The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Skye Corewijn
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
This Small Home With A Green Roof Curves Around A Pond
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in...
5 months ago
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in Hungary’s lush rural landscapes. Situated next to a fishing pond, the home is a retreat for the owners and is dug into a mound, peeking out just enough to blend with the horizon....
The Modern House
A local’s guide to Highbury and Canonbury: design and delicatessens in north London
5 months ago
Contemporist...
This Modern Mountain Home Was Designed With Distinctly Separate Wings
CLB Architects has sent us photos of a mountain retreat they designed in a densely forested area of...
a year ago
CLB Architects has sent us photos of a mountain retreat they designed in a densely forested area of Big Sky, Montana.
Contemporist...
A Contemporary Interior Was Given To This Victorian Era Home
Richard Beard Architects and The Wiseman Group has sent us photos of a project they recently...
a year ago
Richard Beard Architects and The Wiseman Group has sent us photos of a project they recently completed in San Francisco, California, that involved updating a historic Victorian-era home.
Archinect - Features
'The Relationship Between AI and Architecture Is Old Enough to Receive Social Security'; A...
Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From...
a year ago
Molly Wright Steenson's introduction to the world of computing came when she was ten years old. From there, her career as a writer, designer, historian, and professor has taken her on a journey of understanding the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence and its...
CONTEMPORIST
An Extended Sloped Roof Runs The Length Of This Modern Home
RHAW architecture’s Rolf Reichardt, in partnership with the villa’s residents Marieke Jansen and...
6 months ago
RHAW architecture’s Rolf Reichardt, in partnership with the villa’s residents Marieke Jansen and Jaap Maashas, has designed a home in Sint-Oedenrode, The Netherlands, that has a sloped roof, and is made of timber, glass, and concrete. The home is a country house with a...
The Wandering...
The Mathematics of the Pattern on the Sala de la Barca Ceiling
(This is the math geek part about the Sala de la Barca ceiling. For instructions on constructing the...
8 months ago
(This is the math geek part about the Sala de la Barca ceiling. For instructions on constructing the pattern with compass and straightedge, go over to Part 1.) In the process of figuring out how to draw this pattern, I ran into a lot of questions, and had to do more than a little...
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...
The Modern House
How two lifelong friends built a space-savvy home to share on an awkward site in Homerton
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Renovation Where Adding A Yellow Accent Wall Was A Bright Idea
gon architects have recently completed a small apartment renovation inside a home in Madrid, Spain,...
a year ago
gon architects have recently completed a small apartment renovation inside a home in Madrid, Spain, that includes a bright yellow accent wall. The original apartment, which measures just over 500 square feet (47m2), included a wood ceiling and beams, as well as a separate bedroom...
Old Structures...
Familiar Yet Not
I’ve been playing around with 1940s.nyc. That site is a really nice front-end interface for the...
5 months ago
I’ve been playing around with 1940s.nyc. That site is a really nice front-end interface for the 1940s tax photos of every building in the city that can be found with a much less nice interface at the city archive website. My way of testing a site like this is to look at locations...
SOCKS
Stage Design as a Narrative Device: Norman Bel Geddes’ Stage Set for The Divine Comedy (1921)
American stage and industrial designer, director and producer Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958) worked...
over a year ago
American stage and industrial designer, director and producer Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958) worked on a theatrical staging of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy to be performed in Madison Square Garden in 1921 on the sexcentenary of Dante’s death. Geddes planned the...
Old Structures...
Not Quite Qualifying
One of the points that I felt has to be made in discussing early skyscrapers in The Structure of...
a year ago
One of the points that I felt has to be made in discussing early skyscrapers in The Structure of Skyscrapers in America was that the issues discussed apply to buildings outside the specific boundaries of my research. My research was specifically on buildings ten stories and...
Common Edge
Randy Fertel on the Power and Peril of Creative Improvisation
A lively talk with the author about his new book, Winging It.
8 months ago
A lively talk with the author about his new book, Winging It.
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
How the Much-Maligned Porch Supports Walkable, Sustainable Communities
Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
4 months ago
Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
Contemporist...
This Prefab Home Was Installed On The Property In Just One Day
BIO-architects together with DublDom, have sent us photos of their latest project, DUB, a modular...
a year ago
BIO-architects together with DublDom, have sent us photos of their latest project, DUB, a modular single-family home in Russia.
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.
A Weekly Dose of...
Changing Ideals in Architectural Criticism
On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism edited by Wilfried Wang, published by Park Books...
a year ago
On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism edited by Wilfried Wang, published by Park Books and University of Texas at Austin, 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop)
Who Is the City For?: Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago by Blair Kamin with photographs by Lee Bey,...
The Modern House
Nick Knight on being a skinhead, why he’s hopeful about AI and how well-designed spaces make life...
In our new podcast, Homing In, our co-founder Matt Gibberd invites guests to discuss their childhood...
a year ago
In our new podcast, Homing In, our co-founder Matt Gibberd invites guests to discuss their childhood home, where they live now and their thoughts on future living. (If you missed episode one, with Ruth Rogers, be sure to listen here.) Our guest on this episode […]
Common Edge
Near Ground Zero, Joshua Ramus Fails His Audition for Starchitect Status
The Perelman Performing Arts Center is a pricey bauble, but its over mechanized interiors suggest...
a year ago
The Perelman Performing Arts Center is a pricey bauble, but its over mechanized interiors suggest the building’s hype is unwarranted.
The Modern House
Desert modernism meets London stock brick in the strikingly staggered Aperture House
5 months 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.
The Modern House
Five things to do and see this August
August has arrived – and come rain or shine we’ve plenty on the agenda this month. From an Italian...
a year ago
August has arrived – and come rain or shine we’ve plenty on the agenda this month. From an Italian menu that will transport you to the Mediterranean coast to an exhibition celebrating contemporary African photography, here are five shows, suppers and soirees not to be […]
Archinect - Features
'AI Is Both Incredible and Terrifying'; A Conversation with Neil Leach
Neil Leach is a British professor and licensed architect currently based in California. He has...
a year ago
Neil Leach is a British professor and licensed architect currently based in California. He has worked for NASA developing a 3D printer for the Moon and Mars, and is co-founder of DigitalFUTURES. Having authored over 40 books on architecture and digital design, and taught at some...
99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 17 [EPISODE]
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire...
a year ago
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire because We have a year-end mix of short stories about a rogue architect, spooky kitchens, a hundred year old music streaming service, and the crazy way the French tried to make...
The Modern House
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
a month ago
The Modern House
The Modern House: a potted history
Twenty years ago, The Modern House was a mere kernel of an idea; today, it is widely recognised as...
7 months ago
Twenty years ago, The Modern House was a mere kernel of an idea; today, it is widely recognised as the UK’s leading design-led estate agency. How did we get here? Today, co-founders Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill were asked this very question on BBC Radio 4’s Gap […]
Coffee with an...
Architect Christmas Cards 2023
It’s that time of year again when a grinches, I mean an architect’s, heart grows 3 sizes and they...
a year ago
It’s that time of year again when a grinches, I mean an architect’s, heart grows 3 sizes and they realize the true meaning of Christmas. Ignoring heat gain coefficients and just using all glass on the new design for Santa’s experimental workshop/atelier anyway. It’s a Christmas...
The Modern House
Furnishing Futures: the charity improving the lives of domestic abuse survivors – one piece of...
When a domestic abuse victim is given the keys to their new home, many will find that it comes...
3 weeks ago
When a domestic abuse victim is given the keys to their new home, many will find that it comes unfurnished, often without even carpets on the floors. It can be the cause of much stress for these women, who have recently fled an abusive home […]
Archinect - Features
Just Finished Architecture School? Here's Some Advice
As the 2023/2024 academic year draws to a close, architecture graduates across the United States are...
6 months ago
As the 2023/2024 academic year draws to a close, architecture graduates across the United States are preparing for the next stage in their design career, be it through employment, further education, journeys into adjacent fields, and beyond. If you are one of the many graduates...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Hidden In The Forest Appears Like A Stack Of Illuminated Boxes
William / Kaven Architecture has sent us photos of a home they completed in Portland, Oregon, that’s...
a year ago
William / Kaven Architecture has sent us photos of a home they completed in Portland, Oregon, that’s part of a collection of private residences perched on several steeply sloped sites within Forest Park, a 5,000-acre woodland. A simple material palette of dark steel, concrete,...
CONTEMPORIST
The Color And Material Palette Of This New Home Allows It To Blend Into The Desert Setting
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy...
a year ago
Multidisciplinary creative studio mxtad has designed a home in Mexico, with a natural and earthy color palette that complements its surroundings. The home, designed for an architect and graphic designer, was built on a site with an irregular shape, however, from the street, it...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #5: The evolution of urban utopias (guest episode from Caos Planejado)
Alain was interviewed by our friend Anthony for a Brazilian urbanism blog called Caos Planejado, and...
over a year ago
Alain was interviewed by our friend Anthony for a Brazilian urbanism blog called Caos Planejado, and we thought it would be fun to cross-post it here. They discussed Brazilian cities, municipal financing, what it was like to live in NYC in the time of Jane Jacobs and Robert...
Common Edge
Light and Color: The Spirit-Led Work of James Turrell
The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
a month ago
The artist is driven not just by curiosity or ambition, but by the precepts of his Quakerism.
Old Structures...
The Main Attraction Hasn’t Changed
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street...
a month ago
From one of the New York Public Library’s scrapbooks, a view north from Park Avenue and 41st Street in 1920: The focal point of such a view is, of course, Grand Central Terminal. The big vacant lot, protected only by an easily-hopped fence, was the former site of the 1860s Grand...
