iPhoneography

This week, stop by Inspired Design Daily, where I'm writing about the growth of iPhoneography and digital phone art... It's an art form that's been around for a while, but with technological advancements, a host of new photo editing applications, and heightened communications due to social media and the internet, camera phone art has garnered enough attention to create international competitions and gallery shows across the globe.

So, check out my post to see some of the examples and accessories available to enhance your smartphone photos, and start shooting your own works of art! (and if you're an Instagram user, connect with us @myd)
Best, Lauren

A Christmas Card from MYD

and a bright and bountiful new year!

*            *            *

P.S.  If you missed our holiday post a couple days ago, feel free to stop by and read about the fantastic holiday gingerbread village we helped build last weekend... 

Happy (belated) Birthday to Oscar Niemeyer...

Decades of work in both his home country of Brazil and internationally makes Oscar Niemeyer one of the most well-known architects today. And at age 104, as of yesterday- his birthday, he's still designing...

So, this is a birthday card to Mr Niemeyer:

Much appreciation for the inspiration... (sketching in Brasilia)

Ice Cube, Los Angeles + Eames

'It's not about the pieces; it's how the pieces work together. Taking something that already exists and make it into something special.'

For some Saturday fun, watch this great video of Ice Cube discussing LA architecture and the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames.

For more on the exhibit and other gallery events, visit the official website for Pacific Standard Time.
Have a great weekend!

Photo Page Update

Our construction page is up and running! Stop by and check out the latest progress as we wrap up a three-year project... It's a great little cottage, and we'll try to post more about the process when things slow down.
Thanks for stopping by!
MYD

Construction Progress

Hello from MYD! Thought we'd share a sneak peek of the latest construction progress at our project in Laguna Beach. We'll be uploading and sharing more project images soon, along with some new concept designs currently in the works.
In the meanwhile, here's the latest on this lovely contemporary cottage in South Laguna...

Cheers!
Lauren + Jason

Form, Function + Concrete

Greetings from MYD, and hope the weekend has been going well... Just in case you missed our post at our website, we thought we'd share the beautiful and functional art that will be installed at a project in Orange County in the next few weeks...

If you've never seen Gore Design Co.'s Erosion Sink, it is not only incredibly unique, but exemplifies the architectural potential of thoughtful applications of material, craft and design. For more images and information on Gore Design and this great custom GFRC sink, read the complete post at our website, and have a great week ahead!

Architectural Numerology

What's your number..? Stop by Inspired Design Daily today, where I'm guest blogging about how to add a bit of design interest to the exterior of your home in an unexpected, but highly visible location: address numbers! We'll look at a few examples of interesting and fun ways to update your entry with a unique array of designs- with all the options available, there's sure to be one that fits your style, budget and aesthetic.

So, make sure to check out the post, and share you thoughts or images of favorite applications, and enjoy!
Thanks, Lauren

+Architecture | MYD

So, we're up and running on Google+ and MYD studio's page is starting to take shape. This new format for connecting and sharing content should be an interesting platform, and we look forward to seeing how things develop. Join us there at +Architecture | MYD...

In the meanwhile, if you're sticking with Facebook for the time being, we'll be maintaining our page there, and feel free to stop by for more albums of project photos, along with articles we like and noteworthy images and links. 

Either way, look forward to seeing you online, and thanks for stopping by!

Lauren + Jason

Taking Flight!

We recently posted about what is sure to be a fantastic film, 'I Believe I Can Fly', directed by Sebastien Montaz-Rosset, featuring some incredible footage of highlining- a combination of tightrope, slackline and climbing. You can watch the trailer below or in a browser here.

For more on this inspiring documentary and the similarly exhilarating footage it recalls (to us, at least) of a favorite Academy Award winning film, read our complete post here.
For images and additional information, stop by the film's website, where the complete 40-minute film will be released for download (for a limited time) on 11.11.11- tomorrow!

Google Tricks (not just a barrel roll...)

So there was a lot of talk about the Google trick 'do a barrel roll' this week, with a number of top blogs, including Mashable and Huffington Post, writing about the fun new trick you can do with Google.  If the name isn't obvious enough, check it out here. Cute, huh? Feel like you should reward Google with a treat or a chew toy or something.

