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devonzuegel.com
Independence for whom? I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I recently spent a day at Sea Ranch, a strange and beautiful place. Sea Ranch is a planned community with a distinctive architectural style: simple timber-frame structures clad in wooden siding, and gardens all planted with native flora. The Sea Ranch Design Committee enforces...
Old Structures...
A Primer Worth Reading For people who don’t work on facades in New York, “Here’s why NYC sidewalks are (still) covered with...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
For people who don’t work on facades in New York, “Here’s why NYC sidewalks are (still) covered with 400 miles of scaffolding” by David Brand is worth a look. It’s a good introduction to the tangled issues around sidewalk sheds. A very short summary: the response, for decades, to...
McMansion Hell
ode to a faux grecian urn Howdy everyone, Today’s house, built in 2001, comes to you from, you guessed it, the Chicago...
a year ago
27
a year ago
Howdy everyone, Today’s house, built in 2001, comes to you from, you guessed it, the Chicago suburbs. The house is a testimony to traditional craftsmanship and traditional values (having lots of money.) The cost of painting this house greige is approximately the GDP of Slovenia...
Contemporist...
A Warm Wood Interior Contrasts With The Black Charred Cedar Exterior At This Ranch Lodge In Oregon Architecture and Interior Design firm Hacker, has shared photos of Black Butte Ranch Lodge that they...
6 months ago
devonzuegel.com
The road to hell is paved with asphalt Most roads are paved with asphalt. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with asphalt. Bricks,...
a year ago
56
a year ago
Most roads are paved with asphalt. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with asphalt. Bricks, cobblestones, and pavers are often much better options, because: 1. Asphalt degrades fast, so once you account for maintenance, it's more expensive it first appears Asphalt...
Contemporist...
Step Inside This Indoor Garden Dining Plaza Filled With Plants And Pathways On the 7th floor of Deji Plaza’s in Nanjing, China, X+Living Architecture and Interior Design has...
a month ago
11
a month ago
On the 7th floor of Deji Plaza’s in Nanjing, China, X+Living Architecture and Interior Design has created something quietly transformative. Led by designer Li Xiang, the studio turned an ordinary mall dining area into a layered indoor garden that invites people to slow down,...
Old Structures...
One Pitfall Avoided I’m not entirely sure what this proposed law would mean in practice: existing data at the Department...
a year ago
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a year ago
I’m not entirely sure what this proposed law would mean in practice: existing data at the Department of Buildings will be examined to identify which buildings are considered to be high risk, and the usual DoB actions – violations, etc. – will start from there. It all depends on...
Old Structures...
Uncluttered From 1946, a view from 501 Madison Avenue looking southwest past St. Patrick’s Cathedral to...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
From 1946, a view from 501 Madison Avenue looking southwest past St. Patrick’s Cathedral to Rockefeller Center. The International Building on the right partially blocks the view of the taller RCA Building, with the (old) Time-Life building off to the left. The construction site...
Benny Kuriakose
Activity Spaces and Play Areas in a School Activity spaces in schools can encourage students to learn from the outdoor environment. Sports...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Activity spaces in schools can encourage students to learn from the outdoor environment. Sports activities such as athletics, volleyball,...
devonzuegel.com
Israel's water miracle The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years. Israel went from having a serious water problem to being a net water exporter to neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the population grew from ~1 million to well over 9 million. With...
Old Structures...
New Ringing The Old Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle effect to the buildings in much of lower Manhattan that you can see clearly here, that the buildings on the waterfront are new and bigger than the ones behind them. It’s a simple...
Coffee with an...
Buildings are important People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them...
a year ago
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a year ago
People are born in themGrow up in them Fall in love in them Get married in them Raise kids in them Grow old in them Die in them Buildings are important. People decide big things here Decide on small things too Draw conclusions inside Make plans Change plans Change our minds Make...
CONTEMPORIST
Planter Boxes Were Designed To Help This House To Blend Into Its Tropical Setting Architecture firm Studio Saxe has designed a new home for their clients from Canada, who were...
over a year ago
99
over a year ago
Architecture firm Studio Saxe has designed a new home for their clients from Canada, who were looking to get away from the winter season and enjoy the tropical weather of Costa Rica. The home is surrounded by a tropical landscape, with the seasonal creek and wildlife of the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Pergola Helps This Home Seamlessly Blends Indoor And Outdoor Spaces Architecture firm Studio Saxe, together with interior design studio Sofía Interiorismo, has shared...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture firm Studio Saxe, together with interior design studio Sofía Interiorismo, has shared photos of a home they completed in Costa Rica, that seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor living. This home embodies sustainable living, generating its energy from the sun while...
Construction Physics
Which city builds skyscrapers the fastest? Last week we looked at trends in skyscraper construction speed for New York and Chicago, finding...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Last week we looked at trends in skyscraper construction speed for New York and Chicago, finding that New York has gotten significantly slower at building skyscrapers over time. Chicago, on the other hand, has declined in speed less steadily, and currently builds skyscrapers much...
Common Edge
Our Buildings, Our Selves, Featuring Michael Kimmelman and Kate Wagner Episode 2 of the Common Edge podcast explores the question: The age of the starchitect is over,...
3 months ago
Construction Physics
Roman vs Modern Concrete There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per usual, it’s triggered a round of enthusiastic discussion of Roman concrete, and how its ability to last for millennia puts modern concrete (which often fails after a few decades)...
Contemporist...
Tucked Behind This Minimalist Home Is a Backyard Oasis Bold House is a Mediterranean home designed by Manuel García Asociados with a focus on harmony,...
a month ago
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a month ago
Bold House is a Mediterranean home designed by Manuel García Asociados with a focus on harmony, craftsmanship, and spatial flow. Curved forms are used throughout to soften transitions and create a continuous connection between architecture and interior design. The result is a...
Contemporist...
A Weekend Apartment That Embodies the Philosophy of Happiness Russian designer Yulia Babintseva of YUHOME Design Studio reimagined a 812 square foot (75 sqm)...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Russian designer Yulia Babintseva of YUHOME Design Studio reimagined a 812 square foot (75 sqm) apartment as a serene weekend escape. Overlooking the greenery of Petrovsky Island, the apartment was designed for a couple who wanted more than function, they wanted a story, a symbol...
BLDGBLOG
World Store There was an article last year in the New York Times about a California start-up called Inversion...
over a year ago
5
over a year ago
There was an article last year in the New York Times about a California start-up called Inversion that wants to “speed delivery of important items by storing them in orbit.” Their goal is to build “earth-orbiting capsules”—“hundreds or thousands of containers”—that could “deliver...
CONTEMPORIST
Custom-Made Terrazzo Tiles Fill The Interior Of This New Coffee Bar & Cafe BRADLEY EDWARDS ARCHITECT has shared photos of the Onyx Coffee Lab, a combined coffee bar, café,...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
BRADLEY EDWARDS ARCHITECT has shared photos of the Onyx Coffee Lab, a combined coffee bar, café, patio, and kitchen they designed in Bentonville, Arkansas, that includes custom Terrazzo tiles. The design process began after the decision was made to put a coffee bar in the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Two-Storey Rear Addition For An Old Australian Cottage Bijl Architecture has shared photos of the Stealth House, a renovation project they completed that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Bijl Architecture has shared photos of the Stealth House, a renovation project they completed that included a modern addition to an inter-war cottage located in Hunters Hill, Australia. From the street, the original facade and front garden of the home hide the barely visible rear...
Common Edge
Condocide: Death of a Building Type The building collapse in Miami may not have been an aberration. The condition of aging condos...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The building collapse in Miami may not have been an aberration. The condition of aging condos nationwide is dire.
McMansion Hell
About my last few months. the hairshirt doldrums About my last few months.
4 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
The Architecture of Suspense The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock University of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock University of Virginia Press, September 2022 Paperback (also available in hardcover and ebook) | 6-3/4 x 7-3/4 inches | 274 pages | 66 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9780813947679 | $29.50 PUBLISHER'S...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker Breakdown Wrap-Up Join Roman and Elliott one last time as they reflect on their journey with you all through The Power...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Join Roman and Elliott one last time as they reflect on their journey with you all through The Power Broker, exploring their favorite moments and answering listener questions in this bonus episode. If you finished The Power Broker with us (or know someone who did), get the 99PI...
Contemporist...
A' Design Awards & Competition - Early Call for Entries The A’ Design Award & Competition is recognized as the world’s premier design award, engaging design...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The A’ Design Award & Competition is recognized as the world’s premier design award, engaging design enthusiasts globally and celebrating more than 1800 winners across over 150 design disciplines.
Contemporist...
How A Wood Screen Turned This Home Extension Into A Design Showpiece Austin Maynard Architects has unveiled a thoughtful renovation and extension of an Australian home,...
a month ago
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a month ago
Austin Maynard Architects has unveiled a thoughtful renovation and extension of an Australian home, transforming it into a warm, modern space that blends lightness, function, and character.
Blog - Guerrilla...
How AI is changing cartography: A chatbot’s perspective Artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the practice of cartography, not just as a...
a year ago
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a year 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...
devonzuegel.com
Situated Software Written by Clay Shirky First published March 30, 2004 on the "Networks, Economics, and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Written by Clay Shirky First published March 30, 2004 on the "Networks, Economics, and Culture" mailing list. Subscribe to the mailing list. I teach at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), where the student population is about evenly divided between...
99% Invisible
Broken Plexus (1 of 3): Designing a Recovery Workbook to Work Out Optimal Routines Severe brachial plexus injuries (BPI) are relatively rare, which can make it difficult for sufferers...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Severe brachial plexus injuries (BPI) are relatively rare, which can make it difficult for sufferers to find useful resources. Broken Plexus is a three-part micro-series on assistive design, centered on (but not limited to) people with serious BPIs facing long-haul recoveries....
Benny Kuriakose
Mahabalipuram - The Seaside Art Hub A triumphant center for sculptures just 57 kilometers south of Chennai city, is an art hub and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A triumphant center for sculptures just 57 kilometers south of Chennai city, is an art hub and famous travel destination called...
The Beauty of...
Clean Lines and Integrated Transport (Florastrasse transport hub, Adliswil, Switzerland) The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous...
a year ago
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a year ago
The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous public transport system is that the regard in which its phenomenal operational expertise is held can overshadow the architectural successes it also demonstrates. Even when transport...
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Award Announces Their Annual World Design Rankings This article has been brought to you by A’Design Awards. A’Design Award and Competition have...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
This article has been brought to you by A’Design Awards. A’Design Award and Competition have released their World Design Rankings (WDR) in Arts, Architecture and Design, with China taking first place, followed by the USA, and Japan. The World Design Rankings ranks all the...