CONTEMPORIST
Contemporary Japanese Design Blends Seamlessly With Tropical Modernism In This New Home
Architecture firm Alexis Dornier Makings has shared photos of a private residence in Berawa, Bali,...
5 months ago
Architecture firm Alexis Dornier Makings has shared photos of a private residence in Berawa, Bali, that they completed which seamlessly blends contemporary Japanese design with tropical modernism. The centerpiece of ‘The Free Bird Project’ is a living room positioned above the...
CONTEMPORIST
This Building With A Split Roof Makes Space For A Rooftop Park
Architecture firm RAD+ar has shared photos of a building they’ve completed in Jakarta, Indonesia,...
6 months ago
Architecture firm RAD+ar has shared photos of a building they’ve completed in Jakarta, Indonesia, that has a split roof held together by a skylight. The split design allowed half of the building to have a regular roof, while the other, is dedicated to outdoor space and a garden....
Old Structures...
The Easy Route
On Sunday, I mentioned in passing that Ridgewood and Glendale, which are in southwest Queens as much...
4 months ago
On Sunday, I mentioned in passing that Ridgewood and Glendale, which are in southwest Queens as much as there is a southwest Queens (that corner isn’t very big because most of where it might have been is Brooklyn) used to have service on the Long Island Railroad and now don’t. I...
devonzuegel.com
Israel's water miracle
The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years....
a year ago
The saga of Israeli water management is one of the most inspiring stories of the last 75 years. Israel went from having a serious water problem to being a net water exporter to neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the population grew from ~1 million to well over 9 million.
With...
CONTEMPORIST
Curved Green Roofs Cover This Creekside Cabin
MAP Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they completed in Suffolk, England,...
a year ago
MAP Architecture has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they completed in Suffolk, England, that’s located adjacent to the creek and reedbeds within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The ‘Creek Cabin’, with early...
There are two types...
Me on the On Cities Podcast
CLICK HERE to open in Apple Podcasts
The post Me on the On Cities Podcast appeared first on There...
a year ago
CLICK HERE to open in Apple Podcasts
The post Me on the On Cities Podcast appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Tree House With Two Rooms
Architecture firm Studio MEMM has designed a tree house for their clients that could be used by both...
a year ago
Architecture firm Studio MEMM has designed a tree house for their clients that could be used by both children and adults. Located in the middle of the Brazilian forest, the design of the treehouse was inspired by the geometries of the surrounding sycamore leaf structures...
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...
Archinect - Features
10 Tips for Architects To Survive Downturns by Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy
“I spent 50 years at HOK, working my way up from junior designer to CEO,” Patrick MacLeamy wrote in...
2 months ago
“I spent 50 years at HOK, working my way up from junior designer to CEO,” Patrick MacLeamy wrote in his 2020 book Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK. “Where else can you do that?”
During his time as HOK CEO and Chairman from...
A Weekly Dose of...
2023 in Architecture Books, So Far
Life, they say, throws you curve balls, and that's just what happened last month, when a family...
a year ago
Life, they say, throws you curve balls, and that's just what happened last month, when a family emergency had me put this blog on hiatus. This post, appearing on a Friday instead of its regular Monday, does not mean regular weekly posts will resume, as I'll be dealing with said...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Atlas in a Day Challenge: A Global, Real-time Collaboration
On Saturday, October 5, 2019, more than 50 guerrilla cartographers gathered, in person and online,...
over a year ago
On Saturday, October 5, 2019, more than 50 guerrilla cartographers gathered, in person and online, to collaborate in producing an atlas in a single day on the theme of migration. While researching and designing an entire atlas on a complex theme in the span of 24 hours is indeed...
The Modern House
How Mabel Law and Andrew Tam transformed a modest flat into a space-maximising maisonette in...
a year ago
Common Edge
Architects Must Resist the AI “Revolution”
No technological advance can match the power, memory, and creativity of the human brain.
a year ago
No technological advance can match the power, memory, and creativity of the human brain.
Construction Physics
Why Levittown Didn't Revolutionize Homebuilding
For decades, people have tried to bring mass production methods to housing: to build houses the way...
5 months ago
For decades, people have tried to bring mass production methods to housing: to build houses the way we build cars. While no one has succeeded, arguably the man that came closest to becoming “the Henry Ford of homebuilding” was William Levitt, with his company Levitt and Sons....
The Modern House
Akwasi Brenya-Mensa on the future of Pan-African cuisine at Tatale in Southwark
a year ago
Construction Physics
Do U.S. Ports Need More Automation?
On October 1st, 47,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), primarily...
2 months ago
On October 1st, 47,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), primarily dockworkers on East and Gulf Coast ports, went on strike after failing to agree contract terms with USMX, an alliance of port operators and employers.
Construction Physics
The blast furnace - 800 years of technology improvement
The modern world uses shocking amounts of steel - in the US, we make roughly 575 pounds of steel per...
a year ago
The modern world uses shocking amounts of steel - in the US, we make roughly 575 pounds of steel per person per year. At the peak of US steelmaking in the late 1960s, it was closer to 1500 pounds per person, which is roughly how much China makes now.
Old Structures...
Heat Wave
Unlike a lot of other weather conditions, heat waves are easy to see coming. Modern weather...
6 months ago
Unlike a lot of other weather conditions, heat waves are easy to see coming. Modern weather forecasting is quite good and I’m writing this on Sunday knowing that it will be getting steadily hotter through Friday and that even after the high-temperature peak passes, the lows will...
CONTEMPORIST
This New Home Addition Opens To The Garden
Levitate Architects has shared photos of a modern rear home extension they completed for a home in...
6 months ago
Levitate Architects has shared photos of a modern rear home extension they completed for a home in England, that has folding doors, connecting the interior spaces to the garden. The architects removed the floor of a second rear sitting room and lowered it to the level of the...
Old Structures...
Complaining For The Sake Of Complaining
I’ve been getting ready for the upcoming construction history congress (more on that to follow in a...
6 months ago
I’ve been getting ready for the upcoming construction history congress (more on that to follow in a few days) and part of that is searching for good images to use for presentation of my paper (ditto). One of the people I’m speaking about is Ole Singstad, who had a fantastic...
CONTEMPORIST
This 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...
99% Invisible
Power Broker #01: Robert Caro [EPISODE]
In our first official episode of this year’s epic mini-series breaking down The Power Broker, the...
11 months ago
In our first official episode of this year’s epic mini-series breaking down The Power Broker, the author himself, Robert Caro, joins to talk about his book, process, and the problematic man himself: Robert Moses. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan and Roman Mars will cover the...
Contemporist...
A Round Design And Open Arches Give This Concrete Home A Unique Look
Architecture firm Estudio Carroll has shared photos of a new concrete home they completed in Puerto...
5 months ago
Architecture firm Estudio Carroll has shared photos of a new concrete home they completed in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, that has a unique shape.
The Modern House
Good Fellow: Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill join the RIBA as Honorary Fellows
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Tree-like Columns Show The Craftsmanship Inside This Riverside Pavilion
Design practice firm JK-AR has shared photos of a riverside pavilion in Gyeongsangnam-do, South...
a year ago
Design practice firm JK-AR has shared photos of a riverside pavilion in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, which they recently completed that aims to reinvent East Asian timber architecture. Before the city was urbanized, the riverside was surrounded by bamboo forests. Inspired by...
Archinect - Features
Your Architecture Work Sample Isn’t Your Portfolio. 10 Creative Tips To Keep in Mind When Job...
In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer...
3 months ago
In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer when applying for a new architectural position. What you include in your sample, as well as how you structure and present it, is therefore important for creating a good first...
99% Invisible
Breaking Down The Power Broker [EPISODE]
In 1974, two very significant things happened, if you are a fan of 99% invisible. Number one is that...
a year ago
In 1974, two very significant things happened, if you are a fan of 99% invisible. Number one is that 99pi host Roman Mars was born. And number two, The Power Broker by Robert Caro was published. Roman learned about the power broker when he first started to cover cities and...
Old Structures...
“Pre”
Residential construction in New York can be broken into groups in a number of ways, but the most...
7 months ago
Residential construction in New York can be broken into groups in a number of ways, but the most straightforward is not known to the general public, and that’s by era of regulation. For just under a hundred years, multiple dwellings – AKA apartment houses – have been governed by...
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...
CONTEMPORIST
Rammed Earth Walls Surround This House In Australia
Luigi Rosselli Architects have shared photos of a home they renovated in Sydney, Australia, that had...
a year ago
Luigi Rosselli Architects have shared photos of a home they renovated in Sydney, Australia, that had rammed earth walls added. The original home, whose design was akin to that of a drilling platform, had two existing floors hovering above, and was entirely disconnected from its...
Construction Physics
Contribute to the US Megaprojects Database!
The US Megaprojects Database Very large construction or technology development projects are...
a year ago
The US Megaprojects Database Very large construction or technology development projects are sometimes called “megaprojects." By directing thousands of workers and billions of dollars towards the achievement of a single goal, great things can be achieved. The output of...
Old Structures...
Slow, But Faster Than Original
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of...
4 months ago
My in-home team for rebuilding Notre Dame – LEGO Notre Dame – has fallen behind schedule. As of today, we’re about up to where the Parisians were in 1200 or so. From a month ago, construction of the nave walls: and the forest of nave columns: From yesterday, the nave walls and...
CONTEMPORIST
An Observation Tower That Looks Like Twisted Wood Rises Above The Swedish Landscape
White Arkitekter has shared photos of Observation Tower Kärven on the Swedish west coast, which they...
