Web UrbanistWeb UrbanistCollectively Reporting on Urban Cultures and Alternative Arts Around the World Articles
8 Remarkable Palace, Fort and Castle Hotels: Living it Up in (Ancient) Luxu
2008-04-10 23:35:00 Imagine curling up in front of an 800 year old fireplace where a king once rested (or was arrested!). Many castle hotels once belonged to (or were used to imprison) kings, queens and other royalty as far back as the 1300s. Regardless of your budget there is a cozy fortress or magnificent castle hotel to ... More About: Europe , Living , Travel , Architecture , World
3 (More) Kinds of Unusual Art from Ordinary Objects: Toothpick Sculptures t
2008-04-06 22:45:00 A surprising number of artists use remarkably conventional materials as the basis for their offbeat masterpieces. Sometimes the results are inspiring and other times they seem to border on kitsch. Still, art from ordinary objects can provide an interesting reminder that the things around us we take for granted can be repurposed in ways most ... More About: Models , Sculpture , Objects , Sculptures , Ordinary
3 (More) Kinds of Unusual Art from Ordinary Objects: Toothpick Sculptures t
2008-04-06 22:45:00 A surprising number of artists use remarkably conventional materials as the basis for their offbeat masterpieces. Sometimes the results are inspiring and other times they seem to border on kitsch. Still, art from ordinary objects can provide an interesting reminder that the things around us we take for granted can be repurposed in ways most ... More About: Models , Sculpture , Objects , Sculptures , Ordinary
5 Infamous Abandonments Used in Famous Movies: Deserted Buildings from Cult
2008-04-03 23:14:00 Have you ever wondered what really happened to that mall in The Blues Brothers or where Tarkovsky filmed those jarring and surrealistic scenes in Stalker? While many urban abandonments are left alone or the occasional subject of urban exploration, some remarkable buildings and complexes have become famous (or infamous) after being used as film sets ... More About: Movies , Architecture , Cult , Famous , Buildings
5 Infamous Abandonments Used in Famous Movies: Deserted Buildings from Cult
2008-04-03 23:14:00 Have you ever wondered what really happened to that mall in The Blues Brothers or where Tarkovsky filmed those jarring and surrealistic scenes in Stalker? While many urban abandonments are left alone or the occasional subject of urban exploration, some remarkable buildings and complexes have become famous (or infamous) after being used as film sets ... More About: Movies , Architecture , Cult , Famous , Buildings
5 Urban Design Proposals for 3D City Farms: Sustainable, Ecological and Agr
2008-03-30 19:57:00 Imagine the world in 2050 with almost 80% of the planet’s population living in urban centers and our fruit, vegetables and even animals are grown in … skyscrapers? One man’s vision has sparked a series of designs leading closer and closer to what will be the first real-life vertical urban farm in Las Vegas, Nevada ... More About: Design , Environment , Architecture , Urban , City
5 Urban Design Proposals for 3D City Farms: Sustainable, Ecological and Agr
2008-03-30 19:57:00 Imagine the world in 2050 with almost 80% of the planet’s population living in urban centers and our fruit, vegetables and even animals are grown in … skyscrapers? One man’s vision has sparked a series of designs leading closer and closer to what will be the first real-life vertical urban farm in Las Vegas, Nevada ... More About: Design , Environment , Architecture , Urban , City
20 Eye-Catching Pieces of ?Recycled? Urban Furniture: Geeky and Green Adapt
2008-03-26 21:49:00 Do you ever get sick of people telling you to recycle? Well, these furniture designers prove recycling can be a lot more interesting than stuffing cans, bottles and cardboard into the proper containers. A ‘bathtub couch’ and ’shopping cart chair’ may not be your cup of tea but there is something for everyone in this ... More About: Furniture , Urban , Green , Geeky , Pieces
20 Eye-Catching Pieces of ?Recycled? Urban Furniture: Geeky and Green Adapt
2008-03-26 21:49:00 Do you ever get sick of people telling you to recycle? Well, these furniture designers prove recycling can be a lot more interesting than stuffing cans, bottles and cardboard into the proper containers. A ‘bathtub couch’ and ’shopping cart chair’ may not be your cup of tea but there is something for everyone in this ... More About: Furniture , Urban , Green , Geeky , Pieces
5 Jail Hotels (Where You Pay to Be In Prison): From Comfortable Cells to Ni
2008-03-24 00:20:00 A prison is probably the last place on Earth most of us would want to spend the night, right? Well, for some of these converted prison hotels that still holds true: in Latvia, for example, ‘guests’ who pay to stay at a former KGB jail complex are subjected to humiliation and emotional torture. In other ... More About: Travel , Architecture , Hotels , Urban , Prison
