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CONTEMPORIST
A Basketball Court Was Built Inside This New Home Architecture firm Studio Lau has shared photos of a split-level home they completed in Canada, that...
a week ago
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a week ago
Architecture firm Studio Lau has shared photos of a split-level home they completed in Canada, that includes an indoor basketball court. Mars House is a project that was sparked by the shifting demands brought on by the pandemic. It was meticulously designed to cater to a small...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Extension And A Garden Studio For This Heritage-Listed Home Paul Archer Design has sent us photos of a rear addition they completed for a Grade II Listed Town...
a year ago
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a year ago
Paul Archer Design has sent us photos of a rear addition they completed for a Grade II Listed Town House in Greater London, England. Not only did they design the addition, but they also created a small garden studio that provides a workspace for the musician owner. A large...
CONTEMPORIST
A Curvy Concrete Cube With Cut Outs For Windows Is The Form Of This New Home Cadence Architects has sent us photos of a new modern home they completed in Krishnagiri, India,...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
Cadence Architects has sent us photos of a new modern home they completed in Krishnagiri, India, that features a cube design with cut-outs. The K-Home, located in a busy residential neighborhood, has strategically scooped-out segments that create dynamic openings that frame the...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter [EPISODE] This is the ninth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
This is the ninth 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 Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and real estate developer from...
Contemporist...
A Modern Brick Home Designed Around The Original Placement Of Trees Exterio architects have shared photos of a new home they completed in Warsaw, Poland, that's...
8 months ago
Contemporist...
A' Design Awards & Competition - Call for Entries A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
a year ago
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a year ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
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
13
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...
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...
a year ago
30
a year 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...
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
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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...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Case Studies "What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
"What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although the word monograph literally applies to any book devoted to any individual subject — be it a person, a place, a thing, or even an idea — in the realm of architecture books that...
Common Edge
From Venice to Detroit: Laboratories of the Future, Reconsidered Optimism and action trump didactic scolding every time.
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home With Twin Gables Connected By A Glazed Breezeway Wheeler Kearns Architects has shared photos of a new home they have completed in Illinois, which is...
a year ago
46
a year ago
Wheeler Kearns Architects has shared photos of a new home they have completed in Illinois, which is located on a one-acre wooded ravine site north of Chicago. The home, situated upward and slightly angled away from the street, includes twin-gabled volumes, one for sleeping and...
Old Structures...
Amazing Detail I recently put up a map put up an 1884 planning map for the expansion of the Croton water system...
a year ago
10
a year ago
I recently put up a map put up an 1884 planning map for the expansion of the Croton water system north of New York. It turns out that was just an appetizer. Today’s map, from 1899, has much more detail and is amazing proof of what could be done with hand drafting: no GIS...
Old Structures...
New York Without Height Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity...
a year ago
17
a year ago
Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity Church. I can’t readily tell you what the second-tallest building was, as people weren’t really thinking about tall buildings that way yet. It was probably another church spire....
devonzuegel.com
Podcasts & conferences I've spoken at I haven't done a great job of tracking these, so this list is non-comprehensive: Urbanism and the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I haven't done a great job of tracking these, so this list is non-comprehensive: Urbanism and the Future of Cities (Jan 2023) – Narratives podcast Inflation, Argentina, and Crypto (Oct 2022) – EconTalk podcast Devon Zuegel on Startup Cities (June 2022) Devon Zuegel, creator...
Benny Kuriakose
Conservation and Adaptive Reuse of a Rundown Building to Museum Adaptive reuse of dilapidated structures is a smart way to conserve the space, it gives a new...
a year ago
10
a year ago
Adaptive reuse of dilapidated structures is a smart way to conserve the space, it gives a new meaning and purpose to the building....
CONTEMPORIST
A Green Exterior Helps This Cabin Blend Into The Forest Scalar Architecture has completed a modern cabin in Connecticut that has a minimal ecological...
a year ago
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a year ago
Scalar Architecture has completed a modern cabin in Connecticut that has a minimal ecological footprint. Designed as a 1200-square-foot retreat for a family of writers and producers, the cabin is only accessible via foot or light utility vehicle. The cabin is located in a hilly...
CONTEMPORIST
A Bed That Can Slide To Be Outside Okno Modhomes has shared photos of a small and modern cabin they completed that was designed as a...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
Okno Modhomes has shared photos of a small and modern cabin they completed that was designed as a space where humans and nature coexist in perfect harmony. Nestled within a lush canopy of existing and newly planted trees in India, the cabin features a mirrored glass exterior that...
Construction Physics
Which city builds skyscrapers the fastest? Last week we looked at trends in skyscraper construction speed for New York and Chicago, finding...
a year ago
34
a year ago
Last week we looked at trends in skyscraper construction speed for New York and Chicago, finding that New York has gotten significantly slower at building skyscrapers over time. Chicago, on the other hand, has declined in speed less steadily, and currently builds skyscrapers much...
CONTEMPORIST
Ceramic Forms Surrounding The Windows Of This New Building Give It A Unique Character Photography © Sebastian van Damme De Zwarte Hond and Loer Architecten have shared photos of a...
a year ago
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a year ago
Photography © Sebastian van Damme De Zwarte Hond and Loer Architecten have shared photos of a building they recently completed in Groningen, Netherlands, that combines modern design with ceramic elements. Photography © Marcel Ijzerman The architects worked together with ceramic...
A Weekly Dose of...
Changing Ideals in Architectural Criticism On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism edited by Wilfried Wang, published by Park Books...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism edited by Wilfried Wang, published by Park Books and University of Texas at Austin, 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) Who Is the City For?: Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago by Blair Kamin with photographs by Lee Bey,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Brick Exterior Creates A Unique Expression For This Home In Toronto Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto, Canada, that features a sculptural brick facade. Photography by Younes Bounhar The design of the Canvas House has been inspired by the homeowners’ love of contemporary art, with the...
Old Structures...
He Is, After All, A Boy From Queens
4 months ago
The Modern House
Poet LionHeart pens a love letter to the Barbican exclusively for The Modern House
3 weeks ago
Archinect - Features
The Industry Reacts to Interest Rate Cuts: Archinect’s State of AEC September 2024 Welcome to the fourth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
Welcome to the fourth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically. Since our last edition, the...
Benny Kuriakose
Hiring Experienced Engineers and Architects at Benny Kuriakose and Associates Benny Kuriakose and Associates is now inviting applications, which offer an opportunity for...
2 months ago
Old Structures...
An Avatar Of Steel Another short trip: I was in Philadelphia last week, and I walked the not-quite two miles from my...
2 months ago
40
2 months ago
Another short trip: I was in Philadelphia last week, and I walked the not-quite two miles from my meeting to the train station on my way home. I took the two unimpressive pictures below on the way: That’s the rear, Arch Street side, of the Reading Terminal Market, which is, as...
99% Invisible
Valley So Low In 2008, a billion gallons of toxic sludge spewed across 300 acres of Tennessee in the middle of the...
a month ago
16
a month ago
In 2008, a billion gallons of toxic sludge spewed across 300 acres of Tennessee in the middle of the night. It was just before Christmas. At the time, Jared Sullivan was in high school and remembers the disaster. For over fifty years a power company called the Tennessee Valley...
Archinect - Features
FireCity | FireLAnd: New Models of Resilience and Community with UCLA's Hitoshi Abe and... As wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles, with thousands of residents displaced and entire...
a month ago
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a month ago
As wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles, with thousands of residents displaced and entire communities struggling to recover, the urgency of addressing fire resilience in urban landscapes has never been greater. In light of the ongoing crisis, we are republishing our 2021...
99% Invisible
Imitation Nation [EPISODE] 29 Palms, California, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps Training Base. It’s an elaborately...
a year ago
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a year ago
29 Palms, California, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps Training Base. It’s an elaborately built facility with lego-like buildings, a bazaar, a mosque, and people role-playing as civilians, spies, or enemies, complete with costumes and props. It’s all part of an effort...
Benny Kuriakose
Planning and Designing of Service Blocks in a School Service rooms are an absolute necessity in any building. When designing and planning such rooms, it...
a year ago
18
a year ago
Service rooms are an absolute necessity in any building. When designing and planning such rooms, it is important to understand the type...
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Makeover For A Home Built In 1907 Best Practice Architecture has designed the contemporary remodel of a 1907 home in Seattle,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Best Practice Architecture has designed the contemporary remodel of a 1907 home in Seattle, Washington, that measures just 16-and-a-half feet wide. Surrounded by old-growth trees in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood, the cozy gambrel roof dwelling is dubbed “Phinney Mini” for...
devonzuegel.com
Inflation propagates unevenly Inflation hits some parts of the economy harder and faster than others. It's obvious once you say...
over a year ago
17
over a year ago
Inflation hits some parts of the economy harder and faster than others. It's obvious once you say it, and yet the way pundits and academics talk about inflation glosses over this reality. As a result, most people who haven't had direct experience with high inflation have a flawed...
Old Structures...
Colorful and Accurate The map above, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on...
a year ago
14
a year ago
The map above, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on the right (to the north) to New York City on the left. The new aqueduct runs on a much straighter line than the old, which required more tunneling, and therefore reflects the more...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Inspired By The Verticality Of Neighboring Victorian Houses NEO Architecture Inc. has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Ontario, Canada,...
a year ago
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a year ago
NEO Architecture Inc. has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Ontario, Canada, whose design was inspired by the verticality of neighboring Victorian homes. The extruded gable form is a tribute to the architectural motifs of the past while blending it with...
CONTEMPORIST
A Multi-Functional Brass Clad Pod Is A Unique Feature In This Small Apartment tsai Design has sent us photos of a micro-apartment they renovated in St. Kilda, Australia, that...
7 months ago
50
7 months ago
tsai Design has sent us photos of a micro-apartment they renovated in St. Kilda, Australia, that measures in at just 269 square feet (25m2), and features a unique and unexpected brass design element. Named ‘St Kilda Micro Sanctuary’, the small apartment has been designed for a...
