Blog: As We See It

• Bouroullec Brothers on Display

  The whimsical, organic furniture of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec has long captivated the design world.

   

• Bank of America to Rent Back Foreclosed Houses

  I know that banks prefer not to be landlords, but under the current circumstances, this foreclosure-to-rental pilot program seems like plain common sense.

   

• Safer-Table Saw Law Proposed

  Mandating injury mitigation technology in table saws, as in a recently proposed California law, seems like a fine idea to me

   

• High Temperature Geothermal Heat Pump

  This new unit from WaterFurnace delivers water at 150 degrees fahrenheit, hot enough for use with existing radiators and baseboard convectors.

   

• Modern Houseboat Development in Amsterdam

  While offering owners the incomparable experience of living on the water, this development by Dutch architect Marlies Rohmer also proved an ideal application for prefabrication.

   

• Blower Door Test

  We finally did a blower-door test done on our old (early 19th c.) house yesterday, and the results were quite a revelation.

   

• American Architects in China

  It looks as if the streets are paved with gold for young architects in China.

   

• Skyscrapers of the Future--and Now

  eVolo Magazine recently announced the winners of its 2012 Skyscraper Competition, which range from compelling to whimsical to too clever by half. Meanwhile, here's a visionary skyscraper--not part of the competition--that's actually getting built.

   

• More Photos of Villa Tugendhat

  My colleague Shelley Hutchins wrote a fine story on the just-completed restoration of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat.

   

• Minka

  This beautiful short documentary film tells the story of an 18th-century minka--the traditional Japanese post-and-beam farmhouse--that was rescued, dismantled, and rebuilt as a modern home.