Scrapbook- Streetscape Line Drawing

Been working on a rendering and thought I would share. This one is hand drawn, but with a twist. It was done completely on an iPad using the Adobe Ideas app. Having played around with other drawing apps, I had …

Friendship Baptist Church- Mural Masquerading as Architecture

For over 125 years Friendship Baptist Church has stood at the corner of 1st and H Streets, SW. Built by James Boyce in 1886, the Romanesque Revival building is an outstanding example of the churches that once served the African American …

Remaking the Old

Shane Whitlock is doing some pretty extraordinary things with old machine tools. Above is an image of a 1923 Crescent Universal Wood-Worker No.108. Below is what patience and a little elbow grease can accomplish.

Here’s a link to Mr. Whitlock’s …

2012 Olympic Cauldron- Heatherwick Studio Does it Again

The 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in London concluded last night with the lighting of the Olympic Flame. I for one, think the design of the cauldron is really great, eschewing the typical hagiographic focus on the torch bearer and instead …

Tiny Apartment Design- How About a Bathtub Under the Dining Room Table?

Always a sucker for tiny apartments, I saw this today and had to repost. A somewhat different take on the theme of space flexibility / convertibility, this Barcelona architect kept the bed in place and opted to add a bathtub …

A Modest Design Proposal- A Mural for “The Future Bacon Funeral Home”

The property at 14th and Meridian Place, NW has been in an unfinished and deteriorating state for years now. As others have mentioned, why not paint a mural? At least until construction continues, it would help improve the character …

Sticking up for Modernism

Today I read the article, Commentary: The debate over classical vs. contemporary architecture needs to continue, by Justin Shubow, chairman of  The National Civic Art Society. He harshly criticizes Modernist design in civic architecture, calling the public “victims of contemporary …

The New Front Door

This is something that I’ve noticed throughout neighborhoods across the nation, mainly in new development. The new front door is the garage.

We as a society have become extremely car-centric and it affects everything we do. I’m not judging anyone …

Cheap Cars, Cheap Houses

The Indian company, Tata, sells a car called the Nano and as the name implies it is exceptionally tiny and also really, really cheap. I imagine this car wont be seen on American roads any time soon because it …