Architecture & Web Art

Archive for the ‘Utopia’ Category

1. The Great Bed of Ware

Made just prior to the turn of the century in 1590-1600, this Vredeman de Vries bed is among the most famous ancient beds in the world. This carved oak piece was originally painted and features stunning panels of marquetry. Currently housed in the British Galleries, this bed is best known for being quite enormous during its time, as it measures over 128 inches across. Shakespeare was so inspired by the bed that he makes a small mention of it in his infamous play ‘Twelfth Night.’

2. The Private Cloud

The Private Cloud is a German-designed and built bed that’s both simplistic and stylized. Notable for its use of curves and light wood finish, this bed was created to function like a rocking chair, as inhabitants can sway gently back and forth while they sleep.

3. BedUP

Structure: Cartier Foundation, Paris
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Year Finished: 1994

This museum created by the french architect JeanNouvel, displays some of the best art on planet Earth, and has exhibits of both contemporary and international artists. It contains over one thousand works by three hundred different artists.

Structure: BMW Welt, Munich
Architect: COOP Himmelblau
Year Finished: 2007

This building was designed to present some of the best cars in the world – the BMW. And was built for the customer experience in mind. The thinking was that one of the best car brands in the world deserves one of the best buildings – and it worked.

Structure: Addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
Architect: Steven Holl
Year Finished: 2007

This museum was built on classical principals and is known for its extensive collection of Asian art. Time magazine listed it as #1 on the list “The 10 Best (New and Upcoming) Architectural Marvels” in 2007.

This is a guest post and it’s more like of an inspirational type one… so please read enjoy and comment if you please

Scratch any architect, and you will find an artist. The “designer look” in a modern building, thanks to CAD and a new generation of truly inspired architects, extends to the foundations. Even the idea of flooring has now been incorporated into CAD and commercial software in dramatic and beautiful ways. This truly is the beginning of a new era, and most importantly, it’s a lot of fun.

The relationship between architecture and lifestyle is ancient. The earliest and simplest of buildings were based on hunter/gatherer and agrarian lifestyles. The most modern buildings are designed on a combination of aesthetics and functionality. The “designer look” actually is and always has been a hybrid.

I know for some of you this might be old news, but I just stumbled upon this one again, and thought I shared it with you guys in the utopia section of the archtopia.

When you look at this amazingly organic walls you might start believing the one that built it is really passionate about walls, or is really OCD. But the fact is these crazy shaped walls are in fact the result of robots, and a highly advanced computer construction program, and they are able to curve the wall not only on two axis, but actually in a 3d fashion.

You may say the robot as a creation, is the exact aesthetic opposite of it’s work. The walls as you can see them are installed in cities like Venic and New York. The technology can be transported bare-bones shack-on-wheels structure from which the single arm arcs out to life and position the composing pieces into organic soft and incredible curves.