Archinect - Features
10 Tips for Overcoming and Preventing Burnout in Architecture
If you’re experiencing burnout in your architecture role, you’re likely not alone. In 2023,...
4 months ago
If you’re experiencing burnout in your architecture role, you’re likely not alone. In 2023, Archinect’s Mental Health Survey found burnout to be a common theme among those who told us they were experiencing stress at work. Our community has also raised the issue among themselves,...
The Modern House
Landscape designer and architect duo Anna and Allan Joyce share their dynamic family home...
5 months ago
SOCKS
“I called them Ghosts”. Visual Poems and Sequences by George Wylesol
George Wylesol is a Baltimore-based artist who primarily produces illustrations and comic-like...
8 months ago
George Wylesol is a Baltimore-based artist who primarily produces illustrations and comic-like sequences of drawings, often accompanied by written text in the form of short poems. His works blend mundane objects and settings with surreal plots and visual associations, resulting...
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
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.
McMansion Hell
2007-core nostalgia extravaganza
Quick PSA: someone on Facebook is apparently impersonating me using an account called “McMansion...
3 months ago
Quick PSA: someone on Facebook is apparently impersonating me using an account called “McMansion Hell 2.0” – If you see it, please report! Thanks!
Howdy folks! I hope if you were born between 1995 and 2001 you’re ready for some indelible pre-recession vibes because I think this...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: A Busy Intersection
Daredevil battles Stiltman – possibly the most ridiculous villain Marvel has invented – at the...
3 months ago
Daredevil battles Stiltman – possibly the most ridiculous villain Marvel has invented – at the corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, with the Chrysler Building on the left and the Socony-Mobil Building on the right. Also, per the Landmarks Preservation Commission:
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
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...
Contemporist...
Art Deco Was Reinterpreted Into This Futuristic Gelato Parlor
Multidisciplinary design studio Masquespacio has shared photos of Amiko Gelato, a new retail...
5 months ago
Multidisciplinary design studio Masquespacio has shared photos of Amiko Gelato, a new retail destination in Barcelona that blends futuristic design with art deco elements.
The Modern House
Angus and Sarah Shepherd on putting down roots and reviving a 1960s home in Dulwich
a year ago
Old Structures...
Not Extremely Enough
The New York Times recently published “An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods” and...
a year ago
The New York Times recently published “An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods” and an accompanying “Extremely Detailed Guide to the Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods.” They are not information about the neighborhoods themselves, but rather...
The Modern House
Designer and creative director Walé Adeyemi MBE on the London locations that have shaped his life,...
a month ago
The Modern House
Contrast is king at this Camberwell townhouse
a year ago
The Modern House
Five contemporary family homes with green living and community at their core
a year ago
Old Structures...
Messy
First I apologize for the reflections and glare artifacts in the picture: trying to get a decent...
a week ago
First I apologize for the reflections and glare artifacts in the picture: trying to get a decent photo through a clean and polished storefront window on a sunny day is a frustrating endeavor. But at least that gives a second meaning to the post title. Second – but really first –...
Old Structures...
The Black Tower
For all you Lord of the Rings fans, remember: Brooklyn is not Mordor. No matter what similarities...
8 months ago
For all you Lord of the Rings fans, remember: Brooklyn is not Mordor. No matter what similarities may exist.
CONTEMPORIST
A Round Fireplace Is A Unique Feature In The Living Room Of This Remodeled Home
Aaron Kohler and Marc Straumann of architecture and design firm KOHLERSTRAUMANN, have shared photos...
a year ago
Aaron Kohler and Marc Straumann of architecture and design firm KOHLERSTRAUMANN, have shared photos of their latest project, a renovated family home in Lausen, Switzerland. The architects completely transformed the space by changing the floors, renovating all bathrooms and the...
Old Structures...
Engineers at Ground Zero
Next week, there will be a showing of the documentary Engineers at Ground Zero at the Angelika...
a month ago
Next week, there will be a showing of the documentary Engineers at Ground Zero at the Angelika theater. The film was produced by the Structural Engineers Association of New York and created by Vacationland. As it happens, I will be out of town next week so I won’t see it now, but...
Old Structures...
Begging The Question
The title refers to one of the classic logistical fallacies, where an argument is made that assumes...
6 months ago
The title refers to one of the classic logistical fallacies, where an argument is made that assumes its conclusion. The specific instance of this fallacy that often bothers me concerns code updates and existing buildings. Every time a code – for example, the New York City...
Old Structures...
A Metaphor
Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main...
4 months ago
Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main cables is attached to one of the four deck-stiffening trusses below by the vertical suspender cables. The towers are separately attached to the trusses by the diagonal brace cables in...
Old Structures...
The Function of Color
It’s a matter of personal taste, but I find the 74-year-old illustrations in The Function Of Colour...
2 months ago
It’s a matter of personal taste, but I find the 74-year-old illustrations in The Function Of Colour In Factories, Schools & Hospitals, as scanned by the design and stationary mavens at Present & Correct, to be astonishing. Here’s one example: and the rest are: here. And there’s a...
A Weekly Dose of...
Architectural Exhibitions and Their Books
Preparing for this post I counted roughly one hundred books in my library that are related to...
a year ago
Preparing for this post I counted roughly one hundred books in my library that are related to exhibitions. Surprisingly, given that I tend to buy catalogs and other companion books to exhibitions I visit, only a quarter of those hundred are exhibitions I have seen in person....
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...
a week 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,...
Old Structures...
Odd One Out
Two views of the Queensboro Bridge… First, a HAER photo I’ve used before: Second, a view from an...
6 months ago
Two views of the Queensboro Bridge… First, a HAER photo I’ve used before: Second, a view from an early 1900s edition of King’s Views of New York, showing a rendering of the bridge before it was completed (on top), paired with a photo of the just-completed Williamsburg Bridge...
The Modern House
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
a month ago
Old Structures...
An IStructE Talk
I’m giving an in-person and online talk on March 7 for the UK Institution of Structural Engineers on...
10 months ago
I’m giving an in-person and online talk on March 7 for the UK Institution of Structural Engineers on the connections between the development of fire-resistant construction technology, New York social history, and the origins of skyscrapers. More information here: New York’s...
Old Structures...
6:52 AM, November 27
Half an hour after dawn, and the setting full moon is just to the right and below the ONE WAY sign....
a year ago
Half an hour after dawn, and the setting full moon is just to the right and below the ONE WAY sign. The construction on the left is poart of the Battery Resliency program to prtocet lower Manahttan against sea level rise.
The Modern House
Living in a boxy, brown-brick terrace – enhanced by Danish design sensibilities
3 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Home That Delivers A Rustic Symphony Of Exposed Wood Beams
FINNE Architects has shared photos of a Pacific Northwest house they designed on Bainbridge Island,...
8 months ago
FINNE Architects has shared photos of a Pacific Northwest house they designed on Bainbridge Island, Washington. A 500-ft driveway winds through the woods up to the house, located in a clearing at the top of a gentle hill. The house was designed to be sustainable from the start,...
Blog - Guerrilla...
How AI is changing cartography: A chatbot’s perspective
Artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the practice of cartography, not just as a...
9 months ago
Artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the practice of cartography, not just as a mechanism for extracting and manipulating data, but as a tool for creating, curating, and interacting with geospatial images. A simple web search for “AI in cartography” points to a vast...
The Modern House
Bright Futures: six projects packed with potential
The best spaces are seldom served to you on a silver platter, instead requiring a bit of hard graft...
11 months ago
The best spaces are seldom served to you on a silver platter, instead requiring a bit of hard graft to bring out the glimmer. From an incredible volume at the foot of a Barbican tower to ambitious Oxford expansion, we present six doer-uppers ideal for […]
Construction Physics
Why do we need infrastructure policy?
My title at IFP is "Senior Infrastructure Fellow," which means that in addition to publishing this...
a year ago
My title at IFP is "Senior Infrastructure Fellow," which means that in addition to publishing this newsletter, I do work related to infrastructure policy. At a high level, that work is figuring out which things we should be building, and how we can make building those things...
CONTEMPORIST
Black Accents Are Ever Present Throughout This Apartment
Koshulynskyy & Mayer studio has sent us photos of an apartment interior they completed that includes...
6 months ago
Koshulynskyy & Mayer studio has sent us photos of an apartment interior they completed that includes matte black accents throughout its design. The apartment, designed for a family, includes a living room with a dark accent wall, and a large couch in front of a suspended cabinet...
A Weekly Dose of...
Book Briefs #35 Revisited
Last week I cobbled together eight books, some of which publishers had sent me more than a year ago,...
a year ago
Last week I cobbled together eight books, some of which publishers had sent me more than a year ago, in an effort to write a "Better Late Than Never" installment of "Book Briefs," something I had done back in April 2018 with Book Briefs #35. But, sensing I would not be able to...
Old Structures...
Ancient Sensationalism
Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of...
a month 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...
Common Edge
Capturing America, One State Capitol at a Time
A new book celebrates the lost grandeur and optimism of democracy.
a year ago
A new book celebrates the lost grandeur and optimism of democracy.
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...
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,...
The Modern House
The power of post-war design in Regent’s Park, north-west London
a year ago
Old Structures...
Helping
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence...
3 months ago
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence in Historic Preservation Award” – from the Preservation League of NYS: here. It’s an interesting award in that the Foundation, which ordinarily funds projects and provides...
Old Structures...
Time Is Relative
From 1949, “Manhattan from a Hudson River ferry.” The piers in the foreground are where the Battery...
5 months ago
From 1949, “Manhattan from a Hudson River ferry.” The piers in the foreground are where the Battery Park City landfill would be made circa 1970. From the left, the peaks are the New York Telephone building at 140 West Street, the Woolworth Building, 225 Broadway, AT&T at 195...
