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Sweet Transit: Japan’s Cute Fruit-Shaped Bus Stops

20 Sep

[ By Steve in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Originally built for a 1990 travel expo, these fruit-shaped bus stops from southern Japan still look as tasteful (and tasty!) as they did 25 years ago.

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EXPO ’90 (or the International Garden and Greenery Exposition; its formal title) was hosted by the city of Osaka from April through September of 1990. The fair attracted over 23,000,000 visitors over a six-month run, and a host of smaller fairs expressing related themes were held across Japan as well.

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Konagai, a small town situated just east of Nagasaki, decided to jump aboard the bandwagon by hosting the little-known Nagasaki Journey exhibition. The only remaining relics of the fair are fourteen bus stops (some sources state the number to be 16) constructed in the form of hollowed-out oversized fruits!

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The stops have held up remarkably well over the ensuing quarter-century… still functional and in splendid shape structurally, the bus stops erected along the 207 National Highway have become a tourist attraction in their own right.

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Sweet Transit Japans Cute Fruit Shaped Bus Stops

[ By Steve in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Marble Earth: 7-Mile Scale Model Timelapse of Our Solar System

20 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Starting with a model planet Earth the size of a marble, a team of filmmakers set out to simulate our entire solar system in motion and capture the results in a compelling short movie.

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In normal images and models of the planets in our solar neighborhood, nothing is too scale – at scale on a piece of paper, planets becoming vanishingly small and effectively impossible to see on the page. Textbooks and other graphics misrepresent sizes almost by necessity simply because it would be impossible to depict things otherwise in a small visual field.

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The resulting visuals distort our sense of the distance between celestial bodies. In the scale model featured above, set in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, Alex Gorosh and Wylie Overstreet give the viewer a much greater intuitive understanding of the separation and size of these spatial objects.

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“As we got farther and farther away it diminished in size. Finally it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine. That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart.” said James Irwin, Apollo 15 astronaut. He is one of only 24 people in human history have seen the full circle of the Earth with their own eyes.

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Using LED lights, GPS calculations, a dirt disrupter and ultimately cars driving in circles to simulate the orbits at night, the team created a 1:847,638,000 scale model in which blips of light represent the various bodies in space.

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One of the participants climbed a nearby mountain to film it all from above, while post-production overlays create a key for the video. Process documentation was made in part with a drone flying overhead. According to its creators, this is the first scale model of the solar system ever constructed.

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Fictional Libraries: Images Make Information Inaccessible

19 Sep

[ By Steph in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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All of the books in the world still exist, yet are just out of reach, locked up in an impenetrable fortress or stacked so high we can’t hope to reach them, in this dystopian vision by Shanghai-based artist Jie Ma. The series of fictional libraries renders information inaccessible, teasing us with glimpses of what we could have but always keeping it just beyond our grasp.

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Combining futuristic fantasy art reminiscent of movie or video game concepts and architectural assemblage, Ma’s series envisions libraries as stark structures that haven’t quite been abandoned altogether, but aren’t exactly in great shape. Human figures mill around in seeming frustration, stopped from actually finding anything by darkness and disorder.

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In some of the images, books are scattered around in spaces that look as if a storm has just ripped through, or they’ve been left to deteriorate for decades. It’s impossible to see the spines of any of the books, and there are no ladders offering access to shelves that tower many dozens of feet into the air. In a bibliophile’s worst nightmare, walkways to rooms full of books have crumbled away.

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In others, the libraries are like off-limits military facilities, surrounded on all sides by water or mud, frustratingly devoid of actual entrances. One of these works, entitled ’Eclipse VII: Deep Reverence for Arnold Böcklin,’ pays tribute to a famous painting known as ’Isle of the Dead.’

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Yet, in contrast to these scenes are more hopeful ones, in which people examine oversized books with gigantic magnifiers in orderly rooms overlooking concrete landscapes. The series seems to suggest a sense of hope for human curiosity, driving us to keep seeking knowledge no matter how many obstacles we may encounter.

