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
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...
It Looked Familiar: Famous and Less So
On the left, Steve Rogers jogs off the Brooklyn Brige onto a walkway that doesn’t actually exist at...
10 months ago
On the left, Steve Rogers jogs off the Brooklyn Brige onto a walkway that doesn’t actually exist at the foot of the bridge. The S-curved pickets in the handrail above a stone base look very much like the walkway along the Hudson River in Battery Park City, on the other side of...
Contemporist...
A Lot Of Plants Have Been Integrated Into The Design Of This Home In Singapore
Wallflower Architecture + Design has sent us photos of a home they recently completed in Singapore,...
11 months ago
Wallflower Architecture + Design has sent us photos of a home they recently completed in Singapore, that features an exterior covered in plants.
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
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...
The Modern House
How architect Charlie Luxton built a hidden home into a hillside in Oxfordfordshire
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Large Windows Give This Home A Lantern-Like Appearance At Night
Swatt | Miers Architects has shared photos of a house they designed in the town of Atherton,...
a year ago
Swatt | Miers Architects has shared photos of a house they designed in the town of Atherton, California, that replaces an earlier mid-century structure that the family had owned for many years. The home, with its white exterior, has an abundance of windows, allowing the home to...
Old Structures...
New Ringing The Old
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle...
3 months ago
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle effect to the buildings in much of lower Manhattan that you can see clearly here, that the buildings on the waterfront are new and bigger than the ones behind them. It’s a simple...
Common Edge
How the YIMBY-NIMBY Debate Worsened the Housing Crisis
And how to change things for better results.
a year ago
And how to change things for better results.
Old Structures...
The Same But Different
This is an 1884 photograph of Broadway looking north from just south of Houston Street. Broadway...
11 months ago
This is an 1884 photograph of Broadway looking north from just south of Houston Street. Broadway runs straight from here until the bend at 10th Street where Grace Church is, and the church is just barely visible at the end of the street. Unlike most photos of Manhattan from the...
Benny Kuriakose
Mahabalipuram - The Seaside Art Hub
A triumphant center for sculptures just 57 kilometers south of Chennai city, is an art hub and...
a year ago
A triumphant center for sculptures just 57 kilometers south of Chennai city, is an art hub and famous travel destination called...
The Modern House
A family home in Hackney, lovingly tended inside and out
a year ago
Construction Physics
Weekend roundup - Icon, Diamond Age, Cuby, Gropyus
Since there’s more interesting things happening in construction than I can cover in a weekly post...
a year ago
Since there’s more interesting things happening in construction than I can cover in a weekly post (especially if I’m spending posts writing about things that happened 800 years ago), I’m experimenting with occasionally sending out a brief roundup of interesting links related to...
Construction Physics
The Technological Innovations that Produced the Shale Revolution
Part One of Hot Rocks: Commercializing Next-Generation Geothermal Energy
a year ago
Part One of Hot Rocks: Commercializing Next-Generation Geothermal Energy
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
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...
Coffee with an...
Remember your training
At times, a client may request a curve. Stay calm. Remember your training. Calmly explain that that...
9 months ago
At times, a client may request a curve. Stay calm. Remember your training. Calmly explain that that would conflict with the design vocabulary. Remind the client that rectilinear forms are a sign of strength, firmness, commodity, and yes, delight. Stay strong. At times, the client...
Old Structures...
Cartesian
I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the...
3 months ago
I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River about a mile away – with good reason. There’s an argument to be made that this small (for NYC) bridge is the most beautiful in the...
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
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...
McMansion Hell
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial claim that bike lanes are good, actually.
Bicyclists Deserve the Right to Free Movement
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial...
a year ago
Bicyclists Deserve the Right to Free Movement
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial claim that bike lanes are good, actually.
Common Edge
Harvard Design Magazine #50: ChatGPT to the Rescue
An alumnus of the GSD takes a treacherous trek through the dense and glossy 50th anniversary issue.
a year ago
An alumnus of the GSD takes a treacherous trek through the dense and glossy 50th anniversary issue.
Old Structures...
The Name Lost Meaning
From the great archive of her photographs that Carol Highsmith donated to the Library of Congress,...
3 months ago
From the great archive of her photographs that Carol Highsmith donated to the Library of Congress, “View of a Manhattan street from New York City’s High Line, a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail.” Except that you can’t see the High Line because she was...
Old Structures...
Very Local Requirements
Below, a construction fence of typical New York design. Such fences here have had windows of some...
8 months ago
Below, a construction fence of typical New York design. Such fences here have had windows of some kind going back at least to the mid-1900s. Per the current NYC building code, section 3307.7.3, “Viewing panels shall be provided in solid fences erected on or after July 1, 2013, at...
The Modern House
Inside the light-filled rural hideaway of legendary artists Langlands & Bell
6 months ago
99% Invisible
The 2024 Olympics Spectacular [EPISODE]
From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again...
5 months ago
From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again everywhere. In the Olympic spirit, we’re bringing you four stories about the games in all their international, theatrical glory. In the first story, Christopher Johnson introduces...
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
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...
devonzuegel.com
Part 6: Is the proposed new city in California climate resilient?
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the...
8 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.
One of the biggest questions I had when I first learned about this...
Old Structures...
Examples Illustrated
I was at the annual SEAoNY conference yesterday – 9½ hours devoted to building codes – and it was,...
10 months ago
I was at the annual SEAoNY conference yesterday – 9½ hours devoted to building codes – and it was, as expected, informative and interesting. Obviously, that’s not what I’m going to write about here. The conference was at Convene (a place where you can rent space for conferences)...
CONTEMPORIST
A Pier Foundation Allowed This Home To Be Built On A Steeply Sloped Property
LTD Architectural Design Studio has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Auckland, New...
a year ago
LTD Architectural Design Studio has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Auckland, New Zealand, that’s located on a steep site. This very steep site provided a challenge for the architects in terms of creating a suitable living platform. They wanted to minimize piling...
CONTEMPORIST
This Lakehouse Hovers Above The Natural Sloped Terrain
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset,...
8 months ago
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset, Ontario, that hovers above the natural sloped terrain close to the water’s edge of Kawagama Lake. The building, which sits lightly on the rugged site, invites expansive sky and...
CONTEMPORIST
A House Extension With A Curved Window Makes Room For A New Kitchen At This Home In London
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they...
a month ago
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they completed for a terrace house in Stoke Newington, London. With an emphasis on natural materials and a unique approach to design, this renovation turns the once disconnected ground...
devonzuegel.com
A Big Little Idea Called Legibility
July 26, 2010 By Venkatesh Rao
James C. Scott’s fascinating and seminal book, Seeing Like a...
over a year ago
July 26, 2010 By Venkatesh Rao
James C. Scott’s fascinating and seminal book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, examines how, across dozens of domains, ranging from agriculture and forestry, to urban planning and...
99% Invisible
Fact Checking the Supreme Court [EPISODE]
The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana, California is a large granite and sandstone building from...
6 months ago
The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana, California is a large granite and sandstone building from the early 20th century. There, Jennifer Birch was there doing research for a group called Moms Demand Action. It’s an organization that advocates for gun control and regulation....
Common Edge
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.
6 months ago
A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.
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
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...
Archinect - Features
The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of...
This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system...
4 months ago
This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system justification reinforce a status quo that marginalizes women and people of color. These complex and long-lived dynamics are unpacked through personal anecdotes, historical analysis,...
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
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...
Not Quite What It Seems
First up, from one of those New York Public Library scrapbooks, “Looking down upon a forest of...
4 months ago
First up, from one of those New York Public Library scrapbooks, “Looking down upon a forest of skyscrapers: New York City.” It’s listed as having been issued between 1850 and 1945, and my response to that is “oh, come on.” The Park Row and St. Paul buildings, and the intersection...
Old Structures...
Amazing Detail
I recently put up a map put up an 1884 planning map for the expansion of the Croton water system...
11 months ago
I recently put up a map put up an 1884 planning map for the expansion of the Croton water system north of New York. It turns out that was just an appetizer. Today’s map, from 1899, has much more detail and is amazing proof of what could be done with hand drafting: no GIS...
Common Edge
The ‘Social Landscapes’ of Lee Friedlander
For six decades, the photographer’s ability to offer a complex narrative about America in a single...
8 months ago
For six decades, the photographer’s ability to offer a complex narrative about America in a single image was always unique.
Construction Physics
Construction Productivity - Structural Steel
This week we’re continuing our investigation of productivity trends in US construction. We...
a year ago
This week we’re continuing our investigation of productivity trends in US construction. We previously looked at single family home construction, and noted that the number of hours required to construct 100 square feet of single family home has slightly increased over the past 50...
Common Edge
How the Global Business Class Has Transformed the Home
They’re bringing the aesthetics and lifestyle expectations of the hospitality industry into their...
2 months ago
They’re bringing the aesthetics and lifestyle expectations of the hospitality industry into their domiciles.
Old Structures...
New And Improved Graphics!
Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan...
2 months ago
Seven years ago [!] I spent some time looking at the Pearl Street overpass portion of the Manhattan approach of the Brooklyn Bridge. The short version is that it’s an 1880s steel truss reinforced in the mid-1900s with a steel arch below. The long discussion is: here and here and...
