House Design Photo

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Autumn House Fronts

Autumn House Fronts
house front design
Image by Photo Dean
Modern house row with neo classic design styles at Daybreak Utah.

nice, Japanese inspired house front design

Image by Vilseskogen
Philadelphia International Flower Show 2012, theme: Hawaii.

Neotraditional House Front Porches
house front design
Image by Photo Dean
New house fronts facing a park in Daybreak Utah's East Lake Village.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Solar Decathlon 2009: Team Illinois House

Solar Decathlon 2009: Team Illinois House
solar house design
Image by Inhabitat

Lumenhaus

Image by Steve Tatum
Solar house designed by Virginia Tech engineering and architecture faculty. First place International Solar Decathalon Europe Competition, Madrid, 2010. AIA Honor Award for Architecture 2012.

IMGP1685 sustainable house

IMGP1685 sustainable house
sustainable house design
Image by RaeAllen
Sustainable house open in estate at 17 Mile Rocks, Brisbane. Has been designed to universal design principles so no lips from room to room, an access ramp, wide corridors etc.

www.sustainablehomebrisbane.com.au/

Westwyck - Sustainable house open day
sustainable house design
Image by Gavin Anderson
WestWyck occupies the building and grounds of the former Brunswick West Primary School in inner suburban Melbourne. The school ran out of students in the 1980s and threatened to become yet another example of quality inner-urban infrastructure that had lost its original function and faced the bulldozer.
Instead, the WestWyck developers aimed to bring the building to new and vibrant life as an urban demonstration showpiece of sustainable development and good design.

www.sustainablehouseday.com
www.westwyck.com

Archetypes, insights and prototypes.
sustainable house design
Image by hfabulous
One of the interesting exhibits we took in when we first arrived in Toronto was the results of a sustainable housing design contest presented at the Design Exchange.

I found the Design Exchange space itself very interesting, but the exhibit was infuriating due to the incredible poor information and graphic design the entrants used to present the details of their fully realised models and proposals. Poor type choices, no regard for layout and signage so crammed with information as to discourage any attempts at serious reading in theinstallation conditions.

It was a sharp contrast to the generally high quality work presented and the slick presentation of the information explaining the point of the exhibit.

Westwyck - Sustainable house open day
sustainable house design
Image by Gavin Anderson
First flush rainwater diverter.

WestWyck occupies the building and grounds of the former Brunswick West Primary School in inner suburban Melbourne. The school ran out of students in the 1980s and threatened to become yet another example of quality inner-urban infrastructure that had lost its original function and faced the bulldozer.
Instead, the WestWyck developers aimed to bring the building to new and vibrant life as an urban demonstration showpiece of sustainable development and good design.

www.sustainablehouseday.com
www.westwyck.com

Westwyck - Sustainable house open day
sustainable house design
Image by Gavin Anderson
Mascot for the low water usage garden.

WestWyck occupies the building and grounds of the former Brunswick West Primary School in inner suburban Melbourne. The school ran out of students in the 1980s and threatened to become yet another example of quality inner-urban infrastructure that had lost its original function and faced the bulldozer.
Instead, the WestWyck developers aimed to bring the building to new and vibrant life as an urban demonstration showpiece of sustainable development and good design.

www.sustainablehouseday.com
www.westwyck.com

Friday, January 4, 2013

Nice Flat Roof House Plans Design photos

George House, Stone House and the Market Cross - Henley-in-Arden
flat roof house plans design
Image by ell brown
The historic buildings around this area of High Street were another reason that I wanted to come to Henley-in-Arden. Being that I keep seeing them (at least the Lloyds TSB bank) when passing through the area.

This is the remains of the Market Cross in front of the Lloyds Bank. Currently it is surrounded by building barriers, perhaps it is being restored, or maybe to protect it.

It is Grade II listed.

Remains of market cross. Medieval, probably C15. Limestone. 2
stone steps to base, and worn tapering shaft approx. 3m high
with wrought-iron support rods. Recorded as having head with 4
niches containing figures of Crucifixion, Holy Trinity, St
Peter and, possibly, Virgin and Child until 1894; remains of
head now kept in Guildhall. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Warwickshire: Harmondsworth:
1966-: 310; Victoria County History: Styles P: Victoria
History of the County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 206-12).

Market Cross, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

This Georgian building is Stone House at 123 High Street in Henley-in-Arden. It is near a tudor era building (to the left of it).

It is Grade II listed.

House, now offices. c1750 with some C19 and C20 restoration.
Dressed stone with ashlar front, and brick rear wing;
double-gabled tile roof with stacks. Georgian style.
Double-depth plan.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; symmetrical 3-window range. Plat band
over ground floor and first-floor sill band; top dentilled
cornice and pediment the width of the building. Round-headed
entrance has impost bands and fanlight with thick radial
glazing bars over 6-fielded-panel door; steps with
wrought-iron handrails; flanking canted bay windows have
cornices over 4/4:10/10:4/4 sash windows, that to left with
lower glazing bars removed, and flat roofs extended as hood
over entrance.
First floor windows have balustraded aprons; the central
window with architrave, frieze and consoled, dentilled,
cornice over 6/6 sash; the central second-floor window has
sill, and architrave to 3/3 sash.
Outer windows in tall round-headed recesses with, to first
floor, tripartite sashes with 2/2:6/6:2/2 glazing and, to
second floor, Diocletian windows with apron panels and central
3/3 sashes.
Rear wing has rubble plinth and 5 round-headed recesses with
stone imposts; first floor has segmental-headed recesses with
small later windows; to right a lean-to outshut with small
attached gabled wing.
INTERIOR: has dog-leg staircase with square newels, simply
turned balusters with middle cubes and moulded handrails.
(Victoria County History: Styles P: Victoria History of the
County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 206-12; Buildings of England:
Pevsner N: Warwickshire: London: 1966-: 310).

