New York. Loop de Loop de Loop

It used to be that if you weren’t from Manhattan you were written off as a ‘bridge and tunnel’ New Yorker, but with all the talent coming out of Brooklyn these days, Manhattan has some serious competition.  International designers, artists, and musicians all claim it proudly as their home, and now they’re building living spaces that would leave any Manhattanite drooling.

First there was the Clock Tower Building (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/realestate/09deal1.html) and now architects such as Ten to One are designing spaces like the “Loop” apartment that give serious acclaim to the borough. Ten One has designed a variety of spaces throughout New York and the 5 boroughs, as a cross-disciplinary company working with a number of firms to best utilize new design concepts and engineering technologies.

The “Loop” is what is known as a full gut renovation of a 2,500 square foot live/work residence in Williamsburg Brooklyn, and the results are stunning.  Completed in the summer, the space is a feat of hardwood, natural light, and open spaces. You wouldn’t believe you were in the city if it weren’t for the views. The word “Loop” refers to the warm butternut wood that runs through the space, acting at times as floors, ceilings, walls, doors, cabinets, closets, and bath space.  The wood acts as an unhindered guide through the space, past areas of light and darkness, intimate and public. Although the loft at time seems like something you would see in a mountain lodge, there is no escaping the sleekness of the environment or the innovation of the mechanical systems.  Ductless air conditioning, radiant floor heating, and LED lighting were key elements in the design of the loft.

More info about Ten to One, and the “Loop” loft can be found at http://tenonearchitecture.com/.  All Images Courtesy of Ten to One Architecture

While Brooklyn is a great place to live, if you’re only in New York for a visit, it’s best to stay in the heart of the heart of the city.  The Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca, that is, with 88 rooms of indulgence…

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Categories: New York, Architecture

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

Get High

Lounging lakeside at Wörthersee is a must-experience-to-believe-it occasion, but sometimes you just want to get high.  Do it! A little drive to Gosdorf’s recently opened Murturm observation tower will get you there.  On the banks of the Mur River, the tower offers sweeping views over the enchanting landscape of the European Nature Reserve. Read the rest of this entry »

Venice Architecture Biennale

Venice’s other Biennale will begin in just a few weeks.  No, not the art one. No, not the film one either. The architecture one.  With Venice’s cycle of Biennales it’s sometimes hard to keep track, but it also means that they’ve got putting together large-scale well organized events down pat.

The 12th Architecture Exhibition is directed by Kazuyo Sejima, the Japanese architect widely recognized for her talent, vision, and commitment, for which she was just awarded a Pritzker Prize.  As the first woman to ever be selected to direct the Architecture Biennale, it will be interesting to see if the event, titled “People Meet in Architecture” offers a different perspective from previous exhibitions.

We’re especially excited to check out the Irish Pavilion, which seeks to investigate Ireland’s cultural landscape through the work of de Blacam and Meagher (who designed White Line’s own Inis Meain Restaurant & Suites on the Aran Islands – pictured).  Curators Tom dePaor, Peter Maybury, Alice Casey and Cian Deegan have chosen the work of de Blacam and Meagher because it has permeated Ireland over the last 34 years through their design of houses, commercial, educational environments, and places of worship.

The Venice Architecture Biennale runs from 29th August – 21st November 2010.  If your planning a trip to Venice for the any of the Biennale, base yourself at the Art Deco inspired Ca’Pisani Hotel.

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Categories: Venice, Architecture, Events, Aran Islands

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

Singapore. Don’t talk about architecture

The first edition of what is intended to turn into a bi-annual architecture conference, is named after a quote from Swiss architect Le Corbusier. “I don’t want to talk about architecture” he famously stated. “Lets Not Talk About Architecture”, taking place from the 2 – 4 of August, will explore the theme, by attempting to circumvent it.  The event, targeting a rising generation of young architects, has been organized by members of the Modern Asian Architecture Network (mAAN). Read the rest of this entry »

Folded Roof House by Claesson Koivisto Rune

The popularity of pre-fab housing seems to be growing, despite the exhausting unoriginality of most of these housing communities.  Aluminium siding that looks like brick, plots of land razed of all trees, only to have new ones strategically placed, and one street after the next, exactly the same, down to the font of the house numbers.  It really is tiring. Luckily Swedish kit house manufacturer Arkitethus has realized that although the cost efficiency of pre-fab is sensible, that doesn’t mean they have to be ticky tocky. Read the rest of this entry »