Archinect - Features
'Instead of Living in Fear of AI, Designers Should Engage With It'; A Conversation with...
Amanda Talbot did not come from a technological background. Her career path through architecture,...
a year ago
Amanda Talbot did not come from a technological background. Her career path through architecture, interiors, journalism, and fashion nonetheless instilled in her a commitment to heart-centric design, which she believes is crucial to conversations on the relationship between...
Old Structures...
Sequencing In Detailing
That’s an illustration from a 1913 article called “Engineering Design Of The Woolworth Building”...
10 months ago
That’s an illustration from a 1913 article called “Engineering Design Of The Woolworth Building” from The American Architect. That’s the design of the most heavily-loaded columns in the building, below the tower. To put it in perspective, that built-up column, composed of plates...
Archinect - Features
Let’s Talk About Architectural Visualization
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the...
2 months ago
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the process of visualizing architectural work and what challenges and opportunities the field presents for the architectural design process. Our journey will include not only tips and...
Common Edge
The Sphere in Las Vegas: A Placeless Object in a Placeless City
The latest Sin City spectacle is just that—spectacle. Pure, crystalline spectacle.
11 months ago
The latest Sin City spectacle is just that—spectacle. Pure, crystalline spectacle.
Old Structures...
Why People Cared
This is remarkable, in a way: in a city full of apartment houses, the New York Sun newspaper felt...
4 months ago
This is remarkable, in a way: in a city full of apartment houses, the New York Sun newspaper felt that a complex of mid-rise buildings in Queens was worthy of note: I can think of two reasons off the top of my head, one related to housing and the other related to general...
CONTEMPORIST
A Stepped Brick Extension Makes Space For A Soft Warm Blush Kitchen
Architecture and interior design firm Bradley Van Der Straeten, has shared photos of a home in...
8 months ago
Architecture and interior design firm Bradley Van Der Straeten, has shared photos of a home in England that received a new stepped brick extension with views of the garden. When the front door is open, you can see all the way through to the rear garden. A stepped form took shape...
The Modern House
Our guide to Kentish Town: Technicolour townhouses, natural wine and nature in north London
a year ago
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...
3 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...
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...
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....
Contemporist...
An Elevated Room Surrounded By Trees In The Jungle
Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura has shared photos of a room they designed and built in the jungle in...
2 months ago
Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura has shared photos of a room they designed and built in the jungle in Ecuador, that features a sleeping area and bathroom.
Common Edge
Aesthetics Alone Do Not Give Sacred Space Its Meaning
The key to finding a new relevance for “the holy” lies in architectural humility.
2 months ago
The key to finding a new relevance for “the holy” lies in architectural humility.
CONTEMPORIST
Two Shingle Covered Cottages Connected By A Living Room And Kitchen In Between
Bates Masi + Architects has designed a house in Montauk, New York, that’s built on land that was...
a year ago
Bates Masi + Architects has designed a house in Montauk, New York, that’s built on land that was once home to early settlers in the 17th century. Remnants of horse stables, barns, and workers’ cottages scatter the landscape, however, one such cottage, a late addition built in the...
Old Structures...
Not Saved
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but...
3 months ago
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but its remote location and the lack of anything there that really interests me mean that I don’t know it particularly well. So the headline “Time to pay last respects to the abandoned...
CONTEMPORIST
The Design Of This Shingle-Clad Hotel Lobby Was Inspired By A Coconut
Architecture firm Onion, has shared photos of a hotel lobby they completed for Holiday Inn Samui in...
a year ago
Architecture firm Onion, has shared photos of a hotel lobby they completed for Holiday Inn Samui in Thailand, whose design is inspired by the coconut shell after its meat has been grated to make Thai dessert. The curved building exterior is clad with wooden shingles, with...
Contemporist...
Pitched Roofs Cover This Dark And Moody Farmhouse
Atlas Architects has shared photos of a modern house on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, that...
a year ago
Atlas Architects has shared photos of a modern house on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, that was once a brown-brick, pitched-roof farmhouse built in the 1980s.
Old Structures...
Reuse, Not Really Adaptive
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest...
4 months ago
From an elevated subway station in Queens: two generations of roof. Or, if you prefer, a palimpsest in steel. The roof over the rather wide platform is supported by two lines of columns. That’s a column in the lower left, with the curves of the lower flange of the built-up main...
The Wandering...
Mapping Gottfried Merzbacher
I’m wrapping up my work on Gottfried Merzbacher—a sort of back-burner project that’s been active and...
over a year ago
I’m wrapping up my work on Gottfried Merzbacher—a sort of back-burner project that’s been active and then dormant, on and off, for about seven years. It’s been a pleasure to learn about places like the Bayumkol valley, the relationship between the Saryzhaz and Kum-erik Rivers,...
devonzuegel.com
Why do home buyers look at price/sqft more than renters?
A question that's puzzled me for a while is why home buyers focus on price/sqft so much more than...
a year ago
A question that's puzzled me for a while is why home buyers focus on price/sqft so much more than renters. I asked around for what other people thought and got some interesting answers, so I decided to write up my takeaways.
I. Investments demand legibility
Homeownership is...
Old Structures...
Misleading Words
In 1941, Robert Moses demolished the New York Aquarium, located in Castle Clinton in Battery Park,...
7 months ago
In 1941, Robert Moses demolished the New York Aquarium, located in Castle Clinton in Battery Park, in a fit of pique over losing his fight to build a bridge from the Battery to Brooklyn. (That project became the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.) The aquarium was a three-story building on...
Archinect - Features
'AI Is a Dangerous Distraction From the Pressing Issues Defining Our Generation'; A...
Liam Young was once described by the BBC as “the man designing our future.” In 2023, with open...
a year ago
Liam Young was once described by the BBC as “the man designing our future.” In 2023, with open letters penned on the risks of extinction posed by artificial intelligence, such a role should be in high demand.
Young’s speculations on the future take the form of fictional stories...
Old Structures...
Close By
From Angelo Rizzuto, a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from June 1954. It was not taken from Woolworth,...
6 months ago
From Angelo Rizzuto, a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from June 1954. It was not taken from Woolworth, as the angle is slightly wrong. The bridge was in a transition period, with one major renovation just completed and another about to start. Between 1950 and 1954, the bridge...
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...
10 months 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...
The Modern House
How to be more mindful when working from home
a year ago
The Modern House
A Piers Gough apartment with a secluded balcony and spectacular views of the Thames
a year ago
The Modern House
Take Root: eight homes with gorgeous gardens for sale
If the blue skies and warm days of the past few weeks are anything to go by, summer is fast...
a year ago
If the blue skies and warm days of the past few weeks are anything to go by, summer is fast approaching – and so too are long alfresco lunches and weekends spent pottering around the garden. Whether you’re partial to a compact easy-care courtyard or […]
CONTEMPORIST
A Complete Renovation Was Given To This 1980s Plaster Clad House
Michael Cooper Architects has shared photos of a 1980s plaster-clad home in Auckland, New Zealand,...
a year ago
Michael Cooper Architects has shared photos of a 1980s plaster-clad home in Auckland, New Zealand, that they renovated to bring it up to today’s standards. The house needed a re-design inside and out, with the clients requesting a contemporary design. The clients also wanted a...
Old Structures...
A Survivor
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, “Small apartment buildings”, dated 1915: The address is...
2 months ago
From a New York Public Library scrapbook, “Small apartment buildings”, dated 1915: The address is given as 1763-1769 Townsend Avenue, in the Bronx, which is good because it’s not like I could ever have identified this just from the photo. The site is less isolated than the photo...
McMansion Hell
BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition
bonus mcmansion: liminal edition | Patreon
BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition
a year ago
bonus mcmansion: liminal edition | Patreon
BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition
CONTEMPORIST
Chairs For Sitting On Stairs
ARTA Architects has designed the Tai Kwun Chairs for The Hong Kong Jockey Club, allowing a more...
2 weeks ago
ARTA Architects has designed the Tai Kwun Chairs for The Hong Kong Jockey Club, allowing a more comfortable and modular seating solution for these stairs. The chairs complement the distinctive design languages of the Tai Kwun arts and cultural centre’s ancient and contemporary...
Old Structures...
Very Local Requirements
Below, a construction fence of typical New York design. Such fences here have had windows of some...
8 months ago
Below, a construction fence of typical New York design. Such fences here have had windows of some kind going back at least to the mid-1900s. Per the current NYC building code, section 3307.7.3, “Viewing panels shall be provided in solid fences erected on or after July 1, 2013, at...
CONTEMPORIST
A Round House Design Inspired By A Tree Trunk
Mobius Architekci has sent us photos of a home they designed in Izabelin, Poland, that has a round...
a year ago
Mobius Architekci has sent us photos of a home they designed in Izabelin, Poland, that has a round design. The vast, sandy plot densely covered with a pine forest created a unique setting for the house, with the architect drawing inspiration from a tree trunk. The home has been...
Old Structures...
Smooth
Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high...
a month ago
Still in Montreal, the roof of a now enclosed, formerly (I think) open areaway in front of a high rise: In case that’s difficult to make out, it’s a glass slab roof supported on laminated glass beams. The hand belongs to Will Teron, who was standing on the same stair landing I...
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Not Static
It can’t be said often enough that buildings move in various ways, from the effect of environmental...
7 months ago
It can’t be said often enough that buildings move in various ways, from the effect of environmental conditions. You’ve got gross structural movement from gravity and lateral loads; up, down, and sideways movement from changes in soil volume from water movement; expansion and...
Archinect - Features
How To Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Architecture Portfolio When Job Searching
Your architecture portfolio is one of your most powerful tools when searching for a new career...
4 months ago
Your architecture portfolio is one of your most powerful tools when searching for a new career opportunity. Whether describing your work at a networking event or presenting your previous projects in an interview setting, the ability to clearly and succinctly pitch your portfolio...
Old Structures...
Not Extremely Enough
The New York Times recently published “An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods” and...
a year ago
The New York Times recently published “An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods” and an accompanying “Extremely Detailed Guide to the Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods.” They are not information about the neighborhoods themselves, but rather...
