A Weekly Dose of...
The Latest from MoMA: Emerging Ecologies
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books...
a year ago
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books with keywords to better filter and find them. The tags I use move from general terms like "architecture" (the most) and "fiction" (the least) to specific terms that reflect a high...
Old Structures...
Adelaide House, Part 3 – Facades
Part 1, General: here. Part 2, Structure: here. So on Tuesday I effectively said that Adelaide House...
8 months ago
Part 1, General: here. Part 2, Structure: here. So on Tuesday I effectively said that Adelaide House was either small for a skyscraper or forty years behind the times, and yesterday I said that the steel was pretty familiar for an old skyscraper but maybe a little old-fashioned....
Old Structures...
Mannahatta
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still...
2 months ago
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still had a lot of hills. A few links to help explain:
The Modern House
How Emile Jones built a functional and fluid home in a 1950s block in Peckham
a year ago
Old Structures...
Even A Joke Takes Effort
From 1911, Cass Gilbert’s sketches of his father (top) and himself (bottom): From the Woolworth...
8 months ago
From 1911, Cass Gilbert’s sketches of his father (top) and himself (bottom): From the Woolworth Building lobby as completed in late 1912, the grotesque* of Gilbert holding a model of his building: Given that the grotesque is wearing glasses bit not a laurel wreath, a sketch much...
The Modern House
The best of Kensal Rise and Queen’s Park, north-west London
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Your Architecture Work Sample Isn’t Your Portfolio. 10 Creative Tips To Keep in Mind When Job...
In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer...
3 months ago
In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer when applying for a new architectural position. What you include in your sample, as well as how you structure and present it, is therefore important for creating a good first...
Old Structures...
Less Than Artistic
My originally-planned blog post for today has some issues and will show up next week; I was...
a year ago
My originally-planned blog post for today has some issues and will show up next week; I was traveling yesterday and couldn’t write another proper one in time. So, above, a failed attempt at taking a picture without adequate light. I didn’t think I moved but I obviously did. I...
The Modern House
How an architect couple transformed an old shop in Walthamstow into a restful wooden home
a year ago
Common Edge
Awesome and Affordable: Making the Case for Great Housing
A new project in Los Angeles highlights the challenges—and the opportunities.
10 months ago
A new project in Los Angeles highlights the challenges—and the opportunities.
99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Santa Fe As It Is [EPISODE]
Santa Fe wasn’t always on the proverbial map — in fact, the Santa Fe railroad just passed it on by....
9 months ago
Santa Fe wasn’t always on the proverbial map — in fact, the Santa Fe railroad just passed it on by. A lot of care has been taken to keep Santa Fe cute and quaint over its history, with steps to preserve native architecture and historical design. The result is a mixture of...
Old Structures...
Tiny and Cute, But Purposeful
This is the lighthouse at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. The island is two miles long and a...
6 months ago
This is the lighthouse at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. The island is two miles long and a tenth of a mile wide, cutting the East River into two roughly-equal half-channels. That alone makes the need for lighthouses at its tip reasonably clear, but the conditions are...
Benny Kuriakose
Design Consideration For Differently Abled Students in Schools
It is important for the school layout to be sensitive to the differently abled, and implement some...
a year ago
It is important for the school layout to be sensitive to the differently abled, and implement some techniques into space planning,...
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...
Old Structures...
Fireworks
The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary...
5 months ago
The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary shows. From 1885, a fireworks show at Manhattan beach called The Last Days of Pompeii: Happy Independence Day.
CONTEMPORIST
This Building With A Split Roof Makes Space For A Rooftop Park
Architecture firm RAD+ar has shared photos of a building they’ve completed in Jakarta, Indonesia,...
6 months ago
Architecture firm RAD+ar has shared photos of a building they’ve completed in Jakarta, Indonesia, that has a split roof held together by a skylight. The split design allowed half of the building to have a regular roof, while the other, is dedicated to outdoor space and a garden....
Old Structures...
Smooth
Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high...
a month ago
Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high rise: In case that’s difficult to make out, it’s a glass slab roof supported on laminated glass beams. The hand belongs to Will Teron, who was standing on the same stair landing I...
McMansion Hell
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book!
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book!
If you ever wanted to read a book about...
10 months ago
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book!
If you ever wanted to read a book about McMansions, 5-over-1s, the ignoble toil of architects, ridiculous baubles for rich people, hostile architecture, private equity, shopping (rip), offices (rip), loud restaurants, and...
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part II - The World Trade Center
Part II in our series comparing the construction of two Tallest Building in the World projects - the...
over a year ago
Part II in our series comparing the construction of two Tallest Building in the World projects - the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. See here for Part I. Unless otherwise noted, information and quotes are from “City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World...
Old Structures...
Yet Another Blue-Sky Proposal
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building),...
3 months ago
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building), via a scrapbook at the New York Public Library: a very involved railroad and boulevard system that I doubt anyone wanted and had zero chance of being built: This proposal is along...
The Modern House
The Green Series #2: how to control heat and draught-proof your home
Triple glazing and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems come as standard in a...
3 weeks ago
Triple glazing and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems come as standard in a Passivhaus home, sealing the interior against the elements and radically reducing your reliance on conventional heating. For the second in our series of Passivhaus hacks, Kate Jacobs...
Common Edge
Why Nearly Every City in the U.S. Needs a Walkability Study
A talk with urban planner Jeff Speck and his new business partner, Chris Dempsey.
10 months ago
A talk with urban planner Jeff Speck and his new business partner, Chris Dempsey.
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 2
Yesterday’s list of teams was fun to out together, but this is ultimately a blog about the built...
2 months ago
Yesterday’s list of teams was fun to out together, but this is ultimately a blog about the built environment, so let’s discuss what’s really important: the fields and stadiums where the various teams played. Today: some of the fields in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Atlantics, played...
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...
Contemporist...
This Elevated Cabin Looks Like A Birdhouse
i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they...
10 months ago
i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they designed in De Hode Veluwe National Park in The Netherlands.
Old Structures...
Evolved To Fit The Conditions
If you’ve always known something, it can be difficult to see how weird it is. New Yorkers walk...
7 months ago
If you’ve always known something, it can be difficult to see how weird it is. New Yorkers walk through construction sites all the time, intentionally so on the part of the builders and with the blessing of the Department of Buildings. It looks something like this: Like so many of...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Listed
When I’m traveling and therefore don’t know anything about most of the structures around, I simply...
9 months ago
When I’m traveling and therefore don’t know anything about most of the structures around, I simply take pictures and hope that I’ll be able to identify them later. Sometimes it’s quite easy. I came across this little Victorian masterpiece last week and it turns out it’s listed,...
Old Structures...
Iconic
The Third Avenue elevated, looking north from 23rd Street or so. (The street sign at the lower right...
5 months ago
The Third Avenue elevated, looking north from 23rd Street or so. (The street sign at the lower right reads East 24th Street.) My guess is that the photographer was standing at the north end of the northbound platform of the 23rd Street station. Off in the distance, we’ve got the...
99% Invisible
Melanie Speaks [EPISODE]
Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve...
a year ago
Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve been told that you speak like your mom, or that you laugh like your uncle. Maybe you sometimes slip back into an accent that reveals something about your past. Maybe you have a...
devonzuegel.com
Traveling neighborhoods: a different kind of group trip
I've discovered a group trip format that I really love, and I wanted to share it with others because...
8 months ago
I've discovered a group trip format that I really love, and I wanted to share it with others because (a) you might find it fun to host or join something like this in the future and (b) selfishly, I would like more people to organize trips like this so that I can join them!
The...
Old Structures...
A Holdout
In January 1958, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo from the east side of Lexington Avenue, between 53rd...
7 months ago
In January 1958, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo from the east side of Lexington Avenue, between 53rd and 54th Streets, looking west toward Park Avenue. The block bounded by those four streets was at that time entirely empty except for this old rowhouse at 620 Lexington. It was...
Common Edge
What Do You Say to a Naked Architect?
An architectural fiction.
a year ago
An architectural fiction.
CONTEMPORIST
3D Printed Sculptural Walls Surround The Interior Of This New Retail Store
Barcelona-based architecture firm External Reference, led by Italian architect Carmelo Zappulla, has...
5 months ago
Barcelona-based architecture firm External Reference, led by Italian architect Carmelo Zappulla, has shared photos of a retail store design they completed for fashion brand PINKO, which includes an interior lined with 3D printed design elements. Based on the history of the...
The Modern House
A couple’s self-renovated 1960s home built on to a 17th-century cottage in Somerset
a year ago
The Modern House
How David Roy and Angel Perez carve out space for playtime and parties in their flexible Hackney...
a year ago
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Not Static
It can’t be said often enough that buildings move in various ways, from the effect of environmental...
7 months ago
It can’t be said often enough that buildings move in various ways, from the effect of environmental conditions. You’ve got gross structural movement from gravity and lateral loads; up, down, and sideways movement from changes in soil volume from water movement; expansion and...
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...
Archinect - Features
You, Me, and DALL-E: On the Relationship Between Architecture, Data, and Artificial...
Thirty years after the thaw of the last 'AI Winter,' the landscape of artificial intelligence is one...
a year ago
Thirty years after the thaw of the last 'AI Winter,' the landscape of artificial intelligence is one of a forest in full bloom. On a weekly basis throughout 2023, new tools have been released taking advantage of the latest advances in machine learning algorithms, while existing...
