Web UrbanistWeb UrbanistCollectively Reporting on Urban Cultures and Alternative Arts Around the World Articles
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
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
7 Abandoned Wonders of the Former Soviet Union: Deserted Cities, Buildings,
2008-01-28 01:42:00 There are amazing abandonments in America but the former Soviet Union has some of the most interesting, unique and strange abandoned buildings. The complex political, military and social history of the country has led to everything from almost-finished buildings abandoned before actual use and entire abandoned cities to chilling gulags in which tens of millions ... More About: Cities , Buildings , Wonders
More Unusual Art from Everyday Materials: 16 Post-It Note Pranks, Sculpture
2008-01-25 02:12:00 Never underestimate the power of simple office supplies. Post -It Note s come in many vibrant colors and provide everything from a building block for engaging sculptures to a collection of blank slates for interactive community art projects. Here are 16 projects that involve covering, cladding, sculpting and decorating with simply sticky pieces of paper. More About: Video , Pranks , Graffiti
16 of the Most Creative (and/or Sexy) Hotel Rooms in the World: From Upside
2008-01-22 02:17:00 [above: the upside-down room from the Propeller Island Hotel ] Ever wonder what it would be like to live upside-down, sleep like a vampire or break out of prison? More and more hotels are breaking out of the tradition of cookie-cutter rooms and are moving toward unique one-of-a-kind artist-driven room designs. Here are sixteen such rooms that ... More About: Creative , Travel , Architecture , World
The Tallest Masonry Building in the World: Philadelphia?s Beautiful Load-Be
2008-01-19 09:11:00 Did you know that brick or stone-clad buildings you see today almost invariably hide a steel support structure that does the actual work? Before steel was used to create rigid frames, buildings relied on the load-bearing capacity of incredibly thick solid materials. This amazing structure has walls at its base up to 22 feet thick ... More About: Building , Architecture , World , Philadelphia , Urban
Shop, Drop and ? What? 7 Creative and Surrealist Shopdropping Urban Art Pro
2008-01-16 13:16:00 [above: put this back in your next mass-mailed business reply envelope!] If the comments on this article are any indicator, Shop dropping is controversial to say the least. Still, whether they amuse, inspire or disturb you, it is hard to argue with the sheer gumption and creativity behind these strange, subversive and interactive urban art projects. More About: Creative , Urban , Guerilla , Subvertising
More Creative Furniture for Cramped Urban Living: 20 Pieces of Ingenious ?F
2008-01-13 22:50:00 [Above: flat pack book case design by Jeremy Grove] Flat pack furniture is exactly what it sounds like: furniture that starts out entirely as sheets of wood, metal or even cardboard. In addition to being clever and simply aesthetically awesome, flat pack furniture is also eco-friendly and highly creative. Without further ado, here are 20 ... More About: Creative , Living , Architecture , Furniture , Urban
7 Unusually Geeky Street Graffiti Projects: From Digitized Spray-Painting t
2008-01-10 04:01:00 (Above [Citation Needed] Wikipedia Graffiti from Flickr via Snarfd) What makes great graffiti into geek graffiti? It can be the approach, using nifty computer equipment to generate graffiti (for example). It can also be the content, as in the case of pixelated, projected or or even “physically hyperlinked” street art. The following examples span the spectrum ... More About: Video , Projects , Painting , Web 2
7 (More) Abandoned Wonders of America: From Military Islands to Mills and I
2008-01-07 01:28:00 Imagine entire islands and vast building complexes eerily abandoned virtually in your own back yard. This seemingly far-fetched scenario might be more real than you realize. Complexes of more than 150 buildings and even small islands are located near the heart of major cities such as Houston and Washington DC. You may know these 70 ... More About: America , Travel , Military , Architecture , Wonders
7 Surreal Urban Street Art Installation Projects: Brad Downey Brings Wonder
2008-01-04 00:31:00 “It would be so nice if something made sense for a change,” exclaimed Alice. While his work may seem as amazing and fantastical as something straight out of Alice’s Wonderland, Brad Downey’s creative street artwork does have a rhyme and reason beneath the madness. Downey is a New York street artist with a twist: his ... More About: Projects , Urban , Street , Surreal
Top 5 Unusually Green Vehicles of 2007: From Stackable Transport to Wirefra
2008-01-02 03:19:00 As demand for environmental alternatives grows, some green-thinking automotive designers have gone above and beyond simple hybrid or energy-efficient cars to develop radically creative green vehicles in many senses of the word. Here are five of the most interesting, innovative, strange and downright bizarre green concept vehicles developed this past year. More About: Environment , Transport , Urban , Green , Vehicles
