Archinect - News

Kanye West sued by project manager at Tadao Ando-designed home who was fired for refusing to perform illegal work

2023-09-14T16:13:00-04:00

A project overseer and estate guardian for Ye, previously recognized as Kanye West, claims he was dismissed for declining to eliminate all windows and electricity from Ye's Malibu residence, as per a legal complaint submitted recently in the Los Angeles County Superior Court and reported by NBC.

The legal action points to breaches of several labor standards, encompassing hazardous work environments, unsettled salaries, and unjust retaliatory firing.

The suit stems from a comprehensive overhaul the controversial rapper was attempting at the $57.3 million property, allegedly with the intention of converting Tadao Ando’s 4-bed, 4.5-bath residence into a bunker-type structure that resembles “a bomb shelter from the 1910s.” Photos published in May appear to show nearly all of the home’s glass and interior fit-out has been removed, adding to the contractor’s claims that Ye was pursuing a design devoid of appliances, electrical power, or even light fixtures.

“He continues his pattern of ...

As the threat of war mounts, Finland’s high-tech bomb shelter system lies ready and waiting

2022-04-26T18:23:00-04:00

As Finland mulls its possible entry into NATO, residents can feel a sense of safety thanks to the decades-old network of more than 54,000 bomb shelters mandated by the country’s Rescue Act, which requires any currently in-use buildings with a floor area of at least 1,200 square meters (12,900 square feet) to include such facilities.

A total of 85% of the shelters are operated privately, with most serving more practical peacetime roles as sports centers, shopping malls, and in some cases parking garages. The country’s past preparedness for other emergency situations paid considerable dividends at the outset of the pandemic, but Finnish civil defense officials maintain they aren’t looking forward to a system-wide litmus from the Russian military anytime soon.

“It’s sad to see what is happening in Ukraine,” Tomi Rask, a safety instructor at the civil defense cente...

Dig this: Lipton Plant reimagines a WWII bunker as a holiday home on England's Jurassic Coast

2021-08-27T17:08:00-04:00

A unique restoration is turning an old war relic into an offbeat holiday destination on England’s Jurassic Coast thanks to the work of Lipton Plant Architects.

The London-based firm, which specializes in residential projects, has been granted planning approval for a scheme that would transform a Grade II-listed bunker from the Second World War into a private abode for vacationers with a Paul Virilio-esque palette.

The restoration will entail the conversion of the former RAF radio squadron bunker into a two-bedroom retreat thanks to the installation of a glazed “bomb blast” opening and renovation of its 76-square-meter interior complete with exposed original concrete walls, a terrace patio, and full kitchen.

Concept illustration. Image © Lipton Plant Architects

Per the architects: “We hope to celebrate the significant historic yet redundant structure as a historic ruin. By ‘blasting’ a new opening in the elevation, not only can the space be enjoyed as a holiday home, but views of the...

ABIBOO Studio pulls from their expertise in space architecture to develop a luxury doomsday bunker

2021-01-07T16:19:00-05:00

2020 taught us to embrace the indoors. However, as the world enters 2021, some may feel more propelled to seek out shelters that can protect them from calamity. At least that's how the New York and Miami-based practice ABIBOO Studio explains their latest project, the DBX Doomsday Bunker.

Led by Spanish architect and designer Alfredo Munoz, the firm's work focuses on many design projects that revolve around architecture, technology, interiors, and research and development. Munoz is also a member of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and recognized on an exclusive list of Space Architects. Here he pulls from the firm's expertise in space architecture and luxury living to develop DBX.

"The shelter can accommodate up to two family groups and a maximum of ten people. It occupies 12,000 square feet and is accessed through a lifting military-grade door camouflaged on a green-covered hill." Project visual and description courtesy of ABIBOO Studio

"The entrance i...

The bunker business is booming

2020-06-30T19:53:00-04:00

The basic model at Northeast Bunkers is a cylindrical steel vessel eight feet in diameter, in 13- or 20-foot lengths, welded from quarter-inch plate steel and equipped with an entrance hatch on top. Standard features include rust-resistant exterior paint, cedar plank flooring, zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) interior finishes, two vent ports, floor hatches for storage, and an emergency exit hatch.

Writing in The New York Times, Mira Ptacin surveys the growing demand for underground bunkers across the United States as disease, social unrest, and political instability push some people to prepare for potential worst case scenarios, both real and imagined.

Brian V. Camden, principal of Hardened Structures, a bunker manufacturer, tells Ptacin, “I collaborate with architects, engineers, Navy Seals,” adding, “We have ex-military employees specializing in C.B.R.N. — chemical biological radio nuclear analysis.”