CONTEMPORIST
This Modern House Was Made From Locally Sourced Stone
Architecture firm ARGDL has shared photos of a home they completed in Tapalpa, Mexico, that’s built...
a year ago
Architecture firm ARGDL has shared photos of a home they completed in Tapalpa, Mexico, that’s built using stone, wood, and glass. Local stone was used to generate the main volumes of the home, while the regional pine can be seen in the roof structure as well as the window and...
The Modern House
Modest living meets modernist design in the Isokon Building in Hampstead
a year ago
99% Invisible
Imitation Nation [EPISODE]
29 Palms, California, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps Training Base. It’s an elaborately...
11 months ago
29 Palms, California, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps Training Base. It’s an elaborately built facility with lego-like buildings, a bazaar, a mosque, and people role-playing as civilians, spies, or enemies, complete with costumes and props. It’s all part of an effort...
99% Invisible
The Bottom of the Bowl [EPISODE]
Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate...
4 months ago
Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate haven.” But last summer, he got a wake up call in the form of a devastating flood. All throughout the United States, people are watching the places they love change in unpredictable...
The Modern House
Saiphin Moore, founder of Rosa’s Thai, whips up noodle soup in Wapping
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Interior That Blends Japandi And Australian Design Inspiration
NAKO Design has designed a home in Edmonton, Canada, that’s influenced by both Japandi and...
a year ago
NAKO Design has designed a home in Edmonton, Canada, that’s influenced by both Japandi and Australian design styles. With a modern palette of black and white warmed with soft silver elm wood accents and texture, the home shows sophistication with a continuity of texture and tone...
Common Edge
Hope and Squalor: Venezuelan Refugees at Chicago Police Stations
Nearly 3000 people are living in tents and inside police facilities.
a year ago
Nearly 3000 people are living in tents and inside police facilities.
The Modern House
Samuel Ross gives us a first look at his renovated family home in Northamptonshire
a year ago
Old Structures...
Wrong But Impressive
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s...
2 months ago
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s on, the cleaning probably will; the content generally ranges from idiotic (here’s my name – isn’t it impressive?) to puerile (pictures of genitalia being the most common); and it’s...
The Modern House
Hans Ulrich Obrist: the celebrated curator on why home has always been a place of artistic discovery
Hans Ulrich Obrist is the artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington, west London,...
a year ago
Hans Ulrich Obrist is the artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington, west London, and is universally acknowledged as one of the most important and prolific art curators of our time. He’s known for his broad, cross-disciplinary approach, in which subjects such as...
CONTEMPORIST
Before And After – A Respectful Remodel For A Mid-Century Modern Home
Interior design firm Wise Design, together with General Contractor and Architect Owen Gabbert...
a year ago
Interior design firm Wise Design, together with General Contractor and Architect Owen Gabbert (formerly Clarkbuilt), has transformed a dated 1954 mid-century modern home in Portland, Oregon. Before – The ExteriorThe original home has a brown exterior with original windows and...
CONTEMPORIST
Built-In Furniture Makes The Most Of This Renovated Home’s Interior
Nook Architects has shared photos of a home interior they remodeled in Barcelona, Spain, that...
a year ago
Nook Architects has shared photos of a home interior they remodeled in Barcelona, Spain, that includes a lot of built-in elements. This home was originally designed by architect Joan Bosch Agustí in 1978 as a cooperative housingproject, with the units sharing a swimming pool,...
The Modern House
Roksanda Ilinčić: the fashion designer’s colourful journey through Belgrade, Britain and Brazil
Roksanda Ilinčić has achieved that most select marker of success: a mononym. Since 2005, her name...
11 months ago
Roksanda Ilinčić has achieved that most select marker of success: a mononym. Since 2005, her name has been indelibly associated with her ethereal dress designs – by turns fluid, fantastical, functional and feminine – which have won her fans in some seriously high places, from […]
Contemporist...
Dark Vertical Wood Siding Was Chosen As The Primary Exterior Cladding To “Camouflage” This Cabin
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a house they designed in...
10 months ago
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a house they designed in Wawona, California, for a couple with grown children and their families.
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #03: David Sims [EPISODE]
This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power...
9 months ago
This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims is our book club guest. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan, Roman Mars, and David...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Kitchen And Dining Area Remodel To Open Up The Space And Create More Seating
Floisand Studio Architects has shared photos of a kitchen and dining area renovation they completed...
a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has shared photos of a kitchen and dining area renovation they completed for a home in Seattle, Washington. The homeowners, both small business owners in Seattle, worked with Floisand Studio for over a decade designing a number of popular cafes and a...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery [EPISODE]
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 months ago
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones and the Center for...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Vermont's Great Retreat
To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles....
over a year ago
To begin the process of creating this map, I asked questions. Devoured books. Consumed articles. Talked to historians and librarians. And read maps. Lots of maps. As I did, I wondered if there was something in the landscape, the communities, the culture that made Vermont...
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...
Blog - Guerrilla...
How Guerrilla Cartography’s Atlases Promote Diverse Perspectives
Guerrilla Cartography aims to promote the understanding that there are many views of the world, that...
a year ago
Guerrilla Cartography aims to promote the understanding that there are many views of the world, that how we understand space and place can vary, and that we should think critically about the maps and the graphics we make and consume. Our organization has designed processes for...
Common Edge
Why 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.
Old Structures...
Not A Skyscaper
The picture above – courtesy of Irfan Haider of the Central Park Conservancy – shows the realization...
a year ago
The picture above – courtesy of Irfan Haider of the Central Park Conservancy – shows the realization of another of our designs for small rustic structures in the park. Again, Shaquana Lovell took the lead for OSE. In this case, the design of the log structure was not the main...
The Modern House
How to be more mindful when working from home
a year ago
99% Invisible
The Known Unknown [EPISODE]
How to honor unidentified remains has always been one of the great conundrums of war. The Romans...
a year ago
How to honor unidentified remains has always been one of the great conundrums of war. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. After the Civil War, the Union buried 2,111 soldiers in a mass grave in Arlington that they purposely built in the middle of...
CONTEMPORIST
Sculptural Walls Inspired By The Intricate Detailing Of Indian Temple Architecture
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that...
a month ago
Abin Design Studio has shared photos of an interior they designed for a gallery and store that displays Italian furniture in Kolkata, India. The striking interior seamlessly blends the finesse and elegance of Italian craftsmanship with the vibrancy of Indian design traditions....
Old Structures...
First-Mover Status
The Empire State Building gave up its title of “tallest” more than fifty years ago, but that’s not...
7 months ago
The Empire State Building gave up its title of “tallest” more than fifty years ago, but that’s not particularly important. It’s still a beautiful building and still loved by tourists and natives alike. The biggest change in its status over that period if time is the gradual...
99% Invisible
Home on the Range [EPISODE]
In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town,...
a year ago
In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town, you’ll hear kids playing outside the local elementary school. You’ll hear the highway that takes commuters down to Cincinnati. At the woods on the edge of town, the birdsong is...
devonzuegel.com
A libertarian just won Argentina's presidency... what's going on?
If you're wondering how the heck a hardline libertarian just won the Argentinian presidential...
a year ago
If you're wondering how the heck a hardline libertarian just won the Argentinian presidential election, here's some background.
First, a key fact is that the government is printing money at an accelerating rate, resulting in 143% annual inflation as of the most recent count. The...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Renovation Made More Use Of The Basement And Outdoor Space
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation they completed in...
a year ago
Best Practice Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation they completed in Seattle, Washington. Before – The Exterior The single-story, mid-century home had two doors at the front of the home, with steps leading to each one. After – The Exterior The updated...
Old Structures...
Very Urban
Angelo Rizzuto’s title for this photo is “Cityscape – New York City”. Don’t feel embarrassed if you...
5 months ago
Angelo Rizzuto’s title for this photo is “Cityscape – New York City”. Don’t feel embarrassed if you can’t recognize anything New Yorkish in it – it took me a minute. The arch bridge in the background is the Henry Hudson Bridge, carrying the Henry Hudson Parkway (the northern...
The Modern House
Angus and Sarah Shepherd on putting down roots and reviving a 1960s home in Dulwich
a year ago
Common Edge
I’m A New Yorker, Not a NIMBY
Most New Yorkers care deeply about their great city and believe development shouldn’t be top-down...
2 months ago
Most New Yorkers care deeply about their great city and believe development shouldn’t be top-down and hidden from public scrutiny.
Construction Physics
Why Did Supersonic Airliners Fail?
Progress in aviation has traditionally been associated with speed. Following the Wright Brothers’...
9 months ago
Progress in aviation has traditionally been associated with speed. Following the Wright Brothers’ flight in 1903, aircraft speeds steadily increased each decade, and increasing aircraft speeds was one of the primary goals of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NASA’s...
Construction Physics
How Washington DC Got Its Metro
There have been two main periods of subway (or “metro”) building in the US. The first was during the...
a year ago
There have been two main periods of subway (or “metro”) building in the US. The first was during the late 19th century and early 20th century, when Boston, New York, and Philadelphia all built subway systems
Construction Physics
Building Apollo
A review of Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon
a year ago
A review of Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon
Archinect - Features
Let’s Talk About Architectural Visualization
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the...
