Cartogrammar
The rain on terrain
If you poured water over the terrain somewhere in the world, where would it go? That’s perhaps one...
over a year ago
If you poured water over the terrain somewhere in the world, where would it go? That’s perhaps one way to think of the thing that distracted me in the evenings this week. [Edit: an interactive map should appear here, but there are some unresolved issues. Check out the...
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%)...
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...
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
Confessions of a (Mostly) Analog Architect
The fit between digital design and the hands-on world of construction.
4 months ago
The fit between digital design and the hands-on world of construction.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: A Somber Location
One of the less-well-known memorials in Manhattan is the African Burial Ground National Monument at...
4 months ago
One of the less-well-known memorials in Manhattan is the African Burial Ground National Monument at Duane and Elk Streets, where free Blacks excluded from New York’s general cemetery in the seventeenth cenutry buried their dead. Here’s a photo of the memorial, a stone circle...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Two-Storey Rear Addition For An Old Australian Cottage
Bijl Architecture has shared photos of the Stealth House, a renovation project they completed that...
a year ago
Bijl Architecture has shared photos of the Stealth House, a renovation project they completed that included a modern addition to an inter-war cottage located in Hunters Hill, Australia. From the street, the original facade and front garden of the home hide the barely visible rear...
The Modern House
Father Studio, creators of our sonic identity, on why sound is an integral part of design
a year ago
Common Edge
The Enduring Legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright
Why we still care, almost seven decades after his death.
3 months ago
Why we still care, almost seven decades after his death.
The Modern House
From Liverpool terrace to Barbican penthouse: editor Tony Chambers on success from humble beginnings...
Tony Chambers, best known for being the longest-serving editor-in-chief of Wallpaper*, is the latest...
a year ago
Tony Chambers, best known for being the longest-serving editor-in-chief of Wallpaper*, is the latest guest to feature on our podcast, Homing In. Having worked at the design magazine for more than 15 years, Tony has spent a great deal of time reporting on some of […]
Old Structures...
Some Good News To Start The Year
From Ars Technica, “40% of US electricity is now emissions-free” by John Timmer has a pretty...
11 months ago
From Ars Technica, “40% of US electricity is now emissions-free” by John Timmer has a pretty self-explanatory headline. The short version: wind and solar have advanced quickly because of decreases in their cost, coal use has dropped, and there’s more storage coming on line to...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Remodeled 1970s Home In Seattle
Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they...
a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they completed that was originally designed by prominent Seattle Architect, Ralph Anderson. The 3-story home on Seattle’s Mercer Island was renovated and modernized, preserving what the...
Common Edge
Money and the Conundrum of Architects Who Don’t Build
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
a year ago
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
Contemporist...
The Sculptural Exterior Of This House Was Inspired By The Folds Of A Ribbon
Studio Ardete has shared photos of a home they have designed in Mohali, India, that has a distinctly...
a year ago
Studio Ardete has shared photos of a home they have designed in Mohali, India, that has a distinctly different sculptural facade.
Old Structures...
Before Iron
The photo above, from the NYPL digital archive, shows South William Street (AKA a block from our...
a year ago
The photo above, from the NYPL digital archive, shows South William Street (AKA a block from our office) in the mid-1860s. We’re looking at, from left to right 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 South William. Here’s a roughly similar view in 2014 (not current because there is now scaffolding...
Blog - Guerrilla...
TRANSitar Lima
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t?
Map of...
a year ago
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t?
Map of Lima, Peru
About the project
TRANSitar Lima is a project that seeks to create a visual record of transphobic violence, based on collective mapping sessions. Trans, transvestites, and...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #3: Disney World & other underworlds
Every place has some dirty secrets, even Disney World. We all have to get rid of waste somehow! In...
over a year ago
Every place has some dirty secrets, even Disney World. We all have to get rid of waste somehow! In this episode, the Bertauds and I discuss methods of sanitation and waste management from around the world, and how these hidden systems shape our cities.
RSS · Apple Podcasts ·...
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE]
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
3 months ago
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding,...
CONTEMPORIST
The Design Of This Modern White Patisserie Stands Out From Its Neighbors
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked...
9 months ago
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked by familiar coffee and donut franchises. The designers explained, ‘that the challenge of the store is to stand out from its immediate chaos and appeal to the clientele from the...
devonzuegel.com
Georgist land taxes balance community benefit & the efficiency of markets
One thing I like about Georgist land taxes is they reflect a deep-seated intuition many people have...
5 months ago
One thing I like about Georgist land taxes is they reflect a deep-seated intuition many people have that land should be owned by the community, while still employing markets to ensure efficient use of this limited resource.
People feel that land is special and should serve the...
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...
Common Edge
Brutalism in the Nation’s Capital
A National Building Museum exhibition surveys notable concrete architecture in D.C. and presents...
2 months ago
A National Building Museum exhibition surveys notable concrete architecture in D.C. and presents possible future uses.
The Modern House
How to reduce carbon emissions at home
a year ago
Archinect - Features
A Conversation with Bjarke Ingels on AI, 3D Printing, and the Future of the Architectural...
It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of...
9 months ago
It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of conversation was BIG's 'Hot to Cold' exhibition at the National Building Museum. Today, after a decade that has included award-winning Manhattan skyscrapers, floating cities, a...
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...
Doodling In A Hotel
A remarkable sketch by Cass Gilbert from July 1933: From left to right, the Dom Tower in Utrecht...
9 months ago
A remarkable sketch by Cass Gilbert from July 1933: From left to right, the Dom Tower in Utrecht (fourteenth-century, 368 feet high): St Mark’s Campanile in Venice (ninth century, rebuilt in the early twentieth century after it collapsed, 323 feet high): and Gilbert’s own...
Old Structures...
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...
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...
Old Structures...
Location and Purpose
From 1932, “The Kips Bay Station, with a capacity of 2,450,000 pounds of steam an hour, is the...
3 months ago
From 1932, “The Kips Bay Station, with a capacity of 2,450,000 pounds of steam an hour, is the largest and most modern central station steam generating plant in the world.” The station was a steam-generating plant, located on the East River at 36th Street, decommissioned and...
Old Structures...
For The Encouragement Of Thrift
When you spend as much time looking at buildings as I do, it takes something out of the ordinary to...
a year ago
When you spend as much time looking at buildings as I do, it takes something out of the ordinary to stand out. In this case, I was on Sutphin Boulevard in Queens, on its northernmost leg. That’s the part of Sutphin that most people who have heard of it know: between its northern...
Common Edge
Climate Lessons From the Floating Villages of Cambodia
Social and cultural values may be as important as hard (and expensive) infrastructure.
a year ago
Social and cultural values may be as important as hard (and expensive) infrastructure.
Old Structures...
A Deservedly Unknown Truss
There’s a street bridge over the Hudson Line (the former main line of the New York Central Railroad)...
9 months ago
There’s a street bridge over the Hudson Line (the former main line of the New York Central Railroad) tracks just south of the Dobbs Ferry Station: For now, ignore the big white pipe at the bottom of the side truss: it’s a utility line, not part of the truss. That leaves us with...
Construction Physics
The Rise of Steel Part II
Welcome to the Rise of Steel part II. We previously looked at the early stages of industrialization...
a year ago
Welcome to the Rise of Steel part II. We previously looked at the early stages of industrialization of iron and steelmaking, between roughly 1200 and 1850. To briefly recap, making steel was an involved, multistep process. Iron would first be smelted from iron ore in a blast...
The Modern House
Pure 1970s glamour at an iconic modernist house, from sunken sofas to an indoor pool
a year ago
Old Structures...
Cartesian
I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the...
3 months ago
I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River about a mile away – with good reason. There’s an argument to be made that this small (for NYC) bridge is the most beautiful in the...
The Modern House
A Modern Way to Live: our co-founder Matt Gibberd on light
With January out the way, we’re moving on from our theme of ‘space’ to one of ’light’. As such, for...
10 months ago
With January out the way, we’re moving on from our theme of ‘space’ to one of ’light’. As such, for the whole of February, you can expect our usual offering of inspiring stories, only now they’ll be unified in their exploration of the importance of […]
Old Structures...
History From Afar
This is a fantastic, if weirdly inaccurate, map from 1840. It was, according to the text at the...
9 months ago
This is a fantastic, if weirdly inaccurate, map from 1840. It was, according to the text at the bottom, “Published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge”, located in London. I am all for the diffusion of useful knowledge, but the problem with this map is that its...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's 2023 Summer Reading List
Summer is here, and whether you're on vacation or preparing for one or looking to lay low at home, a...
a year ago
Summer is here, and whether you're on vacation or preparing for one or looking to lay low at home, a summer must is a good book. The Archinect team has curated a list of reading essentials to explore.
Below is a collection of books organized into five categories – New Releases,...
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.
Blog - Guerrilla...
Homeless and Shelters in São Paulo
When I was looking at the homeless census maps, my curiosity was sparked and I started to wonder...
over a year ago
When I was looking at the homeless census maps, my curiosity was sparked and I started to wonder what other visualizations and cartographical explorations could be possible. I have a deep interest in censuses because I have been working specifically in a peripheral communities’...
CONTEMPORIST
A Complete Renovation Was Given To This 1980s Plaster Clad House
Michael Cooper Architects has shared photos of a 1980s plaster-clad home in Auckland, New Zealand,...
a year ago
Michael Cooper Architects has shared photos of a 1980s plaster-clad home in Auckland, New Zealand, that they renovated to bring it up to today’s standards. The house needed a re-design inside and out, with the clients requesting a contemporary design. The clients also wanted a...
