Our job of the day from Dezeen Jobs is for a Part-III architect at Dublin-based Grafton Architects, which won the inaugural RIBA International Prize for its university campus in Peru last year. More ›
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A large window is set at the apex of the steeply inclined roof of this house by Chvoya in western Russia to offer its residents views out across a nearby bay.
The 183-square-metre family residence is located in Pribylovo, a small village surrounding the deep inlet of Vyborg Bay on the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.
The Saint Petersburg-based studio wanted to provide vistas to the sea on the northern side of the site, but local building constraints called for the house to be built towards the back of the plot.
In response, the architects designed House in Pribylovo to be slightly taller than its neighbours, with three storeys that decrease in size toward the top.
The two uppermost floors are concealed with the steeply pitched roof to benefit from the best views over the bay.
A metal roof folds over the top two floors at the southern side of the house, while the lower floor is covered in horizontal slats of timber and the northern facade is faced entirely in vertical planks of the same light-toned wood.
Three openings in the north-facing facade include a large window set at the top of the house to provide a view of the sea from the study and sitting room.
The opening is also intended to act as a marker of land from the sea as it lights up at night time.
A row of full-height glass doors runs along the ground floor of this facade, flooding the open-planned lounge, kitchen and dining area with natural light.
Wooden shutters are placed in front so that the five openings can be closed to blend in with rest of the facade.
On the first floor a small off-centre window provides the second study with a view to the sea.
Three bedrooms occupy the rest of this level. Skylights are placed in the staggered roof provide two of the bedrooms with plenty of natural light, while the third features windows in the eastern side.
A dog-leg staircase connecting the three floors features open risers and a handrail made of wooden slats to allow natural light from a tall window to permeate the well.
The internal walls and ceilings are lined with light-toned pine planks and the floors are covered in wooden boards with a darker tone.
At points these wooden finishes are offset by touches of colour, including the mosaic tiles that clad the fireplace in the living room, as well as painted doors and bathroom cupboards.
All the furniture in the house is from IKEA, from the green sofa to the white chairs and exposed wooden bed frames.
House in Pribylovo follows a series of residences designed to make the most of their seaside location, with others including a Lebanese housing complex with shuttered towers and a home that juts out over the rocky Maine shoreline.
Photography is by Dmitry Tsyrencshikov.
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We used SLS sintering 3D printing to create the main structural frame for this speaker. Made all in one piece, without any seams or joints, eliminatin..
However necessary they are for modern transportation, highways have a huge negative impact on the ecosystems and wildlife in areas where they’re built. Designed for every major intersection, the Green Circle architectural concept aims to vertically restore space otherwise lost to highways.
The twisting structure serves as both an elevated garden and sanctuary for animals like birds which can safely nest without disruption. Each Green Circle is designed to capture usable rainwater and harness solar energy to power an integrated pump system.
Designer: Xian-Rong Lin
“Chef is holy ground for film foodies, and has some real culinary chops behind it (courtesy of Roy Choi). I love a good Cubano as much as the next guy, but can some garlic and citrus really elevate my favorite hangover snack into something worthy of a What-About-Bob-Style “mmm”-fest?”..(Read…)
This short takes a look at the making of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the upcoming 2017 fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series…(Read…)
It’s one of the biggest challenges of being a freelance journalist, content creator or writer: coming up with new story ideas day after day. How do you keep your idea reservoir full of fresh, interesting stories?
When you’re stuck in a rut, one of the best things you can do is stop thinking like a writer, and start thinking like an improv comedian.
That’s right—the people you see on stage at Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB) aren’t just adept at making you laugh. They’re also masters of idea generation: establishing scenes, characters and conflicts at the drop of a hat.
Here’s how to use an “improv mindset” to jumpstart your list of story ideas.
Improv is an exercise in active listening. When story ideas aren’t coming, go out into the world and open your ears.
“I’ve found my best ideas come from just paying attention to what’s around me,” says Alex Grace Paul, a comedy performer who you may have seen at The Second City in Chicago, or in New York at the UCB or Gotham Comedy Club. She’s also a freelance writer who contributes to Reductress and xoJane.
