Inspiring Home with One Garden per Level in Singapore

The Meera House was designed by Guz Architects and is located on the island of Sentosa in Singapore. We consider it a daring and original project- after all, not many homes feature green spaces for every floor of the building. Here is a short description from the architects: The plots on the island of Sentosa are not large and neighboring buildings are built close to the sides of each house. Thus our strategy was to build a solid wall to each side neighbor to provide privacy where possible,  while creating a central light and stair well which would funnel the sea breeze through the centre of the building.

The front and rear of the building meanwhile, terrace back allowing each storey to have visual or actual access to greenery. The intention was to try to allow each roof garden provided a base for the storey above allowing the layered effect to make each storey feel like it was a single storey dwelling sitting in a garden…..as much as we could do in the close confines of Sentosa island and with such a large building!! What a wonderful architecture idea and a call to sustainability as well ! (Photographer: Patrick Bingham Hall)

(from freshome)

Valentines days by numbers

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Leg Shaving Flowchart

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Hengki Koentjoro, Jakarta, Indonesia

Hengki Koentjoro was born in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, in 1963. He is a graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California where he majored in film. He now lives in Jakarta where he specializes in fine art photography both underwater and on land.

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Guerilla Marketing With A Hemi: Wild Campaigns With Cars

Guerilla marketing catches one by surprise, and instantly generates a ripple effect through the most coveted advertising holy grail: word of mouth. When cars, such a large part of our typical lives, are thrown into unique and wild advertising campaigns it’s difficult not to tell one’s friends.

(Images via core77, artculture, graphics, kosmograd)

Wireframes models are indispensable to car designers, enabling them to manipulate the shape of vehicles before they’re created. How cutting edge would a new car have to be to escape the confines of the computer before it’s even able to be produced? It’s possible a random side street holds the answer.

(Images via omgbestru4realz, paid4space, hastalacreative, mactalk, designboom, jetsetta)

Smartcars are not known for fulfilling the typical American car values: Power, Looks, and Size, but it’s hard not to be won over when they own their small size as their biggest asset. Creative advertising equate their economical qualities as similar to that of a bicycle, and their small size is accentuated by being showcased in oversized vending machines.

(Images via theinspirationroom, toxel)

Just try slipping this into the shopping cart without the wife seeing… It looks like someone managed to fit this full sized Alfa Romero into a typical shopping cart, though it definitely didn’t escape notice.

(Images via theinspirationroom, funniest-commercials)

When would someone least expect a car advertisement? When they’re moseying down the beach looking for shells to add to their collection. To add to the unexpectedness of such an encounter, these sand sculptures are sure to trigger the ecologically minded subconscious into relating these cars to nature.

(Images via businesspundit, guerillasushi, guerillapromos, guerrillasushi)

One of the few things worse for a car than getting a deep scratch, is getting an overzealous paint job. Throwing paint liberally onto a car is a great way to accentuate an advertisement that’s straining to exceed its boundaries, and an even better way to get tags wagging.

(Images via transportspecs, tomgooday, adsoftheworld)

The best guerilla ad campaigns are temporary, but thanks to the elephantine memory of the internet, the best campaigns live on. One can’t get much more temporary than cars carved to the last detail out of ice, casually parallel parked on a typical city street.

(Images via coloribus, gdpsu, francescomugnai, graphicdesignatl)

A billboard is most effective when it’s parked in front of one’s door. There’s a lot more room for creativity when an ad isn’t stuck in a rectangular shape hanging high above the road. One example of great (though inefficient) marketing, are the empty wheel well graphics that say “got insurance?” on the other side.

(Images via toxel, whatsalltheracquet, weedguru, paper-plane)

What’s more fun than crushing a car? Nothing. That’s why it’s one of the most effective and eye catching ways to advertise a product. These products may not be larger than life, but at least they’re larger than a car.

(Images via worldphotocollections, worldphotocollections, hotfunnynews, cartype)

Sometimes it’s hard to take the billboard out of an ad campaign, so why not spice it up with a life sized vehicle? Adding a little bit of flair isn’t conventional, especially when an ad campaign goes a little overboard.