Benny Kuriakose
The Making of Unique Athangudi Tiles : An Unforgettable Experience
Chettinad, the land of wealthy Chettiars in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, is famous not only for...
a year ago
Chettinad, the land of wealthy Chettiars in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, is famous not only for its mouth-watering cuisine but also...
Blog - Guerrilla...
TRANSitar Lima
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t?
Map of...
a year ago
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t?
Map of Lima, Peru
About the project
TRANSitar Lima is a project that seeks to create a visual record of transphobic violence, based on collective mapping sessions. Trans, transvestites, and...
Old Structures...
Masonry Against The Sky
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West...
a year ago
Specifically the art-deco brickwork of 21 (striped and shorter) and 20 (solid and taller) West Street, with the turn-of-the-century (and somewhat scarred) brick and terra cotta of 17 Battery Place in the background, and with some cumulus clouds (I think…the naming system always...
The Modern House
Rich Pickings: four homes for sale in Kent
Fruit may be Kent’s greatest export, but as regular explorers of our listings will know, there are...
a year ago
Fruit may be Kent’s greatest export, but as regular explorers of our listings will know, there are other sweet surprises to be found here – albeit of a more architectural streak. And while there’s plenty of history to be found in this corner of the […]
A Weekly Dose of...
Eight Decades of Modern Japanese Houses
A review of a new book released this week:
The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published...
a year ago
A review of a new book released this week:
The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published by Thames & Hudson, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop)
What makes modern and contemporary Japanese houses so appealing? Much of it stems from the novelty of residential designs,...
devonzuegel.com
Property values should be normalized by acre
In the US, it's common for local governments to focus on tax revenue produced by a property, without...
5 months ago
In the US, it's common for local governments to focus on tax revenue produced by a property, without considering the costs it adds to the city's budget. This is like measuring how far a car can drive without considering how much gas it uses to get there.
Different properties...
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
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...
The Modern House
How Emile Jones built a functional and fluid home in a 1950s block in Peckham
a year ago
Old Structures...
Different Types of Commercial Use
From 1880, a view of Broadway looking north from Morris Street to Trinity Church. Given how deserted...
9 months ago
From 1880, a view of Broadway looking north from Morris Street to Trinity Church. Given how deserted it is, it’s either early in the morning on a weekend or a holiday. Wm. M Fleiss & Co, on the left, is at 47 Broadway. Broadway is lined with office and loft buildings which are...
Common Edge
It’s Time to Blur the Boundaries Between Town and Gown
University campus planning should look outward to the surrounding city.
6 months ago
University campus planning should look outward to the surrounding city.
The Modern House
The 'sculptural experience' of designer Ashley Law’s uniquely tactile cottage in Whitechapel
8 months ago
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...
10 months 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...
A Weekly Dose of...
Learning from the 2023 Book Fair
This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book...
a year ago
This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book fair and, just days before lockdown, the 2020 book fair. Three hardly makes me an expert, even in my specialization of architecture books, but it does help with gauging the value given...
Benny Kuriakose
Kanadukathan - A journey Through This Hidden Gem
On a splendid morning, I got down from the bus, greeted by the enchanting allure of Nemathanpetti...
10 months ago
On a splendid morning, I got down from the bus, greeted by the enchanting allure of Nemathanpetti near Karaikudi. Gopichettan was waiting...
Old Structures...
Adelaide House, Part 1 – Overall
When I was in London a few weeks ago, David Kelly and Chris Tucker of Fortis Facades were kind...
8 months ago
When I was in London a few weeks ago, David Kelly and Chris Tucker of Fortis Facades were kind enough to give me a thorough tour of Adelaide House, a 1925 landmark building currently in renovation. They’re working on the facade, but the tour included both the facade and the...
Common Edge
Worshiping the Old Isn’t Historic Preservation
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
a month ago
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
99% Invisible
Goodnight Nobody [EPISODE]
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten...
a year ago
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten books that had been checked out the most in the history of the library — and most of these were children’s books, like The Cat in the Hat and Where the Wild Things Are. Curiously...
CONTEMPORIST
An Exterior Of Vertical Wood Siding Helps This House Blend Into The Surrounding Forest
77 Architecture Studio has shared photos of a home they designed on the edge of a housing estate...
11 months ago
77 Architecture Studio has shared photos of a home they designed on the edge of a housing estate near the forest in central Poland, near Warsaw. The house with its vertical wood facade, gives way to the natural beauty of its surroundings, discreetly immersing its architecture...
The Solarchitecture...
The Solar Manifesto - Part 2.
...or how hard it is to name the foundations of a healthy home?
over a year ago
...or how hard it is to name the foundations of a healthy home?
The Modern House
Our guide to Herne Hill and Tulse Hill: vibrant markets and outdoor swimming in south London
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Simple Drawing For A Difficult Structure – Part 3
Following up on part 1 and part 2, I want to talk about how the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge were...
a year ago
Following up on part 1 and part 2, I want to talk about how the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge were built, installed, and used. Unlike the 1883 image from part 1 (below), the image above is from 1870, while the work was still going on. I’ve played with the contrast to make the...
99% Invisible
WARNING: This Podcast Contains Chemicals Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Other...
WARNING: Entering this area can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause...
9 months ago
WARNING: Entering this area can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm, including Benzene, a chemical used in urinal cleaners and Toluene, a chemical used in common household cleaning products. For...
SOCKS
A City in Retreat: Les Devantures by Sandrine Marc (2018)
Sandrine Marc is a photographer and artist based in Paris with a specific interest in self-made...
over a year ago
Sandrine Marc is a photographer and artist based in Paris with a specific interest in self-made editions. She investigates urban and suburban territories through slow, long walks immersing herself in mutating environments. In December 2018, after the first demonstration by the...
Contemporist...
A New Bunkhouse Provides Additional Accommodation For A Family's Cabin On An Island
SHED Architecture & Design has shared photos of a two-story bunkhouse on Guemes Island in Washington...
10 months ago
SHED Architecture & Design has shared photos of a two-story bunkhouse on Guemes Island in Washington State, that provides additional sleeping accommodations for a family's cabin.
Common Edge
Why Mass Transit in America Disappeared
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric...
a year ago
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight.
CONTEMPORIST
Stone Covers The Exterior And Interior Of This Harbourfront Hideaway
SAOTA, TKD Architects, and interior architects ARRCC have shared photos of a new home they completed...
7 months ago
SAOTA, TKD Architects, and interior architects ARRCC have shared photos of a new home they completed that fronts Sydney Harbour in Australia. Partially hidden from view from the street, the home, which is located in a historical suburb, sits behind a row of plants and a fence...
The Solarchitecture...
The effectiveness of solar passive principles
Improving health, freedom one house at a time.
over a year ago
Improving health, freedom one house at a time.
Common Edge
Developers Are Dangerously in Control of New York City
Urbanist Roberta Brandes Gratz’s remarks on receiving the Preservation Leadership Award.
8 months ago
Urbanist Roberta Brandes Gratz’s remarks on receiving the Preservation Leadership Award.
Common Edge
What L.A. 2028 Can Learn From the Paris Olympics
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to...
3 months ago
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to take a cue from the City of Lights’ embrace of the local.
devonzuegel.com
Travel photos are underrated
I snapped many photos while wandering Haifa last week, as I always do whenever I see something new...
over a year ago
I snapped many photos while wandering Haifa last week, as I always do whenever I see something new or interesting while exploring a city. I was with my friend Tyler, who conspicuously does not take photos while exploring a new place. I asked him why, and his answer was, "It's a...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Interculturality as Shelter
Interculturality as Shelter is a map made of many maps. It examines the ways in which young migrants...
a year ago
Interculturality as Shelter is a map made of many maps. It examines the ways in which young migrants experience interculturality in the neighborhood where their school is located. It shows their ways of feeling, walking, and making the city.
A neighborhood where nobody...
CONTEMPORIST
Exterior Lighting Shows Off The Post And Beam Structure Of This Home
Ward + Blake Architects has shared photos of a modern post and beam home they completed in Wyoming,...
a year ago
Ward + Blake Architects has shared photos of a modern post and beam home they completed in Wyoming, that’s been placed on a hillside, just above a farmable portion of the site to preserve the ongoing agricultural use of the property. The home has generous roof overhangs that...
The Beauty of...
Tubular Belle (Køge Nord station, Køge, Denmark)
Stuck on the E20 motorway heading for Copenhagen? Køge Nord station very much hopes you are...
over a year ago
Stuck on the E20 motorway heading for Copenhagen? Køge Nord station very much hopes you are...
devonzuegel.com
On [there being more than] liberty
Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question:
When I was looking at your...
over a year ago
Recently, Ayaz Matin sent me an email asking the following question:
When I was looking at your website I came across these words:
Individual liberty is the single most important value that society should uphold.
I’m more utilitarian and communitarian now.
I still believe we...
CONTEMPORIST
Curved Windows Allow This Home To Have Unobstructed Water Views
The Wiseman Group has updated a 90’s home in Sausalito, California, that was originally designed by...
10 months ago
The Wiseman Group has updated a 90’s home in Sausalito, California, that was originally designed by the late architect Donald Olsen. Located on a hillside with waterfront views, the home has been thoughtfully modernized as an elegant family living space that still honors the...
Old Structures...
Metaphorical Significant Figures
Continuing a bit further with yesterday’s line of thinking…what happens if we use the wrong code?...
6 months ago
Continuing a bit further with yesterday’s line of thinking…what happens if we use the wrong code? (I’m going to say now, at the beginning of this post, and I’ll repeat at the end: we can and should use the current codes. I use current codes in analysis and design; I use old codes...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #3: Disney World & other underworlds
Every place has some dirty secrets, even Disney World. We all have to get rid of waste somehow! In...
over a year ago
Every place has some dirty secrets, even Disney World. We all have to get rid of waste somehow! In this episode, the Bertauds and I discuss methods of sanitation and waste management from around the world, and how these hidden systems shape our cities.
RSS · Apple Podcasts ·...
Old Structures...
A Year Later, Maybe
Yesterday, I was pondering the purpose of some of the strange steel framing near the top of the...
a month ago
Yesterday, I was pondering the purpose of some of the strange steel framing near the top of the Singer Building. Here’s another stereoscopic view of the building, after it was completed: We’ve got two men standing on a tiny setback roof – not a terrace or official observation...
