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Old Structures...
Before and After Electricity A while back, I put up a photo of the Bowery as seen in 1894, with the Third Avenue elevated tracks...
9 months ago
48
9 months ago
A while back, I put up a photo of the Bowery as seen in 1894, with the Third Avenue elevated tracks above. Here’s the picture: Here’s a 1909 postcard of a similar view: The third, express track wasn’t added to the el until 1917 and the Bowery is a wide street, so the tracks have...
CONTEMPORIST
This Bedroom With A Partial Glass Floor Looks Down To The Living Room Below Fenda Arquitetura has shared photos of their project, a modern one-bedroom apartment in Sao Paulo,...
a year ago
25
a year ago
Fenda Arquitetura has shared photos of their project, a modern one-bedroom apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that features a partial glass floor in the bedroom. The apartment has been designed with the living space on the lower floor, while the bedroom is located upstairs. One...
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
2
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...
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
3 months ago
15
3 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
The Modern House
Four flawless apartments provide surprising sanctuary in Peckham Rye
6 months ago
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.
9 months ago
Old Structures...
Ancient Sensationalism Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of...
a month ago
20
a month ago
Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of your head for years – decades, actually, in this case – until you’re reminded of it. The murder of Gulielma Sands in 1799 is a good example. It was a tragedy for Ms. Sands and a...
Common Edge
Light, Empathy, and Silence: The Architecture of Marina Tabassum A Q&A with the celebrated Bangladeshi designer.
6 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Vertical Fins Surround The Exterior Of This House Giving It A Distinct Appearance Architecture and design studio MDAMMM, has recently completed the remodel of a home that had a...
a year ago
39
a year ago
Architecture and design studio MDAMMM, has recently completed the remodel of a home that had a nondescript appearance and little aesthetic appeal. The original home had an exposed brick facade in ochre tones and all other elements featured different grey tones and finishes. The...
Contemporist...
An Extension To This 1933 Home Creates A New Kitchen And Outdoor Terrace Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in...
4 months ago
36
4 months ago
Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in Seattle, Washington, that was originally designed and built in 1933 by Norwegian boat captain Ole E. Nelson.
Old Structures...
Raking Sunlight Pro tip, as computer manuals said back when (a) everyone was not yet comfortable using a computer...
a year ago
6
a year ago
Pro tip, as computer manuals said back when (a) everyone was not yet comfortable using a computer and (b) computer manuals still existed: environmental conditions can help in building investigation. For example, I like conducting facade inspections on very cold days because you...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: War and Art First, a view of an army building from “Miss Fury” an exceedingly weird comic involving World War II...
10 months ago
7
10 months ago
First, a view of an army building from “Miss Fury” an exceedingly weird comic involving World War II and time travel. Second, a view of the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue. The 69th was in a lot of famous battles in the Civil War and some notable ones in World War I....
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
7
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...
Archinect - Features
Freelancing and Architecture: A Complicated Relationship For many salaried workers, freelancing and contracting may once have been a scary proposition,...
7 months ago
34
7 months ago
For many salaried workers, freelancing and contracting may once have been a scary proposition, little more than placeholder labels as one moved between secure, salaried positions. However, the past decade has seen a notable increase in skilled workers and professionals becoming...
SOCKS
Database, Network, Interface : The Architecture of Information. An exhibition at Archizoom (EPFL),... We are pleased to announce that we are curating an exhibition that will open in September at the...
over a year ago
11
over a year ago
We are pleased to announce that we are curating an exhibition that will open in September at the Archizoom Gallery (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland.  In an age characterised by the increasing dematerialisation of cultural production and transmission, Database, Network, Interface...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Popular The City Hall Station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line – a station that’s been abandoned since 1945...
8 months ago
11
8 months ago
The City Hall Station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line – a station that’s been abandoned since 1945 – is probably more popular to use as a backdrop in movies (and comic books) than any other. It’s really not a typical station: it’s much more ornate than most, it only has one...
Old Structures...
Double Part of the Construction History Congress last week was a day of tours, and I went on the iron- and...
5 months ago
39
5 months ago
Part of the Construction History Congress last week was a day of tours, and I went on the iron- and steel-truss bridge tour. I’m going to show my pictures every two or three days, spread over the next couple of weeks. First up: the rail bridge at Eglisau: Built 1895-1897 by the...
Archinect - Features
Let's Talk About Architectural Licensure Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Licensure. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the journey...
7 months ago
68
7 months ago
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Licensure. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the journey undertaken by those in the United States seeking to practice as a licensed architect, including reflections on the history of licensure, comparisons to other countries, the cost...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Advertising Claims It’s truly embarassing how much time I spent looking at this old ad painted on a building in Bath...
9 months ago
15
9 months ago
It’s truly embarassing how much time I spent looking at this old ad painted on a building in Bath and wondering what “richestin cream” was. As a slight consolation, note the drain branch directly left of the word “richest”: if you’re putting interior plumbing drains on the...
Old Structures...
Small Details In “How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly”, Jennifer Ouellette gives a good summary of a...
2 months ago
27
2 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...
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
8
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...
The Modern House
A contemporary flint house on the Kent coast, with lateral living spaces and an outdoor bath
a year ago
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...
10 months ago
20
10 months 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.
The Modern House
Architect Sophie Hicks on life in her hidden concrete haven in Kensington
a year ago
Contemporist...
A House Design Inspired By The Idea of Turning Boxes Architecture studio JMA has designed the Vistas House in Escobar, Buenos Aires, whose shape is based...
7 months ago
65
7 months ago
Architecture studio JMA has designed the Vistas House in Escobar, Buenos Aires, whose shape is based on the idea of turning boxes rotated to take advantage of the lake views and sun.
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 2 Yesterday’s list of teams was fun to out together, but this is ultimately a blog about the built...
2 months ago
17
2 months ago
Yesterday’s list of teams was fun to out together, but this is ultimately a blog about the built environment, so let’s discuss what’s really important: the fields and stadiums where the various teams played. Today: some of the fields in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Atlantics, played...
Old Structures...
Somehow, We’re Large-Small When you look past the good-news headline, there’s some interesting discussion in “NYC’s Small...
6 months ago
30
6 months ago
When you look past the good-news headline, there’s some interesting discussion in “NYC’s Small Business Recovery: Patterns of Growth in a Changing Economy”, a report from the city’s Economic Development Corporation. The showy headline is that “Total small businesses in NYC...
devonzuegel.com
Part 4: Success is tied to benefiting existing Solano residents A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the...
9 months ago
16
9 months ago
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the future of my home state in my lifetime. This post is part of a series I’m writing about this bold proposal. California Forever’s proposal includes 10 Voter Guarantees that go far...
Archinect - Features
Autonomous Algorithmic Architects: Wicked Problems of Machine Learning in Architecture How should the architectural profession consider and respond to futures made possible by advances in...
a year ago
8
a year ago
How should the architectural profession consider and respond to futures made possible by advances in artificial intelligence? Can we propose a willful, designed route that acknowledges the inevitability of intelligent machines intersecting with every dimension of design and...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Counter-mapping: Sitio San Roque, Philippines This counter-map was the product of a collaboration between the Junior Philippine Geographical...
over a year ago
21
over a year ago
This counter-map was the product of a collaboration between the Junior Philippine Geographical Society – University of the Philippines Diliman (JPGS-UPD), the Save San Roque Alliance, Kadamay – San Roque, and most especially the urban poor residents of San Roque. The...
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...
11 months ago
7
11 months 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...
Old Structures...
A Solution To An Intractable Problem People usually like regular geometry, and I’d argue that architects like it more than the general...
a year ago
9
a year ago
People usually like regular geometry, and I’d argue that architects like it more than the general public. That can create problems with buildings where the reality of construction and the reality of patterns can cause irregular geometry. The most famous example of the problem is...
Contemporist...
This Wood Watchtower Is Also A Home For Bats NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also...
2 months ago
29
2 months ago
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also doubles as a shelter for bats.
McMansion Hell
Hi everyone: I’ve written a long deep-dive on the present state of the McMansion, from... The McMansion as Harbinger of the American Apocalypse Hi everyone: I’ve written a long deep-dive on...
a year ago
4
a year ago
The McMansion as Harbinger of the American Apocalypse Hi everyone: I’ve written a long deep-dive on the present state of the McMansion, from farmhouse chic to imminent environmental collapse. If you’ve been seeing an inordinate number of big ugly houses pop up in your...
McMansion Hell
BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition bonus mcmansion: liminal edition | Patreon BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition
a year ago
Old Structures...
Specialty If you look closely, that stereotypical New England mill building, photographed yesterday in...
4 months ago
35
4 months ago
If you look closely, that stereotypical New England mill building, photographed yesterday in Pawtucket, has a sign reading “H. A. Briggs & Co. Cotton Waste.” I’ve heard of a lot of things you can do with cotton, but “cotton waste” was a new one for me. It apparently means scraps...
CONTEMPORIST
The Design Of This Modern White Patisserie Stands Out From Its Neighbors LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked...
9 months ago
19
9 months ago
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked by familiar coffee and donut franchises. The designers explained, ‘that the challenge of the store is to stand out from its immediate chaos and appeal to the clientele from the...
Archinect - Features
‘We Have To Get Much Better at Speaking To Wider and Wider Audiences:’ A Conversation With... In February 2024, Brett Steele took up the position of Dean of the University of Southern California...
2 months ago
24
2 months ago
In February 2024, Brett Steele took up the position of Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture. Since then, Steele has been busy capitalizing on the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leading a Los Angeles design school in a city known...
Common Edge
Why So Many Banal Boxes? Because Architecture Reflects the Ethos of Its Time The 5-over-1 is a perfect embodiment of our increasingly selfish and self-isolated existence.
6 months ago
99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Chicago As It Is [EPISODE] A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he...