Stone House, 123 High Street, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

Stone House is occupied by Leader: PR, Design and Marketing.

This is 119 High Street, a former inn, now a house (or offices). Dates from the 17th century. It is or was called George House. And the former pub was The Old George.

Now it is The Pantiles Bride.

It is Grade II listed.

Inn, now house. C17 with later alterations and additions
including early C20 refronting replacing early C18 front.
Brick with timber-framed front with partly painted brick
infill; gabled old tile roof. Double-fronted plan with
passageway to right end.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys plus attic; 3-window range. Wide eaves on
straight brackets. Main entrance has door with linenfold
panels in moulded frame; open porch with braced posts and
balcony with splat balusters.
Passageway entrance to right end has no door, the passageway
with half arch and 4-centred head to entrance in middle, and
entrance to No.121 (qv). Windows have leaded glazing, those to
first floor with rectangular panes, others with lozenges.
Main entrance flanked by 3-light wood mullioned-and-transomed
windows with fluted friezes. First floor has 2 large
rectangular oriels flanking balcony, with hipped tile roofs
over 1:3:1-light transomed windows; small window over
passageway. 2 gabled roof dormers have 3-light casements.
Close-studded framing with some bracing using ex-situ timber
from a C16 building.
INTERIOR: has dog-leg staircase with moulded closed string and
handrails, turned balusters and square newels with
round-headed panels, 2 of which are double-width, one with
initials: L H, one dated 1699; spiral-on-vase balusters to top
flight and landing balustrade, the latter on a, probably,
medieval deep cambered lintel with a shield in circle motif
flanked by tracery.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Warwickshire: London: 1966-:
310; Victoria County History: Styles P: Victoria History of
the County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 206-12).

George House, 119 High Street, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

In the middle is the Grade II listed 121 High Street.

House, now shop. C18 with altered front. Colourwashed brick;
gabled roof with renewed tiles.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys plus attic; single-window range. Top
dentilled brick cornice. c1970 bowed shop window with panelled
pilasters, entablature and small-paned glazing; ends of beam
set in wall visible to each end of window. First floor has
window with sill, and brick flat arch over 8/8 sash. Attic has
C19 gabled dormer with 2-light small-paned casement with iron
opening casement. Entrance to left return in passageway of
George House (qv) has half-glazed door.
INTERIOR: not inspected.

121 High Street - Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

Stone House, Market Cross and Lloyds TSB, High Street, Henley-in-Arden
flat roof house plans design
Image by ell brown
The historic buildings around this area of High Street were another reason that I wanted to come to Henley-in-Arden. Being that I keep seeing them (at least the Lloyds TSB bank) when passing through the area.

This is the Lloyds TSB bank on High Street in Henley-in-Arden. Directly behind the remains of the Market Cross.

It is Grade II listed.

House, from 1943 a bank. Late C16 or C17 origins with
extensive reconstruction in 1916 with contemporary shop front.
Brick and roughcast with timber-frame to first floor; gabled
roof with renewed tiles and brick ridge stack with 2 octagonal
shafts with raised lattice work. T-plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 3-window range plus cross-wing to left
end. Roughcast with central gable with decorative
timber-framing; wing has brick ground floor and timber-framed
first floor with jettied gable with decorative framing.
Ground floor has 4 windows with narrow sills and bowed 8/8
horned sashes, one to right end replaced by automatic teller
machine; bowed shop window to left has panelled pilaster to
right and frieze and cornice over small-paned glazing; first
floor has windows with 2-light leaded casements flanking
window with similar 1:2:1-light casement; gable with small
window with 2-light leaded casement with iron opening
casement.
Wing has 3 small windows to ground floor with tile flat arches
over bowed small-paned and leaded glazing; first floor with
canted oriel with leaded glazing. 2 enriched rainwater heads.
Left return facing Market Cross (qv) has timber-framed first
floor with large gable with decorative glazing; double-fronted
shop front with panelled pilasters and frieze with paterae
over pilasters and cornice over paired panelled doors and
small-paned bow windows. First floor has window with paired
2-light leaded casements. Lantern with enriched wrought-iron
bracket to right end.
Rear has similar details to cross wing, with plaque with
boar's head crest pierced by arrow and lettering: W/ J/ F/
1916. Some C17 or C18 brick with large external stack with C20
top and large gabled C19 wing to right with segmental-headed
openings.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
Important position facing Market Place and closing view along
High Street from north.
(Cooper W: Henley-in-Arden: An Ancient Market Town:
Birmingham: 1946-: 100).

Lloyds Bank, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

This is the remains of the Market Cross in front of the Lloyds Bank. Currently it is surrounded by building barriers, perhaps it is being restored, or maybe to protect it.

It is Grade II listed.

Remains of market cross. Medieval, probably C15. Limestone. 2
stone steps to base, and worn tapering shaft approx. 3m high
with wrought-iron support rods. Recorded as having head with 4
niches containing figures of Crucifixion, Holy Trinity, St
Peter and, possibly, Virgin and Child until 1894; remains of
head now kept in Guildhall. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Warwickshire: Harmondsworth:
1966-: 310; Victoria County History: Styles P: Victoria
History of the County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 206-12).

Market Cross, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

This Georgian building is Stone House at 123 High Street in Henley-in-Arden. It is near a tudor era building (to the left of it).

It is Grade II listed.

