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...
CONTEMPORIST
This Lakehouse Hovers Above The Natural Sloped Terrain
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset,...
8 months ago
Building Arts Architects has shared photos of a contemporary home they recently completed in Dorset, Ontario, that hovers above the natural sloped terrain close to the water’s edge of Kawagama Lake. The building, which sits lightly on the rugged site, invites expansive sky and...
Old Structures...
It’s Not Blue
That’s a drawing from 1837 of the new Customs House – now Federal Hall – being constructed at the...
a year ago
That’s a drawing from 1837 of the new Customs House – now Federal Hall – being constructed at the northeast corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. John Frazee is listed as the architect and superintendent, which is not quite accurate: he was working from an architectural design by...
Old Structures...
He Is, After All, A Boy From Queens
2 months ago
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,...
Common Edge
The Time-Defying Nature of Living Architectural Traditions
Mere repetition is lifeless, a focus on design exploration creates nothing lasting, but living...
8 months ago
Mere repetition is lifeless, a focus on design exploration creates nothing lasting, but living tradition balances both.
A Weekly Dose of...
Adjaye: Works 2007-2015
Adjaye: Works 2007-2015: Houses, Pavilions, Installations, Buildings
Edited by Peter Allison
Thames...
over a year ago
Adjaye: Works 2007-2015: Houses, Pavilions, Installations, Buildings
Edited by Peter Allison
Thames & Hudson, October 2022
Hardcover | 10-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches | 300 pages | 500 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9780500343807 | $90
PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:
Following Adjaye: Works...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's 2023 Summer Reading List
Summer is here, and whether you're on vacation or preparing for one or looking to lay low at home, a...
a year ago
Summer is here, and whether you're on vacation or preparing for one or looking to lay low at home, a summer must is a good book. The Archinect team has curated a list of reading essentials to explore.
Below is a collection of books organized into five categories – New Releases,...
The Modern House
A Japanese-inspired solution unlocks light and space in this shape-shifting micro-flat
2 months ago
Old Structures...
Roadtrip
I’m in Montreal for the annual APT so this week’s blog posts will be shallower less serious more...
a month ago
I’m in Montreal for the annual APT so this week’s blog posts will be shallower less serious more entertaining than usual. I hope to work in some touristing photos, but that may not happen until next week. It’s worth noting that my train from New York to Montreal has a scheduled...
Old Structures...
The Queen Anne Style Is Rare In New York
I was on the Upper East Side and saw two houses that don’t quite fit in on Park Avenue north of 69th...
10 months ago
I was on the Upper East Side and saw two houses that don’t quite fit in on Park Avenue north of 69th Street. Those two rowhouses are listed in the records of the Upper East Side Historic District as having been built between 1882 and 1885 as part of a larger row, with the other...
Contemporist...
This Tall And Skinny House Also Has A Rooftop Pool
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi...
9 months ago
Story Architecture has shared photos of a new tall and skinny home they recently completed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a family of four with two sons.
CONTEMPORIST
Red-Pigmented Concrete Screens Surround This New Home In Cape Town
Architecture firm SAOTA, together with interior design firm ARRCC, has recently completed a modern...
a year ago
Architecture firm SAOTA, together with interior design firm ARRCC, has recently completed a modern house in Cape Town, South Africa. The home was designed by Philip Olmesdahl, principal of SAOTA, for himself and his family, with him sharing, “When architects design their own...
Archinect - Features
‘In the Climate Context, Architects Need to Push a New Frontier’; A Conversation with Mario...
When TECLA was unveiled to the world at the beginning of 2021, it captured the attention of both the...
a year ago
When TECLA was unveiled to the world at the beginning of 2021, it captured the attention of both the architectural community and the imagination of the mainstream media. The world's first 3D-printed house made from raw earth, TECLA was one of 17 projects showcased at COP26 in an...
The Beauty of...
Clean Lines and Integrated Transport (Florastrasse transport hub, Adliswil, Switzerland)
The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous...
a year ago
The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous public transport system is that the regard in which its phenomenal operational expertise is held can overshadow the architectural successes it also demonstrates. Even when transport...
Old Structures...
One Pitfall Avoided
I’m not entirely sure what this proposed law would mean in practice: existing data at the Department...
5 months ago
I’m not entirely sure what this proposed law would mean in practice: existing data at the Department of Buildings will be examined to identify which buildings are considered to be high risk, and the usual DoB actions – violations, etc. – will start from there. It all depends on...
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...
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...
The Modern House
Five uplifting things to do this February
Well, we’ve made it through January. Spring is edging ever closer and the evenings are starting to...
a year ago
Well, we’ve made it through January. Spring is edging ever closer and the evenings are starting to get just that little bit lighter. If February’s Latin meaning – from the verb ‘to cleanse’ – is anything to go by, this is a month for nourishing […]
Benny Kuriakose
Abdul Rahman Sahib Museum: The Freedom Fighter’s Home
The Muziris Heritage Project narrates the stories from different timelines. From the first mosque in...
a year ago
The Muziris Heritage Project narrates the stories from different timelines. From the first mosque in India to the Study Centre for the...
Old Structures...
Travelog: Damage and Weirdness
Just because a building is cute, doesn’t mean it won’t have damage. Someone has done a pretty...
9 months ago
Just because a building is cute, doesn’t mean it won’t have damage. Someone has done a pretty thorough job of strapping the corners of this small building in Bath, as well as installing some kind of pinning at the middle of the side wall. It’s not clear which way the floor spans...
The Solarchitecture...
The Solar Manifesto - Part 2.
...or how hard it is to name the foundations of a healthy home?
over a year ago
...or how hard it is to name the foundations of a healthy home?
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Archetypical
From a graphic novel about art called Naked City: how do you capture the spirit of New York? A...
7 hours ago
From a graphic novel about art called Naked City: how do you capture the spirit of New York? A relentless grid and Old-Law tenements.
McMansion Hell
New on Patreon: New Jersey Bonus Post (5 additional, “wonderful” rooms!“
new jersey bonus post: 5 additional, wonderful rooms | McMansionHell
New on Patreon: New Jersey...
3 weeks ago
new jersey bonus post: 5 additional, wonderful rooms | McMansionHell
New on Patreon: New Jersey Bonus Post (5 additional, “wonderful” rooms!“
Old Structures...
Comparisons
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century....
4 months ago
This type of imaginary collection was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes it was just buildings, like here, sometimes steamships were stood on end to show how big they were. (Note that the biggest steamship in 1908, when the Singer Building was new,...
Old Structures...
New Ringing The Old
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle...
3 months ago
Here’s a terrible photo I took through the window of a ferry: There’s a weird concentric-circle effect to the buildings in much of lower Manhattan that you can see clearly here, that the buildings on the waterfront are new and bigger than the ones behind them. It’s a simple...
99% Invisible
Dear John and Roman [EPISODE]
Last year, Roman Mars teamed up with Hank Green to guest host Dear Hank & John — this year he’s back...
a year ago
Last year, Roman Mars teamed up with Hank Green to guest host Dear Hank & John — this year he’s back on the Greens’ show once again, but this time with Hank’s brother John. In their podcast Dear Hank & John, “hosts John and Hank Green (who are also authors and YouTubers) offer...
McMansion Hell
In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming...
No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture
In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of...
a year ago
No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture
In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming for architects’ jobs.
Construction Physics
The Story of Titanium
The earth contains a lot of titanium - it’s the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s crust. By...
a year ago
The earth contains a lot of titanium - it’s the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s crust. By mass, there’s more titanium in the earth’s crust than carbon by a factor of nearly 30, and more titanium than copper by a factor of nearly 100. But despite its abundance, it's...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: The Curve Before the Station
Even without the Silvercup Bakery sign, I’d know this view, from an old Daredevil comic. The tracks...
8 months ago
Even without the Silvercup Bakery sign, I’d know this view, from an old Daredevil comic. The tracks are the 7 train, Flushing-bound, just west of the Queensboro Plaza station. This is the view you’d see looking off the west end of the platform, or from the rear window of an...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Interior That Blends Japandi And Australian Design Inspiration
NAKO Design has designed a home in Edmonton, Canada, that’s influenced by both Japandi and...
a year ago
NAKO Design has designed a home in Edmonton, Canada, that’s influenced by both Japandi and Australian design styles. With a modern palette of black and white warmed with soft silver elm wood accents and texture, the home shows sophistication with a continuity of texture and tone...
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...
Blog - Guerrilla...
Myopia: Observing Communities in Chiang Mai, Thailand
The genesis for “My Parallel Communities of Chiang Mai (ชุมขนคู่ขนานที่เชียงใหม่)” likely began on a...
over a year ago
The genesis for “My Parallel Communities of Chiang Mai (ชุมขนคู่ขนานที่เชียงใหม่)” likely began on a calm, wet-season night after the rains had subsided at One Nimman, my group of friends — portrait artists from Chiang Mai University — shooting the breeze and hustling what money...
Old Structures...
Different Types of Commercial Use
From 1880, a view of Broadway looking north from Morris Street to Trinity Church. Given how deserted...
9 months ago
From 1880, a view of Broadway looking north from Morris Street to Trinity Church. Given how deserted it is, it’s either early in the morning on a weekend or a holiday. Wm. M Fleiss & Co, on the left, is at 47 Broadway. Broadway is lined with office and loft buildings which are...
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books is on Substack
I'm breaking my blogging silence to do two things:
Alert readers to the fact I am still writing...
2 months ago
I'm breaking my blogging silence to do two things:
Alert readers to the fact I am still writing reviews of architecture books under the title A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books, but over at Substack, not Blogger.
