Architecture & Web Art

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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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The structure is built from hexagonal cells on the exterior as well as throughout the interior. Built as a metaphor for how the UN  operates and functions, this memorial space is meant to “represent the nature of the organization, where many different nations come together to create one entity, but without losing their individual identities.” Inside there are two conference halls, a theater, an exhibition space and an assembly hall for 1,500 people. The cellular design will also serve as a multi-function meeting space and house offices, restaurants, meeting and educational space as well as public viewing platforms.

An open staircase winds up the exterior of the building and leads all the way up to the roof, where a public garden and green roof await. Rooms, meeting space and public areas are all well lit by natural daylight.  We’re quite taken with this design proposal and considering it received 3rd place, we’d love to know what the first and second place designs were.