Louisianaphoto via kathleen

Louisiana

photo via kathleen

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How to Host a Game of Thrones Fantasy League Draft

Game of Thrones has so many characters, plot lines, alliances, and events that the drama unfolds like a season of your favorite sport. In fact, it’s possible to turn the show into a fantasy football-like draft. Here’s how.

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Sky Villa / CJ Studio


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee
  • Architects: CJ Studio
  • Location: Taipei, Taipei City, Taiwan
  • Architect In Charge: CJ Studio
  • Design Team: CJ Studio/Shi-Chieh Lu
  • Area: 364.0 sqm
  • Project Year: 2015
  • Photographs: Kuo-Min Lee


© Kuo-Min Lee


© Kuo-Min Lee


© Kuo-Min Lee


© Kuo-Min Lee

From the architect. The house is located on the top floor of a high rise building in downtown Taipei. Due to the shift of the family member and the passing of ten years since its completion, the house is in need of a renovation. The main layout remains the same, but two single bedrooms are converted into another master bedroom with a walk-in closet and an adjoining bathroom. Additionally, the upper roof floor is designed for a roof garden and a lounge space.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

The most unique feature for this project comes from the idea of “sky villa”, which brings the encounter of nature and manmade environment within a courtyard above the ground. To achieve this goal, one third of the roof was eliminated and replaced with a skylight through which light sprays all over the lobby and its surrounding area. The skylight is supported by a series of thin columns which also defines the edge of the lobby where furniture and plant pots are arranged in an organic order to implicitly guide the circulation without completely hiding the space behind. The lobby, as a courtyard of a villa, is treated virtually as an exterior space organizing the spatial configuration as well as regulating the nature into the interior.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

Besides the courtyard that plays the crucial element to regulate the space, the ceiling as well conducts the flow in the space. By removing the old ceiling and partially adding new ones, the original concrete structural material is revealed with more texture in contrast to the new added smooth white ceiling, as a dialogue between the past and the present, the old and the new. The newly added ceiling which hides the wiring facility splits into multiple layers to guide the dynamic meandering like passing circulation or sight movements, as well as enrich the spatial hierarchy by separating space into differentiated parts. In addition, lights are installed along the fracture of the ceiling to transform space into a furniture and merge the role between them. The design strategy by reduction rather than adding, such as the ceiling and illumination, sometimes brings even more attractive features that sit on the experiential edges.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

A lit court is formed due to that part of the existing roof was taken out. Better resolution download address:

Wide window and a long bench frame a vista to the outdoor landscape. The newly added curvy ceiling that is arranged for the purpose of wiring utility dispersal as well as the original upper concrete floor together imply the idea of tearing a surface into multiple layers which further implicitly reveals the spatial relationship.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

With a view from the living room towards the lobby, a tranquil scene emerges out of the contrast juxtaposition of the dark Chinese ink-like Pandomo floor and the surrounding lit environment.


Lower Plan

Lower Plan

The fully penetrable lobby next to the living space opens various visual dimensions  linking to different areas. In addition, the winding array of columns also lead fluid circulation with repetitive rhythm.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

Adopting a sky villa image, the lobby is transformed into an interior courtyard, which is embraced by an array of thin columns that not only signify a space but also support the sky window on top through which light sprays on plants.


Upper Plan

Upper Plan

On the other side of the lobby places the kitchen where the layout follows the existing plan. However, its new composition is the combination of geometric and organic forms.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

A platform behind the staircase, like a lifted terrain, extends from the courtyard as a continuous landscape in the interior space.

Along the staircase up to the upper floor, there exists a frame-like window that links the interior to the exterior garden. Plants are arranged randomly by genus, height and size to achieve a natural environment with vital wildness.


© Kuo-Min Lee

© Kuo-Min Lee

The glazed canopy extends to the garden to shield against the rain, ease the sunshine but does not degrade the light quality in the inner space.

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west pier sunset by don-pino by don-pino

Starlings in Brighton

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Remains of the Day: Latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Gets Inked

Though Windows 10 beta testers have already been privy to many of the new features coming later this year in the “Anniversary” update, the preview was missing one big thing showcased at Microsoft’s developer conference: Windows Ink.

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The Benefits of Scaring Yourself for Fun

Whether it’s a roller coaster, haunted house, or horror movie, people love to scare themselves for entertainment. It might seem odd, but it turns out making yourself feel fear actually comes with some decent perks.

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Elbe tunnel… Hamburg by magdaindigo by magdaindigo

Tour of Europe 04 2016 
Day 5 b
Hamburg… the ring around this city is never-ending, for about 10 minutes or more, left and right: nothing but massive cranes.
Hamburg… the Elbe tunnel, the river above us must be wide. Man has achieved some awesome things!
Hamburg… Lots of road-works, building of new bridges and widening the autobahn, on both sides.
The road is bumpy, the photos hit and miss, well more miss than hit? LOL
Thanx for your visits and comments, M, (*_*)
For more of my other work visit here: http://ift.tt/1pWUPma
Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

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A Grand view by pjvanschalkwyk1985 by pjvanschalkwyk1985

Taken from Mather Point, Grand Canyon

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Last of the ice, First freighter . . . by fernytaylor by fernytaylor

. . . I believe this poor pile of sticks was the last of the ice at Point Betsie last week! A few days in the high 60s and 70s and POOF, it’s gone!

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