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...
a year ago
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a year 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...
Common Edge
Finding Inspiration in Histories of Indian Families With Powerful Architectural Legacies The stories found in Architectural Inheritance and Evolution in India rekindled the fire for the...
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Last Call for Entries This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing 16,000 award winners from 110 different design disciplines. A’ Design...
Common Edge
Designing for Disaster in an Increasingly Dangerous World What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
a year ago
Common Edge
The Irony of Nigeria’s Resilient Democracy and Growing Legacy of Urban Tyranny Planning policies reflect a deep disdain for the poor, prioritizing elite aesthetics over social...
a week ago
Contemporist...
A Warehouse-Inspired Home With A Spanish Twist Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
Multi-disciplinary design firm mcmahon and nerlich has shared photos of a warehouse-inspired townhouse with a Spanish twist inside.
Construction Physics
Semiconductor fab reading list Like with most types of construction, there's no one source that explains how a semiconductor fab is...
a year ago
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a year ago
Like with most types of construction, there's no one source that explains how a semiconductor fab is built and operates. But there's an enormous amount written about semiconductors and the technology used to manufacture them, much of it excellent and informative, which makes it...
Archinect - Features
'A Commitment to Craft Is Intrinsic to This Place': A Conversation with Portland-Based... For our latest Studio Snapshot conversation, we had the pleasure of chatting with Brent Linden and...
a year ago
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a year ago
For our latest Studio Snapshot conversation, we had the pleasure of chatting with Brent Linden and Chris Brown, founding partners of Portland, Oregon-based Linden, Brown Architecture. Established in 2018 as a collaborative venture after working for large, established firms, the...
99% Invisible
Changing Stripes Rioters carried many familiar flags during the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Rioters carried many familiar flags during the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol — Confederate, MAGA, as well as some custom-made ones like a flag of Trump looking like Rambo. Except for onlookers who were already familiar with the design, it would have been...
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...
a year ago
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a year 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...
Construction Physics
Reading List 05/17/25 The “Safe System” of road design, a manufactured “superwood”, concrete sphere batteries, Tesla’s...
a month ago
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a month ago
The “Safe System” of road design, a manufactured “superwood”, concrete sphere batteries, Tesla’s insurance arm, the University of Nebraska’s drought monitor, and more.
Old Structures...
Infrastructure Density From 1954, “Sunnyside Yards” probably requires some explanation for people unfamiliar with western...
11 months ago
40
11 months ago
From 1954, “Sunnyside Yards” probably requires some explanation for people unfamiliar with western Queens. The yard (foreground) was built with Penn Station in the aughts because there was simply not enough room near the station, in Manhattan, for a proper yard. So, except for a...
Archinect - Features
The Brutalist Is a Cinematic Reflection of Brutalism Brutalist architecture is raw, powerful, emotional, and unapologetically honest. It rejects...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Brutalist architecture is raw, powerful, emotional, and unapologetically honest. It rejects ornamentation and architectural devices designed to make its inhabitants feel comfortable, instead creating a visceral, primal experience. Brutalism is a feeling—a bold statement that...
CONTEMPORIST
This Tall Black House Appears To Be Made From A Series Of Stacked Boxes Studio for Architecture & Collaboration (StudioAC) has designed a modern single-family home with a...
a year ago
29
a year ago
Studio for Architecture & Collaboration (StudioAC) has designed a modern single-family home with a black exterior in Toronto, Canada. The home has a gable roof and appears as a series of stacked boxes, with different levels defining the various areas of the home. The rear of the...
Construction Physics
When did New York start building slowly? (Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
(Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to autocorrelation effects. For a correct analysis, see the subsequent post here) It’s good to be able to build things quickly. The faster you build something, the quicker the benefits from it...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's Guide to the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: Part I — The National... With the opening week of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale now passed, there has been much...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
With the opening week of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale now passed, there has been much discussion and media coverage of the anticipated international exhibition. It's safe to imply that the high-profile event aims to highlight, unveil, celebrate, and at times, provoke new...
BLDGBLOG
Numbers Pool [Image: “Solomon’s Pools & ancient aqueducts…,” via Library of Congress.] There’s a beautiful...
over a year ago
6
over a year ago
[Image: “Solomon’s Pools & ancient aqueducts…,” via Library of Congress.] There’s a beautiful description over at New Scientist of a hypothetical new form of computing device, a “liquid crystal computer” in which calculations would move “like ripples through the liquid.”...
Old Structures...
Obvious In Restrospect The first real commuter rail in New York was the New York and Harlem Railroad, which eventually...
a year ago
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a year ago
The first real commuter rail in New York was the New York and Harlem Railroad, which eventually served, through a combination of horse-drawn street cars and heavy rail, from lower Manhattan to Chatham, New York, not far south of Albany. The portion in Manhattan south of 23rd...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's Tips for Recent Graduates Navigating Architectural Employment In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding portfolio advice, crafting an effective resume, and if one should follow their "dream job or a dream school" have been ongoing topics on Archinect and our forum. Within the last few...
devonzuegel.com
Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will...
over a year ago
27
over a year ago
Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will finally be able to compete with the US to attract talent. This is the once-in-a-generation opportunity for small, stable countries to grow, diversify, and up-skill their...
CONTEMPORIST
A Green And White Tiled Design Was Created For This Vegan Cafe Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio has shared photos of a vegan cafe they have recently...
a year ago
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a year ago
Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio has shared photos of a vegan cafe they have recently completed that has an eye-catching tiled facade and interior. The V-Spot Café, located in Chandigarh, India, has a common design aesthetic throughout, from the facade to the interior....
Old Structures...
Split Personality Live, from Montreal, the Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde et Saint Jacques: Putting aside the...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
Live, from Montreal, the Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde et Saint Jacques: Putting aside the building’s architectural merit – and there is a great deal – I find this kind of church interesting structurally. We have at least three very different types of structure here. There’s...
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Meant To Be Used With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed before the 1950s from their later counterparts by looking for light courts. If your lights are, at best, incandescent bulbs, and your ventilation is mostly or entirely though...
Common Edge
Encounters With Damian: Columbia University’s Homeless Neighbor Near and around campus, the juxtaposition between privilege and poverty is glaring.
a year ago
Contemporist...
Brick Is The Material Of Choice For This New Home Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in...
9 months ago
96
9 months ago
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in Phuket, Thailand, that blends design and traditional artisanal craftsmanship.
Contemporist...
Inside a Japanese-Inspired Vineyard Home in Turkey In an episode of Özlem Discovery, a YouTube channel known for unique home tours, viewers are...
a week ago
6
a week ago
In an episode of Özlem Discovery, a YouTube channel known for unique home tours, viewers are introduced to a secluded vineyard house tucked away on a one-acre plot in the tranquil hills of Sapanca, Turkey. Designed with strong influences from Japanese architecture, the home...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Cleveland Bridge While I was in England last week, I briefly visited the city of Bath. There’s a lot to look at...
a year ago
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a year ago
While I was in England last week, I briefly visited the city of Bath. There’s a lot to look at there, but let me start with the Cleveland Bridge over the River Avon. The top view is a little boring except for the non-structural toll houses, little Greek temples over the walkways,...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Listed When I’m traveling and therefore don’t know anything about most of the structures around, I simply...
a year ago
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a year 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,...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Sunken Cities Foundation Contributing an original map to GC’s newest Shelter: An Atlas was very appealing to me...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Foundation Contributing an original map to GC’s newest Shelter: An Atlas was very appealing to me for a couple of reasons: One, as an independent map illustrator, it would give my work wide exposure. Two, it would put me in good company with other talented mapmakers. Suggestions...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Remodeled 1970s Home In Seattle Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they completed that was originally designed by prominent Seattle Architect, Ralph Anderson. The 3-story home on Seattle’s Mercer Island was renovated and modernized, preserving what the...
Old Structures...
Repetition Back to my travelogue of the tour of Swiss and German bridges. This is an overall view of the rail...
a year ago
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a year ago
Back to my travelogue of the tour of Swiss and German bridges. This is an overall view of the rail viaduct across the Thun River valley at Ossingen, Switzerland. It was completed in 1874, and is still in use, carrying trains over the valley. Most of the sources I found are very...
Old Structures...
More Over-Thinking This photograph, taken in May 1959 by Angelo Rizzuto, is titled “View of building construction” on...
a year ago
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a year ago
This photograph, taken in May 1959 by Angelo Rizzuto, is titled “View of building construction” on the Library of Congress website. I’m not entirely convinced, although I have to admit that my doubts are based on squinting at the photo and nothing stronger. First, even for a...
Construction Physics
Robot Dexterity Still Seems Hard You can’t throw a rock these days without hitting someone trying to build humanoid robots.
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Sort-Of Round This is the 3333rd blog post published on the Old Structures web site. People are attracted to round...
a year ago
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a year 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...
Common Edge
Vishaan Chakrabarti: Looking for a Home, Aiming Risky Zingers The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
7 months ago
Archinect - Features
The People’s Place in the City of Bits and Atoms The city of the 21st century represents a confluence of bits and atoms; an organism in its own right...
a year ago
60
a year ago
The city of the 21st century represents a confluence of bits and atoms; an organism in its own right that relentlessly spawns information and data about itself, its people, and the invisible flows that support them. What is the relationship between humans and the city in this new...
Old Structures...
Providing Constructibility You never know what you’ll find in the subway. Above, one of the columns on the Brooklyn-bound...
a year ago
20
a year ago
You never know what you’ll find in the subway. Above, one of the columns on the Brooklyn-bound platform of the R train at Whitehall Street, supporting the station roof, some twenty feet of soil, and the street above. The station opened in 1918 as part of the Dual Contracts...
A Weekly Dose of...
Reading About Drawings Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I...
a year ago
49
a year ago
Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I spent my holiday break reading a five-year-old book about a trio of intertwined topics I'm particularly fond of: drawings, exhibitions, and New York City. Drawing on...
BLDGBLOG
Agency of the Subsurface [Image: The Heathen Gate at Carnuntum, outside Vienna; photo by Geoff Manaugh.] Last summer, a...
a year ago
8
a year ago
[Image: The Heathen Gate at Carnuntum, outside Vienna; photo by Geoff Manaugh.] Last summer, a geophysicist at the University of Vienna named Immo Trinks proposed the creation of an EU-funded “International Subsurface Exploration Agency.” Modeled after NASA or the ESA, this new...
SOCKS
Michelangelo Caetani’s Six Topographic Maps of the Divine Comedy As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, here we feature the six maps drawn by Michelangelo Caetani in a book titled La materia della Divina Commedia di Dante Alighieri dichiarata in VI tavole, Roma (1855). A...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home That Includes A ‘Dutch Barn’ In Partial Shell Form YARD Architects has shared photos of a contemporary barn-inspired home in England, that’s located in...
