Imaginative Italian illustrator and architect Federico Babina has unveiled his latest series, ARCHITALE, “a tribute to the fairytale universe where the architectures are reinvented to accommodate the protagonists of the story.”
Through his illustrations, Babina imagines 17 structures that dance between reality and fantasy, with each architectural detail revealing information about the characters and story of the respective fairytale.
“My first steps as an architect were visiting the homes and castles of fairy tales that as a child made me travel with fantasy,” says Babina. “The lighted windows in the dark night that hide secrets and surprises, the objects that have been transformed and come to life, were for me a prelude to the universe of architecture and design.”
“The idea is to use architecture and its shapes to take part in the relate of stories, transforming the buildings into ‘narrative objects.’”
See the entire set of ARCHITALE illustrations, including designs for Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Mary Poppins, after the break.
News via Federico Babina.
The site is characterized by its remote feeling and mature trees; this despite being surrounded by dense urban development. It is an unusual paradox to have such a natural setting that occurs in the middle of Los Angeles – a city known for its endless sprawl and crawling traffic.
The goal was to preserve the natural features where practical – even if this meant having a tree grow through the house. The steep hillside allows the house to cantilever as a design solution to minimize foundations. This act of cantilevering also preserves as much native yard space as possible for planting.
To maintain privacy, the house is located close to the center of the lot to create a buffer between it – and other adjoining conditions such as a public street and other houses.
The house is conceived as two separate units under one roof. The main part of the house is two bedrooms and is designed for a family of four. The other component – separated by an outdoor breezeway – is self-contained with one bedroom, a living area, a bathroom, and a kitchen. This secondary area is used daily as an office and entertainment area, but can easily be closed off from the main space and used by visiting friends or family.
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Alkiviadis Pyliotil and Evangelos Fokialis have won Second Prize in the European architectural competition for the new Cultural Village of Lemba, in Paphos, Cyprus, which called for spaces dedicated to the production of ideas and art to support the expansion of the village.
Entitled Inherent Simplicity, the proposal centers on spatial arrangements of fundamental architectural archetypes, as well as “the importance of outdoor life, social osmosis, and the vital relationship with nature to the condition necessary to artistic creation.”
As requested by the competition brief, the project utilizes both old and new buildings, creating a spatial dialogue.
“The forms of the proposed buildings display a distinct architectural vocabulary with regard to the existing ones, without any tendency to imitate the stone buildings or be consolidated with them. The tracing follows the natural incisions of the site. The slender building components are ‘touching’ the ground without leveling it. Solving operational needs and building spaces of exceptional quality is achieved with minimal intervention. In this proposal, old and new are conversing by means of an inherent simplicity.”
Generally, the proposal consists of three pieces—a square, a school, and a guesthouse—all of which will be used by the Cyprus College of Art. The main school building consists of three parts: three shear walls of rammed earth, two panels, and two rectangular prisms.
Learn more about the project here.
News via Alkiviadis Pyliotis.
The project was developed for the working floor of Vizor Interactive company – one of the leading international developers of multiplayer games for browser, social networks and mobile platforms with its headquarters in Minsk. The interior was created in collaboration with the guys from Facultative.Works (St. Petersburg), who were responsible for space graphic design and separate interior details.
The interior concept is defined by industrial yet light, cheerful and neatly balanced stylistics keeping up with modern design and architecture trends. It is a place where you will find the openness of loft and minimalism, the nuance application of color and light, as well as graphic compositions inspired by avant-garde design.
Our principal objective was to transform a standard and mundane layout of a typical business center into a creative space for an ingenious development team, a space characterized by comfort and inviting to productive work. Despite using a number of certain patterns, the space features quite a diversity and intrigue with each of the premises showing its own individuality. All this creates vivacious atmosphere and has a favorable effect on the team’s work.
The interior was structured around the central rectangular block housing the kitchen, WC facilities and the server room, which became the main graphic and color focus of the work space. The block is paneled with plywood and tinted MDF of two colors. The ceiling is open and painted white, thus demonstrating the elegance of structures and communication lines. The floor on the entire level as well as the ceiling is made in one technique – it is a self-leveling floor with marble chips filling, which forms an unusual graphic texture. As a result the top and the bottom shape a stylistic entity of space.
The rest can be described as a synthesis of various materials. The prevailing color of walls and partitions is white. Some of the reinforced concrete structures are left untouched. The meeting room is arranged inside a glass box. The game room is fitted with acoustic panels for sound absorption. The work premises are airy, open and well insolated. The ladies’ and men’s rooms differ only in the interior lighting color. The sink cabinets have been designed specifically for this project. Plywood panels and green plants add comfort and coziness to the interior, whereas colorful panels, neon installations and accent details attenuate sternness and austerity. The colors and bright but complex.
We are trying to create something truly valuable for those who appreciate the concept of aesthetics and are ready to experiment.
2017 is kicking off with some excitement at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Last week a 22-acre section of a lava delta broke apart and sank into the ocean causing the closing of a viewing area. Now, from the new viewing area, visitors can witness a “fire hose” of lava streaming into the ocean. The molten rock sends huge clouds of steam and gas into the air as it hits the Pacific. It’s a sight you’ll never forget. Photos by National Park Service.
Sig Nordal 