I can’t be the only one who thinks about where would I like to be quarantined next if the situation does arise again – like what kind of house, what view would I like to have and should I go solo or pick my quaran-team. Very valid questions given the times we live in and I am finding the answers to them in my favorite Pinterest pass time – tiny modular homes like Cabin One.
Cabin One is described as a passionately designed home for the future and its minimalist look certainly appeals to millennials who will now be able to buy homes given that the lockdown is making them spend less on avocados ( you know what I am talking about ). What I love about Cabin One is that it promotes flexible micro-living through its modular build. You can customize the 25 square meters of space as per your needs – it could be a beautiful cabin for one, holiday home for two or a quirky office space that stands in between an Airbnb and WeWork (given that the future is all about working remotely, did I just come up with the next million-dollar startup?). “We have reduced the complexity of the construction industry to three important elements: comfort, quality, and user experience. We do not think in square meters, we think in features,” says Simon, Cabin One’s designer.
It is lined entirely in wood with cozy interiors that will make staying at home feel like a retreat. The modern wooden abode is created from renewable raw materials, produced off-site, and delivered in full to its final destination for easy installation. The large windows allow a lot of natural ventilation and sunshine to grace the cabin and bring the feeling of spaciousness to the otherwise compact quarters. It just feels like a safe space and that is all you need to hang on to during complex times and may you find it within you instead of in a house. In the meantime, take an interactive virtual property tour – soon all real estate might work like this!
Designer: Simon Becker of Cabin Spacey
Innovative Bridge designs that prove these structures are truly architectural + engineering marvels!
Bridges have always been an absolute architectural and engineering marvel to me! They connect places, that otherwise would have been absolutely impossible to join. And they stand steady and solid through the test of time. However, bridges have come far from the simple but strong structures they use to be. They’re now creative, and often reflect the aura of the city they’re situated in. And we’ve curated a collection of awe-spiring bridge designs that’ll have you wondering – when did architecture get so creative?!
Inspired by a traditional Chinese musical instrument, the Ruyi Bridge in Chengdu, China is an architectural wonder. The curves and undulations of the bridge mimick musical rhythm. The bright red and white aesthetics instantly make it a sight that is completely un-ignorable!
This beautiful bridge in the Orchid Forest Cikole in Lembag, Indonesia attracts onlookers from all over the world! The long wooden bridge is 492 feet long and is intertwined between tall pine trees. At dusk, the bridge lights up, emitting a warm yellow light. It’s a wonder to behold!
The Dubai Water Canal is a prime example of architecture meets engineering! Extending at 3.2 km, the bridge even includes a man-made waterfall. Watching the bridge swerve over the glistening blue water is a visual delight to the eyes!
The Cirkelbroen Bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark has been designed by Studio Olafur Eliasson . It celebrates the pedestrians, and the daily life, and hustle-bustle that can be found around the canal. Made up of five circular platforms, the bridge is quite geometrically unique!
This pedestrian suspension bridge in Portugal claims to be the longest in the world! Named 516 Arouca, the bridge measures 516 meters in length. It is suspended 175 meters above the Paiva river and connects two impressive hills. It’s a remarkable work of engineering!
Linking Amsterdam’s past with its future, designers and engineers at MX3D and Joris Laarman Lab developed the world’s first 3D printed bridge over one of Amsterdam’s oldest canals in De Wallen, the city’s red-light district. MX3D and Joris Laarman Lab collaborated with global engineering firm Arup along with a host of designers and 3D-print teams to develop the robot-welded bridge. Welding traditional steelwork with computational design, the stainless steel bridge symbolizes a linking of Amsterdam’s past with its future.
Spanning 15,000 square feet, sprawling across the beautiful Randselva river, in northern Europe’s largest sculptural park stands ‘The Twist’ . Twirling through the air and combining two riverbanks, The Twist is “a hybrid spanning several traditional categories: It’s a museum, it’s a bridge, it’s an inhabitable sculpture,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner & Creative Director, BIG. Situated at the Kistefos Sculpture Park in Jevnaker, Norway, the project was first proposed in 2011 by the Bjarke Ingels Group and now in 2019, it is a striking reality.
