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...
Construction Physics
Mass Timber is Great, but It Will Not Solve the Housing Shortage
A short policy memo recently posted on the Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) website argues...
9 months ago
A short policy memo recently posted on the Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) website argues that “mass timber can help solve the housing shortage.” It was posted as part of the Housing Ideas Challenge, a collaboration between FAS, Matt Yglesias and a few other...
Archinect - Features
Architect: Whose Title Is It Anyway?
When is an architect not an ‘architect?’ In the fourth part of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we...
6 months ago
When is an architect not an ‘architect?’ In the fourth part of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we explore the proliferation of the title 'architect' in cases beyond the built environment, most notably in the technology sector through terms such as 'software architect' or 'IT...
The Modern House
Planned to Perfection: six meticulously designed modernist flats
Looking for the chance to live inside a piece of architectural history? Here are six London flats...
a year ago
Looking for the chance to live inside a piece of architectural history? Here are six London flats for sale within buildings that exemplify the best of British modernism, from the Barbican to Trellick Tower. The brains behind these sprawling estates and soaring blocks followed new...
Construction Physics
The blast furnace - 800 years of technology improvement
The modern world uses shocking amounts of steel - in the US, we make roughly 575 pounds of steel per...
a year ago
The modern world uses shocking amounts of steel - in the US, we make roughly 575 pounds of steel per person per year. At the peak of US steelmaking in the late 1960s, it was closer to 1500 pounds per person, which is roughly how much China makes now.
The Modern House
Discover the Secret Garden House | A Modern Eco Home Hidden Behind a 300-Year-Old Wall
a month ago
The Modern House
Plate in the Sun: London’s best restaurants for alfresco dining
a year ago
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...
Old Structures...
Boosterism
I don’t have an exact date for this photo, but the Temple Bar Building, the three-turreted...
8 months ago
I don’t have an exact date for this photo, but the Temple Bar Building, the three-turreted skyscraper in the center, was constructed 1899 to 1901, so 1900 to 1910 is my guess. (As for how difficult discussing timelines can be, the New York Times article on the building I discuss...
Common Edge
Light and Color: The Spirit-Led Work of James Turrell
The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
a month ago
The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
Old Structures...
Not Quite Qualifying
One of the points that I felt has to be made in discussing early skyscrapers in The Structure of...
a year ago
One of the points that I felt has to be made in discussing early skyscrapers in The Structure of Skyscrapers in America was that the issues discussed apply to buildings outside the specific boundaries of my research. My research was specifically on buildings ten stories and...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Hooded
Daredevil strikes a pose: That weird thing he’s kneeling on is part of one of the towers of the...
3 months ago
Daredevil strikes a pose: That weird thing he’s kneeling on is part of one of the towers of the Manhattan Bridge. Here’s a nice general shot of the bridge, looking toward Brooklyn, from the HAER survey: And here’s a close up of where the pedestrian walkway on the outboard edge of...
Old Structures...
Shorter
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, two pictures of St. George’s Episcopal Church at the...
2 months ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, two pictures of St. George’s Episcopal Church at the corner of 16th Street and Rutherford Place, on the west side of Stuyvesant Square: Something seems different…can’t quite put my finger on it… The spires were removed in 1889, 33...
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.
CONTEMPORIST
The New Addition On This Home Includes A Pass-Through Window To The Kitchen
Building firm Demardi, together with design firm Mesh Design & Projects, have recently completed the...
a year ago
Building firm Demardi, together with design firm Mesh Design & Projects, have recently completed the renovation and new rear extension of a home in Thornbury, Australia, for a young family. The original facade of the home was restored, weatherboards were replaced, and new...
Old Structures...
How Far Is Far?
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a...
11 months ago
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a familiar profile: That’s Billionaire’s Row, on the order of eight and a half miles away. It’s no surpise that you can see a big building from a distance – that’s the essence of all...
Contemporist...
The Exposed Wood Ceiling Of This Home Shows Off Its Structure
Eva Hinds Arquitectura has shared photos of a modern home they have completed in La Libertad, El...
10 months ago
Eva Hinds Arquitectura has shared photos of a modern home they have completed in La Libertad, El Salvador, that has exposed structural elements.
devonzuegel.com
Misreading Milei: The American press can only see Argentina through a US lens
It's been frustrating to see the US coverage of Milei, Argentina's new president. The American press...
a year ago
It's been frustrating to see the US coverage of Milei, Argentina's new president. The American press seems to deeply misunderstand what's going on. It seems the US reporters can only understand Argentine politics through the lens of the US, when really it's just a totally...
Contemporist...
The Black Exterior Of This Home Leads To A Pink Kitchen Inside
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they completed in Wivenhoe, England, for an artist...
6 months ago
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they completed in Wivenhoe, England, for an artist who wanted a light-filled interior with room to work and to entertain.
99% Invisible
Empire of the Sum [EPISODE]
Whether or not you’re a fan of math, we’ve always had a need to count things. Maybe it’s to figure...
a year ago
Whether or not you’re a fan of math, we’ve always had a need to count things. Maybe it’s to figure out the maximum weight an airplane can safely hold, or the appropriate amount to tip after a meal, or the exact number of minutes in a year so you can accurately write the...
Old Structures...
A Stylistic Joke As A Name
There’s a large, somewhat ominous, vaguely art deco building in lower Manhattan commonly called the...
2 weeks ago
There’s a large, somewhat ominous, vaguely art deco building in lower Manhattan commonly called the Tombs. The main portion of it is a courthouse with a lot of court-related office space, the northern wing – see below – is a short-term prison, mostly used to hold people awaiting...
Old Structures...
An Exotic Foreign Land
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, what appears to be a page of illustrations from a...
2 weeks ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, what appears to be a page of illustrations from a European tourist guide to New York: Let’s start with the non-controversial item in the lower left: That is a decent engraving of Das Stadhaus / The City Hall / La maison de Ville as...
Old Structures...
Skyscrapers at the IStructE
A reminder: On Thursday I’ll be talking about the technological origins of skyscrapers and the New...
9 months ago
A reminder: On Thursday I’ll be talking about the technological origins of skyscrapers and the New York contribution to that history, at the Institution of Structural Engineers. If you’re in London – as most of you are not – come in person; otherwise, the talk will be available...
Old Structures...
Faking It
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something...
a month ago
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something that makes no sense. Examples abound, like weep holes in solid masonry walls. I noticed this building while on the train recently, with the star anchors that one often sees on...
There are two types...
MSG
Two MSG quotes: “In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats made them...
over a year ago
Two MSG quotes: “In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats made them fat.” – Wikipedia “Through Pennsylvania Station one entered the city like a god…. One scuttles in now like a rat” [under Madison … Continue reading →
The post MSG appeared first on...
The Modern House
Akwasi Brenya-Mensa on the future of Pan-African cuisine at Tatale in Southwark
a year ago
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...
Archinect - Features
NYIT School of Architecture & Design's M.Arch Graduate Studio Explores 'Designing...
Continuing with our Archinect Studio Pin-Ups series, we connect with Archinect Partner School New...
a year ago
Continuing with our Archinect Studio Pin-Ups series, we connect with Archinect Partner School New York Institute of Technology to learn more about its Fall/Spring semester M.Arch studio led by Marcella Del Signore, the school's Associate Professor and Director of the Master of...
Construction Physics
The grid part II - the golden age of the power industry
Welcome to Part II of our history of the electric power industry. For Part I, see here. By 1930, the...
a year ago
Welcome to Part II of our history of the electric power industry. For Part I, see here. By 1930, the US was using 114 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, generated by more than 4000 power plants. Most electricity was generated by coal (56%) and hydroelectric (34%)...
The Architectural...
Four Versions: This Is How Penn Station, NY, Might Look if Rebuilt
You may have heard about ReThinkNYC, a movement and not-for-profit corporation dedicated to...
6 months ago
You may have heard about ReThinkNYC, a movement and not-for-profit corporation dedicated to rebuilding the original Pennsylvania Station in New York through ReThinkPennStationNYC. Collaborating with classical architect Richard Cameron, they have developed three new variations on...
Contemporist...
A House Design Inspired By The Idea of Turning Boxes
Architecture studio JMA has designed the Vistas House in Escobar, Buenos Aires, whose shape is based...
7 months ago
Architecture studio JMA has designed the Vistas House in Escobar, Buenos Aires, whose shape is based on the idea of turning boxes rotated to take advantage of the lake views and sun.
CONTEMPORIST
This Bed Headboard Was Designed With A Fold-Out Desk
Laura Ortín Arquitectura has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Murcia,...
5 months ago
Laura Ortín Arquitectura has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Murcia, Spain that includes a unique design feature in the bedroom. The bedroom, located off of a curved hallway, has dual doorways providing a glimpse of the room inside. Once inside, the...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick [EPISODE]
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
4 months ago
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised in New York City, Shiloh is a writer and...