2 months ago
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the process of visualizing architectural work and what challenges and opportunities the field presents for the architectural design process. Our journey will include not only tips and...
devonzuegel.com
Inflation propagates unevenly
Inflation hits some parts of the economy harder and faster than others. It's obvious once you say...
over a year ago
Inflation hits some parts of the economy harder and faster than others. It's obvious once you say it, and yet the way pundits and academics talk about inflation glosses over this reality. As a result, most people who haven't had direct experience with high inflation have a flawed...
Common Edge
What L.A. 2028 Can Learn From the Paris Olympics
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to...
3 months ago
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to take a cue from the City of Lights’ embrace of the local.
Construction Physics
How to Build a 50,000 Ton Forging Press
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.
4 months ago
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.
A Weekly Dose of...
The Minimal Intervention
The Material Imagination
Birkhäuser, October 2022
Paperback | 5 x 7-1/4 inches | 166 pages | 13...
over a year ago
The Material Imagination
Birkhäuser, October 2022
Paperback | 5 x 7-1/4 inches | 166 pages | 13 illustrations | English (translated from German by Jill Denton) | ISBN: 9783035625301 | $26.99
PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:
Lucius Burckhardt (1925–2003) outlined his theory of the...
The Modern House
MRTN Architects’ garden studios in Melbourne are a place to work – or not to work
8 months ago
Old Structures...
The Function of Color
It’s a matter of personal taste, but I find the 74-year-old illustrations in The Function Of Colour...
2 months ago
It’s a matter of personal taste, but I find the 74-year-old illustrations in The Function Of Colour In Factories, Schools & Hospitals, as scanned by the design and stationary mavens at Present & Correct, to be astonishing. Here’s one example: and the rest are: here. And there’s a...
Contemporist...
A Modern Brick Home Designed Around The Original Placement Of Trees
Exterio architects have shared photos of a new home they completed in Warsaw, Poland, that's...
5 months ago
Exterio architects have shared photos of a new home they completed in Warsaw, Poland, that's surrounded by a pine tree forest.
Old Structures...
Multiple Generations
That picture of a cold, gray day in the Bronx was taken from the Burnside Avenue Station on the 4...
10 months ago
That picture of a cold, gray day in the Bronx was taken from the Burnside Avenue Station on the 4 train. (A side note: when I was at Rensselaer, some courses could be taken “self paced,” meaning that you studied on your own and took a test for each week’s less to show your...
Old Structures...
We Become Accustomed – Part 3
Having discussed the steel framing and the basic curtain wall of an incredibly-average 1926 office...
a year ago
Having discussed the steel framing and the basic curtain wall of an incredibly-average 1926 office building, I want to take a look at the end of the work. The picture above shows the building, just about on completion: a middle-of-the-road, mid-sized office building, with its...
Old Structures...
On The Spectrum Between Solid and Hole
For study, two photos of the elevated structure supporting the 2 and 5 trains in the Bronx. This...
11 months ago
For study, two photos of the elevated structure supporting the 2 and 5 trains in the Bronx. This piece of the subway system has a slightly odd history. The portion south of and up to 180th Street, at the south end of Bronx Park, was planned as part of the original IRT subway, but...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Lisa Jones and Ruby Kean
a year ago
Old Structures...
Clogging Up Traffic
Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York...
a month ago
Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York Liberty are getting a ticker-tape parade for their WNBA championship. First, congrats to the Liberty and happy days to their fans. Second, there is something very New York about...
Old Structures...
Not Quite Before, Not Quite After
A building that was discussed at great length at last week’s Office To Residential Summit was 25...
6 months ago
A building that was discussed at great length at last week’s Office To Residential Summit was 25 Water Street. Old Structures has no connection to that project, but it’s a block from our office, so I’ve been watching the progress. Here’s what it looked like last December: It was...
The Modern House
Curator Priya Khanchandani on postmodernism and palette at her home in Archway, north London
a year ago
Common Edge
What I Learned From Six Recessions in Architecture
Life is imperfect, and architects understand this better than most.
a month ago
Life is imperfect, and architects understand this better than most.
The Modern House
How a love of Japan and the 1970s shaped Sherrill Smith’s Hackney home
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Seamless Terrazzo Flows From The Wall To The Countertop In This Kitchen
Studio Modijefsky has shared photos of a project where they transformed a 17th-century inn into a...
a year ago
Studio Modijefsky has shared photos of a project where they transformed a 17th-century inn into a modern family home in Nieuwersluis, The Netherlands. As part of the renovation, they designed a new inviting, and open-plan kitchen with a cooking island and a terrazzo countertop....
The Modern House
Our Guide to Oxford: cinnamon buns, honey-hued domes and small plates in the 'city of dreaming...
7 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Curved Windows Allow This Home To Have Unobstructed Water Views
The Wiseman Group has updated a 90’s home in Sausalito, California, that was originally designed by...
10 months ago
The Wiseman Group has updated a 90’s home in Sausalito, California, that was originally designed by the late architect Donald Olsen. Located on a hillside with waterfront views, the home has been thoughtfully modernized as an elegant family living space that still honors the...
The Modern House
Musicians Csilla Pogány and Alastair Blayden on fine-tuning their school conversion in Kentish Town
a year ago
devonzuegel.com
Urban sprawl is a tragedy of the commons
We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: sprawling...
over a year ago
We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: sprawling development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities.
People aim to maximize access and space when deciding where to live.
All things equal, most people like...
The Modern House
Rich Pickings: four homes for sale in Kent
Fruit may be Kent’s greatest export, but as regular explorers of our listings will know, there are...
a year ago
Fruit may be Kent’s greatest export, but as regular explorers of our listings will know, there are other sweet surprises to be found here – albeit of a more architectural streak. And while there’s plenty of history to be found in this corner of the […]
Blog - Guerrilla...
Can You Stay?
Can You Stay? examines one discrete variable among many complex and converging issues concerning...
over a year ago
Can You Stay? examines one discrete variable among many complex and converging issues concerning housing precarity, focusing on a part of the world with unique geography and social issues.
Project Background
This map is cut from the cloth of a capstone project I did in 2018 at...
Common Edge
In Warsaw, a Student-Designed Architectural Response to Dark Times
The Freedom Pavilion offers a beautiful way to contemplate peace, freedom, and solidarity with...
a year ago
The Freedom Pavilion offers a beautiful way to contemplate peace, freedom, and solidarity with Ukraine.
CONTEMPORIST
This Small Home With A Green Roof Curves Around A Pond
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in...
5 months ago
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in Hungary’s lush rural landscapes. Situated next to a fishing pond, the home is a retreat for the owners and is dug into a mound, peeking out just enough to blend with the horizon....
CONTEMPORIST
A White Palette Helps Connect This Heritage Home With Its New Addition
Dalecki Design has shared photos of a home they remodeled in Subiaco, Australia, which includes a...
a year ago
Dalecki Design has shared photos of a home they remodeled in Subiaco, Australia, which includes a contemporary rear addition and a white color palette throughout. The heritage character of the original house and the bright but calm feeling of the new addition are harmoniously...
Old Structures...
Recognizing Reality
A hundred years ago, jaywalking was a made-up offense. In 1926, a study of traffic included the...
a month ago
A hundred years ago, jaywalking was a made-up offense. In 1926, a study of traffic included the statement “all persons have an equal right in the highway, and that in exercising the right each shall take due care not to injure other users of the way.” Old pictures of even a...
CONTEMPORIST
A House Designed Like Two Barns Beside Each Other
Exterio Studio has shared photos of a modern home they designed in the Kujawy region of Poland, that...
a year ago
Exterio Studio has shared photos of a modern home they designed in the Kujawy region of Poland, that has a layout similar to two barns positioned side-by-side. The home has been designed to take advantage of the long and narrow lot, with the layout divided into two interconnected...
Contemporist...
This Small Apartment Has A Yoga Wall And A Coffee Bar
LITTLEMORE INTERIOR DESIGN has shared photos of a small 380-square-foot (35 sqm) apartment in Hong...
a year ago
LITTLEMORE INTERIOR DESIGN has shared photos of a small 380-square-foot (35 sqm) apartment in Hong Kong, that includes both a custom yoga wall and a coffee bar.
The Modern House
Architecture Fan Buys House She's Dreamed Of For 50 Years
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Ombré Wallpaper Was A Creative Design Choice For This Bedroom
Svetlana Tryaskina of ESTEE DESIGN has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation that she...
a year ago
Svetlana Tryaskina of ESTEE DESIGN has shared photos of a contemporary home renovation that she completed for a busy family of five. One of the design elements that caught our attention, was the room that includes colorful accent walls in the form of ombre wallpaper. The ombre...
Construction Physics
How Fast Can a City Grow?
In the last post, we noted Los Angeles was the fastest-growing city in the US at the end of the 19th...
a year ago
In the last post, we noted Los Angeles was the fastest-growing city in the US at the end of the 19th century, growing nearly 10% yearly between 1880 and 1930. This made me wonder what the landscape of city growth rates looks like. How fast were other US cities growing at the same...
99% Invisible
The Country of the Blind [EPISODE]
We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway...
a year ago
We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but...
Benny Kuriakose
A Guide to Interior Photography of Historic Buildings - Part III
Interior views add valuable information to the documentation of a historic building. To capture the...
a year ago
Interior views add valuable information to the documentation of a historic building. To capture the true essence of the building, the...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Recycle
When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York...
4 months ago
When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York City Transit Authority, from when it was created in 1953, the subway system as created by two private companies (the IRT and BMT) and the city-owned IND. All three parts of the...