Archinect - Features
Quilian Riano at Pratt: 'Believing in the Power of an Architectural Education' for the Next... Archinect's Deans List series offers readers an exclusive glimpse into the minds shaping the future...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Archinect's Deans List series offers readers an exclusive glimpse into the minds shaping the future of architectural education. This series not only delves into the unique programming of each school but also uncovers the philosophies and approaches that define their educational...
CONTEMPORIST
An Extended Sloped Roof Runs The Length Of This Modern Home RHAW architecture’s Rolf Reichardt, in partnership with the villa’s residents Marieke Jansen and...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
RHAW architecture’s Rolf Reichardt, in partnership with the villa’s residents Marieke Jansen and Jaap Maashas, has designed a home in Sint-Oedenrode, The Netherlands, that has a sloped roof, and is made of timber, glass, and concrete. The home is a country house with a...
Old Structures...
New Year’s 1909 According to Puck, a trip to New York is the safety valve that keeps Brother Straightlace, leading...
a year ago
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a year ago
According to Puck, a trip to New York is the safety valve that keeps Brother Straightlace, leading the simple life, from blowing up. Opinions vary.
Archinect - Features
'The Notion of AI as a Form of Augmentation or Enhancement Is Fascinating to Me'; A... Behnaz Farahi stands at an eclectic intersection between culture and technology. Trained as an...
a year ago
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a year ago
Behnaz Farahi stands at an eclectic intersection between culture and technology. Trained as an architect, with specializations in computational design, interactive technologies, additive manufacturing, and digital fabrication, Farahi asks how emerging technologies can allow us to...
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...
4 months ago
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4 months 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...
Cartogrammar
A guide to not being a sidewalk jerk Hello friends. It has become apparent that you are all terrible at being pedestrians. I feel...
over a year ago
11
over a year ago
Hello friends. It has become apparent that you are all terrible at being pedestrians. I feel confident saying that despite some good eggs and battle-tested walkers such as New Yorkers, most Americans are obliviously selfish, inconsiderate users of sidewalk space. It’s true even...
The Solarchitecture...
7 key principles of solar passive design - Part 2. Balance it all with local climate and a holistic energy calculation.
over a year ago
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
25
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...
Small Details In “How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly”, Jennifer Ouellette gives a good summary of a...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
In “How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly”, Jennifer Ouellette gives a good summary of a recent paper “Thread form at the Crystal Palace” by John Gardner and Ken Kiss. My even shorter summary: the 1851 Crystal Palace in London was made possible, in part, through the...
Construction Physics
The Technological Innovations that Produced the Shale Revolution Part One of Hot Rocks: Commercializing Next-Generation Geothermal Energy
a year ago
Common Edge
In Praise of a Great Mentor: Working With Geoffrey Bawa Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Bit Alien From a recent trip to Governors Island, a big thing in the water near the piers on the east side of...
4 months ago
28
4 months ago
From a recent trip to Governors Island, a big thing in the water near the piers on the east side of the island: It’s the mid-length air shaft for the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and, constructed circa 1950, it’s a relative newcomer to the island’s landscape. The diagram below,...
99% Invisible
The Monster Under the Sink [EPISODE] In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and plastics, but yucky junk, like food waste, wouldn’t get picked up. This...
Old Structures...
The Right Angle I’m not working on any of the buildings in this photo, but if I were… Raking sunlight is a fantastic...
11 months ago
31
11 months ago
I’m not working on any of the buildings in this photo, but if I were… Raking sunlight is a fantastic way to get information about a facade. Any out-of-plane geometry is immediately visible as a shadow. You can see the natural irregularity of a brick wall: and a bulge that might...
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
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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
The Green Series #3: how to make your home airtight   Passivhaus buildings are designed to be almost completely airtight, with no unsealed gaps in the...
3 months ago
3
3 months ago
Passivhaus buildings are designed to be almost completely airtight, with no unsealed gaps in the exterior of the building. While a typical home might struggle to achieve that, there are ways to reduce unwanted draughts and heat loss. Continuing our series of Passivhaus hacks,...
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
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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
Common Edge
Inga Saffron on the Philadelphia 76ers’ Push for a New Downtown Arena A talk with the Pulitzer Prize winning architecture critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
2 months ago
99% Invisible
The Bottom of the Bowl [EPISODE] Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate haven.” But last summer, he got a wake up call in the form of a devastating flood. All throughout the United States, people are watching the places they love change in unpredictable...
CONTEMPORIST
A House Extension With A Curved Window Makes Room For A New Kitchen At This Home In London Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they completed for a terrace house in Stoke Newington, London. With an emphasis on natural materials and a unique approach to design, this renovation turns the once disconnected ground...
A Weekly Dose of...
Eight Decades of Modern Japanese Houses A review of a new book released this week: The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published...
a year ago
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a year ago
A review of a new book released this week: The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published by Thames & Hudson, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) What makes modern and contemporary Japanese houses so appealing? Much of it stems from the novelty of residential designs,...
99% Invisible
The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons [EPISODE] Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly recognizable around the world. Since the 1970s, sapeurs (from: le sape, short for “Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes”) have been known for donning technicolored...
Old Structures...
On The Spectrum Between Solid and Hole For study, two photos of the elevated structure supporting the 2 and 5 trains in the Bronx. This...
a year ago
17
a year ago
For study, two photos of the elevated structure supporting the 2 and 5 trains in the Bronx. This piece of the subway system has a slightly odd history. The portion south of and up to 180th Street, at the south end of Bronx Park, was planned as part of the original IRT subway, but...
CONTEMPORIST
A Kitchen Wrapped In Textured Wood Defines The Boundary Of The Workspace Barker Associates Architecture Office has shared photos of their Sackett Street Townhouse, a project...
a year ago
46
a year ago
Barker Associates Architecture Office has shared photos of their Sackett Street Townhouse, a project delivered for clients, recent empty-nesters with their own consulting company, who were looking to refresh their townhouse following the departure of their daughter for college....
CONTEMPORIST
A Sunken Living Room Was Made Possible By A New Extension To This Home Mulroy Architects has shared photos of a project they recently completed that included modernizing...
a year ago
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a year ago
Mulroy Architects has shared photos of a project they recently completed that included modernizing the interior of a 1920s home in Greater London, England, that also included the addition of a rear extension. The brief was to refurbish and extend the upper floors of the house to...
The Wandering...
Making shaded relief directly from DEMs projected in degrees? In a presentation I gave at GeoIgnite 2021, I was explaining the process of using QGIS to make...
over a year ago
63
over a year ago
In a presentation I gave at GeoIgnite 2021, I was explaining the process of using QGIS to make shaded relief from DEMs, more or less as detailed in this post. There wasn’t time to explain the process of re-projection, so I rather boldly asserted that you don’t need to re-project...
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE] All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
6 months ago
50
6 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,...
devonzuegel.com
Numbers for understanding cities Whenever I think about physical places, I find myself coming back to a few types of numbers again...
over a year ago
16
over a year ago
Whenever I think about physical places, I find myself coming back to a few types of numbers again and again. I've collected these into spreadsheets so that I can reference them more easily, and I figured they might be useful to others too: Urban densities – Population density...
Old Structures...
Not Famous Is Good Theater fires were among the worst building-related events of the nineteenth and early-twentieth...
7 months ago
48
7 months ago
Theater fires were among the worst building-related events of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries in the US. The Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago killed over 600 people; closer to home, the Brooklyn Theater fire killed about 280. I serious do not recommend reading about...
99% Invisible
Cue the Sun! [EPISODE] Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming...
5 months ago
69
5 months ago
Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming 24-hour feeds of the first season of Big Brother in the U.S. Big Brother is a reality television show that debuted in the US in the year 2000. If you’ve never seen it, the show is...
Construction Physics
The Long, Sad History of American Attempts to Build High-Speed Rail, Part I California has received its fair share of criticism for the trajectory of its high-speed rail...
a year ago
12
a year ago
California has received its fair share of criticism for the trajectory of its high-speed rail project. When voters first approved the $10 billion dollar bond issue for the project in 2008, it was projected to be completed by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion. Instead, its costs have
99% Invisible
Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages [EPISODE] Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was up for foreclosure. What followed was a surreal discovery of “zombie...
Old Structures...
Discussing Immigrants Elsewhere That’s discussion elsewhere about immigrants here, not discussion here about immigrants somewhere...
8 months ago
48
8 months ago
That’s discussion elsewhere about immigrants here, not discussion here about immigrants somewhere else. I’m at the 8th International Congress on Construction History this week, where I hope to learn a lot about past design and construction practice. I have certainly learned much...
Archinect - Features
Exhibit Columbus’ University Design Research Fellows Showcase Proposals That Activate the... How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the...
a year ago
15
a year ago
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the themes that sparked important conversations at Exhibit Columbus’ 2023 Design Presentations organized by the Landmark Columbus Foundation. Each Exhibit Columbus cycle focuses on a...
Common Edge
The Clever Trick for Living in 350 Square Feet The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
7 months ago
Common Edge
Kelp Farming May Help Clean New York’s Polluted Waterways and Fight Climate Change The seaweed found in Newtown Creek, Gowanus Bay, and the East River could suck up carbon and...
a year ago
The Architectural...
The Classic Planning Herald International: A Window into the Global New Traditional Architecture... The Classic Planning Herald International is a new quarterly magazine from the Classic Planning...
2 months ago
63
2 months ago
The Classic Planning Herald International is a new quarterly magazine from the Classic Planning Institute. The project offers insights into what is happening in the New Traditional Architecture community and aims to challenge the modernist dogma. In this article, Michelle Sofge...
CONTEMPORIST
This Small Home With A Green Roof Curves Around A Pond Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in...
8 months ago
45
8 months ago
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in Hungary’s lush rural landscapes. Situated next to a fishing pond, the home is a retreat for the owners and is dug into a mound, peeking out just enough to blend with the horizon....
99% Invisible
Meet Me at Riis There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years,...
4 months ago
56
4 months ago
There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years, has been a pivotal site for queer liberation. It’s called the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park, also known, simply, as Riis. This history is deeply connected to an abandoned,...