McMansion Hell
Bonus McMansion Hell: Ye Olde Barrington
In which I am in my castle era.
a year ago
In which I am in my castle era.
Old Structures...
Ins And Outs Of Development
In 1891, Corydon Purdy published a four-piece article in the Engineering News on “The Steel Skeleton...
a year ago
In 1891, Corydon Purdy published a four-piece article in the Engineering News on “The Steel Skeleton Type of High Buildings.” Skeleton framing, as we understand it today, was about a year old; using some of the older and looser definitions floating around in the 1880s and 90s, it...
The Modern House
How Robin and Bronwen Burgess created a haven overlooking Hampstead Heath
a year ago
The Modern House
Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming...
10 months ago
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming entirely synonymous with a certain strand of the shabby-chic look that so gripped the late 1990s and early 2000s. But there was life before the company – Cath worked first for […]
CONTEMPORIST
This Alley Between Buildings Was Transformed With A Series Of Arches
Photography by Robin Hill Daniel Toole Architecture in collaboration with SB Architects, has...
7 months ago
Photography by Robin Hill Daniel Toole Architecture in collaboration with SB Architects, has transformed a nondescript alley in Miami, Florida, with a series of concrete arches. Photography by Heywood Chan This alley was originally surrounded by trash rooms, dumpsters, mechanical...
A Weekly Dose of...
Four Monographs
Of the numerous books publishers send me for review — be they requested by me, pitched by them, or...
a year ago
Of the numerous books publishers send me for review — be they requested by me, pitched by them, or arriving at my doorstep unsolicited — the highest percentage of them are monographs. This fact goes against the occasional sirens over the irrelevance and anachronistic nature of...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Extension Made Space For A New Kitchen And Dining Area
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary...
4 months ago
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary single-storey extension for a private residence. Mature trees surround the site to the north and east, and tall lush hedges to the south and west perimeter of the property that provide...
Old Structures...
Misleading Words
In 1941, Robert Moses demolished the New York Aquarium, located in Castle Clinton in Battery Park,...
7 months ago
In 1941, Robert Moses demolished the New York Aquarium, located in Castle Clinton in Battery Park, in a fit of pique over losing his fight to build a bridge from the Battery to Brooklyn. (That project became the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.) The aquarium was a three-story building on...
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
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...
Old Structures...
Bones Beneath The Skin
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station...
4 months ago
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station was part of the Dual Contracts expansion of the subway system, and opened in 1918. I’m pretty sure the platforms were lengthened at some point after that, probably in the 1950s or...
Contemporist...
A Modern Farmhouse By The Sea In New Zealand
New Zealand architecture firm Studio John Irving Architects has shared photos of a modern farmhouse...
a year ago
New Zealand architecture firm Studio John Irving Architects has shared photos of a modern farmhouse they completed that's been designed like a collection of linked farm outbuildings.
CONTEMPORIST
Custom Bunk Beds Were Designed For This Jungle-Themed Kid’s Bedroom
Interior design firm Britt White Studio has shared photos of a jungle-themed kid’s bedroom they...
a year ago
Interior design firm Britt White Studio has shared photos of a jungle-themed kid’s bedroom they designed as part of an overall penthouse project. The room was designed for two brothers, aged 7 and 9, who worked directly with the designers for the creation of their shared room,...
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
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...
Archinect - Features
Meet Tulane School of Architecture's New Faculty Hires
Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners, welcomes nine full-time...
a year ago
Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners, welcomes nine full-time incoming faculty members who will hold permanent positions at the school starting in the 2023/24 school year.
TuSA Dean Iñaki Alday shared that the aim for this new round of faculty...
A Weekly Dose of...
Book Briefs #47: Three Altrim Titles
Here is the next installment of "Book Briefs," the series of occasional posts featuring short...
over a year ago
Here is the next 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. Obviously, these briefs are not full-blown reviews, but they are a way to...
The Modern House
Nice Modernism: introducing the friendly face of modernist architecture
After almost a hundred years of modernist architecture, the writer and critic Alan Powers argues...
4 months ago
After almost a hundred years of modernist architecture, the writer and critic Alan Powers argues that the canon is ripe for reappraisal. Here, he makes the case for “Nice Modernism” – an altogether gentler strand of architecture that emerged in the 1930s and is typified […]
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
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...
Changes and Not
I almost missed this 1938 entry in Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, because it’s...
9 months ago
I almost missed this 1938 entry in Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, because it’s mislabelled at the New York Public Library web site as “Vista, Thomas Street”. We all make mistakes, and whomever confused Thames and Thomas hid the location of this photo by accident....
Old Structures...
The Uniform of the Chief Engineer
From the UK, 1879, a picture of what the well-dressed chief naval engineer should wear. Perosnally,...
11 months ago
From the UK, 1879, a picture of what the well-dressed chief naval engineer should wear. Perosnally, I’m not very good at keeping clothing this good-looking for more than about ten minutes after I put it on, but I wouldn’t mind the sword. Below, the 1879 launch of HMS Agamemnon,...
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
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...
Old Structures...
Not Famous Is Good
Theater fires were among the worst building-related events of the nineteenth and early-twentieth...
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...
Archinect - Features
New Dog, New Tricks: Reflections on Construction, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence
What is the current relationship between humans, robotics, and construction? What is its future? To...
a year ago
What is the current relationship between humans, robotics, and construction? What is its future? To explore these questions in depth, Archinect speaks with both Boston Dynamics and the Applied Research + Development group at Foster + Partners for their experiences and...
The Modern House
Jacqueline Rabun: the jewellery designer on leaving home aged 17 to chart her own course through...
It was 1989 when a 17-year-old Jacqueline Rabun left home in California to seek her fortune in...
a year ago
It was 1989 when a 17-year-old Jacqueline Rabun left home in California to seek her fortune in London. It didn’t take long: the following year, she’d opened a jewellery studio (having taught herself how to make) and had debuted her first collection of sculptural pieces. […]
The Modern House
A couple’s self-renovated 1960s home built on to a 17th-century cottage in Somerset
a year ago
Archinect - Features
10 helpful tips for architecture students going back to school
School is officially back in session as new and returning students begin another academic term....
a year ago
School is officially back in session as new and returning students begin another academic term. Whether you're a fresh undergraduate student embarking on your first year of architecture school or you're a returning student about to continue another rigorous year of learning,...
Old Structures...
Skyscraperiness
As I’ve said many times, in many venues, there really isn’t an objective description of...
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
Favorite Books of 2023
For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year,...
a year ago
For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year, selected from the many books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the few titles that I reviewed at World-Architects. From the 86 books I featured in 2023, 15 (or...
The Modern House
Four at the Fore: London’s most innovative creatives on pushing things forward
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Dark Wood Exterior Complements The Forest Surrounding This Modern Home
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated, has sent us photos of a new home they completed...
4 months ago
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated, has sent us photos of a new home they completed in Calgary, Alberta, that was artfully designed around its relationship with the mature urban forest across the street Stepping inside, we see a minimalist foyer with a bench and...
A Weekly Dose of...
Olmsted Trees
Olmsted Trees
Photographs by Stanley Greenberg, with contributions by Tom Avermaete, Kevin Baker,...
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...
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
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
A Californian-inspired 1970s home hidden under the trees in Kent
a year ago
Common Edge
Design for Global Survival: The 2030 Palette
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
a month ago
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
Common Edge
The Making of Ponchartrain Park in New Orleans
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood...
9 months ago
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood development exclusively available to Black middle-class families.
Old Structures...
Credit Where Due
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s...
10 months ago
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s been around for a while, but I guess I never looked up: the facades of the first two floors are an old building, while the upper floors (and, I assume, the interiors) are new....
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Renovation Made More Use Of The Basement And Outdoor Space
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation they completed in...
a year ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation they completed in Seattle, Washington. Before – The Exterior The single-story, mid-century home had two doors at the front of the home, with steps leading to each one. After – The Exterior The updated...
Archinect - Features
Exhibit Columbus’ University Design Research Fellows Showcase Proposals That Activate the...
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the...
a year ago
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the themes that sparked important conversations at Exhibit Columbus’ 2023 Design Presentations organized by the Landmark Columbus Foundation. Each Exhibit Columbus cycle focuses on a...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Under
One of the most formal elements in Central Park is the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace, just south of...
2 months ago
One of the most formal elements in Central Park is the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace, just south of The Lake. The terrace overlooks the fountain from the elevation of the 72nd Street crosstown drive, and has three sets of stairs leading down; the undercroft of the terrace is a...
Common Edge
Jane Jacobs Would Reject NYC’s Proposed “City of Yes”
YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
5 months ago
YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
The Modern House
Say hello to our new podcast, Homing In, featuring Ruth Rogers on finding comfort in the face of...
What do our homes reveal about who we are? Almost everything, it turns out – something we’ve...
a year ago
What do our homes reveal about who we are? Almost everything, it turns out – something we’ve discovered while recording conversations with cultural contributors, business innovators and creative luminaries for our new podcast, Homing In, which we are pleased to share with you...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Courthouses Galore
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt...
