(photos: Cardok) Cardok Mono Underground Parking | US$PoA | http://www.cardok.co.uk

whether you want to keep your precious ride from prying eyes or just love the idea of having more landscaping in your front yard, you would love Cardok Mono Underground Parking. described by its maker as “a special solution to enable secure underground parking whilst maintaining your garden”, the Cardok Mono stows your precious vehicle away and safely out of sight in a special water tight “car container” buried underground, complete with its own backup generator and of course, remote control – thus leaving you to further explore the possibility of beautifying your front yard landscape. other features include an integrated water sump for collection of water dripping from car or rain when the platform is raised, build-in water pump for removal of collected water, anti-corrosion design, maintenance-free, and most importantly, quiet operation. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Cardok, Garage, Home Improvement, Parking System

(photos: CORE) Chelsea Steampunk-inspired Apartment | US$1,750,000.00 | www.corenyc.com

is there a relation between steampunk and a Zeppelin? probably nothing unless you take Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow a little too seriously. nevertheless, that doesn’t stop a 32-foot long Zeppelin programmable LED lighting system from infiltrating this steampunk-inspired apartment at 120 West 29th Street, 2. the huge LED light system may be the center of attraction of this 1,800 square foot one-bedroom apartment but adorning the apartment is a huge assortment of gears, nautical accessories, parachutes, as well as various vintage (and no doubt brassy) machineries that gives this unique apartment the unmistakable steampunk flavor – or should I say, a very sea-theme steampunk interior décor? Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Apartment, Architecture, CORE, Interior Design, Real Estate, Steampunk

(photos: City of Cupertino’s Public Records)

i have love and hate feeling for floor plans but i absolutely love renders of proposed designs, so it is obvious that i did not really managed to scrutinize every bit of this recently published complete proposal for the Apple new mothership campus. i know i was pretty impressed by the renders. whether they will turn out to be like what it was rendered, is yet another story. anyway, if you love Apple and has an insatiable appetite for anything that comes out from the fruity company, then perhaps the following gallery of renderings and plans detailing the future campus would interest you. oh, among the plans, there are “proposed research and development buildings”, which could only mean one thing: more shiny new gadgets with new innovation coming our way in the future. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Apple, Architecture, City of Cupertino

(image: Thomas Mayer)

we are familiar with roller coasters but have you heard of a walkable one? well, soon there will be one in Duisburg, Germany. this particular walkable, huge outdoor structure (or sculpture, if you like) entitled Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain is sculptured after a roller coaster thrill ride complete with loop, bends and a roller coaster’s signature undulating profile. except that this ‘roller coaster’ does not have a ride to thrill us but instead, it has stairs for visitors to walk along the whole length – well, almost. of course, you don’t expect yourself to walk upside down, anyway, do you? which means, your walk should terminated around that loop point. kind of disappointing, eh? Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Heike Mutter + Ulrich Genth, Holiday Destinations, Leisure, Magic Mountain, Roller Coaster, Sculpture, Travel

(image: eVolo) Limited Edition EVOLO SKYSCRAPERS Book (Hardcover) | US$120.00 | www.evolo.us

architecture fans looking for the perfect coffee table are in for a treat. eVolo, an architecture and design journal, has announced the Limited Edition EVOLO SKYSCRAPERS Book (Hardcover). the book covers 300 outstanding projects selected from the eVolo Skyscraper Competition held over the last six years. the 300 featured projects are present to readers and collectors in a glorious, juggernaut 1224 full-color pages hardcover book. ok, maybe a thousand plus pages can’t be considered as a coffee table book but it is nevertheless a perfect book for architecture enthusiasts with special interest in skyscraper concepts that utilizes new technologies, materials, spatial organizations and unconventional aesthetics. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Books, eVolo, Limited Edition, Skyscraper

(credit: Ivan Filipovic)

what do you get when you mash up a boat and a hotel? if you ask Serbian architect Ivan Filipovic, he will tell you ‘Botel’. that’s right, ‘Botel’ is Filipovic’s concept floating hotel that features rooms (or cabins, if you like) that can be undocked and sail away to explore the bay’s vicinity. the ‘Botel’ has a central mobile base with 22 rooms, where the base can be anchored in any calm bay after which individual rooms can set sail to explore the bay open water area at their own pace. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Botel, Concept Design, Floating Home, Hotel, Ivan Filipovic

(image credit: Elite HTS) Hollywood Movie Themed Home Theater Setup | US$PoA | www.elitehometheaterseating.com

if you are looking for an ultimate home theater setup that’s beyond audio and video, we have exactly the place for you. how about a home theater that is themed after the Pirates of the Caribbean that comes complete with a pirate tavern, a captain’s helm, a vintage paved entrance and a ticketing booth? every aspect of the interior is adorned and decorated to closely replicate a real pirate ship. the set up is probably so real that you will be forgiven to think you are onboard a pirate ship. conceptualized by specialist theater seat maker Elite Home Theater Seating, this uber-cool Hollywood movie themed home theater cost a whopping $2.5 million. however, if Pirates are not your cup of tea, Elite shows you that they can do more, such as a Batcave-themed home theater. needless to say, this kind of extravagant setup will have a ‘price on application’ price tag. hit the jump for a few more render of this awesome home theater setup. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Elite Home Theater Seating, Home Entertainment System, Home Theater System, Interior Design

