Italian designer Riccardo Giovanetti has designed a pavilion for the Russian door company Sofia.

The project arises from the desire to create a direct relationship between the architectural form of the exhibition space with the form of the company’s logo.Architecturally the pavilion was conceived with a single element, repeated to create a hanging structure and a circular exhibition space, which allows light and air to pass through.

The construction of the pavilion has been studied in order to give the elements the appearance of being blown in the wind and thanks to gravity each element returns to it’s original position.The elements are made from high-density expanded polystyrene, a lightweight, compact and completely recyclable material. The final effect of the structure is impressive: a large white space of curvilinear shapes that float in the air embracing their inner environment.

Concrete Architectural Associates have designed the Castell D’emporda pavilion in La Bisbal, Girona, Spain.

Castell d’emproda was build in 1301 on a hill nearby the small city of La Bisbal close to Girona (Spain). The castle has been owned for centuries by the Margarit family. In 1973 Salvador Dali wanted to buy the castell for his wife, but the owner refused a payment in artworks. Since 1999 Castell d’emporda has been transformed into a boutique hotel.

Next to the hotel’s restaurant there is a large terrace with great views over the surrounding landscape. Concrete had been asked to create a covering for this terrace with the possibility to create an enclosed space with full wind and rain protection.  It was a client request to create a covering that works in harmony with the ancient and listed building. We added one question for ourselves: we wanted to maintain the terrace feeling while be seated under the covering.

In basics a terrace is an outdoor space where one can enjoy the wheater. If necessary there is only a parasol for sun and rain protection, but there is no obstruction between the visitor and the view. A glass roof or wintergarden would to much become a building, create a feeling being inside a structure and would also appear as an extension of the building, damaging the ancient character.

The solution was to create abstract parasols. 12 Circles in divers diameters are placed randomly on the terrace. Where the circles touch they melt together, where not, the open spaces between circles are filled in with glass. With the circular parasol shape, the feeling of being in an outdoor environment on a terrace, remains. The same shape makes sure the covering appears as a separate almost temporary element, leaving the ancient building untouched.

The top and edge of the parasols are made in rusted steel, seeking harmony with the ancient building and the natural environment. The white painted steel columns and ceiling create an open and light outdoor atmosphere under the parasols. Transparant sliding curtains can be hung easily in colder periods but always stay open. When the mistralwinds suddenly appears the whole covering can be closed in a couple of minutes.
Round and square marble tables and two white leather lounge couches create different seating facilities. Under one parasol a circular outdoor bar is placed. The restaurant now has his own name: Margarit

Basil Tryptich is a lightning project designed by DZstudio. This project is a tribute to the beauty and uniqueness of the St. Basil Cathedral in Moscow brought by Enrico Zanolla.

This intriguing piece of architecture has fascinated many artists around the world. It’s domes are stunning in architecture and colors and have an interesting and varied symbolism range.

Having the shape of flames, they are said to state that “every man is the light of the world”. This is probably how the idea for this lighting set was born. “Basil’s Triptych” is a reiteration of three domes belonging to St. Basil’s cathedral. Elegant and with a simple color palette, they fit well in a classic interior, but also in a contemporary one decorated with style. This is an original lighting design to own, especially if you appreciate Russian culture.

Iron Man 2 continues the adventures of billionaire Tony Stark and his superhero alter ego Iron Man. The main character is played by Robert Downey Jr. and the whole movie features amazing effects and state-of-the-art technology.

But the home of the character is by far the most interesting aspect of the movie- from my point of view at least. I have to admit that i was amazed and also reserved when i saw all the technology and interior design that his mansion “owned”. Iron Man the 2nd was my 1st Iron man as i didn’t see Iron Man 1  first and then go to see part 2, but i have to tell you it was an awesome movie which deserves to be seen. Of course the next day i saw Iron Man 1 aswell which was also pretty nice, alot of “crafting” made by Tony Stark in harsh environment but it had it’s funny moments. Aside the actors, another common puzzle piece for both parts of Iron Man was Tony Stark’s awesome, high-tech with minimalist design, on the verge of some Malibu “abyss” residence. It was so perfect and real that it kinda’ annoyed me!