CONTEMPORIST
These A-Frame Cabins Were Built To Create An Eco-Hotel In Italy
Atelier LAVIT has sent us images of their latest project LILELO / Little Leisure Lodge, which is an...
a year ago
Atelier LAVIT has sent us images of their latest project LILELO / Little Leisure Lodge, which is an eco-hotel made up of four independent cabins. Three of the cabins are dedicated to housing suites, with the fourth cabin acting as a common area with a generous outdoor space and a...
Construction Physics
On Yglesias on Manufactured Homes
A few weeks ago, Matt Yglesias wrote “How to Unleash a Trailer Home Boom," which outlines a strategy...
11 months ago
A few weeks ago, Matt Yglesias wrote “How to Unleash a Trailer Home Boom," which outlines a strategy for getting more manufactured homes built. Broadly, Yglesias proposes ending HUD code requirements that manufactured homes have a steel chassis, making it easier and less...
The Modern House
Why a nomadic design dealer is finally putting down roots at this family home in east London
a year ago
Contemporist...
This Wood Watchtower Is Also A Home For Bats
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also...
2 months ago
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also doubles as a shelter for bats.
Old Structures...
A Working Drawing
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the...
a year ago
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge. I guess it doesn’t quite qualify as art, although I’d certainly hang it on a wall. The lettering at the top and the 3D-effect frame around the image suggest that this...
Common Edge
The Creative Power Produced by Embracing Paradox
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary...
a year ago
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary culture.
Old Structures...
The Shapes Arise
Nearly every day, I walk past the construction of the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project,...
6 months ago
Nearly every day, I walk past the construction of the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project, part of protecting lower Manhattan from the kind of flooding that occurred during Hurricane Sandy. Much of it is relatively straightforward: there’s a big berm being added to the...
Old Structures...
Silly. But…
After a site visit in Sunset Park yesterday, I was on the ferry back to Manhattan and I happened to...
5 months ago
After a site visit in Sunset Park yesterday, I was on the ferry back to Manhattan and I happened to look out the window. Maybe it’s only obvious to me. That’s our office, as seen looking up Broad Street from its foot at the East River.
The Modern House
Four flawless apartments provide surprising sanctuary in Peckham Rye
6 months ago
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Courthouses Galore
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt...
3 months ago
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt Murdoch, otherwise known as Daredevil, on the steps of a courthouse having just finished a case: Here’s a view looking north with the New York State Supreme Court and its large...
The Modern House
Akwasi Brenya-Mensa on the future of Pan-African cuisine at Tatale in Southwark
a year ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Favorite Books of 2023
For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year,...
a year ago
For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year, selected from the many books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the few titles that I reviewed at World-Architects. From the 86 books I featured in 2023, 15 (or...
SOCKS
Fragments of an Unknown Civilization: Works by James Lipnickas
James Lipnickas is a New Haven-based artist and graphic designer. He creates highly evocative scenes...
over a year ago
James Lipnickas is a New Haven-based artist and graphic designer. He creates highly evocative scenes representing small architectural stages in axonometric projection. Suspended stairwells, excavated blocks, and plinths separated, or all combined are located in deserted...
99% Invisible
Category 6 [EPISODE]
On the campus of Florida International University, in Miami, there’s a place ominously named “The...
6 months ago
On the campus of Florida International University, in Miami, there’s a place ominously named “The Extreme Events Institute.” They map the risk of storm surge for the whole Caribbean, and study how the public perceives the threats from natural disasters. They’re also home to the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Circular Sunken Firepit Is Nestled Into The Desert Landscape Of This Home
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine has sent us photos of a new home they completed in Paradise Valley,...
10 months ago
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine has sent us photos of a new home they completed in Paradise Valley, Arizona, that breaks down the barriers between indoor and outdoor living. As you approach the house, the first thing that captures the eye is the striking interplay of metal fins...
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six pocket-sized pads that prove good things come in small packages
A stamp-sized floorplan demands hardworking design – and a finite footprint is a license to get...
6 months ago
A stamp-sized floorplan demands hardworking design – and a finite footprint is a license to get creative with space saving ideas, ingenious storage solutions and volume-accentuating trickery. Here, we’ve collated a selection of some of our punchiest petite offerings, all...
Old Structures...
Three Boxes, One Optional
I’m going to talk briefly about theater design, but I don’t mean the topics that people think of...
a year ago
I’m going to talk briefly about theater design, but I don’t mean the topics that people think of when you say that. I’m not going to talk about acoustics, or sight-lines, or architectural design of the auditorium. I want to talk about the physical requirements for a modern...
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
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...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: A Perfect Match
Some gangsters in a car, running from The Shadow: A circa 1920 view of the Broad Street roman-temple...
6 months ago
Some gangsters in a car, running from The Shadow: A circa 1920 view of the Broad Street roman-temple facade of the New York Stock Exchange, with the Wilks Building immediately to its right and Federal Hall, with George Washington standing out front, on the far right. I don’t know...
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...
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...
The Modern House
Curators Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and Mathilde Friis on life in their brutalist flat in Bethnal...
a year ago
Old Structures...
Providing Constructibility
You never know what you’ll find in the subway. Above, one of the columns on the Brooklyn-bound...
a year ago
You never know what you’ll find in the subway. Above, one of the columns on the Brooklyn-bound platform of the R train at Whitehall Street, supporting the station roof, some twenty feet of soil, and the street above. The station opened in 1918 as part of the Dual Contracts...
Old Structures...
Obvious, Expensive, and Worth Doing
A lot of different trends combined to create the decline of the Bronx between 1950 and 2000, and one...
a month ago
A lot of different trends combined to create the decline of the Bronx between 1950 and 2000, and one of them is firmly within the realm of the built environment: the construction of highways. Any road entering New York City from the north has to pass through the Bronx, and...
McMansion Hell
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial claim that bike lanes are good, actually.
Bicyclists Deserve the Right to Free Movement
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial...
a year ago
Bicyclists Deserve the Right to Free Movement
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial claim that bike lanes are good, actually.
Archinect - Features
'Starting a Successful Woman-Owned Business in a Heavily Male-Dominated Industry Is No Joke':...
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding...
2 months ago
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding Principal of multi-disciplinary design practice Open Studio Collective, based in Bozeman, Montana, and Ojai, California.
Trained in both graphic design and architecture, Bryan talks...
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE]
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
3 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,...
The Modern House
For itinerant chef and musical therapist Marie Cassis, home is where the feast is
a year ago
The Modern House
Akram Khan: the poignant story of a man who found his voice through dance
Matt Gibberd’s guest on this week’s podcast is the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. Having...
11 months ago
Matt Gibberd’s guest on this week’s podcast is the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. Having danced since he was very small, Akram, who was born in London to Bangladeshi parents, is one of the most acclaimed names in contemporary dance working today, known for his […]
The Modern House
The 'sculptural experience' of designer Ashley Law’s uniquely tactile cottage in Whitechapel
8 months ago
Old Structures...
Solving A Non-Existent Problem
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct...
11 months ago
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct with two bridges to carry a street from the top of a hill gradually down to the lower grade over a mile to the north. This is the same northern portion of Manhattan of which I said...
Old Structures...
Masonry Against The Sky
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West...
a year ago
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West Street, with the turn-of-the-century (and somewhat scarred) brick and terra cotta of 17 Battery Place in the background, and with some cumulus clouds (I think…the naming system always...
The Modern House
Furnishing Futures: the charity improving the lives of domestic abuse survivors – one piece of...
When a domestic abuse victim is given the keys to their new home, many will find that it comes...
3 weeks ago
When a domestic abuse victim is given the keys to their new home, many will find that it comes unfurnished, often without even carpets on the floors. It can be the cause of much stress for these women, who have recently fled an abusive home […]
The Modern House
The trials and triumphs of a tropical-inspired new-build in Bristol
a year ago
There are two types...
Notes on Beyond Architecture: The New New York
The post Notes on <i>Beyond Architecture: The New New York</i> appeared first on There are two types...
3 days ago
The post Notes on <i>Beyond Architecture: The New New York</i> appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
CONTEMPORIST
A Curving Bridge Leads To The Entertainment Areas Of This Modern Home
Openideas Architects has shared photos of a modern project in Ahmedabad, India, that includes two...
12 months ago
Openideas Architects has shared photos of a modern project in Ahmedabad, India, that includes two homes for multi-generational living, with a curving bridge walkway that connects to outdoor entertaining areas. The bridge, which includes hidden lighting, travels above water...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Listed
When I’m traveling and therefore don’t know anything about most of the structures around, I simply...
9 months ago
When I’m traveling and therefore don’t know anything about most of the structures around, I simply take pictures and hope that I’ll be able to identify them later. Sometimes it’s quite easy. I came across this little Victorian masterpiece last week and it turns out it’s listed,...
CONTEMPORIST
This Wood-Framed Glass Box Is The Ultimate Backyard Office
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of a backyard office they designed for their...
7 months ago
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of a backyard office they designed for their clients in Dry Creek Valley, California. The wood-framed glass box hovers above the rugged terrain, it’s placed west of the main house, is partially above a narrow level pad, and...
CONTEMPORIST
This Modern Home Is Suspended Over A Creek
Fougeron Architecture has shared photos of a home they remodeled that’s suspended between two...
4 months ago
Fougeron Architecture has shared photos of a home they remodeled that’s suspended between two California hills, and spans a creek, and boasts a waterfall in the backyard. The goal of the project was to reconnect this structure into the environment while best utilizing the...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Atlas in a Day Challenge: A Global, Real-time Collaboration
On Saturday, October 5, 2019, more than 50 guerrilla cartographers gathered, in person and online,...
over a year ago
On Saturday, October 5, 2019, more than 50 guerrilla cartographers gathered, in person and online, to collaborate in producing an atlas in a single day on the theme of migration. While researching and designing an entire atlas on a complex theme in the span of 24 hours is indeed...
