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The Modern House
Green Series #4: how to make your home breathable and thermal-bridge free For the final instalment in our mini-series of Passivhaus hacks, Kate Jacobs has asked our panel of...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
For the final instalment in our mini-series of Passivhaus hacks, Kate Jacobs has asked our panel of experts how to make our homes breathable – and to explain thermal bridging … Because the Passivhaus ideal is all about incredible insulation and airtight construction,...
Archinect - Features
Meet Tulane School of Architecture's New Faculty Hires Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners, welcomes nine full-time...
a year ago
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a year ago
Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners, welcomes nine full-time incoming faculty members who will hold permanent positions at the school starting in the 2023/24 school year. TuSA Dean Iñaki Alday shared that the aim for this new round of faculty...
Archinect - Features
‘Scarcity Is Something We Have Learned To Thrive On’: A Conversation With League Prize... Archinect's latest Studio Snapshot features the New York/Madrid outfit salazarsequeromedina. Founded...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Archinect's latest Studio Snapshot features the New York/Madrid outfit salazarsequeromedina. Founded in 2020 by Laura Salazar, Pablo Sequero, and Juan Medina, the firm has emerged on the international scene, culminating in recognition as one of six Architectural League Prize for...
SOCKS
Stage Design as a Narrative Device: Norman Bel Geddes’ Stage Set for The Divine Comedy (1921) American stage and industrial designer, director and producer Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958) worked...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
American stage and industrial designer, director and producer Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958) worked on a theatrical staging of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy to be performed in Madison Square Garden in 1921 on the sexcentenary of Dante’s death. Geddes planned the...
Common Edge
Condocide: Death of a Building Type The building collapse in Miami may not have been an aberration. The condition of aging condos...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The building collapse in Miami may not have been an aberration. The condition of aging condos nationwide is dire.
Contemporist...
A Curved Corner Softens The Space Inside This Home Extension Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a run-down home in Victoria, that includes a new contemporary addition with a curved wall.
Construction Physics
Could ChatGPT become an architect? OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have incorporated it into their ChatGPT chatbot. In case you've been living under a rock, ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses large language models, which use artificial neural networks
99% Invisible
You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark [EPISODE] Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as...
a year ago
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a year ago
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage stamp. It was put to a popular vote: should the stamp feature an image of...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Case Studies "What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
"What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although the word monograph literally applies to any book devoted to any individual subject — be it a person, a place, a thing, or even an idea — in the realm of architecture books that...
Common Edge
How FEMA’s New “Resilience Zone” Program Works “The goal is to ensure that the most at-risk...communities have the support, resources, and...
a year ago
The Modern House
Poet LionHeart pens a love letter to the Barbican exclusively for The Modern House
5 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 16,000 award winners from 110 different design disciplines. A’ Design...
CONTEMPORIST
A Living Room That Floats Above The Forest Floor Is A Remarkable Feature Of This Home DeForest Architects has shared photos of a home they designed that follows the topography of the...
a year ago
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a year ago
DeForest Architects has shared photos of a home they designed that follows the topography of the site, with some rooms tucked into the land and others floating above it. Located in a waterfront neighborhood just south of Seattle, the one-acre wooded site sits atop a bluff...
Contemporist...
Before & After - The Renovation Of A 1950s Home In Seattle Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a renovation project they completed in Seattle’s Mt....
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a renovation project they completed in Seattle’s Mt. Baker neighborhood, where they transformed the humble and practical bones of a 1950s house and turned it into a contemporary home.
devonzuegel.com
A libertarian just won the Argentinian presidency – how did that happen? If you're wondering how the heck a hardline libertarian just won the Argentinian presidential...
a year ago
37
a year ago
If you're wondering how the heck a hardline libertarian just won the Argentinian presidential election, here's some background. First, a key fact is that the government is printing money at an accelerating rate, resulting in 143% annual inflation as of the most recent count....
devonzuegel.com
Podcasts & conferences I've spoken at I haven't done a great job of tracking these, so this list is non-comprehensive: Urbanism and the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I haven't done a great job of tracking these, so this list is non-comprehensive: Urbanism and the Future of Cities (Jan 2023) – Narratives podcast Inflation, Argentina, and Crypto (Oct 2022) – EconTalk podcast Devon Zuegel on Startup Cities (June 2022) Devon Zuegel, creator...
Construction Physics
Reading List for 06/07/2025 Risks to US battery storage, un-affordable affordable housing, a major Supreme Court NEPA ruling,...
2 months ago
24
2 months ago
Risks to US battery storage, un-affordable affordable housing, a major Supreme Court NEPA ruling, making chip materials in space, and more.
Contemporist...
An Extension To This 1933 Home Creates A New Kitchen And Outdoor Terrace Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in...
12 months ago
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12 months ago
Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in Seattle, Washington, that was originally designed and built in 1933 by Norwegian boat captain Ole E. Nelson.
Old Structures...
A Stylistic Joke As A Name There’s a large, somewhat ominous, vaguely art deco building in lower Manhattan commonly called the...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
There’s a large, somewhat ominous, vaguely art deco building in lower Manhattan commonly called the Tombs. The main portion of it is a courthouse with a lot of court-related office space, the northern wing – see below – is a short-term prison, mostly used to hold people awaiting...
Archinect - Features
2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Adults and High School Graduates Archinect's 2024 highlight of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, where we focus on...
a year ago
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a year ago
Archinect's 2024 highlight of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, where we focus on courses and workshops for adults, high school graduates, and current college students. Take a look below at our curated selection of educational events at academic institutions and...
CONTEMPORIST
A Calming Interior Was Designed For This Home In Spain Susanna Cots Interior Design has shared a project they recently completed in Spain, that includes a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Susanna Cots Interior Design has shared a project they recently completed in Spain, that includes a calm material palette. Large windows were integrated into the homes’ design so that the surrounding nature and the gardens could be seen from within the home. In the garden,...
Common Edge
Building Emissions Are Falling, Now the Real Work Begins There has been a significant drop this year. The path toward net-zero intensifies.
a year ago
Coffee with an...
Design explained using pie charts again Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts again. Unfortunately,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts again. Unfortunately, this still isn’t that: More Design in charts – HERE, and HERE and HERE and HERE
Benny Kuriakose
A Guide to Interior Photography of Historic Buildings - Part III Interior views add valuable information to the documentation of a historic building. To capture the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Interior views add valuable information to the documentation of a historic building. To capture the true essence of the building, the...
99% Invisible
Air-Borne This week, a conversation with Carl Zimmer about his new book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the...
a week ago
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a week ago
This week, a conversation with Carl Zimmer about his new book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. Air-Borne is an epidemiological history of how we think about the air and its relationship to disease. For centuries, fear of airborne miasmas impacted the design...
CONTEMPORIST
How Photorealistic Rendering Made A Difference For This Small Home Office Design This article has been brought to you by RenderDave. Hey everyone, RenderDave here to show you how...
a year ago
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a year ago
This article has been brought to you by RenderDave. Hey everyone, RenderDave here to show you how photorealistic rendering made a difference for this small home office design. When architects and interior designers work on a project in programs like Sketchup, Revit, or AutoCAD,...
Archinect - Features
How to Effectively Introduce Your Architecture Firm in Under 2 Minutes Recently, we explained how to create an elevator pitch for your architecture portfolio when...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
Recently, we explained how to create an elevator pitch for your architecture portfolio when searching for your next role as a job seeker. As we noted, the ability to capture a body of work as rich, complex, and varied as an architecture portfolio in a timely, clear, and succinct...
99% Invisible
The Siren of Scrap Metal [EPISODE] Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background. A recording that blares from trucks looking to buy old household items and appliances, either to fix and resell or to sell for scrap. The crews inside these trucks are essentially...
Contemporist...
This Prefab Home Was Installed On The Property In Just One Day BIO-architects together with DublDom, have sent us photos of their latest project, DUB, a modular...
over a year ago
Contemporist...
A Serene Costa Rican Retreat That Touches the Treetops Tucked into a wild and untouched corner of Costa Rica, the Rio Perdido West Bungalows offer an...
a month ago
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a month ago
Tucked into a wild and untouched corner of Costa Rica, the Rio Perdido West Bungalows offer an unforgettable stay, floating above lush forest floors and facing dramatic canyon views. This is where design meets nature, and where guests sleep just steps from the treetops, suspended...
Contemporist...
This Renovated 1960s Apartment Balances Vintage Charm and Modern Precision Tucked inside a postwar building in Conca D’Oro, a northern neighborhood in Rome defined by dense...
a month ago
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a month ago
Tucked inside a postwar building in Conca D’Oro, a northern neighborhood in Rome defined by dense urban growth and enduring mid-century structures, this apartment project by Italian studio 02A reveals what happens when renovation meets restraint. Housed in a 1960s...
Common Edge
Developers Are Dangerously in Control of New York City Urbanist Roberta Brandes Gratz’s remarks on receiving the Preservation Leadership Award.
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Brightly Coloured Shelving Unit Helps To Define Areas In This Renovated Apartment Architecture and design office Dia Uno has shared photos of a refurbished apartment they completed...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture and design office Dia Uno has shared photos of a refurbished apartment they completed in a 1960s suburban neighborhood of Madrid, Spain. One of the key features of the renovated apartment is the inclusion of a metal shelving unit that’s been painted in a bright...
99% Invisible
Uptown Squirrel [EPISODE] This past fall, hundreds of people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building...
a year ago
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a year ago
This past fall, hundreds of people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities from pioneering expeditions including treks to the North Pole, the moon, and...
CONTEMPORIST
A Playroom Inside This Hotel Was Designed With A Desert Theme Sarit Shani Hay Design Studio has shared photos of a modern playroom they designed for a boutique...
a year ago
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a year ago
Sarit Shani Hay Design Studio has shared photos of a modern playroom they designed for a boutique hotel in Israel. Inspired by the unique topography of the desert landscape, the ‘Grow with Six Senses’ playroom emulates the natural features of the surrounding scenery, transforming...
Archinect - Features
Architects, How Is Work Feeling These Days? We want to hear from our community: How are you feeling about the economic outlook of your firm and...
a year ago
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a year ago
We want to hear from our community: How are you feeling about the economic outlook of your firm and sector? How easy or difficult are you finding it to secure projects? What is your employment outlook? What are you hearing from clients? Fill out our anonymous survey below.
Common Edge
Architects Must Resist the AI “Revolution” No technological advance can match the power, memory, and creativity of the human brain.
over a year ago
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 4 To catch up, here are links for part 1, part 2, and part 3. The Brooklyn Bridge caissons were much...
a year ago
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a year ago
To catch up, here are links for part 1, part 2, and part 3. The Brooklyn Bridge caissons were much bigger than the similar pneumatic caissons that had been used earlier. Their timber construction was based on a few ideas, all subject to engineering design or review. First, the...
SOCKS
This Is A Record Cover: Text-based & conceptual album covers. A project by Socks Studio The second album by British new wave band XTC did not feature any images. Instead, a written essay...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The second album by British new wave band XTC did not feature any images. Instead, a written essay about how buyers are attracted by album covers to buy records was used. The paragraph, which begins with: “This is a record cover.” occupies the whole 12″x12″ of Go2 (1978) in a way...