11 months ago
10
11 months ago
A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he simply talked about design details in his house — realizing that he, like the audience, didn’t have many other places to go. )You should check it out — it’s a real time capsule,...
The Modern House
How artists Amy Dennis and Neville Rae built a home in which their family and practices could grow...
a year ago
Contemporist...
A Modern Farmhouse By The Sea In New Zealand New Zealand architecture firm Studio John Irving Architects has shared photos of a modern farmhouse...
a year ago
53
a year ago
New Zealand architecture firm Studio John Irving Architects has shared photos of a modern farmhouse they completed that's been designed like a collection of linked farm outbuildings.
Old Structures...
Half Of A Grand Commercial Palace 380 Broadway has architecture above its station. It was built in 1860 with retail space at the base...
7 months ago
48
7 months ago
380 Broadway has architecture above its station. It was built in 1860 with retail space at the base and loft space above, but it’s got that grand marble-veneer facade on the upper floors and some very nice cast iron by Daniel Badger at the first floor. It’s fortunes have followed...
Benny Kuriakose
Sustainability in School Design Sustainability is a practice that seeks to minimize the negative impact of buildings on the ...
a year ago
2
a year ago
Sustainability is a practice that seeks to minimize the negative impact of buildings on the environment by efficient and moderate use of...
CONTEMPORIST
A Mid-Century Modern Inspired Extension For An 1890s Sandstone Cottage Glasshouse Projects, an architecture, interior design, and building firm, has shared photos of a...
9 months ago
32
9 months ago
Glasshouse Projects, an architecture, interior design, and building firm, has shared photos of a mid-century modern inspired extension and renovation they completed for an original 1890 sandstone cottage in Prospect, South Australia. The extension can be accessed through the...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Edward Hopper From the comic “Powers”, Christian Walker sits by himself in a diner: Hopper’s 1942 painting...
3 weeks ago
11
3 weeks ago
From the comic “Powers”, Christian Walker sits by himself in a diner: Hopper’s 1942 painting “Nighthawks”: I’m a fan of Hopper, but this is his most famous work, so it’s not like it was all that difficult to place the reference. In his words, it’s a simplified version of reality...
The Wandering...
Mapping Francis Younghusband in the Gobi Desert, 1887, Part 3: Hun-kua-ling sandhills to Ya-hu oasis [Go back to Part 2: From the Galpin Gobi to the Hun-kua-ling sandhills.] From here to the Ya-hu...
over a year ago
22
over a year ago
[Go back to Part 2: From the Galpin Gobi to the Hun-kua-ling sandhills.] From here to the Ya-hu oasis (which Younghusband reaches on June 23rd) the route is obscure, and we find old maps less useful. We have to rely more upon comparing his route description with images of the...
The Modern House
Nick Hill’s no frills approach to materials recasts a 1930s house in south-east London as a...
8 months ago
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...
6 months ago
65
6 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...
Archinect - Features
Debates Surrounding Architectural Competitions Are Nothing New In the US architectural profession of the 2020s, and newfound scrutiny over workplace conditions...
6 months ago
29
6 months ago
In the US architectural profession of the 2020s, and newfound scrutiny over workplace conditions from unpaid overtime to a poor work-life balance, architecture competitions have become the subject of debate over how the profession values itself and is valued by wider society...
Common Edge
Letter from Tennessee: License for Civility in Uncivil Times Not all civil portent is writ as large. It sometimes comes in small places, hidden in plain sight.
a year ago
The Modern House
Hot on the heels of modernity: how our heritage buildings are catching up with us This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late...
4 months ago
35
4 months ago
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late 90s, the listing was was the result of a successful application by the Twentieth Century Society. Its chairman Hugh Pearman suggests that it stands as a youthful reminder of where...
Archinect - Features
Beaux-Arts to Bauhaus: How Two Schools Shaped Architectural Visualization Architecture schools have long held a significant role in shaping the field of architectural...
a month ago
19
a month ago
Architecture schools have long held a significant role in shaping the field of architectural visualization. Through fostering particular artistic philosophies, drawing techniques, and design ideologies, such institutions shape not only the architects themselves but also the way...
The Modern House
A mid-century gem among the treetops on the Dulwich Estate in Crystal Palace
a year ago
The Modern House
Furniture designer James Stickley’s cleverly zoned live/work loft in east London
a year ago
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
7
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
Summer in the City From the middle of March, when a family emergency put this blog on hiatus, until the middle of July,...
a year ago
7
a year ago
From the middle of March, when a family emergency put this blog on hiatus, until the middle of July, when a funeral mass was held for my dad, my life was split almost evenly between my home in New York City and my parent's home in Central Florida. The emergency in March was an...
Old Structures...
Obvious In Restrospect The first real commuter rail in New York was the New York and Harlem Railroad, which eventually...
11 months ago
7
11 months ago
The first real commuter rail in New York was the New York and Harlem Railroad, which eventually served, through a combination of horse-drawn street cars and heavy rail, from lower Manhattan to Chatham, New York, not far south of Albany. The portion in Manhattan south of 23rd...
A Weekly Dose of...
Olmsted Trees Olmsted Trees Photographs by Stanley Greenberg, with contributions by Tom Avermaete, Kevin Baker,...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
Olmsted Trees Photographs by Stanley Greenberg, with contributions by Tom Avermaete, Kevin Baker, Mindy Thompson Fullilove Hirmer Publishers, August 2022 Hardcover | 9 x 11 inches | 160 pages | 100 illustrations | German/English | ISBN: | $X.00 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Central...
99% Invisible
Melanie Speaks [EPISODE] Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve...
a year ago
13
a year ago
Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve been told that you speak like your mom, or that you laugh like your uncle. Maybe you sometimes slip back into an accent that reveals something about your past. Maybe you have a...
Old Structures...
Now The Good Side A few years ago, I wrote a fairly snarky and negative piece on the Park Avenue Hotel. The building...
10 months ago
13
10 months ago
A few years ago, I wrote a fairly snarky and negative piece on the Park Avenue Hotel. The building is physically of interest to me because it was a rare example of a residential building with cast-iron facades and a good example of the common approach (in the mid-nineteenth...
CONTEMPORIST
Banquette Seating Separates The Kitchen From The Living Room Inside This Apartment Interior design firm Melling Studio, has shared photos of a one-bedroom apartment they completed in...
4 months ago
41
4 months ago
Interior design firm Melling Studio, has shared photos of a one-bedroom apartment they completed in Vancouver, Canada. The apartment has been designed as a serene, open-plan environment with a crisp, minimal finish palette, locally sourced furniture, and elevated fixtures. One...
CONTEMPORIST
A Cantilever At One End Allows This Home To Project Over The Land Leah Martin, partner and founder of Allied8 Architects in Seattle, Washington, has shared photos of...
5 months ago
39
5 months ago
Leah Martin, partner and founder of Allied8 Architects in Seattle, Washington, has shared photos of a modern Orcas Island home she designed for herself and her family. This small home, which cantilevers at one end, sits on the top of a ridge and is anchored to the bedrock in six...
The Beauty of...
Cover Story (Workington Bus Station, Workington, Cumbria, UK) Sometimes you seek out transport architecture, at others transport architecture is thrust upon you,...
over a year ago
19
over a year ago
Sometimes you seek out transport architecture, at others transport architecture is thrust upon you, just as it was when I accidentally ended up in Workington a couple of months ago. With poor weather forecast on one of the days of a trip to the Lake District, I spent the day...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Mid-Century Modern Renovation In Oregon Originally designed by prominent Pacific Northwest architect Saul Zaik, this 1963 mid-century modern...
a week ago
10
a week ago
Originally designed by prominent Pacific Northwest architect Saul Zaik, this 1963 mid-century modern house has been remodeled by SHED Architecture & Design for a young, minimalist family. The Mori House sits on a gently sloped, forested site off a quiet road in the west end of...
devonzuegel.com
Argentina On Two Steaks A Day (Idle Words) 04.13.2006 Argentina On Two Steaks A Day The classic beginner's mistake in Argentina is...
over a year ago
4
over a year ago
04.13.2006 Argentina On Two Steaks A Day The classic beginner's mistake in Argentina is to neglect the first steak of the day. You will be tempted to just peck at it or even skip it altogether, rationalizing that you need to save yourself for the much larger steak...
The Modern House
Philippe Malouin: the experimental designer on creating with integrity – and the art of upcycling Philippe Malouin, it’s said, doesn’t read design magazines. That might surprise you. But it also...
8 months ago
24
8 months ago
Philippe Malouin, it’s said, doesn’t read design magazines. That might surprise you. But it also might be what keeps the Canadian’s own conceptions – form-driven, material-focused, out-the-box – feeling so fresh. In many ways, it makes sense. If the ideas of others were...
CONTEMPORIST
Green Roofs With Native Plants Enhance This Home Built Into A Rocky Hillside Photography by Ana Santl Athens-based architecture studio Block722, has shared photos of a modern...
a year ago
6
a year ago
Photography by Ana Santl Athens-based architecture studio Block722, has shared photos of a modern home they have completed that’s perched on the rocky slopes above the Mediterranean Sea on the Cycladic Island of Syros. Photography by George Pappas The client’s brief outlined a...
CONTEMPORIST
Weathered Steel Covers The Exterior Of This Modern Home In Texas Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in...
6 months ago
39
6 months ago
Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in Austin, Texas, which overlooks a sweeping lawn shaded by towering native pecan and bald cypress trees. Photography by Casey Dunn The house is comprised of two wings flanking a central...
Old Structures...
Look, Ma! No Hands! There is absolutely nothing unique about a masonry flat arch serving as a window head, but it’s...