Common Edge
Ugly Buildings Are Not Simply a Matter of Aesthetics
Bad architecture must come from some underlying ethos.
a year ago
Bad architecture must come from some underlying ethos.
Old Structures...
Outlived Its Welcome But Not The Need
I’ve been trawling in the HABS index and came across a survey from 1974 of the Bronx portion of the...
7 months ago
I’ve been trawling in the HABS index and came across a survey from 1974 of the Bronx portion of the Third Avenue elevated. After the rest of the line (in Manhattan and the very southernmost bit of the Bronx) was closed and demolished in the early 1950s, the portion from 149th...
Archinect - Features
AI, Complexity, and Ecological Futures: A Conversation with Alisa Andrasek
For Alisa Andrasek, a career in architecture represents a point of convergence for her dual passions...
a year ago
For Alisa Andrasek, a career in architecture represents a point of convergence for her dual passions for art and science. For the past two decades, a respect for both the mathematic and emotional, the computational and the creative, has propelled Andrasek's enthralling...
CONTEMPORIST
A Weathered Corrugated Metal Exterior Protects This Home On A Ranch
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a home they completed on 20 acres of...
a month ago
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects has shared photos of a home they completed on 20 acres of working ranch property. The house layout consists of two roughly equivalent rectangular volumes. One accommodates a couple’s day to day life with kitchen/living/dining spaces and a...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Nostalgia
A piece of a 1987 Daredevil comic, with some thugs attacking pieple on the subway. The route map (on...
11 months ago
A piece of a 1987 Daredevil comic, with some thugs attacking pieple on the subway. The route map (on the left, abive the man in a blue jacket, blue pants, and badly-outdated boots) is clearly the Vignelli Map, in use from 1972 to 1979. The cars with the big central cicular fans...
Old Structures...
Other People’s Perception
Every once in a while, something slightly out of the ordinary reminds me of how our work looks to...
5 months ago
Every once in a while, something slightly out of the ordinary reminds me of how our work looks to people not in the AEC world. Yesterday morning I was walking up Thames Street from Trinity to Broadway and took this photo: That block of Thames is a great illustration of why the...
Old Structures...
More Blatant Fakery
First, a 1908 postcard, issued when the Singer Building was brand new: Second, a photo from about...
10 months ago
First, a 1908 postcard, issued when the Singer Building was brand new: Second, a photo from about the same time: It’s standard practice in New York real-estate glamor pictures to pretend that the buildings between you and the subject don’t exist. Narrow streets and big buildings...
Common Edge
Designing for Disaster in an Increasingly Dangerous World
What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
6 months ago
What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
CONTEMPORIST
Cork Was Used As The Exterior Siding On This Home Extension
Mitchell + Corti Architects has designed a new rear ground floor extension for a home in England,...
a year ago
Mitchell + Corti Architects has designed a new rear ground floor extension for a home in England, that’s clad in cork. The architect mentions, “We chose to clad the extension in something a little different a dark patterned cork, in order to use a sustainable material and test...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Fancy Digs
Hawkeye chases some bad guys in New York: Looking north up Central Park West from a bit below 71st...
3 months ago
Hawkeye chases some bad guys in New York: Looking north up Central Park West from a bit below 71st Street: The relatively-low brown building two blocks up is the Dakota Apartments, but the drawing in the comic isn’t accurate enough to recognize it. The building at the first...
Common Edge
Jane Jacobs Would Reject NYC’s Proposed “City of Yes”
YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
5 months ago
YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
Old Structures...
The Skull Beneath The Feathers
I like birds to begin with; this hummingbird sculpture in Montreal seems designed specifically for a...
4 weeks ago
I like birds to begin with; this hummingbird sculpture in Montreal seems designed specifically for a structural engineer who likes birds.
Old Structures...
A Story With A Happy Ending
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering,...
10 months ago
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering, architecture, construction, or NYC history – that has something to do with engineering, architecture, and construction, and maybe NYC history as well. I like mechanical keyboards, with a...
Construction Physics
How Fast Can a City Grow?
In the last post, we noted Los Angeles was the fastest-growing city in the US at the end of the 19th...
a year ago
In the last post, we noted Los Angeles was the fastest-growing city in the US at the end of the 19th century, growing nearly 10% yearly between 1880 and 1930. This made me wonder what the landscape of city growth rates looks like. How fast were other US cities growing at the same...
CONTEMPORIST
This 1950s California Ranch Home Was Updated With A Black And White Palette
ANACAPA Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for a young family of...
11 months ago
ANACAPA Architecture has sent us photos of a home renovation they completed for a young family of four who sought to update their 1952 California Ranch home nestled in the San Roque neighborhood of Santa Barbara. The original home had an awkward layout that chopped up the...
Old Structures...
Complicated History, Nice Backdrop
From February 1946, a view of the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, with lower Manhattan in the...
4 months ago
From February 1946, a view of the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, with lower Manhattan in the background. It was a cold month: note the ice in the river past the train storage to the right of pier 15. This is the old pier 15, which was close to the foot of Montague Street. It...
The Modern House
Pride and Joy: six family homes for sale
You may not be able to choose your family, but you can choose a home to share with them. Whether...
a year ago
You may not be able to choose your family, but you can choose a home to share with them. Whether you’re a young couple with a little one on the way, are searching for additional space or want to create a more sustainable living environment […]
99% Invisible
How the World Ran Out of Everything
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships...
a month ago
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships anchored off the coasts of US ports, stacked high with hundreds of thousands of containers filled with goods, just sitting there in a traffic jam. At the same time, grocery store shelves...
Common Edge
Inga Saffron on the Philadelphia 76ers’ Push for a New Downtown Arena
A talk with the Pulitzer Prize winning architecture critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
a week ago
A talk with the Pulitzer Prize winning architecture critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Modern House
Our guide to North Norfolk: spectacular wildlife, unspoiled beaches and stargazing
a year ago
Common Edge
What Would Jane Jacobs Do? Toward a New Model for Houses of Worship
Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining churches.
a year ago
Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining churches.
The Modern House
Shine Bright: five light-filled homes currently for sale
“The sun never knew how wonderful it was until it fell on the wall of a building.” So said the great...
10 months ago
“The sun never knew how wonderful it was until it fell on the wall of a building.” So said the great American modernist architect Louis Kahn. And what wise words they are, for a home with good natural light is a special one. Light can […]
Old Structures...
Nearby
Also from the Greenport Railroad Station: the 1890s freight house on the right with a...
4 months ago
Also from the Greenport Railroad Station: the 1890s freight house on the right with a apparently-retired snowplow engine named Jaws III, a Pennsylvania Railroad boxcar, and a caboose, probably also Pennsy. The Pennsylvania bought the LIRR in 1900 as part of its grand plan for the...
99% Invisible
The Six-Week Cure [EPISODE]
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get...
a year ago
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get out of bad marries. The city became known as the “Divorce Capital of the World.” For much of modern history, it has been relatively easy to get married, and extremely difficult to...
The Modern House
Listing of the Week: the best inter-war home in Britain?
a year ago
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
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...
99% Invisible
The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons [EPISODE]
Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly...
8 months ago
Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly recognizable around the world. Since the 1970s, sapeurs (from: le sape, short for “Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes”) have been known for donning technicolored...
Old Structures...
Raking Sunlight
Pro tip, as computer manuals said back when (a) everyone was not yet comfortable using a computer...
a year ago
Pro tip, as computer manuals said back when (a) everyone was not yet comfortable using a computer and (b) computer manuals still existed: environmental conditions can help in building investigation. For example, I like conducting facade inspections on very cold days because you...
Blog - Guerrilla...
From Our Southern Border to a Cottonwood Tree
I am an artist and not a trained cartographer. Because my work or message is often about the...
over a year ago
I am an artist and not a trained cartographer. Because my work or message is often about the environment, geopolitical issues, water, animal and human rights, I look for how I might highlight particular issues, and then draw a word picture to go with the visual message of the...
CONTEMPORIST
A Tree House That Feels Like It’s Floating Inside The Forest
INTEGRA STUDIO ARQUITETURA has shared photos of a modern Tree House project they completed for the...
a year ago
INTEGRA STUDIO ARQUITETURA has shared photos of a modern Tree House project they completed for the NaCarapina accommodation complex, that’s located in Brazil. The Tree House which has the feeling of ‘floating inside the forest’, is fully integrated with the imposing Araucaria...
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Screens Wrap Around This Home To Create Shade And Privacy
Koichi Takada Architects has completed a new home in Sydney, Australia, whose design was inspired by...
a year ago
Koichi Takada Architects has completed a new home in Sydney, Australia, whose design was inspired by palm fronds, specifically the way the leaves provide dappled light and shelter to the fruit its tree bears. Applying the same principles, the home was cocooned with symmetrical...
Old Structures...
Mannahatta
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still...
2 months ago
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still had a lot of hills. A few links to help explain:
The Modern House
Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming...
10 months ago
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming entirely synonymous with a certain strand of the shabby-chic look that so gripped the late 1990s and early 2000s. But there was life before the company – Cath worked first for […]
Cartogrammar
Ohio is still a piano
In a hundred years, no one will remember our work. Strike that, make it about five years. Digital,...
over a year ago
In a hundred years, no one will remember our work. Strike that, make it about five years. Digital, web-based work can break or disappear in an instant. I’ve certainly done some things which are now gone forever. Anyway, one broken thing was the crazy Ohio piano map I made nearly...
Common Edge
The Architecture of “Thin Places” and How to Design Them
Places that are “thin” offer experiences outside of the everyday.
a year ago
Places that are “thin” offer experiences outside of the everyday.
Common Edge
Jane Jacobs, Cyclist
We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
7 months ago
We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
Old Structures...
Imitation
There’s a phenomenon that I think of as “life imitiates art imitates life imitates art…ad...
10 months 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...
99% Invisible
The Infernal Machine [EPISODE]
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in...
2 months ago
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in one place and set it on fire. But then in the 1800s one scientist named Alfred Nobel dedicated himself to taming the incredibly volatile substance that was nitroglycerine. After...