CONTEMPORIST
This Little Laneway House In Toronto Has An Upstairs Bedroom Overlooking The Street Creative Union Network Inc. has designed a small laneway house in Toronto, Canada, that was...
a year ago
121
a year ago
Creative Union Network Inc. has designed a small laneway house in Toronto, Canada, that was originally built as a garage. The building occupied a prominent location on the corner of the lane and main street. The original structure, although rundown, was a well-loved structure...
Construction Physics
How the Gas Turbine Conquered the Electric Power Industry A prophecy expressed frequently in engineering circles at the present day is that turbines actuated...
a year ago
32
a year ago
A prophecy expressed frequently in engineering circles at the present day is that turbines actuated by hot gases, other than steam, will eventually come to the front as prime movers. — A Scientific Investigation Into the Possibilities of Gas-Turbines,
Common Edge
Braids by Jade: L.A. Street Art Through Two Lenses Artist Lauren Halsey's visual chronicles of her changing neighborhood.
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Creative Patterned Designs Cover The Facade Of This Brick House Manoj Patel Design Studio has shared photos of a home they’ve completed in Vadodara, India, that...
a year ago
50
a year ago
Manoj Patel Design Studio has shared photos of a home they’ve completed in Vadodara, India, that includes unique brick designs on its facade. Located in the middle of an urban area, the eye-catching facade showcases a brick accent section that has a variety of artistic patterns....
CONTEMPORIST
An Intentionally Muted Yet Refined Palette Of Natural Materials For A Home In Lake Tahoe MacCracken Robinson Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Lake Tahoe,...
a month ago
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a month ago
MacCracken Robinson Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Lake Tahoe, California with an intentionally muted yet refined palette of natural materials including cedar, oak, fir, and steel, allowing the house to harmoniously blend with the surroundings....
Common Edge
Social Housing in America: Architects Must Answer the Call They have a responsibility to the public to visualize the potential of social housing in America.
12 months ago
Contemporist...
A Warehouse-Inspired Home With A Spanish Twist Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired...
3 months ago
41
3 months ago
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired townhouse with a Spanish twist inside.
Old Structures...
Not Quite Qualifying One of the points that I felt has to be made in discussing early skyscrapers in The Structure of...
a year ago
12
a year ago
One of the points that I felt has to be made in discussing early skyscrapers in The Structure of Skyscrapers in America was that the issues discussed apply to buildings outside the specific boundaries of my research. My research was specifically on buildings ten stories and...
CONTEMPORIST
Fluted Concrete Walls Cut By Continuous Window Openings Define This Villa NOMO STUDIO has shared photos of a modern home they’ve designed in Menorca, Spain, that features a...
a year ago
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a year ago
NOMO STUDIO has shared photos of a modern home they’ve designed in Menorca, Spain, that features a textured facade of fluted concrete walls. The fluted concrete walls are sliced by continuous window openings creating a combination of horizontal stripes that alternate between...
CONTEMPORIST
A Wood-Lined Office That Used To Be A Parking Lot Ujigawa Ohzono Architects has shared photos of a small wood-lined office they designed in Kyoto,...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Ujigawa Ohzono Architects has shared photos of a small wood-lined office they designed in Kyoto, Japan, that was once a parking lot. The owner of the land, who had been running a construction company in the local area for a long time, decided to create a place where dialogue can...
Old Structures...
Another Moment of Transition This a nice postcard of the north end of Union Square, using a hand-color photograph from 1910 as...
12 months ago
20
12 months ago
This a nice postcard of the north end of Union Square, using a hand-color photograph from 1910 as its basis. The centerpiece is the Metropolitan Life tower at Madison Square, seven blocks to the north of the foreground buildings on East 17th Street. Those buildings include the...
Coffee with an...
Notes on being an Architect
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Contemporary Japanese Design Blends Seamlessly With Tropical Modernism In This New Home Architecture firm Alexis Dornier Makings has shared photos of a private residence in Berawa, Bali,...
8 months ago
68
8 months ago
Architecture firm Alexis Dornier Makings has shared photos of a private residence in Berawa, Bali, that they completed which seamlessly blends contemporary Japanese design with tropical modernism. The centerpiece of ‘The Free Bird Project’ is a living room positioned above the...
Common Edge
Randy Fertel on the Power and Peril of Creative Improvisation A lively talk with the author about his new book, Winging It.
10 months ago
Contemporist...
A Curved Corner Softens The Space Inside This Home Extension Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a...
a year ago
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a year ago
Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a run-down home in Victoria, that includes a new contemporary addition with a curved wall.
Old Structures...
An Obvious Issue “The Battle for the Streets of New York” by Dodai Stewart and illustrated by Leon Edler, in Monday’s...
9 months ago
36
9 months ago
“The Battle for the Streets of New York” by Dodai Stewart and illustrated by Leon Edler, in Monday’s New York Times, is a reasonable discussion of congestion on Manhattan’s streets. Not just car congestion – delivery truck, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian congestion are discussed as...
CONTEMPORIST
A 1970s Four Bedroom Home Renovated For A Couple That Loves To Entertain Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin,...
4 months ago
52
4 months ago
Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin, Texas, for their clients that wanted a home for entertaining. The transformation involved converting a four-bedroom floor plan into a spacious, open, one bedroom home. A long...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Recycle When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York...
7 months ago
47
7 months ago
When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York City Transit Authority, from when it was created in 1953, the subway system as created by two private companies (the IRT and BMT) and the city-owned IND. All three parts of the...
Contemporist...
20 Top A’ Architecture Design Award Winners A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
a year ago
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a year ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing the 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
Old Structures...
Loans I’m not sure why “Is a Library-centric Economy the Answer to Sustainable Living” by Philip Vachon...
5 months ago
44
5 months ago
I’m not sure why “Is a Library-centric Economy the Answer to Sustainable Living” by Philip Vachon surprised me, but it did. The basic argument is that the ideas that govern good libraries – making as many books available to as many readers as possible, fairly and efficiently, and...
The Architectural...
Four Versions: This Is How Penn Station, NY, Might Look if Rebuilt You may have heard about ReThinkNYC, a movement and not-for-profit corporation dedicated to...
8 months ago
81
8 months ago
You may have heard about ReThinkNYC, a movement and not-for-profit corporation dedicated to rebuilding the original Pennsylvania Station in New York through ReThinkPennStationNYC. Collaborating with classical architect Richard Cameron, they have developed three new variations on...
Common Edge
What Happened to New York City Public Housing, and How Can We Fix It? The former chief architect for NYCHA on what ails the the system.
11 months ago
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
14
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...
devonzuegel.com
Part 2: Cluster development preserves California’s landscape A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the...
a year ago
36
a year 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. One of the most essential parts of California Forever’s proposal to...
Archinect - Features
You, Me, and DALL-E: On the Relationship Between Architecture, Data, and Artificial... Thirty years after the thaw of the last 'AI Winter,' the landscape of artificial intelligence is one...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Thirty years after the thaw of the last 'AI Winter,' the landscape of artificial intelligence is one of a forest in full bloom. On a weekly basis throughout 2023, new tools have been released taking advantage of the latest advances in machine learning algorithms, while existing...
Coffee with an...
GENERAL NOTES: *feel free to add these to your construction documents
a year ago
Old Structures...
More Bragging But Usefully So In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of...
3 months ago
41
3 months ago
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers, which is the eastern-Pennsylvania chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Pennsylvania. The topic is “Engineers’ Guidelines for Historic Buildings” and I’m...
Old Structures...
A Holdout In January 1958, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo from the east side of Lexington Avenue, between 53rd...
10 months ago
31
10 months ago
In January 1958, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo from the east side of Lexington Avenue, between 53rd and 54th Streets, looking west toward Park Avenue. The block bounded by those four streets was at that time entirely empty except for this old rowhouse at 620 Lexington. It was...
99% Invisible
Between the Blocks [EPISODE] Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock...
a year ago
38
a year ago
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock park” green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They’re not so much “parks” in the formal sense, with fences and gates, just open...
Construction Physics
What Progress Has There Been In Industrial Robots? Long-term, I’m optimistic about robots and automation solving construction’s stagnant cost and...
a year ago
17
a year ago
Long-term, I’m optimistic about robots and automation solving construction’s stagnant cost and productivity problem. Even if nothing else works, if you can build a cheap machine capable of doing everything a human can do, that would greatly reduce labor costs, which are a large...
Old Structures...
Amusing Until It’s Not This story turns ugly rather quickly. From the New York Public Library scrapbook, The Hippotheatron...
6 months ago
54
6 months ago
This story turns ugly rather quickly. From the New York Public Library scrapbook, The Hippotheatron and New York Cirque: That’s 14th Street between Irving Place and Third Avenue, with an out-chapel of Grace Church next door. As the name suggests, that weird building was a theater...
CONTEMPORIST
Two Spiral Staircases Help Create This Unique Home Design Architect Alexis Dornier together with interior designer Silvia Fairman, have completed a new home...
a year ago
60
a year ago
Architect Alexis Dornier together with interior designer Silvia Fairman, have completed a new home in the Balinese jungle, that features a unique design centered around a pair of spiral staircases. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature and a desire to challenge...
CONTEMPORIST
A Black Brick Exterior Is Consistent With The Dark Forest Surrounding This Modern Home Architecture and interior design firm GO’C has shared photos of a home they recently completed...
a year ago
27
a year ago
Architecture and interior design firm GO’C has shared photos of a home they recently completed northwest of Seattle on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington. Located on a secluded wooded site, near a small beach town, the home has been designed with dark black brick walls with...
CONTEMPORIST
This Hotel Includes A Series Of Treehouse Inspired Elevated Cabins Studio Saxe has shared photos of the Suitree Experience Hotel they completed in Sardinal, Costa...
a year ago
26
a year ago
Studio Saxe has shared photos of the Suitree Experience Hotel they completed in Sardinal, Costa Rica, that offers a distinct canopy-based guest experience. Inspired by childhood treehouses, the designers created tree-inspired pods floating over the landscape, together with a...