3 months ago
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt Murdoch, otherwise known as Daredevil, on the steps of a courthouse having just finished a case: Here’s a view looking north with the New York State Supreme Court and its large...
Old Structures...
Imagine Standing There
Every so often, I mention New York’s industrial past. Compared to a truly industrial city like...
9 months ago
Every so often, I mention New York’s industrial past. Compared to a truly industrial city like Philadelphia or Chicago, it’s small-scale stuff, but compared to the present it’s astonishing. Looking at one of the parts of the city devoted to industry before 1920, it’s hard to...
The Modern House
The best of Stoke Newington and Newington Green
4 months ago
Benny Kuriakose
Planning and Designing of Service Blocks in a School
Service rooms are an absolute necessity in any building. When designing and planning such rooms, it...
a year ago
Service rooms are an absolute necessity in any building. When designing and planning such rooms, it is important to understand the type...
Old Structures...
A Deservedly Unknown Truss
There’s a street bridge over the Hudson Line (the former main line of the New York Central Railroad)...
9 months ago
There’s a street bridge over the Hudson Line (the former main line of the New York Central Railroad) tracks just south of the Dobbs Ferry Station: For now, ignore the big white pipe at the bottom of the side truss: it’s a utility line, not part of the truss. That leaves us with...
CONTEMPORIST
A Small Elevated Cabin Inspired By A Bird’s Nest
Architect Jan Tyrpekl, has shared photos of a small elevated cabin that was designed in Hainburg an...
11 months ago
Architect Jan Tyrpekl, has shared photos of a small elevated cabin that was designed in Hainburg an der Donau, Austria, for a client who owned a farm and wanted somewhere to relax. Located on the border of a young orchard and mature trees. It has an archetypal house shape, but it...
devonzuegel.com
Independence for whom?
I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community...
over a year ago
I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community with a distinctive architectural style: simple timber-frame structures clad in wooden siding, and gardens all planted with native flora. The Sea Ranch Design Committee enforces...
The Modern House
A radical rural development in Herefordshire with community at its core
a year ago
Old Structures...
Winding
This 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is titled “Bdwy winding all thru T-Sq.” and it definitely shows...
8 months ago
This 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is titled “Bdwy winding all thru T-Sq.” and it definitely shows Broadway and Times Square, although I have some quibbles about “winding.” This view is looking north and a little bit west, probably taken from a window on a high floor of 1450...
The Modern House
The low-key, light-infused renewal of a long-neglected Victorian cottage in Walthamstow
10 months ago
Construction Physics
“No inventions; no innovations” A History of US Steel
Last week US Steel announced it was being acquired by Japanese steel company Nippon Steel. The...
11 months ago
Last week US Steel announced it was being acquired by Japanese steel company Nippon Steel. The milestone gives an opportunity to look back at what once was the largest and most important company in the US (and arguably the world), and how it slowly declined. Prior to the...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Overhanging The Water’s Edge In Alaska
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in...
a month ago
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in Alaska, that overlooks inlet waters and is balanced on the edge of a rock wall. The home’s geometry is defined by two tall shed roof structures with a connector between them. Along the...
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
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...
Common Edge
Bill McKibben on COP28, Maintaining Hope, and Walking in the Woods
The activist and author offers some perspective on the recently concluded UN Climate summit.
a year ago
The activist and author offers some perspective on the recently concluded UN Climate summit.
The Modern House
Architects Mariia Pashenko and Koen Schaballie on the radical reinvention of their Victorian home in...
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Inspired By The Verticality Of Neighboring Victorian Houses
NEO Architecture Inc. has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Ontario, Canada,...
10 months ago
NEO Architecture Inc. has shared photos of a contemporary home they completed in Ontario, Canada, whose design was inspired by the verticality of neighboring Victorian homes. The extruded gable form is a tribute to the architectural motifs of the past while blending it with...
Contemporist...
A New Home Inspired By The Long, Horizontal Lines Of The Classic California Bungalow
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated has shared photos of a new home they completed in...
4 months ago
Design and build company Alloy Homes Incorporated has shared photos of a new home they completed in one of Calgary’s original upscale mid-century neighborhoods.
CONTEMPORIST
A Bathroom Renovation Where Adding A Vanity That Wraps Around The Corner Added Much Needed...
Designer Ana Dahlman has shared photos of a bathroom renovation she completed that included...
a year ago
Designer Ana Dahlman has shared photos of a bathroom renovation she completed that included replacing the vanity with a floating L-shaped corner vanity. Before we see the renovated bathroom, here’s what it looked like originally, with cream-colored walls and a small vanity with...
The Modern House
Old meets new at a masterfully renovated 400-year-old farmhouse in the South Downs
a year ago
Old Structures...
So Very Random
Hidden among the vast holdings of the New York Public Library is a set of 52 images of playing cards...
a year ago
Hidden among the vast holdings of the New York Public Library is a set of 52 images of playing cards donated by William Barclay Parsons, arguably most famous for being the chief engineer of the Interborough Rapid Transit system, New York’s oldest subway. Each card has an...
Common Edge
NYC’s ‘City of Yes’ Proposal Is a Free Pass for Big Real Estate
It won’t create affordable housing, but instead lead to continued gentrification and displacement.
3 months ago
It won’t create affordable housing, but instead lead to continued gentrification and displacement.
Blog - Guerrilla...
Vermont's Great Retreat
To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles....
over a year ago
To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles. Talked to historians and librarians. And read maps. Lots of maps. As I did, I wondered if there was something in the landscape, the communities, the culture that made Vermont...
99% Invisible
The Infernal Machine [EPISODE]
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in...
2 months ago
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in one place and set it on fire. But then in the 1800s one scientist named Alfred Nobel dedicated himself to taming the incredibly volatile substance that was nitroglycerine. After...
Common Edge
Making the Economic Case for Biophilic Design
Green building pioneer Bill Browning on why designing with nature is good business.
a year ago
Green building pioneer Bill Browning on why designing with nature is good business.
There are two types...
Me on the On Cities Podcast
CLICK HERE to open in Apple Podcasts
The post Me on the On Cities Podcast appeared first on There...
a year ago
CLICK HERE to open in Apple Podcasts
The post Me on the On Cities Podcast appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
The Modern House
Five things to do and see this April
The clocks have sprung forward and the spring chicks are chirping: yes, April has arrived. But it’s...
a year ago
The clocks have sprung forward and the spring chicks are chirping: yes, April has arrived. But it’s not only those longer, lighter evenings luring us out of the house; this month’s brilliant list of cultural and culinary must-dos and -sees is equally tempting – even […]
There are two types...
Notes on Beyond Architecture: The New New York
The post Notes on <i>Beyond Architecture: The New New York</i> appeared first on There are two types...
3 days ago
The post Notes on <i>Beyond Architecture: The New New York</i> appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
Contemporist...
This Wood Watchtower Is Also A Home For Bats
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also...
2 months ago
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also doubles as a shelter for bats.
The Modern House
‘I go to bed thinking about it’: why Tate Modern director Frances Morris returns to her childhood...
Where does our spirit go when we die? Frances Morris has this question figured out: she will return...
a year ago
Where does our spirit go when we die? Frances Morris has this question figured out: she will return to the home in which she was born, a Georgian house abreast the Meridian Line in Greenwich. Listen to this deeply personal conversation on our podcast, Homing […]
The Modern House
Scene Stealers: seven rural homes with spectacular surroundings
We’ve all found ourselves daydreaming of life in the country – growing your own fruit and veg, wild...
a year ago
We’ve all found ourselves daydreaming of life in the country – growing your own fruit and veg, wild swimming, enjoying a glass of red by a cosy log fire… But if that’s never been quite enough to inspire you to take the plunge, the homes […]
The Modern House
Nature's way: Botanical stylist Yasuyo Harvey’s stunning transformation of a standard suburban semi
3 months ago
Old Structures...
An APT Webinar
I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis...
10 months ago
I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis of a somewhat weird building with concrete and masonry structure, and the implications for investigation and analysis of buildings with old concrete structure. More information...
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six homes that prove good things come in at under 600 square feet
6 months ago
Archinect - Features
'Everything in Design Is Extremely Collaborative': A Conversation with Emerging Architecture...
Starting your own practice comes with a mixture of excitement, collaboration, stressors, and endless...
a year ago
Starting your own practice comes with a mixture of excitement, collaboration, stressors, and endless problem-solving. As a new firm, architects Neda Kakhsaz and Zabie Mustafa are developing their approach to architectural design and how they would like to make their mark within...
Old Structures...
All In A Name
I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too...
a week ago
I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too small to house a modern government. The first solution dreamed up in the late 1800s was to replace City Hall with a much larger building. For various reasons – including expense, a...
The Modern House
Views From Above: five homes that celebrate London’s skyline
Seen from on high, London’s shifting cityscape never ceases to fascinate – a patchwork of man-made...
9 months ago
Seen from on high, London’s shifting cityscape never ceases to fascinate – a patchwork of man-made shapes interrupted by so many pockets of green. No matter the weather, a view from above brings out the distinct colour and characteristics of each neighbourhood, encouraging you to...