Old Structures...
Repetition
Back to my travelogue of the tour of Swiss and German bridges. This is an overall view of the rail...
5 months 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...
The Modern House
Nice Modernism: introducing the friendly face of modernist architecture
After almost a hundred years of modernist architecture, the writer and critic Alan Powers argues...
4 months ago
After almost a hundred years of modernist architecture, the writer and critic Alan Powers argues that the canon is ripe for reappraisal. Here, he makes the case for “Nice Modernism” – an altogether gentler strand of architecture that emerged in the 1930s and is typified […]
Old Structures...
Steel And Hemp
From the 1880s, a view of South Street and the East River with the brand-new Brooklyn Bridge in the...
2 months ago
From the 1880s, a view of South Street and the East River with the brand-new Brooklyn Bridge in the background. The bridge was the first suspension bridge with steel wires in its main cables. Steel rope had been used in ships for some time, but these sailing ships were mostly...
The Architectural...
Join the Architectural Competition to Reimagine Gran Vía’s Iconic Façade
We invite all readers to contribute to an architectural competition to reimagine the façade of a...
6 months ago
We invite all readers to contribute to an architectural competition to reimagine the façade of a significant building on Madrid’s famous Gran Vía. This competition focuses on number 19, the Court of Contentious-Administrative No. 10 headquarters, originally built in 1921 and...
Construction Physics
We Need More Research on how CO2 Affects Cognition
A growing body of research indicates there are potentially large health benefits to improving indoor...
a year ago
A growing body of research indicates there are potentially large health benefits to improving indoor air quality. Indoor spaces are often poorly ventilated and expose occupants to high levels of contaminants, such as pathogens, particulates, and other pollutants. Because people...
Common Edge
Sharon Egretta Sutton on the Democratic Power of “Place-Based Activism”
A talk with the self-proclaimed activist scholar.
11 months ago
A talk with the self-proclaimed activist scholar.
Contemporist...
The Dining Table Becomes Part Of The Stairs Inside This Eclectic House
Mag Arquitectes together with Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA has shared photos of a home they designed in...
a year ago
Mag Arquitectes together with Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA has shared photos of a home they designed in Catalunya, Spain, that showcases a unique dining area.
Old Structures...
The Story Can Be Oversimplified
The title of this blog post is true of a lot of narrative history. Simple stories are more effective...
11 months ago
The title of this blog post is true of a lot of narrative history. Simple stories are more effective on an emotional level, and are easier to tell. So we often tell them. For example, Wikipedia (my go-to source for oversimplified explanations) states that the 1916 New York zoning...
CONTEMPORIST
Hidden Lighting Creates A Warm Glow Throughout This Apartment Interior
Cuaik | CDS has shared photos of an apartment interior they designed in Ciudad De México, Mexico,...
5 months ago
Cuaik | CDS has shared photos of an apartment interior they designed in Ciudad De México, Mexico, that uses hidden lighting to create a warm atmosphere. Working together with Grupo Cuarit, the designers infused the space with bespoke wood carpentry and thoughtful illumination. In...
CONTEMPORIST
Vertical Fins Surround The Exterior Of This House Giving It A Distinct Appearance
Architecture and design studio MDAMMM, has recently completed the remodel of a home that had a...
a year ago
Architecture and design studio MDAMMM, has recently completed the remodel of a home that had a nondescript appearance and little aesthetic appeal. The original home had an exposed brick facade in ochre tones and all other elements featured different grey tones and finishes. The...
CONTEMPORIST
A Sculptural Limestone Facade Was Designed For This Boutique Retail Store
Photography by doublespace photography Architecture studio PARTISANS has shared photos of a boutique...
5 months ago
Photography by doublespace photography Architecture studio PARTISANS has shared photos of a boutique they completed that’s owned and operated by Royal de Versailles Jewellers in Toronto, Canada, and features a sculptural stone facade. Photography by doublespace photography...
Old Structures...
New Ringing The Old
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle...
3 months ago
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle effect to the buildings in much of lower Manhattan that you can see clearly here, that the buildings on the waterfront are new and bigger than the ones behind them. It’s a simple...
The Modern House
Suea is the cook and creative playing with her food in Brooklyn, New York
a year ago
devonzuegel.com
Tutorial: Telegram → Logseq quick notes
I've long wanted a notes app with an optional chat style interface for append-only notes. The idea...
over a year ago
I've long wanted a notes app with an optional chat style interface for append-only notes. The idea is that I'll use the simpler append-only interface while on the go, and then use full-featured interface to review, edit, and organize those notes when I'm back at my computer.
I...
The Modern House
How a love of Japan and the 1970s shaped Sherrill Smith’s Hackney home
a year ago
Common Edge
The ‘Social Landscapes’ of Lee Friedlander
For six decades, the photographer’s ability to offer a complex narrative about America in a single...
8 months ago
For six decades, the photographer’s ability to offer a complex narrative about America in a single image was always unique.
Contemporist...
The Black Exterior Of This Home Leads To A Pink Kitchen Inside
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they completed in Wivenhoe, England, for an artist...
6 months ago
Paul Archer Design has shared photos of a home they completed in Wivenhoe, England, for an artist who wanted a light-filled interior with room to work and to entertain.
Old Structures...
Happy Thanksgiving
And the menu above provides a goal for dinner.
a year ago
And the menu above provides a goal for dinner.
The Modern House
Jeremy Lee: the much-loved chef who grew up in a wedge of cheddar
If ever there was a corrective to the idea of the dour Scotsman, it could be found in Jeremy Lee....
9 months ago
If ever there was a corrective to the idea of the dour Scotsman, it could be found in Jeremy Lee. Glaswegian-born (and now London-based) Jeremy is chef proprietor of Quo Vadis, the historic Soho institution beloved of virtually everyone who’s ever had the privilege of […]
CONTEMPORIST
Crafting Connection: A Contemporary Addition to a Historic Bungalow
Carter Williamson Architects has shared photos of a new home extension that they designed for an...
7 months ago
Carter Williamson Architects has shared photos of a new home extension that they designed for an Australian house in a heritage conservation area. The designers’ brief asked for an open, warm home in which a family could truly gather, one that respected the home’s history while...
CONTEMPORIST
This Modern House Was Made From Locally Sourced Stone
Architecture firm ARGDL has shared photos of a home they completed in Tapalpa, Mexico, that’s built...
a year ago
Architecture firm ARGDL has shared photos of a home they completed in Tapalpa, Mexico, that’s built using stone, wood, and glass. Local stone was used to generate the main volumes of the home, while the regional pine can be seen in the roof structure as well as the window and...
McMansion Hell
new jersey “19th century” “eclecticism”
It’s always funny to me when new wealth tries to imitate old wealth, but in a very specific way: by...
3 weeks ago
It’s always funny to me when new wealth tries to imitate old wealth, but in a very specific way: by trying to reproduce old ways of building that are no longer viable via mass produced building materials and contractors who are better than average but still not quite in the...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny [EPISODE]
This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
7 months ago
This is the fifth 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 Brandy Zadrozny, a senior reporter for NBC News who covers misinformation,...
The Modern House
Our guide to Camden Town and Primrose Hill: from panoramic views to a community ceramics space
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Archinect's 2024 Mental Health Survey Results: 11 Key Takeaways
On October 10th, we marked World Mental Health Day by launching Archinect's 2024 Mental Health...
a month ago
On October 10th, we marked World Mental Health Day by launching Archinect's 2024 Mental Health Survey. Over 120 people participated, sharing their experiences of the past year, where mental health issues are arising from, and what steps they are taking to improve their own mental...
Old Structures...
More Over-Thinking
This photograph, taken in May 1959 by Angelo Rizzuto, is titled “View of building construction” on...
8 months 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...
99% Invisible
The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE]
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like...
a year ago
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest....
The Modern House
The Good Stuff: six materially focused homes with both substance and style
Decorating a home is a substantial matter – quite literally. The materials we choose to live...
9 months ago
Decorating a home is a substantial matter – quite literally. The materials we choose to live alongside inform our understanding and enjoyment of spaces, which is something we’re quite invested in. As such, we’ve got pretty good at seeing the wood from the trees. Here, […]
Old Structures...
Being Stalked From The Past
Once again, one of Angel Rizzuto’s photos, this one from 1954, gets very close to us. This is the...
7 months ago
Once again, one of Angel Rizzuto’s photos, this one from 1954, gets very close to us. This is the intersection of Whitehall and Stone Street looking east. (For once, the logic of the street grid and the actual cardinal points align exactly.) Almost every building in this view has...
Common Edge
The Next New Thing
In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
5 months ago
In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
devonzuegel.com
Topographic theory of flaking
Natan Gesher sent me the following email after reading my post about why flaking is so widespread in...
over a year ago
Natan Gesher sent me the following email after reading my post about why flaking is so widespread in San Francisco, and I thought you all might find it interesting too:
I saw your blog posts about flaking and wanted to share something I've observed from moving around a bit (four...
Contemporist...
The Ultimate Gift Guide With Over 50 Ideas For Interior Designers, Architects, And Design Lovers
Finding a gift for an interior designer, architect, or design lover can sometimes be a difficult...
a year ago
Finding a gift for an interior designer, architect, or design lover can sometimes be a difficult task, so we’ve put together a collection of more than 50 gift ideas to make your life easier.
99% Invisible
Chambre de Bonne [EPISODE]
For many young people in Paris, it’s a right of passage to live in a very small, very French type of...
8 months ago
For many young people in Paris, it’s a right of passage to live in a very small, very French type of apartment, called a “chambre de bonne.” Literally, a maid’s room. A chambre de bonne is usually one small room, on the top floor of a five- or six-story apartment building, and...
Old Structures...
Dry-Goods Palace
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two...
3 months ago
This is a newspaper ad circa 1883, advertising that the store Wechsler & Abraham had moved about two blocks down Fulton Street to a new building that was something like five times the size of its old home. That name doesn’t mean much today, but in 1893, a change in ownership...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #03: David Sims [EPISODE]
This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power...
9 months ago
This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims is our book club guest. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan, Roman Mars, and David...
Old Structures...
