Low impact woodland house (Wales, UK Location: Wales, UK Date: unknown Architect: Simon Dale Purpose: private house More info: From the author: “You are looking at pictures of a house I built for our family in Wales. “The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature.” he says. This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. When asked why he is doing this, he gave this answer: “ It’s fun. (image credits: Simon) Some key points of the design and construction: Main tools used: chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel, little else really. Homepage: 36 Incredible Places To See On Earth From the Great Blue Hole in Belize to the Rice fields in Yunnan, China you will surely find some destinations to add to your Bucket list. Great Blue Hole, Belize Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River, Arizona (photo credit) Golden Horn, Brac Island, Croatia (photo credit) Uluru (aka Ayers Rock), Australia Alesund, Norway Volcanic Island, Aogashima, Japan (photo credit) Valley of the Ten Peaks, Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada (photo credit) Tunnel of Love – Old train tunnel in Kleven, Ukraine (photo credit) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Preachers Rock, Norway (photo credit) Tiantan Buddha at Lantau Island, Hong Kong Iguazu Falls, Border of Brazil and Argentina Manarola, Italy (photo credit) East Iceland Jade Mountain, St Lucia (photo credit) Lavender Fields, Provence, France Skaftafell, Iceland Crystal Cave Rice fields in Yunnan, China (photo credit) The Maldives (photo credit) Plitvice Lakes, Croatia (photo credit) Zakynthos, Greece (photo credit)
Outside In: Ultimate Underground Swiss Mountain Home Cavernous but wide open, dark and heavy but bright and spacious, this incredible underound house is the ultimate expression of architectural opposites fused into a single spectacular earthen living structure buried in the mountainous ground of the Swiss Alps. Rather than wrapping outward around the home, the exterior facade circles inward and faces an oval forecourt – a curved impression in the ground like the absent space left behind by a mysterious giant egg. From within, this odd opening frames amazing views of the surrounding green hills and distant white mountains as well as providing a sense of enclosure and security for residents within the home and front courtyard area – a one-sided yet stunning view as opposed to the normal full-surround sights normally expected of a mountain home. Constructed of stone and concrete, the house feels solid and safe inside and out – yet manages to have copious openings to allow natural light to flow effortlessly into every interior space.
20 Tree House Pictures: Play-Club Plans to Big-Kid Houses Treehouses are more popular than ever, as play spaces for children but also as luxury hotel (and even house) designs for adults. Some of the most fantastic plans and ideas can be traced to specialist designers and builders – and pictures of their work can provide some of the best inspiration (as well as an informal visual guide) for do-it-yourself recreational, residential and commercial tree buildings. Blue Forest is one such company, but far from the only one. The trick is to find a balance between safe and fun – railings are a must, as are sturdy supports, but whimsy and asymmetry help make these places feel more organic and engaging for younger visitors in particular. Some take on the character of a playground, with ropes, ladders and low elevations – or are more like the traditional club-house spaces we associated with ‘tree houses’ from our childhood. Some are like mansions, fortresses or castles – just set up on stilts instead of sitting on the ground.
Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations 50 Strange Buildings of the World This is the original list of 50 strange buildings which has been and is being copied (stolen) by many bloggers. If you wish to post it on your blog or website, feel free to use up to 20 buildings from this list and give a proper link to our website ( as the source article. Ok, now enjoy this weird, odd, bizarre and incredible looking arcitechture! After reading it, don’t forget to check Part II and Part III. 1. Construction of the building started in in January 2003 and in December 2003 it was finished. Image via: brocha 2. The Hundertwasser house “Waldspirale” (”Forest Spiral”) was built in Darmstadt between 1998 and 2000. The structure with 105 apartments wraps around a landscaped courtyard with a running stream. Image via: Kikos Dad 3. Image via: manuelfloresv 4. Image via: Mélisande* 5. The Longaberger Basket Company building in Newark, Ohio might just be a strangest office building in the world. Image via: addicted Eyes 6. Image via: jonathan_moreau 7.
