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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Mobile 3D-Printed House Factory in a Shipping Container

14 Mar

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Dutch 3D Printed House 1

Yet another candidate has entered the race for the world’s first 3D-printed house, with a mobile 3D printing factory in a shipping container that can produce the components on-site. Dutch studio DUS Architects plan to use the ‘KamerMaker‘ machine to print a full-size canal house in Amsterdam, one piece at a time. Work will start within the next six months.

Dutch 3D printed House 2

The other two other concepts currently in the works, ProtoHouse 2.0 and Landscape House, also aim to get started on their own 3D houses by this summer.  What sets the DUS Architects concept apart is the fact that its printer is mobile. The KamerMaker is 3.5 meters high and easy to transport from one place to another.

Dutch 3D Printed House 3

The house, which will be built in a developing area along the Buiksloter-canal, will act as a hub for 3D printed architecture. DUS aims to print the entire facade this year, as well as the first room; other rooms will come later. Once complete, the first floor will become a ‘welcoming room.’ The entire construction site will be an event space to show off the capabilities of this technology.

Dutch 3D Printed House 4

The KamerMaker can print structures out of recyclable materials available on location, including biodegradable plastics, giving it great potential for emergency relief architecture. DUS plans to use polypropylene as well as plastic recycled on-site to build the facade and first floor of the house. Each room in the house will be dedicated to a certain type of research, including a ‘cook room’ where researchers will experiment with 3D printing in potato starch, and a ‘policy room’ where permits for printed structures will be discussed.

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[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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LEGO Abandonments: Home-Made Model Haunted Houses

14 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

lego abandonments

Hundreds of hours and in some cases over one hundred thousand pieces have gone into the creation of this series of seriously detailed LEGO models, each constructed to replicate the processes of decay in miniature.

lego victorian decay series

Michael Doyle makes these largely-Victorian marvels piece by piece, but of course creating something that looks intentionally chaotic is in many ways more challenging than making a conventional model home.

lego abandoned haunted house

From the artist: “To my eyes, patterns of decay find a more pleasing path than an untouched object. A roof collapsed by the weight of snow, side shingles ripped by the force of winds, substructures rotting, insects and weather gnawing the exposed surfaces.”

lego deconstruction build process

“I can picture those windy days where a shingle flies off. Or the sudden creaking, cracking and burst of tinder giving way under snow’s heavy hand“

lego deserted building photos

And for anyone interested in a strange slice of abandoned-faux-home ownership, he still has prints for sale of some of the works featured here as well as his other gravity-and-time-defying LEGO creations.

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Tentacle-Like Tubular Slide Swirls Through NYC Penthouse

13 Mar

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Penthouse Slide 1

A silvery steel tentacle swirls through four stories of a bright white renovated 19th-century penthouse in New York City. Architect David Hotson turned the modern space into a playful residence for children and adults alike with the remarkable tubular slide, a floral-printed ‘nest’ accessible by a bridge, vertical climbing surfaces and a swing dangling three stories above the ground.

Penthouse Slide 2

Penthouse Slide 3

The polished stainless steel slide starts in an attic space with a funnel-like entrance, winds down through an interior window and offers an exit on the next floor before spiraling down three more stories. A faceted white staircase offers a more conventional way to get from floor to floor, that’s no less visually stimulating.

Penthouse Slide 4

Penthouse Slide 6

The nearly all-white space is punctuated with neon furniture and artwork, playful details that break up the gallery-like expanses of walls. At the center of the space is a four-story entry hall spanned by glass bridges, bringing daylight down into the living room from the upper floors.

Penthouse Slide 5

Penthouse Slide 7

Taking advantage of a unique space never before used as a residence, Hotson pays tribute to the architectural character of the surrounding cityscape, installing windows that perfectly frame landmarks like Frank Gehry’s residential tower and the Chrysler Building.

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Pirate Island Radio Station Invaded, Dismantled & Rebuilt

12 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

pirate island

Few works of architecture can boast half so strange a history as this structure now serving as a restaurant in the waters of Amsterdam.

pirate historic building platform

Built in the Republic of Ireland, the platform known as REM Island was hauled off the coast of the Netherlands to become an artificial island broadcasting from what were initially international waters, complete with helipad.

pirate platform office restaurant

The Dutch government, none too pleased with the incursion of Radio and TV Noordzee from its coastal hideout, passed a law to grab jurisdiction, then promptly sent armed forces to take over the station. It became a governmental laboratory for water testing and research, before ultimately being taken apart in the mid 2000s.

pirate radio station rebuild

Today, it has been constructed (with functional retrofits) in the water once more, but close enough to shore to be reached by foot bridge. It currently serves as a stunning multi-story office and restaurant complex with an amazing rooftop viewing platform (images by Ewout Huibers, Jim Ellam via ArchDaily).