3 months ago
White Arkitekter has shared photos of Observation Tower Kärven on the Swedish west coast, which they completed after winning Varberg Municipality’s architectural competition. Recently opened, the tower in Getterön nature reserve north of Varberg, measures 39 feet (12m) high and...
Contemporist...
A Home Filled With Rustic Italian Charm Was The Client's Request For This Renovation
Architecture and interior design studio Bradley VanDerStraeten has shared photos of a Victorian...
a year ago
Architecture and interior design studio Bradley VanDerStraeten has shared photos of a Victorian terrace house renovation in London, England, that was designed with Italian charm, and centered around a sociable kitchen and its pantry.
Old Structures...
For The Common Folk
The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds...
5 months ago
The return of a heat wave has me writing about the beach. (Not going to the beach, which sounds unbearably hot right now, but thinking and writing about it.) So, here’s the Brighton Beach Bathing Pavilion in 1879, one year after it opened: The three big hotels nearby, including...
Construction Physics
How did solar power get cheap part II
(note: all quotes are from Nemet’s How Solar Energy Became Cheap unless otherwise noted.) Welcome to...
a year ago
(note: all quotes are from Nemet’s How Solar Energy Became Cheap unless otherwise noted.) Welcome to Part II of “How did Solar Power Get Cheap?” To recap Part I, the modern solar photovoltaic (PV) cell was invented at Bell Labs in 1954. Early markets were almost entirely...
The Modern House
Author Kat Hill on why we all yearn for the sanctuary of a modern bothy
6 months ago
McMansion Hell
this house may or may not be real
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5...
over a year ago
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5 bathroom house totaling more than 6,600 square feet is for sale at a price of 2.37 million dollars. The house, allegedly, was built in 2021. Allegedly, it looks like this:
A McMansion...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
a month ago
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan, a comedian and host with Dropout TV, where he’s...
Old Structures...
Three Boxes, One Optional
I’m going to talk briefly about theater design, but I don’t mean the topics that people think of...
a year ago
I’m going to talk briefly about theater design, but I don’t mean the topics that people think of when you say that. I’m not going to talk about acoustics, or sight-lines, or architectural design of the auditorium. I want to talk about the physical requirements for a modern...
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...
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...
CONTEMPORIST
An Old Brick Home Received A Modern Wood-Clad Extension
ID Architecture has shared photos of a house extension they designed that has been thoughtfully...
a month ago
ID Architecture has shared photos of a house extension they designed that has been thoughtfully integrated into the existing property in the small village of South Kelsey, England. Originally built in the early 19th century, the property named ‘The Old Rectory’ has undergone...
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...
The Modern House
Introducing our Hackney team
8 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Vaulted Ceiling Is A Dramatic Feature Inside This Modern Barn House
BLA Design Group has sent us photos of a modern barn house they completed that features an atrium...
a year ago
BLA Design Group has sent us photos of a modern barn house they completed that features an atrium space that encourages activity and connectivity for a young family in British Columbia, Canada. The home sits on an irregular site located at the end of a cul-de-sac, and is designed...
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...
The Modern House
Textile designer Pauline Caulfield’s art-filled home and studio in Primrose Hill
a year ago
devonzuegel.com
Vacuum tube nostalgia
Music enthusiasts will tell you there's nothing quite like "tube sound", the warm, rich sound...
over a year ago
Music enthusiasts will tell you there's nothing quite like "tube sound", the warm, rich sound quality that old vacuum tube amplifiers bring to the music played through them. And they'll pay top dollar for it! Once considered obsolete, vintage vacuum tube amps now sell at a...
Common Edge
Delays Undermine Promises of Affordable Housing in Brooklyn
How New York’s rising Area Median Income dashed hopes for the Atlantic Yards megaproject.
a month ago
How New York’s rising Area Median Income dashed hopes for the Atlantic Yards megaproject.
Old Structures...
Buildings Are Meant To Be Used
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed...
3 weeks ago
With the partial exception of industrial buildings, you can always distinguish buildings constructed before the 1950s from their later counterparts by looking for light courts. If your lights are, at best, incandescent bulbs, and your ventilation is mostly or entirely though...
Old Structures...
He Is, After All, A Boy From Queens
2 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
A Slightly Different Angled Ridge Line Was Given To Each Home In This Passive House Development
RODE, a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners, together with Passive House...
a year ago
RODE, a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners, together with Passive House Construction LLC, has shared photos of Brucewood Homes, a collection of internationally certified Passive House single-family homes. The Brucewood Homes project is a series of...
Archinect - Features
Exhibit Columbus’ University Design Research Fellows Showcase Proposals That Activate the...
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the...
a year ago
How do you activate invisible spaces, and what does it mean to design for the public? These were the themes that sparked important conversations at Exhibit Columbus’ 2023 Design Presentations organized by the Landmark Columbus Foundation. Each Exhibit Columbus cycle focuses on a...
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
A White Material Palette Creates A Peaceful Coastal Living Feeling For This Home
Habitat Studio Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Queensland,...
a year ago
Habitat Studio Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Queensland, Australia, that’s located right on Currumbin Beach. Inspired by coastal living, the home features an exterior of stone, white weatherboards that reflect the sun, and white battens that...
The Beauty of...
Silver Machine (Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station, Hanley, Staffordshire, UK)
With a horrid shock of recognition, I suddenly realised what Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station reminded me...
over a year ago
With a horrid shock of recognition, I suddenly realised what Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station reminded me of. As a one-time public transport officer in a local authority I, like most others, often experienced the depressing feeling of being unable to source enough funding to keep an...
Archinect - Features
Architect: Whose Title Is It Anyway?
When is an architect not an ‘architect?’ In the fourth part of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we...
6 months ago
When is an architect not an ‘architect?’ In the fourth part of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we explore the proliferation of the title 'architect' in cases beyond the built environment, most notably in the technology sector through terms such as 'software architect' or 'IT...
Old Structures...
The User Interface
A piece of technology that many people comment on after a trip to Japan is the combination...
a year ago
A piece of technology that many people comment on after a trip to Japan is the combination toilet/bidet, and I guess I’m no different. The photo above shows the control panel at my hotel: the silver button the right is the flush valve and all the other buttons refer to the bidet...
Old Structures...
New Year’s 1909
According to Puck, a trip to New York is the safety valve that keeps Brother Straightlace, leading...
11 months ago
According to Puck, a trip to New York is the safety valve that keeps Brother Straightlace, leading the simple life, from blowing up. Opinions vary.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar – But No More
Above, the entrance to a nightclub in the comic book “Powers.” Below, courtesy of Except that, as of...
11 months ago
Above, the entrance to a nightclub in the comic book “Powers.” Below, courtesy of Except that, as of this past summer, the Hotel Pennsylvania is gone. It was arguably the last of the grand railroad hotels left in New York, and it was no longer a grand railroad hotel since that...
Contemporist...
This New House Was Designed To Fit Into A Protected Historic Neighborhood
Architecture firm FLOWER, together with interior design studio Saltwolf, has completed a new home in...
8 months ago
Architecture firm FLOWER, together with interior design studio Saltwolf, has completed a new home in Boulder, Colorado, whose design was inspired by the nearby historic houses in the neighborhood.
McMansion Hell
ode to a faux grecian urn
Howdy everyone,
Today’s house, built in 2001, comes to you from, you guessed it, the Chicago...
8 months ago
Howdy everyone,
Today’s house, built in 2001, comes to you from, you guessed it, the Chicago suburbs. The house is a testimony to traditional craftsmanship and traditional values (having lots of money.) The cost of painting this house greige is approximately the GDP of Slovenia...
CONTEMPORIST
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,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Addition For An 1830s Brick Farm House
Hollaway Studio has shared photos of a modern home addition they have completed for a former...
a year ago
Hollaway Studio has shared photos of a modern home addition they have completed for a former farmhouse in Kent, England, that dates back to the 1830s. The original home comprises of formal brick walls, a slate roof, white sash windows with views across the landscape, an original...
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.
The Modern House
Edit is the hyper-seasonal Hackney restaurant making the case for low waste
a year ago
99% Invisible
Rocket Man [EPISODE]
In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’...
7 months ago
In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’ Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a matter of time before people could ride a jetpack to work. But jetpacks never became a mainstream technology, leaving many to...
Contemporist...
A Grid Of Large Windows Maximizes The Water Views At This Modern Home
Architecture firm Worrell Yeung has shared photos of a modern home they completed that's a study on...
a month ago
Architecture firm Worrell Yeung has shared photos of a modern home they completed that's a study on a 2x2x7 grid structure in three dimensions.
CONTEMPORIST
The Remodeling Of This Home’s Rear Addition Created A Light-Filled Interior
Cox Architects has sent us photos of a project they completed that included the re-modeling of a 775...
a year ago
Cox Architects has sent us photos of a project they completed that included the re-modeling of a 775 square foot (72 sqm) brick addition. BeforeThe original Edwardian house, located in a leafy South London Conservation Area, already had a rear brick addition, however, it was not...
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...
Contemporist...
An Old Stone Ruin Was Given New Life As A Contemporary Off-Grid Home
Architect Dario Castellino has transformed an abandoned stone ruin that was once overgrown with...
9 months ago
Architect Dario Castellino has transformed an abandoned stone ruin that was once overgrown with brambles, into a small off-grid home.
99% Invisible
You Are What You Watch [EPISODE]
What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense...
10 months ago
What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense because the average American spends 2 hours and 51 minutes watching movies and TV each day. That’s a whopping 19 percent of our waking hours. Walt Hickey is a data journalist and...
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.
The Beauty of...