8 months ago
17
8 months ago
There is absolutely nothing unique about a masonry flat arch serving as a window head, but it’s relatively rare on steel-frame buildings like this 1920s apartment house on the Upper East Side. There are two tip-offs that it’s a real arch and not just a cleverly-hidden lintel:...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery [EPISODE] This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 months ago
28
2 months ago
This is the tenth 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 Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones and the Center for...
Archinect - Features
2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Adults and High School Graduates Archinect's 2024 highlight of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, where we focus on...
9 months ago
22
9 months ago
Archinect's 2024 highlight of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, where we focus on courses and workshops for adults, high school graduates, and current college students. Take a look below at our curated selection of educational events at academic institutions and...
CONTEMPORIST
The Neutral Palette Of This Home’s Interior Evokes The Tranquility Of A Spa Developer Comma Projects, together with interior designer Kate Richards and building designer Jayson...
8 months ago
25
8 months ago
Developer Comma Projects, together with interior designer Kate Richards and building designer Jayson Pate Design, has completed a duplex in Queensland, Australia, with a distinctly neutral interior. Let’s take a look inside one of the villas where the design objective was to...
The Modern House
Artist Grace Watts on creating a serene gallery-like living space in Bethnal Green
a year ago
Common Edge
How Might We Talk About the Shoreline of San Francisco? Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can...
10 months ago
36
10 months ago
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can enable better conversations about them.
Construction Physics
Machine Tool Reading List For those interested in reading more about the machine tool industry, the sources I found useful are...
11 months ago
10
11 months ago
For those interested in reading more about the machine tool industry, the sources I found useful are listed below. The machine tool industry has been studied quite extensively, if sporadically (lots of sources talk about its decline in the 1980s, fewer ones talk about its...
Old Structures...
Messy First I apologize for the reflections and glare artifacts in the picture: trying to get a decent...
a week ago
7
a week ago
First I apologize for the reflections and glare artifacts in the picture: trying to get a decent photo through a clean and polished storefront window on a sunny day is a frustrating endeavor. But at least that gives a second meaning to the post title. Second – but really first –...
The Architectural...
Architect Releases Academic Dissertation That Questions Architects’ Taste Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new...
8 months ago
18
8 months ago
Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new houses made in a traditional style. But this is exactly what the average person appreciates. “Why do many architects dislike the very thing that residents often enjoy?” asks architect...
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...
6 months ago
38
6 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...
Old Structures...
A First Attempt If you’re familiar with a final product, looking at the early ideas can be disconcerting. Things...
10 months ago
14
10 months ago
If you’re familiar with a final product, looking at the early ideas can be disconcerting. Things seem familiar but wrong, as can be seen in this 1870s map with a proposal for Morningside Park. The Upper West Side was pretty sparsely populated at that time because of the...
CONTEMPORIST
A White Concrete Exterior Protects This Seaside Mediterranean House Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small...
3 months ago
23
3 months ago
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small seaside town in Valencia, Spain. The house has a white concrete envelope that generates a large protective shell for a harmonious and delicate interior. Large overhangs and a system...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Can You Stay? Can You Stay? examines one discrete variable among many complex and converging issues concerning...
over a year ago
16
over a year ago
Can You Stay? examines one discrete variable among many complex and converging issues concerning housing precarity, focusing on a part of the world with unique geography and social issues. Project Background This map is cut from the cloth of a capstone project I did in 2018 at...
The Modern House
The Green Series: how to re-create the five principles of Passivhaus design on a budget If The Modern House had a Word of the Year, then Passivhaus would probably be it. Passivhaus emerged...
a month ago
21
a month ago
If The Modern House had a Word of the Year, then Passivhaus would probably be it. Passivhaus emerged as a set of design principles in the 1980s and has come to represent the world-leading standard in energy-efficient homes. It guarantees a happy balance of sustainability […]
Common Edge
Worshiping the Old Isn’t Historic Preservation To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
a month ago
Old Structures...
Begging The Question The title refers to one of the classic logistical fallacies, where an argument is made that assumes...
6 months ago
40
6 months ago
The title refers to one of the classic logistical fallacies, where an argument is made that assumes its conclusion. The specific instance of this fallacy that often bothers me concerns code updates and existing buildings. Every time a code – for example, the New York City...
Common Edge
How the Much-Maligned Porch Supports Walkable, Sustainable Communities Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
4 months ago
The Modern House
Inside two carbon-negative zero-waste homes in Walthamstow
a year ago
McMansion Hell
In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming... No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of...
a year ago
2
a year ago
No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming for architects’ jobs.
99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 19 It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and...
5 days ago
12
5 days ago
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and fascinating tales. This week we have punny highway signs, a PAC funded by exercise, the explosive history behind the Nobel Prize, and some long toes. Let’s get into it! Slow Down,...
The Modern House
The Modern House: a potted history Twenty years ago, The Modern House was a mere kernel of an idea; today, it is widely recognised as...
7 months ago
55
7 months ago
Twenty years ago, The Modern House was a mere kernel of an idea; today, it is widely recognised as the UK’s leading design-led estate agency. How did we get here? Today, co-founders Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill were asked this very question on BBC Radio 4’s Gap […]
CONTEMPORIST
Stairs With Built-In Planters Lead To The Back Garden At This Home Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects has shared photos of a recently completed renovation project in...
a year ago
48
a year ago
Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects has shared photos of a recently completed renovation project in Greater London, England, that included new outdoor stairs with built-in planters. The client contacted the architects to renovate the lower ground floor of the house due to severe damp...
Old Structures...
Scant Evidence A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit...
a week ago
5
a week ago
A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit hole. In a proper library I believe that I’d find a hard answer but playing around on the internet from hime, I’m left with a partial guess. The phrase, under the heading of Theaters...
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...
9 months ago
30
9 months 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...
Repetition Back to my travelogue of the tour of Swiss and German bridges. This is an overall view of the rail...
5 months ago
29
5 months ago
Back to my travelogue of the tour of Swiss and German bridges. This is an overall view of the rail viaduct across the Thun River valley at Ossingen, Switzerland. It was completed in 1874, and is still in use, carrying trains over the valley. Most of the sources I found are very...
Old Structures...
Not What’s Expected I’ve met a lot of people who have not been to New York who think that Central Park is like a London...
3 months ago
30
3 months ago
I’ve met a lot of people who have not been to New York who think that Central Park is like a London square, a block-sized oasis surrounded by buildings. The “surrounded by buildings” part is correct, but the size is a bit off. It’s 1.3 square miles (3.4 square kilometers for...
Common Edge
Declaration of Independence From Sprawl Toward the New Urban Place and away from the Industrial Development Complex.
7 months ago
Blog - Guerrilla...
Shelter: An Atlas Food, water, shelter. The tripartite of basic needs. Without these no living thing can survive. Not...
a year ago
23
a year ago
Food, water, shelter. The tripartite of basic needs. Without these no living thing can survive. Not a spider, not a badger, not a tree, not a human. The first two — food and water — are obvious; without them, sustenance is impossible. The food we eat gives us energy through...
Old Structures...
Residential Conversion and a Mirror Office-to-residential conversion is a hot topic lately, the result of a tight housing market and the...
a year ago
4
a year ago
Office-to-residential conversion is a hot topic lately, the result of a tight housing market and the remote-work depression in commercial office space. The following is, at best, anecdata but gives a minor sense of that process for older buildings. I recently stayed in the Rand...
devonzuegel.com
Cities reading list Many people have reached out asking what books have been most impactful in shaping my views on...
over a year ago
4
over a year ago
Many people have reached out asking what books have been most impactful in shaping my views on cities. I've written and rewritten answers enough times that I figured it's most efficient if I just write it up one time here and share the link. 🙂 ~ Order Without Design by Alain...
Old Structures...
Two Ridiculous Snippets First, Batman at the plate as a bat man: Second, the National League standings:
2 months ago
Contemporist...
This Home Has A Living Room That Extends Over The Swimming Pool Below Daniel Marshall Architect (DMA) has shared photos of a new home they designed in New Zealand, that...
a year ago
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Artistic From a stand-alone comic about the Penguin, a museum in Gotham City: From the Look Around feature in...
7 months ago
34
7 months ago
From a stand-alone comic about the Penguin, a museum in Gotham City: From the Look Around feature in Apple Maps, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Fifth Avenue facade: From 1900, when the main facade of the center block was complete, but the wings not yet constructed: The rough...
The Modern House
Why deli and wine bar Lulu’s is winning the hearts of locals in Herne Hill
a year ago
SOCKS
The Hidden Territory: USGS’s 1950’s to 1970’s Isometric Geological Diagrams The online archive of the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey is a valuable...
a year ago
57
a year ago
The online archive of the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey is a valuable resource filled with detailed three-dimensional territorial maps employing various representational techniques. Thanks to the work of artist, designer, and developer Jill Hubleys...
devonzuegel.com
Israel's water miracle The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years....
a year ago
10
a year ago
The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years. Israel went from having a serious water problem to being a net water exporter to neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the population grew from ~1 million to well over 9 million. With...
The Wandering...
Cartographic palettes and colour harmonies This story begins one day when I was assembling a map of the city of Edmonton, Alberta from...
over a year ago
54
over a year ago
This story begins one day when I was assembling a map of the city of Edmonton, Alberta from OpenStreetMap data. It was going to be a big map, a 42″ (106 cm) wide poster for a wall. The data was good, but the standard OSM colours were not. They would work fine for a street …...
Old Structures...
A Generational Change A view of Park Avenue by Angelo Rizzuto from June 1959m looking south. The big tower on the left is...
8 months ago
23
8 months ago
A view of Park Avenue by Angelo Rizzuto from June 1959m looking south. The big tower on the left is the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, with St. Bart’s in front of it; the ornate tower that seemingly ends the avenue is the New York Central Building, not yet sold by the railroad and...
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
3
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...