Contemporist...
This Home Has A Living Room That Extends Over The Swimming Pool Below
Daniel Marshall Architect (DMA) has shared photos of a new home they designed in New Zealand, that...
a year ago
Daniel Marshall Architect (DMA) has shared photos of a new home they designed in New Zealand, that includes a cantilevered living room.
The Modern House
Shore thing: Six homes close to the Sussex coast
Although once a single entity – and one of the kingdoms that made up the Heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon...
5 months ago
Although once a single entity – and one of the kingdoms that made up the Heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon Britain – Sussex has been divided into East and West since the late 20th century. With all those years of shared history, it’s no surprise that there’s […]
CONTEMPORIST
A Sheltered Space Beneath The Sloping Roof Of This Home Makes Space For A Hot Tub
Batay-Csorba Architects has designed a home in Toronto, Canada, that takes advantage of the small...
a year ago
Batay-Csorba Architects has designed a home in Toronto, Canada, that takes advantage of the small 65’x20’ pie-shaped corner lot, and includes a sheltered outdoor balcony. The sloping roof partially covers the balcony, with an opening above the Japanese soaking tub. The home’s...
Old Structures...
A Difficult Design Issue
I’m in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for a project I’ll discuss in the future, someday, and came across...
5 months ago
I’m in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for a project I’ll discuss in the future, someday, and came across the National Register listed Toole Building yesterday. The bottom three floors were built in 1892; the top two in 1922. My compliments to the architect and mason in 1922: that’s an...
CONTEMPORIST
Plants Were Integrated Into This Home’s Design To Give It The Feeling Of A Tropical Resort
Wallflower Architecture + Design has shared photos of a home they recently completed in Novena,...
a year ago
Wallflower Architecture + Design has shared photos of a home they recently completed in Novena, Singapore, that integrates plants into its design. Located in a residential area in the middle of the city, the house sits on a fan-shaped property and has been designed to reflect the...
Common Edge
Contemporary Architecture and the Modern City
Americans don’t like modern buildings because they don’t like the modern city.
3 months ago
Americans don’t like modern buildings because they don’t like the modern city.
Old Structures...
Dry-Goods Palace
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two...
3 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...
Common Edge
Buildings, Communities, Cities: Things Fall Apart
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
a year ago
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
Old Structures...
Scant Evidence
A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit...
a week ago
A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit hole. In a proper library I believe that I’d find a hard answer but playing around on the internet from hime, I’m left with a partial guess. The phrase, under the heading of Theaters...
The Modern House
Grand Designs at 25: six Modern House homes that started life on the much-loved homebuilding TV show
Grand Designs first aired in 1999 when television schedules were awash with dubious interiors...
3 months ago
Grand Designs first aired in 1999 when television schedules were awash with dubious interiors programming. From the start, it was distinctly different. With just one project per episode, it allowed the viewer to become fully involved, immersed and invested. Thought-provoking and...
The Modern House
Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming...
10 months ago
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming entirely synonymous with a certain strand of the shabby-chic look that so gripped the late 1990s and early 2000s. But there was life before the company – Cath worked first for […]
CONTEMPORIST
Lofty Timber Vaulted Ceilings And Sandstone Details For This Sydney Building
Photography by Brett Boardman Multidisciplinary architectural practice fjcstudio, has completed a...
a week ago
Photography by Brett Boardman Multidisciplinary architectural practice fjcstudio, has completed a building in Sydney, Australia, that includes colonial stone masonry, lofty geometric forms, and a layered tapestry of handcrafted materials. Photography by Brett Boardman Photography...
The Wandering...
Constructing Bourgoin’s Figure 171 – Part 1
Just veering off into geometry here…. In November I was watching Eric Broug, an Islamic geometric...
over a year ago
Just veering off into geometry here…. In November I was watching Eric Broug, an Islamic geometric design guru, give a talk online at an Islamic art conference, and I noticed that behind him they were projecting an interesting pattern on the scrim. I froze the video and grabbed a...
Archinect - Features
'Everything in Design Is Extremely Collaborative': A Conversation with Emerging Architecture...
Starting your own practice comes with a mixture of excitement, collaboration, stressors, and endless...
a year ago
Starting your own practice comes with a mixture of excitement, collaboration, stressors, and endless problem-solving. As a new firm, architects Neda Kakhsaz and Zabie Mustafa are developing their approach to architectural design and how they would like to make their mark within...
The Wandering...
Transforming French WW1 Lambert Coordinates to WGS84
Nord de Guerre Here’s a survey plat made in 1919 by a US Army unit in France. In the aftermath of...
11 months ago
Nord de Guerre Here’s a survey plat made in 1919 by a US Army unit in France. In the aftermath of WW1, teams of American military surveyors produced these as they went around France mapping the grave sites of fallen soldiers. On this plat we can see a number of bearings and...
CONTEMPORIST
A Black Interior Gives This Apartment A Dark And Dramatic Appearance
Architecture and interior design firm RA!, has shared photos of an apartment they recently completed...
11 months ago
Architecture and interior design firm RA!, has shared photos of an apartment they recently completed in Mexico that features a monochromatic interior. The 861 square foot (80m2) apartment heavily features black and grey throughout its interior, with the walls showcasing a mixture...
CONTEMPORIST
A Stepped Brick Extension Makes Space For A Soft Warm Blush Kitchen
Architecture and interior design firm Bradley Van Der Straeten, has shared photos of a home in...
8 months ago
Architecture and interior design firm Bradley Van Der Straeten, has shared photos of a home in England that received a new stepped brick extension with views of the garden. When the front door is open, you can see all the way through to the rear garden. A stepped form took shape...
Common Edge
Why Nearly Every City in the U.S. Needs a Walkability Study
A talk with urban planner Jeff Speck and his new business partner, Chris Dempsey.
10 months ago
A talk with urban planner Jeff Speck and his new business partner, Chris Dempsey.
Contemporist...
A Home Filled With Rustic Italian Charm Was The Client's Request For This Renovation
Architecture and interior design studio Bradley VanDerStraeten has shared photos of a Victorian...
a year ago
Architecture and interior design studio Bradley VanDerStraeten has shared photos of a Victorian terrace house renovation in London, England, that was designed with Italian charm, and centered around a sociable kitchen and its pantry.
Archinect - Features
The Fed Just Cut Interest Rates. What Does It Mean for Architects?
In September 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the target range of interest rates for the first...
2 months ago
In September 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the target range of interest rates for the first time in four years. The move was long anticipated by AEC commentators, who hoped that the lower cost of borrowing would begin to pull the sector out of a two-year stagnation in...
Common Edge
Delays Undermine Promises of Affordable Housing in Brooklyn
How New York’s rising Area Median Income dashed hopes for the Atlantic Yards megaproject.
a month ago
How New York’s rising Area Median Income dashed hopes for the Atlantic Yards megaproject.
Contemporist...
The client asked for "a hotel-like bedroom and bathroom in their home, so they could feel as if they...
Studio Kloek has shared images of a bedroom and bathroom suite they designed for their client who...
7 months ago
Studio Kloek has shared images of a bedroom and bathroom suite they designed for their client who desired "a hotel-like bedroom and bathroom in their home, so they could feel as if they were on vacation every day."
devonzuegel.com
My questions about Próspera, answered
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others...
over a year ago
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others might too, so I wrote an FAQ to share what I learned:
Próspera FAQ
This FAQ is intended as a reference, covering the basic facts and current status of the project. My hope is that...
McMansion Hell
bonus mcmansion hell: terrible things are happening in McLean, VA
Read the bonus post on Patreon!
over a year ago
Read the bonus post on Patreon!
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny [EPISODE]
This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
7 months ago
This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Brandy Zadrozny, a senior reporter for NBC News who covers misinformation,...
Old Structures...
Perspective
Anyone who’d read more than a few of these blog posts knows that sometimes I’ll write about...
5 days ago
Anyone who’d read more than a few of these blog posts knows that sometimes I’ll write about something just because it seems cool. Or looks cool. In this case, “cool” is two photos from Carol Highsmith, a professional photographer who was generous enough to donate her archive to...
The Modern House
Why modern living is easy at Farnley Hey – Peter Womersley’s first domestic dwelling
7 months ago
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...
4 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...
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...
9 months 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...
The Modern House
Five standout things to see and do this May
Is there a more delightful time of year than wisteria-filled May? As we get set for summer, we’re in...
a year ago
Is there a more delightful time of year than wisteria-filled May? As we get set for summer, we’re in high spirits, not least because of the inspiring happenings in our diaries. From a series of workshops at a London bakery’s new homeware space to a […]
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...
10 months 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...
Old Structures...
Originality Is Not Easy, Part 2
A piece of a patent – number 612,365 to Willard Sears, applied for March 16, 1898, and awarded...
3 months ago
A piece of a patent – number 612,365 to Willard Sears, applied for March 16, 1898, and awarded October 11, 1898 – titled “Construction of Buildings”: Like yesterday’s patent, this is a riff on the then-new concepts of skeleton-frame buildings, with the exterior walls supported on...
Archinect - Features
Design, Computation, and Humans: Exploring the Intersection with Onur Yüce Gün
For Onur Yüce Gün, the study of computation is the study of the human condition itself. A mission to...
a year ago
For Onur Yüce Gün, the study of computation is the study of the human condition itself. A mission to anchor humans at the center of AI and computational design brought Gün on an educational journey from Middle East Technical University in his native Turkey to the MIT Design and...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: The Curve Before the Station
Even without the Silvercup Bakery sign, I’d know this view, from an old Daredevil comic. The tracks...