Old Structures...
A Similar Feeling
First, looking east on 14th Street from First Avenue, last week. The endless repetitive buildings on...
9 months ago
First, looking east on 14th Street from First Avenue, last week. The endless repetitive buildings on the left are Stuyvesant Town, a 1940s middle-class housing development that replaced the Gashouse District with a whole bunch of mid-rise red-brick apartment houses. The ornate...
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...
The Wandering...
Constructing the Pattern on the Sala de la Barca Ceiling
I was flipping through Owen Jones’s Grammar of Ornament a couple months ago, and my eye was caught...
8 months ago
I was flipping through Owen Jones’s Grammar of Ornament a couple months ago, and my eye was caught by this handsome pattern I had not noticed before. This is Jones’s Plate XLII, in the chapter on designs from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. He calls it, “Part of the ceiling of...
Archinect - Features
Storytelling, Bias, and Exploitation in Digital Realms; A Conversation with Miriam Hillawi...
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers....
a year ago
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers. The Ethiopian designer and researcher sees digital media as an impactful, playful, and unrestrained way of shaping immersive stories that challenge Western narratives and power...
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 1
Continuing from yesterday’s dive, we have an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the...
a year ago
Continuing from yesterday’s dive, we have an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the relationship of the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge to the caisson that serves as its foundation. There’s a lot going on in this line drawing and it’s worth the time to describe it...
99% Invisible
Raccoon Resistance
After Toronto unveiled its “raccoon-resistant” compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals...
3 weeks ago
After Toronto unveiled its “raccoon-resistant” compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals would be starved but many more celebrated the innovative design. Rolling out this novel locked bin opened a new battlefront in city’s ongoing “war on raccoons.” Toronto’s new...
The Modern House
Four at the Fore: London’s most innovative creatives on pushing things forward
a year ago
Construction Physics
Which Construction Tasks Have Gotten Cheaper?
We spend a lot of time around here looking at construction costs, and whenever we do the same story...
a year ago
We spend a lot of time around here looking at construction costs, and whenever we do the same story emerges: construction never gets cheaper. Construction costs tend to rise at or above the level of overall inflation. A square foot of building costs as much or more to build today...
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 […]
Common Edge
MoMA’s Woefully Incomplete Look at Architecture’s Environmental Arc
A new exhibition is at best a limited glimpse at a critical movement.
a year ago
A new exhibition is at best a limited glimpse at a critical movement.
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
The trials and triumphs of a tropical-inspired new-build in Bristol
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Tall Black House Appears To Be Made From A Series Of Stacked Boxes
Studio for Architecture & Collaboration (StudioAC) has designed a modern single-family home with a...
11 months ago
Studio for Architecture & Collaboration (StudioAC) has designed a modern single-family home with a black exterior in Toronto, Canada. The home has a gable roof and appears as a series of stacked boxes, with different levels defining the various areas of the home. The rear of the...
Benny Kuriakose
The Making of Unique Athangudi Tiles : An Unforgettable Experience
Chettinad, the land of wealthy Chettiars in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, is famous not only for...
a year ago
Chettinad, the land of wealthy Chettiars in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, is famous not only for its mouth-watering cuisine but also...
Old Structures...
Very Local Requirements
Below, a construction fence of typical New York design. Such fences here have had windows of some...
8 months ago
Below, a construction fence of typical New York design. Such fences here have had windows of some kind going back at least to the mid-1900s. Per the current NYC building code, section 3307.7.3, “Viewing panels shall be provided in solid fences erected on or after July 1, 2013, at...
The Modern House
A television producer on transforming an old student house into a fine family home in Queen’s Park
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Backyard Office Also Has A Rock Climbing Gym
WILLIAM TOZER Associates has designed a small backyard office in London, England, that also includes...
a year ago
WILLIAM TOZER Associates has designed a small backyard office in London, England, that also includes a rock climbing gym. Full-height glazed doors slide open to connect the interior office space with the landscaped yard. Inside, desks and storage are integrated into the solid...
Archinect - Features
'Architect' is a Protected Title. What About 'Architectural?'
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series continues with an examination of exceptions and nuances...
4 months ago
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series continues with an examination of exceptions and nuances related to the protection of the title 'architect' in the United States. In particular, we ask how architect-adjacent titles such as 'architectural designer,' 'architectural intern,'...
Old Structures...
Colorful and Accurate
The map above, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on...
12 months ago
The map above, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on the right (to the north) to New York City on the left. The new aqueduct runs on a much straighter line than the old, which required more tunneling, and therefore reflects the more...
Old Structures...
Credit Where Due
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s...
10 months ago
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s been around for a while, but I guess I never looked up: the facades of the first two floors are an old building, while the upper floors (and, I assume, the interiors) are new....
Old Structures...
Elsewhere in the Archipelago
After more than 30 years, it will soon be possible for the public to again visit Hart Island, at...
a year ago
After more than 30 years, it will soon be possible for the public to again visit Hart Island, at least on some days and as part of guided tours. Given the nature of the island – it’s been the potter’s field for New York City for over 150 years – it’s a slightly weird place to go,...
Construction Physics
Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships?
This post is cross-posted at Noahpinion.
3 months ago
This post is cross-posted at Noahpinion.
There are two types...
Mariaplaats, Utrecht
The post Mariaplaats, Utrecht appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good...
over a year ago
The post Mariaplaats, Utrecht appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
Common Edge
The Architecture of “Thin Places” and How to Design Them
Places that are “thin” offer experiences outside of the everyday.
a year ago
Places that are “thin” offer experiences outside of the everyday.
Old Structures...
Four, Maybe Five, Maybe Six Bridges
Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from...
7 months ago
Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from Rutgers Street and South Street: We’ve got a pseudo-dramatic, badly framed view of the Manhattan tower of the Manhattan Bridge, with the elevated FDR Drive blocking most of it....
Old Structures...
Notre Dame, Again
In April 2019, it was not clear what would happen. Given the importance of the cathedral to the city...
a week ago
In April 2019, it was not clear what would happen. Given the importance of the cathedral to the city of Paris, the nation of France, and the cultural heritage of Europe, it was clear that it would be rebuilt after the fire, but in what form and on what schedule were open...
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...
devonzuegel.com
Topographic theory of flaking
Natan Gesher sent me the following email after reading my post about why flaking is so widespread in...
over a year ago
Natan Gesher sent me the following email after reading my post about why flaking is so widespread in San Francisco, and I thought you all might find it interesting too:
I saw your blog posts about flaking and wanted to share something I've observed from moving around a bit (four...
Contemporist...
The Black Exterior Of This Barn-Inspired Home Is Contrasted With A White Interior
Architecture and interior design studio Laney LA has shared photos of a modern home they designed in...
a year ago
Architecture and interior design studio Laney LA has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Culver City, California, that has a dark black exterior.
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Double Height Ceiling Allows The Social Areas Of This Home To Open Completely To The Outside
Padovani Arquitetos has sent us photos of a project they designed in Campinas, Brazil, that takes...
a year ago
Padovani Arquitetos has sent us photos of a project they designed in Campinas, Brazil, that takes advantage of the topography to create a modern home with a horizontal design and lower garage. The home has been designed in such a way that the interior is hidden from the street....
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
Summer in the City
From the middle of March, when a family emergency put this blog on hiatus, until the middle of July,...
a year ago
From the middle of March, when a family emergency put this blog on hiatus, until the middle of July, when a funeral mass was held for my dad, my life was split almost evenly between my home in New York City and my parent's home in Central Florida. The emergency in March was an...
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?
CONTEMPORIST
A Weathered Corrugated Metal Exterior Protects This Home On A Ranch
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a home they completed on 20 acres of...
a month ago
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a home they completed on 20 acres of working ranch property. The house layout consists of two roughly equivalent rectangular volumes. One accommodates a couple’s day to day life with kitchen/living/dining spaces and a...
99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 19
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and...
5 days ago
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and fascinating tales. This week we have punny highway signs, a PAC funded by exercise, the explosive history behind the Nobel Prize, and some long toes. Let’s get into it! Slow Down,...
Archinect - Features
Happy National Volunteer Week! Here's a resource guide for architects and designers looking...
This week, from April 21–27, is officially National Volunteer Week in the United States. To...
8 months ago
This week, from April 21–27, is officially National Volunteer Week in the United States. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Archinect has curated a handy guide of resources for architects looking to donate their time and skills to various causes that will ultimately lead to...
Common Edge
Kelp Farming May Help Clean New York’s Polluted Waterways and Fight Climate Change
The seaweed found in Newtown Creek, Gowanus Bay, and the East River could suck up carbon and...
a year ago
The seaweed found in Newtown Creek, Gowanus Bay, and the East River could suck up carbon and pollutants, bolstering marine ecosystems.
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...
Old Structures...
This Time, The Famous One
Seven years ago, I wrote a blog post called “No, Not The Famous One.” Guess what? On a site visit to...
3 months ago
Seven years ago, I wrote a blog post called “No, Not The Famous One.” Guess what? On a site visit to Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, I noticed a lot of nice cast-iron storefronts in the old shopping streets. Given that iron wasn’t a major industry there in the nineteenth...
There are two types...
