Can an organization raise $735,000 in 40 days to buy an abandoned dude ranch in the southwestern Arizona desert? It just might be possible with Joseph Beyer—eternal optimist and Director of Digital Initiatives at the Sundance…
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News: Arizona architect Nick Tsontakis has unveiled plans for a house that will straddle a mountain and be shaped like a manta ray (+ slideshow).
The $30-million two-storey building is designed by Nick Tsontakis to sit on top of Mummy Mountain in Arizona.
“The overall form of the home is reminiscent of a manta ray – even though this was not intentional – and from the air the structure looks like it’s swimming on top of the mountain,” Tsontakis told Dezeen. “I wanted to make the house design memorable and simple. It is organic, soft and liveable.”
Tsontakis told Dezeen that he came up with the concept to capture views of both the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale to the north and of Camelback Mountain and the city lights in Downtown Phoenix to the south. “It meant that I would somehow have to infuse the house into the mountain,” he explained.
A number of local guidelines restricted the scale of the design, said the designer. “We were not to exceed the height of the top of the mountain in the centre of the home and we had to draw a 20 degree line from the [mountain’s] pinnacle in all directions, which the house could not penetrate,” he explained.
Once completed, the property will contain six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, and will boast views across Paradise Valley from a series of viewing decks.
A ten-car garage located on the upper level will be accessed via a sloping road. On the same level there will be an entry hall and a pair of two-bedroom guest wings.
Stairs and elevators will descend to the main ground level, which will accommodate a master wing on the north side and a large living area to the south.
“The two wings will be connected with a tunnel bored through the mountain from north to south, and on the east a 2000 square-foot entertainment hall would be carved out of the mountain,” added Tsontakis.
The property is currently listed by Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty and is due for completion in 2015. Tsontakis told Dezeen that “the project is not under construction yet”, but that he is in conversations with “several interested parties.”
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Renderings by Nick Tsontakis AIA Architecture and Interiors.
The post Manta ray-shaped house set
to straddle an Arizona mountain appeared first on Dezeen.
Originaire d’Arizona, Jackson Patterson livre une série de photomontages insérant au sein de paysages arides certaines de ses photos de famille. Interrogeant ainsi le rapport entre sujet, espace et mémoire, il mélange les moments et les histoires au travers de ces magnifiques clichés à découvrir en images.
Robbie Maddison est particulièrement connu pour son talent en motocross qu’il démontre avec cette superbe vidéo réalisée à Tucson en Arizona dans un cimetière d’avion. Une création magnifique appelée « Air.Craft » réalisée par l’équipe de DC TeamWorks. A découvrir dans la suite de l’article.
Redbull nous propose cette magnifique vidéo appelée « Perspective » et qui suit 4 pointures du skateboard Ryan Sheckler, Torey Pudwill, Ryan Decenzo et Zered Bassett. Cette vidéo de 16 minutes nous propose de les suivre depuis leur ville d’origine jusqu’à leur réunion à Phoenix dans Arizona. A découvrir dans la suite.
Forget interstellar travel—there’s a transcendent resort currently taking bookings here on earth, and it’s called Amangiri. Located just over the Arizona border in Canyon Point, UT, the hotel sprawls amongst imposing bluffs with sweeping views of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. While testing out the 2013 Range Rover on…
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The Sonoran desert and foothills of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale inspired Frank Lloyd Wright to build Taliesin West as his personal winter home in 1937, and since that time the gorgeous topography has continued to draw people to the region. In the growing resort town known for galleries filled…
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Danish studio BIG has designed an observation tower shaped like a honey dipper for Phoenix, Arizona.
Rising above the downtown city rooftops, the spiralling structure is conceived as a tourist attraction that will contain a continuous series of exhibition spaces, shops and restaurants.
BIG has nicknamed the structure “The Pin” and the designs show a reinforced concrete tower with three glass elevators to transport visitors from the base of a narrow stalk to the summit of the sphere.
Just like the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the ArcelorMittal Orbit at London’s Olympic Park, visitors will be encouraged to take an elevator to the top then gradually work their way down whilst looking out across the city and nearby mountains.
“Like the monsoons, the haboobs and the mountains of the surrounding Arizonian landscape, the Pin becomes a point of reference and a mechanism to set the landscape in motion through the movement of the spectator,” commented BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. “The motion at the Pin is turned inside-out, allowing visitors to contemplate the surrounding city and landscape of Phoenix.”
To create the spherical shape, the spiralling open-air pathway will be widest at its centre and will taper away at the start and end of the route.
“Like a heavenly body hovering above the city the Pin will allow visitors to descend from pole to pole in a dynamic three dimensional experience seemingly suspended in midair,” said Ingels.
