Archinect - News

Dissecting McMansion ugliness

2016-08-16T15:56:00-04:00

The aptly named "McMansionhell" tumblr has taken the time to carefully note just what makes a McMansion an ugly, terrible, no good architectural atrocity. Skipping over frothy diatribe and going straight into meticulous point by point dissection, the tumblr notes that McMansions fail in four key areas: Masses & Voids, Balance, Proportion, and crucially, Rhythm. "McMansions lack architectural rhythm," the tumblr states, using slidetool graphics to help you wince and blanch in an informed way (as opposed to just experiencing an overpowering visceral dislike each time you pass one on the street).

Other ugly building news:

KCRW's DNA interviews Moby on LA architecture

2012-03-23T18:44:00-04:00

Chances are, you know Moby best for his electronic dance music. But it turns out the eclectic-minded musician has another life, as an architecture buff who recently moved to LA and now writes a blog about buildings here he loves. The blog is called, simply, Moby Los Angeles Architecture Blog, and features his photos of local architecture. Frances Anderton talks to Moby about his love of architecture.

And, on that note, I promise this will be the last we refer to Moby's over-hyped move into the world of architecture blogging.

The New Archinect Blogging Platform is Now Live!

2011-10-03T14:02:00-04:00

The A+D blogging platform with a built-in audience.

We're excited to announce the launch of our new blogging platform. As many of you are aware, Archinect has been hosting hundreds of incredible school blogs, for the last many years, providing a unique insight into architecture programs around the world. The system we were using was basic and difficult to use, to say the least, so we undertook the project of completely overhauling this system, and opening up the blogging platform to all members of the A+D community to start and manage a blog that reflects each persons own distinct interests, skills and experience.

At the moment, there are 6 different types of blogs:

school blogs (by students, instructors, faculty, etc.)
professional blogs (discussing issues related to the practice and/or business of our industries)
travel blogs (consider it your online shared moleskine)
design blogs (covering issues related to design)
technical blogs (nerdy stuff, like CAD t...

Ready to blog? Archinect's new blogging platform is about to launch!

2011-09-22T11:15:10-04:00

We are days away from launching our new blogging platform, and we're looking for a few motivated individuals to get started now. If you're an architecture student that wants to represent your school with a school blog, we want to hear from you. But our new blogging platform will no longer be limited to student blogs. Here are some typical blog types that would be perfectly suited to our new blogging platform:

school blogs, of course
travel blogs
profession/work blogs
project-related blogs (blog about the development of an exciting new project)
design blogs
regional blogs
niche-topic blogs
job-search blog
video blogs

The A+D blogging platform with a built-in audience.

If you want to get started now, and test out the new platform before it's publicly launched, send an email to connect@archinect.com, with the subject "I want to blog". Please briefly describe who you are and what you want to blog about. We'll respond to those who we select for th...

From the Blogs: a small side project

2011-07-12T13:19:13-04:00

The fish are part of a small side project the lab is working on in the city of Kesenuma. You probably saw it on the news. It's the city that had a massive boat sitting on a street instead of in the water.

Check out the latest blog entry from the Keio University blog.

"The community asked us to think of something that kids could be involved in and that would be cheap to put together and somehow symbolic and fun. The students in the lab came up with using the laser cutter to make a small school of fish that could be assembled by children to make a simple arch. It's a cute idea. Perfect for Japan."

Commentary: What Happens to Architectural Criticism When Dailies Shrivel and Bloggers Take Over?

2011-05-13T13:55:37-04:00

As much as the blogosphere often turns crucial issues into soap-operatic fodder, it also keeps us honest to a degree that didn’t exist before. What has emerged is an architecture criticism less contemplative, perhaps, but more nimble — and better attuned to its audience, in ways good and bad. Martin Pawley might not recognize this new criticism right away, but even he, I think, would have to admit its heartbeat is plenty strong.