Hypothetical Development

Hypothetical Development Organization (Kickstarter Trailer) from R Walker on Vimeo.

I had the pleasure to enjoy a cup of coffee with Rob Walker a few days ago here at swissmiss studio. I am a fan of Rob’s creative endeavours, thinking and writing. You might have read about his book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are or his wonderfully poetic project called The Significant Object. During his visit Rob told me about his latest project called Hypothetical Development.

Rob explained that he kept walking by a construction site that sported one of those fancy 3D renderings of what’s soon to come. After months of walking by the site, and nothing happening, it was clear that obviously this was just a bunch of hot air.

The idea for The Hypothetical Development was born. Why not pick interesting sites and come up with Hypothetical Development renderings? Consider it a new form of urban storytelling.

Or as they explain it on their site:
Members of this Hypothetical Deveolpment begin the narrative process by examining city neighborhoods and commercial districts for compelling structures that appear to have fallen into disuse —“hidden gems” of the built environment. In varying states of repair, these buildings suggest only stories about the past, not the future. What this means is that they will put huge signs with illustrations/graphics of what soon is to come on this site outside various locations in New Orleans.

Take the Museum of the Self as the first example. (Rendering above) I can’t help but think about how much these futuristic hypothetical developments would make me chuckle.

I just backed the project with $50. It’s only $1,200 shy of meeting it’s goal. Let’s help Rob and his team make this happen.

Kickstarter page for Hypothetical Development
Official site: Hypothetical Development

Rainbow Office

Designed by Dutch architecture firm Hofman Dujardin, the DLA Piper office is a playful space intended to accentuate the variations in sunlight throughout a typical working day. What does that mean? The side of the building that receives the most sunlight is balanced with cooler tones, while the side that receives the least is compensated with warm tones. Meanwhile, the giant gradient of carpet connects the four main meeting rooms, while also creating a simple and clear sense of orientation within the building.

I am pretty sure this will make my studiomate Jessi’s head explode. (She’s the rainbow birthday lady)

www.hofmandujardin.nl

(Thank you Rion!)

An Office in the Forest

(photos iwan baan)

Spanish architecture firm SelgasCano has designed their own office in the middle of the forest. I have no words. Gasping for air. This is unbelievably cool. Thumbs up!

(via cielbleu)

A house by the Park

I just listened to a super interesteting live interview with Mike Davidson over at 5by5.tv. In this interview that was held by Dan Benjamin Mike mentions the blog that he kept up while building his dream house. I am impressed how generously Mike shared his insights on what it takes to build a house. What an amazing resource for anyone who is in the process or about to undertake such a construction endevaour.

www.ahousebythepark.com

A Floating Pool In New York

We desperately need one of these Floating Pools outside our studio.

+ Pool is an initiative by a group of architects and designers to build a floating pool in the rivers of New York City… and they need your help. The project was launched with the ambition to improve the use of the city’s natural resources by providing a clean and safe way for the public to swim in New York’s waters. This site is the culmination of Concept Design for + Pool and they are looking to build a team of interested organizations and professionals to continue the development of the project into a buildable proposal.

Their next step is to partner with local cultural, developmental and environmental groups to raise public and private interest, identify civic potential and approach the municipality, while working with engineers, planners and specialists to refine the social and ecological performance of + Pool.

To find out more, contact them at info@pluspool.org.

(thank you Michael)

101 Things I Learned In Business School

I am a big fan of the Things I learned series and often keep going back to the Archicture School Edition. I just noticed that they now have one out with the following title: 101 Things I Learned In Business School.

(How much do I love Kindle? With the click of a button the book appeared on my iPad. With the exception of beautiful art/photography books, I have no interest in purchasing ‘real’ books anymore. You?)

amazing use of space

Porter Fanna Architecture has an impressive 505 sf loft apartment in their portfolio that made me look. They definitely thought of everything to make this small space work. Oh, did we mention they have a little kid? Hidden computer desk, built-ins that also serve as staircase to the loft bed, hidden toy storage, crib in a walk-in closet etc.

Impressive! Check out all the images here.

(thank you marc)

A Tiny Apartment

(thank you sorella)

Couch Cushion Architecture

bBUILD rounded up a (mostly) admirable collection of Couch Cushion Architecture projects, taken from a randomly conducted search on the internet. Join them as they take a critical analysis of the architecture, methods and design philosophies of living room furniture re-appropriation.

VitraHaus by Herzog & de Meuron

Last summer, visiting Art Basel, I had the chance to get a tour of the Vitra museum and the various buildings surrounding the factory. And while there, I got to see the VitraHaus by Herzog & de Meuron in construction. Thrilled to see it finished in all its glory now. I can not wait to go and see it in person. Stunning.