Old Structures...
Sic Transit
This photo by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1952, is listed at the Library of Congress as “Bird’s eye...
8 months ago
This photo by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1952, is listed at the Library of Congress as “Bird’s eye view of a building in New York City.” It’s the old Metropolitan Opera House at 40th Street and Broadway, the one that the Met left in 1966 to move to Lincoln Center. The Met had...
The Modern House
Hans Ulrich Obrist: the celebrated curator on why home has always been a place of artistic discovery
Hans Ulrich Obrist is the artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington, west London,...
a year ago
Hans Ulrich Obrist is the artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington, west London, and is universally acknowledged as one of the most important and prolific art curators of our time. He’s known for his broad, cross-disciplinary approach, in which subjects such as...
Old Structures...
A Similar Feeling
First, looking east on 14th Street from First Avenue, last week. The endless repetitive buildings on...
9 months ago
First, looking east on 14th Street from First Avenue, last week. The endless repetitive buildings on the left are Stuyvesant Town, a 1940s middle-class housing development that replaced the Gashouse District with a whole bunch of mid-rise red-brick apartment houses. The ornate...
99% Invisible
Between the Blocks [EPISODE]
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock...
10 months ago
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock park” green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They’re not so much “parks” in the formal sense, with fences and gates, just open...
Common Edge
Buildings, Communities, Cities: Things Fall Apart
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
a year ago
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
McMansion Hell
this house may or may not be real
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5...
over a year ago
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5 bathroom house totaling more than 6,600 square feet is for sale at a price of 2.37 million dollars. The house, allegedly, was built in 2021. Allegedly, it looks like this:
A McMansion...
CONTEMPORIST
Pivoting Arched Windows Are A Unique Feature On This Row Of Townhouses In London
Photography by Matthew White and Izzy Scott of AVR London Architecture firm DHaus has designed a...
a year ago
Photography by Matthew White and Izzy Scott of AVR London Architecture firm DHaus has designed a collection of 6 new terraced townhouses in North-West London, that replaced a gas station. The six new townhouses include a strong mixture of rectangles and arches, set within a brick...
The Beauty of...
A Fearsome Beauty (Cambridge North station, Cambridgeshire, UK)
When engineering and design company Atkins presented the city of Cambridge with a sparkling gift, it...
over a year ago
When engineering and design company Atkins presented the city of Cambridge with a sparkling gift, it must have felt rather pleased. It had simultaneously provided a brand new station and answered the question of how to ensure that same station embodied the character of the local...
The Modern House
Nice Slice: the best pizza in London
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Architects and Clients Downbeat About Economy: Archinect's Business Survey Results...
Throughout May and June 2024, we invited our community to offer us insights and feedback on how you...
5 months ago
Throughout May and June 2024, we invited our community to offer us insights and feedback on how you were feeling about the economic outlook of your firm and sector. As we explained at the time, this project was motivated by several observations from economists within and beyond...
The Modern House
Grand Designs at 25: six Modern House homes that started life on the much-loved homebuilding TV show
Grand Designs first aired in 1999 when television schedules were awash with dubious interiors...
3 months ago
Grand Designs first aired in 1999 when television schedules were awash with dubious interiors programming. From the start, it was distinctly different. With just one project per episode, it allowed the viewer to become fully involved, immersed and invested. Thought-provoking and...
Common Edge
How Architects Deal With Demolished Designs
Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
a year ago
Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
The Modern House
A slender space-savvy home in Clerkenwell, inspired by the City’s skyscrapers
a year ago
Old Structures...
An Alternate Timeline
Gustav Lindenthal really wanted to bridge the Hudson River. He was one of the most successful bridge...
11 months ago
Gustav Lindenthal really wanted to bridge the Hudson River. He was one of the most successful bridge engineers in the US – he’s best represented in New York by the Queensboro and Hell Gate Bridges – but nothing compares with his effort to building a suspension bridge across the...
The Beauty of...
A Sense of Place (White Hart Lane Station, London, UK)
You will remember that my knowledge of football can be transcribed onto the reverse of a postage...
over a year ago
You will remember that my knowledge of football can be transcribed onto the reverse of a postage stamp, possibly with room left over, and that what knowledge I do possess is thanks to my other half’s family being Portsmouth FC supporters; an emotional rollercoaster, it has to be...
There are two types...
“Big Real Estate’s Continuing Stranglehold Over New York City”
Recently, the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times about the causes of...
over a year ago
Recently, the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times about the causes of unaffordable housing in New York City. He blamed the crisis on a few things, including a powerful financial “monoculture” in the city, NIMBYs, … Continue reading →
The post “Big...
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...
3 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...
Old Structures...
A Working Drawing
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the...
a year ago
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge. I guess it doesn’t quite qualify as art, although I’d certainly hang it on a wall. The lettering at the top and the 3D-effect frame around the image suggest that this...
devonzuegel.com
Numbers for understanding cities
Whenever I think about physical places, I find myself coming back to a few types of numbers again...
over a year ago
Whenever I think about physical places, I find myself coming back to a few types of numbers again and again.
I've collected these into spreadsheets so that I can reference them more easily, and I figured they might be useful to others too:
Urban densities – Population density...
Old Structures...
Sketches by a Master
This sketch sheet by Cass Gilbert, dated February 3, 1912, is titled “Institutional structures by...
11 months ago
This sketch sheet by Cass Gilbert, dated February 3, 1912, is titled “Institutional structures by Gilbert” in the Library of Congress, although it has both public and commercial buildings. Gilbert’s description at the bottom is better: “These buildings are now in the office in...
Coffee with an...
A simple description
The structural exploration reflects the dichotomy of the diametrically opposed forces creating...
7 months ago
The structural exploration reflects the dichotomy of the diametrically opposed forces creating intrinsic tension within the interstitial forms which have been bifurcated and articulated throughout the design exploration phases resulting from the pedological rigor employed...
Old Structures...
Sideways
One of our stranger projects… The pictures below show a sidewalk vault in Manhattan. The vault...
a month ago
One of our stranger projects… The pictures below show a sidewalk vault in Manhattan. The vault extends from the sidewalk (its roof) down two floors or about 25 feet, and was built around 1895. Since reinforced-concrete was still in its infancy then, it was not used for foundation...
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
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...
Old Structures...
Tracing The Load Path
Yet another view of the roof trusses at Moynihan Station, built when it was a mail-handling facility...
4 months ago
Yet another view of the roof trusses at Moynihan Station, built when it was a mail-handling facility to allow for a big open floor for sorting machinery. The roof truss is at the upper right; one of the main columns is below it, two side trusses, supporting the edges of the...
The Modern House
Skye’s the limit at this home in a serene settlement in the Scottish Highlands
a year ago
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
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...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Myopia: Observing Communities in Chiang Mai, Thailand
The genesis for “My Parallel Communities of Chiang Mai (ชุมขนคู่ขนานที่เชียงใหม่)” likely began on a...
over a year ago
The genesis for “My Parallel Communities of Chiang Mai (ชุมขนคู่ขนานที่เชียงใหม่)” likely began on a calm, wet-season night after the rains had subsided at One Nimman, my group of friends — portrait artists from Chiang Mai University — shooting the breeze and hustling what money...
Archinect - Features
USC Students Try a ‘Bottom-Up’ Approach To Sustainable Housing Delivery in the School of...
Our latest Archinect Studio Pin-Ups takes a look at three studios at Archinect Partner School USC...
2 days ago
Our latest Archinect Studio Pin-Ups takes a look at three studios at Archinect Partner School USC School of Architecture, offered as part of their one-year Master of Advanced Architectural Research Studies (M.AARS) postgraduate program.
Led by instructors Julia Sulzer and Sascha...
Construction Physics
Could we stop Yellowstone from erupting with a giant geothermal power plant?
It’s become fairly common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park, in addition to being incredibly...
a year ago
It’s become fairly common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park, in addition to being incredibly beautiful, is sitting on top of an enormous supervolcano that catastrophically erupts every few hundred thousand years. Unlike normal volcanoes, which tend to produce large...
The Modern House
Charlotte Taylor on the wonders of wood and her sudoku-orientated routine
a year ago
Old Structures...
The Big Time
We’re working on the Gothic Bridge in Central Park, seen above. Tim went to the night-before prep...
a year ago
We’re working on the Gothic Bridge in Central Park, seen above. Tim went to the night-before prep for the Thanksgiving parade and found this float: And then he watched the parade on TV and found it again, second from the end:
Common Edge
What Does Midcentury Modern Even Mean These Days?
When a style becomes historical, its meaning becomes slippery.
a year ago
When a style becomes historical, its meaning becomes slippery.
Archinect - Features
'AI Is a Dangerous Distraction From the Pressing Issues Defining Our Generation'; A...
Liam Young was once described by the BBC as “the man designing our future.” In 2023, with open...
a year ago
Liam Young was once described by the BBC as “the man designing our future.” In 2023, with open letters penned on the risks of extinction posed by artificial intelligence, such a role should be in high demand.
Young’s speculations on the future take the form of fictional stories...
The Wandering...