4 months ago
39
4 months ago
YARD Architects has shared photos of a contemporary barn-inspired home in England, that’s located in the Suffolk countryside. The home owners had purchased a new build ‘Dutch Barn’ in partial shell form, which required a full internal fit out to create a family home for them and...
Archinect - Features
AI Bias and Digital Colonialism; A Conversation with Morehshin Allahyari Whether through her art, writings, or lectures, Morehshin Allahyari's work evokes a range of...
a year ago
24
a year ago
Whether through her art, writings, or lectures, Morehshin Allahyari's work evokes a range of emotions among its audience. There is wonder and intrigue at her reinterpretation of centuries-old Middle Eastern stories, images, and artifacts. There is introspection on our...
Archinect - Features
Organizing and Reforming Architectural Education: A Conversation With Tessa Forde In recent years, the word 'organizing' has taken on a heightened power in architectural discourse,...
8 months ago
67
8 months ago
In recent years, the word 'organizing' has taken on a heightened power in architectural discourse, most notably through grassroots efforts by architectural workers across the United States to organize for better workplace conditions. For Tessa Forde, organizing centers on a vast...
devonzuegel.com
The Hard Parts of Open Source, by Evan Czaplicki Speaker: Evan Czaplicki Meeting: Strange Loop 2018 - September 2018 Video:...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Speaker: Evan Czaplicki Meeting: Strange Loop 2018 - September 2018 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_4EX4dPppA Slides: https://prezi.com/oowcpzsnwp-8/the-hard-parts-of-open-source/?webgl=0 [ References to videos, books, and articles mentioned in this...
Common Edge
In Praise of a Great Mentor: Working With Geoffrey Bawa Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
a year ago
Old Structures...
The Pause Was About To End Another great photo from Angel Rizzuto, from August 1952. He was almost certainly looking from the...
a year ago
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a year ago
Another great photo from Angel Rizzuto, from August 1952. He was almost certainly looking from the Empire State Building; this is a view north past midtown, Central Park and the Upper East Side, and with Harlem and the Bronx in the distance. The east side of the park is Fifth...
CONTEMPORIST
Plants Cascade Down The Exterior Of This New Home Architecture firm NAQI & Partners, has shared photos of a villa they completed in the heart of the...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Architecture firm NAQI & Partners, has shared photos of a villa they completed in the heart of the coastal city of Nha Trang, Vietnam, that integrates plants and an indoor swimming pool into its design. The Nha Trang Pool Villa is the living space for a young family, balancing...
Old Structures...
Variations On A Theme It turns out that I didn’t exhaust the topic of The Tombs yesterday. Possibly because of its social...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
It turns out that I didn’t exhaust the topic of The Tombs yesterday. Possibly because of its social meaning in the mid-1800s, possibly because of its bizarre appearance, drawings and photos of it seem to have turned up a lot in various publications. Here’s a photo in 1898, near...
CONTEMPORIST
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
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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...
Old Structures...
A Sometimes Disagreeable Foreign Land, Part 2 Continuing my stroll the 1893 Baedeker description of New York, pages 12 and 13 are a list of “chief...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
Continuing my stroll the 1893 Baedeker description of New York, pages 12 and 13 are a list of “chief lines” of streetcars in Manhattan. There’s a parenthetical note that there are three streetcar lines that cross the Harlem River in “The ‘Annexed District’”. That’s the west...
CONTEMPORIST
A Curvy Concrete Cube With Cut Outs For Windows Is The Form Of This New Home Cadence Architects has sent us photos of a new modern home they completed in Krishnagiri, India,...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Cadence Architects has sent us photos of a new modern home they completed in Krishnagiri, India, that features a cube design with cut-outs. The K-Home, located in a busy residential neighborhood, has strategically scooped-out segments that create dynamic openings that frame 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
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a year ago
Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve been told that you speak like your mom, or that you laugh like your uncle. Maybe you sometimes slip back into an accent that reveals something about your past. Maybe you have a...
Old Structures...
An Obvious Issue “The Battle for the Streets of New York” by Dodai Stewart and illustrated by Leon Edler, in Monday’s...
a year ago
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a year ago
“The Battle for the Streets of New York” by Dodai Stewart and illustrated by Leon Edler, in Monday’s New York Times, is a reasonable discussion of congestion on Manhattan’s streets. Not just car congestion – delivery truck, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian congestion are discussed as...
99% Invisible
Shade Redux [EPISODE] This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus...
a year ago
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a year ago
This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus shelters. It’s called La Sombrita. La Sombrita is a metal screen that’s intended to provide shade for the thousands of people who ride the bus every day. The shade screen is about two...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter [EPISODE] This is the ninth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
This is the ninth 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 Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and real estate developer from...
McMansion Hell
mojo dojo casa house Howdy folks! Sorry for the delay, I was, uhhhh covering the Tour de France. Anyway, I’m back in...
a year ago
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a year ago
Howdy folks! Sorry for the delay, I was, uhhhh covering the Tour de France. Anyway, I’m back in Chicago which means this blog has returned to the Chicago suburbs. I’m sure you’ve all seen Barbie at this point so this 2019 not-so-dream house will come as a pleasant (?)...
There are two types...
My Meals With Bob: My Mini Memoir in Common Edge A photo of New York 1900. showing two of the four images of the Colonial Club in the book. We...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A photo of New York 1900. showing two of the four images of the Colonial Club in the book. We included so many images of the pleasant but unremarkable building because that was where we wrote the book, in Robert A.M. … Continue reading → The post My Meals With Bob: My Mini Memoir...
There are two types...
Car Free Brooklyn Bridge – photos and drawings A Car-Free Brooklyn Bridge Is Possible Images and Illustratons AFTER: Aerial view looking east...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A Car-Free Brooklyn Bridge Is Possible Images and Illustratons AFTER: Aerial view looking east towards a car-free Brooklyn Bridge. Centre Street and Park Row next to the Brooklyn Bridge are reimagined as an extension of City Hall Park. © 2020 … Continue reading → The post Car...
CONTEMPORIST
A Slightly Different Angled Ridge Line Was Given To Each Home In This Passive House Development RODE, a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners, together with Passive House...
a year ago
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a year ago
RODE, a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners, together with Passive House Construction LLC, has shared photos of Brucewood Homes, a collection of internationally certified Passive House single-family homes. The Brucewood Homes project is a series of...
Old Structures...
The More Things Stay The Same Above, an article from the Real Estate Record and Guide of October 15, 1910. It speaks for itself to...
a year ago
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a year ago
Above, an article from the Real Estate Record and Guide of October 15, 1910. It speaks for itself to some degree, and, based on the general topic, could have been written pretty much any decade from the 1880s to today. The good news (paragraph three): the case was apparently...
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...
8 months ago
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8 months 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...
99% Invisible
What We’re Reading After we finished up The Power Broker, a bunch of people were asking us what other books we’d been...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
After we finished up The Power Broker, a bunch of people were asking us what other books we’d been reading. A group of us got together and presented some of our recent favorites, and the choices were so good and surprising and charming, we’re now sharing it widely. To hear new...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker Breakdown Breakdown The Power Broker Breakdown may have concluded, but if you’re just tuning in (or if you just want a...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
The Power Broker Breakdown may have concluded, but if you’re just tuning in (or if you just want a quick refresher), this episode is a compilation of the summary portions of the The Power Broker Breakdown series. You can find the entire series in the 99% Invisible feed, wherever...
Archinect - Features
A Conversation with Bjarke Ingels on AI, 3D Printing, and the Future of the Architectural... It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of...
a year ago
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a year ago
It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of conversation was BIG's 'Hot to Cold' exhibition at the National Building Museum. Today, after a decade that has included award-winning Manhattan skyscrapers, floating cities, a...
The Solarchitecture...
Create homes that are havens for health and vitality Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings.
over a year ago
99% Invisible
Goodnight Nobody [EPISODE] To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten books that had been checked out the most in the history of the library — and most of these were children’s books, like The Cat in the Hat and Where the Wild Things Are. Curiously...
Construction Physics
Reading List 04/26/25 Enhanced rock weathering, driverless trucks, Home Depot’s garden experiments, hydrogen airplanes,...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Enhanced rock weathering, driverless trucks, Home Depot’s garden experiments, hydrogen airplanes, and more.
Old Structures...
In The Background The photo from the Bain News Service is titled “Post Office, New York” and the Library of Congress...
a year ago
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a year ago
The photo from the Bain News Service is titled “Post Office, New York” and the Library of Congress dates it as “between ca. 1910 and ca. 1915.” I think we can do better: that’s the Municpal Building in the background under construction. The building took longer than usual to...
Common Edge
After the Ashes in LA: “The Future Is Right in Front of You” Rebuilding doesn’t have to mean sterile development. Just look at the innovative and resilient ways...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Rebuilding doesn’t have to mean sterile development. Just look at the innovative and resilient ways people are already doing it.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar – They’re Just Messing With Us Daredevil – Matt Murdock- is blind. He’s got radar, but that doesn’t allow him to read what’s...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
Daredevil – Matt Murdock- is blind. He’s got radar, but that doesn’t allow him to read what’s printed on a flat surface. So why would he have a poster of the NYC subway map in his kitchen?
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...
11 months ago
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11 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...
99% Invisible
Side Projects [EPISODE] This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got a preview of a new miniseries for you called Not Built for This, created and hosted by Emmett FitzGerald. It’s a show about climate change, but not in the way you might think....
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
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a year ago
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to build its own high-speed rail routes soon after they debuted in Japan in 1964, these efforts were unsuccessful, outside of the popular-but-troubled Metroliner
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Ceiling Inspired By Flowing Chocolate Can Be Seen Inside This Store Architectural studio Arch&Type has shared photos of Blue Table Chocolates, a new retail chocolate...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architectural studio Arch&Type has shared photos of Blue Table Chocolates, a new retail chocolate store in Buffalo, New York. Key to the intriguing interior design is the custom parametric ceiling tiles that were inspired by an image of golden, silky, and flowing untempered...
Common Edge
Revisiting Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—a Telling Landscape The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in...
a year ago
25
a year ago
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in affordability and represent a modular failure.
Contemporist...
This Modern Mountain Home Was Designed With Distinctly Separate Wings CLB Architects has sent us photos of a mountain retreat they designed in a densely forested area of...
over a year ago
Archinect - Features
'Architect' is a Protected Title. What About 'Architectural?' Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series continues with an examination of exceptions and nuances...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Our Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series continues with an examination of exceptions and nuances related to the protection of the title 'architect' in the United States. In particular, we ask how architect-adjacent titles such as 'architectural designer,' 'architectural intern,'...
