The post Tropical Perfection: Miami Beach House Has Its Own Swimmable Lagoon first appeared on Dornob.

The half-billion dollar yacht, designed to be the largest in the world at 417 feet, would have been too tall to clear the Koningshaven Bridge in the port city of Rotterdam on its way out to the ocean. Locally know as “De Hef,” meaning “the lift,” the bridge’s central span would need to be removed. That process would take about a day of work, according to city officials, and about a day to replace the section.

Once word spread to Dutch locals of the possible bridge dismantling, protestors took to social media to oppose the move. Some even advocated egging the boat to voice their disapproval.

“Calling all Rotterdammers: take a box of rotten eggs with you, and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam,” wrote event organizer Pablo Strörmann on Facebook.

Although the city council had initially okayed dissembling the top section of the bridge, they quickly backtracked after massive public outcry.

The 95-year-old De Hef was the first vertical lift bridge in the Netherlands (and all of Western Europe) when it was completed in 1927. Originally built as a connecting line for the Breda-Rotterdam Railway, it was the first structure to be rebuilt after the bombing of the seaside town during World War II. De Hef faced demolition in 1993 when the railway discontinued its use, but the bridge was already a major landmark in the area by that point, and protests resulted in the structure winning national protection as a Rijksmonument.

It’s no surprise that Rotterdam residents got their feathers ruffled at the mention of dismantling it for the sake a multi-billionaire’s new toy. In the wake of angry complaints, Oceano, the company building the superyacht, announced that it would no longer be applying for a permit to temporarily change De Hef.

“We’re happy it’s not happening,” said Marvin Biljoen, a city councilman for GroenLinks, the Dutch Green Party. “The bridge is a national monument, which shouldn’t be altered too much. That you could still do that with money anyway bothers us.”

But others feel like it is an opportunity wasted. Oceano and Bezos would have completely paid for the disassembly and repair of the bridge, and it would have been all over within two days.

“I talk to a lot of residents of Rotterdam,” said Dieke van Groningen, a Rotterdam councilwoman for VVD, the Dutch Liberal Party. “They’re incredibly proud that these kinds of ships sail through our city.”

Today, Rotterdam is the largest port in all of Europe and remains a major center of global shipbuilding.

“This is the Netherlands at its best,” Ms. van Groningen adds. “It’s about the image of the port, and you should be proud of that.”

Taking cover in the dark of night in early August, the still unfinished Bezos superyacht was towed out of the harbor to the friendlier dock of Greenport in Rotterdam, where it hopes to escape any lingering egg threats.

The post Jeff Bezos’ Unfinished Superyacht Slinks Away After Dutch Residents Won’t Let Him Dismantle Their Historic Bridge first appeared on Dornob.

The design of the bridge looks deceptively simple. It’s made of metal, with a solid surface to step on and chain link mesh on either side for safety. But figuring out exactly how to support it took some experimentation. “It was a long-distance run with occasional sprints from initial design, through design to completion of construction,” say the architects. “Professionalism, precision, and hard work [are at] the top of the list. How else to describe the more than 100 bridge variants, the countless structural analyses and calculations, the demanding coordination of design, production, logistics, and finally the construction itself.”

To access the bridge, visitors either take the ski resort’s chairlift to the entrance, or they can walk or bike all the way up the nearly 2.5-mile-long trail. Though it takes longer to cross, the experience of braving the Sky Bridge 721 is at least slightly less scary than that of China’s Hongyagu Scenic Area, which spans 1,601 feet and features a walkway made of glass panels. China has at least 60 such glass bridges, in fact (some of which have been known to crack on occasion).

Sky Bridge 721 overthrew the previous record-holder for the official title of “World’s Longest Suspension Bridge,” the 516 Arouca Bridge in Portugal. The runners-up include the Kokonoe Yume Bridge in Japan (1,280 feet) and the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge in Switzerland (1,621 feet).

Sky Bridge 721 adds yet another reason to visit the Dolní Morava resort, whether you’re actually staying there or not. Previously, the area’s biggest draw was the Sky Walk Dolní Morava, a unique wooden structure spiraling from ground level to a height of 180 feet. Pedestrians climb the Sky Walk for beautiful views of the mountains as well as the valley of the River Morava. In the summertime, everything is lush and green. In winter, it’s shrouded in white, and most visitors also take advantage of spectacular skiing, bobsledding, and other snow-oriented activities.