(Images via dailyshite, adsoftheworld)

Guerilla campaigns don’t only involve cars when new cars are involved. A great message can be passed along and a little creativity doesn’t hurt.

(Images via norcalminis, restartithere)

Mobile guerilla advertising bring the show on the road, catching eyes and proving a point with every mile driven and every passenger’s attention caught. It’s little doubt guerilla campaigns are the best way to get people interested, though it’s doubtlessly too expensive to do on as large a scale as companies would like.

(from weburbanist)

Burger Photo vs Reality

Advertising vs. Reality…

13 Scary Sky-High Platforms & Observation Decks

Your head spins, your stomach clenches, your heart pounds furiously. You’re thousands of feet above the ground with nothing but glass keeping you from teetering over the edge in a lengthy and final fall. Do you have the guts to look down? Hundreds of feet in the air, these 13 tower platforms and observation decks – often with transparent floors – offer absolutely breathtaking views of cities like Shanghai and landscape features like the Grand Canyon.

Burj Khalifa Observation Deck, Dubai

(images via: unique buildings, mithunonthe.net, le grand portage)

You’re never going to get a higher vantage point from a free-standing structure than that attainable at the Burj Khalifa observation deck in Dubai. Unless, that is, somebody builds a structure even taller than this world-record tower, which reaches half a mile into the air. The observation deck is on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa (formerly known as the Burj Dubai) and on a clear day, it provides absolutely jaw-dropping views of practically the whole of the United Arab Emirates.

Stockholm SkyView at the Ericcson Globe

(images via: globearenas.se)

You’ll literally feel on top of the globe when you hitch a ride in one of the glass ‘gondolas’ at Stockholm Skyview, a moving observation deck that travels up two sets of rails on the exterior of the Ericcson Globe Arena in Sweden. Each gondola can take 16 people over 426 feet into the air for an unforgettable view of the city of Stockholm.

Top of Tyrol, Austria

(images via: aste architecture)

Virtually invisible against the snow in the winter, ‘Top of Tyrol’ was designed to blend seamlessly into its environment and provide a vantage point that most people couldn’t achieve without some serious mountain climbing abilities. Designed by Aste Architecture, Top of Tyrol cantilevers nearly 30 feet out from the pinnacle of Austria’s Mount Isidor, about 10,500 feet above the ground.

Shanghai World Financial Center, China

(images via: kanegan, bernt rostad, le grand portage)

Before the Burj Khalifa came along and shattered all kinds of records, the observation deck at the Shanghai World Financial Center was about as high as it got. The glass observation corridor, which spans the summit of the building, is half a kilometer in the air – but the faint(ish) of heart can still get a thrill by checking out lower decks on the 94th and 97th floors instead.

Five Fingers Viewing Platform, Austria

(images via: goldenrochs.at)

Get five different views with five different features in each jetty of ‘Five Fingers’, a viewing platform in the Austrian Alps. The first has a picture frame for souvenir shots, the second a glass floor for that vertiginous feeling, the third a trampoline for the foolhardy (this one is only open for special events, lest tourists bounce themselves right over the cliff), the fourth a hole in the floor to peek through and the fifth, a telescope.

Sands Skypark, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

(images via: marinabaysands.com)

On the top of three skyscrapers, 656 feet in the air, Singapore boasts a 1,246-foot-long rooftop deck by architect Moshe Safdie offering an incredible view of Marina Bay. The curving Sands Skypark is shaped like a ship and equivalent in size to the Eiffel Tower laid on its side. Among its most notable features is a 150-meter-long infinity swimming pool, which makes guests feel like they could swim right over the edge.

Landscape Promontory, Switzerland

(images via: etienne deffinis, architonic)

Designed by Paolo Burgi, Landscape Promontory is a suspended metal platform that almost looks like an insanely oversized, modern version of a carnival ride – except that it (thankfully) doesn’t move. The viewing platform extends out from Cardada mountain in Switzerland and is marked with symbols and explanations that tell of local history and literature.