Archinect - Features
How Mecanoo Delivers on Architectural Renders The acclaimed Dutch architectural studio Mecanoo excels at crafting renderings of unbuilt projects...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
The acclaimed Dutch architectural studio Mecanoo excels at crafting renderings of unbuilt projects that faithfully convey the design and atmosphere of the project ultimately constructed. As modern rendering engines offer architects unprecedented capabilities to create dynamic...
CONTEMPORIST
A Kitchen Wrapped In Textured Wood Defines The Boundary Of The Workspace Barker Associates Architecture Office has shared photos of their Sackett Street Townhouse, a project...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Barker Associates Architecture Office has shared photos of their Sackett Street Townhouse, a project delivered for clients, recent empty-nesters with their own consulting company, who were looking to refresh their townhouse following the departure of their daughter for college....
devonzuegel.com
Numbers for understanding cities Whenever I think about physical places, I find myself coming back to a few types of numbers again...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
Whenever I think about physical places, I find myself coming back to a few types of numbers again and again. I've collected these into spreadsheets so that I can reference them more easily, and I figured they might be useful to others too: Urban densities – Population density...
Contemporist...
This Elevated Cabin Looks Like A Birdhouse i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they...
a year ago
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a year 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.
Archinect - Features
Storytelling, Bias, and Exploitation in Digital Realms; A Conversation with Miriam Hillawi... For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers....
a year ago
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a year ago
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers. The Ethiopian designer and researcher sees digital media as an impactful, playful, and unrestrained way of shaping immersive stories that challenge Western narratives and power...
Archinect - Features
How the Business of Architecture and Construction Fared in May 2024: Introducing Archinect's... Welcome to the first of Archinect's new monthly series, 'State of AEC.' At the end of each month, we...
a year ago
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a year ago
Welcome to the first of Archinect's new monthly series, 'State of AEC.' At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically. As we approach the midway point of...
Old Structures...
Not Quite Changing First, “Facade, 317 Broadway” from Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York Project”, taken in 1936....
a year ago
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a year ago
First, “Facade, 317 Broadway” from Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York Project”, taken in 1936. Second, a street view photo of 319 Broadway, today. 317 Broadway is at the southwest corner of Thomas Street and Broadway; 319 at the northwest corner. So unless this building moved...
Old Structures...
Unrestricted New York’s first zoning law went into effect in 1916. It is famous for partially restricting...
a year ago
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a year ago
New York’s first zoning law went into effect in 1916. It is famous for partially restricting heights, by forcing setbacks of building mass facing streets, but it also restricted some uses of land. The map below – an actual blueprint, for what that’s worth – shows “Tentative Use...
Archinect - Features
Five Ways Architects Charge Fees, and Five Tips to Consider In the architectural profession, some argue, financial management often takes a backseat to creative...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
In the architectural profession, some argue, financial management often takes a backseat to creative pursuits, leaving firms vulnerable to cash flow challenges and unsustainable business practices. Concerns about profitability, rising costs, and the perceived value of the...
Old Structures...
Smooth Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high...
7 months ago
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7 months 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...
CONTEMPORIST
A Yellow Interior Sets The Tone For This Cafe SIKORA INTERIORS has shared photos of a new dessert cafe with a bright yellow interior they...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
SIKORA INTERIORS has shared photos of a new dessert cafe with a bright yellow interior they completed in the historic downtown of Hanseatic city in Poland. The goal was to create a bold, experimental space that would establish a strong new brand. The designers’ inspiration came...
A Weekly Dose of...
From Web to Print Recently I was watching a news program, most likely PBS Newshour or an MSNBC show, and was struck by...
over a year ago
42
over a year ago
Recently I was watching a news program, most likely PBS Newshour or an MSNBC show, and was struck by one of the talking heads speaking via Skype or Zoom being described as "a writer working on turning her blog into a book." I don't remember her name or even the subject, as the...
99% Invisible
Category 6 [EPISODE] On the campus of Florida International University, in Miami, there’s a place ominously named “The...
a year ago
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a year ago
On the campus of Florida International University, in Miami, there’s a place ominously named “The Extreme Events Institute.” They map the risk of storm surge for the whole Caribbean, and study how the public perceives the threats from natural disasters. They’re also home to the...
devonzuegel.com
Everything is Amazing, But Nothing is Ours Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post called Dropbox: the First Dead Decacorn. At the time, it was the...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post called Dropbox: the First Dead Decacorn. At the time, it was the most widely shared take I’d ever written. I learned several things from writing this piece, and none of them had to do with Dropbox: I learned, for instance, that a great way to get...
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...
over a year ago
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over 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.
Archinect - Features
2025 Summer Architecture Programs for Adults and High School Graduates Archinect’s 2025 roundup of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, focusing on...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Archinect’s 2025 roundup of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, focusing on opportunities for high school graduates, college students, and adults of all experience levels. Whether you're exploring architecture for the first time or seeking to deepen your knowledge...
The Solarchitecture...
Circadian rhythm and solar home design If our body is not tuned to our circadian rhythm, we can hardly be in flow with Life.
over a year ago
Archinect - Features
ChatGPT Interviews Matias del Campo: Architecture, Hallucinations, and other Exotic... What is artificial intelligence? How can we maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the risks?...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
What is artificial intelligence? How can we maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the risks? Is the role of the architect safe from AI? In any conversation about the impact of artificial intelligence on the architectural profession, such questions are at the forefront of...
Old Structures...
Got Very Big, Very Fast Yesterday, I mentioned two department stores in New York, the 1846 A. T. Stewart Store at Broadway...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Yesterday, I mentioned two department stores in New York, the 1846 A. T. Stewart Store at Broadway and Chambers Street that was the first real department store in the US, and the 1896 Siegel-Cooper Store at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street that was for a time the largest store in the...
99% Invisible
The Wide Open When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act established protections for plants and animals on the endangered and threatened species lists, and across the aisle, everyone seemed to agree that it would be bad for a bunch of...
Old Structures...
Comparisons This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century....
11 months ago
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11 months ago
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes it was just buildings, like here, sometimes steamships were stood on end to show how big they were. (Note that the biggest steamship in 1908, when the Singer Building was new,...
Common Edge
What’s to Become of the Mess That Is Penn Station? A talk with architecture critic Justin Davidson about the thorny knot of issues involved at New...
a year ago
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a year ago
A talk with architecture critic Justin Davidson about the thorny knot of issues involved at New York’s most conflicted transportation-entertainment site.
Archinect - Features
'You Need to Use AI Much More Than You Think to Get Unique Results From It'; A Conversation... Studying Alexis Christodoulou’s work, including his highly popular Instagram portfolio, one would...
a year ago
22
a year ago
Studying Alexis Christodoulou’s work, including his highly popular Instagram portfolio, one would expect his images to be the product of decades of education, training, and practice at the top of the field. The fact that Christodoulou is a self-taught artist of ten years,...
McMansion Hell
texas gothic revival Sometimes I just want to get on my hobbyhorse, which for about a year now has been the middle ages...
a year ago
33
a year ago
Sometimes I just want to get on my hobbyhorse, which for about a year now has been the middle ages but surely will soon be something else. (Please hyperfixation gods, make it financial literacy.) Anyway, I meandered around the nation (online) in search of another opportunity to...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Office Hides Behind A Sliding Wall In This House Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a home for the owner’s family. The interior, contemporary yet comfortable in its design, includes a living room that has a large empty wall. However, this wall isn’t stationary but...
Old Structures...
Sequencing In Detailing That’s an illustration from a 1913 article called “Engineering Design Of The Woolworth Building”...
a year ago
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a year ago
That’s an illustration from a 1913 article called “Engineering Design Of The Woolworth Building” from The American Architect. That’s the design of the most heavily-loaded columns in the building, below the tower. To put it in perspective, that built-up column, composed of plates...
99% Invisible
A Beetle By Any Other Name In a limestone cave deep in Central Slovenia, an unremarkable insect lives in complete darkness....
4 months ago
42
4 months ago
In a limestone cave deep in Central Slovenia, an unremarkable insect lives in complete darkness. This tiny beetle, barely visible to the naked eye, has no eyes and a brownish-yellow coloration—adaptations to a life spent entirely underground. The beetle has survived for...
Old Structures...
The Queen Anne Style Is Rare In New York I was on the Upper East Side and saw two houses that don’t quite fit in on Park Avenue north of 69th...
a year ago
42
a year ago
I was on the Upper East Side and saw two houses that don’t quite fit in on Park Avenue north of 69th Street. Those two rowhouses are listed in the records of the Upper East Side Historic District as having been built between 1882 and 1885 as part of a larger row, with the other...
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...
over a year ago
19
over a year ago
Interior views add valuable information to the documentation of a historic building. To capture the true essence of the building, the...
Common Edge
The Art and Angst of Architecture in Southern California An excerpt from An Urban Odyssey: A Critic’s Search for the Soul of Cities and Self.
7 months ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Favorite Books of 2022 For this last post of 2022 I looked back at the dozens of books I reviewed or featured as "Book...
over a year ago
44
over a year ago
For this last post of 2022 I looked back at the dozens of books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the ones I reviewed on World-Architects. From those books I gathered just over a dozen favorites, grouping them into some common themes that happened to come...
Old Structures...
The Big Time We’re working on the Gothic Bridge in Central Park, seen above. Tim went to the night-before prep...
a year ago
32
a year ago
We’re working on the Gothic Bridge in Central Park, seen above. Tim went to the night-before prep for the Thanksgiving parade and found this float: And then he watched the parade on TV and found it again, second from the end:
There are two types...
Me on the On Cities Podcast CLICK HERE to open in Apple Podcasts The post Me on the On Cities Podcast appeared first on There...
a year ago
28
a year ago
CLICK HERE to open in Apple Podcasts The post Me on the On Cities Podcast appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Renovation Where The Walls Were Removed So The Interior Connects With the Exterior Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they renovated in London, that included opening up...
a year ago
24
a year ago
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they renovated in London, that included opening up the walls to connect the interior spaces with the garden. The designers removed the whole ground floor, including the external walls to the rear, the stairs, most of the interior,...
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...
over a year ago
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over 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...
devonzuegel.com
Contemplating calendars My friends say that my calendaring practice is atypical (and mock me incessantly for it). They're...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
My friends say that my calendaring practice is atypical (and mock me incessantly for it). They're not wrong, but I'll contend that most people underutilize this ubiquitous tool. A calendar is not just a reminder device for keeping track of external events. Used right, a calendar...
Old Structures...
A Metaphor Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main...
10 months ago
69
10 months ago
Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront on the Brooklyn side: Each of the four main cables is attached to one of the four deck-stiffening trusses below by the vertical suspender cables. The towers are separately attached to the trusses by the diagonal brace cables in...