House, now offices. c1750 with some C19 and C20 restoration.
Dressed stone with ashlar front, and brick rear wing;
double-gabled tile roof with stacks. Georgian style.
Double-depth plan.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; symmetrical 3-window range. Plat band
over ground floor and first-floor sill band; top dentilled
cornice and pediment the width of the building. Round-headed
entrance has impost bands and fanlight with thick radial
glazing bars over 6-fielded-panel door; steps with
wrought-iron handrails; flanking canted bay windows have
cornices over 4/4:10/10:4/4 sash windows, that to left with
lower glazing bars removed, and flat roofs extended as hood
over entrance.
First floor windows have balustraded aprons; the central
window with architrave, frieze and consoled, dentilled,
cornice over 6/6 sash; the central second-floor window has
sill, and architrave to 3/3 sash.
Outer windows in tall round-headed recesses with, to first
floor, tripartite sashes with 2/2:6/6:2/2 glazing and, to
second floor, Diocletian windows with apron panels and central
3/3 sashes.
Rear wing has rubble plinth and 5 round-headed recesses with
stone imposts; first floor has segmental-headed recesses with
small later windows; to right a lean-to outshut with small
attached gabled wing.
INTERIOR: has dog-leg staircase with square newels, simply
turned balusters with middle cubes and moulded handrails.
(Victoria County History: Styles P: Victoria History of the
County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 206-12; Buildings of England:
Pevsner N: Warwickshire: London: 1966-: 310).

Stone House, 123 High Street, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

Stone House is occupied by Leader: PR, Design and Marketing.

Entrance Roof
flat roof house plans design
Image by Velo Steve
The area over the front door has been giving us fits. The architect wanted to design it last after seeing the rest of the structure. Unfortunately, what he came up with looked good, but would have been a problem for rain and debris accumulation.

This is the next version, but you can see that the angle of the peak is much sharper than the rest of the house. Why not just match it? The builder feels that such a narrow roof with a low pitch doesn't look good, and it would also come out less symmetrical because of where it hits the roof.

Interestingly, the roof you see where looks pretty good from down at the bottom - it just looks odd from up at street level.

The current plan is to add a prow to the front so that it comes forward at the top like the bedroom and dining room roofs. This has the interesting geometrical effect of looking flatter when seen from above and more peaked when seen from below.

Stone House, 123 High Street, Henley-in-Arden
flat roof house plans design
Image by ell brown
The historic buildings around this area of High Street were another reason that I wanted to come to Henley-in-Arden. Being that I keep seeing them (at least the Lloyds TSB bank) when passing through the area.

This Georgian building is Stone House at 123 High Street in Henley-in-Arden. It is near a tudor era building (to the left of it).

It is Grade II listed.

House, now offices. c1750 with some C19 and C20 restoration.
Dressed stone with ashlar front, and brick rear wing;
double-gabled tile roof with stacks. Georgian style.
Double-depth plan.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; symmetrical 3-window range. Plat band
over ground floor and first-floor sill band; top dentilled
cornice and pediment the width of the building. Round-headed
entrance has impost bands and fanlight with thick radial
glazing bars over 6-fielded-panel door; steps with
wrought-iron handrails; flanking canted bay windows have
cornices over 4/4:10/10:4/4 sash windows, that to left with
lower glazing bars removed, and flat roofs extended as hood
over entrance.
First floor windows have balustraded aprons; the central
window with architrave, frieze and consoled, dentilled,
cornice over 6/6 sash; the central second-floor window has
sill, and architrave to 3/3 sash.
Outer windows in tall round-headed recesses with, to first
floor, tripartite sashes with 2/2:6/6:2/2 glazing and, to
second floor, Diocletian windows with apron panels and central
3/3 sashes.
Rear wing has rubble plinth and 5 round-headed recesses with
stone imposts; first floor has segmental-headed recesses with
small later windows; to right a lean-to outshut with small
attached gabled wing.
INTERIOR: has dog-leg staircase with square newels, simply
turned balusters with middle cubes and moulded handrails.
(Victoria County History: Styles P: Victoria History of the
County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 206-12; Buildings of England:
Pevsner N: Warwickshire: London: 1966-: 310).

Stone House, 123 High Street, Henley-in-Arden - Heritage Gateway

Stone House is occupied by Leader: PR, Design and Marketing.

Build Your Own House

Build Your Own House
make your own house design
Image by Earthworm
Published in 1973, the book "Shelter", which I found at the library during my teens, was my first exposure to the idea that you could buy a broken down house for cheap, fix it up to live in and sell it later for a profit. Cheap meaning under ,000 and no such price was to be had in the Bay Area. I was still enamored of the idea as well as all the other DIY housing plans the book offered. I was also entranced by the vernacular housing of indigenous cultures shown in the book and determined that a yurt was the way to go if you didn't have permanent land. Shelter was later reprinted, thus I could get my own copy. To continue the movement, the creator published "Home Work" in 2004 which describes even more determined attempts at DIY housing in full color.

Also at the library and later at a used bookstore, I ran across the other classic, "Tiny, Tiny Houses" by Lester Walker published in 1987 and was enamored of the little writing shack owned by George Bernard Shaw that could be turned to face the sun. Plus all the other shacks and micro-homes that could be lived in on the beach, on a frozen pond or in your backyard. I spent countless hours examining the floorplans and collecting information on how to build sheds. To make it even easier Mr. Walker wrote a book to show children how to build houses.

Mother Earth News introduced me to the California Mello Act which allows people over 60 to live in a micro house (under 640 sq ft) without a permit providing you have a friend with a backyard willing to allow you to live there.

