Is it true that most people are introduced to gargoyles through a certain Disney film these days? If so, then perhaps a trip through the various types of gargoyle may not go amiss. Each one has a message to deliver and while that may be getting mislaid over the course of the centuries, the truth is still out there (as it were).
Gargoyles – they can be strange, bizarre, unpleasant or just plain ugly. They have been hovering around our towns and cities for centuries, for so long that it can be forgotten that they have meaning and purpose. Take a tour of the weird world of the gargoyle.
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Italian designer and architect Duilio Forte designed and built his own house: a suspended folly, made in wood, that floats over the periphery of Milan. As other artists and architects before him, Forte overlaps life and creative work, generating a visionary and fascinating set of works, which are slowly and progressively morphing, adapting themselves to time and change. As Forte stated his house is “more similar to a bird’s nest than a cold concrete box.”
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A weekend trip to Granada, Spain gives us all a look at the Nazrid Palaces of the Alhambra, built in the 14th century by the conquering Moors of North Africa. Considering the history, it’s astonishing that these buildings have survived 700 years without significant damage. The Alhambra is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Link -Thanks, Juergen!
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If you’re a brand new pilot, it’s probably handy to have labels like this, pointing out where the door is, where to sit — that sort of thing. Working with the advertising agency Atmosphere, the South African airline Kulula has debuted its new branding scheme called “Flying 101.” Major features are labeled on the exterior of the plane. More pictures at the link.
Link | Photo: Kulula
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Artists in Detroit have encased an abandoned house in ice in order to bring attention to the startling number of foreclosures in the region. The Ice House blog chronicles the project and provides stunning pictures of the ice house.
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I know how much Neato readers appreciate good captions, so here’s a site I just discovered via Ellen Maguire on Twitter. It’s called Unhappy Hipsters and it gives funny captions to photos that have appeared in Dwell magazine. Here’s an example:
“Still recovering from broken trust, neither wanted to be the first to try the eggs.”
Photo: Mark Mahaney, Dwell, November 2009
Link: Unhappy Hipsters
I like this one too:
“You can come out when you can properly explain the differences between Modernist architecture and postmodern ornamentation.”
Photo: Craig Cutler, Dwell, February/March 2006
Link: Unhappy Hipsters
There are lots more where those came from.
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Popular Mechanics tracked down the stories of the longest, deepest, most expensive, and weirdest tunnels ever built. They all have interesting stories behind them, and some have innovative features, such as the 15-mile-long Laerdal Tunnel in Norway.
Driving through a windowless tunnel for 20 minutes can get a bit monotonous, so a team of psychologists and engineers focused on retaining driver concentration. “The psychological reaction of a person in a tunnel is very important … it makes the difference between people accepting the facility or simply just avoiding it,” says Youssef Hashash, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois, who has worked on 10 different tunnel projects. “Given the length of this tunnel, you need a carefully designed environment and lighting system.” Some solutions used in the Laerdal tunnel include bright blue lights and subtle curves that keep drivers engaged. Most important, though, is the fact that the tunnel is divided into several different sections, breaking up the drive and creating the impression that commuters are traveling through a handful of smaller tunnels.
Link -via Unique Daily
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Yemen has been in the news a great deal recently and if the media is to be believed then it is a hotbed of terrorist training camps and munitions trading. However there are many people who could not -if asked- name the capital city of this republic on the Arabian Gulf. What is exceptional about this country though is its unique centuries old architecture which when seen for the first time never fails to astonish.
We will start in the town of Al Hajjara, so little known that even Wikipedia does not have a proper entry on it. Situated at the heart of Yemen in the Al Bayda Governorate of the country, the town boast one of the most simply amazing structures you will ever see. The residence of the Imam Yahya Muhamamd is perched – precariously or so it seems – atop a rocky outcrop. Imam Yahya was famous for stabilizing the north of the country and for his benign attitude towards minorities, particularly Yemenite Jewry.
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Architect Piet Hein Eek built this log cabin as a study for musician Hans Liberg in the Dutch town of Hilversum. Rather than build log walls perpendicular to each other, two sides consist of exterior end cuts. You can view an extensive photo gallery (inside and out) at the link.
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Doctors Without Borders is setting up shop in Haiti to provide medical services to those affected by the earthquake. They will use an inflatable hospital.
