Barcode Building

Barcode building called Shtrikh Kod is a visually interesting shopping center in St. Petersburg, designed by architects Vitruvius and Sons. Built in a large center next to the Volodarsky Bridge with gray public housing all around, the bright red barcode building really livens up the place. Vitruvius and Sons liven up this space by introducing a splash of color.

Bloomframe Innovative Window

Bloomframe an innovative window designed by Amsterdam based Hofman Dujardin Architects. The prototype of this balcony was presented at the International Building and Construction Fair in Netherlands. Using of Bloomframe will provide a possibility to step outside and enjoy the outdoor space in the compact apartments in the dense urban areas.

With its addition, you can add light, fresh air and space to the existing interiors. The Bloomframe can be added to new or existing buildings and the size, color and the material of this balcony are flexible which gives the choice to customize the look of it.

Ultra-light Architecture

Designer Michael Jantzen is the author of different proposals in the ambit of architecture published in international magazines of that specialty. What they all have in common are the bold forms, hardly classified in some style or current, and a great concern in environmental matters. One of the most recent works consists on an experimental building which he called Wind Shaped Pavilion. Around the building's cylindrical central nucleus there are six floors built on a textile structure strengthened and ultra-light with a shape similar to a wing; from there its design.



Supposedly the "wing-floors" roll under the wind's action altering continuously the shape of the building and its solar orientation. That way they also act as an eolian generator, producing enough energy to become self sufficient. The author explains that it is possible to increase the prototype scale and turn it into a block of apartments or desks, for example. In that case its occupants could control the orientation of the "wings" according to the climatic conditions, insulation or view.


Despite the kindness of the concept there are several relevant questions that come up. How will they resist winds blowing at high speed? And, on the other hand, is it possible for them to work in a urban environment where the wind is diminished? How does it behave relatively to a possible fire? What rotation is necessary in order to generate the supposed energy? How do you make the connection to services by cable and by conduct? And we no longer speak of the innumerable questions about construction and forms...

People's Building in Shanghai

Two arched bodies emerge - one on the ground, the other in water - in direction to the sky, united at the top and bounding in a unique monumental building of hurled forms, similar to a tube of perfumed action and bended by an immense force. Its profile suggests the Chinese alphabetic character which means "people". That's the way the People's Building will be at the Expo 2010, in Shanghai,China.

Laptop Skins and Engravings

Sometimes laptop is more than just a device. Using laptops over years, some of us tend to develop a genuine affection toward their little (or not so little) companions. We take care of them, putting them in a nice hand-made fabric, spicing them up with some fancy outfit and providing them with a personality using laptop skins. That’s not as bad as it sounds, and there are many ways to use laptop decoration (or laptops decorated by other people) as a source of inspiration. In some way you may also call it laptop art.









Apparently, Apple geeks are far more emotional when it comes to accessories for their laptops — although we’ve tried to cover as many different ideas as possible, in the selection below many of the presented ideas are used on Macs.