Living

Jul 26, 2012 10:00 PM   Although I know there's probably no danger involved with this house—which has a bonafide, funnel-shaped opening in the middle of it—there is something ominous about this Nobuhiro Tsukada-designed Earth House, which is connected directly to the terrain below it. The inspiration for the concrete house design comes from the client, who, looking for privacy in his exurban Tokyo home, wanted all the rooms to open into a courtyard. But the courtyard would have been too small, so instead, they filled the tunnel-like space with earth and created the courtyard on the second-story, enclosing it on all sides with graceful, swooping walls. The generous use of skylights still allows for plenty of natural illumination, and more importantly, privacy from the outside world. But still, I'd probably have nightmares about that funnel sucking everything down into the Earth's core. [Architonic via Architizer] View the original article here This post was made using th...

Jul 23, 2012 6:26 AM   We've known for some time that Amazon is planning to make original TV content. But now Bezos and co have announced that Amazon is turning its back on the US, instead choosing to develop a center in London to spearhead its move into media. The Telegraph reports that the Seattle-based firm has named London "the obvious choice" for the new "digital media development" center, because "Britain has led the way in pioneering on-demand services which allow users to rent films and television over the internet." Amazon has announced today that it's taking over an eight-story, 47,000 square foot office near Barbican tube station, in the heart of London. Speaking to the Telegraph, Paula Byrne, the center's managing director, explained: "I wouldn't underplay the value that the UK has brought to this sector. When you look at the specialist skills that are available here, it is the obvious place to come... Innovation is part ...