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Dockless Bike Shares: Convenience of Uber & Car2Go for Urban Cyclists

08 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

Promising the convenient pick-ups of Uber (found all over) and drop-offs of Car2Go (which can be parked anywhere), new cycle-sharing services aim to overturn paradigm of dock-to-ride-to-dock. A single company in China has already put more than a million such bicycles on the streets. Users simply pull up an app to locate the closest bike then unlock it digitally (by scanning a QR code) and head on their way.

Anyone who has used dock-based bike sharing systems know they come with problems — they might not be close by, or could be filled (when you’re dropping off) or empty (when you’re picking up). On the automobile front, similar issues with some sharing companies have been solved by allowing users to leave cars wherever they want. This can result in concentrations of cars, though, that need to be spread back out — and a similar problem exists for bikes.

While small but similar programs exist elsewhere, The Guardian describes the problem as it has unfolded in China: “Seven hundred miles to the south-west, on the streets of the fast-growing Pearl River manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, the colourful dockless share bikes are everywhere. They are parked up by the hundred outside shopping malls and metro stations, often blocking the pavement; others, rendered useless by missing saddles, broken locks.” In other places, the shared bikes are piled up in alleys and vacant lots.

Some companies believe that docking stations are the long-term solution, but others continue to experiment with alternative approaches, like: marking out preferred spots on the sidewalk then adding or deducting credits based on bike drop-off placement. For now, though, these reports have to be done manually, relying on crowd-sourced participants. As GPS gets more accurate, though, it may be possible to do this automatically. In a way, this method would replace physical stations by creating virtual ones in the form of acceptable micro-areas on the digital map.

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Mini Living: Breathable Cylindrical Home Slots Into a Tiny Alleyway

07 Apr

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Extending beyond the existing rooftops like a fast-growing plant, this compact cylindrical home slotted into an unused urban plot in Milan features a breathable ‘skin’ connecting the interiors to the outdoors. Designed by New York-based architects SO-IL for Milan Design Week 2017, the MINI LIVING ‘Breathe’ installation is a response to the growing challenge to maximize available space in cities to comfortably accommodate more residences.

Built on a modular metal frame covered with a flexible, semi-translucent envelope that reacts organically to the environment, the home was designed for a family of three, and features six rooms and a lush rooftop garden. The ground floor is transparent to encourage interaction with the world outside; climb the spiraling staircase and you’ll find a series of private spaces for relaxation, work and sleeping, all separated by fabric canopies.

The outer skin lets in filtered sunlight, while the rooftop garden collects rainwater and helps filter the city air. Hammock-like nets suspended from the upper levels look out onto both the city outside and the interiors below. The architects describe the skin as a ‘jacket’ that can be zipped and arranged differently to protect against various external conditions. The more you layer it, the more privacy or water resistance it offers, so inhabitants can customize the needs of different rooms.

The idea, in part, was to ‘tune’ the interiors to the rhythms of the city, the weather and the sun outside, eliminating the closed-off feel that many homes tend to have. While the tent-like design may not be viable for many urban centers where cold weather, rain and theft might be a problem, it’s an intriguing idea for layering with more solid and secure materials like glass.

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Inhabited Ruin: Modern Home Hidden Inside Abandoned Masonry Shell

07 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

inhabited ruin

When the architect of this remarkable remodel was hired to create a new home for his clients, a derelict building on the site caught his eye and turned out to be the focal point of a marvelous design project.

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Estudio Castillo Oli (images by Angel Baltanas) balances old and new in this hybrid project, inserting a contemporary dwelling into a stone-and-brick shell on the site.

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Part of the existing structural remnants were retrofit with modern windows and a roof to create interior spaces for the home while the rest were left up as a kind of fence for a semi-private exterior courtyard.

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New ceramic tiles and timber framing matches the existing context while steel and glass add a modern touch. A glass wall between inside and outside spaces reduces the sense of separation between them.

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Inside, new walls are pulled back from window openings to reveal the old structure. Glass and trim likewise give space to old openings, preserving what was there. The net result is a gorgeous, rich and complex mixture of aged elements and new, creating something with a sense of time but also fit for modern living.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Cold Yet Comfortable: 13 Surprisingly Inviting Concrete Home Interiors

06 Apr

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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It may be cold to the touch, but concrete doesn’t have to make a home feel uncomfortable and unwelcoming, even when it makes up most of the surfaces throughout the interiors. In fact, concrete proves to be surprisingly versatile – polished to a mirror finish, molded with wood or given a rocky, irregular texture for visual interest – and setting it off with timber, glass, greenery and natural light strikes just the right balance.