Put a new post at the top of this blog so I don't have to look...
CONTEMPORIST
Metal Cladding Wraps Around The Large Gable Roof Of This House
BLA Design Group has shared photos of their latest project, a unique modern home that marries the...
a year ago
BLA Design Group has shared photos of their latest project, a unique modern home that marries the West and the East, linking a Chinese-Canadian family’s present lifestyle to their past memories. Located in Vancouver, Canada, the home has a prominent gable form that floats atop...
The Modern House
‘I go to bed thinking about it’: why Tate Modern director Frances Morris returns to her childhood...
Where does our spirit go when we die? Frances Morris has this question figured out: she will return...
a year ago
Where does our spirit go when we die? Frances Morris has this question figured out: she will return to the home in which she was born, a Georgian house abreast the Meridian Line in Greenwich. Listen to this deeply personal conversation on our podcast, Homing […]
Contemporist...
This Elevated Cabin Looks Like A Birdhouse
i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they...
10 months ago
i29 architects together with NAMO Architecture has shared photos of a new elevated cabin they designed in De Hode Veluwe National Park in The Netherlands.
Old Structures...
Specialization
From 2018, a photo by Carol Highsmith taken from the Empire State Building and showing the variety...
6 months ago
From 2018, a photo by Carol Highsmith taken from the Empire State Building and showing the variety of buildings on the east side of midtown south. I think most people will agree that this is a very New Yorky view of New York. The discussion at the “Office To Residential Summit”...
devonzuegel.com
Digital vs analog error correction
The purpose of this writeup was to summarize something interesting I learned recently, to make sure...
over a year ago
The purpose of this writeup was to summarize something interesting I learned recently, to make sure I understood it. I figured others might find it interesting, too.
~ ~ ~
Digital signal processing corrects for errors better than its analog counterpart. This is one of the...
Old Structures...
Building, Blocks
I looked up a bit more than usual today on a street that I’m on three or four times per week, and...
3 weeks ago
I looked up a bit more than usual today on a street that I’m on three or four times per week, and got this nice rear view of 75 Broad Street. The upper setbacks and tower are aligned with the overall cityscape; the lower base is aligned with ther curve of South William Street....
99% Invisible
Meet Me at Riis
There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years,...
a month ago
There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years, has been a pivotal site for queer liberation. It’s called the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park, also known, simply, as Riis. This history is deeply connected to an abandoned,...
The Modern House
A hotel with staying power overlooking the Atlantic in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland
a year ago
The Modern House
Curators Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and Mathilde Friis on life in their brutalist flat in Bethnal...
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Exposed Wood Beams Create A Rustic Yet Modern Aesthetic For This Accessory Dwelling Unit
Obreval together with Catch Architecture, has recently completed a modern ADU (accessory dwelling...
12 months ago
Obreval together with Catch Architecture, has recently completed a modern ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in Carpenteria, California, whose design curves around a circular patio. The semicircular cutout that envelops the dwelling, invites an abundance of natural light into every...
The Modern House
How time-worn textures – and rethought spaces – brought new life to woodland cabin-like home in...
11 months ago
The Modern House
Laurence Quinn, architect and founder of Modern Works, on the power of production
a year ago
Old Structures...
The Pause Was About To End
Another great photo from Angel Rizzuto, from August 1952. He was almost certainly looking from the...
8 months ago
Another great photo from Angel Rizzuto, from August 1952. He was almost certainly looking from the Empire State Building; this is a view north past midtown, Central Park and the Upper East Side, and with Harlem and the Bronx in the distance. The east side of the park is Fifth...
The Modern House
Jacqueline Rabun: the jewellery designer on leaving home aged 17 to chart her own course through...
It was 1989 when a 17-year-old Jacqueline Rabun left home in California to seek her fortune in...
a year ago
It was 1989 when a 17-year-old Jacqueline Rabun left home in California to seek her fortune in London. It didn’t take long: the following year, she’d opened a jewellery studio (having taught herself how to make) and had debuted her first collection of sculptural pieces. […]
Common Edge
In Praise of a Great Mentor: Working With Geoffrey Bawa
Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
a year ago
Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
Old Structures...
A Rabbit Hole I Did Not See Coming
As a structural engineer, I do not examine old boilers, but I do see them quite often. The older...
a month ago
As a structural engineer, I do not examine old boilers, but I do see them quite often. The older ones tend to be abandoned in place because (a) they are huge and heavy, and will have to be cut into many small pieces to be removed form the cellars and sidewalk vaults where they...
Construction Physics
The Rise and Fall of the Mail-Order Home
In the early 20th century, a new business model appeared: the mail-order home. Companies would mail...
a year ago
In the early 20th century, a new business model appeared: the mail-order home. Companies would mail out catalogs containing several dozen different home options, buyers would send in their orders, and the company would send the necessary materials – pre-cut lumber, roofing,...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: A Busy Intersection
Daredevil battles Stiltman – possibly the most ridiculous villain Marvel has invented – at the...
3 months ago
Daredevil battles Stiltman – possibly the most ridiculous villain Marvel has invented – at the corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, with the Chrysler Building on the left and the Socony-Mobil Building on the right. Also, per the Landmarks Preservation Commission:
CONTEMPORIST
A’ Design Awards & Competition – Early Call for Entries
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
6 months ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the world’s leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing more than 1600 winners in over 150 different design disciplines. Hone Shelf...
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...
SOCKS
Man Ray, Mathematical Objects (1934-36)
The collection of 19th-century three-dimensional models of algebraic and differential equations at...
11 months ago
The collection of 19th-century three-dimensional models of algebraic and differential equations at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris made a great impression on Surrealist artists. Allegedly, after Max Ernst brought these wood, metal, wire, and plaster forms to Man Ray’s...
The Modern House
Skye’s the limit at this home in a serene settlement in the Scottish Highlands
a year ago
The Modern House
Emma Crosby and Simon Mitchell on restoring their mid-century house by the sea in Devon
a year ago
Common Edge
The Creative Power Produced by Embracing Paradox
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary...
a year ago
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary culture.
CONTEMPORIST
Clerestory Windows Add Natural Light Inside This New Addition To An Australian Home
Architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a contemporary renovation and extension of a...
9 months ago
Architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a contemporary renovation and extension of a typical free-standing timber period home in Australia. The view from the front door shows off the hallway that connects the original home with the new extension. The hallway...
Common Edge
The Making of Ponchartrain Park in New Orleans
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood...
9 months ago
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood development exclusively available to Black middle-class families.
devonzuegel.com
America's hidden urban laboratory: the South
America hasn't built many walkable places in the last few decades, but there are a few exceptions....
a year ago
America hasn't built many walkable places in the last few decades, but there are a few exceptions. While collecting a list of these special places, I was shocked to discover that most are in the Southeast.
My mental image of contemporary southern development did not include an...
The Modern House
Four flawless apartments provide surprising sanctuary in Peckham Rye
6 months ago
Archinect - Features
Discussing Paid Research Opportunities for M.Arch Students at 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...
The Modern House
Mary Portas: the queen of the high street’s inspiring journey from homeless orphan to a London...
Our guest on this episode of our podcast, Homing In, is Mary Portas. As a retail consultant and...
a year ago
Our guest on this episode of our podcast, Homing In, is Mary Portas. As a retail consultant and broadcaster, Mary is best known for presenting TV shows such as Mary Queen of Shops, in which she came to the rescue of the UK’s failing high […]
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
Room for Improvement: designer Nat Buckley rethinks Energy Performance Certificates
2 months ago
devonzuegel.com
Situated Software
Written by Clay Shirky
First published March 30, 2004 on the "Networks, Economics, and...
over a year ago
Written by Clay Shirky
First published March 30, 2004 on the "Networks, Economics, and Culture"
mailing list. Subscribe
to the mailing list.
I teach at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), where the student population is about evenly divided between...
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.
The Modern House
Daniel Baer and Jassim Ahmad on minimal living at their courtyard house in East Dulwich
a year ago
Common Edge
Worshiping the Old Isn’t Historic Preservation
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
a month ago
To keep buildings alive and relevant, some flexibility is required.
Common Edge
Why Time Is a Problem for Architects
For many, it’s a lurch between copying the past or pretending that time doesn’t exist.
a year ago
For many, it’s a lurch between copying the past or pretending that time doesn’t exist.
CONTEMPORIST
A Slide Connects The Main Floor With The Kids Bedrooms On The Lower Floor Of This Home
Reflect Architecture has remodeled a duplex that had an additional two small basement units, and...
a year ago
Reflect Architecture has remodeled a duplex that had an additional two small basement units, and turned it into one unit on the second floor for income purposes, as well as combined the ground floor and lower-level into a single dwelling for a young family of five. One unexpected...
Common Edge
How Architects Deal With Demolished Designs
Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
a year ago
Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
CONTEMPORIST
Lofty Timber Vaulted Ceilings And Sandstone Details For This Sydney Building
Photography by Brett Boardman Multidisciplinary architectural practice fjcstudio, has completed a...
a week ago
Photography by Brett Boardman Multidisciplinary architectural practice fjcstudio, has completed a building in Sydney, Australia, that includes colonial stone masonry, lofty geometric forms, and a layered tapestry of handcrafted materials. Photography by Brett Boardman Photography...
Common Edge
I’m A New Yorker, Not a NIMBY
Most New Yorkers care deeply about their great city and believe development shouldn’t be top-down...
2 months ago
Most New Yorkers care deeply about their great city and believe development shouldn’t be top-down and hidden from public scrutiny.