The Sky Bridge and Sky Walk are also part of the “Bridge of Time,” an educational trail and game created as a collaboration between LESY ČR (Forests of the Czech Republic), the municipality of Dolní Morava, and the Museum of Czechoslovak Fortifications from 1935 to 1938. The Bridge of Time includes augmented reality elements and 10 educational panels, engaging visitors with both history and topics of environmental protection.

“An integral part of the game is the light fortification object at the beginning of the game (the so-called digger, “řopík”), from which you continue along a 2-kilometer-long marked route with educational panels,” the architects explain. “In order to complete the game, it is necessary to own a now-common smartphone and have access to the internet. Educational panels with tasks are arranged thematically and in time so that after nearly an hour’s easy walk along the marked trails, each visitor is brought back to the present. That is, to the starting point at the Slaměnka Hut.”

The post Sky Bridge 721: The Czech Republic is Now Home to the World’s Longest Suspension Bridge first appeared on Dornob.

The city granted the request, and locals aren’t thrilled about it. “It’s the only route to the sea,” a spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP. He added that Bezos will pay for the operation, but that’s beside the point for some residents, who plan to throw rotten eggs at the ship as it passes.

The Koningshaven Bridge, known to Rotterdam residents as De Hef, was first built in 1877. It was rebuilt after sustaining significant damage during World War II, giving it a midsection that could be lifted to allow ships to pass underneath. In 1994, the steel bridge was replaced by a tunnel and decommissioned.

The city wanted to demolish it at the time, but public protests saved it, and it became a national historic monument in the aftermath. Back in 2017, the bridge underwent a restoration, and officials promised at the time that they would never dismantle it again. But then along came one of the world’s richest men, seeking an exception for his 417-foot-long boat.

Plans to egg the ship began when Rotterdam resident Pablo Strörmann posted an event on Facebook titled “Throwing eggs at superyacht Jeff Bezos.” The event quickly attracted more than 4,000 confirmed attendees, with another 14,000 people saying they were interested. “Calling all Rotterdammers, take a box of rotten eggs with you and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam,” Strörmann wrote on the event page.

Strörmann told the NL Times that the event started as a joke, but “quickly struck a nerve” with the community, who were particularly annoyed by the insinuation that if you have enough money, you can buy anything in the world. “Normally it’s the other way around: If your ship doesn’t fit under a bridge, you make it smaller,” Strörmann said. “But when you happen to be the richest person on Earth, you just ask a municipality to dismantle a monument. That’s ridiculous.”

Local officials have responded to the criticism by insisting that the project will actually be good for the city and generating jobs. The price tag for the dismantling project hasn’t been publicly revealed yet, but it will certainly be in the millions, and will likely take months to complete. Shipbuilding is a major industry in the area, and while many superyachts have been constructed and sailed out to sea through the same route, they’ve all fit under the bridge just fine until now.

Once it’s complete, Bezos’ new toy will become the largest superyacht ever built in the Netherlands, and the world’s largest sailing yacht. Bezos is the third-richest person in the world after Tesla founder Elon Musk and French businessman Bernard Arnault, with a net worth currently hovering around $188 billion and climbing.

The post Locals Vow to Egg Jeff Bezos’ Superyacht if Rotterdam Dismantles a Historic Bridge to Let It Pass first appeared on Dornob.

In fact, there’s now such a huge selection of strange Chinese buildings to choose from, Archy.com started an annual Ugliest Building Survey, and its 12th annual contest has a whopping 87 contenders in the running. That number may dwindle in the years to come, since President Xi Jinping issued a government directive calling for an end to “oversized, xenocentric, weird” projects, and that’s part of the point of the contest. The organizers hope pointing out ugly architecture will “promote architects’ social responsibility” and cut back on wastefulness.

Voting is open until December, when a commission of architects will select the final 10 winners. Here are some of the projects currently in the lead:

Donping Poly Plaza, Foshan, Guangdong

Nobody really wants a big imposing building in their city to look sort of like a modernized Eye of Sauron, do they? Incorporating a four-story atrium with a flying staircase design, a basement level, and four towers, this complex is supposed to be a lively gathering place for residents of Foshan New City. The reasons Archy listed for nominating this project include “extremely inharmonious with the surrounding environment and natural conditions,” “idolizes Western culture,” and “weird and vulgar.” Voters mostly just think it’s depressing.