The Modern House
A new chapter: seven creatively converted homes It takes an especially skilled eye to see the potential of somewhere to call home in a space not...
3 months ago
3
3 months ago
It takes an especially skilled eye to see the potential of somewhere to call home in a space not designed with that in mind. But in this country, with its architectural tapestry of period buildings and premium on space, we have become adept at repackaging […]
Coffee with an...
Design explained with pie charts Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts. Unfortunately, this...
11 months ago
71
11 months ago
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts. Unfortunately, this isn’t that: More Design in charts – HERE, and HERE and HERE
CONTEMPORIST
A Waterfront A-frame House Renovated With Contemporary Finishes Joe Herrin, Principal at Heliotrope Architects, has shared photos of an A-Frame cabin he completed...
9 months ago
48
9 months ago
Joe Herrin, Principal at Heliotrope Architects, has shared photos of an A-Frame cabin he completed as an idyllic little home on Orcas Island, set within the San Juan Island Archipelago of Washington state. The cabin structure is a modest late-60’s era kit A-frame, built by the...
Common Edge
MoMA’s Woefully Incomplete Look at Architecture’s Environmental Arc A new exhibition is at best a limited glimpse at a critical movement.
a year ago
Common Edge
Contemporary Architecture and the Modern City Americans don’t like modern buildings because they don’t like the modern city.
6 months ago
Old Structures...
Travelog: Minimal Observation How much can you determine about a building in a minute or two? The short answer is “not much” but...
11 months ago
28
11 months ago
How much can you determine about a building in a minute or two? The short answer is “not much” but sometimes you can get useful information about the structure from the street. It’s certainly easier if you know the history of the area – I am far more efficient at building...
Construction Physics
Could We Boost Housing Construction by Permitting ADUs Under the HUD Code? To boost housing construction, some jurisdictions have adopted a new strategy: allowing the...
a year ago
47
a year ago
To boost housing construction, some jurisdictions have adopted a new strategy: allowing the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. ADUs, sometimes called “granny flats,” are small, secondary housing units built on the lots of existing single family homes – things like...
Blog - Guerrilla...
How Guerrilla Cartography’s Atlases Promote Diverse Perspectives Guerrilla Cartography aims to promote the understanding that there are many views of the world, that...
a year ago
55
a year ago
Guerrilla Cartography aims to promote the understanding that there are many views of the world, that how we understand space and place can vary, and that we should think critically about the maps and the graphics we make and consume. Our organization has designed processes for...
Common Edge
Why Mass Transit in America Disappeared A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric...
a year ago
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a year ago
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight.
Contemporist...
Giant 'Woven' Fabric Graces The Window Of This Flagship Store Architecture firm LAAB has shared photos the Cozey flagship retail store they designed in Toronto,...
4 months ago
53
4 months ago
Architecture firm LAAB has shared photos the Cozey flagship retail store they designed in Toronto, Canada, that includes an eye-catching window showcase.
Archinect - Features
2025 Summer Architecture Programs for Adults and High School Graduates Archinect’s 2025 roundup of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, focusing on...
2 weeks ago
10
2 weeks ago
Archinect’s 2025 roundup of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, focusing on opportunities for high school graduates, college students, and adults of all experience levels. Whether you're exploring architecture for the first time or seeking to deepen your knowledge...
CONTEMPORIST
A Desk Designed To Hide Inside The Wall Architectural and interior design firm Sonya Lee Architect has shared photos of a 1930s home they...
a year ago
15
a year ago
Architectural and interior design firm Sonya Lee Architect has shared photos of a 1930s home they renovated in Queens, New York, that includes an interesting design detail. As working from home has become much more popular, especially over the last few years, the designers...
CONTEMPORIST
An Exterior Of Vertical Wood Siding Helps This House Blend Into The Surrounding Forest 77 Architecture Studio has shared photos of a home they designed on the edge of a housing estate...
a year ago
16
a year ago
77 Architecture Studio has shared photos of a home they designed on the edge of a housing estate near the forest in central Poland, near Warsaw. The house with its vertical wood facade, gives way to the natural beauty of its surroundings, discreetly immersing its architecture...
Old Structures...
Previous Work A minor point, but it never hurts to look at the details. The photo above shows repair work on a...
a year ago
22
a year ago
A minor point, but it never hurts to look at the details. The photo above shows repair work on a 1920s steel-frame building. The black-painted iron is the top landing, at the roof level, of a fire-escape; there used to be (and will be again, soon) a parapet on either side of it,...
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...
7 months ago
47
7 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...
Old Structures...
Doodling In A Hotel A remarkable sketch by Cass Gilbert from July 1933: From left to right, the Dom Tower in Utrecht...
11 months ago
46
11 months ago
A remarkable sketch by Cass Gilbert from July 1933: From left to right, the Dom Tower in Utrecht (fourteenth-century, 368 feet high): St Mark’s Campanile in Venice (ninth century, rebuilt in the early twentieth century after it collapsed, 323 feet high): and Gilbert’s own...
Old Structures...
Got Very Big, Very Fast Yesterday, I mentioned two department stores in New York, the 1846 A. T. Stewart Store at Broadway...
5 months ago
54
5 months ago
Yesterday, I mentioned two department stores in New York, the 1846 A. T. Stewart Store at Broadway and Chambers Street that was the first real department store in the US, and the 1896 Siegel-Cooper Store at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street that was for a time the largest store in the...
99% Invisible
The Big Dig [EPISODE] Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive...
a year ago
106
a year ago
Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive infrastructure project, which rerouted the central highway in the heart of the city, encountered every hurdle imaginable: ruthless politics, engineering challenges, secretive contractors,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern L-Shaped Home Surrounded By A Pine Tree Forest Design build firm MAFCOhouse, has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Haliburton,...
a year ago
31
a year ago
Design build firm MAFCOhouse, has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Haliburton, Ontario, for a family that wanted a place in cottage country with a cozy vibe. Working with the family, MAFCOhouse searched hard and found a four-acre lot with southern and...
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
19
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...
Contemporist...
Dyed Cement Shingles Cover The Counter Inside This Bakery Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes...
5 months ago
55
5 months ago
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes handcrafted pieces of dyed cement in its design.
Old Structures...
A Desperately-Needed Addendum My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a...
a year ago
13
a year ago
My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a cliff-hanger. Dan Eschenasy asked the obvious question: did the building in question fall down? The answer is no, it did not. 428 West 29th Street shows up on the land use maps in...
Old Structures...
How Far Is Far? I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a...
a year ago
17
a year ago
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a familiar profile: That’s Billionaire’s Row, on the order of eight and a half miles away. It’s no surpise that you can see a big building from a distance – that’s the essence of all...
Archinect - Features
'You Need to Use AI Much More Than You Think to Get Unique Results From It'; A Conversation... Studying Alexis Christodoulou’s work, including his highly popular Instagram portfolio, one would...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Studying Alexis Christodoulou’s work, including his highly popular Instagram portfolio, one would expect his images to be the product of decades of education, training, and practice at the top of the field. The fact that Christodoulou is a self-taught artist of ten years,...
SOCKS
Architectural Narrative: “New York City: The Edge of Enigma” by Francisco Javier Rencoret (1991) In 1991, Francisco Javier Rencoret, a Chilean architect and then Fulbright scholar at Cornell...
a year ago
50
a year ago
In 1991, Francisco Javier Rencoret, a Chilean architect and then Fulbright scholar at Cornell University, published New York City: The Edge of Enigma, (Princeton Architectural Press), a visual essay that retraces the myth of the foundation and development of New York City....
Old Structures...
Close By From Angelo Rizzuto, a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from June 1954. It was not taken from Woolworth,...
8 months ago
63
8 months ago
From Angelo Rizzuto, a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from June 1954. It was not taken from Woolworth, as the angle is slightly wrong. The bridge was in a transition period, with one major renovation just completed and another about to start. Between 1950 and 1954, the bridge...
CONTEMPORIST
A Tiny Public Library With A Roof Inspired By A Sheet Of Paper Ninja Stuudio has shared photos of “White Sheet”, a tiny public library and reading pavilion they...
10 months ago
62
10 months ago
Ninja Stuudio has shared photos of “White Sheet”, a tiny public library and reading pavilion they completed in Tallinn, Estonia. The design has been inspired by the image of a literary idea, with the pavilion’s roof hovering as a light sheet of paper in mid-air relying only on...
99% Invisible
The Ripple Effect [EPISODE] In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city...
6 months ago
43
6 months ago
In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city or town. They ripple outward, cascading into the surrounding area, as the survivors are forced to go looking for new places to live. This is the story of what happened after the...
Old Structures...
Housekeeping The two-site business is done. Oldstructures.nyc now redirects to Oldstructyres.com, so everyone is...
a year ago
29
a year ago
The two-site business is done. Oldstructures.nyc now redirects to Oldstructyres.com, so everyone is seeing the same, new website. We’re still working some kinks out. If you have an email or WordPress subscription to the website, I think you’ll have to update it. Or maybe not, who...
Contemporist...
This Tall And Skinny House Also Has A Rooftop Pool Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi...
a year ago
75
a year ago
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a family of four with two sons.
Old Structures...
Possibly The title of this 1958 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is “Aerial view of street, possibly Park Avenue, with...
10 months ago
69
10 months ago
The title of this 1958 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is “Aerial view of street, possibly Park Avenue, with raised medians separating traffic in each direction, high-rise buildings lining both sides of the street.” That’s definitely Park Avenue looking north from approximately 89th...
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...
a year ago
34
a year 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...
Old Structures...
Regular, Fast, Very Fast Are you really an engineer if you don’t laugh out loud at this xkcd strip?
6 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Metal Cladding Wraps Around The Large Gable Roof Of This House BLA Design Group has shared photos of their latest project, a unique modern home that marries the...
a year ago
72
a year ago
BLA Design Group has shared photos of their latest project, a unique modern home that marries the West and the East, linking a Chinese-Canadian family’s present lifestyle to their past memories. Located in Vancouver, Canada, the home has a prominent gable form that floats atop...
devonzuegel.com
Book notes: Against the Grain, by James C. Scott Here are some notes and quotes that particularly stood out to me from each chapter of Against the...
over a year ago
15
over a year ago
Here are some notes and quotes that particularly stood out to me from each chapter of Against the Grain. This isn't a summary of the book. It's mostly for my future self to refer back to (and thus probably missing a lot for someone who hasn't read it), but the tidbits are so...