Old Structures...
Now The Good Side A few years ago, I wrote a fairly snarky and negative piece on the Park Avenue Hotel. The building...
a year ago
34
a year ago
A few years ago, I wrote a fairly snarky and negative piece on the Park Avenue Hotel. The building is physically of interest to me because it was a rare example of a residential building with cast-iron facades and a good example of the common approach (in the mid-nineteenth...
CONTEMPORIST
This Bed Headboard Was Designed With A Fold-Out Desk Laura Ortín Arquitectura has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Murcia,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Laura Ortín Arquitectura has shared photos of an apartment renovation they completed in Murcia, Spain that includes a unique design feature in the bedroom. The bedroom, located off of a curved hallway, has dual doorways providing a glimpse of the room inside. Once inside, the...
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
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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...
Archinect - Features
Can Tactical Design Make NYC Subways Feel Safe Again? WXY’s Claire Weisz Thinks So Darkened corners, poorly-lit cars, vandalism, and other physical and psychological indicators that...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Darkened corners, poorly-lit cars, vandalism, and other physical and psychological indicators that crime is present or can thrive still underpin its persistence on subways and in stations in New York City. This has led to a widespread perception of danger. And, in real terms, the...
Contemporist...
19-Foot-High Wooden Bookshelves And A DJ Booth For A New Streetwear Store Design studio El Departamento, has shared photos of 'Nude Library', Nude Project's new flagship...
5 months ago
99% Invisible
Trail Mix [EPISODE] A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed...
a year ago
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a year ago
A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed and maintained to meet specific standards. These standards relate to the recreational experience the trail is intended to provide. But trails are something many of us take for...
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...
a year ago
48
a year 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...
99% Invisible
The Art of the Olympics [EPISODE] The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99%...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99% Invisible archives about the art of the Olympics. Mexico 68 The 1968 Olympics took place in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first Games ever hosted in a Latin American country. And...
Archinect - Features
When Should Architecture Firms Start Hiring? Five Factors To Consider With the U.S. Federal Reserve embarking on rounds of target interest rate cuts in late 2024, AEC...
7 months ago
71
7 months ago
With the U.S. Federal Reserve embarking on rounds of target interest rate cuts in late 2024, AEC industry commentators are forecasting that architectural business conditions may improve in the coming months. Architecture firms experiencing an increased workload may, therefore,...
devonzuegel.com
A Big Little Idea Called Legibility July 26, 2010 By Venkatesh Rao James C. Scott’s fascinating and seminal book, Seeing Like a...
over a year ago
26
over a year ago
July 26, 2010 By Venkatesh Rao James C. Scott’s fascinating and seminal book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, examines how, across dozens of domains, ranging from agriculture and forestry, to urban planning and...
Old Structures...
Four, Maybe Five, Maybe Six Bridges Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from...
a year ago
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a year ago
Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from Rutgers Street and South Street: We’ve got a pseudo-dramatic, badly framed view of the Manhattan tower of the Manhattan Bridge, with the elevated FDR Drive blocking most of it....
99% Invisible
A Walking Tour with Mr. Memphis Earlier this year, producer Chris Berube went to Memphis, Tennessee for a story about the Memphis...
3 months ago
35
3 months ago
Earlier this year, producer Chris Berube went to Memphis, Tennessee for a story about the Memphis Pyramid (check that out here!) While in town, Chris also had the chance to spend a day with Jimmy Ogle, the former historian for Shelby County. Ogle is a repository for Memphis...
Common Edge
Everything Is (Not) Architecture: Environmental Design and Architecture’s Slippery Slope Does it exist, distinct from buildings and bodies?
over a year ago
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 4 After old teams, old Brooklyn ballparks, and old Manhattan ballparks, it’s time for ballparks in...
8 months ago
65
8 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...
99% Invisible
Mini Stories: Volume 18 [EPISODE] Here it is: our second and final set of mini-stories for the season, cooked up in advance of the...
a year ago
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a year ago
Here it is: our second and final set of mini-stories for the season, cooked up in advance of the holidays with finishing touches added after the new year. We’ll be covering upside-down construction, the linguistics of filler and a fire that has been burning for decades. Top-Down...
Common Edge
Wonder and Awe in a James Turrell Skyspace The artist’s latest work, in Manhattan, is both an engineering and a visual marvel that moves the...
7 months ago
Old Structures...
A Different Definition of Speed I’ve mentioned the “Speedway” a few times in passing. It was a pleasure drive along the Harlem...
8 months ago
65
8 months ago
I’ve mentioned the “Speedway” a few times in passing. It was a pleasure drive along the Harlem River, meant to provide a place for people with horses and horse carriages – i.e., the upper middle class and the wealthy – to have fun. There was nothing inherently terrible about...
Old Structures...
Clogging Up Traffic Traffic in lower Manhattan is always bad, but is today impassable even for pedestrians. The New York...
8 months ago
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8 months 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...
Contemporist...
Top 20 A' Design Award Winners From Past Years A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
10 months ago
65
10 months ago
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing winners from 114 countries in 151 different design disciplines.More than 70,000 project submissions are carefully evaluated by an internationally and...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Guidebooks A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by...
over a year ago
39
over a year ago
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1965.  Are guidebooks still a valid and useful subgenre of architecture books? Do architects...
Old Structures...
A Working Drawing Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the...
a year ago
21
a year ago
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge. I guess it doesn’t quite qualify as art, although I’d certainly hang it on a wall. The lettering at the top and the 3D-effect frame around the image suggest that this...
CONTEMPORIST
The Woody Palette Of The Exterior Is Brought Through To The Inside Of This Home In New Zealand First Light Studio has shared photos of a new home they designed that’s nestled into the Port Hills...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
First Light Studio has shared photos of a new home they designed that’s nestled into the Port Hills in Governors Bay, New Zealand. The design brief for the house was to create a small home that was well crafted out of nice materials, which resulted in a gable form with a wood...
Archinect - Features
'The Notion of AI as a Form of Augmentation or Enhancement Is Fascinating to Me'; A... Behnaz Farahi stands at an eclectic intersection between culture and technology. Trained as an...
over a year ago
28
over a year ago
Behnaz Farahi stands at an eclectic intersection between culture and technology. Trained as an architect, with specializations in computational design, interactive technologies, additive manufacturing, and digital fabrication, Farahi asks how emerging technologies can allow us to...
THE ARCHITECTURAL...
Architect Releases Academic Dissertation That Questions Architects’ Taste Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new...
a year ago
41
a year ago
Many architects look down upon residential areas built with the small town as a model, with new houses made in a traditional style. But this is exactly what the average person appreciates. “Why do many architects dislike the very thing that residents often enjoy?” asks architect...
Archinect - Features
'Architecture Education as an Active Project': A Conversation with Mariana Ibañez, Chair of... Academic leaders have the demanding task of steering and shaping a school's culture and pedagogy....
a year ago
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a year ago
Academic leaders have the demanding task of steering and shaping a school's culture and pedagogy. Not only are they responsible for overseeing an institution's administrative affairs, but they are also charged with fostering environments for students and faculty to thrive. Since...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – An Apartment Remodel In Milan Creative studio Lascia la Scia, has shared photos of a modern apartment renovation in Milan, Italy,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Creative studio Lascia la Scia, has shared photos of a modern apartment renovation in Milan, Italy, they completed that included reworking the layout to include a main open-plan living space as well as a home office and second bedroom. Before we see the renovated space, here’s a...
Old Structures...
Non-Demolished When the West Side Highway – the limited access, elevated highway that was demolished in the 1970s...
a year ago
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a year ago
When the West Side Highway – the limited access, elevated highway that was demolished in the 1970s and 80s – was planned in the 1920s, it made sense. From a viewpoint any later than about 1940 it was a terrible mistake. Bad planning and little maintenance doomed the old highway,...
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...
over a year ago
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over 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...
The Beauty of...
Chemical Attraction (Hackney Wick station, London, UK) It is hard to overstate the impact Hackney Wick station makes on a visitor, as well as the...
a year ago
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a year ago
It is hard to overstate the impact Hackney Wick station makes on a visitor, as well as the unexpectedness of it doing so. Reopened in 2018 after a complete rebuild, it is one of the most photogenic small stations on the British rail network. Yet somehow, it seems to have slipped...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Hidden In The Forest Appears Like A Stack Of Illuminated Boxes William / Kaven Architecture has sent us photos of a home they completed in Portland, Oregon, that’s...
a year ago
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a year ago
William / Kaven Architecture has sent us photos of a home they completed in Portland, Oregon, that’s part of a collection of private residences perched on several steeply sloped sites within Forest Park, a 5,000-acre woodland. A simple material palette of dark steel, concrete,...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Courthouses Galore Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt...
10 months ago
61
10 months ago
Foley Square, northeast of City Hall Park, has a collection of very large courthouses. Here’s Matt Murdoch, otherwise known as Daredevil, on the steps of a courthouse having just finished a case: Here’s a view looking north with the New York State Supreme Court and its large...
CONTEMPORIST
A Material Palette Of Pale Brick, Concrete, And Timber Echoes This Home’s Coastal Site Architecture firm studioplusthree has shared photos of a project in Sydney, Australia, that included...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture firm studioplusthree has shared photos of a project in Sydney, Australia, that included the alterations and additions to an existing house. The home features a material palette of pale brick, concrete, and timber evoking the project’s coastal location and echoing the...
Construction Physics
Reading List 04/19/25 Astro Mechanica’s fundraising, BYD’s semiconductor division, drone deliveries in Texas, Starlink in...
2 months ago
37
2 months ago
Astro Mechanica’s fundraising, BYD’s semiconductor division, drone deliveries in Texas, Starlink in Nigeria, an Alaskan volcano that might erupt, and more.
Old Structures...
Scant Evidence A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit...
7 months ago
34
7 months ago
A piece of a single sentence in the 1893 Baedeker description of New York sent me down a rabbit hole. In a proper library I believe that I’d find a hard answer but playing around on the internet from hime, I’m left with a partial guess. The phrase, under the heading of Theaters...
Common Edge
To Address Climate Change, Architects Must Tackle Decarbonization Focusing only on energy performance is insufficient to the mounting crisis.
over a year ago
Old Structures...
Minor Errors From a New York Public Library scrapbook, an 1880 view of Union Square. The title on the web page...
9 months ago
60
9 months ago
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, an 1880 view of Union Square. The title on the web page says “South side Union Square B’way” except that this is definitely (see below) the north side of the Square, AKA East 17th Street. Is the first word written in pencil “South”? If I...
Construction Physics
Reading List 07/05/2025 A microscopic electric motor, California’s CEQA rollback, a US shipbuilding startup, Chinese map...