I became politicized about housing when I read "Democratic Housing" by Donald MacDonald (1996) which introduced the idea of permitting modular housing. Small structures that people could build themselves and add onto as their finances allowed. Also included were plans for tiny student designed shacks that could be used by the homeless. And though these structures were readily put into use, the cities enlisted were not willling to allow them for fear they would be sued should someone, occupying them, have a mishap with one.

As time goes by more people have realized that the system creates more problems than it solves and, in fact, isn't really interested in solving them. That these books came into my life at all I owe to subversive librarians at the Menlo Park library (probably just one long haired Marxist who later tried to date me). And now we have the internet where these ideas are being shared. There are a number of sites devoted to people building tiny dwellings that sneak under code either by putting them on trailers or keeping them under 100 sq. ft. The most famous is the Tumbleweed but those plans and the wood for it a bit pricey so others have embarked on building a free house of scavenged wood and pallets with sites offering free plans. The most useful tiny house site I've found is tinyhouseblog.com/

To date I have yet to build a single hut for myself, but the opportunity of land and materials seems closer to presenting itself. Since putting up buildings takes a great deal of effort and I seem to be the only one interested in such endeavors, I spend most of my time entertaining various ideas in search of one that will best suit my resources.

The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012
make your own house design
Image by Karen Roe
The Foyer
This is where your tour starts, with a flying Ford Anglia hanging from the ceiling and the walls adorned with huge photos of the cast, along with a few props.

People the world-over have been enchanted by the Harry Potter films for nearly a decade. The wonderful special effects and amazing creatures have made this iconic series beloved to both young and old - and now, for the first time, the doors are going to be opened for everyone at the studio where it first began. You'll have the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see many things the camera never showed. From breathtakingly detailed sets to stunning costumes, props and animatronics, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides a unique showcase of the extraordinary British artistry, technology and talent that went into making the most successful film series of all time. Secrets will be revealed.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides an amazing new opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films - the most successful film series of all time. This unique walking tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.

Here are just some of the things you can expect to see and do:
- Step inside and discover the actual Great Hall.
- Explore Dumbledore’s office and discover never-before-seen treasures.
- Step onto the famous cobbles of Diagon Alley, featuring the shop fronts of Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
- See iconic props from the films, including Harry’s Nimbus 2000 and Hagrid’s motorcycle.
Learn how creatures were brought to life with green screen effects, animatronics and life-sized models.
- Rediscover other memorable sets from the film series, including the Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, Hagrid’s hut, Potion’s classroom and Professor Umbridge’s office at the Ministry of Magic.

Located just 20 miles from the heart of London at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the very place where it all began and where all eight of the Harry Potter films were brought to life. The Studio Tour is accessible to everyone and promises to be a truly memorable experience - whether you’re an avid Harry Potter fan, an all-round movie buff or you just want to try something that’s a little bit different.

The tour is estimated to take approximately three hours (I was in there for 5 hours!), however, as the tour is mostly self guided, you are free to explore the attraction at your own pace. During this time you will be able to see many of the best-loved sets and exhibits from the films. Unique and precious items from the films will also be on display, alongside some exciting hands-on interactive exhibits that will make you feel like you’re actually there.

The magic also continues in the Gift Shop, which is full of exciting souvenirs and official merchandise, designed to create an everlasting memory of your day at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.

Hogwarts Castle Model - Get a 360 degree view of the incredible, hand sculpted 1:24 scale construction that features within the Studio Tour. The Hogwarts castle model is the jewel of the Art Department having been built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It took 86 artists and crew members to construct the first version which was then rebuilt and altered many times over for the next seven films. The work was so extensive that if one was to add all the man hours that have gone into building and reworking the model, it would come to over 74 years. The model was used for aerial photography, and was digitally scanned for CGI scenes.

The model, which sits at nearly 50 feet in diameter, has over 2,500 fibre optic lights that simulate lanterns and torches and even gave the illusion of students passing through hallways in the films. To show off the lighting to full effect a day-to-night cycle will take place every four minutes so you can experience its full beauty.

An amazing amount of detail went into the making of the model: all the doors are hinged, real plants are used for landscaping and miniature birds are housed in the Owlery. To make the model appear even more realistic, artists rebuilt miniature versions of the courtyards from Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, where scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were shot.

The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012
make your own house design
Image by Karen Roe
Daily Prophet
The Graphics Department designed and printed over 40 editions of the Daily Prophet, each with advertisements, horoscopes, Runoku puzzles and clever headlines that followed fictional stories.

The Quibbler
More than 25,000 pages of The Quibbler were printed. Each edition containing unique headlines, stories and photographs.

The Marauder's Map
Designed by the Graphics Department, using lines made of handwritten text that includes names and hidden messages. After first appearing in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban the Marauder's Map was redesigned for each subsequent film with new layers, hallways and calligraphy.

People the world-over have been enchanted by the Harry Potter films for nearly a decade. The wonderful special effects and amazing creatures have made this iconic series beloved to both young and old - and now, for the first time, the doors are going to be opened for everyone at the studio where it first began. You'll have the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see many things the camera never showed. From breathtakingly detailed sets to stunning costumes, props and animatronics, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides a unique showcase of the extraordinary British artistry, technology and talent that went into making the most successful film series of all time. Secrets will be revealed.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides an amazing new opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films - the most successful film series of all time. This unique walking tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.