My Favourite Parks Are Car Parks (Worcestershire Parkway, Worcestershire, UK)
A very particular kind of hush descends as the 1253 to Worcester Shrub Hill departs. That hush is...
over a year ago
A very particular kind of hush descends as the 1253 to Worcester Shrub Hill departs. That hush is the hush of the parkway station between train services, and the station it has just departed from is Worcestershire Parkway. Though one of the best designed parkway stations, and a...
CONTEMPORIST
A 1970s Four Bedroom Home Renovated For A Couple That Loves To Entertain
Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin,...
2 months ago
Architecture firm Side Angle Side, has shared photos of a 1970s ranch home they renovated in Austin, Texas, for their clients that wanted a home for entertaining. The transformation involved converting a four-bedroom floor plan into a spacious, open, one bedroom home. A long...
CONTEMPORIST
A Unique Window Shape Helps Frame The View From Inside This Cabin
Architecture firm Rever & Drage has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they designed that...
10 months ago
Architecture firm Rever & Drage has shared photos of a contemporary cabin they designed that includes a uniquely shaped window to perfectly frame the view of the sunset. Located in Nordmarka, Norway, the cabin contains the most necessary features, but not much more, making it...
Old Structures...
A Change of Pace
I’ve done a lot of research over the years, most of it historical, rather than engineering. In other...
6 months ago
I’ve done a lot of research over the years, most of it historical, rather than engineering. In other words, I’ve generally been researching the history of structural engineering, construction, and the built environment, rather than performing analysis on the structures I’ve...
The Modern House
A much-loved modernist townhouse in Sheffield's visionary Park Hill estate
6 months ago
Archinect - Features
Interest Rates Were Cut, but Growth Takes Time: Archinect’s State of AEC October 2024
Welcome to the fifth installment of Archinect's new series, State of AEC. At the end of each month,...
a month ago
Welcome to the fifth 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.
Throughout the last month,...
Archinect - Features
A Conversation with SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow
Archinect's Dean's List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and...
12 months ago
Archinect's Dean's List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and chairs) to learn more about their pedagogical stances, academic perspectives, and what they envision for the school during their tenure.
SCI-Arc is an institution known for its...
The 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...
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...
Common Edge
Peter Calthorpe Has a Plan for More Housing in California
Through a state-mandated use of form-based codes and a focus on “grand boulevards” of underutilized...
a year ago
Through a state-mandated use of form-based codes and a focus on “grand boulevards” of underutilized commercial strips, the number of potential units expands by orders of magnitude.
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Office Was Hidden Behind A Wall That Folds Open
BENT Architecture has sent us photos of a renovation and extension they completed for a house in...
11 months ago
BENT Architecture has sent us photos of a renovation and extension they completed for a house in Hawthorn, Australia. One design detail that caught our attention is the home office hidden in plain sight in the dining room behind a wood accent wall. The floor-to-ceiling wood...
Common Edge
Letter from Tennessee: License for Civility in Uncivil Times
Not all civil portent is writ as large. It sometimes comes in small places, hidden in plain sight.
a year ago
Not all civil portent is writ as large. It sometimes comes in small places, hidden in plain sight.
A Weekly Dose of...
Ten Pairs of Books for Christmas
This year's roundup of books to give to discerning architects for the holidays is presented in...
a year ago
This year's roundup of books to give to discerning architects for the holidays is presented in pairs. While at least one book in each pair is new, the other one isn't necessarily so — new, old, or not-so-old, it is related to the first in some manner, as explained in my...
The Modern House
A slender space-savvy home in Clerkenwell, inspired by the City’s skyscrapers
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Large Windows Give This Home A Lantern-Like Appearance At Night
Swatt | Miers Architects has shared photos of a house they designed in the town of Atherton,...
a year ago
Swatt | Miers Architects has shared photos of a house they designed in the town of Atherton, California, that replaces an earlier mid-century structure that the family had owned for many years. The home, with its white exterior, has an abundance of windows, allowing the home to...
Common Edge
Design for Global Survival: The 2030 Palette
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
a month ago
Strategies for architects, planners, and policymakers as we adapt to a changing world.
The Modern House
Tangled up in blue: a diminutive urban cottage designed by fardaa
3 months ago
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...
Archinect - Features
Discussing Paid Research Opportunities for M.Arch Students at the UW-Milwaukee SARUP
In November 2022, we connected with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture &...
a year ago
In November 2022, we connected with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture & Urban Planning (SARUP) to unpack its Mellows Graduate Research Positions (formerly called the Mellowes Master’s Research Assistantships).
For the 2024-2025 school year, SARUP is...
There are two types...
My Muck Rack
MUCK RACK automatically creates lists of articles written by individuals (like me). To this I’ve...
a year ago
MUCK RACK automatically creates lists of articles written by individuals (like me). To this I’ve added some articles about me, and reviews of books I’ve written. My Muck Rack
The post My Muck Rack appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the...
Old Structures...
Solving A Non-Existent Problem
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct...
11 months ago
This drawing by William Barclay Parsons, from 1887, is quite something. It shows a 12-span viaduct with two bridges to carry a street from the top of a hill gradually down to the lower grade over a mile to the north. This is the same northern portion of Manhattan of which I said...
devonzuegel.com
My questions about Próspera, answered
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others...
over a year ago
I recently visited Próspera, a Honduran startup city. I had a ton of questions and figured others might too, so I wrote an FAQ to share what I learned:
Próspera FAQ
This FAQ is intended as a reference, covering the basic facts and current status of the project. My hope is that...
Old Structures...
Bones Beneath The Skin
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station...
4 months ago
A peek behind the surface at the 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue (6) train. This station was part of the Dual Contracts expansion of the subway system, and opened in 1918. I’m pretty sure the platforms were lengthened at some point after that, probably in the 1950s or...
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...
Common Edge
Finding Inspiration in Histories of Indian Families With Powerful Architectural Legacies
The stories found in Architectural Inheritance and Evolution in India rekindled the fire for the...
a year ago
The stories found in Architectural Inheritance and Evolution in India rekindled the fire for the profession in one young professional.
Old Structures...
Credit Where Due
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s...
10 months ago
I was in the meatpacking district last week and noticed this building at 837 Washington Street. It’s been around for a while, but I guess I never looked up: the facades of the first two floors are an old building, while the upper floors (and, I assume, the interiors) are new....
Old Structures...
Visible Success, Invisibly
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the...
4 months ago
A before and after photo of a recently completed facade stabilization and renovation project in the West Village. The rowhouse was constructed in 1846, is now in a landmarked district, and has an operating restaurant on the first floor and in the basement. If you look closely at...
Old Structures...
Born In The Bronx
The central dome of the US Capitol on May 9, 1861: There was a certain symbolism to its incomplete...
6 months ago
The central dome of the US Capitol on May 9, 1861: There was a certain symbolism to its incomplete state given that the Civil War had begun the previous month, but that was a coincidence. The replacement of the original wooden dome had been planned for some time. The old dome was...
Contemporist...
An Exposed Structure Shows Off This House Design That Wraps Around A Pool
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo,...
4 months ago
Architecture firm Apiacas Arquitetos, has shared photos of a home they completed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that was designed with a single-story layout that wraps around a swimming pool.
Old Structures...
A Stylistic Joke As A Name
There’s a large, somewhat ominous, vaguely art deco building in lower Manhattan commonly called the...
2 weeks ago
There’s a large, somewhat ominous, vaguely art deco building in lower Manhattan commonly called the Tombs. The main portion of it is a courthouse with a lot of court-related office space, the northern wing – see below – is a short-term prison, mostly used to hold people awaiting...
Old Structures...
A Sense Of The Past
The thing about spending a week discussing the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge is that it all feels...
a year ago
The thing about spending a week discussing the caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge is that it all feels almost like fiction. The caissons have been buried in the sand at the bottom of the East River for more than 150 years. I know they are there because I know how to read historical...
A Weekly Dose of...
From Slow House to Blue Dream
Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her...
a year ago
Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her husband Robert "Bobby" Taubman. The house, located in East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island, was completed in 2017, nearly 30 years after the architects were commissioned...
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Covers The Interior And Exterior Of This Modern Canadian Cottage
Akb Architects has designed a modern cottage in Canada that’s clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and...
a year ago
Akb Architects has designed a modern cottage in Canada that’s clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and western red cedar shakes. The residence is hidden among trees with carefully sited openings providing views of a freshwater lake. Each volume is nested above and within the existing...
Common Edge
From Venice to Detroit: Laboratories of the Future, Reconsidered
Optimism and action trump didactic scolding every time.
a year ago
Optimism and action trump didactic scolding every time.
The Modern House
How to better the design of your bathroom for a brighter future
a year ago
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...
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 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
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
At home with our favourite interiors influencer, Akilah Cohen
3 days ago
Old Structures...
Adaptability
The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily...
2 months ago
The building types that have had the most success in new York are the ones that are most-readily adaptable. Rowhouses have been turned into apartment houses, churches, schools, museums, and offices; tenements have been upgraded to better apartments again and again and again. If...
Construction Physics
Will the China Cycle Come for Airbus and Boeing?
Noah Smith, author of the economics Substack Noahpinion, often refers to a common trajectory in...
2 months ago
Noah Smith, author of the economics Substack Noahpinion, often refers to a common trajectory in Chinese manufacturing as the “China Cycle”:
CONTEMPORIST
Wall-To-Wall Built-In Wood Cabinetry Create A Warm Interior For This Renovated Home
Design firm Atelier SUN has completed the renovation of a home near Toronto, Canada. The house was...
a year ago
Design firm Atelier SUN has completed the renovation of a home near Toronto, Canada. The house was built in the 1980s during an era of mass-produced developments, which resulted in excessive structural elements such as columns and beams throughout the space. The updated design...