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
A River Runs Through Los Angeles [EPISODE]
When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a...
5 months ago
When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a natural habitat. Well, the LA River looks nothing like that. Most people who see it probably mistake it for a giant storm drain. It’s a deep trapezoidal channel with steep concrete...
The Modern House
Sent from Coventry: a graphic lament to the modernist architecture of 'the city of the future'
The printmaker and illustrator Paul Catherall uses linocuts to represent iconic British landmarks....
6 months ago
The printmaker and illustrator Paul Catherall uses linocuts to represent iconic British landmarks. His current exhibition ‘Sent from Coventry’ is a collection of prints that highlight and record the groundbreaking post-war buildings in Coventry – Paul’s hometown – which, at the...
Archinect - Features
3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, and Space Habitats: A Conversation with ICON’s Melodie...
As a ‘Space Architect’ working on the design and delivery of 3D printed habitats on the Moon and...
9 months ago
As a ‘Space Architect’ working on the design and delivery of 3D printed habitats on the Moon and Mars, Melodie Yashar is aware that, even in space, 3D printing does not exist in a vacuum. Like any construction methodology, it requires a confluence of design intent, delivery...
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...
The Modern House
Hannah Carter Owers on selling the family home in two days in pursuit of the perfect 1970s retrofit...
11 months ago
Old Structures...
Personal History Revisited
A few years ago I pointed out all the differences 170 years had made in Flushing, where I grew up. I...
10 months ago
A few years ago I pointed out all the differences 170 years had made in Flushing, where I grew up. I recently came a cross a more recent map, titled “Map of the village of Flushing, Queens County, New York”, from 1894. This was four years before the western half of Queens County...
The Modern House
Hot on the heels of modernity: how our heritage buildings are catching up with us
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late...
4 months ago
This summer, Sphinx Hill in Oxfordshire became Britain’s youngest listed building. Built in the late 90s, the listing was was the result of a successful application by the Twentieth Century Society. Its chairman Hugh Pearman suggests that it stands as a youthful reminder of where...
Old Structures...
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves...
4 months ago
Some current news: various books from the nineteenth century are being taken off library shelves because their covers and/or page edges contain poisonous dyes, as described in “That book is poison: Even more Victorian covers found to contain toxic dyes” by Jennifer Ouellette. The...
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...
Common Edge
Turning Point: The Three Climate-Planning Scenarios Available to Us
Continued inaction could leave us with fewer, and far riskier, options for mitigating a warming...
3 weeks ago
Continued inaction could leave us with fewer, and far riskier, options for mitigating a warming Earth.
Old Structures...
Sketches by a Master
This sketch sheet by Cass Gilbert, dated February 3, 1912, is titled “Institutional structures by...
11 months ago
This sketch sheet by Cass Gilbert, dated February 3, 1912, is titled “Institutional structures by Gilbert” in the Library of Congress, although it has both public and commercial buildings. Gilbert’s description at the bottom is better: “These buildings are now in the office in...
CONTEMPORIST
This Renovated 90s Home Includes A New Exterior Made Of Alaskan Yellow Cedar Siding
Architecture firm Blue Truck Studio, together with interior design firm Mary Valaika Design, has...
10 months ago
Architecture firm Blue Truck Studio, together with interior design firm Mary Valaika Design, has sent us photos of a home they renovated in California, that showcases vertical wood siding. The original 90s house had wild geometry, such as octagon-shaped rooms and triangular...
A Weekly Dose of...
2023 in Architecture Books, So Far
Life, they say, throws you curve balls, and that's just what happened last month, when a family...
a year ago
Life, they say, throws you curve balls, and that's just what happened last month, when a family emergency had me put this blog on hiatus. This post, appearing on a Friday instead of its regular Monday, does not mean regular weekly posts will resume, as I'll be dealing with said...
The Modern House
The low-key, light-infused renewal of a long-neglected Victorian cottage in Walthamstow
10 months 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...
Old Structures...
Onec You See It
The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the...
8 months ago
The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the towers. It has, to my eye, the unfortunate effect of making the bridge look like it’s wearing shorts.
Old Structures...
Four Months Later, I Finish The Thought
I wrote a blog post in April about the grotesques in the lobby of the Woolworth Building. As I...
3 months ago
I wrote a blog post in April about the grotesques in the lobby of the Woolworth Building. As I mentioned then, they are grotesques because they are purely decorative figures; gargoyles are decorative figures that are generally water spouts and are part of a roof drainage system....
The Modern House
Scene Stealers: seven rural homes with spectacular surroundings
We’ve all found ourselves daydreaming of life in the country – growing your own fruit and veg, wild...
a year ago
We’ve all found ourselves daydreaming of life in the country – growing your own fruit and veg, wild swimming, enjoying a glass of red by a cosy log fire… But if that’s never been quite enough to inspire you to take the plunge, the homes […]
Contemporist...
This Park Design Was Inspired By A Volcano And Its Lava Flow
100 Architects has shared photos of one of their latest projects, a stimulating urban park in a...
a year ago
100 Architects has shared photos of one of their latest projects, a stimulating urban park in a newly built commercial and residential area in the port city of Ningbo, the second-most populous city in Zhejiang Province, China.
Construction Physics
Could ChatGPT become an architect?
OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have...
a year ago
OpenAI recently released an updated version of their GPT large language model, GPT-4, and have incorporated it into their ChatGPT chatbot. In case you've been living under a rock, ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses large language models, which use artificial neural networks
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...
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...
Coffee with an...
Design explained using venn diagrams
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple venn diagrams. Unfortunately,...
8 months ago
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple venn diagrams. Unfortunately, this isn’t that: More Design in charts – HERE, and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE
CONTEMPORIST
A House Built Into The Ground And Covered In Flowers
Photography by Architectuurfotograaf – Rob van Esch Architecture firm WillemsenU has shared photos...
8 months ago
Photography by Architectuurfotograaf – Rob van Esch Architecture firm WillemsenU has shared photos of a home they completed in a meadow in The Netherlands, that has been built into the ground. The home is tucked away in the landscape, surrounded by flowers and trees, and hidden...
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...
Benny Kuriakose
Activity Spaces and Play Areas in a School
Activity spaces in schools can encourage students to learn from the outdoor environment. Sports...
a year ago
Activity spaces in schools can encourage students to learn from the outdoor environment. Sports activities such as athletics, volleyball,...
Archinect - Features
10 helpful tips for architecture students going back to school
School is officially back in session as new and returning students begin another academic term....
a year ago
School is officially back in session as new and returning students begin another academic term. Whether you're a fresh undergraduate student embarking on your first year of architecture school or you're a returning student about to continue another rigorous year of learning,...
Contemporist...
A Warehouse-Inspired Home With A Spanish Twist
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired...
a month ago
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired townhouse with a Spanish twist inside.
99% Invisible
The Frankfurt Kitchen [EPISODE]
After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of...
a year ago
After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of residents were in dire straits, and in the second half of the 1920s, the city built over 10,000 public housing units. It was some of the earliest modern architecture — simple,...
Old Structures...
If You’re Interested
Sometimes a topic is so obvious that it’s easily missed. The conference I am currently at is the...
5 months ago
Sometimes a topic is so obvious that it’s easily missed. The conference I am currently at is the triennial International Construction History Congress. It’s a good place to learn about topics in how the built environment got built from many different nations, different times, and...
Archinect - Features
Architectural Visualization Was Rather Flat: Then We Invented Perspective
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant...
2 months ago
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant challenges in visualizing and communicating architectural space. Without a systematic way to represent depth and spatial relationships, architectural drawings were often symbolic,...
Construction Physics
The Evolution of Tunnel Boring Machines
Tunneling is an important technology for modern civilization, as a tunnel is often the only...
a year ago
Tunneling is an important technology for modern civilization, as a tunnel is often the only reasonable way to create a direct path between two points. When the Hoosac tunnel was completed in 1875, it turned a difficult, 20-mile railroad route along “
A Weekly Dose of...
Learning from the 2023 Book Fair
This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book...
a year ago
This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book fair and, just days before lockdown, the 2020 book fair. Three hardly makes me an expert, even in my specialization of architecture books, but it does help with gauging the value given...
The Modern House
Carefully composed: the bright reimagining of a Victorian garden apartment
2 months ago
The Modern House
Duncan McLeod: the emotional story of an architect whose home is a source of magic and motivation
Our guest on this week’s podcast is Duncan McLeod, the London-based architect and founder of Studio...
a year ago
Our guest on this week’s podcast is Duncan McLeod, the London-based architect and founder of Studio McLeod (and the creator of what might just be the world’s first artificial turf-clad sliding staircase). ‘There’s always a way’ is this thoughtful man’s motto, one that sometimes...
The Modern House
Five things to do and see this April
The clocks have sprung forward and the spring chicks are chirping: yes, April has arrived. But it’s...
a year ago
The clocks have sprung forward and the spring chicks are chirping: yes, April has arrived. But it’s not only those longer, lighter evenings luring us out of the house; this month’s brilliant list of cultural and culinary must-dos and -sees is equally tempting – even […]
CONTEMPORIST
Corrugated Metal Covers The Barrel Shaped Roofs Of This Portable Home
William Samuels Architects has sent us photos of a small home they designed and built in Nelson, New...
a year ago
William Samuels Architects has sent us photos of a small home they designed and built in Nelson, New Zealand, that includes a single bedroom. The project was created out of a desire by architect William Samuels and his partner, Hannah D’Arcy, to own their first home. Building...