Here are just some of the things you can expect to see and do:
- Step inside and discover the actual Great Hall.
- Explore Dumbledore’s office and discover never-before-seen treasures.
- Step onto the famous cobbles of Diagon Alley, featuring the shop fronts of Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
- See iconic props from the films, including Harry’s Nimbus 2000 and Hagrid’s motorcycle.
- Learn how creatures were brought to life with green screen effects, animatronics and life-sized models.
- Rediscover other memorable sets from the film series, including the Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, Hagrid’s hut, Potion’s classroom and Professor Umbridge’s office at the Ministry of Magic.

Located just 20 miles from the heart of London at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the very place where it all began and where all eight of the Harry Potter films were brought to life. The Studio Tour is accessible to everyone and promises to be a truly memorable experience - whether you’re an avid Harry Potter fan, an all-round movie buff or you just want to try something that’s a little bit different.

The tour is estimated to take approximately three hours (I was in there for 5 hours!), however, as the tour is mostly self guided, you are free to explore the attraction at your own pace. During this time you will be able to see many of the best-loved sets and exhibits from the films. Unique and precious items from the films will also be on display, alongside some exciting hands-on interactive exhibits that will make you feel like you’re actually there.

The magic also continues in the Gift Shop, which is full of exciting souvenirs and official merchandise, designed to create an everlasting memory of your day at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.

Hogwarts Castle Model - Get a 360 degree view of the incredible, hand sculpted 1:24 scale construction that features within the Studio Tour. The Hogwarts castle model is the jewel of the Art Department having been built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It took 86 artists and crew members to construct the first version which was then rebuilt and altered many times over for the next seven films. The work was so extensive that if one was to add all the man hours that have gone into building and reworking the model, it would come to over 74 years. The model was used for aerial photography, and was digitally scanned for CGI scenes.

The model, which sits at nearly 50 feet in diameter, has over 2,500 fibre optic lights that simulate lanterns and torches and even gave the illusion of students passing through hallways in the films. To show off the lighting to full effect a day-to-night cycle will take place every four minutes so you can experience its full beauty.

An amazing amount of detail went into the making of the model: all the doors are hinged, real plants are used for landscaping and miniature birds are housed in the Owlery. To make the model appear even more realistic, artists rebuilt miniature versions of the courtyards from Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, where scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were shot.

Wall House
make your own house design
Image by yourdoku
This is a solvable sudoku made with the characters of Wall House city in Dominica.

View wallhousedoku or make your own design at yourdoku.com

The Wisdom of Betrtand Russell
make your own house design
Image by mike.wilson
153 paper houses on four MDF shelves. The houses were designed on my PC & printed on an ink jet printer. The roofs are printed with colour on the inside which filters coloured light into the house. The colour is very subtle and only noticeable when two different coloured houses are beside each other. Make your own paper house if you would like one (or two).

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Winners Announcements – Game Design , Opera House July 8th 2010

Winners Announcements – Game Design , Opera House July 8th 2010
design house games
Image by ImagineCup
Game Design is where art and science come together. Through the Imagine Cup, you can learn and advance toward a career as a game developer or entrepreneur. Use 3D or 2D, make it multi-level or single player but don’t forget one crucial thing – you have to take on the 2010 Theme in your game. How about creating a game that is accessible for users with disabilities or an educational experience for children to learn about the environment? Join up to three of your friends and build a complex and full game experience, using Microsoft's XNA Game Studio 3.0, Visual Studio and/or Silverlight.

A-Z of Bristol record labels

A-Z of Bristol record labels
design your own 3d house
Image by brizzle born and bred
The city of Bristol, in England, has since the mid 1970’s had a particularly fertile music culture, resulting in not only a great many influential musicians and bands, but also its’ own sound; Bristol Sound or Trip Hop.

Along with the music scene, a number of local record labels also developed, some receiving national and international attention, others had a smaller audience appeal. In the 1970s there was a DIY culture of record production and the independent record label came to prominence, one of the most successful at that time was Virgin Records started in 1972.

Chiswick Records, Stiff Records, Rough Trade Records and Factory Records were to follow. By the later part of the decade Virgin had become a part of the music business establishment, and new independent record labels began appearing in virtually every British town and city, Bristol was no exception.

One of the very first Bristol punk bands The Cortinas released their debut single on Miles Copelands Step Forward Records in 1977, eventually moving on to CBS before disbanding. Miles Copeland also released in 1977 The Pigs Youthanasia EP on his newly formed New Bristol Records.

The explosion in Punk/New Wave bands forming in the area did not attract interest from the major and London based record labels, so local labels sprung up to release recordings from these groups.

Amongst the first, and initially more successful, were: Heartbeat Records, Fried Egg Records, Recreational Records, and Riot City Records (a Heartbeat subsidiary). Others had more modest success Wavelength Records (although its subsidiary Bristol Recorder, did achieve some popularity), Circle Records and Sheep Worrying.

Some bands set up their own labels: Black Roots (Nubian Records) and Essential Bop (Monopause Records). Yet other labels, although not based in Bristol, had a strong representation of bands from the area: Y Records, Rialto Records and Naïve Records.

After the initial burst of activity in the Post-Punk/New Wave Era, most of the labels folded (although Heartbeat, or one of its subsidiaries, is still bringing out the occasional release). Riot City came under the influence of EMI after they signed Vice Squad, and last released a record in 1988.

Meanwhile The Blue Aeroplanes released their first LP on Party Records in 1984, and there was some short lived output from Children of the Revolution Records (COR), until a new generation of record labels were spawned from the Trip Hop movement. Several exceptions to this were: rock label Sugar Shack Records, the Indie pop of Sarah Records and C86 sounds of The Subway Organization.