Willis Tower Skydeck, Chicago

(images via: charlotte speaks)

Step out onto the deck of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower ‘Skydeck’ – an enclosed balcony made almost entirely of glass – and you’ll feel, for a moment, as if you’re about to hurtle to a rather unpleasant death on the streets below. Or perhaps, if you’re the brave type, the height won’t phase you at all and you’ll just be completely entranced by an unparalleled, uninterrupted view of the Chicago skyline.

Aurland Lookout, Norway

(images via: todd saunders)

You know that stomach-clutching, heart-in-your-throat sensation you get on roller coasters just as you’re coming up to the edge of a terrifyingly steep drop? That moment is drawn out indefinitely at the Aurland Lookout in Norway, a stunning wooden overlook that puts nothing but a sheet of plate glass between you and the countryside below. Designed by Todd Saunders & Tommie Wilhelmsen, the minimalist structure celebrates the region’s natural beauty and exemplifies its spare, modern design sense.

Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne

(images via: eurekaskydeck.com)

They named this thing ‘Eureka’ for a reason – it’s about the tamest exclamation that would emerge from your mouth as you walk out onto it. As you look down through the glass floor, you become acutely aware of the fact that you’re nearly 1,000 feet above street level. Jutting 9 feet out the side of the building, the Skydeck offers the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere.

Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona

(images via: vistor.com)

Stepping out onto the Grand Canyon Skywalk is probably the closest you’ll ever get to walking on air. The U-shaped walkway, considered quite a feat of engineering (or an over-developed eyesore, depending on your viewpoint), extends 66 feet from the canyon’s edge and its two-inch-thick glass floor lets you gaze down 3,600 feet to the canyon floor below.

House on the Rock Infinity Room, Wisconsin

(images via: panaramio, gadling)

As you emerge from the cluttered depths of one of America’s most bizarre roadside attractions, The House on the Rock, you can clear your head on a cantilevered viewing platform that extends 218 feet over the forest floor. Once you reach the end of the ‘Infinity Room’, which has 3,264 windows, you can look out the final pane of glass, which is set into the floor at the tip.

i360 Tower, Brighton, UK

(images via: e-architect.co.uk)

England’s Brighton Beach will get a 600-foot needle tower with a circular glass viewing platform that can hold 125 people, following years of delays. The i360 Tower – which might get a name change by the time it’s complete – is set to become Britain’s highest observation tower, granting 360-degree views of the coast.

Blizzard Wizards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Snow Plows

When snow begins to pile up, snow plows head out to take it down. These glorified power shovels are a triumph of basic technology against the forces of nature, and even then there’s room for adaptation, customization and decoration. So clear the way for these 10 cool cutting edge snow plows… or better yet, let THEM do it for you!

Porsche 968 Snow Plow

(images via: Eastbounddown and Pelican Parts Forums)

Ever wonder what the snow plow driver drives? No, it’s not a shop… but the Porsche 968 Snowplow isn’t exactly what it appears to be, either. “In honor of April Fools Day, each April I write my column about something humorous,” explains Bruce Corwin, owner of the 968 above. “One year I took the snowplow off a friend’s truck and parked my 968 behind the plow. I took a few photos that looked like the plow was attached to the front of the Porsche and wrote a column about the Porsche ‘snowplow option’.”

(image via: Found Shit)

We’re guessing the Corvette Snow Plow above was “constructed” along the same lines, though the flashing orange light on the roof is a nice touch.

Roofus Radio-Controlled Robot Snow Plow

(images via: ConceptPop and Gizmodo)

Meet Roofus, the Radio-Controlled Robotic Snow Plow who’s gonna tell ya somethin’ good: plowing your driveway just got as easy as playing a video game! Shiny orangeRoofus was originally designed to clear snow from roofs – hence the name – but snow is snow and Roofus just eats it up. Roofus rides on twin caterpillar tracks and packs two electric motors plus a gasoline engine – it’s Mr. Freeze’s Prius! Bolt on some peripheral attachments and Roofus can mow your lawn, sweep the drive and more… actually, YOU can, by just flexing your thumbs.