With Rhetoric: The New York Apartment House
WHEN I was in graduate school, I was one of the editors of VIA IV: “Culture and the Social Vision.”...
a year ago
WHEN I was in graduate school, I was one of the editors of VIA IV: “Culture and the Social Vision.” I helped Robert A.M. Stern write New York 1900, Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890-1915. My summer job turned into a … Continue reading →
The post With Rhetoric: The New...
CONTEMPORIST
This Barn-Inspired Home Hides A Playroom With Climbing Wall Under Its Gable Roof
Tomas Beranek and Arthur Nuss of Global Architects collaborated with client and builder Bram van de...
a year ago
Tomas Beranek and Arthur Nuss of Global Architects collaborated with client and builder Bram van de Wal to design and complete a barn-inspired modern home in The Netherlands. The barn house has a natural look and the modern simplicity of timber frame construction. The exterior...
Construction Physics
Why Is It So Hard to Build an Airport?
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to...
9 months ago
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to global GDP through direct and indirect effects (ie: the businesses and commerce that it enables), and an estimated 25% of companies’ sales rely on air transport. In 2022, civil...
There are two types...
“My Open Letter to NYC DOT Commissioner Rodriquez”
Dear Commissioner Rodriquez, I’m writing to you because I just signed up for a workshop to improve...
over a year ago
Dear Commissioner Rodriquez, I’m writing to you because I just signed up for a workshop to improve Canal Street that your department is running tonight. I met you when you were a Councilman. I know you care deeply about making … Continue reading →
The post “My Open Letter to NYC...
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.
Old Structures...
Randomness
When you study history, one of the things that takes a while to really accept is the random nature...
10 months ago
When you study history, one of the things that takes a while to really accept is the random nature of events. People think they are in control and shape, at least to some degree, the future. When some truly random event occurs, we often attribute it to someone else’s will, unable...
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 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...
Old Structures...
Nothing New
For the end of the year, we’ve been doing some file reorganization – all digital, as our paper files...
3 days ago
For the end of the year, we’ve been doing some file reorganization – all digital, as our paper files are only a memory – and it’s worth remembering that issues of logisitics and organization are nothing new. One of the sources for our filing system is the 1917 file classification...
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Gable Roof Runs The Length Of This Home
Architecture firm JURY!, has shared photos of a renovation project they completed for a home in...
5 months ago
Architecture firm JURY!, has shared photos of a renovation project they completed for a home in Maasland, The Netherlands, that enhanced an existing dike house with a modern barn-inspired design. The original dike house includes a basement partially built into the dike, which is...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Maps Without Words; Words Without Maps
During the early period of my self-isolation in Arizona, USA, Guerrilla Cartography put out a call...
over a year ago
During the early period of my self-isolation in Arizona, USA, Guerrilla Cartography put out a call for maps that represented “Community,” to be completed in 24 hours. Along with the call for maps, GC offered and organized free online talks, which included various and interesting...
Common Edge
Randy Fertel on the Power and Peril of Creative Improvisation
A lively talk with the author about his new book, Winging It.
8 months ago
A lively talk with the author about his new book, Winging It.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Boom
One of the problems with electing Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, as mayor of New York, is that he has a...
5 months ago
One of the problems with electing Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, as mayor of New York, is that he has a lot of enemies who will try to kill him by, say, blowing him up in his sleep. This is a preservation problem because the mayor’s residence is Gracie Mansion, a 1799 wood-frame...
Old Structures...
Visible Success, Invisibly
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the...
4 months ago
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the West Village. The rowhouse was constructed in 1846, is now in a landmarked district, and has an operating restaurant on the first floor and in the basement. If you look closely at...
Old Structures...
Raking Sunlight
Pro tip, as computer manuals said back when (a) everyone was not yet comfortable using a computer...
a year ago
Pro tip, as computer manuals said back when (a) everyone was not yet comfortable using a computer and (b) computer manuals still existed: environmental conditions can help in building investigation. For example, I like conducting facade inspections on very cold days because you...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Overhanging The Water’s Edge In Alaska
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in...
2 months ago
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in Alaska, that overlooks inlet waters and is balanced on the edge of a rock wall. The home’s geometry is defined by two tall shed roof structures with a connector between them. Along the...
A Weekly Dose of...
Rereading the Nineties
Some of the references consulted during the research phase of my 2021 book Buildings in Print: 100...
a year ago
Some of the references consulted during the research phase of my 2021 book Buildings in Print: 100 Influential & Inspiring Illustrated Architecture Books, but not mentioned in the book's "selected bibliography," were old catalogs from the Prairie Avenue Bookshop, the beloved and...
CONTEMPORIST
Exterior Lighting Shows Off The Post And Beam Structure Of This Home
Ward + Blake Architects has shared photos of a modern post and beam home they completed in Wyoming,...
a year ago
Ward + Blake Architects has shared photos of a modern post and beam home they completed in Wyoming, that’s been placed on a hillside, just above a farmable portion of the site to preserve the ongoing agricultural use of the property. The home has generous roof overhangs that...
Old Structures...
The Name Lost Meaning
From the great archive of her photographs that Carol Highsmith donated to the Library of Congress,...
3 months ago
From the great archive of her photographs that Carol Highsmith donated to the Library of Congress, “View of a Manhattan street from New York City’s High Line, a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail.” Except that you can’t see the High Line because she was...
Benny Kuriakose
Photographing the Exterior of a Historic Building: Part II
In the 1870s, architectural photographer Albert Levy began capturing old buildings, thus giving rise...
a year ago
In the 1870s, architectural photographer Albert Levy began capturing old buildings, thus giving rise to a new kind of photography called...
devonzuegel.com
The road to hell is paved with asphalt
Most roads are paved with asphalt. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with asphalt. Bricks,...
11 months ago
Most roads are paved with asphalt. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with asphalt. Bricks, cobblestones, and pavers are often much better options, because:
1. Asphalt degrades fast, so once you account for maintenance, it's more expensive it first appears
Asphalt...
CONTEMPORIST
This New Home Addition Opens To The Garden
Levitate Architects has shared photos of a modern rear home extension they completed for a home in...
6 months ago
Levitate Architects has shared photos of a modern rear home extension they completed for a home in England, that has folding doors, connecting the interior spaces to the garden. The architects removed the floor of a second rear sitting room and lowered it to the level of the...
The Modern House
Edit is the hyper-seasonal Hackney restaurant making the case for low waste
a year ago
Contemporist...
A Glass Wall Separates A Bedroom From The Living Spaces In This Apartment
MIKOLAJSKAstudio has shared photos of an apartment in Krakow, Poland, that includes a main living...
10 months ago
MIKOLAJSKAstudio has shared photos of an apartment in Krakow, Poland, that includes a main living level with a bedroom enclosed behind a glass wall.
CONTEMPORIST
A Plaid-Inspired Wood Kitchen Is A Unique Design Feature Inside This Office
BHDM Design has recently completed a workplace in New York for private equity consulting firm...
a year ago
BHDM Design has recently completed a workplace in New York for private equity consulting firm Accordion, whose interior was inspired by motifs of menswear fabrics. An interesting design element in the workplace is the kitchen, which includes a unique plaid design. The plaid...
devonzuegel.com
My questions about Próspera, answered
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others...
over a year ago
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others might too, so I wrote an FAQ to share what I learned:
Próspera FAQ
This FAQ is intended as a reference, covering the basic facts and current status of the project. My hope is that...
Archinect - Features
Many Architecture Firms Don’t Know How To Pursue International Work; We Spoke With Some That...
Over the past year, the number of U.S. architecture firms working on international projects has...
3 months ago
Over the past year, the number of U.S. architecture firms working on international projects has gently increased. However, a recent AIA survey found that many firms do not know how to pursue international work. In search of insights and advice on the topic, we spoke with three...
The Modern House
How two lifelong friends built a space-savvy home to share on an awkward site in Homerton
a year ago
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Archetypical
From a graphic novel about art called Naked City: how do you capture the spirit of New York? A...
7 hours ago
From a graphic novel about art called Naked City: how do you capture the spirit of New York? A relentless grid and Old-Law tenements.
Contemporist...
This Wood Watchtower Is Also A Home For Bats
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also...
2 months ago
NEXT Architects has shared photos of Watchtower Einderheide, a lookout in The Netherlands, that also doubles as a shelter for bats.
Common Edge
Mass Timber Construction Is Evolving Rapidly
With owners and developers warming up to plyscrapers, wood-based projects are on an upward...
8 months ago
With owners and developers warming up to plyscrapers, wood-based projects are on an upward trajectory.
Old Structures...
Nearby
Also from the Greenport Railroad Station: the 1890s freight house on the right with a...
4 months ago
Also from the Greenport Railroad Station: the 1890s freight house on the right with a apparently-retired snowplow engine named Jaws III, a Pennsylvania Railroad boxcar, and a caboose, probably also Pennsy. The Pennsylvania bought the LIRR in 1900 as part of its grand plan for the...
Contemporist...
Large Folding Glass Walls Open This Home To A Courtyard
Narch Arquitectes has shared photos of a home they designed in Barcelona, Spain, that has large...
a year ago
Narch Arquitectes has shared photos of a home they designed in Barcelona, Spain, that has large folding windows that connect the interior to the inner courtyard and garden.
Common Edge
Why So Many Banal Boxes? Because Architecture Reflects the Ethos of Its Time
The 5-over-1 is a perfect embodiment of our increasingly selfish and self-isolated existence.