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
70
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...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's Guide to the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: Part I — The National... With the opening week of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale now passed, there has been much...
a year ago
18
a year ago
With the opening week of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale now passed, there has been much discussion and media coverage of the anticipated international exhibition. It's safe to imply that the high-profile event aims to highlight, unveil, celebrate, and at times, provoke new...
Old Structures...
New And Improved Graphics! Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan...
4 months ago
45
4 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
A Garage Transformed Into An Apartment With A Home Office YR Architecture + Design has shared photos of a modern 575 square foot (53 sqm) live/work studio in...
a year ago
112
a year ago
YR Architecture + Design has shared photos of a modern 575 square foot (53 sqm) live/work studio in Columbus, OH, that was once a 2-car garage. The homeowners were determined for their two-car garage to be an asset, with the couple seeking to maximize their property, and at the...
CONTEMPORIST
Over 5 Miles Of Rattan Were Used To Create The Interior Of Bengaluru International Airport Enter Projects Asia has designed, delivered, and constructed the interiors of the post-security...
8 months ago
69
8 months ago
Enter Projects Asia has designed, delivered, and constructed the interiors of the post-security departures area of Bengaluru International Airport. The interior, which features a variety of sculptural elements, includes retail, hospitality, and relaxation areas. The designers...
The Modern House
Inside architect Ben Allen’s modernist ‘cottage in the sky’
3 weeks ago
Old Structures...
The Back Side I’ve discussed the old Croton Distributing Reservoir several times before. It was the southernmost...
11 months ago
30
11 months ago
I’ve discussed the old Croton Distributing Reservoir several times before. It was the southernmost visible part of New York’s first really good water system, and occupied the same spot that the New York Public Library does today: 40th to 42nd Street, from Fifth Avenue to a little...
Old Structures...
Slow, But Faster Than Original My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of...
6 months ago
60
6 months ago
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of today, we’re about up to where the Parisians were in 1200 or so. From a month ago, construction of the nave walls: and the forest of nave columns: From yesterday, the nave walls and...
CONTEMPORIST
This Japanese Restaurant Uses Washi-Inspired Acrylic Panels To Create A Cozy Atmosphere odd design has shared photos of a Japanese restaurant they recently completed in Beijing, China,...
5 months ago
55
5 months ago
odd design has shared photos of a Japanese restaurant they recently completed in Beijing, China, that uses textural materials to create a quiet, relaxing, and cozy atmosphere. The open entrance consists of a light box and two sets of low-wall partitions, allowing the space to be...
Old Structures...
Three Generations With Little Resemblence From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a page from 1918 showing the Hotel Marguery on the west...
3 months ago
38
3 months ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a page from 1918 showing the Hotel Marguery on the west side of Park Avenue, between 47th and 49th Streets. The building’s address was 270 Park Avenue. That odd two-wing configuration is what happens when you plan a building around a...
CONTEMPORIST
Planter Boxes Were Designed To Help This House To Blend Into Its Tropical Setting Architecture firm Studio Saxe has designed a new home for their clients from Canada, who were...
a year ago
60
a year ago
Architecture firm Studio Saxe has designed a new home for their clients from Canada, who were looking to get away from the winter season and enjoy the tropical weather of Costa Rica. The home is surrounded by a tropical landscape, with the seasonal creek and wildlife of the...
Construction Physics
The Rise of Steel Part II Welcome to the Rise of Steel part II. We previously looked at the early stages of industrialization...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Welcome to the Rise of Steel part II. We previously looked at the early stages of industrialization of iron and steelmaking, between roughly 1200 and 1850. To briefly recap, making steel was an involved, multistep process. Iron would first be smelted from iron ore in a blast...
Old Structures...
The Black Tower For all you Lord of the Rings fans, remember: Brooklyn is not Mordor. No matter what similarities...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
For all you Lord of the Rings fans, remember: Brooklyn is not Mordor. No matter what similarities may exist.
CONTEMPORIST
Lighting Highlights The Alternating Curvilinear Balconies Of This New Apartment Building Omniview Design has completed the Golf Apartments, a high-end residential development adjacent to a...
a year ago
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a year ago
Omniview Design has completed the Golf Apartments, a high-end residential development adjacent to a famous golf course in Glyfada, Greece. Key to the design of the building are the curvilinear balconies that alternate directions creating a lively facade. In the evening, lighting...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A 1960s House Transformed Into A Modern Home For A Growing Family Floisand Studio Architects has designed the remodel of a 1960s home in Seattle, Washington, and...
a year ago
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a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has designed the remodel of a 1960s home in Seattle, Washington, and transformed it into a modern house for a growing family. This remodel sits on the same basement and foundation as its predecessor, but that’s where the similarities end. Here’s what...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Awards When Arata Isozaki died at the end of 2022 at the age of 91, nearly all of the news stories and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
When Arata Isozaki died at the end of 2022 at the age of 91, nearly all of the news stories and obituaries mentioned that he was a Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, and quite a few also included mention of the Pritzker Prize in the headline. Although the Pritzker has long...
Contemporist...
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
a year ago
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a year ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
Old Structures...
Not So Picturesque From 1849, “New York from the steeple of St. Paul’s Church, looking east, south and west.” In other...
12 months ago
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12 months ago
From 1849, “New York from the steeple of St. Paul’s Church, looking east, south and west.” In other words, looking into the heart of the downtown commercial district from its northern edge. My first thought in looking at this picture was that in 1849, before industrial technology...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Iconic There are all sorts of tricks – visual shorthand – for saying “you’re in New York” in movies, TV,...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
There are all sorts of tricks – visual shorthand – for saying “you’re in New York” in movies, TV, and photos. One of them is to include some roof-top water tanks. Comics, too: The purpose of the tanks is very simple. They store water pumped up form the municipal main, and water...
99% Invisible
Chick Tracts [EPISODE] Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There...
a year ago
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a year ago
Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There are two hundred and seventy different Chick Tracts, with titles like “The Death Cookie,” “Kidnapped!,” “Mean Momma,” “The Sissy?,” and “Satan Comes To Salem.” Many of these are...
Common Edge
People, Places, Cities: Making the Case for Placemaking Why it’s the solution to livable cities.
a week ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Kindergarten Design Features Vibrant Colored Glass Inside And Out SAKO Architects has sent us photos of a kindergarten they designed in Tianshui, China, that features...
a year ago
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a year ago
SAKO Architects has sent us photos of a kindergarten they designed in Tianshui, China, that features a white exterior with a kaleidoscope of colors. The kindergarten, built in a small provincial town, features white exterior walls with windows in the shape of local yao-tung...
Blog - Guerrilla...
TRANSitar Lima THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t? Map of...
a year ago
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a year ago
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t? Map of Lima, Peru About the project TRANSitar Lima is a project that seeks to create a visual record of transphobic violence, based on collective mapping sessions. Trans, transvestites, and...
99% Invisible
Office Space [EPISODE] Right now, in Manhattan, 18% of office space is vacant. At the same time, the city of New York has a...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Right now, in Manhattan, 18% of office space is vacant. At the same time, the city of New York has a major housing problem, with more than 100,000 people using the municipal shelter system. So Eric Adams and city officials are talking a lot about taking those empty offices, and...
Old Structures...
The Public Realm This is the 1895 firehouse constructed for Engine Company 31 and Battalion 2 of the Fire Department...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
This is the 1895 firehouse constructed for Engine Company 31 and Battalion 2 of the Fire Department of New York, at Lafayette and White Streets. The fire department facilities were moved elsewhere over 50 years ago, but the building is landmarked and reusable, so it has been...
The Solarchitecture...
Follow up to circadian rhythm post Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
over a year ago
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
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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.
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 5 This is the last of the collection of little-known ballfields, following Brooklyn, Manhattan, and...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
This is the last of the collection of little-known ballfields, following Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and the little-known teams who played in those fields. It’s very difficult to find information about the only Bronx important ball field in the Bronx. While it’s sometimes...
Contemporist...
A Re-Imagined Side Extension With A Slatted Wood Design YARD Architects has shared photos of a side extension they re-imagined for a home in Greater London,...
a year ago
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a year ago
YARD Architects has shared photos of a side extension they re-imagined for a home in Greater London, England, that creates an open and bright dining area and kitchen.
Old Structures...
History From Afar This is a fantastic, if weirdly inaccurate, map from 1840. It was, according to the text at the...
11 months ago
27
11 months ago
This is a fantastic, if weirdly inaccurate, map from 1840. It was, according to the text at the bottom, “Published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge”, located in London. I am all for the diffusion of useful knowledge, but the problem with this map is that its...
The Solarchitecture...
Regenerative Architecture Shifting our time horizon.
a week ago
Old Structures...
Imitation There’s a phenomenon that I think of as “life imitiates art imitates life imitates art…ad...
a year ago
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a year ago
There’s a phenomenon that I think of as “life imitiates art imitates life imitates art…ad infinitium”. A work of art – a drawing, a painting, a movie – is base don reality and augments, making it look better than it does in real life, and then people change what they’re doing to...
Old Structures...
Different Views From 1910, stereoscopic views from an upper floor of the Singer Building looking south and north The...
4 months ago
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4 months 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...
Old Structures...
A Specific Location “Pretty” is almost certainly the wrong word for this 1902 postcard view of lower Manhattan. It...
a year ago
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a year ago
“Pretty” is almost certainly the wrong word for this 1902 postcard view of lower Manhattan. It shows, accurately, a jumbled mess with smoke everywhere. But is it real? Is this a photograph that was hand-painted to create the color, or is it a rendering by a very active artist? I...