Russian Jet-Powered Snow Plows

(images via: Mileanhour and Dark Roasted Blend)

When General Winter gets all ornery-like and threatens to put the kibosh on your holiday travel plans, who ya gonna call? Snow Busters!… now equipped with Klimov VK-1 jet engines upcycled from Red Army surplus MiG-15 fighter planes. These bizarre jet trucks are used in Russia and the former Eastern Bloc to clear snow off airport runways and, on occasion, de-ice airliners. If you thought flying Aeroflot sucked, guess what? It blows, too.

(image via: Dark Roasted Blend)

Train tracks also get the blow-dry treatment in eastern Europe, as the makeshift snowblower above illustrates. Now that’s one loco locomotive!

Yuki-Taro Robotic Snow Plow

(images via: Pink Tentacle and Geekologie)

Anyone for some Japanese over-engineering with a dash of cute overload? Arigato, snowplow roboto! The cute (of course) creation above is Yuki-Taro, an environmentally-friendly snow plowing robot that seeks out snow with two video cameras (one in each “eye”) and an on-board GPS receiver.

(images via: Ubergizmo and Techeblog)

Yuki-Taro was designed to help elderly homeowners clear their driveways and walkways. As for what to do with the cleared snow, 880 lb Yuki-Taro simply eats it – whereupon internal compactors form the snow into uniform bricks which are then excreted out the back. If a coalition of several Japanese universities and research institutions didn’t design Yuki-Taro, we’d have to guess a bunch of Japanese kids did. Toss in the eyebrows and the Pikachu mod and we’re sure of it.

Fabulous Fifties Snow Plows

(images via: Travelpod/Hildreth75 and Perimeter Run)

They say time goes by slower up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the winters, well, they seem to last forever. That still doesn’t explain this four door, four wheel drive, 1955 Buick snow plow. We can’t explain it either, so simply gaze upon it in awe and wonder.

(image via: Club Chopper Forums)

One of the most iconic cars of the finned, fabulous Fifties was the 1957 Chevy, ideally as a fuel-injected 2-door Bel Air convertible. The snow plow sedan version… not so much. Even so, you’d have to be Mr. Plow to be any cooler than the driver of this tricked out, chrome-bedazzled rig.

Hybrid GOAT ROBOT 22T Lawn Mower/Snow Plow

(images via: Techeblog)

“Hybrid Goat Robot” sounds like the title of a very bad B-movie we’d nevertheless love to see, but the Hybrid GOAT ROBOT 22T from Eva Tech is actually a tank-like treaded vehicle that maintains your yard and drive season in and season out.

Check out the Goat Robot 22T making a baaad winter goood:

Remote Control Snow Plow, via Lmedinaxyz

(image via: Eva Tech)

You’ll need to put out $11,999 for the pleasure, mind you, but that’s probably cheaper than keeping your own living goat – and they don’t plow snow all that well.

Hell’s Snow Plow

(images via: TheAllisonRose and ZhenPanda)

Train snowplows are all kinds of awesome from the get go and there’s really no need to jazz ‘em up – so when that happens, it’s off the rails awesome… so to speak. Take the Evil Clown artwork on the train snowplow above… Hell’s Snow Plow indeed!

(image via: John Vass)

When this Bozo on expired steroids comes roaring down the track somewhere in the wilds of rural Montana, be afraid, be VERY afraid, be Stand By Me afraid! Oh and we love the single gold tooth, nice touch there.

RoboPlow

(images via: AutoMotto)

When Robocop wants to plow his driveway, you’d better believe he’s not plowing it – he’s a robotic cop, right? Besides, odds are he’s got RoboPlow: the leanest, meanest, robotic snowplow there is. Don’t be surprised if if rolls up – on 6 wheels, no less – and booms out “Clarence Boddicker, I’m here to shovel your driveway!”