Kidding aside, we're obviously getting a kick out of it (as the existence of this post can illustrate), and it's nice to have a bit of unexpected fun when you're browsing online. In particular, as designers, it's always interesting to see what types of activities and novelties people are drawn to, and how they engage with spaces, objects and technology. Especially lately, as technology is becoming more engaging and interactive, and integrated into our daily lives.  Siri, anyone?
So, back to the topic at hand- the Friday Fun part of this post. So, just to add to the barrel-roll dicussion, we thought we'd share a couple of other Google tricks to humor and entertain.

The first is Google Gravity (a favorite seen above), that you'll have to check out for yourself here. You can even do a search and it's even more entertaining... If you have any trouble with the link, just google 'googlegravity' and click on the first link.  Good stuff, right?
Additionally, if you're in Google Image Search, Google Sphere is a pretty cool little trick, too.

So, hope that brightens up your Friday morning, and have a great weekend!

It's Close to Midnight...

and something evil's lurking in the dark...
For today's Halloween post, a bit of fun with M.J.'s iconic Thriller:

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize your neighborhood...

We thought this SoCal home's Halloween decorations (or choreography/light show- however it should best be described) were just too great not to share in celebration of today's thrilling holiday. For more Halloween multimedia fun, stop by our website or facebook page.

Have a good one! 

(and don't be found- without the soul for getting down...)
Oh, and watch out for the thing with the forty eyes, while you're at it.

House of Mysteries...

The thought of never-ending construction is a Halloween nightmare for most people, but this was not the case for the homeowner of one of California's most famous haunted houses.
Stop by Inspired Design Daily for MYD's latest guest blog post on the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, a 24,000 square foot project that was under construction for thirty-eight years.

What's the story behind this legendary residence and its eccentric owner's design plan (or lack thereof)? Find out at Inspired Design Daily... and have a very happy Halloween!

The Sydney Opera House

It's iconic and instantly recognizable, seemingly floating at the edge of Sydney's famous harbor- Australia's famous Opera House. The arching sails, or shells, that create a sense of movement, are often viewed and photographed from the water, so that the building can be seen from its most dramatic perspective, creating an abstracted form that mimics and complements its dynamic surroundings.

Designed byJorn Oberg Utzon, a Danish architect, in the 1960's, the structure wasn't completed until 1973, after Utzon had already resigned as Chief Architect, due to budgetary issues and conflicts with the government and stakeholders.

drawing: state records NSW digital gallery

In spite of construction and political complications, the building is home to multiple performance venues, is one of the most well-known works of architecture of the 20th century, and it is absolutely stunning in person.

Stop by our website to view the gallery of our favorite images of this beautiful project, as well as more of the original drawings submitted for the original competition.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lauren + Jason

Food + Architecture

...and some very creative uses of graphics.

Since it's World Food Day, we thought we'd share a few of our favorite images of food as architecture. Or architecture as food, whichever suits you better. Enjoy!

For more images, visit worth1000.com, and view under the 'edible'architecture' contest section. You'll encounter some very interesting interpretations of food and architecture...

For a more serious take on World Food Day, stop by our blog at mydstudio, where we're discussing the growing urban agriculture movement and looking at a few examples of urban farming in action- for Blog Action Day 2011.

Thanks, and have a great weekend! L+J

Reminder: Think Different...

Good design exists on all scales, from cell phones to buildings to branding... Thank you for reminding us to think different.
For more of our thoughts on Steve Jobs and design thinking, visit MYD's website.

Interior design, MYD friends + a giveaway!

If you visit our blog every now and again, you may know that I'm a monthly guest blogger at Inspired Design Daily, a delightful daily resource on design, lifestyle, and creating a sustainable home...  

This week, our friends at Inspired Design Daily are celebrating a website redesign and introducing a new line of eco-friendly textiles at their store, Redefine Home. Additionally, they are generously offering the opportunity to win a free woven Fretwork woven throw to online fans, subscribers, and followers. 

Learn more about how to enter to win here.

Being an architecture firm that supports and utilizes sustainable products and materials whenever possible in both our personal and professional lives, we feel it's as important to support like-minded sites and shops, especially those providing high-quality products and customer service. 

The concept of the triple bottom line, and generating a sustainable local economy- socially, culturally and environmentally- requires awareness of where the products we use in our homes are sourced and produced,  so make sure to stop by and check out the best in unique, handmade + salvaged products at Redefine Home, and of course, enter to win one of these beautiful throws! 

