solid block : architecture : faculty club tilburg university by shift architecture urbanism : rotterdam

photos by rené de wit via archi-tonic

Shift architecture urbanism completes Faculty Club for Tilburg University (Tilburg/Rotterdam, 20 July 2011) Tilburg University has extended its campus with the Faculty Club, a multipurpose pavilion for the academic staff and their guests. Shift architecture urbanism took the initiative to reanimate the quintessential quality of the Tilburg campus: strong solitary buildings in the green. The monumental modernism of Jos Bedaux served as a frame of reference. Bedaux designed the first – still the best – buildings for the university in the sixties. The Faculty Club is designed as a carved-out-monolith, one simple box in which transparency and massiveness melt together. The central restaurant is carved out from the centre, creating a tunnel-effect in the front view. In order to strengthen its solitaire character, the building is lifted from the ground. The height difference is bridged by outside stairs and a ramp integrated within the front façade.  Each façade has only one window. By recessing each window, outdoor spaces are created within the front and rear façades. These mark the entrance in front and form a large covered terrace in the back. The simplicity and plasticity of the three-dimensional window treatment further contributes to the building’s sculptural qualities.  By creating a strong formal relation between the existing university buildings and the new Faculty Club, an ensemble of omni-directional solitaires is created. This enables one to recognize the Faculty Club as part of the university, despite its peripheral forest location and exclusive program.                                                                                    .

my favourite plant : monstera deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa is a species of flowering plant native to tropical rainforests of southern Mexico, south to Colombia. It has been introduced to many tropical areas, and has become a mildly invasive species in Hawaii. Monstera Deliciosa is a beautiful climber that loves humidity and bright light.

When young, the leaves are solid- if left to climb, the leaf form will morph to a massive size with curved serrated edges and “swiss cheese” holes throughout. This plant also makes a tasty edible fruit, thus the name “Deliciosa”.  Fruit appears on mature climbers. Not fussy about cold, just give it something to climb and plenty of water, fertilizer and light. Also makes an excellent indoor houseplant near a sunny window. via : somewhere i would like to live                                                                    .

natural beauty : design : sofa xxxx by Yuya Ushida

sofa xxxx by yuya ushida via the method case

A chair becomes a sofa, and a sofa becomes a chair. Whenever I see it the beauty of the simple geometrical structure and its repetition always fascinates me. SOFA_XXXX is made of just 4 different lengths of sticks, rings and joints. The parts on their own don’t seem to be special, but when put together in a regular pattern their beauty appears. It can be contracted, which makes it easier for transportation. While contracted it can be even used as a chair.  When you saw SOFA_XXXX, you might have thought it is an art piece. However he prefers to focus on our daily life rather than making an art. They chose to use plastic injection molding. And you can click in to build it up. It consists of only 8 elements, you can make many shapes. Examples; Sofa, Stool, Table and Bench etc.

private bunker : photography : carsten güth

private bunker by carsten güth via offmag

Private Bunker Series, the collection of photographs show a variety of residential houses shut-off from the outside world; their windows and doors nowhere to be seen. There’s a surrealism and a beauty to these images. In many ways they feel claustrophobic – even horrific – but there’s also an elegance to be found in their minimalist forms and their obscure abstractions. Carsten Güth studied architecture but now lives and works in Stuttgart as a designer. Recently he released this series as a zine and you can check out photographs of it on his blog.                                                              .

barn conversion : architecture : ábaton : extremadura

barn conversion by ábaton architects in extremadura : via dezeen                                                           .

ideological dreams : architecture : buzludzha : shipka bulgaria

photos : Chris Kuklok, Buzludja, Evgeni Dinev, Xiao Yang and Nicola  text : Guéorguy Stoilov

via : architectuul

This monument located on Mount Buzludzha is the biggest ideological building in Bulgaria. It was built as a tribute to the creation of the Bulgarian socialist movement in 1891. Several access roads were built (today in a really bad condition) from Shipka and from the main road Stara Zagora – Roussée. The road exit for Buzludzha is a gigantic statue of Dimitar Blagoev. The construction of Buzludzha was made possible thanks to government funds and supporters’ donations for an amount of around 14 186 000 leva (around 7 000 000 €). The site was built by civil engineering troops from the Bulgarian army and volunteers. The master builder was General Delcho Delchev who was in charge of the Stara Zagora civil engineering section. The author of this project was the architect Guéorguy Stoilov. Several famous painters and sculptors have participated to the decoration. Ever since the superseding of Bulgarian president Todor Givkovand and the political changes that occurred in Bulgaria from 1989, the state of the monument has been worsening. portraits of Ludmila and Todor Givkov have been voluntarily destroyed. The copper adornments have been stolen. The building is slowly disintegrating; marauders are consistently breaking windows and stealing mosaics and ornaments. Nowadays, the monument is abandoned and no public institution seems to be concerned by the conservation of renovation of the building. The Bulgarian socialist party itself is not taking any action towards the maintenance of its most important symbol.                                                              .

a town resurfaced : epecuen argentina : photography : natacha pisarenko : the associated press

photos by natacha pisarenko via gawker

Epecuen, Argentina was once a popular lakeside resort town, known for its saltwater baths and spas. It was especially popular among Argentine Jews from nearby Buenos Aires, who found the lake, which had 10 times more salt than the ocean, and was buoyant, similar to the Middle East’s Dead Sea. But then in November 1985, after a series of wet winters, the lake flooded the town. A retaining wall failed and the salty water submerged the streets. Now the waters have receded, exposing what remains of the former resort. The Associated Press’s Natacha Pisarenko took these photos as she followed a tour guide through the ruins.                                                                                                                                   .