Common Edge
How Madagascar Is Confronting Climate Change The island nation is grappling with unique and formidable environmental challenges.
a year ago
99% Invisible
You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark [EPISODE] Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as...
a year ago
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a year ago
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage stamp. It was put to a popular vote: should the stamp feature an image of...
Old Structures...
Solving A Non-Existent Problem This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct...
a year ago
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a year 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...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Designed As One Long Curve FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing curved design. Through its shape and arrangement, the curved home protects itself from the busy road, while also opening up the interior to the outdoor spaces, like the yard and...
Contemporist...
A Glass Wall Separates A Bedroom From The Living Spaces In This Apartment MIKOLAJSKAstudio has shared photos of an apartment in Krakow, Poland, that includes a main living...
a year ago
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a year ago
MIKOLAJSKAstudio has shared photos of an apartment in Krakow, Poland, that includes a main living level with a bedroom enclosed behind a glass wall.
99% Invisible
Train Set: Track Three [EPISODE] Happy National Train Day, everyone – for those of you who missed it: that was May 13th this year. A...
a year ago
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a year ago
Happy National Train Day, everyone – for those of you who missed it: that was May 13th this year. A year ago, we started down this path with Train Set: Track One, which gave way to Track Two …and now, here we are for the final part of our train-fecta. First Stop: Shining Time...
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
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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,...
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
19
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...
CONTEMPORIST
Crafting Connection: A Contemporary Addition to a Historic Bungalow Carter Williamson Architects has shared photos of a new home extension that they designed for an...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Carter Williamson Architects has shared photos of a new home extension that they designed for an Australian house in a heritage conservation area. The designers’ brief asked for an open, warm home in which a family could truly gather, one that respected the home’s history while...
99% Invisible
Nuts and Bolts [EPISODE] In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way),...
a year ago
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a year ago
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering that have shaped the modern world: the nail, the wheel, the spring, the...
CONTEMPORIST
Cantilevered Boxes Are Juxtaposed With Gabled Forms On This Modern Home This modern home designed by LaRue Architects and recently remodeled by Kelle Contine Interior...
a year ago
25
a year ago
This modern home designed by LaRue Architects and recently remodeled by Kelle Contine Interior Design, has an H-shape that’s composed of cantilevered boxes and gabled forms. The residence, located in Austin, Texas, is made with vernacular charcoal gray Lueders limestone, smooth...
Construction Physics
How the Car Came to LA Since at least the 1960s, urbanists have bemoaned the car-centric nature of US transportation. In...
a year ago
16
a year ago
Since at least the 1960s, urbanists have bemoaned the car-centric nature of US transportation. In her 1961 “The Death and Life of Great American Cities," Jane Jacobs notes that “everyone who values cities is disturbed by automobiles”: Traffic arteries, along with parking lots,...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – A New Garden Studio For A Writer MW Architects has shared photos of a new garden room in London, England, that replaced an old...
a year ago
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a year ago
MW Architects has shared photos of a new garden room in London, England, that replaced an old derelict wash house, that was in danger of slipping down a steep slope and existed at the back of an overgrown garden. Here’s what it looked like originally. The new studio, which has...
Old Structures...
Photographic Tricks That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on...
a year ago
15
a year ago
That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on the left), west (in the middle) and not-quite-north (on the right). I’m not sure how the photographer, Burton Welles, managed this, but it’s an impressive shot. On the left, we have...
CONTEMPORIST
A Unique Window Shape Helps Frame The View From Inside This Cabin Architecture firm Rever & Drage has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they designed that...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture firm Rever & Drage has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they designed that includes a uniquely shaped window to perfectly frame the view of the sunset. Located in Nordmarka, Norway, the cabin contains the most necessary features, but not much more, making it...
Old Structures...
Even A Joke Takes Effort From 1911, Cass Gilbert’s sketches of his father (top) and himself (bottom): From the Woolworth...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
From 1911, Cass Gilbert’s sketches of his father (top) and himself (bottom): From the Woolworth Building lobby as completed in late 1912, the grotesque* of Gilbert holding a model of his building: Given that the grotesque is wearing glasses bit not a laurel wreath, a sketch much...
Old Structures...
Some Same, Some Different In the same vein as yesterday’s post, here’s an 1865 photo of Leonard Street: We’ve got a bunch of...
a year ago
21
a year ago
In the same vein as yesterday’s post, here’s an 1865 photo of Leonard Street: We’ve got a bunch of loft buildings with the employees of Van Volkenburgh Brothers and Ladewig & Haydter (the nearer building), Wright & Ketchum and S. E. Halle (the middle building), and two firms...
Benny Kuriakose
Designing Student Amenities That Encourage Creative Growth Providing spaces in schools that promote extracurricular activities in children and grow interests,...
a year ago
15
a year ago
Providing spaces in schools that promote extracurricular activities in children and grow interests, hobbies, and talents is highly...
Old Structures...
Four, Maybe Five, Maybe Six Bridges Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from Rutgers Street and South Street: We’ve got a pseudo-dramatic, badly framed view of the Manhattan tower of the Manhattan Bridge, with the elevated FDR Drive blocking most of it....
Contemporist...
A New Bunkhouse Provides Additional Accommodation For A Family's Cabin On An Island SHED Architecture & Design has shared photos of a two-story bunkhouse on Guemes Island in Washington...
a year ago
30
a year ago
SHED Architecture & Design has shared photos of a two-story bunkhouse on Guemes Island in Washington State, that provides additional sleeping accommodations for a family's cabin.
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...
3 months ago
41
3 months 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...
99% Invisible
A River Runs Through Los Angeles [EPISODE] When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a natural habitat. Well, the LA River looks nothing like that. Most people who see it probably mistake it for a giant storm drain. It’s a deep trapezoidal channel with steep concrete...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Vermont's Great Retreat To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles....
over a year ago
30
over a year ago
To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles. Talked to historians and librarians. And read maps. Lots of maps. As I did, I wondered if there was something in the landscape, the communities, the culture that made Vermont...
The Architectural...
Join the Architectural Competition to Reimagine Gran Vía’s Iconic Façade We invite all readers to contribute to an architectural competition to reimagine the façade of a...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
We invite all readers to contribute to an architectural competition to reimagine the façade of a significant building on Madrid’s famous Gran Vía. This competition focuses on number 19, the Court of Contentious-Administrative No. 10 headquarters, originally built in 1921 and...
CONTEMPORIST
Overhanging Plants Surround The Exterior Of This Home Niraj Doshi Design Consultancy has sent us photos of a home they completed in the neighborhood of...
a year ago
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a year ago
Niraj Doshi Design Consultancy has sent us photos of a home they completed in the neighborhood of Pune, India that has abundant greenery. To complement the surrounding neighborhood, they designed the house to have planters that line the exterior. The planters help the home merge...
Coffee with an...
Design explained with Bar Charts Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple bar charts. Right. This isn’t...
12 months ago
72
12 months ago
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple bar charts. Right. This isn’t that: More Design in charts – HERE, and HERE
devonzuegel.com
Georgist land taxes balance community benefit & the efficiency of markets One thing I like about Georgist land taxes is they reflect a deep-seated intuition many people have...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
One thing I like about Georgist land taxes is they reflect a deep-seated intuition many people have that land should be owned by the community, while still employing markets to ensure efficient use of this limited resource. People feel that land is special and should serve the...
devonzuegel.com
Urban sprawl is a tragedy of the commons We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: sprawling...
over a year ago
15
over a year ago
We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: sprawling development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities. People aim to maximize access and space when deciding where to live. All things equal, most people like...
Common Edge
What L.A. 2028 Can Learn From the Paris Olympics Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to...
5 months ago
55
5 months ago
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to take a cue from the City of Lights’ embrace of the local.
Common Edge
Telling the Essential Stories of Everyday Places A talk with Gabrielle Bendiner-Viana, author of The Cities We Need.
3 months ago
Common Edge
Finding Inspiration in Histories of Indian Families With Powerful Architectural Legacies The stories found in Architectural Inheritance and Evolution in India rekindled the fire for the...
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
An Urban Tree House In New York City NO ARCHITECTURE has shared photos of a home they completed inside a residential tower at the edge of...
a year ago
15
a year ago
NO ARCHITECTURE has shared photos of a home they completed inside a residential tower at the edge of Manhattan’s West Village, that has the appearance of an urban tree house. The open-plan social areas of the interior are housed in a double-height space with 22-ft tall glass...
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
15
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...
Nothing New For the end of the year, we’ve been doing some file reorganization – all digital, as our paper files...
2 months ago
40
2 months ago
For the end of the year, we’ve been doing some file reorganization – all digital, as our paper files are only a memory – and it’s worth remembering that issues of logisitics and organization are nothing new. One of the sources for our filing system is the 1917 file classification...
Old Structures...
Compression This may be the most difficult to place shot by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1958. The Library of...
9 months ago
21
9 months ago
This may be the most difficult to place shot by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1958. The Library of Congress title “Aerial view of unidentified street with multiple traffic lanes in each direction, high-rise buildings line both sides of the street” doesn’t help. The clue that got...
Contemporist...
The Dining Table Becomes Part Of The Stairs Inside This Eclectic House Mag Arquitectes together with Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA has shared photos of a home they designed in...
a year ago
20
a year ago
Mag Arquitectes together with Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA has shared photos of a home they designed in Catalunya, Spain, that showcases a unique dining area.
Common Edge
How the YIMBY-NIMBY Debate Worsened the Housing Crisis And how to change things for better results.
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Working Drawing Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the...
a year ago
16
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...
CONTEMPORIST
A Boldly Colored Pasta Shop Brightens Up The Street In Athens Design firm Studio Materiality has shared photos of Macaroni, a pasta shop they completed that’s...
a year ago
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a year ago
Design firm Studio Materiality has shared photos of Macaroni, a pasta shop they completed that’s located in the heart of Athens, Greece. The designers drew inspiration from the 1970s, with a boldly colored design, complete with a font from that era to create the logo. The...
Old Structures...
Top To Bottom From Scientific American, December 8, 1894, an interesting view of two buildings: drawings that...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
From Scientific American, December 8, 1894, an interesting view of two buildings: drawings that include both the above-ground portion of the buildings, more or less as you would see them, and the foundations as they could never be seen. The foundations are seen as if the earth...
