“To see the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine finally open is emblematic of Lower Manhattan’s storied future and defining past,” says Santiago Calatrava, the architect who designed the structure. “I hope to see this structure serve its purpose as a sanctuary for worship but also as a place for reflection on what the city endured and how it is moving forward.”

Calatrava and his eponymous firm also designed and rebuilt the WTC’s “Oculus” transportation hub, which opened in 2016. The station’s arched wings “symbolize a dove released from a child’s hand,” or a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The Saint Nicholas church design is similarly intended to evoke the ideas of strength, resilience, and light, according to Calatrava. “Architecture can have an intrinsic symbolic value, which is not written or expressed in a specific way but in an abstract and synthetic manner, sending a message and thus leaving a lasting legacy,” he notes.

Taking architectural cues from another well-known Greek house of God, the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the new church features four stone towers that support and surround a large inner dome. Calatrava also chose to sheath the towers in Pentelic marble, the same material that makes up the Parthenon in Athens.

The ridged dome is constructed from thin stone and laminated glass panels. Thanks to the lighting inside the church and behind the stone, “the entire church appear[s] to glow from within, invoking the feeling of being a beacon of hope amid the night.”

The interior includes more Byzantine-influenced design, with 40 windows and structural ribs and a glass painting of Christ in the center of the dome’s ceiling. In between the ribs is iconography of 20 prophets in traditional Byzantine colors.

In addition to the worship spaces, the church also has two “community” rooms on the second and third floors, areas that are open to the public for meetings and other activities. Calatrava feels “these spaces are a significant component of the building’s program as they accentuate the church’s open and welcoming relationship with the greater World Trade Center Memorial site, as well as the community of Lower Manhattan.”

The church leaders are grateful to have their physical structure restored, but they’re even more excited for what its return symbolizes. “This Shrine will be a place for everyone who comes to the Sacred Ground at the World Trade Center, a place for them to imagine and envision a world where mercy is inevitable, reconciliation is desirable, and forgiveness is possible,” said His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in a statement. “The National Shrine…will stand as witness not only to the vitality of Holy Orthodoxy, but for America’s commitment to religious freedom. The Shrine will be a defiant symbol of opposition to the forces or intolerance around the globe.”

The post 20 Years After 9/11, the World Trade Center’s Only Church is Reborn first appeared on Dornob.

The coolest thing about the Living O’Pod is the fact that it rotates in a full circle, spinning on its base to change up the views whenever you feel like facing a different direction. Depending on where you put it, you could be gazing out at the forest by day and enjoying the moonlight glimmering on a body of water after dark. Though it looks like it a lack of insulation would make it hard to keep cool or heated in extreme weather, UN10 Design says the pod is equipped with a thermal insulating layer and heating system to ensure normal operation in winter.

The interiors are designed to be comfortable enough for two people, featuring a kitchen, bathroom, and living room on the lower level and a curving sculptural white staircase leading up to the mezzanine bedroom, which is itself large enough to include a desk and seating area. The entryway is a circular glass door that appears to be the only part of the pod’s shell that opens to the air. The interior elements are all made of plywood.

The Living O’Pod is hypothetically set within the Repovesi National Park in Finland, one of the country’s most popular parks featuring picturesque hilly landscapes and forests that are now recovering from heavy commercial timber production. It seems that the company hasn’t yet built an actual prototype, but they explain that all of the pod’s components, including the main steel frame, would be prefabricated in a factory and transported to be assembled onsite to ensure the precision of the spherical shape.

UN10 Design doesn’t get into the technical details, so it’s unclear whether this glass living pod is just a beautiful dream or a fully fleshed-out concept ready to hit the assembly line. In either case, it at least seems possible to achieve. Glass dome homes and houses that rotate on a spinning base both already exist, so why not put the two ideas together in a form as captivating as this one?

“Home should be a personal space where you feel secure, creative, and inspired,” says UN10 Design. “The next housing concept should nurture the habitant’s soul, mind, and also be resilient for upcoming social, environmental, and technological challenges. Minimal, decentralized but connected, smart, and functional spaces need to be considered instead of the conventional urban fabric. The Living O’Pod is a space where you can communicate with mountains, trees, the sky, and streams.”