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Abandoned Power Station Transformed into a Roller Coaster

12 Mar

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

Battersea Power Station Rollercoaster 1

An abandoned power station that has been an iconic part of London’s skyline since 1933 is transformed into a playground and museum in the “Architectural Ride London” proposal by Atelier Zündel Cristea. The concept makes use of the Battersea Power Station, which was decommissioned in 1983, preserving its history while making it both an educational and recreational attraction.

Battersea Power STation Rollercoaster 2

Battersea Power Station Rollercoaster 3

The former coal-fired power station (which has been featured in a number of films and music videos) is notable for its original Art Deco interior fittings and decor, but throughout the thirty years of its abandonment, its condition has deteriorated severely. Former owners considered making the station an indoor theme park in the 1987, and work began on converting the site, but lack of funding brought the project to a halt.

Battersea Power Station Rollercoaster 4

The new proposal revives this idea, making it even more grand with a roller coaster that winds around the building itself, making it the center of attention during the ride. Paths created by the scaffolding-like support of the roller coaster offer opportunities for walking tours. The design took first prize in the ArchTriumph Museum of Architecture competition.

Battersea Power Station Rollercoaster 6

Battersea Power Station Rollercoaster 5

“Our project puts the power station on centre stage, the structure itself enhancing the site through its impressive scale, its architecture, and its unique brick material. Our created pathway links together a number of spaces for discovery: the square in front of the museum, clearings, footpaths outside and above and inside, footpaths traversing courtyards and exhibition rooms. The angles and perspectives created by the rail’s pathway, through the movement within and outside of the structure, place visitors in a position where they can perceive simultaneously the container and its contents, the work and nature. They come to participate in several simultaneous experiences: enjoying the displayed works, being moved by the beauty of the structure and the city: river, park, buildings.”

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Architecturally Literate: 13 Built Alphabets Spell Design

11 Mar

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Built Alphabets main

For those in love with letters, typography is – or should be – virtually everywhere, from furniture to office buildings. These 13 designs indulge typophiles with three-dimensional typefaces in functional objects including hand fails, bookcases, chairs, pavilions and fun concept architecture.

Alphabet Building, Amsterdam by MVRDV

Built Alphabets Amsterdam MVRDV

Architecture firm MVRDV has given their Alphabet Building a facade of 24 unusually-shaped windows that spell out most of the alphabet (curiously, I and Z are missing.) The building provides office space for small to mid-size creative agencies in Amsterdam, with a series of spacious loft-like units.

Negative Space Alphabet

Built Alphabets Buildings Photography

Berlin-based photographer and illustrator Lisa Reinermann captured the entire alphabet in the negative space between buildings in Barcelona. “I loved the idea of the sky as words, the negative being the positive. If I could find a ‘Q’, other letters should be somewhere around the corner.”

3D Font by Bank Associates

Built Alphabets 3D font

A single neon tube can be manipulated in three dimensions to look like any letter of the alphabet in this project by Adam Slowik of Bank Associates. Just turning it in various directions to face the camera produces the effect.

Bauhaus Concept by Chris Labrooy

Built Alphabets Bauhaus

A typeface and its architectural namesake are united in this Bauhaus concept, a digital illustration by designer Chris Labrooy.

Jumble of Letters Shelf by Pieter de Leeuw

Built Alphabets Jumble

Haphazardly jumbled together, the letters of the alphabet form a creative shelf unit that can hold books and other objects in its random niches.

Handrails, Shelves & Tables by Andrew Byrom

Built Alphabets Byrom 1

Built Alphabets Byrom 2

Typography enthusiast Andrew Byrom creates his own three-dimensional typefaces with physical objects, including shelves, chairs, tables and metal hand rails.

Alphabet City by Scott Teplin

Built Alphabets Teplin

Letters make for interesting building shapes in designer Scott Teplin’s ‘Alphabet City’ series of illustrations. Each letter provides a residential, commercial or industrial function, and the shapes work better than you might imagine – even W and Q. See them all at X-ing Books.

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Hunt, Peck & Paint: Chromatic Typewriter Prints Landscapes

11 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vintage & Retro. ]

chromatic typewriter

Many works of amazing literary art have been printed on typewriters in times past, but this re-purposing takes an old machine beyond words and into the realm of colorful painting.

chromatic upcycled landscape printer

Tyree Callahan has recycled (or upcycled, perhaps) a classic 1937 Underwood typewriter by replacing letters with sponges soaked across the spectrum with bright yellows, reds, blues and combinations thereof.

chromatic abstract art prints

Based in the Seattle area of Washington, the artist writes of his environs: “I’m constantly amazed at the play of light through our moist air and over the varied landscape of the Pacific Northwest. I especially enjoy early morning light–that short interval of time just before the last of the fog burns off–and evening light, especially on humid evenings, when the atmosphere itself is aglow with evening’s hues. We live in an environment that can produce both vivid and somber landscapes, often both within an hour’s time.”

chromatic landscape printing machine

There is something so satisfying about the click-clack sounds of a traditional typewriter, translating the mechanical motions of your fingers into physical results on the page in front of you – but imagine making those impressions in vivid colors instead of black on white. Sounds relaxing, hopefully literally.