Contemporist...
The Exposed Wood Ceiling Of This Home Shows Off Its Structure
Eva Hinds Arquitectura has shared photos of a modern home they have completed in La Libertad, El...
10 months ago
Eva Hinds Arquitectura has shared photos of a modern home they have completed in La Libertad, El Salvador, that has exposed structural elements.
Common Edge
Buildings, Communities, Cities: Things Fall Apart
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
a year ago
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
There are two types...
Location, Location, Location: Affordable Housing and Urban Form in Manhattan
NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To...
a year ago
NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To Great Cities and Towns, where it will appear in a shorter version. This version still needs a little editing for its new context. Part … Continue reading →
The post Location,...
The Modern House
A concrete apartment with credentials by Regent’s Canal, north London
a year ago
The Modern House
How the realities of self-building in the Outer Hebrides produced a new home distinctly reflective...
11 months ago
Old Structures...
Housekeeping
The two-site business is done. Oldstructures.nyc now redirects to Oldstructyres.com, so everyone is...
a year ago
The two-site business is done. Oldstructures.nyc now redirects to Oldstructyres.com, so everyone is seeing the same, new website. We’re still working some kinks out. If you have an email or WordPress subscription to the website, I think you’ll have to update it. Or maybe not, who...
Archinect - Features
Uncovering the Untold Histories of American Campus Expansions with Boghosian Fellow Leen...
Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in, or have recently...
a year ago
Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in, or have recently finished, an architecture fellowship. During our conversations, we discuss their architectural journey, areas of research, and their overall experience as academic fellows.
For our...
A Weekly Dose of...
This Blog in 2023
One year ago, in the first post of 2022, I shifted this blog from (almost) daily posts about...
a year ago
One year ago, in the first post of 2022, I shifted this blog from (almost) daily posts about architecture books to just once a week, changing the name of the blog to reflect that. In the fifth of five bullet points reasoning why that was happening, I wrote: "I'm planning on...
Old Structures...
An Unfortunate Comparison
I’m not a big fan of mid-twentieth-century modernism, and I still agree that Bertrand Goldberg’s...
6 months ago
I’m not a big fan of mid-twentieth-century modernism, and I still agree that Bertrand Goldberg’s Marina City is remarkable architecture. From the north: From the south: There’s just one little detail that got stuck in my head that partially ruins looking at it for me. Every...
Construction Physics
Could we stop Yellowstone from erupting with a giant geothermal power plant?
It’s become fairly common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park, in addition to being incredibly...
a year ago
It’s become fairly common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park, in addition to being incredibly beautiful, is sitting on top of an enormous supervolcano that catastrophically erupts every few hundred thousand years. Unlike normal volcanoes, which tend to produce large...
The Modern House
A mid-century gem among the treetops on the Dulwich Estate in Crystal Palace
a year ago
Old Structures...
Happy Thanksgiving
And the menu above provides a goal for dinner.
a year ago
And the menu above provides a goal for dinner.
Old Structures...
An Ordinary Day
From Angelo Rizzuto, in 1959, a view of 42nd Street looking east. On the left, Grand Central...
7 months ago
From Angelo Rizzuto, in 1959, a view of 42nd Street looking east. On the left, Grand Central Terminal, the Commodore Hotel, and the Chrysler Building. On the right, the Pershing Square Building, the Bowery Savings Bank midtown branch, the Chanin Building, the Socony-Mobil...
CONTEMPORIST
A White Concrete Exterior Protects This Seaside Mediterranean House
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small...
3 months ago
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small seaside town in Valencia, Spain. The house has a white concrete envelope that generates a large protective shell for a harmonious and delicate interior. Large overhangs and a system...
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 4
To catch up, here are links for part 1, part 2, and part 3. The Brooklyn Bridge caissons were much...
a year ago
To catch up, here are links for part 1, part 2, and part 3. The Brooklyn Bridge caissons were much bigger than the similar pneumatic caissons that had been used earlier. Their timber construction was based on a few ideas, all subject to engineering design or review. First, the...
The Architectural...
Can We Afford More Modernist Buildings?
A common myth suggests that the unattractiveness of new buildings over the last century is due to...
a year ago
A common myth suggests that the unattractiveness of new buildings over the last century is due to rational or economic reasons, implying that building beautifully is too costly. In this article, I’ll debunk this idea and uncover the real reason behind the prevalence of...
devonzuegel.com
Part 1: The story so far of California Forever
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the...
10 months ago
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the future of my home state in my lifetime. This post is part of a series I’m writing about this bold proposal.
California Forever was founded by Jan Sramek in 2017 as a way to create...
CONTEMPORIST
Hempcrete Walls Are On Display Inside This Home’s New Extension
Architecture studio Cairn, has shared photos of a house renovation and extension they completed for...
3 months ago
Architecture studio Cairn, has shared photos of a house renovation and extension they completed for a home in London, England, that uses a new low-carbon concrete. The ‘House made by many hands’ is the first building structure in the UK to specify a low-carbon limestone calcined...
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...
Construction Physics
Why Is It So Hard to Build an Airport?
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to...
9 months ago
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to global GDP through direct and indirect effects (ie: the businesses and commerce that it enables), and an estimated 25% of companies’ sales rely on air transport. In 2022, civil...
Old Structures...
108 Years
First up, “A view of the Federal Hall of the City of New York, as appeared in the year 1797, with...
10 months ago
First up, “A view of the Federal Hall of the City of New York, as appeared in the year 1797, with the adjacent buildings thereto” as engraved in 1850. This is looking north up Broad Street, with the old Federal Hall at the intersection of Broad and Wall streets. Next, “Broad...
There are two types...
DONALD TRUMP & EVIL – A Post-Halloween / Election-Eve Story
Almost forty years ago, I owned a small house in the Greenwich “backcountry” just a few miles from...
a month ago
Almost forty years ago, I owned a small house in the Greenwich “backcountry” just a few miles from the Westchester County Airport. One morning, I was talking on the phone with a friend whom I would see later in the … Continue reading →
The post DONALD TRUMP & EVIL – A...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Newsy
A dying world from a horror comic called “Epitaphs from the Abyss”: What’s that on the right? The...
3 weeks ago
A dying world from a horror comic called “Epitaphs from the Abyss”: What’s that on the right? The New York Times Building as seen from Times Square (from the north) in 1908:
Archinect - Features
Archinect's 2023 Mental Health Survey Results
To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect...
a year ago
To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect recently conducted our latest Mental Health survey to better understand how our community has navigated the stressors inherent to the architecture industry. On this October 10th,...
devonzuegel.com
OSS lazy-loads governance
A special characteristic of open source software (OSS) is that you don't need institutional support...
over a year ago
A special characteristic of open source software (OSS) is that you don't need institutional support to get started. It's interesting to compare this to physical infrastructure, like dams or railroads. Before you can begin those projects, you need upfront capital, permits,...
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.
Coffee with an...
How to be a better architect
Ask yourself, “Is this needed?” Remove everything that isn’t. Study the function of the building...
a year ago
Ask yourself, “Is this needed?” Remove everything that isn’t. Study the function of the building well, but don’t let it drive the design. Connect the spaces with nature. Master the use of natural light. Create a balance between public and private spaces. Organize the Floorplan....
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...
He Is, After All, A Boy From Queens
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Less Than The Original
Construction on LEGO Notre Dame has moved ahead but will pause while I’m out of town. We’ve got the...
6 months ago
Construction on LEGO Notre Dame has moved ahead but will pause while I’m out of town. We’ve got the apse built up to the vault level and the beginning of the crossing: I’ve been playing around to see if I can do a fly-through style photo, to give a sense of what the building...
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...
CONTEMPORIST
A Curved Accent Wall Wraps Around From The Fireplace To The Ceiling Inside This Home
MAKHNO Studio has designed a home in Kiev, Ukraine, that includes a contemporary living room with a...
a year ago
MAKHNO Studio has designed a home in Kiev, Ukraine, that includes a contemporary living room with a large curved statement piece. The living room has a sunken couch that neatly fits into the step-down, and faces the fireplace, while the focal point of the room is a curved section...
Common Edge
The Next New Thing
In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
5 months ago
In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
The Modern House
How to better the design of your bathroom for a brighter future
a year ago
Old Structures...
Some Same, Some Different
In the same vein as yesterday’s post, here’s an 1865 photo of Leonard Street: We’ve got a bunch of...
11 months ago
In the same vein as yesterday’s post, here’s an 1865 photo of Leonard Street: We’ve got a bunch of loft buildings with the employees of Van Volkenburgh Brothers and Ladewig & Haydter (the nearer building), Wright & Ketchum and S. E. Halle (the middle building), and two firms...
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.
The Wandering...
Transforming French WW1 Lambert Coordinates to WGS84
Nord de Guerre Here’s a survey plat made in 1919 by a US Army unit in France. In the aftermath of...
11 months ago
Nord de Guerre Here’s a survey plat made in 1919 by a US Army unit in France. In the aftermath of WW1, teams of American military surveyors produced these as they went around France mapping the grave sites of fallen soldiers. On this plat we can see a number of bearings and...
Common Edge
How to Be a Better Architect Than Me
My recent talk to high school seniors.
a year ago
My recent talk to high school seniors.