John Pawson’s Private Residence

I would have no problem moving into Jon Pawson’s house immediately. I love his minimalist approach to decorating and interiors. And I share his love for white. In fact he says: “There are 50 different color shades of white, And you could probably only see them in an empty room.” For John Pawson, architecture is all about reduction. I agree.

(via minimalissimo)

rotating kitchen

I’ve always wondered what our kitchen would look like if I’d turn it upside down. Given G is a kitchen designer, I am sure this will make him chuckle.

rotating kitchen from Zeger Reyers on Vimeo.

(thank you jon)

Fireplace of my dreams

This is officially the fireplace (and room around it) of my dreams. It’s part of ‘Raumstation Irnharting’ in Gunskirchen / Austria by x architekten (AT).

Question for my readers

architecturfirm

Dear readers, I am looking to find architecture firms (or design firms in general) that managed to successfully incorporate a blog into their site. Do any come to mind? Would you mind to leave urls in a comment below? Thanks so much!

Swiss Underground Home

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This Underground Home in the swiss village of Vals has me wide-eyed. What a stunning piece of architecture. And did you see that long dining table? That’s.what.I.want.one.day!

The house is a collaboration between the Netherlands architects at SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects.

(thank you marcel)

Isamu Noguchi’s Playscapes

My friend Jen had the opportunity to discover and play on the grounds of Isamu Noguchi’s Playscapes over the weekend. Here are some pictures she took. Beautiful, no?

Isamu Noguchi's Playscapes
Isamu Nochugi's PlayscapesIsamu Nochugi's Playscapes

‘Mannahatta/Manhattan’

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What was Manhattan like 400 years ago, before the first settlers arrived? Designed by Abbott Miller, the new exhibition Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City at the Museum of the City of New York reconstructs the ecology of the small wooded island originally known as Mannahatta (“island of many hills” as the Lenape Indians called it) before it became one of the most densely built places on earth.

I can *not* wait to see this exhibit, designed by Pentagram.

Be A Malevich

be a malevich

Be A Malevich is a construction game inspired by the Architectons of Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935). By the way, they are looking for distributors in the US!

(thank you xavier)

Subdivisions

Ross Racine

New York artist Ross Racine creates aerial views of fictional suburbs, examining the relation between design and actual lived experience. No photographs or scanned images are used in the pieces above. Each was drawn freehand directly on the computer and then printed on an inkjet printer. Impressive.

(via badbanana/via the new shelton wet/dry)

andrew maynard architects

andrew maynard architects

How incredibly surprising is this stairs/kitchen surface integration?

On Frank Gehry Being Fired

Seen over at Subtraction:

“The recent news that the developer Forest City Ratner had scrapped Frank Gehry’s design for a Nets [basketball] arena in central Brooklyn is not just a blow to the art of architecture. It is a shameful betrayal of the public trust, one that should enrage all those who care about this city… A new design by the firm Ellerbe Becket [is a] colossal, spiritless box, it would fit more comfortably in a cornfield than at one of the busiest intersections of a vibrant metropolis. Its low-budget, no-frills design embodies the crass, bottom-line mentality that puts personal profit above the public good. If it is ever built, it will create a black hole in the heart of a vital neighborhood.”

NYT: Nicolai Ouroussoff on Frank Gehry Being Fired from Atlantic Yards Project

lights on

lights on is an audio visual performance created for the Ars Electronica museum in Linz, Austria, which has a facade that contains 1085 LED controllable windows. The windows’ colors are changed in realtime with music that’s broadcasted on speakers surrounding the building.

visuals coded in openframeworks by zachary lieberman, joel gethin lewis and damian stewart (yesyesno).

Technorama Facade by Ned Khan

In 2002, Ned Kahn worked with the staff of Technorama, the major science center in Switzerland, and their architects, Durig and Rami, to create a facade for the building which is composed of thousands of aluminum panels that move in the air currents and reveal the complex patterns of turbulence in the wind.

(thank you andreas)

Pritzker Prize Goes to Peter Zumthor

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(image by wolfram janzer)

He is not a celebrity architect, not one of the names that show up on shortlists for museums and concert hall projects or known beyond architecture circles. He hasn’t designed many buildings; the one he is best known for is a thermal spa in an Alpine commune. And he has toiled in relative obscurity for the last 30 years in a remote village in the Swiss mountains.

But on Monday the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is to be named the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize, the highest recognition for architects.

Pritzker Prize Goes to Peter Zumthor, by Robin Pogrebin.
Check out the slide show.