The Modern House
Hot Stuff: the extraordinary story of the Cobdown sauna
9 months ago
SOCKS
Carlos Morago. Across the Ordinary Interior Contemporary Spanish painter Carlos Morago depicts realistic interior scenes that are mostly reduced...
a year ago
15
a year ago
Contemporary Spanish painter Carlos Morago depicts realistic interior scenes that are mostly reduced to the bare minimum: light floors and walls and sporadical furniture. Empty corridors and rooms are framed through opened doors and walls while opening on uneventful exteriors...
A Weekly Dose of...
Visualizing the World, Visualizing Change In 1939, Otto Neurath's Modern Man in the Making was released by Alfred A. Knopf. Neurath was...
a year ago
47
a year ago
In 1939, Otto Neurath's Modern Man in the Making was released by Alfred A. Knopf. Neurath was director of the International Foundation of Visual Information and used the Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education) system to "teach through the eye." A recent...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Office Hides Behind A Sliding Wall In This House Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a...
a year ago
23
a year ago
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a home for the owner’s family. The interior, contemporary yet comfortable in its design, includes a living room that has a large empty wall. However, this wall isn’t stationary but...
CONTEMPORIST
Handmade Turquoise Tiles Line The Entrance To This Spanish Restaurant Photography by Adria Goula EL EQUIPO CREATIVO has designed Txalupa Gastroleku, a restaurant in San...
9 months ago
19
9 months ago
Photography by Adria Goula EL EQUIPO CREATIVO has designed Txalupa Gastroleku, a restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain, that draws inspiration from the nearby old port and the small and colorful fishing boats. Photography by Txalupa Gastroleku Stepping inside, you’re immediately...
Common Edge
Election 2024: Revisiting the Duck and the Decorated Shed How the Statue of Liberty and the Hollywood Sign frame the nation’s inherent tensions.
3 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – An Old Warehouse Was Turned Into A Contemporary Home Brengues Le Pavec architects have shared photos of a modern warehouse conversion they completed in...
8 months ago
31
8 months ago
Brengues Le Pavec architects have shared photos of a modern warehouse conversion they completed in the south of France, between Montpellier and the sea. The ‘Before’…the run-down warehouse, which was still being used to store products, was dark and filled with shelves. The...
CONTEMPORIST
Sculptural Walls Inspired By The Intricate Detailing Of Indian Temple Architecture Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that...
a month ago
22
a month ago
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that displays Italian furniture in Kolkata, India. The striking interior seamlessly blends the finesse and elegance of Italian craftsmanship with the vibrancy of Indian design traditions....
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Unmistakable Ms. Marvel is set largely in Jersey City. Despite being the second-largest city in New Jersey,...
a year ago
7
a year ago
Ms. Marvel is set largely in Jersey City. Despite being the second-largest city in New Jersey, Jersey City does not have much of a visual image. If you asked the average person in the New York metropolitan area to name a physical landmark there, it’s likely they would draw a...
Common Edge
Leslie Lokko’s 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: New Stories to Tell Although the event is lacking in actual architecture, it does introduce urgent and important new...
a year ago
Old Structures...
Evolved To Fit The Conditions If you’ve always known something, it can be difficult to see how weird it is. New Yorkers walk...
7 months ago
60
7 months ago
If you’ve always known something, it can be difficult to see how weird it is. New Yorkers walk through construction sites all the time, intentionally so on the part of the builders and with the blessing of the Department of Buildings. It looks something like this: Like so many of...
The Architectural...
Study Reveals: 84% Favor Traditional Architecture A British study reveals what people really want in their cities to look like. The authors themselves...
a year ago
6
a year ago
A British study reveals what people really want in their cities to look like. The authors themselves state that the result is remarkably clear. People want to see classic streets and neighborhoods with buildings in a traditional style. The British research institute Create...
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...
8 months ago
54
8 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...
CONTEMPORIST
LED Lighting Is Hidden Throughout This Home To Create A Soft Warm Glow Interior design studio, Pure AW’s Designers Ltd, has shared a modern apartment they completed in...
a year ago
30
a year ago
Interior design studio, Pure AW’s Designers Ltd, has shared a modern apartment they completed in Kowloon, Hong Kong, that combines warm woods and soft lighting. Designed for a couple with two children, the apartment’s interior is influenced by traditional Nordic aesthetics and...
The Solarchitecture...
The effectiveness of solar passive principles Improving health, freedom one house at a time.
over a year ago
Old Structures...
Being Stalked From The Past Once again, one of Angel Rizzuto’s photos, this one from 1954, gets very close to us. This is the...
7 months ago
48
7 months ago
Once again, one of Angel Rizzuto’s photos, this one from 1954, gets very close to us. This is the intersection of Whitehall and Stone Street looking east. (For once, the logic of the street grid and the actual cardinal points align exactly.) Almost every building in this view has...
The Modern House
Coast and countryside at a contemporary home in Suffolk
a year ago
Common Edge
How Architects Deal With Demolished Designs Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
a year ago
Archinect - Features
AI, Complexity, and Ecological Futures: A Conversation with Alisa Andrasek For Alisa Andrasek, a career in architecture represents a point of convergence for her dual passions...
a year ago
7
a year ago
For Alisa Andrasek, a career in architecture represents a point of convergence for her dual passions for art and science. For the past two decades, a respect for both the mathematic and emotional, the computational and the creative, has propelled Andrasek's enthralling...
Old Structures...
Photographic Tricks That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on...
10 months ago
8
10 months 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...
99% Invisible
The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE] In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like...
a year ago
23
a year ago
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest....
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...
6 months ago
58
6 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...
devonzuegel.com
Creating Passionate Users: Attenuation and the suck threshold Attenuation and the suck threshold How long do your users spend in the "I suck" (or "this product...
over a year ago
10
over a year ago
Attenuation and the suck threshold How long do your users spend in the "I suck" (or "this product sucks") zone? Once they've crossed the suck threshold, how long does it take before they start to feel like they kick ass? Both of those thresholds are key milestones on a users...
Archinect - Features
Architectural Visualization Was Rather Flat: Then We Invented Perspective Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant...
a month ago
27
a month ago
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant challenges in visualizing and communicating architectural space. Without a systematic way to represent depth and spatial relationships, architectural drawings were often symbolic,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Coffee Shop Inspired By The Spectral Allure Of The Aurora Borealis Design firm Unknown Surface Studio has shared photos of Uncloud Coffee, a new coffee shop they...
7 months ago
32
7 months ago
Design firm Unknown Surface Studio has shared photos of Uncloud Coffee, a new coffee shop they completed in Chonburi, Thailand, with a sculptural and eye-catching facade. Inspired by the spectral allure of the Aurora Borealis, the design abstractly interprets these atmospheric...
Archinect - Features
'What Is Truly Good About AI, Nobody Has Probably Thought of Yet'; A Conversation with... To many, Richard Saul Wurman is inevitably introduced as "the man who created TED." Since Wurman...
a year ago
7
a year ago
To many, Richard Saul Wurman is inevitably introduced as "the man who created TED." Since Wurman organized the first TED conference in 1984, the organization's library has expanded to over 4,300 publicly available videos from some of the world's greatest minds about some of...
CONTEMPORIST
A Dramatic Upward-Sloping Roof Covers This Rural Home Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they have designed...
7 months ago
60
7 months ago
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they have designed in Winthrop, Washington, perched atop a steep river bank. The home’s design includes an upward-sloping roof form that motions toward the river and shelters an outdoor room....
A Weekly Dose of...
The Minimal Intervention The Material Imagination Birkhäuser, October 2022 Paperback | 5 x 7-1/4 inches | 166 pages | 13...
over a year ago
17
over a year ago
The Material Imagination Birkhäuser, October 2022 Paperback | 5 x 7-1/4 inches | 166 pages | 13 illustrations | English (translated from German by Jill Denton) | ISBN: 9783035625301 | $26.99 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Lucius Burckhardt (1925–2003) outlined his theory of the...
The Modern House
Dancing down the decades at Domus – a monument to mid-century modernism
4 months ago
Common Edge
Is AI Really the Next Big Thing in Architecture? There are good reasons to be skeptical about its ultimate utility.
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Pergola Helps This Home Seamlessly Blends Indoor And Outdoor Spaces Architecture firm Studio Saxe, together with interior design studio Sofía Interiorismo, has shared...
8 months ago
52
8 months ago
Architecture firm Studio Saxe, together with interior design studio Sofía Interiorismo, has shared photos of a home they completed in Costa Rica, that seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor living. This home embodies sustainable living, generating its energy from the sun while...
The Modern House
A contemporary gallery-like home with countless credentials in Hampstead
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Single Sloping Roof Covers This Home That Hovers Above The Land Weber Arquitectos has sent us photos of their recently completed project, a tiny house in Valle de...
a year ago
24
a year ago
Weber Arquitectos has sent us photos of their recently completed project, a tiny house in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, that rises from the ground on a platform supported by a metal structure. The house, which measures 1291 square feet (120m2), has exterior walls made from heat-treated...
The Modern House
Designer and creative director Walé Adeyemi MBE on the London locations that have shaped his life,...
a month ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Addition Is Perched Above This Home In Texas Architect Nicole Blair has shared photos of a modern addition that was built above an existing...
6 months ago
57
6 months ago
Architect Nicole Blair has shared photos of a modern addition that was built above an existing bungalow in Austin, Texas. Owners Dylan and Annie, a landscape designer and a hairstylist, wanted to keep their backyard intact, and not move during construction nor disrupt the mature...
Cartogrammar
Land by latitude and longitude, or, a pile of continents Bill Rankin’s graphs of world population by latitude and longitude popped into mind for no...
over a year ago
3
over a year ago
Bill Rankin’s graphs of world population by latitude and longitude popped into mind for no particular reason the other day, followed by a silly-sounding question: “but, like, what about land area by latitude and longitude?” Silly because, duh, a chart of land area by latitude and...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: My Past Haunts Me Marvel Comics gives us a very blocky, stylized view of a skyscraper: It’s still recognizable as the...