Mapping Gottfried Merzbacher
I’m wrapping up my work on Gottfried Merzbacher—a sort of back-burner project that’s been active and...
over a year ago
I’m wrapping up my work on Gottfried Merzbacher—a sort of back-burner project that’s been active and then dormant, on and off, for about seven years. It’s been a pleasure to learn about places like the Bayumkol valley, the relationship between the Saryzhaz and Kum-erik Rivers,...
The Modern House
A duo’s dramatic warehouse conversion hidden in west London
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Archinect's Tips for Recent Graduates Navigating Architectural Employment
In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding...
a year ago
In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding portfolio advice, crafting an effective resume, and if one should follow their "dream job or a dream school" have been ongoing topics on Archinect and our forum. Within the last few...
The Wandering...
53° 30′ N
So, there I am, driving along in Edmonton, Alberta. I come to a stop light on Fort Road, look to my...
over a year ago
So, there I am, driving along in Edmonton, Alberta. I come to a stop light on Fort Road, look to my right and I see this: Is that a building with longitudes written on the roof?!?! And what are these longitudes? 9° 49’ W—that’s nowhere near Edmonton! Nor is 123°30’ E. What’s …...
The Modern House
The Green Series #3: how to make your home airtight
Passivhaus buildings are designed to be almost completely airtight, with no unsealed gaps in the...
3 weeks ago
Passivhaus buildings are designed to be almost completely airtight, with no unsealed gaps in the exterior of the building. While a typical home might struggle to achieve that, there are ways to reduce unwanted draughts and heat loss. Continuing our series of Passivhaus hacks,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Limestone Facade Was Designed For This Boutique Retail Store
Photography by doublespace photography Architecture studio PARTISANS has shared photos of a boutique...
5 months ago
Photography by doublespace photography Architecture studio PARTISANS has shared photos of a boutique they completed that’s owned and operated by Royal de Versailles Jewellers in Toronto, Canada, and features a sculptural stone facade. Photography by doublespace photography...
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
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...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Kitchen And Dining Area Remodel To Open Up The Space And Create More Seating
Floisand Studio Architects has shared photos of a kitchen and dining area renovation they completed...
a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has shared photos of a kitchen and dining area renovation they completed for a home in Seattle, Washington. The homeowners, both small business owners in Seattle, worked with Floisand Studio for over a decade designing a number of popular cafes and a...
Old Structures...
Gotcha!
There are times I feel sorry for the people who run the huge online archives that we use for...
a year ago
There are times I feel sorry for the people who run the huge online archives that we use for research. They have to deal with thousands (or tens of thousands, or more) resources – usually individual files in multiple formats – on hundreds or thousands of topics. And if they make...
devonzuegel.com
Misreading Milei: The American press can only see Argentina through US-colored glasses
It's been frustrating to see the US coverage of Milei, Argentina's new president. They are deeply...
a year ago
It's been frustrating to see the US coverage of Milei, Argentina's new president. They are deeply misunderstanding (or misrepresenting?) what's going on. It seems the American press can only understand Argentine politics through the lens of the US, when really it's just a totally...
A Weekly Dose of...
Favorite Books of 2022
For this last post of 2022 I looked back at the dozens of books I reviewed or featured as "Book...
over a year ago
For this last post of 2022 I looked back at the dozens of books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the ones I reviewed on World-Architects. From those books I gathered just over a dozen favorites, grouping them into some common themes that happened to come...
The Solarchitecture...
Follow up to circadian rhythm post
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
over a year ago
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
Old Structures...
A Different Configuration
I almost didn’t recognize this photograph, even though I’ve been involved with the building since...
6 months ago
I almost didn’t recognize this photograph, even though I’ve been involved with the building since 2011. The New York Public Library digital archive has this labelled as the “Onderdonk Mill, Roslyn” and if they hadn’t mentioned the town name I wold have gone right by it. We’ve...
CONTEMPORIST
Steel Symphony: A Madrid Home’s Unique Design With Weathered Elegance
Borja Lomas of Voluar Arquitectura has designed a new home in Madrid, Spain, that’s covered in...
8 months ago
Borja Lomas of Voluar Arquitectura has designed a new home in Madrid, Spain, that’s covered in weathering steel and has a uniquely shaped design. The shape of the home showcases various areas that branch out in different directions, some of which are cantilevered away from the...
Old Structures...
A Story With A Happy Ending
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering,...
10 months ago
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering, architecture, construction, or NYC history – that has something to do with engineering, architecture, and construction, and maybe NYC history as well. I like mechanical keyboards, with a...
devonzuegel.com
Google Docs' sheet-of-paper metaphor
For ages, I've wondered why Google Docs still clings to the sheet-of-paper metaphor when lots of its...
over a year ago
For ages, I've wondered why Google Docs still clings to the sheet-of-paper metaphor when lots of its users never print out most of their documents.
Of course it does make sense for "Print layout" to be an option. Many people do print docs, and students make up a huge portion of...
CONTEMPORIST
These A-Frame Cabins Were Built To Create An Eco-Hotel In Italy
Atelier LAVIT has sent us images of their latest project LILELO / Little Leisure Lodge, which is an...
a year ago
Atelier LAVIT has sent us images of their latest project LILELO / Little Leisure Lodge, which is an eco-hotel made up of four independent cabins. Three of the cabins are dedicated to housing suites, with the fourth cabin acting as a common area with a generous outdoor space and a...
Old Structures...
The Main Attraction Hasn’t Changed
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street...
a month ago
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street in 1920: The focal point of such a view is, of course, Grand Central Terminal. The big vacant lot, protected only by an easily-hopped fence, was the former site of the 1860s Grand...
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
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...
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
tsai Design has sent us photos of a micro-apartment they renovated in St. Kilda, Australia, that measures in at just 269 square feet (25m2), and features a unique and unexpected brass design element. Named ‘St Kilda Micro Sanctuary’, the small apartment has been designed for a...
Common Edge
The Washington, D.C., Drawings of Dhiru Thadani
A longtime resident captures the capital’s planning, architectural, and social history with ink,...
a year ago
A longtime resident captures the capital’s planning, architectural, and social history with ink, pencil, and paint.
The Modern House
The masterful resculpting of an urban cottage in Cambridge
3 months ago
Old Structures...
6:52 AM, November 27
Half an hour after dawn, and the setting full moon is just to the right and below the ONE WAY sign....
a year ago
Half an hour after dawn, and the setting full moon is just to the right and below the ONE WAY sign. The construction on the left is poart of the Battery Resliency program to prtocet lower Manahttan against sea level rise.
The Modern House
Angus and Sarah Shepherd on putting down roots and reviving a 1960s home in Dulwich
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Green Roof Covers This Riverside Home
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof...
a year ago
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof that’s located on the bank of the Vistula River. The home has been designed to subtly integrate into the natural shape of the land and allows for a usable green roof. A sloped ramp...
Construction Physics
The worst US bridges are getting fixed
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads,...
a year ago
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads, bridges, pipes, and transmission lines are decaying faster than they’re being repaired or replaced. This concern goes back to the early 1980s, when the book "
CONTEMPORIST
A House That Rises From The Ground Forming A Three-Level Garden
Architecture firm AtelierM, has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Pilar, Buenos...
a month ago
Architecture firm AtelierM, has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Pilar, Buenos Aires, whose design is inspired by the terrain and surrounding area. The house is conceived as a living element in the landscape, with gentle curves and fluid lines that adapt to the...
99% Invisible
Home on the Range [EPISODE]
In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town,...
a year ago
In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town, you’ll hear kids playing outside the local elementary school. You’ll hear the highway that takes commuters down to Cincinnati. At the woods on the edge of town, the birdsong is...
Benny Kuriakose
Sustainability in School Design
Sustainability is a practice that seeks to minimize the negative impact of buildings on the ...
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...
99% Invisible
Maximum Temperature [EPISODE]
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like...
3 months ago
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and in hot places all over the world, climate change is wreaking a very different kind of havoc – on living things. In the final episode of Not Built for This, we...
Old Structures...
Embracing office-to-residential conversion in the ‘City of Yes’
A timely ‘Yes’ to converting older buildings is set to further fuel Manhattan’s current...
2 days ago
A timely ‘Yes’ to converting older buildings is set to further fuel Manhattan’s current office-to-residential boom. New York City Council recently passed Mayor Adams’ ‘City of Yes’ proposal to create over 80,000 new housing units across the city over 15 years. Among the historic...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Designed As One Long Curve
FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing...
a year ago
FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing curved design. Through its shape and arrangement, the curved home protects itself from the busy road, while also opening up the interior to the outdoor spaces, like the yard and...
Archinect - Features
10 Controversial Buildings That Became Iconic Landmarks
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always...
2 months ago
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always welcomed with open arms. Throughout history, some of our most acclaimed structures have in fact provoked heated debates, divided public opinion, sparked fierce controversy, and in one...
Old Structures...
Scant Evidence
A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit...
a week ago
A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit hole. In a proper library I believe that I’d find a hard answer but playing around on the internet from hime, I’m left with a partial guess. The phrase, under the heading of Theaters...
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Meant To Be Used
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed...
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...