Common Edge
In Marseille’s Cours Julien, Street Art Creates Dynamic Context
Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
a month ago
Submitting to this area’s urban rhythm reveals the power of public art to define a place.
Old Structures...
We Become Accustomed – Part 2
Yesterday I talked about the process of erecting a steel frame at the Astor Building. At some point,...
a year ago
Yesterday I talked about the process of erecting a steel frame at the Astor Building. At some point, a curtain wall has to be put on that frame or you have a jungle gym rather than a building. Two photos taken two weeks apart (September 2, 1925 above, September 16, 1925 below)...
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...
Common Edge
Does Spirituality Have a Role in Educating Architects?
What might appear to some as an “off-limits” realm might actually be at its heart.
a year ago
What might appear to some as an “off-limits” realm might actually be at its heart.
The Beauty of...
Chemical Attraction (Hackney Wick station, London, UK)
It is hard to overstate the impact Hackney Wick station makes on a visitor, as well as the...
a year ago
It is hard to overstate the impact Hackney Wick station makes on a visitor, as well as the unexpectedness of it doing so. Reopened in 2018 after a complete rebuild, it is one of the most photogenic small stations on the British rail network. Yet somehow, it seems to have slipped...
Common Edge
Letter From Asheville: The Aftermath of Helene
The road to recovery will be long.
a month ago
The road to recovery will be long.
Benny Kuriakose
Light, Ventilation, and Design Features in School Design
An institutional space requires maximum optimization of light and ventilation. Schools require open,...
a year ago
An institutional space requires maximum optimization of light and ventilation. Schools require open, bright places and the best design...
McMansion Hell
here are some things i like
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed...
a year ago
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed home full of wonderful design.” Haha, NO! However, I do think it’s entirely possible to collect design and live an aesthetically satisfying life on, like, a normal salary. Last...
Construction Physics
“No inventions; no innovations” A History of US Steel
Last week US Steel announced it was being acquired by Japanese steel company Nippon Steel. The...
11 months ago
Last week US Steel announced it was being acquired by Japanese steel company Nippon Steel. The milestone gives an opportunity to look back at what once was the largest and most important company in the US (and arguably the world), and how it slowly declined. Prior to the...
The Modern House
Time-honoured materials and 21st-century sensibilities meet in a bothy on Mull
9 months ago
Archinect - Features
When Form Follows Meanings: AI’s Semantic Turn in Architecture
In the wake of artificial intelligence’s recently popularized presence in the architectural field...
a year ago
In the wake of artificial intelligence’s recently popularized presence in the architectural field and beyond, many are pondering what changes may be on the horizon in the discipline, if any. For Stanislas Chaillou, AI’s dissemination in architecture may refocus the profession’s...
The Modern House
Spotlight on South-East London: listings for £500,000 and under to set your sights on
From the waterside delights of Deptford to the local-first feel of Dulwich, Crystal Palace’s...
a year ago
From the waterside delights of Deptford to the local-first feel of Dulwich, Crystal Palace’s community spirit to Camberwell’s gorgeous Georgian architecture – by way of Brockley, Blackheath and Borough, in all their vibrant variation – there isn’t much South-East London doesn’t...
Common Edge
Condocide: Death of a Building Type
The building collapse in Miami may not have been an aberration. The condition of aging condos...
a year ago
The building collapse in Miami may not have been an aberration. The condition of aging condos nationwide is dire.
Contemporist...
A Lot Of Plants Have Been Integrated Into The Design Of This Home In Singapore
Wallflower Architecture + Design has sent us photos of a home they recently completed in Singapore,...
11 months ago
Wallflower Architecture + Design has sent us photos of a home they recently completed in Singapore, that features an exterior covered in plants.
Common Edge
Kelp Farming May Help Clean New York’s Polluted Waterways and Fight Climate Change
The seaweed found in Newtown Creek, Gowanus Bay, and the East River could suck up carbon and...
a year ago
The seaweed found in Newtown Creek, Gowanus Bay, and the East River could suck up carbon and pollutants, bolstering marine ecosystems.
Contemporist...
Before & After - The Complete Renovation Of A Small Loft Apartment
New York City-based design studio beda (Brad Engelsman Design Architecture), has shared photos of a...
a month ago
New York City-based design studio beda (Brad Engelsman Design Architecture), has shared photos of a renovation project they completed of a small 500-square-foot (46 sqm) loft apartment.
SOCKS
90-Degree Axonometric’s by Auguste Merle (Late 19th – Early 20th C.)
Auguste Merle was an Art Brut artist living in France at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries....
8 months ago
Auguste Merle was an Art Brut artist living in France at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His works depict imaginary buildings with meticulous detailing, using graphite on notebook paper. The rigorous yet inventive forms are depicted in 90-degree axonometric projections,...
Archinect - Features
Storytelling, Bias, and Exploitation in Digital Realms; A Conversation with Miriam Hillawi...
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers....
a year ago
For Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the digital realm is one fraught with both opportunities and dangers. The Ethiopian designer and researcher sees digital media as an impactful, playful, and unrestrained way of shaping immersive stories that challenge Western narratives and power...
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Guidebooks
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by...
a year ago
A portion of the paperback wrapper of A Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., published by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1965.
Are guidebooks still a valid and useful subgenre of architecture books? Do architects...
Old Structures...
Yet Another Blue-Sky Proposal
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building),...
3 months ago
From a magazine I can’t readily find (the February 28, 1891 edition of Architecture and Building), via a scrapbook at the New York Public Library: a very involved railroad and boulevard system that I doubt anyone wanted and had zero chance of being built: This proposal is along...
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
On Case Studies
"What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although...
a year ago
"What is a case study?" you might be asking, or maybe, "Is it different than a monograph?" Although the word monograph literally applies to any book devoted to any individual subject — be it a person, a place, a thing, or even an idea — in the realm of architecture books that...
The Modern House
Inside two carbon-negative zero-waste homes in Walthamstow
a year ago
CONTEMPORIST
Large Travertine Slabs Were Used To Update This Home’s Design
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of the Kojima House, a home that has been...
7 months ago
Architecture firm SWATT + PARTNERS has shared photos of the Kojima House, a home that has been updated with an additional and a remodel. Located in Kentfield, California, the home boasts unobstructed views of San Francisco Bay, Kent-Woodlands Valley, and surrounding mountains....
Old Structures...
A Working Drawing
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the...
a year ago
Above, an 1870 drawing by Washington Roebling showing the masonry of the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge. I guess it doesn’t quite qualify as art, although I’d certainly hang it on a wall. The lettering at the top and the 3D-effect frame around the image suggest that this...
Construction Physics
The Long, Sad History of American Attempts to Build High-Speed Rail, Part II
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to...
a year ago
Last week, we looked at the early history of high-speed rail in the US. Though the US attempted to build its own high-speed rail routes soon after they debuted in Japan in 1964, these efforts were unsuccessful, outside of the popular-but-troubled Metroliner
CONTEMPORIST
20 Award Winning Architectural Designs From A Design Award & Competition
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award &...
2 months ago
This article has been brought to you by A’ Design Award and Competition. A’ Design Award & Competition is the Worlds’ leading design accolade reaching design enthusiasts around the world, and showcasing award winners from 114 different design disciplines. A’ Design Award winning...
99% Invisible
The Big Dig [EPISODE]
Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive...
a year ago
Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive infrastructure project, which rerouted the central highway in the heart of the city, encountered every hurdle imaginable: ruthless politics, engineering challenges, secretive contractors,...
Archinect - Features
Being Laid off in Architecture Is Tough; So Is Waiting To Be
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not...
3 months ago
Findings from our recent Archinect Business Survey suggest that many architecture employees do not feel secure in their current roles. For those facing the looming prospect of layoffs in the coming weeks or months, the emotional strain can be as taxing as that experienced by...
Construction Physics
How Fast Can a City Grow?
In the last post, we noted Los Angeles was the fastest-growing city in the US at the end of the 19th...
a year ago
In the last post, we noted Los Angeles was the fastest-growing city in the US at the end of the 19th century, growing nearly 10% yearly between 1880 and 1930. This made me wonder what the landscape of city growth rates looks like. How fast were other US cities growing at the same...
Old Structures...
A Thomas Nast Holiday – 2 of 3
Santa looks a bit like Horace Greeley in this one.
12 months ago
Santa looks a bit like Horace Greeley in this one.
CONTEMPORIST
A Black Kitchen Is A Bold Design Choice For This Home
Photography by Aaron Pocock sense of space [SOS Architects] has sent us photos of a contemporary...
a year ago
Photography by Aaron Pocock sense of space [SOS Architects] has sent us photos of a contemporary home they recently completed, that includes an unexpected all-black kitchen. Photography by Mike Baker The striking black kitchen facilitates the owners’ love for cooking and...
Coffee with an...
If movies were about Architecture
“Apocalypse Now”: an architect goes grossly over budget. Another architect is sent out to find him...
7 months ago
“Apocalypse Now”: an architect goes grossly over budget. Another architect is sent out to find him and value-engineer the project, in the jungle, during a war. “It’s a wonderful life”: An architect mishandles his finances. Jumps off a bridge. Is saved by his guardian angel /...
Old Structures...
Before and After Electricity
A while back, I put up a photo of the Bowery as seen in 1894, with the Third Avenue elevated tracks...
10 months ago
A while back, I put up a photo of the Bowery as seen in 1894, with the Third Avenue elevated tracks above. Here’s the picture: Here’s a 1909 postcard of a similar view: The third, express track wasn’t added to the el until 1917 and the Bowery is a wide street, so the tracks have...
