May 31, 2013
Rendering Redux is a weekly column where we (humorously) uncover the secrets behind architectural image making so you don’t have to!
While for the past couple of weeks of Rendering Redux we’ve covered specific projects, this week we thought we would mix it up by collecting some of the best (and funniest) renderings to have recently wandered across our computer screens. See the collection below.
May 17, 2013
A note from Marc Kushner, CoFounder of Architizer
Hot off our A+ Awards Gala last night in NYC, I am proud to announce a new partnership with Kinja, the Gawker Media platform that is revolutionizing commenting and interaction online: Architizer on Kinja.
Maybe you have noticed the banners at the top of the page on Architizer. We are relaunching Architizer this summer. You can expect bigger pictures, better search, and more integrated product and firm information. It is a brand new platform, built from the ground up to be the perfect tool for architects to browse and find inspiration.
But we know that architects aren’t our only readers. Part of what makes Architizer so powerful is that our readers span a spectrum from casual fans to working professionals. Partnering with Kinja means that we will continue to serve all of our readers. More after the jump!
May 7, 2013
All this sunshine and warm weather in New York City has really got us at Architizer HQ pining for our youth—you know, when we could play outside for an hour in the middle of the day for recess. Yep, those were the good old days.
It’s been many years since that sunny nostalgia was a reality, and playground design has come a long, long way. Standard wood-chip covered parks dotted with tire swings and possibly hazardous monkey bars are artifacts of the last millenium. For today’s roundup, we’ve found some truly innovative and unusual playgrounds that would cause your inner child to start jumping for joy. From a colorful crocheted alligator, to a surreal, warping jungle gym, to a playground made out of recycled iron drums, these outdoor fun zones will have you wishing you were still 10 years old. But what the heck, go play on them anyway! Click through to see them all.
January 22, 2013
If, as Picasso said, it takes a lifetime to draw like a child, how long does it take to learn to design like one? We don’t have an answer, but we’re sure this is what it looks like. This wonderful little garden installation by Balmori Associates, built for the 2009 Bilbao Jardin festival, features a playful, yet confident child-like design, with squiggly linework and a whimsical color palette that brighten up the gray urban setting. The curving form—something approaching an abstracted giraffe—stretch up and across a monumental staircase that links twin office towers by Arata Isozaki. The free-form shape the garden assumes is a striking, but pleasant (even welcome) contrast to the rigidity and material homogeneity of the concrete context. Click through for more photos.
January 21, 2013
“My Hair at PS1″ by TempAgency; Photo: TempAgency
So you’re one of four finalists for this summer’s MoMA PS1 installation, and you’re desperate to outdo your competition. Solution: add hair. LOTS of it. TempAgency’s proposal for the 2013 MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program involves doing just that, using wispy columns of human hair to help shape the PS1 courtyard. Needless to say, had TempAgency’s follicle folly—we had to do it—triumphed over CODA’s Party Wall, New York’s sweatiest museum parties would have been a whole lot funkier (= smellier). Click through to see more of the design.
December 3, 2012
The holiday season is great because it gives you license to act like a kid again–or at,least, to feel like a kid again. For example, only in the month of December is it socially acceptable to pass the night away knee-deep in LEGOs, manically trying to best your opponent for title of “top builder”. Well, that’s exactly what GD Cucine + Architizer have planned for this Wednesday, December 5th. The Holiday LEGO-thon wants you to tap into your youthful creativity and prove to world how bad it missed out on your architectural talents. Click through for the deets!
November 29, 2012
images © Salto Architects
Remember the Gummi Bears, the cutesy forest-dwelling, potion-drinking bears “bouncing here and there and everywhere“? Well, you won’t need any Gummi Bear juice (long live early 90s cartoon references!) to bounce your way through the Russian forest, thanks to this 170 meter-long trampoline that cuts through the wilderness. “Fast Track” is an outdoor installation by Salto Architects that consists of a giant strip of trampoline stretched along a forest walkway flush with the ground to resemble a sidewalk. Visitors can bounce up and down the wooded area, taking in the sights and sounds like never before. Read more.
October 11, 2012
We revealed the winner of our last caption contest on Monday. Now, we’re closing out the week with another giveaway. We’re giving away a brand new copy of “Design for Kids” by Sharon and Peter Exley, our friends behind the firm architectureisfun (and a definite consideration for the Architizer A+ Award in Learning). Read on to see how you can win!
October 2, 2012
+POOL
Last night, Family and Playlab–the lovable guys behind +POOL, the floating 9,000 square foot pool project for New York’s East River–gathered friends and supporters alike in Brooklyn Brewery for hot dogs and beer. The occasion was more than just fun times; it marked the launch of a new 6-month fundraising campaign with a $1 million goal to jumpstart the project. The architects also debuted a tentative three-year timeline that charts the projected funding and construction phases that will move +Pool from fanciful project to stunning reality. Continue.
September 27, 2012
Concrete Wallpaper CON-05 by Piet Boon
We’re crazy about Dutch designer Piet Boon’s collection of concrete wallpaper, which offers eight different cement-like designs perfect for achieving that “bomb shelter” aesthetic. Printed at a super high resolution on heavy-duty wallpaper and covered with a top layer of paper, the photo-realistic images will surely fool even the trained eye.
Unbelievably, there’s a whole world of amazing concrete design we couldn’t even fathom! Take Unit-Berlin’s “Concrete Lamp,” which features a massive, poured-cement shell shade, or Grupo Bondi’s ornate cement ottoman, which looks upholstered in brocade. Here are five of our favorite concrete products, including chairs, pillows, and even transparent screens (what?!).
