From a distance this skyscraper, to be completed in 2009 in Chicago, will seem quite traditional. it’ll only be when you get close and look up that you can appreciate the ripple/jelly effect created by variously sized balconies from top to bottom. Designed by Jeanne Gang. Read More...

The Ryugyong (”Capitol of Willows”) Hotel stands 105-stories tall in the dead-center of Pyongyang, the capitol of North Korea. At its inception, it was hoped to have 3.9 million square feet of floor space (and seven revolving restaurants), at a total cost of $750 million - 2% of the entire country’s GDP. It was created as North Korea’s answer to a renaissance of Asian skyscrapers.

It was never finished, and never will be. Money ran out - as did, supposedly, electricity. All that is left now is a shell, empty and uninhabitable: the quality of concrete is so poor that building probably couldn’t be restarted even if they tried. But North Korea is still looking for a few hundred million dollars of foreign investment to do just that - instead of, say, fighting the country-wide famine and drought for which North Korea is far more famous.
The hotel is not featured on official maps, and even tour guides will deny knowing where it is. This is a rather impressive oversight: it is visible from throughout the entire city.
more here Read More...

FELIPE ASSADI + FRANCISCA PULIDO Architechts

love it. click the pic for more. Read More...

Foreign printed guide books also sometimes are not so serious about this structure: “Some say it looks like a diamond. We say it looks like the Death Star. In either case there’s no denying that the collosal, new home for the National Library now being constructed on the city outskirts is an example of the Soviet ‘bigger-is-better’ school of architecture.
When completed, it’ll be big enough to house a whopping 15 million books. The National Library only has 8 million in its collection, so there should be plenty of space leftover for restaurants, gyms, and for the president to roam the hallways in a black cloak, breathing Vader-like while dramatic music plays in the background.”
Of course, the most nice view of it is at night when its lightning is on. It allows to show animated scenes on its uncommon not flat but polyhedron many-sided polyhedral surface. We have a video down this page too. Read More...

Martian base? Or some other alien’s structure on Sirius’ planet, for example? No, it is the headquarters of the Polish radio RMF FM. Amazing architecture Read More...

Experimental architecture and industrial design studio founded by Antonio Pio Saracino and Steve E. Blatz. Biographies, awards and portfolio of innovatory designs including flexible housing, screens and furniture.

The Seed House (shown) in Marbletown, NY was commissioned by an art collector from NYC who is seeking the solitude of a rural setting far from the frenzy of her home in New York City. The setting is a 4 acre site joined by two other lots, also owned by the artist, on a deeply wooded slope. This project is the first of three houses to be built for the client on the three parcels. In addition to being an artist, the client is also a yoga instructor and collector of contemporary art and she commissioned the house as an addition to her formidable art collection. Her first desire was to have a retreat open to nature that could inspire her artwork in different ways than are derived by the urban setting of her main home.

click the pic for more. Read More...

From Wikipedia: "A building designed by Antoni Gaudi and Josep Maria Jujol and built in years 1905–1907; located at 43, Passeig de Gràcia (passeig is Catalan for promenade or avenue in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona.

The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudi designed, only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work.

It seems that the goal of the designers was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the façade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís) that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the sword of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon." Read More...

This is awesome. snip: This 1,000 square-foot weekend cabin, basically a steel box on stilts, can be completely shuttered when the owner is away. Situated near a river in a floodplain, the 20’ x 20’ square footprint rises three stories and is topped by the living room/kitchen. Large, 10’ x 18’ steel shutters can be closed simultaneously using a hand crank. click the pic for more detailed pictures. Read More...

Currently under construction by Zaha Hadid Architects. click the pic for more fantastic pics. Read More...

Interesting Idea. the entire building is a ramped corridor. Read More...

Zaha Hadid Architects announce the design of the Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre – a new cultural institution for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation on behalf of the Tourism Development and Investment Company of Abu Dhabi. Click the pic to view the site for more. Read More...

A great small gallery of pics of a gorgeous modern home in Portugal. Click the pic for more views. Read More...

It's in Houten in the Netherlands and was designed by local firm Samyn & Partners. Read More...

Bloomframe is a window that can fold down into a balcony. Love it. click the link for more. Read More...

British Hippie couple builds a "hobbit house" on the cheap and it actually looks good. Incorporates the principles of the earthship with straw bale construction. Good pics at the site, click the pic for more. Read More...

The Maritime Youth House is shared by two clients, a sail club and a youth house, who had very different programs. The youth house needed outdoor space for the kids to play, the sail club needed most of the site to park their boats. The design is the literal results of the architect's negotiations with the two contradictory demands. In the places where the deck rises it allows for boat storage underneath and, at the same time, becomes an exciting play areas for the kids. The common room, where most of the daily activities take place, is located in the front house, the workshop and storage is in the back corner building. Read More...

by Felipe Asadi in Chile... a beautiful and interesting Modern design Read More...

a project by D.A.R.E. design + architecture in New York, VersaDome looks promising as a modular building system with various applications. Read More...