Archinect - Features
Sound and Place: Archinect's Summer Music Playlist to Keep You Moving
“The interference patterns of visual, sonic, and kinetic waveform transmissions that flooded the...
a year ago
“The interference patterns of visual, sonic, and kinetic waveform transmissions that flooded the dance floor and enveloped me were deeply transformative. Along the perimeter, bass-bins sent out shock waves that rattled your ribcage and tweeter horns above them fired a percussive...
Construction Physics
Could We Boost Housing Construction by Permitting ADUs Under the HUD Code?
To boost housing construction, some jurisdictions have adopted a new strategy: allowing the...
a year ago
To boost housing construction, some jurisdictions have adopted a new strategy: allowing the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. ADUs, sometimes called “granny flats,” are small, secondary housing units built on the lots of existing single family homes – things like...
Common Edge
It’s Hard for Architects to Be Transparent About Fees
If the profession is to survive, however, we have no choice.
3 weeks ago
If the profession is to survive, however, we have no choice.
Common Edge
Minoru Yamasaki: The Fragility of Architecture
He designed two of the most famous landmarks of the late-20th-century. Why is he virtually unknown...
5 months ago
He designed two of the most famous landmarks of the late-20th-century. Why is he virtually unknown today?
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...
The Modern House
House Music: pianist Simeon Walker performs at Domus – a modernist masterpiece, currently for sale
2 months ago
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Unmistakable
Ms. Marvel is set largely in Jersey City. Despite being the second-largest city in New Jersey,...
a year ago
Ms. Marvel is set largely in Jersey City. Despite being the second-largest city in New Jersey, Jersey City does not have much of a visual image. If you asked the average person in the New York metropolitan area to name a physical landmark there, it’s likely they would draw a...
CONTEMPORIST
Sculptural Walls Inspired By The Intricate Detailing Of Indian Temple Architecture
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that...
a month ago
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that displays Italian furniture in Kolkata, India. The striking interior seamlessly blends the finesse and elegance of Italian craftsmanship with the vibrancy of Indian design traditions....
CONTEMPORIST
The Rugged Materials On This Home Reflect The Desert That Surrounds It
Imbue Design has completed a desert home where the owners could put up their feet and relax in the...
a year ago
Imbue Design has completed a desert home where the owners could put up their feet and relax in the natural desert landscape of Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah. The home was designed in such a way as to disrupt the land as little as possible. With that in mind, the designers...
The Modern House
Plot Twist: seven plots of land with planning permission for sale
If, like us, you take pleasure in seeing a project built from scratch, this round-up of listings...
a year ago
If, like us, you take pleasure in seeing a project built from scratch, this round-up of listings might be just the thing for you. Here we’re highlighting the best plots of land for sale that come with plans for cutting-edge contemporary builds or conversions. From […]
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...
Common Edge
Is AI Really the Next Big Thing in Architecture?
There are good reasons to be skeptical about its ultimate utility.
a year ago
There are good reasons to be skeptical about its ultimate utility.
CONTEMPORIST
Scalloped Ceilings Are The Elegance Overhead In This New York Apartment
Frederick Tang Architecture has designed the interior of an apartment on the Upper West Side of...
4 months ago
Frederick Tang Architecture has designed the interior of an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for a couple and their three children. Inspired by their Indian heritage, the family wanted to incorporate stone into their home, and they were also drawn toward color and...
99% Invisible
How the World Ran Out of Everything
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships...
a month ago
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships anchored off the coasts of US ports, stacked high with hundreds of thousands of containers filled with goods, just sitting there in a traffic jam. At the same time, grocery store shelves...
99% Invisible
For Amusement Only (Free Replay) [EPISODE]
Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it...
a year ago
Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it wasn’t officially legalized until the summer of 2014. Finally, after more than 80 years of illegitimacy, the City of Oakland has legalized…pinball machines. Today, we travel back to...
The Architectural...
Why Ugly Architecture Is Bad for Your Health
In a world where we spend the majority of our lives surrounded by buildings, the impact of...
a year ago
In a world where we spend the majority of our lives surrounded by buildings, the impact of architecture on our well-being often goes unnoticed. But what if I told you that the buildings you encounter every day could be affecting your health, both physically and mentally? This...
CONTEMPORIST
Vertical Fins Surround The Exterior Of This House Giving It A Distinct Appearance
Architecture and design studio MDAMMM, has recently completed the remodel of a home that had a...
a year ago
Architecture and design studio MDAMMM, has recently completed the remodel of a home that had a nondescript appearance and little aesthetic appeal. The original home had an exposed brick facade in ochre tones and all other elements featured different grey tones and finishes. The...
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six homes that prove good things come in at under 600 square feet
6 months ago
Construction Physics
When did New York start building slowly?
(Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to...
a year ago
(Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to autocorrelation effects. For a correct analysis, see the subsequent post here) It’s good to be able to build things quickly. The faster you build something, the quicker the benefits from it...
Old Structures...
Specialization
From 2018, a photo by Carol Highsmith taken from the Empire State Building and showing the variety...
6 months ago
From 2018, a photo by Carol Highsmith taken from the Empire State Building and showing the variety of buildings on the east side of midtown south. I think most people will agree that this is a very New Yorky view of New York. The discussion at the “Office To Residential Summit”...
The Modern House
The delightful details of an Art Deco apartment in Shepherd’s Bush, west London
a year ago
McMansion Hell
every small city has that one dictator chic house
I don’t know why, but every city, no matter how big, has some insanely stacked dictator-looking...
a year ago
I don’t know why, but every city, no matter how big, has some insanely stacked dictator-looking McMansion somewhere outside the city limits. If you sort your Zillow results as Price: High - Low, this house will pop up first. It costs something like $5,000,000. It is 10,000 square...
Old Structures...
Adelaide House, Part 1 – Overall
When I was in London a few weeks ago, David Kelly and Chris Tucker of Fortis Facades were kind...
8 months ago
When I was in London a few weeks ago, David Kelly and Chris Tucker of Fortis Facades were kind enough to give me a thorough tour of Adelaide House, a 1925 landmark building currently in renovation. They’re working on the facade, but the tour included both the facade and the...
Contemporist...
This Tall And Skinny House Also Has A Rooftop Pool
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi...
9 months ago
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a family of four with two sons.
Construction Physics
The Long, Sad History of American Attempts to Build High-Speed Rail, Part II
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to...
a year ago
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to build its own high-speed rail routes soon after they debuted in Japan in 1964, these efforts were unsuccessful, outside of the popular-but-troubled Metroliner
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...
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,...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Sort Of Obvious
The fact that Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, is from Jersey City is integral to her character. As a teen,...
a month ago
The fact that Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, is from Jersey City is integral to her character. As a teen, she lives at home with her parents and most of the stories revolve around that location. So this view of the waterfront is not exactly hard to find
CONTEMPORIST
Natural Stone Provides A Base For This Modern Home
Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes has recently completed a new home in Mauricie, a region of...
a year ago
Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes has recently completed a new home in Mauricie, a region of Canada’s Québec province between Montréal and Québec City. The home’s design is inspired by the region’s industrial heritage and the natural elements that surround it. The unusually...
devonzuegel.com
Book review: Against the Grain, by James C. Scott
The book that etched the deepest grooves in my mind last year was Against the Grain by James C....
over a year ago
The book that etched the deepest grooves in my mind last year was Against the Grain by James C. Scott. It explores how the unique characteristics of grain-based agriculture shaped the early history of states.
While I did learn many interesting historical facts and trends from...
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
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...
CONTEMPORIST
A White Concrete Exterior Protects This Seaside Mediterranean House
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small...
3 months ago
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small seaside town in Valencia, Spain. The house has a white concrete envelope that generates a large protective shell for a harmonious and delicate interior. Large overhangs and a system...
The Modern House
Hannah Carter Owers on selling the family home in two days in pursuit of the perfect 1970s retrofit...
11 months ago
Common Edge
Designing for Disaster in an Increasingly Dangerous World
What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
6 months ago
What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
Archinect - Features
2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Kids and High School Students
If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for kids, or a high school...
9 months ago
If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for kids, or a high school student interested in gaining valuable pre-college experience, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of summer architecture programs.
For the 2024 season, we have...
Common Edge
Four Decades in a House of Your Own Design
Reflections on the project that launched a career.
3 months ago
Reflections on the project that launched a career.
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?
The Modern House
Furniture designer James Stickley’s cleverly zoned live/work loft in east London
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Early Call for Entries
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
6 months ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the world’s leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing more than 1600 winners in over 150 different design disciplines. Hone Shelf...
The Architectural...
Architect Releases Academic Dissertation That Questions Architects’ Taste
Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new...
8 months ago
Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new houses made in a traditional style. But this is exactly what the average person appreciates. “Why do many architects dislike the very thing that residents often enjoy?” asks architect...
CONTEMPORIST
A Living Room That Floats Above The Forest Floor Is A Remarkable Feature Of This Home
DeForest Architects has shared photos of a home they designed that follows the topography of the...
9 months ago
DeForest Architects has shared photos of a home they designed that follows the topography of the site, with some rooms tucked into the land and others floating above it. Located in a waterfront neighborhood just south of Seattle, the one-acre wooded site sits atop a bluff...
Old Structures...
Comparisons
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century....
