Archinect - News

Hong Kong issues AR stamps to promote historic building revitalization

2018-03-23T20:38:00-04:00

The Hongkong Post issued a set of six augmented reality stamps called “Revitalization of Historic Buildings in Hong Kong II” showcasing six historic building revitalization projects. These special stamps are part of an effort to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the built heritage in Hong Kong.

Hover over these stamps with a smartphone using the HKPostStamps app and a virtual model of the historic building will pop up for you to explore. Each rendering includes interactive hotspots that bring up information including opening hours and links to visit the building in person.

Check out how they work:

The six historic buildings featured in these stamps are:

Viva Blue House, located in Wanchai, is composed of the Blue House, Yellow House, Orange House and adjacent vacant land
Oi!, the former clubhouse of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
Green Hub, located in Tai Po, is the Old Tai Po Police Station
Stone Houses Family Garden, which was originally part of the Hau Wong Temp...

UK’s Royal Mail issues 10 stamps featuring iconic modern architecture

2017-07-13T13:45:00-04:00

In announcing the stamps, Royal Mail said that they celebrate excellence in contemporary architecture and engineering in the United Kingdom and “the renaissance in architecture of the past two decades in Britain.”

One strip of five pictures includes Zaha Hadid's London Aquatics Center, the Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo, Glasgow's SEEC Amadillio by Foster + Partners, Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh designed by EMBT and RMJM, and the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Center in Northern Ireland by Heneghang Peng.

Shown on the other strip are the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, the Eden Project in St. Austell by Grimshaw, Liverpool’s Everyman Theater by Haworth Thompkins, Imperial War Museum by Studio Libeskind, and the Tate Modern’s Switch House in London by Herzog and De Meuron.

Ordering information is available from Royal Mail.

Canada Post unveils new stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Habitat 67

2017-05-11T13:13:00-04:00

Habitat 67—the iconic housing complex designed by Moshe Safdie for Expo 67—turned 50 this year. To commemorate the occasion, we sat down and talked with Safdie about the experience and how it influenced his career. Meanwhile, the Canada Post celebrated the anniversary by unveiling a new commemorative stamp featuring the building. Safdie himself presented it during a ceremony at the building.

Check out our interview with Safdie here.

Iraq honors Zaha Hadid with commemorative stamp — which features rejected Tokyo stadium design

2016-06-20T17:45:00-04:00

The Iraqi postal service has issued new postage stamps honoring two of the country's beloved architects: Zaha Hadid, who died in March, and Mohamed Makiya, who died last year at the age of 101. Hadid and Makiya both changed the perception of architecture in the Arab world and introduced some of the aesthetics of Arabic-inspired architecture in projects around the world.

A small selection of Archinect news posts covering ZHA's winning/not winning Tokyo Olympic Stadium bid:

H/T Curbed

Postage Stamp Architecture

2011-05-11T11:23:00-04:00

I know I have been on a Dutch rag as of late, but where else can you buy postage stamps that honor not just architects, but architecture, and not just timeworn monuments, but experimental work that has not even been built? As a kicker, the stamps are designed so that, if you hold them up to a Web cam, they turn into 3D models floating in front of your screen.

USPS to offer Eames in 2008

2008-01-10T10:30:00-05:00

A collection of Eames stamps will be among the new stamps that the USPS will be offering this year. Gallery

In recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, manufacturing and photographic arts, designers Charles and Ray Eames will be honored next summer with a pane of 16 stamps designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC. If you’ve ever sat in a stackable molded chair, you’ve experienced their creativity. Perhaps best known for their furniture, the Eameses were husband and wife as well as design partners. Their extraordinary body of creative work — which reflected the nation’s youthful and inventive outlook after World War II — also included architecture, films and exhibits. Without abandoning tradition, Charles and Ray Eames used new materials and technology to create high-quality products that addressed everyday problems and made modern design available to the American public.

Stamp Honours Architecture

2007-05-15T23:45:00-04:00

Canada Post is commemorating the centennial of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) by issuing a series of postage stamps featuring four noted Canadian architects...

The four masterworks chosen to grace these stamps are signature pieces by architects who have received the RAIC gold medal as well as the Order of Canada: Douglas Cardinal, St. Mary’s Church (1969); Arthur Erickson, University of Lethbridge (1971); Raymond Moriyama, Ontario Science Centre (1969); and Moshe Safdie, National Gallery of Canada (1988).

“When people enter a wonderful museum, soaring cathedral or awe-inspiring art gallery, I wonder how many of them ever stop to think about the architect who designed it,” said John Lee, general manager, enterprise solutions, at Canada Post.

“In Canada, we have a wealth of amazing buildings, some of which are so spectacular that they’re truly works of art.”

Stamp designer Ivan Novotny, realizing the importance of paying tribute to the artists behind the art, conc...

The Stamp of Approval

2005-05-19T13:48:00-04:00

Some of the most spectacular Master Works of Modern Architecture from around the country have been immortalized today on U.S. postage stamps. The U.S. Postal Service commemorates them with these glossy thumbnail pics for your envelope beautification. Read