(credit: +pool)

we cool gadgets are not the only love we have. we love cool ideas, as well as cool places. speaking of which, the +pool (‘PlusPool’) happens to be one such cool idea (eventually a place). in fact, i will say it is super cool. the idea pitched by designers Dong-Ding Wong, Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeffrey Franklin is simple: they want you to be able to swim in New York’s river in the sweltering hot summer but there is just one problem: the river by itself isn’t exactly the cleanest to do so and hence, the idea of +pool is born. so what really is +pool? Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: +Pool, Architecture, Kickstarter, Leisure, Outdoor Activities, Plus Pool, Swimming

(credit: via Hypebeast)

those residing in Asia would likely be familiar with Japan’s lifestyle brand Muji. most notable for its minimalist designs for product ranging from nail clippers to housewares to wardrobe fashion, it has now undertaken the task of building homes around Japan. the dwelling is based on the concept of “living in the form of thinking” which honestly, i don’t quite get it. all i know that these houses will appeal to those who seeks zen-like minimalist designs. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Interior Design, Muji

(image credit: UGO Architecture)

i do not have the fitness or interest in rock climbing but for those who have a deep passion for it, you would definitely going to dig this: a hostel that also lets you scale the rock on it. conceptualized by Polish UGO Architecture is the Barcelona Rock – a 100 meter tall structure that has a facade of natural rock mountain and concealed behind this vertical rock is Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Concept Design, Hostels, Rock Climbing, Skyscraper, UGO Architecture

(credit: Off Architecture / PR Architects / Samuel Nageotte)

in the future, earth’s habitable places will be overcrowded and it is imperative that mankind starts dreaming up of ways to contain the burgeoning population. we can’t go on and flatten our mountain reserves for our selfish purpose of habitation, so why not start from under the bridges? at least that’s what one beautiful winning concept submitted by Off Architecture, PR Architects and Samuel Nageotte for the ‘Solar Park South‘ online competition proposed to do. though, not so much for increasing dwelling but more for maximization and sustainability. Solar Park South aims to find ideas for a sustainable redevelopment of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway sections between Scilla and Bagnara in Calabria, Italy. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Concept Design, Off Architecture, PR Architects, Samuel Nageotte, Solar Park South

(credit: Nau Architects)

when we think about mobile home, we see caravans but that is now. in the future, mobile home dwellers could be living on top of someone else’s roofs, not a caravan park. conceptualized by Nau Architects, the Living Roof capsule is a 28-foot long dwelling that is designed to sit on empty roofs in urban areas and the best part is, this mobile home is completely self-sustaining. it is capable of generating more power than it requires with its photovoltaic cells, wind turbines and it even collects rainwater. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Capsule House, Concept Design, Eco-friendly, Living Roof, Mobile Home, Nau Architects, Solar Power, Sustainable Energy

(credit: frenchkitchen)

this is first for this blog: featuring a chicken coop. i find this chicken coop constructed from cedar woods too beautiful to give it a pass. i favor chicken’s eggs but am no fan of chicken themselves. anyway, frenchkitchen posted on instructables a custom chicken coop that he constructed for his bunch of lovely chickens and apparently, the environment is so conducive that he is getting an egg a day from each of the chicken. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Chicken Coop, Instructables, Pet Care, Pets

(credit: Pod Up North)

designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen back in 1968, this UFO-looking house was once up for grab but has since turned into a holiday accommodation that will make any alien-enthusiasts smile. you got to admit that the design of the house looks very 60s-futuristic and i can’t help but to think of Lost in Space. i know, the Robinsons don’t have such an alien aircraft, but you get the idea. like a true blue UFO as we earthlings have imagined them, it features a retractable stairway that pops out at a touch of a button and this happens to be the only entry and exit point. what? no ray to beam you down? we don’t have it now, so it is certain that they don’t have it back in the 60s either.

on the more conventional end, this three level house includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. there’s also a couple of row boats to boot, just in case you want to spend your time out on the water instead of your alien abode. check out some beautiful images surrounding this UFO-like house after break. in anyway, you can have a chance to reside in this UFO-like architecture for just $425 a week via PopUpNorth.com. according to PopUpNorth.com, they believe that there are about 16 or 17 of such pod in the USA and they also believe theirs is the only one that is up for rent as a vacation home.

PopUpNorth.com via Born Rich

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Chalets, Holiday Destinations, UFOs

(image credit: Christian Pottgiesser Architects) a giant work desk dominates the general office area

when it comes to office spaces, not many designers can really think out of the box. what we usually see is the common monotonous low partition walls or at best, it will be an open concept system. however, the offices of PONS + HUOT really opens our eyes with its open-spaciousness and yet providing each employee with a personal space, less the traditional partitions.

designed by French firm Christian Pottgiesser Architects, the PONS + HUOT general workspace centers on a enormous wooden desk that links up the members of the company. providing the member the retreat of a personal space is a space-age looking clear plexiglas bubbles dotted around the enormous desk.

