Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Row of ridged bays contains bottling facilities at Santa Margherita vineyard

Santa Margherita Winery by Westway Architects

Italian studio Westway Architects has completed the modernisation of a winery near Venice, which combines wine-coloured zinc-titanium cladding with windows to view the production process. Read more



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Architects petition to save Venturi Scott Brown's San Diego art museum

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Over 70 architects, critics and preservationists have signed a petition to prevent the "tremendous mistake" of demolishing parts of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, to make way for an expansion by Selldorf Architects. Read more



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Massive NASA space blanket proposed as billowing Burning Man installation

The Blanket at Burning Man by Alex Schtanuk

Russian artist Alexander Schtanuk has launched a crowdfunding campaign to turn NASA's metallic emergency blankets into an enormous artwork at this year's Burning Man festival. Read more



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Starling bank launches vertically orientated debit card

Starling bank launches vertical debit card

Digital-only bank Starling has launched a debit card with a vertical design to align with the way people usually make payments. Read more



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Ignacio Correa crafts wooden Casa Camilo for family of farmers in Chile

Casa Camilo by Ignacio Correa Arquitecto

Two long volumes clad in local cypress and kinked at their centres form this house in rural Chile, by Ignacio Correa Arquitecto. Read more



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Chinese skyscraper incorporates 108-metre high waterfall

New video footage reveals the latest incredible skyscraper being constructed in China, which incorporates a giant waterfall into its facade. Read more



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"If I buy eight, am I also responsible for feeding them?"

Corpus Collection by Nikolas Bentel

In this week's comments update, readers aren't sure how to respond to furniture formed from a naked body. Read more



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Studio Mutt designs four fictional characters to inhabit Sir John Soane Museum

Studio Mutt creates four fictional characters to inhabit Sir John Soane Museum

London-based practice Studio Mutt has revealed illustrations of four architectural characters that will inhabit the Sir John Soane Museum as part of this year's London Design Festival. Read more



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Red Rocks house by The Ranch Mine nestles into Arizona mountainside

Red Rocks Residence by The Ranch Mine

American firm The Ranch Mine has overhauled and expanded a Phoenix residence, adding limestone cladding and generous terraces, and reorganising the home so it capitalises on views of the desert terrain. Read more



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Wooden "forest" forms an inner sanctuary inside Imaculada Chapel in Braga

This raised wooden structure, designed by Cerejeira Fontes Architects, creates a secluded inner chapel inside an old church in Braga, Portugal. Read more



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Shigeru Ban builds temporary shelters from paper for Japan flooding victims

Shigeru Ban Japan disaster relief 2018

Pritzker Prize-winner Shigeru Ban has joined the disaster relief effort in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, personally setting up his Paper Partition System for evacuees. Read more



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The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost by Lucy Banks

I came across this book while shelving in the library. Actually, I came across the second in the series, The Case of the Deadly Doppleganger and was ready to check it out before I discovered it was actually the second in the Dr. Ribero's Agency of the Supernatural series. I'm happy to say I've discovered a series that I thoroughly enjoy.

Kester Lanner has recently lost his mother, and she has left instructions for him to travel to Exeter, in England, to a rather run-down building, to meet Dr. Ribero. Kester finds out Dr. Ribero is actually his father, and he runs a very odd company, with a small crew of argumentative people: Ms. Wellbeloved, Pamela, Mike, and Serena. And by argumentative, I mean they're all continually squabbling. Sheesh, talk about a toxic work environment! But underneath it all lies a firm foundation of togetherness. Dr. Ribero and crew run a supernatural agency. 

Kester, an overweight, pale, delicate sort of young man, relies on facts and reality, and he's thrown a curve meeting his father and the crew. In fact, he's actually dreadfully frightened of the unknown. But, he's inherited a skill from his mother: his ability to open a door to the spirit world that spirits just can't resist. It's a rare gift, and one that Kester hasn't mastered at all. The agency has a bit of an unusual job: a haunted portrait that enchants men and terrorizes their wives. If they don't solve this haunting, and capture the spirit, they will have to close the doors of the agency for good. Will Kester help them, or be the end of them?

