Campsite is a New York based design blog and studio run by visual designer Max Ritt.
Graphic designer Mike Joyce has an ongoing project called swissted where he recreates rock posters through the lens of Swiss modernism. The resulting posters are a beautiful study in the practice of design, and for some reason have a much greater intrigue than all those minimalist movie poster interpretations that have been circulating.
Modern Pictograms is my favorite new “font”. These perfectly designed pictograms are a great touch for web and interface designers to make use of in projects. You can pop over to Font Squirrel to download them where they are licensed under the SIL Open Font License.
(via Quipsologies »)
I like many other creatives before and after me spent a not so brief stint in the coffee world, and until recently I let that form my entire view of what coffee could and should be. Now I have put enough distance between myself and that past that I can start to appreciate minimal fixtures like this one. The Scanomat Top Brewer easily integrates with your iPhone or iPad, and can spew your favorite pipping beverage right up from the innards of your kitchen counter with a simple tap from the app. Not so little things like this home coffee geyser really let me know we are living in the future.
(via Minimalissimo »)
The Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland hangs on the edge of the sea with panoramic views of both the water and mountains. So it stands to reason that Henning Larsen Architects would want to mimic the natural surroundings in the structure. For the facade they collaborated with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson who created a design which so vividly captures the colors and movement of the sea, and also since the glass is highly reflective actually interacts with the changes of light and texture of the water.
Co-working spaces seem to be one of the hippest new trends, and with spaces like this one designed by Fabric Urban Design Office why shouldn’t they be. FS2 as it is called was an unused warehouse, which was converted into a unique co-working space.
(via NOTCOT »)
The experimental work of Zaha Hadid has never been my cup of tea, but this amazing aquatics center for the 2012 London Olympic games is awesome. In a massive public arena like this her touch with the flowing expanses of concrete, metal and glass make for a magnificent space.
There are so many great details, which work together to make this house so functional. I can’t tell what idea I like better in this design by Mell Lawrence Architects, whether it is the puppy window, or the concrete steps. Also the artist studio on the property would be an amazing workspace to run a design studio from.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
The residential architecture of Bruce Bolander pairs highly livable designs with function driven use of materials, which will most certainly stand the test of time. This home in Malibu is a great example of this with the steel beams, metal siding and concrete surfaces.
(via materialicious »)
Poised just above sea level looking out onto the Baltic Sea, Villa Plus, not to be confused with Plus Pool is a nice simple modern home. Designed by architects Waldermarson Berglund the aesthetic is nautical meets modernism, with lots of finely crafted wood work, and plenty of wide format windows to enjoy the views out of. My favorite aspect has to be the use of wood clapboards both inside and out creating a nice play between the two separate environments.
The IMA Visitors Pavilion acts as the entrance to the art and nature park beyond it. In addition it becomes a place for conversation and reflection about what has been seen and discovered. Marlon Blackwell Architect designed this building with the goal of creating a more tangible link between visitors and the outdoor component of the museum. The slightly raised platform of the structure blends into the forest floor and creates a nice transition from the built world to the organic nature park.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
This interesting interior is the Oosterpoort Cultural Center in the Netherlands designed by Onix. The design creates a wonderful flow between the open display area and the front desk and lower level. Using a material like this vibrant wood across different levels of a space, from the floor covering to desks and furniture and up into the ceiling treatment gives this space a nice unity of space and adds a much needed warming of otherwise stark concrete space.
(via ArchDaily »)
Unique and well designed working environments put people in a better state of mind to be creative and make decisions. In a work place, which perpetually feels as though it is moving at high speed people react to that pressure either by making fast and faulty decisions or doing sloppy work in order to keep pace with their surroundings.
SEI Investment has turned the clock back for it’s employees to a time when we were still making discoveries and life was about enjoyment. Their 650,000 square foot headquarters, designed by Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle is much more aptly described as a campus.