10 months ago
9
10 months ago
Marvel Comics gives us a very blocky, stylized view of a skyscraper: It’s still recognizable as the Irving Trust Building at One Wall Street, seen here in one of Irving (no relation) Underhill’s more artistic photos. In 1988, I was helping on facade repairs triggered by the...
Common Edge
In Marseille’s Cours Julien, Street Art Creates Dynamic Context Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
a month ago
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
devonzuegel.com
Everything is Amazing, But Nothing is Ours Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post called Dropbox: the First Dead Decacorn. At the time, it was the...
over a year ago
6
over a year ago
Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post called Dropbox: the First Dead Decacorn. At the time, it was the most widely shared take I’d ever written. I learned several things from writing this piece, and none of them had to do with Dropbox: I learned, for instance, that a great way to get...
devonzuegel.com
Uncharted waters: what startups can learn from pirates about compensation Pirate crews developed a surprisingly similar approach to compensation in the 17th century. Just...
over a year ago
4
over a year ago
Pirate crews developed a surprisingly similar approach to compensation in the 17th century. Just like many startups, they also balanced equity incentives with other mechanisms that would be familiar to a startup employee today, such as bonuses. These surprising similarities...
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
6
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...
Benny Kuriakose
Importance of Landscape in School Design Landscape plays a major role in the learning experience of a child. A school campus not only...
a year ago
2
a year ago
Landscape plays a major role in the learning experience of a child. A school campus not only comprises of the buildings in a school,...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #1: Tea time in Yemen I'm starting a podcast with my friends, Marie-Agnes and Alain Bertaud, who also happen to be the...
over a year ago
6
over a year ago
I'm starting a podcast with my friends, Marie-Agnes and Alain Bertaud, who also happen to be the most interesting couple I know. Over the course of this first conversation, we traveled all around the globe for a whirlwind tour of the adventurous life they've led together. Audio ·...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – A Garage Transformed Into A Pool House Nathan Fell Architecture has shared photos of a garage they transformed into a pool house with...
9 months ago
29
9 months ago
Nathan Fell Architecture has shared photos of a garage they transformed into a pool house with plenty of space for entertaining. Here’s what the pool house looked like before… The design of the pool house was conceived as an addition to the garage that more appropriately capped...
Old Structures...
Comparisons This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century....
4 months ago
37
4 months ago
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes it was just buildings, like here, sometimes steamships were stood on end to show how big they were. (Note that the biggest steamship in 1908, when the Singer Building was new,...
Blog - Guerrilla...
What a GIS & Map Librarian does all day The two most common responses I get when I tell people that I’m a map librarian at UC Berkeley are:...
over a year ago
19
over a year ago
The two most common responses I get when I tell people that I’m a map librarian at UC Berkeley are: I didn’t know that was a job?! and I love maps! These are both fair reactions. It’s not a very common job. And maps are very cool. Just like a typical librarian’s work does not...
McMansion Hell
pre-recession, post-taste Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s...
a year ago
6
a year ago
Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s why I’ve gone back into the archives of that precipitous year 2007, a year where the McMansion was sleepwalking into being a symbol of the financial calamity to follow. We return to...
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,...
4 months ago
40
4 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.
The Modern House
The trials and triumphs of a tropical-inspired new-build in Bristol
a year ago
The Beauty of...
High Speed at High Speed (Tianjin West station, China) In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed...
a year ago
21
a year ago
In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed from Britain. It is, therefore, the perfect embodiment of China’s high speed rail network, on which the station can be found. It is also, I am sorry to say, the antithesis of the...
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
6
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...
The Modern House
The masterful resculpting of an urban cottage in Cambridge
3 months ago
99% Invisible
Shade Redux [EPISODE] This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus...
a year ago
50
a year ago
This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus shelters. It’s called La Sombrita. La Sombrita is a metal screen that’s intended to provide shade for the thousands of people who ride the bus every day. The shade screen is about two...
The Modern House
A hotel with staying power overlooking the Atlantic in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland
a year ago
99% Invisible
Long Strange Tape [EPISODE] The Cassette tape was great in so many ways, but let’s be honest, they never really sounded great....
a year ago
5
a year ago
The Cassette tape was great in so many ways, but let’s be honest, they never really sounded great.  But because the cassette was so much cheaper and easier to use and portable, a lot of people didn’t care so much about the audio quality. They just wanted to be able to use...
The Modern House
Nature's way: Botanical stylist Yasuyo Harvey’s stunning transformation of a standard suburban semi
3 months ago
devonzuegel.com
Why do home buyers look at price/sqft more than renters? A question that's puzzled me for a while is why home buyers focus on price/sqft so much more than...
a year ago
5
a year ago
A question that's puzzled me for a while is why home buyers focus on price/sqft so much more than renters. I asked around for what other people thought and got some interesting answers, so I decided to write up my takeaways. I. Investments demand legibility Homeownership is...
devonzuegel.com
My questions about Próspera, answered I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others...
over a year ago
5
over a year ago
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others might too, so I wrote an FAQ to share what I learned: Próspera FAQ This FAQ is intended as a reference, covering the basic facts and current status of the project. My hope is that...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Interior That Blends Japandi And Australian Design Inspiration NAKO Design has designed a home in Edmonton, Canada, that’s influenced by both Japandi and...
a year ago
26
a year ago
NAKO Design has designed a home in Edmonton, Canada, that’s influenced by both Japandi and Australian design styles. With a modern palette of black and white warmed with soft silver elm wood accents and texture, the home shows sophistication with a continuity of texture and tone...
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
20
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...
CONTEMPORIST
Cork Was Used As The Exterior Siding On This Home Extension Mitchell + Corti Architects has designed a new rear ground floor extension for a home in England,...
a year ago
59
a year ago
Mitchell + Corti Architects has designed a new rear ground floor extension for a home in England, that’s clad in cork. The architect mentions, “We chose to clad the extension in something a little different a dark patterned cork, in order to use a sustainable material and test...
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
18
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...
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.
5 months ago
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
8
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...
The Modern House
Our guide to Forest Gate: community spirit and small businesses in east London
a year ago
Cartogrammar
Beyond the sea In the northern reaches of Newfoundland, near the town of St. Anthony, is the Fox Point Lighthouse....
over a year ago
4
over a year ago
In the northern reaches of Newfoundland, near the town of St. Anthony, is the Fox Point Lighthouse. I’ve never been there, but I know it has one of the most impressive ocean views in the world. If you face perpendicular to the right bit of rocky coastline there and gaze straight...
Old Structures...
One Pitfall Avoided I’m not entirely sure what this proposed law would mean in practice: existing data at the Department...
5 months ago
26
5 months ago
I’m not entirely sure what this proposed law would mean in practice: existing data at the Department of Buildings will be examined to identify which buildings are considered to be high risk, and the usual DoB actions – violations, etc. – will start from there. It all depends on...
Old Structures...
Helping The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence...
3 months ago
22
3 months ago
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence in Historic Preservation Award” – from the Preservation League of NYS: here. It’s an interesting award in that the Foundation, which ordinarily funds projects and provides...
Old Structures...
Someone Else’s Entertainment Not everything you find on a rooftop is of much interest.
21 hours ago
Old Structures...
Probably Not Realistic The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775....
a year ago
4
a year ago
The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775. It’s definitely from that era, just based on the ships, which are far more accurately drawn than the buildings are. A lot of these illustrations appear to have been made by...
The Modern House
How an untouched site in the New Forest beckoned a sustainable new-build adventure
6 months ago
The Modern House
House Style with gallerist Oyinkansola Dada in Pimlico
a year ago
The Modern House
The big blue: a striking sculptural staircase forms the focus of this converted coach house in...
2 months ago
Archinect - Features
Upcoming Architecture School Admission Deadlines You Shouldn’t Miss As 2024 winds down, there’s still time to apply to architecture programs! Many schools are accepting...
5 days ago
13
5 days ago
As 2024 winds down, there’s still time to apply to architecture programs! Many schools are accepting undergraduate and graduate applications through January and February 2025 (and some even beyond that).  If you’re planning to start your architecture journey in Fall '25, check...
Old Structures...
Travelog: A Building Type Speaking only for myself, it’s easy to mentally categorize subways (i.e., electric mass transit,...
9 months ago
23
9 months ago
Speaking only for myself, it’s easy to mentally categorize subways (i.e., electric mass transit, mostly underground) as something different than railroads. Different lengths of routes, different spacing of stations, different rolling stock, and so on. The differences are often...
CONTEMPORIST
The Color And Material Palette Of This New Home Allows It To Blend Into The Desert Setting Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy...
a year ago
19
a year ago
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy color palette that complements its surroundings. The home, designed for an architect and graphic designer, was built on a site with an irregular shape, however, from the street, it...
There are two types...
With Rhetoric: The New York Apartment House WHEN I was in graduate school, I was one of the editors of VIA IV: “Culture and the Social Vision.”...
a year ago
1
a year ago
WHEN I was in graduate school, I was one of the editors of VIA IV: “Culture and the Social Vision.” I helped Robert A.M. Stern write New York 1900, Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890-1915. My summer job turned into a … Continue reading → The post With Rhetoric: The New...
devonzuegel.com
Book review: Against the Grain, by James C. Scott The book that etched the deepest grooves in my mind last year was Against the Grain by James C....
over a year ago
6
over a year ago
The book that etched the deepest grooves in my mind last year was Against the Grain by James C. Scott. It explores how the unique characteristics of grain-based agriculture shaped the early history of states. While I did learn many interesting historical facts and trends from...
Contemporist...
