Woody Anderson visits the city’s sights and sounds and a quick rundown on current communities.
Archives for posts with tag: URBAN LIVING
Watch the future with augmented reality as realized by London designer, Keiichi Matsuda. Either it kills you or makes you stronger….
HYPER-REALITY from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.
via Keiichi Matsuda’s Hyper-Reality film blurs real and virtual worlds
If you think life has left you behind and is now only full of terminator styled cyclists with their cyborg light mount helmets and sporty spandex, have no fear, the Tweed run is here. With NO Lululemon or Nike in sight, London held its 6th anniversary leisure cycle through the streets and parks this year with an estimated 500 participants. Not bad at all.
Today it hit Pescara and Madrid, the 18th of May and coming to 35 more destinations later this year.
Ride on!
Taking height to the absolute limit, Seoul is proceeding with the 450m infinity tower, the world’s first “invisible” tower. Designed by GDS architects, it will feature various cutting edge Korean technology such as 18 weatherproof optical cameras that will generate an invisible viewpoint for pedestrians and an elaborate LED System for flashing away birds or appearing to passing planes as it will be situated near the Incheon airport. Emissions of low frequency will also do the same job. The facade will be made of 28m triangular structures.it will feature open air sections to relieve wind resistance and other treats include photovoltaic cells, a wind turbine and geothermal energy. Not bad!
This poetic structure is in the bustling Hiroshima centre and is the work of Hiroshi Nakamura, a disciple of Kengo Kuma. It has a 92 sq.ft. optical glass brick wall supported by steel frames that acts as an acoustic barrier and backdrop for internal drama. There is a garden pond with glass bottom that over looks the entry, allowing fluid light into the downtairs area. An entire wall is hung with a sputter coated metal curtain. Pure poetry.
This micro dwelling,The Bunkie, caught my eye. Yes, it’s small but charming with 2 beds that unfold from the wall AND ceiling (see pic). By BLDG Workshop/608 Design of Ontario, Canada. A little place to get away…at least at the foot of the garden.
Cadaval & Solà -Morales was founded in New York City in 2003 and moved to both Barcelona & Mexico City in 2005. The studio operates like a laboratory to create intelligent design solutions at many different scales. The studio has won numerous awards including the prestigious Bauwelt Prize (Munich 2009), the Young Architects Prize from the Catalan Institute of Architects (Barcelona 2008), the Design Vanguard Award (New York 2008) a Mention of Honour for Young Architects from the IX Spanish Architecture Biennale (Madrid 2007), The Silver Medal of the XI Mexican Architecture Biennale (Mexico 2010) and the Prize of the Ibero American Architecture Biennale (Cadiz 2012).
With echoes of Norman Foster’s 1968 house, this x-shaped concrete house with a rooftop pavilion hangs over the edge of a hillside in Barcelona, Spain, maximizing natural daylighting on the interior as well as the view. X House is a two-story home with four glassed-in triangular recesses that create its distinctive shape.
Why settle for one building when you can have a dozen seemingly piled on structures that entertain as well as take advantage of differing views and interesting inner spaces? The following are a round up of contemporary examples from some rather distinguished architectural firms.
Dutch studio MVRDV’s proposal for a 400-metre skyscraper in Jakarta.
VitraHaus by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.
Tokyou Apartment by Sou Fujimoto Architects.
Shelter of Nostalgia by Worapong Manupipatpong (Polehouse)
Zaandam-hotel-by-Wilfried-van-WindenPhotographs are by Roel Backaert.
The 89 m2 Insta House, designed by MAZIAR BEHROOZ ARCHITECTS, is available in the U.S. and comes with sliding windows, electrical fixtures and all wall, ceiling and floor finishes. The basic is US$99,800, including delivery and the upgraded Insta House is created from four recycled shipping containers (two on top of two) to create a high-ceiling, low cost home ready on site in 7 days! It is the winner of the AIA PECONIC DESIGN AWARD.
The Insta_House* recycles four 40′ by 8′ shipping containers (two on top of two) to create a comfortable, high-ceiling, low cost alternative to conventional construction. The units are retrofitted in a factory-setting. delivered to locations within the continental US and erected in a week.
Insta_House is the only pre-fab of its kind in the market: recycled material, high-ceiling, low-cost. It can provide multiple uses including art studio, living space, work-shop and relief housing.
Source: http://www.mbarchitecture.com/instahouse/
Set in the lovely city of London, this micro space is used for a video artist containing an interior and exterior projection screens and darkroom. It has a mezzanine floor with triangular skylights for a very lofty ambience. All photos by Michael Franke.
On the heels of (excuse the pun) Lululemon and other yoga-pilates outfitters, Nike has decided to get in on the action with studio based footwear. A hybrid between minimalist barefoot pads and ballet shoes, it is useful for those who do not want to go bare or use sweaty socks. After much research and many, many prototypes, it is set for release come spring 13 for about $100 US. Cue the dreamy music…
As space becomes an ever diminishing resource in our cities, multi-functional and transformative furniture becomes of upmost importance. Enter the “Klapptischbank Up Up Up” which provides an all-in-one dining solution that makes it easy to store or take in transport to the outdoors. This fold-away model, when opened out, sits 70 cm (28 inches) wide, 130 cm (51 in) deep, and 75 cm (30 in) high. When closed it’s just as wide and its height increases to 125 cm (49 in), but it’s only 25 cm (10 in) deep! Hallelujah!
INESTYLE 