This may come as a huge disappointment to some of our readers, but what you see in the photos below is digitized fiction. Jon Favreau, the director of the film explains that the home was falsely positioned on a site in Malibu. It is forbidden to build an architecture project there, so they came up with a different solution: computer graphics. The interiors were built on a sound-stage area in Los Angeles and everything was synchronized with the computer plans.

The Leaf House, a tropical beach house was designed by Mareines + Patalano Arquitetura is located in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Leaf House was inspired by Brazil’s Indian architecture, perfectly suited for the hot and humid climate where it stands, Rio de Janeiro. The roof acts as a big leaf that protects from the hot sun all the enclosed spaces of the house, such as the verandas and the in-between open spaces. These last two types of space are the main social areas, the essence of the design. They allow trade winds from the sea to pass trough the building, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling.

The architects see this as low-tech eco-efficiency where it has the greatest impact; as the concept of the architectural design. Mareines +Patalano, in agreement with the client, understand the idea of a tropical beach house as a means of enhancing the interaction between man and nature, trying not to separate them completely. There are no corridors and inside and outside are almost fused. Rain water is harvested from the roof for re-use. With its natural finishes, organic aesthetics and richness of details, the house is in harmony with the exuberant Brazilian nature.

Homes in the tropics rarely need much more than a breeze in order to keep the environment comfortable. As for other sustainable design techniques, the roof harvests rainwater for use in the house, and the interior is naturally finished with wood, stone and natural fabrics. We suspect the wood was harvested locally, and can only hope it was done so in a sustainable fashion. Above all the Leaf House is amazing inspiration for organic design that brings the outdoors in. It protects the inhabitants from rain and sun, while bringing in fresh breezes to cool the interior.

Simply a piece of paradise!

Jason Dembski says :
“Ryan Horsman and I developed the Chopstick/Steamer Stool as part of a summer abroad program at B.A.S.E. Beijing with support from founders Robert Mangurian and Mary-Ann Ray. The goal of this particular project—taking cues from Chinese culture and its ability to make excess/waste useful—was to (re)use everyday Chinese items in new ways. The Chopstick/Steamer Stool takes traditional bamboo steamers, thousands of disposable chopsticks and simple cushioning material, and combines them into a piece furniture.

The stool uses six bamboo steamers stacked vertically and bound. Peaking out of the top steamer is thousands of disposable chopstick—accumulated in less than a year by a ‘one child policy’ family—packed together and standing on end. Serving as a middleman between the steamers and the chopsticks is a basic cushion. Although foam is ideal, the cushion could be made of anything from an old rickshaw seat to a pile of rags. The cushion allows the chopsticks to move independently under pressure and prevents them from falling through the steamer racks. When combined in this way, these fundamental Chinese items form a deceptively comfortable stool which can reasonably be made without spending a single yuan.”

Located in the forest of Karuizawa, Japan, this one-of-a-kind design boasts the cross-section of a seashell, with its double-elliptical shapes and curves. Supported by concrete and wood, the home surrounding decks are as artful as this modern house design itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views into the contemporary cave-like interior featuring soft, sandy textures and an organic structure that flows continually from ceiling to wall to floor. Circular skylights throughout this modern home enhance its architectural interest while flooding the dark corners with bright, natural light. Artechnic.

Most of us…

have seen a tower of shipping containers at least once in our life. Throughout the US there are over 700,000 abandoned shipping containers. As the US moves away from being a manufacturing economy, we receive many more of these containers than we use to export goods, creating a surplus of containers that, well, don’t contain anything. Reusing them for importing more goods is inefficient, since it’s usually less expensive to manufacture a new container than to reuse an old one. Thus we are left with man-made mountains of empty steel boxes sitting in shipyards across the United States.