An Obvious Issue
“The Battle for the Streets of New York” by Dodai Stewart and illustrated by Leon Edler, in Monday’s...
7 months 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...
Old Structures...
A Last Remnant
I’ve mentioned before the way that the numbered street grid was literally cut though the once-hilly...
7 months ago
I’ve mentioned before the way that the numbered street grid was literally cut though the once-hilly topography of Manhattan Island. It’s hard to find visible evidence of that process today. The Dyckman Farmhouse, near the north end of the island and dating to 1784, is on a hill...
Old Structures...
Baseball in New York 5
This is the last of the collection of little-known ballfields, following Brooklyn, Manhattan, and...
2 months ago
This is the last of the collection of little-known ballfields, following Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and the little-known teams who played in those fields. It’s very difficult to find information about the only Bronx important ball field in the Bronx. While it’s sometimes...
Old Structures...
Colorful and Accurate
The map above, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on...
12 months ago
The map above, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on the right (to the north) to New York City on the left. The new aqueduct runs on a much straighter line than the old, which required more tunneling, and therefore reflects the more...
Old Structures...
An IStructE Talk
I’m giving an in-person and online talk on March 7 for the UK Institution of Structural Engineers on...
10 months ago
I’m giving an in-person and online talk on March 7 for the UK Institution of Structural Engineers on the connections between the development of fire-resistant construction technology, New York social history, and the origins of skyscrapers. More information here: New York’s...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Guidebooks
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by...
a year ago
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1965.
Are guidebooks still a valid and useful subgenre of architecture books? Do architects...
Archinect - Features
New Dog, New Tricks: Reflections on Construction, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence
What is the current relationship between humans, robotics, and construction? What is its future? To...
a year ago
What is the current relationship between humans, robotics, and construction? What is its future? To explore these questions in depth, Archinect speaks with both Boston Dynamics and the Applied Research + Development group at Foster + Partners for their experiences and...
Cartogrammar
Land by latitude and longitude, or, a pile of continents
Bill Rankin’s graphs of world population by latitude and longitude popped into mind for no...
over a year ago
Bill Rankin’s graphs of world population by latitude and longitude popped into mind for no particular reason the other day, followed by a silly-sounding question: “but, like, what about land area by latitude and longitude?” Silly because, duh, a chart of land area by latitude and...
99% Invisible
The Double Kick [EPISODE]
Watch a skate video today, and you’ll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the...
11 months ago
Watch a skate video today, and you’ll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the “popsicle” design, because the deck is narrow in the middle and rounded off at both ends, like a popsicle stick. This may seem stupid simple, but that basic, clean popsicle shape is...
Contemporist...
Top 20 A' Design Award Winners From Past Years
A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts...
4 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...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick [EPISODE]
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
4 months ago
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised in New York City, Shiloh is a writer and...
CONTEMPORIST
Yellow Granite Is On Display Throughout This Contemporary Home In Sardinia
Photography ©Marco Cappelletti Architecture firm Alvisi Kirimoto has shared photos of a villa they...
9 months ago
Photography ©Marco Cappelletti Architecture firm Alvisi Kirimoto has shared photos of a villa they completed in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, that showcases local granite throughout its design. Drone photography ©Mattia Caprara and Flavio Pescatori San Giacomo yellow granite winds...
Contemporist...
A Glass-Enclosed Library And Home Office Creates A Separate Space Inside This Apartment
Canadian design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a loft apartment located in a building that...
a year ago
Canadian design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a loft apartment located in a building that was once home to offices but has been converted into residential apartments.
CONTEMPORIST
Corrugated Metal Covers The Barrel Shaped Roofs Of This Portable Home
William Samuels Architects has sent us photos of a small home they designed and built in Nelson, New...
a year ago
William Samuels Architects has sent us photos of a small home they designed and built in Nelson, New Zealand, that includes a single bedroom. The project was created out of a desire by architect William Samuels and his partner, Hannah D’Arcy, to own their first home. Building...
Blog - Guerrilla...
What a GIS & Map Librarian does all day
The two most common responses I get when I tell people that I’m a map librarian at UC Berkeley are:...
over a year ago
The two most common responses I get when I tell people that I’m a map librarian at UC Berkeley are:
I didn’t know that was a job?! and
I love maps!
These are both fair reactions. It’s not a very common job. And maps are very cool. Just like a typical librarian’s work does not...
Archinect - Features
When Form Follows Meanings: AI’s Semantic Turn in Architecture
In the wake of artificial intelligence’s recently popularized presence in the architectural field...
a year ago
In the wake of artificial intelligence’s recently popularized presence in the architectural field and beyond, many are pondering what changes may be on the horizon in the discipline, if any. For Stanislas Chaillou, AI’s dissemination in architecture may refocus the profession’s...
The Modern House
House Style with Gennaro Leone and Tessa Vermeulen in Stoke Newington
a year ago
Old Structures...
Getting Repetative
The heat wave is back. Technically it left for a few days, but given that I hate hot weather, it...
5 months ago
The heat wave is back. Technically it left for a few days, but given that I hate hot weather, it didn’t seem like that to me. As bad as it is, even people without a/c can cool off in various public places. The most amusing is the subway, which, when I was commuting to school […]
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....
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...
The Modern House
Life and love in a 1960s townhouse in north London
10 months ago
Old Structures...
You Are There
Early on in the movie Bull Durham, a character going to a baseball game walks from the dark...
2 months ago
Early on in the movie Bull Durham, a character going to a baseball game walks from the dark underside of the stadium – where the stairs, bathrooms, and food concessions are – through one of the tunnels to the seats. The camera follows and, if you’ve ever been to stadium, the...
The Modern House
Inside gallerist Peter Ibsen’s 1950s summer house in Rørvig, rural Denmark
a year ago
Old Structures...
Also From The Train, Again
I was going through some old photos and found this, and was gong to use it for a blog post until I...
2 months ago
I was going through some old photos and found this, and was gong to use it for a blog post until I looked and realized that I already had. So here it is again: That’s the West Shore railroad, as seen from the Hudson line (AKA the New York Central main line), and from across […]
CONTEMPORIST
This House Has A Thin Floating Roof That Extends Out 15 Feet
Specht Architects has designed a new home in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for a retired couple that...
a year ago
Specht Architects has designed a new home in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for a retired couple that wanted to simplify and downsize their lives. The new house embraces a minimalist, modern, aesthetic, and at the same time displays the priceless art, antiques, and found objects the...
Old Structures...
Just Because I Like It
A view of 99 Prince Street: It’s a little hard to believe it today, but this was built simply an...
a month ago
A view of 99 Prince Street: It’s a little hard to believe it today, but this was built simply an ordinary commercial building with retail and office space. It was completed in 1888 by architect William Schickel working for “J. J. Astor.” That was either John Jacob Astor III near...
The Architectural...
Architects call for a crisis meeting after politicians demand more traditional architecture
After enduring decades of failed modernism, the residents and politicians of Sweden’s second-largest...
7 months ago
After enduring decades of failed modernism, the residents and politicians of Sweden’s second-largest city, Gothenburg, want to see more new traditional architecture. This has led architects and officials to call for a crisis meeting. During the 1960s and 1970s, Gothenburg...
Common Edge
Building Emissions Are Falling, Now the Real Work Begins
There has been a significant drop this year. The path toward net-zero intensifies.
a year ago
There has been a significant drop this year. The path toward net-zero intensifies.
CONTEMPORIST
Pivoting Arched Windows Are A Unique Feature On This Row Of Townhouses In London
Photography by Matthew White and Izzy Scott of AVR London Architecture firm DHaus has designed a...
a year ago
Photography by Matthew White and Izzy Scott of AVR London Architecture firm DHaus has designed a collection of 6 new terraced townhouses in North-West London, that replaced a gas station. The six new townhouses include a strong mixture of rectangles and arches, set within a brick...
Old Structures...
How Far Is Far?
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a...
11 months ago
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a familiar profile: That’s Billionaire’s Row, on the order of eight and a half miles away. It’s no surpise that you can see a big building from a distance – that’s the essence of all...
The Modern House
Sumayya Vally: the South African architect on how growing up in a township defined her sense of...
Sumayya Vally is a South African architect whose star is in the ascendant. At the age of 30, she...
8 months ago
Sumayya Vally is a South African architect whose star is in the ascendant. At the age of 30, she became the youngest architect to receive the prestigious annual summer pavilion commission at the Serpentine Gallery in London. A slew of accolades and honoraries followed and […]
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?...
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...
The Modern House
The delightful details of an Art Deco apartment in Shepherd’s Bush, west London
a year ago
Common Edge
O.J. and L.A.
What the iconic car chase revealed about Southern California’s landscape.
7 months ago
What the iconic car chase revealed about Southern California’s landscape.
CONTEMPORIST
This Secluded A-Frame Cabin Was Given A Contemporary Design Update
Matiere Premiere Architecture together with its affiliated construction company, Nu Drom, has...
a year ago
Matiere Premiere Architecture together with its affiliated construction company, Nu Drom, has completed a contemporary update for an A-Frame cabin located on the shores of a lake near Montreal, Canada. Originally built in the 1950’s, the exterior was updated with natural white...
Old Structures...
Fuzzy
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts,...
a month ago
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts, pipes, lights, and electrical conduits do not.
Archinect - Features
The Industry Reacts to Interest Rate Cuts: Archinect’s State of AEC September 2024
Welcome to the fourth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
2 months ago
Welcome to the fourth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month, we will guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically.
Since our last edition, the...
The Solarchitecture...
7-Stage Solar Design Review - launched!
Together we make your home healthier, full of sunlight & abound with natural energy
over a year ago
Together we make your home healthier, full of sunlight & abound with natural energy
Common Edge
Measuring Progress: The Building Sector’s Response to the Climate Crisis
From huge CO2 reductions to surging solar investments, the sector is paving the path to a...
5 months ago
From huge CO2 reductions to surging solar investments, the sector is paving the path to a sustainable future, but the time for bold action is now.
A Weekly Dose of...
Three Lessons from Three Monographs
Writing a blog devoted to architecture books means featuring monographs — lots of monographs. Not...
a year ago
Writing a blog devoted to architecture books means featuring monographs — lots of monographs. Not exclusively, of course; but before this blog transitioned to its current weekly format, one of the thematic days of the week was appropriately devoted to monographs: Monograph...