Xi’an International Children’s Art Museum, Shanghai

Some people think this school inspired by the “Arabian Magic Carpet” is cute and fitting for its purpose, with its undulating roof and facade full of round cut-outs. Others seem to be experiencing a touch of trypophobia (fear of holes). It has been called “really psychologically uncomfortable,” “disgusting,” “vulgar” and even “secret terrorism.” One voter wrote of the building’s pale beige curves and orifices, “it’s like a breathing monster composed entirely of flesh and blood.”

Glass Bridge Tower of Jiuhuanghsan Mountain in Mianyang, Sichuan

Something about the monumental figures standing on either end of this glass bridge in the Jiuhuangshan Scenic Area seems to make it extra terrifying for many onlookers. Comments include “Really insulted the beauty of this mountain,” “nightmare-inducing,” and “don’t look at me, I’m afraid.”

Hainan Danzhou Hengdahaihua Island Complex

There are so many outlandish structures on this series of three manmade tourist islands that the Ugly Buildings contest organizers couldn’t choose – they just lumped them all together as one big anger-inducing mass. “This is the garbage dump,” wrote one voter. “A game of capital, making a pile of rubbish, what a bad thing to do with this money,” wrote another.

Violin Church, Yanbu, Foshan, Guangdong

This local church isn’t even the only violin-shaped building in China, but locals hate its garishness, its overuse of concrete, its high cost, and the way it has apparently overshadowed more demure adjacent buildings. It was nominated because “the function of the building is extremely unreasonable.” Fair enough.

South Gate of Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University

You might be surprised to learn that this comparatively tame-looking structure has earned the most votes by far. But Chinese voters are annoyed that such a high-cost, high-profile project is both painful to look at and dysfunctional. Apparently, the unnecessarily extravagant gate impedes both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, forcing everyone to stare at it even longer while they’re stuck in the area. “When the design plan came out, the teachers and students in the school objected to the curse,” wrote one voter.

The post China’s Ugliest Buildings Contest Shames the Wasteful and Distasteful first appeared on Dornob.

“The design concept starts with the radical difference between the rural and urban interpersonal networks,” explains the Macau-based Studio A()VOID team, adding that it “reinterprets the native cave dwellings of the site as vertical ‘grottos’.” The 23-foot-tall huts are laid out irregularly on a 13-by-19-foot grid, each calculated on the length-to-width ratio of the original cave structures.

Composed of double-layered gray brick, the buildings curve organically into gentle rectangles. Individual bricks protrude asymmetrically along the outsides, too, marking the levels where scaffolding was used in the construction process.

Each pod is topped by a giant skylight, and together with the uber-tall ceilings, they encourage visitors to appreciate the verticality of the space. The access to natural light all day long also recalls the agricultural roots of Xiyaotou village. The studio says it “contextualizes residents to rurality’s rhythm of ‘working from dawn to dusk” and “exposes their sensitivity to the sun’s trajectory.”

In the winter, the double-thick walls use those sunrays to help warm the grottos from the average outside temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When it gets hotter in the summer, heat can escape through the pods’ strategically-placed windows, and through the chimney effect of each unit’s elongated geometry. The windows and doors of each cave structure are composed of pre-weathered steel that pushes out from the brick facade. Individual units are connected on the second story by a raised wooden walkway.

“By flowing the bridge of connectivity in between the private grottos, the design attempts to realize a community in which public and private coexist,” the studio explains, adding that “it serves as the keynote for the layout of the corridor structure and supports the new building complex in a spiritual sense.”

The bridge is held up by pine columns and snakes in between each dwelling to provide a link to all the units. The elevated sidewalk also gives walkers a birds’ eye view of the surrounding landscape, including a dense grove of trees, a nearby shoreline, and the “aboriginal architecture of Yu County.” The empty spaces below the boardwalk are designed to provide room for hosting workshops, exhibitions, and even markets.

The grotto sanctuary, completed this year under the direction of lead architect Yun Hon, was created as part of a larger Chinese initiative to rejuvenate rural “hollow” villages across the country like Xiyaotou, most of which have seen conditions deteriorate as residents have migrated to newer areas. The idea is to transform abandoned communities into destination places for tourists, with unique accommodations, local cuisines, and fun activities. Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou’s compilation of clustered units was designed to be flexible to these types of future needs and more.

Studio A( )VOID characterizes itself as a design group that “celebrates the emptiness and possibilities of a void.” They “design to allow capacities for randomness and surprises in different aspects of a project, so involved parties are encouraged to participate in this controlled mayhem.”