Courtyard House by NOA Architecture

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This stunning intergenerational house by NOA Architecture is programmed “as an inhabited landscape contained within a modernist slab,” with a single glass-wrapped layer between a floor and roof plane, so the concrete floors, walls and other surfaces are offset with views straight out onto the lush green landscape of Aurora, Oregon. The best part is that oculus-style atrium in the center of the living room.

Pitch House by Iñaqui Carnicero

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The dramatic ‘Pitch House’ of Madrid by Iñaqui Carnicero uses textured concrete to transition visually into its sloped, rocky surroundings. Using wood as formwork for concrete, and leaving the resulting textural imprint behind, lends a richness that the material usually doesn’t have. Glazed walls reflecting a crystal-clear swimming pool on the terrace don’t hurt, either.

Casa Dem by Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architetti

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From street level, this blocky concrete house doesn’t look like much, but its beauty is hidden on the other side of the slope. Casa Dem by Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architects was made with several different types of concrete, including smooth, minimalist textures and rougher, more gravelly textures for an unexpected and beautiful contrast. The house is defined by its many square- and rectangle-shaped cutouts, from the smaller ones on the facade to the openings for windows and doors.

Low-Cost Modernist House by Terra e Tuma Arquitetos

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Cement blocks are more commonly associated with prisons than residential architecture, and when you hear that they’ve been used to create a remarkably low-cost home, your expectations might be low. But Terra e Tuma Arquitetos pulled off quite a feat with Vila Matilde, an ultra-affordable modernist home in Brazil. Despite these cheap and typically ‘cold’ materials, the space feels comfortable and homey, with special thanks to plenty of natural light and a clever design incorporating a plant-filled courtyard.

Casa Brutale Cliffside Concept

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On the other side of the spectrum is Casa Brutale, a residence so luxurious and dramatic it seems like it could never be real. But this modern villain’s lair cut directly into a cliffside by OPA is actually under construction, with most of the interior spaces tucked beneath a glass-bottomed swimming pool for lots of watery reflections.

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Cold Yet Comfortable 13 Surprisingly Inviting Concrete Home Interiors

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Looping Bicycle Bridge Lets Cyclists Ride Right Over a School Roof

06 Apr

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Many a cyclist has fantasized about being able to bike right over the chaos of a city, avoiding traffic, intersections and trouble areas so they can just enjoy the ride. A Dutch architecture firm has made this fantasy into a reality with a continuous bike bridge that crosses the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal in Utrecht and then loops right over an adjacent university building’s roof. Officially open this week, ‘Dafne Schippers Bicycle Bridge’ by NEXT Architecture reclaims urban space for people who aren’t driving vehicles.

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It’s unusual to see a bridge so seamlessly integrated into adjacent infrastructure on land in a way that’s interactive with the public, while also performing an important service. Measuring 360 feet long, the bicycle bridge connects the old Oog in Al section of Utrecht with new district Leidsche Rijn.

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Open to both cyclists and pedestrians, it lifts up off the ground in Victor Hugo Park, reaches a pinnacle of nearly 115 feet above the surface of the water, and continues onto the roof of a local Montessori school.The bridge then loops around a public garden before once again reaching ground level.

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Commissioned by the city of Utrecht, the structure will save more than 7,000 cyclists time on their route each day. The architects wanted the bridge to connect the bicycle route, park and school in a single fluid movement, creating a cohesive landscape. With the bicycle bridge on the south side, space for a recreational area is created on the north side, oriented toward a park.

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It would be cool to see architects take inspiration from NEXT’s creation to the next level, building something even more complex that’s lifted above the busy streets of an urban center.

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Anatomical Street Art: Sliced Animal Murals Reveal Disturbing Details

04 Apr

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

sliced spider

Marvelous if also a bit morbid, these highly detailed murals show the complex workings inside giant-sized animals, revealing muscle, sinew, tendons, veins and bones in various different configurations.

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Nychos is a street artist from Austria who creates spectacular, detailed artworks. He “grew up in a little village near Graz (Styria, South of Austria). He calls it the green hell. Born into an Austrian hunter’s family, he saw, at a very young age, things which normal people would consider as cruel and brutal.”

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The scale of works by Nychos plays to the level of detail, and each piece is crafted differently, almost like an experiment in sequential dissections by a scientist or medical student. His subjects span the animal kingdom as well, from kangaroos and rats to whales and alligators (as well as humans).

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Some of the murals are sliced cleanly while others operate like layered x-rays, revealing various depths at different points along their length.

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Still others feature intertwined animals at various stages of dissection or translucency, like the two snakes above, or act alike exploded axonometric drawings with pieces pulled out from the core.