99% Invisible
Cue the Sun! [EPISODE] Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming...
10 months ago
100
10 months ago
Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming 24-hour feeds of the first season of Big Brother in the U.S. Big Brother is a reality television show that debuted in the US in the year 2000. If you’ve never seen it, the show is...
Old Structures...
Well Duh Another photo from Berniece Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, this one from 1936 and titled...
a year ago
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a year ago
Another photo from Berniece Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, this one from 1936 and titled “Park Avenue and 39th Street.” As usual, Abbott was contrasting the big buildings in the background with the much older and smaller buildings in the foreground. Four of those big...
Old Structures...
Martin Luther King Jr. Day A few comments about today’s holiday. First, if you’re so inclined, the city Parks Department has...
a year ago
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a year ago
A few comments about today’s holiday. First, if you’re so inclined, the city Parks Department has opportunities for public service: here. Otherwise, memorials and celebrations: here. Some of the permanent memorials to King in New York: here. Some of his relationship to New York...
Construction Physics
Welding and the Automation Frontier The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human...
a year ago
24
a year ago
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human civilization, is the effect it will have on employment. Large language models already seem poised to automate large fractions of the work in certain industries, and the technology is only...
Common Edge
Letter from Tennessee: License for Civility in Uncivil Times Not all civil portent is writ as large. It sometimes comes in small places, hidden in plain sight.
over a year ago
Common Edge
Is AI Really the Next Big Thing in Architecture? There are good reasons to be skeptical about its ultimate utility.
over a year ago
The Solarchitecture...
The Solar Manifesto - Part 1. for even after the deepest night, the sun always rises.
over a year ago
Benny Kuriakose
Conservation and Adaptive Reuse of a Rundown Building to Museum Adaptive reuse of dilapidated structures is a smart way to conserve the space, it gives a new...
a year ago
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a year ago
Adaptive reuse of dilapidated structures is a smart way to conserve the space, it gives a new meaning and purpose to the building....
A Weekly Dose of...
Changing Ideals in Architectural Criticism On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism edited by Wilfried Wang, published by Park Books...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism edited by Wilfried Wang, published by Park Books and University of Texas at Austin, 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) Who Is the City For?: Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago by Blair Kamin with photographs by Lee Bey,...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Extension Adds A Home Office And Bedroom To This Miami Bungalow Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a 900 sqft addition in South Miami, Florida, for...
a year ago
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a year ago
Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a 900 sqft addition in South Miami, Florida, for owners who were looking for a little extra room in their traditional home, that was open to the outdoors, and allowed for a private primary bedroom and studio apart from the main...
Cartogrammar
Hachures and sketchy relief maps I’ve never been a terrain representation expert, but occasionally I get briefly super interested in...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
I’ve never been a terrain representation expert, but occasionally I get briefly super interested in some DIY technique for relief mapping, not using typical GIS tools or rendering software. Tom Patterson’s old (but still applicable) Photoshop tutorials were my introduction to the...
Contemporist...
This Australian Terrace House Was Modernized For Today's Living Chan Architecture has shared photos of a project they recently completed in Clifton Hill, Australia,...
a year ago
35
a year ago
Chan Architecture has shared photos of a project they recently completed in Clifton Hill, Australia, that included transforming the interior of a terrace house into a modern home.
Old Structures...
Not Saved I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but...
11 months ago
61
11 months ago
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but its remote location and the lack of anything there that really interests me mean that I don’t know it particularly well. So the headline “Time to pay last respects to the abandoned...
devonzuegel.com
Tutorial: Telegram → Logseq quick notes I've long wanted a notes app with an optional chat style interface for append-only notes. The idea...
over a year ago
23
over a year ago
I've long wanted a notes app with an optional chat style interface for append-only notes. The idea is that I'll use the simpler append-only interface while on the go, and then use full-featured interface to review, edit, and organize those notes when I'm back at my computer. I...
Old Structures...
Dry-Goods Palace This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two blocks down Fulton Street to a new building that was something like five times the size of its old home. That name doesn’t mean much today, but in 1893, a change in ownership...
Old Structures...
Housekeeping The two-site business is done. Oldstructures.nyc now redirects to Oldstructyres.com, so everyone is...
a year ago
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a year ago
The two-site business is done. Oldstructures.nyc now redirects to Oldstructyres.com, so everyone is seeing the same, new website. We’re still working some kinks out. If you have an email or WordPress subscription to the website, I think you’ll have to update it. Or maybe not, who...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Double Height Ceiling Allows The Social Areas Of This Home To Open Completely To The Outside Padovani Arquitetos has sent us photos of a project they designed in Campinas, Brazil, that takes...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Padovani Arquitetos has sent us photos of a project they designed in Campinas, Brazil, that takes advantage of the topography to create a modern home with a horizontal design and lower garage. The home has been designed in such a way that the interior is hidden from the street....
CONTEMPORIST
White Stained Oak Cabinets Paired With Cool White Marble Creates A Soft Aesthetic Inside This Home Andrea Rodman Interiors has shared photos of a home in Vancouver, Canada, that they completed for...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Andrea Rodman Interiors has shared photos of a home in Vancouver, Canada, that they completed for their clients that wanted a minimalistic interior. Throughout the home, the interior was inspired by Japanese design, its simplicity, and maple wood tones. One area that stood out in...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Vermont's Great Retreat To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles. Talked to historians and librarians. And read maps. Lots of maps. As I did, I wondered if there was something in the landscape, the communities, the culture that made Vermont...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Myopia: Observing Communities in Chiang Mai, Thailand The genesis for “My Parallel Communities of Chiang Mai (ชุมขนคู่ขนานที่เชียงใหม่)” likely began on a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The genesis for “My Parallel Communities of Chiang Mai (ชุมขนคู่ขนานที่เชียงใหม่)” likely began on a calm, wet-season night after the rains had subsided at One Nimman, my group of friends — portrait artists from Chiang Mai University — shooting the breeze and hustling what money...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #3: Disney World & other underworlds Every place has some dirty secrets, even Disney World. We all have to get rid of waste somehow! In...
over a year ago
26
over a year ago
Every place has some dirty secrets, even Disney World. We all have to get rid of waste somehow! In this episode, the Bertauds and I discuss methods of sanitation and waste management from around the world, and how these hidden systems shape our cities. RSS · Apple Podcasts ·...
99% Invisible
Lost Cities of Geo Redux [EPISODE] If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s that internet darlings rise and fall — and there’s something darkly fascinating about watching it happen in real time. The Lost Cities of Geo We may now be seeing it all again with...
Old Structures...
An APT Webinar I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis...
a year ago
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a year ago
I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis of a somewhat weird building with concrete and masonry structure, and the implications for investigation and analysis of buildings with old concrete structure. More information...
Old Structures...
Visible Success, Invisibly A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the West Village. The rowhouse was constructed in 1846, is now in a landmarked district, and has an operating restaurant on the first floor and in the basement. If you look closely at...
CONTEMPORIST
A Multi-Functional Brass Clad Pod Is A Unique Feature In This Small Apartment tsai Design has sent us photos of a micro-apartment they renovated in St. Kilda, Australia, that...
a year ago
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a year ago
tsai Design has sent us photos of a micro-apartment they renovated in St. Kilda, Australia, that measures in at just 269 square feet (25m2), and features a unique and unexpected brass design element. Named ‘St Kilda Micro Sanctuary’, the small apartment has been designed for a...
Common Edge
Message to Stupid Politicians (of Both Parties): Build Things! Do it now, while the country still has hope.
3 months ago
Old Structures...
A Story With A Happy Ending There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering,...
a year ago
41
a year ago
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering, architecture, construction, or NYC history – that has something to do with engineering, architecture, and construction, and maybe NYC history as well. I like mechanical keyboards, with a...
Archinect - Features
10 Controversial Buildings That Became Iconic Landmarks Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always welcomed with open arms. Throughout history, some of our most acclaimed structures have in fact provoked heated debates, divided public opinion, sparked fierce controversy, and in one...
BLDGBLOG
Potsdamer Sea [Image: From Kiessling’s Grosser Verkehrs-Plan von Berlin (1920).] It’s funny to be back in Berlin,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
[Image: From Kiessling’s Grosser Verkehrs-Plan von Berlin (1920).] It’s funny to be back in Berlin, a city where I once thought I’d spend the rest of my life, first arriving here as a backpacker in 1998 and temporarily moving in with a woman 14 years older than me, who practiced...
99% Invisible
Side Projects [EPISODE] This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got...
11 months ago
74
11 months ago
This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got a preview of a new miniseries for you called Not Built for This, created and hosted by Emmett FitzGerald. It’s a show about climate change, but not in the way you might think....
CONTEMPORIST
An Observation Tower That Looks Like Twisted Wood Rises Above The Swedish Landscape White Arkitekter has shared photos of Observation Tower Kärven on the Swedish west coast, which they...
11 months ago
80
11 months ago
White Arkitekter has shared photos of Observation Tower Kärven on the Swedish west coast, which they completed after winning Varberg Municipality’s architectural competition. Recently opened, the tower in Getterön nature reserve north of Varberg, measures 39 feet (12m) high and...
CONTEMPORIST
A Curved Green Roof Allows This Winery To Blend Into The Landscape Architecture studio Aleš Fiala has recently completed the design of Gurdau Winery in the Czech...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Architecture studio Aleš Fiala has recently completed the design of Gurdau Winery in the Czech Republic, which includes a unique curved green roof. The building’s location in the open countryside naturally brought with it high demands for architectural and landscape integration....
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
11 months ago
38
11 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
Old Structures...
Adaptability The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily...
10 months ago
72
10 months ago
The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily adaptable. Rowhouses have been turned into apartment houses, churches, schools, museums, and offices; tenements have been upgraded to better apartments again and again and again. If...
Common Edge
Wine and Architecture, Legibility and the Art of Making Why should design and construction be more like the process of bottling wine?
4 months ago
The Beauty of...
How Serifs Lost the Road War but Won the Streets It is 1961. At Benson Airfield in south Oxfordshire, a test car driver employed by the Roads...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is 1961. At Benson Airfield in south Oxfordshire, a test car driver employed by the Roads Research Laboratory is revving the engine of his Morris Oxford and preparing to release the handbrake. With his car (unbalanced atop due to the addition of a large road sign attached to...
99% Invisible
The Country of the Blind [EPISODE] We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway...
over a year ago
29
over a year ago
We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but...
99% Invisible
The Monster Under the Sink [EPISODE] In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other...
a year ago
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a year ago
In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and plastics, but yucky junk, like food waste, wouldn’t get picked up. This...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's 2023 Mental Health Survey Results To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect...
a year ago
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a year ago
To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect recently conducted our latest Mental Health survey to better understand how our community has navigated the stressors inherent to the architecture industry. On this October 10th,...
Archinect - Features
Meet NYIT School of Architecture & Design's New Faculty Members The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), with campuses in...
8 months ago
84
8 months ago
The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), with campuses in New York City and Old Westbury, Long Island, delivers a technology-driven, design-focused education across its Architecture, Interior Design, and Digital Art & Design programs.  As...
Old Structures...
All In A Name I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too small to house a modern government. The first solution dreamed up in the late 1800s was to replace City Hall with a much larger building. For various reasons – including expense, a...