The post Chinese Retreat Designed to Mimic Ancient Cave Dwellings first appeared on Dornob.

Architecture firm Frankie Pappas envisioned the home as a way to marry the cliffs and the forest of the picturesque site, located in a nature reserve in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa. In this way, it’s both literally and metaphorically a bridge, and it’s designed to offer shelter not just to its human inhabitants, but also to the local plants and animals.

The architects wanted to slot the home carefully into the building site with minimal disturbance. Most architectural projects with this goal choose to go with lightweight materials and post-style foundations, resulting in both a contemporary appearance and a sense that the building isn’t permanent. Brick, in contrast, has a weightiness and solidity that creates the opposite effect. It feels strongly rooted to the site, and almost impossible to extricate.

As you can see more clearly in architectural drawings, the unusual asymmetrical layout of the home, with its arm-like appendages, is completely informed by the landscape. Not a single tree was removed to accommodate it, resulting in what the architects call “funky bulges and protrusions in the plan of the building.” If the home stood alone in a field, with nothing to obscure it, its shape would look very odd, but here, it just enhances the sense that it contains secrets waiting to be uncovered.

“The shapes of the additions to the central building are dictated by the position and size of the surrounding trees,” they say. “The building makes use of a very simple set of materials which all play their part in making the building part of its landscape. The most abundant material is a rough stock brick which was selected to match the site’s weathered sandstone. The ‘bridge’ portions of the building are constructed from sustainably-grown timbers, whilst glass and aluminum fill in the non-structural wall.”

“The first floor offers to its inhabitants a planted courtyard, a reclusive lounge, a sunlit dining room, a farmhouse kitchen and scullery, a tree-shaded deck, a small pool, and a fireplace — around which most of the cooking and living occurs. The ground floor provide yet more courtyards, a study, library, and a small swing bench under the arch. The cellar creates a climate conducive to curing meats, storing food supplies, and aging wines.”

Refreshingly unique in a time when a lot of architecture looks alike, “House of the Big Arch” illustrates Frankie Pappas’ belief that architecture, landscape, and garden should function as one, incapable of being divided.

And if you’re wondering who Frankie Pappas is, exactly, that question has a similar answer, because there’s actually no one architect with that name. It’s a fictional persona and collective pseudonym chosen by architects who work in collaboration with coders, engineers, artists, and mathematicians to come up with “remarkable solutions to fascinating problems.”

The post This Romantic Brick Home Offers a Bridge Between Forest and Cliffs first appeared on Dornob.

First, there’s the fact that Fallingwater came close to literally falling right into the water thanks to a cantilevered design that wasn’t well supported. Erosion of the banks on either side presented a serious concern, and dampness penetrated the house on all sides. Ultimately, it’s cool to look at but not very practical. But could a different sort of design on a different sort of waterway be successful in ways that Fallingwater isn’t?

Architect Dan Brunn didn’t have Frank Lloyd Wright in mind when he designed “Bridge House” over a small natural stream in the mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles. He was actually inspired by the elongated motor court of the Breakers, the ostentatious waterfront Vanderbilt family home in Newport, Rhode Island, though you’d never guess it from the final result.

The home is true to its name, with a simple form stretching from one bank of the narrow trickling stream to the next. Sleek and modernist, it has no unnecessary frills or complicated floor plans. Serving as Brunn’s full-time residence, the 4,500-square-foot home has a rectangular shape, measuring 20 feet wide by 210 feet long, stretching from the front of the building site to the back instead of side to side like a more conventional residence.

“The idea is to do something extraordinary with ordinary means,” says Brunn.

That wasn’t his first idea, though. When he bought the property, he intended to renovate the existing home, but problems with the foundation soon emerged, so he decided to go in a dramatically different direction instead. Determined to build to zero net energy (ZNE) standards and make full use of passive solar orientation and the beautiful views, the architect saw the bridge plan as a way to have a lower impact on the site.

Usually, the opposite would be true. One good reason we don’t see a lot of residences straddling creeks and streams is all the potential for disruption and pollution, not to mention messing up the views for other people. But the lightweight modular steel structure of the Bridge House, supported by two heavy steel beams, made it possible to set the building in place without making a mess. The fact that the stream is small and flows within a private neighborhood helps, too.