(via ArchDaily »)
The Kobayashi family were looking for a unique type of residence for a weekend retreat and Shin Ohori of General Design gave them just that. More campsite and less house this modern camping platform is a perfect place for the Kobayashi family to test their outdoor clothing and gear designs in the real elements. Two hours northwest of Tokyo in the Chichibu mountain range this structure blends in beautifully with the wooded landscape. Despite it’s rustic look there are plenty of amenities available here. After a day of trimming branches and putting up wood Setsumasa and Mami Kobayashi and their guests can hop on the wifi and surf the internet or enjoy a soak in the claw foot bath tub, which is strategically hidden behind corrugated plastic paneling. In addition all the photographs here are by one of my favorite Dwell photographers Dean Kaufman. You can see more shots of the camping platform after the jump.
(via The Fox Is Black »)
Indigenous is not a term that is usually used in the context of architecture, but in the case of Sambuichi Architects I don’t really feel like there is another singular word that could be used to describe there work. Using native materials like crushed stone, Japanese cypress and extensive site research Sambuichi is able to create designs that are one with their location and environment. Base Valley House pictured here is a breath taking design, and you can very easily see these techniques in practice. In a few of the photos you cannot tell if the space is inside or out or merely protected outdoor space. The flow of light and in air between the house and the surrounding environment seems perfect.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
Building simple modern dwellings atop ruins or existing foundations has always intrigued me and creates an amazing aesthetic, and juxtaposition. This example in Paderne Portugal, designed by Spanish architect Carlos Quintáns Eiras is amazing. The views out of the wide glass windows and it’s siting perched at the crest of a hill are so perfect.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
Using some pinnacle quotes that have become almost dogmatic to the design world Michael Beirut created these program designs for a Gala and award presentation at the Architecture League on March 8th. Massimo and his wife Lella were awarded the President’s Medal(past recipients of which include John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Hugh Ferriss, Joseph Urban, Richard Meier, Robert A.M. Stern, and Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown) from the AL “in recognition of a body of work so influential in its breadth that it has shaped the very way we see the world.” And in some ways how we experience and interact with the world, the prime example being Vignelli’s work for the New York Transit system.
One life is too short for doing everything.
We like design to be visually powerful, intellectually elegant, and above all timeless.
If you can design one thing, you can design everything.
If you do it right, it will last forever.
The life of a designer is a life of fight against the ugliness.
(via WANKEN »)
Eastern Design Office designed this super unique house design that reminds me of futuristic interpretations of trains and transportation from the 1940′s and 1950′s. Called Horizontal House. The layout creates one of the most interesting architectural details I have seen in quite a while. Where the two main sections of the house meet there is a rounded corner with a curved pane of glass that matches the shape of the corner. When you stand facing the corner you get this surreal vantage point. You can see the entire courtyard and down both hallways within the house simultaneously.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
Haus K is a nice simple design by Yes Architecture, many of the aesthetic cues are taken from local architecture so the house could harmonize with it’s surroundings. The brick structure they built on top of was originally a wine cellar and one room wine press, and instead of demolishing the existing structure and building in it’s place the architects chose to use it’s existing brick layout as a foundation of sorts for the new house. I only wish there was some better information and more images of Haus K available.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
I posted about Bearth & Deplazes previously here, and for the second time I have stumbled across their work and been completely enamored. They design these amazing solutions for extremely remote building sites and for structures that usually have little design. This project Skilift Carmenna they designed both integrates with the natural environment, in winter it is cover in snow and summer the roof is grass covered, but it also adds a level of visual interest to what is normally a bland utilitarian structure.
Due to the location of this project, the ski area is in Arosa, Switzerland the material choice had to be very specific. Everything needed to be light and easily transportable by helicopter. So they chose simple things like plastic and corrugated metal sheeting, wood. Despite this minimalist palette they were able to create astounding modern building that truly fit their purpose and surroundings. That to me is part of what defines architecture.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
This renovation, which is better described as a transformation, by Kistler Vogt Architects updates a classic farmhouse into a modern home that balances it’s history with new minimalist interiors. Often in architecture use of clashing materials or styles can create something completely new beautiful. Here the classic roof tiles are juxtaposed with the large glass expanses which break up the original exterior walls.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