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While Nychos also exhibits in galleries and makes smaller-scale prints, his large public pieces are particularly compelling (if somewhat disturbing).

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

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Window Shades: Contextual Street Art Frames View of Greek Cityscape

04 Apr

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

shades

A turn of phrase meets art in this mural made to look like a face, with glass-framed eyes reflecting the world outside.

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Graffiti interventionist Achilles likes to put art in context, using walls and spaces as backdrops for layered works that wouldn’t work quite the same way anywhere else.

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Many of his site-specific works play with perspective and create visual surprises by tucking elements onto different surfaces to create reveals as the viewer approaches.

Compared to his complex works, his artist bio is short and to the point: “Achilles lives and creates in Athens, Greece. He loves street art, graffiti and painting. He works as a freelancer creating murals, portraits, paintings, illustrations etc.”

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

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Pixelated Masterpieces: 32 Real-Life Works of 3D Glitch Art & Design

04 Apr

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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Don’t adjust your monitor – there’s nothing wrong with the images of these sculptures, rugs, furniture and even full-scale architecture. Playing with the aesthetics of digital errors, the glitches are carved, woven or painted right into physical, three-dimensional designs.

Good Vibrations by Ferruccio Laviani

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Invited to collaborate with a manufacturer of baroque furniture, artist Ferruccio Laviani took an unconventional approach, programming computer-controlled robotic routers to cut glitches directly into the wood for a warped effect. The result is a series called ‘F* THE CLASSICS!’ and the most striking piece is the ‘Good Vibrations’ cabinet. “In the course of my research for Good Vibrations, I ended up cutting out images from old analog videos, when you fast-forward a tape and get a frozen image that’s all twisted.”

Glitch Rugs by Faig Ahmed

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Textile artist Faig Ahmed weaves distortions into traditional rug patterns from India, Persia, Turkey and the Caucasus, making them look stretched, pixelated, warped and otherwise glitched and mutated for a fun modern twist on a beloved classic.

Pixelated Wood Sculptures by Hsu Tung Han

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Carved from teak, African wax wood or walnut, Hsu Tung Han’s figurative sculptures dissolve into cubes as if glitching out of existence in three dimensions, making it seem like they’re disappearing or in mid-transition before our eyes.

Real Life Glitch Building: House of Electronic Arts Basel

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There’s nothing wrong with this photograph of Switzerland’s House of Electronic Arts Basel building – it’s the building itself that’s glitched. Berlin-based art studio !Mediengruppe Bitnik was invited to create ‘H3333333K,’ a play on the structure’s German name of ‘HeK,’ as a permanent exterior display. “The idea was to cast something fluid, non-permanent like a software error into something physical and permanent, like architecture,” says the group.

Warped Forms by Paul Kaptein

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Based in Perth, Australia, artist Paul Kaptein carves laminated wood into warped figures that look almost normal from some angles, and entirely abstract from others, unrecognizable as human bodies. “Paul’s work, seemingly bent through time and space, taps into his medium of emptiness, responding to the gap between immateriality and materiality – through the energy we call potential,” reads his artist statement. “His work is full of the boundless energy of potentiality loops or loops of potentiality or the realization that potential is the energy that constantly moves and transforms. Potential is the force that grabs ideas and translates them into being – it is a poetic energy of necessity and a necessary energy for poetics.”

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Pixelated Masterpieces 32 Real Life Works Of 3d Glitch Art Design

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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Beyond Brutalism: Cutting-Edge North Korean Architecture

03 Apr

[ By Steve in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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The infamous Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang may have stolen the spotlight but North Korea can boast many other examples of unusual cutting-edge architecture.

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The Korea Central Zoo (also known as the Pyongyang Central Zoo) was founded in 1959 but recently underwent an extensive makeover, re-opening in July of 2016. The zoo was and continues to be criticized for exhibits that include a chain-smoking chimpanzee and various breeds of dogs. Canines are forbidden to be kept as pets in the capital city, ostensibly for hygienic reasons.

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We’re here to discuss architecture, however, and when it comes to the Central Zoo the highlight has to be the huge tiger-head entrance archway. Rather impressive, unless you’re an easily frightened child (or adult). At least the scaredy-cats can find some solace at the turtle-shaped Reptile Enclosure.

Handball Hall

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Handball is kind of a big deal in North Korea and the North Korea women’s national handball team has competed at the Asian Women’s Handball Championship no less than six times since 1991 – though they’ve never finished higher than third. The team practices at the strikingly angular and not at all ball-shaped Handball Hall located on Chongchun Street in Pyongyang’s “city of sports” district.