Making extensive use of carefully placed glass, Bridge House gets sunlight streaming in from optimal angles all day long and focuses views on the trees and water outside rather than neighboring houses. Standout features include a Series 980 Double Pivot Door from Western Window Systems, which sets the airy, welcoming mood at the main entrance, and a courtyard centered over the stream so it can really be enjoyed to the fullest.

The post A Stream Runs Under This Modern “Bridge House” in Los Angeles first appeared on Dornob.

Michaelis was initially approached by a developer to help design something to take up a challenging long and narrow site on Blythe Road in West London’s Hammersmith area. Back then, the only thing on site was a dilapidated garage the would need to be demolished. Though he had already designed his own home in Oxford Gardens, something about the plot spoke to him, leading him to eventually purchase it from the developer himself.

Because it’s so narrow, and the neighboring houses rise so high on either side, Michaelis knew that getting enough daylight and outdoor space would be challenging with a conventional layout. On top of that, the planning permissions called for a conventional infill house, but the architect saw potential for something a lot more fun. He imagined what it might look like if he played with unexpected shapes, drawing the boundaries of the house away from the neighbors slightly without compromising square footage.

The result almost looks like a modern castle on an urban scale, with turret-like rounded forms visible from the street. He chose to stick with brick to complement the architectural vernacular of the area, but in a lighter, softer tone, and mimicked the variety of window shapes seen on the houses of his neighbors. The home’s rounded walls also allow sunlight to come in from multiple angles all day long, on all four sides of the property.

Just past the wooden entrance gate, the front volume contains the home’s common areas, with sliding glass doors opening out onto the deck and swimming pool. A connecting bridge leads to the second volume containing bedrooms. Both structures have their own rooftop gardens overlooking the city.

It’s common for residents of packed urban neighborhoods to worry about what will happen if an empty or non-residential lot next door is sold. After all, you never know what’s going to go up. It could easily be a monstrosity of a bland condominium tower that suddenly crowds your own home, blocks your access to daylight, and dominates the entire block. Michaelis’ design not only satisfies his own desires, it also avoids casting shadows on those of others.

“The Round House is a new build eight-bedroom, four-bathroom residential project on the site of a former MOT [vehicle safety test] center,” explains the firm. “The house uses traditional building materials whilst showcasing modern design, demonstrating that new builds can be imaginative and family homes need not sacrifice style. Maximizing light was key to the design, so the building was pulled back from the neighboring walls to allow light to seep in to all four sides.”

“From slides and a pool to hidden areas and a fireman’s pole which mischievously connects the ground and first floor, there are plenty of playful details that elevate the project to a truly bespoke piece of residential architecture.”

The post Modern Castle Designed for a Narrow London Lot first appeared on Dornob.

Apparitions are usually pretty tough to explain to those around you, but in the case of the Ghost Ship, it’s something everyone looking at Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin Bridge can witness. The temporary art installation is stationed there for public viewing from now until the first week in November.

Aligning perfectly with the month associated with all things ghastly, the Ghost Ship sits in the river between Race Street Pier and Pier 12 and is visible every Wednesday through Sunday night. The illusion is created with the help of mist fountains anchored beneath the surface of the water. The hazy sails are brought to life using lighting projected from a nearby platform.

Designers of the art installation intentionally set it up so that the ship’s port side would be visible from Race Street Pier, while its bow can be seen from the nearby Columbus Boulevard. For added folly, a pop-up Ghost Ship beer garden sits on the waterfront on evenings when the ship appears.

It’s not a hallucination caused by beer goggles, though. Instead, a lot of planning and preparation went into bringing the piece to the river. It’s the first result of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp.’s new Waterfront Arts Program, which aims to explore the history and diversity of the area through works of art. With this in mind, organizers opened up a call for exhibitions that represented that goal.

“We’ve always had cultural events like fireworks displays at the waterfront,” says DRWC President Joe Forkin. “So we started to think about how art complements the waterfront and how it can bring new audiences here.” The council debated, scrutinized, and brainstormed ideas until they agreed to focus on past and present communities affected by the Delaware River as a theme for the works.

The exhibition call was answered by Ryan Strand Greenberg, a public art curator and photographer from the area. Having visited an inspirational light display in Amsterdam with a similar theme, Greenberg reached out to Biangle Studio (based in Estonia), who agreed to modify their original work to represent the history of migration in the area during the 18th century — when the river was used to carry products like cocoa beans and crude oil, as well as both free and enslaved people.

“This particular time period was really important to the city’s development,” Greenberg explains. “It contributed to the social fabric of Philadelphia.”