4 months ago
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes it was just buildings, like here, sometimes steamships were stood on end to show how big they were. (Note that the biggest steamship in 1908, when the Singer Building was new,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Pair Of Wellness Cabins Perched Among The Trees
Thirtyone Design + Management has shared photos of a pair of green wellness cabins that they have...
a year ago
Thirtyone Design + Management has shared photos of a pair of green wellness cabins that they have completed for the Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Italy. Designed as part of the hotel’s celebration of the iconic property’s 150-year anniversary, the cabins unveil a partnership...
Contemporist...
Brick Is The Material Of Choice For This New Home
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in...
3 months ago
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in Phuket, Thailand, that blends design and traditional artisanal craftsmanship.
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...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: But Unfamiliar
The Black Widow thinks deep thoughts while standing on a rooftop: To be clear about what we’re...
2 months ago
The Black Widow thinks deep thoughts while standing on a rooftop: To be clear about what we’re seeing, A is the Empire State Building, B is the Chrysler Building, C is Silver Towers at Lafayette Place and Bleecker Street, and D is the Widow: So we’re looking north from SoHo. The...
Archinect - Features
'Beauty Is a Measure of Ecological Intelligence'; A Conversation with ecoLogicStudio Founders...
Against the backdrop of a frenzied AI discourse dominated by end-product tools such as ChatGPT and...
a year ago
Against the backdrop of a frenzied AI discourse dominated by end-product tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto articulate a refreshing call to adventure. The two ecoLogicStudio founders have built their professional and academic careers at the...
The Modern House
Glenn Adamson: the curator on why a New York ‘love shack’ stole his heart
As a curator, perhaps there’s no space that better encapsulates Glenn Adamson than his own...
a year ago
As a curator, perhaps there’s no space that better encapsulates Glenn Adamson than his own rainbow-hued house, which looks more like something you’d find in Wonderland than Upstate New York. And, as our podcast host, Matt Gibberd, discovered when he met Glenn for this episode […]
Old Structures...
Reflections
That’s 21 (left) and 20 West Street, with 17 Battery Place off to the right. This was taken early in...
6 months ago
That’s 21 (left) and 20 West Street, with 17 Battery Place off to the right. This was taken early in the morning and the facades facing me are the west facades of the buildings. Across West Street, to my right, is a modern apartment house with a mostly-glass facade. It doesn’t...
Old Structures...
Solving A Non-Existent Problem
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct...
11 months ago
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct with two bridges to carry a street from the top of a hill gradually down to the lower grade over a mile to the north. This is the same northern portion of Manhattan of which I said...
The Modern House
How designer Alison Lloyd’s Hackney home and garden caters to her collecting
a year ago
Old Structures...
Understanding The Underbelly
Hardcore bridge geeks will immediately recognize this photo. Everyone else, and hardcore bridge...
7 months ago
Hardcore bridge geeks will immediately recognize this photo. Everyone else, and hardcore bridge geeks with a sense of modesty, will ask “what is it?” It’s the underside of the deck of the Brooklyn Bridge, on the side span between the Manhattan tower and anchorage. Starting with...
CONTEMPORIST
Ombré Wallpaper Was A Creative Design Choice For This Bedroom
Svetlana Tryaskina of ESTEE DESIGN has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation that she...
a year ago
Svetlana Tryaskina of ESTEE DESIGN has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation that she completed for a busy family of five. One of the design elements that caught our attention, was the room that includes colorful accent walls in the form of ombre wallpaper. The ombre...
Contemporist...
Pitched Roofs Cover This Dark And Moody Farmhouse
Atlas Architects has shared photos of a modern house on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, that...
a year ago
Atlas Architects has shared photos of a modern house on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, that was once a brown-brick, pitched-roof farmhouse built in the 1980s.
Archinect - Features
'The Relationship Between AI and Architecture Is Old Enough to Receive Social Security'; A...
Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From...
a year ago
Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From there, her career as a writer, designer, historian, and professor has taken her on a journey of understanding the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence and its...
Common Edge
Havana’s Evolving Public-Private Landscape
Can Cuba’s creative class become agents for political change?
10 months ago
Can Cuba’s creative class become agents for political change?
Common Edge
Notre Dame Cathedral and the Rebirth of Artisanship
The miraculous rebuild was enabled by the century-old French system of trade guilds and education.
5 days ago
The miraculous rebuild was enabled by the century-old French system of trade guilds and education.
Old Structures...
Different Conceptions of Structure
I somehow missed this 1937 photo when I was working my way through Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New...
11 months ago
I somehow missed this 1937 photo when I was working my way through Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project last year. It shows the short and isolated stretch of Twelfth Avenue below the Riverside Drive viaduct, between 125th Street and 135th Street. (Because the west end of...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Office Hides Behind A Sliding Wall In This House
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a...
a year ago
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a home for the owner’s family. The interior, contemporary yet comfortable in its design, includes a living room that has a large empty wall. However, this wall isn’t stationary but...
Old Structures...
Personal History Revisited
A few years ago I pointed out all the differences 170 years had made in Flushing, where I grew up. I...
10 months ago
A few years ago I pointed out all the differences 170 years had made in Flushing, where I grew up. I recently came a cross a more recent map, titled “Map of the village of Flushing, Queens County, New York”, from 1894. This was four years before the western half of Queens County...
The Modern House
Introducing our Hackney team
8 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Book Briefs #48
This latest installment of "Book Briefs" — the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand...
over a year ago
This latest installment of "Book Briefs" — the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that publishers send to me for consideration on this blog — features six books in three pairs. Obviously, these briefs are not...
The Modern House
Architect Ben Ridley on life in his low-energy house in Muswell Hill
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Metaphor
When I was maybe ten years old, visiting the observation deck of the Empire State Building, I heard...
7 months ago
When I was maybe ten years old, visiting the observation deck of the Empire State Building, I heard someone describe the view as being like the buildings were a beard and Central Park a shaved strip. In 1952, there were far fewer high-rises on the Upper East and Upper West Sides,...
Common Edge
Picturing an Exhibition: Closing the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale
Much in the architecture world, and the world at large, has changed since the exhibition opened.
a year ago
Much in the architecture world, and the world at large, has changed since the exhibition opened.
Old Structures...
Me And My Shadow
One nice thing about fire escapes: they let you get photos from a position that is effectively...
a year ago
One nice thing about fire escapes: they let you get photos from a position that is effectively floating in midair a few feet away from the building.
The Modern House
A contemporary gallery-like home with countless credentials in Hampstead
a year ago
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...
Common Edge
What Los Angeles Transit Could Learn From Charlotte
On accidentally discovering the Queen City’s wonderful light rail system.
a year ago
On accidentally discovering the Queen City’s wonderful light rail system.
Archinect - Features
Autonomous Algorithmic Architects: Wicked Problems of Machine Learning in Architecture
How should the architectural profession consider and respond to futures made possible by advances in...
a year ago
How should the architectural profession consider and respond to futures made possible by advances in artificial intelligence? Can we propose a willful, designed route that acknowledges the inevitability of intelligent machines intersecting with every dimension of design and...
Old Structures...
Three Boxes, One Optional
I’m going to talk briefly about theater design, but I don’t mean the topics that people think of...
a year ago
I’m going to talk briefly about theater design, but I don’t mean the topics that people think of when you say that. I’m not going to talk about acoustics, or sight-lines, or architectural design of the auditorium. I want to talk about the physical requirements for a modern...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Like A Movie Set
First, a panel from “The Bat-Man – First Knight,” an alternate telling of the Batman story, set in...
9 months ago
First, a panel from “The Bat-Man – First Knight,” an alternate telling of the Batman story, set in 1939: Second, a photo of Staple Street in lower Manhattan, from Unsplash: Note that the comic-book artist has flipped the image left-right – visible at the asymmetry in the bridge....
devonzuegel.com
Vacuum tube nostalgia
Music enthusiasts will tell you there's nothing quite like "tube sound", the warm, rich sound...
over a year ago
Music enthusiasts will tell you there's nothing quite like "tube sound", the warm, rich sound quality that old vacuum tube amplifiers bring to the music played through them. And they'll pay top dollar for it! Once considered obsolete, vintage vacuum tube amps now sell at a...
99% Invisible
The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE]
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like...
a year ago
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest....
Old Structures...
Unhidden
From 1900, a photo of the future site of the New York Public Library and the past site of the Croton...
10 months ago
From 1900, a photo of the future site of the New York Public Library and the past site of the Croton Distributing Reservoir. The photo is labelled at the NYPL as “The Croton Reservoir ruins, looking north,” which means the photographer was on or near 40th Street and Fifth Avenue...
devonzuegel.com
Unconventional strategies for practicing Spanish
Language skills are highly multi-dimensional*, so while learning a language, it's important to come...
over a year ago
Language skills are highly multi-dimensional*, so while learning a language, it's important to come at it from lots of different directions. Here are some of the tricks I've used to practice Spanish that I haven't heard so many other people use. (They're likely useful for other...