Archinect - Features
The Fed Just Cut Interest Rates. What Does It Mean for Architects?
In September 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the target range of interest rates for the first...
2 months ago
In September 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the target range of interest rates for the first time in four years. The move was long anticipated by AEC commentators, who hoped that the lower cost of borrowing would begin to pull the sector out of a two-year stagnation in...
The Modern House
Tangled up in blue: a diminutive urban cottage designed by fardaa
3 months ago
Construction Physics
How to Build 300,000 Airplanes in Five Years
It’s no secret that the Allies won World War II on the back of the U.S.’s enormous industrial...
7 months ago
It’s no secret that the Allies won World War II on the back of the U.S.’s enormous industrial output. Even before the U.S. entered the war, the Americans provided hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to the Allies, and between 1938 and 1943 U.S. manufacturing...
Old Structures...
Probably Not What The Artist Intended
75 Broad Street, diagonally across the street from our office, was built in 1928 and almost...
3 months ago
75 Broad Street, diagonally across the street from our office, was built in 1928 and almost immediately bought by the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation for use as the company headquarters. Like a lot of New York Telephone buildings of that era, the interior was a...
devonzuegel.com
IVF egg retrieval notes
I’ve now done two egg retrieval cycles. Given that I had a zillion questions before I started, I...
8 months ago
I’ve now done two egg retrieval cycles. Given that I had a zillion questions before I started, I thought I’d share my notes for others who might have similar questions.
Things I would’ve loved to know beforehand
Overall the process was way easier and less intense than I...
CONTEMPORIST
Stairs With Built-In Planters Lead To The Back Garden At This Home
Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects has shared photos of a recently completed renovation project in...
a year ago
Lior Brosh of Brosh Architects has shared photos of a recently completed renovation project in Greater London, England, that included new outdoor stairs with built-in planters. The client contacted the architects to renovate the lower ground floor of the house due to severe damp...
The Modern House
A fossil-shaped eco home in the rolling countryside of Devon
a year ago
Common Edge
When Is Architectural Symbolism Hypocrisy?
Like or loathe it, symbolism over substance has a long tradition.
7 months ago
Like or loathe it, symbolism over substance has a long tradition.
The Modern House
Good Fellow: Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill join the RIBA as Honorary Fellows
a year ago
Common Edge
The Missing Flower Power in Walkability and Neighborhood Vitality
There’s a surprisingly simple alternative to our hard, urban spaces.
6 months ago
There’s a surprisingly simple alternative to our hard, urban spaces.
Construction Physics
What makes housing so expensive?
Buying a home is by far the largest purchase most of us will make, and paying the rent or mortgage...
8 months ago
Buying a home is by far the largest purchase most of us will make, and paying the rent or mortgage will be our largest monthly expense. In the post-pandemic home-buying boom, the median sale price of a new home peaked at almost $500,000 dollars, just under
99% Invisible
Courtroom Sketch [EPISODE]
Earlier this year, the city of New York closed off several blocks around the Manhattan Criminal...
a year ago
Earlier this year, the city of New York closed off several blocks around the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Instead of early morning commuters, the sidewalks around the building were flooded with reporters, photographers, and camera people. They were there to capture the...
Benny Kuriakose
Planning and Designing of Service Blocks in a School
Service rooms are an absolute necessity in any building. When designing and planning such rooms, it...
a year ago
Service rooms are an absolute necessity in any building. When designing and planning such rooms, it is important to understand the type...
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...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Hot Dogs In A Temple
Above, a somewhat pathetic villain threatens the people of Gotham City, while Batgirl muses. Below,...
a year ago
Above, a somewhat pathetic villain threatens the people of Gotham City, while Batgirl muses. Below, the stair connecting the train shed at the old Penn Station with the concourse: And zoomed in: And another angle:
Archinect - Features
From the Editors: What We're Thankful for in 2023
In a year marked with highs and lows, the Archinect editorial team has spent another year watching,...
a year ago
In a year marked with highs and lows, the Archinect editorial team has spent another year watching, listening, and reporting on the events of 2023. With the holidays drawing near and the year coming to a close, we pause to extend our gratitude to our dedicated readership and...
The Modern House
Listing of the Week: a Norfolk beauty that ushers the natural world in
8 months ago
Old Structures...
Expertise
In the course of doing research on old buildings, I’ve looked at some non-traditional sources. For...
11 months ago
In the course of doing research on old buildings, I’ve looked at some non-traditional sources. For example, in trying to find original images of demolished and non-famous buildings, I’ve had some success with magazine ads from tenants. It used to be popular to put a picture of...
Common Edge
Technology’s Siren Song
How to lure an architect onto the rocks.
2 months ago
How to lure an architect onto the rocks.
Common Edge
Bill McKibben on COP28, Maintaining Hope, and Walking in the Woods
The activist and author offers some perspective on the recently concluded UN Climate summit.
a year ago
The activist and author offers some perspective on the recently concluded UN Climate summit.
The Modern House
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....
The Modern House
Green Series #4: how to make your home breathable and thermal-bridge free
For the final instalment in our mini-series of Passivhaus hacks, Kate Jacobs has asked our panel of...
a week ago
For the final instalment in our mini-series of Passivhaus hacks, Kate Jacobs has asked our panel of experts how to make our homes breathable – and to explain thermal bridging … Because the Passivhaus ideal is all about incredible insulation and airtight construction,...
Contemporist...
A Charred Wood Exterior Was Given To This Modern Home In The Forest
CLB Architects, together with HSH Interiors (Holly Hollenbeck), has designed a home in an aspen...
7 months ago
CLB Architects, together with HSH Interiors (Holly Hollenbeck), has designed a home in an aspen grove near Wilson, Wyoming.
Archinect - Features
AI, Complexity, and Ecological Futures: A Conversation with Alisa Andrasek
For Alisa Andrasek, a career in architecture represents a point of convergence for her dual passions...
a year ago
For Alisa Andrasek, a career in architecture represents a point of convergence for her dual passions for art and science. For the past two decades, a respect for both the mathematic and emotional, the computational and the creative, has propelled Andrasek's enthralling...
A Weekly Dose of...
Book Briefs #48
This latest installment of "Book Briefs" — the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand...
over a year ago
This latest installment of "Book Briefs" — the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that publishers send to me for consideration on this blog — features six books in three pairs. Obviously, these briefs are not...
CONTEMPORIST
The Neutral Palette Of This Home’s Interior Evokes The Tranquility Of A Spa
Developer Comma Projects, together with interior designer Kate Richards and building designer Jayson...
9 months ago
Developer Comma Projects, together with interior designer Kate Richards and building designer Jayson Pate Design, has completed a duplex in Queensland, Australia, with a distinctly neutral interior. Let’s take a look inside one of the villas where the design objective was to...
Old Structures...
Sort-Of Round
This is the 3333rd blog post published on the Old Structures web site. People are attracted to round...
6 months ago
This is the 3333rd blog post published on the Old Structures web site. People are attracted to round numbers, and I could just as easily have waited for the 4000th post to say something, but I like the “third of ten-thousand” aspect of the current number. Some housekeeping: some...
Blog - Guerrilla...
How AI is changing cartography: A chatbot’s perspective
Artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the practice of cartography, not just as a...
9 months ago
Artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the practice of cartography, not just as a mechanism for extracting and manipulating data, but as a tool for creating, curating, and interacting with geospatial images. A simple web search for “AI in cartography” points to a vast...
The Modern House
Nice Slice: the best pizza in London
a year ago
The Modern House
Charlotte Taylor on the wonders of wood and her sudoku-orientated routine
a year ago
McMansion Hell
this house may or may not be real
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5...
over a year ago
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5 bathroom house totaling more than 6,600 square feet is for sale at a price of 2.37 million dollars. The house, allegedly, was built in 2021. Allegedly, it looks like this:
A McMansion...
Construction Physics
The Long, Sad History of American Attempts to Build High-Speed Rail, Part II
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to...
a year ago
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to build its own high-speed rail routes soon after they debuted in Japan in 1964, these efforts were unsuccessful, outside of the popular-but-troubled Metroliner
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
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.
Old Structures...
I’m Fairly Sure
The Library of Congress calls this 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto “View of children playing on sand...
6 months ago
The Library of Congress calls this 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto “View of children playing on sand and dirt mound near stone structure and construction materials” which is nice and descriptive. They use that kind of title when no one was certain what the subject of the photo is....
The Beauty of...
R.I.P. W.C. (1930s Southern Railway toilets, Havant station, Hampshire, UK)
So farewell then, Havant station’s 1930s railway toilets. It is doubtful whether many passengers...
a year ago
So farewell then, Havant station’s 1930s railway toilets. It is doubtful whether many passengers will mourn their loss, but they are another piece of railway heritage that has slipped beyond grasp. If you care about the story of our railways, expressed through their built...
Old Structures...
Bones Beneath The Skin
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station...
4 months ago
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station was part of the Dual Contracts expansion of the subway system, and opened in 1918. I’m pretty sure the platforms were lengthened at some point after that, probably in the 1950s or...
99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Athens GA As It Is [EPISODE]
This is the third and final episode in a three-part series of Roman Mars recording on-location...
8 months ago
This is the third and final episode in a three-part series of Roman Mars recording on-location guides to the design features and interesting spots in cities he loves. Roman moved to Athens, Georgia, to pursue a PhD in plant genetics, but dropped out and got into the local music...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Addition Is Perched Above This Home In Texas
Architect Nicole Blair has shared photos of a modern addition that was built above an existing...