8 months ago
Even without the Silvercup Bakery sign, I’d know this view, from an old Daredevil comic. The tracks are the 7 train, Flushing-bound, just west of the Queensboro Plaza station. This is the view you’d see looking off the west end of the platform, or from the rear window of an...
Old Structures...
Big
I sometimes wonder how much my interest in steel construction comes from looking at the structure of...
4 months ago
I sometimes wonder how much my interest in steel construction comes from looking at the structure of elevated portions of the subway system when I was kid. Under the M train in Glenwood:
Construction Physics
Could we stop Yellowstone from erupting with a giant geothermal power plant?
It’s become fairly common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park, in addition to being incredibly...
a year ago
It’s become fairly common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park, in addition to being incredibly beautiful, is sitting on top of an enormous supervolcano that catastrophically erupts every few hundred thousand years. Unlike normal volcanoes, which tend to produce large...
Construction Physics
The Long, Sad History of American Attempts to Build High-Speed Rail, Part II
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to...
a year ago
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to build its own high-speed rail routes soon after they debuted in Japan in 1964, these efforts were unsuccessful, outside of the popular-but-troubled Metroliner
99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 19
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and...
5 days ago
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and fascinating tales. This week we have punny highway signs, a PAC funded by exercise, the explosive history behind the Nobel Prize, and some long toes. Let’s get into it! Slow Down,...
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
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
A New Home Designed As Three Cascading Glass Boxes
Efficiency Lab for Architecture has designed a modern home nestled into the steep hillside of the...
9 months ago
Efficiency Lab for Architecture has designed a modern home nestled into the steep hillside of the Telluride Box Canyon in Colorado. The plan for the home focused on the architectural expression of three cantilevered glass boxes. Each glass box is positioned in a moment of...
The Modern House
Shifted into a different place: landscape designer Darren Hawkes describes the transformative...
5 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
The Color And Material Palette Of This New Home Allows It To Blend Into The Desert Setting
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy...
a year ago
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy color palette that complements its surroundings. The home, designed for an architect and graphic designer, was built on a site with an irregular shape, however, from the street, it...
The Modern House
Philippe Malouin: the experimental designer on creating with integrity – and the art of upcycling
Philippe Malouin, it’s said, doesn’t read design magazines. That might surprise you. But it also...
8 months ago
Philippe Malouin, it’s said, doesn’t read design magazines. That might surprise you. But it also might be what keeps the Canadian’s own conceptions – form-driven, material-focused, out-the-box – feeling so fresh. In many ways, it makes sense. If the ideas of others were...
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Extension Adds New Living Spaces And Natural Light To This Brick Home
North London architects XUL Architecture have sent us photos of their latest project, where they...
a year ago
North London architects XUL Architecture have sent us photos of their latest project, where they were tasked with renovating this three-story family home to completely enlarge the rear of the house while still allowing for plenty of natural light. The architects removed the...
Old Structures...
A Depressing Follow-Up
Seven years ago, I said of the SS United States “Without a use and without a lot of money, it will...
5 months ago
Seven years ago, I said of the SS United States “Without a use and without a lot of money, it will be gone forever. And if that happens, the world won’t end but it will be poorer for the loss.” Neither a use nor the money was found and as of September 12 this coming fall, the […]
Common Edge
“Boston Is A Red City”
Construction rooted in local materials is what has provided cities with distinctive identities—and...
a year ago
Construction rooted in local materials is what has provided cities with distinctive identities—and colors.
Construction Physics
Could ChatGPT become an architect?
OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have...
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
The Modern House
Hot on the heels of modernity: how our heritage buildings are catching up with us
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late...
4 months ago
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late 90s, the listing was was the result of a successful application by the Twentieth Century Society. Its chairman Hugh Pearman suggests that it stands as a youthful reminder of where...
Old Structures...
Detailing Reveled By Details
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught...
3 months ago
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught almost nothing about the topic in school – I barely heard the word in school – and I’ve taught it to a lot of younger engineers who did not learn it in school. Detailing is the...
devonzuegel.com
Everything is Amazing, But Nothing is Ours
Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post called Dropbox: the First Dead Decacorn. At the time, it was the...
over a year ago
Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post called Dropbox: the First Dead Decacorn. At the time, it was the most widely shared take I’d ever written. I learned several things from writing this piece, and none of them had to do with Dropbox: I learned, for instance, that a great way to get...
Common Edge
The Making of Ponchartrain Park in New Orleans
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood...
9 months ago
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood development exclusively available to Black middle-class families.
Common Edge
Turning Point: The Three Climate-Planning Scenarios Available to Us
Continued inaction could leave us with fewer, and far riskier, options for mitigating a warming...
3 weeks ago
Continued inaction could leave us with fewer, and far riskier, options for mitigating a warming Earth.
Benny Kuriakose
Job Opportunities at Benny Kuriakose and Associates in 2024
Every month, we receive a large number of applications for job positions and internships. Most of...
7 months ago
Every month, we receive a large number of applications for job positions and internships. Most of them sent the application three or more...
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...
4 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...
CONTEMPORIST
Clad In Stone, Wood, Steel, And Glass, This House Nestles Quietly Within The Natural Surroundings
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently...
a year ago
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently sloping site amidst a grove of aspen trees on the edge of a large, open meadow with views out to the Elk Mountain Range. Clad in stone, wood, steel, and glass, the house complements...
The Modern House
A Japanese-inspired solution unlocks light and space in this shape-shifting micro-flat
2 months ago
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...
5 months 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...
CONTEMPORIST
The Design Of This Modern White Patisserie Stands Out From Its Neighbors
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked...
9 months ago
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked by familiar coffee and donut franchises. The designers explained, ‘that the challenge of the store is to stand out from its immediate chaos and appeal to the clientele from the...
SOCKS
Michelangelo Caetani’s Six Topographic Maps of the Divine Comedy
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s...
over a year ago
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, here we feature the six maps drawn by Michelangelo Caetani in a book titled La materia della Divina Commedia di Dante Alighieri dichiarata in VI tavole, Roma (1855). A...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar – They’re Just Messing With Us
Daredevil – Matt Murdock- is blind. He’s got radar, but that doesn’t allow him to read what’s...
3 weeks ago
Daredevil – Matt Murdock- is blind. He’s got radar, but that doesn’t allow him to read what’s printed on a flat surface. So why would he have a poster of the NYC subway map in his kitchen?
The Modern House
A couple’s self-renovated 1960s home built on to a 17th-century cottage in Somerset
a year ago
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...
8 months 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...
Old Structures...
Faking It
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something...
a month ago
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something that makes no sense. Examples abound, like weep holes in solid masonry walls. I noticed this building while on the train recently, with the star anchors that one often sees on...
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...
9 months ago
Niko Architect has shared photos of a sculptural home with curves they designed that's been built into an artificially created landscape.
McMansion Hell
dome sweet dome
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to...
a year ago
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to learn the world’s most widely spoken and useful language: Slovenian. At this point, my Slovenian is about as coherent as, well, a McMansion. In order to feel better about myself, I...
Old Structures...
Almost Unrecognizeable
Most of the 1950s Angelo Rizzuto photos I’ve been discussing recently can be quickly located even if...
7 months ago
Most of the 1950s Angelo Rizzuto photos I’ve been discussing recently can be quickly located even if their descriptions don’t say were they were taken. The 1957 picture above threw me. We’re looking towards midtown – the Empire State Building makes that obvious – but from what...
Old Structures...
Two Ridiculous Snippets
First, Batman at the plate as a bat man: Second, the National League standings:
2 months ago
First, Batman at the plate as a bat man: Second, the National League standings:
The Modern House
Good as New: the best contemporary homes for sale
Historically speaking, period houses are seen as the ones with personality – and while we won’t...
a year ago
Historically speaking, period houses are seen as the ones with personality – and while we won’t argue with the fact they’ve got charisma (who doesn’t love pleasing Victorian details or grand Georgian proportions?), we will also make a strong case for those created in recent […]
The Modern House
Outside chance: six homes with spectacular gardens
“Gardening is a promise,” said Piet Oudolf in Thomas Piper’s meditative documentary about the...
4 months ago
“Gardening is a promise,” said Piet Oudolf in Thomas Piper’s meditative documentary about the pioneering Dutch garden designer. “It doesn’t have to be there. You’re looking for what will be there.” From a particularly pastoral front garden in Brixton, to a transportive Cornish...
The Beauty of...
A Fearsome Beauty (Cambridge North station, Cambridgeshire, UK)
When engineering and design company Atkins presented the city of Cambridge with a sparkling gift, it...
over a year ago
When engineering and design company Atkins presented the city of Cambridge with a sparkling gift, it must have felt rather pleased. It had simultaneously provided a brand new station and answered the question of how to ensure that same station embodied the character of the local...
Common Edge
What Makes a City Resilient?
A talk with Sam Carter, a founding principal at the Resilient Cities Catalyst.
3 months ago
A talk with Sam Carter, a founding principal at the Resilient Cities Catalyst.
Old Structures...
Not Quite Changing
First, “Facade, 317 Broadway” from Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York Project”, taken in 1936....
10 months ago
First, “Facade, 317 Broadway” from Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York Project”, taken in 1936. Second, a street view photo of 319 Broadway, today. 317 Broadway is at the southwest corner of Thomas Street and Broadway; 319 at the northwest corner. So unless this building moved...
Common Edge
Making the Case for Sustainable Housing: It’s Time for a New Argument
How to undo the tension between affordability and sustainability.
a year ago
How to undo the tension between affordability and sustainability.
