Living in a war-torn country isn't easy, which is why the idea to display a Syrian home in the comfort-addled environs of an IKEA store is remarkable. Shoppers can tour a 25 square meter mock-up that is modeled after a real Damascus-adjacent home that functions as living quarters for a family of... View full entry
Speed, accuracy, and complexity don't have to be mutually exclusive in construction. At least, that's the theory behind augmented reality technologies that offer 3D glimpses of real-time construction sites, animated plans and even wall finishes (imagine holding up your phone In your abode and... View full entry
Pierre Chareau was a French architect and designer best known for the groundbreaking Maison de Verre in Paris that he designed with Dutch architect Bernard Bijvoet. However, Chareau's diverse body of work has received hardly any exposure in the U.S. Thanks to a collaboration between Diller... View full entry
This week is crammed full of creative adventures; from learning about the future of handmade crafts in London, to buying them at a Christmas market, and from open tours of the Tate, to intimate, architect-led tours of an award winning school. This week is a truly one to get excited about –... View full entry
The Republican who would be president has been accused of exaggerating his own height by an inch. To suggestions that he has abnormally short fingers, he has responded by boasting, during a presidential debate, about other parts of his anatomy.
He has tried and failed to develop the world’s tallest building at least three times. And when he wants his buildings to seem bigger than they actually are, he enlarges them...with sheer bluster.
— the New York Times
For more on the architecture of Donald Trump, follow these links:Donald Trump is architecture's nightmare clientWhat does Donald Trump's architecture reveal about his politics?"Glitz and ego" – the architectural legacy of Donald Trump, the developer View full entry
Designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier, the 556-unit building, 685 First Avenue, is going up just south of the United Nations headquarters on the westernmost lot of the long-dormant site, which stretches along the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive from 35th Street to 41st Street. It will be the first building that Mr. Meier, known for his Modernist style and white aesthetic, has designed in black. — The New York Times
Black glass curtainwall - bloomimages View full entry
Karina Puente, an architect and urbanist based in Lima, Peru, who has worked on plans for the Lima of the future, has also begun illustrating each of Calvino’s 55 cities. The drawings capture much from the text, but they also have a magic of their own. — Numéro Cinq
Anastasia has concentric canals and much in it streets that captures our senses and feeds our desires.We draw sources for inspiration wherever we can. This post reviews three illustrations for Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities, a project by Karina Puente. It has has links to her site—and... View full entry
Architecture is often criticized for its lack of diversity, and many feel that education is a key way to address the issue for the future. In that vein, Harvard's GSD announced yesterday the establishment of the Philip Freelon Fellowship Fund, designed to "provide expanded academic opportunities... View full entry
Using some of the same design techniques used for responsive air chambers in submarines, Carlo Ratti Associati has designed a floating plaza/mixed retail center that will float on and adapt to the water level depending on how many people are currently walking on it. The plaza, which is linked to... View full entry
Herzog & de Meuron's Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg will finally welcome its first guests on November 5, following nearly a decade tainted with cost overruns and planning delays. Located in the rapidly developing HafenCity district, the crown-shaped concert hall proudly announced its completion... View full entry
A Government minister has declared war on “brutalist” architecture, arguing that it is “aesthetically worthless” and embodies a “cult of ugliness”.
John Hayes, a transport minister, said in a speech that the Government would be the “vanguard of a renaissance” in architecture by rebuilding a Doric arch that stood outside London’s Euston station before it was demolished in 1962.
— The Independent
"Politicians speak a lot and sometimes they speak sense," the British Minister for Transport John Hayes states at the beginning of a speech that makes a case for a return to "beauty" in public architecture. Specifically, he takes aim at brutalist transit stations and promises to rebuild the... View full entry
Boxpark established itself in Shoreditch in 2011 and now, after five successful years, has opened a new venue in Croydon, designed by BDP. The venture is part of the council's plan to transform the borough and create new public spaces. Next to East Croydon station, the venue, like the original... View full entry
The ARE 5.0 is finally here, and it's eight hours and one division shorter than its predecessor. Additionally, new testing methods, including the soothing sounding drag-and-place, have been added to the exam. As a press release pithily explains: "ARE 5.0 features the latest graphic testing... View full entry
Paraphrased by the Washington Post, architect Terence Riley puts Miami's parking garages at the literal forefront of local urbanism: "In a city where everyone drives, the parking garage is the foyer." After all, Riley's firm, K/R Architects, curated the design of one of the city's most flamboyant... View full entry
Despite its potential for easy refurbishment and adaptability, the Nakagin Capsule Tower has not exactly fulfilled the hoped-for mission of its designers. A team of documentary filmmakers recently attempted to stay in the tower, only to find the majority of its units without plumbing or much in... View full entry