CONTEMPORIST
The Color And Material Palette Of This New Home Allows It To Blend Into The Desert Setting
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy...
a year ago
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy color palette that complements its surroundings. The home, designed for an architect and graphic designer, was built on a site with an irregular shape, however, from the street, it...
The Modern House
Shore thing: Six homes close to the Sussex coast
Although once a single entity – and one of the kingdoms that made up the Heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon...
5 months ago
Although once a single entity – and one of the kingdoms that made up the Heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon Britain – Sussex has been divided into East and West since the late 20th century. With all those years of shared history, it’s no surprise that there’s […]
Contemporist...
This Australian Terrace House Was Modernized For Today's Living
Chan Architecture has shared photos of a project they recently completed in Clifton Hill, Australia,...
a year ago
Chan Architecture has shared photos of a project they recently completed in Clifton Hill, Australia, that included transforming the interior of a terrace house into a modern home.
Archinect - Features
Design, Computation, and Humans: Exploring the Intersection with Onur Yüce Gün
For Onur Yüce Gün, the study of computation is the study of the human condition itself. A mission to...
a year ago
For Onur Yüce Gün, the study of computation is the study of the human condition itself. A mission to anchor humans at the center of AI and computational design brought Gün on an educational journey from Middle East Technical University in his native Turkey to the MIT Design and...
Common Edge
Explaining NYC’s Arcane, and Possibly Unconstitutional, Planning and Approval Process
It’s the “City of Yes”—even if you say “NO”!
6 months ago
It’s the “City of Yes”—even if you say “NO”!
CONTEMPORIST
A Slide Connects The Main Floor With The Kids Bedrooms On The Lower Floor Of This Home
Reflect Architecture has remodeled a duplex that had an additional two small basement units, and...
a year ago
Reflect Architecture has remodeled a duplex that had an additional two small basement units, and turned it into one unit on the second floor for income purposes, as well as combined the ground floor and lower-level into a single dwelling for a young family of five. One unexpected...
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
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.
CONTEMPORIST
Operable Screens Cover The Exterior Of This Hawaiian Home
Architecture firm OLSON KUNDIG has shared photos of a home they completed in Hanalei, Hawaii, that...
a year ago
Architecture firm OLSON KUNDIG has shared photos of a home they completed in Hanalei, Hawaii, that blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living with the inclusion of a series of operable shutter screens that wrap most of the building facade. The custom shutter system,...
The Modern House
Architect Sophie Hicks on life in her hidden concrete haven in Kensington
a year ago
A Weekly Dose of...
On the Future of Cities
The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of...
a year ago
The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of them together:
Implementing Urban Design: Green, Civic, and Community Strategies by Jonathan Barnett, published by Routledge, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop)
Renewing the Dream: The...
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
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
Consider the 15 mph City
It’s time to expand our vision to include slower, more human-scaled speeds of transportation.
a year ago
It’s time to expand our vision to include slower, more human-scaled speeds of transportation.
The Beauty of...
Silver Machine (Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station, Hanley, Staffordshire, UK)
With a horrid shock of recognition, I suddenly realised what Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station reminded me...
over a year ago
With a horrid shock of recognition, I suddenly realised what Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station reminded me of. As a one-time public transport officer in a local authority I, like most others, often experienced the depressing feeling of being unable to source enough funding to keep an...
Contemporist...
A Home Designed To Walk Up And Around The Green Roof
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina,...
2 months ago
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina, whose design was inspired by geometry and its surroundings.
The Modern House
Hot on the heels of modernity: how our heritage buildings are catching up with us
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late...
4 months ago
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late 90s, the listing was was the result of a successful application by the Twentieth Century Society. Its chairman Hugh Pearman suggests that it stands as a youthful reminder of where...
The Modern House
A Japanese-inspired solution unlocks light and space in this shape-shifting micro-flat
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Bragging Combined With Public Service
I highly recommend the soon-to-be-released book The Elements of Construction: N. Clifford Ricker,...
a month ago
I highly recommend the soon-to-be-released book The Elements of Construction: N. Clifford Ricker, Architecture, and the University of Illinois and not just because I wrote on chapter of it. Marci Uihlein, the editor, an architect and engineer, and a professor of architecture at...
The Modern House
A home counties treasure by master of materials Michael Manser, now for sale
9 months ago
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
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...
There are two types...
Mariaplaats, Utrecht
The post Mariaplaats, Utrecht appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good...
over a year ago
The post Mariaplaats, Utrecht appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
CONTEMPORIST
Bamboo And Traditional Craftsmanship Weave Nature Into The Design Of This Retail And Exhibition...
Design firm llLab., has shared photos of a sculptural bamboo installation they recently completed as...
2 months ago
Design firm llLab., has shared photos of a sculptural bamboo installation they recently completed as part of the Element pop-up store at HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai, China. Aligned with Element’s sustainable branding philosophy, this project embraces bamboo to explore a spatial...
SOCKS
“One Can No Longer Distinguish the Sun’s Outline”: Atlas of Clouds and of States of the Sky (1930)
A cloud atlas is a visual depiction of various types of clouds accompanied by their classification...
9 months ago
A cloud atlas is a visual depiction of various types of clouds accompanied by their classification and nomenclature. Cloud atlases were primarily developed starting in the 19th century and utilised for training weather forecasters and meteorologists. The 1930’s International...
Common Edge
Letter From Asheville: The Aftermath of Helene
The road to recovery will be long.
a month ago
The road to recovery will be long.
Archinect - Features
Five Big Factors Behind the Architecture Industry’s Economic Slowdown
Earlier this week, we released Part One of our findings from the Archinect Business Survey, which...
5 months ago
Earlier this week, we released Part One of our findings from the Archinect Business Survey, which invited you to share how you were feeling about the economic outlook of your firm and sector. Our analysis found that across the United States, architects have seen business...
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
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...
A Good Idea But Not Enough
Via Core77, some excerpts of Clara Mu He’s masters thesis, which propose a way to make wood-frame...
5 months ago
Via Core77, some excerpts of Clara Mu He’s masters thesis, which propose a way to make wood-frame construction much more amenable to recycling and reuse of materials: here. In short, if you use strapped and ganged lumber sticks rather than special sizes and penetrative...
99% Invisible
The Frankfurt Kitchen [EPISODE]
After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of...
a year ago
After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of residents were in dire straits, and in the second half of the 1920s, the city built over 10,000 public housing units. It was some of the earliest modern architecture — simple,...
Common Edge
Can We Create a Secular and Spiritual Architecture?
It’s not spirituality that’s in retreat, but face to face rituals and customs.
10 months ago
It’s not spirituality that’s in retreat, but face to face rituals and customs.
Benny Kuriakose
Paliam Nalukettu: A Glimpse into a Matrilineal Society
In the small town of Chendamangalam in Paravur, Kerala, is the Paliam Nalukettu, which is located...
a year ago
In the small town of Chendamangalam in Paravur, Kerala, is the Paliam Nalukettu, which is located within the Paliam complex. Benny...
Contemporist...
A Monochromatic Interior Sets The Vibe Inside This Retail Store
Design firm Studiomateriality, has shared photos of a retail store they designed in Athina, Greece,...
9 months ago
Design firm Studiomateriality, has shared photos of a retail store they designed in Athina, Greece, that has a monochromatic interior to catch the eye of people walking past.
The Modern House
The big blue: a striking sculptural staircase forms the focus of this converted coach house in...
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Possibly
The title of this 1958 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is “Aerial view of street, possibly Park Avenue, with...
8 months ago
The title of this 1958 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is “Aerial view of street, possibly Park Avenue, with raised medians separating traffic in each direction, high-rise buildings lining both sides of the street.” That’s definitely Park Avenue looking north from approximately 89th...
The Modern House
A television producer on transforming an old student house into a fine family home in Queen’s Park
a year ago
McMansion Hell
here are some things i like
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed...
a year ago
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed home full of wonderful design.” Haha, NO! However, I do think it’s entirely possible to collect design and live an aesthetically satisfying life on, like, a normal salary. Last...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Well Done
From Carol Highsmith’s archive, a Target store in Brooklyn in 2018. If you’re going to reuse an old...
4 months ago
From Carol Highsmith’s archive, a Target store in Brooklyn in 2018. If you’re going to reuse an old theater for your big-box store, why not reuse the marquee and vertical knife sign for advertising?
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
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:...
The Modern House
Nick Hill’s no frills approach to materials recasts a 1930s house in south-east London as a...
8 months ago
Common Edge
Urban Farming: A Sustainable Pathway Out of Nigeria’s Unfolding Food Crisis
Havana, Tokyo, and Paris offer successful examples of how it might work.
5 months ago
Havana, Tokyo, and Paris offer successful examples of how it might work.
The Modern House
Jonny Gent: music, martinis and mayhem from the founder of Sessions Arts Club
The line between art and food is a fine one. Both are sensory, emotive and experiential; both are...
10 months ago
The line between art and food is a fine one. Both are sensory, emotive and experiential; both are fundamentally creative endeavours. But for Jonny Gent, painter and founder of Sessions Arts Club and Boath House, two new stars in the British hospitality firmament, the line […]
Old Structures...
