Have you ever been sitting in your panic room during a home invasion and thought to yourself: Why the heck don't I have my collection of prized wines down here? Most of us know that helplessly monitoring armed intruders in ski masks while they pillage your parlor goes down easier with a spot of 19th century Madeira. "Oh, look at that," you'd say, staring at the grainy black-and-white image while absently swirling your glass, "the little bastards are taking the Rembrandt."
There's this company called Spiral Cellars that doesn't really make panic rooms, but they do make these cool turnkey wine cellars. They do everything: These guys show up in a van, jackhammer through your foundation, build this crazy spiral staircase that's got the wine bottles stored in a spiral around the periphery, and even take care of the paperwork with your local government.
Okay so I realize this is out of the reach of most of us--I think if I was that rich, I wouldn't ever even need to look at the internet--but relatability be damned, I can't help but find this company and their product fascinating, what with their wide variety of motorized trap doors and the like. And while home invasion isn't cool, panic rooms and secret wine cellars are cool. Very, very cool.
If you reside in an earthquake-prone area, this next bit of information may interest you. A research team comprised of experts from five universities is currently working on a way to build earthquake-poof structures from wood. So far, their results appear promising. On July 14th at Japan’s Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center (that’s a mouthful) researchers performed a test on a seven-story wood condominium weighing one million pounds. The condo was placed on an E-Defense Shake Table, the largest in the world, and survived a simulated quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale.If you reside in an earthquake-prone area, this next bit of information may interest... more
The full size two-storey Lego house created by Top Gear presenter James May faces might have to be scrapped as plans to sell it to Legoland fell through
The house will be demolished on tomorrow if a new owner cannot be found in time. Top Gear's website has set up a Facebook page in an attempt to find a buyer.
Legoland now say it is too expensive for them to move the house to Windsor.
Bad news for the 1,000 volunteers who built it, maybe the £50,000 needed can be raised in time, but not sure even Lego can perform this feat.The full size two-storey Lego house created by Top Gear presenter James May faces... more
"I was there. I was in New York City. I was 21 years old and had a plane ticket booked to leave out of JFK on American Airlines for September 13th to London.
Tuesday. I remember the ceaseless noise of sirens. Trash floating in the street. The city a barren wasteland.
Papers plastered everywhere on every possible surface with faces and names scrawled underneath begging for any information about loved ones. College kids my age. I stared at a picture of a boy. It was a recent photo. It said he was on a high floor. I knew he was dead. He looked so alive in the photo. Handsome, even. But the shaky pen on the flyer begged for information. His picture was one of thousands on walls, on lamp posts, across the city. I fingered these papers. Hopeless cries for help, dirty and dusty from other fingerprints that had done exactly what I had just done—tried to touch their souls.
No one understood. The world had changed forever...." (TO READ THE FULL STORY VISIT WWW.ONEOF365.COM)"I was there. I was in New York City. I was 21 years old and had a plane ticket... more
Humans continue burning the midnight oil working out complex algorithms that will give us viable sustainability solutions for our future dwellings, but it turns out that the tiny winged insects had it right all along.
Thanks to the power of high-tech 3D imagery, scientists have finally figured out the ins and outs of termites' eco-friendly architectural skills in the hope that they will soon be able to apply the simple yet sophisticated systems to human structures that work with Mother Nature rather than against her.Believe it or not, termites are the answer!
Humans continue burning the midnight... more
For years, we had a tub of Legos sitting in our basement. Our kids weren’t really into Legos, although they’d build something from time to time.
Well, British television host James May is going to live in a colorful house built of Legos, located on the grounds of Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey. It’s the first house constructed entirely of Legos, and some 2 million Lego blocks have already been used in the construction.
The idea came up “over a beer,” May said. He and his friend were talking about what they would have built if they had had enough Legos.For years, we had a tub of Legos sitting in our basement. Our kids weren’t really... more
Creating "living zones" smack dab in the middle of vast expanses of sand is nothing new -- gangster Bugsy Siegel launched the trend with his then-crazy Las Vegas plan, and look at how well that's taken hold. Typically, such marvels of planning, development and execution are a bane to the Earth since they require so many resources to sustain. Not so with Masdar City, the world's first entirely contained zero footprint microcosm of green technology, architecture and sheer innovation.Creating "living zones" smack dab in the middle of vast expanses of sand is nothing... more
The house is made of prefab concrete and then built together on site. The use of glass is reserved for the front and the back of the house using aluminum as a frame material. The placement of this big windows takes the views and displays it as a big wallpaper. I would agree that the house needs a little bit more of decoration as it looks like a nuclear silo… maybe a wall or two in dark charcoal and bright yellow and you are done.
