yellow jersey

Lance Armstrong by Annie Leibovitz

animal clinic

Santiago Metropolitan Park covers an area of 722 ha. at San Cristobal Hill, Chile. Carreño Sartori Arquitectos have designed a Zoo Nursery within the park consisting a management building, veterinary hospital and nursery. Looking at the project, the observer would realised that the hill within the site determinates the whole complex. The design and construction process are thought without touching the existing stone walls facing the visitor route. The Architects have preserved an open place surrounding the building so to keep the distant view of the hillside, the road and city.

mirror folly mirror

The pavillion, which was comissioned privately, was originally conceived and planned as a tea house. In the course of the planning phase, Philipp Baumhauer, the Architect of the project evolved into a decorative and ornamental structure that was given a new purpose. It then grew into a folly of the kind that populated 18th century landscaped gardens in England and turned into an edifice without a clear definition – a larger than lifesize abstract piece of furniture. The Architect added niches in the facade, the roof as well as the interior, where cushions await, invite reposal. The exterior consists of planed boards of larchwood, whose smoothness contrast with the weathering process. The Architects also made sure that no flashing, visible attic, detract from the sharp edges and solidity of the structure so that the aging process will appear completely homogeneous. During the winter months when its not is use, the pavillion is closed with shutters made of highly polished stainless steel which creates depth not only by structural means but in an imaginary and illusional way using the reflecting qualities as a mirror.

starvin' marvin'

I woke up starving today. Couldn't think about anything other than filling up my stomach. Made my way to the local deli and bought myself some sausages. Mmmm....reminds me of my relatives in Italy. As you see, due to my hunger pangs, I'm unable to concentrate and write more on this blog.

mother! oh god, mother! blood! blood!

Marion Cotillard by Annie Leibovitz

hugging trees

Petra Gipp Arkitektur have embedded a pale concrete structure in the lushness of a Swedish forest slope. The entire form is gathered around a nave made out of wood. Looking closer, a staircase carves its way through the wood and concrete volume and by doing so, ties the structure tighter together. This passage opens up into a inner space, where the wooden core forms a niche/bench. The ceiling releases from the wall to reveal a thin slice of sky. The Architect wanted to to inflict as little damage as possible on the site, conceptually as well as visually hence the foundation is laid in the back, which allows the structure to rise above the ground and leave a large part of the site untouched.

welcome mr. bond

The architecture studio A-cero have designed a big single-family house in the outskirts of Madrid. The massive plot measures 5,000 m/sq with 1600 m/sq built surface. The Architects have produced a house that seems to be hidden between concrete walls and vegetable ramps that extend up to the roof. The concrete is dyed in a dark gray colour and in-between them vegetation areas that seem to climb towards the sky. The house's façade show a spectacular organic view of the whole house. Both front and back of the house is totally opened towards the garden. The plot also includes a elegant garden, a small lake and a paddle track. All it needs now is a villian and its ready for the set of James Bond.

its all vanity - two

George Clooney by Annie Leibovitz

its all vanity - one

I've been a fan of Annie Leibovitz's photos for a while now. The intensity of the pictures are unyielding. So, I hope by adding some of her shots here, you readers can somehow appreciate her work. First up, Inglorious bastards.

yabba dabba doo!!

What do you think of this crazy stone house tucked into the Fafe Mountains in Protugal? Constructed between two giant stones and linked with a concrete mix, the house is rumored to be inspired by the popular American Flintstones cartoon. Although quite unusual, the prehistoric-looking residence does feature some traditional components such as windows, a front door, and even a shingled roof. As you might expect, the house’s design attracts thousands of tourists each year. Who is the Architect behind this? Haven't got a slightest clue. Fred Flinstone I'd imagine.

narrow serenity

Showa-cho, Japan is a quiet place (in Japanese standards) even though it is downtown. The design of the residence has a narrow frontage, which is a part of a row house (17.89m x 3.94m). The design of the residence is that the street in front of the house could be a part of scenery rather than to be closed towards the street. Novel idea but Fujiwaramuro Architects big challenge is in the progress of the planning; it could take only less than 3 meters for effective flange width inside when it was built in such a long narrow lot, so the main solution was to use cross section construction. From the south side that faces the street, a tree was planted.

The living room has 5.6m of ceiling height, 'stairwell and stairs spaces', '4 layers of construction from basement to 3rd floor each rooms', 'a small outside stairwell'. Each floor is not piled up, but adopted the skip floor method, which made a gap. By doing this , the Architects have made it possible to see the outside street from the back rooms so, that it could be unified with outside of the house and create a larger atmosphere. Despite the stairs being in the center of the house it is not blocking the view of outside. Glass was used for every partition wall. Slits were also made on the floors and ceilings thus creating a sense of a bigger space.

