25 December 2008

Happy Holidays '08

Kansas City Plaza
Kansas City Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
via flickr: WSK_2005

23 December 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 61

Puerta de Europa
Puerta de Europa, Madrid, Spain - Pedro Senteri Cardillo & Johnson Burgee
via flickr: cuellar

15 December 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 60

Theatre de Toneelschuur

Theatre de Toneelschuur, Haarlem, Netherlands - Mecanoo
via flickr: *Badeendje*


14 December 2008

Michelle Kaufmann On Dwell

If you did not already know, dwell magazine has a series of videos on various topics that includes a collection featuring leading designers. Here is another in the Designer Series featuring prefab designer Michelle Kaufmann.




Michelle Kaufmann Designs

19 November 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 59

Diamnond Ranch High School
Diamond Ranch High School, Pomona, California - Morphosis
via flickr: brandon shigeta


05 October 2008

02 September 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 57

Spanish Pavilion
Spanish Pavillion, Zaragoza, Spain - Patxi Mangado
via flickr: .pep


01 September 2008

Young Architects Poll


After the success of our earlier Green Architecture Poll, we asked our readers to select which so called, "Young Architect" they would choose. The results are in and can be found below:

  • UNStudio 62.5%
  • Diller Scofidio + Renfro 25%
  • LOT-EK 25%
  • Asymptote 12.5%
  • Hariri & Hariri 12.5%

Later we will feature a five part mini-series spotlighting these young firms, their projects and profiles. Please continue to vote in our sidebar polls and leave us your thoughts on other young firms that you would like to see featured here.

archrecord2 link


27 August 2008

25 August 2008

Our Fave 20 Design Blogs

Earlier this year we set out to promote our favorite Top 10 Urbanism Blogs that we feature in our sidebars. In the spirit of our first review, our second centers on Design blogs. So what where our metrics for selection? The blogs are ranked in the order in which our editor finds them to be most relevant to design, their visual appeal, and by the frequency in which they are updated. In the event of a tie, we selected our favorite reads first. Some of the blogs will be easily recognizable, while others may be a bit more obscure but well worth your exploration. Of course, this is a highly subjective list and we welcome any comments or suggestions for blogs that are not featured here or elsewhere on our site.


01:: Design Observer

This blog is our overall favorite Design blog. The design is clean, the editing is superlative and the content is always enticing.



02:: DesignNotes

This is one of our overall favorite blogs for design, content, navigation and features.



03:: swissmiss

Another one of our top destinations for design folly is this fine blog. Let us face it the Swiss can flat out design.



04:: designspotter

A daily photo blog that offers plenty of eye candy for your design desires.



05:: David Report blog

This is perhaps the best written blog in our survey. The opinions and discourse are always worth the read.



06:: Design Sojourn

Yet another well-written eye-catching design that is well worth visiting.



07:: Le territoire des sens

Always an interesting French blog that always seems to capture our attention.



08:: incli(NATION)

This is a straight-forward and concise blog featuring Architecture and Design among other things.



09:: dezeen

Well-rounded and robust another must have bookmark in your search of design.



10:: Design Milk

If you are into eye catching blogs with a diverse focus on design, then you have arrived.



11:: Core 77 Design Blog

Core 77 is a visually stunning blog whose main focus is on industrial design.



12:: CoolBoom

This is an interesting Architecture + Design blog featuring a well-crafted dark theme and ease of navigation.



13:: we make money not art

This selection is a quirky, uniquely designed blog featuring all facets of design.



14:: things magazine

This intriguing blog is crafty in its writing and always makes us wonder why did not come up with the idea first. Tangential thinking never looked so good.



15:: Cool Hunting

Number fifteen features a well-designed blog that features all aspects of design.



16:: Curbly

Curbly is an easy to navigate, well-edited blog featuring commentary and insight into design.



17:: designeast.eu

If it is happening in Central or Eastern Europe and it is design related it is featured here.



18:: edgargonzalez.com

An interesting Spanish blog that features a wide-range of design posts.



19:: designboom

A daily zine featuring photos, links and a plethora of other design related items for one to peruse.



20:: dezain.net

Do not let the economy of the design fool you. The content is top-notch and the links are always worth a look.




26 July 2008

19 July 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 54

House & Atelier Bow-Wow
House & Atelier Bow-Wow, Tokyo, Japan - Atelier Bow-Wow
via flickr: roryrory


31 May 2008

Posta Aerea 06


Please forgive our lack of posts. Our editor has been on vacation and is studying and taking the Architects Registration Exam (A.R.E.). A subject that may be featured as an in-depth series in the near future. Now we would like to take care of a bit of housekeeping. In April we reported on a new periodical from Spain entitled, "a+t". In our post we stated that "DBook" released by them featured only Dutch architecture. This was incorrect and we regret the error. This title features architecture from around Europe and is not solely focused on the Netherlands.

The Storefront for Art and Architecture is taking its show on the road and is currently in London through July 27, 2008. See the exhibition poster below for details:


Storefront for Art and Architecture - POP UP London
The Big CPH Experiment flickr set

29 May 2008

22 May 2008

20 May 2008

Another European Arch Landmark Ablaze


photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters

Less than one week after a devastating fire engulfed the TU-Delft Architecture School, we have learned of yet another blaze. Today in Berlin, Germany the home of the Berlin Philharmonic has caught fire. Unlike its counterpart in the Netherlands it appears as though the fire was caught in time and has saved the structure. The New York Times reported that workers had been welding on the predominantly metal roof before the fire but there is no indication as yet to its source.