Contemporist...
Central Bark: A Desk Designed for You and Your Dog Central Bark, designed by Chrissy Fehan for DARRAN, is a workspace solution that quietly rethinks...
a month ago
27
a month ago
Central Bark, designed by Chrissy Fehan for DARRAN, is a workspace solution that quietly rethinks what office furniture can be, especially in pet-friendly workplaces.
99% Invisible
Don’t Forget to Remember [EPISODE] We memorialize the losses most important to us, as a civilization. But what even is a memorial, and...
a year ago
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a year ago
We memorialize the losses most important to us, as a civilization. But what even is a memorial, and what does it do? And how does one memorialize such a vast and distributed tragedy like COVID-19,  which was devastating physically but also divisive politically? Memorials tend to...
Old Structures...
Discussing Immigrants Elsewhere That’s discussion elsewhere about immigrants here, not discussion here about immigrants somewhere...
a year ago
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a year ago
That’s discussion elsewhere about immigrants here, not discussion here about immigrants somewhere else. I’m at the 8th International Congress on Construction History this week, where I hope to learn a lot about past design and construction practice. I have certainly learned much...
Old Structures...
Specialty If you look closely, that stereotypical New England mill building, photographed yesterday in...
a year ago
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a year ago
If you look closely, that stereotypical New England mill building, photographed yesterday in Pawtucket, has a sign reading “H. A. Briggs & Co. Cotton Waste.” I’ve heard of a lot of things you can do with cotton, but “cotton waste” was a new one for me. It apparently means scraps...
The Modern House
Sound and vision: a uniquely rhythmical converted dairy in Dalston
6 months ago
Construction Physics
Construction Productivity - Structural Steel This week we’re continuing our investigation of productivity trends in US construction. We...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
This week we’re continuing our investigation of productivity trends in US construction. We previously looked at single family home construction, and noted that the number of hours required to construct 100 square feet of single family home has slightly increased over the past 50...
Archinect - Features
‘In the Climate Context, Architects Need to Push a New Frontier’; A Conversation with Mario... When TECLA was unveiled to the world at the beginning of 2021, it captured the attention of both the...
over a year ago
22
over a year ago
When TECLA was unveiled to the world at the beginning of 2021, it captured the attention of both the architectural community and the imagination of the mainstream media. The world's first 3D-printed house made from raw earth, TECLA was one of 17 projects showcased at COP26 in an...
SOCKS
“One Can No Longer Distinguish the Sun’s Outline”: Atlas of Clouds and of States of the Sky (1930) A cloud atlas is a visual depiction of various types of clouds accompanied by their classification...
a year ago
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a year ago
A cloud atlas is a visual depiction of various types of clouds accompanied by their classification and nomenclature. Cloud atlases were primarily developed starting in the 19th century and utilised for training weather forecasters and meteorologists. The 1930’s International...
Old Structures...
Cartesian I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River about a mile away – with good reason. There’s an argument to be made that this small (for NYC) bridge is the most beautiful in the...
CONTEMPORIST
Curved Windows Allow This Home To Have Unobstructed Water Views The Wiseman Group has updated a 90’s home in Sausalito, California, that was originally designed by...
a year ago
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a year ago
The Wiseman Group has updated a 90’s home in Sausalito, California, that was originally designed by the late architect Donald Olsen. Located on a hillside with waterfront views, the home has been thoughtfully modernized as an elegant family living space that still honors the...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – An New Addition And Updated Garden For This Brick Home Locus Design has shared photos of a renovation project they completed for a brick home in Greater...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
Locus Design has shared photos of a renovation project they completed for a brick home in Greater London, England, that added space at the rear of the house for an updated living room, dining room, and kitchen, as well as a landscaped yard. At the rear of the home, a new brick...
CONTEMPORIST
Brass-Lined Arches Connect The Kitchen With The Dining Room Inside This Home Architecture and art studio Svima has shared photos of a kitchen and living room they updated, with...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture and art studio Svima has shared photos of a kitchen and living room they updated, with the kitchen featuring brass design accents. Their clients, a Toronto couple, has opposite tastes: he is an enthusiast of tenebrous minimalism, and she is a lover of bright French...
devonzuegel.com
Property values should be normalized by acre In the US, it's common for local governments to focus on tax revenue produced by a property, without...
a year ago
78
a year ago
In the US, it's common for local governments to focus on tax revenue produced by a property, without considering the costs it adds to the city's budget. This is like measuring how far a car can drive without considering how much gas it uses to get there. Different properties...
Contemporist...
This Elevated Modular Tiny House Is The Woodland Escape You’ve Always Wanted Tree Tents, known for their innovative suspended treehouses, has developed a new outdoor...
a month ago
14
a month ago
Tree Tents, known for their innovative suspended treehouses, has developed a new outdoor accommodation called the Birdhouse Modular. This structure combines modular design with sustainable building practices, aiming to offer flexible and environmentally responsible options for...
CONTEMPORIST
3D Printed Sculptural Walls Surround The Interior Of This New Retail Store Barcelona-based architecture firm External Reference, led by Italian architect Carmelo Zappulla, has...
a year ago
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a year ago
Barcelona-based architecture firm External Reference, led by Italian architect Carmelo Zappulla, has shared photos of a retail store design they completed for fashion brand PINKO, which includes an interior lined with 3D printed design elements. Based on the history of the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Pool House And Loggia Enhance This Lush Backyard Experience Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a modern addition of a pool house and loggia they...
a year ago
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a year ago
Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a modern addition of a pool house and loggia they designed for an existing primary residence in Florida. The pool house and loggia are sleek yet thoughtful and seamless extensions of the home, with the design blending comfort,...
The Modern House
Inside architect Ben Allen’s modernist ‘cottage in the sky’
5 months ago
Old Structures...
Bucolia First up, some very tame woods, with a picnic bench: About a mile away, a peaceful – if rainy and...
a year ago
32
a year ago
First up, some very tame woods, with a picnic bench: About a mile away, a peaceful – if rainy and foggy – stretch of water, as seen from a causeway: This is, against most people’s expectations, the Bronx. More specifically, it’s Pelham Bay Park, and Eastchester Bay, where the...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – An Apartment Transformed With A New Interior FCstudio has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that...
11 months ago
76
11 months ago
FCstudio has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that transformed the space into a contemporary and open interior. The design plan included removing walls and creating integrated spaces, like in the living room, which was once a smaller...
CONTEMPORIST
A Round Window Is Nestled Into A Stone Wall On The Front Of This Home OON ARCHITECTURE has designed a modern home in Benavidez, Argentina, that features a stone, wood,...
over a year ago
59
over a year ago
OON ARCHITECTURE has designed a modern home in Benavidez, Argentina, that features a stone, wood, and concrete facade, that also includes a round window. The round window is recessed into the stone wall and is an eye-catching design element that can be seen as one walks along the...
devonzuegel.com
Google Docs' sheet-of-paper metaphor For ages, I've wondered why Google Docs still clings to the sheet-of-paper metaphor when lots of its...
over a year ago
28
over a year ago
For ages, I've wondered why Google Docs still clings to the sheet-of-paper metaphor when lots of its users never print out most of their documents. Of course it does make sense for "Print layout" to be an option. Many people do print docs, and students make up a huge portion of...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #0: Welcome to Order Without Design I'm starting a new podcast called Order Without Design with the most interesting couple I know:...
over a year ago
29
over a year ago
I'm starting a new podcast called Order Without Design with the most interesting couple I know: Alain & Marie-Agnes Bertaud. This project is an extension of their book, Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities. With its focus on economic theory, you might not realize that...
99% Invisible
Chick Tracts [EPISODE] Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There...
over a year ago
58
over a year ago
Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There are two hundred and seventy different Chick Tracts, with titles like “The Death Cookie,” “Kidnapped!,” “Mean Momma,” “The Sissy?,” and “Satan Comes To Salem.” Many of these are...
Archinect - Features
A Conversation with Bjarke Ingels on AI, 3D Printing, and the Future of the Architectural... It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of...
a year ago
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a year ago
It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of conversation was BIG's 'Hot to Cold' exhibition at the National Building Museum. Today, after a decade that has included award-winning Manhattan skyscrapers, floating cities, a...
Common Edge
Where Does Architectural Design Work Come From? Don’t put faith in awards, publications, or PR firms to generate the next project. Instead,...
a month ago
27
a month ago
Don’t put faith in awards, publications, or PR firms to generate the next project. Instead, demonstrate your value in every completed building.
Old Structures...
Regular, Fast, Very Fast Are you really an engineer if you don’t laugh out loud at this xkcd strip?
11 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Elevated Elegance: A Unique Home In The Forest With A Trio Of Tile-Clad Gables Exterio Architectural Studio, together with interior design firm Hola Design, has shared photos of a...
a year ago
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a year ago
Exterio Architectural Studio, together with interior design firm Hola Design, has shared photos of a contemporary home they have completed near Warsaw, Poland, that’s surrounded by a pine forest. The home is designed to bring a large family together, with the form taking shape...
Archinect - Features
'The Relationship Between AI and Architecture Is Old Enough to Receive Social Security'; A... Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From...
over a year ago
29
over a year ago
Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From there, her career as a writer, designer, historian, and professor has taken her on a journey of understanding the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence and its...
The Solarchitecture...
Follow up to circadian rhythm post Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
over a year ago
THE ARCHITECTURAL...
How Germany’s Most Beautiful City Was Destroyed… and Rebuilt Dresden, a stunning city in Germany, was nearly wiped out during World War II when it was bombed,...
6 months ago
52
6 months ago
Dresden, a stunning city in Germany, was nearly wiped out during World War II when it was bombed, leaving only ruins behind. But its story didn’t end there—this is a tale of how Dresden came back to life, and rose from the ashes like a phoenix. Before the war, Dresden was known...
Contemporist...
A' Design Awards & Competition - Call for Entries A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
a year ago
29
a year ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
Old Structures...
Four Months Later, I Finish The Thought I wrote a blog post in April about the grotesques in the lobby of the Woolworth Building. As I...
11 months ago
67
11 months ago
I wrote a blog post in April about the grotesques in the lobby of the Woolworth Building. As I mentioned then, they are grotesques because they are purely decorative figures; gargoyles are decorative figures that are generally water spouts and are part of a roof drainage system....
99% Invisible
You Are What You Watch [EPISODE] What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense...
a year ago
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a year ago
What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense because the average American spends 2 hours and 51 minutes watching movies and TV each day. That’s a whopping 19 percent of our waking hours. Walt Hickey is a data journalist and...
99% Invisible
Fact Checking the Supreme Court [EPISODE] The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana, California is a large granite and sandstone building from...
a year ago
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a year ago
The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana, California is a large granite and sandstone building from the early 20th century. There, Jennifer Birch was there doing research for a group called Moms Demand Action. It’s an organization that advocates for gun control and regulation....
Common Edge
What Do You Say to a Naked Architect? An architectural fiction.
a year ago
Old Structures...
Before and After Electricity A while back, I put up a photo of the Bowery as seen in 1894, with the Third Avenue elevated tracks...
a year ago
84
a year ago
A while back, I put up a photo of the Bowery as seen in 1894, with the Third Avenue elevated tracks above. Here’s the picture: Here’s a 1909 postcard of a similar view: The third, express track wasn’t added to the el until 1917 and the Bowery is a wide street, so the tracks have...
