The new Shibuya Station (subway station) in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Tadao Ando, looks like an underground spaceship, situated 30 meters down. In a recent interview with Wallpaper Ando explains some concepts behind the design.

It is composed of a central void contained inside an egg-shaped shell and aims to reduce the station’s dependency on air conditioning equipments by letting the outside air blow into the underground space, creating a natural ventilation system that is energy saving.

We love that.

The hub station is a connector to 2.5 million commuters who use the underground system and that section sees about 400,00 of them daily.

The idea behind the design was to keep a continuous flow of energy moving smoothly. That translates to a positive experience for the traveler and very good Feng Shui. I’m seriously impressed.

Shibuya Station under construction. It feels like the engine room on a spaceship.

More from the designer:

Since I consider architecture as something that should gently enclose people, providing safety and peace of mind, I have always tried to create spaces that satisfy people in a spiritual way. This attitude towards architecture has been consistent since I started my own career as an architect.

Beautiful.

Here it is again; architects thinking outside of the box…or in this case, creating  a new kind of a box, outside of the city of Madrid in Spain, and tucked away in a beautiful forest.

Spanish architects Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano of Selgascano have designed this fabulous office for their own practice…in the woods.

Could this be the set of The Sci-Fi Channel’s Caprica? (The latest spin-off of Battlestar Galactica)

Yes, the energy moving through the space is sped-up. However, the surrounding naturescape keeps it in balance.

More details from the architects translated from the Spanish by me:

The intention here is very simple; to work under the trees. In order to achieve that effect, we wanted to create as much transparency as possible. However, we also needed create shade over the areas of the tables and work space.

Night time view of the office. Kind of feels like a secret hiding place where creative minds come together.

I love the concept.

For more information on the architects, follow me.

Too cool for school.

What happens when you combine a re-usable cloth bag, designed by architect trio Claesson Koivisto Rune with the donated fabrics and clothing (16 tons a year) from the non-profit organization Stockholm City Mission?

A beautiful combination that takes an existing construction design (of the plastic bag) and an existing eco-friendly raw material (the donated fabric) and uses it to help the homeless in Stockholm City, Sweden.

More details from the David Report:

The mountains of excess textiles that otherwise would have been disposed of find a good use. The homeless get an opportunity to work. (In a non-repetitive process, through the unlimited choice of creative fabric combinations.) And the Stockholm City Mission can create some revenue to help run their organization… Claesson Koivisto Rune says that they can only see up-sides to this project. That is their reward.

Very cool indeed.

I’m giggling over these photos as I find myself wanting this unique bag.

For more info on the designers follow me.

This home in Mallorca, Spain was designed by the famous Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza, and came to me via Noticias Arquitectura. (Ah, the joys of being able to speak another language.)

The home, constructed in three major parts, are connected to create unique and somewhat jagged shapes.  Lucky for the occupants, the square shapes are softened by the round and soft movement of the surrounding natural landscape, making it a fabulous and interesting concept. Not to mention the spectacular views.

The beautiful and sparse interior feels spacious and light. Although some additional feminine touches are definitely in order (imho). How about some blue textured pillows to pull in the blue of the rug?

The idea of a visually separate space, that is actually connected is intriguing. I’m curious how this reflects in the lives of the occupants. In Feng Shui this home reflects an excess of the metal element. The metal element in its positive form reflects a higher mind and when out of balance can translate to a determined character. Interesting.

For more info on the architect follow me.

Set in the rain forest right outside of San Salvador, Brazil, architect Jose Roberto Paredes built his dream modern home - Casa Tuscania -  for himself, his wife and their two daughters (shown above).

Recently, he gave a first person narrative about it in Dwell Magazine.  Here are some highlights:

(Note: Take a look at how those windows completely open up to the yard and the forest. Yep, that’s a dream home.)

From the architect via Dwell:

I never imagined that I would live in a house like Casa Tuscania. In fact, it wasn’t until I saw it for the first time, in the light of the morning, that I realized it was my dream house….We have broken down walls, literally and figuratively, to create the Swiss Family Robinson–like tree house we call home. It’s pretty isolated here, outside of San Salvador, and those factors were important in deciding where to build and how to raise our two daughters, Pilar, 15, and Jimena, 4, in a natural environment.

We wanted it to be cozy but open, making sure every room used its space wisely. Few walls separate the rooms and our dining table doubles as a homework desk and venue for Scrabble games. We did something strange and installed a bathtub right in Jimena’s bedroom. She loves splashing around in there and would spend hours on end in it if she could.

Throughout the house I used concrete for its cooling quality and easy maintenance. It works well in San Salvador’s sun-drenched climate….We didn’t want to sacrifice the sensation of being in a warm home for having all concrete walls, which is why we lined one of the walls with polycarbonate sheets. I’ve always found materials much more interesting than colors, and therefore I wanted to use wood, concrete, glass, and the polycarbonate, which offers us a bit of privacy and filters the light.

With all the open doors we often get asked if we have trouble with bugs. I usually say that although we get the occasional visitor, only every now and again do dangerous forest friends, like venomous snakes, actually find their way in. It’s a minor drawback to living in a tree house on the ground, but I don’t think they like it as much as we do in here—–there aren’t too many walls or hiding spaces.

What a great idea to create an exterior chalkboard wall. It serves as an ever-changing greeter to mark who lives at the residence, and any other thoughts the residents would like to share with the world. That’s great Feng Shui.

For the complete article visit Dwell.