[ By Steph in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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40-Foot Cargo Container Turned into World’s Tallest Periscope

18 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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A brilliantly low-tech way to provide a unique view of the surrounding landscape, this massive yet cost-efficient shipping container periscope uses the same elementary construction principles as those childhood do-it-yourself milk carton equivalents.

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Framing a clear vista of the nearby Lagoa Santa, a Brazilian lagoon, this upturned container designed by Pedro Barata e Arquitetos Associados sits alongside a structure likewise built in part from containers.

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Though a one-off idea for now, this would be a great low-cost solution for sites where excellent views are close but building permanent staircases and decks would not be feasible.

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Analogous to the traditional role of a fireplace and chimney inside a home, the tall structure is also a natural focal point for outdoor gatherings.

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A simple system of wood supports and set of mirrors tilted at 45 degree angles reflects the view above for onlookers below. It is ultimately designed to travel, set up to similarly enable views elsewhere, before coming to rest in a final spot yet to be determined.

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The architect is pleased with resulting reactions so far: “there’s always someone peeking through the vertical tunnel, trying to understand the ‘technology’ allowing them to do so. By connecting directly two different and faraway spaces, the Superiscope introduces people to architecture as hypertext”

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Abandoned Ship: Spacecraft Discovered in Huge Derelict Hangar

18 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Remarkably intact and beautifully documented by a Russian urban explorer, this space shuttle prototype rests in a massive above-ground graveyard at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, deserted due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Originally destined to dock with Soviet space station Mir, the model was almost finished and had even completed a test flight when the facility was shut down in the early 1990s.

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Photographer Ralph Mirebs identified the massive (yet somehow still unassuming) structure as an excellent target for exploration, but did not know just how many surprises were in store for him when he took his camera into the ruins. Positioning himself on catwalks and even entering spacecraft models, he was able to take pictures of an amazing array of spaces and equipment.

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As incredible as the outside of the craft may be, the insides are all the more fascinating, filled with the equipment intended to take it to space that somehow seems surprisingly fragile right here on the ground.

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Abandoned Ship Spacecraft Discovered In Huge Derelict Hangar

[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Paris Safari: Projected Wildlife Gets Chic in the City

17 Sep

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Soaring up to six stories in height, these lemurs, deer, gorillas, eagles and other carefully clothed creatures projected onto buildings all over Paris are mocking your fashion choices. The exotic animals – which certainly can’t be found in the streets of the city otherwise – might seem like just a bit of fun, or a statement on the lack of nature in urban environments, but the creator of the project has something a little deeper to say.

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Artist Julien Nonnon has spent all of September beaming his creations onto building facades after the sun sets, in a mix of street art and video mapping. For ‘Safari Urbain,’ Nonnon developed his own tools to project the images anywhere from life size to the full height of towering apartment buildings.

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Some of the animals are clad in three-piece suits, others in plaid flannel shirts or hoodies, echoing the fashions seen among the human passersby who stop to gaze up at them. The point, says Nonnon, is calling attention to how we contradict ourselves with what we choose to wear, wishing to be unique while simultaneously marking ourselves as part of a clearly defined group in an attempt to fit in.

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“The bestiary coming right out of fashion magazines, questions our behavior… In our way of dressing, we express our vision of the world, while indirectly revealing our social position and financial power. Fashion is nothing other than a means of communication, of integration and belonging to a group.”

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Modern Wooden Architecture: 16 Fresh Takes on Timber

17 Sep

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Wood may be most closely associated with cabins, stick-frame housing and other conventional forms of architecture, but a new wave of architects is adapting its usage for this century and beyond, using it as a primary material for large commercial structures, pavilions, energy-saving facades and even skyscrapers. Lightweight, flexible and renewable, wood is having a moment in modern architecture, transcending its rustic origins as one of the world’s most ancient building materials.

Curving Timber Shell for Swatch Headquarters by Shigeru Ban

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A sinuous timber shell structure stretches between buildings owned by sister companies under the Swiss watch giant Swatch umbrella in this concept by Shigeru Ban. Connecting older buildings with new ones and forming semi-enclosed public spaces, the new addition will act as the company’s headquarters. Large pale crosses dot the lattice in a nod to the company’s brand identity.

Metropol Parasol by J. MAYER H. Architects

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“Realized as one of the largest and most innovative ended timber-constructions with a polyurethane coating, the parasols grow out of the archaeological excavation site into a contemporary landmark, defining a unique relationship between the historical and the contemporary city,” says J. Mayer H. Architects of their creation Metropol Parasol. The waffle-like structure in Seville, Spain incorporates the archaeological site as well as a farmer’s market, bars and restaurants over 18,000 square meters. The parasols form plazas and also offer an elevated rooftop walkway from which to view the city.

Contemporary Hillside Home by Jose Ulloa Davet + Delphine Ding

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This mountain home in Tunquen, Chile is anything but a rustic cabin despite its raw timber construction, with a path snaking its way from ground level all the way up onto the roof. Conceived as both a private space and a platform for outdoor activities, the “Metamorfosis” house is raw and modern at once, providing breathtaking views of the scenery.

Space Lab by Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates

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Stacked cedar planks alternate with glass to create an irregular pattern of light inside the ‘Space Lab,’ a temporary structure at the University of Tokyo made of discarded wood. The experimental space makes a statement on the use of diminishing resources and will also investigate the strength of this construction method over four years. “This ‘Azumaya” architecture of today does not separate inside and outside, and is expected to be variably used for a promotion of domestic materials to just a resting space. And finally this architecture, which utilizes domestic thinned materials, shows one way of regeneration the balance of nature we have destroyed.”

Woven Lattice Dessert Shop by Kengo Kuma + Associates

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Thin, criss-crossing timber beams create the effect of a dense forest in this latticed wooden facade on a dessert shop in Tokyo by Kengo Kuma + Associates. The basket-like arrangement ploys an ancient Japanese construction technique called ‘jiigokugumi,’ which joins the individual pieces of wood together without using glue or fasteners.

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Wooden Architecture In The Modern World

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Silicon Greenery: World’s Largest Green Roof to Span City Blocks

16 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Aiming to turn Cupertino into the green center of Silicon Valley, this expansive green roof design rolls over 30 acres of central urban real estate, capping a massive mixed-use redevelopment project. The resulting street-crossing expanse is set to include miles of walking trails, vineyards, orchards, playgrounds and an amphitheater.

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Developers from Sand Hill Property Company assembled the constituent real estate, including a partially abandoned Vallco Shopping Malls, from separate owners.

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Their proposal to create nearly 1,000 apartments and over a million square feet of office space was developed in part by architect Rafael Viñoly with the assistance of OLIN Landscape Architects.

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In the buildings below, a cinema, gym, shopping center and ice rink are slated for construction, revitalizing the downtown area and integrating with outdoor elements above.

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“The Hills at Vallco features an unprecedented 30-acre community park and nature preserve, which will not only be the largest community park in Cupertino, but also the largest green roof in the world” according to the developers behind the scheme.

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The plan has been pitched to the city as a way to secure its position as a hub for technology and innovation in California. The project is currently entering a public review phase. Critics note that feasibility may be an issue, citing the architect’s record with a London skyscraper known for blowing over pedestrians and lighting cars on fire.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Dark Water: Take a Boat Ride Through a Flooded Museum

15 Sep

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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In order to take in the new, dimly lit installation at Palais de Tokyo by artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, you’ll have to pilot a small boat through dark waters inside the flooded museum. Taking its name from the annual flooding event that sees the water levels in Venice rise so high that walkways disappear, the ACQUAALTA exhibition envisions the concrete interiors of the Palais as they would be if the forces of nature were similarly unleashed upon Paris.

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Visitors sit or stand within their rowboats, using oars to paddle themselves around the nearly pitch-black space and disembarking to explore jagged foam landscapes.The hallucinatory voyage is reminiscent of souls crossing over to the underworld via the River Styx, with the ferryman Charon to guide them.

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As they take in the subtle figurative silhouettes projected onto the black walls, the guests themselves become part of the exhibition, like actors in a play. As they navigate the waters, they are filmed, their movements projected onto one of the walls. The foam ‘island’ is a place of refuge, allowing deeper immersion into the work without fear of drifting.

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Boursier-Mougenot believes that creating an atmosphere is integral to art, so that the work is not just disconnected imagery hanging on a wall, but rather an interactive experience that envelops onlookers and makes them active participants. The hope is that as a viewer, you temporarily forget who you are, falling headfirst into a dreamworld via an artificially constructed series of hypnotic images, movements and sounds.

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Blurring Boundaries: 14 Modern Houses That Open to the Air

15 Sep

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Ceilings retract and glazed walls swing open to connect intimate indoor spaces with courtyards, terraces and gardens in these modern residences blurring the lines between indoors and out. Located everywhere from Colorado to Kuala Lumpur, these open-air homes take advantage of mild climates and spectacular views, with alternatives to conventional walls enabling natural ventilation and a sense of being connected to nature.

Kloof House, Johannesburg, South Africa

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Every room in the sculptural Kloof House by Nico van der Meulen Architects opens directly to the outdoors via gigantic sliding glass walls. The kitchen, living room, dining room and bedrooms can all be fully connected to various outdoor spaces like courtyards, balconies and gardens. The swimming pool becomes part of the living room area, and one bedroom connects to a cantilevered koi pond.

The Fish House, Singapore

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This modern tropical residence in Singapore seamlessly integrates courtyard spaces into the interiors on every level for natural ventilation and nearly uninterrupted views of the ocean. A glass-walled lounge cantilevers out over the swimming pool, and residents can walk up onto the green roof, which is partially shaded with solar panels.

Loft 24-7, Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Decks and terraces connect the various freestanding volumes that make up Loft 24-7 by Fernanda Marques Arquitetos Associados, with the effect continued indoors using glazed walls and ceilings. “Being inside feeling like one is outside. I believe that to be a key issue in understanding the interior design being produced today,” says the architect. “In times when environmental awareness is growing, and, of course, also the desire to be close to nature.”

Casa P, Sao Paulo, Brazil

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The ground floor of Casa P by Studio MK27 is enclosed with a slatted wooden ‘freijó’ wall, which acts as a privacy screen and offers natural ventilation. These oversized shutters can be opened completely to connect the interiors to the courtyard. Two more concrete volumes are stacked on top of the first, with the topmost one boasting all-glass walls for optimal views.

Willow House, Singapore

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Greenery from the planted roof drips down into a living space via an open oculus, living spaces overlook swimming pools and reflecting pools, and trees grow indoors in this boundary-blurring house by Guz Architects. Taking advantage of Singapore’s warm, humid climate, the tropical residence blends traditional Singaporean architectural typologies with modern aesthetics.

360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Sweet Transit: Japan’s Cute Fruit-Shaped Bus Stops

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Sweet Transit Japans Cute Fruit Shaped Bus Stops

Marble Earth: 7-Mile Scale Model Timelapse of Our Solar System

Fictional Libraries: Images Make Information Inaccessible

40-Foot Cargo Container Turned into World’s Tallest Periscope

Abandoned Ship: Spacecraft Discovered in Huge Derelict Hangar

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Abandoned Ship Spacecraft Discovered In Huge Derelict Hangar

Paris Safari: Projected Wildlife Gets Chic in the City

Modern Wooden Architecture: 16 Fresh Takes on Timber

Curving Timber Shell for Swatch Headquarters by Shigeru Ban

Metropol Parasol by J. MAYER H. Architects

Contemporary Hillside Home by Jose Ulloa Davet + Delphine Ding

Space Lab by Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates

Woven Lattice Dessert Shop by Kengo Kuma + Associates

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Wooden Architecture In The Modern World

Silicon Greenery: World’s Largest Green Roof to Span City Blocks

Dark Water: Take a Boat Ride Through a Flooded Museum