It’s exactly what it sounds like: a temporary hospital with inflatable components that can be deployed whenever needed. Doctors Without Borders has been employing them for years, including an impressive inflatable nine-tent, 120-bed center in Pakistan following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake there in 2005. The hospital post-and-beam frames can be made from the same fabric in inflatable lifeboats. Nylon interior and exterior walls leave space for air to create an insulating effect.
Link -via Cynical-C, who has a list of resources for sending donations to Haiti.
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The ‘whale’ is actually a project from Vincent Callebaut Architects called Physalia Physalis or ‘Water Bubble’, and it has a very serious point. One billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water. This vessel is designed to float up and down the rivers of Europe, purifying the water as it goes. It is of course a huge floating garden among other things, with interior gardens dedicated to Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. So in theory it would make the Thames drinkable. It is also apparently completely self-sufficient, being covered in solar panels. In fact, it is meant to produce more energy than it uses. Too bad it is only a concept for now.
Link – via babycreativeblog
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When architecture firm Haugen/Zohar Arkitekter was commissioned by the municipality of Trondheim, Norway, to build an outdoor project for a kindergarten, the company came up with this … fireplace?!
Very cool, but not exactly the jungle gym I would’ve built for the kindergarteners: Link
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Entrepreneurs in Tokyo have developed “capsule” hotels with coffin-like cubicles for those needing shelter. They aren’t free:
The rent is surprisingly high for such a small space: 59,000 yen a month, or about $640, for an upper bunk. But with no upfront deposit or extra utility charges, and basic amenities like fresh linens and free use of a communal bath and sauna, the cost is far less than renting an apartment in Tokyo, Mr. Nakanishi says.
The concept was originally developed to accommodate travelers in airports or those stranded without transportation, but now they are being rented by the month, and long-term users are registering the sites as their official “home.”
Link. Photo credit Ko Sasaki for The New York Times
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Neatorama readers have followed the construction of the Burj Dubai. At times it seemed as if it would never be completed. Now the new tallest building in the world, renamed the Burj Khalifa, is finished. See photographs of the grand opening and find links to stories about the event.
Fireworks light up Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest buildin during the official opening ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. In a surprise move, Dubai renamed the gleaming glass-and-metal tower in a nod to the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi – the oil-rich sheikdom which came to its rescue during the financial meltdown.
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A simple, but unusual and elegant design: a bridge in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands uses two arms to swing a section of road in and out of place. It’s called the “Slauerhoffbrug” and was built in 2000.
Image Gallery and Aerial View via The Presurfer | Photo: Frozenly
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We’ve previously mentioned the full-size house made out of LEGO blocks by UK television host James May. It was demolished shortly after the completion of construction, but in this video, you can see what it was like to live inside of it. May attempted to shower, shave, and go to sleep in the house and learned that LEGO might not be an ideal building material.
via Geekologie
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Most gingerbread houses are humble homes with simple cookie walls and roofs and candy decor. Some gingerbread architects are far more inspired and artistic though, like the designers of the amazing gingerbread artworks on WebUrbanist.
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Sure, anyone can make a gingerbread house. But what would be the result if it was built by true professionals? The Vancouver-based art collective Creative Room held a charity art competition and asked for contributions by architectural firms. Their task was to build a modernist model home out of gingerbread. Pictured above is “Candy Bar” by Busby, Perkins & Will. At the link, you can view a gallery of the other winners.
Link via DudeCraft | Busby, Perkins & Will
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A home built underground that still has a breathtaking view! This is green living presented in totally inovative way. You’ll find this home in Vals, Switzerland, a design of SeArch and Christian Müller Architects.
Link – via planetoddity
(image credit: Iwan Baan)
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The Murphy Family home in Jupiter, Florida features a child’s bed shaped like a dinosaur mouth. Bonnie Murphy, a muralist, did the painting and her husband did the carpentry. Can you imagine anything more soothing?
Link via Geekologie | Photo: 3 Murphys
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Zaarath and Christopher Prokop and their two cats live in the smallest apartment in New York City — just 175 square feet. For its size, it’s reasonably well-equipped with a shower, sink, toilet, refrigerator, and hotplate. In The New York Post, Angela Montefinise writes:
The couple wakes up every morning in their queen-size bed, which takes up one-third of the living space.