CONTEMPORIST
A Mid-Century Modern Inspired Extension For An 1890s Sandstone Cottage Glasshouse Projects, an architecture, interior design, and building firm, has shared photos of a...
a year ago
69
a year ago
Glasshouse Projects, an architecture, interior design, and building firm, has shared photos of a mid-century modern inspired extension and renovation they completed for an original 1890 sandstone cottage in Prospect, South Australia. The extension can be accessed through the...
Contemporist...
Brick Is The Material Of Choice For This New Home Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in...
10 months ago
100
10 months ago
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in Phuket, Thailand, that blends design and traditional artisanal craftsmanship.
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE] All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
11 months ago
68
11 months ago
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding,...
A Weekly Dose of...
On the Future of Cities The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of...
a year ago
43
a year ago
The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of them together: Implementing Urban Design: Green, Civic, and Community Strategies by Jonathan Barnett, published by Routledge, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Renewing the Dream: The...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Remodeled 1970s Home In Seattle Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they...
over a year ago
65
over a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they completed that was originally designed by prominent Seattle Architect, Ralph Anderson. The 3-story home on Seattle’s Mercer Island was renovated and modernized, preserving what the...
Common Edge
Hans van der Laan: Playing With Proportions in 3D A new book on the Dutch monk-architect tries to explain it all.
6 months ago
Archinect - Features
Architecture Business Metrics Begin To Turn Positive: Archinect’s State of AEC November... Welcome to the sixth installment of Archinect's series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we...
8 months ago
68
8 months ago
Welcome to the sixth installment of Archinect's series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically. Throughout the past month, several...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Mural Adds Color To The Interior Of This Narrow Home Spaces Architects@KA has shared photos of a tall and narrow house they designed in New Dehli, India,...
a year ago
44
a year ago
Spaces Architects@KA has shared photos of a tall and narrow house they designed in New Dehli, India, that includes a large wall mural. The colorful mural, which spans multiple floors, depicts a tree with leaves, flowers, and birds. Interior walkways provide an unobstructed view...
CONTEMPORIST
This Hurricane Proof House Was Built On Top Of 12-Foot Concrete Piers To Protect It From Flooding Studio PEEK|ANCONA has designed a hurricane-proof home in New Jersey, as a result of the homeowners...
over a year ago
101
over a year ago
Studio PEEK|ANCONA has designed a hurricane-proof home in New Jersey, as a result of the homeowners losing their previous house to hurricanes Sandy and Irene. The architects mention that “the challenge was to build a high-strength home with an efficient construction schedule,...
Construction Physics
When did New York start building slowly? (Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to...
over a year ago
41
over a year ago
(Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to autocorrelation effects. For a correct analysis, see the subsequent post here) It’s good to be able to build things quickly. The faster you build something, the quicker the benefits from it...
Construction Physics
What Would It Take to Recreate Bell Labs? For most of the 20th century, AT&T was almost entirely responsible for building and operating...
a year ago
85
a year ago
For most of the 20th century, AT&T was almost entirely responsible for building and operating America’s telephone infrastructure. It manufactured the phones and electrical equipment, laid hundreds of millions of miles of wire across the country, and built and operated the...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Interculturality as Shelter Interculturality as Shelter is a map made of many maps. It examines the ways in which young migrants...
over a year ago
37
over a year ago
Interculturality as Shelter is a map made of many maps. It examines the ways in which young migrants experience interculturality in the neighborhood where their school is located. It shows their ways of feeling, walking, and making the city. A neighborhood where nobody...
Contemporist...
From the street, it looks like a shed, inside, this home's a sanctuary You won’t find windows or fences here, just a bold idea for urban privacy. Designed by Specht Novak,...
2 months ago
23
2 months ago
You won’t find windows or fences here, just a bold idea for urban privacy. Designed by Specht Novak, the Stealth House transforms a leftover lot into a hidden retreat of steel, silence, and sunlit courtyards. Every inch of its 1,100 square feet is a study in purpose,...
Old Structures...
The Downside of Going Topless The picture above shows two photos of the same building in Chelsea, where we finished a repair...
8 months ago
62
8 months ago
The picture above shows two photos of the same building in Chelsea, where we finished a repair project about a year ago. The left side is a tax photo from the 1940s; the right photo was taken after we were done with our work. The viaduct in the back is the Highline. This 1902...
Contemporist...
A Small Laneway House Designed For A Narrow Property In Toronto Lanescape Architecture has shared photos of a laneway home they completed for a narrow 17-foot wide...
a year ago
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a year ago
Lanescape Architecture has shared photos of a laneway home they completed for a narrow 17-foot wide lot in Toronto's Junction neighborhood.
Old Structures...
Part Of A Wave I’m speaking today at the “Office To Residential Summit” a two-day conference on the various...
a year ago
58
a year ago
I’m speaking today at the “Office To Residential Summit” a two-day conference on the various architectural, legal, engineering, and logistics aspects of converting office buildings (of which there are currently more than needed) to apartments (not so much). My talk is about some...
Old Structures...
Look, Ma! No Hands! There is absolutely nothing unique about a masonry flat arch serving as a window head, but it’s...
a year ago
42
a year ago
There is absolutely nothing unique about a masonry flat arch serving as a window head, but it’s relatively rare on steel-frame buildings like this 1920s apartment house on the Upper East Side. There are two tip-offs that it’s a real arch and not just a cleverly-hidden lintel:...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Recycle When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York...
a year ago
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a year ago
When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York City Transit Authority, from when it was created in 1953, the subway system as created by two private companies (the IRT and BMT) and the city-owned IND. All three parts of the...
Old Structures...
Embracing office-to-residential conversion in the ‘City of Yes’ A timely ‘Yes’ to converting older buildings is set to further fuel Manhattan’s current...
7 months ago
69
7 months ago
A timely ‘Yes’ to converting older buildings is set to further fuel Manhattan’s current office-to-residential boom. New York City Council recently passed Mayor Adams’ ‘City of Yes’ proposal to create over 80,000 new housing units across the city over 15 years. Among the historic...
devonzuegel.com
To rent or to sell, that is the question As a real estate developer, one of the big decisions you need to make is whether you will rent or...
a year ago
126
a year ago
As a real estate developer, one of the big decisions you need to make is whether you will rent or sell the buildings you've built. Income from rentals flows in steadily over years, while income from sales hits all at once. This essential difference is simple but has many...
Contemporist...
A Glass-Enclosed Library And Home Office Creates A Separate Space Inside This Apartment Canadian design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a loft apartment located in a building that...
over a year ago
197
over a year ago
Canadian design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a loft apartment located in a building that was once home to offices but has been converted into residential apartments.
Construction Physics
Reading List 05/17/25 The “Safe System” of road design, a manufactured “superwood”, concrete sphere batteries, Tesla’s...
2 months ago
26
2 months ago
The “Safe System” of road design, a manufactured “superwood”, concrete sphere batteries, Tesla’s insurance arm, the University of Nebraska’s drought monitor, and more.
Archinect - Features
2025 Summer Architecture Programs for Adults and High School Graduates Archinect’s 2025 roundup of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, focusing on...
5 months ago
46
5 months ago
Archinect’s 2025 roundup of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, focusing on opportunities for high school graduates, college students, and adults of all experience levels. Whether you're exploring architecture for the first time or seeking to deepen your knowledge...
Archinect - Features
2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Kids and High School Students If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for kids, or a high school...
a year ago
64
a year ago
If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for kids, or a high school student interested in gaining valuable pre-college experience, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of summer architecture programs. For the 2024 season, we have...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Was Designed To Surround A Swimming Pool With A Slide Architect Alexis Dornier has shared a new home in Pererenan, Bali, that combines modern...
3 months ago
43
3 months ago
Architect Alexis Dornier has shared a new home in Pererenan, Bali, that combines modern architectural principles with a spirit of creativity and exploration. The house is defined by its bold central void, an architectural centerpiece that brings natural light, air, and a sense of...
Old Structures...
A Desperately-Needed Addendum My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a...
a year ago
22
a year ago
My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a cliff-hanger. Dan Eschenasy asked the obvious question: did the building in question fall down? The answer is no, it did not. 428 West 29th Street shows up on the land use maps in...
A Weekly Dose of...
The Latest from MoMA: Emerging Ecologies Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books...
a year ago
41
a year ago
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books with keywords to better filter and find them. The tags I use move from general terms like "architecture" (the most) and "fiction" (the least) to specific terms that reflect a high...
CONTEMPORIST
Natural Stone Provides A Base For This Modern Home Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes has recently completed a new home in Mauricie, a region of...
a year ago
26
a year ago
Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes has recently completed a new home in Mauricie, a region of Canada’s Québec province between Montréal and Québec City. The home’s design is inspired by the region’s industrial heritage and the natural elements that surround it. The unusually...
Contemporist...
A Seaside Home Where Limestone, Wood, and Glass Unite Perched along the rugged Cantabrian coastline, Casa Loredo reinterprets local building traditions...
a month ago
18
a month ago
Perched along the rugged Cantabrian coastline, Casa Loredo reinterprets local building traditions through a contemporary lens. Designed by ZOOCO ESTUDIO, the home embraces its dramatic setting with expansive sea views and a layout that responds to both the landscape and modern...
Archinect - Features
'Beauty Is a Measure of Ecological Intelligence'; A Conversation with ecoLogicStudio Founders... Against the backdrop of a frenzied AI discourse dominated by end-product tools such as ChatGPT and...
over a year ago
22
over a year ago
Against the backdrop of a frenzied AI discourse dominated by end-product tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto articulate a refreshing call to adventure. The two ecoLogicStudio founders have built their professional and academic careers at the...
Common Edge
‘My Photographs Are a Celebration of the Making of Things’ A talk with Christopher Payne about his recent book, Made in America.
a year ago
Contemporist...
How Terracotta Shingles Bring Earthy Warmth To This Modern Home Nestled in suburban Melbourne, Mahogany House is more than just a family residence. It's a deeply...
a month ago
34
a month ago
Nestled in suburban Melbourne, Mahogany House is more than just a family residence. It's a deeply personal project by Vish and Gaurav Rajadhyax, co-founders of R ARCHITECTURE. Designed as a sustainable, multi-generational home, it balances functionality with emotional connection,...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Hot Dogs In A Temple Above, a somewhat pathetic villain threatens the people of Gotham City, while Batgirl muses. Below,...
a year ago
23
a year ago
Above, a somewhat pathetic villain threatens the people of Gotham City, while Batgirl muses. Below, the stair connecting the train shed at the old Penn Station with the concourse: And zoomed in: And another angle:
CONTEMPORIST
Creative Patterned Designs Cover The Facade Of This Brick House Manoj Patel Design Studio has shared photos of a home they’ve completed in Vadodara, India, that...
over a year ago
67
over a year ago
Manoj Patel Design Studio has shared photos of a home they’ve completed in Vadodara, India, that includes unique brick designs on its facade. Located in the middle of an urban area, the eye-catching facade showcases a brick accent section that has a variety of artistic patterns....
