.

Fascinating and beautiful designs, via TrendLand:

“I’m trying to bring nature into my work a lot more nowadays. We’ve invaded it so much as a human species, perhaps we could let it invade our digital worlds a bit more.”

Alexis Christodoulou

“I always start with an imaginary place where I would like to be. Then I think about a specific moment of the day, to craft the perfect light and convey emotion through photorealistic 3D. I imagine what kind of materials and lights I would like to see in my dreamlike spot, then I try to create the right balance between reality and unreality.”

Benjamin Guedj

“Our Japanese Garden series comes from visual research of landscapes, objects, spaces that belong to a culture that is not ours but we admire. This external point of view was the key to create something new, adding a new reinterpretation of the mood board we had. Pleasant spaces and harmonic gardens work together as an invitation to relax and meditate.”

Six N. Five

Humor

Angle is Everything

May 5, 2020 Humor

Even the most mundane photos can be made extraordinary with just a creative perspective and the right angle. Some clever and seemingly harrowing photos, via Bright Side: