Hasta La Ideas

COOPH explains 9 photo composition tips with the help of Steve McCurry’s incredible photographs…(Read…)

When Dave Isay founded StoryCorps in 2003, he hoped to create a global archive of what he calls “the wisdom of humanity” by empowering people to record face-to-face conversations that could be preserved and passed down from generation to generation……

Continue Reading…

This top-heavy white house in Kanagawa, Japan, was designed by Apollo Architects & Associates for a keen surfer and his family (+ slideshow).

Named Wave, the two-storey residence is located on a site near the beach in Fujisawa and was planned to suit the lifestyle of someone who enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors.

As well as the protruding facade, which conceals a private sunbathing terrace, the building is arranged around a courtyard that can be accessed via a hidden side entrance.

“The courtyard is accessible directly from outside, and we located the bathroom next to the courtyard so that one can directly enter there after coming home from surfing,” explained Satoshi Kurosaki, architect and founder of Apollo Architects & Associates.

Almost every room in the house features a glazed wall or window facing down to the courtyard, which has a tree at its centre. This helps to bring plenty of light into the building.

The space can also be directly accessed from a ground-floor children’s room and study. “They can comfortably study there while enjoying the view of the family’s memorial tree and the natural surroundings at the same time,” said Kurosaki.

From the street, the 103-square-metre house appears to be windowless. A single door is the only interruption to the clean white-rendered facade, adding emphasis to the cantilevered first-floor terrace.

This overhang offers sheltered parking spaces for two cars, and also forms a canopy over the main entrance. Inside, the master bedroom sits just beyond the entrance, while a staircase runs alongside the edge of the courtyard.

The upper level contains a living room at the front, and a dining space and kitchen at the back. Both are at slightly different heights, so are connected by a gently sloping ramp.

“We intended to create a dramatic effect by locating rooms at different levels,” added the architect. “Family members on different floor levels can look up or down at each other across the courtyard.”

Floor-to-ceiling glazing connects the living room with the sun terrace, which features a decked surface that continues into the room.

Walls inside the house are painted bright white, contrasting with black surfaces that mark the presence of worktops, cupboards, the kitchen and the staircase.

Walnut flooring features on both levels, while pine slats add texture to the ceiling on the upper level. “The repetitious pattern of wood strips on the ceiling provides a unique rhythmic accent above a simple space,” said Kurosaki.

The architect founded his studio in 2000 and has since completed dozens of residential projects around Japan. Other recent examples include the black Pergola house and the Concrete Calm family residence.

Photography is by Masao Nishikawa.

Project credits:

Architecture: Apollo Architects & Associates – Satoshi Kurosaki
Structural Engineer: Masaki Structure – Kenta Masaki
Mechanical Engineer: Naoki Matsumoto
Lighting design: Sirius Lighting Office

The post Wave is a surfer’s house with a protruding
windowless facade and a secret courtyard appeared first on Dezeen.

Politico goes to Europe in a very serious way. The publication is launching an outpost in Brussels on April 21, staffed by a host of reporters and editors. The New York Post’s Tara Palmeri will move across the pond for a reporter spot, while former Reuters talents Pierre Briançon and Nicholas Vinocur join as well. Ryan Heath, last seen as spokesperson for European Commissioner Vice President Neelie Kroes, lands a morning column, with Zeke Turner, Jan Cienski, Craig Winneker, Linda Kinstler and Tunku Varadarajan joining in on the fun. “As of next month, Politico will have more reporters in the two main political and regulatory centers of the world — Washington and Brussels — than any other publication. Combined with our expansion into state capitals in the United States, we are building on the power of a brand that offers a very clear promise to our audience,” Europe editor Matthew Kaminski, editor-in-chief John Harris and Europe managing director Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson wrote in a note about the news…

The New York Daily News hires Cameron Joseph as a reporter in its Washington bureau. He had been at The Hill, where he covered the 2012 election and the midterms. He’ll be on the Hillary Clinton beat… Reuters moves two reporters to the mergers and acquisitions game. Greg Roumeliotis leaves the private equity beat to take over as editor-in-chief of M&A for the Americas, while corporate bond reporter Nadia Damouni is the new M&A team leader… Nicole Lapin lands a column in Redbook. The former CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg Television anchor will write about personal finance. “Redbook readers care enormously about how they grow and save their money, so they’re craving this information,” EIC Meredith Rollins said… Read More

Sharing a glass of Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2006, master distiller Jim McEwan marvels over the oil content in the class. After decades at Bowmore and garnering countless awards, McEwan was tasked to reopen Bruichladdich in 2000 and restore some……

Continue Reading…