These mailboxes by Bill Playso, head of Australian design brand Playso, give a whole new meaning to the “carrier pigeon.” A bright, playful greeting to your neighborhood mailperson, the Koo Koo mailbox comes in a variety of colors and materials. The angular bird accepts your daily snail mail, while newspaper is placed in a sharp geometric triangle that is perched on top of its back.

Designed and manufactured in Australia, the Koo Koo is a result of a collaboration between Playso and industrial designed Justin Hutchinson. To learn more about this chirpy mailbox, or find out how to get your own, contact Playso at bill@playso.com.au. We know it will brighten your mail carrier’s day! More photos after the jump!

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The answer to that headline: yes, only without the unnecessary death. Klaas Kuiken‘s charming little invention covers the roof of your house while also providing shelter for tiny winged creatures, tired from a long day of foraging, feeding, and whatever else it is birds do. The design consists of a small gabled “structure” fastened to the top surface of a clay tile, itself secured to adjacent tiles with special glue capable of withstanding extreme temperatures. Seen in section, the lilliputian unit is rather spacious, making this a dream abode for any bachelor bird. Continue.

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Photo by Daici Ano

When thinking about Japan and its burgeoning cities, it can be easy to forget that the majority of the nation is still covered in trees and mountains. While still respecting the surrounding rural areas, Japanese firm Nendo has managed to bring a touch of urban living to the forests of Komoro City in the form of the Bird-Apartment. Looking as if it was ripped straight from the overcrowded dwellings of the city, the Bird-Apartment serves as a small animal reserve capable of housing 78 birds and one average-sized human guest. Read more!

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In case you haven’t heard, Architizer has joined the social media migration and made its way onto Pinterest! We’ve filled our boards with everything from our favorite buildings to our favorite burgers. For those of you unfamiliar with our budding Pinterest presence, here’s a taste of what we have to offer: a round-up of our top 5 ‘pet architecture’ pins for your modern dog, cat or bird. Click through to take a look.

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By now everyone has had their guess as to who will be replacing Nicolai Ourossoff as The New York Times architecture critic. Archpaper thinks it will be Michael Kimmelman, an art critic who also writes about architecture and who profiled Peter Zumthor for The Times Magazine earlier this year. [via The Architect's Newspaper]

And speaking of Zumthor, Dezeen has a video interview with the mystical magical architect at his newly opened Serpentine Pavilion. One of the things we learn, “Zumthor” means “by the gate”, what the man himself finds very suitable for an architect. [via Dezeen]

A new book from the Princeton University Press explores the architecture designed and built by nature’s first architects: birds. The book provides images and extensive details about the building of the birds’ nests, which are intricately woven with found materials. [via Co. Design]

Most of the work of canonical artists has been so thoroughly explained and studied that it’s refreshing when a lost painting or two pops up (that’s usually accompanied by a long story of lost and found). A recently discovered lost painting of Leonardo da Vinci will go on view at the National Gallery in London later in the year. “Salvator Mundi” was recently authenticated and traced to the ownership of Charles I and Charles II of England before being lost for over 300 years. [via Wall Street Journal]

Poland celebrated the Summer Solstice by releasing 11,000 paper lanterns into the night sky, where they were swept away by the wind. Would we in America find this a suitable, perhaps more poetic, alternative to traditional fireworks displays? Probably not. (Video below.) [via Core77]

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