Day #19 - Awesome architecture.

Maria and I have to go back to graduate school this week (we are very sad that summer is officially over), so we will probably only post once a week. If I can't find a job next summer, we will be back to daily posts - so never fear - the economy still sucks! :)

Anyway, I love this link as it directs you to really cool and really weird architecture - including my most favoritist architect (yes, poor grammar intentional) Antoni Gaudi (quick fact, the term "gaudy" is not related to Gaudi... that is a myth circulated by designers who favor cheap architecture over awesomeness). The two photos (source the weblink) are the only buildings I have actually been to (that I can recall) - both are awesomely odd...although I must say that the "turning torso" is amongst the oddest as the entire town consists of no more than 4 - 6 story buildings and this building really, really sticks out.

If you are bored at work/school today - click on this link and scroll. Very awesome!

As far as our pursuit goes, we are still seeking land (or water) to begin our quest. Maria and I remain forever optimistic and will see if a letter writing campaign will get us anywhere (letters are yet to be sent as the property search takes a while).

http://www.instantshift.com/2009/02/19/80-strange-and-fantastic-buildings-architecture/

Day #18 - Dwell in an Animal Shaped Buidling

We were inspired to check out buildings shaped like animals (thx. for planting the seed Clayton). If I could wake up my foggy brain (Maria was so excited about this idea she had to wake up every 2 hours last night to discuss it over milk)... I think I recently saw a few articles on this very topic with some very cutting edge architecture. Considering I can't remember where/when/or why I saw those articles, I checked out this blog who has some interesting images to get our collective creative juices flowing this morning. http://www.vetshoplab.com/2009/06/animal-shaped-buildings-i-like-em.html

The sky really is the limit (or is it?) when it comes to building shape and function.

(top photo - Macau Pavilion at Shanghai world expo 2010. middle - The Sheep Building, Tirau, Waikato, New Zealand - bottom photo: fish building, seattle)

Day #17 - Strawbale Houses!

We can't quite remember if we touched on construction techniques using straw bales, but what the heck... Maria has already had the experience of "bucking bales" at Great Grandma's farm, so we might as well spend a blog session on looking at a technology is not new (visit Warwick, England for example). It appears that there are only a small handful of straw bale homes in the greater Seattle metro area. We think these lovely homes would make a great addition to one of Seattle's neighborhoods.

If you really think about it, it is mind boggling, with all the technology that we as a society have access to, that we all keep building in a very traditional PNW way (wooden stick frame on a concrete foundation w/ tile/shingle/shake roofing). Whether we look back into time, or create construction techniques that are completely new - it is time to figure out alternative ways of building homes!

Credit: top and bottom photos: http://fitlivingdaily.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/alternative-homes/

If you are truly inspired, here is a link to build your own.

http://www.balewatch.com/

ps. if today's entry doesn't make any sense, my sidekick decided she needed to wake up and play half of the night - sleep deprivation is to blame for my poor grasp of grammar and the English language in general!

Day #16 - We are back.

This summer's adventures included Chicago, West Virginia, Virginia, Boston, NYC, Saturna Island and San Diego. Amongst those places we witnessed everything from suburbia to its finest to - tiny urban apartments - to small beach bungalows. It is amazing the wide variety of dwelling options there are in the United States alone. A commonality amongst all the living options were that most were built with new materials.... I didn't see a salvaged house amongst our travels.

However, we did witness instances of re-use, re-imagined spaces and some interesting architecture on not-so-desirable land. The older cities definitely seem to be the front runners on these subject matters.... come on suburbia - you gotta try it too :)!

Anyway, as we search for a small piece of this earth in which to try to build a craigslist house, we found this shed in the free section. Total living space would be 128sq feet - which is a little less than half of what we live in now.... maybe we could add a second story?

Maria and I have decided to turn up the heat for the search of land. We will likely be searching via the lovely City of Seattle's DPD property tools and then write letters. We will keep you posted!

Day #16 - Cargo Structure Sighting in Boston!

I was supposed to be paying attention to the historic grandiose of Fenway while walking around in good old Boston yesterday, but I spotted a real live cargo structure and had to look it up! This is a short post as little Maria and are in between trips, but I had to post a photo and a link (photo credit of the article http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20090506/letter-from-boston-looking-at-lot-ek ) prior to forgetting . Here is another cool cargo related article if you are interested... http://weburbanist.com/2008/05/26/cargo-container-homes-and-offices/

And, forgive me, but I had to post a couple pics of our travels (Monticello, Harvard, NYC and Boston).