Have a great week, and good luck...

The City: San Francisco in Timelapse

San Francisco is one of the world's most beautiful and diverse destinations... which is why it's hard to imagine that the experience of 'the city' could be captured in just under five minutes of timelapse footage.  From WTK Photography, this film incorporates hundreds of hours of shooting time and thousands of frames, and the end result is stunning, especially for those of us who love timelapse and/or San Francisco...

For more information or to watch other films from WTK Photography, visit Vimeo, and enjoy!

Solar Decathlon

In case you missed it earlier today, visit Inspired Design Daily, where MYD's guest post takes a look at the 2011 Solar Decathlon, a competition taking place this week in Washington D.C.

Yes, it's back- every two years, and 2011 has produced some very innovative and thoughtful concepts. 

To check out the designs that are currently in the lead, read the complete post at Inspired Design Daily... and vote for your favorite!

'U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.' -solardecalthon.gov

Monsanto–A Village Built Among Rocks

"Southeast of Serra da Estrela in Portugal, perched on the side of a mountain, is a lonely and enchanting village of Monsanto. The village is built among rocks, with houses squeezed between gigantic boulders, and tiny streets carved through the rocks. Monsanto’s appearance hasn't changed in centuries. Some of the granite houses have Manueline doorways and the ruins of a castle that started as a Lusitanian fortified settlement, affords magnificent views stretching as far as Serra da Estrela.
In 1938 Monsanto was voted "the most Portuguese village in Portugal" in a national contest, and since then building restrictions have allowed it to remain a living museum. It is not easy to reach Monsanto by public transportation, but its atmosphere and immense panorama is worth a drive from the towns nearby or Serra da Estrela."

For the complete post and more incredible photos, check out the original post:
Monsanto–A Village Built Among Rocks

A Collaborative Stop Motion Sculpture

Created by art & design practice ENESS, and photographed over a two-week period, this timeplapse is a great example of installation art, public engagement and creativity.


MÖBIUS from ENESS on Vimeo.

From Melbourne-based art & design practice ENESS:

Twenty-one large triangles animated by Melbourne, throughout Federation Square, MÖBIUS is a sculpture that can be configured into many cyclical patterns and behaves as though it is eating itself, whilst sinking into the ground.  The result is an optical illusion and a time-lapse of people interacting with the sculpture and moving through Melbourne's landmark location throughout the day.public engagement and creativity.

MÖBIUS was animated over two weeks Friday, Saturday & Sunday between the 6th - 20th of May 2011.


For more information and related projects, visit their website... and have a great weekend!

Double Happiness

Here is a magnificent use of billboard space created by architect Didier Faustino. He has titled the work/installation/swing-set Double Happiness for pretty obvious reasons. Clever ideas like this usually don’t come from passivity towards the city, but an engaged, analytical, and curious attitude. 

A summary of the conceptual framework behind the project:

“Double Happiness responds to the society of materialism where individual desires seem to be prevailing over all. This nomad piece of urban furniture allows the reactivation of different public spaces and enables inhabitants to reappropriate fragments of their city. They will both escape and dominate public space through a game of equilibrium and desequilibrium. By playing this 'risky' game, and testing their own limits, two persons can experience together a new perception of space and recover an awareness of the physical world."

via Double Happiness | Broken City Lab: 

Laguna Building + Construction Update

As mentioned in a previous post, we've been busy with residential projects under construction, and since things are moving along quickly, we thought we'd post a few photos of a local renovation and addition in Laguna Beach.

The initial deconstruction required the careful removal of the majority of the existing structure, while maintaining and reinforcing the non-conforming portions of the building in the sideyard setbacks.

With that process complete and the concrete footings poured and set, the framing has gone up relatively quickly, complete with a steel-framed cantilever that will not only add square footage to the master bedroom, but will optimize the ocean views

rough opening for window

steel frame for cantilever

some serious tube steel

ceiling height transition

Thanks for reading!

Jason + Lauren

Design + Vertical Landscapes

Here at MYD, we've often written about green roof systems quite a bit, but less so about green walls...
However, during a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, we found that Portland is truly one of the country's greenest cities, quite literally...

A fantastic living wall!

For more on this well-designed green wall at the Hotel Modera, not far from Portland State and its famous farmers market:
  Click here for the complete post...