(image credit: Christian Pottgiesser Architects) Pons + Huot office – chill out, anyone?

the enormous desk not only let employee has a sense of connection between them but also gives each member a good useable real estate for them to work around. something which a cubicle-bound staff would fully appreciate. like Oh Gizmo!’s Liszewski, i’m thankful that my days of cubicle are over.

(image credit: Christian Pottgiesser Architects) Pons + Huot office – a render of the interior design

compensating for the lack of external views, the PONS + HUOT office creates its very own environment by the way of trees with high canopy littered around the giant work desk. what’s even more impressive is this huge workspace is actually located above a meeting area and a staff member chill out area. effectively, making the workspace a loft area environment which looks to be very inviting (i know, i feel kind of odd saying that).

Christian Pottgiesser Architects (FR) via Oh Gizmo!

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Interior Design

(image credit: Doepel Strijkers Architects)

we hardly post anything on interior design, but we shouldn’t shy away from this subject, which is after all, part of an architecture. here’s one impressive interior conceived by Holland-based Doepel Strijkers Architects to kick start our foray into interior design column. the subject in question is the HAKA Building, a pre-war factory which Doepel Strijkers Architects was task to convert into a “clean tech living lab” for eco-friendly water and energy institutions. the result is this stunning ultra-modernist, contemporary and eco-friendly interior.

in an effort to reduce wastage in terms of energy and transportation, both in financial dollars and environmental point-of-view, all materials used for the interior build-up are sourced locally. the team even went to the extent to savage materials from demolition sites such as those doors that were used to form the meeting room. the list of recycled materials-based furniture and decors are certainly impressive: recycled wood and planks sculptured into seatings and stage, recycled doors transformed an otherwise open space into an unique and uberly-cool meeting room, and check this out – a colorful and flexible acoustic wall created out of 17,700 pounds (about 8,000 kg) of old clothing. it is truly a sight to behold.

putting up all these together is a group of ex-convicts under professional guidance. the ex-cons provide a source of affordable labour, and at the same time, injects a sense of social consciousness into this eco-centric project. we are extremely impressed and we are sure you would too. check out more awesome images of this interior design work below and also note my personal favorite – the vertically hanging fluorescent light tubes.

via FRAME

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Eco-friendly, Interior Design

(image credit: Inhabitat)

a treehouse is every child’s dream playground, perhaps because it offers a hideaway sanctuary for a child to play out his fantasy either in the backyard of the house or for those adventurous at heart, at the fringe of some forested area. the dream of treehouse isn’t lost when we grow up. take for example, this awesome twenty-foot treehouse in Okinawa, Japan modeled after a life-size banyan tree – albeit it not being a real tree but a concrete structure complete with a restaurant nested among its branches, an elevator within its trunk and a spiral staircase at its back for accessing the restaurant.

 
the restaurant in question is the Nana Harbor Diner which specializes in locally grown and organic foods. this magnificent treehouse restaurant is located within the, what do we know? a Banyan Town shopping center! which is near the entrance of Onoyama Park.

via Inhabitat

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Restaurants, Treehouse

(image credit: Vincent Callebaut Architectures)

it is said that the global water level will continue to rise, putting those residing in low-lying areas at risk of being displaced, thus becoming refugees of climate change. it may sound like something that will only happen in a movie like 2012, but this unpleasant prospect might well be very real. it is certainly not too late for us to think into the future and crack our brain to think of how we will cope with such calamity. one, and possibly the only solution to counter such rising tide scenario would be a floating island or city and Vincent Callebaut Architectures‘ concept, Lilypad, is a completely self-sustainable floating Ecopolis that is intended for such purpose.

capable of housing up to 50,000 people within its 500,000 m2 surface and sub-surface area, this stunning floating architecture of the future drew its inspiration from the highly ribbed leave of the great lilypad of Amazonia Victoria Regia. Lilypad is designed to be a zero carbon emission city through the integration with all forms of renewable energies such as solar, thermal, wind, tidal energy et cetera. the double layer skin of this amazing architecture is made of polyester fibers covered by a layer of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), which would react with ultraviolet rays and absorb atmospheric pollution via a photocatalytic effect, thereby purifying the air.

we have not seen a lot of floating city but from the few concepts that we have witnessed, the Lilypad is perhaps the most breathtaking and phenomenal concept to date. needless to say, this won’t be happening anytime soon as Callebaut has designed the Lilypad with a vision set in 2100 which, judging from the recent drastic climate changes in recent years, could be a little too late. nevertheless, we hope this stunning work would receive the attention from designers, architects, private and government institutions from around the world and hence, set forth to provide a practical solution to the climate change refugees.

via Inhabitat

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Floating City, Floating Home