Stunning small space garden where zen and modern meet. High quality craftsmanship. Garden design Luciano Giubbilei, architect Kengo Kuma, and sculptor Peter Randall-Page.
Contractor: Mace
Structural Engineer: AKT II
Mechanical, Hydraulic And Electrical Engineer: Eadon Consulting
Lighting Design: Studio Fractal
Landscape Architects: Townshend Landscape Design
From the architect. Knight Architects: Merchant Square footbridge Paddington, London London’s newest movable footbridge, at the heart of Merchant Square, the mixed‐use waterfront development at Paddington Basin, has opened to the public this month. Conceived by bridge specialists Knight Architects and structural engineers AKT II following a limited design competition in 2012, the 3m wide cantilevered structure spans 20m across the Grand Union Canal and is raised using hydraulic jacks with an action similar to that of a traditional Japanese hand fan. This creates a kinetic sculpture whose silhouette is both legible and extraordinary and which is well suited to the position next to the canal.
The five fabricated steel beams forming the deck open in sequence, with the first rising to an angle of 70 degrees and the last achieving the required clearance over the canal of 2.5m tall by 5.5m wide at mid channel. Shaped counterweights assist the hydraulic mechanism and reduce the energy required to move the structure. The bridge balustrades are formed from twin rows of inclined stainless steel rods, overlapping to form a robust yet filigree and highly transparent structure. The handrail houses a continuous low energy LED downlight which will provide excellent and uniform functional illumination of the walking surface and the edge, as well as offering an attractive lighting feature.
The bridge forms part of the overall regeneration masterplan of Merchant Square that will create a new focus for Paddington based around a new waterside garden square featuring a dedicated event space and water maze. When the whole regeneration project is complete Merchant Square will comprise six buildings. The three remaining buildings include 1 Merchant Square, an iconic 42‐storey skyscraper incorporating apartments and a boutique hotel. In total, Merchant Square will provide over 600 residential units and 500,000 sq ft of office space.
Richard Banks, CEO of European Land, the developer of the Merchant Square scheme, said: “Bridges are a crucial element of the built environment at Merchant Square and, therefore, it was important for the new footbridge crossing the Grand Union Canal to enhance the public realm, not only practically but visually. Knight Architects have achieved this by introducing vertical movement to the design to create a bridge that is highly visible and dramatic.”
Your fat wallet wants to meet Plastc -- a device which its manufacturers claim can replace most of the credit/gift/loyalty cards you currently mule about. It works by pairing with an app on your phone (via Bluetooth), which provides near unlimited...
Our new favorite social spot located 142nd Street and Hamilton Place now has introduced a bar menu! Hogshead Tavern is going the gastropub route with updates on familiar comfort food that are quite pocket friendly. We tried out the Chipotle BBQ Pig Wings last night which actually are succulent pork shanks that fall off the bone and are much easier to eat than the classic poultry variety. What is also nice about the new offerings is that the printed newspaper presentation is very similar what used to be quite common in fish and chip shop over in the UK.
With 20 different types of artisanal draft beers alongside a $8 Prosecco on tap, Hogshead tavern definitely is a required weekly visit now that food is available. We are making it a point to try everything on this evolving menu which should even see more additions in the coming weeks. Check out more photos of Hogshead Tavern in our past post: LINK
I think i would be one of the people paralyzed by fear.
If you thought the glass cliff pathway was terrifying, wait until you see this.
Chinese engineers have now come up with a glass suspension bridge that sits 180 metres above the ground in Pingjiang county, in the province of Hunan, southern China.
The structure stretches 300 metres between two rocky peaks but is different from the cliffside bridge in Baoding, Hebei province, in that it actually moves when the wind blows.
If anyone gets paralysed by fear then specially trained staff go along to encourage them to finish the journey.
With the Cactus Airflow 2L, Citroen thinks it's found a way to bring the cost of hybrid technology down to earth using nothing but air. Based on a production Cactus model, the natty, low-roofed concept car has a unique hybrid compressed air/gas...
Over the past 8 or so months I’ve travelled around Scotland usually getting up at offensively early times to get good light. I wanted to make a film which really shows what a beautiful country Scotland is. Living in Edinburgh we’re fortunate to have some truly magnificent sights on our doorstep.
if you have enough to save 2 million how much do you make a year?
According to 77% of 226 investment advisors, in a recent survey, the low bar for what Gen Y should save for retirement is $2 million.
One author and investment firm president was quoted as prescribing,
“For a ...
Gen Y Retirement Savings Goal: $2 Million?
