Inspiration: Collections

Embracing a hybrid blend of eclectic architecture, Taiwan's built environment reflects both localize d and international building trends.

An oculus is an eye of a building, generally an opening in the center of a dome or a wall that was a common feature of Byzantine and Neoclassical architecture. It allows natural light into the building, representing a sun lighting the earth. The classic oculus has since been transformed into variations of skylights incorporated…

Hanukkah is typically known as the festival of lights, where a new candle in the menorah is lit ever y night to celebrate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. As the story goes, only one vial of oil was found with just enough oil for one day, and yet it lasted for eight full…

In 1896 Austrian architect and urban planner Otto Wagner published Modern Architecture in response t o his distaste for the 19th-century custom of employing old historical styles. The textbook reflects his ideas about the role of the architect in using new materials and forms to reflect the needs of a society that was changing during the…

The primary role of fences is to keep the outside out and the inside in; however, preventing escape and intrusion is quite a limited take on the role of fences. More interesting is the function of providing a boundary: fences used to indicate edges and planes instead of spaces that are defined by being enclosed.…

Marble has long been a staple of art and architecture alike, and its popularity has scarcely waned d espite the availability of alternatives and approximations. David Chipperfield, for one, is known for his masterful use of the material, which is at once luxurious and understated, not to mention classical and beautiful. Meanwhile the Taj Mahal is…

While many of us have fond memories of treehouses from our youth, they can also make for proper buil dings for grown-ups. Earlier this week, we celebrated Earth Day with a collection of rammed-earth architecture; today, in honor of Arbor Day, we’re pleased to present five treehouses. Although they’re not necessarily supported by the actual trees…

As the baby boomers grow older, they increasingly need places to do so with grace. Sometimes this is a design solution that converts a home so the elderly can “age-in-place,” but often it means relocating to an assisted-living facility or nursing home. This expanding architectural field is open to many design innovations, from technologies and…

In what has become a grand tradition for, the internet turns into a minefield of fake news à la The Onion on April 1st, a.k.a. April Fools’ Day. Here are some of our favorite design-related stories from online publications doing their best one-day Onion impression, complete with hilariously questionable Photoshopping. Image via Hyperallergic (courtesy the…