New Taipei City Museum of Art Proposal / Pikasch Architecture Studio

Courtesy of Pikasch Architecture Studio

Inspired by varied and complex geographical environment of Taipei city and in order to fit to playful topography and landscape of the provided site, the design by Pikasch Architecture Studio proposes a land form architecture where the building with its striking form not only blends into the existing landscape and paths, but also works as an attractive centre point and organizes the site with optimal consideration of given parameters. via Archdaily

‘100% Content’ by Cheungvogl

During the post-WWII era, the surge in the housing market often resulted in “faceless” suburban communities that sprang up to relieve the immediate need for housing.  The cities maintained their cultural identity and rather than the suburbs infusing their new communities with commercial or cultural entities, the suburbs constantly relied on the city’s proximity for such things. As this old model is highly unsustainable and car dependent, Christoph Vogl from Cheungvogl has studied Long Island’s suburbs, in particular Hempstead, that did not grow as independent communities. He has outlined a master plan of what can be done to give Long Island the social, cultural and economic context it needs.

Sand Printer by Zanadesign

Spanish design consultancy Zanadesign has created the Sand Printer spelling messages on the beach, as an important part of your summer holiday. vie inewidea

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts extension by Rick Mather

The quite popular Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in beautiful Richmond, VA has received an extension by London architect Rick Mather. It has just recently been opened to the public and will feature an exhibition on Louis Comfort Tiffany until August 15th, 2010. Here is a a brief intro from the museum website:

The first major exhibition to be shown at VMFA after the grand opening of the McGlothlin Wing celebrates one of America’s greatest artists. Tiffany: Color and Light is the most important exhibition of the work of renowned designer and master of glass, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) in a generation and VMFA will be the only American museum to show the exhibition. Drawing on the finest collections in Europe, North America, and Russia, the exhibition presents Tiffany as an artist of international stature and significance.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Renovation By CO Architects

CO Architects continues its restoration, renovation, and modernization of the venerable Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) with an innovative expansion and re-imagination of the institution’s North Campus, which dates back to the 1920s. The $30-million project’s elements include a redesigned front façade with entry bridge, pedestrian-friendly terraces and communal areas, a new two-level car park, and a major landscape program encompassing 3.5-acres of recovered green spaces with programmed gardens and outdoor learning environments. The outdoor garden spaces are created in collaboration with landscape design firm Mia Lehrer + Associates. Currently under construction, the North Campus is set to open 2011/2012, and is overseen by project manager Cordell Corporation. (via archicentral)

Alex Varanese: ALT/1977

ALT/1977: WE ARE NOT TIME TRAVELERS

Alex Varanese has redesigned 4 common products from 2010 as if they were designed in the year 1977. The result is a nostalgic set of ads that capture the spirit of the true ingenuity behind the products we use every day while reminding us, through subtle text, of the products the have replaced. Ads like these in 1977 would have certainly been advertising the items that these now overshadow, like “supercomputers”, phonographs, Atari systems, and telephones. That is what makes these art pieces so successful and interesting. Nice idea.

Neo Gramophone

Something a bit different today, the  Neo Gramophone.

The Neo Gramophone: Beautiful. Stunning, actually. Currently only available as a sculpture, but how about this for imagination:

Playing vinyl back in the days the gramophone is now able to play your personal musical selection via streaming directly from itunes or directly by loading music on it via bluetooth. A simple subsurface menu (reacts upon touching the menu area) provides easy playing, simple usage like the traditional gramophone. Clean and perfect sound is a must today so the inside of the neo-gramophone features multiple speakers and a subwoofer with the horn as the bass-reflex tube.

(via Josh Spear)