Tallinn Architecture Biennale

The first International Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB) takes place 8th – 11th September in the Estonian capital. The theme of the Biennele is landscape urbanism and the relationships between the fields of architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism. TAB comprises of multiple types of events: exhibitions, vision competition, symposium, lectures, discussions, workshops and guided tours in various parts of Tallinn. Invited guests include architects and related professionals from Estonia, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Sweden and Finland and include Eva Castro, Thomas Juel Clemmensen, Morten Daugaard, Antti Lehto, Sami Heikkinen among others.

blog wunderlust : 29th August 2011

I've always felt anyone with a paint can [and] should have as much say in how our cities look as architects

Banksy (via Guardian)

Meet the Makers | How A Museum Can Regenerate An Entire City | Taiwan’s Taipei 101 Skyscraper Crowned the World’s Tallest LEED Platinum Building | Manifesto Barbados: Pop-Up Art Campus & Lounge | Is Fallingwater Modern? Not according to the Wall Street Journal | New Zealand calls for entries to 2011 Unbuilt Architecture Awards | Building for Change | 10 Extraordinary Structures Inspired by Extreme Conditions | A Piano Tune Generates This Opera House's Architecture


last word: A Shit With A View

On the Boards: Virginia Beach Youth Centre

Pharrell Williams is financing a $35 million youth centre in Virginia Beach. The 30,000 ft² facility designed by Miami-based Oppenheim Architecture + Design is a futuristic interpretation of a child's tree house projecting from a canopy of trees. More via Fast Company

U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011

WaterShed - University of Maryland

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 challenges 20 collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, energy-efficient, and attractive. See the future of sustainable living in Washington D.C., West Potomac Park on Sept. 23 - Oct. 2.

On the Boards: Extension to Hotel Baptiste

The proposal for an extension to Hotel Baptiste school by architects 5+1AA.

The design takes cues from the landscape, partly buried partly exposed to reduce the visual impact on the site and maintaining natural line of the land. The glazing reflect the natural surroundings and sky, emphasizing the dialog between the project and the context.

House of the Week 122: Casa HG

Designed by Guadalajara based architect Ricardo Agraz for a family of six in Zapopan, Mexico the 434m² house is spread onto three levels with an open floor plan in the middle containing the family living and entertaining areas. The dialogue of the massing, of screens and volumes, was sought to create harmonious shading throughout the day especially for the master bedroom which has the prime orientation in the house.

New Work ::: Uluwatu Villas

The flagship of the Alila Hotels Bali, Indoesnia the Uluwatu Villas designed by Singaporean firm WOHA (Wong Mun Summ & Richard Hassell) is the promise of luxury. Named after Pura Luhur Uluwatu the Baliese Temple, the elegant jeweled boxes are sited along a rocky cliff the southern tip of a peninsula with breathtaking vistas of natural, uncorrupted scenery and out to the Indian Ocean. The cluster of 34 residential villas with amenities were designed under high environmental guidelines adhered to during construction, maintenance and general use of the villas. The architectural language of Uluwatu combines refreshing contemporary lines and detailing with traditional materials that speaks to the heritage of Balinese culture.

blog wunderlust : 22nd August 2011

Architecture is a fuzzy amalgamation of ancient knowledge and contemporary practice, an awkward way to look at the world and an inadequate medium to operate on it.

Rem Koolhaas

The destruction of Tottenham's buildings isn't just a sentimental loss | Top talent edged out | Amonle Studio Workshop Relies on ArchiCAD BIM for Concept Home Design | 'Don't photograph our building', say private security guards caught on film | Converted Churches of Maastricht | 20 Solar Decathlon Designs for 2011 | Panama’s Historic Colonial District Battles Development Boom | What 9/11 Taught Us About Designing Skyscrapers

last word: Architecture's perfect storm… Dismay for British Architecture as Foster defends London Icon: "Gherkin was not a disaster..."

Designers & Books

Designers & Books is devoted to publishing lists of books that esteemed members of the design community identify as personally important, meaningful, and formative—books that have shaped their values, their worldview, and their ideas about design. New books and reviews published each Tuesday

Mid-Century Modern Architecture In Arkansas

Reviving Earth Architecture in the Jordan Valley

UNESCO is supporting the use of existing and yet untapped opportunities in Jordan Valley, Palestine by providing the local population with up-to-date know-how and alternative building techniques, notably the "mud-brick." In the past was extensively used in the area as the most suitable construction material for all typologies of buildings as well as the most environment friendly.