Four Views For Advertising
From 1909, we’ve got some amazing sketches of the view from the Singer Building, created to show how...
9 months ago
From 1909, we’ve got some amazing sketches of the view from the Singer Building, created to show how wonderful it would be to have an office there. South: West: North: East: I’m not going to go into detail about all the buildings you can see, as I’ve done so many times before....
The Modern House
All things nice: designer Tom Bartlett's converted spice factory is a lesson in decorating with...
2 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Clad In Stone, Wood, Steel, And Glass, This House Nestles Quietly Within The Natural Surroundings
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently...
a year ago
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently sloping site amidst a grove of aspen trees on the edge of a large, open meadow with views out to the Elk Mountain Range. Clad in stone, wood, steel, and glass, the house complements...
Contemporist...
Art Deco Was Reinterpreted Into This Futuristic Gelato Parlor
Multidisciplinary design studio Masquespacio has shared photos of Amiko Gelato, a new retail...
5 months ago
Multidisciplinary design studio Masquespacio has shared photos of Amiko Gelato, a new retail destination in Barcelona that blends futuristic design with art deco elements.
Contemporist...
Western Red Cedar Gives This Home A Warm Feeling Inside And Out
Swatt | Miers Architects has sent us photos of their project, the 'Happy Valley Residence' in...
a year ago
Swatt | Miers Architects has sent us photos of their project, the 'Happy Valley Residence' in Lafayette, California.
Old Structures...
Dry-Goods Palace
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two...
3 months ago
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two blocks down Fulton Street to a new building that was something like five times the size of its old home. That name doesn’t mean much today, but in 1893, a change in ownership...
The Modern House
It’s all love at Matthew Scott and Charlie Carr’s new restaurant, Papi
a year ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Eight Decades of Modern Japanese Houses
A review of a new book released this week:
The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published...
a year ago
A review of a new book released this week:
The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published by Thames & Hudson, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop)
What makes modern and contemporary Japanese houses so appealing? Much of it stems from the novelty of residential designs,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Mural Adds Color To The Interior Of This Narrow Home
Spaces Architects@KA has shared photos of a tall and narrow house they designed in New Dehli, India,...
9 months ago
Spaces Architects@KA has shared photos of a tall and narrow house they designed in New Dehli, India, that includes a large wall mural. The colorful mural, which spans multiple floors, depicts a tree with leaves, flowers, and birds. Interior walkways provide an unobstructed view...
Construction Physics
Why Levittown Didn't Revolutionize Homebuilding
For decades, people have tried to bring mass production methods to housing: to build houses the way...
5 months ago
For decades, people have tried to bring mass production methods to housing: to build houses the way we build cars. While no one has succeeded, arguably the man that came closest to becoming “the Henry Ford of homebuilding” was William Levitt, with his company Levitt and Sons....
The Modern House
The power of post-war design in Regent’s Park, north-west London
a year ago
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #06: Mike Schur [EPISODE]
This is the sixth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
6 months ago
This is the sixth 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 sit down with Mike Schur, who created the critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place, and...
Old Structures...
Slow, But Faster Than Original
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of...
4 months ago
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of today, we’re about up to where the Parisians were in 1200 or so. From a month ago, construction of the nave walls: and the forest of nave columns: From yesterday, the nave walls and...
Common Edge
What Do You Say to a Naked Architect?
An architectural fiction.
a year ago
An architectural fiction.
devonzuegel.com
Buenos Aires recommendations
I wrote a Buenos Aires guide with recommendations and tips for a group of friends I was traveling...
over a year ago
I wrote a Buenos Aires guide with recommendations and tips for a group of friends I was traveling with in December 2021, and I figured it might be useful to other people too. I adore Buenos Aires and spend about a month each year there, so I'm always thrilled to hear when friends...
The Modern House
A new chapter: seven creatively converted homes
It takes an especially skilled eye to see the potential of somewhere to call home in a space not...
a month ago
It takes an especially skilled eye to see the potential of somewhere to call home in a space not designed with that in mind. But in this country, with its architectural tapestry of period buildings and premium on space, we have become adept at repackaging […]
A Weekly Dose of...
Ando and Le Corbusier
Ando and Le Corbusier is a two-volume project that shows how the works of two pioneers of modern...
over a year ago
Ando and Le Corbusier is a two-volume project that shows how the works of two pioneers of modern architecture – Le Corbusier and Tadao Ando – connect human experience to the basic givens of existence: interactions among human beings and personal encounters with nature, including...
The Modern House
Portal of change: the gentle evolution of Harfield Gardens – the family home behind the orange door
2 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Rereading the Nineties
Some of the references consulted during the research phase of my 2021 book Buildings in Print: 100...
a year ago
Some of the references consulted during the research phase of my 2021 book Buildings in Print: 100 Influential & Inspiring Illustrated Architecture Books, but not mentioned in the book's "selected bibliography," were old catalogs from the Prairie Avenue Bookshop, the beloved and...
Contemporist...
Reclaimed Weathered Wood Siding Covers This Home Inspired By Farm Buildings
Architecture and building company BIRDSEYE has shared photos of a home they completed in Sagaponack,...
a year ago
Architecture and building company BIRDSEYE has shared photos of a home they completed in Sagaponack, New York, that features an exterior clad in reclaimed weathered wood siding.
The Modern House
Mark Lebon, the man inside the house that makes people smile
8 months ago
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
a month ago
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan, a comedian and host with Dropout TV, where he’s...
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow: The Empire State Building and the World Trade Center (Part I)
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931. At a height of 1250 feet [0], it was the world's...
over a year ago
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931. At a height of 1250 feet [0], it was the world's tallest building, exceeding the recently completed Chrysler building by 202 feet. It would hold that title for the next 39 years, until 1970 when it was surpassed in height by...
CONTEMPORIST
Undulating Balconies And A Mint Green Tiled Exterior Give This New Building A Unique Look
Architecture firms Sadar+Vuga, Arhipro, and Studio Kristof have collaborated to create an...
3 months ago
Architecture firms Sadar+Vuga, Arhipro, and Studio Kristof have collaborated to create an eye-catching residential building in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with undulating balconies. The building, which houses apartments, is situated at the edge of a triangularly shaped site and is...
CONTEMPORIST
A Rock Inspired Exterior Was Designed For This Skincare Boutique
Architecture firm LMTLS has shared photos of SKIN1004, a new skincare boutique in Seoul, South...
10 months ago
Architecture firm LMTLS has shared photos of SKIN1004, a new skincare boutique in Seoul, South Korea, that has a rock-inspired facade. As the first offline flagship store in Myeongdong, the location embraces the concept of “untouched nature”, with rich brown and beige tones...
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
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...
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
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...
The Modern House
Luke Edward Hall: the artist and designer pulls back the curtain to reveal his colourful life story
A boundless creative with a uniquely romantic, rainbow-hued aesthetic, Luke Edward Hall has...
6 months ago
A boundless creative with a uniquely romantic, rainbow-hued aesthetic, Luke Edward Hall has reinvigorated our appetite for English Country House Style – and embroidered velvet slippers. For this week’s episode of Homing In, Matt Gibberd gets the invitation we’ve all been waiting...
The Modern House
Tim Ross: the Australian broadcaster on the life-enhancing effect of modest, modernist buildings –...
Growing up in a 1960s house in the suburbs of Melbourne, the Australian broadcaster Tim Ross was...
6 months ago
Growing up in a 1960s house in the suburbs of Melbourne, the Australian broadcaster Tim Ross was often left to his own devices. A daydreamer with an eye for design, his passion for modernist buildings took root and caught up with him following his early […]
The Modern House
Curators Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and Mathilde Friis on life in their brutalist flat in Bethnal...
a year ago
99% Invisible
De Fiets is Niets [EPISODE]
Today the Netherlands has a reputation as a kind of bicycling paradise. Dutch people own more...
a year ago
Today the Netherlands has a reputation as a kind of bicycling paradise. Dutch people own more bicycles per capita than any other place in the world. The country has more than 20,000 miles of dedicated cycling paths. International policymakers make pilgrimages to the Netherlands...
The Solarchitecture...
Case study #1: The Solar Saltbox house
A passive house for cold climates.
over a year ago
A passive house for cold climates.
The Modern House
How two lifelong friends built a space-savvy home to share on an awkward site in Homerton
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Some of the World’s Most Beautiful Coffee Shops
Happy International Coffee Day! To celebrate this culturally significant October 1st holiday, we...
2 months ago
Happy International Coffee Day! To celebrate this culturally significant October 1st holiday, we have picked a few of our favorite examples of coffee and architecture existing in blissful harmony.
So pour yourself another cup of your favorite roast (how about Archinect's very...
Contemporist...
This Elevated Cabin Looks Like A Birdhouse
i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they...
10 months ago
i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they designed in De Hode Veluwe National Park in The Netherlands.
Old Structures...