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.
Archinect - Features
Get To Know Tulane School of Architecture’s Newest Faculty Cohort
With the new 2024/25 academic year in full swing, we are taking a moment to introduce fifteen newly...
a month ago
With the new 2024/25 academic year in full swing, we are taking a moment to introduce fifteen newly appointed permanent faculty members at the Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners.
The new tenure and tenure-track faculty bring expertise...
Contemporist...
A Curved Corner Softens The Space Inside This Home Extension
Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a...
a year ago
Australian architecture firm Bryant Alsop has shared photos of a home remodel they completed for a run-down home in Victoria, that includes a new contemporary addition with a curved wall.
CONTEMPORIST
One Thousand Plants Cover The Exterior Of The ‘Landmark by Lexus’ Pavilion
Koichi Takada Architects has sent us photos of ‘Landmark by Lexus’, a showroom/pavilion that was...
a year ago
Koichi Takada Architects has sent us photos of ‘Landmark by Lexus’, a showroom/pavilion that was presented to guests during the Melbourne Cup Carnival at the Flemington Racecourse in Australia. Drawing inspiration from the Australian landscape, Koichi Takada Architects designed a...
Old Structures...
Straight and Curved
I first started reading architectural theory and criticism when I was still an engineering undergrad...
6 months ago
I first started reading architectural theory and criticism when I was still an engineering undergrad student. It gave me a perspective on buildings that was notably different than that I was learning in my design and analysis classes, but because I was an outsider it took me a...
Cartogrammar
Land by latitude and longitude, or, a pile of continents
Bill Rankin’s graphs of world population by latitude and longitude popped into mind for no...
over a year ago
Bill Rankin’s graphs of world population by latitude and longitude popped into mind for no particular reason the other day, followed by a silly-sounding question: “but, like, what about land area by latitude and longitude?” Silly because, duh, a chart of land area by latitude and...
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.
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
Goodnight Nobody [EPISODE]
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten...
a year ago
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten books that had been checked out the most in the history of the library — and most of these were children’s books, like The Cat in the Hat and Where the Wild Things Are. Curiously...
The Modern House
A concrete apartment with credentials by Regent’s Canal, north London
a year ago
Old Structures...
A Story With A Happy Ending
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering,...
10 months ago
There’s a moral at the end of this story – a story which has nothing to do with engineering, architecture, construction, or NYC history – that has something to do with engineering, architecture, and construction, and maybe NYC history as well. I like mechanical keyboards, with a...
There are two types...
MSG
Two MSG quotes: “In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats made them...
over a year ago
Two MSG quotes: “In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats made them fat.” – Wikipedia “Through Pennsylvania Station one entered the city like a god…. One scuttles in now like a rat” [under Madison … Continue reading →
The post MSG appeared first on...
Old Structures...
All In A Name
I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too...
a week ago
I mentioned yesterday that New York’s City Hall, because it is over 200 years old, is very much too small to house a modern government. The first solution dreamed up in the late 1800s was to replace City Hall with a much larger building. For various reasons – including expense, a...
CONTEMPORIST
A Contemporary Desert Home With Mid-Century Modern Design Elements
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine has shared photos of a mid-century modern-inspired home they...
a year ago
Architecture firm The Ranch Mine has shared photos of a mid-century modern-inspired home they completed in Phoenix, Arizona. The entry of the house is highlighted by a singular date palm tree growing through a triangular aperture to the sky. The interior palette is restrained to...
Old Structures...
The Same But Different
This is an 1884 photograph of Broadway looking north from just south of Houston Street. Broadway...
11 months ago
This is an 1884 photograph of Broadway looking north from just south of Houston Street. Broadway runs straight from here until the bend at 10th Street where Grace Church is, and the church is just barely visible at the end of the street. Unlike most photos of Manhattan from the...
The Modern House
‘The girl from elsewhere’: designer India Mahdavi on her struggle for acceptance, and how a rented...
Our guest on this episode of Homing In – our podcast on which our co-founder Matt Gibberd asks...
a year ago
Our guest on this episode of Homing In – our podcast on which our co-founder Matt Gibberd asks cultural tastemakers about a home from their past, present and future – is the French-Iranian architect India Mahdavi. Known as the Queen of Colour, she has designed […]
Construction Physics
Building Apollo
A review of Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon
a year ago
A review of Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon
Archinect - Features
'Starting a Successful Woman-Owned Business in a Heavily Male-Dominated Industry Is No Joke':...
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding...
2 months ago
In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding Principal of multi-disciplinary design practice Open Studio Collective, based in Bozeman, Montana, and Ojai, California.
Trained in both graphic design and architecture, Bryan talks...
devonzuegel.com
Inside Argentina's currency exchange black markets
In Argentina, your money is worth double if you skip the airport currency exchange and instead go to...
over a year ago
In Argentina, your money is worth double if you skip the airport currency exchange and instead go to one of the many black market exchanges hidden throughout Buenos Aires.
These illegal exchanges are called "cuevas" (the word for "cave" in Spanish), and they are a crucial part of...
CONTEMPORIST
A Tube Shaped Treehouse Wrapped In Diamond-Shaped Metal Tiles
Artistree, a company that creates treehouses and tiny homes, has shared photos of their design named...
11 months ago
Artistree, a company that creates treehouses and tiny homes, has shared photos of their design named “The Spyglass Treehouse”, which provides a unique window into the surrounding environment. Inspired by old-fashioned spyglasses used to magnify what is in the distance, this...
CONTEMPORIST
The Neutral Palette Of This Home’s Interior Evokes The Tranquility Of A Spa
Developer Comma Projects, together with interior designer Kate Richards and building designer Jayson...
9 months ago
Developer Comma Projects, together with interior designer Kate Richards and building designer Jayson Pate Design, has completed a duplex in Queensland, Australia, with a distinctly neutral interior. Let’s take a look inside one of the villas where the design objective was to...
devonzuegel.com
Markets in everything at the Duomo
You're not allowed inside the Duomo with your shoulders uncovered. We learned this the hard way. I...
over a year ago
You're not allowed inside the Duomo with your shoulders uncovered. We learned this the hard way. I was wearing a spaghetti strap dress (it's 92℉/33℃ and humid here in Milan), so they stopped my little group at the entrance, after we'd already purchased 3 tickets.
Luckily, we...
The Modern House
Musicians Csilla Pogány and Alastair Blayden on fine-tuning their school conversion in Kentish Town
a year ago
SOCKS
The Square and the Circle: The Palace of Charles V in Granada (1527)
The palace of Charles V in Granada was built starting in 1527 as a summer palace for the emperor....
over a year ago
The palace of Charles V in Granada was built starting in 1527 as a summer palace for the emperor. The Renaissance building is located inside the Alhambra, the former Nasrid complex on Sabika hill, a notable example of Islamic architecture. The structure is built in stone and is...
SOCKS
Claude Bragdon: Drawings of the Fourth Dimension (1913-1915)
American architect Claude Fayette Bragdon (1866-1946) was also an artist, writer and stage designer....
over a year ago
American architect Claude Fayette Bragdon (1866-1946) was also an artist, writer and stage designer. He was based in Rochester, NY where he built his masterpiece, the New York Central Railroad Station in 1909. His design work and philosophy were influenced mainly by theosophy, a...
Common Edge
Architects Must Address the Issue of Toxic Building Materials
Ending the cycle of pollution within our buildings benefits worker health, community health, and...
a year ago
Ending the cycle of pollution within our buildings benefits worker health, community health, and planetary health.
99% Invisible
A River Runs Through Los Angeles [EPISODE]
When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a...
5 months ago
When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a natural habitat. Well, the LA River looks nothing like that. Most people who see it probably mistake it for a giant storm drain. It’s a deep trapezoidal channel with steep concrete...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Yup
Sometimes, this game is not much of a challenge. Above, the Midtown North precinct house, as seen in...
a year ago
Sometimes, this game is not much of a challenge. Above, the Midtown North precinct house, as seen in Daredevil. Below, the Midtown North precinct house, as seen in Apple Look Around.
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – An Extension Adds New Living Space For This Home In London
Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects has designed the contemporary renovation and addition for a...
a year ago
Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects has designed the contemporary renovation and addition for a Grade II listed terrace home in the London borough of Islington. The original house, which is spread over three floors, was in poor condition and had lost its charm and original...
McMansion Hell
dome sweet dome
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to...
a year ago
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to learn the world’s most widely spoken and useful language: Slovenian. At this point, my Slovenian is about as coherent as, well, a McMansion. In order to feel better about myself, I...
Old Structures...
More Bragging But Usefully So
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of...
3 weeks ago
In two weeks, I’ll be giving a talk in Philadelphia for the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers, which is the eastern-Pennsylvania chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Pennsylvania. The topic is “Engineers’ Guidelines for Historic Buildings” and I’m...
99% Invisible
Trompe L’oeil [EPISODE]
Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats....
2 months ago
Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats. Highways designed to fool your brain into going way faster than it should want to. And impeccably made fake signs meant to guide you to the right freeway. Three classic, favorite...
The Modern House
A Day in the Life of a Listing: photographer Freya Najade captures Hackney 'letting its hair down'
While we are most at home photographing homes, we are sometimes left wondering what the streets...
5 months ago
While we are most at home photographing homes, we are sometimes left wondering what the streets surrounding our listings might look like through a different lens. This is why we have asked photographer Freya Najade to take her cameras out in Hackney. Using the area […]
The Modern House
A hidden warehouse apartment in the heart of east London
a year ago
Common Edge
Vishaan Chakrabarti: Looking for a Home, Aiming Risky Zingers
The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
a week ago
The architect’s latest book displays his talent for analytic precision and provocation.