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We don’t have a date for the first photo but the image just above snapped by Flickr user Aaron Geddes (Gedsman) in March of 2016 displays some subtle differences.

International Cinema Hall

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The International Cinema Hall isn’t in use very often as its main raison d’etre is hosting the Pyongyang International Film Festival every other year since 1987.

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The sprocket-shaped building sits cheek-by-jowl to a golf course (you read that correctly) on the island of Yanggakdo, located in the Taedong River running through downtown Pyongyang.

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Beyond Brutalism Cutting Edge North Korean Architecture

[ By Steve in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Circular Logic: “Endless Runways” Rounded to Save Energy, Time & Space

02 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

circular takeoff

Designed to reduce real estate needs for runways in ever-more-crowded cities, this “endless runway” system encircles a central terminal building and lets multiple planes take off and land at the same time.

Developed by Dutch scientist Henk Hesselink, the two-mile-circumference shape also lets planes land or take off in alignment with the wind (rather than fighting crosswinds) since they can line up with any point on the strip.

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In theory, the system would improve the flying experience for both passengers and pilots, making for smoother departures and arrivals. They would also save energy and space, increasingly an issue for once-suburban (or rural) airports now encroached upon by growing cities.

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Critics have expressed skepticism regarding the difficulty of landings and take-offs in such a setup, but big backers seem to believe in the potential. Also, even if not immediately feasible, increased automation could make it increasingly viable over time, since computer systems can coordinate ideal landing and arrival trajectories for optimal safety and comfort and across multiple planes.

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Each such setup provides the length of three airstrips and could be deployed or at least tested at scale in Europe soon — participating backers include the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), along with DLR Germany and ONERA in France.

round runway backers

From the designers research report: “The results of the literature survey in this document are promising and suggest that a circular runway can be developed with current and expected technology. Today’s aircraft characteristics allow to take off and land with speeds and low altitude bank angles compatible with the operation on a circular track. The Endless Runway fits in future concepts that specify improved planning of operations, new navigation equipment, and intermodal transport.”

360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Dockless Bike Shares: Convenience of Uber & Car2Go for Urban Cyclists

Mini Living: Breathable Cylindrical Home Slots Into a Tiny Alleyway

Inhabited Ruin: Modern Home Hidden Inside Abandoned Masonry Shell

Cold Yet Comfortable: 13 Surprisingly Inviting Concrete Home Interiors

Courtyard House by NOA Architecture

Pitch House by Iñaqui Carnicero

Casa Dem by Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architetti

Low-Cost Modernist House by Terra e Tuma Arquitetos

Casa Brutale Cliffside Concept

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Cold Yet Comfortable 13 Surprisingly Inviting Concrete Home Interiors

Looping Bicycle Bridge Lets Cyclists Ride Right Over a School Roof

Anatomical Street Art: Sliced Animal Murals Reveal Disturbing Details

Window Shades: Contextual Street Art Frames View of Greek Cityscape

Pixelated Masterpieces: 32 Real-Life Works of 3D Glitch Art & Design

Good Vibrations by Ferruccio Laviani

Glitch Rugs by Faig Ahmed

Pixelated Wood Sculptures by Hsu Tung Han

Real Life Glitch Building: House of Electronic Arts Basel

Warped Forms by Paul Kaptein

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Pixelated Masterpieces 32 Real Life Works Of 3d Glitch Art Design

Beyond Brutalism: Cutting-Edge North Korean Architecture

Handball Hall

International Cinema Hall

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Beyond Brutalism Cutting Edge North Korean Architecture

Circular Logic: “Endless Runways” Rounded to Save Energy, Time & Space

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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Courtyard House by NOA Architecture

Pitch House by Iñaqui Carnicero

Casa Dem by Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architetti

Low-Cost Modernist House by Terra e Tuma Arquitetos

Casa Brutale Cliffside Concept

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Cold Yet Comfortable 13 Surprisingly Inviting Concrete Home Interiors

Good Vibrations by Ferruccio Laviani

Glitch Rugs by Faig Ahmed

Pixelated Wood Sculptures by Hsu Tung Han

Real Life Glitch Building: House of Electronic Arts Basel

Warped Forms by Paul Kaptein

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Pixelated Masterpieces 32 Real Life Works Of 3d Glitch Art Design

Handball Hall

International Cinema Hall

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Beyond Brutalism Cutting Edge North Korean Architecture

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Cold Yet Comfortable 13 Surprisingly Inviting Concrete Home Interiors

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Pixelated Masterpieces 32 Real Life Works Of 3d Glitch Art Design

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Beyond Brutalism Cutting Edge North Korean Architecture