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part II - The World Trade Center
Part II in our series comparing the construction of two Tallest Building in the World projects - the...
over a year ago
Part II in our series comparing the construction of two Tallest Building in the World projects - the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. See here for Part I. Unless otherwise noted, information and quotes are from “City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World...
Old Structures...
Probably Not Realistic
The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775....
a year ago
The “Vue de la Nouvelle Yorck” is listed at the New York Public Libarry as being probably from 1775. It’s definitely from that era, just based on the ships, which are far more accurately drawn than the buildings are. A lot of these illustrations appear to have been made by...
99% Invisible
Trail Mix: Track Two [EPISODE]
Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object:...
a year ago
Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object: the trail. If you haven’t heard the first episode yet you should totally go back and listen. It’s a lot of fun. Trail Mix We’re going to kick this second episode once again starting...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Lisa Jones and Ruby Kean
a year ago
The Beauty of...
Riding the Steel Breeze (Port Talbot Parkway, Neath Port Talbot, UK)
Some stations are born parkways, some achieve parkway status, while yet others have parkway status...
a year ago
Some stations are born parkways, some achieve parkway status, while yet others have parkway status thrust upon them. Such is the explanation for an arrival at Port Talbot Parkway being such a strange experience. As passengers step out of their trains they find themselves...
Construction Physics
Why Is It So Hard to Build an Airport?
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to...
9 months ago
Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure. Aviation contributes an estimated 8% to global GDP through direct and indirect effects (ie: the businesses and commerce that it enables), and an estimated 25% of companies’ sales rely on air transport. In 2022, civil...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Office Hides Behind A Sliding Wall In This House
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a...
a year ago
Blue Truck Studio collaborated with a new homeowner with DIY construction experience, to renovate a home for the owner’s family. The interior, contemporary yet comfortable in its design, includes a living room that has a large empty wall. However, this wall isn’t stationary but...
CONTEMPORIST
Reflecting Ponds And Concrete Lily Pads Help Create Tranquility At This Modern Home
Kor Architects have shared photos of a home they completed in Indian Wells, California, for their...
6 months ago
Kor Architects have shared photos of a home they completed in Indian Wells, California, for their clients who desired a contemporary residence with a thoughtfully designed entrance that seamlessly integrates indoor and outdoor areas. Upon arrival at the home, there’s a carefully...
Old Structures...
Not Much Of A Mystery
There floors of apartments over two floors of commercial space: If you’ve spent enough time in...
5 months ago
There floors of apartments over two floors of commercial space: If you’ve spent enough time in Manhattan, the immediate thought is that this was a house with a stoop, and the extension to the front lot line is an alteration that removed the stoop and raised the basement to street...
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
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...
devonzuegel.com
Part 3: The first walkable city in America in a century
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the...
10 months ago
A new city has been proposed in California, and I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the future of my home state in my lifetime. This post is part of a series I’m writing about this bold proposal.
As an urbanism nerd, the aspect of California Forever’s plan that I was...
Contemporist...
Before + After - A Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Renovation
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century...
yesterday
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century modern home in San Mateo, California, for a young couple who wanted to update the kitchen, living room, dining room, and family room.
99% Invisible
Nuts and Bolts [EPISODE]
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way),...
a year ago
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering that have shaped the modern world: the nail, the wheel, the spring, the...
Contemporist...
An Extension To This 1933 Home Creates A New Kitchen And Outdoor Terrace
Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in...
4 months ago
Heliotrope Architects has shared photos of a contemporary extension they completed for a home in Seattle, Washington, that was originally designed and built in 1933 by Norwegian boat captain Ole E. Nelson.
CONTEMPORIST
A Circular Sunken Firepit Is Nestled Into The Desert Landscape Of This Home
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine has sent us photos of a new home they completed in Paradise Valley,...
10 months ago
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine has sent us photos of a new home they completed in Paradise Valley, Arizona, that breaks down the barriers between indoor and outdoor living. As you approach the house, the first thing that captures the eye is the striking interplay of metal fins...
McMansion Hell
pre-recession, post-taste
Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s...
a year ago
Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s why I’ve gone back into the archives of that precipitous year 2007, a year where the McMansion was sleepwalking into being a symbol of the financial calamity to follow. We return to...
CONTEMPORIST
This Small Shingle Clad Cabin Has An Organic Shape
Photography by Peter Markos Markos Design Workshop has shared photos of a small organically shaped...
8 months ago
Photography by Peter Markos Markos Design Workshop has shared photos of a small organically shaped cabin clad in wood shingles they designed, that began as a project during the pandemic, however, they didn’t have any money or land for the project. Peter Markos explains, “My...
Old Structures...
An Exotic Foreign Land
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, what appears to be a page of illustrations from a...
2 weeks ago
From the New York Public Library scrapbooks, what appears to be a page of illustrations from a European tourist guide to New York: Let’s start with the non-controversial item in the lower left: That is a decent engraving of Das Stadhaus / The City Hall / La maison de Ville as...
CONTEMPORIST
Top 20 A’ Design Award Winners From Past Years
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
a year ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing winners from 114 countries in 139 different design disciplines. More than...
The Modern House
Best Buds: the most beautiful garden centres in London
a year ago
Old Structures...
Not Quite What It Seems
First up, from one of those New York Public Library scrapbooks, “Looking down upon a forest of...
4 months ago
First up, from one of those New York Public Library scrapbooks, “Looking down upon a forest of skyscrapers: New York City.” It’s listed as having been issued between 1850 and 1945, and my response to that is “oh, come on.” The Park Row and St. Paul buildings, and the intersection...
devonzuegel.com
No Kings: How Do You Make Good Decisions Efficiently in a Flat Organization?
At Doist we believe that open and sincere communication improves our decision-making process. That’s...
over a year ago
At Doist we believe that open and sincere communication improves our decision-making process. That’s why we’ve built a culture that encourages feedback at all levels of decision-making: from purely technical solutions to team and product management. We built our team...
The Modern House
Scene Stealers: seven rural homes with spectacular surroundings
We’ve all found ourselves daydreaming of life in the country – growing your own fruit and veg, wild...
a year ago
We’ve all found ourselves daydreaming of life in the country – growing your own fruit and veg, wild swimming, enjoying a glass of red by a cosy log fire… But if that’s never been quite enough to inspire you to take the plunge, the homes […]
The Modern House
Good as New: the best contemporary homes for sale
Historically speaking, period houses are seen as the ones with personality – and while we won’t...
a year ago
Historically speaking, period houses are seen as the ones with personality – and while we won’t argue with the fact they’ve got charisma (who doesn’t love pleasing Victorian details or grand Georgian proportions?), we will also make a strong case for those created in recent […]
devonzuegel.com
Georgist land taxes balance community benefit & the efficiency of markets
One thing I like about Georgist land taxes is they reflect a deep-seated intuition many people have...
5 months ago
One thing I like about Georgist land taxes is they reflect a deep-seated intuition many people have that land should be owned by the community, while still employing markets to ensure efficient use of this limited resource.
People feel that land is special and should serve the...
Contemporist...
Brick Is The Material Of Choice For This New Home
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in...
3 months ago
Architecture and interiors firm Enter Projects Asia, has shared photos of a home they completed in Phuket, Thailand, that blends design and traditional artisanal craftsmanship.
The Modern House
The brilliant reimagining of Sunny Side Up, a family home in Clapton
10 months ago
Construction Physics
How to Build a $20 Billion Semiconductor Fab
For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly...
7 months 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...
The Modern House
The lavish restoration of a Lisbon townhouse
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Extension Made Space For A New Kitchen And Dining Area
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary...
4 months ago
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary single-storey extension for a private residence. Mature trees surround the site to the north and east, and tall lush hedges to the south and west perimeter of the property that provide...
Archinect - Features
'Everything in Design Is Extremely Collaborative': A Conversation with Emerging Architecture...
Starting your own practice comes with a mixture of excitement, collaboration, stressors, and endless...
a year ago
Starting your own practice comes with a mixture of excitement, collaboration, stressors, and endless problem-solving. As a new firm, architects Neda Kakhsaz and Zabie Mustafa are developing their approach to architectural design and how they would like to make their mark within...
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Ranch Home Bathed In Light And Natural Materials
Farmer Payne Architects together with interior designer firm Suede Studio, have completed a ranch...
4 months ago
Farmer Payne Architects together with interior designer firm Suede Studio, have completed a ranch house in Idaho, that seamlessly integrates rustic charm and contemporary elegance. Adorned with authentic hand-hewn heavy timber and stone with big grout joints reminiscent of...
Contemporist...
Lighting Is Used To Create A Warm Glowing Atmosphere For This Restaurant
FUNUN LAB has shared photos of a Japanese-inspired restaurant they designed in Beijing, China, that...
a year ago
FUNUN LAB has shared photos of a Japanese-inspired restaurant they designed in Beijing, China, that includes a variety of lighting that helps create a unique interior.
Old Structures...
Delaying The Obvious Solution
The idea behind Columbus Circle was a good one. The corner of a large park (Central Park, in this...
6 months ago
The idea behind Columbus Circle was a good one. The corner of a large park (Central Park, in this case) is a good place to have a monumental space. The only problem was reality: the southwest corner of Central Park is the intersection of Central Park West (AKA Eight Avenue),...
Common Edge
Braids by Jade: L.A. Street Art Through Two Lenses
Artist Lauren Halsey's visual chronicles of her changing neighborhood.
a year ago
Artist Lauren Halsey's visual chronicles of her changing neighborhood.
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow: The Empire State Building and the World Trade Center (Part I)
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931. At a height of 1250 feet [0], it was the world's...
over a year ago
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931. At a height of 1250 feet [0], it was the world's tallest building, exceeding the recently completed Chrysler building by 202 feet. It would hold that title for the next 39 years, until 1970 when it was surpassed in height by...
The Modern House
Bright Futures: six projects packed with potential
The best spaces are seldom served to you on a silver platter, instead requiring a bit of hard graft...