CONTEMPORIST
A Thatched Roof And Charred Wood Siding Were Used To Create This Modern Home
PAX Architects has completed a modern summer house in Skagen, Denmark, whose design pays tribute to...
a year ago
PAX Architects has completed a modern summer house in Skagen, Denmark, whose design pays tribute to the local architecture and history of the town it’s located in. The materials chosen for the home were inspired by the houses built in Skagen’s Black Period, when charred wood from...
Old Structures...
Almost Unrecognizeable
Most of the 1950s Angelo Rizzuto photos I’ve been discussing recently can be quickly located even if...
7 months ago
Most of the 1950s Angelo Rizzuto photos I’ve been discussing recently can be quickly located even if their descriptions don’t say were they were taken. The 1957 picture above threw me. We’re looking towards midtown – the Empire State Building makes that obvious – but from what...
Contemporist...
Before + After - A Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Renovation
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century...
17 hours ago
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century modern home in San Mateo, California, for a young couple who wanted to update the kitchen, living room, dining room, and family room.
Old Structures...
It’s Not Blue
That’s a drawing from 1837 of the new Customs House – now Federal Hall – being constructed at the...
a year ago
That’s a drawing from 1837 of the new Customs House – now Federal Hall – being constructed at the northeast corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. John Frazee is listed as the architect and superintendent, which is not quite accurate: he was working from an architectural design by...
Common Edge
Telling the Essential Stories of Everyday Places
A talk with Gabrielle Bendiner-Viana, author of The Cities We Need.
2 weeks ago
A talk with Gabrielle Bendiner-Viana, author of The Cities We Need.
There are two types...
Traffic Flow and the Status Quo: There are better ways to spend $10 billion than rebuilding the BQE
New York City plans to spend more than $10 billion on a project that will speed up climate change...
a year ago
New York City plans to spend more than $10 billion on a project that will speed up climate change and increase the number of New Yorkers killed by traffic and pollution. The good news is that the city will hold … Continue reading →
The post Traffic Flow and the Status Quo: There...
CONTEMPORIST
This Kindergarten Design Features Vibrant Colored Glass Inside And Out
SAKO Architects has sent us photos of a kindergarten they designed in Tianshui, China, that features...
a year ago
SAKO Architects has sent us photos of a kindergarten they designed in Tianshui, China, that features a white exterior with a kaleidoscope of colors. The kindergarten, built in a small provincial town, features white exterior walls with windows in the shape of local yao-tung...
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 […]
Construction Physics
Does construction ever get cheaper?
I've mentioned a few times that I generally prefer looking at construction progress through the lens...
a year ago
I've mentioned a few times that I generally prefer looking at construction progress through the lens of cost indexes rather than productivity indexes. Whereas productivity indexes try to track changes in the amount of construction we get for a given amount of labor (for labor...
Common Edge
Braids by Jade: L.A. Street Art Through Two Lenses
Artist Lauren Halsey's visual chronicles of her changing neighborhood.
a year ago
Artist Lauren Halsey's visual chronicles of her changing neighborhood.
The Modern House
Why modern living is easy at Farnley Hey – Peter Womersley’s first domestic dwelling
7 months ago
The Architectural...
Fake Views – The Contrast Between Renderings and Reality
A shining sun, playful children, overwhelming greenery and new neighborhoods with a richer wildlife...
11 months ago
A shining sun, playful children, overwhelming greenery and new neighborhoods with a richer wildlife than a Zoo. We have all seen them, the vision images that promise an idyll but result in a visual nightmare. Here‘s a few examples. Renderings are a visual representation of a...
Construction Physics
Roman vs Modern Concrete
There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per...
a year ago
There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per usual, it’s triggered a round of enthusiastic discussion of Roman concrete, and how its ability to last for millennia puts modern concrete (which often fails after a few decades)...
The Solarchitecture...
The Solar Manifesto - Part 2.
...or how hard it is to name the foundations of a healthy home?
over a year ago
...or how hard it is to name the foundations of a healthy home?
Archinect - Features
AI Bias and Digital Colonialism; A Conversation with Morehshin Allahyari
Whether through her art, writings, or lectures, Morehshin Allahyari's work evokes a range of...
a year ago
Whether through her art, writings, or lectures, Morehshin Allahyari's work evokes a range of emotions among its audience. There is wonder and intrigue at her reinterpretation of centuries-old Middle Eastern stories, images, and artifacts. There is introspection on our...
Construction Physics
How the Car Came to LA
Since at least the 1960s, urbanists have bemoaned the car-centric nature of US transportation. In...
a year ago
Since at least the 1960s, urbanists have bemoaned the car-centric nature of US transportation. In her 1961 “The Death and Life of Great American Cities," Jane Jacobs notes that “everyone who values cities is disturbed by automobiles”: Traffic arteries, along with parking lots,...
99% Invisible
The Art of the Olympics [EPISODE]
The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99%...
4 months ago
The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99% Invisible archives about the art of the Olympics. Mexico 68 The 1968 Olympics took place in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first Games ever hosted in a Latin American country. And...
Archinect - Features
A Conversation with SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow
Archinect's Dean's List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and...
12 months ago
Archinect's Dean's List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and chairs) to learn more about their pedagogical stances, academic perspectives, and what they envision for the school during their tenure.
SCI-Arc is an institution known for its...
The Solarchitecture...
Create homes that are havens for health and vitality
Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings.
a year ago
Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings.
A Weekly Dose of...
From Slow House to Blue Dream
Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her...
a year ago
Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her husband Robert "Bobby" Taubman. The house, located in East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island, was completed in 2017, nearly 30 years after the architects were commissioned...
The Modern House
Samuel Ross gives us a first look at his renovated family home in Northamptonshire
a year ago
Old Structures...
Peeking Ahead
The picture above – an aquatint according to the New York Public Library – was created in 1834, and...
a year ago
The picture above – an aquatint according to the New York Public Library – was created in 1834, and shows an active urban setting, with families, men talking business or politics, carriages, and dogs. If you didn’t know the date you’d probably guess the nineteenth century; if you...
The Modern House
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
a month ago
Old Structures...
Detailing Reveled By Details
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught...
3 months ago
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught almost nothing about the topic in school – I barely heard the word in school – and I’ve taught it to a lot of younger engineers who did not learn it in school. Detailing is the...
CONTEMPORIST
Planter Boxes Were Designed To Help This House To Blend Into Its Tropical Setting
Architecture firm Studio Saxe has designed a new home for their clients from Canada, who were...
a year ago
Architecture firm Studio Saxe has designed a new home for their clients from Canada, who were looking to get away from the winter season and enjoy the tropical weather of Costa Rica. The home is surrounded by a tropical landscape, with the seasonal creek and wildlife of the...
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...
The Modern House
Musicians Csilla Pogány and Alastair Blayden on fine-tuning their school conversion in Kentish Town
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Slightly Different Angled Ridge Line Was Given To Each Home In This Passive House Development
RODE, a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners, together with Passive House...
a year ago
RODE, a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners, together with Passive House Construction LLC, has shared photos of Brucewood Homes, a collection of internationally certified Passive House single-family homes. The Brucewood Homes project is a series of...
Old Structures...
The Easy Route
On Sunday, I mentioned in passing that Ridgewood and Glendale, which are in southwest Queens as much...
4 months ago
On Sunday, I mentioned in passing that Ridgewood and Glendale, which are in southwest Queens as much as there is a southwest Queens (that corner isn’t very big because most of where it might have been is Brooklyn) used to have service on the Long Island Railroad and now don’t. I...
Benny Kuriakose
Activity Spaces and Play Areas in a School
Activity spaces in schools can encourage students to learn from the outdoor environment. Sports...
a year ago
Activity spaces in schools can encourage students to learn from the outdoor environment. Sports activities such as athletics, volleyball,...
Contemporist...
The Ultimate Gift Guide With Over 50 Ideas For Interior Designers, Architects, And Design Lovers
Finding a gift for an interior designer, architect, or design lover can sometimes be a difficult...
a year ago
Finding a gift for an interior designer, architect, or design lover can sometimes be a difficult task, so we’ve put together a collection of more than 50 gift ideas to make your life easier.
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. […]
Old Structures...
The Power of Drawing
Another Cass Gilbert sketch, “Looking west from corner 5th ave + 42nd St”, from June 1917. Based on...
9 months ago
Another Cass Gilbert sketch, “Looking west from corner 5th ave + 42nd St”, from June 1917. Based on the angle, he was standing on the northwestern corner of the intersection. The generally most interesting building nearby is the New York Public Library; the dark scribbles on the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Brick Exterior Creates A Unique Expression For This Home In Toronto
Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto,...
a year ago
Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto, Canada, that features a sculptural brick facade. Photography by Younes Bounhar The design of the Canvas House has been inspired by the homeowners’ love of contemporary art, with the...
Contemporist...
An Exposed Structure Shows Off This House Design That Wraps Around A Pool
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo,...
4 months ago
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that was designed with a single-story layout that wraps around a swimming pool.
The Modern House
A much-loved modernist townhouse in Sheffield's visionary Park Hill estate
6 months ago
Old Structures...