Old Structures...
Two Ridiculous Snippets
First, Batman at the plate as a bat man: Second, the National League standings:
2 months ago
First, Batman at the plate as a bat man: Second, the National League standings:
Blog - Guerrilla...
How Guerrilla Cartography’s Atlases Promote Diverse Perspectives
Guerrilla Cartography aims to promote the understanding that there are many views of the world, that...
a year ago
Guerrilla Cartography aims to promote the understanding that there are many views of the world, that how we understand space and place can vary, and that we should think critically about the maps and the graphics we make and consume. Our organization has designed processes for...
A Weekly Dose of...
American Modern Home
American Modern Home: Jacobsen Architecture + Interiors
by Simon Jacobsen
Rizzoli, October...
over a year ago
American Modern Home: Jacobsen Architecture + Interiors
by Simon Jacobsen
Rizzoli, October 2022
Hardcover | 11 x 11 inches | 224 pages | English | ISBN: 9780847872053 | $75
PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:
Hugh Newell Jacobsen, the legendary architect and late co-founder with his son,...
Benny Kuriakose
Hiring Experienced Office Manager at Benny Kuriakose and Associates
We are looking for a highly capable Office Manager for ourChennai office. This person will provide...
an hour ago
We are looking for a highly capable Office Manager for ourChennai office. This person will provide office services with proactivity,...
The Modern House
Musicians Csilla Pogány and Alastair Blayden on fine-tuning their school conversion in Kentish Town
a year ago
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...
Archinect - Features
When Should Architecture Firms Start Hiring? Five Factors To Consider
With the U.S. Federal Reserve embarking on rounds of target interest rate cuts in late 2024, AEC...
a month ago
With the U.S. Federal Reserve embarking on rounds of target interest rate cuts in late 2024, AEC industry commentators are forecasting that architectural business conditions may improve in the coming months. Architecture firms experiencing an increased workload may, therefore,...
Old Structures...
Yesterday and Today
There’s nothing that creates disorientation quite like having a single day that combes changing time...
9 months ago
There’s nothing that creates disorientation quite like having a single day that combes changing time zones by five hours with Dayight Savings. It’s nice to be back home, though. A small reminder that Daylight Savings was introdcued in the US in 1918 for less than a year and...
Contemporist...
A New Building In Shanghai Inspired By A Forest Of Trees
Koichi Takada Architects has designed a retail building in Shanghai, China, that's described as an...
10 months ago
Koichi Takada Architects has designed a retail building in Shanghai, China, that's described as an 'architectural forest' of 32 trees.
Common Edge
Letter From Ljubljana, Slovenia: The Human-Centered Urbanism of Jože Plečnik
The architect created interventions small and large, all informed by his love of walking the city’s...
a year ago
The architect created interventions small and large, all informed by his love of walking the city’s streets.
Archinect - Features
'The Notion of AI as a Form of Augmentation or Enhancement Is Fascinating to Me'; A...
Behnaz Farahi stands at an eclectic intersection between culture and technology. Trained as an...
a year ago
Behnaz Farahi stands at an eclectic intersection between culture and technology. Trained as an architect, with specializations in computational design, interactive technologies, additive manufacturing, and digital fabrication, Farahi asks how emerging technologies can allow us to...
Old Structures...
It Can Go Either Way
Much like the photo from Monday, this April 1959 photo by Angelo Rizzuto could be either demolition...
8 months ago
Much like the photo from Monday, this April 1959 photo by Angelo Rizzuto could be either demolition or construction. The steel frame on the left is on the site of 350 Park Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets on the west side of Park Avenue. The ornate masonry box just north of...
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part IV: Construction of the World Trade Center
This is Part IV in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World...
over a year ago
This is Part IV in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. Part I covers the design and construction of the Empire State Building, Part II covers the initial development of the World Trade Center, and Part III covers the
Old Structures...
Bragging Combined With Public Service
I highly recommend the soon-to-be-released book The Elements of Construction: N. Clifford Ricker,...
a month ago
I highly recommend the soon-to-be-released book The Elements of Construction: N. Clifford Ricker, Architecture, and the University of Illinois and not just because I wrote on chapter of it. Marci Uihlein, the editor, an architect and engineer, and a professor of architecture at...
devonzuegel.com
The road to hell is paved with asphalt
Most roads are paved with asphalt. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with asphalt. Bricks,...
11 months ago
Most roads are paved with asphalt. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with asphalt. Bricks, cobblestones, and pavers are often much better options, because:
1. Asphalt degrades fast, so once you account for maintenance, it's more expensive it first appears
Asphalt...
Old Structures...
Non-Demolished
When the West Side Highway – the limited access, elevated highway that was demolished in the 1970s...
5 months ago
When the West Side Highway – the limited access, elevated highway that was demolished in the 1970s and 80s – was planned in the 1920s, it made sense. From a viewpoint any later than about 1940 it was a terrible mistake. Bad planning and little maintenance doomed the old highway,...
Old Structures...
Embracing office-to-residential conversion in the ‘City of Yes’
A timely ‘Yes’ to converting older buildings is set to further fuel Manhattan’s current...
2 days ago
A timely ‘Yes’ to converting older buildings is set to further fuel Manhattan’s current office-to-residential boom. New York City Council recently passed Mayor Adams’ ‘City of Yes’ proposal to create over 80,000 new housing units across the city over 15 years. Among the historic...
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.
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...
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...
The Right Angle
I’m not working on any of the buildings in this photo, but if I were… Raking sunlight is a fantastic...
9 months ago
I’m not working on any of the buildings in this photo, but if I were… Raking sunlight is a fantastic way to get information about a facade. Any out-of-plane geometry is immediately visible as a shadow. You can see the natural irregularity of a brick wall: and a bulge that might...
The Modern House
Inside Vitra’s spectacular new showroom in Shoreditch
a year ago
The Modern House
New Wave: seven coastal homes for sale in Kent and Sussex
In the middle of the 19th century, well-meaning Victorian doctors would advise their patients to...
a year ago
In the middle of the 19th century, well-meaning Victorian doctors would advise their patients to take ‘the sea cure’. Dutifully, they would go to the coast – particularly in the south – bathe in the waters and draw in lungfuls of salty air. Smart promenades, […]
Construction Physics
Weekend roundup - Icon, Diamond Age, Cuby, Gropyus
Since there’s more interesting things happening in construction than I can cover in a weekly post...
a year ago
Since there’s more interesting things happening in construction than I can cover in a weekly post (especially if I’m spending posts writing about things that happened 800 years ago), I’m experimenting with occasionally sending out a brief roundup of interesting links related to...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Homeless and Shelters in São Paulo
When I was looking at the homeless census maps, my curiosity was sparked and I started to wonder...
over a year ago
When I was looking at the homeless census maps, my curiosity was sparked and I started to wonder what other visualizations and cartographical explorations could be possible. I have a deep interest in censuses because I have been working specifically in a peripheral communities’...
The Architectural...
Architects vs. the Public: A Surprising Study Sheds Light on Aesthetic Preferences
Do architects have a different taste in buildings compared to the rest of us? A recent Swedish study...
a year ago
Do architects have a different taste in buildings compared to the rest of us? A recent Swedish study delves into this question, and the findings are intriguing. In the study “Green City Branding – How People Respond to the Built Environment“, people were asked to rate five...
devonzuegel.com
Field notes: Panamá, SEZs, & biotech
I just spent a week in Panamá City, and figured I'd share my observations in case they're useful to...
over a year ago
I just spent a week in Panamá City, and figured I'd share my observations in case they're useful to anyone else interested in similar questions.
The purpose of the trip was to research locations for a gene therapy/stem cell clinic that my friend is planning to start. I also...
Old Structures...
Sic Transit
This photo by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1952, is listed at the Library of Congress as “Bird’s eye...
8 months ago
This photo by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1952, is listed at the Library of Congress as “Bird’s eye view of a building in New York City.” It’s the old Metropolitan Opera House at 40th Street and Broadway, the one that the Met left in 1966 to move to Lincoln Center. The Met had...
Common Edge
Is Mass Timber the Key Element in a Low Carbon Future?
A new book highlights the promise—and lingering challenges—of this important material.
9 months ago
A new book highlights the promise—and lingering challenges—of this important material.
The Modern House
A home counties treasure by master of materials Michael Manser, now for sale
9 months ago
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...
Old Structures...
Photographic Tricks
That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on...
10 months ago
That’s a 1911 panorama, taken from the east side of Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, looking south (on the left), west (in the middle) and not-quite-north (on the right). I’m not sure how the photographer, Burton Welles, managed this, but it’s an impressive shot. On the left, we have...
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...
Common Edge
Four Decades in a House of Your Own Design
Reflections on the project that launched a career.
3 months ago
Reflections on the project that launched a career.
Construction Physics
The dream of deregulation - the grid part III
For most of the industry’s history, electric power in the US had largely been provided by vertically...
a year ago
For most of the industry’s history, electric power in the US had largely been provided by vertically integrated utility companies that handled every part of the electricity supply: generating it, transmitting it, distributing it to customers, and managing the overall system....
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.
Archinect - Features
10 Ghost Towns With Unique Architecture
Cities are like living bodies, each one animated by the pulse of human life. People give a city...
a month ago
Cities are like living bodies, each one animated by the pulse of human life. People give a city purpose, identity, and movement. When a city is abandoned, its soul departs, leaving behind only the silent architecture, a skeletal remnant of what once was.
While such environments...
