Everyone has those one or two dishes that don’t match the rest, right? Well the clever folks at Belgian design firm MOOZ have found a use for them, just in time for the holidays! They took to the town of Hasselt, Belgium, known as the Capital of Taste, and asked locals to collect all their mis-matched plates and cups and donate them to the town’s holiday display deemed The Taste Tree. The almost 30-foot-tall collection of discarded dishes reflects the town’s passion for food and and drink, while demonstrating the community’s extraordinary effort to come together for the holidays. Read more.

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images © Michal Trpak

Don’t you just wish sometimes you could float out of the office unnoticed? Czech artist Michal Trpak has created a beautiful yet unnerving installation inside the European Business Center in Prague that resembles just that. “Slight Uncertainty” is a collection of concrete-looking figures, dressed in suits and carrying briefcases, dangling from the ceiling by colorful umbrellas. The figures look somber, but the canopy of umbrellas create a beautiful dance of color along the high ceilings of the building, reflecting that timeless love/hate work relationship universally shared around the world. Read more!

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images © BIG

We have some BIG news! The architectural wonderboy has done it again: Bjarke Ingels will soon be moving forward with a one-of-a-kind pyramid building along Manhattan’s west side. Real estate giant Douglas Durst has long be pondering what to do with his almost entire block of land at 57th street and the Hudson River, and after plans for a data center, a school, and even a hip hotel fell through, BIG stepped in to create the most unique building on the strip. This week, city planning commissioner Amanda Burden gave her official stamp of approval for the project, which is sure to become a hot spot for shopping, dining, and—last not but least—living! Read more.

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all images © AFP/Getty

Well, the world didn’t end today… at least not yet. However, if a last-minute apocalypse heads our way, one man has himself covered. Liu Qiyuan of Qiantun, China has spent his life savings building a number of End of the World pods that are supposed to withstand any storm. He compares his circular design, built with a super-strong fiberglass casing, to a ping-pong ball, saying “It’s skin may be thin, but it can withstand a lot of pressure.” The pods are outfitted to keep their inhabitants alive for up to two months on rations and oxygen tanks, while seat belts are provided for the undoubtedly bumping ride through the end of the world. Read more!

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images © Save the Wright House

Boy, has this been a crazy year for the old Frank Lloyd Wright house in Phoenix! The beautiful home Wright built for his son narrowly escaped demolition three times, and today has found a buyer that will (we hope!) save it from further turmoil. The house first hit the news when greedy developers wanted to knock it down in order to build a new complex. National outrage, including a scathing front-page New York Times article, stopped the demolition only temporarily, while the city scrambled to find a buyer for the home. Then it did! Then the buyer dropped out. Then a new one came along! And now the house will be in the good and capable hands of The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and an Arizona nonprofit that will keep it in beautiful, historic condition. Read more.

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If Goldilocks ever taught us anything, it’s that the perfect chair is hard to find. Some are too rigid and hard and some are so soft it’s a wonder you can even pull yourself from the cushion. The awesome ID5 Interactive Systems faculty  and students at UdK Berlin created a piece called “1001″ that is a supportive seat and comfortable chaise lounge in one. Using the utmost in new CAD design and technology, this amazing seat bends and curls to each intuitive human movement, making it perfect for any form of enjoyment. Read more!

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Images © Andrea Resmini

Descending into the underworld to ride the subway can be a bit scary. Many stations haven’t been renovated or thoroughly cleaned in decades, resulting in layers of grime, unpleasant odors, and, at times, scurrying vermin (eeek!). Thanks to the genius collaboration of Italian designer Oscar Tusquets Blanca and the company Bisazza Mosaic, one subterranean terminal in Naples is exactly the opposite. In fact, the Toledo Metropolitan Station is a dazzling work of art that resembles a scene from under the sea. Read more!

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St. Louis has the Arch, Seattle has the Space Needle, and now Phoenix will have its very own dazzling icon to join its skyline. BIG has been commissioned to build a 420-foot  observation tower smack in the middle of the city center. The enormous structure, which resembles a a sleek, white orb, will offer visitors views of the city below, the surrounding mountain ranges, and breathtaking sunsets. Decked out with a spiraling system of open-air platforms, this observation tower is a one-of-a-kind  attraction  waiting to be climbed by millions. Read more!

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Don’t you ever wonder what the inside of that modern-looking house on your block looks like? Do you ever try to sneak a peek through their parlor windows when you walk by? Japanese architect Hiroshi Nakamura has made this design voyeurism possible — and less creepy — with his beautiful Optical Glass House. This abode along a busy street in Hiroshima is mostly hidden but boasts an incredible glass-encased garden along the facade. The garden is surrounded by 6,000 glass bricks, strung together with cable wires to create a glossy curtain. The glass is not entirely transparent, which creates an amazing mosaic effect for those attempting to look into the space. Read more!

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Images courtesy of Bing Maps/Jason Schmidt

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. For Zaha Hadid, it’s more like if New York says no, take over Miami! After losing out to Norman Foster to build what would be her first American high-rise  in Midtown Manhattan, Hadid has instead been asked to build one in Miami. There is no design yet, but the building’s location is rumored to be at 1000 Biscayne Boulevard on Miami’s waterfront Museum Park. While details are extremely slim, developers say the design will be unveiled early next year. This will not only be Hadid’s first American skyscraper, but also her first in the entire Western Hemisphere. It’s about time!

[via archpaper]

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