I love a round building. Read More...

The eye-catching swimming pool and saunas anchored off the banks of the river in East Berlin are a project conceived by local artist, Susanne Lorenz, to enliven city life along the river neglected river.

Created from a converted cargo ship, the year-old Badeschiff first opened in the summer of 2004 as a multidisciplinary art project organized by the Stadtkustprojekte (City Art Project Society) of Berlin. The sunken hull of the transformed vessel now offers a pristine 8 x 32 meter pool. Resting almost level with the Spree's surface the design gives one the sensation of swimming in the river itself with the city skyline as a dramatic backdrop.

An open-air recreational complex in the warm months, the curving translucent shelter and saunas were added just last December, under the direction of architect Gil Wilk, making the Badeschiff suitable for winter use. Its open until 12 midnight everyday and an adjoining bar, boasting a sandy floor, completes the winter oasis.

click the picture to visit the site for more pictures.
Read More...

For a different take and a different scripting language, go read theverymany, Marc Fornes’ blog on his experiments in computational architecture. 98% of his blog so far is Rhinoscript code for creating generative structures, accompanied by intriguing illustrations. It makes you want to work with Rhino just to be able to see it run.

For those who don’t know it, Rhinoscript is a VBScript language used to control Rhino, a high-end 3D package used for anything from CAD/CAM and visualization to computer animation. Rhino is popular with coding architects, sculptors and CGI heads alike. It’s not as old skool as AutoCAD and AutoLISP, which has been used for computational architecture since 1986. But it’s likely a lot more useful.

theverymany is refreshingly focused on sketches and code, but there is documentation of one interesting recent project: “From DIN to DIM”, a “series of experimentations looking at transitions between the German Standard of design to self-similar objects controled by declared variables…”. Done with Vincent Nowak and Claudia Corcilius, it consists of generative formal studies, using nested loops to generate structure.

As with much computational architecture, the results are visually very compelling. The techno-organic tower structures recall fashions in blobby architecture, while simultaneously reminding one of 70s sci-fi book covers. The translation of simple code structures into complex and appealing form seems effortless, it would certainly be interesting to see the slides shown in higher detail. Read More...

The interactive installation is a spatially adaptable pneumatic environment at an urban scale. The installation consists of large air-bags or "bubbles" that inflate and deflate in reaction to visitors pushing or bumping the lower inflated volume of each pair. As visitors enter and move through the installation, they must navigate through the lightweight 8’ diameter spheres that fill the space. When the bubbles are bumped, sensors initiate a chaotic exchange of air between the spheres. When no visitors are present, the system returns to its stand-by state: the lower bubble in the pair refillls with air and awaits another interaction.

The installation aims at bringing an adaptive volumetric sense of architecture to the M&A that is continuously changing and compelling as it responds to visitors. The adaptability of the bubbles emulates at a super-human scale the organic thigmotropism of plant life.

The structure of this installation tackles volume over surface and interaction with space over static geometry while pushing the scale of interactive architecture. The designers have selected permeable rip-stop nylon to form the bubbles. At the center of each bubble is a hard "seed" made of CNC'd white HDPE plastic and strengthened with monofilament. The seed serves two functions: it contains a micro-flourescent lighting element to create a glow within each bubble, and it houses the mechanical switch used to trigger the reversible fan that deflates one bubble while inflating another.

click the pic for more

Read More...

This exquisite chapel in the Ozark woods is small (24 feet by 60 feet by 48 feet high) and walled with glass. It rises from fieldstone floors and two low fieldstone walls; otherwise it is built almost entirely of standard-size lumber worked with the attention to detail of a master cabinetmaker. Repeating diamond shapes loft upward to its overhanging peaked roof. It has been compared to Lloyd Wright's Wayfarers Chapel Read More...

Recognised in Australia and abroad as an accomplished and inspired design firm, Stutchbury and Pape has built works ranging from residential to institutional and public buildings.

Environmental features of the Cardboard House

• Uses 85% recycled materials
• All materials are 100% recycleable
• Recycling the house saves 12 cubic metres of landfill, 39 trees and 30 000 litres of water
• Extremely low cost, transportable, and flexible, this is a genuine
housing option that could be used in a variety of temporary applications
• Autonomous servicing: uses only 12-volt batteries or small photovoltaic cells for power generation
• Composting system produces nutrient-rich water for gardening Read More...

Pre fab micro home developed by Brits and Germans. Click the pic for more info. Thanks Jon!

