Image Credit: ArchDaily & Ben Blossom

Follies of any sort are almost extinct, especially in pragmatic Singapore. All we do is work work work, busy busy and busy ourselves. And that's an especially awful notion to contemplate, especially when more often than not, we simply hate what we're doing.

I guess that's why I'm so drawn to this project. It's sheer simplicity (both in form and function) make it so endearing. It's the perfect spot to escape from reality, especially when one has a Monet-worthy view to gaze at. I suppose that's what it's like to live within, or near the Botanic Gardens. I love how it frames up, and highlights what I suppose would be the loveliest views of the garden.

Image Credit: Alberto Campo Baeza

It is a stone box open to the sky that holds a crystalline box and protects it and tempers it, immersed in the midst of a wonderful garden.

Those were the architect's own words - the 'crystalline box' is truly beautiful, they evoke images of Apple stores, but without the oppressive sense of commercialism that the Mac shops imbue.

What I find truly interesting (and really ironic as well) is how the idea of transparency and openness within a very private space. Almost as though the architects were making a point on how the human spirit functions - yearning for a protected space to express themselves fully.

It's really pretty.

Yet how as some others have pointed out about the building, how does the building stay sufficiently warm in the (frigid) winter months while being sustainable?

Hmm.

I guess being pretty matters more.

Image Credit: Pedro Pegenaute, Tuomas Uusheimo, Derryck Menere via ArchDaily

I love how the old structure's history is so respected, not only through the rawness that was preserved, but also through how the addition alludes to the building's past function as a shipping warehouse. Neri&Hu are truly one of the best architects to emerge from China.

Image Credit: Edmund Sumner via ArchDaily

Personally, I find this building to be quite interesting for a few reasons: it was (relatively) cheap to build, especially when one compares it to the dollar guzzling productions of the 2008 Olympics, it manages to be visually appealing despite being rather rectangular in form, and rather importantly, it is a building that considers its environmental footprint. Not many buildings can claim to meet all 3 of those.

On a related note, doesn't the building's external form seem very reminiscent of George Nelson's bubble lamps?

Image Credit: Serie Architects

I first saw this design a week ago (or so, I can't quite remember) while I was reading the papers, and I thought to myself, what a clean design for a court; what a neat way to suggest the strength and transparency of the Singapore legal system through an architectural metaphor.

Looking at the design again in closer detail, it is particularly interesting to note that the walls are clad in a terracotta material, forming quite a nice link with the surrounding (colonial terracotta-roofed) buildings.

Image Credit: Iwan Baan & Dezeen

So what if the fa�ade is merely decorative? I find it really interesting that the entire building becomes a work of art (or a sculpture, depending on how specific you'd like to be) simply because of the material that it is draped in - chain mail. I also wonder if the chain mail sways in the wind - such an interactive fa�ade would definitely add to the aesthetic appeal of the place, as well as further define the venue's purpose as an art/sculpture gallery.

Image Credit: Masaya Yoshimura & Designboom

Nendo has been producing some of the cleanest and most distilled works that I have ever seen - the very simple idea of walking around in a pair of [Camper] shoes has been presented in a literal but extremely beautiful manner of shoes trodding around the store.

I'm really quite amazed by the simplicity and pureness of this idea!

Image Credit: Tomas Soucek & ArchDaily

There's something particularly space-age about the design of this gas station, almost as if it were pulled from the vacuum of time (from the groovy 60s) and slapped into somewhere in Slovakia. Even the red neon band that runs across the roof alludes to this (perhaps unintentionally though).

That being said, the "larch kiosk" looks really out of place, it doesn't work well with the futuristic shape of the main structure - somehow I sense the architects intended for it to be that way, but I really hate that. Oh well.

Image Credit: Flickr User mightymightymatze via ArchDaily

Peter Zumthor is truly a master at creating spaces that while architecturally seem simple and sparse, are able to evoke so much emotions within an individual; from the introspection that is encouraged through his 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, to his iconic work at Therme Vals.

I simply love how frosted glass is used here - it is a material that I find enthralling, it reveals, yet hides, and the quality of light that it allows in is simply ethereal.

Image Credit: Iwan Baan & ArchDaily

I'm truly amazed to see that such a house exists in Japan, one that is so exposed and so open to the world - in a land where privacy is so acutely valued. This particular house goes against all the rules that the design world has come to deem as being quintessential to a Japanese home. It's really intriguing that the young couple who own this house want to live in such a manner; its really radical!

Image Credit: ArchDaily & Pedro Pegenaute

A very nice example of how tradition can merge with the modern, in this case, how Neri & Hu managed to incorporate elements of the Chinese courtyard home into a modern structure. My only gripe is that the house seems excessively large, but then again, wealth has the tendency to make itself known.

Image Credit: ArchDaily

I love how the old fa�ade was weaved so interestingly into the modern addition, almost as if it were a piece of art hung on a gallery wall. The interplay of light in the spaces of this museum is also quite nice - especially how it shines though the translucent material (I'm not sure if it's plastic or frosted glass).

Image Credit: ArchDaily

A rather good studio conversion project, housed in a former matchbox factory. Somehow, it reminds me of those SOHO projects by Far East Development, though it seems to be better executed, undeniably because it is not a mass-market project.

I remember reading some time ago that this art deco landmark would be restored/rejuvenated/repurposed, but up till now I still don't see any concrete work being done, other than much of the building being shuttered away. I honestly wonder how it'll look in some years to come - whether it'll lose its art deco beauty, or will that be woven into the restoration/redevelopment of the building. I honestly hope it is the latter.

Image Credits: Hufton and Crow, ArchDaily

It's particularly interesting how John McAslan and Partners managed to make such an overwhelming structure appear so delicate - I suppose it's got to do with how it blends rather nicely with the original Victorian era glass roof of the original train station.

I can't help but draw comparisons to Foster and Partners' iconic British Museum though; they seem to have produced one of the most recognisable glass roofs around. Nevertheless, beautiful work by John McAslan and Partners, it's nice to see how the past and modern blend so neatly, each complimenting the other.

It's not about asceticism, there's just a pleasure in seemingly empty spaces. It's difficult not to accumulate stuff and it's a full time job keeping what you have to a minimum, but there are benefits

John Pawson

I really love the purity and simplicity of John Pawson's work, which I blogged about (albeit briefly) some time ago; it's a design ethos that is clearly reflected in this statement that I ripped off from an interview that he did with Mr Porter.

Image Credit: Dezeen

Britain may be known for its ubiquitous brick-walled buildings, but I love how this seaside gallery in Hastings, England plays on that with a very different material - black glazed tiles. The reflective tiles, in their almost tarnished bronze state seem to mimic the visual effect of tin warehouses that typically line the side of ports, which I find especially clever and suiting.