6 months ago
The 5-over-1 is a perfect embodiment of our increasingly selfish and self-isolated existence.
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home With Twin Gables Connected By A Glazed Breezeway
Wheeler Kearns Architects has shared photos of a new home they have completed in Illinois, which is...
10 months ago
Wheeler Kearns Architects has shared photos of a new home they have completed in Illinois, which is located on a one-acre wooded ravine site north of Chicago. The home, situated upward and slightly angled away from the street, includes twin-gabled volumes, one for sleeping and...
Old Structures...
An Avatar Of Steel
Another short trip: I was in Philadelphia last week, and I walked the not-quite two miles from my...
4 days ago
Another short trip: I was in Philadelphia last week, and I walked the not-quite two miles from my meeting to the train station on my way home. I took the two unimpressive pictures below on the way: That’s the rear, Arch Street side, of the Reading Terminal Market, which is, as...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Guidebooks
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by...
a year ago
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1965.
Are guidebooks still a valid and useful subgenre of architecture books? Do architects...
The Modern House
Portal of change: the gentle evolution of Harfield Gardens – the family home behind the orange door
2 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
8,000 Discs Were Suspended To Create This Artistic Installation
Canadian-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has shared photos of Binary Spectrum, a site-specific...
a year ago
Canadian-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has shared photos of Binary Spectrum, a site-specific art installation they created for a lobby atrium inside a building in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Comprised of 8,000 translucent discs, Binary Spectrum is a poetic expression of...
The Modern House
My Modern House: Tom Morris’ Brutalist flat on the Barbican Estate
This week, we’re taking a trip down memory lane – and to the Barbican apartment of Tom Morris,...
a year ago
This week, we’re taking a trip down memory lane – and to the Barbican apartment of Tom Morris, multihyphenate writer turned interior designer and founder of Morrisstudio, the outfit known for its considered craft-led approach to creating homes. However, when we first visited Tom,...
The Beauty of...
Tubular Belle (Køge Nord station, Køge, Denmark)
Stuck on the E20 motorway heading for Copenhagen? Køge Nord station very much hopes you are...
over a year ago
Stuck on the E20 motorway heading for Copenhagen? Køge Nord station very much hopes you are...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Sunken Cities
Foundation
Contributing an original map to GC’s newest Shelter: An Atlas was very appealing to me...
over a year ago
Foundation
Contributing an original map to GC’s newest Shelter: An Atlas was very appealing to me for a couple of reasons: One, as an independent map illustrator, it would give my work wide exposure. Two, it would put me in good company with other talented mapmakers. Suggestions...
Archinect - Features
AI, Climate, and Advice for the Next Generation: Watch Our Roundtable with SCI-Arc Program...
In November 2024, Archinect brought together four program chairs from the Southern California...
a week ago
In November 2024, Archinect brought together four program chairs from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) for a wide-ranging roundtable conversation.
The questions up for debate and discussion were among the most pressing facing the architectural...
Old Structures...
Complaining For The Sake Of Complaining
I’ve been getting ready for the upcoming construction history congress (more on that to follow in a...
6 months ago
I’ve been getting ready for the upcoming construction history congress (more on that to follow in a few days) and part of that is searching for good images to use for presentation of my paper (ditto). One of the people I’m speaking about is Ole Singstad, who had a fantastic...
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
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...
Old Structures...
Fuzzy
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts,...
a month ago
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts, pipes, lights, and electrical conduits do not.
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...
Contemporist...
A Lot Of Plants Have Been Integrated Into The Design Of This Home In Singapore
Wallflower Architecture + Design has sent us photos of a home they recently completed in Singapore,...
11 months ago
Wallflower Architecture + Design has sent us photos of a home they recently completed in Singapore, that features an exterior covered in plants.
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
LED Lighting Illuminates Shelving Throughout This Home’s Interior
Estevez + Persson, a new architecture and design studio, founded by Fernando Estevez Barroso and...
a year ago
Estevez + Persson, a new architecture and design studio, founded by Fernando Estevez Barroso and Daniel Persson, has debuted a residential project called Casa Bosques de Olivos in Mexico City. The exterior of the house features concrete, wood, and metal, as well as landscaped...
CONTEMPORIST
The Design Of This Shingle-Clad Hotel Lobby Was Inspired By A Coconut
Architecture firm Onion, has shared photos of a hotel lobby they completed for Holiday Inn Samui in...
a year ago
Architecture firm Onion, has shared photos of a hotel lobby they completed for Holiday Inn Samui in Thailand, whose design is inspired by the coconut shell after its meat has been grated to make Thai dessert. The curved building exterior is clad with wooden shingles, with...
99% Invisible
Top Billing [EPISODE]
There’s a rumor about the 1987 film Outrageous Fortune, a rumor that has dogged producer Jacob Reed...
4 months ago
There’s a rumor about the 1987 film Outrageous Fortune, a rumor that has dogged producer Jacob Reed since his days in film school. The comedy, starring Bette Midler and Shelley Long, is mostly forgotten. But a feud between the two stars was legendary, a fact referenced on TV by...
The Solarchitecture...
7 key principles of solar passive design - Part 2.
Balance it all with local climate and a holistic energy calculation.
over a year ago
Balance it all with local climate and a holistic energy calculation.
Contemporist...
Before + After - A Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Renovation
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century...
yesterday
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.
Common Edge
Architecture and the God Problem
Defining divinity and higher powers, in the context of design, is often fraught.
a year ago
Defining divinity and higher powers, in the context of design, is often fraught.
devonzuegel.com
Travel photos are underrated
I snapped many photos while wandering Haifa last week, as I always do whenever I see something new...
over a year ago
I snapped many photos while wandering Haifa last week, as I always do whenever I see something new or interesting while exploring a city. I was with my friend Tyler, who conspicuously does not take photos while exploring a new place. I asked him why, and his answer was, "It's a...
99% Invisible
Cooking with Gas [EPISODE]
Back in January, Bloomberg News published a story quoting an obscure government official named...
a year ago
Back in January, Bloomberg News published a story quoting an obscure government official named Richard Trumka Jr. He works with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates stuff like furniture and electronics and household appliances. Basically, the agency is supposed...
There are two types...
Why GoDaddy’s Microsoft Exchange Email for Mac Users S*cks
After three years of unreliable, expensive email service from GoDaddy and Microsoft, I’ve...
over a year ago
After three years of unreliable, expensive email service from GoDaddy and Microsoft, I’ve reluctantly concluded that I have to find a new service for my domain name email. For reasons I won’t go into here, that’s a problem. GoDaddy is … Continue reading →
The post Why GoDaddy’s...
Blog - Guerrilla...
We are Survivors. We are Stardust.
STARLIGHT AND AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER
This map wouldn’t exist without an igniting spark from an...
over a year ago
STARLIGHT AND AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER
This map wouldn’t exist without an igniting spark from an aerospace engineer. I was visiting with a friend (said engineer) when the theme for the Atlas in a Day Challenge was announced. Upon hearing the theme of Community, she shared that the...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's Guide to the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: Part I — The National...
With the opening week of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale now passed, there has been much...
a year ago
With the opening week of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale now passed, there has been much discussion and media coverage of the anticipated international exhibition. It's safe to imply that the high-profile event aims to highlight, unveil, celebrate, and at times, provoke new...
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
a year ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 16,000 award winners from 110 different design disciplines. A’ Design...
Contemporist...
An Elevated Room Surrounded By Trees In The Jungle
Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura has shared photos of a room they designed and built in the jungle in...
2 months ago
Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura has shared photos of a room they designed and built in the jungle in Ecuador, that features a sleeping area and bathroom.
The Modern House
The best of Kensal Rise and Queen’s Park, north-west London
a year ago
99% Invisible
Roman, Elliott, and Robert Caro: Live in Conversation
For 50 years, The Power Broker has remained a landmark biography, transforming how people see former...
a month ago
For 50 years, The Power Broker has remained a landmark biography, transforming how people see former New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. If you’ve been listening to 99% Invisible’sPower Broker Breakdown, you’re familiar with the story. The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The...
The Modern House
Philippe Malouin: the experimental designer on creating with integrity – and the art of upcycling
Philippe Malouin, it’s said, doesn’t read design magazines. That might surprise you. But it also...
8 months ago
Philippe Malouin, it’s said, doesn’t read design magazines. That might surprise you. But it also might be what keeps the Canadian’s own conceptions – form-driven, material-focused, out-the-box – feeling so fresh. In many ways, it makes sense. If the ideas of others were...
The Modern House
Author Kat Hill on why we all yearn for the sanctuary of a modern bothy
6 months ago
Construction Physics
Machine Tool Reading List
For those interested in reading more about the machine tool industry, the sources I found useful are...
11 months ago
For those interested in reading more about the machine tool industry, the sources I found useful are listed below. The machine tool industry has been studied quite extensively, if sporadically (lots of sources talk about its decline in the 1980s, fewer ones talk about its...
Old Structures...
Ancient Sensationalism
Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of...
a month ago
Sometimes you learn a little historical nugget and you don’t think about it. It sits in the back of your head for years – decades, actually, in this case – until you’re reminded of it. The murder of Gulielma Sands in 1799 is a good example. It was a tragedy for Ms. Sands and a...
99% Invisible
You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark [EPISODE]
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as...
a year ago
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage stamp. It was put to a popular vote: should the stamp feature an image of...