Old Structures...
A Different Configuration
I almost didn’t recognize this photograph, even though I’ve been involved with the building since...
6 months ago
I almost didn’t recognize this photograph, even though I’ve been involved with the building since 2011. The New York Public Library digital archive has this labelled as the “Onderdonk Mill, Roslyn” and if they hadn’t mentioned the town name I wold have gone right by it. We’ve...
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.
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.
Archinect - Features
Echoes and Requiems: Reflecting on the Legacy of Woodbury University School of Architecture...
In the summer of 2006, I received a call from my friend and colleague Catherine Herbst, who had...
6 months ago
In the summer of 2006, I received a call from my friend and colleague Catherine Herbst, who had recently become the head of Woodbury University School of Architecture in San Diego (WUSD) following the departure of the previous chair, Geraldine Forbes, to New Mexico. During our...
Common Edge
What Los Angeles Transit Could Learn From Charlotte
On accidentally discovering the Queen City’s wonderful light rail system.
a year ago
On accidentally discovering the Queen City’s wonderful light rail system.
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.
SOCKS
A Building to Tell the Time: The Toghrol Tower in Rey, Iran (1063)
The Toghrol Tower is a 20 meters high tower located in the city of Rey in Iran made of bricks and...
over a year ago
The Toghrol Tower is a 20 meters high tower located in the city of Rey in Iran made of bricks and Sarooj, a water-resistant mortar. It was erected in 1063, and according to some sources, it was conceived as the tomb of Tuğrul Beg, the founder of the Seljuk dynasty. Other scholars...
Common Edge
Light, Empathy, and Silence: The Architecture of Marina Tabassum
A Q&A with the celebrated Bangladeshi designer.
6 months ago
A Q&A with the celebrated Bangladeshi designer.
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.
CONTEMPORIST
Hempcrete Walls Are On Display Inside This Home’s New Extension
Architecture studio Cairn, has shared photos of a house renovation and extension they completed for...
3 months ago
Architecture studio Cairn, has shared photos of a house renovation and extension they completed for a home in London, England, that uses a new low-carbon concrete. The ‘House made by many hands’ is the first building structure in the UK to specify a low-carbon limestone calcined...
The Architectural...
The bigotry of Modernism
We know that history tends to repeat itself, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse....
7 months ago
We know that history tends to repeat itself, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. Unfortunately, the architecture world, including academics and practitioners, is often unaware that it perpetuates backward and bigoted attitudes, stifling the creativity of architects and...
Old Structures...
Twelve Years Undemolished
This photo from 1954 was taken from the top level of the Queensboro Plaza Station, looking west to...
4 months ago
This photo from 1954 was taken from the top level of the Queensboro Plaza Station, looking west to Manhattan. That’s the Queensboro Bridge on the right. If you take the 7 train to Flushing, as I used to, the odds are not bad that you’ll change trains at this station, as it’s...
CONTEMPORIST
The Design Of This Modern White Patisserie Stands Out From Its Neighbors
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked...
9 months ago
LUKSTUDIO has shared photos of Aimé Pâtisserie, which is located in Shanghai, China, and is flanked by familiar coffee and donut franchises. The designers explained, ‘that the challenge of the store is to stand out from its immediate chaos and appeal to the clientele from the...
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...
Mannahatta
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still...
2 months ago
Before it was Manhattan, it was Mannahatta – a Lenape word meaning “hilly island” – when it still had a lot of hills. A few links to help explain:
Archinect - Features
A Guide to Salary Transparency Laws Across the United States
At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect...
9 months ago
At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect frequently reports on, several states and cities across the United States have enacted their own requirements for employers seeking to hire or promote within their...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #04: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [EPISODE]
This is the fourth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
8 months ago
This is the fourth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S. representative for New York’s 14th...
Construction Physics
What Would It Take to Recreate Bell Labs?
For most of the 20th century, AT&T was almost entirely responsible for building and operating...
5 months ago
For most of the 20th century, AT&T was almost entirely responsible for building and operating America’s telephone infrastructure. It manufactured the phones and electrical equipment, laid hundreds of millions of miles of wire across the country, and built and operated the...
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.
A Weekly Dose of...
42 Years of Critical Regionalism
(Covers of some of the books discussed in this post)
If your first reaction to the title of...
a year ago
(Covers of some of the books discussed in this post)
If your first reaction to the title of this post is something along the lines of, "Wait, isn't critical regionalism just 40 years old?," then everything you think know about critical regionalism is partial, in both senses...
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...
Archinect - Features
'Beauty Is a Measure of Ecological Intelligence'; A Conversation with ecoLogicStudio Founders...
Against the backdrop of a frenzied AI discourse dominated by end-product tools such as ChatGPT and...
a year ago
Against the backdrop of a frenzied AI discourse dominated by end-product tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto articulate a refreshing call to adventure. The two ecoLogicStudio founders have built their professional and academic careers at the...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's 2023 Mental Health Survey Results
To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect...
a year ago
To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect recently conducted our latest Mental Health survey to better understand how our community has navigated the stressors inherent to the architecture industry. On this October 10th,...
Old Structures...
The Public Realm
This is the 1895 firehouse constructed for Engine Company 31 and Battalion 2 of the Fire Department...
4 months ago
This is the 1895 firehouse constructed for Engine Company 31 and Battalion 2 of the Fire Department of New York, at Lafayette and White Streets. The fire department facilities were moved elsewhere over 50 years ago, but the building is landmarked and reusable, so it has been...
CONTEMPORIST
8,000 Discs Were Suspended To Create This Artistic Installation
Canadian-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has shared photos of Binary Spectrum, a site-specific...
a year ago
Canadian-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has shared photos of Binary Spectrum, a site-specific art installation they created for a lobby atrium inside a building in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Comprised of 8,000 translucent discs, Binary Spectrum is a poetic expression of...
The Modern House
The trials and triumphs of a tropical-inspired new-build in Bristol
a year ago
Coffee with an...
Christmas Cards from the Architects 2024
It’s that time again. It is the time of year when the architects turn their attention from their...
a week ago
It’s that time again. It is the time of year when the architects turn their attention from their Dec. 25th deadline to thoughts of Christmas. Here we are, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts in our offices, staring out at the rolling hills covered with snow,...
Old Structures...
A Deservedly Unknown Truss
There’s a street bridge over the Hudson Line (the former main line of the New York Central Railroad)...
9 months ago
There’s a street bridge over the Hudson Line (the former main line of the New York Central Railroad) tracks just south of the Dobbs Ferry Station: For now, ignore the big white pipe at the bottom of the side truss: it’s a utility line, not part of the truss. That leaves us with...
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...
The Modern House
How designer Alison Lloyd’s Hackney home and garden caters to her collecting
a year ago
Archinect - Features
LEED? BREEAM? WELL? Six Major Green Building Labels Explained
When embarking on a mission to deliver a building to a high environmental and ecological standard,...
4 months ago
When embarking on a mission to deliver a building to a high environmental and ecological standard, architects are presented with a range of accreditation systems to both guide the design process and reward the results.
While some systems, such as LEED and BREEAM, emphasize...
CONTEMPORIST
Operable Screens Cover The Exterior Of This Hawaiian Home
Architecture firm OLSON KUNDIG has shared photos of a home they completed in Hanalei, Hawaii, that...
a year ago
Architecture firm OLSON KUNDIG has shared photos of a home they completed in Hanalei, Hawaii, that blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living with the inclusion of a series of operable shutter screens that wrap most of the building facade. The custom shutter system,...
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...
Cartogrammar
Cartographic Summit 2016
In the official Cartographic Summit photo above, I’m the robot on the right edge who doesn’t know...
over a year ago
In the official Cartographic Summit photo above, I’m the robot on the right edge who doesn’t know how to stand like a normal human. I’ve just returned from this unusual event, which was part traditional conference and part unconference, with people in attendance only by...
Common Edge
The Enduring Legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright
Why we still care, almost seven decades after his death.
3 months ago
Why we still care, almost seven decades after his death.
The Beauty of...
High Speed at High Speed (Tianjin West station, China)
In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed...
a year ago
In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed from Britain. It is, therefore, the perfect embodiment of China’s high speed rail network, on which the station can be found. It is also, I am sorry to say, the antithesis of the...
SOCKS
Constructing Knowledge through Geometry: Ramon Llull’s Figures in Ars Magna, 1305
Catalan polymath, Ramon Llull was the first person to conceive a device able to externalise the...
over a year ago
Catalan polymath, Ramon Llull was the first person to conceive a device able to externalise the human mind. In his seminal opus, the Ars Magna, Llull conceived a series of figures that could replicate the mental ability to connect information in order to acquire knowledge. Thanks...
Contemporist...
This Sculptural Home Is Full Of Curves And Surrounded By Landscaping
Niko Architect has shared photos of a sculptural home with curves they designed that's been built...
9 months ago
Niko Architect has shared photos of a sculptural home with curves they designed that's been built into an artificially created landscape.
Archinect - Features
The US Just Defined a Zero Emissions Building: Is It Enough?
For the first time, the US government has issued a definition of a 'zero emission building.' While...
5 months ago
For the first time, the US government has issued a definition of a 'zero emission building.' While the effort to define a 'zero emission building' is both timely and commendable given the proliferation of unverified titles such as 'net zero' and 'carbon positive' in the AEC...
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...
The Modern House
Furniture designer James Stickley’s cleverly zoned live/work loft in east London
a year ago
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.
