blog wunderlust: 3rd September 2012

In any evolutionary process even in the arts, the search for novelty becomes corrupting

Kenneth Boulding

(c) Josh Terr

Frank Gehry Is Designing Facebook’s New Office Building and That’s Sad | Warriors Select Snøhetta And AECOM As Architecture Team To Build New Sport & Entertainment Complex On SF Waterfront | Live/Work in Brazil: A High Style Solution | projects that transform highways into urban oases | Not ornate enough? | Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing | inside Corbusier’s La Tourette | Empire State of Pen | distressed cities conference

last word: A revolutionary idea - Carlos Acosta is leading a plan to turn an abandoned arts school in Havana into an international dance centre

Stickwork Sculptures

Inspired By. . . Patrick Dougherty from Shwood Eyewear on Vimeo.

Stickwork Sculptures by Patrick Dougherty, previously

On the Boards: Beijing Welcome Centre

The Beijing Welcome Centre designed by JDS Architects (Julien de Smedt) was conceived to be the gateway to a new sustainable industry park. The building envelope is manipulated to maximize environmental and contextual benefits. The number of pragmatic yet scientific adjustments to the form of the building to minimize heat gain during the winter, increase air flow, minimize glare, etc promotes the notion of a low tech sustainability.

blog wunderlust: 27th August 2012

They can do without architecture who have no olives nor wines in the cellar.

Henry David Thoreau

(c) Sibericuse

Vegitecture: A Supersized Green Wall In Barcelona | Why is Rem Koolhaas the World's Most Controversial Architect? | How long is the life of a building? | staircase for dogs | help save this amazing building from demolition | Jean Prouvé: A Testimony to Ingenuity | change on the horizon | Help sought after storm hits Haiti | furniture inspired by sound waves | Venice Biennale: First Impressions | the designated sketcher Cocktail Napkin Winner |


last word: ecstatic carnival costumes designed by an architect out of paper

And thanks to Life of an Architect for naming us one the Top Architectural Websites in the World

Double Helix House

The Double Helix House by Japanese based practice O+H architects

On the Boards: Rajasthan School

A proposed school in Rajasthan, India designed by Mumbai based Sanjay Puri Architects. The passive design of the school accommodates the hot desert climate, with courtyards, large openings to the north, as well as recessed and minimized openings to the south.

On the Boards : Guangzhou Metro Authority

(c)Perkins Eastman

The 50,000m² headquarters of the Guangzhou Metro Authority designed by international architectural practice Perkins Eastman. Sited on a major transit intersection, the sweeping form suggests speed and hints at the function of the building. The programme includes an administrative tower with exhibition spaces and a museum located at street level.

Interiors : 2B Loft Apartment

Architects studio 2B Group has recently completed, this now 4,000 ft² two bedroom, two bathroom penthouse located in Kiev, Ukraine. The clients, a young man with a 7 year old child wanted only eco-friendly materials and an open plan where possible. The material palette includes fair faced concrete, sawn heat pine, masonry bricks and a 20 ft shipping container.

lots more via

New Work: Church of Seed

Located in the Luofu Mountains - one seven famous Taoist Mountains in China is the Church of Seed designed by architects O Studio. This small church was conceived to widen the spectrum of religious culture for the adjoining villages. The 280m² and can accommodate 60 people and is designed around the metaphorical element of the seed as referred to in the Gospel. This is manifested by a curved line that outlines a seed and marks the enclosing wall element, that is then split into three to form the entries. The raw, non-decorative finish of the in-situ concrete was created by bamboo formwork.

via

blog wunderlust: 20th August 2012

Good architecture is like a piece of beautifully composed music crystallized in space that elevates our spirits beyond the limitation of time.

Tao Ho

Photograph: London Legacy Development Corporation

Bodyscapes and the Lil Buck Dance | Labyrinth made from 250,000 Books |In The Ruins Of Athens 2004, A Glimpse Of London’s Future? | another glass house | An Architect’s Vision: Bare Elegance in China | Life Under Lockdown | Building App-titude | digitally deconstructed cities | What Does Preservation Mean in a City Without History? | An Architect’s tool bag | Tropicalismo | Zombie-proof architecture: When the dead start to walk you'd better start building | The future of the Olympic Park

last word: FCAA VIII Biennale Joy of Architecture in Bridgetown, Barbados

Onjuku Surf Shack by BAKOKO

The Onjuku Surf Shack by BAKOKO in the Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Slavoj Zizek on Architecture and Aesthetics

A fairly long lecture on Architecture and pleasure from the aesthetics of the common beauty icons by Slavoj Zizek at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Filmed Thursday, June 10, 2010 by Arquitectura y Sociedad (Foundation for Architecture and Society).