Read the rest of this entry »The house is made of prefab concrete and then built together on site. The use of glass... more
From the street, this Edwardian house might seem unassuming, undeserving of a second glance. From the back, however, the addition to the Trojan House by Jackson Clements Burrows, where three children’s bedrooms are cantilevered above a large living space, is anything but ordinary.From the street, this Edwardian house might seem unassuming, undeserving of a second... more
The project started as a very strong need from the client in regards to the possibility to create a summer house using these parameters: the monetary expense and the footprint. Raw concrete floors, industrial grade windows and wood siding creates a space that’s more unique. Almost like a modern hunter’s cabin with a strong presence.The project started as a very strong need from the client in regards to the... more
The creative designers from 7XA Taller de Arquitectura have started by carefully choosing the location to sport the best view of the Sierra Madre Mountains and then they nestled a minimalist design of a partially open-air house close to El Uro in Mexico. Crafted by Angel López and Carlos Ortiz to suits your personality, the 900 sqm house charms with its impressive design (exudes power and strength), the rich interiors, the perfect lawn and the stylish swimming pool where you can dive after a hot summer day. Magnificent is simply an understatement! – viaThe creative designers from 7XA Taller de Arquitectura have started by carefully... more
The 2009 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion designed by Japanese designers SANAA opens to the public in London tomorrow. Here we present a quick guide to all the Serpentine Gallery Pavilions (including the 2003 incarnation, above, by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer) since the series was inaugurated in 2000. (more…)The 2009 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion designed by Japanese designers SANAA opens to the... more
Dutch architects Ateliereen Architecten have completed a 25 metre tall viewing tower at an outdoor sports park in Reusel, the Netherlands. (more…)Dutch architects Ateliereen Architecten have completed a 25 metre tall viewing tower... more
Polish architecture practice moomoo architects have designed a house that will be clad entirely in a plastic insulating material normally used for roofing. (more…)Polish architecture practice moomoo architects have designed a house that will be clad... more
Kiyonobu Nakagame & Associates designed a villa on the Boso Peninsula, east of Tokyo. Even though the residence is less that two hours from the city, the natural setting surrounding the home could not be any more different from the chaotic streets of the downtown Tokyo area. The secluded setting allows the home to take full advantage of the landscape and provide a great space for relaxation. The minimalistic design creates wide spacious areas to sit and become lost in the panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean to the front, and magnificent views of the mountain ranges in the back. “Having these [the views] in our mind, we came up with the design concept to provide the one continuous wall folded in different directions setting up the various views,” explained the architects. This continuous wall does not create a bulky structure that is intrusive on the landscape, but rather, the folded wall creates an elegant residence that embraces the surroundings by making the users focus on the natural instead of the built.Kiyonobu Nakagame & Associates designed a villa on the Boso Peninsula, east of Tokyo.... more
old beijing is composed of hutongs, alleys of communal courtyard homes.
MAD architects has suggested a type of new urban lifestyle by inserting the modern
architectural structure 'hutong bubble 32' into a traditional hutong building.
'hutong bubble 32' includes a bathroom since residents of hutongs usually have limited space
with no indoor bathroom, and includes a staircase to the roof garden.
taking the shape of a bubble, it is attached to the wooden column and brick structure
of the old building.old beijing is composed of hutongs, alleys of communal courtyard homes.
MAD... more
Everyone hears the story over and over: Wal-Mart wants to build somewhere. Supporters say it will bring more jobs and tax revenue. Opponents say it will bring traffic and sprawl.
(Chang, A., 2009, August, 24, par.1)
But there's one thing that makes a Wal-Mart skirmish in Orange County, Va. — about 50 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. — different from the others. People on both sides of the battle lines are united by a common passion: the Civil War.
(Chang, A., 2009, August, 24, par.2)
Wal-Mart wants to build its super store near where a portion of the Battle of the Wilderness was fought — on top of a hill that overlooks grassy fields and dense woods. Wal-Mart says it's not building on actual battlefield land. Its store would be on the edge, outside the national park. The preservationists disagree. They say the proposed site might not be where actual fighting occurred, but it's where a lot of war activity took place, such as where armies ran medical teams and reinforcements up and down.
(Chang, A., 2009, August, 24, par.3)
Maybe a lot of people don't know the Battle of the Wilderness, but for many of the folks fighting over the Wal-Mart, the Civil War is in their blood.
(Chang, A., 2009, August, 24, sec. Civil War Ancestors, par.1)Everyone hears the story over and over: Wal-Mart wants to build somewhere. Supporters... more
Somehow, somewhere, one billion bouncing babies are telepathically engaged in a rousing round of applause. That's because they just learned that the by-product of their early years will be leaping out of the landfills and into a very unlikely application...Somehow, somewhere, one billion bouncing babies are telepathically engaged in a... more
The Video Explains it all but just to give a little insight: the building was trying to be imploded but because of the excellent construction the building just toppled and rolled over.
Go to link above to see the vid!!The Video Explains it all but just to give a little insight: the building was trying... more
A HOUSE built from straw may seem like the stuff of fairy tales – but it has become reality for one Yorkshire family.
From start to finish, it has taken Carol Atkinson and her son, Sam, 16 months to complete the eco-friendly, two-bedroomed cottage at their farm at Brind, near Howden, which will open to the public today and tomorrow.
Mrs Atkinson said: "A lot of love and a lot of effort has gone into the cottage. We have lived and breathed it for 16 months. Somebody asked me if I was going to miss it but I haven't had time to think about it. Now it's finished I've realised how much I will."
The house is made from locally sourced natural materials including wheat straw, hemp, timber sheep's wool, lime render and clay plaster.A HOUSE built from straw may seem like the stuff of fairy tales – but it has become... more
