Thursday, February 28, 2013

Prison Into Hotel






















Van der Valk Hotel The Judgment House in exotic Roermond, Netherlands, is an 1891 jailhouse converted into a hotel. Wish we could do that in U.S. But can't because we have the world's largest number of prisoners. 

Via inhabitat > http://www.hetarresthuis.nl/nl/home


Portable Tourist Towers?














One of these portable tourist towers might work well as a quest house or a retreat, right?

Pix/txt at designboom> http://tinyurl.com/a67ybh7

Urban Campsite in Brooklyn
















 Bivoac --- urban rooftop campsite. Architizer finalist.

Details on architizer> http://tinyurl.com/bcyunht

Micro-Housing in the Big Apple













My new essay on Artsjournal.com --- "Roomers: Micro-Housing in the Big Apple." Could you live in 300 square feet? It's likely your children will have to.

On artsjournal.com: http://tinyurl.com/ak84t6e

Micro-Apts in Malls?


















Providence RI Arcade (1828), first U.S. indoor shopping mall, will now sport micro-apartments. Will mega-malls and Tanger outlets follow suit? Some already have hotel rooms for exhausted shoppers.


Details at inhabitat> http://tinyurl.com/alyswm9

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Swedish Slumming at the Homeless Hotel
















Swedish Slumming--- you can book different outdoor sites at "the homeless hotel" website and experience homelessness for yourself. Money goes to charity. I don't know what to make of this. Is it condescending? 

Story & px at designboom> http://tinyurl.com/amozax7

Russian Opera House Uproar!
















Russian Opera House Uproar! Dominique Perrault plan rejected --- cost overruns, did not conform to building codes, sour cream soil. Public demand demolition of Diamond Schmitt substitute as too ugly. Perrault is at top. Diamond below

Via ajarts> http://tinyurl.com/bakvrrt


Tokyo Office/Home























"BASE" --- your Tokyo home and office. Live above your work; ladders for stairs; hanging clothes instead of closet. Skylights. Yes!

Details at leibal> http://tinyurl.com/a4nfwu9

Shipping Container Greenhouse

















Urban shipping-container greenhouse. We love greenhouses and we love the proportions of shipping containers.


Details at designboom> http://tinyurl.com/a45wqvf










Saturday, February 23, 2013

Desk Bed for Your Office














For 21st Century living spaces. For 21st Century work loads. Desk bed! Well, it's better than commuting.

Txt & pix at inhabitat> http://tinyurl.com/d96koh2



Budapest Bauhaus Villa for Rent














Not a Japanese neo-modern; too big! Instead it's Farkas Molnar's 1932 Bauhaus villa in Budapest for sale or rent.




From Barbara Armstrong (Facebook) to details/realtor>http://tinyurl.com/c9scjgr

Friday, February 22, 2013

Rudolph's Brutalist Icon Saved!














 Paul Rudolph's Brutalist Orange County Government Center saved!

NYT> http://tinyurl.com/buyojlh

Fujimoto's House N



















"House N " by Sou Fujimoto who has designed the 2013 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.


Txt & px at dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/cg494lp

Fujimoto Serpentine Gallery Preview



Fujimoto Serpentine Gallery Pavilion preview....

Txt & pix at dezeen>http://tinyurl.com/caoqhld

Fujimoto Tree House






















Tree House? Fujimoto in the news because of Serpentine Pavilion commission. His "House NA" gives a new meaning to the term "tree house"...

Pix, txt, floorplans via dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/cgzgox5



Fujimoto to Design Serpentine Pavilion






















Sou Fujimoto will design Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London. Check out slide show of his past projects. Pix here is of "Final Wooden House."

Slideshow at dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/aplcymw


Houselike House in Antwerp



"VMVK House," Antwerp. Another houselike house.

Px,txt, interiors at designboom> http://tinyurl.com/bbl6z7h

Red Tree House in Lapland















Bright red tree-house in Swedish Lapland.

Pix, txt at gardenista> http://tinyurl.com/arwuh9u


Neo-Modern in Nantes





















Neo-modern in Nantes, France. Artopia does not use the term minimal for neo-modern architecture. Ever. Besides, what is so minimal about this top-heavy delight?

Via liebal> http://tinyurl.com/an8nxtu

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Icelandic Student Shelters
















Check out these Icelandic shelters, by students. Image is of shelter that uses ice as an insulator...

More shelters at archinect> http://tinyurl.com/amu4e83



House as Telescope
















Telescoping the view, in Japan.

Details & pix at dezeen>http://tinyurl.com/cukvqlf

Proto Printed House





















Printed books? Out. Printed houses? In. To some, Proto-House looks like a dinosaur head made of spaghetti. What does it look like to you?

