Archinect - News

MUJI converts 100-year-old Japanese house into tranquil Airbnb stay

2023-07-27T12:56:00-04:00

Iconic Japanese design retailer MUJI is back on the residential market with details of its new MUJI Base Kamogawa home renovation project for Airbnb.

Located an hour and thirty minutes outside Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture, the new temporary stay inside the 100-year-old former Noda Printmaking Workshop offers amenities for up to five guests aligned with a naturalistic Satoyama lifestyle concept.

Image courtesy MUJI/Airbnb

Of course, the whole scheme comes decked out entirely in MUJI products. The brand synergy extends all the way down to toothbrushes, cookware, and other home goods curated from the MUJI product line. For $152 a night, guests also have the choice between pre-packaged MUJI meals and the reasonably-priced home delivery of produce from local farmers. Seasonal tours of the nearby Takahashi Melon Farm are available as well.

Image courtesy MUJI/Airbnb

The brand says it will soon expand the BASE concept to other cities in Japan...

Airbnb reveals $10 million OMG! Fund design contest winners

2022-10-17T15:29:00-04:00

Airbnb has named the 100 winners of its recently-launched OMG! Fund design contest celebrating the “craziest and most unique” buildings submitted to the short-term rental giant from more than 20 countries across the world.

The contest awards $100,000 to each design as judged by a four-person panel that included design tastemaker Iris Apfel, Airbnb Superhost Kristie Wolfe, architect Koichi Takada, and the company’s VP of Experiential Bruce Vaughn.

"Giant Flower Pot on a Farm in Small Town Idaho" by Whitney H., United States

"Giant Pig in Meadow at Pig Sanctuary" by Tracey S., United States

“What an incredible journey it has been to be a part of the OMG! Fund judging process. There were so many inspiring stories and destinations that I had never heard of before that I’m now eager to visit,” Wolfe said at the announcement. “As a builder myself, I can’t wait to watch these ideas come to life. These are more than just places to spend the night — each one offers an entire experience!”

"Mod...

Airbnb launches $10 million OMG! Fund design contest to 'build the craziest places on earth'

2022-06-23T12:21:00-04:00

Airbnb is making a new $10 million investment in design with a new project called the OMG! Fund that will commission “100 of the craziest and most unique property ideas” in a design contest open to architects, designers, and the public across the globe.

The contest’s brief’s sole stipulation is that the final product be listed exclusively on Airbnb for at least a year. This is an expansion of the short-term rental company’s $1 million Unique Airbnb Fund, which was slated to award the same $100,000 grant to a group of 10 projects before Covid-19 brought an end to the endeavor. In a press release, the company said its new initiative is “shaped in part by the growing trend of flexible living that has emerged in the past two years.”

Architect Koichi Takada is one of the contest’s judges, joined by superhost Kirstie Wolfe, the designer of Boise's famed Potato Hotel, fashion and interio...

Are Airbnbs and ultramodern architecture killing the vibe in Joshua Tree, California?

2022-04-14T13:13:00-04:00

Tensions over visitors, some of whom will, inevitably, want to claim a piece of the desert themselves, has been a part of the area’s story for years. But as the pandemic has boosted Joshua Tree’s allure for travelers, transplants and investors, it has magnified old conflicts and created new conundrums.

Numbers of short-term rentals have doubled in Joshua Tree and the neighboring community of Yucca Valley, presenting an existential crisis to some of its inhabitants dismayed at the new boom in development to meet the demands of the market. Even the tree species that the town is named for is under threat by overdevelopment (or so says the Center for Biological Diversity, whose petition is currently under review by the California Fish and Game Commission.)

Part of the draw is the growing number of Instagram-friendly architectural showpieces that have been spun off into midcentury-inspired camp compounds and Disneyfied planned communities. A rental typology may be developing around the trend entirely, characterized by maximized space for lodgings, matte finishes, and materials like mirrored glass and corrugated steel. Their appeal is nevertheless lost on some local desert dwellers, ...

Overtourism: Are cities suffocating?

2019-07-19T15:01:00-04:00

The global tourism boom that’s inundated legacy destinations like Venice, Amsterdam, and Barcelona has birthed a term—overtourism—to describe the harried state of a city besieged by too many visitors. A recent report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, Destination 2030, looked at cities’ readiness for tourism growth and concluded that Vancouver, [...] had “visitor volumes and activities with potential to cause strain on the city.”

Tourism is one proven way cities can boost their economy in addition to promoting cultural awareness. However, how much strain is tourism putting on these cities? According to recent CityLab coverage by Molly McCluskey, "overtourism" is a term city development and tourism councils are using more frequently. Take Vancouver for example. McCluskey shares that the city will reach its 95% tourism capacity by the end of the summer. What does this mean exactly, and what steps can be taken to manage overcrowding?