The Sketches Behind the World's Most Magnificent Buildings | News | Archinect

'The inspiring recent release Architects' Sketchbooks celebrates the earliest traces of a building's coming into being, the ideas that pave the way for the precision of engineers' calculations or CAD renderings. Through the book's beautiful reproductions of original blots, jots, and scribbles, we can see that even the most awe-inspiring edifices begin as a line—as reassuring an insight into the creative process as any.'  -theatlantic.com

For the complete post and to see the sketchbooks, visit the original post at Archinect:
The Sketches Behind the World's Most Magnificent Buildings | News | Archinect

At the Portland Farmers Market

Just in cased you missed it yesterday, stop by Inspired Design Daily, and read a guest blog post on the Portland Farmers Market.

A follow-up to previous posts blog on recent travels through the Olympic Peninsula, Whidbey Island, and Seattle, Portland was the latest post topic and the last stop on our trip through the Pacific Northwest earlier this month.

However, in spite of our short time there, we had the opportunity to visit one of the greatest farmers markets in the country, and that alone was enough reason to plan a trip back!

Read more and view the rest of our photos at MYD's guest post at Inspired Design Daily, and hope you've been enjoying your local farmers market this summer!

Image Gallery: Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Central Library

MYD's image gallery of a recent visit to the Seattle Central Library by Rem Koolhaas

To view the complete gallery of full size images, visit our blog at:
At Koolhaas' Seattle Public Library - MYD blog - MYD studio:

Enjoy! Lauren + Jason

'via Blog this'

WikiHouse: Open-Sourced Housing

WikiHouse: Open-Sourced Housing

August 19, 2011

Machines such as 3D printers, CNC routers, and robot arms are changing our conceptions about production, bringing about a new industrial paradigm of mass customization. Such a dramatic change will propel all designers to be actively involved in the making of new tools, lest they risk being overtaken by techies, corporations, and zealous DIYers. But that’s beside the point. WikiHouse, a new Open Community project that hosts open-source home designs, should benefit all parties involved.
Details at the link: Architizer Blog » Blog Archive » WikiHouse: Open-Sourced Housing: WikiHouse: Open-Sourced HousingAugust 19, 2011

Craftsman Architecture in Washington State...

To follow up with our most recent posts, or our Pacific Northwest travel journal...  After a few days on Sequim Bay, we left the Peninsula via Port Townsend  moving onto our next stop, the beautiful Whidbey Island, for a couple of days of relaxation by the seaside.  

We left Sequim to embark on the next leg of the trip, starting with another ferry ride, this time across the water from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island, with more beautiful views to enjoy along the way.

During the drive up from the ferry through the island, we made a stop at the historic Deception Pass Bridge, s site offering breathtaking views of the steep cliffs down to the shore and the dense old-growth forests. 

Upon arriving at the Inn at Langley, we recognized the magnitude of the beauty of the space, right on the water and about as sublime as it could get...

There's nothing quite like the sight and sound of  the gentle waves of the rising tide just steps beyond your balcony, with the Cascade Mountains in the distance.

And, as usual, we were just as enthusiastic about the architectural detailing- a japanese-influenced Craftsman aesthetic that is contextually appropriate and well-executed.

Some Time Away...

Back in California... It's been a busy week catching up since returning from the beautiful Northwest not too long ago, but it was a great trip and wonderful source of inspiration and revitalization...  Or maybe it was the clean Washington state air.  Regardless, here are a few images from the initial few days of our travels.

The first part of our adventure began in Seattle and we then headed a few hours Northwest to the Olympic Peninsula for several days of visiting friends, taking in the views, and enjoying the coastal landscape.
Below are a selection of images from time spent on Sequim Bay, where the gorgeous weather made for picturesque vistas and perfect conditions for kayaking. With surroundings like these, some of the tastiest local delights at every meal, and good friends to share it all with, it was the ideal launching point for our time away...

An afternoon trip to Hurricane Ridge, at an elevation of 5,200 feet in the National Forest, offered stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and local wildflowers.

Back at sea level the next morning, the clear emerald water of Lake Cascade made for fantastic kayaking and even more stunning scenes of the Northwest.

But probably the most relaxing moments involved the simple pleasure of enjoying the sights with friends while surrounded by an array of vibrant flowers, glass of wine in hand and the water of the Bay only yards away. Perfect!