Creative Sculpture With a Twist: 3 Extraordinary Ways to Carve Art Out of O
2007-12-30 02:19:00 Paintings normally require canvas and most theater takes a stage, but carvings can come out of almost any material - a fact which some talented artists have put to into practice in amazing ways. Most people are familiar with amazingly carved ice statues and perhaps even giant cheese sculptures, but what about eggs, pencils or ... More About: Video , Creative , Sculpture , Extraordinary , Twist
Shopdropping aka Droplifting: Beginner?s Guide to the Subversive Art of Rev
2007-12-27 04:46:00 Shopdropping was probably the last kind of giving on most people’s minds as they shopped during the holiday season. Shopdropping, also known as droplifting, is the incredible act of reverse shoplifting: going into stores and putting things onto the shelves. Banksy is probably the best known shopdropper, famous for putting out his own subvertised versions ... More About: Video , Urban , Beginner , Guide , Subvertising
Small, Strange and Surreal: 3 of the Most Bizarre Micronations in the World
2007-12-24 21:21:00 Have you ever wanted to rule your very own country? A micronation is an area of land claimed by one or more persons to be independent from any major recognized nation in the world. Some of these have incredible histories of war, triumph and independence and still survive today, while others have long since been ... More About: Video , Travel , World , Bizarre , Small
The Graffiti Report Card: Controversy and Critique of an Unusual Urban Stre
2007-12-23 07:33:00 The subject of graffiti often brings out strongly polarized reactions from urban dwellers, who either support it as art or criticize it as vandalism. Brandon Baunach of DesignCrack has developed a project based on an idea of Drew Heffron that has amazingly drawn both fire and criticism from both sides: Graffiti Report Card stickers for ... More About: Video , Urban
7 of the Smallest Hotels and Hotel Rooms in the World: From Pipe Rooms to C
2007-12-20 23:45:00 Think your last apartment or hotel room was small? Believe it or not, there are a lot of contenders for the dubious title of smallest hotel on the planet. Some claim it by number of rooms, others by size and all are quick to defend their position. However, you can judge for yourself after taking ... More About: Video , Travel , Architecture , World , Hotels
7 of the Smallest Hotels and Hotel Rooms in the World: From Pipe Rooms to C
2007-12-20 23:45:00 Think your last apartment or hotel room was small? Believe it or not, there are a lot of contenders for the dubious title of smallest hotel on the planet. Some claim it by number of rooms, others by size and all are quick to defend their position. However, you can judge for yourself after taking ... More About: Video , Travel , Architecture , World , Hotels
7 More Abandoned Wonders of the World: Amazing American Abandonments
2007-12-19 00:11:00 Ever see an impressive derelict structure and wonder just how a building so elegant, sizable or centrally located could be abandoned? There are amazing abandonments all over the world, but some may be closer than you think. Many are even located right in the heart of major cities like New York or Los Angeles and ... More About: Travel , Architecture , World , Urban , American
7 More Abandoned Wonders of the World: Amazing American Abandonments
2007-12-19 00:11:00 Ever see an impressive derelict structure and wonder just how a building so elegant, sizable or centrally located could be abandoned? There are amazing abandonments all over the world, but some may be closer than you think. Many are even located right in the heart of major cities like New York or Los Angeles and ... More About: Travel , Architecture , World , Urban , American
Stitching Together History, Culture and Graffiti: A Look at Urban Art in Sa
2007-12-17 01:12:00 San Francisco has a rich history and culture that spans a diverse set of groups time periods. Today, San Francisco is known to be one of the most welcoming and liberal cities in the world. Some of the history behind this truth is sketched on the walls of the city. This history is at times ... More About: Culture , History , Graffiti , Urban , Street Art
Stitching Together History, Culture and Graffiti: A Look at Urban Art in Sa
More articles from this author:2007-12-17 01:12:00 San Francisco has a rich history and culture that spans a diverse set of groups time periods. Today, San Francisco is known to be one of the most welcoming and liberal cities in the world. Some of the history behind this truth is sketched on the walls of the city. This history is at times dark ... More About: Culture , History , Graffiti , Urban , Street Art 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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