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Exterior Décor

Top 10 Best Working Architects And Their Designs

January 12, 2015

Since ancient times, architectural development has followed the development of a society. You will remember a place by the looks it has, and great works of architecture will influence the look of a city in great amounts. This is the list of the ten greatest award-winning people standing behind great buildings.

Zaha Hadid

(born October 31, 1950)

Hadid is an Iraqui-British architect of neofuturistic buildings characterised by ‘multiple perspective points and fragmented geometry to evoke the chaos of modern life’. Her greatest works include the Bridge Pavilion and the Third Millennium Bridge in Zaragoza, Spain; the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck, Austria; and the Central Building of the BMW Plant in Leipzig, Germany.

Frank Gehry (born February 28, 1929)

A number of this Canadian-American deconstructivist architect’s buildings, including his private residence, have become world-famous tourist attractions, such as the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; and Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, France. It was the aforementioned Gehry’s private residence that lift him from the status of ‘paper architecture’.

Renzo Piano (born September 14, 1937)

The architest of the Nemo Science Centre in Amsterdam and the Living Roof of the California Academy of Sciences, this Italian architect was selected by TIME as ‘one of the 100 most influential people of the world’. However, his world-famous building is the Shard London Bridge, an 87-storey skyscraper in London, standing approximately 309 metres, and currently being the tallest building in the European Union, and the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom.

Leogh Ming Pei (born April 26, 1917)

L.M. Pei, a Chinese-born American architect, is often referred to as ‘the master if modern architecture’. His most famous buildings include the Louvre Pyramid in Paris; John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, USA; and the National Gallery of Art East Building in Washington DC, USA. His most recent jewel is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

Santiago Calatrava (born July 28, 1951)

Calatrava is a Spanish neofuturistic architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter. His greatest architectural achievements include the Liege Guillemins railway station, Belgium; the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, Greece; and the Bridge of Strings (or the Chords Bridge) in Jerusalem.

Tom Wright (born 1957)

This British architect is the designer of the Burj Al Arab hotel, the synonym of Dubai. The yacht-sail-shaped hotel, causing the ‘wow effect’ in any viewer, reflects the seafaring heritage of Dubai in a combination with ‘a modern aspect moving forwards into the future’. On its rooftop is a helipad and the world’s highest tennis court.

Jean Nouvel (born August 12, 1945)

This French architect is the designer of the future Louvre Abu Dhabi art museum. His famous buildings include the Arab World Institute in Paris, France and the Culture and Congress Centre in Lucerne, Switzerland; and the Philharmonie de Paris, France.

Moshe Safdie (born July 14, 1938)

Safdie is an Israeli/Canadian/American architect, urban designer, educator and author, most famous for Habitat 67, a model community and housing complex in Montreal, Canada; as well as the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem and the Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex in Anandpur Sahib, India.

Adrian Smith (born August 19, 1944)

This American neofuturistic architect’s best works include the Burj Khalifa, – the world’s tallest skyscraper in the world, in Dubai, UAE, and the Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, China.

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (both born 1950)

These two Swiss architects are world famous for the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, and the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, China, also known as the Beijing National Stadium built for the 2008 Olympic and Paraolympics Games.

Beautiful Landscape Design Elements

December 30, 2014

Lucas Bergman

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It is winter outside, but in a couple of months, when the spring sun brings a little bit of warmth into our gardens, we will want to spend all of our time outside. Comfortable chair, warm coffee in our hands and sun shining down upon us is all we need to truly enjoy beautiful morning before we start with our daily schedule, but having a beautiful scenery around will make that free time you spend there more enjoyable. So if you are not that imaginative and talented when redecorating is in question, we have a couple of landscape design tips from world’s top experts on landscaping design on how to create your own little backyard paradise.

Your Own Oasis

First thing you need to think about when deciding how to change your garden is where you are going to place your garden furniture, and then everything else will come naturally.

Right in the center, among all the flowers, hidden behind tall shrubs and trees, you need peaceful and comfortable sun bed where you can spend your days reading books while escaping the reality.

You can always go shopping for the usual garden furniture, like wooden chairs and decks with pillows that cover them, but think a little harder, and consider building a sturdy construction for a big comfortable rocking hammock with a lot of cushions, where even two people can sit together if needed.

Another inevitable thing you need to have for this to truly be your personal oasis is Koi pond.

Those are little ecosystems with plants and fish that require special care and treatment, but it is worth it. They create perfect harmony and balance in your garden, and inside of you, while you are resting with the sound of the water trickling in the light breeze.

Warm Romantic Nights

There have probably been moments in the evening when you wanted to spend some quality time with your better half, sitting somewhere in the meadow, roasting marshmallows, while stargazing.

But the problem of today is that you are usually too tired to sit in your car and drive off, so you really need a cozy corner in your yard where you can put the firewood and light it to keep you warm while you and your dearest talk about the day you had, or simply enjoy the silence of the night.

A bottle of wine and a soft blanket for you two to roll under and cuddle up next to the flickering fire is all you need to create that romantic movie atmosphere.

Masonry Fire Pit — image credit: landscapingnetwork.com

Stonehenge

By now you have probably seen many beautiful garden pathways made of stone and little rocks, but you can be a bit more creative with it, especially if you have larger stones you can use to make yourself a unique sitting area.