“If I’m walking or taking the bus or waiting for someone at a coffee shop, I’ll listen and observe what’s around me,” says Paul. “There’s always material, I just need to listen to it.”
“Whenever I notice something that makes me pause or smile or think, I type it into my phone,” describes Paul. “And I don’t just write the idea, but also why it made me laugh.”
Don’t forget to revisit your notes frequently to see if they kickstart any story ideas. As for Paul’s routine, she explains that, “About once a week, I read through my notes and decide if there’s anything worth expanding on.”
“My improv background definitely helps me turn my notes into full-fledged story ideas,” says Paul. “Improvisers always ask themselves, ‘If this is true, what else is true?’ This helps us expand our joke for an entire scene.”
Paul advises utilizing the same technique when writing articles, “this helps me sustain a joke for an entire article and discover nuances I didn’t originally consider.”
Whether you’re writing comedy sketches or blog content, explore every single facet of an idea before you start the actual writing process. You’ll be amazed at the creative conclusions you’ll arrive at after just a few minutes of exploration.
“A lot of comedy is joining two different ideas into one joke,” Paul says. “If I’m writing a parody women’s article about bras that are more supportive than your best friend, I start by making a column for ‘bras’ and a column for ‘supportive friends.’ I write as many words or phrases as I can think of under each column. When I’m finished, I compare the columns to see if there are any patterns or common themes.”
When you’re stuck, follow Paul’s lead. Take two seemingly different ideas from your list and brainstorm words and phrases related to each. Can you find a common thread between these two ideas? That’s your story hook.
Take “something you hear in the news or online and [pin] down your personal perspective on it,” Paul recommends.
Sit down at your computer and start scrolling through news stories. Write down ten headlines that catch your eye, then write down what you think about each one. When you’re done, you’ll have ten new angles to pitch. Make things even more interesting by visiting a news source you rarely read or tend to disagree with—this will prompt even stronger opinions.
“We all have very unique outlooks on life,” says Paul, “and being able to tune into your specific opinions and reactions will open up a gold mine of story ideas.”
If you read great books, you’ll think great thoughts. Sit down with a fantastic book for 30 minutes to clear your head and refill your idea reservoir. Paul recommends “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott. “It helped my writing—and my creativity as a whole—more than anything,” she says.
Register for our Develop a Successful Freelance Writing Career course to get even more story idea-generation tips.
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New York studio The New Design Project has paired mid-century and contemporary furniture at this Midtown Manhattan apartment, and added pops of colour across the neutral interior.
The apartment, named Fresh and Serene on Park Avenue South, was renovated for a young client. The designers wanted the space to reflect both the location and the tenant’s lifestyle.
“We wanted to create a space that felt refined and elegant but still young and urban,” The New Design Project told Dezeen. “Our goal was to create a space that was impactful without trying too hard.”
The designers balanced a colour scheme of grey and beige with dark accents and blue tones.
In the living room, a white Casa sofa from Camerich and light beige armchairs are placed on the Blue Diego Rug by Eskayel. Lit from behind by large windows and white walls, the furnishings were chosen to evoke a sense of calm.
The studio made a black and brass wall unit, and a large abstract artwork on an adjacent wall – creating a bold statement against of the rest of the lounge.
“We believe the colour palette and choice of materials lend a fresh and serene feel to the space, despite the odd bold accent and the location of the property on a busy avenue in Midtown Manhattan,” said the studio.
Adding to contrasts across the interior, different styles of furniture are used together. Mid-century-style chairs stand alongside contemporary furnishings, like the designers’ custom made marble and black oak nightstands in the bedroom, and floating upholstered bench in the dining room.
“We always try and incorporate several different styles in to our designs because we find it adds depth and interest to a space,” The New Design project said. “This layering of styles tends to be through the use of different colours, tones and textures, rather than patterns.”
Instead of modifying the layout of the spaces, the studio used lighting to draw attention to structural aspects of the space already present.
