Lofted Forest Home: Organic Curves & Natural Materials Good things come to those who wait – particularly in a work of uniquely detailed and highly curved architecture. Nearly a decade in the making, this structure by Robert Harvey Oshatz is much like a tree house – lofted toward the top of the canopy around it – only bigger, grander, more complex and curved than most any tree house in the world. The perimeter of the structure is pushed out into the forest around it, curving in and out to create views as well as a sense of intimacy with the coniferous and deciduous tree cover. The curved, organic mix of materials continues to the interior of this elevated forest home – a conceptual play on the fluidity and complexity of music (the source of inspiration for the architect and client in the design).
Nature Blows My Mind! The Flamboyant Sea Slug nicoboxethai/CC BY 2.0 Nudibranch, or what we usually call sea slugs, blow my mind. Ever since spotting one for myself during a tide pool trip about a year ago, I've been fascinated with these creatures. I think of them as the drag queens of the sea: flashy stand-outs that are always dressed to the nines. The one I found is a Hermissenda crassicornis -- the flashy little thing pictured below with bright pinkish-orange cerata waving like a feather boa and neon blue outlines around its tentacles. © Jaymi Heimbuch But this is not exactly an example of what all nudibranch look like. prilfish/CC BY 2.0 prilfish/CC BY 2.0 Elias Levy/CC BY 2.0 Bill Bouton/CC BY-SA 2.0 Derek Keats/CC BY-SA 2.0 See what I mean? From Wikipedia:"A nudibranch /ˈnjuːdɨbræŋk/ is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage. You read that right -- over 3,000 species and more are discovered all the time.
Spectacular Architecture in Spain [17 HDR Photos Plaza Zorrilla, Valladolid (Spain)Spectacular architecture HDR photo: marcp_dmoz Some photographers like Marc love to take photos and then process them to generate HDR (high dynamic range) images. He’s from Spain and has an amazing eye and talent for capturing architecture. Here are 17 gorgeous examples that Marc took in the last year to help us take a virtual tour of Spain and admire the architectural beauty that can be found there. [17 Pictures] Hint: Use “J” and “K” keys to navigate from picture to picture. Church of San Manuel and San Benito in Madrid (Spain)Spectacular architecture photo: marcp_dmoz Hanging Houses – Casas Colgadas, Cuenca (Spain)Spectacular architecture HDR photo: marcp_dmoz Plaza Mayor, Salamanca (Spain)Spectacular architecture photo: marcp_dmoz Plaza Mayor, Salamanca (Spain)Spectacular architecture HDR 2 photo: marcp_dmoz Crystal Palace – Palacio de Cristal, Parque del Retiro, MadridSpectacular architecture HDR photo: marcp_dmoz St.
Climate-Friendly Sunken Pool Converts into Radiant Floor Here’s a truly glamorous idea for a pool. A sinking pool! The apparently permanent stone floor in this room literally slowly drops to reveal the pool underneath. In the raised position, you can walk on the same surface radiantly warmed from beneath. And of course, having the swimming pool convert itself into a floor makes it child-friendly too: this is not a pool that a child can fall into. Once it is sunken it looks like any other indoor pool – as permanent as you could possibly want. You could design this so that it remains as just a shallow decorative pool when not in use, one that is only an inch or two deep. But the best thing about this idea is that it would also make keeping the pool warm a cinch. Radiant floors or the use of thermal mass is climate-friendly design because of the slow release of warmth – reducing energy needs for heating. The super-rich with luxury housing do the most harm to the planet with their luxury high energy use architecture.
Nudibranch looks like a bunny of the sea It’s round, and fluffy and has wiggly little ears! Sort of. These little sea creatures, affectionately dubbed “sea bunnies” have recently become social media celebrities. ダイブストアエグザイル/Video screen capture As for the “ears”—over on Deep Sea News, Dr. Crawl Ray/CC BY 2.0 All nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, which means they produce both sperm and eggs but cannot fertilize themselves. Jorunna parva have a number of different colorings, and are often yellow with black specks and rhinophores. If there wasn’t enough reason to “aawwww” over sea bunnies, the fact that these creatures are incredibly tiny adds extra points to their adorableness score. And in case your day hasn't had enough bunny cuteness from Japan, check out this island full of (land) rabbits.