99% Invisible
Autism Pleasantville [EPISODE]
A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about...
9 months ago
A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about her experience called The Loudest Girl in the World. And she found herself imagining a fantasy world where everything is tailored to Lauren’s very specific autistic needs. And she...
99% Invisible
Cautionary Tales of the Sydney Opera House [EPISODE]
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world — but it...
a year ago
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world — but it took a relative newcomer and architectural outsider to dream up. The making of this future world heritage landmark is a tale for the ages — a cautionary tale, for which we turn to Tim...
The Modern House
Architect Anaïs Bléhaut of Daab Design on restoring the balance of a Battersea terraced house
a year ago
Old Structures...
Three Dimentionality
I was in Minneapolis a few months ago and took some pictures of the Lumber Exchange, one of the...
9 months ago
I was in Minneapolis a few months ago and took some pictures of the Lumber Exchange, one of the first tall buildings constructed there. Here’s an overall view of the original wing (the building is L shaped, with the wings constructed at different times): It’s not deserted – the...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Bangalore's Disappearing Lakes
In an area of pronounced water scarcity high on the Deccan plateau, at an altitude removed from...
over a year ago
In an area of pronounced water scarcity high on the Deccan plateau, at an altitude removed from river-water and of water extraction from the ground, despite being historically nourished by monsoons, Bangalore's current population faces deep inequities of access to water which are...
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six homes that prove good things come in at under 600 square feet
6 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Cantilever At One End Allows This Home To Project Over The Land
Leah Martin, partner and founder of Allied8 Architects in Seattle, Washington, has shared photos of...
5 months ago
Leah Martin, partner and founder of Allied8 Architects in Seattle, Washington, has shared photos of a modern Orcas Island home she designed for herself and her family. This small home, which cantilevers at one end, sits on the top of a ridge and is anchored to the bedrock in six...
The Modern House
Lessons in Lateral Living: five singular single-storey dwellings
Once the perceived preserve of the retiree, there is more to low-level living than meets the eye. A...
8 months ago
Once the perceived preserve of the retiree, there is more to low-level living than meets the eye. A well-conceived, single-storey dwelling can accommodate all ages and – unlike loftier homes – has the potential to offer wraparound indoor-outdoor living. Here, we have gathered...
devonzuegel.com
The unconference toolbox
by Jason Benn & Devon Zuegel
So, you’ve been invited to an unconference! Maybe you’re not entirely...
a year ago
by Jason Benn & Devon Zuegel
So, you’ve been invited to an unconference! Maybe you’re not entirely sure what that means (did the organizers misspell "conference"?), or maybe you’ve been to dozens of these before and you’re looking for some ideas for how to run an awesome...
Archinect - Features
Notes on Progress: Sixteen Women Discuss What It Means To Be Female in Architecture...
The tides are changing for women in architecture schools in surprising ways. Female deans currently...
7 months ago
The tides are changing for women in architecture schools in surprising ways. Female deans currently lead Harvard, Yale, Princeton, NJIT, Cornell, Syracuse, NYIT, CCNY, Cooper Union, and Boston Architectural College, among others. Despite the difficulties some of them have faced,...
Common Edge
Revisiting Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—a Telling Landscape
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in...
a year ago
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in affordability and represent a modular failure.
Common Edge
Picturing an Exhibition: Closing the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale
Much in the architecture world, and the world at large, has changed since the exhibition opened.
a year ago
Much in the architecture world, and the world at large, has changed since the exhibition opened.
The Modern House
Kitchen tips and kimchi pancakes with Jesse Jenkins, founder of Another Day in Paradise
a year ago
Contemporist...
A New Home Inspired By The Long, Horizontal Lines Of The Classic California Bungalow
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated has shared photos of a new home they completed in...
4 months ago
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated has shared photos of a new home they completed in one of Calgary’s original upscale mid-century neighborhoods.
The Solarchitecture...
Follow up to circadian rhythm post
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
over a year ago
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
CONTEMPORIST
A Dramatic Upward-Sloping Roof Covers This Rural Home
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they have designed...
7 months ago
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they have designed in Winthrop, Washington, perched atop a steep river bank. The home’s design includes an upward-sloping roof form that motions toward the river and shelters an outdoor room....
Old Structures...
A Thomas Nast Holiday – 3 of 3
In my opinion, this is genius.
12 months ago
In my opinion, this is genius.
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 goal is to ensure that the most at-risk...communities have the support, resources, and opportunities they need.”
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Artistic
From a stand-alone comic about the Penguin, a museum in Gotham City: From the Look Around feature in...
7 months ago
From a stand-alone comic about the Penguin, a museum in Gotham City: From the Look Around feature in Apple Maps, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Fifth Avenue facade: From 1900, when the main facade of the center block was complete, but the wings not yet constructed: The rough...
devonzuegel.com
Misreading Milei: The American press can only see Argentina through a US lens
It's been frustrating to see the US coverage of Milei, Argentina's new president. The American press...
a year ago
It's been frustrating to see the US coverage of Milei, Argentina's new president. The American press seems to deeply misunderstand what's going on. It seems the US reporters can only understand Argentine politics through the lens of the US, when really it's just a totally...
devonzuegel.com
Greater Los Angeles
I got back from Los Angeles last night and my head is still spinning. I’d move there again in a...
over a year ago
I got back from Los Angeles last night and my head is still spinning. I’d move there again in a heartbeat.
There are three great cities in the United States: there’s Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York – in that order.
I love Boston; I even love Denver; I like Miami; I think...
CONTEMPORIST
A Concrete Ceiling Floats Above This Round Hotel Bar
Portuguese architecture office Openbook has designed the Ritz Pool Bar as part of an overall project...
5 months ago
Portuguese architecture office Openbook has designed the Ritz Pool Bar as part of an overall project to renovate the terrace and galleries of the Ritz Four Seasons Hotel Lisbon. The bar has an organic design and total openness to the terrace, with walls of glass allowing the...
The Beauty of...
Cover Story (Workington Bus Station, Workington, Cumbria, UK)
Sometimes you seek out transport architecture, at others transport architecture is thrust upon you,...
over a year ago
Sometimes you seek out transport architecture, at others transport architecture is thrust upon you, just as it was when I accidentally ended up in Workington a couple of months ago. With poor weather forecast on one of the days of a trip to the Lake District, I spent the day...
Contemporist...
A Modern Farmhouse By The Sea In New Zealand
New Zealand architecture firm Studio John Irving Architects has shared photos of a modern farmhouse...
a year ago
New Zealand architecture firm Studio John Irving Architects has shared photos of a modern farmhouse they completed that's been designed like a collection of linked farm outbuildings.
Archinect - Features
How to Get a Job at Workshop/APD
Established by founding principals Andrew Kotchen and Matt Berman in 1999, New York City-based firm...
a year ago
Established by founding principals Andrew Kotchen and Matt Berman in 1999, New York City-based firm Workshop/APD has grown into a design force whose reach far exceeds the American Northeast with completed projects also in the Rocky Mountains, South Florida, California, Europe,...
devonzuegel.com
The new city in California
A new city has been proposed in California, and the plan is going to a vote in Solano County’s...
10 months ago
A new city has been proposed in California, and the plan is going to a vote in Solano County’s November election. The proposed location is in Solano County, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, and the group behind the proposal is named California Forever.
As a...
The Modern House
Nick Hill’s no frills approach to materials recasts a 1930s house in south-east London as a...
8 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Daybed Nook Is A Great Place To Read Inside This Cabin
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a secluded home they designed in Methow Valley,...
3 months ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a secluded home they designed in Methow Valley, Washington. One of the key interior elements is a built-in day bed. The open nook has various functions. There’s the day bed for relaxing, with storage drawers built in underneath. The...
Old Structures...
An Unfortunate Comparison
I’m not a big fan of mid-twentieth-century modernism, and I still agree that Bertrand Goldberg’s...
6 months ago
I’m not a big fan of mid-twentieth-century modernism, and I still agree that Bertrand Goldberg’s Marina City is remarkable architecture. From the north: From the south: There’s just one little detail that got stuck in my head that partially ruins looking at it for me. Every...
CONTEMPORIST
This Lakehouse Hovers Above The Natural Sloped Terrain
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset,...
8 months ago
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset, Ontario, that hovers above the natural sloped terrain close to the water’s edge of Kawagama Lake. The building, which sits lightly on the rugged site, invites expansive sky and...
99% Invisible
Maximum Temperature [EPISODE]
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like...
3 months ago
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and in hot places all over the world, climate change is wreaking a very different kind of havoc – on living things. In the final episode of Not Built for This, we...
CONTEMPORIST
Hidden Lighting Creates A Warm Glow Throughout This Apartment Interior
Cuaik | CDS has shared photos of an apartment interior they designed in Ciudad De México, Mexico,...
5 months ago
Cuaik | CDS has shared photos of an apartment interior they designed in Ciudad De México, Mexico, that uses hidden lighting to create a warm atmosphere. Working together with Grupo Cuarit, the designers infused the space with bespoke wood carpentry and thoughtful illumination. In...
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Call for Submissions
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
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 thousands of award winners from 139 different design disciplines. Line Series...
The Modern House
An architect's dream: four architect-owned homes for sale
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an...
2 months ago
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an architect would find bringing their work home – in the most literal of senses – a bit of a drag. But as this collection of architect-owned homes […]
Archinect - Features
Delivering Projects on Time Is a Challenge. Here’s How Architects Do It
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” This...
2 months ago
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” This sentiment rings true in architecture, where architects are required to establish project timelines potentially spanning several years for schemes potentially costing millions of...
Contemporist...