Common Edge
Art & Architecture Writers Demand Fair Pay Wages for free-lance journalists, covering the built environment, have been stagnant or in decline...
a year ago
SOCKS
The Square and the Circle: The Palace of Charles V in Granada (1527) The palace of Charles V in Granada was built starting in 1527 as a summer palace for the emperor....
over a year ago
70
over a year ago
The palace of Charles V in Granada was built starting in 1527 as a summer palace for the emperor. The Renaissance building is located inside the Alhambra, the former Nasrid complex on Sabika hill, a notable example of Islamic architecture.  The structure is built in stone and is...
Construction Physics
The Birth of the Grid The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of...
over a year ago
114
over a year ago
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of heaven. It should not merely be supplied, but lavished, that men may use it at their will, as the air they breathe. - Emile Zola, “Travail”, 1901
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – A New Garden Studio For A Writer MW Architects has shared photos of a new garden room in London, England, that replaced an old...
a year ago
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a year ago
MW Architects has shared photos of a new garden room in London, England, that replaced an old derelict wash house, that was in danger of slipping down a steep slope and existed at the back of an overgrown garden. Here’s what it looked like originally. The new studio, which has...
Contemporist...
Large Folding Glass Walls Open This Home To A Courtyard Narch Arquitectes has shared photos of a home they designed in Barcelona, Spain, that has large...
a year ago
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a year ago
Narch Arquitectes has shared photos of a home they designed in Barcelona, Spain, that has large folding windows that connect the interior to the inner courtyard and garden.
A Weekly Dose of...
Favorite Books of 2022 For this last post of 2022 I looked back at the dozens of books I reviewed or featured as "Book...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For this last post of 2022 I looked back at the dozens of books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the ones I reviewed on World-Architects. From those books I gathered just over a dozen favorites, grouping them into some common themes that happened to come...
Old Structures...
For The Common Folk The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds...
a year ago
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a year ago
The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds unbearably hot right now, but thinking and writing about it.) So, here’s the Brighton Beach Bathing Pavilion in 1879, one year after it opened: The three big hotels nearby, including...
SOCKS
Database, Network, Interface : The Architecture of Information. An exhibition at Archizoom (EPFL),... We are pleased to announce that we are curating an exhibition that will open in September at the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
We are pleased to announce that we are curating an exhibition that will open in September at the Archizoom Gallery (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland.  In an age characterised by the increasing dematerialisation of cultural production and transmission, Database, Network, Interface...
CONTEMPORIST
Banquette Seating Separates The Kitchen From The Living Room Inside This Apartment Interior design firm Melling Studio, has shared photos of a one-bedroom apartment they completed in...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Interior design firm Melling Studio, has shared photos of a one-bedroom apartment they completed in Vancouver, Canada. The apartment has been designed as a serene, open-plan environment with a crisp, minimal finish palette, locally sourced furniture, and elevated fixtures. One...
CONTEMPORIST
This Japanese Restaurant Uses Washi-Inspired Acrylic Panels To Create A Cozy Atmosphere odd design has shared photos of a Japanese restaurant they recently completed in Beijing, China,...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
odd design has shared photos of a Japanese restaurant they recently completed in Beijing, China, that uses textural materials to create a quiet, relaxing, and cozy atmosphere. The open entrance consists of a light box and two sets of low-wall partitions, allowing the space to be...
The Beauty of...
Never(?) Decreasing Circles (Railtrack/Network Rail major station logos, UK (continued)) One of the most enduringly popular articles on this website (at least in terms of clicks and...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
One of the most enduringly popular articles on this website (at least in terms of clicks and re-posts) is a very early one, from 2013. It concerns the graphic identities created for Railtrack’s major stations by Citigate Lloyd Northover. These ones… Firstly – have I really been...
devonzuegel.com
Travel photos are underrated I snapped many photos while wandering Haifa last week, as I always do whenever I see something new...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I snapped many photos while wandering Haifa last week, as I always do whenever I see something new or interesting while exploring a city. I was with my friend Tyler, who conspicuously does not take photos while exploring a new place. I asked him why, and his answer was, "It's a...
CONTEMPORIST
Stairs With Built-In Planters Lead To The Back Garden At This Home Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects has shared photos of a recently completed renovation project in...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects has shared photos of a recently completed renovation project in Greater London, England, that included new outdoor stairs with built-in planters. The client contacted the architects to renovate the lower ground floor of the house due to severe damp...
Contemporist...
Would you live in a strawbale cabin? This off-grid desert home might change your mind Amid the Joshua Trees of California’s high desert, a small cabin has been built that's anything but...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Amid the Joshua Trees of California’s high desert, a small cabin has been built that's anything but simple. With curving walls made of barley straw and a roof like twin petals reaching for the sky, this off-grid structure is more than just a stunning example of eco-architecture,...
Archinect - Features
“We’ve Matched 120 Community Members So Far” — AIA’s ‘Ask an Architect’ Initiative Reveals... Earlier this month, we covered the launch of the AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter’s 'Ask an...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Earlier this month, we covered the launch of the AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter’s 'Ask an Architect' program aimed at helping homeowners impacted by the devastating Los Angeles Fires. The free program under the AIA in California umbrella, which will begin with Eaton Fire victims...
devonzuegel.com
Independence for whom? I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community with a distinctive architectural style: simple timber-frame structures clad in wooden siding, and gardens all planted with native flora. The Sea Ranch Design Committee enforces...
The Modern House
Space to grow: life on a captivating family farm hidden in the Cheshire countryside
5 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Bread-Inspired Facade Was Designed For A Manufacturer Of Bakery Machines Romulo Neto Architects LDA has designed a modern building for a company that produces bakery and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Romulo Neto Architects LDA has designed a modern building for a company that produces bakery and pastry machines. Inspired by the company’s principal activity of creating machines that produce dough for bread and pastries, the architects designed a facade that’s reminiscent of...
CONTEMPORIST
A Material Palette Of Pale Brick, Concrete, And Timber Echoes This Home’s Coastal Site Architecture firm studioplusthree has shared photos of a project in Sydney, Australia, that included...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture firm studioplusthree has shared photos of a project in Sydney, Australia, that included the alterations and additions to an existing house. The home features a material palette of pale brick, concrete, and timber evoking the project’s coastal location and echoing the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Vaulted Ceiling Is A Dramatic Feature Inside This Modern Barn House BLA Design Group has sent us photos of a modern barn house they completed that features an atrium...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
BLA Design Group has sent us photos of a modern barn house they completed that features an atrium space that encourages activity and connectivity for a young family in British Columbia, Canada. The home sits on an irregular site located at the end of a cul-de-sac, and is designed...
Contemporist...
From abandoned to dreamy: see inside this mexican home’s spectacular makeover In the heart of Mérida’s historic center in Mexico, an abandoned structure has been quietly...
a month ago
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a month ago
In the heart of Mérida’s historic center in Mexico, an abandoned structure has been quietly transformed into a serene retreat. Designed by Veinte Diezz Arquitectos, Vistalcielo is a 155 m² vacation home that reimagines the rhythm of indoor and outdoor living. Through a careful...
Common Edge
What Is a “Director of Visualization” in the Age of AI and Fake News? A talk with Thomas Bates, the renderings guru at VMDO Architects.
2 weeks ago
There are two types...
Take Back The City On a recent episode of Billions, the New York Attorney General stands on the roof a car in the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
On a recent episode of Billions, the New York Attorney General stands on the roof a car in the middle of a New York City street with a bullhorn. Why? Vecause he’s positioned himself near a meeting on the Highline … Continue reading → The post Take Back The City appeared first on...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Tree House With Two Rooms Architecture firm Studio MEMM has designed a tree house for their clients that could be used by both...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Architecture firm Studio MEMM has designed a tree house for their clients that could be used by both children and adults. Located in the middle of the Brazilian forest, the design of the treehouse was inspired by the geometries of the surrounding sycamore leaf structures...
Construction Physics
Building Apollo A review of Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon
a year ago
Construction Physics
How Valuable Are Building Methods That Use Fewer Materials? Materials make up a substantial fraction of the costs of new construction. When we previously looked...
a year ago
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a year ago
Materials make up a substantial fraction of the costs of new construction. When we previously looked at a collection of 40 different construction tasks, on average materials made up 62% of the cost of the task. And for an average new house, materials make up roughly 50% of direct...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Designed As One Long Curve FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing curved design. Through its shape and arrangement, the curved home protects itself from the busy road, while also opening up the interior to the outdoor spaces, like the yard and...
Old Structures...
Happy Thanksgiving And the menu above provides a goal for dinner.
a year ago
BLDGBLOG
Every Room A Battlefield [Image: Looking out over the center of “Razish,” a simulated city at the Fort Irwin National...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
[Image: Looking out over the center of “Razish,” a simulated city at the Fort Irwin National Training Center; photo by Geoff Manaugh.] I had an opportunity to revisit the Fort Irwin National Training Center this weekend as part of a series of field trips I’ve put together for the...
99% Invisible
Hyperfixed: Dylan’s Supermarket Cold Case We’ve all got problems. Sometimes your problem is a massive roadblock in your life, or maybe it’s...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
We’ve all got problems. Sometimes your problem is a massive roadblock in your life, or maybe it’s this little thing that quietly annoys you that you’ve learned to grudgingly put up with. But regardless of the size of your problem, it would be so great if someone would just fix it...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #4: Supersonic planes, levitating trains, & electric automobiles Mobility is central to living in every city. In this episode, we discussed how different communities...
over a year ago
26
over a year ago
Mobility is central to living in every city. In this episode, we discussed how different communities tackle the question of transportation, and how culture shapes how different transport technologies get adopted. RSS · Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Overcast Mobility is central to...
Old Structures...
Also From The Train, Again I was going through some old photos and found this, and was gong to use it for a blog post until I...
10 months ago
53
10 months ago
I was going through some old photos and found this, and was gong to use it for a blog post until I looked and realized that I already had. So here it is again: That’s the West Shore railroad, as seen from the Hudson line (AKA the New York Central main line), and from across […]
CONTEMPORIST
A Colossal Curved Glass Window Shows Off The Biggest LULULEMON Flagship Store In The World AIM ARCHITECTURE has shared photos of the LULULEMON Flagship Store they designed in Shanghai, China,...
a year ago
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a year ago
AIM ARCHITECTURE has shared photos of the LULULEMON Flagship Store they designed in Shanghai, China, that uses curved glass to create an eye-catching retail destination. The facade with its curved glass window, allows people on the street to witness the movement of activity...
99% Invisible
The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE] In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest....
99% Invisible
Trail Mix [EPISODE] A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed...
a year ago
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a year ago
A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed and maintained to meet specific standards. These standards relate to the recreational experience the trail is intended to provide. But trails are something many of us take for...
Old Structures...
A Different Definition of Speed I’ve mentioned the “Speedway” a few times in passing. It was a pleasure drive along the Harlem...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
I’ve mentioned the “Speedway” a few times in passing. It was a pleasure drive along the Harlem River, meant to provide a place for people with horses and horse carriages – i.e., the upper middle class and the wealthy – to have fun. There was nothing inherently terrible about...
Old Structures...
