Bladerunner 2049

I had no real interest in seeing Bladerunner 2049 for the longest time.  I'm of that small percentage of people that never saw the original or had a desire to.  I kept driving by this billboard for weeks that reminded me of something I saw once.  The buildings in the background sort of haunted my commute and left me in a weird cloud of foggy nostalgia.  I couldn't put my finger on it. Until the other day I was clicking around this old blog and found a random post with this very tough, symmetrical looking building by Antonio Sant’Elia.  I've somehow always gravitated to the calculated, bold, symmetry of futurist architecture, but never even knew it had a real name.  So I dug a bit and Google-Image-Searched the hell out of this picture.  Archdaily did a great write-up of the Barozzi Veiga to-be musem that BR'49 used in the film.

NYC: Guggenheim

I had the pleasure of visiting New York City last Saturday.  The leaves were at full Fall peak in Central Park, and despite the drizzling rain, the day was great!  Artist Agnes Martin was the feature around the rotunda, but there were other floors to explore and enjoy with the likes of Chaugin, Picasso, Cezanne, Kandinsky, and one of my favorites-Chagall.  Most importantly, the building itself was the real show and I'd pay the $25 to go and explore any day.

As with any trip to the Big Apple, I walked plenty, drank high volumes of coffee (Joe Coffee), enjoyed multiple Old Fashioneds (Ace Hotel) and finished the day out with an incredible meal at the not-to-be-missed Uva.

Finland Gov't Says No Go on Guggenheim Helsinki

I first saw the plans for Guggenheim Helsinki about a year ago and I was excited to follow the project.  The dark façades and sweeping pitched roofs looked like a perfect compliment to the sea, a stones throw away.  The government anticipated the cost to be  €40 million (£34 million) of public money.  While not wholly opposed to the project, the government is closing the matter and saying no to funding the project by French architecture firm, Moreau Kusunoki.  MK had a rough budget of  €130,000,000 for the entire project.  The completed project was expected to bring in a lot of revenue for Helsinki, but publicly funding this is no longer a question.  You can check out more pictures of what would have been, here.  Who knows, maybe a private funder will save the day?

World One Tower - Mumba, India

World One Tower is set to be completed in 2017.  This will be the tallest residential building to ever be built at a height of 442 meters, 117 floors.  Here is some awesome footage from a crane.  The architect behind this project is Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and the structural engineer is Leslie E. Robertson Associates.  I'm looking forward to seeing the final project next year.  Here is the official website.

Snøhetta's Temple University Library Design

Snøhetta released a magnificent rendering of what will potentially be Temple University's new library.  The north broad street university, in which I currently attend, can certainly need a face lift and by the looks of it, is in for quite a doozy.  I started at Temple University in 2008, graduated and somehow made my way back there for more school!   And now, more than ever before, I find myself in the Paley Library for hours on end.  Oooh, this would be such a great place to camp out for hours.

Here is the current library, what a turd.


Hopefully all of the plans will stay on track because there has been some back and forth with design/location. 

Jean Prouvé at RAW

It was about 4 years ago that I first mentioned my admiration for Jean Prouvé.  G-Star RAW, a designer clothing company founded in Amsterdam in 1989, has a deep appreciation for Prouvé's industrial designs. So much so that the entire company is furnished with some of his most iconic furniture. 

Normally I'm not a huge G-Star fan, I never really think about buying clothes from them, but considering their design inspiration and eye on detail and quality...perhaps this translates into their brand and clothing as well. 

Prouvé’s constructive logic and strict utilisation of honest industrial materials not only corresponds to the product philosophy and brand identity of G-Star but also shows a strong affinity to the architecture of Rem Koolhaas’s new G-Star headquarters, built in 2014. Thus it was a consistent decision to completely furnish the offices, conference rooms and canteens with designs created by Jean Prouvé some 70 years ago for the interiors of several French corporations and universities. Together with the architecture, they create a workplace that reflects the company’s radical design approach.  - Vitra

You can read a little more about engineer, artist, thinker, metal worker, designer and Frenchman Jean Prouvé here.

The Atlantic Presents: Housing Through the Centuries

Homes through the centuries and a peak into what's to come. The Atlantic brings us a neat little animated video highlighting various dwellings through the centuries. Takes me back a bit to Royal Tenenbaums with a little Dick Dale type music.  I likey.

Hide and Seek

Nature is the best medicine for replenishing yourself. Hide and Seek The Architecture of Cabins and Hide-Outs highlights some of the most intriguing, minimalistic and beautiful modern architectural takes on traditional dwellings from around the world. Locations that seem quiet and uninterrupted by daily life. Still waters. Simple structures. Vantage points that allow you to see pure nature for miles and miles. Give me one weekend in one of these and I'll be able to hit the reset button and go for a long time after. What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Hungarian Forest Cabin

          

Built by T2.a Architects 

This beautiful cabin is housed in a forest just outside of Budapest.  Designed and built by the team at T2.a Architects.  Using prefabricated paneling to reduce costs and shorten build time, which by the way only took two days, the architects were able to piece together an idyllic getaway cabin for the client.  Certainly a dream home for sure!

For more pictures: here

From All Around the Web, Part 2

Trying to get Muffin to sit still in front of the tree...

It's mid week and you've already found the bottom of the internet, I know the feeling!  So here are a few things to get you through the day and hopefully pique your interest.