Restaurants will be located at the base of the sphere, while a new public square surrounded by shops will be positioned at the ground-level entrance.
In the last week BIG also unveiled plans for two twisted apartment blocks in Miami.
See all our stories about BIG »
Here’s some more information from the architects:
BIG unveils Phoenix Observation Tower
BIG is commissioned by Novawest to design a 420 ft tall mixed-use observation tower to serve as a symbol for the city of Phoenix, Arizona.
Located in downtown Phoenix, the 70,000 sf Observation Tower shall add a significant structure to the Phoenix skyline from which to enjoy the city’s spectacular views of the surrounding mountain ranges and dramatic sunsets. Phoenix-based developer Novawest, commissioned the team to create a destination event to provide tourists and citizens of Phoenix alike the chance to enjoy the unique features of the Valley of the Sun.
Above: simple concept diagram
The future observation tower is conceived as a tall core of reinforced concrete with an open-air spiral sphere at its top, resembling a metaphorical pin firmly marking a location on a map. The spiraling sphere contains flexible exhibition, retail and recreational spaces which are accessed via three glass elevators that connect the base with the summit and offer panoramic views of the city and the tower’s programs as visitors ascend or descend.
Walking downwards from the top through a continuous spiral promenade, the visitors of the observation tower experience all of the building’s programs in a constant motion, while enjoying dynamic 360 degree views of the city of Phoenix and the Arizonian landscape.
Above: design concept
The spiral layout combines the different programmatic elements and the circulation into a continuous dynamic twirling space which is proportioned according to the movement of the visitors, producing a unique viewing experience of the surroundings. Instead of a constant width, the spiraling promenade starts from zero at the point of arrival, reaches its maximum width at the middle, and shrinks back to zero at the point of departure. Separation between the programmatic elements within the sphere happens not through physical vertical barrier-walls, but softly through the slope and the height difference to preserve a total continuity and create a flexible space for exhibitions and events.
Once the visitors reach the middle of the sphere, they can choose to either conclude their journey by taking the elevator back to the ground, or continue to the restaurant levels at the lower hemisphere. The motion resembles a journey through the center of a planet, and a travel from the north to the south pole.
The base of the tower will serve as a public plaza offering shade, water features and a small amount of retail together with a subterranean queuing area. The tower will serve as a working model of sustainable energy practices, incorporating a blend of solar and other technologies.
Above: accommodation diagram
Name: Phoenix Observation Tower
Type: Commission
Size: 70,000 square feet
Client: Novawest
Collaborators: MKA (structure), Atelier10 (sustainability), Gensler (local architect), TenEyck (landscape)
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Country: USA
Partner in Charge: Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Christoffersen
Project Leader: Iannis Kandyliaris
Team: Thomas Fagan, Aaron Hales, Ola Hariri, Dennis Harvey, Beat Schenk
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by BIG appeared first on Dezeen.
A tasty new snack with a side of wit
It’s no secret that we’re obsessive fans of unique and flavorful snack foods, especially modern updates to familiar classics. Bringing together bold favors, clever packaging and just the right dose or irreverence, Crave Canyon popcorn hits all those requisites as a relatively new addition to the snack scene.
The Arizona-based brand recently debuted five all-natural, globally-inspired flavors bearing witty, long-form names including To Be Eaten Gingerly, Wasabi-San (wasabi and ginger kettlecorn), Bit O’ Land & Sea (cane juice and sea salt kettlecorn), and Tomato, Tomato Pomodoro (sundried tomato and asiago cheese).
Riffing on the popularity of anise in British cooking, the spice’s addition to an otherwise basic sea salt and cane juice kettlecorn gives a surprisingly warm backbone to From Olde England With a Kiss—our personal favorite—while Hatch Has Met Its Match, nods to the company’s southwestern origins with a wave of fresh heat that’s tempered by rich and creamy white cheddar. Ironically, we found ourselves stuffing more of the stuff into our burning mouths for the cheese’s soothing balance.
Not that looming New Year’s resolutions need to be motivators for scooping up handfuls of this addictive snack, Crave Canyon does stand in as a healthier alternative to the abundance of holiday cookies and candies ubiquitous this time of year (as seen on its front packaging, which follows the FDA’s newest food labeling guidelines). Currently available in 4.25-ounce bags, the company plans to roll out single serving portions in the near future.
Crave Canyon popcorn is available for $3.49 at Whole Foods and other food stores, listed here.
Une impressionnante exposition avec toutes ces sculptures et ces portraits par l’artiste Nick Georgiou, présenté actuellement à Tuscon en Arizona. Un travail composé avec du papier imprimé, et formés principalement avec des collections de livres et des journaux locaux.
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