The post Glass Living O’Pod Rotates 360 Degrees for Unmatched Views first appeared on Dornob.

Co-designed and built with teachers and 44 students from Haroun Tazieff high school in Saint-Paul-lés-Dax, France, ProtoCAMPO is the third iteration of a building technique developed by Frédérique Barchelard and Flavien Menu, themselves former fellows of Villa Medici (2019-2020). The first was the Proto-Habitat, built during their stay in Rome, and the second was the SOLARproto, a 300-square-meter exhibition space built in Amsterdam. ProtoCAMPO takes those concepts and builds upon them, tailored to its unique environment and purpose in one of the city’s most beautifully preserved Renaissance palaces — not to mention home to The French Academy in Rome.

“ProtoCAMPO is both low-tech and high-tech,” explain the designers. “Low tech, as it is assembled by hand using traditional and basic carpentry and joinery assemblage techniques to build up the prefabricated timber pieces. High-tech, in the conception of the inflatable cupola that can be implemented in less than an hour to unfold a six-meter diameter dome weighing only 300 kilograms. protoCAMPO subtly plays with the rhythm of the Villa Medici’s garden framing views of the 200-year-old pine trees and the historic villa. The repetitive timber structure echoes the Renaissance grid structure of the garden being both classical and wild. The dialogue between the pavilion and the surrounding nature evolves over the day, playing with the sun’s path and the rhythm of the garden.”

The cupola of the pavilion shelters up to 350 occupants while remaining open to the sun and wind, and the wooden base is sturdy enough to withstand heavy traffic. In the first week of the festival, protoCAMPO welcomed 300 high school students as part of the Residence Pro educational program developed by Villa Medici with the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region. Now, it’s hosting events, concerts, dinners, shows, and some of the villa’s cultural events for the remainder of the year. Like WALD’s other “proto-architecture” projects, it’s prefabricated, locally sourced, and modular, so it can be quickly assembled and disassembled. No word yet on how it will be used next.

Located near Rome’s famous Spanish Steps, the Villa Medici was designed by Bartolomeo Ammanati and built by Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando de Medici in the 16th century as an estate and open-air museum celebrating the Medici family’s influence in Rome. Its grounds include Roman bas-reliefs and statues, botanical gardens, formal gardens, and palatial architecture. In 1803, it became home to The French Academy in Rome, which aims to welcome artists, creators, and art historians in residence, curate cultural and artistic programs, and conserve the palace’s architectural and landscape heritage.

The post ProtoCAMPO: An Inflatable Dome-Shaped Pavilion for the Villa Medici in Rome first appeared on Dornob.

Part of the inspiration for the peculiar shape was that “the dome is the geometry that involves the minimum surface of the material, as well as working very well structurally,” the architects explain.

The 11.5-foot rounded structure was constructed from horizontal and vertical ribs cut with CAD-CAM technologies. The exterior was then covered with strips of cream-colored upholstery foam for maximum heat capture. “The flexible condition of the material easily adapts to the igloo shape,” notes Muiño.

Strands of steel chains wrap the outside, securing the foam in place and giving the entire dwelling an air of security. The entryway is also draped with a curtain of the same chains, all remnants of previous design endeavors. “This solution made out of individual vertical elements allowed us to adapt to the arch-shaped entrance as a regular door wouldn’t be able to do,” the Barcelona-based architects said.

The inside of the igloo is a cozy winter wonderland. “The interior space has a floor at a height of 90 centimeters (three feet) where the mattress lies, all covered in a white furry carpet ready to be enjoyed barefoot,” Muiño adds. “Below this big bed, there is a space for storing, playing, or hiding.”

Everything inside sticks to the arctic theme. In addition to the polar bear-like material coating the walls, bed platform, and stairs, the arched beams are bound in more cream-colored foam, the bedding looks like swiss cheese, and the lighting gleams in ivory. There are also six globe lightbulbs placed strategically at the top of the dome, simultaneously providing the impression of gazing up to the stars at night and warming the otherwise-cold loft space.