11 months ago
The best spaces are seldom served to you on a silver platter, instead requiring a bit of hard graft to bring out the glimmer. From an incredible volume at the foot of a Barbican tower to ambitious Oxford expansion, we present six doer-uppers ideal for […]
The Modern House
How the realities of self-building in the Outer Hebrides produced a new home distinctly reflective...
11 months ago
devonzuegel.com
OWD #0: Welcome to Order Without Design
I'm starting a new podcast called Order Without Design with the most interesting couple I know:...
over a year ago
I'm starting a new podcast called Order Without Design with the most interesting couple I know: Alain & Marie-Agnes Bertaud.
This project is an extension of their book, Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities. With its focus on economic theory, you might not realize that...
Old Structures...
Less Than Artistic
My originally-planned blog post for today has some issues and will show up next week; I was...
a year ago
My originally-planned blog post for today has some issues and will show up next week; I was traveling yesterday and couldn’t write another proper one in time. So, above, a failed attempt at taking a picture without adequate light. I didn’t think I moved but I obviously did. I...
99% Invisible
Model Village [EPISODE]
For decades, society has dealt with people with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline by...
a year ago
For decades, society has dealt with people with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline by storing them away in unstimulating, medicalized environments. But around the world, a new architectural movement is starting to challenge that old paradigm. Designing environments...
The Modern House
Kevin McCloud: the Grand Designs presenter takes us behind the scenes of his own life
Anyone who’s ever dreamed of building their own home has probably watched an episode of Grand...
a year ago
Anyone who’s ever dreamed of building their own home has probably watched an episode of Grand Designs. In fact, quite a few people have – the programme has been on our screens since 1999, during which time Kevin McCloud has cemented his reputation as a […]
CONTEMPORIST
Scalloped Ceilings Are The Elegance Overhead In This New York Apartment
Frederick Tang Architecture has designed the interior of an apartment on the Upper West Side of...
4 months ago
Frederick Tang Architecture has designed the interior of an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for a couple and their three children. Inspired by their Indian heritage, the family wanted to incorporate stone into their home, and they were also drawn toward color and...
Old Structures...
A Change For Economy
The 1868 lithograph above shows the building that would soon after become known as the Tweed...
a year ago
The 1868 lithograph above shows the building that would soon after become known as the Tweed Courthouse. The Tweed Ring stole millions of dollars in the construction of the building, which is what it’s most often remembered for, rather than its architecture. The building was...
Construction Physics
The Shape of Nuclear Policy
Book review: Nuclear Politics: Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France
6 months ago
Book review: Nuclear Politics: Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France
The Modern House
A fossil-shaped eco home in the rolling countryside of Devon
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Bathroom Renovation Where Adding A Vanity That Wraps Around The Corner Added Much Needed...
Designer Ana Dahlman has shared photos of a bathroom renovation she completed that included...
a year ago
Designer Ana Dahlman has shared photos of a bathroom renovation she completed that included replacing the vanity with a floating L-shaped corner vanity. Before we see the renovated bathroom, here’s what it looked like originally, with cream-colored walls and a small vanity with...
A Weekly Dose of...
Favorite Books of 2023
For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year,...
a year ago
For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year, selected from the many books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the few titles that I reviewed at World-Architects. From the 86 books I featured in 2023, 15 (or...
CONTEMPORIST
A New Home Overhanging The Water’s Edge In Alaska
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in...
2 months ago
Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline has shared photos of a home they completed in Alaska, that overlooks inlet waters and is balanced on the edge of a rock wall. The home’s geometry is defined by two tall shed roof structures with a connector between them. Along the...
Common Edge
Hope and Squalor: Venezuelan Refugees at Chicago Police Stations
Nearly 3000 people are living in tents and inside police facilities.
a year ago
Nearly 3000 people are living in tents and inside police facilities.
A Weekly Dose of...
The Latest from MoMA: Emerging Ecologies
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books...
a year ago
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books with keywords to better filter and find them. The tags I use move from general terms like "architecture" (the most) and "fiction" (the least) to specific terms that reflect a high...
A Weekly Dose of...
Three Monographs
Just as last week's Places in Time III post featured a trio of books that were initially listed in...
a year ago
Just as last week's Places in Time III post featured a trio of books that were initially listed in my earlier holiday gift books post, two of the three monographs featured here were also on that list. As happened when I wrote this post, each book begins with a rhetorical question...
Common Edge
Technology’s Siren Song
How to lure an architect onto the rocks.
2 months ago
How to lure an architect onto the rocks.
CONTEMPORIST
A Dark Exterior Helps To Hide This Modern Home In The Forest
Robert Young Architects has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Virginia, that’s...
a year ago
Robert Young Architects has shared photos of a modern home they designed in Virginia, that’s surrounded by a forest and features a dark exterior. The multi-storey home was designed from the inside out, with the architects allowing the function of the house to determine its form....
Old Structures...
The Personal Connection
A 1958 or 59 view of 200 East 42nd Street under construction: It’s a fairly boring steel-frame,...
8 months ago
A 1958 or 59 view of 200 East 42nd Street under construction: It’s a fairly boring steel-frame, glass-facade office building, remarkable to me for the simple reason that I had my first more-or-less real engineering job there. Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton, later known as TAMS...
The Modern House
Outside chance: six homes with spectacular gardens
“Gardening is a promise,” said Piet Oudolf in Thomas Piper’s meditative documentary about the...
4 months ago
“Gardening is a promise,” said Piet Oudolf in Thomas Piper’s meditative documentary about the pioneering Dutch garden designer. “It doesn’t have to be there. You’re looking for what will be there.” From a particularly pastoral front garden in Brixton, to a transportive Cornish...
The Solarchitecture...
Case study #2 - Sunbeam A-frame
Let's start 2023 with presenting one of my dearest projects.
a year ago
Let's start 2023 with presenting one of my dearest projects.
CONTEMPORIST
This Little Laneway House In Toronto Has An Upstairs Bedroom Overlooking The Street
Creative Union Network Inc. has designed a small laneway house in Toronto, Canada, that was...
a year ago
Creative Union Network Inc. has designed a small laneway house in Toronto, Canada, that was originally built as a garage. The building occupied a prominent location on the corner of the lane and main street. The original structure, although rundown, was a well-loved structure...
The Modern House
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
a month ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Plaid-Inspired Wood Kitchen Is A Unique Design Feature Inside This Office
BHDM Design has recently completed a workplace in New York for private equity consulting firm...
a year ago
BHDM Design has recently completed a workplace in New York for private equity consulting firm Accordion, whose interior was inspired by motifs of menswear fabrics. An interesting design element in the workplace is the kitchen, which includes a unique plaid design. The plaid...
Common Edge
The Brilliant, Unhinged Spectacle of Megalopolis
A rare film that celebrates design and urban planning, Coppola’s latest epic is a mishmash of...
2 months ago
A rare film that celebrates design and urban planning, Coppola’s latest epic is a mishmash of architectural, cinematic, and literary history.
devonzuegel.com
Chautauqua: an idea embedded in a place
I want to tell you about the place I spent summers growing up. It's called Chautauqua Institution,...
over a year ago
I want to tell you about the place I spent summers growing up. It's called Chautauqua Institution, and it's one of the most special places in the world — and not just because I spent my childhood there. Chautauqua is special because it is an idea embedded in a place.
The place...
99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE]
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
3 months ago
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding,...
The Modern House
Oscar Piccolo on the intriguing objects in his home in Hackney Wick
a year ago
The Modern House
Quiet yet quirky – the family home of architect Will Burges serves as both inspiration and sanctuary
5 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Built-In Furniture Makes The Most Of This Renovated Home’s Interior
Nook Architects has shared photos of a home interior they remodeled in Barcelona, Spain, that...
a year ago
Nook Architects has shared photos of a home interior they remodeled in Barcelona, Spain, that includes a lot of built-in elements. This home was originally designed by architect Joan Bosch Agustí in 1978 as a cooperative housingproject, with the units sharing a swimming pool,...
devonzuegel.com
Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent
Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will...
over a year ago
Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will finally be able to compete with the US to attract talent. This is the once-in-a-generation opportunity for small, stable countries to grow, diversify, and up-skill their...
Construction Physics
Welding and the Automation Frontier
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human...
a year ago
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human civilization, is the effect it will have on employment. Large language models already seem poised to automate large fractions of the work in certain industries, and the technology is only...
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six homes that prove good things come in at under 600 square feet
6 months ago
Old Structures...
Engineers at Ground Zero
Next week, there will be a showing of the documentary Engineers at Ground Zero at the Angelika...
a month ago
Next week, there will be a showing of the documentary Engineers at Ground Zero at the Angelika theater. The film was produced by the Structural Engineers Association of New York and created by Vacationland. As it happens, I will be out of town next week so I won’t see it now, but...
McMansion Hell
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book!
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book!
If you ever wanted to read a book about...
10 months ago
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book!
If you ever wanted to read a book about McMansions, 5-over-1s, the ignoble toil of architects, ridiculous baubles for rich people, hostile architecture, private equity, shopping (rip), offices (rip), loud restaurants, and...
McMansion Hell
bonus mcmansion hell: terrible things are happening in McLean, VA
Read the bonus post on Patreon!
over a year ago
Read the bonus post on Patreon!
Common Edge
Architecture With Empathy In An Age of Division and Discord
Buildings can be designed to antagonize communities, or serve as welcoming presences.
a week ago
Buildings can be designed to antagonize communities, or serve as welcoming presences.
Construction Physics
On Klein on Construction
In the New York Times, Ezra Klein investigated the recent Goolsbee and Syverson paper on...
a year ago
In the New York Times, Ezra Klein investigated the recent Goolsbee and Syverson paper on construction productivity we recently looked at. Klein suggests that the stagnation in construction productivity might be the result of organized special interests increasingly leveraging...
devonzuegel.com
Empathy for the Devil
I. Loan application
Before serving time for mortgage fraud, Toby Groves seemed like the last person...
over a year ago
I. Loan application
Before serving time for mortgage fraud, Toby Groves seemed like the last person who would get into that kind of trouble. His older brother had been sentenced for the same crime twenty years earlier, and Toby had seen how it destroyed his family. He swore he’d...
