The Ten Commandments of Architecture

1. Thou Shalt Not Compartmentalize: In addition to learning to design, thou should write well, spell correctly, figure out how to get jobs and keep clients happy, take out the trash, make a good cup of Joe, be able to build models, master sustainability as well as the latest technological tools. Do all this and more, EXCEPT ... hire a really good professional to photograph your work. It will pay off in awards and in landing new jobs.

2. Don’t Be Disappointed When a Client Rejects Your Design: It only means another opportunity to design. In architecture there are many solutions to the same question and designing is what you do.

3. Always Exceed Your Client’s Expectations: The corollary is: Establish attainable expectations.

4. Cost Counts: No matter what clients may say, or how deep their pockets, cost is foremost in the minds of all clients great and small. Make sure there is a clear, written understanding of the expected project cost and have a plan in case the budget gets out of whack.

5. Problems are Opportunities: Show them how good you are in a pinch.

6. Bad News Travels Fast: An unhappy client is your worst nightmare. The corollary is: Satisfied clients become good friends and good references.

7. Art First, Mammon Second: Make every project an artistic success, and you will thrive. If your first priority is making money, you will go broke.

8. Go Forth and Collaborate: Architecture is a team sport. Surround yourself with talented and enjoyable people, in the office and outside. Share the credit with colleagues and consultants. Run an open office. The fewer doors the better; and just one coffee pot where the designing herd can gather and ruminate.

9. Listen: Believe it or not, people besides you have good ideas and insights. This applies to clients, staff, builders, consultants, building users, even your spouse. In the end it will be your client’s building, not yours. If you want to be a star, move to Hollywood.

10. Do Right, Have Fun: Clients are spending a lot of money; they expect something special. There also should be some fun in the mix, for your client and for you as well.

The modern cave home by Alexandre de Betak

Alexandre de Betak is a 42 year old renowned events producer, art director and designer whose work includes fashion shows and extravaganzas for clients from Dior to Rodarte to Tiffany. He can do a lot of things but designing and building a home was not on the list until recently. He had a dream from many years and he wanted to build his dream home. Until that happened he had to spend five years looking for the perfect spot, another two years working on the design and then the last two building it. After dreaming for 10 years at this home it was finally ready.

His new home is located in a small coastal village in the Tramuntana region of Majorca. The design is inspired by the 70’s architecture since Alexandre de Betak grew up with it. However, there are some distinguishable features that you couldn’t find in any period.

He designed his new home as modern cave. This means that the walls and ceiling are uneven and the interior design is not uniform or clearly defined as it happens in traditional houses. In some rooms the floor is covered with soft pebbles and most furniture pieces are made from natural wood and they have an original design.

For example, take a look at those shelves carved from a tree stump. There are also stools shaped like tree stump and there’s a area where the floor is elevated and it seems like a rock formation grew there. This would not be a very friendly house for a kid. Nevertheless, it’s a unique home and it was designed and built by the owner which is a big plus.

10 Absolutely Amazing Stadium Architecture Designs (Part 2)

When it comes to sports facilities projects architects have become more and more ambitious in the last years, creating wonderful masterpieces that not only prove their usefulness but can also be considered as landmarks thanks to their impressive architecture.

Dalian Shide

Four Sport Scenarios

Hangzhou Sports Park

Health & Sports Education Center of Kang-won National University

Dalian Football Stadium

10 Absolutely Amazing Stadium Architecture Designs (Part 1)

When it comes to sports facilities projects architects have become more and more ambitious in the last years, creating wonderful masterpieces that not only prove their usefulness but can also be considered as landmarks thanks to their impressive architecture.

2014 Incheon Asian Games Main Stadium

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Arena zagreb

Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex proposal

Chess-club building

Copper Architecture

The modern copper, concrete and glass Clip House in Madrid, Spain was designed by the architects at Bernalte-León y Asociados. The cool, contemporary style home’s striking sculptural design takes shape from copper plates, which are enclosed in vertical panels forming expansive glass walls, and cantilevered from a bold, vertical concrete backing. The architectural copper artfully wraps around the home’s living areas, providing a fabulous view from the inside out, while offering an interesting aesthetic from the outside as well. Atop these copper enclosures, exterior rooftop pathways lead to an outlook over the city. This awesome house design has been shortlisted for the 2009 Copper in Architecture Awards. The winner will be announced on September 29 at a ceremony held in London.

Why Architects Use Architectural Drawings Of Buildings?

In today’s highly competitive architecture world, every now and then a new method is emerging for architect’s assistance. A wide range of architectural engineering services are available nowadays and even more are preparing to hit the market in future shortly. Amongst all these, the most used and productive method is – architectural drawings.

Architectural drawings – what is the importance in architecture world? Why it is the most favorable options for architects? These are the common questions that are obvious for anyone. Well, architectural drawings of buildings are set of diagrams of building’s architecture. These diagrams are nothing but technical working drawings that follow certain architecture standards. Architectural drawings are created for architect’s help.

Now as architectural drawings give exceptional details about building’s architecture, architects use it for a variety of purposes. Architects use such drawings for graphic communication with relevant architecture professional. They can easily communicate ideas about building architecture’s design to one another quickly. As a consequence of this, a precious amount of time and money of architects is saved.

Architectural drawings contain huge details about building architecture’s technical specifications. It contains detailed views about 3D architectural floor plans, 3D architecture sectional views and more. Meanwhile drawing sheet sizes, measurements/scales and cross referencing are also mentioned in it. For any architecture project, such details are extremely important. Architects utilize them to an extreme level to get the most desired building architecture.

Architectural drawings can be very useful in following areas:

•    Building drawings as per architectural symbols

•    Architectural details drawings using architectural drawings software

•    Architectural plan drawings

•    Architectural sketches of buildings

•    Architectural drawing CAD

•    3d CAD drawings

•    3D interior design drawings

•    Roof details drawings, metal building drawings and steel architectural building designs

•    3D architectural rendering drawings, 3D exterior drawings and design

Perhaps due above mentioned applications of architectural drawings, most of the architects use such drawings for their benefits. It definitely is a profitable and productive option for architects.

Concrete Sewer Pipe Hotel

T3arc designed the TuboHotel consisting of concrete sewer pipes, on the outskirts of Tepoztlan, Mexico. “It serves as fast and affordable housing for tourists taking in the environment.”