Nigeria's Plastic Bottle House

Interesting article about a construction technique in Nigeria, making walls out of sand filled bottles. This creates cheap homes, provides work for people, takes care of waste, provides good thermal mass and is bullet proof! Seems to tick all the boxes. Full article here

Cocktail napkin sketch contest

Below are the two prize winners from the annual Cocktail napkin sketch context. See more of the amazing drawings here: http://archrecord.construction.com/features/cocktail_napkin_sketch_contest/2011/

Why be Famous?

Neat post I found at Notes on Becoming a Famous Architect. Giving a reason for all the long hours and hard work. A couple of my favourites from the list:

• The most talented people will want to come and work for you and what’s more they are willing to do it for free or very little. Even more, they will work much, much, harder for you than they would at an average office. I think Frank Lloyd Wright once had the children of his rich clients actually pay him money to work for him. Now that's what I call "Big Pimpin"
• You get credit for things that lesser known architects have already invented long before you stole...ahem, I mean borrowed it from them.

Victims need art like a hole in the head

Found this great article by Elizabeth Farrelly for the Sydney Morning Herald. A great look at Architect's and their reponse and approach to natural disasters. Including comment on Sigeru Ban's cardboard cathedral for Christchurch and LAVA's new emergency pods:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/victims-need-art-like-a-hole-in-the-head-20110921-1kl4m.html

Architect's Horoscopes

In case you were wondering what kind of architect you are, or happen to know, here's a quick guide found at
http://pintday.org/archimatects/

How real Architects travel

Found this image while browsing archdaily.com. Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret sitting in a pedal boat by Pierre Jeanneret! Who needs classy cars when you can have your own pedal boat?!

It would be more convincing though if someone wasn't still holding onto it...

Evol's Rural City

Very interesting project creating a miniature block of buildings set into the earth, the detail is amazing.

More here: http://unurth.com/1791073/EVOL-s-Rural-City

I screen, you screen...

Photos of an amazing screen in a cafe in Olot in the North East of Spain by MSD Estudi Taller , love the grainy, photo quality they give to the view beyond.

Originally found at http://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/19/6t7-espai-cafe-by-msb-estudi-taller/