A Contemporary Reimagination Of A Classic New York Pizza Parlor
Architecture firm MRDK has recently completed North of Brooklyn Pizzeria in Toronto, Canada, that...
a year ago
Architecture firm MRDK has recently completed North of Brooklyn Pizzeria in Toronto, Canada, that balances nostalgia and modernity.
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,...
10 months 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...
The Architectural...
The 10 Most Common Arguments of Modernists – and Why They Don’t Hold Up
After discussing architecture with modernists for years, it is clear that the way modernists argue...
a year ago
After discussing architecture with modernists for years, it is clear that the way modernists argue is based on a dogmatic worldview. Despite their assumptions rarely being based on empirical studies and scientific investigations, they find it hard to imagine anything other than...
The Modern House
An architect's dream: four architect-owned homes for sale
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an...
2 months ago
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an architect would find bringing their work home – in the most literal of senses – a bit of a drag. But as this collection of architect-owned homes […]
Archinect - Features
3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, and Space Habitats: A Conversation with ICON’s Melodie...
As a ‘Space Architect’ working on the design and delivery of 3D printed habitats on the Moon and...
9 months ago
As a ‘Space Architect’ working on the design and delivery of 3D printed habitats on the Moon and Mars, Melodie Yashar is aware that, even in space, 3D printing does not exist in a vacuum. Like any construction methodology, it requires a confluence of design intent, delivery...
The Modern House
Old meets new at a masterfully renovated 400-year-old farmhouse in the South Downs
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
The Rugged Materials On This Home Reflect The Desert That Surrounds It
Imbue Design has completed a desert home where the owners could put up their feet and relax in the...
a year ago
Imbue Design has completed a desert home where the owners could put up their feet and relax in the natural desert landscape of Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah. The home was designed in such a way as to disrupt the land as little as possible. With that in mind, the designers...
A Weekly Dose of...
Conceiving the Plan
Conceiving the Plan: Nuance and Intimacy in Civic Space
Edited by Yael Hameiri Sainsaux
Skira,...
over a year ago
Conceiving the Plan: Nuance and Intimacy in Civic Space
Edited by Yael Hameiri Sainsaux
Skira, August 2022
Hardcover | 12-1/4 x 12-1/4 inches | 240 pages | 170 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9788857246543 | $45.00
PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:
In Honor of Diane Lewis...
Construction Physics
The Rise of Steel - Part I
One of the defining characteristics of the modern world is the ubiquity of steel. Nearly every...
a year ago
One of the defining characteristics of the modern world is the ubiquity of steel. Nearly every product of industrial civilization relies on steel, either as a component or as part of the equipment used to produce it. Without it, Vaclav Smil notes in “Still the Iron Age”, modern...
Construction Physics
“No inventions; no innovations” A History of US Steel
Last week US Steel announced it was being acquired by Japanese steel company Nippon Steel. The...
11 months ago
Last week US Steel announced it was being acquired by Japanese steel company Nippon Steel. The milestone gives an opportunity to look back at what once was the largest and most important company in the US (and arguably the world), and how it slowly declined. Prior to the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Fireplace Divides This Long Living Room Creating A Separate Home Office Area
Toronto-based interior design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a living room that they...
a year ago
Toronto-based interior design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a living room that they transformed to include a dedicated area for a home office. The long and narrow design of the living room enabled them to divide the space into two separate defined areas, the living room,...
Common Edge
‘Even If a Project Fails, the Ideas Behind It Don’t Disappear’
A talk with Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin, authors of Atlas of Never Built Architecture.
6 months ago
A talk with Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin, authors of Atlas of Never Built Architecture.
Common Edge
Design for Global Survival: The 2030 Palette
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
a month ago
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
The Solarchitecture...
Create homes that are havens for health and vitality
Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings.
a year ago
Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings.
CONTEMPORIST
A Curved Accent Wall Wraps Around From The Fireplace To The Ceiling Inside This Home
MAKHNO Studio has designed a home in Kiev, Ukraine, that includes a contemporary living room with a...
a year ago
MAKHNO Studio has designed a home in Kiev, Ukraine, that includes a contemporary living room with a large curved statement piece. The living room has a sunken couch that neatly fits into the step-down, and faces the fireplace, while the focal point of the room is a curved section...
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
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...
The Modern House
Green note: six energy-efficient homes with impressive EPC ratings
Until a few years ago, casting your eye over a home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) was...
2 months ago
Until a few years ago, casting your eye over a home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) was little more than a slightly boring formality. But, with the mounting energy crisis, these somewhat obtuse, multi-coloured charts have started to come into their own. (In fact, we have...
Common Edge
Michael Van Valkenburgh on the Making of Brooklyn Bridge Park
The noted landscape architect talks about one of the great 21st century urban parks.
5 months ago
The noted landscape architect talks about one of the great 21st century urban parks.
Archinect - Features
Exploring Architecture’s Uncertain Nature With Schidlowski Fellow François Sabourin
Academic fellowships provide unique opportunities for designers and researchers to explore specific...
a year ago
Academic fellowships provide unique opportunities for designers and researchers to explore specific topics of interest while teaching. Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in or have recently finished an architecture fellowship.
For our...
Old Structures...
Nearby
Also from the Greenport Railroad Station: the 1890s freight house on the right with a...
4 months ago
Also from the Greenport Railroad Station: the 1890s freight house on the right with a apparently-retired snowplow engine named Jaws III, a Pennsylvania Railroad boxcar, and a caboose, probably also Pennsy. The Pennsylvania bought the LIRR in 1900 as part of its grand plan for the...
Benny Kuriakose
Kanadukathan - A journey Through This Hidden Gem
On a splendid morning, I got down from the bus, greeted by the enchanting allure of Nemathanpetti...
10 months ago
On a splendid morning, I got down from the bus, greeted by the enchanting allure of Nemathanpetti near Karaikudi. Gopichettan was waiting...
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...
7 months 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...
Different Conceptions of Structure
I somehow missed this 1937 photo when I was working my way through Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New...
11 months ago
I somehow missed this 1937 photo when I was working my way through Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project last year. It shows the short and isolated stretch of Twelfth Avenue below the Riverside Drive viaduct, between 125th Street and 135th Street. (Because the west end of...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Interculturality as Shelter
Interculturality as Shelter is a map made of many maps. It examines the ways in which young migrants...
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...
Old Structures...
Familiar Yet Not
I’ve been playing around with 1940s.nyc. That site is a really nice front-end interface for the...
5 months ago
I’ve been playing around with 1940s.nyc. That site is a really nice front-end interface for the 1940s tax photos of every building in the city that can be found with a much less nice interface at the city archive website. My way of testing a site like this is to look at locations...
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...
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...
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...
9 months 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...
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...
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...
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 2
Yesterday’s list of teams was fun to out together, but this is ultimately a blog about the built...
2 months ago
Yesterday’s list of teams was fun to out together, but this is ultimately a blog about the built environment, so let’s discuss what’s really important: the fields and stadiums where the various teams played. Today: some of the fields in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Atlantics, played...
Old Structures...
Snobbishness
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a caption writer with an attitude: Here’s the original...
a week ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a caption writer with an attitude: Here’s the original photo: I agree that City Hall is a fine building. It’s unexpectedly small for the city, but its size made sense when it was completed in 1812. The city government would not today...
Archinect - Features
A Guide to Salary Transparency Laws Across the United States
At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect...
9 months ago
At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect frequently reports on, several states and cities across the United States have enacted their own requirements for employers seeking to hire or promote within their...
The Modern House
How an artist and architect converted a war bunker on the wild Isle of Wight coast
a year ago
Common Edge
How AI Can Help Us End Design Education Anachronisms
Let’s use the power of technology to actually improve architectural learning.
9 months ago
Let’s use the power of technology to actually improve architectural learning.
CONTEMPORIST
This Kitchen Island Was Designed With Built-In Seating
C. Kairouz Architects has shared photos of a renovation and extension project they designed for a...
a year ago
C. Kairouz Architects has shared photos of a renovation and extension project they designed for a home in Melbourne, Australia. One of the design details in the new extension is the kitchen island that doubles as seating for the dining area. The design of the kitchen island has a...
The Modern House
Getting the most out of the least in a peaceful, strokable flat in north London
5 months ago
Old Structures...
Old-Fashioned Spelling
From 1907, an article called “New Sky-scrapers for New York” in the Metropolitan magazine gives us...
10 months ago
From 1907, an article called “New Sky-scrapers for New York” in the Metropolitan magazine gives us “The Willams [sic] Street Cañon”. The drawing seems pretty accurate. Here’s a similar view in a photo from 1928: I am a little suspicious of an article that misspells a street name...
A Weekly Dose of...
Reading About Drawings
Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I...
11 months ago
Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I spent my holiday break reading a five-year-old book about a trio of intertwined topics I'm particularly fond of: drawings, exhibitions, and New York City.
Drawing on...
The Modern House
Claire Ptak, founder of Violet bakery, on seasonal cakes and the community spirit of Hackney
a year ago
Construction Physics
The Shape of Nuclear Policy
Book review: Nuclear Politics: Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France
6 months ago
Book review: Nuclear Politics: Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France
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
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
Common Edge
Money and the Conundrum of Architects Who Don’t Build
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
a year ago
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
CONTEMPORIST
Weathered Steel Covers The Exterior Of This Modern Home In Texas
Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in...
6 months ago
Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in Austin, Texas, which overlooks a sweeping lawn shaded by towering native pecan and bald cypress trees. Photography by Casey Dunn The house is comprised of two wings flanking a central...
Old Structures...
Wrong But Impressive
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s...
2 months ago
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s on, the cleaning probably will; the content generally ranges from idiotic (here’s my name – isn’t it impressive?) to puerile (pictures of genitalia being the most common); and it’s...