Variations On A Theme
It turns out that I didn’t exhaust the topic of The Tombs yesterday. Possibly because of its social...
2 weeks ago
It turns out that I didn’t exhaust the topic of The Tombs yesterday. Possibly because of its social meaning in the mid-1800s, possibly because of its bizarre appearance, drawings and photos of it seem to have turned up a lot in various publications. Here’s a photo in 1898, near...
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
A Bed That Can Slide To Be Outside
Okno Modhomes has shared photos of a small and modern cabin they completed that was designed as a...
5 months ago
Okno Modhomes has shared photos of a small and modern cabin they completed that was designed as a space where humans and nature coexist in perfect harmony. Nestled within a lush canopy of existing and newly planted trees in India, the cabin features a mirrored glass exterior that...
Old Structures...
Masonry Against The Sky
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West...
a year ago
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West Street, with the turn-of-the-century (and somewhat scarred) brick and terra cotta of 17 Battery Place in the background, and with some cumulus clouds (I think…the naming system always...
Old Structures...
We Become Accustomed – Part 3
Having discussed the steel framing and the basic curtain wall of an incredibly-average 1926 office...
a year ago
Having discussed the steel framing and the basic curtain wall of an incredibly-average 1926 office building, I want to take a look at the end of the work. The picture above shows the building, just about on completion: a middle-of-the-road, mid-sized office building, with its...
The Modern House
New Wave: seven coastal homes for sale in Kent and Sussex
In the middle of the 19th century, well-meaning Victorian doctors would advise their patients to...
a year ago
In the middle of the 19th century, well-meaning Victorian doctors would advise their patients to take ‘the sea cure’. Dutifully, they would go to the coast – particularly in the south – bathe in the waters and draw in lungfuls of salty air. Smart promenades, […]
Benny Kuriakose
Light, Ventilation, and Design Features in School Design
An institutional space requires maximum optimization of light and ventilation. Schools require open,...
a year ago
An institutional space requires maximum optimization of light and ventilation. Schools require open, bright places and the best design...
Old Structures...
Three Generations With Little Resemblence
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a page from 1918 showing the Hotel Marguery on the west...
a month ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, a page from 1918 showing the Hotel Marguery on the west side of Park Avenue, between 47th and 49th Streets. The building’s address was 270 Park Avenue. That odd two-wing configuration is what happens when you plan a building around a...
Old Structures...
Little, Yet Big
That’s 65 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, an 1851 wood-frame house that had fallen on hard times....
7 months ago
That’s 65 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, an 1851 wood-frame house that had fallen on hard times. People at the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation have been trying for a very long time to get the building repaired and re-occupied – the best way to ensure an old building’s...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: A Project
Jessica Drew, in her Spider-Woman gear, visits Belvedere Castle. It’s reasonably clear that in the...
9 months ago
Jessica Drew, in her Spider-Woman gear, visits Belvedere Castle. It’s reasonably clear that in the frame on the right she’s standing in the pavillion looking across to the main tower.
devonzuegel.com
Markets in everything at the Duomo
You're not allowed inside the Duomo with your shoulders uncovered. We learned this the hard way. I...
over a year ago
You're not allowed inside the Duomo with your shoulders uncovered. We learned this the hard way. I was wearing a spaghetti strap dress (it's 92℉/33℃ and humid here in Milan), so they stopped my little group at the entrance, after we'd already purchased 3 tickets.
Luckily, we...
CONTEMPORIST
A Round Window Is Nestled Into A Stone Wall On The Front Of This Home
OON ARCHITECTURE has designed a modern home in Benavidez, Argentina, that features a stone, wood,...
a year ago
OON ARCHITECTURE has designed a modern home in Benavidez, Argentina, that features a stone, wood, and concrete facade, that also includes a round window. The round window is recessed into the stone wall and is an eye-catching design element that can be seen as one walks along the...
devonzuegel.com
America's hidden urban laboratory: the South
America hasn't built many walkable places in the last few decades, but there are a few exceptions....
a year ago
America hasn't built many walkable places in the last few decades, but there are a few exceptions. While collecting a list of these special places, I was shocked to discover that most are in the Southeast.
My mental image of contemporary southern development did not include an...
Old Structures...
Clogging Up Traffic
Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York...
a month ago
Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York Liberty are getting a ticker-tape parade for their WNBA championship. First, congrats to the Liberty and happy days to their fans. Second, there is something very New York about...
SOCKS
Database, Network, Interface : The Architecture of Information. An exhibition at Archizoom (EPFL),...
We are pleased to announce that we are curating an exhibition that will open in September at the...
over a year ago
We are pleased to announce that we are curating an exhibition that will open in September at the Archizoom Gallery (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland. In an age characterised by the increasing dematerialisation of cultural production and transmission, Database, Network, Interface...
Common Edge
Buildings, Communities, Cities: Things Fall Apart
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
a year ago
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
Old Structures...
I Have A Theory
Walking along East 52nd Street, I passed a partially built house for sale that’s a bit narrow. More...
a year ago
Walking along East 52nd Street, I passed a partially built house for sale that’s a bit narrow. More precisely, the lot is ten feet wide. It’s possible to have a realistic layout for a house that narrow, although obviously there will not be any grand interior spaces. The question...
Common Edge
Everything Is (Not) Architecture: Environmental Design and Architecture’s Slippery Slope
Does it exist, distinct from buildings and bodies?
a year ago
Does it exist, distinct from buildings and bodies?
Common Edge
In Marseille’s Cours Julien, Street Art Creates Dynamic Context
Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
a month ago
Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
Blog - Guerrilla...
Migration Away From Flooded Land in Seattle
How did you decide on your map subject for the Migration atlas?
Deciding what to map was the...
over a year ago
How did you decide on your map subject for the Migration atlas?
Deciding what to map was the hardest part of the Atlas in a Day experience. The first night, we developed a number of interesting concepts but nothing felt quite right. Were data available? What interesting story...
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
A Green Roof Covers This Unique Vehicle Charging Station
Architecture firm ADEPT has shared photos of Norlys Charging Park Drejebaenken, a contemporary...
2 months ago
Architecture firm ADEPT has shared photos of Norlys Charging Park Drejebaenken, a contemporary charging station in Odense, Denmark. The charging park design consists of easily recognizable details and elements that can be adapted to different geographical locations and sizes. The...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Extension And A Garden Studio For This Heritage-Listed Home
Paul Archer Design has sent us photos of a rear addition they completed for a Grade II Listed Town...
a year ago
Paul Archer Design has sent us photos of a rear addition they completed for a Grade II Listed Town House in Greater London, England. Not only did they design the addition, but they also created a small garden studio that provides a workspace for the musician owner. A large...
The Modern House
The Secret Life of Reggie Yates | A House Tour with the Writer and Director
a week ago
Old Structures...
Also From The Train, Again
I was going through some old photos and found this, and was gong to use it for a blog post until I...
2 months ago
I was going through some old photos and found this, and was gong to use it for a blog post until I looked and realized that I already had. So here it is again: That’s the West Shore railroad, as seen from the Hudson line (AKA the New York Central main line), and from across […]
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...
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...
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 […]
Old Structures...
A Thomas Nast Holiday – 2 of 3
Santa looks a bit like Horace Greeley in this one.
12 months ago
Santa looks a bit like Horace Greeley in this one.
CONTEMPORIST
A Tree House That Feels Like It’s Floating Inside The Forest
INTEGRA STUDIO ARQUITETURA has shared photos of a modern Tree House project they completed for the...
a year ago
INTEGRA STUDIO ARQUITETURA has shared photos of a modern Tree House project they completed for the NaCarapina accommodation complex, that’s located in Brazil. The Tree House which has the feeling of ‘floating inside the forest’, is fully integrated with the imposing Araucaria...
The Modern House
Getting the most out of the least in a peaceful, strokable flat in north London
5 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
LED Lighting Is Hidden Throughout This Home To Create A Soft Warm Glow
Interior design studio, Pure AW’s Designers Ltd, has shared a modern apartment they completed in...
a year ago
Interior design studio, Pure AW’s Designers Ltd, has shared a modern apartment they completed in Kowloon, Hong Kong, that combines warm woods and soft lighting. Designed for a couple with two children, the apartment’s interior is influenced by traditional Nordic aesthetics and...
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part III: Design of the World Trade Center
This is Part III in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World...
over a year ago
This is Part III in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. Part I covers the design and construction of the Empire State Building, and Part II covers the initial development of the World Trade Center
Archinect - Features
Delivering Projects on Time Is a Challenge. Here’s How Architects Do It
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” This...
2 months ago
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” This sentiment rings true in architecture, where architects are required to establish project timelines potentially spanning several years for schemes potentially costing millions of...
devonzuegel.com
Podcasts & conferences I've spoken at
I haven't done a great job of tracking these, so this list is non-comprehensive:
Urbanism and the...
over a year ago
I haven't done a great job of tracking these, so this list is non-comprehensive:
Urbanism and the Future of Cities (Jan 2023) – Narratives podcast
Inflation, Argentina, and Crypto (Oct 2022) – EconTalk podcast
Devon Zuegel on Startup Cities (June 2022)
Devon Zuegel, creator...