CONTEMPORIST
A Complete Renovation Was Given To This 1980s Plaster Clad House Michael Cooper Architects has shared photos of a 1980s plaster-clad home in Auckland, New Zealand,...
a year ago
13
a year ago
Michael Cooper Architects has shared photos of a 1980s plaster-clad home in Auckland, New Zealand, that they renovated to bring it up to today’s standards. The house needed a re-design inside and out, with the clients requesting a contemporary design. The clients also wanted a...
Old Structures...
The Grenfell Report The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel:...
5 months ago
50
5 months ago
The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel: here. The New Civil Engineer has a good short summary here: “Grenfell disaster: ‘culmination of decades of failure by government and construction industry’” In one sense there are few...
Construction Physics
The grid part II - the golden age of the power industry Welcome to Part II of our history of the electric power industry. For Part I, see here. By 1930, the...
a year ago
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a year ago
Welcome to Part II of our history of the electric power industry. For Part I, see here. By 1930, the US was using 114 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, generated by more than 4000 power plants. Most electricity was generated by coal (56%) and hydroelectric (34%)...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #03: David Sims [EPISODE] This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power...
11 months ago
33
11 months ago
This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims is our book club guest. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan, Roman Mars, and David...
Contemporist...
An Old Stone Ruin Was Given New Life As A Contemporary Off-Grid Home Architect Dario Castellino has transformed an abandoned stone ruin that was once overgrown with...
11 months ago
Common Edge
Vishaan Chakrabarti: Looking for a Home, Aiming Risky Zingers The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
2 months ago
Common Edge
Everything Is (Not) Architecture: Environmental Design and Architecture’s Slippery Slope Does it exist, distinct from buildings and bodies?
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Laneway House With A Rotated Brick Facade Architecture firm Williamson Williamson has shared photos of a laneway home they completed in...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Architecture firm Williamson Williamson has shared photos of a laneway home they completed in Toronto, Canada, that features a distinct rotated brick facade. Usually, laneway houses are small, however, this one is a four-bedroom home, designed for a family of five, providing...
Old Structures...
Building, Blocks I looked up a bit more than usual today on a street that I’m on three or four times per week, and...
3 months ago
30
3 months ago
I looked up a bit more than usual today on a street that I’m on three or four times per week, and got this nice rear view of 75 Broad Street. The upper setbacks and tower are aligned with the overall cityscape; the lower base is aligned with ther curve of South William Street....
devonzuegel.com
On [there being more than] liberty Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question: When I was looking at your...
over a year ago
15
over a year ago
Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question: When I was looking at your website I came across these words: Individual liberty is the single most important value that society should uphold. I’m more utilitarian and communitarian now. I still believe we...
Old Structures...
Adelaide House, Part 4 – The Context Part 1, General: here. Part 2, Structure: here. Part 3, Facades: here. Skyscrapers only make sense...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Part 1, General: here. Part 2, Structure: here. Part 3, Facades: here. Skyscrapers only make sense as an urban phenomenon. (Keep in mind that a lot of inner-ring US suburbs are at urban density.) Putting aside the obvious economic argument that land is cheap in rural areas so...
Common Edge
Light and Color: The Spirit-Led Work of James Turrell The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
4 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Book Briefs #48 This latest installment of "Book Briefs" — the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand...
over a year ago
24
over a year ago
This latest installment of "Book Briefs" — the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that publishers send to me for consideration on this blog — features six books in three pairs. Obviously, these briefs are not...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Green Roof Covers This Riverside Home Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof that’s located on the bank of the Vistula River. The home has been designed to subtly integrate into the natural shape of the land and allows for a usable green roof. A sloped ramp...
Archinect - Features
ChatGPT Interviews Matias del Campo: Architecture, Hallucinations, and other Exotic... What is artificial intelligence? How can we maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the risks?...
a year ago
14
a year ago
What is artificial intelligence? How can we maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the risks? Is the role of the architect safe from AI? In any conversation about the impact of artificial intelligence on the architectural profession, such questions are at the forefront of...
Old Structures...
Recognizing Reality A hundred years ago, jaywalking was a made-up offense. In 1926, a study of traffic included the...
4 months ago
39
4 months ago
A hundred years ago, jaywalking was a made-up offense. In 1926, a study of traffic included the statement “all persons have an equal right in the highway, and that in exercising the right each shall take due care not to injure other users of the way.” Old pictures of even a...
Old Structures...
Boarding Sometimes the degree to which the past was simultaneously similar to the present and different...
11 months ago
24
11 months ago
Sometimes the degree to which the past was simultaneously similar to the present and different catches me by suprise. I was in the far west Village a few days ago and this building caught my eye. It’s a nice 1890s semi-industrial building turned into apartments There’s a sign...
Common Edge
Is Santa Clara—the Heart of Silicon Valley—Soulless and Banal By Intent? The city combines great wealth and utter placelessness.
a year ago
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
18
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...
The Wandering...
Constructing the Pattern on the Sala de la Barca Ceiling I was flipping through Owen Jones’s Grammar of Ornament a couple months ago, and my eye was caught...
11 months ago
75
11 months ago
I was flipping through Owen Jones’s Grammar of Ornament a couple months ago, and my eye was caught by this handsome pattern I had not noticed before. This is Jones’s Plate XLII, in the chapter on designs from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. He calls it, “Part of the ceiling of...
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
28
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....
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...
6 months ago
54
6 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.
CONTEMPORIST
Tropical Living: This Modern Home Embraces The Steep Terrain Of The Costa Rican Jungle SARCO Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in Costa Rica, designed to focus on...
8 months ago
48
8 months ago
SARCO Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in Costa Rica, designed to focus on transparency, blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces. The steep terrain posed the biggest challenge of the design, and as a result, the home was broken up into...
Common Edge
What Primitive Huts Teach Us About Architecture An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Glamping Tents Designed By Architects Architects Julio Cano and Barbara Bardin of Canobardin, have sent photos of the TipiTop Tents they...
6 months ago
45
6 months ago
Architects Julio Cano and Barbara Bardin of Canobardin, have sent photos of the TipiTop Tents they designed for the Costa del Sol Glamping Village in Spain. Each tent’s structure is made entirely of laminated pine wood, with a volume formed from three porticoes that support the...
CONTEMPORIST
This Barn-Inspired Home Hides A Playroom With Climbing Wall Under Its Gable Roof Tomas Beranek and Arthur Nuss of Global Architects collaborated with client and builder Bram van de...
a year ago
15
a year ago
Tomas Beranek and Arthur Nuss of Global Architects collaborated with client and builder Bram van de Wal to design and complete a barn-inspired modern home in The Netherlands. The barn house has a natural look and the modern simplicity of timber frame construction. The exterior...
Old Structures...
Skyscraperiness As I’ve said many times, in many venues, there really isn’t an objective description of...
11 months ago
27
11 months ago
As I’ve said many times, in many venues, there really isn’t an objective description of “skyscraper.” That said, nearly everyone’s subjective definition contains a version of the idea that a skyscraper is tall for its context. Here’s an Irving Underhill photo centered on the...
Contemporist...
An Exposed Structure Shows Off This House Design That Wraps Around A Pool Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo,...
6 months ago
56
6 months ago
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that was designed with a single-story layout that wraps around a swimming pool.
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...
5 months ago
45
5 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...
Common Edge
Why Does America Provide More Space for Storing Cars Than Housing People? Paved Paradise recounts parking’s pivotal history, exposing its environmental, economic, and social...
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 1 Continuing from yesterday’s dive, we have an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Continuing from yesterday’s dive, we have an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the relationship of the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge to the caisson that serves as its foundation. There’s a lot going on in this line drawing and it’s worth the time to describe it...
A Weekly Dose of...
From Slow House to Blue Dream Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her...
a year ago
27
a year ago
Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her husband Robert "Bobby" Taubman. The house, located in East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island, was completed in 2017, nearly 30 years after the architects were commissioned...
Archinect - Features
The People’s Place in the City of Bits and Atoms The city of the 21st century represents a confluence of bits and atoms; an organism in its own right...
a year ago
48
a year ago
The city of the 21st century represents a confluence of bits and atoms; an organism in its own right that relentlessly spawns information and data about itself, its people, and the invisible flows that support them. What is the relationship between humans and the city in this new...
Old Structures...
Land Engineering This map shows the proposed street layout in Manhattan from the original northern boundary at 155th...
a year ago
12
a year ago
This map shows the proposed street layout in Manhattan from the original northern boundary at 155th Street (on the left, where the blocks are shown as featureless white rectangles) to the northern tip of the island (on the right). I mentioned two days ago that the street layout...
Archinect - Features
What Europe Can (and Can’t) Tell the US About Architectural Licensure In the third part of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we reflect on what the United States can learn...
9 months ago
83
9 months ago
In the third part of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we reflect on what the United States can learn from the architecture licensure models of other nations. While doing so, we speak with Peggy Deamer, Professor Emerita of Yale University's School of Architecture, whose book...
Old Structures...
Happy Thanksgiving And the menu above provides a goal for dinner.
a year ago
Old Structures...
The True Form I thought I had posted this map before, but apparently not. John Montresor was an engineer in the...
a year ago
12
a year ago
I thought I had posted this map before, but apparently not. John Montresor was an engineer in the British army, who was in North America from the French and Indian War until about halfway through the American Revolution. He created this map in 1775, showing the city of New York,...
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
68
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...
A Sense Of The Past The thing about spending a week discussing the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge is that it all feels...
a year ago
14
a year ago
The thing about spending a week discussing the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge is that it all feels almost like fiction. The caissons have been buried in the sand at the bottom of the East River for more than 150 years. I know they are there because I know how to read historical...
Old Structures...
Snobbishness From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a caption writer with an attitude: Here’s the original...
2 months ago
33
2 months 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...
Old Structures...
Fireworks The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary...
8 months ago
43
8 months ago
The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary shows. From 1885, a fireworks show at Manhattan beach called The Last Days of Pompeii: Happy Independence Day.