Archinect - Features
Applying to architecture school? Don't miss these info sessions and open houses this...
Deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting...
a month ago
Deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of upcoming information sessions...
There are two types...
“My Open Letter to NYC DOT Commissioner Rodriquez”
Dear Commissioner Rodriquez, I’m writing to you because I just signed up for a workshop to improve...
over a year ago
Dear Commissioner Rodriquez, I’m writing to you because I just signed up for a workshop to improve Canal Street that your department is running tonight. I met you when you were a Councilman. I know you care deeply about making … Continue reading →
The post “My Open Letter to NYC...
Contemporist...
Dyed Cement Shingles Cover The Counter Inside This Bakery
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes...
2 months ago
Grizzo Studio has shared photos of MALAU, a new bakery in Pilar Centro, Argentina, that includes handcrafted pieces of dyed cement in its design.
Contemporist...
A Stepped Design For This Renovated Century-Old Edwardian House In San Francisco
Andrew Mann Architecture has shared photos of a century-old Edwardian house they renovated in a...
7 months ago
Andrew Mann Architecture has shared photos of a century-old Edwardian house they renovated in a bustling San Francisco neighborhood.
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 Curving Bridge Leads To The Entertainment Areas Of This Modern Home
Openideas Architects has shared photos of a modern project in Ahmedabad, India, that includes two...
12 months ago
Openideas Architects has shared photos of a modern project in Ahmedabad, India, that includes two homes for multi-generational living, with a curving bridge walkway that connects to outdoor entertaining areas. The bridge, which includes hidden lighting, travels above water...
CONTEMPORIST
Clad In Stone, Wood, Steel, And Glass, This House Nestles Quietly Within The Natural Surroundings
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently...
a year ago
CCY Architects has designed a contemporary home in Aspen, Colorado, that’s nestled into a gently sloping site amidst a grove of aspen trees on the edge of a large, open meadow with views out to the Elk Mountain Range. Clad in stone, wood, steel, and glass, the house complements...
The Solarchitecture...
Follow up to circadian rhythm post
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
over a year ago
Let's use the tools that Substack gave us!
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #06: Mike Schur [EPISODE]
This is the sixth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
6 months ago
This is the sixth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Mike Schur, who created the critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place, and...
devonzuegel.com
Book notes: Against the Grain, by James C. Scott
Here are some notes and quotes that particularly stood out to me from each chapter of Against the...
over a year ago
Here are some notes and quotes that particularly stood out to me from each chapter of Against the Grain. This isn't a summary of the book. It's mostly for my future self to refer back to (and thus probably missing a lot for someone who hasn't read it), but the tidbits are so...
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...
The Modern House
Cabin Fever: the transformation of a damp, dark apartment into a rich, atmospheric hideaway
2 months ago
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Kitchen And Bathroom Remodel For This 1970s Home
SHED Architecture & Design has shared their latest project, the contemporary interior remodel of a...
a year ago
SHED Architecture & Design has shared their latest project, the contemporary interior remodel of a 1970s home on Seattle’s Mercer Island that was originally designed by William Rutledge. The house met the functional needs of its new owners but did not quite suit their...
Construction Physics
The Rise of Steel - Part I
One of the defining characteristics of the modern world is the ubiquity of steel. Nearly every...
a year ago
One of the defining characteristics of the modern world is the ubiquity of steel. Nearly every product of industrial civilization relies on steel, either as a component or as part of the equipment used to produce it. Without it, Vaclav Smil notes in “Still the Iron Age”, modern...
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 […]
Construction Physics
Building Fast and Slow Part III: Design of the World Trade Center
This is Part III in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World...
over a year ago
This is Part III in a series comparing the construction of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. Part I covers the design and construction of the Empire State Building, and Part II covers the initial development of the World Trade Center
99% Invisible
You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark [EPISODE]
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as...
a year ago
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage stamp. It was put to a popular vote: should the stamp feature an image of...
devonzuegel.com
Urban sprawl is a tragedy of the commons
We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: sprawling...
over a year ago
We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: sprawling development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities.
People aim to maximize access and space when deciding where to live.
All things equal, most people like...
Construction Physics
Roman vs Modern Concrete
There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per...
a year ago
There's a new paper out exploring some of the chemical mechanisms at work in Roman concrete. As per usual, it’s triggered a round of enthusiastic discussion of Roman concrete, and how its ability to last for millennia puts modern concrete (which often fails after a few decades)...
The Modern House
Oscar Piccolo on the intriguing objects in his home in Hackney Wick
a year ago
Old Structures...
Discussing Immigrants Elsewhere
That’s discussion elsewhere about immigrants here, not discussion here about immigrants somewhere...
6 months ago
That’s discussion elsewhere about immigrants here, not discussion here about immigrants somewhere else. I’m at the 8th International Congress on Construction History this week, where I hope to learn a lot about past design and construction practice. I have certainly learned much...
The Beauty of...
A Fearsome Beauty (Cambridge North station, Cambridgeshire, UK)
When engineering and design company Atkins presented the city of Cambridge with a sparkling gift, it...
over a year ago
When engineering and design company Atkins presented the city of Cambridge with a sparkling gift, it must have felt rather pleased. It had simultaneously provided a brand new station and answered the question of how to ensure that same station embodied the character of the local...
CONTEMPORIST
A Round Window Is Nestled Into A Stone Wall On The Front Of This Home
OON ARCHITECTURE has designed a modern home in Benavidez, Argentina, that features a stone, wood,...
a year ago
OON ARCHITECTURE has designed a modern home in Benavidez, Argentina, that features a stone, wood, and concrete facade, that also includes a round window. The round window is recessed into the stone wall and is an eye-catching design element that can be seen as one walks along the...
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...
CONTEMPORIST
The Woody Palette Of The Exterior Is Brought Through To The Inside Of This Home In New Zealand
First Light Studio has shared photos of a new home they designed that’s nestled into the Port Hills...
a year ago
First Light Studio has shared photos of a new home they designed that’s nestled into the Port Hills in Governors Bay, New Zealand. The design brief for the house was to create a small home that was well crafted out of nice materials, which resulted in a gable form with a wood...
Old Structures...
The Personal Connection Times Three
It’s hard to overstate the importance of personal links in discussing how people feel about the...
7 months ago
It’s hard to overstate the importance of personal links in discussing how people feel about the built environment. This 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto looks east past St. Paul’s Chapel to the St. Paul and Park Row buildings: I’ve worked on St. Paul’s and the Park Row building. As a...
CONTEMPORIST
A Modern Two-Storey Rear Addition For An Old Australian Cottage
Bijl Architecture has shared photos of the Stealth House, a renovation project they completed that...
a year ago
Bijl Architecture has shared photos of the Stealth House, a renovation project they completed that included a modern addition to an inter-war cottage located in Hunters Hill, Australia. From the street, the original facade and front garden of the home hide the barely visible rear...
Contemporist...
Art Deco Was Reinterpreted Into This Futuristic Gelato Parlor
Multidisciplinary design studio Masquespacio has shared photos of Amiko Gelato, a new retail...
5 months ago
Multidisciplinary design studio Masquespacio has shared photos of Amiko Gelato, a new retail destination in Barcelona that blends futuristic design with art deco elements.
Common Edge
Consuming Provence: The Gentler Footprint of French Sprawl
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
4 months ago
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
There are two types...
With Rhetoric: The New York Apartment House
WHEN I was in graduate school, I was one of the editors of VIA IV: “Culture and the Social Vision.”...
2 weeks ago
WHEN I was in graduate school, I was one of the editors of VIA IV: “Culture and the Social Vision.” I helped Robert A.M. Stern write New York 1900, Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890-1915. My summer job turned into a … Continue reading →
The post With Rhetoric: The New...
99% Invisible
Spirit Halloween [EPISODE]
Each fall, across the United States and Canada, around 1500 empty storefronts are taken up by the...
2 months ago
Each fall, across the United States and Canada, around 1500 empty storefronts are taken up by the signature yellow, orange and black signage of Spirit Halloween. The seasonal retailer sells Halloween masks, Halloween costumes, Halloween costumes for dogs, Halloween decorations,...
CONTEMPORIST
A Fireplace Divides This Long Living Room Creating A Separate Home Office Area
Toronto-based interior design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a living room that they...
a year ago
Toronto-based interior design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a living room that they transformed to include a dedicated area for a home office. The long and narrow design of the living room enabled them to divide the space into two separate defined areas, the living room,...
Old Structures...
Amusing Until It’s Not
This story turns ugly rather quickly. From the New York Public Library scrapbook, The Hippotheatron...
4 months ago
This story turns ugly rather quickly. From the New York Public Library scrapbook, The Hippotheatron and New York Cirque: That’s 14th Street between Irving Place and Third Avenue, with an out-chapel of Grace Church next door. As the name suggests, that weird building was a theater...
The Wandering...
Mapping Francis Younghusband in the Gobi Desert, 1887, Part 3: Hun-kua-ling sandhills to Ya-hu oasis
[Go back to Part 2: From the Galpin Gobi to the Hun-kua-ling sandhills.] From here to the Ya-hu...
over a year ago
[Go back to Part 2: From the Galpin Gobi to the Hun-kua-ling sandhills.] From here to the Ya-hu oasis (which Younghusband reaches on June 23rd) the route is obscure, and we find old maps less useful. We have to rely more upon comparing his route description with images of the...
SOCKS
This Is A Record Cover: Text-based & conceptual album covers. A project by Socks Studio
The second album by British new wave band XTC did not feature any images. Instead, a written essay...
over a year ago
The second album by British new wave band XTC did not feature any images. Instead, a written essay about how buyers are attracted by album covers to buy records was used. The paragraph, which begins with: “This is a record cover.” occupies the whole 12″x12″ of Go2 (1978) in a way...
