When I was writing the post about Jenga buildings the other day, I had not seen the photos of the Axis Viana Hotel from the front. It’s interesting how different the feel is, as the horizontal is exaggerated and manipulated , while the shot I shared before accentuates the vertical when it is viewed from the narrow side. Also, this shot shows the rhythm of the window spacing and how it relates to the larger lines of the building. At this angle there is almost a mirrored UPC code thing happening (to my bleary eyes anyhow):

Also, because of budget overruns mostly due to an underground pool, the interiors the lead architect designed were cut from the project. This area seems nice in its simplicity, though most of its appeal can be credited to the architecture:

While I find this stairway appealing…

…this boring area next to it reminds me of the Naug Lounge at the A-School at UVA in the 1990s-early 2000s. For those of you who never had the pleasure, this is NOT a compliment:

photos via axishoteisegolfe.com

This month’s issue of Wallpaper* gets an A+. It has a nudie cover with a hidden message on it, some fashion, some Siza, some Danish design, Antoni Burakowski’s home, and it showed me this hotel for the first time:

It’s a hotel by VHM in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

Wow, I am really drawn to this and I’m not sure why. Is it a fascination with this:

? Stacking seems to be a trend in architecture lately, including white gift boxes:

The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. And this glass box madness:

Have you seen any others around? Share with the class in the comments section!

You know what’s funny? As I linked over to my old posts after writing this post, I realize I am saying the same things over and over again without wavering in my opinions whatsoever, or even having a deja-vu that I’ve said it before! That really cannot be a good thing. I’d better start eating more brain food and doing crosswords.

• Stacked Hotel photo by Dan Holdsworth for Wallpaper*
• Jenga photo linked to source
• New Museum photo from here.
• 56 Leonard renderings via Curbed (head over there for a huge range of comments and opinions on this design), copyright Herzog and de Meuron, Basel 2008

I was googling to find out more information for you about a new public art program in Philadelphia (Arts on South) and I stumbled on this really fun blog, Mosiac Art Source. I wound up scrolling through for way too long and forgot all about the sixth borough and how they are giving artists free space in vacant buildings on South Street to try and “breathe new life” into an area that is suffering due to economic conditinos. Anyway, enjoy scrolling the mosaic image collection here, and read about how Pittsfield Mass succeeded with a similar empty storefront arts program here.

Philly mosaic building image by flickr member Scuzzi.

Athens GA has always been a cool town – not only the birthplace of great bands, but also a place where visual arts and architecture are celebrated. For example, right now they are in the middle of You, Me, and the Bus phase II. After phase one, four artist-designed bus shelters were constructed around town. The competition for the eight additional shelters is wrapping up as I write this. This is a perfect combination of public art form applied to an everyday function. Such shelters are usually banal and uninspired.

Has your town had its version of the Cincinnati pigs, the Chicago cows, the Outer Banks dolphins, what have you? I’m hard-pressed to find a city that hasn’t had some version of that project. Isn’t this shelter project a much better and original use of public art funds? What types of public art do you have in your neck of the woods? Would these shelters make you a little more likely to want to take the bus?

photo one by Trevor Frey for Athens Online

photo two by John W. English for the AJC

I cannot believe I had the air conditioning on in my car on Saturday night, and sat next to a bunch of girls in sleeveless tops at dinner, and then woke up on Sunday to forsythia covered in flakes. I know, most of you above the Mason-Dixon line think “Big Deal,” but for Atlanta, this is REALLY weird!

As I walked into the coffee shop, the guy in front of me said “You are covered in snow! I just had to say that because I have never been able to say that here before!”