breeze blocks

The two small buildings situated in an irregular shape lot, near the old town of Orsara di Puglia, in a street characterized by different typologies of buildings. Raimondo Guidacci Architects have completed 2 new building block by filling the gap between the fronts on the two streets, left uncovered an internal area to brought light inside the two buildings and related them to each other. It is possible to divide the front of both houses in three elements: a basement made of brushed Apricena stone, a surface completely covered with oak boards, containing the entrances, and a white wall, without windows, for the front on Via Trento, while on Via Cadorna there are two balconies in stainless steel. Both the buildings are covered by roofs with a single slope made of Rheinzink. Volumetric manipulation were the main idea of the project thus the Architects have started the project from these bonds and finds the solution in the rotation of the levels around the chimney, like a fan, generating many terraces turned in direction of the court and the core of the buildings.

empty shell

She left today. No notes, no words, no boxes, no toiletries, no trace. I feel empty not because of the lost but more of the feeling of voidness. Never expected to feel this way but somehow without knowing, it crept silently. Mix emotions of sadness, relief, emptiness, hope and lost is exagerated.

Sometimes, words are better left unsaid...

angry sex, isn't that what family is for?

The stresses we endure on a daily basis -- waking up to your roommate's 7 a.m. alarm, pop quizzes and random calls from telephone companies -- negatively affect our relationships. If you're continuously overworked and aggravated, that energy will be passed on to your partner. When this issue goes unresolved, your relationship will quickly weaken under the weight of your burdens. How can this problem be resolved? The most logical answer is to relax and take things easy. But let's be honest, there are other alternatives to whining as a method to relieve tension. When I need to alleviate stress I write my blog, while others run 10 miles, wail on the guitar or masturbate. Though I do promote all these healthy activities, allow me to propose another option - Have angry sex. What?!, you might say but hear me out.

You're probably wondering: 'What exactly is angry sex?' Essentially, it's having ravenous, unbridled sex when you and your partner are frustrated and enraged. While it may seem ridiculous, it is also very logical. Anger and sexual desire are strong, overpowering forces. They are both forms of passion. Let's put it this way; you can either choose to stay bitter and fume with anger, or you can release these emotions in an explosion of skin and sweat. Your choice, dear readers. If you're ready for forceful, suffocatingly hot sex, continue reading. Angry sex has a direct correlation between the level of your frustration and the intensity of your hook-up. The angrier you are, the more animalistic your sex will be. You just failed your Part 3 exam - that will provide you the energy to tear off your partner's shirt, ripping seams and popping off buttons. Are you missing your well needed holidays to Las Vegas for a blow-out because of HR issues? Take your frustration out on your partner's neck. Who cares if you leave a few marks, she might enjoy it and thank you for it. Instead of complaining about your 15 hours shift sorting incompetent juniors, go at it so long that you will collapse from the exhausting pleasure and need a day of recovery before the two of you get in the saddle again.

There are 2 types of angry sex. The first, mentioned above involves releasing your own personal aggression by making the bed frame suffer. It's an overall satisfying experience that allows you to transform your negativity into something positive and stimulating. The initiation of this type of angry sex is up to you, since it's your issues that need to be....ahem...'resolved'. The other form of angry sex is a result of both partners being upset with each other. In contrast to make-up sex after a fight, this is not sweet and gentle; it's rough and fanatical. The idea is to dominate over your partner in order to win both the argument and struggle for sexual control. To successfully initiate angry sex, you must be intuitive enough to know when your partner is genuinely upset or simply annoyed. Don't begin coming on to your partner if he or she is crying. The climax of the argument is when you make your move. Exert force and maybe even some playful violence. Even if your partner is in the middle of a sentence, pin them against a wall and kiss them with all of your passionate anger. Never let things calm down or give your partner a chance to catch his or her breath. Mercilessly tease them by slowly moving your mouth lower giving him a taste of your oral skills before coming back up. Your partner will gleefully suffer with anticipation. Prevent them from making any moves by holding their hands above their head while you straddle their body. Make them endure your heavy breathing in their ear and roaming hands. Their sexual energy will build and suddenly explode as they take control over you. It's your turn to be provoked by their stimulation. After fighting long enough in bed, finally give into the pleasure. Your stress will melt in the heat of your friction.

poison ivy

This was a deserted house that the locals called a haunted house. It doesn't help that there is ivy covering the whole structure. SPEAC renovated it as a dwelling and office. The Architects removed all the partitions and ceilings, reinforced the structure with the diagonal braces and walls. By doing this, the rooms looked wider, the floors are painted in white except for the wooden structure of the roof and columns of the 2nd floor.

sky light

BCHO Architects has design a 14m x 17m concrete box, buried in the ground and contains 6, 1-pyeong, rooms and two earth filled courtyards. This ‘small house’ is open to the courtyard which is open to the sky. The one pyeong rooms originated from the size of one kan (6×6 ja; 1 ja = approx. 30cm) which are just large enough for an adult to lie down straight. The house has a small kitchen, a study, two resting rooms, a bathroom with a wooden tub and toilet, and a wash room. The rooms are all adjacent to each other and open directly to the earth filled courtyard. Connecting rooms can be joined to create a bigger room. The house doors are intentionally small so that entering the house requires the visitor to make their body smaller.

Yoon Dong-joo, the Korean poet would have been proud of this house. A house of the sky and its respect to the earth, sky and stars above.