Up, Down, and Up, Like Its Surroundings I took these pictures on Mercer Street yesterday, of an oddly formal little building. Whatever...
a year ago
37
a year ago
I took these pictures on Mercer Street yesterday, of an oddly formal little building. Whatever “Firemen’s Hall” meant, I had never heard of it. The name and original use are linked and sort of obvious: when the building was constructed in 1855, New York’s fire-fighting needs were...
Contemporist...
The Sculptural Exterior Of This House Was Inspired By The Folds Of A Ribbon Studio Ardete has shared photos of a home they have designed in Mohali, India, that has a distinctly...
over a year ago
Archinect - Features
Just Finished Architecture School? Here's Some Advice As the 2023/2024 academic year draws to a close, architecture graduates across the United States are...
a year ago
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a year ago
As the 2023/2024 academic year draws to a close, architecture graduates across the United States are preparing for the next stage in their design career, be it through employment, further education, journeys into adjacent fields, and beyond. If you are one of the many graduates...
Old Structures...
Just Because I Like It A view of 99 Prince Street: It’s a little hard to believe it today, but this was built simply an...
9 months ago
47
9 months ago
A view of 99 Prince Street: It’s a little hard to believe it today, but this was built simply an ordinary commercial building with retail and office space. It was completed in 1888 by architect William Schickel working for “J. J. Astor.” That was either John Jacob Astor III near...
Common Edge
Why Gardening Should Be Our Metaphor for Local Development If your town isn’t cultivating its own economic growth, then it’s being mined for someone else’s...
8 months ago
Construction Physics
Who Wins Nobel Prizes? The most prestigious scientific achievement is likely the Nobel Prize, which is awarded every year...
4 months ago
57
4 months ago
The most prestigious scientific achievement is likely the Nobel Prize, which is awarded every year to “those who confer the greatest benefit to mankind” in the fields of physics, medicine, and chemistry (of course, there are also Nobel Prizes for literature and peace, as well as...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Office Hides Behind A Sliding Wall In This House Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a home for the owner’s family. The interior, contemporary yet comfortable in its design, includes a living room that has a large empty wall. However, this wall isn’t stationary but...
Contemporist...
At First This Small Apartment Looks Simple, Then You Notice the Loft and Hidden Office Located in Vila Mariana, one of São Paulo’s most traditional neighborhoods, this small apartment...
2 months ago
17
2 months ago
Located in Vila Mariana, one of São Paulo’s most traditional neighborhoods, this small apartment (398 square feet or 37 square meters) is a standout example of how compact living can be redefined through intelligent design. With interior design by RMV Interiores, the renovation...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Brick Exterior Creates A Unique Expression For This Home In Toronto Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto, Canada, that features a sculptural brick facade. Photography by Younes Bounhar The design of the Canvas House has been inspired by the homeowners’ love of contemporary art, with the...
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 5 This is the last of the collection of little-known ballfields, following Brooklyn, Manhattan, and...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
This is the last of the collection of little-known ballfields, following Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and the little-known teams who played in those fields. It’s very difficult to find information about the only Bronx important ball field in the Bronx. While it’s sometimes...
Archinect - Features
Architects and Clients Downbeat About Economy: Archinect's Business Survey Results... Throughout May and June 2024, we invited our community to offer us insights and feedback on how you...
a year ago
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a year ago
Throughout May and June 2024, we invited our community to offer us insights and feedback on how you were feeling about the economic outlook of your firm and sector. As we explained at the time, this project was motivated by several observations from economists within and beyond...
Archinect - Features
After the Altadena Fire: An Ode to Our House Until last week, my wife Tomo and I had the great pleasure of being stewards of Whitney Smith's...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Until last week, my wife Tomo and I had the great pleasure of being stewards of Whitney Smith's Holmes House. It was built by Jackson and Evelyn Holmes in 1941. In 2021, it became LA County Historic Landmark #8. What made this house so special was not that it was gigantic,...
Common Edge
How to Be a Better Architect Than Me My recent talk to high school seniors.
a year ago
Common Edge
The Myth of St. Gaudí: Miracle Worker or Great Architect? Even as he approaches sainthood, the man who “designed Barcelona” defies categorization.
a week ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Monochrome Interior Design For This Home In Singapore Studio Metanoia has shared photos of a modern home interior they recently completed in Singapore,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Studio Metanoia has shared photos of a modern home interior they recently completed in Singapore, that has a very strong monochromatic aesthetic. The interior strikes a balance of light and dark, which is evident throughout, like in the living room, where a white couch with a...
Archinect - Features
When California Tried to Abolish Architectural Licensure Throughout the 20th century, every state and territory across the U.S. passed laws establishing a...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Throughout the 20th century, every state and territory across the U.S. passed laws establishing a requirement to license architects. Since then, no jurisdiction has successfully repealed such a requirement. In the late 1970s, however, California almost became a notable...
Common Edge
My Crystal Ball: An Architect Holds Humanity’s Future in the Palm of His Hand Speculative fiction about our next million years of existence.
4 weeks ago
99% Invisible
Mini Stories: Volume 18 [EPISODE] Here it is: our second and final set of mini-stories for the season, cooked up in advance of the...
a year ago
49
a year ago
Here it is: our second and final set of mini-stories for the season, cooked up in advance of the holidays with finishing touches added after the new year. We’ll be covering upside-down construction, the linguistics of filler and a fire that has been burning for decades. Top-Down...
99% Invisible
Trail Mix: Track Two [EPISODE] Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object:...
a year ago
36
a year ago
Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object: the trail. If you haven’t heard the first episode yet you should totally go back and listen. It’s a lot of fun. Trail Mix We’re going to kick this second episode once again starting...
Contemporist...
What Was Once a Cow Shed Is Now a Gorgeous Barn Home In the heart of the Cotswolds, an old cowshed a has been reimagined into a warm, modern home....
a month ago
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a month ago
In the heart of the Cotswolds, an old cowshed a has been reimagined into a warm, modern home. Designed by Design Storey, this Grade II listed barn now offers a calm retreat for a Liverpool-based couple looking to escape their busy city lives. With a light touch and a focus on...
CONTEMPORIST
A 1970s Four Bedroom Home Renovated For A Couple That Loves To Entertain Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin,...
9 months ago
75
9 months ago
Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin, Texas, for their clients that wanted a home for entertaining. The transformation involved converting a four-bedroom floor plan into a spacious, open, one bedroom home. A long...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Not Really Adaptive From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest...
12 months ago
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12 months ago
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest in steel. The roof over the rather wide platform is supported by two lines of columns. That’s a column in the lower left, with the curves of the lower flange of the built-up main...
CONTEMPORIST
Patterned Brickwork Is Featured On The Exterior Of The Ace Hotel In Toronto Photography by Scott Norseworthy Shim-Sutcliffe Architects has sent us photos of the Ace Hotel in...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Photography by Scott Norseworthy Shim-Sutcliffe Architects has sent us photos of the Ace Hotel in Toronto, Canada, which has a red brick facade that draws guests in with a wood-lined opening. Working closely with the creative agency Atelier Ace, the architects of the hotel...
Contemporist...
20 Top A’ Architecture Design Award Winners A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
a year ago
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a year ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing the 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
Old Structures...
New York Without Height Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity...
a year ago
29
a year ago
Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity Church. I can’t readily tell you what the second-tallest building was, as people weren’t really thinking about tall buildings that way yet. It was probably another church spire....
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part IV: Construction of the World Trade Center This is Part IV in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
This is Part IV in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. Part I covers the design and construction of the Empire State Building, Part II covers the initial development of the World Trade Center, and Part III covers the
99% Invisible
Blood in the Machine [EPISODE] Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he’d been covering the industry for years when he started to...
a year ago
40
a year ago
Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he’d been covering the industry for years when he started to notice a term that kept coming up. Especially when he wrote a story that was critical of tech, he’d be accused of being a “Luddite.” Like most people, Brian knew at least vaguely...
Common Edge
The Next New Thing In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
a year ago
Common Edge
Why So Many Banal Boxes? Because Architecture Reflects the Ethos of Its Time The 5-over-1 is a perfect embodiment of our increasingly selfish and self-isolated existence.
a year ago
Contemporist...
This Sculptural Home Is Full Of Curves And Surrounded By Landscaping Niko Architect has shared photos of a sculptural home with curves they designed that's been built...
a year ago
BLDGBLOG
Numbers Pool [Image: “Solomon’s Pools & ancient aqueducts…,” via Library of Congress.] There’s a beautiful...
over a year ago
9
over a year ago
[Image: “Solomon’s Pools & ancient aqueducts…,” via Library of Congress.] There’s a beautiful description over at New Scientist of a hypothetical new form of computing device, a “liquid crystal computer” in which calculations would move “like ripples through the liquid.”...
Contemporist...
A Warm Wood Interior Contrasts With The Black Charred Cedar Exterior At This Ranch Lodge In Oregon Architecture and Interior Design firm Hacker, has shared photos of Black Butte Ranch Lodge that they...
7 months ago
Contemporist...
This Library Is Almost Entirely Built Into The Land Around It Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP has recently completed a new library in Kisarazu, Japan, that has been built...
a year ago
Common Edge
The Perils of Walking in Connecticut Why should it be so difficult for pedestrians here to traverse a road or cross the street?
a month ago
Contemporist...
This Wallpaper Series Will Change How You See Your Walls Wallpaper isn’t just background anymore, and The Art Collection by Skins Wallpaper proves it....
2 months ago
15
2 months ago
Wallpaper isn’t just background anymore, and The Art Collection by Skins Wallpaper proves it. Designed by L'Antic Colonial (part of the Porcelanosa Group), this latest series turns walls into immersive experiences. Each mural goes beyond decoration to create a mood, a story, or...
99% Invisible
Whomst Among Us Let The Dogs Out (Again) [EPISODE] All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts...
a year ago
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a year ago
All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts you’ve listened to over and over again. And then there’s a category of memorable songs—the ones that we all just kind of know. Songs that somehow, without anyone’s permission, sneak...
Archinect - Features
'We’re Inquisitive Generalists': A Conversation With Bay Area Architects Figure In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with James Leng and Jennifer Ly,...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with James Leng and Jennifer Ly, founding partners of Figure. While formally based in San Francisco, the studio enjoys great structural liberty by working mostly remotely — a strategy reflected in the geographic...
Construction Physics
Can We Afford Large-scale Solar PV? In the US solar energy has steadily risen in how much of our electricity it supplies.
2 months ago
Common Edge
“What Would Jane Jacobs Do?” Is the Wrong Question Proponents of City of Yes are misapplying her ideas (again).
10 months ago
99% Invisible
The 15 Minute City In February 2023, over two thousand people took to the streets in Oxford, England to protest their...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
In February 2023, over two thousand people took to the streets in Oxford, England to protest their local government. They were wearing yellow vests and chanting slogans about the municipality’s new traffic policies. But most notably, many of them were vocally angry about a new...
Old Structures...
Non-Demolished When the West Side Highway – the limited access, elevated highway that was demolished in the 1970s...
a year ago
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a year ago
When the West Side Highway – the limited access, elevated highway that was demolished in the 1970s and 80s – was planned in the 1920s, it made sense. From a viewpoint any later than about 1940 it was a terrible mistake. Bad planning and little maintenance doomed the old highway,...