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Case Closed: 12 Locked Down Abandoned Police Stations

10 Mar

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

abandoned police stations
These unlocked, unloaded and unmanned abandoned police stations suggest that when the long arm of the law is crippled, the end of society must be nigh.

Detroit Lock City

Detroit Highland Park abandoned police station(images via: SCOTT’S WORLD, Thomas Hawk and Detroitmi97 Aka Mark The kid)

No collection of urban abandonments would be complete without something from America’s all-star urban apocalypse in the making, Detroit, so let’s get right to it. The old Highland Park Police Station just off Woodward Avenue was closed in 2007 when the re-formed police department moved to a new location. It didn’t take long before looters and vandals broke in to do that voodoo that they do so well.

Detroit Highland Park abandoned police station(images via: Hudson Democracy and Zombie Squad)

The City of Highland Park‘s motto is “Return to Excellence” but when it comes to the old Highland Park Police headquarters, looking back is not an option. There’s nothing to look forward to either, as the building was put out of its misery (aka demolished) in January of 2012.

A Tree Grows In Brook, er, Venaria Reale

Venaria Reale abandoned police station(images via: [im]possible living)

Or grows out as the case may be, and in this case the tree is growing inside a police station in Venaria Reale, Italy. In the absence of any restraining officers, the tree’s branches have escaped the undoubtedly dim and dank interior into the fresh air and warm sunlight.

Putin Jail

Tver Russia abandoned police station(images via: Xaxor)

This abandoned police station in Russia’s Tver region was active until 2006 if the moldering calendars on its peeling walls can be believed. The station’s decline parallels that of Tver, a thousand-year-old city whose population has dropped more than 10 percent since 1989.

Tver Russia abandoned police station(images via: Xaxor)

Is that a young Josef Stalin peeking out from the files, or does this person of interest simply reflect Uncle Joe’s legacy of Russian style and fashion? Regardless, Li’l Stalin gets off easy this time along with his fellow filemates in the moldering Tver police station. That’s some darned fine police work there, Lubyanka.

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[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Preservation Puzzle: Extreme Ideas to Save an Urban Facade

10 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

historic preservation prentice ideas

The Prentice Women’s Hospital building at Northwestern University has some serious fans, including a range of architects such as Frank Gehry, Robert Venturi, Tadao Ando, Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, who would like to see it preserved. The open question: is the exterior of sufficient historical value to keep, even if it means building up through, above and/or around it?

historic new tower solution

While a wonder of structural engineering with an iconic shape, the structure simply is not practical or fit-to-purpose anymore. One daring proposal from Studio Gang Architects (illustration by Jay Hoffman) involves adding dozens of upper stories, and nearly a million square feet, while leaving the shell of the original intact.

historic mirrored facade idea

A scheme by Cyril Marsollier and Wallo Villacorta won a competition to suggest alternatives with another approach – one that allows half of the building to be absorbed by a new structure, while reflecting the other half – using a mirror-image effect to preserve the complete appearance via a rather ingenious and nuanced illusion.

historic original humorous proposals

Critics exist on both sides. Some say this proposal strips away so much of the building and its context that what is left is really metaphorically (not just literally) a shell. Others suggest that any solution bends too far toward impracticality to accommodate an arguably unattractive building (many consider it an eyesore). Humorists like LunchBreath have weighed in as well, as seen above.

historic preservation proposal rendering

Meanwhile, the university itself does not seem interested in considering preservation options, so these concepts, while compelling, could well be moot in the end. Still, the High Line in New York is a great example of how enough public pressure and celebrity support can change the minds of an entire city, and perhaps a private institution as well.

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Lunar Soil Structures: 3D-Printing Dwellings on the Moon

10 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

3d printed space base

One of the biggest challenges of settlements in space is the cost of transporting materials and technologies for construction, a problem addressed beautifully via 3D printing technology in this architectural proposal (currently being prototyped on Earth).

3d robot space printer

The design by Foster + Partners (in conjunction with the European Space Agency) uses a minimum of imported materials – mainly: an inflatable core, pumped up into domes and tunnels on site.

3d base concept prototype

Yet despite its simplicity, the project addresses everything from extreme temperature fluctuations to gamma radiation in this ingenious multi-person dwelling, effectively allowing humans to bypass the need to burrow below the surface while still using it effectively as a shield.

3d space home model

The man-made domes at the center of the concept are augmented by 3D-printed material derived from locally-sourced soil – a concrete-style foam substance providing stability, safety and structural support.

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