1. Grownup Tomboys
2. Well Spent Holiday Gift Guide
3. Guggenheim: Six Finalists for Helsinki 
4. O'Harrows Button Downs (W and M) 
5. This house in Norway
6. Swedish Pepparkakor Recipe
7. Nike ACG
8. Peanut Butter Coast's Baja Post
9. My favorite Bike Riding/Camping Site
10. These photos by Talulaah
11. Current Obsession: Peaky Blinders
12. THE Military Duffel by Whipping Post

The Late Oscar Niemeyer and His Architecture

*I read an article this week in the Wall Street Journal about the late architect Oscar Niemeyer's work and the importance and effect of his architectural legacy. The WSJ goes on to say that Niemeyer was "the last living link to an era that truly believed in architecture and its capacity to embody progress and new technology for the good of all."  We are all critics of architecture and infrastructure around us.  To say that Niemeyer's death marks the end of architectural progress and a vision into the future of what architecture could be...well, I don't know about that.  There's two sides to every story and Niemeyer's work has not always been heralded as mystifying, break-through, visionary art that has transformed a nation.  Another article by Richard J. Williams boldly claims "Brasilia has become a buzzword for the impractical, utopian ideas of the past: a white marble monument to central planning surrounded by slums, " referring to the National Museum of the Republic, a symbol of '50-'60s burst of urban modern zeal in Brasil.

So what do you think of  Niemeyer's architecture?  Over the top and serving a select few?  Or does it continue to be ground-breaking and cutting-edge?

*[This post has been hanging out in the "draft" pile for 1 year.  I completely forgot about the post until today.  So what are your thoughts?]

Velodrome in South Philly?

There has been talk about building a $100 million dollar world-class velodrome in FDR park in S. Philadelphia.  The addition to the park would revitalize a sad, run down splash of greenery near the large sporting complex area.  Four acres are required to build the structure, we'll wait and see if the city is willing to let it go in exchange for a facelift.  In order to appeal to wider audiences, the proposed 6,000 seat building will also house concerts and alternate sporting events, so that'd be neat, right?

Floating Christmas Tree in Corio Bay, Australia

Since Thanksgiving has passed here in the states, it’s my family’s tradition to decorate straight away for Christmas.  And now that I'm totally in Christmas mode, I’ve been stumbling upon a lot of cool Christmas-y things to share! 

First off is the temporary floating Christmas tree in Corio Bay, Australia.  It’s a stunning addition to the already beautiful coastline.   Instead of adopting traditional western Christmas decorations, i.e. snow covered pine trees, the lead designer wanted to take a different approach and start new traditions in the bay.  Check out the making of the tree over at Designboom by the very talented Creative Production Services.

Stay tuned for the all of the holiday #RoundUps coming your way!

A boat is a boat is a bo...guest house!

Two Swedish designers, Anders Berensson and Ulf Mejergren, of visiondivision bring us Guest Harbor. What is Guest Harbor and how did it start?  Well, according to their website, "In Sweden there are now a new building code that allows a home owner to build a 25m2 (270 square feet) additional house on their premise without a building permit. These buildings are called Attefallshus, named after the Swedish minister of housing Stefan Attefall."  

Sweden has a very rich boating culture with over 800,000 registered vessels in the country, which means a density of boats that is among the highest per capita in the world.

Restore and reuse what once was.  There's plenty of thought and a touch of whimsy behind this idea.  The very nature is perfectly in tune with showcasing Sweden's prized possessions of the past  and highlighting cultural treasures that once were.  Click here to learn more about Guest Harbor.

Flashback to South Korea 2013

I still can't believe all this time has gone by since my trip to South Korea.  I had the chance to spend time in Seoul and explore the city.  I navigated their super easy (and clean!) subway system with ease.  Since I stayed in (op, op, oppa) Gangnam (style) while in Seoul, taking the subway was absolutely necessary to cross the Han river into more lively tourist areas.

The stream in center city Seoul was part of an urban renewal project to rid the area of heavy highway use and turn it into something beautiful (read more).  The stream flows all the way to about where the Gyeongbokgung Palace is situated.  

There's also a shot of one of Zaha Hadid's creations in Dongdaemun.  The design plaza was supposed to be finished in 2012 and was still unfortunately blocked off and covered early Summer 2013.  Bummer!

Some other pictures are from the street food I ate and markets I walked through.  The more outdoorsy pictures were taken in Seoraksan on the North Eastern coast of S. Korea.  A very beautiful area if you can get out there.  The final picture was taken off of the S. Eastern edge of Jeju Island.  Some of you may have heard about the famous Jeju oranges?  Well, at least I've seen the dried variety at my local Trader Joe's.

Sort of a camera dump, but I thought to share something other than beer :)

Walking Around Old City, Philadelphia

Here are some unusual but interesting shots I snapped in Old City, Philadelphia PA.  All of them sort of show a contrast in colors or old vs. modern, something I always find really interesting in every city.  It's absolutely beautiful outside, but if you're stuck indoors like I am, here are some cool things recently:

-Chambray, Jeans For Your Head and Feet - GQ
-First Shirt Amazonas - Our Legacy
-Clogs or Sandals - Birkenstock
-'Through the Mill', Biking Video - Chris Akrigg
-These Really Bright Shoes - Street Etiquette
-Great Gatsby Movie Set Design - Architectural Digest
-All Black Eames Furniture - Cool Hunting
-This Instagram - Cold Splinters

You can always skip the chat and head straight over to my Flickr for pictures...