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.

1. Wes Anderson - From Above 2. Stanley Kubrick - One-Point Perspective

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.

"Humanae [by Angelica Dass] is a chromatic inventory, a project that reflects on the colors beyond the borders of our codes by referencing the PANTONE� color scheme."

I'm not quite sure how I would like to interpret this particular project. On one hand, Ms Dass does a fantastic (and might I add, a rather thorough) job at highlighting that [skin] colour is nothing more than pigmentation, that diversity and variety are quintessential features to human existence. Yet I can't help but be slightly bothered about how skin colour is being tied to the Pantone colour scheme. It is almost dehumanising, especially when one notes that "[the] project's objective is to record and catalog all possible human skin tones", as if colour, and by extension the people that society have come to define them by can be treated as mere items that belong in a record.

And because I don't know what to make of this, I'll simply term it as remarkably interesting. But that doesn't do the work any justice. Hmm.

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?

I spent a few hours at the museum yesterday. I really enjoyed it.

A particularly beautiful concept to ease the pain that is conjured up by the brain when the thought of taking medication (and by extension being ill) arises.

It's lovely to see local designers coming up with simple, yet deeply impactful design like this. That being said, in my opinion, it would be nicer if the paper used to contain the medicine had a little bit of prints on them - colours can affect the mind's perceptions on things. Minimalism need not be bland and colourless.

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: CityNomads

Entering the space where the exhibition was held at (the 3rd floor of Hermes at Liat Tower), I was rather surprised to find what I saw - the exhibition was literally the room itself. That wasn't something that I took notice of when I found out about the installation via the Straits Times (I was in camp though during that period of time, maybe that's why I didn't quite read it properly).

I still remember why I wanted to see Moment and Eternity the moment I found out about it - the rich patterns that evoked traditional Japanese imagery found on kimonos. The richness of colours was also another thing that I wanted to experience first hand. I enjoyed the former when I visited, but not so much of the latter - upon seeing the installation, I noticed that the prints (especially those on the floor) were worn away. That was when I realised that transience and the impact of our actions were themes that the artist wanted to convey. Quite impactful indeed, especially in today's interconnected world.

That being said, I was a little disappointed that the installation was not as immersive as I envisaged it to be; I thought that I would be literally be surrounded by a riot of colours and patterns - that wasn't the case because of the architecture of the space.

Moment and Eternity is an installation at Liat Tower's Hermes, and is available for viewing from 20 April through 3 June.

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

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 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.

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.

Image Credit: ArchDaily

I've been meaning to write something about this for some time, but rather unfortunately, time isn't exactly on my side - but I digress.

It's really interesting how Kengo Kuma and Associates managed to bring such a local flavour to an otherwise very international (and by extension culturally-deprived) brand - the woodwork very much resembles a deconstructed Japanese temple, and in doing so, they have still managed to preserve the very defining essence of the Starbucks brand - warm cozy interiors, shelves of delicious coffee and who can forget, the green mermaid that is their logo. That being said, it would have been particularly interesting if they had employed traditional Japanese building techniques as well, rather than the mere superficial references to Japanese design.