The Modern House
Nature's way: Botanical stylist Yasuyo Harvey’s stunning transformation of a standard suburban semi
3 months ago
Old Structures...
Not Saved
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but...
3 months ago
I vaguely know Fort Tilden – a former army base near the west end of the Rockaway peninsula – but its remote location and the lack of anything there that really interests me mean that I don’t know it particularly well. So the headline “Time to pay last respects to the abandoned...
CONTEMPORIST
Wood Panels Create Hiding Places For Laundry Baskets Inside This Home
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and laundry renovation they completed...
2 months ago
Australian-based Studio Minosa has shared photos of a kitchen and laundry renovation they completed for a home in Sydney, that includes hidden storage elements. In the laundry, wood paneling covers the lower section of the walls and hides a collection of laundry baskets from...
CONTEMPORIST
Natural Stone Provides A Base For This Modern Home
Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes has recently completed a new home in Mauricie, a region of...
a year ago
Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes has recently completed a new home in Mauricie, a region of Canada’s Québec province between Montréal and Québec City. The home’s design is inspired by the region’s industrial heritage and the natural elements that surround it. The unusually...
Old Structures...
180 Years
I found myself in Greenport NY for a project and was pleasantly surprised by the presence of the old...
4 months ago
I found myself in Greenport NY for a project and was pleasantly surprised by the presence of the old train station there. It’s not the current station, which is a bare concrete platform off to the right of the picture, and it’s not the original station, but that’s okay. As you...
CONTEMPORIST
Before + After – A New Garden Studio For A Writer
MW Architects has shared photos of a new garden room in London, England, that replaced an old...
9 months ago
MW Architects has shared photos of a new garden room in London, England, that replaced an old derelict wash house, that was in danger of slipping down a steep slope and existed at the back of an overgrown garden. Here’s what it looked like originally. The new studio, which has...
Archinect - Features
'AI Is Built on Datasets That Are Already Biased'; A Conversation with Felecia Davis
Ever since her childhood summers sewing patterns at the family dining table, Felecia Davis has...
a year ago
Ever since her childhood summers sewing patterns at the family dining table, Felecia Davis has understood the power of textiles to be a vehicle for communication, connection, and understanding. As her career in architecture unfolded in parallel with wider advances in...
CONTEMPORIST
A Home Designed As One Long Curve
FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing...
a year ago
FRARI – architecture network has designed a new house in Vagos, Portugal, that has a single arcing curved design. Through its shape and arrangement, the curved home protects itself from the busy road, while also opening up the interior to the outdoor spaces, like the yard and...
Old Structures...
Fuzzy
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts,...
a month ago
Structural steel and composite steel deck used with concrete slabs need to be fireproofed. Ducts, pipes, lights, and electrical conduits do not.
Archinect - Features
'You Need to Use AI Much More Than You Think to Get Unique Results From It'; A Conversation...
Studying Alexis Christodoulou’s work, including his highly popular Instagram portfolio, one would...
a year ago
Studying Alexis Christodoulou’s work, including his highly popular Instagram portfolio, one would expect his images to be the product of decades of education, training, and practice at the top of the field. The fact that Christodoulou is a self-taught artist of ten years,...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Newsy
A dying world from a horror comic called “Epitaphs from the Abyss”: What’s that on the right? The...
3 weeks ago
A dying world from a horror comic called “Epitaphs from the Abyss”: What’s that on the right? The New York Times Building as seen from Times Square (from the north) in 1908:
Old Structures...
Obvious In Restrospect
The first real commuter rail in New York was the New York and Harlem Railroad, which eventually...
11 months ago
The first real commuter rail in New York was the New York and Harlem Railroad, which eventually served, through a combination of horse-drawn street cars and heavy rail, from lower Manhattan to Chatham, New York, not far south of Albany. The portion in Manhattan south of 23rd...
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Boom
One of the problems with electing Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, as mayor of New York, is that he has a...
5 months ago
One of the problems with electing Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, as mayor of New York, is that he has a lot of enemies who will try to kill him by, say, blowing him up in his sleep. This is a preservation problem because the mayor’s residence is Gracie Mansion, a 1799 wood-frame...
CONTEMPORIST
This Home Extension Made Space For A New Kitchen And Dining Area
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary...
4 months ago
AR Design Studio has shared photos of a project they completed that included a new contemporary single-storey extension for a private residence. Mature trees surround the site to the north and east, and tall lush hedges to the south and west perimeter of the property that provide...
The Modern House
How Cobbie Yates and Joseph Hyland maximised space in their compact Deptford apartment
a year ago
Archinect - Features
10 Controversial Buildings That Became Iconic Landmarks
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always...
2 months ago
Architectural landmarks often become beloved symbols of their cities, but many were not always welcomed with open arms. Throughout history, some of our most acclaimed structures have in fact provoked heated debates, divided public opinion, sparked fierce controversy, and in one...
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...
Archinect - Features
Archinect's Tips for Recent Graduates Navigating Architectural Employment
In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding...
a year ago
In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding portfolio advice, crafting an effective resume, and if one should follow their "dream job or a dream school" have been ongoing topics on Archinect and our forum. Within the last few...
Benny Kuriakose
The Making of Unique Athangudi Tiles : An Unforgettable Experience
Chettinad, the land of wealthy Chettiars in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, is famous not only for...
a year ago
Chettinad, the land of wealthy Chettiars in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, is famous not only for its mouth-watering cuisine but also...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #12: Robert Caro
This is the twelfth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 days ago
This is the twelfth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. We’ve waited until the evening to see how splendid the day has been, and for this final installment, there was only one guest...
Construction Physics
What Happened to the US Machine Tool Industry?
Machine tools – machines that cut or form metal – are the heart of industrial civilization....
11 months ago
Machine tools – machines that cut or form metal – are the heart of industrial civilization. Sometimes called “mother machines” (because they’re machines that make other machines), machine tools are required to make almost everything. Nearly every manufactured good is made using...
Old Structures...
Wrong But Impressive
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s...
2 months ago
I’m generally anti-graffiti. If the graffiti itself doesn’t cause permanent damage to the wall it’s on, the cleaning probably will; the content generally ranges from idiotic (here’s my name – isn’t it impressive?) to puerile (pictures of genitalia being the most common); and it’s...
Common Edge
Who Is Using Who? The Architect-Patron Fame Game
The co-mingling of famous client and famous designer has a long history.
a year ago
The co-mingling of famous client and famous designer has a long history.
Old Structures...
Split Personality
Live, from Montreal, the Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde et Saint Jacques: Putting aside the...
a month ago
Live, from Montreal, the Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde et Saint Jacques: Putting aside the building’s architectural merit – and there is a great deal – I find this kind of church interesting structurally. We have at least three very different types of structure here. There’s...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #0: Welcome to Order Without Design
I'm starting a new podcast called Order Without Design with the most interesting couple I know:...
over a year ago
I'm starting a new podcast called Order Without Design with the most interesting couple I know: Alain & Marie-Agnes Bertaud.
This project is an extension of their book, Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities. With its focus on economic theory, you might not realize that...
The Modern House
Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming...
10 months ago
Cath Kidston needs little introduction. Her eponymous brand was something of a zeitgeist, becoming entirely synonymous with a certain strand of the shabby-chic look that so gripped the late 1990s and early 2000s. But there was life before the company – Cath worked first for […]
devonzuegel.com
To rent or to sell, that is the question
As a real estate developer, one of the big decisions you need to make is whether you will rent or...
a year ago
As a real estate developer, one of the big decisions you need to make is whether you will rent or sell the buildings you've built.
Income from rentals flows in steadily over years, while income from sales hits all at once. This essential difference is simple but has many...
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...
A Weekly Dose of...
Places in Time II
Last week dose explored three "places in time": St. Louis in the early decades of the 20th century;...
a year ago
Last week dose explored three "places in time": St. Louis in the early decades of the 20th century; Detroit between 1935 and 1985; and Chicago suburb Oak Park ca. 1906, when Frank Lloyd Wright completed Unity Temple. Those three US-centric books were split between two historical...
The Modern House
Rest, relaxation and refuge at a ryokan-inspired home in Hackney
a year ago
The Modern House
Our guide to retrofitting: how to future-proof your older home
a year ago
The Beauty of...
A Sense of Place (White Hart Lane Station, London, UK)
You will remember that my knowledge of football can be transcribed onto the reverse of a postage...
over a year ago
You will remember that my knowledge of football can be transcribed onto the reverse of a postage stamp, possibly with room left over, and that what knowledge I do possess is thanks to my other half’s family being Portsmouth FC supporters; an emotional rollercoaster, it has to be...
The Solarchitecture...
Circadian rhythm and solar home design
If our body is not tuned to our circadian rhythm, we can hardly be in flow with Life.
over a year ago
If our body is not tuned to our circadian rhythm, we can hardly be in flow with Life.
Archinect - Features
Uncovering the Untold Histories of American Campus Expansions with Boghosian Fellow Leen...
Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in, or have recently...
a year ago
Archinect's Fellow Fellows series showcases individuals who are currently in, or have recently finished, an architecture fellowship. During our conversations, we discuss their architectural journey, areas of research, and their overall experience as academic fellows.
For our...
CONTEMPORIST
This Small Home With A Green Roof Curves Around A Pond
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in...
5 months ago
Architect office Hello Wood has sent us photos of a small modern house they completed tucked away in Hungary’s lush rural landscapes. Situated next to a fishing pond, the home is a retreat for the owners and is dug into a mound, peeking out just enough to blend with the horizon....