CONTEMPORIST
Clerestory Windows Add Natural Light Inside This New Addition To An Australian Home
Architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a contemporary renovation and extension of a...
9 months ago
Architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a contemporary renovation and extension of a typical free-standing timber period home in Australia. The view from the front door shows off the hallway that connects the original home with the new extension. The hallway...
Common Edge
Is This Ugly or Heroic? An Eyesore or Gem? What Is ‘Ugly’?
Truth is, aesthetic inclinations are an expanding multiverse.
9 months ago
Truth is, aesthetic inclinations are an expanding multiverse.
Old Structures...
Bucolia
First up, some very tame woods, with a picnic bench: About a mile away, a peaceful – if rainy and...
10 months ago
First up, some very tame woods, with a picnic bench: About a mile away, a peaceful – if rainy and foggy – stretch of water, as seen from a causeway: This is, against most people’s expectations, the Bronx. More specifically, it’s Pelham Bay Park, and Eastchester Bay, where the...
Construction Physics
The Technological Innovations that Produced the Shale Revolution
Part One of Hot Rocks: Commercializing Next-Generation Geothermal Energy
a year ago
Part One of Hot Rocks: Commercializing Next-Generation Geothermal Energy
CONTEMPORIST
A Curved Accent Wall Wraps Around From The Fireplace To The Ceiling Inside This Home
MAKHNO Studio has designed a home in Kiev, Ukraine, that includes a contemporary living room with a...
a year ago
MAKHNO Studio has designed a home in Kiev, Ukraine, that includes a contemporary living room with a large curved statement piece. The living room has a sunken couch that neatly fits into the step-down, and faces the fireplace, while the focal point of the room is a curved section...
Common Edge
On the Value of Miniatures and Scale Models
Thinking small can help us answer the challenges of our time.
4 days ago
Thinking small can help us answer the challenges of our time.
The Modern House
Nice Slice: the best pizza in London
a year ago
Old Structures...
Travelog: Damage and Weirdness
Just because a building is cute, doesn’t mean it won’t have damage. Someone has done a pretty...
9 months ago
Just because a building is cute, doesn’t mean it won’t have damage. Someone has done a pretty thorough job of strapping the corners of this small building in Bath, as well as installing some kind of pinning at the middle of the side wall. It’s not clear which way the floor spans...
Archinect - Features
Storytelling, Bias, and Exploitation in Digital Realms; A Conversation with Miriam Hillawi...
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers....
a year ago
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers. The Ethiopian designer and researcher sees digital media as an impactful, playful, and unrestrained way of shaping immersive stories that challenge Western narratives and power...
Common Edge
Vishaan Chakrabarti: Looking for a Home, Aiming Risky Zingers
The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
a week ago
The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
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...
9 months 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...
Faking It
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something...
a month ago
A pet peeve of more than one of us at Old Structures is seeing buildings that are “faking” something that makes no sense. Examples abound, like weep holes in solid masonry walls. I noticed this building while on the train recently, with the star anchors that one often sees on...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Like A Movie Set
First, a panel from “The Bat-Man – First Knight,” an alternate telling of the Batman story, set in...
9 months ago
First, a panel from “The Bat-Man – First Knight,” an alternate telling of the Batman story, set in 1939: Second, a photo of Staple Street in lower Manhattan, from Unsplash: Note that the comic-book artist has flipped the image left-right – visible at the asymmetry in the bridge....
Old Structures...
Future Site
An 1890 view of the south side of the intersection of 23rd Street, Broadway and Fifth Avenue, the...
4 months ago
An 1890 view of the south side of the intersection of 23rd Street, Broadway and Fifth Avenue, the narrow triangular block that would, a dozen years later, be the site of the construction of the Flatiron Buidling. My first thought was “would you really want a dentist who...
Old Structures...
Well Duh
Another photo from Berniece Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, this one from 1936 and titled...
11 months ago
Another photo from Berniece Abbott’s “Changing New York” project, this one from 1936 and titled “Park Avenue and 39th Street.” As usual, Abbott was contrasting the big buildings in the background with the much older and smaller buildings in the foreground. Four of those big...
The Modern House
Coast and countryside at a contemporary home in Suffolk
a year ago
Common Edge
Social Radicalism Reexamined: The Legacies of Christopher Alexander and Joseph Rykwert
What these foreign-born giants of design theory brought to two American universities.
6 months ago
What these foreign-born giants of design theory brought to two American universities.
Archinect - Features
Uncovering the Untold Histories of American Campus Expansions with Boghosian Fellow Leen...
Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in, or have recently...
a year ago
Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in, or have recently finished, an architecture fellowship. During our conversations, we discuss their architectural journey, areas of research, and their overall experience as academic fellows.
For our...
A Weekly Dose of...
Archidose, 1999–2024
After 25 years of running this blog under various names — all of which can be lumped under the...
11 months ago
After 25 years of running this blog under various names — all of which can be lumped under the "Archidose" monicker — I've decided to shut it down, moving this hobby, this labor of love, to Substack, which I have used since mid-2021 and where I will continue to send out weekly...
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...
10 months 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....
Archinect - Features
Architectural Visualization Was Rather Flat: Then We Invented Perspective
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant...
2 months ago
Before the invention of architectural perspective, architects and artists faced significant challenges in visualizing and communicating architectural space. Without a systematic way to represent depth and spatial relationships, architectural drawings were often symbolic,...
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...
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.
Archinect - Features
Debates Surrounding Architectural Competitions Are Nothing New
In the US architectural profession of the 2020s, and newfound scrutiny over workplace conditions...
6 months ago
In the US architectural profession of the 2020s, and newfound scrutiny over workplace conditions from unpaid overtime to a poor work-life balance, architecture competitions have become the subject of debate over how the profession values itself and is valued by wider society...
The Modern House
A contemporary gallery-like home with countless credentials in Hampstead
a year ago
99% Invisible
The 2024 Olympics Spectacular [EPISODE]
From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again...
5 months ago
From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again everywhere. In the Olympic spirit, we’re bringing you four stories about the games in all their international, theatrical glory. In the first story, Christopher Johnson introduces...
Common Edge
It’s Hard for Architects to Be Transparent About Fees
If the profession is to survive, however, we have no choice.
3 weeks ago
If the profession is to survive, however, we have no choice.
The Modern House
Dancing down the decades at Domus – a monument to mid-century modernism
4 months ago
Archinect - Features
Meet NYIT School of Architecture & Design's New Faculty Members
The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), with campuses in...
a month ago
The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), with campuses in New York City and Old Westbury, Long Island, delivers a technology-driven, design-focused education across its Architecture, Interior Design, and Digital Art & Design programs.
As...
Construction Physics
When did New York start building slowly?
(Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to...
a year ago
(Note: the analysis below of floor plate size vs construction speed is incorrect due to autocorrelation effects. For a correct analysis, see the subsequent post here) It’s good to be able to build things quickly. The faster you build something, the quicker the benefits from it...
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...
2 months ago
“If we are really serious in promoting inclusion and opportunities to practice, we need to take a fresh look at everything.”
devonzuegel.com
Inflation propagates unevenly
Inflation hits some parts of the economy harder and faster than others. It's obvious once you say...
over a year ago
Inflation hits some parts of the economy harder and faster than others. It's obvious once you say it, and yet the way pundits and academics talk about inflation glosses over this reality. As a result, most people who haven't had direct experience with high inflation have a flawed...
Benny Kuriakose
Job Opportunities at Benny Kuriakose and Associates in 2024
Every month, we receive a large number of applications for job positions and internships. Most of...
7 months ago
Every month, we receive a large number of applications for job positions and internships. Most of them sent the application three or more...
Old Structures...
Adelaide House, Part 2 – Structure
Continuing my discussion (part 1 is here) of London’s maybe-first skyscraper, the Adelaide House,...
8 months ago
Continuing my discussion (part 1 is here) of London’s maybe-first skyscraper, the Adelaide House, let’s talk about structure. There’s a big difference between trying to build the first skyscraper in your city in the 1870s or 80s or 90s (depending on how you want to define...
Old Structures...
Twelve Years Undemolished
This photo from 1954 was taken from the top level of the Queensboro Plaza Station, looking west to...
4 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...
99% Invisible
Blood in the Machine [EPISODE]
Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he’d been covering the industry for years when he started to...
a year ago
Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he’d been covering the industry for years when he started to notice a term that kept coming up. Especially when he wrote a story that was critical of tech, he’d be accused of being a “Luddite.” Like most people, Brian knew at least vaguely...
Common Edge
The Clever Trick for Living in 350 Square Feet
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
4 months ago
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
Archinect - Features
You, Me, and DALL-E: On the Relationship Between Architecture, Data, and Artificial...
Thirty years after the thaw of the last 'AI Winter,' the landscape of artificial intelligence is one...
a year ago
Thirty years after the thaw of the last 'AI Winter,' the landscape of artificial intelligence is one of a forest in full bloom. On a weekly basis throughout 2023, new tools have been released taking advantage of the latest advances in machine learning algorithms, while existing...
Old Structures...
This Time, The Famous One
Seven years ago, I wrote a blog post called “No, Not The Famous One.” Guess what? On a site visit to...
3 months ago
Seven years ago, I wrote a blog post called “No, Not The Famous One.” Guess what? On a site visit to Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, I noticed a lot of nice cast-iron storefronts in the old shopping streets. Given that iron wasn’t a major industry there in the nineteenth...
Old Structures...
Infrastructure
Not all infrastructure is hidden – some, like elevated railroads, is more visible and audible than...
7 months ago
Not all infrastructure is hidden – some, like elevated railroads, is more visible and audible than most people would prefer – but it often is and that can make it easy to forget. “The Cloud Under the Sea” by John Dzieza, with visuals by Kristen Radtke and Go Takayana, is an...
Construction Physics
A Cycle of Misery: The Business of Building Commercial Aircraft
"There are no historic precedents or current parallels for the magnitude of financial exposure...
10 months ago
"There are no historic precedents or current parallels for the magnitude of financial exposure risked by an American airframe company" – George Ball, managing director at Lehman Brothers, 1982 "You can't win, you can't break even, and you can't quit" – Jean Pierson, former CEO of...
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