According to Gwendal Castellan, manager of Sustainable Destination Development at Tourism Vancouver, he and his colleagues think, perhaps they should "just stop promoting the city?" Castellan continues, "We've been watching this happen all over the world. We haven't hit those edges [of oversaturation] yet, but we're not far off." Cities strained from "overtourism" must not only react to visitor demand but respond to residents and local officials. From overcrowded parking lots, busy...

Atelier 111 Architekti creates a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Czech fisherman cottage

2018-11-05T14:11:00-05:00

Tucked within the natural landscape of Vysočina, Czech Republic is a 538 square foot structure inspired by traditional fisherman cottages. Although its size is limited due to building legislation, this holiday cottage provides scenic views and a space perfect for recreation. Consisting of four small structures, each satisfies a specific purpose. Three of the four cottages are connected unifying the central room, a residential kitchen, a small loft space for children, as well as a bedroom and a lounge located on the adjacent side.

Image © BoysPlayNice

The sleek, minimalistic interior creates a warm atmosphere thanks to the wood finish details that encompass the space. The large windowsalong the side of the cottage allows for perfect views of the water. The simple interiors nicely complement the surrounding areas allowing for the space to be a perfectly serine getaway. The fourth cottage, detached from the rest, has a dual purpose as a place for...

BIG designs first prototype for affordable vacation home company Klein

2018-08-15T15:12:00-04:00

Behold the first prototype of the Brooklyn-based Klein, a new company that wants to make the process of building small houses more affordable all over the world. A45 is a 13-foot-long wood and glass cabin for one, two, or three people (if one of them is tiny) designed by the Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group [...] meant to be the first of many designs [that will fulfill the fantasy] of having a home outside the city...

Founder Soren Rose started Klein after leading the firm Søren Rose Studio based in New York and Copenhagen. By providing small, cheap, prefab houses the company aims to make vacation home ownership more affordable to a wider audience.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

While there are currently no set prices, homes are projected to range from $50,000 to $300,000.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

The first prototype, designed by BIG, is the start of several options which will be fully customizable and ready within 6 months of placing an order.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

Klein is currently taking preorders on a case by case basis.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

This glass cabin in Iceland lets you sleep under the northern lights

2018-03-22T14:03:00-04:00

Panorama Glass Lodge is a luxury vacation cabin in Hvalfjörðu, Iceland. Situated directly by the sea, visitors will experience stunning views of the Aurora Borealis from above and reflected off the water below. The structure features an all glass bedroom allowing travelers to experience sleeping under one of the world's most spectacular light shows.

Panorama Glass Lodge located in Hvalfjörðu, Iceland. Image: Panorama Glass Lodge.

This secluded cabin is the perfect viewing destination due to its removal from any light pollution.

Panorama Glass Lodge located in Hvalfjörðu, Iceland. Image: Panorama Glass Lodge.

If that wasn't enough to satisfy, the cabin also includes a hot tub to view the spectacle above.

Panorama Glass Lodge located in Hvalfjörðu, Iceland. Image: Panorama Glass Lodge.

Startup "Getaway" rents out tiny modern houses in the woods for urbanites to escape

2017-12-29T14:13:00-05:00

The savvy emphasis on escape and disconnectedness and repose has resonated among the millennials Getaway aims to reach. In each of its markets, outside New York, Boston and Washington, Getaway’s houses are booked solid on weekends, and in early 2017, the company, founded by two Harvard graduates, raised $15 million in venture capital funding, which suggests that a tiny house campground may soon be coming to a forest near you.

Getaway positions its retreats just outside major cities where individuals are encouraged to recharge and reconnect in nature. Tapping into the tiny house phenomena that rapidly gained popularity among millennials after the 2008 housing crisis, Getaway houses can be rented at just over $160 a night. The vacation rentals provide pamphlets and literature urging guests to remove themselves from stressors such as work, email, texts, and competition. A wooden box is provided to lock away your phone with no wifi available in the area (for those unable to confine their phone to the box).

A website offering vacation rentals for architecture lovers

2017-07-26T13:36:00-04:00

PlansMatter is a new travel website that offers vacation rentals for design-minded individuals. The accommodations are hand-picked by two architects, Scott Muellner and Connie Lindor, the founders of the website. The site is not just another Airbnb—listings for each property point to various rental sites, with which the business collaborates.

The selection is exciting in its variety. The site features listings for Rudolph Schindler 's LA Penthouse, Olson Kundig's camping cabins in Washington, James Turrell 's House of Light in Niigata, Japan, F. L. Wright's Kinney House, and many more 'architecturally significant' properties all over the world in which one can stay at a variety of price points.

plansmatter.com

Muellner notes, “It’s great to go to a museum or a public building designed by an architect you admire, but it’s a whole different experience to stay a week in that architect’s space. It’s not just taking a tour; instead of viewing art, it’s living with it.”

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