"The team of researchers and designers based in London and at the Technical University in Munich developed the m-ch as an answer to an increasing demand for short stay living for students, business people, sports and leisure use and for weekenders. The m-ch, now in use and available throughout Europe, combines techniques for high quality compact 'living' spaces deployed in aircraft, yachts, cars, and micro apartments. Its design has been informed by the classic scale and order of a Japanese tea-house, combined with advanced concepts and technologies. Living in an m-ch means focusing on the essential - less is more. The use of progressive materials complements the sleek design. Quality of design, touch and use are the key objectives for the micro compact home team....for 'short stay smart living'." Read More...

Treehouse Workshop is a Washington State company that builds cottages in trees, interestingly... most of them are used as "extra rooms" or cabins.

from the site:

Does TreeHouse Workshop build TreeHouses suitable for living in?

Generally we don't do this, for a number of reasons. First, a lot of people looking to do this are trying to create a more economical living space than building a ground based house. However, to fit a tree based structure with plumbing and the associated equipment is quite complex, requiring considerable support and design considerations. This extra load is what causes the overall cost to rise beyond the suggested budget.

Permits are usually required for structures with plumbing because they can be seen as a permanent living residence. There may also be concern about the structural safety of the house so an engineer may have to prepare a report on the plans.

We are currently in the design phase for a fully equiped TreeHouse that will be plumbed and have electricity. It gains extra support with the use of 'artificial trees' crafted from steel and concrete and molded to look like real wood. Read More...

I don't know that the world is ready for this quite yet at $104K-$163K... maybe in hawaii or here in california that would be considered a bargain

notes from the site:


“Even when the miniHome was only 1-day old out of the factory, it didn’t have any of the noxious off-gassing and poor indoor air quality that plagues most vehicles, trailers, houses and manufactured products. That’s because we set out a very exclusive set of criteria for our manufacturer, which demanded:

* No vinyl
* No formaldehyde
* No toxic adhesives or finishes
* All water-based, or plant oil-based finishes
* No CFC’s or HCFC’s
* All woods to be certified from sustainable sources (FSC certification)
* High natural ventilation rate (windows open)
* Constant fresh air supply (windows closed) via heat-recovery-ventilator
* durable and low-maintenance

This ensured both a mountain-fresh indoor air quality, with the pleasant aromas of unfinished cedar and beeswax millwork finishes, and a clear conscience - that we produced a building of enduring beauty from materials and methods that have the lightest burden on our ecosystems.” Read More...

The Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds Gloucestershire is a privately owned, former gravel quarry of 222 hectares with seven lakes and three rivers. 22 architects and a total of 48 modern homes are being developed Seen here is the inspiring and whimsical work of Sarah Featherstone.

"Our inspiration for Orchid House comes from the wildlife and landscape at Lower Mill Estate. A number of Orchid species can be found here, but it is the camouflage of the Bee Orchid that specifically generated our design.The house will blend with its landscape and environment. The organic form is created from laminated veneer lumbar (LVL) ribs and clad with timber shingles (tiles). The camouflage pattern is burnt to the timber." Read More...

I love well designed, affordable prefab homes.

The LVL is an 1453 sq. ft home that is 25'-1” x 59'-6” and has a living room, dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and closets. The LVL home starts at $41,050 an is built and shipped from Perryville, MO.

The Architect, Rocio Romero is the owner of Rocio Romero LLC. She is the designer as well as builder of her prefab designs. Rocio received her Masters of Architecture from Southern California Institute of Architecture and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Design with a major in Architecture from UC Berkeley.

Read More...

You can see it as a ship in a giant bottle. After 50 years of exhibition in a dry dock, the 135-year-old Greenwhich racing tea clipper begins to fall apart. But restoring the structure is a dilemma. Should it be kept out of public sight, since the restoration creates 3 kilos of dust and smoke per day during the resstoration process.

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw and his five partners brought “the” idea: They will be building an inflatable structure that envelopes the boat, and keeps its design by merely replicating the shape of a sailing boat.

The bubble is about 76 meters high. Walls of the shipyard are sustained by Swiss-invented “Tensarity” structural system of rigid pneumatic beams, as reports Hugh Pearman for the Sunday Times (via vestal).

Read More...

I love the residential stuff from this firm

Bercy Chen Studio is a design build operation that is “influenced by vernacular precedents from various cultures” and “maintains respect
for contemporary contextual conditions.” Striving to create environmentally sustainable and aesthetically pleasing design, Thomas
Bercy and Calvin Chen founded Bercy Chen Studio in 1998. Since then, they have completed such projects as Factory People,
a fashion boutique in Austin, Texas; Azul, a spa resort and conference center in Malinalco, Mexico; and a 120-unit townhouse project in
south Austin. Bercy Chen Studio recently won a national competition for Urban Reserve, a residential development near Dallas, and
was a finalist for the Self Sustaining House competition hosted by the Advanced Architecture Institute of Catalunya, Spain.
Read More...