The team studied ships from the target era until they decided on the final model. They then hired local engineering firm Pennoni to obtain permits, anchor the lighting, install a submersible power cable in the river itself, and mount lights on nearby properties.

“It was a pretty neat project for us, because this is the kind of project that our guys don’t get to work on every day,” says David DeLizza, President and CEO of Pennoni.

The installation will be visible from 7 to 10 PM on all the aforementioned evenings, and onlookers can even enjoy a self-guided tour via smartphone on SoundCloud, as accessed through the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s official website.

The post New “Ghost Ship” Installation Haunts Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin Bridge first appeared on Dornob.

One of the country’s 18 total national tourist routes, the road is officially known as Atlanterhavsveien. Spanning a distance of just over five miles, it takes you over eight bridges, all of them both necessary and awe-worthy, as you make your way across the archipelago. Although its main goal was to connect the Averøy municipality to the mainland, it’s engineers clearly put a lot more into it than that. Since its completion in 1989, it’s offered people myriad opportunities to soak in local culture and scenery.

The road takes you through several small villages like Kårvåg and Vevang, all of which of offer breathtaking views the coastline. In fact, the water is so close to the road that it splatters right up over it during stormy weather. On sunny days, or if you’re just up for an adventure, you can stop at one of Atlanterhavsveien’s many roadside pull-outs to take in the scenery. Hike along the rocky shoreline or climb a hill for even more encompassing views, or even bike or walk the road itself for an immersive seabreeze experience. Just remember to bring your camera to capture all the crashing waves, spectacular sunsets, and bridges on the horizon.

The eye-catching design doesn’t stop with the windy road or expansive bridges, either. Even the viewpoints have been crafted to let you take in the scenery and well-engineered highway. The easy-to-access roadside Askevågen viewpoint, for example, takes you out on a gangplank with glass sides and leaves you feeling like you’re floating over the waves. One bridge even accommodates a historic local fishing hole — and yes, it’s still open for business. Other villages along the route allow you to stop for lunch, take in some jazz music, and catch guided fishing tours.

As you’ve probably already guessed, it was no easy feat designing a road that wildly lept across several islands and inlets. For instance, a staggering 12 windstorms struck the area during construction, delaying the project’s completion for six years. The 122-million kr (Norwegian krone) venture was 75-percent funded by grants, with the expectation that tolls would make up the other 25 percent within 15 years. Much to the delight of everyone involved, that debt was paid in full in less than ten.

Since then, the now toll-free road has welcomed countless wanderlusters and earned recognition through several important accolades. The Guardian labeled the journey “the world’s best road trip,” placing it above even the Himalayas. National broadcaster NRK dubbed it “Norwegian Construction of the Century,” and in 2011, Fifth Gear called it “the world’s best place for car testing,” which lead to a slew of car commercials being filmed on the curvy pavement.

The post Celebrating Norway’s Iconic Atlantic Road first appeared on Dornob.

Only a fifteen-minute walk from the city center, the Black Flying House is much less isolated than it might appear to be in photos. Once you’ve made it inside the installation, you’ll find a room that contains a stove, two chairs, and a sleeping loft. It may be small, but it makes for a great lookout point and temporary place to keep warm. If you’re feeling up to it, you can even stay in the house overnight! The architects describe it as “an installation that, with its austere rendition, responded to the mysterious atmosphere of the environment. We hoped it would bring some interesting experiences or feelings.”
Sadly, the aforementioned ”temporary nature” of H3T Architekti’s projects also proved to be true in this case. Just 39 days after it was first installed beneath the railway bridge, the Black Flying House had to be taken down in accordance with an order from local authorities.
All photos by Tomas Rasl and Martina Kubesova

The post “Flying House” in Czech Republic Floats Beneath a Bridge first appeared on Dornob.

A section of San Francisco’s disused, half-demolished Bay Bridge could be recycled into a multipurpose structure called the Bay Bridge House, functioning as both a museum and an apartment rentable through AirBNB. The bridge, which has one of the largest spans in the world, links the city to Oakland; earthquake damage and other safety concerns led to the replacement of the eastern span in 2013.

The original Bay Bridge opened in 1936 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, but most of the pieces taken down during the three-year disassembly process will go to China as scrap material. A number of artists, architects and designers are gunning for pieces of the bridge, including local entrepreneur David Grieshaber, who dreamed up this project.

