Happy New Year 2014!

Grand Central Station | Chrysler Building | Dec 2013

9 Hours Capsule Hotel Japan

Kyoto's Futuristic Nine Hours Capsule Hotel Offers a First Class Sleeping Experience in Tiny Pods

The futuristic Nine Hours hotel in Kyoto is a minimalist capsule hotel equipped with state-of-the-art sleeping pods that are available for only nine hours. The hotel is the brainchild of Fumie Shibata’s Design Studio S, Masaaki Hiromura and Takaaki Nakamura, and it provides guests with one hour to get ready for bed, seven hours of sleep and one hour to get up in the morning before checking out - and absolutely nothing else.

The coffin-sized rooms are not a novelty in Japan. Capsule hotels have been there since the 70s but have gotten a bad rap as the last resort of drunken workers that missed the last train home. Nike Hours hotel is completely different-it’s sleek design, monochrome décor, and the fact that it’s located near the city’s traditional geisha Gion district, it is proving to be a perfect choice for tourists looking to a clean, stylish place to spend the night.

 The seven-story hotel has separate floors and elevators for men and women, offers immaculately designed sleeping clothes and accessories. A special built-in Panasonic system relaxes guests into sleep and wakes them up at a set time by changing the light. The nine hour stay limit speaks more of the minimalist concept of the place, as guests can actually stay up to 17 hours-soon it will be 24 hours according to the hotel’s website- which costs $49. The hotel closed in October but is scheduled to reopen this month.

From: http://inhabitat.com/futuristic-nine-hours-hotel-in-kyoto-offers-first-class-sleeping-in-coffin-sized-pods/

UME Architecture Magazine (Free online resource)

What is UME?  UME is an independent international architecture magazine edited, produced, published and wholly owned by Haig Beck and Jackie Cooper. Between 1996 and 2007, 21 issues of UME were published: UME 1-7 are out of print but UME 8-21 are in stock. In 2007 UME went online, with all 21 issues available – free – as PDF downloads. From 2008 UME will be a digital magazine available only online as high-res downloads, again free.

A key intention of UME is to present the drawings architects make to build their designs – usually the working drawings – and through them to elicit cultural and critical commentary.

Here's the link: http://www.umemagazine.com/issues.aspx

Photos

Skyscraper Museum Digital Archive

Check out the Skyscraper's Museum online digital archive for the development of tall buildings in Manhattan.

Manhattan Time Formations |  McGrath & Watkins

Bowery Artist Tribute

Check out the Bowery Artist Tribute with Bowery development timeline from New Museum digital archive.

U7 at Cooper Union

U7 met up with ex Bartlett student Charles Dorrance-King who gave us a tour of the Cooper Union multi disciplinary workshop.

U7 meets Charles at Cooper Union

Cooper Union Workshop

U7 Situ Studio NY

The vist last week to Brooklyn based design studio SITU STUDIO was one of the highlights of the trip. Founding director Wes Rozen explained how the practice intertwines fabrication and design during a tour of the studio and Navy Yard based workshop.

Fabrication Workshop Navy Yard | Situ Studio

Prototype Workshop DUMBO | Situ Studio

U7 Project 1 Photography Session

Some U7 image tests using black velour background and simple studio lighting...

Homeless Capsule | Moulded Recycled Paper | D Little 

Temporary Capsule | Laser -cut Plywood | M Chen

Body Capsule | Filled Textile Kernels |  K Feltwell

Reading Capsule | Laminated Folded Nylon | G Lui

Bowery Walking Tour with Eric Ferrara

U7 Guided walking tour with author of 'The Bowery: A History of Grit, Graft and Grandeur' and founder of Lower East Side History Project confirmed for November field trip.  

Situ Studio Visit Confirmed

U7 Visit to Situ Studio NY confirmed for November field trip. 

A practice that splits it's workspace evenly between a fabrication shop and design studio.

Situ Studio

Situ Studio

Judd Foundation Tour Confirmed

U7 Visit to Judd Foundation confirmed for November Field Trip. 
Serving as the New York residence and studio of Donald Judd, 101 Spring Street is considered to be the birthplace of "permanent installation," now a hallmark of contemporary art, as well as an inspiration for much of Judd's work.

Judd Foundation

Blooming Bamboo House

From DFH (Design For Humanity) http://www.design-fh.org