The orchestra has been playing in the Philharmonic Hall at Kemperplatz since 1963. The original structure was designed by Hans Scharoun, and later was added to in 1987 to include the adjoining Chamber Music Hall.

BBC Article
Berliner Philharmoniker Site

16 May 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 51

Matsumoto Performing Arts Center
Matsumoto Performing Arts Center, Matsumoto, Japan - Toyo Ito
via flickr: scarletgreen


15 May 2008

TU-Delft: Arch School Endures Major Fire

image courtesy of nu.nl

The architecture program at TU-Delft in the Netherlands suffered a serious loss on Tuesday the 13th of May when the eight story Faculty Building was engulfed by flames. The pictures below tell the story and illustrate the partial collapse of the structure. We first learned of this tragedy from our neighbors at SPAN and it was later reported by Archinect. The TU-Delft website reports that classes will resume on the 19th of May in makeshift tents set up on campus. No word on the cause at this time.




images courtesy of nu.nl


nu.nl article (in Dutch)
SPAN article

29 April 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 49


Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Diller Scofidio + Renfro
via flickr: Alternateword's


22 April 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 48


The Umbrella, Culver City, California, USA - Eric Owen Moss
via flickr: brandon shigeta


16 April 2008

Architects According To Monty



Interesting portion of a skit by Monty Python's Flying Circus portraying architects. This is a bit dated but is classic British humour. Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink, know what I mean?

Pythononline Link


14 April 2008

Frank Gehry Speaks At TED



Here is a description of the lecture given by Gehry from the TED website:
"Speaking at TED in 1990, the not-yet-legendary architect Frank Gehry takes a whistlestop tour of his work to date, from his own Venice Beach house to the under-construction American Center in Paris. In this 50-minute slideshow (before TED's 18-minute limit), Gehry explains the site-specific nature of his buildings -- context he felt was lost in the discussions of his then-controversial work. In this candid and funny talk, he exposes his own messy creative process ("I take pieces and bits, and look at it, and struggle with it, and cut it away...") and the way he struggles with problems ("This model on the left is pretty awful. I was ready to commit suicide when this was built ... If any of you have ideas on it, please contact me. I don't know what to do")."
Frank Gehry is commonly thought of as one of the world's current starchitects. He is responsible for what has been dubbed, "The Bilboa Effect", in which urban renewal is spawned from the development of a large-scale architectural project in a once blighted area. The international acclaim of which puts a once unknown destination on the map and promotes tourism and subsequent regional development.

In 2005 he was filmed in a documentary by famed director Sydney Pollack entitled, "Sketches of Frank Gehry" that describes the polemics behind many of his most recent works.

Gehry Partners, LLP Link


13 April 2008

Modern Furnishings No. 03




Today we feature two pieces of furniture of Japanese designer, nosigner. The Arborism Table shown will be offered by Italian furniture maker COVO and will be released this month for resale. Below is a the written explanation from the designer for the inspiration for the design:
Arborism is a table with treeform arms. The design of the unique arms has been configured by the fractal algorithm called "Tree Curve". So the design is the same as the branch structure of a real tree. The interesting point of this design is that it was completed not by the arbitrary work of the designer but by the logic of nature itself.
By being adapted to urban life recently, we are now far away from natural life. In order to regain our longing natural life, I propose the rehabilitation method by living surrounded by the products of which design hold natural logic.
Please feel free to leave a comment or two.

dezeen article on nosigner
designboom article on nosigner


12 April 2008

Posta Aerea 05




Today we feature a few excerpts from our voluminous mailbag:
a+t magazine is offering an outstanding read featuring Dutch Architecture called, "DBook". The magazine itself comes from Spain and is also translated in English. Another fine architectural periodical from Europe.

NAi the Netherlands Architecture Institute is featuring a symposium of designers, artists and intellectuals similar to TED in the United States. Wiel Arets is assisting the NAi in their efforts and the program in entitled "Happening". The review runs through May 4, 2008 at the NAi in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

We also have received word that the Esherick House in Philadelphia is going up for auction. For those of you in the city of brotherly love now is your chance to purchase an amazing work by one of the all time master architects, Louis Kahn. Estimated selling price between $2-3 million US.



11 April 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 47


San Jose City Hall, San Jose, California, USA - Richard Meier & Partners
via flickr: ken mccown


08 April 2008

28 March 2008

Intriguing Earth Architecture 45


Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland - Steven Holl Architects
via flickr: blond avenger


26 March 2008

Modern Furnishings No. 02



Featured in this post are the Swedish architects Fredrik Kjellgren, Joakim Kaminsky (formerly of UNStudio) who are in the preliminary design stages of producing a line of chairs they haved dubbed "Pirate". Here is a description in the artists own words:
"Pirate chair defines the need for change within the same concept. The seat is simply shaped out of one line, cushioned with an ocean blue fabric. The legs are made of coated turn wood and takes inspiration from whatever style it comes over such as bobbin, bowback, rococo, renaissance and so on.
We have also noticed that there aren't any good locking stackable restaurant chairs on the market, so we simply made this one."
Feel free to leave a comment or two.

KjellgrenKaminsky Architecture Site
dezeen article on KKA's Passive Houses