5 Jail Hotels (Where You Pay to Be In Prison): From Comfortable Cells to Ni
2008-03-24 00:20:00 A prison is probably the last place on Earth most of us would want to spend the night, right? Well, for some of these converted prison hotels that still holds true: in Latvia, for example, ‘guests’ who pay to stay at a former KGB jail complex are subjected to humiliation and emotional torture. In other ... More About: Travel , Architecture , Hotels , Urban , Prison
5 Places You Probably Never Thought to Go Skiing: Far-Out Ski Destinations
2008-03-21 21:17:00 It’s that time of year when most ski resorts are wrapping up their winter ski season and avid urban vacationers are taking those last weekend runs. Ski buffs sometimes brag about skiing at Whistler, Big Sky or other more exclusive resorts, but how many can say they’ve skied in Bolivia or New Zealand? You can’t ... More About: Sports , Environment , Travel , Architecture , Bizarre
7 (More) Abandoned Wonders of America: From Deserted Breweries to Famous Au
2008-03-18 22:47:00 Much of America ’s little-remembered history can be found in largely unknown structures scattered across the United States, some of which are silently falling apart. Many of these have amazing claims to fame and set records in their time - the world’s first auto assembly line or the largest brewery in the US - while others ... More About: Architecture , Famous , Wonders , Deserted
3 Incredible Gatherings: The Largest, Strangest and Scariest Collective Act
2008-03-16 21:10:00 As humans we have a difficult time comprehending large numbers, and vast collections of people perhaps in particular. There is something simply surreal about a pilgrimage that attracts more people than the population of Texas or a festival that draws thirty thousand revelers deep into one of the harshest deserts on Earth. The following three ... More About: Religion , Travel , Architecture , Festivals , Urban
20 (More) Incredibly Unconventional Hotel Rooms: Artistic Interior Designs
2008-03-13 00:03:00 [above: Kids fortress bed with full mini-golf room from the Propeller Island Hotel ] Ever wonder what it would be like to be stuck in prison, live in a museum or stay in a hotel room in space? Art and concept hotels have begun addressing every fantasy you may have had … and some you probably haven’t. ... More About: Interior , Artistic , Designs , Hotel rooms
5 Floating Utopia and Ocean City Projects: From Seafaring Condos to Oceanic
2008-03-09 21:15:00 Who hasn’t imagined living on their very own floating paradise? For those aboard ResidenSea, a permanent ocean-going residence, this dream is at least a partial reality. Freedom Ship (upon its completion) will take floating cities to a new level and if the Living Universe Foundation has its way the oceans will just be a first ... More About: Environment , Projects , Architecture , Ocean , Utopia
16 Sweet (and Scary) Building Demolitions in Action
2008-03-05 19:57:00 [Above: Inverse building demolition in London via Neatorama] Nothing last forever and that includes the most grandiose skyscrapers, luxurious hotels and beloved sports stadiums. It seems amazing at times that so much money, energy and material is invested in structures that ultimately get torn down so quickly. Some of these demolitions are simply damned impressive while ... More About: Videos , Building , Architecture , Action , Urban
5 Incredible Works of Insane Architectural Genius: Wooden Skyscrapers to Re
2008-03-03 01:48:00 How many people does it take to envision, design and build a typical building? Architects, builders, carpenters, laborers are often just the beginning of a long list of co-creators. Well, these bizarre exceptions were each primarily the work of a single eccentric individual and in many cases took decades (or even lifetimes) to construct. Despite ... More About: Environment , Travel , Architecture , Insane , Works
7 Abandoned Wonders of the European Union: From Deserted Castles Retrofutur
2008-02-27 22:01:00 The Europe an Union may appear on the surface to be a unified body but underneath each member country retains a unique and complex history. The rich stories of individual European nations can be read in part through the amazing abandoned buildings found across the continent. It is truly remarkable how intact some of these structures ... More About: Travel , Architecture , European Union
10 (More) Pieces of Clever Transforming Furniture: From Tetris Tables to Ro
2008-02-24 23:13:00 Why is transforming furniture so alluring? Does it appeal to our sense that innovation is progress, the fact that fewer materials for more uses is sustainable or simply a return to the childhood love of things that we can actively change and shape as we wish? Whatever the reason, these designs range from humorous and ... More About: Tables , Furniture , Tetris , Clever , Pieces
Surprise: World?s Tallest Structure Isn?t a Skyscraper