So aside from the constant bickering between Serena (geez, she's got an attitude) and Mike, I liked the small crew at the agency. Pamela and Ms. Wellbeloved were the anchors, and quite lovely women, with their own particular talents. Serena is the one who can capture spirits in water bottles, and Mike is the techno guy who is constantly trying to fix, improve, and create technology to help them with their jobs. Dr. Ribero is a quirky, mysterious leader, and a father Kester never imagined. Kester is the most interesting. He's a sad sack, barely ever leaving home, loves to read, is great at research, but hasn't lived a life at all--until he meets the crew. Waffling between being terrified and interested in capturing spirits, he's a man-child on the cusp of potential great change, if only he can get up the courage to jump. 

I read reviews of this novel on Goodreads, and I'd say roughly half the folks either gave up, or complained about the argumentative cast of characters. I loved it, and it reminded me a bit of Simon Green's Ghost Finders series. I am heading to work today, hopeful the second in the series in still on a shelf waiting for me to check it out. Anyone who enjoys series with a supernatural twist will enjoy this one. I can't wait to see what trouble the crew get into, and see Kester mature. It's a contemporary novel, but the feel to it kept me thinking it was not contemporary; but that didn't really bother me. I thought the ghost story was pretty clever, and I can tell the author put some thought/research into the legend of that particular spirit while developing the novel. 

Yay! Another series I like. I'm continually surprised that I keep happening upon new series. I can't promise I'll always read every book in the series-sometimes they just go on for too long--(Laurel K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Cornwell, Jim Butcher). But for now, I'll continue to enjoy Dr. Ribero and his unique agency. 

Here's the second in the series, out now:



Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining start to a new supernatural series. I am looking forward to reading more! 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews https://ift.tt/2NVuUae

The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost by Lucy Banks

I came across this book while shelving in the library. Actually, I came across the second in the series, The Case of the Deadly Doppleganger and was ready to check it out before I discovered it was actually the second in the Dr. Ribero's Agency of the Supernatural series. I'm happy to say I've discovered a series that I thoroughly enjoy.

Kester Lanner has recently lost his mother, and she has left instructions for him to travel to Exeter, in England, to a rather run-down building, to meet Dr. Ribero. Kester finds out Dr. Ribero is actually his father, and he runs a very odd company, with a small crew of argumentative people: Ms. Wellbeloved, Pamela, Mike, and Serena. And by argumentative, I mean they're all continually squabbling. Sheesh, talk about a toxic work environment! But underneath it all lies a firm foundation of togetherness. Dr. Ribero and crew run a supernatural agency. 

Kester, an overweight, pale, delicate sort of young man, relies on facts and reality, and he's thrown a curve meeting his father and the crew. In fact, he's actually dreadfully frightened of the unknown. But, he's inherited a skill from his mother: his ability to open a door to the spirit world that spirits just can't resist. It's a rare gift, and one that Kester hasn't mastered at all. The agency has a bit of an unusual job: a haunted portrait that enchants men and terrorizes their wives. If they don't solve this haunting, and capture the spirit, they will have to close the doors of the agency for good. Will Kester help them, or be the end of them?

So aside from the constant bickering between Serena (geez, she's got an attitude) and Mike, I liked the small crew at the agency. Pamela and Ms. Wellbeloved were the anchors, and quite lovely women, with their own particular talents. Serena is the one who can capture spirits in water bottles, and Mike is the techno guy who is constantly trying to fix, improve, and create technology to help them with their jobs. Dr. Ribero is a quirky, mysterious leader, and a father Kester never imagined. Kester is the most interesting. He's a sad sack, barely ever leaving home, loves to read, is great at research, but hasn't lived a life at all--until he meets the crew. Waffling between being terrified and interested in capturing spirits, he's a man-child on the cusp of potential great change, if only he can get up the courage to jump. 

