This Japanese architecture firm has designed some really interesting projects, including this project in Japan, which was built as temporary housing after a natural disaster. The architecture firm, called Shigeru Ban Architects is very successful at building projects out of paper and cardboard. Especially since paper and cardboard are easy to manufacture and recyclable too.
These architects call these “Paper Log Houses”, as they are built from tubes of cardboard that are attached together with a kind of waterproof tape. And the roofs are made up of a waterproof fabric, usually used for tents.
It is interesting how designers solve the problems of temporary housing: sometimes with tents, sometimes with empty storage containers, and sometimes with kits of metal and fabric.
Shigeru Ban Architects is an architecture firm worth checking out.
An architecture firm called Buro Ole Scheeren, based in China and Hong Kong, is designing some really neat stuff. One of their projects is a series of rafts with bean bag chairs that face towards a raft that holds a movie projection screen. So you are floating while watching the movie – in the middle of a very beautiful lagoon, surrounded by large rocks that project out of the water in Thailand. It must feel pretty magical to watch something from this perspective. The architecture firm also says that this cinema is temporary, and afterwards it will be used by the local community as an event space, or maybe they will simply recycle the materials and make something else. Link to the architecture firm to learn more.
We should try to meet there.
So, at archKIDecture, we are not huge fans of wasting food or using it in ways that are not going to be eaten, however, this use of the superfood broccoli, could not go unnoticed. This artist, Brock Davis, took his healthy food to heart and art and made a tree house out of toothpicks in a broccoli tree. Perhaps the next time you have some of that good green stuff on your plate you might think about using the potatoes to make a little house in it, right at the dinner table. Read a teeny bit more about it on Brock’s site: here.
Maybe you can think of other architecture and food projects. Send any photos to archKIDecture if you do!
For kids and adults alike, you can try out this “Name the architecture spot in Atlanta” contest. A group of photos of details of buildings that people who really look around will recognize, you can fill in the blanks and maybe win the contest! We think it is a cool idea to get people to notice the built environment. Maybe we will post a similar contest for our town of Chicago. Or, if you want to send your own contest, or photos of your town and the building names, please do and we can set it up.
Music is defined by architecture. Well, music is influenced by architecture. Well, music is often written and played in different ways because of the space where it is performed.
David Byrne, formerly of the Talking Heads, a popular music group back in the day, suggests that music is influenced by the space in which it is played. Some music is created for small, private, enclosed spaces, some for huge auditoriums or concert halls and so the music has different qualities depending on the physical space, or the architecture.
Byrne is a musician and songwriter. He explained that music is often created with a space in mind, or a “context” in mind. Music that Bach wrote fit the concert halls of the 18th century for example. Perhaps some musicians nowadays write for iPod listening…which involves no architecture at all!
Watch his presentation here. It is a Ted talk and brings up some interesting ideas.
You can hear some Talking Heads music here.