Construction Physics
The Katerra Team Rides Again: ONX Homes
Regular readers of Construction Physics know that I formerly worked for the construction startup...
8 months ago
Regular readers of Construction Physics know that I formerly worked for the construction startup Katerra, which raised several billion dollars in venture capital in the hopes of revolutionizing the construction industry, and then went bankrupt. In fact, it was my experiences at...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Not Really Adaptive
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest...
4 months ago
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest in steel. The roof over the rather wide platform is supported by two lines of columns. That’s a column in the lower left, with the curves of the lower flange of the built-up main...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Damage and Weirdness
Just because a building is cute, doesn’t mean it won’t have damage. Someone has done a pretty...
9 months ago
Just because a building is cute, doesn’t mean it won’t have damage. Someone has done a pretty thorough job of strapping the corners of this small building in Bath, as well as installing some kind of pinning at the middle of the side wall. It’s not clear which way the floor spans...
99% Invisible
Between the Blocks [EPISODE]
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock...
10 months ago
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock park” green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They’re not so much “parks” in the formal sense, with fences and gates, just open...
Old Structures...
A Thomas Nast Holiday – 3 of 3
In my opinion, this is genius.
12 months ago
In my opinion, this is genius.
Archinect - Features
Architecture Business Metrics Begin To Turn Positive: Archinect’s State of AEC November...
Welcome to the sixth installment of Archinect's series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we...
2 weeks ago
Welcome to the sixth installment of Archinect's 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.
Throughout the past month, several...
Contemporist...
A' Design Awards & Competition - Call for Entries
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
10 months ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
The Modern House
Our guide to Twickenham: architectural splendour and riverside walks in south-west London
11 months ago
The Modern House
The best of Stoke Newington and Newington Green
4 months ago
Archinect - Features
'AI Is Both Incredible and Terrifying'; A Conversation with Neil Leach
Neil Leach is a British professor and licensed architect currently based in California. He has...
a year ago
Neil Leach is a British professor and licensed architect currently based in California. He has worked for NASA developing a 3D printer for the Moon and Mars, and is co-founder of DigitalFUTURES. Having authored over 40 books on architecture and digital design, and taught at some...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: One Accurate, One Not
First, from a 1940s Sunday newspaper strip of Miss Fury, a realistic view down the facade of a fancy...
4 months ago
First, from a 1940s Sunday newspaper strip of Miss Fury, a realistic view down the facade of a fancy New York apartment house to the street: Second, from a modern Captain America comic, “the City of Manhattan”. Where’s that, Kansas? It’s been “New York” since 1664, “Nieuw...
The Wandering...
Cartographic palettes and colour harmonies
This story begins one day when I was assembling a map of the city of Edmonton, Alberta from...
over a year ago
This story begins one day when I was assembling a map of the city of Edmonton, Alberta from OpenStreetMap data. It was going to be a big map, a 42″ (106 cm) wide poster for a wall. The data was good, but the standard OSM colours were not. They would work fine for a street …...
Archinect - Features
New Dog, New Tricks: Reflections on Construction, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence
What is the current relationship between humans, robotics, and construction? What is its future? To...
a year ago
What is the current relationship between humans, robotics, and construction? What is its future? To explore these questions in depth, Archinect speaks with both Boston Dynamics and the Applied Research + Development group at Foster + Partners for their experiences and...
A Weekly Dose of...
Three Lessons from Three Monographs
Writing a blog devoted to architecture books means featuring monographs — lots of monographs. Not...
a year ago
Writing a blog devoted to architecture books means featuring monographs — lots of monographs. Not exclusively, of course; but before this blog transitioned to its current weekly format, one of the thematic days of the week was appropriately devoted to monographs: Monograph...
The Modern House
How architect Alex Nikjoo lifted a lower-ground floor flat with a lightness of touch
4 months ago
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
For the Love of (Architecture) Books
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so I put together a list some things I love ❤️ about architecture books...
a year ago
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so I put together a list some things I love ❤️ about architecture books — and just as many things I don't love 💔 about them: 20 pairs in 4 categories. I can't be alone in having these opinions and I might be a bit harsh in my criticisms, but if I...
The Modern House
Opportunity Knocks: seven homes with earning potential
We know not everyone coming to our site is in search of a new place to live – or at least not all...
a year ago
We know not everyone coming to our site is in search of a new place to live – or at least not all the time. And catering to your desires – always with good design at the front of our minds – is what we’re […]
devonzuegel.com
Independence for whom?
I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community...
over a year ago
I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community with a distinctive architectural style: simple timber-frame structures clad in wooden siding, and gardens all planted with native flora. The Sea Ranch Design Committee enforces...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #2: Vanished in Guadalajara
Alain and Marie-Agnes raised three children while living their nomadic lifestyle. So in this...
over a year ago
Alain and Marie-Agnes raised three children while living their nomadic lifestyle. So in this episode, we dug into how their role as parents shaped how they experience cities. Join us as we roam Bangkok, Guadalajara, Sana'a, Paris, Port-au-Prince, NYC and beyond!
RSS · Apple...
CONTEMPORIST
An Extended Sloped Roof Runs The Length Of This Modern Home
RHAW architecture’s Rolf Reichardt, in partnership with the villa’s residents Marieke Jansen and...
6 months ago
RHAW architecture’s Rolf Reichardt, in partnership with the villa’s residents Marieke Jansen and Jaap Maashas, has designed a home in Sint-Oedenrode, The Netherlands, that has a sloped roof, and is made of timber, glass, and concrete. The home is a country house with a...
Old Structures...
A Very Specific Moment
I wrote before about the destruction of St. John’s Park, but I had not seen the photo below. The...
10 months ago
I wrote before about the destruction of St. John’s Park, but I had not seen the photo below. The photo shows St. John’s Chapel, an out-chapel of Trinity Church, which was constructed in 1807 and which eventually gave the park its name. This was originally an almost suburban...
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
The Flop House: Megalopolis, with Roman Mars
This episode is from our friends at The Flop House, a comedy podcast devoted to the worst in recent...
a week ago
This episode is from our friends at The Flop House, a comedy podcast devoted to the worst in recent film. Roman joins Dan McCoy, Stuart Wellington, and Power Broker co-host Elliott Kalan, to discuss Megalopolis, the recent bankrupting disaster from Francis Ford Coppola. Subscribe...
The Modern House
Retro a go go: six homes that epitomise the day-to-day dynamism of mid-century design
Over half a century later, our admiration for mid-century design shows no sign of slumping. As we...
7 months ago
Over half a century later, our admiration for mid-century design shows no sign of slumping. As we crave a closer connection to our surroundings and distinct, mood-matching spaces throughout our homes – time and again, mid-century modern seems to satisfy our exacting demands....
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...
Old Structures...
Messy
First I apologize for the reflections and glare artifacts in the picture: trying to get a decent...
a week ago
First I apologize for the reflections and glare artifacts in the picture: trying to get a decent photo through a clean and polished storefront window on a sunny day is a frustrating endeavor. But at least that gives a second meaning to the post title. Second – but really first –...
Old Structures...
An APT Webinar
I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis...
10 months ago
I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis of a somewhat weird building with concrete and masonry structure, and the implications for investigation and analysis of buildings with old concrete structure. More information...
The Modern House
Artist Grace Watts on creating a serene gallery-like living space in Bethnal Green
a year ago
Archinect - Features
10 Tips for Architects To Survive Downturns by Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy
“I spent 50 years at HOK, working my way up from junior designer to CEO,” Patrick MacLeamy wrote in...
2 months ago
“I spent 50 years at HOK, working my way up from junior designer to CEO,” Patrick MacLeamy wrote in his 2020 book Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK. “Where else can you do that?”
During his time as HOK CEO and Chairman from...
Contemporist...
Green Metal Siding Allows This Small Cottage To Blend In With Its Surroundings
Daymark Design Incorporated has shared photos of a cabin they completed in Robert’s Island Honey...
a month ago
Daymark Design Incorporated has shared photos of a cabin they completed in Robert’s Island Honey Harbour in Ontario, Canada, that's clad in sage green standing seam metal siding.
Common Edge
How AI Can Help Us End Design Education Anachronisms
Let’s use the power of technology to actually improve architectural learning.
9 months ago
Let’s use the power of technology to actually improve architectural learning.
99% Invisible
Nuts and Bolts [EPISODE]
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way),...
a year ago
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering that have shaped the modern world: the nail, the wheel, the spring, the...
The Modern House
Curator Priya Khanchandani on postmodernism and palette at her home in Archway, north London
a year ago
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...
Cartogrammar
Cartographic Summit 2016
In the official Cartographic Summit photo above, I’m the robot on the right edge who doesn’t know...
over a year ago
In the official Cartographic Summit photo above, I’m the robot on the right edge who doesn’t know how to stand like a normal human. I’ve just returned from this unusual event, which was part traditional conference and part unconference, with people in attendance only by...
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...
Common Edge
Building Emissions Are Falling, Now the Real Work Begins
There has been a significant drop this year. The path toward net-zero intensifies.
a year ago
There has been a significant drop this year. The path toward net-zero intensifies.
Construction Physics
Boeing Reading List
Unlike most topics that I write about, the aircraft industry is an industry that has enthusiasts:...
10 months ago
Unlike most topics that I write about, the aircraft industry is an industry that has enthusiasts: lots and lots of people are interested in following various aspects of the commercial aircraft world for fun (example: not only are there extremely accurate flight simulators, but...
