sfgirlbybay - bohemian modern style from a san francisco girl Beach House Q / Longhi Architects Architects: Longhi Architects / Luis Longhi Location: Lima, Peru Project Year: 2010 Project Area: 404 sqm Photographs: Juan Solano / CHOlon Photography Infinite rolling dunes from the desert to the East and rocky Pacific Ocean cliffs used by fishermen to the West converge on the site of Casa Q, creating a unique natural environment. Casa Q is the first residence built in one of the areas not yet occupied at the Beach Club Misterio, located 117 kilometers south of Lima, Peru. Challenging the stillness of the surroundings, Casa Q materializes the dreams of a young couple in a “floating volume” which embodies the spaces for a future family. The volume is supported by circular columns placed by intuition, as a dance, instead of forcibly in a grid. The rest of the house – guest rooms, kitchen and services – are tastefully secluded at the back of the sloped site thus providing visual contrast with a volume of water in the front which has been unearthed for the enjoyment of swimming.
National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 - In Focus National Geographic is currently holding its annual photo contest, with the deadline for submissions coming up on November 30. For the past nine weeks, the society has been gathering and presenting galleries of submissions, encouraging readers to vote for them as well. National Geographic was kind enough to let me choose among its entries from 2011 for display here on In Focus. Gathered below are 45 images from the three categories of People, Places, and Nature, with captions written by the individual photographers. [45 photos] Use j/k keys or ←/→ to navigate Choose: Many people pilgrimage to Uluru, but what is seen there often depends on where you've come from. Eruption of the Cordon del Caulle. Beluga whales in the arctic having fun. This is a streetcar in New Orleans traveling back towards The Quarter on St. This image captures almost 6 hours of climbing parties on Rainier going for the summit under starry skies. Russia, polar region of West Siberia, Tazovsky Peninsula.
photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson Albert Camus, Paris, 1944. Coney Island, New York, 1946. Romania, 1975. Naples, Italy, 1960. A football game, Michigan vs. At the Le Mans Auto Race, France, 1966. Uzbekistan, 1954. Visitors from kolkhozy to the eleventh-century Alaverdi monastery, 1972. Improvised canteen for workers building the Hotel Metropol, 1954. The Arbat, Moscow, 1972. Chelny, Russia, 1973. Boston, 1947. New York, 1935. An African-American student is denied entry to a theater. Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia, 1960. Jean-Paul Sartre, Paris, 1946. Dessau, Germany, April, 1945. Nehru Announces Gandhi's Death, Birla House, Delhi, 1948. World's Fair, Brussels, 1958. Simone de Beauvoir, Paris, 1946. New York, 1960. Bankers Trust, New York, 1960. Near Strasbourg, France, 1944. The arrival of a boat carrying refugees from Europe reunites a mother and son who had been separated throughout the war, 1946. Communist students demonstrate against the black market. McCann-Erickson Agency, Madison Avenue, New York, 1959. New York, 1947.