Construction Physics
What Progress Has Icon Made on 3D-Printed Homes?
We last looked at 3D-printed buildings about three years ago. At the time, the technology was still...
8 months ago
We last looked at 3D-printed buildings about three years ago. At the time, the technology was still nascent. Although there was a lot of enthusiasm, many efforts were academic, with little commercial deployment, and practitioners were experimenting with a wide range of...
devonzuegel.com
The silence is deafening
Imagine you're at a dinner party, and you're getting into a heated argument. As you start yelling,...
over a year ago
Imagine you're at a dinner party, and you're getting into a heated argument. As you start yelling, the other people quickly hush their voices and start glaring at you. None of the onlookers have to take further action—it's clear from their facial expressions that you're being a...
Old Structures...
Fireworks
The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary...
5 months ago
The various amusement parks at Coney Island used to have spectacles as well as rides and ordinary shows. From 1885, a fireworks show at Manhattan beach called The Last Days of Pompeii: Happy Independence Day.
Old Structures...
Before Iron
The photo above, from the NYPL digital archive, shows South William Street (AKA a block from our...
a year ago
The photo above, from the NYPL digital archive, shows South William Street (AKA a block from our office) in the mid-1860s. We’re looking at, from left to right 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 South William. Here’s a roughly similar view in 2014 (not current because there is now scaffolding...
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 Beauty of...
In Search of Perfection: Plato’s Double Arrow (Rail Symbol 2, Nick Job for Network Rail, 2022)
It takes some strange mixture of bravery, confidence, and the thickest of skins to take on the job...
over a year ago
It takes some strange mixture of bravery, confidence, and the thickest of skins to take on the job of redesigning a national icon. Once again, the rail industry’s “double arrow”, the symbol that has come completely to mean “railway” in Britain, has been given a facelift. Previous...
Contemporist...
A Charred Wood Exterior Was Given To This Modern Home In The Forest
CLB Architects, together with HSH Interiors (Holly Hollenbeck), has designed a home in an aspen...
7 months ago
CLB Architects, together with HSH Interiors (Holly Hollenbeck), has designed a home in an aspen grove near Wilson, Wyoming.
The Modern House
How architect Alex Nikjoo lifted a lower-ground floor flat with a lightness of touch
4 months ago
The Modern House
Tiny homes: six homes that prove good things come in at under 600 square feet
6 months ago
Common Edge
Should NYC’s Housing Authority Demolish Public Housing in Manhattan?
Plans for a phased demolition and rebuilding of the Fulton and Chelsea-Elliott Houses should be...
a month ago
Plans for a phased demolition and rebuilding of the Fulton and Chelsea-Elliott Houses should be viewed with skepticism.
CONTEMPORIST
A White Concrete Exterior Protects This Seaside Mediterranean House
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small...
3 months ago
Ramón Esteve Estudio has shared images of a new home they designed in an urbanized area of a small seaside town in Valencia, Spain. The house has a white concrete envelope that generates a large protective shell for a harmonious and delicate interior. Large overhangs and a system...
CONTEMPORIST
A Pair Of Wellness Cabins Perched Among The Trees
Thirtyone Design + Management has shared photos of a pair of green wellness cabins that they have...
a year ago
Thirtyone Design + Management has shared photos of a pair of green wellness cabins that they have completed for the Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Italy. Designed as part of the hotel’s celebration of the iconic property’s 150-year anniversary, the cabins unveil a partnership...
Construction Physics
Goolsbee and Syverson on Construction Productivity
Several people have asked me about a new NBER working paper that takes a look at construction...
a year ago
Several people have asked me about a new NBER working paper that takes a look at construction productivity (a popular topic around here), “The Strange and Awful Path of Productivity in the US Construction Sector,” by Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson. This paper doesn’t bring any...
Construction Physics
Is Land-Use Regulation Holding Back Construction Productivity?
Ed Glaeser is perhaps the pre-eminent urban economist working today, and I’ve cited his work...
4 months ago
Ed Glaeser is perhaps the pre-eminent urban economist working today, and I’ve cited his work repeatedly when looking at land-use restrictions and burdens on new development.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Artistic
From a stand-alone comic about the Penguin, a museum in Gotham City: From the Look Around feature in...
7 months ago
From a stand-alone comic about the Penguin, a museum in Gotham City: From the Look Around feature in Apple Maps, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Fifth Avenue facade: From 1900, when the main facade of the center block was complete, but the wings not yet constructed: The rough...
The Modern House
Plate in the Sun: London’s best restaurants for alfresco dining
a year ago
Common Edge
As Brooklyn Nets’ Value Booms, a Missed Opportunity With the Arena
A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.
6 months ago
A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.
Common Edge
Awesome and Affordable: Making the Case for Great Housing
A new project in Los Angeles highlights the challenges—and the opportunities.
10 months ago
A new project in Los Angeles highlights the challenges—and the opportunities.
Common Edge
How Might We Talk About the Shoreline of San Francisco?
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can...
10 months ago
Bay Lexicon continues Jane Wolff’s exploration of landscapes and how finding a common language can enable better conversations about them.
Common Edge
“Architecture Schools Are Responsible for Educating the Whole Student”
A talk with ACSA’s executive director, Michael Monti.
3 months ago
A talk with ACSA’s executive director, Michael Monti.
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...
CONTEMPORIST
A Large Green Roof Covers This Riverside Home
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof...
a year ago
Architect Pawel Naduk of 77STUDIO in Warsaw, Poland, has designed a modern house with a green roof that’s located on the bank of the Vistula River. The home has been designed to subtly integrate into the natural shape of the land and allows for a usable green roof. A sloped ramp...
devonzuegel.com
IVF egg retrieval notes
I’ve now done two egg retrieval cycles. Given that I had a zillion questions before I started, I...
8 months ago
I’ve now done two egg retrieval cycles. Given that I had a zillion questions before I started, I thought I’d share my notes for others who might have similar questions.
Things I would’ve loved to know beforehand
Overall the process was way easier and less intense than I...
99% Invisible
Maximum Temperature [EPISODE]
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like...
3 months ago
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and in hot places all over the world, climate change is wreaking a very different kind of havoc – on living things. In the final episode of Not Built for This, we...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with filmmaker Akinola Davies
a year ago
The Modern House
Step Outside: six top-tier terraces in London homes for sale
With the sun hanging around until the early hours of the evening and the daffodils’ golden trumpets...
a year ago
With the sun hanging around until the early hours of the evening and the daffodils’ golden trumpets heralding that spring is in full swing, it finally feels like we’re properly coming out of hibernation. And where better to admire the return of the rays than […]
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...
The Modern House
Crocadon in Cornwall is a farm and restaurant with organic agriculture, good cooking and great...
a year ago
Contemporist...
Western Red Cedar Gives This Home A Warm Feeling Inside And Out
Swatt | Miers Architects has sent us photos of their project, the 'Happy Valley Residence' in...
a year ago
Swatt | Miers Architects has sent us photos of their project, the 'Happy Valley Residence' in Lafayette, California.
Old Structures...
An Engineer For Dinner
The picture above is the front page of the menu and program from a dinner held in 1941, when...
11 months ago
The picture above is the front page of the menu and program from a dinner held in 1941, when “…engineers and patriots are needed!” I wrote about John Ericsson five years ago, and I still walk by his statue in Battery Park almost every day. I feel like the menu picture – which...
CONTEMPORIST
Overhanging Plants Wrap Around The Second Floor Of This Home
Strang Design has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Miami, Florida, that’s designed...
a year ago
Strang Design has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Miami, Florida, that’s designed to wrap around a swimming pool. The home has been organized into an “H-shape,” allowing the interiors to be flooded with natural light and to showcase views of the natural...
The Modern House
Our guide to Twickenham: architectural splendour and riverside walks in south-west London
11 months ago
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...
Archinect - Features
Narrative, Media, and AI in Architectural Academia; A Conversation with Natasha...
Archinect last spoke with Natasha Sandmeier on the themes of visual media and narrative storytelling...
a year ago
Archinect last spoke with Natasha Sandmeier on the themes of visual media and narrative storytelling in 2019. Back then, few could have imagined the seismic impact that generative AI would have on such fields. In her leading role at UCLA AUD's Entertainment Studio, Sandmeier sits...
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.
CONTEMPORIST
This Tall Black House Appears To Be Made From A Series Of Stacked Boxes
Studio for Architecture & Collaboration (StudioAC) has designed a modern single-family home with a...
11 months ago
Studio for Architecture & Collaboration (StudioAC) has designed a modern single-family home with a black exterior in Toronto, Canada. The home has a gable roof and appears as a series of stacked boxes, with different levels defining the various areas of the home. The rear of the...
The Modern House
An architect's dream: four architect-owned homes for sale
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an...
2 months ago
A busman’s holiday? A total breakdown of the work-life balance? It would be fair to assume that an architect would find bringing their work home – in the most literal of senses – a bit of a drag. But as this collection of architect-owned homes […]
The Modern House
Water's Edge: five homes that take in Britain’s rugged coastline
In the UK, you’re never more than 70 miles from the sea, but why put any distance between your home...
8 months ago
In the UK, you’re never more than 70 miles from the sea, but why put any distance between your home and the shifting shoreline? The pull of our luminous and varied coastline is undeniable, which is why we’ve found five homes a stone’s throw from […]
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Details Are Found Throughout This Apartment’s Interior
Architecture and Design Studio Cuaik CDS has sent us photos of an apartment they have recently...
a year ago
Architecture and Design Studio Cuaik CDS has sent us photos of an apartment they have recently completed in Madrid, Spain, that includes wood details throughout its interior. In the living room, a wall-mounted TV is disguised as art, while illuminated wooden shelves on either...
