Here’s a nice update on the 70’s passive solar house. Check out more about this project here.
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia - Antonio Gaudi (architect 1852-1926)
The construction of Gaudi’s Barcelona cathedral was begun in 1882, a quarter of the construction was complete by the time of his death. His masterwork is slated for completion in 2026, 100 years after his death. Watch a brief animation here depicting what’s remaining to be finished in a relatively short time period.
3D Mud Printing - Rael San Fratello (architect)
There’s something great about the idea of something as high-tech as 3D printing combined with something as low-tech as mud structures. Check out more about this project here from the highly experimental architect Rael San Fratello.
WES ANDERSON - Filmmaker
Anderson is the master of ensemble and his style is so defined that it’s become cliché. But like so may excellent filmmakers, his work is so layered with great details, musical and narrative choices, that they often require multiple viewing to absorb the whole picture. Watch this excellent breakdown of his work.
DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME
Watch short, fun, stop-action animation sent in by Seth Bossung at Intention Architecture.
Airstream Fix-Up
An interesting rehab of an abandoned 1968 Overlander Airstream. See how Jorge Almada and Anne-Marie Midy reworked it here.
4Ocean mobile Skimmer
Cleaning up the water ways with this simple solution. Watch short video here.
Shelving
There’s a level of organization and variety here that makes an otherwise sterile kitchen pop. The plants peppered into the mix are a nice touch too.
Aquaponics
Here’s a countertop version of a small aquaponics setup in action - the fish feed the plants the plants clean the water for the fish. These aquariums generally cost less than $100 and seem like a good reminder of healthy cycles. It’s on my list of things to try this year.
Charles Library in Philadelphia - Snøhetta
Here’s another project by Snøhetta (Norwegian Architects) that seems to embrace what a library can and maybe ought to be (i.e. community center, technology hub, meeting place, landmark, etc.). See and read more here about this project.
Ween - Band
Ween is an American alt. rock band from New Hope, PA, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween.
I became aware of their highly eclectic catalog of songs in the early 90s and have been a big fan ever since. Listen to Ocean Man here.
Sally Mann - Photographer
Mann has spent much of her career documenting her family, especially her children. She’s gotten surprisingly intimate photographs considering she uses such a large format camera.
Gordon Willis - Cinematographer (1931 - 2014)
Willis was one of the best. Nicknamed the Prince of Darkness for his minimalist lighting techniques and shadows. His films include: The Godfather trilogy, Manhattan, Annie Hall, All the President’s Men and so on.
Watch an excellent 7min. tribute to many of the films he helped define.
Plykea - British Furniture Company
These guys make fronts for IKEA cabinets, sounds like they have plans to work on IKEA USA in the near future. Check out more here.
Tent House - Sparks Architects
I’ve always been a big fan of tents, here’s a nice solution to keeping a house cooler in the hot sun of Australia. See more from about this project here.
Simplified Kitchen
Here’s a good example of someone not spending lots of money on expensive cabinets, rather creating a series of shelves for their nice things.
Diego Rivera - Muralist (Dec 8, 1886 – Nov 24, 1957)
Political commentary steeped Rivera’s work, making him a controversial figure in his day. Read more here about his mural in Rockefeller Center that was torn out because it did’t sit well with the people in power.
Matthew Weiner - Writer/Director
Weiner, seen here (right) on the set of his show MadMen, changed the game for what television series could be. It’s one of those shows that helps you see how we got where we are today.
Cokie Roberts - Journalist (Dec 27, 1943 - Sept 17 , 2019)
NPR founder and pioneer in radio news. I’ve listened to her since the early 90s - she was a rock.
Molly Ivins - Journalist (Aug 30, 1944 – Jan 31, 2007)
We could all use a little more Molly Ivins right about now. Watch the trailer for the documentary about her life here.