A Desperately-Needed Addendum
My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a...
a year ago
My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a cliff-hanger. Dan Eschenasy asked the obvious question: did the building in question fall down? The answer is no, it did not. 428 West 29th Street shows up on the land use maps in...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Hidden In The Forest Appears Like A Stack Of Illuminated Boxes
William / Kaven Architecture has sent us photos of a home they completed in Portland, Oregon, that’s...
a year ago
William / Kaven Architecture has sent us photos of a home they completed in Portland, Oregon, that’s part of a collection of private residences perched on several steeply sloped sites within Forest Park, a 5,000-acre woodland. A simple material palette of dark steel, concrete,...
Old Structures...
Close By
From Angelo Rizzuto, a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from June 1954. It was not taken from Woolworth,...
6 months ago
From Angelo Rizzuto, a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from June 1954. It was not taken from Woolworth, as the angle is slightly wrong. The bridge was in a transition period, with one major renovation just completed and another about to start. Between 1950 and 1954, the bridge...
CONTEMPORIST
A Stepped Brick Extension Makes Space For A Soft Warm Blush Kitchen
Architecture and interior design firm Bradley Van Der Straeten, has shared photos of a home in...
8 months ago
Architecture and interior design firm Bradley Van Der Straeten, has shared photos of a home in England that received a new stepped brick extension with views of the garden. When the front door is open, you can see all the way through to the rear garden. A stepped form took shape...
Common Edge
What’s to Become of the Mess That Is Penn Station?
A talk with architecture critic Justin Davidson about the thorny knot of issues involved at New...
a year ago
A talk with architecture critic Justin Davidson about the thorny knot of issues involved at New York’s most conflicted transportation-entertainment site.
Common Edge
How Might We Talk About the Shoreline of San Francisco?
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can...
10 months ago
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can enable better conversations about them.
CONTEMPORIST
A Metal Roof Wraps Around This Off-Grid Cabin To Protect It From The Elements
Cameron Anderson Architects has shared photos of a small off-grid cabin they designed as part of a...
6 months ago
Cameron Anderson Architects has shared photos of a small off-grid cabin they designed as part of a luxury farm stay in Australia. The building is situated on a gently undulating site with its elevated position offering uninterrupted views of the surrounding farmland. A wrapping...
Old Structures...
Quite Far
I was at a project site in Rockaway this week. As the crow flies, about 13 or 14 miles from the...
a week ago
I was at a project site in Rockaway this week. As the crow flies, about 13 or 14 miles from the office; by subway about 18 miles and a little over an hour. (It would have been less, but the lift bridge on the train causeway was open for a boat to pass.) Apple Maps […]
SOCKS
H. Wieners and P. Treutleins’ Catalogue of Mathematical Models (19th Century)
After last week’s post on Man Ray’s photographs of equation models from the Institut Poincaré in...
11 months ago
After last week’s post on Man Ray’s photographs of equation models from the Institut Poincaré in Paris, here are four illustrations (plus the cover) from the book “Verzeichnis von H. Wieners und P. Treutleins Sammlungen mathematischer Modelle für Hochschulen, höhere Lehranstalten...
Old Structures...
The Inspiration
The 14th Street station on the Eighth Avenue subway has an art installation by Tom Otterness called...
7 months ago
The 14th Street station on the Eighth Avenue subway has an art installation by Tom Otterness called “Life Underground” It consists of a series of brass figures, both human and animal, engaged in various pursuits. Everyone always focuses on the alligator climbing out of a sewer to...
Old Structures...
So It Begins
LEGO Notre Dame de Paris, 4383 pieces. Fortunately, I have a 13-year-old assistant mason brick-layer...
6 months ago
LEGO Notre Dame de Paris, 4383 pieces. Fortunately, I have a 13-year-old assistant mason brick-layer helper. I approve of the reinforced seams in the flat-plane base: Building the stone-tile floor before we’ve completed the base. Very edgy. Clever foundation for the apse. LEGO...
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
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...
The Modern House
A local’s guide to Highbury and Canonbury: design and delicatessens in north London
5 months ago
Old Structures...
Keep The Scale In Mind
Here’s a photo from yesterday of Shaquana getting a good look at a brownstone finial that’s been...
10 months ago
Here’s a photo from yesterday of Shaquana getting a good look at a brownstone finial that’s been removed during restoration work. This is a minor decorative element for the church it was removed from. It’s visually important, of course, and we’re not removing it to throw it away,...
Contemporist...
A New Home In Costa Rica Designed To Highlight Its Surroundings
Architecture firm Studio Saxe, has shared photos of a new home they completed in Costa Rica, that's...
4 months ago
Architecture firm Studio Saxe, has shared photos of a new home they completed in Costa Rica, that's designed to progressively highlight the wondrous ecological and topographical surroundings.
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
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...
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
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...
CONTEMPORIST
Contemporary Japanese Design Blends Seamlessly With Tropical Modernism In This New Home
Architecture firm Alexis Dornier Makings has shared photos of a private residence in Berawa, Bali,...
5 months ago
Architecture firm Alexis Dornier Makings has shared photos of a private residence in Berawa, Bali, that they completed which seamlessly blends contemporary Japanese design with tropical modernism. The centerpiece of ‘The Free Bird Project’ is a living room positioned above the...
The Modern House
Our guide to Kentish Town: Technicolour townhouses, natural wine and nature in north London
a year ago
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
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...
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
They have a responsibility to the public to visualize the potential of social housing in America.
Contemporist...
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
10 months ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
Old Structures...
Other People’s Perception
Every once in a while, something slightly out of the ordinary reminds me of how our work looks to...
5 months ago
Every once in a while, something slightly out of the ordinary reminds me of how our work looks to people not in the AEC world. Yesterday morning I was walking up Thames Street from Trinity to Broadway and took this photo: That block of Thames is a great illustration of why the...
The Modern House
Le Creuset’s new Azure collection finds a perfect home in Ella Jones’ expressive interior
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – Remodeled Kitchen And Bathrooms For A Mid-Century Modern Home
M Monroe Design has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel they recently completed for a...
a year ago
M Monroe Design has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel they recently completed for a mid-century modern home in Newport Beach, California, that includes a new kitchen as well as the main bathroom and a kids’ bathroom. Before – The KitchenThe original kitchen had a tiled...
A Weekly Dose of...
The Latest from MoMA: Emerging Ecologies
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books...
a year ago
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books with keywords to better filter and find them. The tags I use move from general terms like "architecture" (the most) and "fiction" (the least) to specific terms that reflect a high...
Construction Physics
Welding and the Automation Frontier
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human...
a year ago
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human civilization, is the effect it will have on employment. Large language models already seem poised to automate large fractions of the work in certain industries, and the technology is only...
Old Structures...
One Way It Began
It’s hard to over-emphasize how rail-centric New York City was before, say, 1920. In addition to the...
3 months ago
It’s hard to over-emphasize how rail-centric New York City was before, say, 1920. In addition to the subway, there were the commuter railroads, which had many more stations within the city then than they do now, and a vast street-car network. The streetcars are entirely gone,...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Rahel Stephanie
a year ago
The Modern House
Harriet Verney on her camp interiors and life within a converted Bible factory in Dalston
a year ago
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
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...
99% Invisible
Whomst Among Us Let The Dogs Out (Again) [EPISODE]
All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts...
a year ago
All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts you’ve listened to over and over again. And then there’s a category of memorable songs—the ones that we all just kind of know. Songs that somehow, without anyone’s permission, sneak...
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
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...
Old Structures...
Why People Cared
This is remarkable, in a way: in a city full of apartment houses, the New York Sun newspaper felt...
4 months ago
This is remarkable, in a way: in a city full of apartment houses, the New York Sun newspaper felt that a complex of mid-rise buildings in Queens was worthy of note: I can think of two reasons off the top of my head, one related to housing and the other related to general...
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Gable Roof Runs The Length Of This Home
Architecture firm JURY!, has shared photos of a renovation project they completed for a home in...
5 months ago
Architecture firm JURY!, has shared photos of a renovation project they completed for a home in Maasland, The Netherlands, that enhanced an existing dike house with a modern barn-inspired design. The original dike house includes a basement partially built into the dike, which is...
Construction Physics
Building the Bell System
If someone was making a list of the most important American companies today, it’s unlikely AT&T...
5 months ago
If someone was making a list of the most important American companies today, it’s unlikely AT&T would be anywhere near the top. It’s large, but not notably so: it came in 32nd in the 2024 Fortune 500 ranking, just above Comcast and below Verizon. Its offerings are not unique:...
Old Structures...
More Bragging But Usefully So
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of...
3 weeks ago
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers, which is the eastern-Pennsylvania chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Pennsylvania. The topic is “Engineers’ Guidelines for Historic Buildings” and I’m...
Contemporist...
A Warehouse-Inspired Home With A Spanish Twist
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired...
a month ago
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired townhouse with a Spanish twist inside.
The Beauty of...
In Search of Perfection: Plato’s Double Arrow (Rail Symbol 2, Nick Job for Network Rail, 2022)
It takes some strange mixture of bravery, confidence, and the thickest of skins to take on the job...
over a year ago
It takes some strange mixture of bravery, confidence, and the thickest of skins to take on the job of redesigning a national icon. Once again, the rail industry’s “double arrow”, the symbol that has come completely to mean “railway” in Britain, has been given a facelift. Previous...
The Modern House
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
a month ago
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