The world’s longest glass-bottomed bridge opened up in China! It has even been officially recognized by the Guinness World Records. The bridge can hold up to 500 people, and it glistens in the sunlight while doing so!
Students at the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture build the Arroyo Bridge using collaborative robotics. The 70-foot bridge is an intricate web of steel tubing. The structure was inspired by tree branches and leaf veins!
The Floating Bridge in Moscow, Russia is one of its most famous architectural structures! The bridge hangs over the road, allowing pedestrians to cross it while feeling like they’re dangling above the ground! I would love to walk on this one.
Architectural design renders that give us a glimpse into the future of humanity
The year is 2200 and humans are split into two clans – the first clan believes in living with simplicity and letting nature heal itself (proof of which are the dolphins swimming in the canals of Venice) while the other half is where humanity struggles to exist without making a change to their behavioral patterns. Meet @inwardsound , an Italian 3D artist on Instagram who creates these surreal yet realistic views of our future, kind of like showing different versions of Earth in parallel universes where one twist in fate or act of man resulted in the new society that would be formed under their influence. Hauntingly beautiful, detailed and thought-provoking, each render here begs to ask the question – are you taking a step on the right path?
Living in cities, with homes that are so close by, we often know the person on the window opposite, they are practically our neighbors too! Habitat imagines a city where gravity is under control, so people reside on the land level and sky level (literally!) in this amazing view of what the world would be like if we run out of space in our cities. New York 2200 is here, and chances are, you will have a friendly neighbor above you as well!
Named the Hidden City, this render takes me to an alternate dimension where Inception meets overcrowding in a planet where humans chose not to improve their ways. Literally looking like a case of tunnel vision, the slightly submerged city and concrete landscape have taken over the majestic mountains in the distance, the Hidden City is humanity at its edge.
Any fans of the Philip K Dick novel converted to Amazon Prime series – The Man in the High Castle? This imaginative render feels like it belongs to the alternate universe described in the series (I have yet to complete it so no spoilers here!) but a more futuristic version of the same universe. Pagoda-inspired architecture stands tall in a dystopian setup, clearly establishing their dominance over the people. And the Avengers Infinity War-like alien spaceship hovers nearby, keeping the CNTRL HUB safe.
Be still my fiction-loving heart! J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece ended with Sauron’s reign coming to an end, but imagine if he took over Middle Earth and led it into the future. The O-Towers here bring to my mind the eye of Saron, revised in a more modern avatar to keep scanning the world while their master rules with the Ring of Power by his side. I wonder who the new-age Frodo would be?
The city that stays green together, survives together. Green architecture is the need of the hour and looking at this render gives me some hope for the future. Eternal City here is a balanced ecosystem, where existing architectural structures support and nurture the plants growing on them and waterway is a common and accepted medium of transport in the sea-level rising waters.
There are islands and then there are floating islands. Fracture depicts a scene where these little bits of paradise look like green filtration/ cleansing pods that float through the center of the populated city, giving a breath of fresh air to those living in the dense urban situation.
Forgive me for the pop culture and series references, but these illustrations bring out my fictional flair! Altered Carbon altered my imagination of the future and the Upper City looks like the perfect place for the Meths to live in. Can’t you see them sit back and watch the general population live as they literally live above the less fortunate people? The Upper City concept seems a precursor to the time when the Meth’s build their homes in the sky. And truly, whether or not Altered Carbon materializes, I do see a version of the society where the rich live above the rest to not pay heed to their troubles.
Layers layer this society. Looking like an entryway to hell inspired by Dante’s Inferno, Layers showcases a society living in a socio-economic divide that, if history is a lesson, will keep getting harder to bridge.
Aptly named the Protected Area, this is maybe what our planet would look like if Tony Stark managed to get a shield around our world, safeguard us from those evil forces. Though Corona does look like a manifestation of Thanos right now, I wonder if these grids would be enough to save the plant from its real foes, humans.
The Trip brings to mind the Titanic’s worst nightmare! Because truly, what could be scarier than escaping a destiny of sinking to only catch fire later!