Wood Houses Appear Through The Tops Of The Trees At This Nature-Focused Resort Stilt Studios has shared photos of a newly completed project called the Treehouse Villa, which is...
a year ago
48
a year ago
Stilt Studios has shared photos of a newly completed project called the Treehouse Villa, which is located in Grün Resort Uluwatu, a family-run nature-focused luxury boutique resort in Bali.
Common Edge
Architecture With Empathy In An Age of Division and Discord Buildings can be designed to antagonize communities, or serve as welcoming presences.
a week ago
The Modern House
The impeccably organised, grass-roofed, book-lined home of literary editor, Gail Pirkis
5 months ago
The Modern House
Bright Futures: six projects packed with potential The best spaces are seldom served to you on a silver platter, instead requiring a bit of hard graft...
11 months ago
8
11 months ago
The best spaces are seldom served to you on a silver platter, instead requiring a bit of hard graft to bring out the glimmer. From an incredible volume at the foot of a Barbican tower to ambitious Oxford expansion, we present six doer-uppers ideal for […]
Coffee with an...
Design explained using pie charts again Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts again. Unfortunately,...
8 months ago
57
8 months ago
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts again. Unfortunately, this still isn’t that: More Design in charts – HERE, and HERE and HERE and HERE
devonzuegel.com
Field notes: Miami Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here. These field notes are a bit...
over a year ago
3
over a year ago
Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here. These field notes are a bit different from previous cities I've explored, because unlike those, Miami is my home! So this post partially serves as a life update—I moved to Miami Beach from California a few months...
The Beauty of...
My Favourite Parks Are Car Parks (Worcestershire Parkway, Worcestershire, UK) A very particular kind of hush descends as the 1253 to Worcester Shrub Hill departs. That hush is...
over a year ago
12
over a year ago
A very particular kind of hush descends as the 1253 to Worcester Shrub Hill departs. That hush is the hush of the parkway station between train services, and the station it has just departed from is Worcestershire Parkway. Though one of the best designed parkway stations, and a...
Construction Physics
Roman vs Modern Concrete There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per...
a year ago
22
a year ago
There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per usual, it’s triggered a round of enthusiastic discussion of Roman concrete, and how its ability to last for millennia puts modern concrete (which often fails after a few decades)...
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
16
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...
Old Structures...
Head In The Clouds One of my favorite views of tall buildings, again: in the fog. New York Bay has more than it’s fair...
7 months ago
50
7 months ago
One of my favorite views of tall buildings, again: in the fog. New York Bay has more than it’s fair share of fog, and sometimes it creeps back up into the city. We had one of those days last week.
Old Structures...
It Is Sorely Missed Conceptions of leisure activities have changed over the years. The fact that people now sun...
11 months ago
9
11 months ago
Conceptions of leisure activities have changed over the years. The fact that people now sun themselves lying on towels in Central Park while wearing quite brief bathing suits would seem as weird to people in the 1870s, when the park was new, as the presence of sheep in the Sheep...
The Architectural...
Architects call for a crisis meeting after politicians demand more traditional architecture After enduring decades of failed modernism, the residents and politicians of Sweden’s second-largest...
7 months ago
76
7 months ago
After enduring decades of failed modernism, the residents and politicians of Sweden’s second-largest city, Gothenburg, want to see more new traditional architecture. This has led architects and officials to call for a crisis meeting. During the 1960s and 1970s, Gothenburg...
Old Structures...
Differences Real and Metaphorical There’s a nice piece in the Times about the Long Path, a very long hiking trail through New Jersey...
2 months ago
34
2 months ago
There’s a nice piece in the Times about the Long Path, a very long hiking trail through New Jersey and New York running roughly parallel to the Hudson River: “Walking From Manhattan to the Catskills on the ‘Long Path’.” As it happens, I’ve walked a small piece of the path, from...
The Modern House
The magic of life on the Manygate Lane Estate in Shepperton, Surrey
a year ago
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...
7 months ago
52
7 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....
McMansion Hell
we’ve found it folks: mcmansion heaven Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a...
10 months ago
5
10 months ago
Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a true visionary. A real ad-hocist. A genuine pioneer of fenestration. This house is in Alabama. It was built in 1980 and costs around $5 million. It is worth every penny. Perhaps...
Archinect - Features
The Brutalist Is a Cinematic Reflection of Brutalism Brutalist architecture is raw, powerful, emotional, and unapologetically honest. It rejects...
yesterday
2
yesterday
Brutalist architecture is raw, powerful, emotional, and unapologetically honest. It rejects ornamentation and architectural devices designed to make its inhabitants feel comfortable, instead creating a visceral, primal experience. Brutalism is a feeling—a bold statement that...
Old Structures...
Fireworks The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary...
5 months ago
32
5 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.
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny [EPISODE] This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
7 months ago
58
7 months ago
This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Brandy Zadrozny, a senior reporter for NBC News who covers misinformation,...
Construction Physics
The Shape of Nuclear Policy Book review: Nuclear Politics: Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France
6 months ago
Construction Physics
Welding and the Automation Frontier The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human...
a year ago
5
a year ago
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human civilization, is the effect it will have on employment. Large language models already seem poised to automate large fractions of the work in certain industries, and the technology is only...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick [EPISODE] This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
4 months ago
39
4 months ago
This is the eighth 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 Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised in New York City, Shiloh is a writer and...
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
7
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...
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...
3 months ago
43
3 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...
Skyscraperiness As I’ve said many times, in many venues, there really isn’t an objective description of...
8 months ago
19
8 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...
Old Structures...
Wider I’ve talked about some of the weirdness of Park Avenue before, but there’s a basic problem with the...
3 months ago
30
3 months ago
I’ve talked about some of the weirdness of Park Avenue before, but there’s a basic problem with the street’s name: there’s no park. There are planted medians, but they’re not accessible to foot traffic and narrow enough that even if you could get out onto them, you’d be...
Construction Physics
Will We Ever Get Fusion Power? “Every one of the stars in the sky uses fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. Why shouldn’t...
5 months ago
48
5 months ago
“Every one of the stars in the sky uses fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. Why shouldn’t we?”
CONTEMPORIST
Chairs For Sitting On Stairs ARTA Architects has designed the Tai Kwun Chairs for The Hong Kong Jockey Club, allowing a more...
2 weeks ago
18
2 weeks ago
ARTA Architects has designed the Tai Kwun Chairs for The Hong Kong Jockey Club, allowing a more comfortable and modular seating solution for these stairs. The chairs complement the distinctive design languages of the Tai Kwun arts and cultural centre’s ancient and contemporary...
Old Structures...
Snobbishness From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a caption writer with an attitude: Here’s the original...
a week ago
6
a week ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a caption writer with an attitude: Here’s the original photo: I agree that City Hall is a fine building. It’s unexpectedly small for the city, but its size made sense when it was completed in 1812. The city government would not today...
99% Invisible
Anything’s Pastable: Eat Sauté Love [EPISODE] This week we’re featuring an episode from The Sporkful’s series on the creation of “Anything’s...
8 months ago
53
8 months ago
This week we’re featuring an episode from The Sporkful’s series on the creation of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan Pashman’s new pasta cookbook. In part two of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan embarks on an epic trip across Italy in search of lesser-known pasta dishes — and to learn about...
Old Structures...
Adaptability The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily...
2 months ago
33
2 months ago
The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily adaptable. Rowhouses have been turned into apartment houses, churches, schools, museums, and offices; tenements have been upgraded to better apartments again and again and again. If...
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Lines The Length Of The Gable Vaulted Ceiling In This Home Architecture firm The Ranch Mine, has designed a new home in Flagstaff, Arizona, that’s inspired by...
a year ago
5
a year ago
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine, has designed a new home in Flagstaff, Arizona, that’s inspired by the landscape of the surrounding San Francisco Volcanic Field. The surrounding landscape is reflected in the decision to choose a black exterior for the home, while the interiors...
CONTEMPORIST
The Post And Beam Structure Is On Display Inside This New Home Studio VARA has shared photos of a new home they’ve completed for a couple and their three children,...
7 months ago
38
7 months ago
Studio VARA has shared photos of a new home they’ve completed for a couple and their three children, who wanted a highly energy-efficient house that is also fire-resistant. Tucked away, down a windy road outside of Healdsburg, California, the home is positioned to take advantage...
The Modern House
An architect's dream: four architect-owned homes for sale A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an...
2 months ago
41
2 months ago
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an architect would find bringing their work home – in the most literal of senses – a bit of a drag. But as this collection of architect-owned homes […]
Old Structures...
Personal History Revisited A few years ago I pointed out all the differences 170 years had made in Flushing, where I grew up. I...
10 months ago
11
10 months ago
A few years ago I pointed out all the differences 170 years had made in Flushing, where I grew up. I recently came a cross a more recent map, titled “Map of the village of Flushing, Queens County, New York”, from 1894. This was four years before the western half of Queens County...
Old Structures...
Reality Is Better Looking Above, another hotel appointment card, this time from the Gilsey House. The hotel was completed in...
a year ago
6
a year ago
Above, another hotel appointment card, this time from the Gilsey House. The hotel was completed in 1871, with that incredible cast-iron facade constructed by Daniel Badger. It’s still there, over 150 years later, now apartments. The engraving on the card really doesn’t do the...
The Modern House
Hannah Carter Owers on selling the family home in two days in pursuit of the perfect 1970s retrofit...
11 months ago
Old Structures...
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves...
4 months ago
36
4 months ago
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves because their covers and/or page edges contain poisonous dyes, as described in “That book is poison: Even more Victorian covers found to contain toxic dyes” by Jennifer Ouellette. The...
CONTEMPORIST
A White Material Palette Creates A Peaceful Coastal Living Feeling For This Home Habitat Studio Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Queensland,...
a year ago
5
a year ago
Habitat Studio Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Queensland, Australia, that’s located right on Currumbin Beach. Inspired by coastal living, the home features an exterior of stone, white weatherboards that reflect the sun, and white battens that...