The Modern House
A mid-century marvel in Stafford that stands the test of time
a year ago
Construction Physics
Airport Reading List
The major sources I found helpful for learning about airports and their construction are listed...
9 months ago
The major sources I found helpful for learning about airports and their construction are listed below. As usual, these are listed roughly in order of how useful I found them. And because “useful” isn’t the same as “actually interesting to read” I’ve marked the books that are...
There are two types...
A Short Discussion of Residential Building Heights in New York City
NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To...
a year ago
NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To Great Cities and Towns, where it will appear in a shorter version. This version still needs a little editing for its new context. Part … Continue reading →
The post A Short...
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 Re-Imagined Side Extension With A Slatted Wood Design
YARD Architects has shared photos of a side extension they re-imagined for a home in Greater London,...
a year ago
YARD Architects has shared photos of a side extension they re-imagined for a home in Greater London, England, that creates an open and bright dining area and kitchen.
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – An Apartment Transformed With A New Interior
FCstudio has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that...
3 months ago
FCstudio has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that transformed the space into a contemporary and open interior. The design plan included removing walls and creating integrated spaces, like in the living room, which was once a smaller...
A Weekly Dose of...
Archidose, 1999–2024
After 25 years of running this blog under various names — all of which can be lumped under the...
11 months ago
After 25 years of running this blog under various names — all of which can be lumped under the "Archidose" monicker — I've decided to shut it down, moving this hobby, this labor of love, to Substack, which I have used since mid-2021 and where I will continue to send out weekly...
Old Structures...
The Back Side
I’ve discussed the old Croton Distributing Reservoir several times before. It was the southernmost...
9 months ago
I’ve discussed the old Croton Distributing Reservoir several times before. It was the southernmost visible part of New York’s first really good water system, and occupied the same spot that the New York Public Library does today: 40th to 42nd Street, from Fifth Avenue to a little...
CONTEMPORIST
This Modern House Sits On Top Of Stilts In The Forest
Architects Carlos Maia, Débora Mendes, and Igor Macedo of Tetro have designed a new home in Nova...
a year ago
Architects Carlos Maia, Débora Mendes, and Igor Macedo of Tetro have designed a new home in Nova Lima, Brazil, that’s immersed in lush Atlantic Rainforest nature that includes large leafy trees, foliage, shrubs, birds, and wild animals. The house, white in color and with a unique...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Tree House With Two Rooms
Architecture firm Studio MEMM has designed a tree house for their clients that could be used by both...
a year ago
Architecture firm Studio MEMM has designed a tree house for their clients that could be used by both children and adults. Located in the middle of the Brazilian forest, the design of the treehouse was inspired by the geometries of the surrounding sycamore leaf structures...
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
House Style with gallerist Oyinkansola Dada in Pimlico
a year ago
Construction Physics
On Yglesias on Manufactured Homes
A few weeks ago, Matt Yglesias wrote “How to Unleash a Trailer Home Boom," which outlines a strategy...
11 months ago
A few weeks ago, Matt Yglesias wrote “How to Unleash a Trailer Home Boom," which outlines a strategy for getting more manufactured homes built. Broadly, Yglesias proposes ending HUD code requirements that manufactured homes have a steel chassis, making it easier and less...
The Modern House
Four flawless apartments provide surprising sanctuary in Peckham Rye
6 months ago
99% Invisible
Toyetic [EPISODE]
This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and...
9 months ago
This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define the genre or invent new genres. The great podcast Imaginary Worlds noticed this and produced a three-part series...
Coffee with an...
Architect Valentines 2024
It’s that time of year again. The time of year when an architect’s thoughts turn to Love. Well, not...
10 months ago
It’s that time of year again. The time of year when an architect’s thoughts turn to Love. Well, not really. We’re working on a deadline right now. But, we promise, as soon as we’re finished with these details, our thoughts will totally turn to love. In the meantime, here are a...
Common Edge
What L.A. 2028 Can Learn From the Paris Olympics
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to...
3 months ago
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to take a cue from the City of Lights’ embrace of the local.
Old Structures...
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves...
4 months ago
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves because their covers and/or page edges contain poisonous dyes, as described in “That book is poison: Even more Victorian covers found to contain toxic dyes” by Jennifer Ouellette. The...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #5: The evolution of urban utopias (guest episode from Caos Planejado)
Alain was interviewed by our friend Anthony for a Brazilian urbanism blog called Caos Planejado, and...
over a year ago
Alain was interviewed by our friend Anthony for a Brazilian urbanism blog called Caos Planejado, and we thought it would be fun to cross-post it here. They discussed Brazilian cities, municipal financing, what it was like to live in NYC in the time of Jane Jacobs and Robert...
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...
Common Edge
Worshiping the Old Isn’t Historic Preservation
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
a month ago
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
CONTEMPORIST
A Kansas Ranch Home Gets A Mid-Century Modern Inspired Renovation
FORWARD Design | Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for an existing...
a year ago
FORWARD Design | Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for an existing mid-century ranch in Leawood, Kansas. Before Photos The existing house was a small two-bedroom home, with the clients originally wanting a temporary addition with the intent of...
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
The 'sculptural experience' of designer Ashley Law’s uniquely tactile cottage in Whitechapel
8 months ago
SOCKS
The Square and the Circle: The Palace of Charles V in Granada (1527)
The palace of Charles V in Granada was built starting in 1527 as a summer palace for the emperor....
over a year ago
The palace of Charles V in Granada was built starting in 1527 as a summer palace for the emperor. The Renaissance building is located inside the Alhambra, the former Nasrid complex on Sabika hill, a notable example of Islamic architecture. The structure is built in stone and is...
McMansion Hell
we’ve found it folks: mcmansion heaven
Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a...
10 months ago
Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a true visionary. A real ad-hocist. A genuine pioneer of fenestration. This house is in Alabama. It was built in 1980 and costs around $5 million. It is worth every penny. Perhaps...
CONTEMPORIST
A Single Sloping Roof Covers This Home That Hovers Above The Land
Weber Arquitectos has sent us photos of their recently completed project, a tiny house in Valle de...
a year ago
Weber Arquitectos has sent us photos of their recently completed project, a tiny house in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, that rises from the ground on a platform supported by a metal structure. The house, which measures 1291 square feet (120m2), has exterior walls made from heat-treated...
The Modern House
Suea is the cook and creative playing with her food in Brooklyn, New York
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 […]
The Modern House
Our guide to Herne Hill and Tulse Hill: vibrant markets and outdoor swimming in south London
a year ago
Construction Physics
Could ChatGPT become an architect?
OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have...
a year ago
OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have incorporated it into their ChatGPT chatbot. In case you've been living under a rock, ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses large language models, which use artificial neural networks
Archinect - Features
Echoes and Requiems: Reflecting on the Legacy of Woodbury University School of Architecture...
In the summer of 2006, I received a call from my friend and colleague Catherine Herbst, who had...
6 months ago
In the summer of 2006, I received a call from my friend and colleague Catherine Herbst, who had recently become the head of Woodbury University School of Architecture in San Diego (WUSD) following the departure of the previous chair, Geraldine Forbes, to New Mexico. During our...
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...
devonzuegel.com
Field notes: Miami
Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here.
These field notes are a bit...
over a year ago
Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here.
These field notes are a bit different from previous cities I've explored, because unlike those, Miami is my home! So this post partially serves as a life update—I moved to Miami Beach from California a few months...
CONTEMPORIST
Neutral Tones And Soft Curves Create A Relaxing Vibe For This Boutique Hotel
Architecture and interior design firm Onion, has shared photos of Sala Khao Yai, a collection of...
a month ago
Architecture and interior design firm Onion, has shared photos of Sala Khao Yai, a collection of boutique hotel villas in Thailand. The various building designs are inspired by the silhouette of surrounding mountains, the contours of the landscape, and the site’s organic...
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
Architecture's Interest Rate Prayers Answered: Archinect’s State of AEC August 2024
Welcome to the third installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
3 months ago
Welcome to the third installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically.
In our previous edition of the...
The Modern House
Pure 1970s glamour at an iconic modernist house, from sunken sofas to an indoor pool
a year ago
Common Edge
The Creative Power Produced by Embracing Paradox
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary...
a year ago
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary culture.
devonzuegel.com
The unconference toolbox
by Jason Benn & Devon Zuegel
So, you’ve been invited to an unconference! Maybe you’re not entirely...
a year ago
by Jason Benn & Devon Zuegel
So, you’ve been invited to an unconference! Maybe you’re not entirely sure what that means (did the organizers misspell "conference"?), or maybe you’ve been to dozens of these before and you’re looking for some ideas for how to run an awesome...
The Modern House
A Californian-inspired 1970s home hidden under the trees in Kent
a year ago
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”!
A Weekly Dose of...
Reading About Drawings
Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I...
11 months ago
Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I spent my holiday break reading a five-year-old book about a trio of intertwined topics I'm particularly fond of: drawings, exhibitions, and New York City.
