Lego Architecture Collection

Lego's Architecture Series by Adam Reed Tucker includes the Empire State Building and the Seattle Space Needle and now has a couple of offerings by Frank Lloyd Wright. The NY Guggenheim Museum model is shown above. I'd love to see Lego interpret the works of Frank Gehry, now that would be a challenge! This would be a great gift for any aspiring kid architects in any of your lives, this is a great chance to can learn from the greats with the Lego architecture series!! I might have to grab this for myself (I'm a kid at heart) plus I love architecture!! The sets retail for only $45 so its an easy purchase....

"G"

CUBE : A Different Way to Live Above The Rest!!

You can choose the design of your phone, your computer, and your car - so why not your condominium?

That’s what Chad Oppenheim, head of Miami-based Oppenheim Architecture & Design, asked himself while putting together his architectural thesis at Brown University.

The question became the impetus for his latest project: a condominium complex, set to be completed by the end of 2010, that takes a bottom-up, user-generated approach to constructing residential space.

be promotes its occupants to design their own domain with the possibility of connecting multiple cube modules vertically, horizontally, and diagonally in addition to creating double height volumes, garden voids and cantilevered living environments.

Sale of the 113 condominium units is on hold due to the market downturn. Penthouse and cantilevered units like the one in the top images will sell for $800/sf.

The cubes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, although you can’t book them online yet. Oppenheim says residents shouldn’t be forced to compromise.

“The goal is to create an innovative but simple structure that gives flexibility,” he says. “This is going to be the next tier of living.

And since I really do think its going to be the next tier of living, I will be waiting on my check for the good people at Oppenheim for this get Plug. *Pause!! LOL

A Foggy Day In DUBAI!!!

Now this is a skyline to remember, they are building on a whole different level over in Dubai!!! They are really getting it in.

Now This Is an Office!!!

This is the office of the Selgas Cano architects in Madrid, I guess it’s not downtown Madrid. They definitely have a different perspective on their surroundings. This is the creative thought process that I am really into. I like people who think outside the box, and this design for an office space is pushing the limits!!

303 East 33rd Street

I was at upscaleswagger.com and I ran across this:

Architects Perkins Eastman has a new project, 303 East 33rd Street, the first green development in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. The project is a 12-story, 165,000 sf building. The interior of the building comprises 128 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes in a variety of layouts as well as a three-bedroom, four-bathroom triplex penthouse. Additional amenities include a fully-equipped fitness center, media lounge with pool table, a children’s playroom, and full-service concierge.

The Armani Store On Fifth Avenue!!

The Armani store on Fifth Avenue in New York has gotten a whole new attraction. As soon as you enter, you will notice the staircase that connects to the first three floors of the two buildings between 5th avenue and the 56th street. This Armani stores completes the trilogy of the Armani Stores designed by Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas for the famous designer.

SkyLoft Penthouse is What?!!

The most expensive condominium ever sold is the Skyloft Penthouse in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. Downtown Manhattan certainly has a lot of wonders. This contemporary duplex loft is the idea of James Carpenter Design Associates. It has some stunning glass constructions and what makes it special is that it sits on top of a building dating from the 1920s. As if that's not all, you have some pretty awesome views of the city that never sleeps from here. The interior has been taken care of by Roger Marvel Architects. They have used glass in the styling a lot. The area is about 700 square meters with four bedrooms and bathrooms. There is also a 420 sq m terrace which provides views of the Hudson river and World Financial Trade Centre.

Damn someone is still getting money, can't be mad at that. I know there is a lot more were that came from.

Oil rigs turned into luxury hotels??

The answer is yes, Morris Architects' Hotelier At Sea project is certainly very innovative as it turns 4,000 decommissioned oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico into luxury hotels with a touch of the Dubai style. These oil rigs were meant to be decommissioned gradually, but Morris had a better idea. His recreational and luxurious concept proposed to convert this space into exclusive, self-sufficient eco-friendly, high-end resort islands off the Gulf of Mexico. It's being lovingly called American Dubai. The pictures look quite impressive. This is also a great service to Mother Nature as blowing up the oil rigs would really harm the sea life and not to mention the millions of dollars it would require.

Jean Nouvel's Aquatic Center

Les Bains des Docks by Jean Nouvel is its name, and destroying everything you thought you knew about what a swimming structure should be is its game. Nouvel’s design for an aquatic center is part of the Port 2000 development in Le Havre, France. The center itself consists of a staggering 12 pools and all the other stuff you’d want for a fun day in the water. The only thing that's missing is some turn tables and a Dj.

Pushing the Limits

China’s Olympic Stadium aka The Bird's Nest by Herzog and de Meuron was one of this years greatest structures to me and many others. Paul Goldberger, of The New Yorker, who is an expert has posted his top 10 buildings of 2008 check them out and see if you agree. Use the link above.