CONTEMPORIST
Large Travertine Slabs Were Used To Update This Home’s Design Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of the Kojima House, a home that has been...
7 months ago
47
7 months ago
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of the Kojima House, a home that has been updated with an additional and a remodel. Located in Kentfield, California, the home boasts unobstructed views of San Francisco Bay, Kent-Woodlands Valley, and surrounding mountains....
The Modern House
A Piers Gough apartment with a secluded balcony and spectacular views of the Thames
a year ago
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
4
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...
Construction Physics
Why Is It So Hard to Build an Airport? Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to...
9 months ago
29
9 months ago
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to global GDP through direct and indirect effects (ie: the businesses and commerce that it enables), and an estimated 25% of companies’ sales rely on air transport. In 2022, civil...
devonzuegel.com
Chautauqua: an idea embedded in a place I want to tell you about the place I spent summers growing up. It's called Chautauqua Institution,...
over a year ago
7
over a year ago
I want to tell you about the place I spent summers growing up. It's called Chautauqua Institution, and it's one of the most special places in the world — and not just because I spent my childhood there. Chautauqua is special because it is an idea embedded in a place. The place...
Old Structures...
Gaudy This scrapbook clipping is listed as 1895 to 1945. The presence of the entrance kiosk for the City...
a week ago
8
a week ago
This scrapbook clipping is listed as 1895 to 1945. The presence of the entrance kiosk for the City Hall subway stop means it’s after 1904. I’m not sure if the Municipal Building (built 1909 to 1914) would be visible from this angle or would be off the left side of the frame; the...
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
40
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....
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Fancy Digs Hawkeye chases some bad guys in New York: Looking north up Central Park West from a bit below 71st...
3 months ago
31
3 months ago
Hawkeye chases some bad guys in New York: Looking north up Central Park West from a bit below 71st Street: The relatively-low brown building two blocks up is the Dakota Apartments, but the drawing in the comic isn’t accurate enough to recognize it. The building at the first...
Common Edge
“Boston Is A Red City” Construction rooted in local materials is what has provided cities with distinctive identities—and...
a year ago
24
a year ago
Construction rooted in local materials is what has provided cities with distinctive identities—and colors.
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Ranch Home Bathed In Light And Natural Materials Farmer Payne Architects together with interior designer firm Suede Studio, have completed a ranch...
4 months ago
41
4 months ago
Farmer Payne Architects together with interior designer firm Suede Studio, have completed a ranch house in Idaho, that seamlessly integrates rustic charm and contemporary elegance. Adorned with authentic hand-hewn heavy timber and stone with big grout joints reminiscent of...
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
24
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
CONTEMPORIST
A Round Fireplace Is A Unique Feature In The Living Room Of This Remodeled Home Aaron Kohler and Marc Straumann of architecture and design firm KOHLERSTRAUMANN, have shared photos...
a year ago
31
a year ago
Aaron Kohler and Marc Straumann of architecture and design firm KOHLERSTRAUMANN, have shared photos of their latest project, a renovated family home in Lausen, Switzerland. The architects completely transformed the space by changing the floors, renovating all bathrooms and the...
The Modern House
‘The girl from elsewhere’: designer India Mahdavi on her struggle for acceptance, and how a rented... Our guest on this episode of Homing In – our podcast on which our co-founder Matt Gibberd asks...
a year ago
21
a year ago
Our guest on this episode of Homing In – our podcast on which our co-founder Matt Gibberd asks cultural tastemakers about a home from their past, present and future – is the French-Iranian architect India Mahdavi. Known as the Queen of Colour, she has designed […]
The Modern House
Listing of the Week: a Norfolk beauty that ushers the natural world in
8 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
From Web to Print Recently I was watching a news program, most likely PBS Newshour or an MSNBC show, and was struck by...
a year ago
20
a year ago
Recently I was watching a news program, most likely PBS Newshour or an MSNBC show, and was struck by one of the talking heads speaking via Skype or Zoom being described as "a writer working on turning her blog into a book." I don't remember her name or even the subject, as the...
Common Edge
The Sphere in Las Vegas: A Placeless Object in a Placeless City The latest Sin City spectacle is just that—spectacle. Pure, crystalline spectacle.
11 months ago
Archinect - Features
The Illusion of Space: Can Artificial Intelligence Understand the Third Dimension? Popular text-to-image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have introduced what...
a year ago
7
a year ago
Popular text-to-image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have introduced what some believe to be a new creative frontier in the architectural design process. However, they also encourage us to reflect on a series of relationships at the heart of design,...
Construction Physics
Why do we need infrastructure policy? My title at IFP is "Senior Infrastructure Fellow," which means that in addition to publishing this...
a year ago
9
a year ago
My title at IFP is "Senior Infrastructure Fellow," which means that in addition to publishing this newsletter, I do work related to infrastructure policy. At a high level, that work is figuring out which things we should be building, and how we can make building those things...
The Modern House
Take a Dip: London’s best swimming spots – from lakes to lidos
a year ago
Old Structures...
Solving A Non-Existent Problem This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct...
11 months ago
4
11 months ago
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct with two bridges to carry a street from the top of a hill gradually down to the lower grade over a mile to the north. This is the same northern portion of Manhattan of which I said...
Common Edge
From Venice to Detroit: Laboratories of the Future, Reconsidered Optimism and action trump didactic scolding every time.
a year ago
Common Edge
Jane Jacobs, Cyclist We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
7 months ago
The Wandering...
Transforming French WW1 Lambert Coordinates to WGS84 Nord de Guerre Here’s a survey plat made in 1919 by a US Army unit in France. In the aftermath of...
11 months ago
49
11 months ago
Nord de Guerre Here’s a survey plat made in 1919 by a US Army unit in France. In the aftermath of WW1, teams of American military surveyors produced these as they went around France mapping the grave sites of fallen soldiers. On this plat we can see a number of bearings and...
Old Structures...
Very Urban Angelo Rizzuto’s title for this photo is “Cityscape – New York City”. Don’t feel embarrassed if you...
5 months ago
36
5 months ago
Angelo Rizzuto’s title for this photo is “Cityscape – New York City”. Don’t feel embarrassed if you can’t recognize anything New Yorkish in it – it took me a minute. The arch bridge in the background is the Henry Hudson Bridge, carrying the Henry Hudson Parkway (the northern...
Contemporist...
This Prefab Home Was Installed On The Property In Just One Day BIO-architects together with DublDom, have sent us photos of their latest project, DUB, a modular...
a year ago
Old Structures...
The Personal Connection A 1958 or 59 view of 200 East 42nd Street under construction: It’s a fairly boring steel-frame,...
8 months ago
27
8 months ago
A 1958 or 59 view of 200 East 42nd Street under construction: It’s a fairly boring steel-frame, glass-facade office building, remarkable to me for the simple reason that I had my first more-or-less real engineering job there. Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton, later known as TAMS...
The Modern House
The brilliant reimagining of Sunny Side Up, a family home in Clapton
10 months ago
Old Structures...
Waste Not, Something Something I was passing through Tribeca last week and came across this little building. Very, very little....
9 months ago
20
9 months ago
I was passing through Tribeca last week and came across this little building. Very, very little. Three stories tall, maybe 40 feet wide, and about four feet deep on the left and maybe a luxurious ten or fifteen feet deep on the right. You know you’re in a city where real estate...
Contemporist...
Large Wood Arches Dramatically Elevate The Roof Of This Charging Station Research-based design studio EFFEKT has shared photos of a contemporary charging park designed to...
9 months ago
17
9 months ago
Research-based design studio EFFEKT has shared photos of a contemporary charging park designed to signal the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
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
devonzuegel.com
The Hard Parts of Open Source, by Evan Czaplicki Speaker: Evan Czaplicki Meeting: Strange Loop 2018 - September 2018 Video:...
over a year ago
8
over a year ago
Speaker: Evan Czaplicki Meeting: Strange Loop 2018 - September 2018 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_4EX4dPppA Slides: https://prezi.com/oowcpzsnwp-8/the-hard-parts-of-open-source/?webgl=0 [ References to videos, books, and articles mentioned in this...
The Modern House
Akram Khan: the poignant story of a man who found his voice through dance Matt Gibberd’s guest on this week’s podcast is the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. Having...
11 months ago
21
11 months ago
Matt Gibberd’s guest on this week’s podcast is the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. Having danced since he was very small, Akram, who was born in London to Bangladeshi parents, is one of the most acclaimed names in contemporary dance working today, known for his […]
Archinect - Features
'The Relationship Between AI and Architecture Is Old Enough to Receive Social Security'; A... Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From...
a year ago
6
a year ago
Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From there, her career as a writer, designer, historian, and professor has taken her on a journey of understanding the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence and its...
The Modern House
Explore Simon Allford’s ‘family home in the sky’ in our new film series
10 months ago
Archinect - Features
The Books You Should Read for Summer 2024, According to Leading Voices in Architecture Is your bookshelf ready for Summer? If not, we have you covered.  Continuing a recurring tradition,...
6 months ago
66
6 months ago
Is your bookshelf ready for Summer? If not, we have you covered.  Continuing a recurring tradition, Archinect has reached out to notable figures across the architecture community who have been featured in our editorial over the past year, asking them what books they believe...
Contemporist...
This Home's Addition Is Designed To Feel Like You've Stepped Into The Garden BENT Architecture has shared photos of a project they designed in Victoria, Australia, that included...
a year ago
28
a year ago
BENT Architecture has shared photos of a project they designed in Victoria, Australia, that included the design of a rear extension that answers the statement, "Imagine if your home could feel like living in a garden pavilion".
CONTEMPORIST
This Wood-Framed Glass Box Is The Ultimate Backyard Office Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of a backyard office they designed for their...