As the world scrambles for ways to become greener…

people are looking for ideas for recycling these old containers, and putting them to some good use. With the help of some creative entrepreneurs and architects, these cocoons of the industrial age are undergoing a metamorphosis into portable stores, emergency housing, and luxury homes. These containers allow for innovation in construction, as well as an efficient and environmentally friendly way of building our new homes and businesses.

The most popular type of shipping container construction is…

modular construction. Modular construction involves pre-fabricating the containers at a site, then shipping them to the end location to be assembled. This sort of construction allows for single containers to be fabricated as small homes or offices and be delivered as is, or alternatively to be constructed as a series of connecting parts. Simply choose the size and floor plan for your new building and the required containers are assembled together. It’s like the IKEA version of home building. From two story homes, to schools, to extremely affordable apartment buildings, shipping containers allow for quick construction and additions. Because they are already designed to be stackable, very little modification and preparation is needed to add new floors to existing container structures. Container City, one of the most successful modular shipping container construction firms in the world, was able to install a fourth floor to Container City 1 in less than 48 hours.

People are also looking to shipping containers…

to solve problems of world housing. Millions of people around the world live in what are considered “sub-standard” living conditions. Pablo Nava recently won Notre Dame University’s Social Venture Plan competition and received funds to start a business that will convert these shipping containers into single family homes, with the goal being a final price tag of $8000. Mr. Nava’s company Por Fin Nuestra Casa (Finally, a home of our own), is a for-profit company because of the belief that this will further promote its success.

Not only is shipping container construction incredibly environmentally friendly but…

it can also be used for emergency relief. In disaster relief or refugee situations, shipping containers can be modified to be emergency housing. Future Shack has modified a container to be a fully self contained disaster housing that can be deployed in less than 24 hours. The construction includes solar panel cells to power the unit, bathroom, and a fold-away bed and desk. While it’s currently only in the prototype phase, the incredibly durable container could be reused around the world for up to 25 years, giving shelter relief to dozens of people during its lifespan.

Shipping container construction is the new craze…

in modern architecture. They can allow for buildings made out of up to 80% recycled materials. More importantly they allow contractors to return to their childhood dream of building with legos. However, this does beg the question: how do you ship shipping containers?

German cooperative baumraum knows how to keep imagination alive in their homes. Combining architecture, landscape design and “arboriculture,” they create treetop dwellings which integrate beautifully into their forested surroundings, and preserve the integrity of the trees that support them. With the breezy playfulness of a hammock and the trusted stability of an old oak tree, baumraum won’t make you grow up to enjoy a sophisticated house.

baumraum plans and constructs their treehouses according to customer specifications. The species of tree, distance from the ground, and amount of available space all determine how baumraum will build and suspend the structure. The design team offers suggestions about what makes the most ideal support tree and building material, but emphasizes their willingess to experiment. I like the idea of building around an old, mature fruit tree, where you will literally be showered with ripe fruit during parts of the year.

These are some of the most elegant treehouses we’ve ever seen. If the company took advantage of the extra breeze and sun exposure available in the treetops by integrating some renewable energy generation, and perhaps used sustainably-harvested wood, this might just be the perfect place to perch.

If you’re a fan of botanical architecture, this might just be the coolest building ever. Architects Minsuk Cho and Kisu Park of Mass Studies designed this flora-clothed multi-level building to house Belgian fashion designer , South Korea. The building was completed in October 2007 and takes green roofs and living walls to another level, using foliage to cover both the external and internal wall surfaces. We love that it looks as if the building is growing up from underneath the greenery, blurring the lines between plants as ornamentation or structure.

On a site located in an alley near Seoul’s rapidly transforming Gangnam district, the building stands as a green marvel, three floors tall, housing the Ann Demeulemeester shop on the first floor, a restaurant above, and a Multi-Shop in the basement.

The designers, Seoul-based Mass Studies Architects, wanted to incorporate as much nature as possible into the building within the constraints of a low-elevation, high-density urban environment.

The building is defined through the convergence of natural and artificial, interior and exterior, rather than demonstrating a stark contrast between the dualities. If you’re wondering what those green species are, it’s primarily a geotextile planted with an herbaceous perennial to form the living walls.