The wealthy run to bunkers to escape coronavirus

2020-03-12T11:18:00-04:00

The world’s richest people are chartering private jets to set off for holiday homes or specially prepared disaster bunkers in countries that, so far, appear to have avoided the worst of the Covid-19 outbreak. Many are...taking personal doctors or nurses on their flights to treat them and their families in the event that they become infected. The wealthy are also besieging doctors in private clinics in Harley Street, London, and across the world, demanding private coronavirus tests.

According to the Guardian, Robert Vicino, founder and chief executive of Vivos Group, a California-based company constructing underground shelters designed to withstand a range of natural disasters and catastrophes, said his firm had seen a surge in inquiries and sales since the crisis took hold.

Nazi bunker to become new hotel in Hamburg

2019-10-22T18:30:00-04:00

"A former Nazi bunker in Hamburg, built by forced laborers to shelter tens of thousands of Germans during Allied air raids in World War II, will soon house hotel guests," reports The New York Times (NYT). Fit with a five-story terraced roof garden, the hotel will house 136 rooms, and is due to open in mid-2021.

The bunker was one of thousands built by the Nazi's during the war. A spokeswoman for NH Hotel Group, the organization designing the new space, told NYT that the group is "aware of the history of the building" and that they "would like to send a positive signal to the city of Hamburg.

Thomas L. Doughton also spoke to NYT, expressing how "part of the concern with some people in Hamburg, as well as in other locations in Europe and elsewhere is that the real significance of some of these sites will become lost."

The hotel will include a 560 square foot exhibition space to commemorate the structure's past, seeking not to "hide the history," but instead "to make it more visible."

...

Savvy entrepreneurs grow fresh vegetables deep beneath London city streets

2019-09-16T14:52:00-04:00

Deep beneath the streets of Clapham, London, in a former air raid shelter, Steve Dring and his colleagues are farming. Vertical farming, that is. The company Dring co-founded, Growing Underground, is cultivating a wide range of vegetables and herbs in vertically-stacked trays in the confined space. It’s part of a growing trend in Europe and the U.S.

Marketplace visits Growing Underground, a cutting-edge vertical farm inside a converted WWII-era air raid bunker 100 feet beneath London.

"If we were growing peas out in the open, we’d have three crops a year," the company's cofounder Steve Dring tells the reporter. "Here, we get 62 crops a year because we’re precisely giving the plants exactly what they want, all year round."

View this post on Instagram Great to have @bbcbreakfast filming LIVE on the farm yesterday! Go to @bbcbreakfast for full film!! . Repost @bbcbreakfast This farm makes salad ingredients 33m under Clapham . . #growingunderground #undergroundfarm #sustainablefood #sustainability #agritech #bbcnews #sustainableliving #sustainablefarm #healthyfood #microherbs #eventbrite #microgreens #healthysalad #nutrition #foodwaste #foodies #growingundergroundtour #plantpower #health #undergroundlondon #verticalfarming #futurefood #futurecities #agritech #urbanfarming #agriculture #urbanagriculture
A post sha...

Doomsday bunkers are coming back in a big way

2019-08-16T19:00:00-04:00

Americans have, for generations, prepared themselves for society’s collapse. They built fallout shelters during the Cold War and basement supply caches ahead of Y2K. But in recent years, personalized disaster prep has grown into a multimillion-dollar business, fueled by a seemingly endless stream of new and revamped threats, from climate change to terrorism, cyberattacks and civil unrest.

The fate of immovable Nazi bunkers

2019-06-07T11:30:00-04:00

On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we reflect on the remaining architectural vestiges of World War II, an event that incurred the death of nearly 50,000,000 people and shifted the borders of countries and continents.

In 1975, the theorist Paul Virilio published Bunker Archaeology, a documentation of some of the 1,500 bunkers that were built along the French shores by the German army as a defense against an anticipated invasion from the United Kingdom during World War II. "It all started - it was a discovery in the archeological sense of the term - along the beach south of Saint-Gucnolc during the summer of 1958. I was leaning against a solid mass of concrete, which I had previously used as a cabana." Through dramatic photo documentation, Virilio saw the bunkers as a way to merge the study of their physical attributes with the existential questioning of war and violence.

Facade for heavy artillery. Photo by Paul Virilio.

Observation post on a channel island. Photo by Paul Virilio.

Viri...