There are still a number of record labels operating in Bristol, but it is ironic that one of the most prolific is Bristol Archive Records, which specializes in unreleased tracks and re-releasing recordings (mainly for download) from the Punk/New Wave Era of Bristol Record Labels, 1977–1981, and later.

Listed below are a number of Bristol (and surrounding area) Record Labels that due to their short lifespan, few releases or poor distribution, may have received limited national or international attention:

0-9

3D Records: The own label of Bath band Neon. It issued their first single "Making Waves/Me I See You" in October 1980.

A

Amon Ra Records: Started in the 1970s, this is the classical label of parent Saydisc Records, based in Badminton, Gloucestershire.

B

Bicycle Records: Record label formed by Jane Taylor a Bristol-based guitarist, pianist, songwriter and vocalist. It is distributed by Pinnacle. Jane won the UK and International Songwriting Competition in 2003 with her song "Blowing This Candle Out".

Bristol Archive Records: Subsidiary of Sugar Shack Records dedicated to re-releasing music from the Bristol music scene, mainly in downloadable format. It has a large catalogue of material that includes unreleased and live tracks from 1976 onwards.

Bristol Beat: Released a cassette tape of Bristol Bands playing live at the Stonehouse.

Bristol Recorder: Created as a combination magazine/record in 1980 as a spin off of Wavelength Records, it ran for 3 issues. It garnered publicity in NME and was able to showcase local bands like Electric Guitars, The X-Certs and Essential Bop, as well as Robert Fripp, The Thompson Twins and rare live tracks from Peter Gabriel.

C

Circus Records: Commercial label (distributed by Pinnacle) that in it’s short one year life (1981) produced 6 singles and a compilation LP.

Clean Cut Records: See Bronnt Industries Kapital.

Children of the Revolution Records: More often known as COR, was a label specializing in punk, hardcore and thrash.

Cup Of Tea Records: See Monk & Canatella.

D

Disorder Records: The hardcore noise band Disorder launched their own label in 1981 with Heartbeat Records boss Simon Edwards, after Riot City Records declined to sign them. Over a period of 3 years they released three 7" EP’s and one 12" EP, before moving on to local anarchist label Children Of The Revolution Records. A final 12” EP, The Singles Collection, was released in 1984.

F

Float Records: See Bronnt Industries Kapital.

Fried Egg Records: Founded in 1979 by Andy Leighton, administrator of the Bristol based Crystal Theatre. The initial release was a single by the Theatres band Shoes For Industry, and in it’s short lifespan it did produce records by several other notable Bristol groups: Art Objects (later to metamorphose into The Blue Aeroplanes), Electric Guitars (later signed, then dumped, by Stiff Records), The Fans (apparently still gigging in Japan), The Stingrays (now gigging out of Wales) and Various Artists (who were also part of Art Objects).

FSA Records: Set up in 1992 by Heartbeat Productions for the recently formed Bristol band Flying Saucer Attack. Their first single in 1992 had several limited editions, each with part home made sleeves of differing designs. The first album in 1993 was self-titled, but is sometimes referred to as "Rural Psychedelia". After their third single in 1994 the band joined Domino Records, however, in 1999 they returned to FSA Records issuing the LP "Mirror", before finally disbanding.

Full Cycle Recordings: Set up in 1993 and run by Daniel Kausman (DJ Die), Paul Southey (DJ Suv), Keith Thompson (DJ Krust) and Ryan Williams (Roni Size) since 1993, they specialize in drum and bass.

G

Glasstone Records: See Evita.

Green Goat Productions: Taking its name from the Green Goat Café (an old family business) the label currently produces material by Steve Bush (ex-Essential Bop) and Fran Fey.

H

Heartbeat Productions: Is the parent of Heartbeat Records, Riot City Records, Disorder Records, FSA Records and Trash City Records. Initially Simon Edwards set up Heartbeat Records in 1978, however over time subsidiary labels were added to cater for different musical styles and bands, all the labels are now grouped under Heartbeat Productions.

Heartbeat Records: Started in 1978 as a partnership of local musician Simon Edwards and Tony Dodd of Tony’s Record Shop. Simon Edwards recorded and produced the first single, “I don’t want my heart to rule my head” by Social Security, after which Tony Dodd decided to concentrate on his shop and Simon Edwards took over sole control. The labels’ third release was the 12” EP, “This Is Your Life”, from the influential Glaxo Babies.

A number of other singles were released, however in order to accommodate the large number of bands around at the time they brought out the seminal "Avon Calling" - The Bristol Compilation LP. Four further LPs were released: 2 by the Glaxo Babies, The Transmitters and Art Objects (later to form the nucleus of the The Blue Aeroplanes) before the label became inactive in 1984.

It was revived with the 1997 album release of a 1967 radio recording by American 60's psych band The Electric Prunes. Cherry Red in recent years has repackaged tracks and albums from the Heartbeat back catalogue, including previously unreleased songs from the Glaxo Babies, Art Objects and The X-Certs.

Hope Recordings: Started in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, the label is run by Leon Alexander, with DJ and record producer Nick Warren head of A&R. Its’ progressive house and breaks artists include: Starecase, Jaytech, Matt Rowan, and Parallel Sound.

Household Records: Own label of The Chesterfields on which they released 3 singles and an album, before the band split in 1989.

L

Label7: An Electronic Music label that has released tracks from live breaks & techno dance act Bosch Stacey.

M

Monopause Records: This was Essential Bops own record label. There were two releases, both in resealable plastic bags, with folded picture sleeves and lyrics printed inside: Eloquent Sounds (Moan 1001, 1980, 7” EP) and Croaked/Butler (Moan 1002, 1981, 7” single). Distributed by Bristols’ Revolver Records.