While unconventional as a residence, living in a warehouse provides the couple the freedom and flexibility they desire for immersive designing. “The house-workshop is a 400-square-meter (4,305 square feet) space that can host the installations that we design and produce,” says Luzárraga. “At the same time, the space is being colonized by some domestic spaces that condition it for living. It’s continuously changing depending on the work that we are developing. Some of the pieces stay forever, and some of them are temporary.”

Luzárraga and Muiño founded Takk in 2008 after both earning architecture degrees in Spain. In their own words, their work focuses on “experimental and speculative practices in the intersection between nature and culture, with a particular emphasis on the overcoming of anthropocentrism.” In 2012, the team won the Konecta Foundation prize for social architecture with their “Suitcase House,” an accordion-folding emergency dwelling. In addition to their design work, which has been featured in the 13th Venice Biennale and the first Biennale d’Architecture d’Orléans, the couple currently teach at several universities and institutes around their country.

The post Spanish Architects Craft a Cozy Igloo for Their Daughter’s Bedroom first appeared on Dornob.

Measuring 1,477 square feet, the three-bedroom home built in 2003 is a few miles from Goose Rocks Beach in one of Maine’s most picturesque regions. Travel through the forest on a dirt road and you’ll find it tucked into a grassy clearing. It’s immediately apparent that the home’s creator, sculptor Daphne Pulsifer, is an artist. The poured concrete dome is attached to a tiny addition resembling a quaint English cottage complete with a cedar shingle roof. It’s also powered by a solar photovoltaic electrical system and a gas water heater, with well water on site, making it completely off grid.

Inside, the home is warm and charming. Pulsifer and her partner Daniel scavenged the woods for logs and branches to use as beams and columns with loads of rustic personality. Earth-tone tile floors, white plaster walls, and arched windows complement the rural setting and the sculptural, organic nature of the house. Soaring ceilings make it feel bright and airy inside, and an antique wood stove offers both heat and a cooking surface. Down the hallway, the bedrooms have boldly painted walls in contrast to all the neutral natural materials, and upstairs is a study with views of the surrounding treetops.

“I think of this home as my largest sculpture, and from the beginning we designed it with the satisfaction of knowing we were fulfilling our dream,” Pulsifer told Dwell. “This type of construction process was very new to Kennebunkport at the time, but with Daniel’s determination and my design, we navigated the permitting process and quickly began work on the site.”

The couple and their children started the house as a DIY owner-builder project, and when it was time to add the electrical and plumbing work, they consulted the Monolithic Dome Institute in Italy, Texas. If you love the look of the property, but you’re not quite ready to move to Maine, the Monolithic Dome Institute might be a great resource for building your own super-insulated, steel-reinforced concrete structure in the location of your choice. People have built domes with their help all over the United States, measuring from eight feet to 340 feet in diameter.

As for the so-called “Road to Misery,” it’ll undoubtedly find new owners very soon. With a fenced-in pasture and such a large acreage, you could build a whole compound of artsy handmade homes in whatever styles you could possibly dream up.

The post This Charming Handmade Dome Home in Maine Can Now Be Yours first appeared on Dornob.

This will be MAD’s second US project to date, the first being the “Gardenhouse” in Beverly Hills. A combined residential/commercial space, that project is the perfect representation of the firm’s “Shanshui City” philosophy, meant to inspire, stimulate, and fulfill both the spiritual and emotional needs of its inhabitants through a connection with their surrounding urban environments. These connections are based on creating an urban setting that integrates nature with clean lines and plenty of natural light. Impactful, luxurious, and harmonious, these spaces are meant to elicit physical and emotional connections through architecture and design.

And the new Star building looks to be a continuation of this dynamic philosophy, from its unusual, curvilinear shape to its tree-filled terraces and gardens that are strategically placed throughout. Like the Gardenhouse, it’s also meant to create community connections for not only its inhabitants, but for the pedestrians that frequent the adjacent Sunset Boulevard.