They might be a bit heavy to move and work with, so you will need an extra set of hands, but once you pile them up, one by one, you will create a couch like no one else has ever seen.

They could be somewhat uncomfortable, so always carry an extra cushion or a blanket with you to sit on, but what it will be perfect for is a hot summer – simply lay on the cold stone and enjoy the beautiful day.

Stone Couch — image source: amazinginteriordesign.com

Stairway to the Garden of Eden

If your backyard is not a flat surface, and you need a few steps to reach some of its corners, try to be as creative as you can. Make them out of stone, as this natural material will look perfect in combination with the big grass surface that you already take such good care of.

However, if you feel that stone makes your scenery look a bit cold, you can always decorate it with your favorite flowers – leave some space between the blocks, and plant whatever you wish, just do not forget to water it regularly, and be careful not to step on it on your way up.

Garden Stairway — image source: Pinterest

An Old Teapot

Finally, not one garden should be without a fountain, and if you have an old pot that you do not use anymore, but you are emotionally attached to it, there is a way to create an interesting little stream of water.

So if you have always wanted to live in Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, now you can recreate this mystical land with a little DIY project, with an old pot and a water pump, surrounded with colorful flowers.

Old Teapot Fountain — image credit: wonderfuldiy.com

At The End

So in the end you do not really need a designer. Just think carefully what you truly need in your garden to make you feel comfortable while sitting, and pleasing to the eyes.

A lot of flowers, natural materials, some old furniture, and even things that you thought you will not use anymore can do the trick and help you make the back of your home your own paradise on Earth.

Exterior Décor

Artistic Examples of Exterior Design

December 8, 2014

Lucas Bergman

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Whether it is for houses or buildings, exterior design is very important. Precisely because it doesn’t have to be in unison with the interior, architects have the freedom to do what they want and create what they want, with the permission of their clients of course.

Whereas most people design and build their houses so as to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, there are some who just purposefully stand out.

Exterior in modern architecture is trying to break out of the cookie cutter design, and instead strive for something new and unexpected, and inspired by layout, location, function, texture, etc.

Here are some intriguing exterior designs to make you think and wonder if you would ever have the guts to pull those off.

Colorful Mykonos

This house situated in Mykonos, Greece represents a wonderful mixture of traditional architecture characteristic for this region and naïve playful painting.

Even with the design that is very traditional for this region, using blue color to cast away evil spirits, this example is a very bold one, with a bold choice of color.

Clear Cut

Most people hire an architect to build their dream house. The couple from this home did the entire job almost entirely by themselves. This is a classic urban style from northern countries, a bit closed off from the exterior world, but inside sheltering an intimate atmosphere.

It is meant to interpret nature in a way, with its rough edges, stone-like shape, materials used etc.

Seashell Seashell By The Sea Shore

In areas close to the sea architects sometimes get all sorts of inspiration. Coming from Mexico, this is a house formally known as the Conch Shell House on the island of Isla Mujeres, the house of the famous artist Octavio Ocampo.

Using pretty traditional materials as well as old recycled and found materials, this house stores a pretty unusual design. It heavily interprets nature in the sense of organic formation of objects.

A Bold Design

This house was designed by a famous Mexican artist Juan O’Gorman, and it is known as the Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo house.

The style is industrial modernism, and it uses the bright color as an architectural tool for point out the form of the shapes and flat surfaces. The repetitive use of nature with the cactuses and trees in the background is used to sustain the symbiosis with the object.

Old And New

Geometric is sometimes good and sometimes bad, but it’s never good to carry it out at any cost.

In a broad mixture of styles, cubic forms are combined with broad glass surfaces look very modern and are there to point the vision in the direction of good vistas, but the choice of material is not good for this as it is rustic, and doesn’t complement the contemporary build.

Transparency Is Key

Once again, a design that is not very fitting next to its neighbors. Nonetheless, this house in Japan is very bold and transparent. It seems the architect has decided to completely cut out privacy by bringing in transparency in everyday life with so many glass surfaces.

What is visible in the inside shows a contrast between the dynamic of the interior and the down-to-Earth exterior.

There’s Something Fishy Going on Here

This is Hus. Ett, a Swedish micro designed house.

Even though small, this haring shaped house the elements on the inside of the house, as well as the vast window area create an atmosphere full of light. It is a contemporary interpretation of traditional architecture.

Tin Man House

This house sort of reminds us of a metal container. Even besides the good form and the very interesting arrangement of openings such as windows, doors, etc, the selection of finishing materials is not the best.

In this case, concrete and wood would be a much better combination than the present metal and wood.

Lego Blocks

The use of shipping containers for living purposes is something that greatly sets the Trinity Buoy Wharf house in east London apart from many others. This is actually a home for an entire community which is where these containers come in great use.

Furthermore, the architect did a wonderful job to show off the playfulness of the design by combining different colors and geometrical shapes.

The Little Green House

The first thing that is apparent when seeing this design is that it is trying to go back to nature. The architect is giving us the message that he is trying to give back to nature what was unrightfully taken from her by building this house.

The mixture of geometric wholes is apparent.

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Exterior Décor