6 months ago
Architect Nicole Blair has shared photos of a modern addition that was built above an existing bungalow in Austin, Texas. Owners Dylan and Annie, a landscape designer and a hairstylist, wanted to keep their backyard intact, and not move during construction nor disrupt the mature...
99% Invisible
The White Castle System of Eating Houses [EPISODE]
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with...
10 months ago
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And since they’re steamed on a bed of onions,...
Old Structures...
Examples Illustrated
I was at the annual SEAoNY conference yesterday – 9½ hours devoted to building codes – and it was,...
10 months ago
I was at the annual SEAoNY conference yesterday – 9½ hours devoted to building codes – and it was, as expected, informative and interesting. Obviously, that’s not what I’m going to write about here. The conference was at Convene (a place where you can rent space for conferences)...
There are two types...
Take Back The City
On a recent episode of Billions, the New York Attorney General stands on the roof a car in the...
over a year ago
On a recent episode of Billions, the New York Attorney General stands on the roof a car in the middle of a New York City street with a bullhorn. Why? Vecause he’s positioned himself near a meeting on the Highline … Continue reading →
The post Take Back The City appeared first on...
CONTEMPORIST
A Concrete Ceiling Floats Above This Round Hotel Bar
Portuguese architecture office Openbook has designed the Ritz Pool Bar as part of an overall project...
5 months ago
Portuguese architecture office Openbook has designed the Ritz Pool Bar as part of an overall project to renovate the terrace and galleries of the Ritz Four Seasons Hotel Lisbon. The bar has an organic design and total openness to the terrace, with walls of glass allowing the...
Construction Physics
The Birth of the Grid
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of...
a year ago
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of heaven. It should not merely be supplied, but lavished, that men may use it at their will, as the air they breathe. - Emile Zola, “Travail”, 1901
Old Structures...
An Original Or An Imitation Of An Imitation
The Leonard Street facade of 249 Church Street: For this discussion, ignore the stone ground-floor...
6 months ago
The Leonard Street facade of 249 Church Street: For this discussion, ignore the stone ground-floor storefront, which was a 1920s alteration of this 1867 loft building, probably replacing cast iron columns and lintels. The rest of the facade is, per the Landmarks designation...
Archinect - Features
Applying to architecture school? Don't miss these info sessions and open houses this...
Deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting...
a month ago
Deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of upcoming information sessions...
The Modern House
Nigel Slater: the food writer opens the door to his fascinating home life
At the (surprising) age of “almost 70”, Nigel Slater is “off-the-scale happy.” As our co-founder...
a month ago
At the (surprising) age of “almost 70”, Nigel Slater is “off-the-scale happy.” As our co-founder Matt Gibberd discovers in our latest Homing In podcast, his late Georgian house in north London plays no small part in that contentment. Over the course of their conversation, the […]
The Architectural...
6 Reasons Why Today’s Architecture Is Unsustainable
The so-called sustainable buildings of today often fall short of genuine sustainability. Instead,...
a year ago
The so-called sustainable buildings of today often fall short of genuine sustainability. Instead, the concept is reduced to mere clichés and greenwashing. In this article, we delve deeper into the underlying factors concealed behind the sometimes eco-friendly exteriors of...
Old Structures...
Social Commentary In A Map
Above, David Burr’s 1834 map of New York. I guess 190 years make a bit of a difference. This is, in...
5 months ago
Above, David Burr’s 1834 map of New York. I guess 190 years make a bit of a difference. This is, in some ways, more of a map-like graphic than an actual map. The shaded areas are not the only places where there were buildings, but rather the areas that were solidly built up....
devonzuegel.com
Why do home buyers look at price/sqft more than renters?
A question that's puzzled me for a while is why home buyers focus on price/sqft so much more than...
a year ago
A question that's puzzled me for a while is why home buyers focus on price/sqft so much more than renters. I asked around for what other people thought and got some interesting answers, so I decided to write up my takeaways.
I. Investments demand legibility
Homeownership is...
Contemporist...
The Black Exterior Of This Home Leads To A Pink Kitchen Inside
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they completed in Wivenhoe, England, for an artist...
6 months ago
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they completed in Wivenhoe, England, for an artist who wanted a light-filled interior with room to work and to entertain.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar – But No More
Above, the entrance to a nightclub in the comic book “Powers.” Below, courtesy of Except that, as of...
11 months ago
Above, the entrance to a nightclub in the comic book “Powers.” Below, courtesy of Except that, as of this past summer, the Hotel Pennsylvania is gone. It was arguably the last of the grand railroad hotels left in New York, and it was no longer a grand railroad hotel since that...
Common Edge
Vivian Maier: Nanny With a Rolleiflex
Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
4 months ago
Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
The Modern House
Heading out? Here’s how to do it with people and the planet in mind
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Rabbit Hole I Did Not See Coming
As a structural engineer, I do not examine old boilers, but I do see them quite often. The older...
a month ago
As a structural engineer, I do not examine old boilers, but I do see them quite often. The older ones tend to be abandoned in place because (a) they are huge and heavy, and will have to be cut into many small pieces to be removed form the cellars and sidewalk vaults where they...
The Modern House
Room for Improvement: designer Nat Buckley rethinks Energy Performance Certificates
2 months ago
The Modern House
The brilliant reimagining of Sunny Side Up, a family home in Clapton
10 months ago
McMansion Hell
Howdy everyone! Some exciting news: I’m doing a stint at The Nation this month writing...
Liberating Our Homes From the Real Estate–Industrial Complex
Howdy everyone! Some exciting news: I’m...
a year ago
Liberating Our Homes From the Real Estate–Industrial Complex
Howdy everyone! Some exciting news: I’m doing a stint at The Nation this month writing biweekly design columns. In this first one, I’ve done my best to expand on an earlier McMansion Hell post in order to answer the...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Overhanging The Water’s Edge In Alaska
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in...
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...
The Modern House
Desert modernism meets London stock brick in the strikingly staggered Aperture House
5 months ago
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 4
After old teams, old Brooklyn ballparks, and old Manhattan ballparks, it’s time for ballparks in...
2 months ago
After old teams, old Brooklyn ballparks, and old Manhattan ballparks, it’s time for ballparks in Queens. Despite the modern use of a numbered street system, Queens has street naming that drives outsiders mad, so it is fitting that three of the four old ballparks in the borough...
The Solarchitecture...
The Solar Manifesto - Part 1.
for even after the deepest night, the sun always rises.
over a year ago
for even after the deepest night, the sun always rises.
CONTEMPORIST
A Metal Roof Wraps Around This Off-Grid Cabin To Protect It From The Elements
Cameron Anderson Architects has shared photos of a small off-grid cabin they designed as part of a...
6 months ago
Cameron Anderson Architects has shared photos of a small off-grid cabin they designed as part of a luxury farm stay in Australia. The building is situated on a gently undulating site with its elevated position offering uninterrupted views of the surrounding farmland. A wrapping...
Old Structures...
A First Attempt
If you’re familiar with a final product, looking at the early ideas can be disconcerting. Things...
10 months ago
If you’re familiar with a final product, looking at the early ideas can be disconcerting. Things seem familiar but wrong, as can be seen in this 1870s map with a proposal for Morningside Park. The Upper West Side was pretty sparsely populated at that time because of the...
Coffee with an...
Architect Christmas Cards 2023
It’s that time of year again when a grinches, I mean an architect’s, heart grows 3 sizes and they...
a year ago
It’s that time of year again when a grinches, I mean an architect’s, heart grows 3 sizes and they realize the true meaning of Christmas. Ignoring heat gain coefficients and just using all glass on the new design for Santa’s experimental workshop/atelier anyway. It’s a Christmas...
Common Edge
Ugly Buildings Are Not Simply a Matter of Aesthetics
Bad architecture must come from some underlying ethos.
a year ago
Bad architecture must come from some underlying ethos.
Common Edge
The Uneven—but Important—Legacy of Prince Charles, Architecture Critic
While his design prescriptions were too narrow, his critique of modern planning principles still...
a year ago
While his design prescriptions were too narrow, his critique of modern planning principles still holds resonance.
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 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...
The Wandering...
Constructing Bourgoin’s Figure 171 – Part 2
Now that we know our way around the pattern (go back to Part 1), it should be fairly straightforward...
over a year ago
Now that we know our way around the pattern (go back to Part 1), it should be fairly straightforward to construct with a compass and straightedge. But be aware: any pattern that requires you to construct a pentagon is an advanced challenge. They are trickier to make than squares...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Green Roof Covers This Riverside Home
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof...
a year ago
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof that’s located on the bank of the Vistula River. The home has been designed to subtly integrate into the natural shape of the land and allows for a usable green roof. A sloped ramp...
The Modern House
Our Guide to Dulwich: from modernist architecture to master paintings
a year ago
Contemporist...
Lighting Is Used To Create A Warm Glowing Atmosphere For This Restaurant
FUNUN LAB has shared photos of a Japanese-inspired restaurant they designed in Beijing, China, that...
a year ago
FUNUN LAB has shared photos of a Japanese-inspired restaurant they designed in Beijing, China, that includes a variety of lighting that helps create a unique interior.