Here’s a promotional video from RoboPlow’s creators, IdeaLABORATORIES, showing this badass mutha in action:

ROBOPLOW, via IdeaLABORATORIES

(image via: Godlike Productions)

RoboPlow sports a wicked 50” wide angle-able blade and packs 660 amps of power. It features a pair of 10-watt LEDs for night-plowing (not the same as night-putting), a pair of flashing red LED brake lights and a fully articulated camera on top to freak people out – if looking like a runaway dwarf casket wasn’t enough. When the cam turns your way, you half-expect a Martian heat ray to blast forth! Available in any color you want – as long as its black.

Pedal-Powered Snow Plow

(images via: 1World2Wheels and Simply+Green Solutions)

From the wild to the mild – we give you the pedal-powered snow plow. No motors, no LEDs, no GPS or frikkin’ laser beams and yet, it’s still awesome… AND fun! It might not be mean but it sure is green. “It probably took me 50 to 80 hours to complete the pedal plow,” says crafty DIY-er Kevin Blake. “With a little bit of mechanical aptitude, some metal working resources and a couple of old bikes, just about anyone can make a pedal-powered snowplow.”

Pedal Powered Snowplow, via MrPlowKevin

(image via: Mother Earth News)

Thanks to Kevin’s exhaustively complete directions, just about anyone CAN build themselves a pedal-powered snow plow. We’re not sure what Kevin’s regular job is, but with ideas like these he should tell his boss to “take this job and shovel it!”

Long Island Railroad Snowplow W83 “Jaws III”

(images via: RMLI and TrainWeb)

Looking like a cross between the boss Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine and a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in Flying Tigers livery, snowplow W83 “Jaws III” was probably the most exciting thing to ever ride the rails of the Long Island Rail Road. Built by the LIRR machine shop atop a 1907 flatcar way back in December of 1915, W83 cleared snow along the main line for decades before being rebuilt and repainted in November of 1978.

(images via: TrainWeb)

After a further 8 years of faithful service, the LIRR finally retired snowplow Jaws III (or perhaps by then, “Dentures III”) in 1986. The larger than life, toothy rolling shovel was handed over to the Railroad Museum of Long Island and remains parked just outside the Greenport Freight House.

(images via: Busted Tees and Culturish)

“Call Mr. Plow, that’s my name, that name again, is Mr. Plow!” Ahh yes, Mr. Plow cruised into pop culture consciousness on November 19, 1992, on the ninth episode of The Simpsons’ fourth season. There it has remained, stuck like a snow plow buried beneath an avalanche on Widow’s Peak. Just consider, though, if “Plow King” Barney had been driving any of the above 10 snow plows he’d never need to be rescued and consequences (and Springfield history) would never be the same.

(from weburbanist)

Great Optical Illusion

If you are sited infront of your computer the angry one is on the left and the calmed one on your right.

Now if you walk away from your computer and increase the distance you will see that the calmend one is now on the left and the angry one on the right. Incredible now they are in an opposite position.

This image was created by Phillippe G.Schyns and Aude Oliva from Glasgow University

It is a boy card

Look again, the brunette on the back is not naked. It’s the front girl’s left arm.

The blond is not hairy… It’s some guys’ leg.

Evol: Mini Buildings With Mighty Details

Evol is a Berlin based artist who is his own kind of urban planner. Like Russian dolls, Evol�s creations are a city within the city; he specializes in stenciling intricate building details onto surprising surfaces. Three dimensional balconies, windows, and mini graffiti create a realistic building facade in the middle of the sidewalk. Here is some of his coolest work:

Stenciled Creations

(Images via picasaweb, printeresting)

Evol uses complicated stencils to quickly tag powerboxes and other worn urban surfaces with the details of a true skyscraper. While the police might not agree with this public art project, they no doubt enjoy the end result.

Art Gallery Shows

(Images via brooklynstreetart, artoutthere)

Evol has been recognized by several highly regarded art galleries, and has showcased his work in shows. While seeing his creations sitting on a hardwood floor might not hold the same effect as stumbling upon them in the middle of a neighborhood street, it�s still damn impressive.