On the Boards: Apple HQ

The new headquarters for Apple designed by acclaimed British architectural practice Foster + Partners. The proposed Office, Research and Development Building when complete will total over 250,000 m² on a 70 Hectare campus in Cupertino City, California. Additionally the proposal will house a 1000 seat auditorium, a fitness centre, sub-level parking and will see the planting of over 3000 new trees.
images (c) Foster + Partners; Apple Inc

House of the Week 121: K3 House

Designed by architect Bruce Stafford, the K3 House in Vaucluse, Sydney Australia is a balanced combination of glass, stone, wood and concrete. Large sliding doors open reveal nature in a central courtyard filled with natural rock and lush vegetation.

blog wunderlust : 15th August 2011

we want to create a clear, organic architecture, whose inner logic will be radiant and naked, unencumbered by lying facades and trickeries

Walter Gropius

The Ten College Campuses with the Best Architecture | Why Architects Shouldn't Build Condos out of Glass And People Shouldn't Buy Them | John Pawson’s Majestic Minimalism in L.A. | Children's Park will get a needed face-lift | Design + Build: It cost what it cost | ‘Not So Big’ concept works in Illinois | RIP: Troppo Architects director Lena Yali | Slide-S: Egypt’s Solar Green House | Security concerns trump architectural grace

last word : First Drafts - Architect Ricardo Porro on His Project for Fidel Castro

First Drafts: Architect Ricardo Porro

In 1961 he was commissioned to by Castro to built a national academy of the arts, then exiled before he could complete the project, and finally invited back, 40 years later, to oversee the renovation of his unfinished school.

Unfinished Spaces - official trailer from Alysa Nahmias on Vimeo.
Visit the blog wunderlust on Monday to see more of this article by Alex Hoyt

Great Spaces - Season Premiere

This is the first official trailer for the upcoming season premiere of Great Spaces. The season focuses on and illustrates the architecture and art across a photographic point of view where the main subjects are already-built spaces in the mean streets of New York. More here

On the Boards: 837 Washington Street

The office and retail building is designed by Morris Adjmi Architects known for their ability to create architecture composed of clear contemporary forms that are inspired by context and history. The project will feature a four-story glass and steel addition set within a twisting framework of dark gray steel beams built atop an existing two-story 1938 Moderne style warehouse.

more about the project here

House of the Week 120: Useche Residence

The house of architect Pedro Useche is located in the wealthy district of Morumbi - one of the highest points in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Construction of the 3-storey 1,000m² residence began in 1999 and took 4 years to complete. The very simple yet contemporary design incorporates traditional and humble materials from the city of São Paulo and is finished with furniture designed by the architect.

images by Fran Parent

New Work ::: Capela de Santa Ana

Designed by Póvoa de Varzim based practice e|348 Arquitectura the chapel in Sousanil, Portugal is a physical testament honoring Santa Ana. Located on a triangular plot of land, the small chapel grows from the site like a piece of sculpture. The modern yet spiritual interior features oak wooden flooring and details, with white washed walls and reinforced fair faced concrete projections. With a capacity of about 30 people the chapel feels grander due to the play of light where the walls punctuated with thin fenestrations.

images (c) FG+SG Architectural Photography

blog wunderlust : 8th August 2011

The present-day monopoly of the architect has to do with the fact that there is no real theory, but merely a set of pseudo-theoriesä in other words, observations which only reflect the preferences of their authors.

Yona Friedman

Carmageddon in Los Angeles: The closure of the 405 | DBPA's 'Multi-Tasking Ban' | How to grow a Garden City | How to build your own living structures | Will Alsop leaves RMJM | Fiscal Woe Haunting Baltimore Poe House | 1 Million Dead in 30 Seconds | The 10 best street art works - in pictures | Architecture – modernism v traditionalism | RIP: Douglas Garofalo, 1958-2011 | An uptown twist for UNCC

last word: With Funhouse office, MVRDV turns a punishing job into a joy

2011 Zombie Safe House Competition

The 2011 Zombie Safe House Competition is an annual design competition focused on creating the best safe house for a zombie apocalypse.

between architecture and art

rem koolhaas: between architecture and art from designboom on Vimeo.

Softshelter

Canadian design firm molo has created a system of uniform, lightweight kraft paper walls that can be unpacked, expanded and magnetically joined end-to-end to create temporary living spaces within minutes and aims to market itself for the flexibility for post-disaster shelters.

softshelter · door handle accessory prototype from molo on Vimeo.

blog wunderlust : 1st August 2011

Always design a thing by considering it in its larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.

Eliel Saarinen

World's coolest ceilings | Do Buildings have Agency? | Shigeru Ban comes to Japan’s rescue with multistorey shipping container housing | Mo’ MA: Museum’s Inspired, Insipid Tower Returns | Good Design is as Little Design as Possible | Sustainable Perfection: A Michigan Couple's Model Green Home | Visualizing the Traffic of Rome, Paris, and Tel Aviv | Projects labelled: Cricket ground |

last word: Developers for the Museum Plaza Tower in Louisville, Kentucky designed by REX has been axed!