Archinect - News

Why not give Drake’s Toronto mansion a virtual tour this Holiday weekend?

2021-11-27T14:02:00-05:00

If you’re reading this it’s not too late: Die-hard Drake fans looking for a little architectural distraction during the American holiday, which was a byproduct of the Civil War, can now find respite in the form of a new virtual tour of the Grammy winner’s massive 19th-century limestone private residence in Canada.

A screenshot of the house courtesy Drake Related

The Birdle Path, Toronto manse first made its rounds on the internet after starring in Drake’s 2020 music video for Toosie Slide.

A screenshot of the house's lounge area courtesy Drake Related

Coming in at exactly 50,000-square-feet, Ferris Rafauli’s vision features a full-size NBA court and aesthetic enhancements like Nero Marquina marble floor inserts, a marble kitchen island and bath tub, and a custom marble chandelier (there’s marble everywhere). One thing that I find is a bit unsettling: he’s got a closet full of Birkin bags for his “future wife.”

You can buy all kinds of shit while you're on the tour there as well. Nike...

Man Writes 91 Songs About the Washington, D.C. Metro System

2017-06-13T17:28:00-04:00

It took six years, but every subway station in the Washington, D.C. area is now immortalized in song. For musician Jason Mendelson, it’s his magnum opus.

The Magentic Fields wrote 69 songs about love; professional tax manager and sometime musician Jason Mendelson has managed to record 91 songs about the Washington, D.C. Metro system, with one song for each subway stop.

Map of the Washington, D.C. Metro.

While music critics will not be equating these two works anytime soon, it's rare for an entire transportation system to be memorialized in song (although [Get Your Kicks On] Route 66, along with Kraftwerk's Autobahn, come to mind). It's worth noting that Mendelson doesn't play favorites: in the video accompanying the article, he proclaims that "There are no boring commuter stops."

Accusing architects of prioritizing looks over feel—Moby edition

2016-09-12T17:13:00-04:00

“I have an issue with architects and designers who think about how is the space going to look when it's on an architecture website, rather than how it’s going to feel for the people who either live there, work there or patronise it,” [...] “I had a couple of nights in Madrid staying in a hotel room that Zaha Hadid Architects had designed. It looked amazing, but was the least comfortable space I’ve ever inhabited... Literally sleeping in a dumpster would have been more comfortable.”

More design forays by the rich and famous: