Architecture & Web Art

Ready for a new style and a new feeling regarding wall plates? These silhouette wall plates, spotted on the fabulous AphroChic, are such a fun take on the trend of hanging plates as wall décor. After all, nobody’s actually going to be eating off of these anytime soon…

…but they’re perfect as decorative accents! We love the idea of hanging them over a wall with texture, pattern, or bright color. They’d be lovely on a wallpapered wall, as well, with the pattern showing through the cut-outs.

via apartmenttherapy

See here how:

Google Maps is constantly improving with little things that make getting around in a green way quite a bit easier. It was over a year ago that they added the “walk there” directions feature, and in January they added a great public transit layer. This new editing feature, especially when it comes to adding in information making cities and green spaces easier to get to and navigate, is a big bonus.

via Treehugger

From the Just What We Needed Dept.
Combining China’s growing enthusiasm for private museums with its increasing appetite for driving, the new Nanjing Automobile Museum is set to be the world’s first drive-through museum.

Visitors drive their cars around the building’s angular origami-like spiral to the roof, where they park and continue by descending through the building’s exhibits on foot. When they get to the bottom, an elevator shuttles them back up to their waiting cars.

Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?

via Treehugger

An intelligent addition to your home with smart, touch sensitive switches by Basalte. This European company has designed these cool, contemporary switches with panache and practicality rolled into one stylish home essential. A touch sensitive switch like this is a simple detail that won’t go unnoticed. The entire cover is sensitive; simply swipe your finger across the cover or just touch the edge, and voila! It’s light at your fingertips! The Sensido design can also act as a dimmer – a prolonged touch will result in a brighter light, and touching several quadrants will control several lighting areas. Available in a variety of sleek-looking designs like the round Mona or the square Sensido, these switches feature customizable covers illminated with LEDs, so they’re easy to find in the dark. Check out this cool collection of customizable touch switches, by Basalte

via Trendir

Architects: PK Arkitektar ehf
Location: Reykjavík, Iceland
Client: Reykjavík City / Ármann
Design team: Pálmar kristmundsson and Andrew Burgess
Consultants: Conis Engineers / VGK Engineers / RTLS Engineers / Línuhönnun Engineers
Constructed area: 7,725 sqm
Project year: 2007
Photographs: Rafael Pinho

In 2007, the Ármann sports club was relocated to merge with the Þróttur sports club, situated in a Laugardalur (Hot Spring Valley), once the place to wash clothes now a centre for sports and recreation in Reykjavík. The two clubs have differents vocations: Þróttur is a football club, and Ármann is a gymnastics club. PK Arkitektar also designed the Þróttur house in 1998. The Ármann house was added on the east end of the Þróttur club.

Via ArchDaily

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