Matt Shaw
Living off the grid — independent of the municipal water supply, sewer, natural gas or electrical po wer grid — has long been a dream of survivalists and environmentalists. The autonomy of a self-sustaining house is attractive to them because it not only saves energy, but it also lessens dependence on the government. In the case…
Ok, ok, we get it. The earth is heating up at a historic rate. While this seems like boring old fact by now, it will have very real impacts on our everyday lives. To put it in perspective, Climate Central developed this interactive map that charts these effects of climate change and what 1,001 cities…
Sometimes a company comes along that does something so well that it can only be categorized as ̶ 0;next level” — there is no other way to put it. Case in point: Rotor Deconstruction takes architectural salvage as far as it can possibly go, and they do it exquisitely. Reclamation is important for several reasons. First,…
The rapid urbanization and modernization of China is best seen in this image of Shanghai, where the agricultural and fishing village, across the river from the historic city center, has been transformed into one of the world’s most advanced metropolises in just a couple of decades. The shock to the system that comes along with…
Sometimes architects just need to do rad shit — and not only when they’re asked. Designed by F amily and PlayLab, the +POOL, a floating, water-filtering pool in the East River, fits in this category of awesome stuff no on asked for, and they are taking their message to the streets. “Doing Something Big When No…
Every winter, the small Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi builds an Icehotel. Almost 50,000 people will visit each season, and artists from around the world come to build sculptural, light-based or even typographic installations for themed rooms. This year is the 25th edition of the iconic frozen palace, which uses almost 1,000 tons of frozen water…
Last month, under Foster + Partners’ tessellated canopy at the National Portrait Gallery in Washingt on, Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA, was inaugurated as the 91st President of the AIA. A Chinese-born architect from Corpus Christi, Texas, Chu’s contributions include an award-winning public radio series, “The Shape of Texas,” in addition to her role as CEO of…
Gingerbread houses are one of the easiest ways to get a taste of architecture, whether at an early a ge or later in life — we don’t judge. Of course, like any art form, there are those who take it way too far (not far enough?). Bergen, Norway, claims that their Pepperkakebyen is the largest gingerbread…