CONTEMPORIST
Clad In Stone, Wood, Steel, And Glass, This House Nestles Quietly Within The Natural Surroundings
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently...
a year ago
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently sloping site amidst a grove of aspen trees on the edge of a large, open meadow with views out to the Elk Mountain Range. Clad in stone, wood, steel, and glass, the house complements...
CONTEMPORIST
Red-Pigmented Concrete Screens Surround This New Home In Cape Town
Architecture firm SAOTA, together with interior design firm ARRCC, has recently completed a modern...
a year ago
Architecture firm SAOTA, together with interior design firm ARRCC, has recently completed a modern house in Cape Town, South Africa. The home was designed by Philip Olmesdahl, principal of SAOTA, for himself and his family, with him sharing, “When architects design their own...
Contemporist...
This Tall And Skinny House Also Has A Rooftop Pool
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi...
9 months ago
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a family of four with two sons.
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...
The Modern House
Jonny Gent: music, martinis and mayhem from the founder of Sessions Arts Club
The line between art and food is a fine one. Both are sensory, emotive and experiential; both are...
10 months ago
The line between art and food is a fine one. Both are sensory, emotive and experiential; both are fundamentally creative endeavours. But for Jonny Gent, painter and founder of Sessions Arts Club and Boath House, two new stars in the British hospitality firmament, the line […]
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #02: Jamelle Bouie [EPISODE]
For those reading along at home: welcome back to our read-along series on The Power Broker, a...
10 months ago
For those reading along at home: welcome back to our read-along series on The Power Broker, a groundbreaking book by Robert Caro looking at one of the most infamous urban influencers in modern history: Robert Moses, who reshaped New York City. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan and...
99% Invisible
Lost Cities of Geo Redux [EPISODE]
If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s...
a year ago
If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s that internet darlings rise and fall — and there’s something darkly fascinating about watching it happen in real time. The Lost Cities of Geo We may now be seeing it all again with...
CONTEMPORIST
Crafting Connection: A Contemporary Addition to a Historic Bungalow
Carter Williamson Architects has shared photos of a new home extension that they designed for an...
7 months ago
Carter Williamson Architects has shared photos of a new home extension that they designed for an Australian house in a heritage conservation area. The designers’ brief asked for an open, warm home in which a family could truly gather, one that respected the home’s history while...
CONTEMPORIST
A Green Exterior Helps This Cabin Blend Into The Forest
Scalar Architecture has completed a modern cabin in Connecticut that has a minimal ecological...
a year ago
Scalar Architecture has completed a modern cabin in Connecticut that has a minimal ecological footprint. Designed as a 1200-square-foot retreat for a family of writers and producers, the cabin is only accessible via foot or light utility vehicle. The cabin is located in a hilly...
Coffee with an...
Design Paths
Design is hard. The path you follow from start to finish is never a straight line. If only there...
9 months ago
Design is hard. The path you follow from start to finish is never a straight line. If only there were a handful of clear diagrams to explain the process. This isn’t that:
Archinect - Features
10 Ghost Towns With Unique Architecture
Cities are like living bodies, each one animated by the pulse of human life. People give a city...
a month ago
Cities are like living bodies, each one animated by the pulse of human life. People give a city purpose, identity, and movement. When a city is abandoned, its soul departs, leaving behind only the silent architecture, a skeletal remnant of what once was.
While such environments...
The Modern House
Beautiful, useful and sustainably flexible: the hand-crafted, customised and highly experimental...
9 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Cat Cafe In New York Was Designed With Whimsy And Playfulness
Architect Sonya Lee has shared photos of the new location of Meow Parlour, a cat cafe in New York...
4 months ago
Architect Sonya Lee has shared photos of the new location of Meow Parlour, a cat cafe in New York that had outgrown its previous space. The storefront has a 10’ wall of white oak shelves that spell out M E O W, which also function as signage, a playspace for the cats to snuggle...
Archinect - Features
The Pandemic Is History, but for Architects, Its Impact on Office Design Remains
Our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey highlighted concerns among architects that...
4 months ago
Our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey highlighted concerns among architects that their business health has been impacted by the ongoing adoption of remote and hybrid working patterns across the U.S. in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore in more detail...
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part III: Design of the World Trade Center
This is Part III in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World...
over a year ago
This is Part III in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. Part I covers the design and construction of the Empire State Building, and Part II covers the initial development of the World Trade Center
CONTEMPORIST
Black Accents Are Ever Present Throughout This Apartment
Koshulynskyy & Mayer studio has sent us photos of an apartment interior they completed that includes...
6 months ago
Koshulynskyy & Mayer studio has sent us photos of an apartment interior they completed that includes matte black accents throughout its design. The apartment, designed for a family, includes a living room with a dark accent wall, and a large couch in front of a suspended cabinet...
Benny Kuriakose
Paliam Nalukettu: A Glimpse into a Matrilineal Society
In the small town of Chendamangalam in Paravur, Kerala, is the Paliam Nalukettu, which is located...
a year ago
In the small town of Chendamangalam in Paravur, Kerala, is the Paliam Nalukettu, which is located within the Paliam complex. Benny...
The Modern House
Our guide to North Norfolk: spectacular wildlife, unspoiled beaches and stargazing
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Overhanging Plants Surround The Exterior Of This Home
Niraj Doshi Design Consultancy has sent us photos of a home they completed in the neighborhood of...
a year ago
Niraj Doshi Design Consultancy has sent us photos of a home they completed in the neighborhood of Pune, India that has abundant greenery. To complement the surrounding neighborhood, they designed the house to have planters that line the exterior. The planters help the home merge...
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...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 2
The illustration above, from the May 1883 issue of Harper’s Magazine, courtesy of the New York...
a year ago
The illustration above, from the May 1883 issue of Harper’s Magazine, courtesy of the New York Public Library, gives a better sense of the Brooklyn Bridge caissons than yesterday’s working drawing (repeated below) even if it’s got less technical information. Note that May 1883...
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...
99% Invisible
The Los Angeles Leaf Blower Wars [EPISODE]
The leaf blower is one of the most hated objects in the modern world. They’re loud, they pollute,...
6 months ago
The leaf blower is one of the most hated objects in the modern world. They’re loud, they pollute, and… how important is a leafless lawn anyway? In a lot of towns and cities, the gas-powered leaf blower has been banned. In others, there are strict guidelines on where and when they...
Construction Physics
The worst US bridges are getting fixed
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads,...
a year ago
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads, bridges, pipes, and transmission lines are decaying faster than they’re being repaired or replaced. This concern goes back to the early 1980s, when the book "
Construction Physics
What Would It Take to Recreate Bell Labs?
For most of the 20th century, AT&T was almost entirely responsible for building and operating...
5 months ago
For most of the 20th century, AT&T was almost entirely responsible for building and operating America’s telephone infrastructure. It manufactured the phones and electrical equipment, laid hundreds of millions of miles of wire across the country, and built and operated the...
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...
Old Structures...
Two Anachronisms
I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It...
2 months ago
I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It implies a drama that may never have existed. In this case, the west block-front of Trinity Place between Edgar and Rector Streets provides a nice contrast of building ages. From...
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...
Old Structures...
Probably Not Realistic
The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775....
a year ago
The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775. It’s definitely from that era, just based on the ships, which are far more accurately drawn than the buildings are. A lot of these illustrations appear to have been made by...
Old Structures...
Advertising Art
From 1922, preserved in a scrapbook at the New York Public Library, a romantic view of the Bankers...
2 months ago
From 1922, preserved in a scrapbook at the New York Public Library, a romantic view of the Bankers Trust Building at Wall and Nassau Streets. (The angle is a little funny – see below.) I cropped the image – at the lower right there was a little extension: This could be a...
The Modern House
Come On In: our collection in Open House Festival 2023 gives you access to some of London’s best...
a year ago
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...
Construction Physics
Will We Ever Get Fusion Power?
“Every one of the stars in the sky uses fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. Why shouldn’t...
5 months ago
“Every one of the stars in the sky uses fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. Why shouldn’t we?”
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...
Contemporist...
20 Top A’ Architecture Design Award Winners
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
a year ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing the 18,000 award winners from 139 different design disciplines.
The Modern House
Cover Stories: five new architecture, art and design books for your shelf
Inspiration may come in many forms but it’s flighty and hard to find. That said, one place you can...
9 months ago
Inspiration may come in many forms but it’s flighty and hard to find. That said, one place you can be quite sure to pin it down it is on a bookshelf. And while those at TMH HQ are already groaning, we can’t resist the allure […]
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...
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...
Reality Is Better Looking
Above, another hotel appointment card, this time from the Gilsey House. The hotel was completed in...
a year ago
Above, another hotel appointment card, this time from the Gilsey House. The hotel was completed in 1871, with that incredible cast-iron facade constructed by Daniel Badger. It’s still there, over 150 years later, now apartments. The engraving on the card really doesn’t do the...
Contemporist...
Dyed Cement Shingles Cover The Counter Inside This Bakery
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes...
2 months ago
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes handcrafted pieces of dyed cement in its design.
Blog - Guerrilla...
Bangalore's Disappearing Lakes
In an area of pronounced water scarcity high on the Deccan plateau, at an altitude removed from...
over a year ago
In an area of pronounced water scarcity high on the Deccan plateau, at an altitude removed from river-water and of water extraction from the ground, despite being historically nourished by monsoons, Bangalore's current population faces deep inequities of access to water which are...
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