Bay Bridge House would use the 504 section of the old bridge to create a modern, self-sustaining eco housing and co-working space. The former pavement of the bridge would be used as the foundation, with the steel portions as the frame. The house would be placed in Oakland to preserve a little piece of the city’s history and keep it with the people. Will it ever really get built? Who knows – so far, the city hasn’t revealed any plans to release the materials for anything other than a new park planned for the east end of the new bridge.

“A piece of our history will be gone forever,” states the Bay Bridge House website. “Some of the bridge should remain behind for future generations to enjoy. There are plans for pieces in Gateway Park, maybe a pier with a view where the bridge once was and even talks of pieces in a museum. We think that something more creative should be done with some of the scrap. Let’s use a few small sections and create the most modern self-sustaining housing and eco multi-use space in the world.”

The post AirBNB Bridge: San Francisco’s Old Bay Recycled into Home first appeared on Dornob.

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Ten years ago, with nowhere else to go, suburban native Richard Dorsay struck upon an idea to live rent-free right in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world in a homemade residence built into the beams and girders of an urban bridge (no, not the one pictured above).

No simple squatter, he spent years building his shack from scrap wood and tapping into the creature comforts enjoyed in nearby high-rise (and higher-priced) Lake Shore Drive condos, tapping the electrical grid for energy to power a space heater, television set, video game station and microwave.

As it lifted and lowered, Dorsay became adept at hanging on to his home as it tilted up and down with the drawbridge. When he needed to wash off or fetch water, he discovered the bridge tender’s office frequently unoccupied and often unlocked.

Formerly nomadic, hauling his gear from shelter to shelter, he had first found this secret space after spotting a small hold on the underside of the bridge, leading to a larger interior volume within. Over time, he added more and more accessories and decor to his unlikely abode, and boasted having friends over for beers and TV.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, his makeshift house was eventually discovered and he was ousted (and arrested), and the city has since kept a closer eye on bridge structures for similar homesteads.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“A man who was found living inside the Lake Shore Drive bridge last December pleaded guilty to criminal trespassing Monday, officials said.”

“Richard Dorsay, 36, was sentenced to two years of conditional release, 30 days in the Cook County sheriff’s work alternative program and 120 days in jail by Circuit Judge Mark Ballard, officials said. Dorsay was credited with 15 days time served, state’s attorney spokesman Tom Stanton said.”

“When the police found Dorsay his unique living arrangement included a TV and a space heater. Dorsay said he had lived in the bridge for more than three years before he was discovered. But city transportation officials said that would have been impossible because officials regularly check the bridges.”

The post Hidden Home Under a Chicago Drawbridge first appeared on Dornob.

What could be cooler than a converted warehouse home or a renovated bakery residence? How about combining them both, with a skyway-style (but semi-enclosed) bridge spanning a new courtyard space built in between.

This project by JCB of Melbourne took two old structures (both slated for demolition) and tied them together, creating a sizable dwelling for a likewise-large family.  Greenery and garden paths make additional visual and physical connections along the ground floor.

While some elements have been added, much of the original building fabric remains intact, particularly on the exterior – and additions (such as sun-sheltering black window boxes) stand out as intentionally different. Even the faded sign for the Golden Crust Bakery can be read along one outside wall.

Inside, the story is different – some double-height spaces still show off the (now white, repainted) beams of the original building, but much has been modernized for the comfort and style of the clients. Still, some of the neatest elements remain, including rough red brick both inside and out. And some of the new features are at least fun, if slightly strange, like mixed red-and-mirror bathroom wall tiles and an interstitial space with green plant-themed wall finishes, offsetting the woods, whites, grays and blacks that define core spaces.

“This project commenced in 2006 as a residential warehouse fit-out of the former Golden Crust Bakery in Armadale. In its more recent life the Golden Crust Bakery had suffered from a mock French provincial make over that was incongruous with the original architecture. The building was in a state of serious deterioration and whilst it was perceived to have potential to meet our clients brief, the possibility of demolition was a serious consideration on the basis that the building was not protected by any heritage overlays.”

“The clients made an early decision to commit to retaining the Bakery which was highly valued in the streetscape by the surrounding neighbours. The project was approached on the common understanding between client and architect that the building would be re-invigorated with careful attention to appropriate detailing which would both preserve and enhance its semi-industrial appeal.  The client’s uncompromised commitment to the preservation and enhancement of the existing fabric provided the foundation for the project’s ultimate success.”

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