The Modern House
Our Guide to Dulwich: from modernist architecture to master paintings
a year ago
Common Edge
“What Would Jane Jacobs Do?” Is the Wrong Question
Proponents of City of Yes are misapplying her ideas (again).
3 months ago
Proponents of City of Yes are misapplying her ideas (again).
The Modern House
For itinerant chef and musical therapist Marie Cassis, home is where the feast is
a year ago
Archinect - Features
Let's Talk About Architectural Licensure
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Licensure. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the journey...
7 months ago
Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Licensure. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the journey undertaken by those in the United States seeking to practice as a licensed architect, including reflections on the history of licensure, comparisons to other countries, the cost...
There are two types...
What’s good for General Motors is good for America
On March 15 I tweeted, “If America hadn’t decided to create a new national transportation system...
a year ago
On March 15 I tweeted, “If America hadn’t decided to create a new national transportation system based on individuals in private cars driving everywhere for everything, climate change would be a very different—and smaller—problem than it is.” I posted the … Continue reading →
The...
Old Structures...
Not Quite Added
I could have sworn I’d written about this building before, but I can’t find it, so here goes: when...
5 months ago
I could have sworn I’d written about this building before, but I can’t find it, so here goes: when is adding a floor not adding a floor? This is 935 Broadway/159 Fifth Avenue. The trapezoidal site is south across 22nd Street from the wide end of the Flatiron building (on the...
The Modern House
Glenn Adamson: the curator on why a New York ‘love shack’ stole his heart
As a curator, perhaps there’s no space that better encapsulates Glenn Adamson than his own...
a year ago
As a curator, perhaps there’s no space that better encapsulates Glenn Adamson than his own rainbow-hued house, which looks more like something you’d find in Wonderland than Upstate New York. And, as our podcast host, Matt Gibberd, discovered when he met Glenn for this episode […]
Old Structures...
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...
Old Structures...
A First Attempt
If you’re familiar with a final product, looking at the early ideas can be disconcerting. Things...
10 months ago
If you’re familiar with a final product, looking at the early ideas can be disconcerting. Things seem familiar but wrong, as can be seen in this 1870s map with a proposal for Morningside Park. The Upper West Side was pretty sparsely populated at that time because of the...
99% Invisible
The Containment Plan [EPISODE]
It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50...
5 months ago
It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50 blocks, occupying a significant portion of the downtown Los Angeles area. In some ways, it looks a lot like other neighborhoods with its corner stores and street vendors, old...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #1: Tea time in Yemen
I'm starting a podcast with my friends, Marie-Agnes and Alain Bertaud, who also happen to be the...
over a year ago
I'm starting a podcast with my friends, Marie-Agnes and Alain Bertaud, who also happen to be the most interesting couple I know. Over the course of this first conversation, we traveled all around the globe for a whirlwind tour of the adventurous life they've led together.
Audio ·...
CONTEMPORIST
A House Extension With A Curved Window Makes Room For A New Kitchen At This Home In London
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they...
a month ago
Architecture and ideas studio CAN, has shared photos of a recently completed home extension they completed for a terrace house in Stoke Newington, London. With an emphasis on natural materials and a unique approach to design, this renovation turns the once disconnected ground...
CONTEMPORIST
These A-Frame Cabins Were Built To Create An Eco-Hotel In Italy
Atelier LAVIT has sent us images of their latest project LILELO / Little Leisure Lodge, which is an...
a year ago
Atelier LAVIT has sent us images of their latest project LILELO / Little Leisure Lodge, which is an eco-hotel made up of four independent cabins. Three of the cabins are dedicated to housing suites, with the fourth cabin acting as a common area with a generous outdoor space and a...
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...
devonzuegel.com
Field notes: Miami
Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here.
These field notes are a bit...
over a year ago
Update 5-Dec-2021: Read the updated version of these notes here.
These field notes are a bit different from previous cities I've explored, because unlike those, Miami is my home! So this post partially serves as a life update—I moved to Miami Beach from California a few months...
99% Invisible
It’s Howdy Doody Time! [EPISODE]
If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance...
7 months ago
If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance that they know the theme song to The Howdy Doody Show. The Howdy Doody Show is one of those pieces of 1950s ephemera that has come to symbolize mid-century American childhood. For...
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...
Common Edge
How AI Can Help Us End Design Education Anachronisms
Let’s use the power of technology to actually improve architectural learning.
9 months ago
Let’s use the power of technology to actually improve architectural learning.
The Modern House
Our Guide to Oxford: cinnamon buns, honey-hued domes and small plates in the 'city of dreaming...
7 months ago
SOCKS
Michelangelo Caetani’s Six Topographic Maps of the Divine Comedy
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s...
over a year ago
As a follow up to the latest post on Norman Bel Geddes’s stage set design for Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, here we feature the six maps drawn by Michelangelo Caetani in a book titled La materia della Divina Commedia di Dante Alighieri dichiarata in VI tavole, Roma (1855). A...
Old Structures...
Sort-Of Round
This is the 3333rd blog post published on the Old Structures web site. People are attracted to round...
6 months ago
This is the 3333rd blog post published on the Old Structures web site. People are attracted to round numbers, and I could just as easily have waited for the 4000th post to say something, but I like the “third of ten-thousand” aspect of the current number. Some housekeeping: some...
Archinect - Features
Are Architectural Workers More Pessimistic About the Economy Than Firm Owners?
In our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey published last month, we observed a distinct...
4 months ago
In our recent analysis of the Archinect Business Survey published last month, we observed a distinct divergence between how firm owners and workers were feeling about the business health of their firm, industry, and the wider U.S. economy. Across the board, our survey suggests...
The Modern House
A handsome mid-century house designed by a Hepworth in Glastonbury
a year ago
Old Structures...
Best Commute Ever
The conference I am currently attending is at ETH, the famous engineering school in Zurich. My hotel...
5 months ago
The conference I am currently attending is at ETH, the famous engineering school in Zurich. My hotel is not far away in a two-dimensional sense. I picked it some months ago by looking at a map and thinking that it was a short walk from campus. It’s a short flight to campus if...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Unmistakable
The Shadow returns home: R.M.S Olympic at sea: (It is surprisingly difficult to find a good view of...
6 months ago
The Shadow returns home: R.M.S Olympic at sea: (It is surprisingly difficult to find a good view of the ship from the rear. The front three-quarter view is the dramatic cutting-through-the-waves view, as well as being somehow less creepy.) Given how similar Olympic was to...
Old Structures...
Providing Constructibility
You never know what you’ll find in the subway. Above, one of the columns on the Brooklyn-bound...
a year ago
You never know what you’ll find in the subway. Above, one of the columns on the Brooklyn-bound platform of the R train at Whitehall Street, supporting the station roof, some twenty feet of soil, and the street above. The station opened in 1918 as part of the Dual Contracts...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Remodeled 1970s Home In Seattle
Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they...
a year ago
Floisand Studio Architects has sent us photos of a contemporary remodel of a 1970s home they completed that was originally designed by prominent Seattle Architect, Ralph Anderson. The 3-story home on Seattle’s Mercer Island was renovated and modernized, preserving what the...
The Wandering...
Constructing Bourgoin’s Figure 171 – Part 2
Now that we know our way around the pattern (go back to Part 1), it should be fairly straightforward...
over a year ago
Now that we know our way around the pattern (go back to Part 1), it should be fairly straightforward to construct with a compass and straightedge. But be aware: any pattern that requires you to construct a pentagon is an advanced challenge. They are trickier to make than squares...
Common Edge
Why Does America Provide More Space for Storing Cars Than Housing People?
Paved Paradise recounts parking’s pivotal history, exposing its environmental, economic, and social...
a year ago
Paved Paradise recounts parking’s pivotal history, exposing its environmental, economic, and social impacts.
Old Structures...
Overgrowth
It’s worth taking a look at two pictures of Newspaper Row/Printing House Square. First, around 1900:...
9 months ago
It’s worth taking a look at two pictures of Newspaper Row/Printing House Square. First, around 1900: Second, 1936, from Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” project. We have the same line-up in both pictures, from left to right: The World Building, the Tribune Building, the New...
Common Edge
What Primitive Huts Teach Us About Architecture
An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
a year ago
An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
Archinect - Features
Beaux-Arts to Bauhaus: How Two Schools Shaped Architectural Visualization
Architecture schools have long held a significant role in shaping the field of architectural...
a month ago
Architecture schools have long held a significant role in shaping the field of architectural visualization. Through fostering particular artistic philosophies, drawing techniques, and design ideologies, such institutions shape not only the architects themselves but also the way...
99% Invisible
Trail Mix [EPISODE]
A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed...
a year ago
A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed and maintained to meet specific standards. These standards relate to the recreational experience the trail is intended to provide. But trails are something many of us take for...
Common Edge
The 2003 Metropolis Cover Story That Changed Things for Sustainability
Edward Mazria on the industry-altering impact of “Architects Pollute!”
a year ago
Edward Mazria on the industry-altering impact of “Architects Pollute!”
Old Structures...
The Back Side
I’ve discussed the old Croton Distributing Reservoir several times before. It was the southernmost...
9 months ago
I’ve discussed the old Croton Distributing Reservoir several times before. It was the southernmost visible part of New York’s first really good water system, and occupied the same spot that the New York Public Library does today: 40th to 42nd Street, from Fifth Avenue to a little...
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