More Rockers: Label set up by Smith & Mighty, which released their 1995 album Bass Is Maternal.

N

New Bristol Records: In 1977 Miles Copeland helped set up a number of labels to ride the current Punk/New Wave. Bristols’ The Cortinas had already signed to his Step Forward Records and New Bristol was another of the labels he set up. The label appears to have had only 2 releases, by The Pigs in 1977 and Gardez Darkx in 1978.

Not Very Nice Records: Initially a subsidiary of Riot City Records, the first release was the 1985 spoof NOW! album, "NOW! That’s What I Call A Fuckin' Racket (Vol 1)" (GRR 1), by Chaotic Dischord. Chaotic Dischord went on to release 2 other albums on the label.

NP Records: Independent family run label that has released a 4 track EP by Manchester quartet, Coraline.

Nubian Records: See Black Roots.

P

Party Records: Released The Blue Aeroplanes first album Bop Art in 1984, distributed by the Cartel.

R

Recreational Records: The label was started in 1981 by the Bristol record shop and distributor Revolver Records, with its’ own distribution as part of the Cartel. Amongst their artists were, Talisman a multi-racial Reggae Band who provided the labels second single and first UK Indie Chart hit (#17). Dole Age also became Single of the Week and the 1981 Record Sleeve of the Year in the NME. Nine singles were released in total, including "Work/Don’t Wake The Baby" by Electric Guitars.

Resurrection Records: Short-lived label that released the first single by punk band Lunatic Fringe in 1981.

Riot City Records: Set up in 1980 by Simon Edwards of Heartbeat Productions along with Dave Bateman and Shane Baldwin from the band Vice Squad, and distributed by the Cartel. Vice Squad's Last Rockers EP was Riot City's first release and Indie Hit, selling 22,000 copies. In its’ relative short lifespan the label had over 40 releases, selling nearly 250,000 records and was one of the prominent exponents of British punk music, regularly having hits in the UK Indie Chart.

Riot State Records: Subsidiary of Riot City Records that in 1982 released an American punk compilation album, "Hell comes to your House" (Reagan 1), licensed from Bemisbrain Records USA.

S

Sarah Records: Formed by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes and active between 1987 and 1995, it is best known for its recordings of twee pop. Haynes subsequently established Shinkansen Recordings in London, where many Sarah artists went on to record.

Saydisc Records: Parent label of Amon Ra Records and The Village Thing. Founded in 1965, and based in Badminton, Gloucestershire, it has diverse releases; from Traditional, World, Period, Exotic and Unusual recordings, through to Dialect, Folk and Meditative.

Sheep Worrying: Bridgewater based magazine and record label.
Shoc Wave Records: Based in Easton, Bristol, and run by Gene Walsh. It specialized in Dominican music and Jamaican reggae bands such as Joshua Moses and Buggs Durrant, but also released records from a variety of other genres including Dub, Disco and Ska. In 1980 they released the single “I Was Wrong / Stuck in a Boat” (SRP0007) by The Rimshots, five middle class white kids from Bristols’ northern suburbs playing 2-Tone styled ska.

Silent Age Records: See Gravenhurst.

Sink and Stove Records: Set up by Benjamin Shillabeer and Stuart Bell in 1998 to release their own conceptual album ‘The Fall Project’ followed by a compilation of tracks by bands/musicians they knew. A number of the bands who originally released albums on S&S later re-released material on other labels, including: Chikinki and Gravenhurst.

smallPRINT Records: Label set up by Tim Kirby that specializes in edgy hip hop, folk, electronica, musique concrete, leftfield, and avant rock.

The Subway Organization: Founded in 1985 by Martin Whitehead of The Flatmates. The label was associated with the Indie Pop movement and the seminal NME cassette tape C86, that included the track It's Up To You by the Shop Assistants, from the labels first release.

Other artists included: The Chesterfields, Pop Will Eat Itself, Razorcuts and The Soup Dragons.
Sugar Shack Records: Set up in 1985 by Mike Darby, a veteran of the Bristol Music Scene. Rock influenced label with releases by Redefine, Left Side Brain and Midasuno, Its’ subsidiary label Bristol Archive Records is dedicated to re-releasing music and unreleased material from the Bristol area, mainly in downloadable format.

Swarf Finger Records: Bristol based label that has released recordings by Crescent, Experimental Pop Band and The Blue Aeroplanes.

T

Three Stripe Records: Released the ‘Stepper's Delight’ (1992) and ‘Remember Me’ EPs by Smith & Mighty.

Trash City Records: Trash City was primarily set up by Heartbeat Productions in 1994 to issue 7" singles by US garage bands. It only released one record in its’ first year and in wasn’t until 1996 and the signing of UK band Headcase, that the label issued another record. Three more singles and two albums were to eventually follow.

Tribe Recordings: See Danny Byrd.

V

The Village Thing: Folk music subsidiary of Saydisc that operated between 1970 and 1973. Records were pressed in relatively small numbers, although “The Folker” by Fred Wedlock did go onto sell around 20,000 copies.

Volatile Records: Own label of Post Punk/Goth band The Escape, releasing one single in 1982 "NoGo/I'll Pretend To Kill You", before signing with Phonogram/ Mercury Records.

W

Wavelength Records: Released four singles by The Spics, Gardez Darkx, Joe Public and Colortapes before reinventing itself in 1980 as a combination magazine/record called the Bristol Recorder, which ran for 3 issues.

The Western Star Recording Company: Specialising in Rockabilly, Psychobilly and 50's/60's Britpop-styled music, it has been owned and run by record producer and musician Alan Wilson since 2003.