Isolated Showcases

(Images via ceciliahalling, onemoremusicfan, kunstlercast, bestofremodeling, kunstlercast)

The extensiveness of Evol�s work is typically limited by the surfaces he finds available, so most of his mini skyscrapers stand alone, gracing random street corners.

(from weburbanist)

Parkour for Lazies: The Bizarre British Lying Down Game

It�s happening all around the world: people are taking pictures of their friends awkwardly lying face-down in all sorts of unlikely places. On top of statues, in the middle of roads, in front of famous landmarks � absolutely anywhere you can conceivably fit a horizontal human body, you�ll find someone playing the bizarre game. The weirder the place and the more people looking on, the better. You may ask why, but the people behind The Lying Down Game would rather ask �Why not?�

Lying Down Game creators Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon describe their creation as �Parkour�for those who can�t be arsed.� In other words, this is the lazy person�s urban navigation sport. There�s no dangerous jumping or athletic climbing required; just the ability to lie down and stop moving for a moment along with the bravery to tolerate people staring at you as if you are crazy.

Feel brave enough to participate? The rules are simple, according to the creators: �1) The more public the better. 2) The more people involved the better. Please be aware that the palms of your hands must be flat against your side and the tips of your toes pointing at the ground. Just as if you were standing, but vertically challenged. FACE DOWN!�

The game has been around as a Facebook group since 2006, but the meme really reached its peak in the summer of 2009. Mainstream media picked up on the story and the game was featured by news outlets around the world. After the attention, participation soared and the submitted pictures grew more and more outrageous. The game was at the center of a few controversies as people were caught lying down at work and in some rather unwise places, but lying down enthusiasts continued to play.

Aside from being a silly thing to do to amuse yourself, the Lying Down Game strikes us as a brilliant public art project. Seen separately, these photos suggest thousands of weird people all willing to do something a little crazy. But taken together, the photos of people all around the world lying face down in odd locations looks a lot like collective performance art. It helps that they all seem to be having fun while lying down.

The Facebook page for the group is still going strong after all this time, and it has now reached well over 100,000 members. Want to play? Be prepared for some stares and the occasional �Are you alright?� � and don�t forget to bring a friend with a camera to capture the ridiculous places you find to lie down in.

(from weburbanist)

16 Creative Billboards Worth Advertising

With the constant innovations of advertising in new media, it�s easy to forget the tried and true forms of advertising that once dominated media buys. The old fashioned billboard tends to be plastered with text and ugly graphics, but there are pioneers who are pushing the limits of a once conservative business. Here are 16 creative billboards that step out of the bounds of an old media:

(Images via danvertising, artatm)

Billboards can do something even the most complicated online display advertising can � and that�s break through the boundaries and become truly interactive with the real world. There�s something about the tactile nature of this kind of ad that impels one to talk about it with friends.

(Images via andersonf, toxel, mymodernmet)

Sometimes it�s not what�s on the billboard, but rather how empty space is used. Removing part of a billboard to make a point is wonderful because it�s both eye catching, and shows that the advertiser took the time to study the environment the billboard would inhabit, and stylized it to interact uniquely.

(Images via inquisitr, billboardom, billboardom, fistofblog)

It�s amazing what you can do with a simple rectangle, and bringing in a little creativity with shape and texture can make a typically two dimensional ad medium really pop out. People expect something from a boring billboard, so it�s great when those expectations are ruined.

(Images via geekologie, greensboring, viviangrant, greensboring)

Bloom supermarkets have pioneered the most interactive billboards yet, by creating two different billboards that emit smells into the surrounding area. The first such billboard wafted steak scents for passing motorists, and the second incorporated a fallen muffin and wonderful blueberry muffin smells.

(Images via dailygalaxy, otakuchick)

Billboards can be a surprisingly effective platform (literally) for environmental causes, as exemplified by these creative setups, which destroy expectations of what�s possible with a rectangular space.

(Images via davewilliamsdesigns, thecrapbox, pedrogoico)

These billboards truly step off the board and enter the real world with their off the wall uses of 3 dimensional features. Figures escape the boundaries of the ad and become compelling entertainment.

(via weburbanist)

Hey, mother foca