5 days ago
9
5 days ago
A microscopic electric motor, California’s CEQA rollback, a US shipbuilding startup, Chinese map obfuscation, and more.
99% Invisible
One Year: The Day the Music Stopped [EPISODE] On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new...
over a year ago
48
over a year ago
On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new technologies threatening their livelihoods, so they refused to record until they got their fair share. Evan Chung explores one of the most consequential labor actions of the 20th...
Contemporist...
This Home Looks Minimal, But It’s Full of Subtle Emotion Natural light pours across stone, wood, and ceramic in this modern Mediterranean home, where...
a month ago
11
a month ago
Natural light pours across stone, wood, and ceramic in this modern Mediterranean home, where simplicity is anything but empty. On Spain’s Costa Blanca, interior designer Maria Jose Aunon Cabrera and architect Pasqual Giner explore how geometry, material, and atmosphere can shape...
CONTEMPORIST
Weathered Steel Covers The Exterior Of This Modern Home In Texas Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in...
a year ago
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a year ago
Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in Austin, Texas, which overlooks a sweeping lawn shaded by towering native pecan and bald cypress trees. Photography by Casey Dunn The house is comprised of two wings flanking a central...
Construction Physics
How to Build a $20 Billion Semiconductor Fab For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly...
a year ago
55
a year ago
For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly everything else: semiconductors. Semiconductors are materials that can have their conductivity varied by many orders of magnitude, which makes it possible to selectively block and allow the...
devonzuegel.com
Field notes: Miami Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here. These field notes are a bit...
over a year ago
24
over a year ago
Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here. These field notes are a bit different from previous cities I've explored, because unlike those, Miami is my home! So this post partially serves as a life update—I moved to Miami Beach from California a few months...
Old Structures...
Not So Picturesque From 1849, “New York from the steeple of St. Paul’s Church, looking east, south and west.” In other...
a year ago
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a year ago
From 1849, “New York from the steeple of St. Paul’s Church, looking east, south and west.” In other words, looking into the heart of the downtown commercial district from its northern edge. My first thought in looking at this picture was that in 1849, before industrial technology...
Archinect - Features
2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Kids and High School Students If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for kids, or a high school...
a year ago
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a year ago
If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for kids, or a high school student interested in gaining valuable pre-college experience, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of summer architecture programs. For the 2024 season, we have...
BLDGBLOG
World Store There was an article last year in the New York Times about a California start-up called Inversion...
over a year ago
5
over a year ago
There was an article last year in the New York Times about a California start-up called Inversion that wants to “speed delivery of important items by storing them in orbit.” Their goal is to build “earth-orbiting capsules”—“hundreds or thousands of containers”—that could “deliver...
SOCKS
Architectural Narrative: “New York City: The Edge of Enigma” by Francisco Javier Rencoret (1991) In 1991, Francisco Javier Rencoret, a Chilean architect and then Fulbright scholar at Cornell...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In 1991, Francisco Javier Rencoret, a Chilean architect and then Fulbright scholar at Cornell University, published New York City: The Edge of Enigma, (Princeton Architectural Press), a visual essay that retraces the myth of the foundation and development of New York City....
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...
11 months ago
81
11 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
A Laneway House With A Rotated Brick Facade Architecture firm Williamson Williamson has shared photos of a laneway home they completed in...
a year ago
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a year ago
Architecture firm Williamson Williamson has shared photos of a laneway home they completed in Toronto, Canada, that features a distinct rotated brick facade. Usually, laneway houses are small, however, this one is a four-bedroom home, designed for a family of five, providing...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Love Letter Back Home Mapped October 5th, written December 2019: As I noted in my last Guerrilla Cartography Cartographer...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Mapped October 5th, written December 2019: As I noted in my last Guerrilla Cartography Cartographer Spotlight (May 2019), my career has been a diverse mix of my two professional passions, cartography and participatory mapping. Cartography is about the place; it’s top-down, it’s...
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....
a year ago
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a year 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...
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
27
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...
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...
over a year ago
50
over 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...
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...
a year ago
62
a year 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...
THE ARCHITECTURAL...
I’d rather live in a nostalgic Disneyland than a modernist wasteland Critics often dismiss traditional or historicizing architecture as mere “Disneyland” — a fake,...
3 weeks ago
15
3 weeks ago
Critics often dismiss traditional or historicizing architecture as mere “Disneyland” — a fake, nostalgic fantasy out of step with modern life. But millions visit Disney’s Main Street every year, drawn to something they rarely find in real cities: beautiful, human-scaled streets...
Archinect - Features
Creativity Won’t Protect Architects from Automation — But Labor Unions Might The proliferation of generative AI tools such as Midjourney and ChatGPT has undermined long-held...
a year ago
46
a year ago
The proliferation of generative AI tools such as Midjourney and ChatGPT has undermined long-held assumptions that artificial intelligence would not threaten creative disciplines. In an effort to balance the opportunities and limits of artificial intelligence in the architecture...
Old Structures...
An APT Webinar I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis...
a year ago
45
a year ago
I’m giving a webinar on February 27 for the Association for Preservation Technology on our analysis of a somewhat weird building with concrete and masonry structure, and the implications for investigation and analysis of buildings with old concrete structure. More information...
devonzuegel.com
On [there being more than] liberty Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question: When I was looking at your...
over a year ago
24
over a year ago
Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question: When I was looking at your website I came across these words: Individual liberty is the single most important value that society should uphold. I’m more utilitarian and communitarian now. I still believe we...
McMansion Hell
In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming... No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of...
over a year ago
20
over a year ago
No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming for architects’ jobs.
Old Structures...
Half Of A Grand Commercial Palace 380 Broadway has architecture above its station. It was built in 1860 with retail space at the base...
a year ago
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a year ago
380 Broadway has architecture above its station. It was built in 1860 with retail space at the base and loft space above, but it’s got that grand marble-veneer facade on the upper floors and some very nice cast iron by Daniel Badger at the first floor. It’s fortunes have followed...
99% Invisible
Secret Mall Apartment The new documentary Secret Mall Apartment is about a group of artists who built, you guessed it – a...
3 months ago
46
3 months ago
The new documentary Secret Mall Apartment is about a group of artists who built, you guessed it – a secret apartment, inside of the mall. We interviewed the group’s ringleader Michael Townsend a few years back, and after the story, we’ll have an update about what’s happened since...
A Weekly Dose of...
Conceiving the Plan Conceiving the Plan: Nuance and Intimacy in Civic Space Edited by Yael Hameiri Sainsaux Skira,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Conceiving the Plan: Nuance and Intimacy in Civic Space Edited by Yael Hameiri Sainsaux Skira, August 2022 Hardcover | 12-1/4 x 12-1/4 inches | 240 pages | 170 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9788857246543 | $45.00 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: In Honor of Diane Lewis...
CONTEMPORIST
Plants Are Encouraged To Grow Over The Exterior Of This New House Giles Miller Studio has shared photos of their first completed residential property in Kent,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Giles Miller Studio has shared photos of their first completed residential property in Kent, England, that features a sculptural black facade. The house breaks down barriers between the building’s internal spaces and the glade of natural planting and trees that surround it. By...
99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Chicago As It Is [EPISODE] A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he...
a year ago
31
a year ago
A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he simply talked about design details in his house — realizing that he, like the audience, didn’t have many other places to go. )You should check it out — it’s a real time capsule,...
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...
a year ago
43
a year 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...
Old Structures...
Cartesian I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the...
9 months ago
55
9 months ago
I’ve written before about the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River – not to be confused with the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River about a mile away – with good reason. There’s an argument to be made that this small (for NYC) bridge is the most beautiful in the...
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Covers The Interior And Exterior Of This Modern Canadian Cottage Akb Architects has designed a modern cottage in Canada that’s clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and...
a year ago
23
a year ago
Akb Architects has designed a modern cottage in Canada that’s clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and western red cedar shakes. The residence is hidden among trees with carefully sited openings providing views of a freshwater lake. Each volume is nested above and within the existing...
Contemporist...
This Grass-Roofed Home With Stone Walls Feels Like It Grew From the Mountain Perched on the slopes of East Gros Ventre Butte, Ridge 52 Residence by Ward + Blake Architects is a...
3 weeks ago
9
3 weeks ago
Perched on the slopes of East Gros Ventre Butte, Ridge 52 Residence by Ward + Blake Architects is a modern mountain home that doesn’t just sit in its surroundings, it appears to grow out of them.
Contemporist...
Reclaimed Wood Finds New Life In This Coastal Home Set beneath the branches of towering Messmate Gums in Torquay, Australia, Winkler Residence is a...
2 weeks ago
10
2 weeks ago
Set beneath the branches of towering Messmate Gums in Torquay, Australia, Winkler Residence is a sustainable, timber-framed home designed by Peter Winkler Architects. Conceived as both a family residence and an architectural studio, the project is shaped by decades of coastal...
CONTEMPORIST
Traditional Materials And Forms Were Adapted To A Modern Language For This House Mel­bourne-based archi­tec­ture and inte­ri­or design stu­dio Splinter Society, has shared photos of...
a year ago
22
a year ago
Mel­bourne-based archi­tec­ture and inte­ri­or design stu­dio Splinter Society, has shared photos of modern rear addition they recently completed for a home in Australia. The designers retained the existing floor plan, roofing tiles, gable forms, small brick garage, simple...
Old Structures...
A Good Idea But Not Enough Via Core77, some excerpts of Clara Mu He’s masters thesis, which propose a way to make wood-frame...
12 months ago
55
12 months ago
Via Core77, some excerpts of Clara Mu He’s masters thesis, which propose a way to make wood-frame construction much more amenable to recycling and reuse of materials: here. In short, if you use strapped and ganged lumber sticks rather than special sizes and penetrative...
Common Edge
NYC Finally Has Congestion Pricing—Now, the Free Parking Must Go Giving away public space for automobiles makes little sense.
6 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Limestone Facade Was Designed For This Boutique Retail Store Photography by doublespace photography Architecture studio PARTISANS has shared photos of a boutique...
a year ago
74
a year ago
Photography by doublespace photography Architecture studio PARTISANS has shared photos of a boutique they completed that’s owned and operated by Royal de Versailles Jewellers in Toronto, Canada, and features a sculptural stone facade. Photography by doublespace photography...
Contemporist...
An Old Stone Ruin Was Given New Life As A Contemporary Off-Grid Home Architect Dario Castellino has transformed an abandoned stone ruin that was once overgrown with...
a year ago
99% Invisible
For a Dollar and a Dream [EPISODE] Every week, one in eight Americans places a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot....
over a year ago
48
over a year ago
Every week, one in eight Americans places a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot. Americans spend more on lottery tickets annually than on video streaming services, concert tickets, books, and movie tickets combined. The story of lotteries in the United States may...