Y

Y Records: Set up in 1980 by Dick O’Dell and distributed by Rough Trade. Although not a Bristol based label, it did release a significant number of records by bands from the Bristol area, including: The Pop Group, Glaxo Babies, Maximum Joy and Pigbag.

Can anyone add more to the list?

jørn utzon, jeddah stadium, saudi arabia 1967
design your own 3d house
Image by seier+seier
stadium and sports complex, jeddah, saudi arabia, 1967 (unbuilt).
architect: jørn utzon, 1918-2008.
engineer: max walt, zürich

"we are not really interested in how things will be in 25 years, whatever we build. actually, what we are interested in is that if in 2000 years some people dig down, they will find something from a period with a certain strength and purity belonging to that period", (utzon 1978).

one of the strangest and most beautiful post-sydney projects by utzon is this stadium and sports complex in saudi arabia, a commission he won by way of kenzo tange and which sadly remained unbuilt. it may well be that "it's been done before" is one of the sillier games of architectural history, but when it comes to folded construction and system thinking of which we see plenty these days, jeddah deserves to be remembered.

for lack of physical evidence, I have built a digital model based on the drawings published by utzon in Danish magazine "arkitektur", #1 1970, an issue devoted entirely to utzon's concept of additive architecture which proposed open-ended building systems of almost organic growth, yet consisting of a limited number of prefabricated units.

this rendering shows four such modules for the stadium grandstand. we know few details, hence the high level of abstraction, but in his later works utzon increasingly eschewed details for the naked presence of his monumental concrete structures.

a comparable competition, the parliament in kuwait, was won 5 years later. there, the prefab elements were produced locally in stainless steel formwork using local sand to achieve a brilliant white finish without painting the concrete. that building was later painted, by the way, after it had been looted and torched by iraqi troops.

in his own 1970 text on the jeddah stadium, utzon stresses the rationality of prefabrication and how the additive architecture supports the natural flow of people through the complex. no doubt these things are beautifully resolved, indeed the aspect of flow is central to the project as the site model shows so well, but reading the text, I couldn't help feeling that I was in the presence of some conjurer trying to divert my attention from his magic tricks: imagine standing next to such haunting shapes in the thinnest possible folded concrete, would your thoughts be on rational production and patterns of movement?

the folded plate construction in concrete is not in itself unusual for the late sixties. what is exceptional is utzon's ability to invest it with layers of meaning without adding physically to the minimal structure. in the context of the arabian peninsula, the facetted concrete resembles the islamic muqarnas vaulting, utzon had witnessed in isfahan and the many prismatic derivatives found in that most beautiful of cities. but it is no mere allusion to one of islamic architecture's most iconic elements. utzon lifts it from role as ornament into modern construction, returning it to the constructive purity of its origin, the squinch.

that cultural continuity was possible within modernism and the conditions of the 20th century is one of the salient points of utzon's work regarded as a whole. one can only hope that the people responsible for the ongoing embarrassment which is historicist islamic architecture today will look to him for guidance.

to the Danish eye, the relationship to the cross-pleated paper lamps of the klint family is the most immediately intriguing. former employees testify to utzon's admiration for p.v. jensen-klint's ruskinian monument, the grundtvig church, and for his son, kaare klint, the uncompromising father figure of Danish furniture design. in effect, they were the true royalty of the copenhagen scene.

the le klint lamps were put into production by his sons some forty years after p.v. jensen-klint invented the first version for his own home. still developed and reinterpreted by new generations of architects, it remains one of the true classics of danish design - but why did it turn up, violently out of scale, in utzon's oeuvre?

in my brother's bookshop, I chanced upon the memoirs of le klint, jensen-klint's grand-daughter after whom the company was named. of her stay in neutral sweden in 1944 she writes,

"...jørn utzon...lived under the roof in one of gamla stan's beautiful flats. his wife received me...jørn arrived home from work and was wildly enthusiastic about the lamps - especially kaare's lamps which he hung all across the little flat.".

and later,

"jørn immediately set about planning the exhibition. in the evening we would sit all three of us making new lamp shades until long into the night. the exhibition room was large and several hundred lamps were needed."

you can only imagine how he must have stored the idea for using folded construction on a larger scale. the first place it turned up in his production was an early idea for the inner acoustic shells of the sydney opera house - a beautiful, triangulated surface but less repetitive and more complex than the saudi project.

for all his universalist aspirations, maybe this autobiographical trait in utzon's works as each project seems to draw up world maps of his encounters and personal experiences is the most moving to me. it is the very opposite of the architecture coming out of the major offices that undertake projects on this scale today.

some of the design ideas behind the jeddah stadium were later recycled by renzo piano in bari, others by santiago calatrava just about everywhere.

this image was uploaded with a CC license and may be used free of charge and in any way you see fit.
if possible, please name photographer "SEIER+SEIER". if not, don't.

more utzon here and here - and a few more renderings coming.

gallery of related projects: www.flickr.com/photos/seier/galleries/72157623050016581

Kagugu student's imaginary house
design your own 3d house
Image by bcjordan
"Draw any house of your own design" was the assignment (but in Kinyarwandan). This house is 3D!

Kigali, Rwanda

Kagugu student's imaginary house
design your own 3d house
Image by bcjordan
"Draw any house of your own design" was the assignment (but in Kinyarwandan). This house is 3D!

My new Facebook banner
design your own 3d house
Image by mimitalks, married w/children
They stick your profile photo on there, so that's why I left a blank. Last time I featured Patrick on it - this time I featured Erin and more of my graphics. That's our rose in front of our house a couple of weeks ago.