Top 10 Underrated Cities in Europe Every year millions of tourists flock to popular European cities like London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Milan. The average tourist knows all about the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the great shopping in Milan or Buckingham Palace in London, but there are plenty of beautiful European cities that are off the radar for most tourists. If you want a unique holiday that includes some of the less talked about places in Europe, here is our pick of Europe’s ten most underrated cities that don’t get their fair share of the limelight: 10. Bratislava, Slovakia When it comes to beautiful cities in Eastern Europe, the gorgeous city of Prague normally steals the limelight from the lesser-known city of Bratislava in Slovakia. 9. The Turkish metropolis of Istanbul lies at the crossroads between two continents, where Asian and European cultures harmoniously merge into one fascinating and definitely underrated city. 8. 7. Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, has a troubled past. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
untitled мар 02 Постирано од admin | Постирано во Архитектура Инспирација за ова извонредно дело креаторот McBride Charles Ryan нашол во оригами техниката. Куќата е потсетник за тоа како некои луѓе знаат да размислуваат поинаку, притоа давајќи одлични резултати. Pocetna Притисни за нови кул содржини 34 Lost Cities Forgotten by Time It’s hard to imagine how an entire city can get lost but that’s exactly what has happened to the lost cities on this list. There are actually many reasons why a city has to be abandoned. War, natural disasters, climate change and the loss of important trading partners to name a few. Whatever the cause, these lost cities were forgotten in time until they were rediscovered centuries later. 34Carthage Located in present-day Tunisia, Carthage was founded by Phoenician colonists and became a major power in the Mediterranean. See also: Tunisia Guide 33Ciudad Perdida Ciudad Perdida (Spanish for “Lost City”) is an ancient city in Sierra Nevada, Colombia, believed to have been founded around 800 AD. See also: Colombia Guide 32Troy Troy is a legendary city in what is now northwestern Turkey, made famous in Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad. See also: Turkey Guide 31Skara Brae Located on the main island of Orkney, Skara Brae is one of the best preserved Stone Age villages in Europe. 30Memphis 29Caral 28Babylon
Conch Shell House, Isla Mujeres, Mexico Location: Island of Isla Mujeres, Mexico Date: unknown Architect: Octavio Ocampo Purpose: private house, also available for rent More info: The Conch Shell Hose is said to be the most outstanding and original house in the island of Isla Mujeres. If you enter the house you would be surrounded by a wonderful shell themed interior. Some technical info: 2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 4, 5500 sq. ft. , 2 Bathrooms, 1 Half Bath, near the ocean, swimming pool, air-conditioning, internet access. (Image credits: Mark Stadnik) (Image credits: Tim Yates)
Precariously Leaning Towers of the World "QUANTUM SHOT" #772 Link - article by Simon Rose and Avi Abrams The World’s Other Leaning Towers (apart from the one in Pisa) Many people are familiar with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, one of the most famous buildings in the world. (image via) However, there are many other leaning towers around the world, and we take a look at some of them here on Dark Roasted Blend. Apart from the one in Pisa, Italy is home to a number of other leaning towers, many located in Venice. (images via 1, Luigi Re) This campanile itself dates from 1544 and is part of Venice’s 14th century Chiesa di Santo Stefano (below left). (images credit: Olafur Olafsson, Howard Somerville) In medieval Bologna, the city’s leading families built many towers, of which only a few survive today. (images via) The Torre delle Milizie in Rome was completed around 1280. (images credit: Aldo Ferretto, Peter Bardwell, 3) There are many legends attached to the Church of St. (images credit: Jill Coleman, Cherington) (images via 1, 2)
The First Zombie-Proof House Somehow, ritual drunk-conversation concerning team captains for the apocalypse has become a major part of the lives of 20-somethings. Having been matured in the Grandaddy-crowned masterpiece film (put “A.M. 180” on and forget that you have a job) 28 Days Later and the best-selling Zombie Survival Guide, we’re all a little too ready to deal with the 2012 zombie apocalypse of our dreams. “The Safe House,” designed by KWK Promes, starts to get eerily close to something I could work with, if say 200 bludgeoned members of the undead army came over to eat their way into borrowing some sugar. “The most essential item for our clients was acquiring the feeling of maximum security,” begins the designers’ website in the summary of the structure. The house, with its movable walls, has only one entrance, which is located on the second floor after crossing a drawbridge.
10 Sites Classés au Patrimoine Mondial de l’UNESCO Où Partir en Vacances Article par Gabrielle Narcy Certains endroits sont tellement fascinants qu’il est important de les conserver pour les générations futures. C’est pourquoi l’UNESCO (Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’Education, la Science et la Culture) a créé une liste de sites classés dans laquelle se trouvent de superbes endroits qui se distinguent par leur valeur esthétique, naturelle, artistique ou culturelle. Chez HostelBookers, on a pensé que ça serait une idée originale de proposer 10 destinations dans le monde où voyager pour découvrir des sites classés au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO et encore mieux, 10 hôtels où séjourner sur les sites même avec vue imprenable sur ces merveilles, pour être aux premières loges. Pour voir la liste complète des sites classés au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO, cliquez ici. 1.La Côte amalfitaine, Amalfi, Italie 2. 3.Venise et sa lagune, Italie 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.