Common Edge
San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building John King, urban design critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, talks about his new book, Portal.
a year ago
Common Edge
Architects Must Resist the AI “Revolution” No technological advance can match the power, memory, and creativity of the human brain.
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Many Architecture Firms Don’t Know How To Pursue International Work; We Spoke With Some That... Over the past year, the number of U.S. architecture firms working on international projects has...
6 months ago
73
6 months ago
Over the past year, the number of U.S. architecture firms working on international projects has gently increased. However, a recent AIA survey found that many firms do not know how to pursue international work. In search of insights and advice on the topic, we spoke with three...
Old Structures...
A Sometimes Disagreeable Foreign Land, Part 2 Continuing my stroll the 1893 Baedeker description of New York, pages 12 and 13 are a list of “chief...
3 months ago
22
3 months ago
Continuing my stroll the 1893 Baedeker description of New York, pages 12 and 13 are a list of “chief lines” of streetcars in Manhattan. There’s a parenthetical note that there are three streetcar lines that cross the Harlem River in “The ‘Annexed District’”. That’s the west...
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...
10 months ago
43
10 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...
Common Edge
As Brooklyn Nets’ Value Booms, a Missed Opportunity With the Arena A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.
8 months ago
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...
over a year ago
38
over 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...
Archinect - Features
Discussing Paid Research Opportunities for M.Arch Students at the UW-Milwaukee SARUP In November 2022, we connected with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture &...
a year ago
30
a year ago
In November 2022, we connected with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture & Urban Planning (SARUP) to unpack its Mellows Graduate Research Positions (formerly called the Mellowes Master’s Research Assistantships).  For the 2024-2025 school year, SARUP is...
Old Structures...
Pareidolia He’s a happy little gas-powered guy.
7 months ago
devonzuegel.com
A libertarian just won Argentina's presidency... what's going on? If you're wondering how the heck a hardline libertarian just won the Argentinian presidential...
a year ago
26
a year ago
If you're wondering how the heck a hardline libertarian just won the Argentinian presidential election, here's some background. First, a key fact is that the government is printing money at an accelerating rate, resulting in 143% annual inflation as of the most recent count. The...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #12: Robert Caro This is the twelfth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 months ago
55
2 months ago
This is the twelfth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. We’ve waited until the evening to see how splendid the day has been, and for this final installment, there was only one guest...
Contemporist...
A Home Designed To Walk Up And Around The Green Roof AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina,...
5 months ago
73
5 months ago
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina, whose design was inspired by geometry and its surroundings.
There are two types...
“Big Real Estate’s Continuing Stranglehold Over New York City” Recently, the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times about the causes of...
over a year ago
29
over a year ago
Recently, the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times about the causes of unaffordable housing in New York City. He blamed the crisis on a few things, including a powerful financial “monoculture” in the city, NIMBYs, … Continue reading → The post “Big...
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
CONTEMPORIST
8,000 Discs Were Suspended To Create This Artistic Installation Canadian-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has shared photos of Binary Spectrum, a site-specific...
a year ago
69
a year ago
Canadian-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has shared photos of Binary Spectrum, a site-specific art installation they created for a lobby atrium inside a building in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Comprised of 8,000 translucent discs, Binary Spectrum is a poetic expression of...
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.
4 months ago
There are two types...
Take Back The City On a recent episode of Billions, the New York Attorney General stands on the roof a car in the...
over a year ago
24
over a year ago
On a recent episode of Billions, the New York Attorney General stands on the roof a car in the middle of a New York City street with a bullhorn. Why? Vecause he’s positioned himself near a meeting on the Highline … Continue reading → The post Take Back The City appeared first on...
99% Invisible
Medellin, Revisited [EPISODE] Back in the 1980s, Medellín, Colombia was in the middle of a full-blown crisis. 30 years ago, this...
5 months ago
54
5 months ago
Back in the 1980s, Medellín, Colombia was in the middle of a full-blown crisis. 30 years ago, this was the murder capital of the world. Pablo Escobar’s notorious Medellín Cartel was waging a bloody drug war right on the city’s streets. For Medellín’s residents, the threat of...
Old Structures...
Keep The Scale In Mind Here’s a photo from yesterday of Shaquana getting a good look at a brownstone finial that’s been...
a year ago
19
a year ago
Here’s a photo from yesterday of Shaquana getting a good look at a brownstone finial that’s been removed during restoration work. This is a minor decorative element for the church it was removed from. It’s visually important, of course, and we’re not removing it to throw it away,...
Old Structures...
What’s In A Name? Apartment houses everywhere often have names seemingly disconnected from their surroundings. I grew...
4 months ago
43
4 months ago
Apartment houses everywhere often have names seemingly disconnected from their surroundings. I grew up in a building that was for no apparent reason called the Westgate, although at least the building immediately to its east was called the Eastgate. (There was no gate between...
Old Structures...
Visible To The Naked Eye Here’s the side wall of a building constructed about twenty-five years ago: I used this building not...
6 months ago
43
6 months ago
Here’s the side wall of a building constructed about twenty-five years ago: I used this building not because its construction was particularly bad – it is not – but because the glazed brick veneer on this side wall does a nice job of catching the raking sunlight. The brick color...
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
17
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
This 1950s California Ranch Home Was Updated With A Black And White Palette ANACAPA Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for a young family of...
a year ago
21
a year ago
ANACAPA Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for a young family of four who sought to update their 1952 California Ranch home nestled in the San Roque neighborhood of Santa Barbara. The original home had an awkward layout that chopped up the...
Archinect - Features
'Instead of Living in Fear of AI, Designers Should Engage With It'; A Conversation with... Amanda Talbot did not come from a technological background. Her career path through architecture,...
a year ago
17
a year ago
Amanda Talbot did not come from a technological background. Her career path through architecture, interiors, journalism, and fashion nonetheless instilled in her a commitment to heart-centric design, which she believes is crucial to conversations on the relationship between...
Common Edge
Architecture Students on AI What happens when a studio course offers AI tools and a real-world housing crisis.
a month ago
Benny Kuriakose
Light, Ventilation, and Design Features in School Design An institutional space requires maximum optimization of light and ventilation. Schools require open,...
a year ago
24
a year ago
An institutional space requires maximum optimization of light and ventilation. Schools require open, bright places and the best design...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
3 months ago
50
3 months ago
This is the eleventh 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 Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan, a comedian and host with Dropout TV, where he’s...
Common Edge
“AI Is Just a Tool”—and Other Fictions AI usurps the freedom to experience the pain, growth, and satisfaction of true artistic and design...
2 weeks ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Material Palette Of Pale Brick, Concrete, And Timber Echoes This Home’s Coastal Site Architecture firm studioplusthree has shared photos of a project in Sydney, Australia, that included...
8 months ago
56
8 months ago
Architecture firm studioplusthree has shared photos of a project in Sydney, Australia, that included the alterations and additions to an existing house. The home features a material palette of pale brick, concrete, and timber evoking the project’s coastal location and echoing the...
Old Structures...
The Inspiration The 14th Street station on the Eighth Avenue subway has an art installation by Tom Otterness called...
9 months ago
36
9 months ago
The 14th Street station on the Eighth Avenue subway has an art installation by Tom Otterness called “Life Underground” It consists of a series of brass figures, both human and animal, engaged in various pursuits. Everyone always focuses on the alligator climbing out of a sewer to...
Old Structures...
Old Adventures In Photo-Bombing Someone occasionally notices that most of Manhattan has little open space to create picturesque...
a year ago
25
a year ago
Someone occasionally notices that most of Manhattan has little open space to create picturesque vistas. Or to put it another way, it’s difficult to get decent pictures of a lot of buildings here because there’s so much stuff in the way. There’s also stuff in the background, which...
Construction Physics
How to Build a $20 Billion Semiconductor Fab For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly...
10 months ago
42
10 months ago
For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly everything else: semiconductors. Semiconductors are materials that can have their conductivity varied by many orders of magnitude, which makes it possible to selectively block and allow the...
Old Structures...
Onec You See It The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the...
11 months ago
36
11 months ago
The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the towers. It has, to my eye, the unfortunate effect of making the bridge look like it’s wearing shorts.
The Solarchitecture...
7-Stage Solar Design Review - launched! Together we make your home healthier, full of sunlight & abound with natural energy
over a year ago
Construction Physics
How to Build a 50,000 Ton Forging Press In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.
6 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
LED Lighting Illuminates Shelving Throughout This Home’s Interior Estevez + Persson, a new architecture and design studio, founded by Fernando Estevez Barroso and...
a year ago
30
a year ago
Estevez + Persson, a new architecture and design studio, founded by Fernando Estevez Barroso and Daniel Persson, has debuted a residential project called Casa Bosques de Olivos in Mexico City. The exterior of the house features concrete, wood, and metal, as well as landscaped...
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
23
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
This House Has A Thin Floating Roof That Extends Out 15 Feet Specht Architects has designed a new home in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for a retired couple that...
a year ago
59
a year ago
Specht Architects has designed a new home in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for a retired couple that wanted to simplify and downsize their lives. The new house embraces a minimalist, modern, aesthetic, and at the same time displays the priceless art, antiques, and found objects the...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Extension Adds A Home Office And Bedroom To This Miami Bungalow Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a 900 sqft addition in South Miami, Florida, for...
7 months ago
45
7 months ago
Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a 900 sqft addition in South Miami, Florida, for owners who were looking for a little extra room in their traditional home, that was open to the outdoors, and allowed for a private primary bedroom and studio apart from the main...
Common Edge
“What Would Jane Jacobs Do?” Is the Wrong Question Proponents of City of Yes are misapplying her ideas (again).
5 months ago
Construction Physics
Does construction ever get cheaper? I've mentioned a few times that I generally prefer looking at construction progress through the lens...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
I've mentioned a few times that I generally prefer looking at construction progress through the lens of cost indexes rather than productivity indexes. Whereas productivity indexes try to track changes in the amount of construction we get for a given amount of labor (for labor...