All Blog Posts Tagged 'design' (102)

Sunwell Muse Kitasando is the office building and showroom for a textile planning and trading company.  Since the company had been focusing on female apparel, the architecture by…

Having studied cities for many years, I've found that reconciling new and existing architecture is quite a daunting task. It is particularly difficult in urban areas where buildings are in such close proximity to one another. While there are many reasons for this circumstance, a…

The concept design behind the Star Performing Arts Center is the desire to blur the boundaries between retail and cultural zones, as well as indoor and outdoor spaces.   Located at Vista Xchange in Singapore,…

It’s a square!  It’s a triangle!  It’s a moving house!

D*Haus is a firm that has produced a range of architecture and design products based on the discovery that four distinct shapes can create both a square and an equilateral triangle,…

Have you heard of passive solar energy homes?  Wikipedia defines a passive solar building design as one where

windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer.

Let me show you some really beautiful examples of passive solar energy homes.…

Today, is all about dogs, specifically ~ dog house designs. Dog houses allow dogs to have a comfortable living space while keeping your house clean and tidy.

Let’s talk about dogs, it’s a topic that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone’s face.  It’s also a guaranteed conversation starter.  Just mention you have a dog and immediately everyone wants to know what breed, age, sex, and…

Beginning with the theme of the classic rustic fence, Austrian architecture firm heri&salli created the sinuous Landscape Fence for a private builder-owner.  Instead of simply demarcating the garden and pool…

One of the hardest things to accomplish in the design process is to limit design elements. It's often surprising how fast the design can get far too busy and out of control. This project by L&A Design Group is a good example of what you might do…

As an architect, space is often a luxury we can't afford. We are asked to make do with little. It may seem confining at times, but I've often found myself grateful for these types of constraints. I would term this the dilemma as that of Life, the Universe and Everything. There must be a point of focus…

When you find a place of peace and tranquility, my initial instinct would be to leave it alone. Although this isn't an exciting prospect from an architectural point of view, I think architectural interventions can have a detrimental effect on some of these places. This…

Natural, cultural, and mythical landscapes form the basis for the architectural idea behind Tverrfjellhytta, an observation and information pavilion on the outskirts of Dovrefjell National Park in…

Have media facades become mainly an element

for urban branding or should they be regarded

as city beautification?

Brands strive worldwide for distinctive visual identities in the urban landscape. At night they rely on luminous messages ranging from conventionally illuminated signs and billboards up to…

This soaring design for a night club and hotel by eastern European firm Urbanplunger was awarded 3^rd prize in the international competition for a site in Hong Kong, China.  Given the extremely compact urban panning that…

The sweeping curves of this design proposal by architect Mark Dziewulski were created in collaboration with ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, and were inspired by the movement and rhythm expressed in many of the performing arts. …

This 36 meter high architectural design has been shortlisted in the “Camelot at Cockfosters” competition for a site on Camelot moat, Enfield Park, north of London.  The site is said to be where the legendary Camelot Castle, home to King Arthur, was located.  This concept, called “The…

Stadslab European Urban Design Laboratory operates as an international think tank and design laboratory for urban design in today’s cities. We develop tailor-made Master Class programs aimed at participants with an academic background in architecture, urban planning or related fields. Our programs allow hosting municipalities and regional authorities to have cases of their choice examined in one of Stadslab’s Urban Design Laboratories. The general aim of all programs is to offer design…

I often think about the minimalist approach to architectural design, particularly in terms of the dying practice of ornament in building design. I don't necessarily think that something needs to be elaborate in order to be well designed, but when you take…

Gehry Partners were chosen to design the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington D.C. I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about divided interests in architecture.  Whenever you have a monumental site, not to mention the memory…

The Saemangum Exhibition Center is an interesting little project by the firm poly.m.ur, located along the west coast of Korea.  While I really love the play between architecture and landscape, there is a more subtle…