Adapting Architecture: How Rio Hondo, Guatemala Builds for Tremors, Heat and Dryness
A trip to Rio Hondo, Guatemala yields some musings on adaptive architecture.
Osteria, Enoteca and Trattoria: What makes their design distinct?
We take a look at the design details of three Italian eatery types
The French Bistro, Brasserie and Café: What Makes Their Design Distinct?
We explore the key design differences between the classic French restaurant types.
How moss Drinks Coffee: Chemex, Phin and Moka
There are a zillion ways to make the perfect cup of coffee. Our favorites include Vietnamese-style, Moka Pot, and Chemex.
Canadian Green Stadium: Toronto’s Rogers Centre
Sports stadiums like the Rogers Centre in Toronto have been enjoying green overhauls recently, which is a good thing since they can be big-time energy hogs.
Bike Riding Through Non-Glacial Wisconsin: the Syttende Mai Ride
Take a spin with us through the scenic Driftless Area hills. Mapping the Syttende Mai (Norwegian Independence Day) 100K ride.
Eiffel Tower Engineering Stands the Test of Time
The tallest structure in the world for 31 years, the Eiffel Tower is a miracle of prefabrication and precision manufacturing. It opened 126 years ago today.
Warm Around the World: Kotatsu Space Heating
What can we learn from other cultures? Here’s how the Japanese use space heating Kotatsu to stay warm themselves without heating the whole house.
Sunset of the Year and Winter Light Celebrations
Many of the world’s holidays fall at the darkest time of the year. Winter-holidays, seasonal cycles, reflection and renewal.
Spooky Architecture: Cities of the Living, Parks of the Dead
The Cemetery: spooky, somber and no picnic … spot. Wrong. We explore cemeteries past and present, looking at cities from Paris to Cahokia, and Chicago.
A Tale of Two Cities: Sharing the Road in Amsterdam and Istanbul
While the idea of an official “Shared Street” may be new and somewhat unsettling to Chicagoans today, the idea is anything but new or untested. We only need to look back to the pre-car dominated city to see how the streets used to be much more public territory than they are today. The image below of…
Spectacular Portraits of South Africans and their Bikes
As a group of avid bike enthusiasts, there’s little we like more than seeing other people love their bikes. This collection of portraits South Africans with their bikes photographed by Stan Englebrecht and Nic Grobler by is available in a kickstarter funded book, unsurprisingly called “Bicycle Portraits.” The whole project is an amazing union of…