CONTEMPORIST
Large Travertine Slabs Were Used To Update This Home’s Design
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of the Kojima House, a home that has been...
7 months ago
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of the Kojima House, a home that has been updated with an additional and a remodel. Located in Kentfield, California, the home boasts unobstructed views of San Francisco Bay, Kent-Woodlands Valley, and surrounding mountains....
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...
Archinect - Features
Exhibit Columbus’ University Design Research Fellows Showcase Proposals That Activate the...
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the...
a year ago
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the themes that sparked important conversations at Exhibit Columbus’ 2023 Design Presentations organized by the Landmark Columbus Foundation. Each Exhibit Columbus cycle focuses on a...
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...
SOCKS
Michelangelo Caetani’s Six Topographic Maps of the Divine Comedy
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s...
over a year ago
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, here we feature the six maps drawn by Michelangelo Caetani in a book titled La materia della Divina Commedia di Dante Alighieri dichiarata in VI tavole, Roma (1855). A...
The Modern House
Book Preview: celebrating the architectural wonderland of London's suburbia
I ❤️ Suburbia is the first book by Simon Pollock, based on his successful Instagram account,...
3 months ago
I ❤️ Suburbia is the first book by Simon Pollock, based on his successful Instagram account, @londonsuburbia. The book celebrates the lives of people living on the outskirts of London and explores some of the often-overlooked architectural treasures of the ‘burbs, from houses to...
Archinect - Features
What To Do If You Hate Your Architecture Job
Every architecture worker will, at some point, endure a period of stress or anxiety in the...
6 months ago
Every architecture worker will, at some point, endure a period of stress or anxiety in the workplace. Sometimes, these feelings can be fleeting, caused by an exceptionally short project deadline, a difficult client, or even a legal dispute. If you find yourself actively hating...
Old Structures...
Training
I spent most of Tuesday in an online course run by the California Office of Emergency Services, for...
a month ago
I spent most of Tuesday in an online course run by the California Office of Emergency Services, for their Safety Assessment Program. This is training for “second responders”: the architects, engineers, and other building professionals who assess the safety of structures after an...
The Modern House
Take Root: eight homes with gorgeous gardens for sale
If the blue skies and warm days of the past few weeks are anything to go by, summer is fast...
a year ago
If the blue skies and warm days of the past few weeks are anything to go by, summer is fast approaching – and so too are long alfresco lunches and weekends spent pottering around the garden. Whether you’re partial to a compact easy-care courtyard or […]
CONTEMPORIST
Black Accents Contrast The Wood And White Material Palette Of This Home
Design and interior architecture firm EntreQuatreMurs (EQM) has completed the contemporary interiors...
a year ago
Design and interior architecture firm EntreQuatreMurs (EQM) has completed the contemporary interiors of a home in Quebec, Canada, that was originally built in 1959. The house had not been renovated for several decades and featured typical enclosed rooms and small, narrow, dark...
Benny Kuriakose
Courtyard – The Beauty and Functionality
Courtyards are an ancient building technique used throughout the ages in Indian houses of all eras....
a year ago
Courtyards are an ancient building technique used throughout the ages in Indian houses of all eras. With the rise in modernity, the use...
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six homes that prove good things come in at under 600 square feet
6 months ago
SOCKS
A Building to Tell the Time: The Toghrol Tower in Rey, Iran (1063)
The Toghrol Tower is a 20 meters high tower located in the city of Rey in Iran made of bricks and...
over a year ago
The Toghrol Tower is a 20 meters high tower located in the city of Rey in Iran made of bricks and Sarooj, a water-resistant mortar. It was erected in 1063, and according to some sources, it was conceived as the tomb of Tuğrul Beg, the founder of the Seljuk dynasty. Other scholars...
Old Structures...
Outlived Its Welcome But Not The Need
I’ve been trawling in the HABS index and came across a survey from 1974 of the Bronx portion of the...
7 months ago
I’ve been trawling in the HABS index and came across a survey from 1974 of the Bronx portion of the Third Avenue elevated. After the rest of the line (in Manhattan and the very southernmost bit of the Bronx) was closed and demolished in the early 1950s, the portion from 149th...
The Architectural...
Study Reveals: 84% Favor Traditional Architecture
A British study reveals what people really want in their cities to look like. The authors themselves...
a year ago
A British study reveals what people really want in their cities to look like. The authors themselves state that the result is remarkably clear. People want to see classic streets and neighborhoods with buildings in a traditional style. The British research institute Create...
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 Good Stuff: six materially focused homes with both substance and style
Decorating a home is a substantial matter – quite literally. The materials we choose to live...
9 months ago
Decorating a home is a substantial matter – quite literally. The materials we choose to live alongside inform our understanding and enjoyment of spaces, which is something we’re quite invested in. As such, we’ve got pretty good at seeing the wood from the trees. Here, […]
99% Invisible
Towers of Silence [EPISODE]
Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In...
8 months ago
Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In one of the most populous cities in the world, this is a place where peacocks roam freely — a space out of time. This forest is protected by a religious community. It has survived...
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...
The Modern House
An artist-curator couple on their surprising choice to leave the walls of their mid-century marvel...
10 months ago
Old Structures...
Head In The Clouds
One of my favorite views of tall buildings, again: in the fog. New York Bay has more than it’s fair...
7 months ago
One of my favorite views of tall buildings, again: in the fog. New York Bay has more than it’s fair share of fog, and sometimes it creeps back up into the city. We had one of those days last week.
Common Edge
Consuming Provence: The Gentler Footprint of French Sprawl
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
4 months ago
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
The Modern House
Designer James Shaw’s self-built sunken house in east London
a year ago
Construction Physics
We Need More Research on how CO2 Affects Cognition
A growing body of research indicates there are potentially large health benefits to improving indoor...
a year ago
A growing body of research indicates there are potentially large health benefits to improving indoor air quality. Indoor spaces are often poorly ventilated and expose occupants to high levels of contaminants, such as pathogens, particulates, and other pollutants. Because people...
Common Edge
Encounters With Damian: Columbia University’s Homeless Neighbor
Near and around campus, the juxtaposition between privilege and poverty is glaring.
a year ago
Near and around campus, the juxtaposition between privilege and poverty is glaring.
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...
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
3 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
99% Invisible
Devolutionary Design [EPISODE]
It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people...
a year ago
It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one’s experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of the album cover created a first impression of what was to come. Album...
Old Structures...
Half Of A Grand Commercial Palace
380 Broadway has architecture above its station. It was built in 1860 with retail space at the base...
7 months ago
380 Broadway has architecture above its station. It was built in 1860 with retail space at the base and loft space above, but it’s got that grand marble-veneer facade on the upper floors and some very nice cast iron by Daniel Badger at the first floor. It’s fortunes have followed...
CONTEMPORIST
Elevated Elegance: A Unique Home In The Forest With A Trio Of Tile-Clad Gables
Exterio Architectural Studio, together with interior design firm Hola Design, has shared photos of a...
8 months ago
Exterio Architectural Studio, together with interior design firm Hola Design, has shared photos of a contemporary home they have completed near Warsaw, Poland, that’s surrounded by a pine forest. The home is designed to bring a large family together, with the form taking shape...
Old Structures...
Other People’s Perception
Every once in a while, something slightly out of the ordinary reminds me of how our work looks to...
5 months ago
Every once in a while, something slightly out of the ordinary reminds me of how our work looks to people not in the AEC world. Yesterday morning I was walking up Thames Street from Trinity to Broadway and took this photo: That block of Thames is a great illustration of why the...
devonzuegel.com
A Big Little Idea Called Legibility
July 26, 2010 By Venkatesh Rao
James C. Scott’s fascinating and seminal book, Seeing Like a...
over a year ago
July 26, 2010 By Venkatesh Rao
James C. Scott’s fascinating and seminal book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, examines how, across dozens of domains, ranging from agriculture and forestry, to urban planning and...
A Weekly Dose of...
Visualizing the World, Visualizing Change
In 1939, Otto Neurath's Modern Man in the Making was released by Alfred A. Knopf. Neurath was...
a year ago
In 1939, Otto Neurath's Modern Man in the Making was released by Alfred A. Knopf. Neurath was director of the International Foundation of Visual Information and used the Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education) system to "teach through the eye." A recent...
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Meant To Be Used
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed...
3 weeks ago
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed before the 1950s from their later counterparts by looking for light courts. If your lights are, at best, incandescent bulbs, and your ventilation is mostly or entirely though...
Archinect - Features
The US Just Defined a Zero Emissions Building: Is It Enough?
For the first time, the US government has issued a definition of a 'zero emission building.' While...
5 months ago
For the first time, the US government has issued a definition of a 'zero emission building.' While the effort to define a 'zero emission building' is both timely and commendable given the proliferation of unverified titles such as 'net zero' and 'carbon positive' in the AEC...
Old Structures...
What’s Not Stated
This newspaper clipping in one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks has no explanation, but...
a month ago
This newspaper clipping in one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks has no explanation, but I’m pretty sure I know what it’s about. The somewhat ominous caption “Park Avenue Tunnel Choked With the Debris” is probably describing the aftermath of the January 1902 crash...
Old Structures...
What “Structure First” Means
I like “Why we need a ‘structure first’ approach to existing buildings” by Penny Gowler, which is...