Though MAD took inspiration from some famous Hollywood landmarks for the design, the Star is exceptional in its own right Towering above its neighbors, the 500,000 square foot high-rise will be immediately recognizable among the Hollywood skyline due to its unusual shape and construction. Similar to The Gherkin in London, yet even rounder and more egg-like in appearance, the Star is essentially an enormous glass dome supported by three pipes running through the center of the main structure. But the real draw here is the thin band running across the glassy giant which doubles as a funicular track. On top of that, the new building will also house an enclosed rooftop restaurant, an event space, and a 360-degree observation deck

Of course, special thought was given to the building’s relationship with its biggest users: namely, the employees that will eventually be housed within its shimmering ovoid walls. With an eye toward a “post-COVID reality,” the Star will be designed with its inhabitants’ well-being at the forefront, as seen in the plans for several outdoor spaces and curated gardens scattered throughout the facility for workers to enjoy. Environment was also a key factor in the design process, with the designers aiming to underscore the building’s light, airy qualities for a decidedly approachable feel.

With its dynamic shape and curvature, MAD Architects’ new Star building is destined be a beacon of architectural amazement in the heart of Hollywood. Even better, its futuristic form will house an environment designed to enhance the well-being of the people working inside it — a continuation of the firm’s singular philosophy of integrating nature into forward-thinking design concepts that encourage community involvement and healthy living for all.

The post A Star is Born with MAD Architects’ New Hollywood Office High-Rise first appeared on Dornob.

Working with 3D printing company WASP, the architecture firm has designed a home that almost seems to rise out of the soil like a living organism.The home’s spherical form takes full advantage of the sculptural abilities of 3D printing, with textural curving walls topped by a giant skylight that lets daylight flood into the interior. The printing process also allows furniture and fixtures to be built right into the form, including things like kitchen cabinets. The home includes a bedroom, living area, simple kitchen, and bathroom, as well as a living tree.

TECLA, which takes its name from “technology” and “clay,” is the first eco-habitat to be built with multiple WASP Crane 3D printers. Two printing arms were synchronized as part of the construction using software capable of optimizing movements and avoiding collision, allowing the home to be built much faster than usual. It’s also a striking example of “circular housing,” in which the reusable, recyclable materials taken from the local terrain can be returned to the Earth after the house’s lifespan is over. That makes it a nearly zero-emissions project that can be recreated just about anywhere in the world.

Even better, if this same model is repeated in other locations, it can adapt to the local materials, traditions, and architectural vernacular. Principal architect Mario Cucinella stresses that one of TECLA’s strongest qualities is the fact that it can serve as a response to the changing world climate. It can be especially useful in areas that haven’t been industrialized, allowing them to quickly craft their own sustainable architecture at a low cost using whatever natural materials are available. In this case, the clay abundant in Ravenna offers benefits like thermal mass and natural ventilation, making it self-insulating and energy efficient.

“For this project, Mario Cucinella Architects not only explored housing solutions in formal aesthetic terms, it also studied the building’s shape in relation to its climate and latitude,” the firm says. “In addition, the composition of the earth mixture responds to local climatic conditions and the filling of the envelope is parametrically optimized to balance thermal mass, insulation, and ventilation according to the climate’s needs. TECLA is a composition of two continuous elements that through a sinuous and uninterrupted sine curve culminate in two circular skylights that convey the ‘zenith of light.’”

Taking inspiration from the potter wasp, WASP aims to develop viable construction processes using digital fabrication, producing 3D-printed houses in the shortest possible time and in the most sustainable way possible. “The oldest material and a state-of-the-art technology merge to give new hope to the world,” says WASP’s Massimo Moretti.

The post TECLA: A 3D-Printed Dome Home Made of Locally-Sourced Raw Earth first appeared on Dornob.

Slated for completion in 2024 on the Côte d’Opale in France, Tropicalia features an innovative 115-foot-tall dome tucked into the rolling coastal hills. The glass roof is shrouded on all sides by a ring of exterior greenery, its edges embedded into the ground to create a seamless effect. It’s made of pressurized thermal EFTE air cushions set into an aluminum frame – a design that achieves optimal thermal isolation so the interior can be maintained at a steady 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. The structure will also be able to recycle some of that thermal energy with technology called Therraotherm, siphoning surplus heat into nearby buildings.

Coldefy’s vision addresses the sense of doom that discussions of climate change can bring up for many people. As cities continue to grow and our environment is impacted by the climate crisis, the balance between nature and our built environments can feel precarious and fraught with tension. The Tropicalia exhibition questions the impact of manmade structures in our daily lives and provides an alternative to the unsustainable systems currently failing us. Instead of feeling depressed by all the bad news, we could be working toward new ways of living in harmony with nature.

Tropicalia aims to present an environmental and educational message showing how science can answer the question How will we live together?, itself the title of Biennale 2021.

“A true ‘bubble of harmony,’ it reconnects visitors with the plant and animal world in a region where the climate is often harsh,” says Coldefy. “Tropicalia is a place of discovery, wonder, and awareness, an invitation to dream, travel, and learn. Beyond the exotic interior design, the feeling of immersion is reinforced by the architecture of the greenhouse. The absence of load-bearing posts and the presence of a vegetated peripheral wall accentuate the feeling of a cocoon. The architecture is assimilated to the landscape: the building is partially embedded in the ground, thus reducing its height and impact. From a distance, the greenhouse seems to rise like a slight hill. The height of the dome allows the complete growth of the greenhouse trees, as well as the creation of suspension bridges that will delight the youngest.”

“The visitor will discover the engineering and architectural prowess and uniqueness of Tropicalia greenhouse, which has already received the 2018 Architizer A+Awards Jury and Public Choice Awards Winner,” says Zuecca Projects. “As well, several sustainable and innovative systems and materials developed in the architecture projects by Coldefy will illustrate and enrich the comprehension of Tropicalia’s spirit and Coldefy’s philosophy. During the exhibition period, the space will also host conferences with relevant figures of the architecture world to investigate and discuss about the themes and challenges arisen by Tropicalia.”

The post The World’s Largest Greenhouse Unveiled at This Year’s Venice Biennale first appeared on Dornob.

But with the opening of Willmott’s Ghost, a new Italian eatery, anyone can pop in for an hour or two, any day of the week. You won’t get to tour the famous greenery or the five levels of botanical workspaces, but you can dine on Roman-style pizzas, fried gnocchi, clams, and tiramisu in a small section of one of the domes.

The latest establishment from esteemed restauranteur Renee Erickson, Willmott’s Ghost offers about 50 seats in a jewel box of a space decked out in an appetizingly crisp palette of materials and colors, including palest pink, mint, deep marine blue-green, white Carrera marble, and metallic gold. Accessed through its own subtly marked entrance, the café is just as beautifully lit as you’d expect, especially given its unique location within the domes.

You’ll find no Italian stereotypes here, nor an overabundance of midcentury modern nostalgia. Vertical lines draw the eye up toward the glass, with crescent moon booths and globe-shaped lamps giving the space a little extra sparkle.

While the Spheres were created by architecture firm NBBJ, Willmott’s Ghost is the work of Seattle-based Heliotrope Architects, who liken the experience to “building a ship in a bottle.” They add: “The design team drew inspiration from the unique geometry of the [spheres] and the bright, airy environments of modern art museums and galleries.”

“Enclosed within a spherical envelope, the area housing the restaurant proved an incredible — and inspiring — challenge, as much of the architecture is dictated by curves. Curved leather banquettes and booths hug the glass perimeter. Curved walls clad in painted wood pickets define the dining room, and curved bars with Italian marble tops organize the space.”

“Avoiding the tropes of Italian restaurant aesthetics, the architecture and design evoke classical themes written in a contemporary language. Willmott’s Ghost takes its name from the thistle-like flower christened in honor of Victorian horticulturalist Ellen Ann Willmott.”

The menu celebrates Italian cuisine at its best: when it’s simple enough for its star ingredients to shine. Rustic rectangles of pizzas are adorned with seasonal toppings. Plates of thinly-sliced prosciutto and artisanal cheeses are drizzled in Sapori olive oil. Local specialities like Coho salmon are accented by aromatic herbs and citrus. Get a reservation if you want a table, or walk in and sit at the bar.

If you want to see more of the Spheres, just be sure to time your trip to coincide with the first or third Saturday of the month to enjoy a free “open house” tour. Make a reservation first, though, as slots are limited and fill up quickly.

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Anyone who’s visited Patagonia before is likely to appreciate the natural beauty and epic wonder the area has to offer. It’s essentially a protected outdoor playground for climbers, hikers, bikers, and other nature enthusiasts who want to explore one of the world’s most environmentally diverse regions. So it’s no surprise visitors respect lodging options that respect the land through sustainable design and function, like the Patagonia EcoCamp.

Located in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, the EcoCamp is a low-impact option for travelers and adventurers alike. Its geodesic dome lodgings offer immersion into nature without foregoing any of the comforts of home. In sharp contrast to the resource-consumptive practices of a typical hotel, the Patagonia EcoCamp also runs on solar and hydraulic power for a low carbon footprint, taking steps to conserve resources and control waste at every turn.

Founded by engineers and expedition specialists Yerko Ivelic and Javier Lopez in 2001, the camp has earned praise from both visitors and major publications. That’s because it’s not only a sustainable accommodation, but a remote engagement that draws off the experience of the land’s native Kaweskar people, who have inhabited and valued the area for at least 6000 years.

As stewards of the land, the owners of Patagonia EcoCamp feel an obligation to provide environmentally-responsible travel options that allow visitors to enjoy the nature without endangering it. With this in mind, the EcoCamp has received certifications for their green initiatives. They aim to eventually incorporate more than just solar and hydro energy, but to maintain a circle of sustainable actions that set an example for other ecolodges around the world. This includes supporting the local community, culture, conservation, and commerce. They accomplish this by hiring local help, relying on local farmers to provide produce, and supplementing the bar and restaurant with food collected from the area throughout the year. The EcoCamp also invests in the education of local children by inviting classrooms to visit and learn more about sustainable practices.

To save even more energy, the Patagonia EcoCamp has fitted its domes with large windows to promote the use of natural light over artificial ones. Hair dryers are also not allowed at camp — a rule imposed as yet another lesson in unnecessary energy consumption. One unique lack-of-feature in the ecolodges is the absence of Wi-Fi. There are a number of reasons for this, but mostly the goal is to encourage visitors to interact with each other and nature rather than their smartphones.

The domes themselves are built above-ground with no concrete so they can be dismantled and removed with no impact to the land. All 35 of them are connected through a web of elevated wooden walkways that do not impact land erosion. To avoid water pollution, the compound is equipped with composting toilets. Any additional water used is filtered before being sent back to the surrounding landscape.

Visitors to the Patagonia EcoCamp get more than a bed, they get an ecotourism experience to match their interests. Multi-sport tours are available with a variety of options to meet any interest. From a stay in the peaceful and serene yoga dome to an adventurous nine-day trek through the Torres del Paine National Park, Cascada Expediciones offers a selection of adventures sure to appease the sustainable traveler. Trips include opportunities to hike, bike, kayak, ride horses, fly fish, and even head out on safari.

The post Patagonia EcoCamp Sets Sustainability Standards for Ecolodges Around the World first appeared on Dornob.

The Bed & Breakfast Santulan is one such project, set in the desert of Baja California, Mexico. Completed in 2019 and designed by architecture firm Santos Bolívar, this scattering of structures combines vernacular and modern aesthetics and materials into a seamless whole that feels fully at home in its surroundings. Made of rammed earth bricks, the upper parts of each volume have a more traditional appearance, and when viewed from afar, they seem to be floating above the sand and cacti below.

But each of these buildings is actually set upon a faceted, mirrored modern plinth, which themselves reflect various scenes around the property. Depending on the angle of the facet, that might be the red earth, the blue sky, or the faint gray mountains. Floating concrete staircases connect the buildings to the ground, and a long walkway leads into a striking subterranean geodesic dome conceived as a place for meditation.

