Blog

Architectural Serenity

January 27, 2012 - I adore the brilliance of Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig Architects based out of Seattle, Washington, USA. Mr. Kundig acknowledges the importance of place and nature, and subsequently reflects it in the way he uses natural materials to craft the most sublime contemporary structures. They don't compete with the landscape but enhance it. I love the…
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Sky-High Park

January 04, 2012 - When my friend Mark brought this to my attention I had instant goosebumps! The two towers, currently under construction in Milan, Italy, are incorporating a hectare of forest on the building's terraces. With the addition of 480 big and medium sized trees, 250 small size trees, 11,000 groundcover plants and 5,000…
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From Ho Hum To Wow In South Annex

November 10, 2011 - I popped by 'The Charles House' today to see first hand the transformation of this dated downtown residence into an 'Artwork-In-Progress' dwell. This house represents the potential of so many urban residences in the downtown core that are ready to be reinvented into a contemporary home. My fab clients have…
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Architectural Delight

November 09, 2011 - For many mature cities expanding in size and economies, the pressures of a growing population will spawn changes in land use, increased density and property redevelopment. What were once an urban centre's suburbs serving the working and middle classes a few generations earlier can become highly desirable 'downtown' neighbourhoods serving a growing affluent professional elite willing to pay a premium…
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House Porn

October 05, 2011 - Sometimes I just can't help myself. I'm surfing the net and all of a sudden there I am...on sites dripping in sexy real estate. I can easily spend hours looking at all sorts of places that dreams are made of. One of my favourite websites as of late is Houzz.com. This…
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Green Scene

August 24, 2011 - I like the way architecture is increasingly integrating plantings into the structure of property more and more. It better serves the health and welfare of our environment and softens all the hard edges that dominate our urbanscapes. This modern house in Singapore has a lush eye-catching facade that would make me a happy…
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Cute Cube

August 02, 2011 - This simple white unadorned cube of a house was constructed on a narrow lot only five metres wide in Landskrona, Sweden. To complement the scale of the street, this three level one bedroom house with separate office was constructed paying attention to the relationship of surrounding buildings. Using compressed slab construction, different living…
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Stylish Architecture In Victoria

July 21, 2011 - I returned for the second time this visit to Zambri's Restaurant (http://www.zambris.ca/) in Victoria, B.C. I loved the stellar food and stylish decor. Here's a snap of the interior: If you follow my blog, you know my favourite architecture tends to be structures constructed of metal, glass, stone and wood. The use and play…
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I L House-Shapes

June 27, 2011 - As a proponent of easy breezy au natural architecture, this house in Sweden hits my hot buttons. I always appreciate a house that marries the materials of stone, glass and wood. And I adore any residence that embraces courtyard living with a transparent connection between indoors and outdoors. This house wins on both these accounts. Although it isn't…
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A Modern Merger

May 18, 2011 - For a fellow who has spent a good chunk of his career being involved in the conversion of vintage warehouses into cool lofty spaces, I find the reuse of buildings or their materials into something new a remarkably fresh and green way to elevate our living environments. Case in point, this…
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