Categories: community, Environment, Ideas, Planet Earth
I am not an expert on natural disasters, especially earthquakes. Myself, I have lived through three of them though which in itself is an anomaly. When I engage in a conversation with friends at a bbq, party, or colleagues at work, I ultimately end up on a subject that seems to always ended up crushing […]
Categories: Cities, Environment, Ideas, Travel
With urban cities not having enough street space for setting up proper bike storage infrastructure, the problem of overcrowding and illegal parking can cause potential hazards for emergency situations and general pedestrian navigation. in japan, an earthquake-resistant underground bike parking system has been developed by giken to help resolve the issue, approaching the situation through […]
Categories: community, Conservation, Environment, Ideas
Aure, Norway By almost any measure, Norway is one of the most livable nations on earth. Its average household income, government services, education and literacy, health care, and environment are at or near the top in almost every major index. Norwegians are among the most active people in the world, and the younger generations are […]
Steep Ravine Mt. Tamalpais, Mill Valley, California. One of the secrets of California state parks are the nine Steep Ravine cabins on Mt. Tamalpais just north of San Francisco. Mt. Tam, of course, is one of the birthplaces of mountain biking. It shelters 6,300 acres of redwoods, oaks, and meadows, with views to the Farallon […]
Categories: Culture, Environment, Ideas, Travel
The Stone House, Fafe, Portugal Note to self: If you ever build a weekend cabin, don’t make it so unique that it becomes a tourist attraction. In 1974, Vítor Rodrigues built a family retreat in the Fafe Mountains of Portugal by connecting a series large glacial erratics with stone and mortar. It has become so […]
Categories: community, Environment, Ideas, Travel
Gulf Islands, British Columbia. The modern cabin is all too frequently more modern than cabin, but the four small dwellings designed by Osburn Clarke in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia are decidedly grounded in the traditional. Yet they still retain the open and airy nature of the contemporary. They take advantage of coastal B.C.’s […]
Sauvie Island, Oregon. This tiny, 540-square-foot house is in its fourth incarnation. In the early in 1940s, it was hastily erected to provide shelter to shipyard workers in Portland, Oregon, in a settlement called Vanport Village. In 1948, floods swept through Vanport and this structure was floated down the Columbia River to an island called […]
Categories: community, Conservation, Environment, Ideas
Meridian, Idaho. When architect Macy Miller got out of college, she realized that all her schooling had taught her nothing about actually constructing a house. And then, after living in 2,500-square-foot house, where she had bedrooms that were never used, whose doors were never opened, she decided to downsize — and to build herself. The […]
Hood Canal, Washington The waters near this re-designed boathouse stay chilly even at the height of mid-summer, making it a haven for oystering. It’s this temperature that keeps the waters clear, but the cold also makes winter storage space important. Near the water on the shores of the Hood Canal, Seattle-based architects Bosworth Hoedemaker have […]
I’ve seen two of these graffiti murals in Paris once, one of them is no longer there. Some were amazing work of art in their own sense even if art collectors don’t think they have any value. To me they have amazing social value and impressive message. This one includes an awesome mix of nature […]