Developer brings luxury condos to old Missile Silos in Kansas

2018-11-13T15:46:00-05:00

When one thinks of luxury condos, rural Kansas isn't what typically comes to mind. Then again, the location isn't the only thing unique about developer Larry Hall's 15-story, residential complex sitting underground in a former missile silo.

In 2008, Hall purchased the missile launch facility in Kansas for $300,000, in order to build fortified shelters that can withstand a variety of catastrophic events. The result is his $20 million Survival Condo Project where accommodations start at $1.5 million and include things like windows that mimic natural sunlight.

Indoor swimming pool inside the Survival Condo Project.

In the event of an attack or natural disaster, the luxury facility can hold up to 75 people for over five years. During this time, residents of the complex can go for a swim in the indoor pool complete with a waterslide, enjoy a flick in the movie theater, read a book at the building's library, or grab a drink at the custom bar while the world outside burns. The sprawling fa...

Virtual money still requires real architecture

2017-10-18T13:06:00-04:00

A bitcoin vault doesn’t store actual bitcoin units. Technically, what’s being stored are private, cryptographic keys. It’s odd to think of a virtual currency needing physical storage, but just like your most precious photos, even a cryptocurrency needs some kind of material container.

The company Xapo is using a decommissioned military bunker to safeguard its customers bitcoins. In this article from Quartz, Joon lan Wong describes his way into the vault storing millions of dollars worth of bitcoins and the numerous portals and gates he had to cross.

Tour BIG’s Tirpitz Bunker Museum through NYT's Daily 360

2017-08-31T14:20:00-04:00

Take a walk through BIG's controversial 2,800 m2 Bunker Museum that opened this summer in Denmark—

Dig into more photos of BIG's “invisible” Tirpitz Museum

2017-07-13T16:19:00-04:00

The BIG-designed Tirpitz Museum in the Danish coastal town of Blåvand recently had its grand opening and already appears to be attracting plenty of visitors to the historic site. Unlike its heftier neighbor, the German WWII Tirpitz bunker, the museum finely cuts into the dune landscape and appears to be hidden.

The project's distinct form has already drawn a quirky comparison to a “freshly sliced hot potato” from Bjarke Ingels himself. On the flip side, the museum is designed to serve as a “portal to the Danish West Coast's treasure trove of hidden stories”, says Claus Kjeld Jensen, the Director of the Varde Museum. The Tirpitz Museum intends to take visitors on a scenic journey through the light and dark chapters of the region's history.

Photo: Mike Bink

Photos: Mike Bink

Photo: Colin John Seymour

The 2,800 m2 museum complex consists of concrete, steel, glass, and wood — four materials and elements that are also found in existing structures and landscape of ...

Bjarke Ingels compares the shape of the just-opened Tirpitz Bunker Museum to a freshly sliced hot potato

2017-07-07T15:20:00-04:00

Due to the surrender of German forces in WWII, the Tirpitz Bunker's construction was never completed leaving the dugout as a dark presence on the sandy coast of Denmark. The 3.5 meter thick concrete fortification is the country's largest bunker and was intended to be part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall defenses. Due to its strategic position near the coast, the bunker would've helped protect the sea route to the Port of Esbjerg, a major intermodal hub for the Nordic region. While the Allies blew up many of the bunkers in the region, the Tirpitz was saved. The site has been used as a small museum since 1991 and has previously held concerts and art shows within the moss-covered bunker walls. In 2012 as part of a 7,500-square foot development, it was decided to expand the museum.

Today, hidden under the dunes, the new Tirpitz Museum, designed by Bjarke Ingels, has finally been transformed with four distinct galleries alongside the original bunker. The museum will explore both the lighter an...

WWII German bunker adds "green mountain" on top in radical repurposing

2017-05-30T17:48:00-04:00

Repurposing and renovation are some of the hottest new trends in architecture, but architects in Hamburg may have elevated the stakes by their proposal to place a 19-meter high "green mountain" atop a World War II bunker in Hamburg, Germany. The new mountain would offer residents lots to grow vegetables, as well as "a bit of plain hedonistic pleasure" according to a statement released by the designers. The bottom of the bunker has already undergone substantial transformation: it currently hosts a nightclub, a graphic design agency, a music school, a music shop, and a photographer’s studio.