Common Edge
Vishaan Chakrabarti: Looking for a Home, Aiming Risky Zingers The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
8 months ago
Old Structures...
The Big Time We’re working on the Gothic Bridge in Central Park, seen above. Tim went to the night-before prep...
a year ago
33
a year ago
We’re working on the Gothic Bridge in Central Park, seen above. Tim went to the night-before prep for the Thanksgiving parade and found this float: And then he watched the parade on TV and found it again, second from the end:
Common Edge
Vivian Maier: Nanny With a Rolleiflex Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
a year ago
Common Edge
Minoru Yamasaki: The Fragility of Architecture He designed two of the most famous landmarks of the late-20th-century. Why is he virtually unknown...
a year ago
devonzuegel.com
Digital vs analog error correction The purpose of this writeup was to summarize something interesting I learned recently, to make sure...
over a year ago
26
over a year ago
The purpose of this writeup was to summarize something interesting I learned recently, to make sure I understood it. I figured others might find it interesting, too. ~ ~ ~ Digital signal processing corrects for errors better than its analog counterpart. This is one of the...
99% Invisible
Trompe L’oeil [EPISODE] Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats....
9 months ago
85
9 months ago
Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats. Highways designed to fool your brain into going way faster than it should want to. And impeccably made fake signs meant to guide you to the right freeway. Three classic, favorite...
Contemporist...
See Inside This Home That Balances Soul, Sun, and Style Tucked high on a hill in the El Dorado Club, Los Cabos, Mexico, the El Dorado Residence offers a...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
Tucked high on a hill in the El Dorado Club, Los Cabos, Mexico, the El Dorado Residence offers a soulful retreat for a Seattle-based family of eight. Designed by Susan Marinello Interiors, this vacation home is as much about cultural connection as it is about coastal relaxation....
A Weekly Dose of...
Eight Decades of Modern Japanese Houses A review of a new book released this week: The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published...
a year ago
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a year ago
A review of a new book released this week: The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published by Thames & Hudson, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) What makes modern and contemporary Japanese houses so appealing? Much of it stems from the novelty of residential designs,...
The Solarchitecture...
Regenerative Architecture Shifting our time horizon.
5 months ago
Archinect - Features
Six Views on the Future of Architectural Licensure Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural...
11 months ago
87
11 months ago
Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural licensure have included a variety of views beyond our editorial team, including ten views on licensure from Archinect readers shared at the midpoint of our series.  Beyond reader...
Construction Physics
Reading List 03/15/25 Chinese EUV machines, North Korea’s nuclear submarine, greenhouse gas and low-orbit satellites,...
4 months ago
51
4 months ago
Chinese EUV machines, North Korea’s nuclear submarine, greenhouse gas and low-orbit satellites, far-UVC for pandemic prevention, and more.
99% Invisible
Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages [EPISODE] Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her...
10 months ago
91
10 months ago
Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was up for foreclosure. What followed was a surreal discovery of “zombie...
Contemporist...
Vaulted Ceilings and Garden Views Make This Home a True Sanctuary Tucked into a quiet corner of Elwood, Sanctuary House by Minett Studio Architecture & Design offers...
a month ago
31
a month ago
Tucked into a quiet corner of Elwood, Sanctuary House by Minett Studio Architecture & Design offers a seamless blend of heritage and contemporary design. With vaulted ceilings, framed garden views, and an indoor–outdoor flow that feels effortless, this family home is a...
Archinect - Features
Can Tactical Design Make NYC Subways Feel Safe Again? WXY’s Claire Weisz Thinks So Darkened corners, poorly-lit cars, vandalism, and other physical and psychological indicators that...
3 months ago
80
3 months ago
Darkened corners, poorly-lit cars, vandalism, and other physical and psychological indicators that crime is present or can thrive still underpin its persistence on subways and in stations in New York City. This has led to a widespread perception of danger. And, in real terms, the...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Guidebooks A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by...
over a year ago
41
over a year ago
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1965.  Are guidebooks still a valid and useful subgenre of architecture books? Do architects...
Contemporist...
A Warehouse-Inspired Home With A Spanish Twist Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired...
8 months ago
64
8 months ago
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired townhouse with a Spanish twist inside.
Construction Physics
The worst US bridges are getting fixed It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads,...
over a year ago
52
over a year ago
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads, bridges, pipes, and transmission lines are decaying faster than they’re being repaired or replaced. This concern goes back to the early 1980s, when the book "
Construction Physics
Reading List for 05/31/2025 Wind wars, ALARA, power plant water use, grassroots opposition to data centers, and more.
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Travelog: A Building Type Speaking only for myself, it’s easy to mentally categorize subways (i.e., electric mass transit,...
a year ago
47
a year ago
Speaking only for myself, it’s easy to mentally categorize subways (i.e., electric mass transit, mostly underground) as something different than railroads. Different lengths of routes, different spacing of stations, different rolling stock, and so on. The differences are often...
A Weekly Dose of...
The 'As Found' Over at World-Architects I reviewed As Found: Experiments in Preservation (Flanders Architecture...
a year ago
41
a year ago
Over at World-Architects I reviewed As Found: Experiments in Preservation (Flanders Architecture Institute, 2023) edited by Sofie De Caigny, Hülya Ertas and Bie Plevoets, the companion to the exhibition of the same name at the Flanders Architecture Institute. Read my review...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Boom One of the problems with electing Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, as mayor of New York, is that he has a...
a year ago
48
a year ago
One of the problems with electing Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, as mayor of New York, is that he has a lot of enemies who will try to kill him by, say, blowing him up in his sleep. This is a preservation problem because the mayor’s residence is Gracie Mansion, a 1799 wood-frame...
Old Structures...
Best Commute Ever The conference I am currently attending is at ETH, the famous engineering school in Zurich. My hotel...
a year ago
58
a year ago
The conference I am currently attending is at ETH, the famous engineering school in Zurich. My hotel is not far away in a two-dimensional sense. I picked it some months ago by looking at a map and thinking that it was a short walk from campus. It’s a short flight to campus if...
CONTEMPORIST
A Boldly Colored Pasta Shop Brightens Up The Street In Athens Design firm Studio Materiality has shared photos of Macaroni, a pasta shop they completed that’s...
over a year ago
93
over a year ago
Design firm Studio Materiality has shared photos of Macaroni, a pasta shop they completed that’s located in the heart of Athens, Greece. The designers drew inspiration from the 1970s, with a boldly colored design, complete with a font from that era to create the logo. The...
Archinect - Features
Arguing with Brick Walls and Burning Buildings "I fear that I have integrated my people into a burning house" — MLK National Organization of...
5 months ago
43
5 months ago
"I fear that I have integrated my people into a burning house" — MLK National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), I was asked to weigh in on an issue that has consumed much of my professional life and intellectual energy. Some of my thoughts on this are more...
Contemporist...
A Mid-Century Modern Home Reimagined for a Family in California In the hills of Palo Alto, California, an iconic Eichler home has been respectfully transformed by...
a month ago
13
a month ago
In the hills of Palo Alto, California, an iconic Eichler home has been respectfully transformed by architect-artist Gustave Carlson. Originally built in 1971 and custom-commissioned by architect John S. Lynd, a personal friend of Joseph Eichler, the home carries a rare pedigree...
Old Structures...
The Grenfell Report The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel:...
11 months ago
67
11 months ago
The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel: here. The New Civil Engineer has a good short summary here: “Grenfell disaster: ‘culmination of decades of failure by government and construction industry’” In one sense there are few...
Construction Physics
Supersonic air travel recommended reading Aviation has a huge number of enthusiasts, which is why essentially every aircraft model ever...
a year ago
58
a year ago
Aviation has a huge number of enthusiasts, which is why essentially every aircraft model ever produced has a book written about it. Supersonic aircraft are no exception. There’s a large number of books written about the Concorde, the Tu-144, and the American SST project. Many of...
The Beauty of...
Clean Lines and Integrated Transport (Florastrasse transport hub, Adliswil, Switzerland) The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous...
a year ago
93
a year ago
The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous public transport system is that the regard in which its phenomenal operational expertise is held can overshadow the architectural successes it also demonstrates. Even when transport...
Common Edge
Finding Inspiration in Histories of Indian Families With Powerful Architectural Legacies The stories found in Architectural Inheritance and Evolution in India rekindled the fire for the...
over a year ago
Construction Physics
Fusion Power Reading List The challenge with reading about a topic like fusion is balancing the tradeoff between technical...
a year ago
94
a year ago
The challenge with reading about a topic like fusion is balancing the tradeoff between technical detail and readability. A book or article should give enough detail to provide some understanding of what’s actually going on, what progress has been made, what the challenges are,...
devonzuegel.com
Creating Passionate Users: Attenuation and the suck threshold Attenuation and the suck threshold How long do your users spend in the "I suck" (or "this product...
over a year ago
28
over a year ago
Attenuation and the suck threshold How long do your users spend in the "I suck" (or "this product sucks") zone? Once they've crossed the suck threshold, how long does it take before they start to feel like they kick ass? Both of those thresholds are key milestones on a users...
A Weekly Dose of...
Four Monographs Of the numerous books publishers send me for review — be they requested by me, pitched by them, or...
a year ago
39
a year ago
Of the numerous books publishers send me for review — be they requested by me, pitched by them, or arriving at my doorstep unsolicited — the highest percentage of them are monographs. This fact goes against the occasional sirens over the irrelevance and anachronistic nature of...
Common Edge
In Praise of a Great Mentor: Working With Geoffrey Bawa Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
a year ago
McMansion Hell
About my last few months. the hairshirt doldrums About my last few months.
5 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A New Cafe In South Korea That’s Inspired By A Walk In Nature Architect-K has shared photos of MIGIUI, a modern cafe and various social spaces that lies within...
4 months ago
49
4 months ago
Architect-K has shared photos of MIGIUI, a modern cafe and various social spaces that lies within the hanok village of Ulju-gun, South Korea. The building was designed to blend seamlessly into this natural setting, and was inspired by a forest path. Major tree species, rocks, and...
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Covers The Interior And Exterior Of This Modern Canadian Cottage Akb Architects has designed a modern cottage in Canada that’s clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and...
a year ago
25
a year ago
Akb Architects has designed a modern cottage in Canada that’s clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and western red cedar shakes. The residence is hidden among trees with carefully sited openings providing views of a freshwater lake. Each volume is nested above and within the existing...
Old Structures...
The Daily Planet In October 1957, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo: The Library of Congress has a descriptive caption,...
a year ago
57
a year ago
In October 1957, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo: The Library of Congress has a descriptive caption, of the kind used when they don’t know where a picture is from: “View down commercial street with skyscrapers and billboards and signs on either side.” This one is fairly easy to...
99% Invisible
The Art of the Olympics [EPISODE] The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99%...
a year ago
94
a year ago
The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99% Invisible archives about the art of the Olympics. Mexico 68 The 1968 Olympics took place in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first Games ever hosted in a Latin American country. And...
Benny Kuriakose
Athangudi Palace : The Chettinad Architecture Marvel The Nattukottai Chettiars were traders since the time of the Chola Empire in the 12th century and...
a year ago
79
a year ago
The Nattukottai Chettiars were traders since the time of the Chola Empire in the 12th century and were the trading and banking group in...