CONTEMPORIST
A Green Roof Covers The Pool House At This New Home
Robert Young Architects has shared photos of a home they designed in Hither Hills, a rolling...
a year ago
Robert Young Architects has shared photos of a home they designed in Hither Hills, a rolling topography of dunes between Montauk and Amagansett, New York, for a family that wanted a year-round retreat. Located on a steep site, the home features multiple levels, a swimming pool,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Collection Of Off-Grid Cabins Hidden Deep In The Jungle
Architect Daniel Cota has shared photos of Glass 20.87, an off-grid project of 8 separate glass...
7 months ago
Architect Daniel Cota has shared photos of Glass 20.87, an off-grid project of 8 separate glass houses in Mexico. Each house is spaced 20 to 25 meters apart, allowing for total privacy due to the dense jungle. The construction at Glass 20.87 was entirely artisanal (no machinery...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Homeless and Shelters in São Paulo
When I was looking at the homeless census maps, my curiosity was sparked and I started to wonder...
over a year ago
When I was looking at the homeless census maps, my curiosity was sparked and I started to wonder what other visualizations and cartographical explorations could be possible. I have a deep interest in censuses because I have been working specifically in a peripheral communities’...
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...
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...
Old Structures...
Too Perfect
Yet another view of lower Broadway, this time from 1908. It’s low resolution and artificially...
9 months ago
Yet another view of lower Broadway, this time from 1908. It’s low resolution and artificially colored, so it’s really more of an illustration than a photo, but good enough for a postcard. This picture bothers me and it took me a while to realize why. The issue exists for a lot of...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Cleveland Bridge
While I was in England last week, I briefly visited the city of Bath. There’s a lot to look at...
9 months ago
While I was in England last week, I briefly visited the city of Bath. There’s a lot to look at there, but let me start with the Cleveland Bridge over the River Avon. The top view is a little boring except for the non-structural toll houses, little Greek temples over the walkways,...
Benny Kuriakose
Paliam Nalukettu: A Glimpse into a Matrilineal Society
In the small town of Chendamangalam in Paravur, Kerala, is the Paliam Nalukettu, which is located...
a year ago
In the small town of Chendamangalam in Paravur, Kerala, is the Paliam Nalukettu, which is located within the Paliam complex. Benny...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Renovation Made More Use Of The Basement And Outdoor Space
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation they completed in...
a year ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation they completed in Seattle, Washington. Before – The Exterior The single-story, mid-century home had two doors at the front of the home, with steps leading to each one. After – The Exterior The updated...
CONTEMPORIST
The Reinterpretation Of A Gabled Roof Is On Display At This New House
Architecture firm Studio KUNZ has shared photos of a home they completed in a small town in the...
9 months ago
Architecture firm Studio KUNZ has shared photos of a home they completed in a small town in the south of Brazil. The home sits on a high plateau, surrounded by an idyllic landscape formed by araucaria trees, which was key for a young couple who have a close relationship with life...
Contemporist...
Top 20 A' Design Award Winners From Past Years
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
4 months ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing winners from 114 countries in 151 different design disciplines.More than 70,000 project submissions are carefully evaluated by an internationally and...
Old Structures...
The Aftertaste of Technological Change
I slept through the Daylight Savings change last week. More accurately, I didn’t realize it was...
a month ago
I slept through the Daylight Savings change last week. More accurately, I didn’t realize it was occurring – I thought it was yesterday, not the Sunday a week ago – and I generally sleep late on the weekends anyway, so I got an extra hour of sleep without realizing, until...
Common Edge
How Might We Talk About the Shoreline of San Francisco?
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can...
10 months ago
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can enable better conversations about them.
Old Structures...
A Year Late…
…but who cares? Today is a de facto holiday for a lot of people, and that seems like a good time for...
5 months ago
…but who cares? Today is a de facto holiday for a lot of people, and that seems like a good time for a blog post I should have written last summer. Some of our projects are very big, involving hundreds of thousands of square feet of building. Some are not. The smallest structure...
Contemporist...
These Home Owners Wanted An Office And A Yoga Studio Behind Their Existing Home
Office of Ordinary Architecture has shared photos of two backyard getaways they designed for a home...
2 months ago
Office of Ordinary Architecture has shared photos of two backyard getaways they designed for a home in Seattle, Washington, that created space for a yoga studio and an office.
SOCKS
Claude Bragdon: Drawings of the Fourth Dimension (1913-1915)
American architect Claude Fayette Bragdon (1866-1946) was also an artist, writer and stage designer....
over a year ago
American architect Claude Fayette Bragdon (1866-1946) was also an artist, writer and stage designer. He was based in Rochester, NY where he built his masterpiece, the New York Central Railroad Station in 1909. His design work and philosophy were influenced mainly by theosophy, a...
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
Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP has recently completed a new library in Kisarazu, Japan, that has been built into the earth.
Old Structures...
A Change of Pace
I’ve done a lot of research over the years, most of it historical, rather than engineering. In other...
6 months ago
I’ve done a lot of research over the years, most of it historical, rather than engineering. In other words, I’ve generally been researching the history of structural engineering, construction, and the built environment, rather than performing analysis on the structures I’ve...
Old Structures...
The Main Attraction Hasn’t Changed
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street...
a month ago
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street in 1920: The focal point of such a view is, of course, Grand Central Terminal. The big vacant lot, protected only by an easily-hopped fence, was the former site of the 1860s Grand...
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
Nearly 3000 people are living in tents and inside police facilities.
devonzuegel.com
Part 1: The story so far of California Forever
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the...
10 months ago
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the future of my home state in my lifetime. This post is part of a series I’m writing about this bold proposal.
California Forever was founded by Jan Sramek in 2017 as a way to create...
Old Structures...
Examples Illustrated
I was at the annual SEAoNY conference yesterday – 9½ hours devoted to building codes – and it was,...
10 months ago
I was at the annual SEAoNY conference yesterday – 9½ hours devoted to building codes – and it was, as expected, informative and interesting. Obviously, that’s not what I’m going to write about here. The conference was at Convene (a place where you can rent space for conferences)...
The Modern House
How an unloved Eric Lyons house converted Shaun Betteridge from mid-century novice to modernist...
11 months ago
The Modern House
The Green Series #1: an insiders' guide to insulation
The first instalment of our mini Green Series is all about insulation. Insulation is a key feature...
a month ago
The first instalment of our mini Green Series is all about insulation. Insulation is a key feature of passivhaus design as it reduces the amount of heat lost through the building fabric to a very low level, reducing the heat requirement of the building. Kate Jacobs […]
The Modern House
Knock on Wood: five homes making the best of nature’s most versatile material
Abundant, strong, durable – not to mention beautiful – wood has been used to build our homes for...
a year ago
Abundant, strong, durable – not to mention beautiful – wood has been used to build our homes for millennia. It’s not surprising, really, when you think how easy it is to access and work with, to say nothing of the ways in which it provides […]
Old Structures...
Waste Not, Something Something
I was passing through Tribeca last week and came across this little building. Very, very little....
9 months ago
I was passing through Tribeca last week and came across this little building. Very, very little. Three stories tall, maybe 40 feet wide, and about four feet deep on the left and maybe a luxurious ten or fifteen feet deep on the right. You know you’re in a city where real estate...
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...
9 months 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...
Old Structures...
An Original Or An Imitation Of An Imitation
The Leonard Street facade of 249 Church Street: For this discussion, ignore the stone ground-floor...
6 months ago
The Leonard Street facade of 249 Church Street: For this discussion, ignore the stone ground-floor storefront, which was a 1920s alteration of this 1867 loft building, probably replacing cast iron columns and lintels. The rest of the facade is, per the Landmarks designation...
The Modern House
A blank canvas within one of London’s best brutalist buildings
a year ago
Old Structures...
New And Improved Graphics!
Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan...
2 months ago
Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan approach of the Brooklyn Bridge. The short version is that it’s an 1880s steel truss reinforced in the mid-1900s with a steel arch below. The long discussion is: here and here and...
CONTEMPORIST
Curved Green Roofs Cover This Creekside Cabin
MAP Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they completed in Suffolk, England,...
a year ago
MAP Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they completed in Suffolk, England, that’s located adjacent to the creek and reedbeds within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The ‘Creek Cabin’, with early...
The Modern House
The best of Stoke Newington and Newington Green
4 months ago
Construction Physics
What Progress Has Icon Made on 3D-Printed Homes?
We last looked at 3D-printed buildings about three years ago. At the time, the technology was still...
8 months ago
We last looked at 3D-printed buildings about three years ago. At the time, the technology was still nascent. Although there was a lot of enthusiasm, many efforts were academic, with little commercial deployment, and practitioners were experimenting with a wide range of...
The Modern House
Modern Life: six remarkable modernist homes on the market
Those modernist architects were on to something. From the 1930s to the 1970s, these design pioneers...
a year ago
Those modernist architects were on to something. From the 1930s to the 1970s, these design pioneers showed us a brave new world where form followed function. Out went the fuss and flourishes of Victorian and Edwardian architecture, all ornate stucco and cornicing, and in came […]
Benny Kuriakose
Abdul Rahman Sahib Museum: The Freedom Fighter’s Home
The Muziris Heritage Project narrates the stories from different timelines. From the first mosque in...
a year ago
The Muziris Heritage Project narrates the stories from different timelines. From the first mosque in India to the Study Centre for the...
The Modern House
Cover Stories: five new architecture, art and design books for your shelf
Inspiration may come in many forms but it’s flighty and hard to find. That said, one place you can...
9 months ago
Inspiration may come in many forms but it’s flighty and hard to find. That said, one place you can be quite sure to pin it down it is on a bookshelf. And while those at TMH HQ are already groaning, we can’t resist the allure […]
Coffee with an...
