A Handbag Shaped Building For A Handbag Museum. Obviously.

One might not think there was a museum out there solely dedicated to purses and handbags but there is and it’s five-stories dedicated to women’s favorite fashion accessory. The Simone Handbag Museum located in the Gangnam area in Seoul, South Korea. If “Gangnam” sounds somewhat familiar? It should. Anyway, back to the handbags; designed by Korean architects UAD and Charlie Smith Design, the museum has become a tourist attraction and if you’re one of the throngs of guys dragged here begrudgingly to look at room full of Pradas and Valentino purses, the building’s funky architectural design should make the experience more tolerable.

Photos Courtesy of UAD and Charlie Smith Design

Visual Timeline of 100 influential cameras from 1888 to Present

As a photographer, I am all things photography and hoard  cameras and once I saw this poster pop on the web a few days ago, I just had to have it. Some might wonder what an iPhone is doing on a list with Leicas, Hasselblads, Rolleiflexs…even Kodaks, Canons and Nikons, just remember; it’s still one of the most influential and now the most ubiquitous. Nothing happens in today’s world without someone somewhere with an iPhone (or an Android) snapping a pic of it.

You can order a copy here for $27USD

Algae-Powered BIQ House – First Of A Kind

The BIQ House, located in Hamburg, is the first of its kind to harness probably what is one of the world’s most plentiful renewable resources. Algae. Of which is embedded in the facade is bio-reactive and responds to environmental conditions much as a living organism would. In bright sunlight, the algae grows faster creating more shading on warmer days as well as capture thermal heat…lessening costs of traditional heating/ cooling methods…a major concern for large commercial buildings. In addition, the biomass can also be harvested to further power the building as biofuel. This is just the beginning in what ARUP,  one the project designers involved, predicts will be a major transformation in sustainable much needed design over the next 50 years. Happy Earth Day!

Images Courtesy of ARUP

This Article Is About A Couch…Yes, A Clever Innovative…Couch

OK, it’s not everyday we can get excited about a couch especially on a blog discussing unusual and innovative architecture but Herman Miller through UK industrial design, Industrial Facility, has designed one such couch with maneuverability in mind. Anyone who has ever moved or even rearranged the living room understands that the couch is one of the worst pieces of furniture to shove through a door. The design of this couch, aptly named, the Wireframe Series, employs a lightweight wireframe base which is topped with either fabric or leather cushions. Simple…yet brilliant and if you get opt for the leather one, surprising attractive…

Images Courtesy of Industrial Facility

We Built This City…On A Ship?

Remember that Starship song from the 80’s? Well, a California based start-up is taking the concept of urban design and community to an entirely different direction. Literally. As in on a ship. Out at sea. Based in Silicon Valley, Blueseed is looking to convert an old cruise ship into a self contained community parked 12 miles off the US coasted in international waters in an effort to draw foreign entrepreneurs otherwise discouraged by American immigration bureaucratic policy. Rather than obtain a work visa, denizens would simply require a simple business visa where they would take a 30-minute boat trip to the mainland once or twice a week. The ultimate plan is for residents to stay on board for up to six months which will require designers to create open inviting space with plenty of natural lighting. To further promote a sense of community, like any land based community, there will be tree lined promenades, shops, and cafes as well as an open workspaces. The project will cost $27 million of which Blueseed still needs $18 million but considering the potential this concept can have in the US and around the world, I could see this happening several times over.

Images courtesy Houzz