99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 17 [EPISODE] It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire...
a year ago
31
a year ago
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire because We have a year-end mix of short stories about a rogue architect, spooky kitchens, a hundred year old music streaming service, and the crazy way the French tried to make...
Common Edge
The Washington, D.C., Drawings of Dhiru Thadani A longtime resident captures the capital’s planning, architectural, and social history with ink,...
over a year ago
44
over a year ago
A longtime resident captures the capital’s planning, architectural, and social history with ink, pencil, and paint.
99% Invisible
It’s Howdy Doody Time! [EPISODE] If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance...
a year ago
82
a year ago
If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance that they know the theme song to The Howdy Doody Show. The Howdy Doody Show is one of those pieces of 1950s ephemera that has come to symbolize mid-century American childhood. For...
Old Structures...
Fun With Framing From a recent trip to Staten Island, a view looking north across the harbor to Manhattan and...
9 months ago
55
9 months ago
From a recent trip to Staten Island, a view looking north across the harbor to Manhattan and Brooklyn: New York looks, unfortunately, much like a chain-link fence. The catenaries that we see are some nearby power lines, not far-off suspension bridges. Cropping helps but not...
BLDGBLOG
Through This Building Shines the Cosmos [Image: Collage by BLDGBLOG of public domain images from NASA and the Library of Congress.] An...
over a year ago
7
over a year ago
[Image: Collage by BLDGBLOG of public domain images from NASA and the Library of Congress.] An opportunity to explore the use of muons as a tool for architectural and archaeological imaging came up this summer while I was in Europe for my Graham Foundation project, “Invisible...
Old Structures...
Ancient Sensationalism Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of...
9 months ago
48
9 months ago
Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of your head for years – decades, actually, in this case – until you’re reminded of it. The murder of Gulielma Sands in 1799 is a good example. It was a tragedy for Ms. Sands and a...
Old Structures...
Finding Something Nice To Say Howe trusses look backwards to me. Structural logic generally says that compression members should...
8 months ago
58
8 months ago
Howe trusses look backwards to me. Structural logic generally says that compression members should be stockier than tension members because, while the gross stresses are the same (force divided by cross-sectional area), compression members may buckle and tension members will not....
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – A Garage Transformed Into A Pool House Nathan Fell Architecture has shared photos of a garage they transformed into a pool house with...
a year ago
94
a year ago
Nathan Fell Architecture has shared photos of a garage they transformed into a pool house with plenty of space for entertaining. Here’s what the pool house looked like before… The design of the pool house was conceived as an addition to the garage that more appropriately capped...
CONTEMPORIST
A Bathroom Renovation Where Adding A Vanity That Wraps Around The Corner Added Much Needed... Designer Ana Dahlman has shared photos of a bathroom renovation she completed that included...
a year ago
81
a year ago
Designer Ana Dahlman has shared photos of a bathroom renovation she completed that included replacing the vanity with a floating L-shaped corner vanity. Before we see the renovated bathroom, here’s what it looked like originally, with cream-colored walls and a small vanity with...
THE ARCHITECTURAL...
New academic dissertation questions architects’ taste Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new...
a year ago
94
a year ago
Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new houses made in a traditional style. But this is exactly what the average person appreciates. “Why do many architects dislike the very thing that residents often enjoy?” asks architect...
Old Structures...
Probably Not Realistic The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775....
a year ago
25
a year ago
The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775. It’s definitely from that era, just based on the ships, which are far more accurately drawn than the buildings are. A lot of these illustrations appear to have been made by...
A Weekly Dose of...
Self-Published Books by BNIM and KPF Over at World-Architects I wrote about two self-published books recently published by BNIM and...
over a year ago
92
over a year ago
Over at World-Architects I wrote about two self-published books recently published by BNIM and KPF: ALL - The Tom and Ruth Harkin Center by BNIM Design in Detail by Kohn Pedersen Fox The "Found" feature also includes responses to a few questions on why the firms opted to...
Common Edge
Hope and Squalor: Venezuelan Refugees at Chicago Police Stations Nearly 3000 people are living in tents and inside police facilities.
a year ago
Contemporist...
At First It Looks Simple, Then You Notice the Curved Fireplace and Built-In Lounge Tucked into the lush landscape at the foot of Mount Saint-Bruno, just outside Montreal, the...
2 months ago
14
2 months ago
Tucked into the lush landscape at the foot of Mount Saint-Bruno, just outside Montreal, the Montpellier residence doesn’t shout for attention, it whispers. Surrounded by a dense forest canopy, this three-level home was imagined as a serene refuge. Designed by Vives St-Laurent and...
99% Invisible
Open Borders A border is an idea so powerful that we never even have to see it to believe it. Or believe in it....
a month ago
23
a month ago
A border is an idea so powerful that we never even have to see it to believe it. Or believe in it. Global borders can be sites of peace and conflict, violence and celebration, opportunity and confinement. And borders as they exist today – which is to say, increasingly militarized...
BLDGBLOG
Lost Animals I don’t normally link to my short stories here, but I’m proud of a new one called “Lost Animals”...
over a year ago
10
over a year ago
I don’t normally link to my short stories here, but I’m proud of a new one called “Lost Animals” that went up earlier this week. It’s about a man hired by private clients to clear houses of ghosts, not using supernatural equipment but a baseball bat. He’s been storming into...
Common Edge
Gentle Density: A Housing Approach to Thwart NIMBY Resistance In the wake of the L.A. fires, a different strategy is required.
4 months ago
Old Structures...
Two Anachronisms I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It...
10 months ago
63
10 months ago
I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It implies a drama that may never have existed. In this case, the west block-front of Trinity Place between Edgar and Rector Streets provides a nice contrast of building ages. From...
Old Structures...
The Same But Different This is an 1884 photograph of Broadway looking north from just south of Houston Street. Broadway...
a year ago
22
a year ago
This is an 1884 photograph of Broadway looking north from just south of Houston Street. Broadway runs straight from here until the bend at 10th Street where Grace Church is, and the church is just barely visible at the end of the street. Unlike most photos of Manhattan from the...
99% Invisible
The Wide Open When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act...
6 months ago
54
6 months ago
When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act established protections for plants and animals on the endangered and threatened species lists, and across the aisle, everyone seemed to agree that it would be bad for a bunch of...
Common Edge
Why Time Is a Problem for Architects For many, it’s a lurch between copying the past or pretending that time doesn’t exist.
a year ago
99% Invisible
Single Handed (6 of 6): Hand Lenders Point Out Adaptive Designs & Helpful Ideas Each of the five pieces in this miniseries, leading up to this one, has considered a different...
3 months ago
28
3 months ago
Each of the five pieces in this miniseries, leading up to this one, has considered a different subset of adaptive design problems for people dealing with one working hand, like I was in the wake of a serious accident. We’ve covered various solutions I researched, evaluated, and...
Old Structures...
Skyscrapers at the IStructE A reminder: On Thursday I’ll be talking about the technological origins of skyscrapers and the New...
a year ago
50
a year ago
A reminder: On Thursday I’ll be talking about the technological origins of skyscrapers and the New York contribution to that history, at the Institution of Structural Engineers. If you’re in London – as most of you are not – come in person; otherwise, the talk will be available...
CONTEMPORIST
This Renovated 1970s Home Now Has Concrete Floors That Flow Between The Interior And Exterior Spaces ANACAPA Architecture has shared photos of a 1970’s-era residence and combination guesthouse/home...
a year ago
114
a year ago
ANACAPA Architecture has shared photos of a 1970’s-era residence and combination guesthouse/home office they updated in the hills of Montecito, California. Collaborating with the client, the designers reworked the home to bring it up to date. They did this by maintaining the...
Archinect - Features
The Illusion of Space: Can Artificial Intelligence Understand the Third Dimension? Popular text-to-image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have introduced what...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
Popular text-to-image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have introduced what some believe to be a new creative frontier in the architectural design process. However, they also encourage us to reflect on a series of relationships at the heart of design,...
Old Structures...
Moving Goalposts The image above, of the Grand Union Hotel on the east side of Park Avenue is labelled by the New...
a year ago
23
a year ago
The image above, of the Grand Union Hotel on the east side of Park Avenue is labelled by the New York Public Library as 1868 to 1900, but is likely from the late 1870s, or early 1880s. The hotel is the building on the right with three flags and with S-curved mansard roofs on its...
THE ARCHITECTURAL...
Study Reveals: 84% Favor Traditional Architecture A British study reveals what people really want in their cities to look like. The authors themselves...
a year ago
34
a year ago
A British study reveals what people really want in their cities to look like. The authors themselves state that the result is remarkably clear. People want to see classic streets and neighborhoods with buildings in a traditional style. The British research institute Create...
CONTEMPORIST
This Small Home With A Green Roof Curves Around A Pond Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in...
a year ago
73
a year ago
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in Hungary’s lush rural landscapes. Situated next to a fishing pond, the home is a retreat for the owners and is dug into a mound, peeking out just enough to blend with the horizon....
CONTEMPORIST
A Round House Design Inspired By A Tree Trunk Mobius Architekci has sent us photos of a home they designed in Izabelin, Poland, that has a round...
over a year ago
110
over a year ago
Mobius Architekci has sent us photos of a home they designed in Izabelin, Poland, that has a round design. The vast, sandy plot densely covered with a pine forest created a unique setting for the house, with the architect drawing inspiration from a tree trunk. The home has been...
The Wandering...
53° 30′ N So, there I am, driving along in Edmonton, Alberta. I come to a stop light on Fort Road, look to my...
over a year ago
45
over a year ago
So, there I am, driving along in Edmonton, Alberta. I come to a stop light on Fort Road, look to my right and I see this: Is that a building with longitudes written on the roof?!?! And what are these longitudes? 9° 49’ W—that’s nowhere near Edmonton! Nor is 123°30’ E. What’s …...
Old Structures...
A Striking Row I was in the Upper East Side a couple of weeks ago, and the row of houses on the left caught my eye....
a year ago
21
a year ago
I was in the Upper East Side a couple of weeks ago, and the row of houses on the left caught my eye. That’s 690 to 700 Madison Avenue, just north of 62nd Street. While there’s an obvious alteration – the facade of the first two floors of each house was replaced at some point […]
Old Structures...
So Very Random Hidden among the vast holdings of the New York Public Library is a set of 52 images of playing cards...
a year ago
17
a year ago
Hidden among the vast holdings of the New York Public Library is a set of 52 images of playing cards donated by William Barclay Parsons, arguably most famous for being the chief engineer of the Interborough Rapid Transit system, New York’s oldest subway. Each card has an...
Contemporist...
A Lush Rooftop Garden 30 Floors Above The City Perched atop a high-rise in central Melbourne, Australia, Phoenix Rooftop is a private garden...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
Perched atop a high-rise in central Melbourne, Australia, Phoenix Rooftop is a private garden created for two professionals moving from the suburbs to the city.
A Weekly Dose of...
From the Mouths of Architects I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point I went from disliking interviews — preferring texts...
over a year ago
41
over a year ago
I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point I went from disliking interviews — preferring texts written by architects, much of it in the vein of theory — to gravitating to them. Now I find myself opting to read interviews, be they online or in printed matter, over other...