2008-02-22 21:08:00 Believe it or not, there are a number of structures taller even than the infamous Burj Dubai. The tallest structure in the world, however, is an unusual candidate that reaches more than twice as far down into the ocean as said tallest skyscraper reaches into the sky. The Ursa tension-leg platform is an oil-production facility ... More About: Environment , Architecture , World , Skyscraper , Bizarre
17 Extreme Houseboats and Houseboat Designs: From Luxury Habitats to Humble
2008-02-20 19:00:00 Ever dream of sailing off into the sunset in your very own houseboat? Some of these are dreamy but completely out of reach while others you may be able to afford but wouldn’t want for the world. This collection spans the extremes of design and brute-force ingenuity: from the obscenely luxurious to the absurdly simple. Want ... More About: Environment , Travel , Architecture , Luxury , Extreme
7 (More) Unusually Geeky Approaches to Graffiti: From Remote-Control Robots
2008-02-18 03:38:00 What qualifies something as unusually geeky street graffiti? In some cases it is the content but in many instances it is the methods employed in its creation. Here are seven more geek graffiti projects that comment on and employ tools of the digital age to reinterpret traditional street art approaches or convey contemporary messages via ... More About: Architecture , Robots , Remote Control , Graffiti , Urban
A Visual Tour of the Dharma Initiative Stations: 7 Mysterious ?Abandonments
2008-02-14 00:51:00 [Lost Island rendering and map courtesy of LostMap] For some, ‘Lost’ is more than a mere television show - it is a hobby, fantasy or even obsession. One of the most entrancing aspects of the show is its semi-abandoned Dharma Initiative stations that dot the island and have been slowly revealed over time. Dedicated followers of ... More About: Video , Travel , Architecture , Visual , Tour
10 Amazing Tree Houses from Around the World: Sustainable, Unique and Creat
2008-02-11 01:44:00 As a young child (or perhaps even an adult) who hasn’t dreamed of living in a tree house? Some structures are built on trees or hung from trees, but some unusual tree houses are even grown from trees or built right into a tree. Some people live in trees as a luxury, some to help ... More About: Environment , Architecture , World , Houses , Around the world
Simple and Sustainable Clay-Fired Desert Architecture: Innovative Buildings
2008-02-08 12:50:00 Imagine a sustainable building system that requires only the skills of a potter to complete. A basic earthen structure is formed and finished by traditional clay-firing processes. This remarkable building process culminates in baking every room from the inside, for up to an entire day at up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. The end product is ... More About: Environment , Architecture , Buildings , Simple , Fired
15 Ingenious Humanitarian Subvertisements: Creative Advertisements that Adv
2008-02-06 01:09:00 Save perhaps lawyers, what is more ubiquitous in modern society than advertising? We are used to ads that promote a product or service for product, but many organizations, individuals and guerilla artists have begun putting a unique spin on ads by advocating for important local and global issues. Here are just some of the growing ... More About: Creative , Urban , Advertisements , Humanitarian
The House that Shaped an Architectural Generation: Frank Gehry?s First ?Dec
2008-02-04 01:21:00 What happened to Frank Gehry? Some call it a midlife crises, others chalk it up to a moment of revelation. Whatever occurred, this rather conventional middle-aged architect changed virtually overnight into an avante garde designer and created what is arguably the most influential residence of the 20th Century. Deconstructivism now pervades the field of architecture ... More About: House , Architecture , Urbanism , The House
What if the Package Were Part of the Product? 5 Innovative Industrial Desig
2008-02-02 00:09:00 [above: The Design Pod mobile office concept by Andrew Maynard] What if you could simply reuse packaging as part of a product rather than sending away for disposal or recycling? Some industrial designers have taken up the challenge with varied results. Like creative flat-pack designs, the constraints of the projects become opportunities for self-expression and to ... More About: Product , Industrial , Part , Innovative , Package
3 (More) Extreme Approaches to Portable Living: From ‘Garbage Trucks’ t
More articles from this author:2008-01-30 09:50:00 There’s nothing like the freedom to move and live where we want. Perhaps the greatest expression of postmodern mobility is when transportation devices are combined with living spaces. Creative portable living solutions can blend with urban surroundings, be adapted to different individuals or can be the epitome of over-the-top luxury. (more…) More About: Living , Portable , Extreme , Garbage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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