House of the Week 150: Sunset Vale

all images courtesy of WOW architects
Designed by WOW architects the Sunset Vale house sits on a small urban plot in Singapore. In contrast to the neighbouring residences the massing of the house seeks to preserve and replace lost greenery including a local frangipani tree. Large floor to ceiling openings engage the landscaped courtyards, pools and gardens. The dominant finish of concrete is poured in place using durian wood formwork to visually soften the texture adding subtly and warmth. Additional finishes include split-face granite slabs, etched glass and bamboo flooring.

via

On the Boards: Museum of Roman History

Architect Elizabeth de Portzamparc has recently been awarded the design for the Musuem of Roman History in Nimes, France with a facade of horizontal pleated glass. The site of the museum is within proximity to the ancient Roman wall and amphitheatre. The design will also feature a garden designed by Régis Guignard (Méristème) with flora from the pre-Roman, Roman and post-Roman era.

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On the Boards: Rolling Masterplan, Åndalsnes

All images © Jägnefält Milton

A competition entry for the city Åndalsnes masterplan by architects Jägnefält Milton from Norway. Thee proposal called ‘Rolling Masterplan’ converts disused train tracks for mobile buildings that can be rolled along subject to the needs or seasons. The programme includes houses, a mobile hotel, a public bath, a park and a concert hall - 100 buildings in total.

House of the Week 149: West Edge House

photo credit: Shane Miller

Located on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean the West Edge house offers panoramic views of the coastline. Designed by Mauritius based No Coffee Architects, the composition of the buildings, materials, details and the blurring of boundaries from the inside out gives the home a harmonious Balinese aesthetic.

Interiors : the CUBE

Photo: Jasmine Rose Oberste

The Mobile Dwelling Cube by SPACEFLAVOR houses three of the client's everyday activities allowing him to balance his personal and professional life in his large Oakland, California loft. The client uses his home to teach feng shui, and the CUBE allows him to conceal and roll away his private spaces when students are present, offering more floor area for classes. Constructed of FSC Ash plywood panels the cube disassembles into convenient pieces that can fit easily through a door. Via

blog wunderlust: 13th August 2012

Architecture should be romantic and playful. Forthright and honest, without cliche's and fashionable adjustments. [...] it should not intimidate, embarrass, disagree, or be purely whimsical or frivolous.

Allyn E. Morris

Kiel Johnson’s Paper Metropolis | Versailles 3D, Created by Google, Gives You an Impressive Tour of Louis XIV’s Famous Palace | The glamorous lives of architectural interns | A Sign in Space by Gunilla Klingberg | Colourful umbrellas over the streets of Portugal | Artist Converts Photo Booth into multi-faith worship space | The College Dorm You Wish You Lived In | Wiel Arets named Dean of IIT | Entire street covered in good old bubble wrap |

last word: Rooftop farm in Durban, South Africa

Crane.tv ::: Olympic Architects

Crane.tv interviewed the architects of the London Olympics, architects Rod Sheard of Populous, Kathryn Findlay of Ushida Findlay and Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt.

Interiors: A21 Studio

The interior of the office of A21 studio is a combination of white plastered walls and rich wooden floors to creates an atmosphere of serenity and joy. The two story office in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam was designed to be an oasis in contrast to the city. Details like the multi-level wooden shelving, raw tree bark table and trees planted in pots echo this natural theme.

New Work : Kuokkala Church

images (c)Jussi Tiainen

The 1st prize in an invitation competition for a 1250m² church in Jyväskylä, Finland was awarded to by Lassila Hirvilammi Architects. The design is a compact, self-contained and sculptural construction. The exterior surfaces are made of Finnish granite in contrast to the interior that recalls the simplicity of traditional timber churches. The structure of the church is primarily a combination of laminated timber beams and ribs.

blog wunderlust: 6th August 2012

Architecture ‘teaches.’ A planned city, a monument, or even a simple dwelling can be a symbol of the cosmos

Yi-Fu Tuan,
Space and Place p. 102

architect designed necklace | Can I build a natural Passivhaus? | finalists for the ONE PRIZE 2012 | CAD versus Sketching, Why Ask? | The Snoozebox Portable Hotel | Bringing Architectural Ghosts Back To Life, In Knoxville | A Robotic 3D Printer That Uses Sand To Produce Sculptures | 104-Year-Old Architect, Oscar Niemeyer Releases 3D Photos of Iconic Work | The Olympian Architects T-shirt [protest]

last word: Q&A with Diana Balmori

Patama Roonrakwit Interview from lumhor on Vimeo.

Architect Patama Roonrakwit of Community Architects for Shelter and Environment (CASE) is interviewed at Limkokwing University as part of the Sahmakum Teang Tnaut Youth Project’s Lecture Series ‘Right To The City’

Concrete Mushrooms

Concrete Mushrooms Preview - Albania's 750,000 inherited bunkers. from Concrete Mushrooms on Vimeo.

Concrete Mushrooms, a project which started as a master's thesis project transforming 750,000 concrete abandoned bunkers in Albania into a massive network of micro-hotels.