Fabriken Furillen, Sweden

Looks like a neat place to hole up for a couple of days with a good book...







Fabriken Furillen, Gotland, Sweden.

Hot Mag: Urbis

I can't believe I've been so completely remiss about sharing one of my favorite design magazines. Afterall, foreign design mags are worth their weight in gold to me and everytime I return from Sydney or Auckland, I've usually got about a dozen design mags weighing down my luggage. My first time in New Zealand back in 2002 I discovered Urbis and have been in love ever since. Showcasing the best in modern New Zealand design, I've flipped through this mag many a time saying, 'I want my dream house to look like that one!... Or that one!... No, that one!'. Next time you're in New Zealand, pick this one up.

My Favorite House in My Favorite Place

I've decided I'm going to end the year with, quite possibly, my most favorite house on the planet in, most definitely, my most favorite place on the planet. Since my first visit to New Zealand in 2002, I've become entirely entranced with their simple 'Pacific Modern' style of architecture. The Crosson Family Bach on the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula expresses everything I love about New Zealand architecture: Simple lines, simple materials and context, context, context. With sides that fold down while the owners are in residence and fold-up at the end of an extended weekend stay, the simple lines of the Crosson Bach and the nonexistent "landscaping" make this home seem totally at one with its surroundings. I dream of soaking in these views of the Coromandel from the bathtub... literally. You'll see what I'm talking about below...







And that's it for 2009...

The Coolest Parking Lot in Miami and, perhaps, the World

There was a moment when the multistorey car park looked like it was going to be the future of architecture. It was everything that traditional, bourgeois buildings were not. It was the symbol of the new city, geared not towards the individual but to the machine. It was the modernist dream, untainted by history or sentiment; it was to be to the modern age what the great railway stations had been to the age of industry.

Parking garages were never thought of that way, until now. The newest building by starchitects Herzon de Meuron is... a parking garage. And I can't tell you how cool I think it is. A former bank building on Miami's chic Lincoln Road (Note: I've never been to Miami, but Lincoln Road is apprently pretty chic), the building houses swank shops on the ground level and cars up above. I can't help thinking how cool this would be as a concert venue...


Read the full article at Financial Times...

Images by Iwan Baan... who seems to be a pretty cool architectural photographer.

Good Read: Animal Vegetable Miracle

I just finished reading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barabara Kingsolver and must admit, it's already got me changing the way I look at food. About six months ago I rekindled my relationship with the KCC Farmer's Market here on Oahu when I moved back into town. And its become a part of my Saturday morning ritual: Coffee, Farmer's Market and then home to whip up a couple of meals I can eat through the week. But back to the book...

When an old high school friend who wasn't particularly into organic food/enviromentalism/sustainability recommended it as a good read, I knew I had to pick it up. Barbara Kingsolver, of The Poisonwood Bible fame, moves her family from Arizona to a farm in rural Virginia and vows to eat locally for a year. Barbara's family's journey includes farming a few acres and raising their own chickens and turkeys, a little much for me, but the information she provides along the way about the state of the agriculture industry in the U.S. is eye-opening. I'd read about half of Fast Food Nation a handful of years back and felt constantly bombarded by information- good information, just wasn't loving the package. Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle gives you tons of insight along the way but also provides encouragement for reacquainting yourself with the kitchen. For some, the story may be a little dauting and she acknowledges it: Do many Americans have time to grow dozens of pounds of tomatoes to make homemade sauce and then can it using proper canning technique? No. But you can opt for organic tomato sauce at the store and whip up your own homemade pesto in about 5 minutes. Plus, she'll point out that your homemade pesto can be made for pennies compared to purchasing premade. I just whipped up my own pesto yesterday after my Farmer's Market trip and froze individual portions in a mini-muffin tray, mostly, I must say, inspired by this latest read.

A really inspiring read, I can say I'll increase my support of local farmers and be on the lookout for organic versions of dinner staples (spaghetti sauce, soup, etc). If you live in Hawaii/on Oahu, here are a couple of links to get you started:


Ma'o Organic Farms
Based in Waianae, Ma'o gets Hawaiian youth off the street and into the fields. They're all organic with a great mission and I buy something every Saturday from them at the KCC Farmer's Market.


KCC Farmer's Market
Hawaii's biggest Farmer's Market. I love the Hamakua Mushroom, Big Wave Tomato and Ma'o stalls.


Whole Foods
You already know about Whole Foods Kahala but they've just opened a Whole Foods Maui in Lahaina! Yes, they maybe a little pricey, but their online recipes are great, gotta check it out. Plus, they buy from local farmers and producers unlike Safeway, etc.

Vertical House: Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

On a recent trip to Los Anegeles, I was driving down Pacific Avenue and out of the corner of my eye spotted this house I'd seen months before in Dwell Magazine. I couldn't believe I'd remembered it! Designed by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects, cut-outs in the facade serve as "windows", creating an incredibly light-filled space in a house that takes up an entire, narrow lot... between two equally tall homes. More pics below via ArchDaily...


I love the way a simple sketch can turn a 2D pattern into a 3D design...





Super cool.

Shipping Containers Find New Life as Studios

More and more I find myself renewing my interest in Urban Planning and Architecture and the way we can build better cities and communities as we enter the next decade. When it comes to shelter, I've always loved a small, cozy footprint. I figure, less to clean, less space to feel the need to 'fill' and I just love the feeling of being enveloped by a house. My love of small wooden plantation cottages will never cease, and thankfully, Hawaii's backroads still contain these lovely gems from a bygone era. I'm equally apprecaiting the latest in small houses: refurbished shipping containers! I spied this project on Container City this afternoon, 3 artist's studios made of 6 shipping containers in Scotland. Imagine that, residences made of recycled shipping containers with a green-roof! Double points!




Find out more about the Cove Park project here...