This is a slick photo by Christoph Benfey. Its crazy to see how all these new developments in Toronto have taken over the skyline. As cool as it looks now (At night only), the architecture is so cookie cutter, I can imagine how awful it will look in 10 years. Hopefully they come down as fast as they go up…
Click to see full size.
by cantileverandpress, made from reclaimed wood. As soon as theyre back in stock, I want one. I need one.
Get yours here.
Asylum: Inside The Closed World State Of Mental Hospitals by Architect and Photographer Christopher Payne has me absolutely buzzing…
The images are amazing, and showcases the architecture and natural design of decay within the structures as they sit to rot. See Dwell’s Slide Show for more images, they’re outstanding.
Yesterday for lunch I ventured to Caplansky’s Delicatessen, located at 356 College St ( Just west of Kensington market). We walked up at 12pm on a Friday afternoon and I knew I’d like the spot as soon as I saw the beautiful classic blue sign and simple decor, plus the place was rammed, with a line up of people grumbling due to the fact that the most talked about smoked meat deli, was fresh out of smoked meat. We noticed the patio was free, and asked for a seat ( It was pretty cold outside, but not THAT cold).
We over heard the owner, Zane Caplansky say that in 2 weeks, they have been through 10,000 lbs of meat. WOW, Thats an awful lot, especially when it takes up to 2 weeks to cure and smoke it by hand, which they do.
We ordered the breakfast specials, which includes smoked beef bacon (yes, Its real, and yes its amazing), a few eggs, latkes and challah. Ill be honest, best breakfast I’ve had in Toronto. Now, the rave is about the smoked meat, and by the glimpse I got with my beef, im ready to eat. We ended up speaking to Zane, who was very humble and real and said he will not have any until around Oct 1st. Fine by me, im patient… I commented on the decor, which I was in love with, ( And Zane, its not a bad website either), he told me the interior architecture was done by a 70 yr old Architect ( but my memory is horrible and I cant remember his name). When I find out i’ll update…
Basically, go eat at Caplansky’s next week. Youll love it.
I’ve been dreaming of making Lego things for years, and this tops all my ideas…
816 Million pieces of Lego. 816,000,000…
Amazing. via Fubiz
When you buy some land, rig it and get it ready to be habitable and then see this coming down the street, you wonder – “Did I make the right decision?”
I think you did. A HABODE – designed by International Housing Solutions Ltd is a pre-fabricated home that arrives on a truck, and folds out similar to a transformer. It can be shipped practically anywhere as it meets international shipping standards, and at about 860 sq feet, it’s quite brilliantly designed.
If I ever buy cottage land in Northern Ontario, I will be considering a Habode.
Art, Fashion And Architecture is the name of the new book available from Louis Vuitton in September of this year. Here’s the video to promote it…
Filed under: Architecture
I love homes that make a statement. and if you happen to be traveling through Australia 2 hours from Melbourne at night, and come across this:
You’d never forget it.
“Architect Jesse Judd designed this house as a weekend retreat for his family. On one level it’s a sleek, modern home, but on another it’s a utilitarian bush shack that celebrates the spirit of the Aussie holiday: Cricket is on television, the adults sit around chatting, and the children scoot around the deck on their bikes. Miesian echoes aside, this is a robust house built for family fun.” – Dwell
“The house is self-sufficient except for the power supply it shares with a scattering of farms and bush dwellings in the district. (When the house is unoccupied, the power is shut down altogether.) Rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in two of the largest tanks Judd could find. “We had 30 people here over Christmas and everyone had a shower,” he says with satisfaction, adding that solar power was deemed impractical for hot water, given that the house is either completely empty or teeming with people. The water tanks are raised so that gravity forces water to slosh continually through the covered gutters and downpipes, providing some protection against bush fires.”
Read more at DWELL.
My wife and I have dreamed constantly about taking off to the country and adopting a farmhouse of some sort. A lot of land, a hobby farm maybe and a great place to design green without worrying too much about zoning laws, street views, neighbors, etc. When I saw the I house (Created by Moomoo), and read about its creation, I fell in love instantly and could easily see my later years ending in something as stunning.
Moomoo Architects have designed a house to be located in Łódź, Poland, that will be clad entirely in a plastic insulating material normally used for roofing (Thermopian). Which in Canada means warmth thoughout the winter months, and the cool stays in during the summer months. The big retaining wall, would offer a lot of shade if your lot of land lacks trees, or it would cover you from a road or a neighbor if you’re near one. In this case, due to zoning laws, the building must be parallel to plot borders, so they built a wall to do so.
Thermopian (which is the buildings exterior) has good thermal, acoustic and insulating properties and it can have any required colour, meaning endless opportunities to blend into nature, or to compliment it.
This building is planned to be completed in 2010. Thanks to Dezeen for the great article.
