architecture in nature
Form #7, Josef Schulz, 2003
Josef Schulz is a photographer known for capturing images of modern warehouses and factories, which are typically considered mundane industrial structures with little architectural significance. These buildings, produced worldwide, follow standardized plans and materials, lacking distinct external features to reveal their specific purposes.
Schulz's approach involves studying the essence of his craft through these photographs. He employs digital image processing to remove any elements hinting at the buildings' age, location, or surroundings, transforming them into virtual blueprints. By emphasizing colors, shapes, and symmetries, he turns the buildings into block-like structures, resembling toy architecture and presenting them as idealized versions of themselves.
In this process, Schulz blurs the line between photographic and painted reality to optimize the images. Simultaneously, he reduces the physical buildings to their design concepts and the photographic reality to its virtual representation. His intent is to diverge from the typical pursuit of making digital images appear as real as possible. This approach might leave the viewer perplexed, as they struggle to distinguish between authentic elements captured by the camera and those created through digital tools.
Lake Rotsee Refuge by AFGH Architekten firm
Cacoon Hanging Chair
The Cacoon Hanging Chair is constructed with robust engineering to support a weight of up to 200kg or 440lbs. This product was designed in the UK by the collaborative effort of Nick and Sarah, a husband and wife team.
Giovanni Pesamosca’s Alpine Cabin in Friuli, Italy
Les Marais par Alain Carle Architecte, Canada
京都伏見稲荷
A Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte seen from the View Hotel, Monument Valley Tribal Park
GENERAL RESEARCH OFF-SITE
Designed by architect Shin Ohori of General Design for Setsumasa and Mami Kobayashi, founders of General Research. Located in the Chichibu mountain range northwest of Tokyo, the site serves as both a personal weekend shelter and a field-testing ground for product development.
The structure is built on an elevated platform using locally harvested larch wood and features removable walls made from fiber-reinforced plastic. It includes two yellow dome tents used as permanent sleeping areas—one placed on a secondary deck and the other on the roof of the main volume. The central enclosed space houses a kitchen and dining area.
The shelter is equipped with electricity, hot water, internet access, and basic amenities, including a clawfoot bathtub. The location is remote but accessible, allowing the Kobayashis to engage in maintenance tasks and outdoor work while still performing professional duties remotely. The architecture is intentionally simple and functional, emphasizing modularity, environmental responsiveness, and a hybrid of modernist design with primitive outdoor living elements.
The project operates as a live-in testing platform for lifestyle and gear integration in a real-world setting, merging domestic space with performance wear prototyping. It represents an approach to architecture and living that prioritizes adaptability, utility, and a direct relationship with the natural environment.
Two Living Pavilions Under One Roof Open Onto an Outdoor Covered Deck designed by Watson Architecture + Design