Holing up in hoity-toity hovels: doomsday architecture for the super-wealthy

2017-01-24T17:25:00-05:00

Trump is President, the climate is chaos, and the wealth gap is starting to qualify as its own national canyon. So if you've got vats of money and are afraid of all the people who don't, what do you do? Build doomsday architecture to survive the collapse of society! In this piece for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos investigates the luxury bunkers of folks who realize that they'll probably need to plan to take the family of the pilot of their private jet with them, for, you know, maintenance issues (sigh):

Hall led me through the garage, down a ramp, and into a lounge, with a stone fireplace, a dining area, and a kitchen to one side. It had the feel of a ski condo without windows: pool table, stainless-steel appliances, leather couches. To maximize space, Hall took ideas from cruise-ship design. We were accompanied by Mark Menosky, an engineer who manages day-to-day operations. While they fixed dinner—steak, baked potatoes, and salad—Hall said that the hardest part of the project was susta...

The enclosure to dismantle Chernobyl's nuclear reactor is complete

2016-04-07T13:07:00-04:00

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. On April 26, 1986, technicians conducting a test inadvertently caused reactor number four to explode... Reuters reports that a huge recently-completed enclosure called the New Safe Confinement—the world's largest land-based moving structure—will be “pulled slowly over the site later this year to create a steel-clad casement to block radiation and allow the remains of the reactor to be dismantled safely.”

Although it sounds like an early aughts indie band name, the New Safe Confinement structure over Chernobyl's reactor number four is finally complete, constructed at an estimated cost of €1.5 billion. Meanwhile, neighboring city and officially uninhabitable Pripyat has become a hauntingly photogenic ghost town, as captured in these photos:

For what else is going on in Chernobyl:

Surviving in style: the world's largest private doomsday shelter has a swimming pool, wine cellar, art vaults

2015-11-16T13:51:00-05:00

This is The Oppidum, a massive 323,000 square foot property with plans for a spectacular estate. What lies hidden beneath, carved deep in the mountain is the largest residential doomsday shelter in the world. [...] The planned luxurious underground compound on two levels includes a total space of 77,500 sf with 13 foot high ceilings. The layout features one large 6,750 sf apartment and six 1,720 sf apartments. Construction on the secret facility began in 1984, at the height of the Cold War.

Related on Archinect:

It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel luxurious): high-end apocalypse shelters

2015-10-22T20:14:00-04:00

Vicino's company built Vivos Indiana, an "impervious underground complex" built in a Cold-War-era nuclear shelter and kitted out with luxury amenities. The idea is that you sign up in advance and plunk down $35,000 per person ($25,000 for kids) to secure one of the 80 spots available within the shelter...you can survive for a year amidst leather couches, 600-thread-count sheets and gourmet chow.

"Once through security, the aesthetic makes a drastic shift," notes the narrator of the Travel Channel's video profile of the Vivos Group's underground luxury shelter. Vivo, a company which specializes in creating luxurious accommodations for that rough, between-civilizations feeling, also has a top-of-the-line European version of their shelter, made specifically for "high-net worth families."

BIG’s Blåvand Bunker Museum to be built in historic dune landscape in Varde, Denmark

2013-11-18T17:53:00-05:00

BIG's latest museum design, the Blåvand Bunker Museum, will be built in the historic dune landscape of Varde in Denmark after the museum received the necessary funding from the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation. The museum will transform a former German WWII bunker into a four-volume museum complex — all while fully integrated into one of the dunes.

Images courtesy of BIG.

70's Vegas underground home on the market for $1.7M

2013-09-12T20:43:00-04:00

The above ground structure is just like any other– with the only hints being multiple air conditioning units, and emergency exits around the property. The underground interior is one that’s stuck in the hippy chic 1970′s days. Pink draperies, carpet and classic columns outfit the dated interior. Putting greens, a rock facade barbecue and natural style light settings make for an interesting setting that’s completely user controlled.

A top-secret Czech bunker used by the Soviet army opens to the public

2013-08-27T15:34:00-04:00

A military bunker in Brdy that reportedly housed Soviet nuclear warheads during the years of the Cold War has been turned into an Atom Museum. It opened to the public last week attracting military buffs and historians from far and wide.

Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization's collapse

2012-01-23T15:08:00-05:00

Tegeler, 57, has turned her home in rural Virginia into a "survival center," complete with a large generator, portable heaters, water tanks, and a two-year supply of freeze-dried food that her sister recently gave her as a birthday present. She says that in case of emergency, she could survive indefinitely in her home. And she thinks that emergency could come soon. "I think this economy is about to fall apart," she said.

Nuclear bunker looks like a... nuclear bunker, say architects

2011-04-26T12:05:33-04:00

While the project is clearly a feat of engineering, architects couldn’t help but comment that it lacked a certain architectural flair.