Preserve

Preserve is on going project by Mark Spurgeonto of Australia. The goal of the project is to produce a permanent visual record of hand painted building signage in his native land. Sweet!

As Mark explains on the site, many of these signs are being erased from our cityscapes either being worn away by weather over time, covered as buildings have been repainted, disappearing as buildings are demolished or replaced with modern signage equivalents.

The Preserve site is updated regularly with Mark's latest images from New Zealand and Australia and you are invited to contribute to this work also.

Very cool, especially if you're a typography freak like I am!

Enjoy: Preserve!

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HMK

Schell-Wheeler House by Johnston Architects

Wow. Totally digging this awesome, smart home designed by Johnston Architects PLLC and built by Tall Tree Construction.

Blow-down trees from storms provided the logs that were milled into siding, fascias and trim. A ground source heat pump, supplemented by solar water preheating supplies energy to the house.



More: Schell-Wheeler House by Johnston Architects.

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HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at Design Milk.

Undergound Art

Above: T-Centralen Station, Stockholm, Sweden.

I've been lucky enough to experience some of the world's amazing undergournd subway systems, the Boston T, London’s Underground, the Tube, as well as the Metro in New York, Paris and Hong Kong. All of them uniquely indigenous and grand in thier own different ways. The above shots really make me want to visit Sweden, just to check out the Stockholm Tunnelbana!

Within these systems, architecture plays a big role in defining the environment of the subway. DesignBoom has a really nice collection of some of the most architecturally interesting subway stations - Enjoy: Subway Architecture!



And if you're in need of a little mental vacation, I've got a nice hour long mix of ambient subway, airport and travel audio that works nicely as an audio backdrop to help you escape during your next cup of coffee: Ambient Passport.

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HMK

Texas Lake House

Man, I really dig this awesome Lago Vista Lake House - the whole back of the house is wrapped in glass from floor to ceiling.

Commissioned by a highly creative family including a painter, writer and set-designer, the lago vista residence is a vacation home which doubles as an artists' retreat.

The house is a simple shed structure with a large cantilevering roof covering an expansive exterior patio. Cantilevered structure is further expressed in the foundation in order to convey a sense of levitation.

The entry side of the house is expressed as a wood box containing the functional aspects of the program. Having passed through the utilitarian core, the house opens on all sides toward the patio and creek beyond.

Very nice work from Bercy Chen Studio LP.

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HMK

Thanks to Design Milk.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects

Man - just look at this place! What an amazingly hip and modern abode. Feast your eyes on the Woodway Residence in Washington, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

Founded in 1965, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, has offices in Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco. The firm’s work is known for exceptional design, for its commitment to the particularity of place and user, and for an extraordinary aesthetic based on a quiet rigor which is both intellectual and intuitive.

The firm’s work ranges greatly in scale and circumstance. Its architecture is alive to the subtleties of place — man-made or natural, to the varied natures of people, to the sensibilities of individuals, to the character of institutions, and to the rich possibilities of materials and the means of construction.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson has received more than 370 regional, national and international awards for design. In 1994, the practice received the Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects. The firm’s work is published regularly in professional journals worldwide.

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HMK

Thanks to Design Milk and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

Sneak Peaks

The cool and smart folks over at Design Sponge have a really nice and inspiring section of their site aptly tiled Sneak Peaks. The above images are Sneak Peaks from the interiors of Sulu Design (above), Brave Space Design and Louise Fili (below).


Nice stuff!

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HMK

Micro Casa

I'm always interested in experiencing space saving concepts in person and I'd really love to take a tour of this ultra-compact stairwell dwelling completed in France by H2O Architects back in June of 2007.

Originally designed and built for a lucky teenager, the 12 sqm. house comes complete with four split-levels and is truly an exercise in extreme storage solutions.

Genius. More Info and images: H2O Architectes.

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HMK

Thanks to Squee.Gee over at Core 77.

Staircase In A Box

Made in Italy, this beechwood and steel staircase from Systema comes in a box ready to assemble with simple tools.

The Modula, pictured above, is a modular staircase solution that allows you to configure and order what you need for your specific situation.


They've also got some pretty sweet options for Spiral Staircases, like the Combi as well as Loft Ladders: Systema.

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HMK

Thanks to The Contemporist.

700 Palms

Wow. This is really a sweet casa!

The stunning 700 Palms Residence is a prime example of some wicked nice green and site-specific architecture.

Designed by Steven Ehrlich Architects, the striking structure mixes raw industrial materials with a polished modern aesthetic, making it a monument to eponymous SoCal style and a sustainable marvel in its own right. Its breezy construction seamlessly integrates outdoor spaces with a flowing interior floor plan that was carefully considered to address the freedoms and constraints of residential design in Venice, Los Angeles.

More: 700 Palms via Inhabitat.

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HMK

Thanks to Mike Chinco

Longchamp Store NYC Stairs

I'm really digging the flow of these amazingly cool stairs designed by Heatherwick Studio for the Longchamp Store in New York City.

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HMK

Thanks to the keen-eyed folks over at The Contemporist.