“Santulan” means “balance” in Hindi, explains lead architect José Antonio de los Santos Bolívar, and that word is the guiding concept used for the development of the entire complex. The architect wanted the hotel to be both a tourist destination and an example of a culture of respect and balance with the ecosystem, both from visitors and from the architecture itself.

“We wanted to break with the architectural typology of a hotel that develops its services within a same volumetric body. [A]fter incessantly analyzing the site and its geographical and natural qualities, we made the decision to project its architectural program in different buildings interconnected by means of walkways that interact directly with nature and are architects of an invitation to live different spiritual and architectural experiences. [We also attempted] to make these walkers the result of the analysis of the traces of the OM mantra symbol, a part of an integral design that seeks the balance between architecture, nature, mind, and spirit.”

In addition to using blocks of compacted earth as a main building material, the hotel includes other ecologically sensitive features like greywater recycling wetlands, a fog catcher tower to capture water from the air, low-maintenance green roofs planted with native grasses, an organic orchard, low-water landscaping, and a natural cross-ventilation system. All of these considerations add to the peaceful and low-impact atmosphere of the hotel, which is augmented by the unusual nature of its reflective architecture.

Bed & Breakfast Santulan is the architect’s second project in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe. The first was the Media Perra Brewery, which uses similar materials alongside strategically folded metal facades that help shade the interiors from the harsh desert sun. The adobe blocks seen in this 2014 project are a trademark of the native Kumiai people who live nearby. Both projects achieve a sense of harmony with the landscape and traditions of the area, as well as the era in which they’re being built.

The post Optical Illusion Bed & Breakfast Appears to Float Above the Desert Landscape first appeared on Dornob.

Last December, CalEarth closed its doors to the public for a series of updates required by county and city codes, but it has since re-opened its doors to provide inspiration to all those who seek it, and its lessons feel more relevant than ever before. Run by Dastan and Sheefteh Khalili since the death of their father, the institute shows off the capabilities of “SuperAdobe” in an almost otherworldly-looking display on its sun-drenched grounds.

SuperAdobe is a form of earthbag architecture developed by Nader Khalili, and it doesn’t require much more than some long sandbags, barbed wire, earth dug on-site, and a few tools. Not only does this natural building system enable sculptural, organic shapes, it’s also extremely strong, earthquake-resistant, and easy to learn. Considering the fact that CalEarth believes entire families should be able to participate in building, from elderly grandparents to the youngest children, it seems only natural that the institute would adopt this technique. The bags are filled in place using small pots and kitchen utensils, and there’s no heavy lifting or machinery required.

Inspired by traditional earth architecture found in the deserts of Iran, CalEarth’s structures range from a small emergency shelter for one person that can be expanded into a rapidly-built village to entire three-bedroom houses with two-car garages. Some standout examples include the 400-square-foot Eco Dome, the modular Earth One Vaulted House featuring radiant floor slab heating and solar power, a “Water Village” full of coiled and plastered huts, and a “Fire Village” with integrated rocket stove heaters, among many more.

The CalEarth team explains: “The building process is intentionally simple, but the structural integrity of SuperAdobe is the result of years of research. The structural design uses modern engineering concepts like base-isolation and post-tensioning. The long coils of sandbag provide compression (vertical) strength, while the barbed wire adds tensile (horizontal) strength. In addition, the sandbags add flood resistance. The earth itself provides insulation and fire-proofing.”

“The arch is the strongest form in architecture and has been used in building for thousands of years. A dome is simply an arch rotated 180 degrees. SuperAdobe is extremely well-suited for building arches, domes, and vaults, and SuperAdobe domes are extremely strong structures. They have passed California earthquake code tests and withstood a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Nepal. Using geometry and a simple compass tool, builders can easily create corbelled dome structures of various heights and up to 22 feet in diameter.”

Visitors are welcome to attend open houses held on the first Saturday of every month to experience the structures for themselves, which are often likened to the huts of Tattooine in the Star Wars films. You can also book tours by appointment, bring a group of students on a field trip, or volunteer to help prep, build, or manage some of the institute’s operations. While CalEarth began as a way to empower refugees and the poor to build their own natural-disaster-resistant homes, it has since grown into an international program of apprenticeships and workshops, with its full curriculum is available online.