7 months ago
33
7 months ago
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of a backyard office they designed for their clients in Dry Creek Valley, California. The wood-framed glass box hovers above the rugged terrain, it’s placed west of the main house, is partially above a narrow level pad, and...
Old Structures...
Onec You See It The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the...
8 months ago
23
8 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.
Contemporist...
A Kitchen And Bathroom Renovation Updates This Home With New Ideas Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and bathroom renovation they completed...
a year ago
4
a year ago
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and bathroom renovation they completed for a Sydney suburban home owned by a design-conscious couple.
Common Edge
Peter Calthorpe Has a Plan for More Housing in California Through a state-mandated use of form-based codes and a focus on “grand boulevards” of underutilized...
a year ago
23
a year ago
Through a state-mandated use of form-based codes and a focus on “grand boulevards” of underutilized commercial strips, the number of potential units expands by orders of magnitude.
Old Structures...
Happy Presidents’ Day The cover of the dinner menu for Washington’s Birthday from the SS Columbia of the Hamburg-Amerika...
10 months ago
25
10 months ago
The cover of the dinner menu for Washington’s Birthday from the SS Columbia of the Hamburg-Amerika Line. That’s a portrati of the Columbia on the right, apparently about to run down a sailboat. Columbia had a weird history, having served as a liner between Germany and the US,...
Construction Physics
The Rise and Fall of the Mail-Order Home In the early 20th century, a new business model appeared: the mail-order home. Companies would mail...
a year ago
18
a year ago
In the early 20th century, a new business model appeared: the mail-order home. Companies would mail out catalogs containing several dozen different home options, buyers would send in their orders, and the company would send the necessary materials – pre-cut lumber, roofing,...
The Modern House
Why modern living is easy at Farnley Hey – Peter Womersley’s first domestic dwelling
7 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Coastal-Inspired Interior Is Soft And Calming Melling Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a duplex in Vancouver, turning it...
4 months ago
37
4 months ago
Melling Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a duplex in Vancouver, turning it into a warm and effortlessly coastal home for a young, active family. The home was completed in January 2023 and truly embodies the considered yet breezy essence of Kitsilano...
Construction Physics
How did solar power get cheap part II (note: all quotes are from Nemet’s How Solar Energy Became Cheap unless otherwise noted.) Welcome to...
a year ago
20
a year ago
(note: all quotes are from Nemet’s How Solar Energy Became Cheap unless otherwise noted.) Welcome to Part II of “How did Solar Power Get Cheap?” To recap Part I, the modern solar photovoltaic (PV) cell was invented at Bell Labs in 1954. Early markets were almost entirely...
CONTEMPORIST
A Curving Bridge Leads To The Entertainment Areas Of This Modern Home Openideas Architects has shared photos of a modern project in Ahmedabad, India, that includes two...
12 months ago
44
12 months ago
Openideas Architects has shared photos of a modern project in Ahmedabad, India, that includes two homes for multi-generational living, with a curving bridge walkway that connects to outdoor entertaining areas. The bridge, which includes hidden lighting, travels above water...
The Beauty of...
Riding the Steel Breeze (Port Talbot Parkway, Neath Port Talbot, UK) Some stations are born parkways, some achieve parkway status, while yet others have parkway status...
a year ago
7
a year ago
Some stations are born parkways, some achieve parkway status, while yet others have parkway status thrust upon them. Such is the explanation for an arrival at Port Talbot Parkway being such a strange experience. As passengers step out of their trains they find themselves...
CONTEMPORIST
A Daybed Nook Is A Great Place To Read Inside This Cabin Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a secluded home they designed in Methow Valley,...
3 months ago
39
3 months ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a secluded home they designed in Methow Valley, Washington. One of the key interior elements is a built-in day bed. The open nook has various functions. There’s the day bed for relaxing, with storage drawers built in underneath. The...
Archinect - Features
Delivering Projects on Time Is a Challenge. Here’s How Architects Do It U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” This...
2 months ago
27
2 months ago
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” This sentiment rings true in architecture, where architects are required to establish project timelines potentially spanning several years for schemes potentially costing millions of...
Old Structures...
Wrong But Impressive I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s...
2 months ago
24
2 months ago
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s on, the cleaning probably will; the content generally ranges from idiotic (here’s my name – isn’t it impressive?) to puerile (pictures of genitalia being the most common); and it’s...
Old Structures...
Smooth Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high...
a month ago
12
a month ago
Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high rise: In case that’s difficult to make out, it’s a glass slab roof supported on laminated glass beams. The hand belongs to Will Teron, who was standing on the same stair landing I...
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE] All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
3 months ago
31
3 months ago
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding,...
Construction Physics
How much safer has construction gotten? When talking about (the lack of) construction productivity growth, or the fact that we used to build...
a year ago
19
a year ago
When talking about (the lack of) construction productivity growth, or the fact that we used to build things much faster than we do today, commentators frequently mention the safety of the construction workers. On this view, construction speed/efficiency and worker risk are a...
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 weeks ago
10
3 weeks 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....
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Meant To Be Used With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed...
3 weeks ago
15
3 weeks ago
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed before the 1950s from their later counterparts by looking for light courts. If your lights are, at best, incandescent bulbs, and your ventilation is mostly or entirely though...
Common Edge
What Would a Code of Ethics Look Like for Architecture Schools? Some simple guidelines would help clarify issues.
a year ago
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...
5 months ago
36
5 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...
Old Structures...
We Become Accustomed – Part 1 I want to spend a few days talking about a building that is not very exciting, because it...
a year ago
7
a year ago
I want to spend a few days talking about a building that is not very exciting, because it illustrates an important phenomenon about change. When I talk about change in this blog, I most often mean technological change in the built environment, as new forms of construction...
The Modern House
Best Buds: the most beautiful garden centres in London
a year ago
Old Structures...
Not Famous Is Good Theater fires were among the worst building-related events of the nineteenth and early-twentieth...
4 months ago
37
4 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...
CONTEMPORIST
An Apartment Designed With Cats In Mind AODA Interior Design Co. has shared photos of an apartment interior in Taiwan they recently...
2 months ago
27
2 months ago
AODA Interior Design Co. has shared photos of an apartment interior in Taiwan they recently completed, that includes a variety of design elements specifically for the home owners cats. The clients are a couple with four cats and two medium-to-large dogs. Previously, they lived in...
Old Structures...
A Variety Pack I haven’t done one of these for a while and it’s too hot to think, so here goes: the view east on...
5 months ago
36
5 months ago
I haven’t done one of these for a while and it’s too hot to think, so here goes: the view east on Bridge Street from Whitehall Street gives a nice selection of lower Manhattan building types. A: One Whitehall Street. 1962, 23-story office building with a glass and metal-panel...
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...
11 months ago
6
11 months 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...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: A Project Jessica Drew, in her Spider-Woman gear, visits Belvedere Castle. It’s reasonably clear that in the...
9 months ago
9
9 months ago
Jessica Drew, in her Spider-Woman gear, visits Belvedere Castle. It’s reasonably clear that in the frame on the right she’s standing in the pavillion looking across to the main tower.
Archinect - Features
Design, Computation, and Humans: Exploring the Intersection with Onur Yüce Gün For Onur Yüce Gün, the study of computation is the study of the human condition itself. A mission to...
a year ago
6
a year ago
For Onur Yüce Gün, the study of computation is the study of the human condition itself. A mission to anchor humans at the center of AI and computational design brought Gün on an educational journey from Middle East Technical University in his native Turkey to the MIT Design and...
Old Structures...
Fun With Telephoto Lenses A lot of times, when I’m discussing an old photo, I’ll talk about where the photographer was...
8 months ago
29
8 months ago
A lot of times, when I’m discussing an old photo, I’ll talk about where the photographer was standing when he or she took the shot. It matters to understand exactly what you’re seeing, and figuring it out is usually not that difficult if you know some of the quirks of Manhattan...
Old Structures...
A Metaphor Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main...
4 months ago
37
4 months ago
Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main cables is attached to one of the four deck-stiffening trusses below by the vertical suspender cables. The towers are separately attached to the trusses by the diagonal brace cables in...
Coffee with an...
Buildings are important People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them...
a year ago
10
a year ago
People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them Grow old in them Die in them Buildings are important. People decide big things here Decide on small things too Draw conclusions inside Make plans Change plans Change our minds Make...
A Weekly Dose of...
Places in Time I Like most human beings, I can be contradictory at times. One area where this manifests is...
a year ago
24
a year ago
Like most human beings, I can be contradictory at times. One area where this manifests is architectural surveys: books that usually collect buildings of a certain typology, but also ones spanning a particular timeframe or through some other theme. I've written a few of them...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Aerial The Red Skull – boo, hiss – contemplates life from a high tower in Manhattan. Specifically, one with...
4 months ago
31
4 months ago
The Red Skull – boo, hiss – contemplates life from a high tower in Manhattan. Specifically, one with a view of the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. If that tiny bit of the bridge tower isn’t recognizable, Murry Bergtraum High School and the adjacent Verizon Office Building surely...
The Solarchitecture...
Create homes that are havens for health and vitality Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings.
a year ago
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
7
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...
Old Structures...
Originality Is Not Easy, Part 3 The first two parts of this series looked at patents that involved odd details that were not really...
3 months ago
29
3 months ago
The first two parts of this series looked at patents that involved odd details that were not really part of the metal-frame revolution that was taking place in the 1890s but rather adjacent to it. Neither of those patents reflected actual structure that I’ve ever seen in an old...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Renovation Where The Walls Were Removed So The Interior Connects With the Exterior Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they renovated in London, that included opening up...
a year ago
6
a year ago
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they renovated in London, that included opening up the walls to connect the interior spaces with the garden. The designers removed the whole ground floor, including the external walls to the rear, the stairs, most of the interior,...