More pix at dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/cjxqkom

Housie House



















Houselike house in Humbeek.

Via sutilitas> http://tinyurl.com/a52wnqp

UK Meditation Hut




















Meditation hut in U.K.         Like?


More pix at archdaily> http://tinyurl.com/bab6lam

Big Sur Greenhouse House 1976!



















Mickey Muenny's 1976 "Greenhouse" house, Big Sur. Some day soon the history of architecture will be re-written.

More pix at inhabitat> http://tinyurl.com/altzkeb

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Studio in England


















Searching for a studio, I came across "The Long Studio" --- zero carbon, solar-powered, in rural England. Too far from home, and not for rent. Otherwise quite inspiring, right?

More details at inhabitat> http://tinyurl.com/bcqaz68



Near the Fiscavig




















"The Hen House" on the Isle of Skye with a view of the nearby fiscavig. Stark, lovely. Who needs greenery.

Txt & px at designboom> http://tinyurl.com/cug3uam

Stable Studio in Portugal




















April in Portugal! Stable converted into a chic retreat.

Txt & more pix at dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/cm5uy



My New Studio --- If Only!



















Envy! "Humble" artist's studio in Columbia. Not a house, a studio.

More pix, interior via designboom> http://tinyurl.com/a9dt338

How To Build A Cow Shed






















How to build a cow shed, collectively, in Ireland, out of local and salvaged material -- i.e. architecture is not just houses.

Story & pix of construction> http://tinyurl.com/a49w4wg


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Finnish Cabin





















My Finnish cabin. If only! Perfect to contemplate after Nemo snowstorm. Follow link for swanky interiors. 


For interiors go to remodelista>http://tinyurl.com/a5mqety


Saturday, February 9, 2013

Floating School for Nigerian Coast



















Floating school for flood-prone coast of Nigeria. Perhaps an entire city....

Via inhabitat> http://tinyurl.com/al4cwry

New Zealand Upscale Bach















Upscale "bach" --- New Zealand beach house.

Via design-milk> http://tinyurl.com/bha6wg
Definition> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach_(New_Zealand)


Back to the Bach or the Crib













Another New Zealand "bach" house --- vacation house. Bach = back, not Johann Sebastian Bach? No, short for bachelor.

Atelierworkshop> http://tinyurl.com/b8omvay





From Bunks to Baches

















Checking out bunk beds for my imaginary ski lodge led me to an old favorite: a portable "bach" (beach house) on sled-like runners in an erosion zone of New Zealand where all houses are required to be mobile. Shouldn't we do that on the Jersey Shore, on Mastic Beach in L.I. and other dangerous places?

Bunkbeds via remodelista: http://tinyurl.com/aexxpyp
Beach cabin>remodelista: http://tinyurl.com/afsboro







All-Black Houses





















12 all-black houses via designmilk. If it isn't white, it has to be black! Japanese super-skinny "OH House" above is our favorite.

Design-milk survey> http://tinyurl.com/c4sjrsl

French Bee Pavilion






















French bee-pavilion, where the six-footed and the two-footed meet. Do you need to wear bee-keeper protective clothing to sit inside to listen to the soothing hum?

Via designboom> http://tinyurl.com/b2rxqct

Alpine Ski Chalet for Rent





















Winter special. Swiss alpine retreat for rent. Had to pass this one up because of my Aspen rental. If only... I don't ski. I just like the retreats.

More pix via remodelista> http://tinyurl.com/ctmswhv


Wabi-Sabi Aspen Chalet

















Architecture is also renovation. View from inside my wabi-sabi Aspen ski chalet. If only!

Px & txt via remodelista> http://tinyurl.com/atfr4e8

Swedish Tree-Top Hotel Room






















Chic tree-top hotel room in Sweden. The charm of tree houses is that they can only last as long as the trees.

Txt & more pix via dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/ax36lnc


Many Mini-Huts in the Wilds of Scotland






















How To Build A Hut. Scotsman builds many mini huts in the wild, using local materials.

Txt, pix and diagram via remodelista> http://tinyurl.com/aju26lj

Pop-Up Spa Pod






















Harm Rensink's inflatable Dutch pop-up urban spa pod to chase away the winter blahs. 

From inhatitat to dejoost for pix, txt & video>http://tinyurl.com/bk7wmrk

Garden House for Two Writers






















Japanese "Garden and House" for two writers is only 13 feet wide. Did I convert from meters correctly? A garden is the facade and a garden drops through it. 


Txt & pix at dezeen> http://tinyurl.com/a58xj7q

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Russian Portable Sleep Box


















Need a nap? Russian mobile hotel-room called "Sleep Box" could be used in any indoor space. By the hour? Credit card access?


Story & pix at designboom> http://tinyurl.com/csa7wyh