They then walk five feet toward the tiny kitchen, where they pull out their workout clothes, which are folded neatly in two cabinets above the sink. A third cabinet holds several containers of espresso for their only kitchen appliance, a cappuccino maker.
To keep the floor clean, the couple uses a Roomba. More pictures at the link.
Link via Jammie Wearing Fool | Photo: Angel Chevrbstt
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The room pictured above, by designer Jeffrey Miller, was inspired by the work of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Erin Williamson of Design Crisis has assembled a gallery of similar interiors.
Link via Fast Company | Photo: Design Crisis
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Now that Dubai’s economic bubble has popped and the emirate’s mega-projects are imploding under their own debt crunch, we can weep over all the fantastically outlandish buildings that will never be built. Like the rotating tower by architect David Fisher above, a refrigerated beach, a vertical seawater farm, and so on.
Inhabitat and Treehugger have the post: Link
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The new owner of a former garment factory building recently unearthed a pair of manually-operated bowling lanes in his basement. The lanes are in very good condition, considering it’s been many years since they’ve seen action. After research into the property, the owner believes the basement was a secret club during Prohibition!
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This door by the architectural firm Matharaoo Associates is designed to resemble a sine wave. Now in the home of a diamond merchant in Surat, India, the door measures 5.2m high and 1.7m wide and is made from 40 blocks of teak. Thanks to 160 pulleys and 80 ball bearings, it pushes open easily, despite its weight. More pictures at the link.
Link via Fast Company | Photo: Dinesh Mehta
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This cool staircase/slide combo is known by London architect Alex Michaelis. It’s one of 15 awesome staircases featured on Web Urbanist.
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In 1997, home developer Kaufman & Broad built a house in Henderson, Nevada that looks exactly like the house that the Simpson family lives in, both inside and outside, including furniture and pictures on the walls. From an article in The Las Vegas Sun, written at the time of construction:
“The Simpsons”, the satirical, animated clan who put the phrases “Doh!” and “Eat my shorts” into the national vernacular, are celebrating their 10th year on television. And in true Simpson fashion, the producers of the show are doing the unexpected – recreating the family’s two-story domicile right down to the throw rugs. Builder Kaufman & Broad has taken the 724 Evergreen Terrace address out of two dimensions and cast it in three, placing it smack dab in the middle of Henderson, Nev., in a housing development appropriately called “Springfield.”
News Story and Gallery via GearFuse
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Apple executive Jeff Dauber has a backyard deck that will not, despite initial impressions, suck you into a wormhole and then throw you back in time. He had architect Thom Flauders design the piece to create an optical illusion of curves where there are only flat surfaces:
“I wanted someone to barf when they look at it,” says Dauber, a senior executive at Apple. “The deck looks like it is sloping away from you.” Dauber is not your standard-issue Silicon Valley techie; he’s covered in tattoos and owns an impressive, challenging collection of contemporary art (including a mosque made out of gun parts, by the sculptor Al Farrow). Five years ago, he hired Faulders to transform his Potrero Hill residence into a bachelor-pad-cum-art-gallery (see “Puzzle Master,” June 2006). The architect gave the space visual interest while still preserving it as a backdrop for Dauber’s art. Notably, the ceiling and walls, which appear to undulate, are made of a smooth pattern of interlocking CNC-milled MDF panels.
Link via Fast Company
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Often overlooked and certainly overshadowed by its more famous neighbor, the Manhattan Bridge will, this December, become a centenarian. Quite a feat, all told, as the bridge’s history has been full of issues to say the least.
Gustov Lindenthal’s first design was thrown out purely for reasons of aesthetics. He came back with another idea – incorporating two thin-profile steel towers. This idea was retained but his main plan – four cables made of immense chains of eye bars (lengths of steel at least ten foot long joined at each end by steel pins) was again rejected. Perhaps the thought of what was essentially a gargantuan bicycle chain put the chills up the spine of the city fathers.
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When you think of a bank vault you probably tend to think about thick steel doors, massive locks, armed guards, deposit boxes and lots of cash, which is why it is so strange to see what they look like when they’ve been abandoned! These vaults were built to withstand robbery attempts, so they survive even when the building is destroyed around them. Many have found a new life with a different purpose. The vault pictured is in Bodie, California.
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