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I’ve mentioned the following story to so many people, I thought I might as well put up a quick post about it. There are strong Kristian Birkeland vibes with this—and, of course, anything involving an entire mountain transformed into a kind of passive-cosmic megamachine is bound to get my attention. [Image: Watercolor by Karl Lemström, … Continue reading "The Landscape Architecture of Auroras on Demand"
I was in Maastricht, Netherlands, for a couple nights last week, mostly as a way to break-up my trip across the Atlantic and thus help get over jet-lag before attending an archaeology conference (where I currently type this). I went specifically to Maastricht, however, because it’s home to an astonishing number of subterranean sites, from … Continue reading "Star Forts, Mines, and Other Maastricht Subterranea"
I recently had the pleasure of attending a press preview of the new documentary Architecton, directed by Victor Kossakovsky and released last week by A24. Surreally, the screening I attended was held inside a Cedars-Sinai medical-imaging center in west Los Angeles. Seeing this particular film, with its intensely granular focus on the geological underpinnings of … Continue reading "Mineral Hurricane"
I find landfill chemistry weirdly fascinating, particularly the idea that untold millions of tons of garbage being stored in giant, artificial landforms—or simply buried underground like false geological deposits—might be inadvertently catalyzing chemical processes we neither understand nor know how to stop. I was thus excited to see a long investigation of this topic in … Continue reading "Uncontrolled Remains"
More in architecture
The IBX, New York City’s biggest transit expansion since World War II, could unlock tens of thousands of homes and billions in value.
This post is brought to you by Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis Linda C. Samuels, an architecture and urban design professor at Washington University in St. Louis and author of “Infrastructural Optimism,” shares the impact an urban design perspective can have through the lens of two recent trips to New York. “There’s no question that urban design impacts the lives of all New Yorkers. Whether it’s the buildings we live in, the streets we cross, the parks we play in, or broader issues of housing, climate adaptation, public space, or transit accessibility, questions of design are always at stake.” Daniel Garodnick, former chair and director, New York City Department of City Planning, Principles of Good Urban Design for New York City Top/Up urbanism and TKTS booth, Times Square. Photos: Linda C. Samuels, 2010. The last time I was in New York City was 2010. Janette Sadik-Khan, the former transportation commissioner, had just painted Times Square with big red and green p...
The scale of commerce, preservation versus urban life, manufactured housing, and a funny restaurant review
Given the vast numbers of commuters that the Long Island Railroad carries, It’s easy to forget that it also carries freight. From a couple of years ago, a view of tracks elevated above Glendale, Queens, as a freight train with a much-grafittied hopper car goes by some brick bow-front rowhouses:
Designed by Void Building Design, Raintree is a contemporary three-level home located beside Noosa National Park in Queensland, Australia. The residence occupies a compact 350-square-metre site, yet manages to create a generous sense of space, privacy, and openness. With rainforest views, natural light, and cooling breezes influencing the design, the home offers a relaxed coastal […]