CONTEMPORIST
A Rock Inspired Exterior Was Designed For This Skincare Boutique Architecture firm LMTLS has shared photos of SKIN1004, a new skincare boutique in Seoul, South...
a year ago
59
a year ago
Architecture firm LMTLS has shared photos of SKIN1004, a new skincare boutique in Seoul, South Korea, that has a rock-inspired facade. As the first offline flagship store in Myeongdong, the location embraces the concept of “untouched nature”, with rich brown and beige tones...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #4: Supersonic planes, levitating trains, & electric automobiles Mobility is central to living in every city. In this episode, we discussed how different communities...
over a year ago
24
over a year ago
Mobility is central to living in every city. In this episode, we discussed how different communities tackle the question of transportation, and how culture shapes how different transport technologies get adopted. RSS · Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Overcast Mobility is central to...
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
31
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...
99% Invisible
Broken Plexus (2 of 3): Adapting Off-the-Shelf Orthoses for Long-Haul Limb Support I’ve worn a lot of orthoses over the past year, the designs of which have varied more widely than I...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
I’ve worn a lot of orthoses over the past year, the designs of which have varied more widely than I would have anticipated, considering that each one addresses aspects of the same injury. There are soft slings made mostly of cloth and hard braces that incorporate metal and...
Old Structures...
What “Structure First” Means I like “Why we need a ‘structure first’ approach to existing buildings” by Penny Gowler, which is...
a year ago
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a year ago
I like “Why we need a ‘structure first’ approach to existing buildings” by Penny Gowler, which is perhaps not surprising since I’m a structural engineer. I’m going to argue here that Ms. Gowler’s article and my position are just slightly more nuanced than that. Architectural...
Contemporist...
Before and After: A Gloomy Lake House Becomes a Bright, Livable Family Home When a pair of New York doctors moved to Coral Gables with their 5-year-old son, they wanted a fresh...
2 weeks ago
10
2 weeks ago
When a pair of New York doctors moved to Coral Gables with their 5-year-old son, they wanted a fresh start, but without letting go of the sophistication they loved up north. The answer? A complete gut renovation of a lakefront home, transformed by boutique design studio Andreea...
Common Edge
Architects vs. Algorithms: A 2025 Love Story This year, AI will assert itself on both the designer and the client sides of the construction...
5 months ago
Old Structures...
Credit Where Due I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s...
a year ago
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a year ago
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s been around for a while, but I guess I never looked up: the facades of the first two floors are an old building, while the upper floors (and, I assume, the interiors) are new....
Common Edge
It’s Hard for Architects to Be Transparent About Fees If the profession is to survive, however, we have no choice.
7 months ago
SOCKS
90-Degree Axonometric’s by Auguste Merle (Late 19th – Early 20th C.) Auguste Merle was an Art Brut artist living in France at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries....
a year ago
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a year ago
Auguste Merle was an Art Brut artist living in France at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His works depict imaginary buildings with meticulous detailing, using graphite on notebook paper. The rigorous yet inventive forms are depicted in 90-degree axonometric projections,...
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off in Architecture Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
10 months ago
71
10 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
CONTEMPORIST
How Photorealistic Rendering Made A Difference For This Small Home Office Design This article has been brought to you by RenderDave. Hey everyone, RenderDave here to show you how...
a year ago
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a year ago
This article has been brought to you by RenderDave. Hey everyone, RenderDave here to show you how photorealistic rendering made a difference for this small home office design. When architects and interior designers work on a project in programs like Sketchup, Revit, or AutoCAD,...
Old Structures...
New York Without Height Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity...
a year ago
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a year ago
Today’s pictures all date from 1860, when the tallest building in New York was the spire of Trinity Church. I can’t readily tell you what the second-tallest building was, as people weren’t really thinking about tall buildings that way yet. It was probably another church spire....
Archinect - Features
How Do We Teach AI? In Florida, One Architecture School Offers a Precedent As our recent Archinect In-Depth: Artificial Intelligence series demonstrated, AI will inevitably...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
As our recent Archinect In-Depth: Artificial Intelligence series demonstrated, AI will inevitably play a sizeable role in the future of the architectural profession. For architecture schools tasked with equipping students for the future of practice, the advent of AI poses...
Old Structures...
The Slab Every sizable city has one or more locally-specific building types, based on the culture and...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Every sizable city has one or more locally-specific building types, based on the culture and economics of real estate there. Some of the causes are rational, like the size of rowhouses being related to the wealth of a neighborhood; some are not, like the high stoops used in New...
Old Structures...
Detailing Reveled By Details Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Speaking from my own experience, engineers learn about detailing entirely through work. I was taught almost nothing about the topic in school – I barely heard the word in school – and I’ve taught it to a lot of younger engineers who did not learn it in school. Detailing is the...
CONTEMPORIST
The Color And Material Palette Of This New Home Allows It To Blend Into The Desert Setting Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy color palette that complements its surroundings. The home, designed for an architect and graphic designer, was built on a site with an irregular shape, however, from the street, it...
Old Structures...
All In A Name I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too small to house a modern government. The first solution dreamed up in the late 1800s was to replace City Hall with a much larger building. For various reasons – including expense, a...
99% Invisible
The Siren of Scrap Metal [EPISODE] Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background. A recording that blares from trucks looking to buy old household items and appliances, either to fix and resell or to sell for scrap. The crews inside these trucks are essentially...
Common Edge
How Architects Deal With Demolished Designs Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
a year ago
The Wandering...
Mapping Francis Younghusband in the Gobi Desert, 1887, Part 4: from the Ya-hu oasis to Hami. [Back to Part 3: from the Hun-kua-ling sandhills to the Ya-hu oasis] From Ya-Hu to Hami, we can see...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
[Back to Part 3: from the Hun-kua-ling sandhills to the Ya-hu oasis] From Ya-Hu to Hami, we can see that Younghusband now has to turn south, as his own map shows. The journey takes from June 23rd to July 4th, or twelve days. His mapmaker places Ula Khutun almost halfway from...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: An Impossible View Above, Iron Man flies past the Chrysler Building. I was trying to figure out if the buildings in the...
a year ago
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a year ago
Above, Iron Man flies past the Chrysler Building. I was trying to figure out if the buildings in the background were realistic, and got part of the way there. The gray building on the right looks like a simplified version of the Socony-Mobil Building at the southeast corner of...
Old Structures...
Happy Presidents’ Day The cover of the dinner menu for Washington’s Birthday from the SS Columbia of the Hamburg-Amerika...
a year ago
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a year ago
The cover of the dinner menu for Washington’s Birthday from the SS Columbia of the Hamburg-Amerika Line. That’s a portrati of the Columbia on the right, apparently about to run down a sailboat. Columbia had a weird history, having served as a liner between Germany and the US,...
devonzuegel.com
The new city in California A new city has been proposed in California, and the plan is going to a vote in Solano County’s...
a year ago
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a year ago
A new city has been proposed in California, and the plan is going to a vote in Solano County’s November election. The proposed location is in Solano County, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, and the group behind the proposal is named California Forever. As a...
Old Structures...
Reuse, Recycle When it was created in 1968, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority inherited from the New York...
11 months ago
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11 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...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sheltered Space Beneath The Sloping Roof Of This Home Makes Space For A Hot Tub Batay-Csorba Architects has designed a home in Toronto, Canada, that takes advantage of the small...
a year ago
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a year ago
Batay-Csorba Architects has designed a home in Toronto, Canada, that takes advantage of the small 65’x20’ pie-shaped corner lot, and includes a sheltered outdoor balcony. The sloping roof partially covers the balcony, with an opening above the Japanese soaking tub. The home’s...
Archinect - Features
AI, Climate, and Advice for the Next Generation: Watch Our Roundtable with SCI-Arc Program... In November 2024, Archinect brought together four program chairs from the Southern California...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
In November 2024, Archinect brought together four program chairs from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) for a wide-ranging roundtable conversation.  The questions up for debate and discussion were among the most pressing facing the architectural...
Common Edge
When Is Architectural Symbolism Hypocrisy? Like or loathe it, symbolism over substance has a long tradition.
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Holdout In January 1958, Angelo Rizzuto took this photo from the east side of Lexington Avenue, between 53rd...
a year ago
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a year 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...
CONTEMPORIST
Ceramic Forms Surrounding The Windows Of This New Building Give It A Unique Character Photography © Sebastian van Damme De Zwarte Hond and Loer Architecten have shared photos of a...
a year ago
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a year ago
Photography © Sebastian van Damme De Zwarte Hond and Loer Architecten have shared photos of a building they recently completed in Groningen, Netherlands, that combines modern design with ceramic elements. Photography © Marcel Ijzerman The architects worked together with ceramic...
Contemporist...
They Turned A Crumbling Art Studio Into A Warm Light-Filled Family Home SHED Architecture & Design has shared photos of a renovation they completed in Seattle, Washington.
2 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
The Surrounding Desert Was Blended Into This Modern Home Photography by Stetson Ybarra Multi-disciplinary design studio Daniel Joseph Chenin, Ltd. has shared...
a year ago
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a year ago
Photography by Stetson Ybarra Multi-disciplinary design studio Daniel Joseph Chenin, Ltd. has shared photos of a modern home they completed on the edge of the Las Vegas Valley that has views of Red Rock Canyon. Photography by Stetson Ybarra Commissioned for a family embracing an...
Contemporist...
Inside a Brooklyn Townhouse Where Every Room Is Designed to Impress Moody tones, sculptural shapes, and richly veined marbles set the tone for this bold Boerum Hill...
2 weeks ago
9
2 weeks ago
Moody tones, sculptural shapes, and richly veined marbles set the tone for this bold Boerum Hill townhouse, a home designed around the rhythms of entertaining and everyday life. Designed by BAAO (Barker Architecture Office), for a social family of three, each space plays with...
Common Edge
Richard Florida Wants to Talk About the “Creator Economy” The urbanist and educator thinks cities still don’t understand the importance of what the digital...
4 months ago
Old Structures...
Gain Some, Lose Some This is the Bradbury Building, an 1893 office building in downtown Los Angeles: It’s a nice enough...
a year ago
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a year ago
This is the Bradbury Building, an 1893 office building in downtown Los Angeles: It’s a nice enough facade but really nothing special. A lot of people are familiar with the building because of its inside: The office space is a rectangle donut around the atrium, connected by...
Common Edge
To Fund Housing, New York State Should Reinstate the Stock Transfer Tax Doing so would raise $14 billion annually for the city.
7 months ago
Contemporist...