The post CalEarth Reopens to Provide Low-Cost Eco Building Inspiration first appeared on Dornob.

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A Vancouver native, LeBlond relocated to the remote Canadian Yukon a few decades ago in hopes of immersing himself in nature and enjoying the tranquility of the area’s vast landscapes. More unexpectedly, this region is also home to a thriving arts community, which LeBlond quickly became enthralled with. Though not exactly an artist by trade, he still knew enough about crafting from his days as a repairman to deftly execute his artistic vision. Taking a bunch of old bicycle wheels and inspiration from Buckminster Fuller’s iconic geodesic dome, he formed a 16-foot-wide dome of his own: one held together entirely by zip ties. To this day, it is sited in his front yard, turning the street into something of an open-air gallery. Visitors can even step into the dome through a door the artist has installed in its perimeter. Once inside, they might be surprised to discover that there’s a full-sized birch tree birch in there. LeBlond explains that the whole reason for building the dome in his yard was to protect this tree from the elements.

This is not the first time that bicycles have taken center stage in an art installation. Renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been touring his impressive sculpture Forever Bicycles all over the world lately, with the immense structure appearing in cities like Buenos Aires, Argentina, Austin, Texas, and London, England. The sculpture is comprised of 10,000 bicycles, each one of which was manufactured by Shanghai bike company Forever Bicycles.

The fact that these bikes are all identical is a reference to China’s reputation as a leader in mass production — and to the position that the bicycle itself occupies in Chinese society. For decades, the Chinese relied more on bicycles than they did cars, only changing in recent years as the country began to modernize and develop a booming manufacturing industry. There is also a lesson in the construction of Weiwei’s Forever Bicycles installation. Namely, the bicycles are immobile, rising up into the air because they are stuck to one another and contradicting the idea that a bicycle represents freedom and movement. Of course, the illusion, the play of light and shadow, and the mere immensity of this sculpture each have artistic impacts of their own, and it’s safe to say that both LeBlond and Weiwei have elevated the humble bicycle to the upper echelons of the creative world.

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What better way to welcome visitors to a place known for its clever integration of architecture and plant life than a jaw-dropping feature like this? Imagine stepping off of a plane feeling parched and haggard after a long international flight and walking right into a temperate jungle with a 131-foot waterfall at its center, streaming out of a massive hole in the ceiling like something from a sci-fi movie. Conceived of by water feature design firm WET in collaboration with Safdie Architects, the cataract will stand as the centerpiece of ‘”Forest Valley,” the airport’s new indoor garden.

Set beneath a massive glass dome, the forest will be planted in a series of tiers to resemble a hilly landscape. In the space of 1.4 million square feet, this sprawling urban park will house a series of elevated walkways, hiking trails, and rest areas alongside its retail, hotel, restaurant, and entertainment facilities. To better blend in with the aesthetic, the dome will be supported by tree-like structural columns. After dark, the central waterfall will light up, cycling through an array of vivid colors as part of a choreographed LED light show.

“The project redefines and reinvents what airports are all about,” says architect Moshe Safdie. “Our goal was to bring together the duality of a vibrant marketplace and a great urban park side-by-side in a singular and immersive experience. The component of the traditional mall is combined with the experience of nature, culture, education and recreation, aiming to provide an uplifting experience. By drawing both visitors and local residents alike, we aim to create a place where the people of Singapore interact with the people of the world.”

You might be thinking that this whole thing looks like a colossal waste of natural resources or that the humidity created by the waterfall would fog the dome’s glass up, but Forest Valley’s designers and engineers have already thought those potential kinks through. To maintain the waterfall and its surrounding vegetation, the Jewel Changi will be equipped a rainwater harvesting system. After conducting a series of airflow studies, the architects were able to come up with a design for the dome that prevents humid air from accumulating around the cascade. The airport extension is currently under construction and is expected to reach completion in 2019.

Surely, any layovers or delays you experience at this airport will be some of the best you’ve ever had to endure. Maybe one day, people will even start going to the airport for fun.

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