CONTEMPORIST
A White Palette Helps Connect This Heritage Home With Its New Addition
Dalecki Design has shared photos of a home they remodeled in Subiaco, Australia, which includes a...
a year ago
Dalecki Design has shared photos of a home they remodeled in Subiaco, Australia, which includes a contemporary rear addition and a white color palette throughout. The heritage character of the original house and the bright but calm feeling of the new addition are harmoniously...
Old Structures...
Probably Not What The Artist Intended
75 Broad Street, diagonally across the street from our office, was built in 1928 and almost...
3 months ago
75 Broad Street, diagonally across the street from our office, was built in 1928 and almost immediately bought by the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation for use as the company headquarters. Like a lot of New York Telephone buildings of that era, the interior was a...
Old Structures...
Amazing Detail
I recently put up a map put up an 1884 planning map for the expansion of the Croton water system...
11 months ago
I recently put up a map put up an 1884 planning map for the expansion of the Croton water system north of New York. It turns out that was just an appetizer. Today’s map, from 1899, has much more detail and is amazing proof of what could be done with hand drafting: no GIS...
CONTEMPORIST
A House That Rises From The Ground Forming A Three-Level Garden
Architecture firm AtelierM, has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Pilar, Buenos...
a month ago
Architecture firm AtelierM, has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Pilar, Buenos Aires, whose design is inspired by the terrain and surrounding area. The house is conceived as a living element in the landscape, with gentle curves and fluid lines that adapt to the...
Contemporist...
Giant 'Woven' Fabric Graces The Window Of This Flagship Store
Architecture firm LAAB has shared photos the Cozey flagship retail store they designed in Toronto,...
a month ago
Architecture firm LAAB has shared photos the Cozey flagship retail store they designed in Toronto, Canada, that includes an eye-catching window showcase.
A Weekly Dose of...
Book Briefs #35 Revisited
Last week I cobbled together eight books, some of which publishers had sent me more than a year ago,...
a year ago
Last week I cobbled together eight books, some of which publishers had sent me more than a year ago, in an effort to write a "Better Late Than Never" installment of "Book Briefs," something I had done back in April 2018 with Book Briefs #35. But, sensing I would not be able to...
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...
CONTEMPORIST
This Secluded A-Frame Cabin Was Given A Contemporary Design Update
Matiere Premiere Architecture together with its affiliated construction company, Nu Drom, has...
a year ago
Matiere Premiere Architecture together with its affiliated construction company, Nu Drom, has completed a contemporary update for an A-Frame cabin located on the shores of a lake near Montreal, Canada. Originally built in the 1950’s, the exterior was updated with natural white...
Common Edge
Money and the Conundrum of Architects Who Don’t Build
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
a year ago
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
Common Edge
To Address Climate Change, Architects Must Tackle Decarbonization
Focusing only on energy performance is insufficient to the mounting crisis.
a year ago
Focusing only on energy performance is insufficient to the mounting crisis.
Old Structures...
It Looked Familiar: Bonus Geekiness
For the end-of-summer holiday weekend, an extra. Daredevil makes a new friend: That’s one of the...
3 months ago
For the end-of-summer holiday weekend, an extra. Daredevil makes a new friend: That’s one of the eagle hood-ornament sculptures at the 61st floor of the Chrysler Building. They’ve been fascinating people since Chrysler was first built. There’s a very big but not famous building...
Old Structures...
An Avatar Of Steel
Another short trip: I was in Philadelphia last week, and I walked the not-quite two miles from my...
4 days ago
Another short trip: I was in Philadelphia last week, and I walked the not-quite two miles from my meeting to the train station on my way home. I took the two unimpressive pictures below on the way: That’s the rear, Arch Street side, of the Reading Terminal Market, which is, as...
99% Invisible
The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE]
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like...
a year ago
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest....
The Modern House
Quiet yet quirky – the family home of architect Will Burges serves as both inspiration and sanctuary
5 months ago
There are two types...
Location, Location, Location: Affordable Housing and Urban Form in Manhattan
NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To...
a year ago
NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To Great Cities and Towns, where it will appear in a shorter version. This version still needs a little editing for its new context. Part … Continue reading →
The post Location,...
99% Invisible
The Chinatown Punk Wars [EPISODE]
The most recognizable feature of LA’s Chinatown is its Central Plaza. It’s an outdoor pedestrian...
a year ago
The most recognizable feature of LA’s Chinatown is its Central Plaza. It’s an outdoor pedestrian mall that is almost overwhelmingly colorful. Brightly painted buildings are topped with sweeping pagoda style roofs, and then accented with fluorescent neon lacing. For decades...
Old Structures...
Evolved To Fit The Conditions
If you’ve always known something, it can be difficult to see how weird it is. New Yorkers walk...
7 months ago
If you’ve always known something, it can be difficult to see how weird it is. New Yorkers walk through construction sites all the time, intentionally so on the part of the builders and with the blessing of the Department of Buildings. It looks something like this: Like so many of...
Old Structures...
Mystery Work
From 1908, a stereograph of the construction of the tower of the Singer Building: The title is...
a month ago
From 1908, a stereograph of the construction of the tower of the Singer Building: The title is accurate – “Four hundred ft. above the street – iron worker on the Singer Tower, New York, U.S.A.” but it doesn’t tell us what we’re actually looking at. For example, the steel we’re...
99% Invisible
Mr. Yuk [EPISODE]
Some of you may be familiar with a figure called Mr. Yuk, depending on your age and where you grew...
7 months ago
Some of you may be familiar with a figure called Mr. Yuk, depending on your age and where you grew up, but for rest of you: Mr. Yuk is a neon green circular sticker with a cartoon face on it. His face is scrunched up with his eyes squeezed tight and his tongue is sticking
The...
A Weekly Dose of...
The Latest from MoMA: Emerging Ecologies
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books...
a year ago
Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books with keywords to better filter and find them. The tags I use move from general terms like "architecture" (the most) and "fiction" (the least) to specific terms that reflect a high...
The Modern House
Far-Flung: Four remote homes (and one hotel) scattered across the Scottish Isles
With gargantuan views across machair-robed mountains and legend-laden lochs, the wild and windswept...
7 months ago
With gargantuan views across machair-robed mountains and legend-laden lochs, the wild and windswept Scottish coast offers up a different kind of island dwelling. These far-flung homes (and one beach-front lodging) offer a sense of considered and quiet retreat amid what is an...
Contemporist...
Large Folding Glass Walls Open This Home To A Courtyard
Narch Arquitectes has shared photos of a home they designed in Barcelona, Spain, that has large...
a year ago
Narch Arquitectes has shared photos of a home they designed in Barcelona, Spain, that has large folding windows that connect the interior to the inner courtyard and garden.
Common Edge
How to Be a Better Architect Than Me
My recent talk to high school seniors.
a year ago
My recent talk to high school seniors.
99% Invisible
The Siren of Scrap Metal [EPISODE]
Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background....
a year ago
Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background. A recording that blares from trucks looking to buy old household items and appliances, either to fix and resell or to sell for scrap. The crews inside these trucks are essentially...
The Modern House
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 […]
Common Edge
What L.A. 2028 Can Learn From the Paris Olympics
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to...
3 months ago
Sprawling Los Angeles is vastly different from the French capital, but it can still find ways to take a cue from the City of Lights’ embrace of the local.
Coffee with an...
A simple description
The structural exploration reflects the dichotomy of the diametrically opposed forces creating...
7 months ago
The structural exploration reflects the dichotomy of the diametrically opposed forces creating intrinsic tension within the interstitial forms which have been bifurcated and articulated throughout the design exploration phases resulting from the pedological rigor employed...
Old Structures...
A Very Specific Moment
I wrote before about the destruction of St. John’s Park, but I had not seen the photo below. The...
10 months ago
I wrote before about the destruction of St. John’s Park, but I had not seen the photo below. The photo shows St. John’s Chapel, an out-chapel of Trinity Church, which was constructed in 1807 and which eventually gave the park its name. This was originally an almost suburban...
The Modern House
Take a Dip: London’s best swimming spots – from lakes to lidos
a year ago
Old Structures...
Head In The Clouds
One of my favorite views of tall buildings, again: in the fog. New York Bay has more than it’s fair...
7 months ago
One of my favorite views of tall buildings, again: in the fog. New York Bay has more than it’s fair share of fog, and sometimes it creeps back up into the city. We had one of those days last week.
Common Edge
What Is Sacred Architecture in an Increasingly Secular Time?
Is it space or the people who animate it?
10 months ago
Is it space or the people who animate it?
Old Structures...
Peeking Ahead
The picture above – an aquatint according to the New York Public Library – was created in 1834, and...
a year ago
The picture above – an aquatint according to the New York Public Library – was created in 1834, and shows an active urban setting, with families, men talking business or politics, carriages, and dogs. If you didn’t know the date you’d probably guess the nineteenth century; if you...
Old Structures...
Boarding
Sometimes the degree to which the past was simultaneously similar to the present and different...
8 months ago
Sometimes the degree to which the past was simultaneously similar to the present and different catches me by suprise. I was in the far west Village a few days ago and this building caught my eye. It’s a nice 1890s semi-industrial building turned into apartments There’s a sign...
Construction Physics
What makes housing so expensive?
Buying a home is by far the largest purchase most of us will make, and paying the rent or mortgage...