Booze it Up! 13 Rad Recycled Bottle Crafts & Projects Got a recycling bin full of glass bottles? Why waste them when you could have a new table lamp, candle holder, shelving unit, hummingbird feeder, glass countertop, building block – even a whole glass-bottle house? Reuse beer, wine and liquor bottles for these 13 fun and creative crafts and upcycling projects ranging up to a recycled bottle home and garden. Wine Bottle Table Lamp (images via: wit and whistle) Turning any wine bottle into a table lamp is as simple as drilling a hole and inserting a strand of lights. Wine Bottle Candle Holder (image via: design sponge) How simple and elegant are these DIY wine bottle candle holders? Wine Bottle Shelves (images via: renest) Would you ever have thought of using wine bottles and slabs of wood to create a shelving unit? Bottle Trees (images via: recyclart, metaefficient, examiner) Turn your holiday tree into an ode to beer (or perhaps just a sparkling green alternative to a living tree) using reclaimed empty bottles. Beer Bottle Drinking Glasses
Luxury Villa Amanzi, Thailand by Original Vision Studio Luxury Villa Amanzi, Thailand by Original Vision Studio The Villa Amanzi by Architect firm Original Vision Studio is a stunning modern vacation residence located in the exclusive Cape Sol on the West coast of Phuket, Thailand. Villa Amanzi is a stunning six bedroom residence with a 15m infinity pool and breathtaking views over the Andaman Sea. This luxury villa enjoys a spectacular headland location along Kamala’s exclusive Millionaires Mile and captures cool gentle breezes all year round with uninterrupted sea views from every vantage point, in one of the most breathtaking locations Phuket has to offer. The contemporary design features ultra modern architecture and interiors that combine to provide guests with the optimal environment to relax and unwind in unspoilt luxury. About Richard Barker Love Interior Design & Exotic Travel? May 19, 2011 | Phuket Thailand Travel | View comments Contemporary design at Nest and Cave House, Croatia Luxury wellness retreat Aro Ha opens in New Zealand
Jinns in Islamic Art – Islam and Science Fiction Jinns are intelligent beings in Islamic belief system which have free will just like human beings. Unlike humans however they are made of smokeless fire. Jinns are also supposed to have different religions just like humans e.g., Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism etc and even Atheism. Jinns are supposed to live in the unseen world which can be thought of as a parallel dimension co-existing with our own. Here are some depictions of Jinns in Islamic art over the course of centuries. Jinns that cause toothache! The 72nd chapter of the Quran is also titled Surah Jinn A Jinn from Shahnama from medieval Persia The court of Solomon with Jinns, Angels, Animals and Birds (Mughal Miniature) Mahan in the Wilderness of Ghouls-Jinns fighting dragons from Khamsa of Nizami A Jinn drawn in the style of ‘Muhammad Siyah Qalam by Muhammad Taqi Jinn by the Ottoman master Mehmed Siyah Kalem Rustom fighting a Jinn from a medieval Islamic manuscript Jinns from a medieval Islamic manuscript Wonders of Creation
10 Architecturally Wondrous Staircases » Curbly | DIY Design Community « Keywords: architecture, stairways, staircases, form and function A friend forwarded me one of those emails her husband got at work. It was full of photos of amazing staircases plus some strange magic eye type puzzles. Being the visual person that I am, I became completely fixated on the staircases and even went so far as to search for more and more visually indulging photos of creative staircases. I couldn't get enough. Who thinks of these designs? Photo: www.flickr.com{ Photo: www.mytalkings.blogspot.com Photo: www.dailyartcocktail.com Tagged : architecture, stairways, staircases, form and function, design, art
Soft gravitational pull towards fleshy architectural bodies Soft gravitational pull towards fleshy architectural bodies. External Stimuli : Ernesto Neto at the Armoury, Themes : Architecture, Sculpture Nodes : densities, Ernesto Neto, organic, soft, surreal, transparency, womb Optical Illusions 1. Vous voyez ces 3 jolies filles ? Et si on retournait l’image ? Notre cerveau est rarement confronté à des images renversées, c’est pourquoi il a des difficultés à bien les interpreter. 2. 3. 4. Regardez le point noir au centre. 5. 6. Les 3 points jaunes vont complètement disparaitre. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Il n’y en a aucun! 12. 13. Ce rectangle n’a qu’une seule couleur. 14. Explications: 15.