[Read the rest of the story at 20somethingfinance.com]
Jenika Cuadra seems to be on a roll—a home renovation roll, that is. After recently sharing her own home’s mind-boggling transformation, she is at it again—this time employing her talents in her friends’ Erika and Karl’s Costa Mesa living room. Like many first homes, this house was filled with the detritus of years spent hopping between apartments—functional objects, certainly, but nothing that was cohesive or entirely personal. With a slightly more permanent living situation and a two-year-old daughter, Jenika’s pals decided that it was time to turn their new house into a home that felt theirs. “The owners wanted a new, fresh look,” Jenika says. “They wanted something brighter and happier.” If that’s what they were going for, Jenika delivered in spades. With some re-imagined furniture, a few new pieces and some custom fixtures, the space is lightyears more colorful, warm and functional. Check out all of the photos, plus Jenika’s design notes, after the jump! —Max(more…)
RoomScan is an app for iOS which draws floor plans in minutes – touching your device to a wall is the only input required. Using the iPhone’s internal sensors, RoomScan recognises a sequence of flat vertical surfaces, measuring the distance in between and creating impressively accurate plans. When you come to a door, you just tap the phone to the door frame and continue. Claiming that measurements are accurate to the nearest 10cm (or 6 inches), this app – the basic features of which are available for free - is not only great fun to play with, but also considerably useful in every day situations.
The app allows for even more accurate measurements when combined with a laser measure, offering the ability to input your secondary measurements to create a “perfect” plan. You can then export the drawing as either a PDF or DXF for AutoCAD or SketchUp. The technology behind it has a patent pending.
the outdoor space of this home in the city is amazing
Upper East Side Townhouse was a renovation and re-decoration project carried out by Steven Harris Architects in collaboration with interior designer Rees Roberts + Partners, located in Manhattan, New York. The process took four years to complete, which involved excavating granite bedrock to create a basement pool, wine cellar, gym, and workshop. In this home, there is more than meets the eye, with a classic facade and building footprint that extends to the rear property line. Comprised of 8,500 square feet of living space, spanning over eight stories. There’s no central stairwell, as one might expect; each floor connects with the next at a different point.
The building’s depth gave the design team a unique opportunity; rather than a traditional rear garden, the landscape architect created four distinct green spaces. There is a courtyard garden on the main floor; a terrace off the breakfast room, just big enough for alfresco dining; the rooftop lawn, complete with outdoor fireplace; and the very private viewing garden, meant to be observed but never entered. On this, the architect collaborated with Shunmyo Masuno, a Zen priest and noted garden designer, who flew in from Japan to install rocks chosen from the same quarry where Isamu Noguchi found the material for his sculptures.
The colossal sized home began with a major gut renovation with even the joists being replaced. From there, the architects turned it over to the designer’s. At the time, the owner’s lived in Asia, so influences were carried over into this home. The townhouse was revamped in a baroque extravaganza of the late 1900s, with lots of columns, moldings, gilt and festooned drapery.
Each space showcases its own character, informed by one of the family’s various passions. The master bath suite, for example, boasts a giant inlay of black and white stone polka dots reminiscent of Dorothy Draper; the floor of the wet room beyond is carpeted with spongy moss evocative of a Zen garden.
Some rooms nod to interests as diverse as the quiet refinement of mid-20th-century Japanese design and the work of the designers Gilbert Poillerat and André Arbus, who were active in France during the same period. There’s not a recessed ceiling light in evidence, not a flat-screen in sight.
The Wallkill Mighty Mites youth football team — based out of Wallkill, New York — attempted to charge through a large banner to celebrate their first home game of the season. Instead, the little football players were knocked to the ground by the durable banner, as seen in a video uploaded by James Cracolici.
Curtains and other window treatments are the most common DIY projects I see in the baby and kids' rooms we feature on Apartment Therapy. And for good reason: you can get exactly the look you want and often save money at the same time. From the simplest project of cutting and hemming your own fabric to more involved projects, take a look, get inspired and boost your own confidence: you can do it!
Your fat wallet wants to meet Plastc -- a device which its manufacturers claim can replace most of the credit/gift/loyalty cards you currently mule about. It works by pairing with an app on your phone (via Bluetooth), which provides near unlimited...
Our new favorite social spot located 142nd Street and Hamilton Place now has introduced a bar menu! Hogshead Tavern is going the gastropub route with updates on familiar comfort food that are quite pocket friendly. We tried out the Chipotle BBQ Pig Wings last night which actually are succulent pork shanks that fall off the bone and are much easier to eat than the classic poultry variety. What is also nice about the new offerings is that the printed newspaper presentation is very similar what used to be quite common in fish and chip shop over in the UK. 
With the Cactus Airflow 2L, Citroen thinks it's found a way to bring the cost of hybrid technology down to earth using nothing but air. Based on a production Cactus model, the natty, low-roofed concept car has a unique hybrid compressed air/gas...