8 months ago
I like “Why we need a ‘structure first’ approach to existing buildings” by Penny Gowler, which is perhaps not surprising since I’m a structural engineer. I’m going to argue here that Ms. Gowler’s article and my position are just slightly more nuanced than that. Architectural...
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.
Cartogrammar
Seasonal relief
Just a map for fun, made without writing any code, which is a nice change of pace. I finally spent a...
over a year ago
Just a map for fun, made without writing any code, which is a nice change of pace. I finally spent a bit of time catching up with the great Daniel Huffman’s excellent tutorial on creating shaded relief maps with Blender. Do try it out if you haven’t; he’s written it up thoroughly...
The Beauty of...
High Speed at High Speed (Tianjin West station, China)
In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed...
a year ago
In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed from Britain. It is, therefore, the perfect embodiment of China’s high speed rail network, on which the station can be found. It is also, I am sorry to say, the antithesis of the...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Lisa Jones and Ruby Kean
a year ago
Blog - Guerrilla...
Shelter of Man
With the publication of Shelter of Man in Guerrila Cartography’s forthcoming Shelter: An Atlas, I...
over a year ago
With the publication of Shelter of Man in Guerrila Cartography’s forthcoming Shelter: An Atlas, I can officially call myself a guerrilla cartographer. I’m not just an artist anymore. My relationship with cartography developed while studying architecture in Australia. I might have...
CONTEMPORIST
This Hurricane Proof House Was Built On Top Of 12-Foot Concrete Piers To Protect It From Flooding
Studio PEEK|ANCONA has designed a hurricane-proof home in New Jersey, as a result of the homeowners...
a year ago
Studio PEEK|ANCONA has designed a hurricane-proof home in New Jersey, as a result of the homeowners losing their previous house to hurricanes Sandy and Irene. The architects mention that “the challenge was to build a high-strength home with an efficient construction schedule,...
CONTEMPORIST
This 1950s California Ranch Home Was Updated With A Black And White Palette
ANACAPA Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for a young family of...
11 months ago
ANACAPA Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for a young family of four who sought to update their 1952 California Ranch home nestled in the San Roque neighborhood of Santa Barbara. The original home had an awkward layout that chopped up the...
CONTEMPORIST
272 Wood Slats Were Used To Create A Sculptural Element Inside This New Coffee Bar
Design firm jones | haydu has shared photos of The Caffé by Mr. Espresso, a new coffee bar in...
8 months ago
Design firm jones | haydu has shared photos of The Caffé by Mr. Espresso, a new coffee bar in Oakland, California, that features curved birch slats. The design of the cafe is heavily inspired by Italian culture, using minimalism and contrast, with the designers explaining, “The...
CONTEMPORIST
One Thousand Plants Cover The Exterior Of The ‘Landmark by Lexus’ Pavilion
Koichi Takada Architects has sent us photos of ‘Landmark by Lexus’, a showroom/pavilion that was...
a year ago
Koichi Takada Architects has sent us photos of ‘Landmark by Lexus’, a showroom/pavilion that was presented to guests during the Melbourne Cup Carnival at the Flemington Racecourse in Australia. Drawing inspiration from the Australian landscape, Koichi Takada Architects designed a...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Sliding Window Offers A Look Inside This Nature-Inspired Store Design
Architecture and interiors firm MRDK have designed a modern retail store in Montreal, Canada, for...
a year ago
Architecture and interiors firm MRDK have designed a modern retail store in Montreal, Canada, for Attitude, a company that specializes in plastic-free beauty products. The design of the space reflects their commitment to sustainability and a connection to nature, which is visible...
Benny Kuriakose
Hiring Experienced Office Manager at Benny Kuriakose and Associates
We are looking for a highly capable Office Manager for ourChennai office. This person will provide...
2 hours ago
We are looking for a highly capable Office Manager for ourChennai office. This person will provide office services with proactivity,...
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
From Bath bakery and restaurant to Bruton mill: the evolution of Landrace in Somerset
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Let's Talk About Architectural Licensure
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Licensure. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the journey...
7 months ago
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Licensure. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the journey undertaken by those in the United States seeking to practice as a licensed architect, including reflections on the history of licensure, comparisons to other countries, the cost...
The Modern House
Good as New: the best contemporary homes for sale
Historically speaking, period houses are seen as the ones with personality – and while we won’t...
a year ago
Historically speaking, period houses are seen as the ones with personality – and while we won’t argue with the fact they’ve got charisma (who doesn’t love pleasing Victorian details or grand Georgian proportions?), we will also make a strong case for those created in recent […]
Archinect - Features
Are Architectural Workers More Pessimistic About the Economy Than Firm Owners?
In our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey published last month, we observed a distinct...
4 months ago
In our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey published last month, we observed a distinct divergence between how firm owners and workers were feeling about the business health of their firm, industry, and the wider U.S. economy. Across the board, our survey suggests...
Common Edge
The Art and Angst of Architecture in Southern California
An excerpt from An Urban Odyssey: A Critic’s Search for the Soul of Cities and Self.
3 weeks ago
An excerpt from An Urban Odyssey: A Critic’s Search for the Soul of Cities and Self.
Old Structures...
Changes and Not
I almost missed this 1938 entry in Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, because it’s...
9 months ago
I almost missed this 1938 entry in Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, because it’s mislabelled at the New York Public Library web site as “Vista, Thomas Street”. We all make mistakes, and whomever confused Thames and Thomas hid the location of this photo by accident....
Old Structures...
Skyscraperiness
As I’ve said many times, in many venues, there really isn’t an objective description of...
8 months ago
As I’ve said many times, in many venues, there really isn’t an objective description of “skyscraper.” That said, nearly everyone’s subjective definition contains a version of the idea that a skyscraper is tall for its context. Here’s an Irving Underhill photo centered on the...
The Modern House
A radical rural development in Herefordshire with community at its core
a year ago
Coffee with an...
Buildings are important
People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them...
a year ago
People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them Grow old in them Die in them Buildings are important. People decide big things here Decide on small things too Draw conclusions inside Make plans Change plans Change our minds Make...
Common Edge
What Primitive Huts Teach Us About Architecture
An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
a year ago
An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
Contemporist...
The Large Arch Window In Front Of This Cafe Offers A Glimpse Of The Creative Interior
Anatomy Architecture + Atelier has shared photos of a cafe they designed in Ayutthaya, Thailand,...
a year ago
Anatomy Architecture + Atelier has shared photos of a cafe they designed in Ayutthaya, Thailand, that incorporates a collection of windows to create a welcoming arch shape on its facade.
Old Structures...
It Can Go Either Way
Much like the photo from Monday, this April 1959 photo by Angelo Rizzuto could be either demolition...
8 months ago
Much like the photo from Monday, this April 1959 photo by Angelo Rizzuto could be either demolition or construction. The steel frame on the left is on the site of 350 Park Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets on the west side of Park Avenue. The ornate masonry box just north of...
Archinect - Features
Exploring Architecture’s Uncertain Nature With Schidlowski Fellow François Sabourin
Academic fellowships provide unique opportunities for designers and researchers to explore specific...
a year ago
Academic fellowships provide unique opportunities for designers and researchers to explore specific topics of interest while teaching. Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in or have recently finished an architecture fellowship.
For our...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Free Spirits
There are strange happenings in dusty, old, forgotten small towns on the border of nowhere....
over a year ago
There are strange happenings in dusty, old, forgotten small towns on the border of nowhere. Particularly when the end of October draws near. Sightings. Strange lights. Spirits. There are always spirits. I live in such a place. Me and my dog Jazz.
“Jazz,” I said, “it’s that time...
The Modern House
From the Ground Up: six plots now for sale
We’ve all harboured a fantasy of a DIY project – and the hard-earned sense of achievement that comes...
a year ago
We’ve all harboured a fantasy of a DIY project – and the hard-earned sense of achievement that comes with self-building. After all, what could be more rewarding than a home constructed by you, entirely for you? Well, it’s time to stop dreaming and start doing, […]
CONTEMPORIST
This Wood-Framed Glass Box Is The Ultimate Backyard Office
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of a backyard office they designed for their...
7 months ago
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of a backyard office they designed for their clients in Dry Creek Valley, California. The wood-framed glass box hovers above the rugged terrain, it’s placed west of the main house, is partially above a narrow level pad, and...
Benny Kuriakose
Kanadukathan - A journey Through This Hidden Gem
On a splendid morning, I got down from the bus, greeted by the enchanting allure of Nemathanpetti...
10 months ago
On a splendid morning, I got down from the bus, greeted by the enchanting allure of Nemathanpetti near Karaikudi. Gopichettan was waiting...
99% Invisible
For a Dollar and a Dream [EPISODE]
Every week, one in eight Americans places a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot....
a year ago
Every week, one in eight Americans places a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot. Americans spend more on lottery tickets annually than on video streaming services, concert tickets, books, and movie tickets combined. The story of lotteries in the United States may...
Old Structures...
Photographic Tricks
That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on...
10 months ago
That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on the left), west (in the middle) and not-quite-north (on the right). I’m not sure how the photographer, Burton Welles, managed this, but it’s an impressive shot. On the left, we have...
Contemporist...
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
10 months ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
99% Invisible
Whomst Among Us Let The Dogs Out (Again) [EPISODE]
All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts...
a year ago
All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts you’ve listened to over and over again. And then there’s a category of memorable songs—the ones that we all just kind of know. Songs that somehow, without anyone’s permission, sneak...