Earthscraper concept hides a 1,000-foot skyscraper underground The folks over at Mexican architecture group BNKR Arquitectura call this thing an "earthscraper," and the reason why should be obvious: it's a monstrous, beautiful, 65-story inverted skyscraper that hides a mini city underground. Designed to be built smack-dab in the center of Mexico City, BNKR's Earthscraper wouldn't ruin the skyline there (though, really, who would object to something that looks like this?) and is designed in such a way that it would incorporate Mexico's history in its design. The top ten floors — which, here, would be the "bottom" ten — is a museum and cultural center dedicated to the Aztecs. Below that you've got retail space, then apartments and finally, deep underground, businesses. Because, you know, that's where business do their best work. Our favorite detail: the interior of the structure is actually hollowed out, and there are bridges that extend out into the center of it so you can look down. Click to enlarge
8 Incredible Ghost Towns to Visit in Europe Want to add these ghost towns to your RTW itinerary? Don’t know where to start? Sign up today for Plan Your RTW Trip in 30 Days and start receiving email lesson plans tomorrow – it’s free! If you’re a traveling family, sign up for the Family Edition of Plan Your RTW Trip in 30 Days. By definition, a ghost town is an abandoned town or city. Ghost towns can be found all over the world, but some of them have become very famous. Here is a list of some of the most famous and interesting, sites which are definitely worth your visit: Pompeii, Italy Pompeii is located in Campania, not far from Naples. Tickets are €11 per adult, but if you want to visit Herculaneum as well, you can consider the €20 for the five sites pass. The neighboring Herculaneum suffered the same fate. >> Read more about visiting Pompeii, book hostels in Pompeii or book a flight to Naples Chernobyl , Ukraine The easiest way to get to Chernobyl is by way of Kiev (the city is located 70 km from the capital). Balestrino, Italy
Color Therapy: Peacock Blue Oh how I love this gorgeous color! Peacock Blue is defined as "a shade of blue tinged with green." Although this color is strong and bold, it never seems to overwhelm a space. I'm working on a client's master bedroom and we decided to throw in a punch of Peacock Blue to the otherwise neutral color palette. Moshe Safdie: Singapore | EMPTY KINGDOM You are Here, We are Everywhere - StumbleUpon Surreal 3D Buildings - Design While Leonardo DiCaprio certainly had a tough time in Inception (his wife's suicide, being legally kept away from his kids, constant loud music), we still harbour a large amount of jealousy for his architectural mind skills. Returning to our stupid, vertical, stationary home felt deflating once the movie ended. Prepare to feel stunned, and then unsatisfied with reality, yet again as illustrator Victor Enrich has created a selection of real buildings given a dreamy slant. He does this by combining photographs and 3D architectural visualisation. In other words, the guy knows Photoshop inside out. You can see more of his work here. Tags: architecture
Stunning Self-Portraits by a 17-Year-Old (18 photos) Like Valerie Chiang or Kalie Garrett, Alex Stoddard is one of those talented teenage photographers who knows how to express themselves. His self-portraits are all incredibly unique and after viewing them you're left wondering where he's going to take you next. What I enjoy most is that you can almost feel his passion come through. I got in touch with Alex to ask him a few questions, including how his style evolved while taking on the 365 project. What have you learned from your 365 project? Your photos are all beautifully artistic. I see that you're friends with Rosie Hardy. How has Flickr helped you develop your style? Are there any quotes you live by? Thanks for the interview, Alex. Check out more of Alex's incredible photos on his Flickr page.
XTEN architecture: nakahouse aug 17, 2011 XTEN architecture: nakahouse ‘nakahouse’ by XTEN architecture located in hollywood hills, california image © steve king based in california and switzerland, XTEN architecture has completed ‘nakahouse’, a single family residence located in hollywood hills, california, USA. sited along the steep slopes below the hollywood sign, the dwelling is a contemporary update to an established home from the 1960′s. geotechnical, zoning and budget limitations mandated the reuse of the existing footprint and foundations as a basis for the home’s new design. the interior arrangement was reconfigured and a series of outdoor terraces were projected from all angles to maximize views of the surrounding landscape. stairs and terrace leading down to the living areaimage © steve king living areaimage © steve king floor to ceiling boundary between indoors and outdoors image © steve king kitchen with views of surrounding hillsimage © steve king open floor plan arrangement image © steve king
China's Abandoned Wonderland In Chenzhuang Village, China, about 20 miles northwest of central Beijing, the ruins of a partially built amusement park called Wonderland sit near a highway, surrounded by houses and fields of corn. Construction work at the park, which developers had promised would be "the largest amusement park in Asia," stopped around 1998 after disagreements with the local government and farmers over property prices. Developers briefly tried to restart construction in 2008, but without success. The abandoned structures are now a draw for local children and a few photographers, who encounter signs telling them to proceed at their own risk. Reuters photographer David Gray visited the site on a chilly morning earlier this month and returned with these haunting images of a would-be Wonderland. [21 photos] Use j/k keys or ←/→ to navigate Choose: Footsteps in fresh snow are seen across a walkway leading to the entrance of Wonderland, a derelict amusement park northwest of Beijing, on December 5, 2011.