The Innovation of Charles and Ray Eames

In the past few years in the design world, we've seen a significant increase in the applications of modular structures, as shipping containers have been transformed into dwellings, office and studios, and pre-fabricated homes have become more common in communities, neighborhoods, and cities across the globe.
However, the mass production of products began decades ago, and the prolific use of these designs today is a testament to a high level of design ingenuity, as well as a visionary spirit.


This revolutionary change in thinking, design theory and the resulting long-term social and cultural effects can be attributed to the work of Charles and Ray Eames, the well-known husband and wife team who were pioneers in the field of furniture design, as well as icons of mid-century modernism.


That's the topic of discussion for today's guest post at Inspired Design Daily, so make sure to visit and ready the complete entry, as well as view more images of this groundbreaking work.

See you at Inspired Design Daily, and thanks for reading!

Carmageddon + Learning from Frank Lloyd Wright

Our recent commentary on 'Carmageddon', as well as in a number of previous posts, we've addressed the social and cultural issues that affect and shape our cities, buildings, and public spaces. 

Community is a term that can be applied and interpreted in countless ways, and even before it could be used in the context of technology and the online world, it was a subject of interpretation and analysis by a number of world-renowned architects throughout history.

Through rarely actualized, the designs for these planned cities provide insights into how our environment and our relationship to it were considered at a specific time and place in history.  We're looking at Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City today, as it provides an interesting counter to the current thinking regarding a car-based transportation system. Often characterized by the sprawl of Los Angeles and nature of development in Southern California, a decentralized structure with no urban core is considered by many to be limiting, an obstacle to neighborhoods and relationship-building, and exclusionary by nature.  And that's on top of the negative impact on the environment and issues related to sustainability...

Developed in the early 30's, Wright's vision was a response to the industrialized cities of the era, and he espoused the use of the automobile and the 1-acre family homestead as central components to this utopian civilization.  Criticized at the time by planners, there is still controversy now as to whether it was, in fact, a precursor to the suburbs in existence today.  

Wright describes Broadacre in his own words in the 1932 book, The Disappearing City:

Imagine spacious landscaped highways… giant roads, themselves great architecture, pass public service stations, no longer eyesores, expanded to include all kinds of service and comfort. They unite and separate— separate and unite the series of diversified units, the farm units, the factory units, the roadside markets, the garden schools, the dwelling places (each on its acre of individually adorned and cultivated ground), the places for pleasure and leisure. All of these units so arranged and so integrated that each citizen of the future will have all forms of production, distribution, self improvement, enjoyment, within a radius of a hundred and fifty miles of his home now easily and speedily available by means of his car or plane. This integral whole composes the great city that I see embracing all of this country—the Broadacre City.

The fundamental basis of this concept was that of a pastoral landscape founded on agrarian principles, with highways as the main mode of transportation between communities, homesteads and other necessary destinations. Recalling the garden city principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, Broadacre represented a rejection of urban life and a return to the land, where families utilized their allotted acre for food cultivation, enabling self-sufficiency and independence. Obviously, there are problems with this vision of the future, but it is fascinating to note that what we see as diametric concepts today were, at one time and from one perspective, complementary to one another.

Ironically enough, we are seeing some of Wright's planning ideas in practice now with the increase in permaculture, edible landscapes and sustainable land use, even if these contemporary movements are in response to what could be considered possible repressions of Broadacre's other fundamental principles, such as the predominance of the car and low-density living.

The decentralization of urban life and the increase of suburban communities is an topic that is incredibly complex, and the value of context cannot be highlighted enough, as this kind of ideological concept can be inherently conflicted when actualized in a specific time and space.

The car culture Wright envisioned did not manifest itself in the way he had anticipated;  instead of representing freedom, we often feel trapped by our reliance on the automobile, and the associated costs, financial, environmental and cultural. That said, it can't be a black or white issue, and certain elements of an idea can be useful in an open dialogue about community and development. 

So, though Wright may have been enthusiastic about the physical implications of Carmageddon, he likely would not have been thrilled with the socio-cultural patterns dictating the need to expand these critical transportation arteries.  It would be interesting to find out, though...

'The whole psyche of humanity is changing and what that change will ultimately bring as future community I will not prophecy. It is already greatly changed.'  F.L.W.  (1943)