Remember your training
At times, a client may request a curve. Stay calm. Remember your training. Calmly explain that that...
9 months ago
At times, a client may request a curve. Stay calm. Remember your training. Calmly explain that that would conflict with the design vocabulary. Remind the client that rectilinear forms are a sign of strength, firmness, commodity, and yes, delight. Stay strong. At times, the client...
The Modern House
A hotel with staying power overlooking the Atlantic in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland
a year ago
Coffee with an...
Buildings are important
People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them...
a year ago
People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them Grow old in them Die in them Buildings are important. People decide big things here Decide on small things too Draw conclusions inside Make plans Change plans Change our minds Make...
There are two types...
MSG
Two MSG quotes: “In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats made them...
over a year ago
Two MSG quotes: “In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats made them fat.” – Wikipedia “Through Pennsylvania Station one entered the city like a god…. One scuttles in now like a rat” [under Madison … Continue reading →
The post MSG appeared first on...
A Weekly Dose of...
Three Monographs
Just as last week's Places in Time III post featured a trio of books that were initially listed in...
a year ago
Just as last week's Places in Time III post featured a trio of books that were initially listed in my earlier holiday gift books post, two of the three monographs featured here were also on that list. As happened when I wrote this post, each book begins with a rhetorical question...
Old Structures...
The Queen Anne Style Is Rare In New York
I was on the Upper East Side and saw two houses that don’t quite fit in on Park Avenue north of 69th...
10 months ago
I was on the Upper East Side and saw two houses that don’t quite fit in on Park Avenue north of 69th Street. Those two rowhouses are listed in the records of the Upper East Side Historic District as having been built between 1882 and 1885 as part of a larger row, with the other...
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...
9 months 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
The Deceptive Grandeur of City Skylines
Empty office towers are likely to remain that way for years.
4 months ago
Empty office towers are likely to remain that way for years.
Old Structures...
He Is, After All, A Boy From Queens
2 months ago
Archinect - Features
'AI Is Both Incredible and Terrifying'; A Conversation with Neil Leach
Neil Leach is a British professor and licensed architect currently based in California. He has...
a year ago
Neil Leach is a British professor and licensed architect currently based in California. He has worked for NASA developing a 3D printer for the Moon and Mars, and is co-founder of DigitalFUTURES. Having authored over 40 books on architecture and digital design, and taught at some...
Old Structures...
Social Commentary In A Map
Above, David Burr’s 1834 map of New York. I guess 190 years make a bit of a difference. This is, in...
5 months ago
Above, David Burr’s 1834 map of New York. I guess 190 years make a bit of a difference. This is, in some ways, more of a map-like graphic than an actual map. The shaded areas are not the only places where there were buildings, but rather the areas that were solidly built up....
Archinect - Features
How Architectural Licensure Helps and Hurts the Profession
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series concludes with a look back on a four-month journey through...
3 months ago
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series concludes with a look back on a four-month journey through the U.S. architectural licensure system. Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in the current system highlighted by readers and commentators, we offer final thoughts on...
devonzuegel.com
Vacuum tube nostalgia
Music enthusiasts will tell you there's nothing quite like "tube sound", the warm, rich sound...
over a year ago
Music enthusiasts will tell you there's nothing quite like "tube sound", the warm, rich sound quality that old vacuum tube amplifiers bring to the music played through them. And they'll pay top dollar for it! Once considered obsolete, vintage vacuum tube amps now sell at a...
CONTEMPORIST
Custom Bunk Beds Were Designed For This Jungle-Themed Kid’s Bedroom
Interior design firm Britt White Studio has shared photos of a jungle-themed kid’s bedroom they...
a year ago
Interior design firm Britt White Studio has shared photos of a jungle-themed kid’s bedroom they designed as part of an overall penthouse project. The room was designed for two brothers, aged 7 and 9, who worked directly with the designers for the creation of their shared room,...
Common Edge
The ‘City of Yes’ Will Make a Big Manhattan Mess
City council is expected to vote on the controversial proposal soon.
a month ago
City council is expected to vote on the controversial proposal soon.
99% Invisible
The Six-Week Cure [EPISODE]
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get...
a year ago
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get out of bad marries. The city became known as the “Divorce Capital of the World.” For much of modern history, it has been relatively easy to get married, and extremely difficult to...
Old Structures...
Yet Another Blue-Sky Proposal
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building),...
3 months ago
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building), via a scrapbook at the New York Public Library: a very involved railroad and boulevard system that I doubt anyone wanted and had zero chance of being built: This proposal is along...
CONTEMPORIST
Clerestory Windows Add Natural Light Inside This New Addition To An Australian Home
Architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a contemporary renovation and extension of a...
9 months ago
Architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a contemporary renovation and extension of a typical free-standing timber period home in Australia. The view from the front door shows off the hallway that connects the original home with the new extension. The hallway...
99% Invisible
In Proximity: Roman Mars and Ryan Coogler [EPISODE]
In Proximity is a podcast from Proximity Media about craft, career, and creativity. Proximity...
a year ago
In Proximity is a podcast from Proximity Media about craft, career, and creativity. Proximity founder Ryan Coogler talks all about podcasts with Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, a sound-rich narrative podcast about architecture and design. They discuss holding...
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 3
Following up on part 1 and part 2, I want to talk about how the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge were...
a year ago
Following up on part 1 and part 2, I want to talk about how the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge were built, installed, and used. Unlike the 1883 image from part 1 (below), the image above is from 1870, while the work was still going on. I’ve played with the contrast to make the...
Common Edge
Aesthetics Alone Do Not Give Sacred Space Its Meaning
The key to finding a new relevance for “the holy” lies in architectural humility.
2 months ago
The key to finding a new relevance for “the holy” lies in architectural humility.
The Modern House
A slender space-savvy home in Clerkenwell, inspired by the City’s skyscrapers
a year ago
Old Structures...
Different Views
From 1910, stereoscopic views from an upper floor of the Singer Building looking south and north The...
a month ago
From 1910, stereoscopic views from an upper floor of the Singer Building looking south and north The view south is showing the largest concentration of tall buildings in the world at that time and, given that many of those buildings exceeded the height limit in Chicago, the...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Overhanging The Water’s Edge In Alaska
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in...
a month ago
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in Alaska, that overlooks inlet waters and is balanced on the edge of a rock wall. The home’s geometry is defined by two tall shed roof structures with a connector between them. Along the...
Common Edge
Does Spirituality Have a Role in Educating Architects?
What might appear to some as an “off-limits” realm might actually be at its heart.
a year ago
What might appear to some as an “off-limits” realm might actually be at its heart.
A Weekly Dose of...
Places in Time III
This third and most likely last installment in the inadvertent "Places in Time" series looks closely...
a year ago
This third and most likely last installment in the inadvertent "Places in Time" series looks closely at three books: the first about Chicago from the Great Depression to the mid-1980s; the second one about the broader American built landscape over roughly the same period of time;...
The Modern House
Carefully composed: the bright reimagining of a Victorian garden apartment
2 months ago
The Modern House
James Lohan: the co-founder of Mr & Mrs Smith on how his first experience of home shaped an...
James Lohan’s entrepreneurial spirit first came to light in the school dinner queue when he saw the...
7 months ago
James Lohan’s entrepreneurial spirit first came to light in the school dinner queue when he saw the potential for turning a profit on a stack of cheese toasties. A series of successful business ventures followed suit, but it was in 2003 that James and his […]
Common Edge
Bill McKibben on COP28, Maintaining Hope, and Walking in the Woods
The activist and author offers some perspective on the recently concluded UN Climate summit.
a year ago
The activist and author offers some perspective on the recently concluded UN Climate summit.
Old Structures...
A Change For Economy
The 1868 lithograph above shows the building that would soon after become known as the Tweed...
a year ago
The 1868 lithograph above shows the building that would soon after become known as the Tweed Courthouse. The Tweed Ring stole millions of dollars in the construction of the building, which is what it’s most often remembered for, rather than its architecture. The building was...
CONTEMPORIST
Black Accents Contrast The Wood And White Material Palette Of This Home
Design and interior architecture firm EntreQuatreMurs (EQM) has completed the contemporary interiors...
a year ago
Design and interior architecture firm EntreQuatreMurs (EQM) has completed the contemporary interiors of a home in Quebec, Canada, that was originally built in 1959. The house had not been renovated for several decades and featured typical enclosed rooms and small, narrow, dark...
CONTEMPORIST
Glazed Pink Tiles Cover This New Home Addition
Office S&M Architects has shared photos of a home addition they designed for a Victorian house in...
3 months ago
Office S&M Architects has shared photos of a home addition they designed for a Victorian house in North London, that includes glazed pink pillow-shaped tiles. The handmade glazed tiles in a pink shade complement the home’s warm brick tones and draw upon the clients’ love of...
CONTEMPORIST
A Metal Roof Wraps Around This Off-Grid Cabin To Protect It From The Elements
Cameron Anderson Architects has shared photos of a small off-grid cabin they designed as part of a...
6 months ago
Cameron Anderson Architects has shared photos of a small off-grid cabin they designed as part of a luxury farm stay in Australia. The building is situated on a gently undulating site with its elevated position offering uninterrupted views of the surrounding farmland. A wrapping...
CONTEMPORIST
Stone Snakes Around The Curved Exterior Of This Modern Home
Adrian James Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Oxfordshire,...
a year ago
Adrian James Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Oxfordshire, England, that has a sculptural form which sprouts organically from its hillside setting. The home’s design is inspired by the crinkle-crankle Cotswold stone wall, with ribbons of cast...
Construction Physics
Welding and the Automation Frontier
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human...
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...
The Modern House
Inside the light-filled rural hideaway of legendary artists Langlands & Bell
6 months ago
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