Old Structures...
Masonry Against The Sky
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West...
a year ago
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West Street, with the turn-of-the-century (and somewhat scarred) brick and terra cotta of 17 Battery Place in the background, and with some cumulus clouds (I think…the naming system always...
The Modern House
A mid-century gem among the treetops on the Dulwich Estate in Crystal Palace
a year ago
Contemporist...
The Dining Table Becomes Part Of The Stairs Inside This Eclectic House
Mag Arquitectes together with Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA has shared photos of a home they designed in...
a year ago
Mag Arquitectes together with Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA has shared photos of a home they designed in Catalunya, Spain, that showcases a unique dining area.
Old Structures...
Possibly A Bad Idea
John Zukowksy, a retired but still active historian, recently sent me a bizarre clipping from the...
5 months ago
John Zukowksy, a retired but still active historian, recently sent me a bizarre clipping from the Chicago Tribune about a plane semi-faking bombing lower Manhattan in 1916. The short version of the story: DeLloyd Thompson, an early aviator of some note, took off from the airfield...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Rahel Stephanie
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Desperately-Needed Addendum
My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a...
a year ago
My intention with the last blog post, The More Things Stay The Same was not to leave everyone with a cliff-hanger. Dan Eschenasy asked the obvious question: did the building in question fall down? The answer is no, it did not. 428 West 29th Street shows up on the land use maps in...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – An Apartment Remodel In Milan
Creative studio Lascia la Scia, has shared photos of a modern apartment renovation in Milan, Italy,...
5 months ago
Creative studio Lascia la Scia, has shared photos of a modern apartment renovation in Milan, Italy, they completed that included reworking the layout to include a main open-plan living space as well as a home office and second bedroom. Before we see the renovated space, here’s a...
SOCKS
Alain Biltereyst: Traces of Abstraction in the Urban Environment
Contemporary Belgian artist Alain Biltereyst works on abstract paintings characterized by bold...
10 months ago
Contemporary Belgian artist Alain Biltereyst works on abstract paintings characterized by bold patterns and colors. Most of the time, the shapes he depicts are not purely the result of chosen arrangements but act as a sort of “found art”: they are extracted from existing signs,...
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 Modern House
Why deli and wine bar Lulu’s is winning the hearts of locals in Herne Hill
a year ago
99% Invisible
WARNING: This Podcast Contains Chemicals Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Other...
WARNING: Entering this area can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause...
9 months ago
WARNING: Entering this area can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm, including Benzene, a chemical used in urinal cleaners and Toluene, a chemical used in common household cleaning products. For...
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...
The Grenfell Report
The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel:...
3 months ago
The “phase 2” report on the Grenfell has recently been published by the official inquiry panel: here. The New Civil Engineer has a good short summary here: “Grenfell disaster: ‘culmination of decades of failure by government and construction industry’” In one sense there are few...
The Modern House
Step Outside: six top-tier terraces in London homes for sale
With the sun hanging around until the early hours of the evening and the daffodils’ golden trumpets...
a year ago
With the sun hanging around until the early hours of the evening and the daffodils’ golden trumpets heralding that spring is in full swing, it finally feels like we’re properly coming out of hibernation. And where better to admire the return of the rays than […]
The Modern House
Introducing our Hackney team
8 months ago
Contemporist...
A Home Designed To Walk Up And Around The Green Roof
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina,...
2 months ago
AtelierM has sent us photos of a contemporary home they completed in Capilla del Senor, Argentina, whose design was inspired by geometry and its surroundings.
Common Edge
The Sphere in Las Vegas: A Placeless Object in a Placeless City
The latest Sin City spectacle is just that—spectacle. Pure, crystalline spectacle.
11 months ago
The latest Sin City spectacle is just that—spectacle. Pure, crystalline spectacle.
The Modern House
Henry Thorold and Jess Ayers’ remarkable railway cottage conversion in north London
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
6,000 Pieces Of Discarded Whiskey Barrels Were Used In The Design Of This Bar
Roomoo Design Studio has shared photos of their latest project, the Laizhou Bar in Shanghai, China,...
a year ago
Roomoo Design Studio has shared photos of their latest project, the Laizhou Bar in Shanghai, China, which features recycled whiskey barrels throughout its design. The designers used around 6,000 pieces of discarded wooden barrels dismantled from the whiskey barrels of a...
The Modern House
Desert modernism meets London stock brick in the strikingly staggered Aperture House
5 months ago
devonzuegel.com
Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent
Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will...
over a year ago
Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will finally be able to compete with the US to attract talent. This is the once-in-a-generation opportunity for small, stable countries to grow, diversify, and up-skill their...
Old Structures...
Imagine Standing There
Every so often, I mention New York’s industrial past. Compared to a truly industrial city like...
9 months ago
Every so often, I mention New York’s industrial past. Compared to a truly industrial city like Philadelphia or Chicago, it’s small-scale stuff, but compared to the present it’s astonishing. Looking at one of the parts of the city devoted to industry before 1920, it’s hard to...
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...
6 months ago
Okno Modhomes has shared photos of a small and modern cabin they completed that was designed as a space where humans and nature coexist in perfect harmony. Nestled within a lush canopy of existing and newly planted trees in India, the cabin features a mirrored glass exterior that...
Construction Physics
The Grid, Part IV: The Hard and Soft Paths of Energy Strategy
Today, the electrical grid has over 500,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5 million...
a year ago
Today, the electrical grid has over 500,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5 million miles of lower voltage distribution lines, which supply power from nearly 6,000 large power plants. Together, this system supplies more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity...
Old Structures...
For The Common Folk
The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds...
5 months ago
The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds unbearably hot right now, but thinking and writing about it.) So, here’s the Brighton Beach Bathing Pavilion in 1879, one year after it opened: The three big hotels nearby, including...
Old Structures...
One Event, Two Views
On July 9, 1776, a bunch of New Yorkers – who maybe or maybe were not part of an organized group...
a year ago
On July 9, 1776, a bunch of New Yorkers – who maybe or maybe were not part of an organized group called the Sons of Freedom – celebrated the publication of the Declaration of Independence by pulling down a six-year-old equestrian statue of King George III at Bowling Green and...
Old Structures...
More Bragging But Usefully So
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of...
3 weeks ago
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers, which is the eastern-Pennsylvania chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Pennsylvania. The topic is “Engineers’ Guidelines for Historic Buildings” and I’m...
CONTEMPORIST
Plants Are Encouraged To Grow Over The Exterior Of This New House
Giles Miller Studio has shared photos of their first completed residential property in Kent,...
a year ago
Giles Miller Studio has shared photos of their first completed residential property in Kent, England, that features a sculptural black facade. The house breaks down barriers between the building’s internal spaces and the glade of natural planting and trees that surround it. By...
CONTEMPORIST
This Lakehouse Hovers Above The Natural Sloped Terrain
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset,...
8 months ago
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset, Ontario, that hovers above the natural sloped terrain close to the water’s edge of Kawagama Lake. The building, which sits lightly on the rugged site, invites expansive sky and...
The Modern House
Room for Improvement: designer Nat Buckley rethinks Energy Performance Certificates
2 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Ten Pairs of Books for Christmas
This year's roundup of books to give to discerning architects for the holidays is presented in...
a year ago
This year's roundup of books to give to discerning architects for the holidays is presented in pairs. While at least one book in each pair is new, the other one isn't necessarily so — new, old, or not-so-old, it is related to the first in some manner, as explained in my...
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
A New Extension Adds A Home Office And Bedroom To This Miami Bungalow
Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a 900 sqft addition in South Miami, Florida, for...
4 months ago
Upstairs Studio Architecture has shared photos of a 900 sqft addition in South Miami, Florida, for owners who were looking for a little extra room in their traditional home, that was open to the outdoors, and allowed for a private primary bedroom and studio apart from the main...
The Modern House
How this International Style-inspired house in Surrey makes a bigger splash
a year ago
The Solarchitecture...
Follow up to circadian rhythm post
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
over a year ago
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
Old Structures...
A Change For Economy
The 1868 lithograph above shows the building that would soon after become known as the Tweed...
a year ago
The 1868 lithograph above shows the building that would soon after become known as the Tweed Courthouse. The Tweed Ring stole millions of dollars in the construction of the building, which is what it’s most often remembered for, rather than its architecture. The building was...
CONTEMPORIST
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...
The Modern House
Jeremy Lee: the much-loved chef who grew up in a wedge of cheddar
If ever there was a corrective to the idea of the dour Scotsman, it could be found in Jeremy Lee....
9 months ago
If ever there was a corrective to the idea of the dour Scotsman, it could be found in Jeremy Lee. Glaswegian-born (and now London-based) Jeremy is chef proprietor of Quo Vadis, the historic Soho institution beloved of virtually everyone who’s ever had the privilege of […]
99% Invisible
Devil in the Details [EPISODE]
In 1994, an independent producer made a short, earnest video featuring an eccentric cast of...
a year ago
In 1994, an independent producer made a short, earnest video featuring an eccentric cast of characters who were focused on a very specific paranoia. The tape was made to look like a TV news special. It opens with a cheap, Jerry Springer-era computer graphic of a gold pentagram...
99% Invisible
Goodnight Nobody [EPISODE]
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten...
a year ago
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten books that had been checked out the most in the history of the library — and most of these were children’s books, like The Cat in the Hat and Where the Wild Things Are. Curiously...
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...
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