Drawing on...
The Modern House
Hot Spots: six homes that come alive in summer
Summer has arrived – and so too has that familiar desire to escape, decamp and generally disappear...
a year ago
Summer has arrived – and so too has that familiar desire to escape, decamp and generally disappear somewhere (anywhere) that isn’t inside the same four walls. In reality, however, so many of our most cherished hot-weather memories are of time spent at home, stealing moments […]
Contemporist...
A Curved Corner Softens The Space Inside This Home Extension
Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a...
a year ago
Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a run-down home in Victoria, that includes a new contemporary addition with a curved wall.
The Modern House
Good Start: the best breakfasts in London
a year ago
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...
The Solarchitecture...
7 key principles of solar passive design - Part 1.
or how to dramatically improve indoor healthy air quality and well-being while reducing...
over a year ago
or how to dramatically improve indoor healthy air quality and well-being while reducing energy-consumption for every building we build?
devonzuegel.com
On [there being more than] liberty
Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question:
When I was looking at your...
over a year ago
Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question:
When I was looking at your website I came across these words:
Individual liberty is the single most important value that society should uphold.
I’m more utilitarian and communitarian now.
I still believe we...
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
How two lifelong friends built a space-savvy home to share on an awkward site in Homerton
a year ago
Contemporist...
A Round Design And Open Arches Give This Concrete Home A Unique Look
Architecture firm Estudio Carroll has shared photos of a new concrete home they completed in Puerto...
5 months ago
Architecture firm Estudio Carroll has shared photos of a new concrete home they completed in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, that has a unique shape.
99% Invisible
The White Castle System of Eating Houses [EPISODE]
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with...
10 months ago
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And since they’re steamed on a bed of onions,...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Yup
Sometimes, this game is not much of a challenge. Above, the Midtown North precinct house, as seen in...
a year ago
Sometimes, this game is not much of a challenge. Above, the Midtown North precinct house, as seen in Daredevil. Below, the Midtown North precinct house, as seen in Apple Look Around.
Archinect - Features
'AI Could Be Seen as a Culture of Death in Its Darkest Sense'; A Conversation with Genevieve...
Genevieve Goffman does not create art about artificial intelligence; at least, not yet. The New...
a year ago
Genevieve Goffman does not create art about artificial intelligence; at least, not yet. The New York-based artist has instead grounded her acclaimed work in fantasy and narrative world-building, often through the medium of evocative and ornate 3D printed sculptures derived from...
CONTEMPORIST
Lighting Highlights The Alternating Curvilinear Balconies Of This New Apartment Building
Omniview Design has completed the Golf Apartments, a high-end residential development adjacent to a...
a year ago
Omniview Design has completed the Golf Apartments, a high-end residential development adjacent to a famous golf course in Glyfada, Greece. Key to the design of the building are the curvilinear balconies that alternate directions creating a lively facade. In the evening, lighting...
Common Edge
Social Radicalism Reexamined: The Legacies of Christopher Alexander and Joseph Rykwert
What these foreign-born giants of design theory brought to two American universities.
6 months ago
What these foreign-born giants of design theory brought to two American universities.
Archinect - Features
Six Views on the Future of Architectural Licensure
Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural...
3 months ago
Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural licensure have included a variety of views beyond our editorial team, including ten views on licensure from Archinect readers shared at the midpoint of our series.
Beyond reader...
CONTEMPORIST
A Dark Exterior Helps To Hide This Modern Home In The Forest
Robert Young Architects has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Virginia, that’s...
a year ago
Robert Young Architects has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Virginia, that’s surrounded by a forest and features a dark exterior. The multi-storey home was designed from the inside out, with the architects allowing the function of the house to determine its form....
CONTEMPORIST
The Reinterpretation Of A Gabled Roof Is On Display At This New House
Architecture firm Studio KUNZ has shared photos of a home they completed in a small town in the...
9 months ago
Architecture firm Studio KUNZ has shared photos of a home they completed in a small town in the south of Brazil. The home sits on a high plateau, surrounded by an idyllic landscape formed by araucaria trees, which was key for a young couple who have a close relationship with life...
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...
Construction Physics
The Birth of the Grid
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of...
a year ago
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of heaven. It should not merely be supplied, but lavished, that men may use it at their will, as the air they breathe. - Emile Zola, “Travail”, 1901
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...
Construction Physics
The Story of Titanium
The earth contains a lot of titanium - it’s the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s crust. By...
a year ago
The earth contains a lot of titanium - it’s the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s crust. By mass, there’s more titanium in the earth’s crust than carbon by a factor of nearly 30, and more titanium than copper by a factor of nearly 100. But despite its abundance, it's...
CONTEMPORIST
This House Was Built Around A 100-Year-Old Oak Tree
Architecture Studio AtelierM has shared photos of a home they completed in Martinez, Argentina, that...
6 months ago
Architecture Studio AtelierM has shared photos of a home they completed in Martinez, Argentina, that wraps around an imposing hundred-year-old oak tree. The homeowners wanted to maximize privacy, protect the old tree that was central to the lot, and take advantage of natural...
CONTEMPORIST
Rammed Earth Walls Surround This House In Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects have shared photos of a home they renovated in Sydney, Australia, that had...
a year ago
Luigi Rosselli Architects have shared photos of a home they renovated in Sydney, Australia, that had rammed earth walls added. The original home, whose design was akin to that of a drilling platform, had two existing floors hovering above, and was entirely disconnected from its...
The Modern House
Mark Lebon, the man inside the house that makes people smile
8 months ago
Archinect - Features
A Guide to Salary Transparency Laws Across the United States
At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect...
9 months ago
At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect frequently reports on, several states and cities across the United States have enacted their own requirements for employers seeking to hire or promote within their...
Old Structures...
A Sense Of The Past
The thing about spending a week discussing the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge is that it all feels...
a year ago
The thing about spending a week discussing the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge is that it all feels almost like fiction. The caissons have been buried in the sand at the bottom of the East River for more than 150 years. I know they are there because I know how to read historical...
99% Invisible
The Six-Week Cure [EPISODE]
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get...
a year ago
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get out of bad marries. The city became known as the “Divorce Capital of the World.” For much of modern history, it has been relatively easy to get married, and extremely difficult to...
The Modern House
Kevin McCloud: the Grand Designs presenter takes us behind the scenes of his own life
Anyone who’s ever dreamed of building their own home has probably watched an episode of Grand...
a year ago
Anyone who’s ever dreamed of building their own home has probably watched an episode of Grand Designs. In fact, quite a few people have – the programme has been on our screens since 1999, during which time Kevin McCloud has cemented his reputation as a […]
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.
99% Invisible
The Double Kick [EPISODE]
Watch a skate video today, and you’ll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the...
11 months ago
Watch a skate video today, and you’ll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the “popsicle” design, because the deck is narrow in the middle and rounded off at both ends, like a popsicle stick. This may seem stupid simple, but that basic, clean popsicle shape is...
Old Structures...
Waste Not, Something Something
I was passing through Tribeca last week and came across this little building. Very, very little....
9 months ago
I was passing through Tribeca last week and came across this little building. Very, very little. Three stories tall, maybe 40 feet wide, and about four feet deep on the left and maybe a luxurious ten or fifteen feet deep on the right. You know you’re in a city where real estate...
Old Structures...
Not A Skyscaper
The picture above – courtesy of Irfan Haider of the Central Park Conservancy – shows the realization...
a year ago
The picture above – courtesy of Irfan Haider of the Central Park Conservancy – shows the realization of another of our designs for small rustic structures in the park. Again, Shaquana Lovell took the lead for OSE. In this case, the design of the log structure was not the main...
Old Structures...
Minor Errors
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, an 1880 view of Union Square. The title on the web page...
2 months ago
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, an 1880 view of Union Square. The title on the web page says “South side Union Square B’way” except that this is definitely (see below) the north side of the Square, AKA East 17th Street. Is the first word written in pencil “South”? If I...
Construction Physics
Book Review: Healthy Buildings
Healthy Buildings, written by John Macomber and Joseph Allen is, as the title suggests, a book about...
a year ago
Healthy Buildings, written by John Macomber and Joseph Allen is, as the title suggests, a book about how buildings affect health. Allen is a former environmental consultant, professor of public health, and director of Harvard’s “Healthy Buildings” program. Macomber is a lecturer...
Common Edge
Our Cities Aren’t Dead Yet!
Forget the “doom loops,” there are plenty of indicators that urban centers are recovering.
a year ago
Forget the “doom loops,” there are plenty of indicators that urban centers are recovering.
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #07: Sec. Pete Buttigieg [EPISODE]
This is the seventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
5 months ago
This is the seventh 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 Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation. One of his major...
CONTEMPORIST
A Tube Shaped Treehouse Wrapped In Diamond-Shaped Metal Tiles
Artistree, a company that creates treehouses and tiny homes, has shared photos of their design named...
11 months ago
Artistree, a company that creates treehouses and tiny homes, has shared photos of their design named “The Spyglass Treehouse”, which provides a unique window into the surrounding environment. Inspired by old-fashioned spyglasses used to magnify what is in the distance, this...