A New Building In Shanghai Inspired By A Forest Of Trees Koichi Takada Architects has designed a retail building in Shanghai, China, that's described as an...
a year ago
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a year ago
Koichi Takada Architects has designed a retail building in Shanghai, China, that's described as an 'architectural forest' of 32 trees.
Old Structures...
Always Something New No matter how many buildings you’ve seen, you can always find something that will surprise you. The...
a year ago
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a year ago
No matter how many buildings you’ve seen, you can always find something that will surprise you. The picture above is not an underwater shot from the Titanic, it’s the cellar of a circa-1900 rowhouse. This was a house of some pretension when first built. As in most wider...
Benny Kuriakose
Importance of Landscape in School Design Landscape plays a major role in the learning experience of a child. A school campus not only...
a year ago
27
a year ago
Landscape plays a major role in the learning experience of a child. A school campus not only comprises of the buildings in a school,...
Old Structures...
Twelve Years Undemolished This photo from 1954 was taken from the top level of the Queensboro Plaza Station, looking west to...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
This photo from 1954 was taken from the top level of the Queensboro Plaza Station, looking west to Manhattan. That’s the Queensboro Bridge on the right. If you take the 7 train to Flushing, as I used to, the odds are not bad that you’ll change trains at this station, as it’s...
Contemporist...
Inside a Quietly Modern Home Inspired by Rural Sheds Tucked into the sloping terrain of Ballybrew, a quiet townland in County Wicklow, Ireland, this...
a month ago
11
a month ago
Tucked into the sloping terrain of Ballybrew, a quiet townland in County Wicklow, Ireland, this contemporary home by DUA (Design Urbanism Architecture) doesn’t shout for attention, it listens.
99% Invisible
Nuts and Bolts [EPISODE] In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way),...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering that have shaped the modern world: the nail, the wheel, the spring, the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Brick Exterior Creates A Unique Expression For This Home In Toronto Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto,...
a year ago
34
a year ago
Photography by Younes Bounhar Design firm PARTISANS has designed a home for a family in Toronto, Canada, that features a sculptural brick facade. Photography by Younes Bounhar The design of the Canvas House has been inspired by the homeowners’ love of contemporary art, with the...
99% Invisible
😅⚖️ In 2021, a Canadian farmer named Chris Achter responded to a buyer’s grain contract with a simple 👍...
2 months ago
25
2 months ago
In 2021, a Canadian farmer named Chris Achter responded to a buyer’s grain contract with a simple 👍 emoji. What followed wasn’t just a misunderstanding—it was a legal showdown that captured global attention. Achter, based in Saskatchewan, had a long-standing business...
Old Structures...
Imitation There’s a phenomenon that I think of as “life imitiates art imitates life imitates art…ad...
a year ago
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a year ago
There’s a phenomenon that I think of as “life imitiates art imitates life imitates art…ad infinitium”. A work of art – a drawing, a painting, a movie – is base don reality and augments, making it look better than it does in real life, and then people change what they’re doing to...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home With Twin Gables Connected By A Glazed Breezeway Wheeler Kearns Architects has shared photos of a new home they have completed in Illinois, which is...
a year ago
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a year ago
Wheeler Kearns Architects has shared photos of a new home they have completed in Illinois, which is located on a one-acre wooded ravine site north of Chicago. The home, situated upward and slightly angled away from the street, includes twin-gabled volumes, one for sleeping and...
99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 19 It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and fascinating tales. This week we have punny highway signs, a PAC funded by exercise, the explosive history behind the Nobel Prize, and some long toes. Let’s get into it! Slow Down,...
Old Structures...
Sideways One of our stranger projects… The pictures below show a sidewalk vault in Manhattan. The vault...
7 months ago
49
7 months ago
One of our stranger projects… The pictures below show a sidewalk vault in Manhattan. The vault extends from the sidewalk (its roof) down two floors or about 25 feet, and was built around 1895. Since reinforced-concrete was still in its infancy then, it was not used for foundation...
Common Edge
Is AI Really the Next Big Thing in Architecture? There are good reasons to be skeptical about its ultimate utility.
over a year ago
99% Invisible
It’s Howdy Doody Time! [EPISODE] If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance...
a year ago
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a year ago
If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance that they know the theme song to The Howdy Doody Show. The Howdy Doody Show is one of those pieces of 1950s ephemera that has come to symbolize mid-century American childhood. For...
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...
a year ago
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a year 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.
Old Structures...
For The Common Folk The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds...
a year ago
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a year ago
The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds unbearably hot right now, but thinking and writing about it.) So, here’s the Brighton Beach Bathing Pavilion in 1879, one year after it opened: The three big hotels nearby, including...
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...
a year ago
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a year 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...
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
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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...
Bragging Combined With Public Service I highly recommend the soon-to-be-released book The Elements of Construction: N. Clifford Ricker,...
7 months ago
38
7 months ago
I highly recommend the soon-to-be-released book The Elements of Construction: N. Clifford Ricker, Architecture, and the University of Illinois and not just because I wrote on chapter of it. Marci Uihlein, the editor, an architect and engineer, and a professor of architecture at...
Construction Physics
Fixing Naval Ship Acquisition This is a policy proposal written by Austin Vernon and myself for improving US naval shipbuilding.
a month ago
Contemporist...
A Clever Pass-Through Window Turns This Kitchen Into a Social Hub Located in Seattle, Washington, the Broadview Residence by KO Architecture was designed for a couple...
a month ago
8
a month ago
Located in Seattle, Washington, the Broadview Residence by KO Architecture was designed for a couple with a school-age daughter. The home prioritizes flexibility, long-term use, and budget-conscious design, meeting the family’s needs now while staying adaptable for retirement.
Common Edge
Jane Jacobs Would Reject NYC’s Proposed “City of Yes” YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
11 months ago
Common Edge
Peter Calthorpe Has a Plan for More Housing in California Through a state-mandated use of form-based codes and a focus on “grand boulevards” of underutilized...
over a year ago
47
over a year ago
Through a state-mandated use of form-based codes and a focus on “grand boulevards” of underutilized commercial strips, the number of potential units expands by orders of magnitude.
Contemporist...
Before + After - A Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Renovation Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century...
6 months ago
77
6 months ago
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century modern home in San Mateo, California, for a young couple who wanted to update the kitchen, living room, dining room, and family room.
CONTEMPORIST
A House Built Into The Ground And Covered In Flowers Photography by Architectuurfotograaf – Rob van Esch Architecture firm WillemsenU has shared photos...
a year ago
57
a year 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...
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...
11 months ago
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11 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...
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...
a year ago
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a year 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...
Large Wood Arches Dramatically Elevate The Roof Of This Charging Station Research-based design studio EFFEKT has shared photos of a contemporary charging park designed to...
a year ago
44
a year ago
Research-based design studio EFFEKT has shared photos of a contemporary charging park designed to signal the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Common Edge
Brutalism in the Nation’s Capital A National Building Museum exhibition surveys notable concrete architecture in D.C. and presents...
9 months ago
85
9 months ago
A National Building Museum exhibition surveys notable concrete architecture in D.C. and presents possible future uses.
A Weekly Dose of...
On Case Studies "What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although...
over a year ago
36
over a year ago
"What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although the word monograph literally applies to any book devoted to any individual subject — be it a person, a place, a thing, or even an idea — in the realm of architecture books that...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: But Unfamiliar The Black Widow thinks deep thoughts while standing on a rooftop: To be clear about what we’re...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
The Black Widow thinks deep thoughts while standing on a rooftop: To be clear about what we’re seeing, A is the Empire State Building, B is the Chrysler Building, C is Silver Towers at Lafayette Place and Bleecker Street, and D is the Widow: So we’re looking north from SoHo. The...
Old Structures...
Helping The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence...
10 months ago
51
10 months ago
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a well-deserved award – a 2024 “Excellence in Historic Preservation Award” – from the Preservation League of NYS: here. It’s an interesting award in that the Foundation, which ordinarily funds projects and provides...
Contemporist...
See Inside A Thoughtful Modular Container Home in Australia Nestled just south of Coffs Harbour in the coastal town of Sawtell, Australia, "Seaholme" is a...
2 weeks ago
14
2 weeks ago
Nestled just south of Coffs Harbour in the coastal town of Sawtell, Australia, "Seaholme" is a compact, custom-built modular home designed to make the most of a small footprint without sacrificing style or comfort. Created by Modulate using two widened 6m x 3.5m container modules...
Common Edge
NCARB’s Michael Armstrong on Pathways to Architectural Practice “If we are really serious in promoting inclusion and opportunities to practice, we need to take a...
9 months ago
Archinect - Features
Get To Know Tulane School of Architecture’s Newest Faculty Cohort With the new 2024/25 academic year in full swing, we are taking a moment to introduce fifteen newly...
7 months ago
63
7 months ago
With the new 2024/25 academic year in full swing, we are taking a moment to introduce fifteen newly appointed permanent faculty members at the Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners. The new tenure and tenure-track faculty bring expertise...
99% Invisible
The Return of Con Law In President Trump’s first term, Roman Mars treated the U.S. Constitution like a warm blanket,...
4 weeks ago
21
4 weeks ago
In President Trump’s first term, Roman Mars treated the U.S. Constitution like a warm blanket, something to turn to for comfort as Trump stomped all over the country’s laws and centuries of precedence. Roman even enlisted his neighbor and constitutional law professor, Elizabeth...
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
10 months ago
35
10 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
Common Edge
Gentle Density: A Housing Approach to Thwart NIMBY Resistance In the wake of the L.A. fires, a different strategy is required.
3 months ago
Contemporist...
A Mid-Century Modern Home Reimagined for a Family in California In the hills of Palo Alto, California, an iconic Eichler home has been respectfully transformed by...
3 days ago
4
3 days ago
In the hills of Palo Alto, California, an iconic Eichler home has been respectfully transformed by architect-artist Gustave Carlson. Originally built in 1971 and custom-commissioned by architect John S. Lynd, a personal friend of Joseph Eichler, the home carries a rare pedigree...
Construction Physics
Reading List for 06/07/2025 Risks to US battery storage, un-affordable affordable housing, a major Supreme Court NEPA ruling,...
a month ago
16
a month ago
Risks to US battery storage, un-affordable affordable housing, a major Supreme Court NEPA ruling, making chip materials in space, and more.
SOCKS
The Hidden Territory: USGS’s 1950’s to 1970’s Isometric Geological Diagrams The online archive of the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey is a valuable...
a year ago
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a year ago
The online archive of the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey is a valuable resource filled with detailed three-dimensional territorial maps employing various representational techniques. Thanks to the work of artist, designer, and developer Jill Hubleys...
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...
8 months ago
65
8 months 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....