8 months ago
Buying a home is by far the largest purchase most of us will make, and paying the rent or mortgage will be our largest monthly expense. In the post-pandemic home-buying boom, the median sale price of a new home peaked at almost $500,000 dollars, just under
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
Living well, together: a breathtaking mews house that is a calm, creative sanctuary for four
a month ago
CONTEMPORIST
Before And After – A Respectful Remodel For A Mid-Century Modern Home
Interior design firm Wise Design, together with General Contractor and Architect Owen Gabbert...
a year ago
Interior design firm Wise Design, together with General Contractor and Architect Owen Gabbert (formerly Clarkbuilt), has transformed a dated 1954 mid-century modern home in Portland, Oregon. Before – The ExteriorThe original home has a brown exterior with original windows and...
Archinect - Features
A Conversation with Bjarke Ingels on AI, 3D Printing, and the Future of the Architectural...
It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of...
9 months ago
It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of conversation was BIG's 'Hot to Cold' exhibition at the National Building Museum. Today, after a decade that has included award-winning Manhattan skyscrapers, floating cities, a...
Old Structures...
Gaudy
This scrapbook clipping is listed as 1895 to 1945. The presence of the entrance kiosk for the City...
a week ago
This scrapbook clipping is listed as 1895 to 1945. The presence of the entrance kiosk for the City Hall subway stop means it’s after 1904. I’m not sure if the Municipal Building (built 1909 to 1914) would be visible from this angle or would be off the left side of the frame; the...
Old Structures...
How Far Is Far?
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a...
11 months ago
I was up on a rooftop in the mid-Bronx (Belmont, to be somewhat more exact) last week and saw a familiar profile: That’s Billionaire’s Row, on the order of eight and a half miles away. It’s no surpise that you can see a big building from a distance – that’s the essence of all...
Construction Physics
We Need More Research on how CO2 Affects Cognition
A growing body of research indicates there are potentially large health benefits to improving indoor...
a year ago
A growing body of research indicates there are potentially large health benefits to improving indoor air quality. Indoor spaces are often poorly ventilated and expose occupants to high levels of contaminants, such as pathogens, particulates, and other pollutants. Because people...
A Weekly Dose of...
My Biennale Haul
Two weeks ago I was in Venice for the Biennale, covering the 18th International Architecture...
a year ago
Two weeks ago I was in Venice for the Biennale, covering the 18th International Architecture Exhibition curated by Lesley Lokko for World-Architects. It was my first trip back to Venice since the 2018 Biennale, which was the 16th edition and was curated by Yvonne Farrell and...
Old Structures...
Like Looking Down A Well
Trinity Church and its yard are surrounded on all four sides by tall buildings. In 1952, when Angelo...
7 months ago
Trinity Church and its yard are surrounded on all four sides by tall buildings. In 1952, when Angelo Rizzuto took this picture looking down from the roof of one of them, they were all of about 1900-1920 vintage. It’s a striking shot, but I’d guess not to everyone’s taste.
The Modern House
Plot Twist: seven plots of land with planning permission for sale
If, like us, you take pleasure in seeing a project built from scratch, this round-up of listings...
a year ago
If, like us, you take pleasure in seeing a project built from scratch, this round-up of listings might be just the thing for you. Here we’re highlighting the best plots of land for sale that come with plans for cutting-edge contemporary builds or conversions. From […]
Common Edge
Jane Jacobs, Cyclist
We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
7 months ago
We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
A Weekly Dose of...
On the Future of Cities
The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of...
a year ago
The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of them together:
Implementing Urban Design: Green, Civic, and Community Strategies by Jonathan Barnett, published by Routledge, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop)
Renewing the Dream: The...
The Modern House
A Day Well Spent with Rahel Stephanie
a year ago
Archinect - Features
10 Views on Architectural Licensure From Archinect Readers
As we continue our ongoing Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, we highlight perspectives from...
4 months ago
As we continue our ongoing Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, we highlight perspectives from individuals with extensive research backgrounds on the topic, as well as those in positions to lead, guide, and evolve the licensure pathway. Additionally, we launched a survey among...
Common Edge
When Is Architectural Symbolism Hypocrisy?
Like or loathe it, symbolism over substance has a long tradition.
7 months ago
Like or loathe it, symbolism over substance has a long tradition.
Old Structures...
An IStructE Talk
I’m giving an in-person and online talk on March 7 for the UK Institution of Structural Engineers on...
10 months ago
I’m giving an in-person and online talk on March 7 for the UK Institution of Structural Engineers on the connections between the development of fire-resistant construction technology, New York social history, and the origins of skyscrapers. More information here: New York’s...
The Modern House
<strong>How to grow a green garden: from creating compost to planting produce</strong>
a year ago
The Modern House
Listing of the Week: a Norfolk beauty that ushers the natural world in
8 months ago
The Modern House
Planned to Perfection: six meticulously designed modernist flats
Looking for the chance to live inside a piece of architectural history? Here are six London flats...
a year ago
Looking for the chance to live inside a piece of architectural history? Here are six London flats for sale within buildings that exemplify the best of British modernism, from the Barbican to Trellick Tower. The brains behind these sprawling estates and soaring blocks followed new...
The Modern House
How chef Johnnie Collins makes the most of his compact kitchen in Dalston
a year ago
The Modern House
Nick Hill’s no frills approach to materials recasts a 1930s house in south-east London as a...
9 months ago
The Modern House
Designer Sue Minter’s colourful country house in the Cotswolds
a year ago
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...
The Modern House
The Green Series #1: an insiders' guide to insulation
The first instalment of our mini Green Series is all about insulation. Insulation is a key feature...
a month ago
The first instalment of our mini Green Series is all about insulation. Insulation is a key feature of passivhaus design as it reduces the amount of heat lost through the building fabric to a very low level, reducing the heat requirement of the building. Kate Jacobs […]
Archinect - Features
Some of the World’s Most Beautiful Coffee Shops
Happy International Coffee Day! To celebrate this culturally significant October 1st holiday, we...
2 months ago
Happy International Coffee Day! To celebrate this culturally significant October 1st holiday, we have picked a few of our favorite examples of coffee and architecture existing in blissful harmony.
So pour yourself another cup of your favorite roast (how about Archinect's very...
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...
The Modern House
The big blue: a striking sculptural staircase forms the focus of this converted coach house in...
2 months ago
The Wandering...
Constructing Bourgoin’s Figure 171 – Part 2
Now that we know our way around the pattern (go back to Part 1), it should be fairly straightforward...
over a year ago
Now that we know our way around the pattern (go back to Part 1), it should be fairly straightforward to construct with a compass and straightedge. But be aware: any pattern that requires you to construct a pentagon is an advanced challenge. They are trickier to make than squares...
CONTEMPORIST
Weathered Steel Covers The Exterior Of This Modern Home In Texas
Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in...
6 months ago
Photography by Casey Dunn Miró Rivera Architects has shared photos of a home they completed in Austin, Texas, which overlooks a sweeping lawn shaded by towering native pecan and bald cypress trees. Photography by Casey Dunn The house is comprised of two wings flanking a central...
Construction Physics
The worst US bridges are getting fixed
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads,...
a year ago
It’s become a common assumption that US infrastructure is in a poor state of repair; that our roads, bridges, pipes, and transmission lines are decaying faster than they’re being repaired or replaced. This concern goes back to the early 1980s, when the book "
McMansion Hell
In my latest column for The Nation, I defend single stair buildings against their detractors -...
Single-Stair Layouts Are Not Going to Fix the Housing Crisis
In my latest column for The Nation, I...
a year ago
Single-Stair Layouts Are Not Going to Fix the Housing Crisis
In my latest column for The Nation, I defend single stair buildings against their detractors - I think single stair is wonderful! - But I also don’t think it’s some kind of panacea for the housing crisis.
The Modern House
Nigel Slater: the food writer opens the door to his fascinating home life
At the (surprising) age of “almost 70”, Nigel Slater is “off-the-scale happy.” As our co-founder...
a month ago
At the (surprising) age of “almost 70”, Nigel Slater is “off-the-scale happy.” As our co-founder Matt Gibberd discovers in our latest Homing In podcast, his late Georgian house in north London plays no small part in that contentment. Over the course of their conversation, the […]
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...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – An Old Warehouse Was Turned Into A Contemporary Home
Brengues Le Pavec architects have shared photos of a modern warehouse conversion they completed in...
8 months ago
Brengues Le Pavec architects have shared photos of a modern warehouse conversion they completed in the south of France, between Montpellier and the sea. The ‘Before’…the run-down warehouse, which was still being used to store products, was dark and filled with shelves. The...
99% Invisible
The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery [EPISODE]
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 months ago
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones and the Center for...
Common Edge
Vivian Maier: Nanny With a Rolleiflex
Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
4 months ago
Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
Contemporist...
Before + After - A Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Renovation
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century...
yesterday
Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century modern home in San Mateo, California, for a young couple who wanted to update the kitchen, living room, dining room, and family room.
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...
99% Invisible
The Price is Wrong [EPISODE]
Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about...
3 months ago
Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about anyone. And as storms get more extreme and unpredictable a lot of insurers are running the numbers on Florida and realizing that the math just isn’t working anymore. For decades,...
Old Structures...
Four, Maybe Five, Maybe Six Bridges
Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from...
7 months ago
Walking along South Street, which is to say along the East River waterfront. First up, the view from Rutgers Street and South Street: We’ve got a pseudo-dramatic, badly framed view of the Manhattan tower of the Manhattan Bridge, with the elevated FDR Drive blocking most of it....
Old Structures...
Onec You See It
The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the...
8 months ago
The current round of repair work on the Manhattan Bridge has reached the stage of painting the towers. It has, to my eye, the unfortunate effect of making the bridge look like it’s wearing shorts.
The Modern House
Claire Ptak, founder of Violet bakery, on seasonal cakes and the community spirit of Hackney
a year ago
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