360 DEGREES Weblog

The design firm of Speirs + Major got the contract to update the lighting in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall. Their solution for the hall’s magnificent spiral staircase was this striking acrylic cylinder surrounding fluorescent tubes: “the inner layer is frosted to soften the light while the outer layer is etched with a ringed pattern that catches the light. each fluorescent section is separated by shorter sections of frosted glass rings uplit with leds to add sparkle and introduce variation along the length.”

We have all seen more than enough of the stacked-boxes genre of architecture. Boring, cold, uninviting, uninhabitable and so last decade.

Yet, once in a while, a set of images crosses our desks of a project that could potentially fall into the has-been category but doesn’t, and instead makes us look again and ponder the beauty of great architecture.

This is the case with Casa Fez, a new house in Porto, Portugal, designed by architect Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira. The architect calls it “the work of my life” as it is a residence he created for himself. “This project and everything behind it was a huge challenge,” he told TCH. “I needed a lot of willpower and courage — even more than when I decided to become an architect. I try sew up objectives, interests and goals. I followed an ideal and I finally achieved my dream.”

From some angles, we see glimpses of Tomorrowland, but we are willing to overlook that because from so many other viewpoints, the statuesque poise of the structure and the stark clarity of lines brings back memories of Alvar Aalto. One can almost imagine this house in the birch forests of Finland.

With this residence, Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira aimed to “achieve a new kind of romanticism” and he continued this artistic thought throughout.

The architect started planning his dream house in 2004 and the construction was finally finished earlier this year. He did absolutely everything himself – not just planning, coordinating and supervising the construction but also creating the interiors and the tiniest of details, including the doors and doorknobs, hand rails, furnishings, lighting, furniture and even some paintings. Mixed with the new pieces are historical and timeless pieces inherited from the family and perfect for this environment.

Architect Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira, who was born in 1962 in Porto, graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Escola do Porto in 1994. He has an impressive pedigree that includes touches of Finland, which perhaps explains the Aalto-like feel of this house.

He is the son of one of the best-known Portuguese architects, Álvaro Siza Vieira, winner of the 1992 Pritzker Prize and the 1988 Alvar Aalto Medal, among many other accolades.

Thanks Coolhunter

With a seat back inspired by a suspension bridge, the Herman Miller Sayl Chair ($400) is architecture and engineering as much as it is seating and decor. Designed by Yves Béhar, the chair features a frameless back that uses a proprietary injection-molded material that provides sacral, lumbar and spine support, adapting to your shape and movements instantly. It’s got Herman Miller’s standard minimalist design, and even has fewer parts and less material than normal for a smaller carbon footprint. In addition to the work chairs, there’s also a matching family of side chairs.

If you like clean minimalistic architecture have a look at this particular house build in Valencia, Spain.

Check-out the site for more images.

Loft Hamburg, located in a restored building in Winterhude district of Hamburg, is a private 118 square-meter residence designed by Graft. The focal point of the high-ceilinged and otherwise white space is a large pod paneled with walnut. The pod contains the residence?s kitchen and bathroom, hides its central heating, cooling and plumbing, and even provides some cupboards and bookshelves. The owner was looking to use a wide variety of materials, and the walnut pod contrasts beautifully with the soft fabrics, leather and natural stone used elsewhere in the loft.

Graft is an architecture, urban planning and design company established in 1998 in Los Angeles by German architects (,) Lars Kr?ckeberg, Wolfram Putz, Thomas Willemeit and Gregor Hoheisel, all now in their early forties.

Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem describes itself as the first luxury lifestyle hotel in Israel and Jerusalem. With its city-center location and views of the old city walls, it connects old and new gracefully. Mamilla is a refined and elegant reminder that just as the word

The night scene in Phuket, Thailand, changed permanently last fall, when SOUND Phuket night club opened. The launch night audience included the who-is-who of local and international jetset elite, and the vibes have only improved since.

The night scene in Phuket, Thailand, changed permanently last fall, when SOUND Phuket night club opened. The launch night audience included the who-is-who of local and international jetset elite, and the vibes have only improved since.

It is part of the stable of upscale boutique hotels, destination restaurants, clubs and bars conceptualized and operated by the Bed Management Company, the group behind the popular Bed Supperclub in Bangkok that opened seven years ago.

SOUND?s design theme, realized by Orbit Design Studio (Bangkok, London and Tokyo) in association with Bed Supper Club, is the human ear in all of its super-human awesomeness, so everything in the interior is rounded, curved and tubular. While mimicking the human body, the SOUND environment with its intense audio and visual effects offers a surreal, out-of-body sci-fi experience.

The walls and d?cor contribute integrally to creating a superior acoustics and audio environment. The fantastic lighting, designed by Inverse (London and Bangkok) uses the latest club lighting technology. One of the central attractions is the bar lit by a stunning 19-meter graphic equalizer LED screen that is synchronized to the music that ranges form electronic music, hip-hop and R n’ B to house depending on the DJ and the theme of the night.

Thanks Coolhunter

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If stand-alone offices can be set up in people’s gardens, then why not at the local marina? That, in fact, is exactly the concept behind WaterSpace, a Welsh company that offers self-contained floating office units designed to fit into a standard marina berth.

The H2Office is a purpose-built floating office that can comfortably accommodate one or two workers. In addition to a sun deck above, the H2Office comes equipped with a work area featuring wood-like flooring and an L-shaped desk and shelving unit across the beam. A carpeted L-shaped

Now that the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building the battle to top it begins. Potential contenders include the Kingdom Tower and Miapolis. What’s Miapolis? It’s a 3,200-foot tower planned for Miami’s Watson Island. Given Miami’s epic condo meltdown and its skyline of half completed buildings can this city support a project like this? The 160-story tower would have an amusement park, observatory, shops, restaurants, condos, office space, a hotel and a marina.

The project has been around for a while but the Miami Herald reports that Guillermo Socarras has been in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration to secure approval for the height of the tower. The Herald article points out that Socarras doesn’t own the land. His tower would sit on the current site of Jungle Island, a tourist attraction featuring birds and other animals. The Miapolis website outlines his proposal which includes a plan to pay off Jungle Island’s $39 million loan and debts and then create a new 99-year master land lease on the 28-acre parcel to give the city $4 million a year. But the Herald article has a quote from Ronnie Krongold, co-owner of Jungle Island, who says that while he has met with Socarras a couple of times there hasn’t been any forward motion in a while. And city officials don’t know anything about the project.

The website promises a lot including a dondonation $30 million for college scholarships, $6.3 million for senior centers, new parks and a new light rail station. Is Miapolis yet another pipe dream with a fancy website? At this point getting funding for a multi-billion project in a city that has a surplus of condos seems unlikely. Still, it’s an appealing fantasy and one that could be built in stronger economic times.