“The apartment was already in good condition, but we sought to emphasise the architectural details, such as specifying sculptural lighting throughout to emphasise the high ceilings and add drama,” said the designers.
The Lariat 3 pendant lamp by Apparatus hangs loosely from the lounge ceiling, while chandeliers based on Lindsey Adelman’s designs are suspended in the dining room and master bedroom.
The renovation is intended as a thoughtful and cosy design that can adapt to the lifestyle of its young tenant.
“The client wanted us to create a home that felt warm and considered, without feeling overly ‘designed’,” the studio said. “Ultimately, this client was looking for a beautiful home for her to enjoy and not necessarily to show off with.”
Other recently completed Manhattan apartments range from a grand penthouse at Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue skyscraper, which received a makeover from Kelly Behun, to a compact Uptown flat featuring slide-out furniture.
Photography is by Alan Gastelum.
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Tokyo-based Arii Arie Architects has added a series of corrugated-metal blocks to a 1980s house in central Japan, and used wooden beams and angular windows to prop up their mono-pitched roofs.
Arii Irie Architects were tasked by a middle-aged couple to design a new house next to their current residence, which was built in 1983. The clients decided to keep their old house as an extra space for their children and grandchildren to stay during holidays.
The aim was to create continuity between the two buildings, as well as make the most of the temperate climate of Hamamatsu, a city on the southern coast of central Japan.
The architects interpreted the existing mono-pitched home as four new volumes topped with large tilted roofs. They slope and overhang on the southern side to block strong sunlight, but lift upwards on the northern side to open the interiors to plenty of natural light.
“They wanted a house which would normally be used just for themselves and at times used in combination with the existing one, for their whole family,” the architects told Dezeen.
“The group of roofs of the new volumes relate to that of the existing house, creating a sense of continuation between old and new,” said the architects, who named the project House with Gardens and Roofs.
“Our aim was to create a whole, old and new altogether rather than emphasising the contrast between the two”.
The roofs are elevated above the corrugated walls by wooden beams and glazing fitted beneath to create a clerestory window that brings natural light into the interior.
“The roof is lifted up from the beams, making the indoor somewhat like covered outdoor space,” said the studio. “The project is an attempt to seek new relationships between indoor and outdoor, old and new.”
Each of the blocks are occupied by different functions and feature large, sliding glass doors open to a series of outdoor spaces that are slotted in between each of the blocks at the rear of the house.
A sand garden is placed in between the master bedroom and the open-plan kitchen and dining room, which also opens to a decked terrace, while the existing house and a music room block are separated by a grass-covered garden.
The architects chose corrugated steel for the walls to help the blocks blend in with the surrounding cityscape, while the wooden construction is intended to reference the traditional building style typical of houses in Japan.
It is also perhaps a nod to the dilapidated timber house, which constructed in the early 1900s, that formerly occupied the site and was owned by one of the client’s parents.
Inside, the residence wooden beams, studs and roof all remain exposed. The walls and furniture units are made from oil-painted plywood, while the ceiling is lined with white-painted gypsum boards.
Other houses in Japan include a residence in a forest featuring secluded courtyards that frame views of trees and sky and a stripped-back holiday chalet at the base of a dormant volcano.
Photography is by Daichi Ano.
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Do you enjoy geometry, the high seas and being rich? If so, take a gander at this yacht concept. Designed by architect/designer Jonathan Schwinge, the HYSWAS (Hydrofoil Small Waterplane Area Ship) Tetrahedron Super Yacht is sure to be the talk of the marina:
And that’s just what it looks like sitting still. Once the HYSWAS starts moving and picks up speed…
…you get some hydrofoil action going:
And it’s not just because it looks cool, says Schwinge:
Long distances are achievable with reduced out-of-water drag and stormy ocean conditions would incur virtually no slamming. Improved efficiency is driven by elevated hydrofoil propulsion and would be an inherent performance benefit of this type of design.
It would also, I’d think, look absolutely terrifying to Somali pirates bobbing on the surface in those little Zodiac boats.
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