I read reviews of this novel on Goodreads, and I'd say roughly half the folks either gave up, or complained about the argumentative cast of characters. I loved it, and it reminded me a bit of Simon Green's Ghost Finders series. I am heading to work today, hopeful the second in the series in still on a shelf waiting for me to check it out. Anyone who enjoys series with a supernatural twist will enjoy this one. I can't wait to see what trouble the crew get into, and see Kester mature. It's a contemporary novel, but the feel to it kept me thinking it was not contemporary; but that didn't really bother me. I thought the ghost story was pretty clever, and I can tell the author put some thought/research into the legend of that particular spirit while developing the novel. 

Yay! Another series I like. I'm continually surprised that I keep happening upon new series. I can't promise I'll always read every book in the series-sometimes they just go on for too long--(Laurel K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Cornwell, Jim Butcher). But for now, I'll continue to enjoy Dr. Ribero and his unique agency. 

Here's the second in the series, out now:



Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining start to a new supernatural series. I am looking forward to reading more! 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews https://ift.tt/2NVuUae

Philipp Schenk-Mischke creates ceramics and furniture that are partly accidental in design

Philipp Schenk-Mischke creates ceramics and furniture that are partly accidental in design

Royal College of Art graduate Philipp Schenk-Mischke aims to bring an element of chaos to his designs, which include lopsided vases and tables held together by metal blobs. Read more



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Valerio Olgiati uses sky blue marble for interiors of Céline store in Miami

Céline flagship Miami store by Valerio Olgiati

Blue-tinged marble and pyramidal forms appear throughout luxury fashion label Céline's flagship store in Miami, which has been designed by Swiss practice Valerio Olgiati. Read more



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Crème grows gourds in moulds to create biodegradable HyO-Cup

Brooklyn-based design studio Crème uses home-grown vegetables to produce a sustainable alternative to disposable coffee cups. Read more



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Monday, July 30, 2018

Pedro Geraldes creates concrete control centre overlooking Portuguese dam

Ermida dam control centre by Pedro Geraldes

A gabled concrete shell that references local vernacular buildings forms a protective surface enclosing this control building at a hydroelectric station in central Portugal. Read more



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Kanye West albums illustrated as houses by Amaory B Portorreal

Kanye West's Graduation album cover as an architectural illustration by Amaory Portorreal

Kanye West's discography is portrayed as a set of architectural illustrations in this series by designer Amaory B Portorreal. Read more



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Paulo Mendes da Rocha and David Adjaye on Mies Crown Hall Americas 2018 shortlist

Washington DC's African American history museum and a leisure centre designed by Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha are among the six finalists for this year's Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize. Read more



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Dezeen and A/D/O present Spirit of the City talks about New York's creative scene

Dezeen is hosting a series of panel discussions at Brooklyn creative space A/D/O, with a lineup of New York-based designers and architects who will share their experiences of living and working in the city. Read more



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MAD reveals designs for Yabuli Conference Centre in Chinese mountains

Yabuli Conference Centre by MAD

Construction has begun on a sinuous conference centre designed by MAD for the mountainous region of Yabuli in northeast China. Read more



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Tommy Hilfiger launches smart clothing range that tracks users' movements

Tommy Hilfiger launches smart clothing range that tracks user's movements

Luxury clothes brand Tommy Hilfiger has released a range of "smart clothing", containing inbuilt Bluetooth chips that allow the item's movements to be tracked and users to be rewarded for wearing them. Read more



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Matthew Mazzotta builds retractable Storefront Theater for Nebraska community

Storefront Theater by Matthew Mazzotta

An unassuming storefront in a small Nebraska town flips down to become a 100-seat theatre, which artist Matthew Mazzotta installed to reinvigorate the neglected main street. Read more



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Spark & Burnish's ocean-plastic handles raise money for marine conservation

These pastel-toned cabinet handles may look like solid marble, but they are actually made from recycled ocean plastic. Read more



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Anacapa Architecture creates AutoCamp glamping resort in northern California

AutoCamp by Anacapa Architecture

California studio Anacapa Architecture has designed a luxury campground in Sonoma County that features customised tents and Airstream trailers, along with an open-air clubhouse for guest check-in and socialising. Read more



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