CONTEMPORIST
A Cantilever At One End Allows This Home To Project Over The Land
Leah Martin, partner and founder of Allied8 Architects in Seattle, Washington, has shared photos of...
5 months ago
Leah Martin, partner and founder of Allied8 Architects in Seattle, Washington, has shared photos of a modern Orcas Island home she designed for herself and her family. This small home, which cantilevers at one end, sits on the top of a ridge and is anchored to the bedrock in six...
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...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Advertising Claims
It’s truly embarassing how much time I spent looking at this old ad painted on a building in Bath...
9 months ago
It’s truly embarassing how much time I spent looking at this old ad painted on a building in Bath and wondering what “richestin cream” was. As a slight consolation, note the drain branch directly left of the word “richest”: if you’re putting interior plumbing drains on the...
The Modern House
A mix of materials results in fun, family-friendly flexibility in a Hove warehouse conversion
8 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Building With A Split Roof Makes Space For A Rooftop Park
Architecture firm RAD+ar has shared photos of a building they’ve completed in Jakarta, Indonesia,...
6 months ago
Architecture firm RAD+ar has shared photos of a building they’ve completed in Jakarta, Indonesia, that has a split roof held together by a skylight. The split design allowed half of the building to have a regular roof, while the other, is dedicated to outdoor space and a garden....
devonzuegel.com
Argentina On Two Steaks A Day (Idle Words)
04.13.2006
Argentina On Two Steaks A Day
The classic beginner's mistake in Argentina is...
over a year ago
04.13.2006
Argentina On Two Steaks A Day
The classic beginner's mistake in Argentina is to neglect the first steak of the day. You will be tempted to just peck at it or even skip it altogether, rationalizing that you need to save yourself for the much larger steak...
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...
Another Moment of Transition
This a nice postcard of the north end of Union Square, using a hand-color photograph from 1910 as...
9 months ago
This a nice postcard of the north end of Union Square, using a hand-color photograph from 1910 as its basis. The centerpiece is the Metropolitan Life tower at Madison Square, seven blocks to the north of the foreground buildings on East 17th Street. Those buildings include the...
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.
The Modern House
How a love of Japan and the 1970s shaped Sherrill Smith’s Hackney home
a year ago
Benny Kuriakose
Conservation and Adaptive Reuse of a Rundown Building to Museum
Adaptive reuse of dilapidated structures is a smart way to conserve the space, it gives a new...
a year ago
Adaptive reuse of dilapidated structures is a smart way to conserve the space, it gives a new meaning and purpose to the building....
Old Structures...
An Advanced Method Of Doing Something Simple
This detail takes some explanation. This is from a late-1800s factory building. It’s a bearing-wall...
7 months ago
This detail takes some explanation. This is from a late-1800s factory building. It’s a bearing-wall building with heavy-timber floors, and it appears to have been constructed to code for that type and era. There were a number of almost-modern code requirements that end up being...
CONTEMPORIST
A Tiny Public Library With A Roof Inspired By A Sheet Of Paper
Ninja Stuudio has shared photos of “White Sheet”, a tiny public library and reading pavilion they...
8 months ago
Ninja Stuudio has shared photos of “White Sheet”, a tiny public library and reading pavilion they completed in Tallinn, Estonia. The design has been inspired by the image of a literary idea, with the pavilion’s roof hovering as a light sheet of paper in mid-air relying only on...
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
Five things to do and see this September
September might spell the end of summer but, as this edition of The TMH Edit proves, there are...
a year ago
September might spell the end of summer but, as this edition of The TMH Edit proves, there are plenty of happenings to keep spirits high – even if the days are slowly getting shorter. Read on for our top tips for the month ahead, including […]
The Modern House
Dancing down the decades at Domus – a monument to mid-century modernism
4 months ago
99% Invisible
The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons [EPISODE]
Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly...
8 months ago
Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly recognizable around the world. Since the 1970s, sapeurs (from: le sape, short for “Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes”) have been known for donning technicolored...
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...
Old Structures...
Sequencing In Detailing
That’s an illustration from a 1913 article called “Engineering Design Of The Woolworth Building”...
10 months ago
That’s an illustration from a 1913 article called “Engineering Design Of The Woolworth Building” from The American Architect. That’s the design of the most heavily-loaded columns in the building, below the tower. To put it in perspective, that built-up column, composed of plates...
99% Invisible
Lost Cities of Geo Redux [EPISODE]
If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s...
a year ago
If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s that internet darlings rise and fall — and there’s something darkly fascinating about watching it happen in real time. The Lost Cities of Geo We may now be seeing it all again with...
Old Structures...
A Change of Pace
I’ve done a lot of research over the years, most of it historical, rather than engineering. In other...
6 months ago
I’ve done a lot of research over the years, most of it historical, rather than engineering. In other words, I’ve generally been researching the history of structural engineering, construction, and the built environment, rather than performing analysis on the structures I’ve...
The Modern House
A lower-ground floor flat that glows from within
8 months ago
Old Structures...
New York Without Height
Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity...
10 months ago
Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity Church. I can’t readily tell you what the second-tallest building was, as people weren’t really thinking about tall buildings that way yet. It was probably another church spire....
The Modern House
Skye’s the limit at this home in a serene settlement in the Scottish Highlands
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 3
Following up on part 1 and part 2, I want to talk about how the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge were...
a year ago
Following up on part 1 and part 2, I want to talk about how the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge were built, installed, and used. Unlike the 1883 image from part 1 (below), the image above is from 1870, while the work was still going on. I’ve played with the contrast to make the...
Old Structures...
Always Something New
No matter how many buildings you’ve seen, you can always find something that will surprise you. The...
7 months ago
No matter how many buildings you’ve seen, you can always find something that will surprise you. The picture above is not an underwater shot from the Titanic, it’s the cellar of a circa-1900 rowhouse. This was a house of some pretension when first built. As in most wider...
99% Invisible
Chick Tracts [EPISODE]
Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There...
a year ago
Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There are two hundred and seventy different Chick Tracts, with titles like “The Death Cookie,” “Kidnapped!,” “Mean Momma,” “The Sissy?,” and “Satan Comes To Salem.” Many of these are...
CONTEMPORIST
A Cluster Of Shingle-Clad Buildings Create An Island Cottage Experience For These Owners
Akb Architects has shared photos of a cottage they designed that comprises a cluster of buildings,...
4 months ago
Akb Architects has shared photos of a cottage they designed that comprises a cluster of buildings, each scaled proportionately to the island’s one-acre size. Located three hours north of Toronto, Canada, the cottage includes four pitch-roofed structures, harmoniously clad in...
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....
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...
McMansion Hell
pre-recession, post-taste
Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s...
a year ago
Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s why I’ve gone back into the archives of that precipitous year 2007, a year where the McMansion was sleepwalking into being a symbol of the financial calamity to follow. We return to...
Contemporist...
A Kitchen And Bathroom Renovation Updates This Home With New Ideas
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and bathroom renovation they completed...
a year ago
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and bathroom renovation they completed for a Sydney suburban home owned by a design-conscious couple.
Common Edge
The Brilliant, Unhinged Spectacle of Megalopolis
A rare film that celebrates design and urban planning, Coppola’s latest epic is a mishmash of...
2 months ago
A rare film that celebrates design and urban planning, Coppola’s latest epic is a mishmash of architectural, cinematic, and literary history.
devonzuegel.com
Israel's water miracle
The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years....
a year ago
The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years. Israel went from having a serious water problem to being a net water exporter to neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the population grew from ~1 million to well over 9 million.
With...
Cartogrammar
Beyond the Sea, flowing and exploding edition
Last year I took a whack at mapping what you’d “see” if you looked straight across the ocean from...
over a year ago
Last year I took a whack at mapping what you’d “see” if you looked straight across the ocean from coastlines around the world. Since then, an interactive version of that has been a back-burner idea. Well, finally, here we go. To recap, these arcs represent straight-line paths out...
CONTEMPORIST
Painted Drop Shadows Around The Windows Create An Interesting Effect On This Building
Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has unveiled its own new office that’s located within a century-old,...
a year ago
Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has unveiled its own new office that’s located within a century-old, three-storey brick building in Toronto’s Corso Italia neighborhood. A unique design feature not often seen on the exterior of a building, are the painted drop shadows surrounding...
Contemporist...
The client asked for "a hotel-like bedroom and bathroom in their home, so they could feel as if they...
Studio Kloek has shared images of a bedroom and bathroom suite they designed for their client who...
7 months ago
Studio Kloek has shared images of a bedroom and bathroom suite they designed for their client who desired "a hotel-like bedroom and bathroom in their home, so they could feel as if they were on vacation every day."
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...
Old Structures...
Previous Work
A minor point, but it never hurts to look at the details. The photo above shows repair work on a...
a year ago
A minor point, but it never hurts to look at the details. The photo above shows repair work on a 1920s steel-frame building. The black-painted iron is the top landing, at the roof level, of a fire-escape; there used to be (and will be again, soon) a parapet on either side of it,...